Photo Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, January 11th - Sunday, January 17th, 2010)

Weekly Glance...

Weekly Glance (Monday, January 11th - Sunday, January 17th, 2010)

• Lowkey yet crazy week
• Still waking up once a night and coming in with Mommy even if I try to let him cry it out - he doesn't get out of his bed. He'll just sit there calling "Mommy Mommmmmmy"
• Got sick during naptime at school on Tuesday - threw up about 7-8 times (half of those on Mommy)
• Tuesday afternoon, cuddled & laid low at home with Mommy and then had a rough night of sleeping Tuesday night
• Stayed home with Mommy on Wednesday - we were sick free but still feeling cuddly
• Went to dinner with Daddy on Thursday night (loves his cheeseburger & fries)
• Friday night, went to Target with Mommy for our weekly visit...he helped me pick out birthday presents for Carly & Matty, our neighbors. He was very excited.
• Saturday morning the roofers came to fix our roof - he was excited to see the dumpster in the driveway but then freaked out when they started banging and removing the shingles. He got even more freaked out when they covered the windows with the blue tarps.
• Thankfully we didn't stay for the whole roof-job because I don't think Alexander would have been able to nap but we left early anyway to go to NJ to visit with Grandma & Poppop.
• Had a very nice visit at Grandma & Pop-pop's house
• Played with Charlie the horsey, playdough with Grandma, made cookies & got to play the piano
• On the drive home, he did very good until the last 35-40 minutes or so (we now know his driving threshold)
• Although he did not nap on Sunday, he was fairly well behaved (with a few little moments here & there)
• Asleep by 7:20pm (that includes bubble bath, teeth brushing & reading books)
  

Weekend Activities...

This weekend we had a post-holiday visit to New Jersey to visit Grandma & Grandpa in NJ ...otherwise known as 'Gan-ma' and 'Pop-pop'. It was nice to have a post-holiday visit as Alexander was able to spend more quality time with them and without chaos.

We got down there in time to have lunch and then play around for a bit. Pop-pop brought up a old-fashioned ride 'em horsey for Alexander to play with - which he loved (and named him Charlie).

After a good & needed nap, there was some piano playing, horsey riding and then dinner. We did a lot more horsey riding which by the end of the weekend he was an expert of getting on & off without any help.

He insisted that Gan-ma read books and help put him to bed (he also insists that she change all of his diapers whenever she's around). So Gan-ma with help from Daddy put him to bed. After waking up at 2am & coming into bed with Mommy and then waking up again at 3:50am wanting to know where he was and then screaming to go home, he managed to fall back asleep (in a very uncomfortable position for Mommy) until about 6am.

Alexander & Gan-ma had a very nice morning together where they had cereal, looked at some pictures, played with playdough. And after Pop pop got him a cowboy hat to ride with the horsey he was allset. We packed up and then tried to time the ride home so he would take a nap. Overall it was a very nice weekend.

Cookie Monster...

While visiting Grandma & Pop-pop, Grandma had a special treat for Alexander! She had some cookies for him that they could bake together as we all know how much Alexander loves to make cookies! He was very excited to help. He put them on the cookie sheet and then when they were done baking & cooled - he helped her put some red icing on!

Here they are...baking cookies with Grandma

Little Sickie...

Tuesday afternoon, I got a call from Miss Lindsay saying that Alexander got sick during nap. I headed to school to pick him up and I could hear him crying from the door, poor guy. He was sitting with Miss Alexa and had just gotten sick yet again. Miss Lindsay mentioned that someone else got sick too so it might be a stomach bug going around.

We headed home and the poor guy got sick TWICE during the car ride home. I felt so helpless as he was scared & had no idea what to do or what was going on. I had to tell him to spit it out because he didn't know what to do.

We got home and I got him changed into some PJs. I called the doctor and Nurse Lee did say there was a 12 hr stomach bug going around and the fact that he's gotten sick so much so quickly is probably good that he'll go thru it. She said not to give him a lot to drink as that will set it off (which she wasn't kidding!)

We cuddled in bed but then he got sick and didn't want to throw up in the bucket, only a towel. So then after getting changed, we headed downstairs for some more cuddling. We headed up to bed earlier than normal, and after a couple of books, he got sick again. He just couldn't get comfortable - whether it was on his bed, in my lap, on my shoulder, on the floor, sideways, upside down. This lack-of-sleeping went on for the ENTIRE night. When he would finally fall asleep he would wake up screaming/crying for water. Of course every time I gave him a drop, like clockwork, he would throw it up.

It was a long night for everyone because he felt awful & couldn't get comfortable and then when he finally did, he would wake up screaming for water only to get sick again.

Wednesday, Mommy & Alexander stayed home and rested. Thankfully the vomitting didn't carry over and we had a cuddle-filled, lowkey day. Plus he took a nice 3 1/2 hr nap! However by the time Daddy got home, he was ready for someone else.

Here is my little sickie as we cuddle on the couch on Tuesday...

Photo Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, January 4th - Sunday, January 10th, 2010)

Photo Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, January 4th - Sunday, January 10th, 2010)

Weekly Glance...

Weekly Glance (Monday, January 4th - Sunday, January 10th, 2010)

• Fairly quiet week
  
• Started in the Preschool class with no issues - Miss Lindsay said he did very well (napping, eating, playing, listening)
• He's done very well in his big boy bed (no falling out) - however he still wakes up once during the night (see next bullet)
• Major issue for Mommy is the fact that he has been waking up *super* early - we're talking 4:25am, 4:30am, 3:30am...etc. Some mornings he went back to sleep, others not so fortunate
• Tried to let him stay in his bed after calling for Mommy on two different mornings & he never got out of his bed but he also didn't go back to sleep
• Went to Target with Mommy on Thursday - was very excited to see his Target friend after a few weeks off (Christmas/New Years)
• Went to BL & Dave's house for a family holiday party on Saturday
• Had a blast playing with Seamus & the batman car
• No nap on Saturday & asleep in the car by 8pm...Alexander slept the whole night through until 5:30am in his bed!
• Sunday was a lowkey day at home for all - played trains, doctor kit
• First naptime at home in the big boy bed - after a few little "Mommy Mommy" he actually went down - we'll see if this impacts wake-up time tomorrow
  

First Week of Preschool...

Alexander's first week of preschool was a success! No major issues or situations to speak of either!

Miss Lindsay said he was very good at helping clean up toys as well as listening to instructions. She did say there was one small incident where Alexander pushed a friend but he was strongly provoked. Alexander was trying to put away trains and the friend came over and would take them out, so Alexander put them back away. This continued back & forth for a bit until finally Alexander pushed his friend.

However, despite the little pushing incident, things went very well. He even napped each day - which actually might be the cause of such early rising, but we'll see.

Photo Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, December 28th - Sunday, January 3rd, 2010)

Photo Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, December 28th - Sunday, January 3rd, 2010)
taken by Alexander:

Weekly Glance...

Weekly Glance (Monday, December 28th - Sunday, January 3rd, 2010)

• Short yet good week at school
• Went to Preschool on Monday and then a full trial day on Wednesday
• Still waking up every night and coming in with Mommy except Weds to Thurs he spent the whole night in his room
• Went to Enchanted Village on Tuesday with Mommy, Kelley & Elizabeth - loved the fake snow & the lite show
• Two incident reports this week - both with Alexander running & falling into something
• School closed at 3p on New Years Eve so Mommy & Alexander went to Stop & Shop before our party
• Went home to make our party snacks and then headed to Kirk & Deanna's to celebrate New Years Eve
• Played with Marina (Kirk & Deanna's little girl), loved playing chase with her around the house
• Loved seeing Kirk's fish tanks and their cat, Danny
• Slept over Kirk & Deanna's and slept pretty well until 1:30am, then he slept with Mommy where he just rolled & kicked everywhere
• Low-key day at home on Friday
• Had a very good nap, then cuddled with Mommy for about an hour
• Saturday morning, Mommy & Alexander went to get a haircut and then a trip to Target
• After naptime and playing with his trucks & trains, we had a family dinner which Alexander ate peppers & cucumbers
• Sunday morning was another low-key morning - hung out with Daddy
• Went out in the snow with Daddy - they went over to the high school but Alexander had no interest in going down the big hill
• Got ready for our first day in Preschool, helped Mommy pack lunch
• Family dinner then tubby time
• Showed us that he can use his safety scissors and do a good job of cutting paper
  
• Watching him draw or cut, it's pretty much determining that he'll be a righty
• Doesn't really use "S" when saying S-words but we did catch him say 'snow' when he was trying NOT to copy us
  
• Favorite sayings: "Watch Me" "I tell ya somethin" (which he says every night to prolong bedtime)
• And
• More
• Exciting...
• We set up Alexander's Big Boy Bed
  

Big Boy Bed...

The Triple Bs: Big Boy Bed
It was time to end the era of the crib and bring out the big boy bed. He was very excited to see it! He loved climbing in and getting out - I had him practice several times. It will be interesting to see how he does and i/how many he tries to get out.
I'm excited for him to start this new phase...we could have put him in a big boy bed sooner but the fact that he never really tried to climb out (with the ability of coming into our bed whenever) allowed us to keep him in the crib. But with him starting in the Preschool class, and the fact that he has put his leg up on the sides of the crib several times this week, makes me think that now is the perfect time.

We'll keep him in the daybed for a while - see how he does. And when he gets the hang of it, we'll convert the whole thing to a full size bed that he will have for a very long time.
My little boy is growing up...

New Chapter: Preschool...

Tomorrow Alexander starts in Preschool. I can't believe my little baby is quickly turning into a big boy. Where has the time gone!?

It should be a fairly easy transition for him...for Mom not so much. I don't think they fill out daily sheets in Preschool so I'll start to loose that daily info but I'll adjust. He already knows his teachers, Miss Jenn & Miss Lindsay, so I imagine it will be fine. Plus, Jenn is very helpful in providing me with information, etc. You can tell she likes doing what she's doing and is still excited about being around the kids. That's nice to see.

Besides daily sheets, there are a few more differences in that they teach him to do more things on his own like pouring his own drink, etc. They don't have a fridge so he won't have milk as his primary drink anymore like he did before - they all have water.

I originally thought he had to be potty trained before going over but Miss Lori told me that's not the case so that's one less thing to worry about. Plus, I think it will be beneficial for Alexander to see the other boys using pull-ups.

My only other question that I've developed over the past few days is if they still do nap time (because Alexander definitely still needs a nap). I thought I had another one but I've forgotten it...hopefully if I did have one, I remember it tomorrow morning.

Let's hope for an easy transition for all!

Haircut...

Today I took Alexander to get his haircut, and it's amazing what a difference a year makes. While we took him for a haircut this weekend a year ago, his mood was complete opposite! Last year he was miserable & crying...this year he hopped right up into the chair.

He has become a pro when getting haircuts. He listens well and even thinks the buzzer tickles - a large difference from last year when the buzzer scared the bejeezus out of him. Haircuts are now a fun, quick moment for us. This time he even told me to sit down and "watch me".
We did walk away with a small mishap though - she took too much off around his left ear. I don't know if it was her fault or if the fact that he was giggling but it is a wee-bit too short on that side. But he still looks incredibly handsome. He has a big boy haircut ready to go into preschool!

Happy New Years...

This year, for New Years Eve, we celebrated with Kirk, Deanna & their 10 month old daughter, Marina; who, by the way, is adorable!
Even though we weren't at home it was still a low-key night. We hung out a bit, let the kids play around, fed them dinner, then got them ready for bed. After bedtime, we had a yummy dinner and then played our traditional game of dominoes. However by the end of the game we were all getting so tired that midnight was looking bleak. We did manage to stay away long enough to ring in the new year.

We all got ready for bed and headed upstairs pretty quickly as we knew the kids would wake up early. Alexander did not disappoint - he woke at 4:30am, came into the bed with us but pretty much toss & turned until 5:40am where finally he was up for the day.

We had a relaxing morning, where Marina had fun chasing after Alexander. But we did have a nice moment of them sitting together on the chair and Alexander giving her kisses.Happy New Year!!

Collecting More...

Incident Reports.

This week there were TWO!

When I went to pick up Alexander from school on Tuesday, Alexa informed me that there would be another incident report I had to sign. Thankfully it only involved Alexander & thankfully it wasn't major. He was running around class, fell down and bumped his head on the plastic picnic table they use for lunches/snack. He got a decent size bump on his head.

Then on Wednesday, Alexander was running in class again and ran into the shelf of toys with his ribcage so he had a red mark on his ribs.

Sense a pattern of running & incident reports???