Photo Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, February 1st - Sunday, February 7th, 2010)

Weekly Glance...

Weekly Glance (Monday, February 1st - Sunday, February 7th, 2010)

• Had a good week at school with no issues
• This week at school, they talked about shapes - each day was a different shape
  
• Sleeping was pretty decent this week - most days he stayed in his bed til 5:30, other nights he woke & slept with Mommy despite trying to get him to stay in his bed
  
• Did have a red bum a bit during the week but thankfully didn't get sent home from school for it (I'll spare you from specifics)
  
• Took pictures on Monday but didn't know the memory card wasn't in the camera - silly Mommy!
• Woke up from both nap & night on Monday with 'pins & needles' because his arm was asleep
  
• Had the worst morning ever on Tuesday but did a 180 and had the best morning on Wednesday (see separate post)
  
• Went to Target with Mommy on Thursday - excited to see his Target friend again
• Definitely has learned stalling tactics for going to bed as to when to cry and when to call for Daddy
  
• Alexander called Mommy beautiful, completely unsolicited, Saturday morning with a "Mommy you look buuutidul"
  
• First trip to Maine
• Went to Maine for Papa's surprise 80th birthday party
  
• Had coffee for the 1st time
• Had a great time at the hotel sleep over with Mimi & Papi
• Ate very well for breakfast & then loved running around before heading home
  
• Even though tired and could benefit from a nap on Sunday, he fought it by coming out of his room and standing at the gate a few times saying "oh guys....."
• Finally, Daddy & Alexander took a nap together
• Loves watching Chuggington still
  

Weekend Activities...

This weekend we headed up to Maine to celebrate Papa's 80th birthday. We had a surprise party for him with family & friends. Papa was surprised and had a great time seeing everyone! We stayed over in the same hotel which made things so much easier overall.

Alexander did a great job in the car ride, loved running around the party and in the hotel lobby/cafe areas. He even got to ride around in the luggage trolley which he thought was his own personal train. And before the party started he was so excited to help the nice lady vacuum.

At the party, he ran around with the other kids and was so excited to see cousin Sarah. He was so excited to have cake but when it was time for cake he only wanted one bite and then was over the whole cake thing.

The funniest part was that he wanted to have some coffee (he's never asked before) so we gave him a little drop thinking he'd hate it ...but nope, he loved it. Thankfully it was only a little so it didn't make him more rambunctious than he already was! After some pizza and a bit more running around, we headed up to our rooms to get ready for bed. And only one book into story time, he was done and wanted to sleep (he was asleep around 9:05)!

And regardless of a long, tiresome day Alexander was still up at the crack of dawn! We all got ready & headed down for some breakfast before it was time to head home. He did another great job in the car before we got home, had some lunch & then Daddy and Alexander took a nap together.All in all, a nice weekend.

Two-stepping...

Alexander getting his groove on at Papa's party ... while the girls were doing some good ole fashion two-stepping. There were a few moments that Alexander got a few of the moves right on beat!

Extreme Mornings...

Tuesday morning was probably the worst mornings we have had as parents. It was a morning filled with meltdowns, screaming, yelling, and just plain not listening. We have no idea where it came from except for the fact that he woke up during the night and then proceeded to kick Mommy all night.

We started the morning fine but when it was time to get dressed he just broke down. Nothing we could do was right. He would run, scream, slam his bedroom door, and then just cry. He ran into his room, threw himself on his bed saying he wanted to go to sleep on his big boy bed. It was 35 minutes of constant screaming/crying/whining. At one point, it was so bad where he wouldn't listen to either Mommy or Daddy that we let him cry in his room and we both went downstairs. Finally, he was calm enough to come downstairs, have some breakfast & watch Chuggington. Then it was another battle getting his coat on and into the car. He spent the *ENTIRE* 45 minute car ride crying that he wanted to go back home and go to sleep.

At one point I felt so bad for him because he seemed so sad. But once we pulled into school, he was happy as a clam! He walked into class without any problems and proceeded to have a great day.

Then Wednesday morning was the complete opposite: he was picture-perfect! He was incredibly cooperative, happy & a few times even came over to me while I was getting ready giving me hugs & telling me that he loved me. It was very sweet but so bizarre in the sense that the day before he was a crazy-child!

Photo Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, January 25th - Sunday, January 31st, 2010)

Photo Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, January 25th - Sunday, January 31st, 2010)

Weekly Glance...

Weekly Glance (Monday, January 25th - Sunday, January 31st, 2010)

• Very low-key yet nice week
• No incident reports at school in fact, got a prize from Ms Sarah for helping clean up
• Sleeping was 50/50 - some nights he made it through the night in his bed, other times woke up at varying times & then slept in with Mommy
• One night he woke up crying with pins & needles because his arm had fallen asleep but Daddy was able to get him to fall back asleep (in his bed no less!)
• Here we thought we were lucky that just reading books in bed & he would stay because he has been... he's starting to get out & test his boundaries
• Wednesday night was the first night that after reading books, he got out of his bed/room several times. We had to put him in bed several times & he kept getting out thinking it was funny
• One morning he pulled on the fireplace screen door and it hit him on the finger so after a full inspection to see that he was a-ok, Mommy gave him a George bandaid and he was good to go
• Thursday night, Mommy & Alexander went to Target - his Target friend wasn't there so it was a pretty quick visit
• Friday night, Daddy & Alexander went to Burger King for their little dinner place (Mommy went out to dinner with Bridget)
• Weekend was very low-key but relaxing despite no naps either day!
• Saturday hung out at home - played with Daddy in the morning and then relaxed with Mommy in the afternoon (in lieu of nap)
• Mimi & Papi came over on Sunday for a visit - Alexander & Mimi played grocery shopping, played with Thomas, used the doctor kit with Papi & went outside with Mimi looking for pine cones
  
• He fought yet another nap so after about an hour he relaxed with Mimi while watching Chuggington (new favorite show)
• Dinner then tubby with Mimi
• Mommy introduced Alexander to John John - the little boy from Sesame Street all those years ago (see separate post) & he cracks up at some of them!
  

For the Love of John John...

Here are a few youtube videos of John John on Sesame Street back in the day...

Weekend Activities...

This weekend was a very chilly weekend here in New England. VERY CHILLY!

We had no major plans so we took advantage of the low-key, lazy weekend. However the low-key weekend did not help with the lack of napping on both Saturday & Sunday!

On Sunday, Mimi & Papi came over to visit. He was so excited to play & show his new trucks and trains. Alexander & Mimi also decided to go "grocery" shopping around the house - he got to drive, pick out groceries, pay the grocery man. They also went outside and looked for pine cones!

And after some resting time, we did some playing, had dinner, took a tubby. A pretty nice, relaxing weekend.

To Nap or Not To Nap...

That is the question...

And I think it's being answered for us. I think someone else is deciding whether or not we wean naptime.

This is now the 2nd weekend in a row where he fought nap & ultimately didn't end up taking a nap. Not only that, he fought naptime both Saturday and Sunday this weekend. We are naptime-free in this house. And not for a lack of trying and for a tired little boy.

Saturday he came in & out of his room a few times, played with trucks and then finally just kept running around. So Mommy went upstairs and we laid down in Mommy's room to rest. If we weren't going to nap, we were at least going to rest.

Then Sunday, it was the same situation however this time he wanted no part of naptime and I think that's because he knew Mimi & Papi were still downstairs. So after trying to get him to rest in his bed, he came downstairs & rested with Mimi on the couch for a bit.

We'll see what next weekend brings...

Letter M...

Today we were making a card for Papi ("hope you're feeling better") as he had knee surgery a few weeks back. Alexander was coloring the card with markers and making circles and all sorts of designs. He even helped Mommy write his name.

Then he decided he wanted a new color marker. He takes his marker and then proceeds to write the letter "M" and then says "look Mommy M". I was so impressed that he made the M all by himself and even knew what letter he wrote.

A little Mommy pride showing through...Here's the proof (I circled the Letter M)

Bonding Time...

Alexander & Daddy are slowly building a new little bonding time place since it's too cold out. If Mommy has plans during a school night and Daddy has to do bedtime, Daddy & Alexander will go out to dinner together. They go to Burger King. It's similar to Mommy & Alexander's visit to Target.

They went on Friday night and this time Alexander came home with a crown. He loves it!

Photo Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, January 18th, - Sunday, January 24th, 2010)

Photo Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, January 18th, - Sunday, January 24th, 2010)

Weekly Glance...

Weekly Glance (Monday, January 18th, - Sunday, January 24th, 2010)

• Did very well with sleeping through the night in his own bed, every night!
  
• He had a very good week at school - one teacher even commented they see a lot of growth & maturity even since coming into the Preschool class
• Some days he does really well with listening and then has other moments where he gets frustrated and freaks out/screams
  
• Had two incident reports (see separate post)
• On Thursday, went to Target with Mommy to see our friend, and have our hot dog & milk
• On Saturday, went with Daddy to visit uncle Matt & Laura
• Played in the snow with cousin Michael - loved going sledding
• Crazy napping/sleeping schedule on Saturday but after being up from 9pm-midnight, slept until 5:45am
• Sunday morning, Mommy & Alexander ran errands (grocery shopping, Target to get a new vacuum)
• Fought going down for a nap on Sunday - got out of his bed a few times. Even when he woke up he got out of his bed by himself without calling for one of us for the first time
• Low key Sunday afternoon (after nap), then family dinner & tubby time
  
• Least amount of pictures taken in a week EVER but pictures taken every day
  

Saturday Edition: What Happened?...

What happened to cause such a crazy sleeping schedule??? As we know, Alexander had a good/solid week of sleeping.

On Saturday, Daddy & Alexander went to play with cousin Michael. They were going to go sledding, play in the snow, have some lunch & just chill out. The boys had a great time sledding and going down the hills. And I don't know if it was the crisp New England air, but it zonked out Alexander.

He went down for a nap later than usual (probably because he was overtired). Half way through his nap he woke up crying in his sleep. I tried to calm him down or wake him up but nothing. So I picked him up and he was fine. When I tried to put him back in his bed, he screamed. So napped in Mommy's room for what I thought would be the rest of his nap.

I woke up at 6:30p surprised that Alexander was still out cold! I let him sleep for a bit wondering if I let him sleep through the night or wake him up. I woke him up but he asked to go into his room to sleep more. Okay! About 15 minutes later (now 8:45pm) he woke up wanting to get up. I figured let's get him up for a few hours, give him some food, and let him crash late which would then allow him to sleep through the majority of the wee moments of the night.

We had some cereal, played Thomas the Train, ran around with trucks, did some coloring, watched some Sesame Street youtube videos and finally headed upstairs. We read 4 books in Mommy's room and after books, he asked to go lay in his bed. After rubbing his back for a bit, he was asleep by midnight...and slept until 5:45am. Crazy, but workable wake up time!

Sleeping...

After months of waking up during the night and coming into bed with Mommy...we have had 5 consecutive nights where he slept the whole night through...and in his own bed! It started with Sunday night where he crashed hard because he did not have a nap and then slept for 10 full hours in his room.

The rest of the week he slept through the night but did nap at school, so my original thought of the nap is throwing it off is still wishy-washy. Weds, Thurs & Friday of this week he woke up at 5am but I'll take that as opposed to waking up around 1:30am and then both of us getting a rough night of sleep.

Let's hope it continues for everyone's sake!

Cowboy...

Alexander galloping around on his horse in the Wild Wild West (aka - bedroom).

Monthly Update...

We are nearing the 3 year mark - can you believe it?!

This past month, we moved to a big boy bed! And he's done really well, without any major issues. Our main concern was that he would get out to fight bedtime or to play. There has only been one nap time where he got out of his bed a few times but when he realized I wasn't on the other side of the door he went back in his room, closed the door, and went back in bed. He also hasn't done much moving around either.

As for the past month, he's been doing really well in Preschool. One teacher commented that she sees growth & maturity even since changing rooms. His vocabulary is also improving as the weeks go on. There are times he shows laziness with words/letters (F & S) but if you ask him to sound it out, he does it no problems.

He knows his ABCs, count to 20, and even is adding more books to his list of ones he can read to you. I think we're up to 5 books that he can read on his own.

We were in a very long phase of Alexander waking up once a night and coming into sleep with Mommy. (Not to jinx it...) However as of late, he's been making it through the night. Keep those fingers crossed.

He loves Thomas the Train (it's everywhere), trucks (of all kinds), his vacuum/broom, and his doctor kit. As for shows, he loves/will watch: Thomas, Mickey Mouse, Little Einstein, Curious George, Sesame Street, Handy Manny, Imagination Movers, Tigger & Pooh, & a new Disney show called Chuggington.

Eating is interesting. Sometimes he will only eat the same things over & over. Other times he'll be adventurous and try new foods. Lately he's tried & liked: peppers, cucumbers, celery, bagels with cream cheese. Some times he'll like a food and then we'll give it again and he wants no part of it...try, try again!

Padawan

Alexander is a Padawan learning how to become a Jedi Knight.
-Padawan means a Jedi-Knight-in-Training

Incident Report...

This week we received not one, but two Incident Reports.

The first one was at the end of the day on Thursday...nothing serious. Alexander was playing in class and ran by one of the tables. As he ran by he scraped his back on the corner and got a scratch.

The second one was on Friday. They were cleaning up toys and Alexander had a toy that he was cleaning up and a friend (Sean) wanted the same toy. Alexander wouldn't give it to him, so Sean got frustrated and bit him on the back. There was only a little mark.

With all these incident reports, I could make a book!

Special Bulletin...

We interrupt the normal Monday posts to inform you that not only did Alexander get a good night sleep BUT:
- He got 10 FULL, UNINTERRUPTED hours of sleep (almost unheard of for him)
- He spent those said 10 hours in his room, in his bed, ALL NIGHT!

This is a glorious victory for all!

Photo Recap...

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