Busy Day

Aunt Donna didn't really get to see Alex at work last Friday, so she came today for a visit. Aunt Deb tagged along, and she used our computer to work on pictures. (She's been using our scanner a lot this fall/early winter for picture projects.) We had a good visit today!

I'm glad they were here for lots of reasons, but I was a glad for a little extra help when Maggie hurt her paw & I needed some extra hands. Poor Maggie pulled out a claw (ouch!) while running in the backyard and bled quite a bit. She's still limping, and she's pretty mopey tonight. If she's not better by Monday, I'll call the vet. For now, we're just keeping an eye on her.

Later today, Grandma P brought some groceries & snuggled with Alex. I ran to CVS to pick up some bath cream to help with (what I think is...) Alex's eczema. Hopefully it works!

We're supposed to go visit Grandma S tomorrow, but that will be dependent on tonight's snowstorm. We'll see...maybe we'll end up going to Grandma's house on Monday :(

Daddy is enjoying a very wide-awake Alex right now. He had good wake times/nap times today. Hopefully that means he'll sleep well tonight! (Have I mentioned he's only been getting up once during the night for about a week now? It's NICE! Watch, now that I've bragged about it, he'll be up all night!)

Here are a few pics from today:

Hey, look! Alex DOES have a mommy! (She's usually on the other side of the camera...)

First Bath

I originally typed Firth Bast. Sleep-deprivation? LOL!

Alexander had his first tub bath this morning. (No, he wasn't the stinky kid...he's been getting washcloth baths!) You have to promise not to laugh at the dirty dishes in the sink; I really don't care if I have a dirty pan in there for 3 days. At least the baby is clean! ;)

Alex screamed the instant he was set in the water. I pulled him out, checked the temp (fine), put him back in, and he was calm as can be for the whole bath.

Anyway, that was the biggest excitement of the day. Other than that, it's been eat, play, sleep, poop, repeat cycle. We have a movie night at church tonight...Night At The Museum, popcorn, and lemonade. It's always nice to get out for a bit and see people who can reply when I speak to them! ;)

For Diane, here's Alex in the outfit you gave him for Christmas. He looks sooo big in this picture! He's also wearing only one sock, which is the norm around here. The other one was probably on the floor somewhere...

Here's Alex sleeping through his "tummy time":

Here's the "Dawn wants to learn to load videos" video:

That's all I can type with a baby in my arms...

BRRR!!!!

It's COLD, c-o-l-d, COLD!!! Keith went outside to move the grill to the shed for fear it would blow over & damage the house. He was only outside for a few minutes, and he turned into a popsicle. Okay, not really, but close enough!

The thermostat says 70, but it sure feels colder with the wind blowing. Keith's parents have no power tonight, and that means no heat. We told them they could come over if their power isn't back on soon. I hate to think of them out on the icy roads in this nasty wind, but I also hate to think they're sitting in the dark with no heat & no running water. We'll see what they choose to do.

We went to Bible study today, then spent the rest of the day at home. Alex napped in his swing and in his crib. I had to rock him to sleep first, but at least he slept without the warmth of a human body.

I only took one picture today: Alex is wearing a 0 -3 month outfit from Dave & Diane. I didn't get it on the computer...and it really isn't that thrilling of a picture. You'll all just have to wait another day for pics of my baby boy.

I'm tired, and I'm finished on the 'puter for the day. Assuming we have power tomorrow, I promise you a new picture :)

Belated Monday post...

I thought I didn't like Monday when it meant returning to work for 5 days straight. Now I don't like Mondays because I have to convince Alex that he isn't going to be held all day...and how do you convince a newborn?

I'm noticing that Alex gets held most of the day on Sundays. Between going to church & visits from family, he gets pretty spoiled. I can't be rude & tell friends/family not to hold him. He's a baby, and he's fun to snuggle. There's no way I'm telling them not to cuddle my boy. It makes Mondays really tough, though. He cried every second that he wasn't in my arms yesterday.

By the way, at what point does a baby learn to fall asleep on his own? They say you can't spoil a newborn, but I don't want to train Alex to think that he'll always be rocked or cuddled to sleep.

Bunco was last night, so Alexander came along. (Daddy got a night to relax at home!) Alex fell asleep in the car on the way there, so I left him sleeping in his seat for the first hour and a half. (out of my arms!) After that, he was passed around the group while we played. I was exhausted, and almost called to say I'd just stay home, but I'm so glad I went. It was good to get out and spend time with friends! :)

The Weekend

Okay, so Mommy had time to read the whole Babywise book. It's a simple theory, and we're doing okay with it...not great, but okay. Mommy & Daddy understand the concept, but nobody explained it to Alex. I'll keep at it for the next week and see if Alex gets the hang of it. He has slept well the past two nights, so we're doing something right :) (Or it's just coincidence, and he'll be up all night!)

Saturday was a stay-at-home day. How nice & relaxing to have all 3 of us at home! On Saturday evening, Alex (and mommy & daddy) took Nana out for dinner. Alex slept through the experience, but the rest of us enjoyed Texas Corral. We went back to Nana's house to help get her internet working again. (Hi Nana! We hope you're reading this!) Here's a picture:

Sunday started out with SUPERDADDY (aka Keith, in case you wondered) diapering & dressing Alex while Mommy made a jello and got ready for church. Alex was a good boy all the way through church, then he had a quick lunch in the cry-room before Mom & Dad enjoyed a potluck dinner at church. Grandma held him while we ate, and then he got passed around to church friends.

Grandma & Papa came over tonight, had supper with us, and we all played cards. Grandma held Alex while he enjoyed his dinner:

Oops! Wrong dinner! Here's the real one:

Guess that's about it for the weekend. We loved having Daddy around! If only he could be home every day!

Here's hoping that we can feed Alex & get 3 (or more) uninterrupted hours of sleep before he wakes up hungry. Wish us luck!

The rest of the day

Poor Alex & Mommy...he's still all out of sorts. I hope he works this out well enough to sleep at least a few straight hours tonight! Tomorrow we'll have to stay close to home & try to get him back on track. Daddy was super sweet & watched a fussy, fussy boy while Mommy escaped to a nice, warm bath for 20 minutes. Ahhhh! Super sweet Daddy also finished making dinner for me. (Too bad Super Sweet Daddy can't nurse Alex all weekend, lol!)


We went to Walmart (just the two of us) for the first time today. I had Alex in his fleece sling. So many people commented on how cute he looked. The cashier asked how I got the baby to stick to my chest. I found that an odd question, but she was pretty fascinated when I showed her the sling. (It was under my coat.)


I also bought Babywise. Leanne mentioned that book a while back, and then it was recommended by someone at church, too. It's about getting baby on a regular feeding/waking/sleeping routine...not necessarily a strict schedule, but more of a routine, which should encourage sleep patterns. Let's hope that I can read all 13 chapters before Alex is 10 years old. Let's also hope that the theory works for us! :)


Okay, on to the important stuff...lunch with Grandma at Panera, visiting Aunt Donna at work, and the one month pediatrician visit.

Alex now weighs 9 lbs. He is 22 inches long. His head circumference is 15 inches.

(Birth reminder: 6 lbs, 13 oz, 19 inches long, and I have no clue on the head circumference)


Alexander proved to the pediatrician that all his bodily functions are working properly: 2 poopy diapers during the 30 minute visit, spit up on the table, farted noisily, screamed well, solemnly & silently stared at the pediatrician while she used the stethescope. Anyway, he's doing great, no problems at all. Good boy! Next month we start vaccinations. Poor kid! (Here's a first for me: We brought Alex's socks home in a biohazard bag because he stuck his feet in his diaper when the pediatrician changed him...)


I didn't have the courage to be a silly mom & take a picture at the ped's office. I do have a pic of Aunt Donna & Alex at work. So for today's pic:

Sigh.

Today Alex is wearing his "I Pulled An All-Nighter" onesie.
He's wearing it for a reason.
Apparently Mommy didn't need to sleep last night.
This comes after 5 consecutive nights of giving me 4 - 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
I guess I had it coming, but wow...that was hard!

Now it's 9:30 AM, and he's zonked in his bouncy chair...but we're leaving in 30 minutes, so Mommy can't sleep when the baby sleeps.

We're going to the pediatrician this afternoon for Alexander's one month appointment. No shots today, thank goodness. Mommy couldn't handle that on no sleep. We're also meeting Grandma for lunch, and I think we're bringing lunch to Aunt Donna at work.

I'll try to add to this post tonight (if I'm awake) and give his one month update.
My boy is getting too old already!

First Bottle

Daddy gave Alexander his first bottle last night. This was a big deal for Mommy. Alex did a great job! (Daddy did, too!) They had to stop a lot since Alex was drinking so quickly and drooling out milk. By the time he was finished, though, Alex was getting the hang of it.

I purposely waited until 4 weeks, since they recommend waiting 3 -4 weeks if you're nursing. He's not getting formula (yet? ever?), but I wanted Alex to have a bottle from time to time. It will sure make Wednesday night church a little easier! I'll get to stay in class the whole time! :)

I looked at this bottle as a big first in Alex's little life. To me, it was a very sentimental moment. Not to embarrass Keith, but guys & girls sure are different! Now don't get me wrong; Keith is an EXCELLENT daddy! I'm merely pointing out the differences between men & women. I told Keith that I would be so thrilled if that was my first opportunity to feed my baby. I asked him how he felt about it. Keith's answer? "Job's Done."

Entertain Me!

Okay, I guess he's not quite so newborn anymore. Alexander is alert when he's awake, and he is learning to be entertained by the things around him.
Here are a few pics of today's entertainment.

This one is from late last week, but I love this picture. Alex was laying on our bed while we were getting ready for bed. His hands were up like little monster claws. Keith decided to imitate the baby, but it looks like they're playing a game. I love how Alexander is looking into Daddy's eyes!

(Can you read the onesie? It says "Warning! I Leak!" So appropriate. About 5 minutes after these pictures, he soaked through the onesie. Go figure :)

A Boy and His Dog

This isn't from today, but today is a rather boring day...other than digging through 3 stinky, food-filled trash bags looking for some mail that was accidentally pitched. Great excitement there! (Found the mail in the bedroom an hour later, darnit!)

These are from last week Wednesday afternoon. Maggie just loves "her" baby. She protects Alexander, and she's very careful of who is holding him. If Alex is crying, she'll either let us know or sit by him until we come. She's a tiny bit jealous of the attention he gets, but Maggie really does take good care of the baby. We're so glad!

Speaking of the crying baby, that's what he's doing right now. Let me post these pics & then go get him...

Okay, how do I get these pics to easily load at the bottom? That drives me nuts!

Alexander's Dedication

Today Alex (and 10 other children) were dedicated at church. What a crowd up front! I'm glad we took a good close-up picture before church, or we wouldn't have had a good picture from this day. Thanks, Donna, for being our photographer!



Afterwards, we had LOTS of family at our house to enjoy lunch together. It's amazing how everyone chips in to make a complete meal! Family is so cool! :)



Here are a few more pictures from today. (Click on the pics to view in a larger size.)

Grandma P made the cake. Thanks, Grandma!

Alex Meets Sam

Today Bonnie came over so that Alex & I could meet Sam. The boys, of course, were in their own little baby worlds. They have no idea that they met each other! Bonnie & I snapped a couple pictures to show how fast babies grow. Looking at these, I wish we'd plopped both boys on the floor so you could compare their lengths a little better. Alex is 3 weeks; Sam is 8 weeks. Sam started out about the same size as Alex. Sam feels so much heavier, and he looks a lot bigger. I can't believe Alex will probably be that big in 5 weeks. Wow!