Yo Ho Ho

The boys say "Yo Ho Ho"

Moving

It's hard to say which theme wins out lately: moving or eating. Alexander is busy with both.
He isn't crawling yet but he rolls and sort of scoots. Mostly backwards. He'll scoot himself under the sofa with just his head sticking out. I am still trying to get a picture. But he usually ends up crying once he gets stuck. He gets up on all fours and rocks but then flops back to his belly.
He has mastered sitting himself up from a laying down position. It's so cute to leave him on his belly to come back and find him sitting up.
He also LOVES food. He is not happy with just a bottle anymore. For example, just yesterday we were in the car and he was ready for a nap. So I try to give him a bottle thinking it will put him out. No he screamed. I said fine here's a graham cracker. He proceeds to chow it down and fall asleep. I couldn't believe it! I weighed him last week at home and he's 18 pounds. My big boy.
He LOVES the cat. He wants to grab her. And gets excited when he sees her.
He is still a happy little baby and most of the time pretty darn easy.
He has 3 teeth, 2 bottom front and one top front. He is cutting his other top front and it is taking forever to come in. It really bothers him at times.
So here are a bunch of pictures. I've gotten several of the boys together. So cute.

Alexander: 7 Months

This is Alexander today. Exactly 7 months old.

I've said it before and I'll probably keep saying it: Slow down with the growing, already! This little guy is just developing so fast. I want my baby to stay a baby, well for a while longer at least.

So what's he doing?

Well he's rolling, scooting, sitting up, he gets up on his hands and knees and rocks. He scoots backwards. And just yesterday I watched him go from belly to sitting position. OMG! Not that he's mastered it by any means but this is what I am talking about. Slow Down!

He's interested in everything! Especially his brother's things. He loves watching Nicholas and other kids as well, I learned this week. He of course puts everything in his mouth.

Is he eating?

Why yes. He loves food. He is learning to like the spoon. He would much rather have pieces he can grab. So he pretty much eats anything I think he won't choke on: pancake, Puffs, peas, green beans, banana (a favorite), melon, sweet potato, butternut squash, acorn squash, apple, pear, bread. He likes that net thingy which I put apples and melon in.

He LOVES the cup. If you have a cup, he eyes it and wants it. I am so surprised he can actually drink out of it. He can.

Does he have teeth?

He has his bottom teeth he got at 5 months and is getting one of his top teeth now. I wouldn't be surprised that his other one soon follows.

He is just such a sweetheart. A happy little guy and silly personality.

Slow down already, will you?

I've been meaning to write this post for, well, probably 2 months now. Here it is....finally!
My baby is over 6 months old already! He needs to just stop. Slow down. He's so busy and changing fast.
But I have to say he is such a joy. I call him my little muffin. Because he is a sweet little muffin.
He already has a little sense of humor. And I *LOVE* that my kids know how to laugh and have fun. And have such wonderful personalities. So great!
He is weighing in at 16.5 lbs and 26 inches long. These figures put him in the 25th precentile. He's a little guy compared to others I guess. But he seems like a chunk to me. He's perfect for him. He's into his 6-9 month clothing.
So what's he doing?
Oh my! He is rolling everywhere! Rolling, scooting, squirming. Always trying to get something in his mouth. The play mat is officially out of commission. And he doesn't stay on a blanket anymore either. He's not completely mobile yet but he's getting there.
He's almost sitting up. There's a video at the end if it's working. I say he's a weeble wobble that will fall down.
He's started food. He likes his fruits, not so big on the veggies. He is so interested in what we are eating. He wants the big food. I try to feed him his on his little spoon and I'm lucky to get 2-3 bites in him before he clams up. Will.Not.Open.Mouth. I'd like to say it's cute, but it's not.
He loves loves loves the cup. A real cup. Not a sippy cup. (although he loves that too). He can drink from a cup. I kid you not. I have to get video of his craziness with the cup.
He's just such a little joy.
Okay pictures.

This is a "mural" on his wall above the crib. They are those wall decals. LOVE them. They are all over his room. So fun!

The boys playing with a baby toy. Even Nicholas is entertained. I love it!

What a fun activity cube for a 6 month and 3 year old.

Having fun on the bed.

Look at that smile he gives his brother. He smiles whenever Nicholas comes close. It's love.

For now.

Such a roly poly.

I love this face. How can you not love this face?

He had to make a phone call. I think they weren't home by the look on his face.
Trying food. But the bib tastes better.
With Nana and Papa. Does he look like his Papa or what?


Okay all folks. Thanks for being patient with my lack of blogging and pictures of the kiddos.

Oh here's the video if it works. Hope so. It's cute.

Boys

This is what my boys are up to these days:

Nicholas "reading" his Toys R Us catalog on the potty.


Alexander: Pushing himself up after nap to look at me through the crib bars.

Does life get better than this?

Alexander Says Good Morning

4 Months

My sweet Alexander is 4 months old. And he is growing so fast. I weighed him at home today and the scale said 15 pounds! I don't believe that's accurate. He may of had a full diaper I can't remember. We go to the doctor next week so I'll get his official stats then. But he is round and happy and that is all that really matters.
He is such a sweetheart. He smiles all the time. It's so nice to have a baby that wakes up happy and doesn't whine. He is so alert and loves to watch his brother and the tv. Of course he loves any kind of attention he gets. He really only whines and cries when he is hungry or tired. He's just such a joy.
It's funny how different it is to have a second child. I know Alexander is happier when he gets good naps at home. But having a toddler and the desire and need to get out of the house overrule sometimes. He naps a bit in the car but doesn't stay asleep when we stop. So he doesn't get his full nap in and can be a bit cranky the rest of the day.
He takes either 1 or 2 naps in the morning. One long one or two short ones. He will then likely nap a few hours in the afternoon. Which is so nice to have both boys down for naps in the afternoon. That means I can get one too sometimes. He is then ready for bed around 8 or so.
He has slept 2 nights completely through. The next night he did not but that's because he had a rough day and didn't get good naps or a proper feeding before bed. So we'll see what tonight brings. But before his sleeping through the night he is only up once. I can handle that.
I am not nursing anymore. I am however pumping 4-5 times a day. He is getting 90% breastmilk and sometimes we add in formula. It's not all of the time. Usually if he is going on an eating spree and/or the milk supply seems to be getting low. But it seems to quickly restock.
There really isn't a day that goes by that I don't want to stop pumping. It's hard to work in if we are out or just busy or the kids are fussy. And my nipples are really sore from the pump too.
So why did I go to just pumping? Well it just sort of happened. He never became a great nurser and I didn't work with him enough on it. He likes the bottle, he eats better and therefore sleeps better and I am not having to nurse him ALL.THE.TIME. It sort of happened over vacation when my mom was feeding him a lot and then totally when we were away from home for a weekend and it just sort of happened.
He has rolled over several times but always with no one watching. It is generally after he wakes up at night or morning and he rolls from his belly to his back. So by the time we go in to get him he's already rolled. I am trying to get him to do it for me but I think he knows I am there and I'll roll him over. He's grabbing toys and following everything. He's still wonderful at being on his own for a while.
He had his first trip to the beach this past weekend. We were a bit unprepared to have a baby at the beach and he got a bit more sun on his face than he should have. So he has a rosy nose and cheeks now. He enjoys being outside and looking at the trees.
Okay now on to the best part of this post. Pictures!

Here he is loving his bath today 6.14 at 4 months old. You can kind of see his pink face.

Sitting with Grandpa
Being doted on by Grandma
At the beach. This was a rare happy moment of the trip.
I love this picture! Nicholas wanted to hold him which is rare.
He's more than half the size of Nicholas.
Here he is down for a nap.



I love these little feet.
Just a happy smiling face. This picture is at least a week old.
Playing
Very excited! I think we just did a diaper change. He knows as soon as he is laid on his changing table. He often gets very excited. Oh and he sticks his little tongue out. So adorable! After a bath a week or so ago.

So cute his towel. His eyes are doing a funny thing though. Trying to look at me. Napping outside in his swing under the shade tree.

Okay that's all from us for now.

13 weeks

Alexander says 'Hi'

Alexander: 3 months

I've been trying to get this post out all week. So I don't have all the pics up but I'll post anyway and hopefully more pictures will soon follow.

Yes it is true. Alexander is 3 months old already. He's growing so fast both in time and size. I just can't believe it. My little baby is going to be gone before I blink my eyes.
He's over 12 lbs now and about 23 inches long. Since there is no doctor's visit this month we don't have official measurements. But I have been packing away all his 0-3 month clothing and bringing out the 3-6 month size. He's just pushing those toes right to the ends of his sleepers. And I was a little fearful he'd be swimming in this next size. But he's not. He actually fills them out well. Growing fast.
So what's he doing now?
He loves to lay on his playmat and kick and "play." His favorite toys are a lion and this star-smiley face that lights up and plays music. He just smiles and kicks when he sees them.
He has become sensitive to sound. He gets startled easily by loud noises. And let me tell you I have a very loud toddler. I sneezed today and it startled him into a cry. Poor guy.
He loves to smile. As I've said before he sleeps on his tummy. So I'll go turn him over when he wakes up and he'll look at me and give me a big 'ol grin. It's a beautiful sight
And he scoots. He'll scoot himself across his crib and even turn 90 degrees. Sometimes I think he's going to push himself up and roll over. But not yet.
He took his first vacation last week. A 15 hour road trip to Ohio to visit Grandma and Grandpa G. He's not a fan of his car seat. But he was a trooper. He liked the extra snuggle time with Grandma. He is now going through withdrawal.
How's his sleep?
Pretty good. He's up once at night and then a very early morning. According to babycenter.com, a baby his age typically "sleeps through the night" for 6-8 hours. So he does that. However his second stretch is only like 3 hours causing him to wake up early morning. That one could stretch a bit more for me.
How's he eating/feeding?
He eats ALL THE TIME. He took 7 oz last night before bed (and had his best night sleep yet). We've actually started phasing in formula with the breast milk. This is for many reasons. 1. He is just a poor nurser and will be hungry again in a very short amount of time. 2. To fill him up a bit more since formula digests slower than breast milk. 3. To stretch the breast milk further since I don't forsee myself breastfeeding for the whole 12 months. But I give you moms out there that can do this a whole lot of credit. It's not easy.

Alexander is just a little sweetie and so patient with us. I am excited to see how he keeps growing.

Ocho. Acht. Eight.

Eight was the magic number for Alexander and sleep.
It only happened once.
But I'll take it.
It gives me hope for the future.