Alexander... "Da Da"

Alexander just recently began practicing his syllables... "Da Da" is of course the first. Followed at times by "ba ba." And you know I had to get it on camera:

We are now officially homeowners!

It's official. We closed on our first home on Friday, April 25th. It was such a great feeling. We plan on moving next weekend. We still have quite a lot of packing to do (which explains my absence from my blog) but I had to run on here to post the latest, greatest news. It's really exciting.

So here's the low down:

It has 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths, (of which the master has a jacuzzi tub!) We have a finished basement, 2-car garage and a lovely backyard with deck and a swing set. The house is totally move-in ready, with the exception of having to redo Alexander's Disney nursery...which I'm more than willing to do. It obviously has plenty of room to grow.

Needless to say, the hardest part is packing. I'm so glad we won't have to do this again for a LONG time. :)

Alexander Eats Green Beans

This was Alexander on Sunday, April 6th eating green beans for the first time. He's too funny. We're in for a ride, for sure. Enjoy!

And you're his...MOTHER?

So Alexander had his 6 month appointment on Thursday. We were actually there about 2 weeks late because of scheduling conflicts with our home inspection and other things... I took the day off because Leonard had to go to Ashtabula for a mediation and I wasn't trying to do all of the toting to and from the sitter's by myself. Not to mention that the poor baby was to get 3 shots with anticipated discomfort following. We get to the doctor's office early (for once) and sat in the waiting room with about 4 other pairs of folks there to see a doctor. We waited for about 5-10 minutes, all while Alexander was getting his normal, "Oh he's so cute" looks and comments. We're called back to the room and I put his stuff down and immediately get to undressing him. (We've got this routine down.) We had a new (different) nurse than the other 2 that we usually see and as I'm undressing him she's starting her customary developmental interview... She confirmed he was there for his 6 month well-check and the question that followed, said with uncertainty, was, "And you're his....mother?" Without a second thought I said, "YEP!" and continued to undress Alexander. It wasn't until she left the room that I realized what she asked me... I looked down at Alexander with a chuckle and said, "She asked me if I was your mommy..." Understandably so... But, still. It's kind of disheartening to hear. I always joke about how when I'm out with Alexander by myself that some folks would mistaken me for the nanny. But, for some reason it actually bothered me a little... Because I AM his mommy and I want people to know it! :) Then I thought of all of those people in the waiting room...what they must have thought. ((SIGH)) Oh, well... I guess I've got to get used it.

Here are the stats:

16 lbs 13 oz (25th - 50th for age)
25.5 inches long 25th (10th - 25th for age)
17.5 head circumference (50th - 75th for age)

Alexander on the Cover of Jet?

So Leonard went to the grocery store yesterday and calls me as he is loading the car with the groceries to tell me that this actress, Garcelle Beauvais, was on the cover of Jet with her babies and one of them looks like Alexander. He said he was checking out and thought "What the heck?" Called me and said, "Alexander is on the cover of Jet!" The funny thing was that he was telling me that she and I are about the same complexion...yet both have such bright babies. He couldn't believe it. I was cracking up. So, I got online to see if I could find the cover. Well here it is folks:

So the other obviously funny thing is, is that the babies are twins. lol (But according to Leonard, the one on the left looks like Alexander...) Of course I had to do some surfing to see what her husband looks like...







Makes sense huh?







My baby, on the cover of Jet. ;)

Just had to share...

March Holidays

So tell me how on earth I missed posting this precious picture of my Alexander on St. Patrick's Day? We called off work that day but I had to come in the office to return something. Well, it was "Crazy Hat Day" and one of the women I work with decided that Alexander needed to be in the photo to send to corporate office for the contest... Alexander ended up getting honorable mention...as the youngest participant. I didn't even get the poor boy dressed for the day. So sad. He's wearing his Dylan's Candy Store sleeper is uncle Dan got for him at the store in New York.

Here's one of the 2 of us, that didn't get sent to corporate. :)

And would you believe I missed photographing Alexander's first Easter??? :( We drove to Lisbon for the day and I left my camera at home... I ended up taking a few with Leonard's aunt's camera, so hopefully I will see them again some day. :)

Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day and Easter!

My Fair Hamentashen

Purium is coming! Purium is a Jewish Holiday celebrating the triumph of the Jews as told in the Book of Esther. This year it falls on Friday, March 21st. I found this excerpt online...thought it was a good synopsis:

The Purim Story is for all ages
Indeed, the Book of Esther reads much like a play. The Divine Name is not mentioned openly once in the text. All the miracles appear as natural occurrences coordinated by the Ultimate Producer and Director. The main plot revolves around the wicked Haman advising King Ahashverosh to annihilate his Jewish subjects. Many intertwining subplots include the rise of Esther to the throne, a plot to kill the King overheard by Mordechai and reported to the palace security, the sincere repentance of the Jews upon hearing that their fate has been given over to the sword, and a chain of drinking parties. Read all about it!(- http://www.jewishbyte.com/purim.php)

Once again, I choreographed the Congreagation Tifereth Isarel's Purium celebration production. This year, the play was a spoof of My Fair Lady, (My Fair Hamentashen.) Hamentashen is a traditional food of Purium. (Also called Haman Pockets.) They are triangle-shaped pastries (cookies) with a center filling of fruit. The rehearsals were fun and the production was a grand crowd pleaser. I was so happy with the performance of the cast.


Here they are, mostly still dressed in the elaborate costumes from the "Ascot" scene...



Here's another with Esther ("Eliza") and Mordechai (Esther's cousin) Their duets stole the show:



I definitely plan on joining in on some Purium fun next year!

We're now a 2-vehicle household...

Finally. I got a new ride last Tuesday. I took a picture of her yesterday. She is a 2004 Mercury Mountaineer... Our family "car"...yet still sporty. I absolutely love it. It has all of the upgrades and rides really smooth. The only downfall is the fuel expenditure. But, either way it went, I was getting an SUV...most all of the SUVs I had my eye on were pretty comparable. I even went to www.fueleconomy.gov and found out that the EPA Air Pollution score is a 3 out of 10, [10 being the best] which is better than our Pontiac (which is a 2.)

It was really helpful to have throughout the blizzard this past weekend. Seems as if we got her just in time. And since I name all of my cars, Leonard came up with a good one..."GOLDIE."

With my involvement in various projects around town...amongst other things I would like to do...this will seriously simplify our lives.

So Leonard and I were right. We've never seen this much snow. It was record-breaking...20.4" at Port Columbus. And as I predicted on Saturday...this was front page of the Sunday paper:

"...while a record 20.4 inches of snow piled up.

The previous mark for a single storm locally was 15.3 inches. That was set nearly a century ago, on Feb. 16-17, 1910.

The snow that fell since midnight yesterday would have set the mark by itself. The 15.4 inches at Port Columbus set a new 24-hour mark, outdoing the 12.2 inches on April 4, 1987." - Kathy Lynn Gray, The Columbus Dispatch

And here's a video I took of the aftermath.

Snowed-In!

(after Leonard shoveled the driveway for the 2nd time.)

I'm sure this will go down in the Ohio record books as "The Blizzard of 2008." Leonard and I were discussing earlier and neither of us have any good memory of this much snow. At this point it's well over a foot...and for a while there didn't appear to be an end in sight.

So, here we are at a government issued Level 2 Emergency (if you don't have anywhere to go...don't try to go anywhere) with other surrounding counties at a Level 3 (not permitted to go anywhere unless it's an emergency.) Funny thing is, even if we WANTED to go somewhere we couldn't because the snow is so high anything without 4WD wouldn't get very far. (Good thing I just got a Mercury Mountaineer a few days ago...it really came in handy yesterday.) We're pretty much snowed-in...

It's been a good day to get some housework done and watch movies...

The pictures are from today...as well as a 30 second video of the continuing blowing snow.

A Day of Firsts

Today Alexander had his first play date (which was totally unplanned) and he ate "solid" food for the first time.

I am doing the Purium show for my friends at the Tifereth Israel downtown. They have started a tradition of telling the story of Ester through a musical variation. Last year it was "Grease". This year it's "My Fair Lady"...or "My Fair Hamentaschen." One of the cast member's 9 month-old daughter was there...and so was Alexander. So we sat the 2 of them together... It was too cute. (Note how well he's sitting up...)

And later this evening we decided to try him out on some rice for the first time. He ate pretty well, but was tired so I ended up feeding him milk to help him to sleep...

Baby Einstein

So we finally went out and bought Alexander and "exersaucer-type" thing... It's actually called "Baby Einstein" made by Graco. I believe Evenflo has the patent on the name "Exersaucer" but it serves the same purpose. Alexander was in need of of some entertaining...some stimulation...and we needed to give him something else to do besides watch NOGGIN all day.

Here's a brief video of him playing with it for the first time. It was too cute. I anticipate much use out of it and more mobility once his feet can firmly reach the bottom... ;) (Midnight apparently wanted some camera time and can be seen lurking in the shot.)

Alexander Sits

Alexander has been doing pretty well sitting on his own for longer than a minute... So I got a few shots of him sitting in his cute little Pooh outfit:

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today is a day about love...a day for lovers, friends and family. For some, Valentine's Day is every day. Others, need to be reminded and set time aside on this special day. I can personally say that I don't need a day set aside to show the people in my life that I love them. However, it's a great excuse to go out to dinner or plan some time away. ;D Leonard and I have resevered a hotel room at the Hilton for Friday night and Alexander is going to Leonard's parents'. :) I welcome the much needed break and quality time with the man I love...



Alexander will officially be 5 months old on Monday, the 18th. 5 months! Already... It's all going by as fast as my pregnancy. Amazing.

So here's an update on Alexander's development:

• At the last visit he was 14lbs 10oz and 23.75 inches long. He is starting to fall into the more average percentiles, when comparing to other babies his age.

• He has mastered being a supported sitter. Every day he gets closer to completely sitting on his own. He's constantly using his ab muscles to lift himself to a crunch position.

• He's a really happy baby...smiling all the time and giggling when something is funny to him. Especially when he has his goofy father around.

• He reaches for things, can hold objects in his hands, and grabs at most everything in sight to put into his mouth.

• He's starting to sleep most of the night...only waking occasionally to eat. And we have had quite a few successful nights of sleeping in his crib.

• He cannot STAND "Tummy Time." But we force mild sessions and he whimpers the entire time.

• His cooing has advanced to response-like babbling when someone is speaking to him.

• He watches television intently. Particularly Nick Jr.'s spin off channel, NOGGIN, geared towards preschoolers. (Leonard and I can be caught watching it when Alexander is asleep.)


• He has a true affinity to music. Certain songs can calm him...others, like the ones heard on NOGGIN, can capture his attention.

Alexander is a delight. He makes all of my bad days better and truly has become the other love of my life...

The Best 35 Seconds You'll Ever See...

Leonard was "scaring" him...and he was cracking up... :)

Such A Big Boy!

Can't believe he will be 4 months old in 9 days. Our next appointment is on the 24th. I can't wait to see how much he's grown!


Here's a video of Alexander, the "supported" sitter:

Happy New Year!

2007 was the best year of my life...


Slideshow of 2007 pre-Alexander:

Slideshow post-Alexander:

Top Ten Things I have noticed/learned since I've become a Mom...

1. A mother eats her food very fast.


2. Seeing your baby pout his lip while crying can melt your heart.


3. You can never have too many babysitters.


4. Going back to work after maternity leave isn't as hard as one might think...


5. "Sleep when the baby sleeps," is easier said than done.


6. It is possible to function on 3 hours of sleep.


7. A baby's smile can make you smile every time.


8. Your husband can suddenly go deaf in the middle of the night...


9. Your dog may not care too much for the baby...but still cares very much about you.


10. You can't remember what life was like before you were a mother...and wouldn't change it for the world.

Much To Be Thankful For...

• I am thankful for my good health and the good health of those I love.


• I am thankful for my new family. Leonard, Alexander, and Midnight are all such a blessing.


• I am thankful for my family and friends. I am blessed that I am able to maintain a close relationship with my family and in-laws and to have a wonderful circle of friends.


• I am thankful that I have a job. Leonard and I both kept our jobs in the midst of a merger and while others lost theirs...


• I am thankful to have financial stablilty. It's a great feeling to not have to check the balance in my checking account before making a purchase. I am blessed to have a roof over my head and food in my belly.


• I am thankful that I have found peace in my life.



ONE OF MY MANY BLESSINGS ~ Alexander on Thanksgiving Day:

Is it possible to spoil a newborn baby?

Parenthood is exhausting. Alexander has so many needs to be met and it takes all the energy in the world to do that on most days.

He actually has started to become fussy... If he is WIDE awake, he's an angel. But, the times in between sleep (getting there and waking up) can be rough. I was starting to believe that he was becoming spoiled because he really only sleeps when someone is holding him. But, he can actually fall asleep in my arms and wake up with one of his startle reflexes and scream and scream, (as if he isn't being held)...

I have sinced learned that it is impossible to spoil a baby. A baby crys to communicate his needs. If we respond quickly, it strengthens the trust he has for us. Babies don't have the cognitive skills to realize the cause and effect of actions. That skill is developed when they are about 6-8 months old. So for now...I'm all about running to tending to Alexander's cries...as exhausting as it may be.

So then, I was starting to think that he was developing colic. The doctor told me last Thursday that Alexander shakes because he has an immature nervous system (since he was born so small...) Which I looked up on the internet and discovered it's possibly a cause of colic. Along with a sensitive temperment, it can be making it difficult for a baby to control his crying.

Here is an article on colic from WebMD: http://children.webmd.com/tc/colic-overview

However, I am able to make him stop...eventually. So I did so more research and found out that Alexander is most likely suffering from an immature digestive system. He grunts and crys when he is about to burp and/or spit up... If he falls asleep before he burps...he wakes up with the grunting and crying and then spits up.

(Gas issues are not to be confused with colic...although it could make colic worse or be worsen by the crying:

8. Crying
Infant gas is often thought of as being the same as infant colic. However, they are NOT the same. Although a baby experiencing episodes of colic may also have gas (possibly due to swallowing air while crying) a baby with gas does not necessarily have colic. Studies have shown that gas alone does not cause the level of distress and/or discomfort experienced by a colicky baby.
9. Sleep disturbances
Understandably, a baby with a stomach ache will have problems sleeping, either falling asleep or staying asleep. However, there are many more common reasons for a baby to have disturbed sleep other than discomfort.)

Right now the crying is making life even more exhausting, but I'm starting to get used to it. I anticipate this to be a phase that passes... I will ask his pediatrican about it some more when we go back for his 2 month well-check. (He will be getting about 5 shots then, too...)

So here's a video of my sweet child with his Daddy...



Does this look spoiled to you?

Our lives have changed forever...

It's been a long time...

I have just finished posting my birth story here for anyone who did not get the pleasure of hearing it first hand: http://www.pregnancy.org/bulletinboards/showthread.php?t=13671&page=4

Here's a short video of him being held by Leonard's mother.at about 2 days old..really no sound and bad light, but you get the idea:




It took me so long to write as I have now become a human milk bottle and Alexander is constantly feeding. When we brought him home, he was 5lbs and 6oz... At his first appointment with the pediatrician, (3 days later) he was 5lbs 14oz. We took him to the doctor today because he has been congested (to what we were told is just a cold) and he is now 7lbs and 5oz. So, he's definitely eating okay...

I don't know how many times since Alexander arrived I have told Leonard, "You do realize our lives have changed forever... There is no turning back." I hate to say, but most times it's said with a bit of regret... But, I can honestly say, I wouldn't change it for the world. It's just a lot to take in some days... After the restless nights (not so much sleepless...but interrupted sleep nonetheless,) and endless feedings... I sit and wonder what it will be like to go out again...on a date, away for a weekend, even back to work. It's just more than I thought I would be contemplating.

Alexander is truly a miracle indeed (as so is the name of my pregnancy journal.) I wouldn't give him back for anything. But, our lives have changed forever.