Lots of Alexander!!!

Since our trip back home to Kentucky, Alexander's night sleeping has been nightmarish! He used to get up once in 12 hours, and since then he has been getting up about 3-4 times a night. It's been killing me. He wakes up crying and wants to eat each time he wakes. It's the only thing that seems to calm him down. Not to mention during the day, his eating has been pretty bad. He'll seem hungry and then he'll only nurse for about 5 minutes, before pulling away. It's very frustrating! I feel like he's not eating enough during the day so he wakes hungry during the night. I have got to get this figured out!! However, last night he did end up sleeping great! He started fussing at 11pm and then about 1am and each time I let him fuss for a couple of minutes (so hard to sit and listen to him do this, even though he wasn't screaming, he was just kind of whining) and then he put himself to sleep. Yay!! He woke at 3:30, I fed him and then he slept until about 7:45am!! It was wonderful and much needed for me. I don't know if he'll be able to do the same thing tonight, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

This weekend has been a weekend of firsts for Alexander. Last night we gave him his first bit of solid food, rice cereal. It was pretty hysterical to watch him. He didn't really know what to think of it. I think he may have swallowed two little bites (I mean tiny), but he pushed most of it right back out. And then he stopped opening his mouth. We're going to try again tomorrow night and see if he likes it any better. If not, we may try again a bit later.

At his last doctors appointment, the doctor cleared Alexander to ride along in the jogging stroller. So this morning we went for a family run. It was great! Alexander was warm and happy and Chris and I were happy to be able to run together. I'm looking forward to making this apart of our daily routine and not have to run around Chris' schedule.

Today is St. Nicholas Day. As kids, Bill and I always put our shoes by the door and they were magically filled with candy when we awoke. Well, Alexander may be too little for candy and not really have shoes yet, but that doesn't mean he can't participate in this holiday.

THANKSGIVING

We had a lovely Thanksgiving this year. None of our family were able to visit, so we had 5 friends and a newborn baby come over for dinner. The food was delicious and the company was great. All had a good time except for Alexander. He was under the weather all day. His cough from the day before had turned into a runny nose and you could tell he was not his best. He wasn't super cranky, he just wanted to be held, had a runny nose, and was not his usual chatty, smiley, happy self. But luckily Friday he woke up feeling great and was as happy as ever! Here's a few pics of our day.

Here's our little guy trying to pull up to his knees.

Here's his latest trick, holding himself up on his hands. When he puts this together with the knees, I'm in trouble!

Friends over for turkey!!

Alexander and Daddy on Thanksgiving.

Mommy and Alexander.

The table cloth that I sewed. Our table is too big for anything pre-made, so I decided to make one. It ended up turning out pretty good.

Our table set and ready to go!!!

4 MONTH CHECKUP

Yesterday, Alexander had his 4 month checkup (it was a few days late). He weighs in at 16lbs 3oz and 26" long!! This puts him in the 75% for both!! One of the nurses referred to him as a "large baby". I couldn't believe it! I know he's not small and I know my arms are starting to get toner from lifting him, but I didn't think of him as being that large. Oh well, what really matters is that he is perfectly healthy! And the doctor said he was very "social". I guess that's a way to say very active, alert, and talkative!!

He also had his shots yesterday which went really well. This time 2 nurses gave them to him at the same time, so it went quicker. He didn't cry too much. He is such a trooper! Although something kind of funny happened. I fed him as we were waiting for the shots, because he was getting kind of cranky and I figured he'd be even worse if he was hungry when they stuck him. Well, I didn't realize they would give him one orally. The lady thought she was helping him and the other nurse out by picking him up while she was giving it to him and he puked all over her!!! He wasn't bothered at all. He does this to me all the time when I try to give him something after he eats, but I felt bad for the nurse. But I have to say it was kind of funny. She was a really good sport about it!

Also, this week we have started to let Alexander sleep unswaddled. It has been interesting. Overall he's doing pretty well. But when I lay him down it seems that he thinks it's play time. So he'll just play for a while in his crib. At night has been the bigger issue. He can't roll from his belly to his back yet, so when he rolls himself over to his belly he'll wake up and need help from his mama. So, my sleep has been seriously disturbed over the last few weeks. It seems that since we came home from Kentucky he's been getting up at least twice a night when he was only getting up once before our trip. Hopefully it will get better soon, I'm getting really tired again.

Also, this past weekend when Chris went out of town for a cross country, my dear friend Hillary visited. We had a great time and Alexander was crazy about her.

ALEXANDER THE STRONG

Bath Time!!!

Standing on Daddy's lap.

Happy Boy!!!

So, Alexander is getting very strong these days. All week he's been working on rolling over from his back to his belly and yesterday he finally did it with success. And then today, he rolled two more times! He also loves to stand up while we hold on to him. Anymore I think this is his favorite position. Also, his neck strength is improving. While pulling him to a sitting position from lying on his back, he now can hold his head upright. Also, as I've mentioned before he is just so chatty. We are really starting to see his personality shine through and it is so wonderful to see.

KENTUCKY TRIP

This last week, Alexander took his first trip to Kentucky. He and I flew in on Oct 22 and then Chris followed a week later. The trip was a huge success! We had a wonderful time and Alexander did great. From the plane ride, to car rides and then his sleeping was all wonderful. We went back and forth from one house to another and he was fantastic! Here's some pics of the week. Enjoy!!!

Lexington, KY

With Great Grandma and Grandpa

Tailgating before the game!! It was pretty chilly so Alexander was bundled and didn't stay out very long.

Catching up with old friends and introducing our babies.

Enjoying Pazzos. Each of us in our own ways.

With Uncle Brian and Aunt Claire at Keeneland.

The Troyers at Keeneland

With Daddy. He was our little good luck charm.

Bowling Green, KY

At the pumpkin patch with Grandma.

What a big pumpkin!!!

Laughing with Grandma.

Having fun with Grandpa.

Louisville, KY

At the bar at the Irish Rover with Grandma. I personally think he looks like a little 80 year old Irish man here!!

In the kitchen with Grandma.



In the kitchen with Grandpa.

3 MONTHS ALREADY

I cannot believe that my baby boy is already 3 months old! How time flies!! He has changed so much, it is amazing. Even in the last couple of days, he's changed. He's still super alert and interested in everything. But he's super talkative now and very smiley. He also laughs more. Yesterday I got him laughing so hard, it was adorable. Also, on tummy time, you can tell he is really trying to move somewhere. And every once in a while he scoots himself forward. He's also paying more attention to the toy hanging from his car seat. He stares at it, talks to it, and will bat at it. Also, his nigh sleeping is pretty great right now. On more than one occasion he has gone from 8pm to 5:30am! And then back down til about 7:30-8am. Wonderful!!!!

BUSY WEEKEND

Trying out his chair... He's not quite ready for it though.

Alexander's first airshow. This is pretty much how he was during the entire event.

Chris and I after the taxi ride. Can you tell who the real fighter pilot is???

This past weekend was quite a busy one in the Troyer household. We had a lovely visit with Chris' parents, participated in Spouse Taxi Day, went to an airshow and I went to a baby shower. I also left Alexander for more than I ever have before. Friday morning during Spouse Taxi Day, he stayed at home with his grandparents. Although I knew he was going to be well taken care of and I was excited about the Taxi Day, I was still super nervous about leaving him. Prior to Friday, the longest I had been away from him had been 1 hour and on Friday morning I was gone for 3 1/2 hours. I was very distracted and having a good time, so that helped, but I was very anxious to get home to him. Of course he did just fine with his grandparents. Some slight issues with eating, but overall very successful. And then Saturday night Alexander stayed home with Chris while I went to a baby shower and stayed out until 10:30pm! I was exhausted! I hadn't stayed out past 8pm since before he was born. But I had a great time and although I missed my guys, I knew they were just fine. And of course they were.

Friday morning was Spouse Taxi Day, aka Take Your Wife To Work Day. I had an absolute blast! I dressed up in one of Chris' flight suits and took a ride down the runway in the backseat of a T38 with Chris in the front seat. We have been married almost 6 years and it was really cool to get a glimpse of what he does all day and of him in action. I am super impressed! The jet has so many buttons and dials, I have no idea how he knows what to do with them all. And the radio! I have no clue how he knows what to listen for, what to say in return, and what it all means. And on top of all that, he has to make sure a student is doing everything properly all at the same time! My husband amazes me. Yet for another reason, he is my hero!!

GET HIM EARLY

Football Fan!!!

Check out his head control

Chris and Alexander at the Friendship Festival

So in the last few posts I have mentioned how Alexander is not a huge fan of napping in his crib. Well, I think I may have figured something out. I have to get him down before he gets too tired, because once he's really tired he is very upset and combative when I put him down. I've tried this for a couple of days and it's working some. The only problem is that he only really sleeps for about 30 minutes at a time. And even though he'll take a couple of these naps, by the evening he is still really tired. So he needs to start sleeping for longer periods of time to truly help his evening mood. But I'm very happy with the progress.

He's just so much fun to interact with now that he's more expressive. I can sit with him and just talk with him (I do most of the talking, he really just makes noises) and he'll smile and laugh and it is just the highlight of my day. I absolutely love that I get to stay home and spend this time with him. It is truly wonderful. And that I get to witness all the little new things that he does. Like the other day, during tummy time he started to pull his knees up. It was so cool, he had never done that before and I was able to see it! He's an amazing little guy, that's for sure!!!

NEW TRICKS

So, Alexander has a few new tricks these days. The first one absolutely cracked me up the first time I witnessed this new skill. We put him to bed one night with his head down at one end of the crib and when he awoke in the middle of the night and I went into his room, his head was at the opposite end of the bed. He had scooted all the way around doing a 180 in his bed - while he was swaddled! I couldn't believe it, it was so funny! I wish I had a video camera in there to catch this on film. I'm sure it's pretty entertaining to watch!

The second new thing he is doing is heartbreakingly cute. When he starts to fuss and gets ready to cry, he sticks out his lower lip. It's ridiculously cute! But also melts your heart and makes you want to stop him from crying right away. It seems like he does it on command when he's upset, just to get you to feel sorry for him! It works, but I have to giggle a little because it's just so adorable.

My mom came for a visit this past weekend and we had such a great time. Alexander and I picked her up on Friday in Oklahoma City and did lunch and some shopping. Alexander did great! He seems to enjoy shopping a bit more than his father!! The trip back to OKC was alright as well, but the trip home after dropping my mom off wasn't great. He kind of had a bit of a meltdown. He started screaming and there was nothing I could do about it until I could find a place to stop. He even hit his famous scream where he holds his breath and his face turns bright red. The one which I HATE because it freaks me out so much. And this was only made worse by the fact that there was nothing I could do while driving. Luckily, by time he hit this scream, we were pulling up to a gas station and I could get to him pretty quickly. But overall, he's a pretty good traveler.

WEEKEND ON OUR OWN

So this past weekend, Alexander and I were on our own for the entire weekend while Chris went cross country to Phoenix. It started off with a bang with Alexander puking on me as soon as Chris walked out the door. He wouldn't nap all day and then puked on me again later in the day. Let's just say I was absolutely exhausted by the end of the day, but things were getting better. I was starting our nightly routine with bath time. Bath time is much trickier when Chris isn't home. Alexander is just so little and slippery, it always makes me nervous. Well, I was washing his hair with Head and Shoulders because of his cradle cap and a little soapy water must have slid into his eye and mouth. Well, as you can imagine he flipped out! He started screaming like crazy. My blood pressure sky rocketed and my adrenaline started pumping big time. (I realize to most people out there, you're thinking "why would you get so upset about shampoo? " but I got freaked out.) His eye was bright red and he was bubbling at the mouth and he was acting like he was choking. I washed his mouth out but still ended up calling poison control and had to get in the shower with him to let the water wash his eye out. This helped his eye a lot and by the time we got out of the shower it was mostly cleared up. And he was definitely calm. I was still shaking, but he was just fine. He went to bed and slept well. I however tossed and turned worrying about him all night. It's just so hard to handle things like this on your own and not have someone to ask if he looks okay.

Saturday was alright. He wouldn't really nap in his crib, but I needed a nap so badly that I let him sleep on me for a little bit. Of course I can't really sleep well with him, but it helped a little. We were going to go meet some girlfriends for dinner and then my car wouldn't start. Of course my car only has problems when Chris goes out of town! No kidding. It's a definite trend. This was the only car at home, so after fiddling with it with my dad on the phone and I still couldn't get it started a friend picked me up and we picked up our other car. Worked out okay in the end.

Now some of you are probably thinking that none of this sounds like a big deal, but when you are running on empty with sleep, everything seems like a big deal. And of course I am always super emotional when I am tired. I am always very happy to have Chris come home, but this time he couldn't get here fast enough! I cannot imagine ever being a single mom. I do NOT look forward to the next time that he deploys. Luckily it will be a while before we have to worry about that.

It's funny you know, a couple weeks ago I actually said to Chris, "I think I have this figured out." YEAH RIGHT!!! As soon as I feel like we have something working, Alexander changes something up to keep me on my toes. Right now it's sleep. He just doesn't like to nap in his crib anymore and the last couple of nights, it's been tough to get him to go to sleep at night. We used to never have any problem with this. I have ended up going in and nursing him some more to get him to go to sleep. This sort of defeats the point of our current routine which is designed for him to NOT fall asleep nursing. Maybe he's not eating enough to begin with. Tomorrow, I'm going to make sure he eats plenty before putting him down. We'll see.

As stressful and difficult as it is to be a mom, I still love it and wouldn't want to be doing anything else. I've been on "the job" for only 9 weeks, but it is definitely the MOST difficult job I have ever had and I can tell that it probably always will be. But it is also the MOST fulfilling job ever!

2 MONTH CHECK UP

Yesterday was Alexander's 2 month check up. He is doing fantastic! He weighs 12 pounds, 4 ounces and is 24 inches long. We thought that this all sounded exceptionally high, but he is only in the 50th percentile. Surprising! Today Alexander had his immunizations. This consisted of 3 shots and 1 oral medication. This was so hard to go through! Overall, he was pretty good, but he did have these two screams that were terrible! His face turned red/purple and I swear he stopped breathing! Very painful for mommy but he's a trooper. So far the only side effect that I'm noticing is some definite crankiness and some diarrhea. I've given him some Tylenol, so hopefully he won't experience much discomfort. I do not look forward to his 4 month shots!

ROLLING OVER

Happily playing in his play yard.

Playing with his keys.

So, I mentioned before that Alexander has rolled over a few times. Well this past Friday he rolled over 4 times in 20 minutes! I couldn't believe it. And they were definitely intentional. It was so cute and amazing to watch him push off and roll over. I still just can't believe that he is already able to do this. He has also recently discovered his legs. He will lie on his back and just kick his legs around constantly. It looks like he's trying to run or something on his back. It's really cute! He now has arms and legs of fury!

We go to the doctor tomorrow for his 2 month check up and I am very excited to see how much he weighs. I know it's a lot because I can feel him getting heavier every day. However, he also has to get his shots tomorrow and I am definitely NOT looking forward to that. I was kind of a basket case when he had to get blood drawn, so I know this will be bad also. Chris will be there with us, thank goodness! So we can all get through it together!

VISIT WITH AUNT AND UNCLE

We just had a wonderful visit with Chris's brother, Brian and his wife, Claire. Alexander had a blast hanging with his aunt and uncle and they seemed to be pretty crazy about him as well. We hung out around the house on Saturday watching football and eating (we ate a lot over the weekend!!) and then on Sunday we went up to Meers, OK. We did some hiking and had the best burgers around. We had a wonderful weekend with them!!

So I mentioned in the last post that Alexander has rolled over a couple times. Well, he has now rolled over 5 times, 4 times last week! We can't believe it. He doesn't do it all them time, but 5 times seems like more than just a fluke. He is also super alert now and wants to stay awake all the time during the day. This is presenting a problem, because he needs to sleep more during the day because he is getting so tired and I need him to nap a couple of times during the day so that I can get a few things accomplished. We had gotten into somewhat of a routine before this last weekend, but now I'm struggling to get him back into it. He has started fighting napping in his crib during the day. And he can't sleep on me all of the time, so he ends up just exhausted by the end of the day. He's actually down right now, I'm just not sure for how long. If anyone has any ideas on this, please let me know.