{ Alex is 5 months...a lot late }

Nicknames:

Billy goat, fuss bucket, drool bucket, chunk-a-monk, little one, roll-e-poll-e

Evan calls him either bug or bud.

Weight:

15 lbs 7 oz

Clothes:

Finally packed away the last of the 3 mo clothes.  Totally in 6 mo clothes.

Diaper Size:

2

Eating:

Alex still prefers breast above all else, however he will drink expressed breast milk if I am not around.  We have also started solids.  Which I think was an awesome choice.  His tummy problems seem to be a bit better than they were before.  He will pretty much eat anything we throw at him which is awesome.  As of right now he has fruit mixed with rice cereal for breakfast and dinner.  He gets a vegetable at lunch.  Alex is also still taking his prilosec.

Sleep:

What's that?

In the beginning of the month, Alex was doing really well at night time.  Going down about 730 and sleeping until 330, nursing, and then waking up for good about 530/6 am.  But then we had a really bad week where he was up every hour or so.  I finally figured out that he was rolling all over the place and waking himself up.  So I hit Target and bought some larger "SwaddleMe" blankets.  That has seemed to solve our problem.

Naps are another story.  Most days he takes 3 to 4 short naps.  Other days he will take some really good long naps.  

Milestones:

rolling from back to tummy, rolling from tummy to back, grasping everything within reach, recognizes Mike, Evan, and I.

Firsts:

Valentine's Day (spent at doctor appointments...yay!), cousin Harper sleeping over, playing with Betty (uncle Joe's dog who I forever want to call Molly)

Life with Alex:

Oh boy!  Mr. Alex is one loud, demanding, active little thing.  When he is happy, he is fabulous.  Generous with his smiles, giggles, and coos.  When he's not happy, nothing will make him happy.  Seriously.  I don't know how many days, Mike and I have spent hours upon hours trying to calm a very distraught Alex.  I'm holding out hope that one day, he'll make a turn and become an easy baby.  (but honestly, I'm not holding my breath)

Alex does love his brother.  He watches Evan all the time.  If he could crawl already, he would be chasing Evan around.  It's so fun to watch the relationship between Evan and Alex develop.  We attempted to put them in the same room - but then we started having the sleep issues with Alex so for now he remains in our room.  I'll probably attempt to put them in the same room again in a week or two.

He loves music and especially when I sing to him so we spend most of our days listening to music while I sing to him.  He prefers to have us hold him so he is standing versus us propping him up so he can sit.  I think he just likes the vantage point he gets from being up higher.  He's fallen in love with some creepy singing dog he got for Christmas and is constantly chewing on it or his fingers or toes.

Oh how I love him...

{ glad it's over }

Today seemed never ending.  Maybe it’s because I still haven’t really gotten any sleep or because it’s Valentine’s Day or because we spent a good portion of the morning getting children ready to walk out the door at 8 am.  In any case, I’m glad today is coming to an end.

This morning my boys surprised me with candies and a new travel mug – since mine had been tossed for one reason or another, as well as the first 2 seasons of Boy Meets World. (ps.  I’m totally pumped that they are bringing it back…although it will be called Girl Meets World).  But we quickly had to make our way out the door.  Evan had school and Alexander had an ultrasound and follow up appointment with his Urologist.

We got caught in traffic.  We always seem to, especially when I don’t leave much time for us to get there after we get Evan on the bus.  But Alex did so well during his ultrasound and we quickly made our way across the complex to the specialty clinic.  The good news – Alex’s kidney hasn’t gotten any worse.  The bad news – Alex’s kidney hasn't gotten any better.  So?  Well in May we’ll go back for another ultrasound.  Mike and I have decided that if we’re in the same place we are now – we’re going to go ahead and schedule the surgery that will (hopefully) correct his blockage once and for all.

After spending the better part of our morning in St Paul, we headed back home and went out on a lunch date.  We figured it would be easier since Mike had to work tonight and being down one child might mean it would go a lot easier than if we had both.  It was so nice to be able to sit down and eat out with my husband today.  We agreed that we needed to find a time when we can go out sans kids to eat or something.

After eating we did some shopping before coming home.  I think we pushed our luck with Alex – because he was certainly cranky.  Alex hadn't really napped while we were out and when he did – they were very short.  So I spent the better part of the afternoon and early evening rocking, nursing, singing, swaddling a very overly tired and cranky baby that would. Not. Go. To. Sleep.  Although finally he did.

The rest of the evening just seemed to pass right on by.  No major surprises and Evan and I got back into our nightly routine since it had been a few days since Mike had been home, sick with the flu.  However, I am having the hardest time reading to Evan at night.  He never sits still or relaxes.  He seems to spend the entire time jumping from one spot to the next, laying all over me or his brother, or just plainly interrupting me while I’m reading with nothing that has to do with what we are reading or him really needing anything.  I just don’t get it.  But I just keep trying.  Hopefully one day we can get through our bedtime stories without much hassle (although I’m not holding my breath)

And although Mike is safely off to work and the boys (for now) are tucked into bed, I know that my day isn't over.  Alex will probably wake soon since he’s been asleep since 5 this afternoon.  There are dishes to be done.  Bills to be paid.  And other random things that need to get pulled together before tomorrow.  But that gets me thinking about tomorrow and that’s going to be another long day full of appointments, errands, and cranky babies.  Oye.  

Alex and his new Giraffe - Gary - He's just a little obsessed with it

{ survival mode }

The past few weeks we've been on survival mode.  It seems like are just now finally coming out of the fog we have been in.

All of us have been sick.  Alexander had 2 ear infections, both Evan and I had some nasty virus that felt like a combination of strep throat and the flu - but it wasn't, and Mike actually came down with the flu.  I am crossing my fingers that Alexander will be lucky enough to not catch the flu, but I'm not really holding my breath.

Work has been crazy busy.  Which is good - but has meant I have taken on more clients and longer hours and I still haven't found the perfect balance between working longer hours and getting everything else done that needs to be done.

Nanci (my sister who was in the car accident) is still doing well in her recovery - but since my parents have both returned to their respective homes, Maggi and I have been trying to help her in anyway possible.  This normally means giving her rides to her appointments and making sure she has everything that she needs.  I have spent most of my Fridays with her and this week it will be no different.

Alexander hasn't been sleeping.  A few weeks ago he had started to go down at 8 pm and wake up again about 3 to nurse and then sleeping until 6 or 630.  The past two weeks he has been up every 2 hours again, except he decides he needs to start partying in his crib at 430 in the morning and normally doesn't go back down until 6 or so, when I have get up to get ready for work.  Lets just say I have been dragging.