Guest Blogger (Mia) - Things I've Learned from Alekzander

After spending five wonderful days (self-invited) with my grandson, I reluctantly drove six hours back to the east coast of North Carolina teary eyed. I’m totally smitten with this child. Gaga, head-over-heels in love with Alekzander. On the way home I relived every moment I spent with this small treasure and realized that he taught me some things that I knew once upon a time, but had forgotten. These may be reminders for all of us.

First, smile when you see yourself in the mirror! Alekzander is tickled pink when he spots his reflection. The rash on his chubby cheek is not going to ruin his day. Nor should the pimple or weathered winkles ruin yours. “Be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and stars.”

Secondly, when you are tired - take a nap. If I keep on keeping on when I’m exhausted I get whiny, act inappropriately, say ugly things I later regret, and complete my task haphazardly. Why not rest? It’s okay to do nothing. (I read that on the foil of a Dove mini chocolate bar last Easter. And I’m practicing it.)

Next, no matter what we were taught is socially acceptable, burping does make your belly feel much better. Isn’t it true that in some cultures burping is a compliment to the chef signifying that the meal is truly appreciated?

And most importantly, I learned this from Alekzander: Do not play Superman or Baby in the Air or Airplane on a full belly. Mommy will have a mess to clean up.

One more lesson I learned from Alekzander is that it’s okay to talk to yourself. Sometimes there is no one around to converse with and you have important stories to tell. Sometimes there is someone around to converse with and they don’t listen anyway, especially if it’s a Gruffalo. Talking to yourself is entertaining, amusing, and makes people wonder why you are having the time of your life.


Sherry Markovitch aka Mia (Main Idolizer of Alekzander) aka Ashley's Mom

Alekzander's First Snowfall

Alekzander got to wake up to his first snowfall today!  We went outside and made a snowman, went sledding, threw snowballs, made snow angels and made some snow cream!!!  Not quite big enough for all of these fun things, we just went out briefly for a couple photos. But we did make a mini snowman and have some snow cream (made with vanilla dairy creamer and some pumpkin for extra flavoring).

 

 

I'd like to think Alekzander is already looking forward to visiting Grandma & Grandpa Swistak in NY to see some serious snow someday.

Smooth Ride

Daddy bought Alekzander the best present! A baby jogger! He got a great deal on Craigslist and purchased a Safety 1st jogger that was practically brand new from a family that owned it for only two months.

We went on our first adventure in it yesterday, though I didn't use it to its full jogging potential! I was nervous about putting my little boy in such a big stroller, but I used the head and harness supports from his carseat for some extra protection and stability. He did great in it, of course! What I love most about it is that the seat reclines - and you have the option of having the baby sit facing you or facing the road in front of you. Since I love looking at Alekzander (and because he is so young), I reclined the seat and put him in facing me; he eventually fell asleep so we cruised around the neighborhood for about 45 minutes and enjoyed a smooth ride in the late afternoon sunshine.

Chatterbox and Superman

These past few days have been so fun. Mia (my mom) was here for a visit to collect snuggles from Alekzander. We also found some time to get out of the house and shop a little too! The task of leaving the house is much less daunting when I have an extra set of hands for doors, bags, and strollers. Each of our outings went better than could be expected. Alekzander was a perfect little boy - sleeping in his seat, getting adoring looks from both of us and strangers, too. I have yet to feed him in public so our outings promptly ended around the time he needed to eat; luckily we were never too far from home...but Alekzander was a patient, perfect shopping partner!

While it was fun to be out of the house and have a valid excuse for wearing makeup and real clothes, our time at home was the most amusing and entertaining. Even after his shots, my little man remained in good spirits and on a perfect schedule. Each morning - and after some late night feedings - he would wake up the house with his animated chattering. Who knows what he was saying, but at times, it would make him laugh which would make me giggle silently in bed. Listening to my little chatterbox makes my heart so happy. There were times when the chattering would slowly build into his sweet little "I'm hungry" fuss, but the happiness he provides me never leaves my heart.

Something that made him happy was playing Superman with Mia. He got to be Superman while laying on his belly on her knees and while soaring through the air while Mia walked around the house singing silly songs to Alekzander. We all learned a lesson from Superman... don't fly on a full tummy. On her way upstairs, Mia flew him across the living room and ended up with a 5-foot radius of spit-up on the floor. Alekzander thought it was pretty cool; the dogs were interested in the mess; and I dutifully cleaned it up. Heaven knows my mom has cleaned up after me on many occasions and continues to do so!! While she was here, she remembered a time when my dad was flying me high over his head while he was laying on his back and I made a yucky deposit from my mouth right in to his! Supermoms, Superdads, and Superbabies beware!

Tough Cookie

Our tough cookie got his two month shots yesterday. I was prepared for Alekzander's reaction; similar to most babies, I figured he'd scream bloody murder and be somewhat miserable for the rest of the day. But our sweet baby was amazing. He cried his silent cry and turned bright red for about 10 seconds immediately after the shots, and then was laughing within a minute as he was fully dressed and then secured in his comfy car seat. What a rockstar! We were quite proud of him. There were no tears from me either! I wished for a split second that he needed me to comfort him, but I'll settle with having a tough little boy.

:: Before... Immediately after his shots... 30 seconds later... ::

The doctor said he was a strong baby with great head control... something we knew already. The doctor also commented on Alekzander's alertness. During his eighth week, Alekzander has been maintaining great eye contact and has been exercising his voice and babbling like crazy. He is growing well too... apparently I make a good baby home and a good baby buffet. He weighs 12 pounds + 10 ounces (75%) and is 23 inches long (50%). We think the nurse didn't stretch him out to his fullest potential, but either way, he's absolutely perfect in our eyes!

Once we got our little man home, he ate a little, slept a little, and required a few extra snuggles to settle down for the night. No Tylenol required, just some simple TLC. AMAZING!

Happy 1/6th year Alekzander!!!

I know most parents would say 2 months, or measure it by weeks ... but this way helps it seem like time isn't flying by quite so fast. Or maybe it sounds worse to some, but for me, it works.

I had a lot of friends ask me if 'I was ready' throughout Ashley's pregnancy. I usually had a somewhat silly answer for such a silly question. "No! I'm not ready! I'm not ready to have him grow up so quickly like most kids seem to do." I was half joking because of course I was ready and excited to be a dad but not so excited about time flying.

Our friends Lauryn and Blake stopped by to visit a while back with their son Carter. Carter is almost 18 months and it seems like yesterday we visited them in the hospital. Lauryn commented on Alekzander being a snuggler after seeing how he laid his head on my chest. She said to eat up every moment we can get of it because before you know it babies grow out of that. This stuck with us as a reminder of how the littlest moments are precious and we should eat them up while we can.

I know this is just the tip of the iceberg of parenthood and in the blink of an eye he'll be turning 1, then in a heartbeat he'll be starting school and before we know it we'll be dropping him off at college. Some may be saddened by these thoughts and how quickly it goes but I'll choose to try and let it serve as a reminder to cherish each moment we have and never take time for granted.

Big Boy, Good Baby

Last night our big boy took a bottle for the first time at eight weeks. It broke my heart a little, but I know it made Andrew's heart soar. Alekzander took the bottle like a (hungry) champ!! Since he is such a good eater and I had only pumped 3 oz., he was still hungry after the bottle, so I still got my precious time with him after watching from across the room as he ate with Daddy. It was quite a milestone in his little world, and means I can make some evening plans without worrying about him starving or crying hysterically.

Yesterday, after two days of poor sleeping patterns, I came across a miracle on another Mommy Blog... a sleep technique/trick from an author, Tracy Hogg, called the 4 S's. So far, the third S has been a life saver all three times I've tried it.

1. Setting the Stage (establishing a bedtime/nap time routine)
2. Swaddling
3. Sitting (after swaddling, instead of leaving him in the crib to settle himself, pick him up, and sit (but don't rock) with him seated vertically, until he relaxes, then lay him down)
4. Shush-pat (as needed)

Number 3 has transformed my day - I have a good baby with 1 successful nap in progress... no tears, no screams!

At eight weeks, Alekzander continues to amaze me. Monday, his 2 month birthday, he unfortunately gets a barrage of shots, but I think I'm prepared... I know he'll turn bright red, do his silent scream and then drip some big salty tears, but hopefully his will be the only ones shed.

Seven... reasons why its great to be a Dad!

1. Holding my son in my arms for the first time was like nothing else.

2. Being a personal jungle gym while he grunts and scoots along my chest.

3. Watching him start to discover the world around him.

4. Hearing him coo and 'talk' alone in his crib.

5. Knowing my wife is such an AWESOME Mom!

6. Getting to glimpse nothing short of one of God's miracles take place from pregnancy to birth.

7. Looking at him and thinking of all of the good times yet to come and the amazing possibilities his future holds.

Seven... favorite places to nap

1. Swing
2. Carseat (in the car or on a walk)
3. In Mommy's arms4. In Daddy's arms
5. Bouncy chair
6. Crib
7. Sling

Seven... places we've been

1. Forest Hill Church
2. Baby Norah's house
3. Uptown Charlotte at Ryan's place
4. Baby Brooks' house
5. Daddy's office/work

6. Run For Your Life (running store)
7. Providence Pediatrics

Seven... books we love to read

Seven... things Alekzander loves

1. Swinging
2. Looking at Syra(cuse) our dog
3. Eating
4. Strolling around the neighborhood
5. Riding in the car
6. His family
7. "Talking" to the tiger on his crib bumper

We think Tony the Tiger must talk back sometimes!

Seven... significance of the #

1. On 7th day God rested
2. John Elway's Jersey #3. Ben Roethlisberger's # (because of John Elway)
4. My favorite number is 7
5. When we first started dating I would joke about paying $700 dollars to reserve a place (like the skydeck of Carousel Mall)
6. I was born in 79 graduated (HS) 97
7. It has been ~7 years since we first started dating

Seven...

...weeks ago, I hadn't even met my small bundle of joy face-to-face. In the past 49 days, I have grown to love him more than I thought possible, and can't picture my world without him. For the next seven days, I will provide insight into my little one's world, seven items at a time! Since I am so madly in love, I will start with seven things I love about Alekzander.

1. Listening to him coo and 'talk' during play time.
2. Watching him smile.
3. His big blue eyes.
4. His strong legs and arms... he thinks he's ready to conquer the world, or begin lifting weights!
5. How he responds to our voices.
6. His sweet smell after a bath.
7. His endless baby expressions and busy body, hands and feet moving in excitement about his world.

There are many more reasons why I love my littlest friend, but seven is appropriate on this day, the beginning of his seventh week of life!

My Hat

Sometimes when Alekzander cries, it sounds like he's saying, "My hat, my hat, my hat..." Very often, he can be found wearing a hat - most handmade by his Mia (Grandma Markovitch) - partly out of cuteness, partly out of necessity.

This hat may be a little overkill for Charlotte winter weather, but when we go out to walk, it serves its purpose in the brisk January weather!

First Smile

We saw Alekzander's first real smile this morning (several times) while sitting in bed before his second breakfast! He continues to melt our hearts every day.

Signs of the Times

Alekzander is just over 6 weeks old. Mommy is close to 28 years old. We have one common tell-tale sign of our ages... HAIR. Baby boy is losing his hair (like most newborns do) and Mommy is sprouting some gray hair!!! There were a few pre-pregnancy grays, but since delivering, I have noticed a considerable increase. Perhaps it is because of the new stresses of being a new mom - or it may be the inevitable Rusyn genes from my mom's side. C'est la vie. Alekzander is cute whether or not he has hair, and there is a cosmetic fix for my problem if it bothers me too much.

At 4 weeks, 5 days, Alekzander's one month doctor's visit told us that he was a very healthy, growing boy. He weighed 10 lb 11 oz and was 22 and 1/4 inches long. At 6 weeks, on our baby scale, he weighed 11 lb 8 oz.

He is a tough little boy... Daddy's chest equals a play gym. Alekzander enjoys 'climbing' up his Daddy by gaining leverage by pushing his little feet against Andrew's lap or a platform made by his hands. Alekzander grunts and groans as he scoots and wiggles to peer over Andrew's shoulders. He does this same scoot move on his playmat as well if you put your hands under his feet when he's on his belly. He has great head control too... so we tried sitting him in his Bumbo. He fights it at first as it forces him to use his core muscles, but then he sits and just looks around like he's a big boy. It is fun to watch him explore his world and listen to him coo and babble with content.

We are still trying to establish a good routine and Alekzander is doing much better than I am. He eats, plays, and sleeps every 3 hours. His internal clock is near perfect and he lets me know when we are supposed to begin the cycle by eating again! Figuring out how to be productive during his sleep times is my biggest challenge. Relaxation and recuperation are high on my list still, but an upcoming 5K and grad school project/graduation will dictate my routine beginning next week.