• Weeks 1-4
• Weeks 5-8
• Weeks 9-12
• Weeks 13-16
• Weeks 17-20
• 5 Months
• 6 Months
• 7 months
• 8 months
• 9 months
• 10 months

 

• Main Alec Page

Weeks 13-16

Week 13: Alec continues to amaze us every day. Lately his big thing is standing. Loves to stand. He sits supported as well. He is really straightening out. He is so long and his head is growing and changing so much. He looks like a different baby every day. More so than that he is starting to look like a little boy. I stare at newborns and try to remember when he was ever so skinny and little and floppy. The time is passing so quickly. He should have started daycare this week and all week I have been staring at him and even at his fussiest I say a prayer of thanks I am here with him and getting to experience his amazing self.

He is holding things better now too. He really grips his rattles, his gymini toys, our shirts, and especially my hair! Ouch! He rips his bumblebee toy right off the gymini he is so strong and then gets confused as to what has just happened. Sometimes I am not sure he realizes he is still holding the toy. So much to experience! When I read to him he will grab at the book, though mostly his fists are still shut. But he is trying to touch everything now. He loves Michael's beard, he touches it and gets this look on his face like, ouch! what in the world is that!

He rubs his eyes like a tired little man.

Week 14: His belly button seems to be completely healed now. For so long we weren't sure if it would be an inny or an outie. When he cried it would bulge and rather freaked me out. But now the bulge is lessening and it will definitely be an innie. So cute!

He turns his head all the time now. He used to swish his head back and forth when he was lying on your chest trying to get comfortable, but this is different. This is controlled, a statement that he wants to look one way or the other. If you walk with him and turn away, he turns his head back to keep looking the other way. Of course this also means, he turns his head all the time now when we try to clean his eye - he sees the cloth coming and turns his head as far as he can to escape us. One smart kid.

He scratches at everything - his car seat harness, his clothes, the crib bumper, the quilt. He is experiencing touch and feel and it is so amazing to watch. The scratching also makes noise which he probably likes as well.

Everything goes towards the mouth now, toys and cloths but still mainly the fists. He had both thumbs in there the other day - too funny. One on each side like he was pulling his mouth open in a grin.

Alec was a champ on his second road trip to PA this weekend for Uncle Brian's high school graduation. He slept the whole way and just woke when we stopped to eat or for a rest stop. He is the best little traveler. He did well with all the chaos of the graduation as well, slept through most of it and then of course wanted to eat. True to form he managed to spit up all over the high school lobby - oh well :) My parents and grandparents had a blast with him as always and Alec got to meet lots of his cousins at the party. Though he managed to sleep through most of that as well. Why he doesn't nap like that at home is beyond me - I still can't get anything done during the day! Not that I am complaining that much. I'd rather play with him than do laundry or dishes anyday! While we were in PA we had a 4 generation picture taken as well as Alec's 14 week (3 month) photos.

We bought him one of those exersaucer things this week because he just loves to stand so much. When we put him in it the look of pure amazement and joy on his face was priceless. He seemed so excited by the fact he was standing and we weren't holding him. He was all smiles and pursed lips and he even reached out and played with some of the toys. The only problem is he is still a little small for it so I prop him up with a blanket but even then when he gets really excited he kind of arches his back and flails his arms and his head flies backwards. And of course then I freak out about his brain rattling around so that ends his play session in the exersaucer for awhile. But I think he will get lots of use out of it.

Alec went up another diaper size this week. He is now in 3's. Good grief. These are no longer Pampers swaddlers for the newborns, these are the "custom cruisers" I am not ready for my baby to be a cruiser! These diapers are huge, they are the full length of his torso. I miss the newborn diapers that fit in my palm.

Week 15: Alec is really moving about. He kicks his legs up so high and throws them to his side to propel himself to his side. He seems to ha ve stopped rolling over which is sort of odd. I think he figured out it gets him on his stomach so what is the point. His excitement at lying on his changing table is increasing as well - he just goes crazy! I used to call him marching man because of what he did with his arms and legs and face when he got so excited. Now he is more like a swimming man because the arms and legs are just going so fast.

It's so cold in Boston this week. Rainy and damp and in the 50s-60s. Alec is pretty much outgrowing all of his 3-6 month clothes but I am squeezing him in until its warm enough to wear all of his summer stuff in 6-9 months. He grows so fast. I think he is around 17-18 pounds now. He is one solid kid. At 20 pounds 26 inches he will be out of his infant carseat. I am not ready! That carseat is a lifesaver, it is so easy and convenient to pop him in and out of the car.

Alec has started squirming a lot more which makes bathtime interesting. The other night he was moving all around - not that there is all that much room for him to go in that little tub. I remember when we first bathed him he couldn't even really move his head on his won, and now he wiggles, kicks his legs, flails his arms, turns his head away so you can't wash his face. Rascal!

The other night he had these bug socks on that my mom gave him and they look like a big smilely face. He was sitting on my lap and all of a sudden he saw these cute smilely blue bug faces staring at them and he proceeded to have a lively conversation with his bug feet. So cute. I never really noticed him staring at his hands like some people say they will - he plays with his hands a lot but never had that fascinated look. The feet on the other hand are fascinating him.

He is really trying to sit up these days. When he is in a semi-reclining position like propped up in his boppy or in his carseat, or even in our arms he strains to sit up straight. Almost like he is doing baby stomach crunches. Of course as soon as you sit him up he flops to one side but he will get it one day!

We went for a walk the other day on the Esplanade with my friend Anne-Marie and her daughter Rachel who is a month older than Alec. I had him in his Bjorn carrier because it is too much of a hassle to take the stroller on the T and I literally thought my back might break. He is so heavy! UGH! But he looks so cute in it :) We walked for awhile and then when the kids just got too heavy we stopped to sit a bit and laid them on a blanket. Rachel was somewhat interested in Alec, but Alec seemed much more fascinated by the leaves of the tree above him. It was neat to watch him lying there watching the leaves and shadows move.

There is a newborn baby at our breastfeeding group this week. She is 2 weeks old and 8 lbs 8 oz - bigger than Alec when he was that age but she looks so teeny tiny and so floppy! I can remember him being tiny, but not hat floppy. This baby is like jello, I swear she has no bones. Mike doesn't think Alec was ever like that either though maybe we have selective memory. But I think he always had some substance to him. He flops still and is somewhat squishy but he is outgrowing it so fast. He stands pretty straight now and can hold his back straight for sitting for awhile. It's going too fast!

Alec creaks and groans like an old house. Lately he has started making this creaking noise with his mouth shut. He even does it while he is eating. Very strange. I just realized he doesn't squeak and squak like he used to when he was a newborn. I almost forget that sound he would make that sounded like choking. He used to make these little bird chirps that were the sweetest sounds. I think all those noises must have gone away once the cooing noises started. How sad. How quickly we forget.

But his cooing is in full force and getting louder too. He laughs so much now, makes funny noises like a-boo-wa, a -goo, a-wooo!, gheeee, and his wet reasperry noises. Of course he screams and cries too :)

Week 16: It's amazing that this time last year I was wondering if I was pregnant or not, and now that baby is 16 weeks old. Where does the time go?

Alec is holding things and reaching for everything so much more now. It's hard to remember when he didn;t hold things, he is such a natural at it now. He remains fascinated with Michael's beard and faces. Loves to paw at our faces, stick his hands in our mouths, grab at our glasses, my hair.

He holds himself so straight and tall now, his baby slouch is going - but not gone yet. Alec is more vocal now, he yells at things, yells at his mobile,his toys, he expresses his displeasure now verbally instead of just by crying.

I think he rolled from his belly to his back this weekend. Michael thinks it only happened because I sat on the bed next to Alec and created a dip that made it easier for him to roll. We'll see. But he is definitely leaning heavily to the side now.

We took Alec to the beach for the first time. I really wanted to go to the beach to say "good bye" to the ocean as we are starting to get ready to move in one month. He looked so adorable in his ducky outfit. He is getting so heavy though - I had him in his Baby Bjorn and by the end of our walk along the beach I was ready for a nap! If I wasn't so worried abut sun exposure and bugs it would have been more enjoyable, but as it was we still had a perfect family afternoon at the beach. Followed by a delicious seafood dinner - what could be more perfect?

Alec is so sweet. When he reaches for my face it is more like a gentle caress. I can't explain the feeling of gentleness and peace I have for him when I am holding him and he is eating, or just dozing off. I feel peace and joy, yet sorrow too, knowing this is fleeting that in a few months time he will be running all around and peace will be the last word I will use to describe him :)

Alec had his 4 month doctors appointment. He is a big boy - he weighs 18 lbs 10 oz and is 25.5 inches long. Good grief, no wonder my arms and legs ache from carrying him around so much. He is doing very well though. We're really going to miss our pediatrician, but hopefully we'll find a good one in Ithaca as well. On the down side Alec also got the second round of immunizations today. 4 shots. Poor kid. He seemed fine the rest of the morning so we went to our breastfeeding support group later in the afternoon and he was initially fine but then all of a sudden he started fussing which turned into inconsolable screeching. Nothing would calm him - bouncing, eating, swaying, nothing. So we left the group early and of course as soon as we got outside he calmed down. This seems to be the key to stopping the fussing - go outside. He loves the outdoors and to stare up at the sky.

Anyway, Alec stopped screaming but was still fussy at home so I called the nurse to see if we could give him some Tylenol. She OKed that but asked if I thought he was screaming I pain and if he was he'd have to be seen. I asked how I'd know if it was pain, he was crying. She basically treated me like I was an idiot - not something a new mother needs to be treated like. I was worried he was having a reaction to a shot, but Mike and I decided he was just fussy, not in pain. The Tylenol pretty much just calmed him down and he went to bed early around 8 and woke to feed several times, but was pretty much out.