Lost Tooth

As the boys get further away from the baby and toddler stages, milestones don't happen quite as often. So it was super exciting to have one yesterday: Alex lost his first tooth!

He has another loose one right next to it, so the second one should be coming out soon too.

He is growing way too fast! We can't believe he's going to be 6, and Thomas is almost 4! We would like to freeze them at these ages, we love them both so much.

You can click here for more July photos.

That's what's happening on Boomerang Drive!

-- Holly

Happy 4th Birthday Alex!

Happy birthday to my amazing 4 year old. He has actually felt like a 4 year old for quite some time now -- he acts way older than his age sometime!

We planned a birthday party at Ephrata Park and are thrilled that it is a gorgeous day. Alex is ready to play with his friends and eat some cake!


Pictures from Alex's party and other August photos will be at the following link:
https://picasaweb.google.com/otisandlucy/August2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCJmU6pLZy8zEzwE

It's a beautiful day on Boomerang Drive!
-- Holly

Cars 2

Today we dropped Thomas off with a friend and took Alex to see his first movie, Cars 2. We liked the movie, but felt it was a little more for grownups than for kids. It was very intense, with a bit more violence than we would have liked, and the plot was definitely over the head of a 3 year old. There were some funny jokes in there, but Alex didn't really understand what we were laughing about. If you ask him what the movie was about, he will probably respond, "It was about cars." It was a long time for him to sit and watch a movie that didn't make all that much sense to him. Still, I think he liked going. We saw a preview for the new Winnie the Pooh movie coming out soon, and one of us might take him to see it.

A side note to my dad: please don't get mad at us for Alex's t-shirt in the photo! We figure he can have a national league team -- and the shirt was at Walmart for a DOLLAR!

We are all popcorned out on Boomerang Drive!


-- Holly

Thomas Takes the Lead

I am SO glad I have this blog. I just spent a few minutes reading entries from 2 years ago, when Alex was the age Thomas is now. I love reading about things that I haven't thought about in a long time, and might have forgotten! For example, when Alex was less than a year old, he was able to make a sound imitating the sound of the Pledge being sprayed as I was cleaning. I VAGUELY remember that, but I really wish I could go back and see it! It is so sad that these are distant memories. In a way, I can't wait to have older kids, but in another way, it is going WAY too fast. And by the way, why isn't Thomas making that same sound? Probably because my cleaning skills aren't what they used to be. :)

So why was I looking back at old blog posts? Well, I had to see exactly what date it was when Alex took his first steps. He took his first steps at one year and nine days old. And today, at one year and three days old, Thomas took his first steps! So he's the winner! Although it took another 2 months for Alex to really get going, and I'm guessing Thomas will be the same way.

Unfortunately, Erik wasn't here to witness it, but I did get to share the moment with my best friend, Megan. We were enjoying a nice fall like evening playing in her driveway when Thomas suddenly just decided to take 4 steps! Megan looked at me, and I screamed, and jumped up and down, and high fived. It was a great moment.

And that's tonight's excitement from Boomerang Drive!

-- Holly

One Year Ago

One year ago, we were waiting. Once again, we had an unborn son who was LATE. The due date of September 9 had come and gone. Erik was back in school, waiting. I was home with Alex, waiting. We were READY. I went to bed that night having no idea that the next day, September 14, would be the day, that we would meet our Thomas.



It has been a fast year, one full of excitement, exhaustion, frustration, and laughter. We are incredibly blessed to have two beautiful, healthy boys. We have loved watching Thomas grow and change throughout his first year, and can't wait to see what the next year has in store for him!




Happy First Birthday, Baby Thomas!

And that's the excitement on Boomerang Drive!

-- Holly

Potty Training

I know, I know, an actual post! Are you amazed? I'm actually amazed, being that I am EXHAUSTED, that I am spending my time writing this. But the fact is, I am very proud of Alex and wanted to tell everyone how he's doing.

As you all know, Alex's third birthday was last week. We had tried potty training a few times, and each time decided to let it go for a few weeks because Alex didn't seem ready. He kept telling us, "Maybe when I'm three." We were sure he was smart enough to figure it out, but we didn't want to push him too hard and end up having the whole thing be a huge struggle.

For some reason, we made the decision that when Alex's diapers were gone, we just weren't going to buy any more. We prepared Alex for this for several days beforehand. We had no idea what would happen. I figured, we'll try it for a few days, maybe do underwear at home and pull ups when we go out, and if it's a disaster, we'll give it up for a while.

Friday morning was our first diaper free day. When Alex woke up and realized that the diapers were in fact gone, he spent about 20 minutes screaming and throwing a fit. Then he gave up and put on underwear. We watched him closely, had him sit on the potty several times, and he got the hang of it quickly. We then decided, why put on pull ups when we go out, because it might just seem like he's wearing a diaper and he might not be motivated to tell us when he has to go. So the first day, we actually took him on a car trip to Barnes and Noble without a diaper, and he did great!

We are now on day #5. He has only had 2 accidents in 5 days! He is able to both pee and poop on the potty and is good about telling us when he has to go. He wears pull ups at nap time and overnight, but does well with underwear on the rest of the day.

I am AMAZED at how well this process has gone. He was absolutely resistant to the idea as long as he had diapers available as an option. It turns out that for him, taking the diapers away completely was the best way to go. He is doing great and is proud of himself, and we are really proud of him, too!

And that's what's happening on Boomerang Drive this week!

-- Holly

Sitting Up!

My favorite milestone so far: Thomas is able to sit up by himself!



And just for fun, Alex, at the same age, with the same sweatshirt:

Check out our March link, a few postings down, for more great photos.

It's springtime on Boomerang Drive!

-- Holly

On a Roll!

Birth Story

Well, if you are reading this, I'm sure you know by now that baby Thomas is here! I thought some of you may be interested in his birth story. Don't worry, I will not get too specific, for those of you who really don't need all the gory details!

On Monday, September 14, I woke up at about 5:00 am with some contractions. I wasn't completely sure if they were labor contractions or more Braxton-Hicks contractions (which I had been having for several weeks), but I knew something felt different. I started timing them (recommended website for any pregnant woman: www.contractionmaster.com.) I realized that they were about 3-4 minutes apart. But since they weren't very strong, and were only lasting about 30 seconds, I knew I wasn't in a rush to run to the hospital. Since I had a non-stress test already scheduled for 8:30 am (standard procedure for everyone past their due date), I figured they could just check my progress and go from there.

I dropped Alex off with my friend Carolyn to play with her kids while I went to the appointment. They confirmed that I was in early labor and was about 3 cm dilated. They told me to go home and rest up, and call when I was ready to come in. I asked how I could tell when that was -- normally, they want you to come in when your contractions are 5 minutes apart, and mine were already closer than that. They told me to call when the contractions were lasting for a minute long each, or if I was beginning to get very uncomfortable.

So around 5:00, I am continuing to have contractions 3-4 minutes apart, 30-45 seconds long. Not really any change from the morning, although they were getting slightly more intense. So I figured we'd keep waiting. I was fine at home, at least while in between contractions. When they started coming closer, though, (some about 2 minutes apart), I decided to call the doctor. I STILL wasn't sure if I should be in or not, because the contractions weren't really strong and weren't lasting a minute. But they told me to get in there ASAP. So we left Alex with another friend down the street, Megan, with the arrangement that Erik's parents would pick him up there in about an hour and bring him back to our house.

When we got to the hospital, we were all surprised that I was already 7-8 cm dilated. The hospital staff told me I must have a high pain tolerance (very surprising to me and Erik), because from the way I was looking/acting, they thought I wasn't very far along. The doctor told me that although I could get an epidural at any time, they doubted I would need it because I seemed to be handling the contractions very well. The plan was to break my water and then baby would be here soon.

It took a little longer than expected for the midwife to come break my water because the labor and delivery unit was full -- apparently we picked a big baby boom day! The midwife broke my water at about 8:30 pm. Contractions then became stronger, but still manageable without pain medication. (My goal was not necessarily to have a natural childbirth, but just not to get meds unless I really needed them). At a few minutes before 10, I started feeling pretty uncomfortable, and asked for some Nubain, which is a pain reliever delivered through an IV. It's less serious than an epidural and is just supposed to "take the edge off" the pain.

I remember having two very bad contractions while the nurse was putting the Nubain in my IV. Then I had a sudden need to push and could barely wait for the midwife to be ready. And 5 minutes later, Thomas was out! I couldn't believe how fast it all happened.

Thomas Erik Schlosser
Born September 14, 2009 at 10:05 pm
8 lbs. 10 oz.
21.5 inches long

The Alexander Dictionary

Okay, I am WAY behind on my blogging. So there is no way I could possibly mention everything that we have done in the past month. The biggest development, I guess, is that Alexander is talking. I mean, REALLY talking. Talking all day. Talking nonstop. He says just about every word you can imagine. Many words are very clear, and others I can understand just because I hear them every day. I thought I'd make a little pronunciation guide for those of you who may be having a conversation with Alex sometime soon.

CHEH-bup = Ketchup

SEE-bup = Seat belt

SHAW-dees = Strawberries

WAH-but = Wal Mart

Ah-RIE = Lambie

FAH-der = Pacifier

DAH-ee = Daddy

WOO-see = Lucy

PESS-sel = Pretzel

SHISH = fish

SHEET = Sheep

WOO-ser = Rooster

BIP = grape

I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones I can think of at the moment. And his current favorite word is pee. He thinks pee is the funniest word ever created.

Two more weeks of school for Erik! We are excited for the summer, ready to visit family in New York, see Mike and Susan get married in North Carolina, and travel to the beach in Delaware with the Schlossers, in addition to getting ready for baby. It is really hard for me to not let his name slip! I am so confident that this is the right name for him, I don't think of him as "the baby", I usually refer to him (in my head) by his name. Some day it's going to slip out! I need to be careful. Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise!

And that's what's up on Boomerang Drive this week!

-- Holly

April Already?

Wow, where did the month of March go? Only one blog post? I had better get it back into gear! I'm sure I'll have more to report this month, since in only 12 more days we will (hopefully) get to find out if we're having a little Agatha or a little Archibald. :)

It has been interesting around here lately. First news is a change in schedule. At 19 1/2 months, we have finally moved Alex to one nap a day. It was nice while it lasted. Every day for the past 19 months, I could count on at least an hour and a half every morning, and another hour and a half to two hours to myself every afternoon. This was how my house stayed clean, dinner was made, my shower was taken, etc. But Alex is old enough to do one nap now, so what we are trying to do is take him out for some type of activity every morning, when he normally would have taken his nap, in order to distract him and help him stay awake and refreshed. Then he is taking a nap at 1:00. He is doing surprisingly well with this, although he is still not taking as long of an afternoon nap as he needs to. It's typically about an hour and a half at this point. Then he wakes up and is not very well rested, which makes for a long night sometimes. I am hoping that he will soon settle into a little bit of a longer nap -- we'll see. It is definitely an adjustment. The one nice thing is that we are able to get out and do things in the morning, when before we never left the house before 11:00. This opens up more opportunities for play group and activities with the moms club. And hey, now we can go out to breakfast! :)

Another fun development -- Alex has a new favorite word. What is it, you ask? Mommy? Daddy? Dog? Well, no. The word is "No." Alex LOVES to say no. He is now realizing that he has choices. I am trying to get him to play more independently, so I can get some things done around the house, since he is napping less. So I will say, "Alex, go play with (whatever toy I suggest)" and his answer will usually be "No, no, no, no, no!" SO much fun.

On a non-Alex related note, last week, Erik's friend Jamie sent me a message and asked me to run in a race with him in Lititz next Saturday, April 11. My first thought -- "Yeah! I love races." My second thought -- "I haven't run since I got pregnant and started feeling sick. I doubt I can do it after sitting around doing nothing for 3-4 months." My third thought -- "Well, maybe it's just a 5K (3.1 miles). I could probably do that." So I find out it is a 5 mile race, and for some reason I agreed to do it, just figuring that I'd have to run slowly and take some walking breaks. So after getting the okay from my doctor, I started running again. Yesterday, I ran outside (partially because of the beautiful day, and partially because my treadmill is broken and ended up smoking the last time I was on it), and I was able to run the 5 miles without stopping at all! Definitely slower than my previous pace, but hey, I can still do it! I owe a lot to Jamie for giving me the motivation to get started again. I didn't realize how much I missed running!

Also, at the end of April, I am walking in a 5-mile walk with our local moms club in March for Babies, which benefits the March of Dimes. If you are able to contribute a small donation, please let me know!

So, that's it . . . some adjustments, and looking forward to some nice spring weather . . .

And that's what has been happening on Boomerang Drive over the past few weeks!

-- Holly

Doctor Visit

Wow, I am quite the blogger this month, huh? I think it's the fact I am so miserably bored with winter and am trying to find things to pass the time until we can be OUTSIDE! It is so miserably cold here . . . Alex is able to answer the question, "What does the wind say?" ("Whoosh" in case you weren't sure).

Alex had his 18 month well visit today. Here are some things he did NOT enjoy:
1. When the nurse called him out of the waiting room. He screamed, threw himself on the floor, and crawled away from her.
2. When they measured his head circumference.
3. When they took his temperature.
4. When they listened to his heart.
5. When they looked in his ears.
6. When they checked his reflexes.
7. When he had to sit on the scale (that was REALLY bad I guess).
8. When they measured his height.
9. When they checked his belly/diaper area/legs.
10. When they gave him a shot.

ALL of those things made him scream! He was NOT a happy patient!

He was pretty on track developmentally, though. They asked me . . .
1. Does he say 4-10 words? Yes.
2. Can he throw/kick a ball? Well, he can throw (kind of) and I've never seen him try to kick.
3. Can he climb stairs standing up if you hold his hand? Yes.
4. Does he try to eat with a fork and spoon? Yes, he uses them all the time.
5. Can he point to at least 3 body parts that you name? Um, let's see, I think he can do three . . . he knows hair, head, eyes, nose, cheeks, ears, teeth, lips, tongue, mouth, arms, hands, fingers, belly, legs, feet, toes. Anything else and we're going internal, or to certain things I am not ready to discuss yet.

Oh, by the way, here's something you can file under the category, "Why didn't I think of this sooner?" Scenario: me -- tired, freezing cold. Alex -- getting bored. Me: "Alexander, mommy wants to take a bath. Do you want to play upstairs while mommy takes a bath?" Alex: "Yeah!" So, I put the gate up at the top of the stairs, take a bath with the door open, and he gets lambie out of the crib and runs around up there. Genius.

And that was my day on Boomerang Drive!

-- Holly

First Haircut!

We took Alex for his first haircut tonight! As you can see, he was very embarrassed by the fact that his hair was getting too long.


We made an appointment with Hannah, the girl who also does my hair. Alexander did a great job! He sat very still and was quite serious during the cut.

Overall, we think he had a fun time, and looks great! My two handsome men:


And that's what's up on Boomerang Drive this week!

-- Holly

Walking

Wow, 2 posts in 1 day! Go me! Here is Alex walking -- the video is sideways, I have no idea how to fix it! But cute anyway!

We Have a Toddler!

Well, Mr. Alexander took his first steps today! He took exactly two steps at Barnes and Noble, of all places. It was great, because Erik and I were both there to see it. I think it was also witnessed by a random B&N employee. When we got home, we made him practice more, and he got up to 10 (small) steps in a row! We think he is very proud of himself. I know, I know, watch out now, this is where life gets interesting, huh?

After a summer of chaos, life is finally getting back to normal. Erik is trying to get ready for a new school year, and Alex and I are adjusting to spending the day by ourselves again. Yes, the summer went FAST -- it always does -- but we are happy to start a new, fresh school year in our "new" house.

More later -- I know that it's been a long time since my last post, and I didn't say much this time either. But hey, I'm on my own again during the day, and I'm tired, okay?

By the way, thanks to all for the great birthday presents. Alex is having lots of fun playing with his new toys and reading his new books!

And that's what's happening on Boomerang Drive this week!

-- Holly

Off and Running

Well, Alex is not "off and running" per say, but it's coming soon! He is able to pull himself up to a standing position very easily now. He is actually not very interested in his toys at the moment, but would rather practice his standing skills! He likes to visit whoever is sitting on the couch (usually Lucy). He has a lion toy that you stand and walk behind, and he has started doing that a little bit. Before you know it, he'll be all over the place! Keep checking in for future posts about his checkup with the doctor (this Wednesday) and "Aquababies" (his baby swim class!) which starts next Monday!

I was "off and running" yesterday in my first race! I ran in the Red Rose Run in Lancaster city, which was a 5-mile race. I came in 794th, I think, of 1,026 people. I beat about 150 or so women, and 100 men. It took me 49 minutes and 57 seconds. I can run a little faster than that usually, but this race included some hills I wasn't really prepared for, plus it was very humid! I was just impressed that I didn't have to stop for any walking breaks, like some people did, or throw up after the race, as I saw 2 people doing! I loved running, felt very alive and challenged, and can't wait to do another race. I am planning on doing another 5-mile race in July, and training for a half marathon (13.1 miles) in October.

So that's what's up on Boomerang Drive this week!

-- Holly

A Whole New World

Life is great for Alex, who is now 9 months old! I know, where has the time gone? He is crawling, crawling, crawling. We are noticing that he is no longer happy being confined in a seat, whether the car seat, a high chair, a shopping cart . . . he wants to move! The other day when we were shopping at Target, he was getting quite squirmy in the cart. We had to get him out and let him crawl around the store. He loved it! I just followed behind him to make sure he didn't destroy anything. He is just NOT happy unless he can get out all his energy!

He is discovering that he can crawl from room to room when he's at home. He doesn't have to sit and play with mommy anymore! He loves to crawl into the kitchen. He is very amused by the door of the dishwasher. He pushes down on the door, and it starts to pop back up. Then he pushed it down again . . . I think you see the pattern. It amuses him a lot. He also loves to look out both the front door and the sliding glass door that goes out to the deck. So far, he's not getting into TOO much trouble, but I'm sure that's coming! I don't think he really understands yet what is safe and what is not safe for babies! Fortunately I have outlet covers up, because he crawled right over there the other day and was ready to stick his fingers in the outlets. We will have to keep a close eye on him!

And that's what's up on Boomerang Drive this week!

-- Holly

Go, Go, Go!

Well, little A is officially crawling. After a few weeks of wiggling, rolling, and other forms of practice, he has officially got it down. He is still slow (for which his parents are grateful), but he can very deliberately put one hand in front of the other and crawl from one end of the room to the other. His favorite things to crawl to? The chord from dad's laptop, the remote control, and of course, Otis (who is smart enough to run the other way when he sees Alex coming for him). As you can see from the picture, it will only be a matter of time before Alex is pulling himself up and standing.

Alex enjoyed his visit from his Grandma Russell last week. Highlights included trips to the park, yard sale-ing, dinner at On The Border, and lots of games of Pat-A-Cake. He really loved being at the park and swinging in the bucket swings there. Even just sitting out back in our yard (which, thanks to a LOT of work by dad over the past weekend, looks GREAT) makes him happy. He loves the outdoors. We are ready to see him toddling around the yard this summer!

And that's what's happening on Boomerang Drive this week!

-- Holly

Just Me and Baby

So, Erik has been practically LIVING at school these past two weeks, because he is playing guitar for his high school's musical . . . the name of it escapes me . . . the one with the man eating plant and all those annoying songs. Anyway, I only get to see him for about an hour or two each day, so the rest of the time it is just me and Alex. Lots of quality bonding time, but it can be a LONG day entertaining a baby with such a SHORT attention span!

Alex has made a lot of progress as he is getting ready to turn 7 months old next week! He is now SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! He is also now on a pretty regular morning and afternoon nap schedule. Here's his day in a nutshell: Wake up at about 7:15. Drink a bottle. Play. Eat some cereal. Play more. (Oh, and go to the bathroom about 4 times in that time span. Seriously). 9:15-11:15 nap. Get up, play for a few minutes, have lunch (usually some type of chicken meal and vegetables). Then activity -- a walk in the stroller, trip to the grocery store, whatever. 1:15 have a little pre-nap bottle. 1:30-3:30 nap. 3:45 bottle. Play. Usually a little grumpy at this point. 5:30 dinner (usually the same type of thing as lunch). Then comes the fun part of mom trying to entertain him with any toys he isn't already bored of/any gimmicks that haven't already been used. Possibly a bath. 7:30 bottle and bed. 7:45 mom cleans the kitchen, gets the coffee set up and dad's lunch made for the next day, picks up the toys, checks email . . . then collapses on to the couch in complete exhaustion, ready to wake up again the next day.

The days go SO much better, and Alex is happier, when he has something interesting to do. He likes to be new places and see new things. The same old toys in the same old living room just do not cut it sometimes! Unfortunately we are a little bit landlocked because of his nap schedule. I try to get him out a little bit between naps and in the late afternoon if at all possible. I need SOMETHING interesting at the end of the day -- it is SO hard to get through the 3:30-7:30 part of the day without Erik home! It's a lot for baby to handle! Looking SO forward to Erik being home next week.


So that's what's up on Boomerang Drive this week!

--Holly

Cheerios and Sippy Cups?

A checkup for Alex today! 20 lbs. 4 oz., 28 inches long. 99th percentile for both height and weight! The doctor told us he is sitting up like he is 8 months old. He demonstrated what I call his "Abs of Steel" pose for the doctor. He is trying to sit up so hard, he pulls his neck and his legs up, so he is in this "V" formation, almost like a pilates move, and holds himself there for a long time! I think I should probably join him in these exercises!

Some more interesting things the doctor had to say . . . Alex is ready to start drinking some water, so we can let him try a sippy cup already! Also, he is to be eating stage 2 foods three times a day. He is now at the point of needing more solid foods than formula! Also, the doctor suggested we occupy him by putting some Cheerios on his high chair tray and let him try putting them in his mouth. REALLY? My LITTLE BABY? Eating CHEERIOS? So I tried it this morning, I'm not sure he knows what to think of them yet! But with his bottom two front teeth coming in, I'm sure it will be only a matter of time before he is chomping down.

We're off to Target this afternoon to buy baby food and sippy cups . . .

So that's what's up on Boomerang Drive today!

--Holly