Half a Year

How can my sweet baby boy be 6 months already?  I know time always flies with babies, but I think due to the fact that Alexander is the first baby I am away from full-time, he seems to be growing up even faster.  Sad.  He is the happiest, most content baby we've ever had.  And he has changed my mind that I'm not a "baby person".  He is that lovable :)

(ready to go to the nanny's house)

This little guy is definitely our biggest baby, weighing in at 21 pounds 12 ounces.  He is wearing 12 month old clothes, and size 5 diapers.  He was born the biggest of all my babies (8 lbs 14 oz.) but I think he's a little bigger than he would be if I were at home with him, since his loving nanny likes to feed him.  It's a cultural thing.  She takes such wonderful care of him, so I can't really complain.  But he's going to outgrow his car seat already!

Xander can sit and play with toys, and is this.close to crawling.  He can roll and squirm himself to where he wants to go on the floor.  He loves being on his belly since that's how he prefers to sleep.  Speaking of sleep, he is still such a great sleeper, going to bed at 7 pm and waking up around 6 am.   Even when he wakes up in his crib, he just blows raspberries or coos until we pick him up.  I seem to remember my other babies crying to get picked up. 

Since he has 4 siblings who go to school, Xander gets sick a lot.  He has already had a few colds, a double ear infection, a stomach virus, another ear infection, croup, and bronchialitis in his short life time.  I hope he just spends his first year of life sick and then develops antibodies to get him through the rest of his toddler years.  My doctor says kids either tend to get sick during their first year of life (due to daycare and siblings) or in their first year at school.  We are hoping she's right!  We are also keeping an eye on his ears and will request tubes if he gets another infection anytime soon.  I can't stand seeing him on stronger and stronger antibiotics while he's this young.

(John-Paul giving him a nebulizer treatment)

Alexander still has his hematoma on his forehead.  I think it has faded since birth (hard to tell because his skin has gotten more pale once the jaundice went away), but it's still pretty noticeable.  We will have it removed if it doesn't go away on it's own, but it seems like it's heading in the right direction.

Oh, look at that drool hanging off his chin.  This kid has been teething since he was born ;)  He has two bottom teeth, and is working on those top ones.  I always think that when babies get their top teeth they look so grown up, so hopefully he'll spare me for a while.  Because he won't be a baby for too much longer, and I want to enjoy the moments while I can.

And another thing...

Even the Superbowl commercials stunk this year. 

Here are the only two worth mentioning:

I promise tomorrow I will be back to business as usual.  No more Patriots talk and no more Debbie Downer.  This is a grieving process ;)

 

I Don't Want to Talk About It...

Preparing for Patriots Party!!!

The Players:

The Platters:

Veggies with dip

Tortilla chips and mango peach salsa

Pepperoni dip with crackers

Potato chips with Heluva Good French Onion dip

Maple Meatballs

Pepperoni and Cheese Stromboli

Philly Cheesesteak Stromboli

Chicken Fingers (Honey Dijon and Bourbon Glazed)

White Chocolate Popcorn with M&M's

Ice Cream Sundaes

The Prediction:

Victory for the Patriots 

and 

Stuffed Bellies!

Pictures:

7 Quick Takes Friday: Why We Choose Catholic Schools Edition

 

In honor of Catholic Schools Week, here are some of the reasons why we send our children to Catholic schools:

1) The charitable service aspect of the schools.  The Catholic schools in our area are constantly accepting clothing for the homeless, raising money for good causes, buying gifts for children who would otherwise go without, donating their time at soup kitchens, fixing up homes and buildings for lower-income people...the list goes on and on.  Catholic school students learn how important it is to give of their time, energy and talents. 

2) We support the Church and Diocese.  I believe if parents can afford to send their children to Catholic school, then they should strongly consider it.  Otherwise, Catholic schools suffer and those teachers are out of jobs. 

3) The uniforms!  I love that they don't feel the need to worry about fashion, and that I don't have to argue with them about what to wear.  It saves tons of money on clothes too.  Just buy three sets of uniforms, and wash and repeat.  Easy!

4) The family-style feel of the schools.  Where little preschoolers have "big buddies" that come read to them, sit with them at Mass, and say hello to them in the hall.  Where bonds are formed so deeply because there is a common set of core values and morals amongst the student body.

5) The teachers who teach purely for the love of teaching.  Because it's obviously not for the paycheck ;)

6) The students are disciplined and taught to respect authority.  No backtalk or rude behavior is acceptable, and the teachers have no problem communicating with the parents if anyone comes up below those expectations.  And you know what happens in a disciplined classroom?  Teachers are free to teach, and therefore children learn more!  The academics at the Catholic schools Phil and I have attended far surpassed the academics at the public schools we attended.

7) Our children learn about their faith in every aspect of their day, not just in religion class.  Our four year old sings songs about Mary and Jesus as if it's as normal as singing The Itsy Bitsy Spider.    Even in the Catholic high school where we work, they have morning prayer, grace before lunch, and each class begins with a prayer.  That means students are praying 7 times a day before 2:00!  It's important to us that our children view their faith and prayer life as part of their everyday routine, and not just when they go to Mass on Sunday.  While we strongly believe that parents are the primary educators in the matters of faith, why not get the help and support we need from a place where our children spend most of their waking hours?

Have a great weekend everybody!

Wordless Wednesday: When Daddy Sorts the Laundry