He is mobile

So Xander is mobile. He started crawling around 2 weeks ago (well its more of a scooty thing, but the Dr says that is not important) and now has some speed and a little more independence. We went in for his 9 month appointment last week and he is in the 50-60th percentile on weight, 85th percentile on height and 97th percentile on head size. You would think his head would just look huge but it kind of just fits his body. He is just super-sized and no longer fits in outfits less than 12 months. He is developing a strong personality and becoming more of a little man every day. He also LOVES the outdoors, if he is fussy all you have to do is raise him to the window, open the door, go for a walk, really anything where he can see the outside. I didn't think anyone was born with that but he really adores it outside and has since day one. Oh and Mike got a road bike and we bought a bike trailer for Xander and go road biking now. I LOVE IT!! I used to road bike a couple years ago and did not realize how much i missed it till we started. We are going about 5 miles a day and its truly one of the best part of our days.
I finished the lecture portion of my school and had 4 whole weeks off to spend with Xander. I loved it so much but admit there were days I missed school. There was one day he just wanted to scream for 2 hours, did not matter if i bounced, rocked, tried to feed, sang or hummed he just wanted to scream. Mike walked in the door and he just fell asleep in his arms. I felt relieved and upset at the same time, what magic did he have that I lacked. The 4 weeks are now over, the house is spring cleaned and although I will miss Xander, I was excited to go back to learning.
I started my 1st rotation, "Alcoholism and other drug dependencies". It is amazing so far!!! I have learned so much about addiction and the brain and the struggles facing those in recovery and addiction. I hope I can find the ways to apply it once I am done. Mike said to say "Booo" here since its been a little hard to have me gone more (hard for me too), but you do what you have to do and hopefully enjoy the path.
So Mike is finishing up his summer semester this week and still working full time at the clinic (doing ultra sounds of the heart). He LOVES it there and is really picking it all up incredibly fast. His preceptor is amazing and helps him so much to become the best. He pushed him really hard but most days Mike appreciates that.
He is the BEST daddy!!! He makes Xander (or Alex to him) giggle and laugh all the time and is constantly helping out with him. I am so glad I married the man I did, not only because he is my best friend, but because he is the most amazing father and I know that Xander will learn from him and be a better man because of him. For fathers day I thought a lot about the amazing father he was and how grateful I was for all those that had helped him become who he is and for the man he pushes himself to be and for the inspiration that gives me constantly.
Well sorry for the length, its just been awhile. I will get some pics/videos on soon.
Loves,
Star

one more video

this seems to be at the end of our to do list :)

Sorry there is such a delay from post to post, we seem to focus on other stuff (school, xander, work, sleeping etc) and this gets kind of put on the back burner. So I have one real test left!!!! Well till September when I have to make up what I missed from the pregnancy. But one test left till I am off for 5 weeks!!! SO SO HAPPY! Mike is amazing at his new job and the doctor he is working with said he wants to hire someone new that is "just like mike". Such a nice compliment to his hard work. Xander is growing like a weed - he is 7 1/2 months old and we are in the transition of switching him into 12 month outfits because he is outgrowing the 6-9 months. Crazy and cute. Oh and he is the proud new owner of 2 new teeth :), he gets a little grumpy for about a day when they come in but it has not been that bad. He is such a strong kid with an amazing independance to him (mostly just comes off as stubborn right now) and he LOVES the outdoors! We are going to try and post some videos so hopefully you can see his cute personality. We are so thankful for all the support we have and the love from all our friends and family (xanders grandparents are really his best friends right now), we could not be doing what we are doing without their help and can not say enough of how thankful we are. Loves, Star, Mike, Xander

Missed Pics

Sorry just realized I never posted some of my favorite pics. These are from about a month ago. Sorry there are kind of a bunch - you kind of go camera crazy :)

Time Flies

Wow it's been 2 months. I do not think time has ever moved this fast. School is now back in full swing and stress levels are around a 9 in our home. Mike watches the little guy most days of the week and works during the weekends, while I go to school and work one night a week, and then on top of that we have to study for school and Mike has to do his online classes and try to find the time to shadow. We are SO thankful for the support system we have and all the help we get with watching the little guy so we can sleep after staying up all night studying for an exam or so we can just hit the books or so we can go grocery shopping after a month of not finding the time. Our mom's are what are keeping us afloat. We love you Mom's!! And Alexander is FAR from being an easy baby so thank you for just loving him through the hard times!
Ok so once upon a day Alexander was very little, and then he discovered food. At his 2 day appointment he was just past his birth weight and by 2 weeks I believe he had gained a pound. His little cheeks and legs starting filling out and he was looking more and more like a normal chubby little baby. So now 2 months later he has doubled his birth weight and is now 12 lbs. We went from breast milk to formula because he was having problems, then back to breast milk, then to another formula, and then another, and finally we struck gold with the food that works for him. Its called Lipil Nutrimigen and it is the only food we found that does not cause him to curl up in pain and cry all the time from stomach pains, and his bowel movements are normal and almost breast milk looking which is amazing after our journey, it does however STINK so bad! Oh and its like 20-26$ every 3 days. Thank heavens for WIC.
Halloween was fun and after putting the little man in his tiger costume we took some pics and headed out with my brother for his first "trick or treating", which entailed standing on the sidewalk watching my brothers kids trick or treat for about 4 houses, get cold and head back home. But it was a memory.
Oh and he is really starting to smile which is SO fun. His first big responsive smile was right before a test last Friday, which I think was good luck and helped me pass. Mike is done with school for the semester on December 4th but has LOTS to do before then - like a test a day.. BOO! But we do what we have to do and hope for the day when things are not so chaotic. Man having a kid is HARD! But man he is the cutest little guy and all you have to do is look at him after a long day and you can't help but have a smile cross your face. Here are some pics of our chubby little bug (or squirt as Mike calls him).
Love you all! Oh and Welcome Home Jeff!! :)
Star and Mike