Weekend of First Times- Post by Vlad (with Sarah Beth's commentary)

(Alex in his new Boppy swing. Look at those long legs, big feet and toes, and hands! )

On Wednesday May 27th Steve (Sarah Beth's dad) drove up to Cleveland to visit Alex, Sarah Beth and myself and to pick up Angela (Sarah Beth's mom). Steve got to see Alex and than he and Angela went back to Kentucky together on Thursday May 28th. Sarah Beth and I are officially by ourselves of raising Alex. Sarah Beth misses her mom helping her and having her around. Angela helped us out tremendously in the three weeks that she was here. Angela is planning on coming back later this summer to help us out again. Both Sarah Beth and I miss our families in Kentucky and we could definetely use their help.
Alex overall sleeps ok during the nights. He is usually fussy between 1 a.m.- 3 a.m. However last night (from Saturday to Sunday) he was fussy all night. We both got only two hours of sleep. We took a nap this afternoon to gain our energy back.
We had a lot of first this weekend, taking care of the baby by ourselves, taking him to public places, and a new toy. On Friday I took off a day from work because I knew it would be hard for Sarah Beth on her first full day by herself and in addition it worked out because Friday is the day before the weekend. On Friday we took Alex to Chick-Fil-A and Babies-R-US. We got Alex a swing at Babies-R-US which we already put to good use. On Saturday we took Alex to Panera Bread, Borders and Farmers Market. Today (Sunday) we went to Baptism Class at St Mary's Catholic Church in Mentor and to I-Hop. We took Alex walking every day. On Saturday we walked all the way to Dairy Queen to get some ice cream (about a quarter mile from our apartment). Also this weekend we cut his nails for the first time.

Sarah Beth and Angela went to take Alex to a pediatrician on Wednesday May 27th. Alex is in great heatlh and now weights 8 lbs 5 oz. His next pediatrician appointment is on Monday June 8th.

Picture below: A quick update on SB's post earlier. This is a picture of the six goslings and their parents. We named them "Lucy and John plus 6". The goslings are growing fast. I usually see them once a day walking around the apartment community.


Picture below: Sarah Beth and I are at Panera Bread.

Picture below: Alex is at Panera Bread.

Picture below: Steve with his grandbaby.

Picture below: Steve and Sarah Beth with Alex.

Alex is 3 weeks old- by Vladi

Right now it is night between Sunday May 24th and Monday May 25th (Memorial Day). It is about 12.15 a.m., so technically Alex is 3 weeks old. Time flies. I am glad its the long weekend , I get to spend more time with Alex and Sarah Beth. Sarah Beth and I went out a few times this weekend since Angela (Sarah Beth's mom) is helping us until Friday May 29th. Sarah Beth and I went to I-Hop Saturday morning and on Sunday we went to drive around, went to the shores of Lake Erie (about 2 miles away from our house) and than went to a floral shop to buy some plants. We had a lot of fun going out and used this opportunity as future opportunities will be far and few since our families live in Kentucky. We only had 1.5 hour spans since Sarah Beth had to get back to breastfeed. It will be more difficult overall after May 29th since Angela is leaving. I am glad that she is here to help us with Alex. Angela has been a great help. Sarah Beth and I are ready for a challenge but it will be much more difficult.

I can tell that Alex is growing/changing. His cheeks and legs are a little bit chubbier than before. Alex was staring at me for the first time yesterday when I was holding him. He was zooming in on my face and examining me. I was looking back at him and we were staring at each other. Sarah Beth will be able to breastfeed every 4 hours at night instead of 3. This will be easier for Sarah Beth and hopefully she will be able to get a more continuous sleep at night. Alex has been more fussy the past few nights than before.

Sarah Beth is planning on writing blogs in the near future on her experiences with Alex. The time that she has away from Alex, she tries to spend with her mom since her mom is going back soon. Sarah Beth also has been editing the 800 pictures we have taken of Alex and its been taking her over a week because she has a few minutes a day to do it everyday. She wanted to purchase about 590 picture but I told her its too much for only his first two weeks. I think I only had 600 pictures for the first 10 years of my life.

Since I became a father I am more aware of safety. Many residents in our apartment complex (big complex) drive way too fast. We have a limit of 10 MPH but many people drive much faster. I started paying attention to it only recently since Alex was born. We were almost hit a few times walking from our garage to the door of our aparatment building. Cars came around the corner too fast in all of these instances....In another indcident on Saturday I helped a drowning boy in the apartment complex pool. He was calling for help. If I didn't pull him out of the water at that moment- he would have swallowed lots of water. It hit home even more since I am a father. Our pool is shallow, however it is still dangerous for little kids.

Little comments about sports since most know that I am a sports fan. First for Kentucky Wildcats- what a job John Calipari has done in the off season. UK (University of Kentucky) got John Wall, #1 player for next year. UK has #1, #2 (Demarcus Cousins), and a few more players ranked in the top 50 in the class. Patrick Patterson is coming back. I am excited to a be UK fan and I am looking forward to next year in basketball. It will be interesting to see how Calipari handles the scholarships for next year (I think about 18 players for next year and only 13 available scholarships) and I wonder if Meeks will come back for his senior year. GO CATS!!

Second Cleveland Cavaliers- what a great shot by Lebron in game 2 against Orlando Magic to tie the series up at 1. In Cleveland the saying is "We are all Witnesses" in tribute to Lebron. This was an amazing shot... Unfortunately Cavaliers went down on Sunday but this series is far from over. Orlando is a tought match up for the Cavs, but hopefully the Cavaliers can come back and win the series. GO CAVS!! The NBA playoffs are very entertaining to watch.

Alex will be two weeks old tomorrow- Post by Vladi

Alex will be two weeks old tomorrow. Time has flown by. Sarah Beth is on the same schedule with breastfeeding- every two hours during the day, every three hours at night. Angela is really helping us out with Alex and chores around the apartment for which we are greatful. Angela is staying with us for a couple more weeks- once she leaves Sarah Beth and I will have a lot more work around the apartment and with Alex.

Sarah Beth and Angela took Alex to the pediatrician on Wednesday. He gained a few ounces. He was 7 lbs 1 oz. The pedeatrician indicated that Alex is in good health. The next pedetrician appointment is June 8th.

On Saturday Sarah Beth and I went to I-Hop in the morning while Angela watched the baby. It was the first time that Sarah Beth went somewhere without the baby. We have been advised not to take Alex anywhere public (for example restauraunts, shops, etc...) until his immune system better develops.

Today I got to watch Alex by himself as Sarah Beth and Angela went to the mall for a couple of hours. I held him and I also put him in the bouncer. I was a little nervous watching him- especially since I can not feed him. It was a fun experience being by myself with the baby. Angela and Sarah Beth came back within two hours- at the time when Alex was getting hungry. Angela and Sarah Beth had two hours to drive to the mall (15 mins away), get the shopping done and drive back. They accomplished everything in record time. It was a fun experience being by myself with the baby. Sarah Beth said "they ran at the mall from place to place".

For more pictures check out our facebook profiles. Sarah Beth is planning on blogging some this coming up week.

Alex is 1 week old- by Vladi

Today is May 11th. Alex is 1 week old. Alex is a bundle of joy and pride for Sarah Beth, myself, our parents and the rest of our family. It seems that he been with us longer than a week. I cannot picture my life without him.

I went back to work today. It was difficult to go back to work after vacation- especially having to leave your baby at home for the first time. I missed him and Sarah Beth during the day. I thought about him all day. I was looking forward to seeing him and held him when I got home. Sarah Beth and I took a walk around our apartment complex with Alex. Alex is a great baby. He does not cry much unless he is hungry and getting his diaper changed. Otherwise he is very calm.

Right now we are trying to get used to a routine- somewhat of a daily schedule. It is somewhat hard to do it with the baby since the baby needs come before yours. At night time Sarah Beth breastfeeds every 3 hours (used to be two). It is still difficult to get a good nights rest . Last night Angela (Sarah Beth's mom) watched him between breastfeedings so Sarah Beth and I could get some rest.

I will keep postings in the next few days to keep everyone updated and post some new pictures.

On a different subject- I hope the Cavaliers and Lebron win a NBA championship for Cleveland. It will be neat if the Cavs (Cavaliers) win the championship the same year Alex is born. It will be the first championship for Cleveland team since 1964. It will finally be a happy time for Cleveland- a city that is one of the hardest hit in the economic recession.

Also how about the UK Wildcats having the top recruiting class for 2009? Patterson is coming back next year also. Watch for the Cats next year.

A Mother's Love ~ By Sarah Beth

A Mother will do anything for her little one.


This is Lucy the Goosey (Vladi and I named her). She lives at the entrance of our apartment complex where the roads fork and is not a very safe spot. Vladi and I have thrown her bread since we weren't sure how she was eating. Day and night she sits on her eggs. Through thunderstorms, hail storms, 90 Degree weather, 35 Degree weather, hot sun, flurries, cars racing by, children playing, and she does all of this with no shelter to protect her and her eggs. How she keeps them protected and warm is a true showcase of her love.

On Friday, her patience, endurance, and love hatched. Now she is a proud Mommy of her five goslings...just in time for Mother's Day.





This is the love I feel for Alex. I will go to all ends of the Earth for him. I will always be there for him through the thunderstorms and sunny days. I hope to be a mom to him like my mom has been to me and Vladi's mom has been to him.

What Vladi and I have learned from our Moms to always do for Alex:

*Listen, even if we don't have time and even if we are afraid to hear what he might tell us.

*Trust him, even in the teenage years. His choices should be good if he believes that we trust him.

*His needs come before our needs.
*And he always knows that he is loved, no matter what.

Today, on this beautiful, Mother's Day, Vladi, my Mom, Alex, and I went for our first walk around our apartment complex. Then we took a drive to Dairy Queen for a treat. Because we don't want to take Alex anywhere public yet, we stayed in our car and had many laughs. Vladi and Alex gave me a Baby Carriage Pandora charm and my first Mother's Day cards from my husband and one from my son. The day Alex was born (Monday), Vladi gave me a Boy's Bootie Pandora Charm and pink roses. Here is Alex wearing his Mother's Day shirt, size 6 mths. Haha It was the smallest that Old Navy had and I had to get it for my First Mother's Day. He looked so cute in it.

It says Mom's #1 Fan Mother's Day May 10, 2009

My Mom, Alex, and me at the hospital before we left. The roses are from Meredith and the other bouquet is from Vladi and his parents.

Alex's 2nd day - Post by Vladi

Today is May 9th, 2009. It was Alex's 2nd full day at home. We gave him a bath last night. We had fun bathing him. Angela and I did most of the bath since Sarah Beth is still recovering. Angela and I got peed on and SB and I got peed on his first night here when we changed him in the middle of the night on our bed. Today we took him to the pediatrician office. He showed no signs of jaundice. He was in the low risk category at the hospital and the pediatrician wanted to check him today. His weight is stable from Thursday. Sarah Beth is breastfeeding. The nightly schedule is somewhat crazy with doing it every two hours. We are starting to do it every three hours from this night forward so hopefully that will be better. SB thinks that all she does is feed him, change diapers and think about how she doesn't sleep. SB hasn't slept but a few hours the whole week, thats why the pediatrician said to feed him every three hours at night. Angela (Sarah Beth's mom) is helping us around the house a lot. I am glad that Angela is staying with us for a few weeks to help us out. I am coming back to work on Monday. I will definetely miss Alex and SB, but I want to save my vacation days since Angela is here to help us out. I know that I will need my vacation days until the end of the year with a little baby at home.

May 4th, 2009 (the day Alex was born) was the biggest life changing event in my life. I had big events in my life (including but not limited to moving to Israel from Russia, moving to U.S from Israel., becoming a U.S. citizen, getting married, etc...) but nothing compared to the day where you officially become a parent. Becoming a parent is a lot of work but the rewards make it worth it. It also puts a perspective of what my parents did for me when I was little and how challenging it is. They told me stories about it but you have to experience it for yourself. I feel bad for Angela since she has to go through all of this again. She said she is blessed and lucky.
Our cats adjusted well to Alex's arrival. It is interesting that before Alex was born- Maccabi (our big male cat) wanted attention more than Haifa (our smaller female cat), but now this has flipped. Haifa wants attention now while Maccabi is more content. Before Alex the cats were our babies. We still love them and hope that Alex will not be allergic to them. We try to give the cats as much attention as possible so they don't become jealous. I think it helps that there are two of them.

SB is planning to write a couple of blogs tomorrow- one that she has been planning for weeks.
A note to readers from around the world: In the previous blog I wrote about Alex becoming a UK fan. UK stands for University of Kentucky, not United Kingdom.

I wish all mothers a Happy Mother's Day tomorrow.

Alex is at home- Post by Vladi

Yesterday at about 1 p.m. Sarah Beth and Alex were discharged from the hospital. I was so nervous driving Alex home- it felt like I was driving for the first time since I had precious cargo with me. As soon as we came home the cats greeted us. We laid the baby seat on the floor and let the cats smell Alex. They were interested in Alex. Maccabi (our big male cat) was amazed that Alex moves- Maccabi even moved back initially as it scared him. The cats have been so good with the baby and understanding that we do not give them as much attention now but the cats still know that we love them. We even keep our bedroom door shut, and they do not try to run in.
Over night Sarah Beth and Angela (Sarah Beth's mom) stayed up with Alex while I got a little bit of rest. In the morning I stayed up with Alex while Sarah Beth and Angela slept I would wake SB up every two hours to breastfeed Alex. Alex takes many naps throughtout the day but does not sleep for hours at one time. We are excited and proud of our little man. He is keeping us busy. Tomorrow we are taking him to his first pediatrician appointment.

This morning Alex peed on while we were changing his diaper. He peed mostly on himself and on the bed. We had to change our sheet and our mattress pad as both got wet.

Here are some pictures on the way home and at our house:


Alex is smiling!




Alex with his feline brother Maccabi.

Another picture of Alex and Maccabi

Alex in his carseat.

I put more pictures on facebook than the blog. It is easier put more pictures on facebook so check out our profile.

Alex's 3rd day- Almost ready to go home- Post by Vladi

Today is Thursday May 7th at approxmiately 9.15 a.m.. Alex is 3 days old. He gained a little bit of weight overnight which is great news. Alex is officially ready to go home, he was cleared by the pediatrician. Currently SB is waiting for her OB to come in, check her and hopefully the OB will clear SB to go home as well.



Funny video moment yesterday which I caught on camera. I was videotaping SB and Alex for a few minutes. At the end, I said bye to Sarah Beth and Alex. Sarah Beth said bye and Alex waved his little hand as his way of saying bye (his startle reflex kicked in- his arm went straight up in the air and went back down). We caught the precious moment on video. It was hilarious and we laughed for a long time.

I am interested to see on who is reading the blog. Please leave a comment or let me know via e-mail or facebook that you reading this. My e-mail is vladig01@hotmail.com . We will post more pictures soon and also we will be posting pictures on facebook in the next few days.

Alex's 3rd day- Also picture day

This is Vladi. Today is Wednesday May 6th. Alex is two days old. Alex is a heatlhy baby. Sarah Beth is breastfeeding him. At the moment he is losing a little bit of weight which is expected for breastfed baby. The nurses and lactation consultants say that mother and son are doing excellent with breastfeeding which is great.
Sarah Beth is recovering nicely from her C-Section. Alex and Sarah Beth are scheduled to be discharged tomorrow. We are all excited to take Alex home. Today I took a piece of clothing for the cats to smell. It seems that they almost know that Alex is suppose to come home tomorrow since we believe that the cats knew that SB was expecting.
Today was picture day at the hospital. We used that opportunity to put Alex in his first UK outfit and snapped some pictures from our camera afterwards. We hope Alex will become a UK fan like his mom and dad.
Here are some pictures of Alex in his UK outfit:

Alex and me. Future UK fan.

This picture is Sarah Beth's favorite. This is the look that he gives when he is getting ready to breastfeed.

Alexander's 2nd day- Post by Vladi

Today is Tuesday May 5th. Alexander is 1 day old. He is a bundle of joy for Sarah Beth, myself, our parents, Meredith and the rest of our families. My parents, Sarah Beth's dad and Meredith had to go back to Kentucky today, Sarah Beth's mom is staying with us for a few weeks to which Sarah Beth and I are thankful.

I stayed the night with Sarah Beth and Alex in her room overnight. Alex was crying/fussy most of the night after sleeping most of the day yesterday. I got two hours of sleep, Sarah Beth got only about 30 minutes. Sarah Beth is recovering well from her C-Section. She can already walk around some. The nurses are amazed that she is already walking around and is experiencing minimal discomfort.

We are very excited about everything. Sarah Beth asked me to thank everyone with the support and well wishes. Taking care of the baby is a lot of work but it is a rewarding I can not imagine my life without Alex. Sarah Beth intends to write a blog as soon as she is up to it. Here are more pictures of Alexander.


My parents and myself with Alex.



Sarah Beth's parents, Meredith and Sarah Beth with Alex.



I am with Alex in the Operating Room. One of Alex's first pictures.

Sarah Beth, myself and Alex during Sarah Beth's surgery (literally). First family picture.

Alex's picture- This was taken a few minutes after he was born. I think this was before Alex was cleaned up.

Experience this morning

This is Vladi again. Just thought I would share my experience.

We arrived a little after 6 a.m. to the hospital. We went immediately to the "baby" floor. The nurses started prepping Sarah Beth almost immediately and Sarah Beth was filling out the paperwork as well. At approximately 8 a.m. they took Sarah Beth to the Operating Room. The nurses indicated that they can take me to the OR in a few minutes after some procedures are done to Sarah Beth (epidural maybe). They called me to the OR in about 10-15 minutes. They had a chair set up for me where I could sit next to Sarah Beth. There was a big curtain set up between Sarah Beth's head and her stomach so Sarah Beth does not have to look and so I do not have to look. I wanted to look anyways and watched the surgery. After about 10 minutes Alexander came out of the stomach. They suctioned his lungs, cleaned him up and put him on a "heated table" (don't know the proper word for it). He started crying immediately. I was taking pictures of him. It was an unbelievable experience. Its hard to describe your feelings. I was walking back and forth from Sarah Beth to Alex, taking pictures of Alex, showing them to Sarah Beth. She is very excited. Sarah Beth was a trooper during the surgery. Than they instructed me to sit next to Sarah Beth and brought Alex to me. All three of us were right next to each other. I can't believe that Sarah Beth and I became parents and our parents became grand parents. It was amazing holding him at first. After the baby was born, the doctors started to stitch SB back. The whole surgery lasted approximately 45 mins-1 hour. At the end of the surgery, the nurses instructed me to go share the news with the family and at the mean time they will have Sarah Beth back at the recovery room/prep room. I walked out to my parents, SB's parents and Meredith. All of them jumped for joy. They told me that the hospital played a baby lullaby once Alex was born. I looked like a doctor/surgeon coming out with all my hospital gear. Each of them took an individual picture with me. I left them with the camera from which I took the pictures and went back to Sarah Beth and Alex. It is an amazing experience staying with Sarah Beth and Alex. I am so glad Alex is in our room with us. Overall the C-Section went great and SB is feeling great (considering that she is after surgery).

Currently (as of 3 p.m.) I am the only one here. My parents, SB's parents and Meredith are all out. Alex and Sarah Beth are currently resting. This is a perfect opportunity to reflect on your day and use the blog as a diary. Becoming a parent is an amazing experience.

Alex has big hands/feet for a baby. I think he will be tall once he grows up. I think he will be taller than me (I am about 6'3).

**For fellow facebook users like myself- I can not log in to facebook. For some reason the hospital has that website blocked. I will be sure to post pictures on facebook as well.

Alexander has arrived!!!

This is Vladi. I am proud to announce that Alexander Vladimir Gomelsky was born on May 4th, 2009 at 8.35 a.m. He weighted 7 lbs 10 oz (3.47 kg) and was 21 inches (53.5 cms) at birth. Mom and baby are recovering. Here are a few pics:

There will be more pictures to come in the next few days so please stay posted.

39 WEEKS!!! Alex Comes Tomorrow!!!

Our family has arrived! Papa Cook, Grammy Cook, Babushka Gomelsky, Dedushka Gomelsky, and Aunt Mere Mere arrived on Saturday. Tonight we took pictures of Vladi and Me with our last moments with my bump. These pictures were taken by Meredith-she is so creative with the camera. More pictures will come in the coming days. I will miss my bump but cannot wait to meet Alexander. He has been a great baby in my tummy. Of course I get tired but I am still very flexible and feel so good. When I have been out and about, people ask when I am due. I tell them Monday and they cannot believe I am out and don't look 9 months pregnant. At 9 months pregnant, I thought that I would be huge and not able to move. I feel so great that I don't even feel pregnant until Alex moves. I have had no swelling and I still have most of a belly button.

Thank you Alex for treating me so well inside my tummy and I know you will be a little Momma's Boy outside of my tummy. :)

A Peek Into Alexander's Nursery

These words are over Alexander's Crib. This is how Vladi and I felt the moment we saw Alexander's first ultrasound.

(left below) The "A" picture frame is from my 2nd cousin-in-law, Tricia Barry Biagi, made for Alexander out of color pastels.

My mom made the curtains that give a beautiful blue tint to the walls when closed. My college roommate knitted the blue blanket for me on the blue glider and on the white wicker chair, my friend Sharon gave me the quilt (her mom made it for me). In the same chair, my friend Lois made me the chair pad. The quilt and chair pad match perfectly. My friend/co-worker, Rachel, made a soft fleece blanket for me also with his name on it. I will have a picture of him wrapped in that soon. I love how Alexander has so many special handmade items in his room.

Vladi holding a teddy that his parents brought back from London, England and a baby koala that Ellen and Tom sent to us (they live in Australia now).

Vladi putting together the jumperoo for Alex.





Meredith personalized the piggy bank for Alexander. The Mickey Mouse is from Disneyworld. My friend, Allison, got it on her honeymoon for Alexander. The UK frame will soon have a picture of Alexander and his Daddy in UK shirts. My Aunt Carole gave me the baby carriage at my Family Shower. The carriage was on her State Fair dessert that won 3rd place.

Haifa! What are you doing behind those curtains?!?! You know you can't be in Alexander's Nursery! Sneaky little girl!