Arrival of Maxwell Nicholas Gomelsky

We have not updated this blog for a while. A lot has happened in 1.5 years. We bought a house in Shelbyville, Alex is almost two now and on Friday April 8th we had a 2nd baby- Maxwell Nicholas Gomelsky. Maxwell was 8 lbs 10 oz and 21 inches. He is adorable. We are looking forward to raising our two boys. More pics and updates will be coming soon.

Pictures of Alex in KY

Above: Alex and little Mike Young. Future singers or perhaps next QB-WR duo for UK?

Above: Alex and Emma Eaves

Updates on Alex

Alex turned 5 months old on October 4th. He went for his check up and his next round of vacinnations on October 7th. He is now 29 inches, 19 lbs. He is in the 97th percentile for length and 90th for weight. He has grown a lot. I intend to upload new pictures to the computer soon.

First few weeks in KY- Post by Vlad

As most of you know we are back in Kentucky. We have been back for over two weeks now. We moved in to our apartment in Shelbyville and we are settling back in. We unpacked many boxes but we still have many boxes left to unpack. It is taking a while with Alex around.

Both Alex and Sarah Beth have been under the weather lately- allergy related. Both of them are finally starting to feel better now. Alex went to the doctor last week- he weighs 17 lbs. He is a big baby for his age (not fat though).

We are glad to be back in Kentucky close to family and looking forward to enjoying the fall here. Activities planned include Keeneland, UK football, Halloween (dressing up Alex for the first time), Huber Farms (a farm outside of Louisville). We do miss the Cleveland area though. We are adjusting to the differences between the places.

I am sorry if I have not kept in touch with many people the past few weeks. We have been very busy with the move, etc...... I intend to put Alex's new pictures up this weekend. I can not believe he is now 4.5 months.. Time has flown.

Back in KY!!!

We moved back to KY! Movers came on Wednesday to move us out in Cleveland and the stuff was delivered on Saturday. We are excited to be back in KY. We are in the process of unpacking. Alex is almost 4 months old now. I will post new pictures soon.

Only a couple of days left in Cleveland- Post by Vlad

My 2.5 years in Cleveland is coming to an end. Today is my last day at work, tomorrow I am finishing up everything in Cleveland and on Wednesday the movers are coming. It has been fun 2.5 years in Cleveland, we will miss the area and the wonderful people we met here. I counted the number of times that I drove from Cleveland to KY in the 2.5 and that number is 31. It is about 24,840 miles. We had many great memories here from settling in our first apartment, getting kittens, driving in the snow, trying out different restauraunts in Cleveland, exploring the Cleveland area, going to Canada, going to Cedar Point, going to Put-In-Bay, etc... Cleveland area will always be special for us because Alex was born in Willoughby, OH (right outside of Cleveland). When Alex gets older we want to take him back to the area and show him around.

Alex and Sarah Beth are staying with Sarah Beth's parents right now. Sarah Beth has been teaching for about 10 days now. Angela (Sarah Beth's mom) is watching Alex. I am excited to be back in Kentucky in a few days. I am looking forward to seeing Alex and Sarah Beth and settling in our new apartment in Shelbyville, KY. A new chapter in our life is getting ready to start and we are very excited. We are glad that we will be close to family.

Few updates - by Vlad

As some of you know we are in the process of moving from Cleveland back to Kentucky. I went this weekend to Kentucky to visit Alex and Sarah Beth. Alex was really happy to see me. He got excited, smiled a lot ( a lot more than usual), was laughing and was very happy. I enjoyed the weekend spending time with Alex, Sarah Beth, my parents and Sb's parents. I am here in Cleveland for 10 more days. I will really miss Alex and Sarah Beth in the next 10 days. The cats are keeping me company in the meanttime in Cleveland. The movers are coming August 26th and hopefully by August 28th our apartment in Shelbyville will be more or less set up.

I am glad that I will not have to drive the Cleveland- Kentucky route anymore. SB and I will miss Cleveland, the great people we met but we are very glad to be at home close to family.

I hope everyone that is reading this is doing well. I am not sure who/how many people are reading this but would love to hear how you are doing. Feel free to leave comments or sending me an e-mail or send me a message on facebook.

More pictures- by Vlad

Alex, SB and I at Lake Erie Shore

Alex with his first friend Timmy (Brooke's son)

Alex is posing for the camera.

We are moving to KY! (by Vlad)

Sorry we have not blogged for a while. It has been very busy lately. We recently found out that we are moving back to Kentucky. Sarah Beth and I both found work opportunity and decided that it is the right time to move home to be closer to our families. We really like Cleveland area and we will miss the area and the great people that we met here. We will live in Shelbyville.
Sarah Beth already moved down as she is starting school in a few days. I will be moving at the end of August. Alex is down with Sarah Beth. They are staying at Sarah Beth's parents house for a few weeks.
Alex's latest pediatrician appointment was about 10 days ago. He was 14 lbs 6 oz. He is growing very fast. I can not believe he is already 3.5 months old.
Below are the most recent pictures- these were the last pictures taken in Cleveland.

Alex's Latest- Post by Vladi

Its been a while since I blogged. Alex, Sarah Beth and I went to Kentucky for long July 4th weekend. It is usually about a 6 hour drive, however with Alex it took 8.5 hours on the way to KY and 9 hours on the way back. The drive is much more difficult with the baby. Hopefully next time we go to KY, Alex will be able to go longer without feedings and the trip will take us closer to 6 hours rather than 10. We had to make long stops for feedings, diaper changes, etc...

The visit at home was great. We stayed 2 nights at my parents house in Frankfort and 2 nights at Sarah Beth's parents house in Shelbyville. The big event for the weekend was Alex's baptism on Sunday July 5th. Family and close friends were invited for the event. It was a great opportunity for family and friends to see Alex. Alex was relatively calm on Sunday July 5th, considering that he had a long weekend and many events. He liked being held by everyone and enjoyed that everyone came to see him.

Sarah Beth took Alex for a 2 month check up on Wednesday. Alex is now 24 inches long, he is 12 lbs and 6 oz. He is growing fast. We want to cherish all the memories we have with him while he is so young and little. Here are a few pictures for the past weekend. For people that are on facebook, check out the pictures on facebook as well.

My Sweetie is "Slightly" Sick!

Thank goodness my Mom is visiting. Today we took Alex to the doctors because he has had a cough. He has been sneezing since birth but the doctor says that is normal. And he only does it ever so often. But the cough is new so Mom said I better call. Alex has a "slight" sore throat. :( And it doesn't help that the Tri-vi-Sol tastes horrible! Alex cried and cried in pain last night after I gave him the liquid vitamin stuff. It was so bad that we called Poison Control to make sure it didn't have anything that a baby could be allergic to. It doesn't and he is not allergic to it but the cry was a horrible one. The woman from Poison Control said he just hates the taste because it is horrible and Dr. R. said the same. Plus it might have felt like it was burning his throat (it really wasn't) since his throat is sore. I need to dilute it in milk which means I am going to have to pump more. Anything for my little baby.

I am glad that he feels good enough to give me his sweet smile because that is my medicine when my baby has been in pain. We love you Alex!

A Very Special Anniversary

Vladi and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary today! I was surprised with beautiful roses when my hubby came home. Since it is just the three of us up here and noone to watch our little guy, we went to our favorite family place, Scooters. Scooters is a yummy hamburger, hotdog, ice cream joint down the road. We had so much fun spending the evening with Alex. There's no better way to spend our anniversary than with whom our love made...Alexander.

Updates on Alex- by Vladi

Sarah Beth took Alex to the pediatrician appointment on Monday June 8th. Alex is in excellent health. He weighed 9 lbs 8 oz. I can't believe how fast Alex is growing. He will be six weeks tomorrow, time is flying.
On Thursday night my parents came to visit us. It was great to see them. This was the first time that they saw Alex since he was born. Sarah Beth, Alex and myself were glad to have them over. My parents enjoyed spending time with Alex and helped us out tremendously. My mom made Borsht (traditional Russian soup) and kompot (traditional Russia fruit drink).
On Thursday June 18th, Sarah Beth's mom is coming back to visit us. She will stay with us until July 2nd. On July 2nd we are going to Kentucky for the long holiday weekend and Angela will ride with us to Kentucky. We are glad that Angela is coming back to help us out.


Here are some pictures from the past weekend:


Picture above: Vladi and Alex

Picture above: My parents and Alex

Picture above: Sarah Beth, Alex and myself

Picture above: Sarah Beth, myself, my dad and Alex

Picture above: Alex, myself and Sarah Beth

Happy 1 Month Birthday Alex!!! ~Mommy

Vladi and I took pictures of Alex to remember his 1 Month Birthday. We will take similar pictures each month to see his growth. This is his buddy, Poochie. You met Poochie in my Baby Shower given by Meredith post. Poochie was given to Alex from Grammy, my Mom. I am using Poochie to compare Alex's monthly growth. Alex is such a great baby and melts my heart with his smiles (because he has gas I think.) He already smiles with his eyes which makes me so happy because I believe that shows true character in a person. I love my time with my little boy which keeps me busy and tired; but, is priceless. He is doing so many things each day that shows me he won't be my little baby for long. Alex focuses on my face and will turn his head to see his Daddy come into the room when coming home from work. He is doing great at holding his head up and then slams it into my chest. When in his bouncer, he turns to the different sounds of the little animals hanging in front of him. I think he likes the hippo the best! He is very alert. He is starting to sleep better but does not like to be swaddled because he loves to kick his strong, long, legs (to get ready to play soccer with his Daddy). Yet, I still swaddle him so that he will sleep. On Saturday, I had him standing on my legs, he did very good for a month old baby! I just did not realize what a newborn could do! I like to tell Vladi all the things that I think Alex thinks about, because sometimes he seems like he is in deep thought...but I know all he really thinks about is food, sleep, and how good it feels when he has gas. LOL BUT, we know that he loves his Mommy and his Daddy because of the twinkle in his eye when he sees us.

Alex is a miracle for Vladi and me and shows us each day how God made him perfectly for us.

*As I am getting a better schedule, I will post more and I will let you know when I have posted something that is from an event in the past that you can check out.

Alex is 1 month old already- by Vlad

Alex turned 1 month old on Thursday, June 4th. I cannot believe that Alex is already a month old. He is a bundle of joy that keeps us busy. To celebrate his birthday, Sarah Beth and I got an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen for ourselves, haha. We took many pictures of him, some of which are below. Yesterday my friend/co-worker Dan came to visit us. He was the first visitor in our apartment since Alex was born. It was good to have adult conversation and good to hang out with someone else. I am glad that he decided to spend Friday evening with us. Alex sleeping varies at night, some nights he sleeps good, some nights he doesn't sleep well at all.
I tried to think of the different that will be in Alex's world that is different from Sarah Beth's and my childhood. I came up with a little list, feel free to add more in the comment boxes.

1. Alex will use the internet, e-mail, and google. We used encyclopedias and stamped mail.
2. Alex will use cell phone and texting. We used house phones.
4. Alex will use DVR/TIVOS, DVD'S. We used VCR's.
5. Alex will use GPS. We used maps.
6. Alex will use debt/credit cards. We used cash.
7. Alex will use digital cameras. We used cameras with film.
8. All the cars Alex will ride in will have airbags.
9. It will be unique for Alex to see cars that have manual windows.
10. It will be unique for Alex to see cars with roll-back odometers.
11. It will be unique for Alex to go to the library to do research (internet replaced that).
This is all I have for now. I may be updating this list as I think for more stuff. Please feel free to add more.

Alex, Vladi, Dan

We will remember his 1 month birthday to be a time when he was in his fussy stage.

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.