Aiden's 18M

I figured now would be a good time to blog since Aiden is a year and a half already!! I say this every time, but I still can't believe how fast time is passing me by. On one hand its seemed like a long journey since I quit work at 36wks pregnant with Aiden and on another I look at my baby whose creeping up on 2yrs old.

 

Aiden has grown and learned SO much since his 1yr post. Actually, we tend to think he's older than he is because of how much he talks! To give you an idea from a Doctor's perspective and not a Mother's (lol) - at his 15M check up he tested at a 2yr level on speech and comprehension!! His motor skills and size are still at his normal age. He's finally caught up in his clothes to 12-18m as he was always behind before, but I guess that's still a little small. He loves to learn, which makes it easy for me to teach! He says everything he hears and only has to hear it once. In public this can be a bad thing, especially for a conserviative Christian family! Thankfully that language he hasn't been repeated but once and since he doesn't hear it I pray he's forgotten it. Our tv watching has slim pickings before 8pm too since he pays attention and EVERYTHING (movies, regular tv, radio) has cuss words now days. He is so intent and takes in everything he sees. I pray he continues to have that earning to learn! He's eating all real foods now too. His favorites are chicken nuggets dipped in ranch! He isn't a fan of beef yet though. He loves strawberries and mandarin oranges for fruit but will eat a hand full of others too. Another fave is black olives. He can eat a ton of them if I let him! He isn't a big veggie fan but I can get him to eat some of them in the food jars still. I've been making shakes and smoothies with my new blender/processor so that's helping and healthy! All in all, he isn't that picky of an eater for his age.

Aiden was Superman for Halloween this year! We had to throw that one in there since Chris has the tattoo on his arm. We went to Zoo Boo after our church festival and had a blast with the Bledsoe's! Grady is Aiden's little buddy.

Since the summer, we've slowed down a bit. Not as many play dates, trips to the park and zoo, and the only water play he gets is in the tub! Thankfully, he still loves that so I don't have to beg my little boy to clean up...yet! He even had a few hair cuts too. I cut the front this fall then the back this winter! I love his hair! Its Jan and oddly enough we did play outside last week. He's still rather good when we go out in public, but that loud toddler boy side is coming out in him for sure! I have had to hold my breath and smile a couple times lately. At least he's still napping for about 2hrs so I can rest and refresh for round two cause he's constantly on the go and getting into something...

Aiden's ONE!

Happy 1st Birthday little boy! You are so amazing, smart, handsome, and loving! You have given us so much more joy in life than we could have ever imagined and sometimes  we wonder why we waited so long to bring a baby into the picture!

You have learned so much in the past month since the 11 month blog that I can't name it all. Daily you come up with a new word, movement, or expression! Its amazing watching you grow, really! I can honestly say I know you love me as you are still a momma's boy but I wouldn't have it any other way. You have become closer to Dad too as you two play together now! I love watching the two of you and the ways you try to mimic him. You have a new love for sports balls and football is your favorite right now! You love trucks and push your firetruck around all the time. Books are still a big interest and you really observe the pages and try to figure it all out. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Caillou, and Olivia a few favorites on TV and the theme songs have to be your favorite on each show! You started walking on Aug 11th and we were so happy. Most people tell us it changes but we actually like it better as you were all over crawling anyway and its so much easier when we're outside or in public than you having all four's on the floor. lol You are really getting the balance and walking down and love for us to pretend chase you!

 

You are still so little, yet grown a lot! Your 12m check up measurements were 17lbs 5oz and 29 inches. You exceeded the verbal and comprehensive skills and Dr Sepulvada said you were on a 15-18m level at that time. Your vocabulary, comprehension, and association has improved since then too! Everyone is amazed at the words you say and its easy to forget you're only a year old. You have finally moved into mostly 12m shirts as your length helped that but the pants are still smaller. You are in a 3 to 4 baby shoe and have some of the cutest New Balances, Sperry's, and Nike Shox!

You have gone to mostly whole foods and don't really like the baby food jars anymore even though I try to give it to you now and then to use it all up before it goes bad or wastes. You love yogurt melts, chicken nuggets, and bananas! You are sleeping about the same as a month ago going to bed around 8:30p and waking at 5:30 for a bottle then right back to sleep till 8am. I guess I can handle that! You smile all the time and your giggle is contageous too. Being outside, swimming, and zoo trips are all loves of yours. The week before your birthday we took you for the first time! We had so much fun and tried to catch every thing. We had a picnic and played in the water, which was your favorite part of the day. You were asleep right after we got in the car!

 We did your baby dedication a few weeks after your 1st birthday too. Jeremiah 29:11 was the verse we chose for you! Almost all of your friends are at church nursery so you play good there.

We celebrated your birthday the weekend before you turned 1. The three of us went to the zoo and had a great day on Fri then on Sat we had a small family/friend backyard party! You loved it and knew you were the center of attention. We had the baby pool, sprinkler, some outside toys, and your new slide from us out! We cooked hotdogs and pizza rolls with chips, fruits ,etc and of course cake! It was so cute and matched the decor perfectly. You really got into smashing and tasting your cake too it was the cutest thing! We used the general color 1st birthday theme decor and I made the centerpieces and a growth poster to show your milestones. You helped open presents and got some neat toys and cute clothes etc. It was a good day to celebrate the 1st year of your life! I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

 

 

 On June 29th (your actual birthday) I had a balloon on your high chair and fixed you eggs for breakfast then we played outside! For dinner, the three of us went to Huey's then watched Cars 2 in theature! Yes, that was a total risk with a 12m old but it was great...you are such a good boy and we made it the whole 2 hour movie!

 

Happy Happy 11 Months!

Oh no, this is my last "Months" post!! The time you've been with us has been such a blessing its just flown by. I cherish being able to stay with you every day...even though I do get stressed sometimes when we have bad days I would NOT trade it for the world. You are learning so much every day it seems. You are really talking up a storm now, well for an 11 month old that is. Your new words are "Duck" - "Tuck" (truck) - "Quack" -  "Aarf" - "Nack" (snack) - "Pup" - "Baf" (bath) - "Out" - "Ook" (look) - "Kick" - "Plash" (splash) - "Ball" - "Book" - "Uce" (Juice) - "Ease" (please)...and I think there's more but I can't recall at the moment. It seems like you repeat words and associate a lot faster than you did a month ago. You LOVE bath time and getting in pools, splashing is your favorite thing to do in water! You also love it outside so that's where we'll spend a lot of time until the cold air hits again. You are playing in the church nursery now and don't nap anymore so that makes for family nap time when we get home now days! :) You are crawling all over the place and love getting into anything you aren't supposed to.  When I get on to you and say NO you just point back and smile. I've had to baby proof the outlets and cabinets. You love to walk holding our hands too and can stand and pull up on stuff so I'm sure it won't be long until that milestone! You and Alex play together now, well you take his ball so he waits till you "throw" it and he brings it back!! You had your first try at real foods and so far its not going too good. The only baby food you didn't like out of every possible flavor was the Spring Veggies (mostly spinich) but real foods we are 1 for 5 already. First you tasted refried beans, mashed potatoes, black beans, and apple sauce...none of which you would finish eating and spit out. Eggs on the other hand you like! So i've been making us scrambled eggs for breakfast so we can eat together! I have my sliced fruits and toast with it and you have your yogurt melts and apple wheels with yours! I just mashed up some sweet peas and carrots tonight so we'll see tomorrow. I've been planning your first party and have gotten everything bought, even the gifts!! It will be here all too soon. I love you little boy and have so much fun playing with you!

 

 

 

 

Happy 4 Months Aiden!!

Aiden's 4 months old...October!

1. He has his schedule (feeding, playtime, napping, and night sleeping) down so tight now that he's pretty much predictable! He used to do better while we were out b/c he would sleep the whole time but now its opposite! He loves to be in his bed (pack-n-play...yes he's still in our room) and cries if he's tired an we're out. He's now skipping the middle of night feeding so we usually go from 9pm to 5am with the occasional nights of waking once or twice fussing b/c he has a dirty diaper, wants his paci that fell out, or just is awake and needs his momma! So I've been trying to let him "cry it out" a bit if I know its the last reason!! Yesterday I started letting him take naps in his actual crib and it didn't go so great. Today I laid him in there while I hung up all his clothes and let him play and get used to it as something good not scary and then tried the afternoon nap today in there and its going good so far! 

 

2. The 4 month check up went great last week too. He got his second round of shots, daddy went this time and it made him sad to watch, and only cried a minute. His measurements were: 11lbs 8oz and 24 inches long! He's still little but I think its so cute, and since he's healthy its all good! He's just now in 0-3 month clothes and some 3M if they have footie's attached. So Christmas we're gonna just ask for gift cards to buy clothes as/when we need them since he's not growing outta sizes fast I wont know what he'll be in or need after Christmas and different brands fit different too.

 3. We're trying rice cereal in the night and morning bottles. It's helping or could just be the timing b/c he's now able to sleep longer at night. I did try to feed him from a spoon and the first time went great...he even helped hold the spoon and pull to his mouth...the next two times not so much as he cried and wanted his warm bottle! Oh well, we've got time so I'm gradually trying it here and there to prepare for the 6 month foods. I did buy a few jars of the "supported sitter/4month" fruits to try out but I think I may wait closer to 5 months.

4. Play times are so much fun with Aiden now!!! He is just so happy. He grabs at everything, chews on his toys, laughs, jabbers what sounds like stuff we constantly say to him, loves his puppy, is so curious, likes to watch a few cartoons (Jungle Junction being a favorite), and even does a little squeal when he gets excited while he's playing! Its so cute! I try to read, sing, and work on milestones like sitting strength and real words too - hey your never too young to start learning! 

 

5. He has grown to really like his Daddy almost as much as he likes his momma! lol At first, he wasn't so sure about any one but me and now that Chris has been home a lot more and he's at the playing stage its so cute to watch them now. He will just smile when Chris comes home from work and bends down to talk to him. Chris is always telling me "Babe, he is just so precious...I love him!" One thing is for sure he is LOVED in this house!! :)

 6. It was Aiden's first Halloween last weekend and he was THE MOST adorable Baby Bumble Bee!! We went to our church Trunk or Treat at Broadway Baptist so decided to go as a family theme. I was Momma Bee, Aiden was Baby Bee, and Chris was the Bee Catcher!! I thought it was a clever idea if I say so myself. lol We had a lot of fun with our friends and went to eat with a few couples after too. It was a lot of our friends first Halloween for their little ones too so we got lots of pictures!

Happy 3 Months!!

I'm a day late but Aiden is 3 months old!! Was it really June 29th when we welcomed his little body into the world? I was astonished that I had just delivered a baby much less fell in love the moment I saw him...and still do!!!

Dear Ada Boo, you amaze me daily...seriously! I can not believe how much you seem to grow mentally and physically (although you are just now growing out of most newborns). Your last check up, which was two weeks ago, you weighed an even 10lbs. I know you have gained since just from picking you up! You go back for shots the end of Oct. so we'll see then! You are SO alert now just laughing, making more noises, and actually reaching for and holding toys! Promise it sounds like you say "Ha" to us after we say Hey to you over and over. I will throw in an "Hola" and you just grin so big! Your attention span is limited so I have to change your stimulation quite often. You have been sleeping 6 to 8 hours at night and I'm so proud, especially since you don't really fight sleep anymore! There are times when you get thrown off - like the past week! Think its a growth spurt though because I had to increase your ounces too and I just started rice cereal in your night bottle a few days ago so we'll see how this works out. The day starts with a bottle, some story time and singing with mommy, and a few educational shows on Sprout and Playhouse Disney! Your favorite songs are "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Happy and You Know It" , and anything I make up to keep you entertained! Your dad made up one to teach you how to spell your first and last name to the tone of the Mickey Mouse song! Its pretty clever! "Amazing Grace" seems to calm you down when you are fussy; although it does not always work! A good nap follows your morning routine then a lunch bottle and play time together which I love. After that, you go down for a long afternoon nap. When you wake from that its time for your independent time in your play gym! I feel you need some discovery time on your own so you don't get too attached and have to rely on me to play and learn everything. You are really able to use things now instead of just lay and look. Daddy usually comes home during this time and you get to be held and played with until its time for your bedtime routine (which is quick yet gets the point across to you its time by a fresh diaper, long pajamas, and Johnson's bedtime lotion) and then its your bottle and straight to the pack and play to fall asleep!
So, your first vacation to Florida was a 7 day stay for you at only 11 weeks! Yeah we took you that young and still enjoyed ourselves!! The combo of fresh air, breeze, and sound of the ocean was your favorite. You would be so good when we went to eat, were at the beach, and pool because you usually sprawled all fours out and slept in the shade!! Pict below! The condo wasn't your favorite because you didn't recognize anything an that had you all out of your comfort zone. Since the trip you don't like getting in your car seat...but who can blame you after a long drive like that! A few new things you have discovered the past couple days are helping hold your bottle, trying to turn over, grabbing my hands or your toes while we change a diaper, and really loving those hands in the mouth! So if I wasn't bad enough already I am a real germaphobe now!!! Dreft wipes, Pacifier wipes, and Purell are a MUST!! I have so enjoyed these 13 weeks together and if time could stand still I'd let it because you are growing up way too fast. I take a million pictures of you but I will have every moment for years to come :) Love you baby boy!