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 10 Months A!!!

 

Yet another month down and that much closer to the big birthday party!! I will say this again, I cant believe you're almost there. I have started planning and gathering notes and ideas to start buying because I know it will creep up on me! I KNOW I am going to cry when you transition into a toddler and not a baby anymore...you will always be my little baby boy though! I just can not describe how much fun the past 10 months have been! We've had our tough times and had to learn together but I feel so happy to be your Mom! How ironic as my first Mother's Day is this weekend and you started getting "Mumm" out and I am too excited.  Thank you for being such a good natured little boy; although, you have started to develop a little bit of a temper the past two months! I plan on working that out before 'terrible twos' hit and throw us into those not so nice post about each month. lol Well, not much has changed since I posted last. You still aren't walking but you do have better balance when standing or holding your self up! You love to walk holding our hands though! You are teething again and this weekend was tough as well as today but we'll get through it with another little pearly white in that mouth to add in pictures! Speaking of which, you have so many taken of you that you see a camera and smile when I say "cheese." Your my little example a lot and you make the best subject I can ask for!  You had your first Easter and really sported your pink shirt and baby tie! It was the cutest thing seeing you and your daddy matching in your coordinated opposites! I love having a little boy and love you have so much hair!  We've started playing outside more on pretty days and you are so content out there. I cant wait to spend the summer with you as my little play buddy! You still jabber up a storm, eat like crazy, and smile a lot!! Those eyes are so big and pretty just as they were months ago and we get stopped tons of times while out shopping, eating, etc for people to smile and compliment you! Thank God for a precious baby!  I pray your teeth come on through so you can get some comfort and we can catch back up on sleep too. Love you little boy!

Happy 9 Months Lil Boy!!

 Well, 9 months is here!!!! It is VERY hard to believe you have been in this world for as long as I carried you during pregnancy. For some reason, these 9 months of life went by a lot faster than the other 9 months of your life!! lol Some people tell me they miss being pregnant, but I can honestly say I wouldn't go back!! I enjoy your presence so much. You are so fun, usually pretty happy, and just love and hug on me!! I wouldn't trade it and since we're together every day all day I don't know what either of us would do if that changed...

Your face is looking more and more like a little boy instead of a baby. When we went for the 9m check up, Dr. S even said that too! You were 15lbs 5oz and 27" long! Gosh, how very small still but I think its cute! Since you're in the 25th percentile we'll be doing blood work at the next ck up if you don't hit the "growth spurt" the PED wants you to. I think you're just small and have a high metabolism like me! Your development, mobility, and progressions were on track so its just the concern of why you eat good and don't weigh more than you do. Speaking of eating, you have moved into the 3rd stages of chunkier mixtures and the ones with meats mixed in. Again, you eat them all and even took to the turkey/veg and chicken dinner one! I  started you on finger foods this month and cut one bottle out working slowly on cutting them out as you near 1yr. That makes me sad too. You are doing good at starting to feed yourself. It gets messy but hey its part of learing! I just go through the clorox anywhere spray a lot on your tray and bebe seat. We're putting up the high chair this week!! You now have TWO teeth, both the bottom ones and a top one is trying to peek through now. Its different seeing your gummy smile with sharp pearly whites but if possible its even cuter that way!! We tell you daily how much we love you and how cute you are. You love turning pages on books so much I don't have time to read most pages. Learning new words, signs, and things quickly! Its official...you say "Dada" and no sign of Mama yet!! When you cry and really want attention right away it turns into "Maaaa" so I think you know but just don't have to say it as I'm always there and the one saying other words to you (so I've started referring to myself in third person)! You point at stuff, clap, and throw your hands up in an "I don't know" way when we ask you something you can't say or do yet! Its funny yet smart if you ask me. You just laugh and jabber all the time! More words you've learned are: "PaPa" which is the paci but when you are upset you still throw in the "TaTa" giving it more drama, "Dat" for what's that which we say to you a lot while teaching,  "Baa" for ball, and "Alec" for Alex our dog and yes that hurts my feelings more than saying Dada b/c its harder to say, and you even put two and two together and say hey in-front of stuff too. Gosh you're growing up on me!! You love outside and I have a feeling we'll be spending a lot of days out there this summer as you take after your Dad there. People say you look more like me and we're starting to see it and agree! We watch Bubble Guppies, Kipper, Cailou, Max&Ruby, Diego, Micky's Clubhouse, and The Goodnight Show on Sprout! You had your first baseball game (besides your dads from last season) which was a Redbirds game! Your little buddy is Grady Bledsoe which works out great since its Dad and Mom's good friends too! Yall are gonna have a blast at the fields this year watching your Daddy's play and witness!! You don't mind church nursery, they always brag on you so let's keep it that way okay! You think its so fun sitting in a high-chair and being at our level out eating and we have so much fun in those shopping carts too. You LOVE to stand and your legs are very strong. You still laugh at us when we try to make you crawl like you don't want to ever do it but since you stand against the couch, door, etc holding on and will take steps when we hold your arms you may just go straight to walking but I think its cause no one else gets around on all four's except the dog! I'm sure there's more but its time to get down in the floor and play with you :)

Happy 8 Months!!

Happy 8 Months. This is crazy how fast these post are going by for me. You, on the other hand, love it!! Your curiosity has evolved so much since the last post and you study everything (I can just see your mind spinning in your eyes when your watching something). Still not crawling but you've sure mastered the sitting up on your own with out falling unless you just want to lay back down. I've always heard boys progress slower than girls and I am starting to think that stands true for you... or your just tricking us b/c when you aren't thinking about it you do something but then when we try to make you you resist and grin the cutest little smirk!! Its starting to get prettier out a couple days here and there so we'll take a walk out back and go with Alex while he potties (mainly to keep him out of trouble). We put the swing up you got from the grandparents for Christmas and you just slouch back and chill while we swing you! Its official...you are trying to talk!! Yes, you mastered "Hey" very quick if you ask me and that was your only word repeated over and over besides baby cooing until this month. You have a variety of syllable words you say and here they are:

 "TaaTaa" this is paci and I have no idea why you say it like its a secret b/c you  whisper it and drag the a sound out!

"Ba" for bottle...it doesn't happen much b/c you still freak and lock up when you're ready to eat and nothing else matters!

"Ata" and I have no idea what this is but you say it a lot...maybe one day my post will explain this better!

Well, I still haven't found a baby food or food blend you don't like. Hopefully this will not change as you eat solids. You favor the sweeter ones better (got that from your dad) but you eat a lot of veggies (got that from me) so its all balanced. I've still been feeding you 90% organics or DHA added foods and you're still on breast milk bottles. The juice drinking is starting to get easier for you. I've tried a few sippy cups and one week you do okay with the NUK then the next week you like NUBY best so I really don't have an answer for getting you to like juice in all cups everyday. You still don't drink the full amount and I still mix it with water but we're trying because you can't have bottles forever!! Alright...the BIG announcement for this month is a pearly white!! Yes, you cut your first little tooth. It was the L bottom one and that has been much awaited as you've been teething for a while now and waking up crying some nights. Poor thing its sad when your mouth hurts and we try everything but eventually you just wear your self down and nap! The one beside it is a pushing on the gums too so it won't be long until you have two. This made me sad as I see teeth its getting more realistic that you're gonna grow up!

Little of Everything!

So this post is pretty random but I wanted to share some other things with you besides Aiden!! lol

1. I was addicted to Vitamin Waters for a few months until I realized the sugar was 13g, so I changed to FUZE which is also awesome...FREE of sugar and 100% Vit C which I am also addicted too!! 


2. I have been getting better sleep at night, thank you Aiden! A week ago I decided I was sick of getting up for a feeding mid way through the night and to help him find his pacifier etc so we went through the rough "cry it out" week and actually the only bad long night was the first one. Oddly enough, with each night the fighting got significantly shorter, I stuck to my guns and did the Ferber method by Baby Wise, and he learned in exactly 4 nights to sleep from 9p to 6a!!!! Yay for all of us!!! Ok maybe that should have been in the 7 month post :)


3. I have decided that I LOVE cooking even more than I realized. I've always cooked, even before I was married, but lately all the home-making I've been doing is actually therapeutic for me I believe! I figure since I'm home I should make some use of my cookbooks that were collecting dust so here are some of my January dishes!! If you see something you want to try, I'll be glad to email ya the recipe!! Chris said his weight-loss for softball season isn't going so good with all the home cooking I've been doing so this week I broke out the "healthy cooking" book!!

 before cooking above

 Italian Stuffed Shells...sooo good!

 chocolate chip cookies...I do these better than ready made!

 what all you need above

 

 Mixed Roasted Potato Medley...again sooo good

  Pizza Cresents! I was hungry and forgot the after picture. ha

Raspberry Krustez...this one just follow box instructions!

 Who says breakfast for one can't be healthy!!

 Italian Pasta with zuccini, oives, mushrooms!

 That's all for now...but its a new month, a new cook book, and ready to explore taste buds!!  

4. Devotionals! Yes, its NECESSARY for any Christian to do this, and I admit I struggle keeping this a constant in my life. I get so busy I forget and then get back into it and repeat. I told myself after a church service we had recently that I was going to MAKE time for it each day because my personal growth, my family, friends, and most importantly my job as a mom depends on it. I got out some of my half-finished books and started on them again then made a trip to Lifeway for some new books that pertain to things (I say it helps to focus on a specific topic) and I found some great ones!! I also got some new Veggie Tales for Aiden. Also, for those stay-homes the Church Channel is pretty good. I listen to Joyce Meyers (a women's ministry preacher) every morning from 12:30-1 which is great because its right before Aiden wakes from a nap so its quiet. I start witha  devotional then watch her segment. I hope each of you find time to devote yourself to our awesome God and help me in being faithful in my time as well.

 Great book to help you dig deeper in your walk with God.

Title says it all :)