Well Baby Visit

Aiden saw Dr. Ally today and she was pleased with his development. He weighed in at 19lbs 13 oz and 29 inches. He got two shots and will be going back in at 15 months for another shot and a screening of his communication skills. He scored a little on the low end of the communication spectrum on the Ages and Stages Screener. I personally think it's because he's been so busy with his motor skills and Dr. Ally seemed to agree with my analysis. Even so, she will check in on him in March to be sure.

Mama made it...

It's a bib with sleeves and it will be great for Mr. Messy. Ignore the mad face, he was not really in the mood for a photo shoot.

Cake!

Start to Finish: Cake

Happy Birthday II

Aiden just opened the presents we got him. He received a divided plate and matching bowl with monsters. His ferocious eating habits inspired the choice.

He also got a set of camo ragdolls, a new blankie and a birthday outfit. He immediately took to the dolls. We think his favorite thing about them is their yarn hair.

The blankie has been in the works for quite some time but I finally finished it yesterday. It is small but I think it will be a nice thing to drag around.

The birthday outfit has a cute shirt with a raccoon and the words "Little Bandit". The pants are fleece. He'll be wearing the outfit today.

We are planning to get Aiden's hair cut today. Pictures to follow!

P.S. This picture looks a little fuzzy but if you click on it, it will be big AND clear.

Happy Birthday Aiden

Today is the big day! I hope you like this collage of the year that was.

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!

He walks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's just a few steps at a time right now but he's already getting steadier each time. We will post a video later.

Merry Christmas from Boise

Vacation Chronicles

Since I'm on vacation from school, I have more time than usual to write.

Aiden and I have had a fun week so far. He has been helping me fold laundry and eagerly climbing the mountain. Aiden also likes to lie down in the fresh laundry and move the freshly folded laundry. I wish I could get a picture or video of this.

We've discovered this week that Aiden is totally offended by gates and doors. We use a gate on our kitchen and laundry room and close all the doors when Aiden is having free time. He loves exploring the house and, as long as the barriers are up, it is very safe for him.

We will be opening Christmas presents tonight (Adam is working tomorrow) and stockings tomorrow morning.

The Party

I think I sent invitations out to anyone who might be interested but just in case...

Quick Update

Aiden has figured out that when I pick him up by his armpits he can raise his arms over his head and nearly escape. Nearly.

We're BACK!

I know I haven't posted much lately. I've been really busy with work and taking care of a 1 year old who thinks everything in this house belongs to him! Also, we've been busy getting our affairs in order for Adam to leave in January. Today he's meeting with an attorney to get our will and power of attorney done.

Thursday was Aiden's last day with Lorna and it was so sad for me. Lorna's house has been a second home for Aiden and I'm just so bummed he won't be going there anymore. She gave him a really fancy rattle she had. He always liked it so that was cool. She also gave him a little tikes boombox and that thing is a HUGE hit. He hasn't figured out how to turn on the music but he loves it when we make it sing.

Aiden now has SIX teeth. He is really close to walking and we're all hoping he starts before Adam leaves. We're going to Dr. Ally's office next week and we'll find out how much he weighs. I think he probably weighs around 25 pounds. He's growing out of clothes like crazy.

We'll be spending Christmas at home this year. Aiden has quite a collection of Christmas presents to open. Most of them are from his various grandparents but we put a few small things in too.

I just put Aiden down for a nap. If I want to get dressed today, this is my chance!

New pictures

Behind every good cook is a great assistant.

Finally growing into Great Aunt Liz's knitted jacket.

Early Christmas present from Grandpa.

A visit with Santa at Macy's

This robe barely fits him now, probably the last time he can wear it.

Join our Mailing List!

I saw this on another blog and wanted to try it out. I am trying to get our address book updated and this could be a fast way to do it.

Big Update

Most people already know our BIG NEWS but just in case...

Adam enlisted in the Army. He secured a really cool job and we're all excited for this new phase. Adam will start basic training in January in South Carolina. From there he will go to the Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Maryland. He will be in training until July and then we'll be moving. We won't know his first duty station until May or June.

We will be having a going away party on January 3 at Flying Pie in Boise; this is also when we'll be celebrating Aiden's birthday. The party will be a great opportunity to tell Adam goodbye as he will actually be leaving at 6am on a Wednesday!

Aiden's First Thanksgiving

I don't have pictures to post but Aiden's first Thanksgiving was a success. We're staying here at a beautiful house in the foothills of Boise. Julie, Bob, Norma and Garrett are here and Aiden has been entertaining all of them.

Aiden spent Wednesday night with Mimi and Poppy. Adam and I slept at home because Adam was scheduled to work Thursday morning. I planned to use that time to catch up on housework. Adam got to come home after less than an hour so he helped me with the housework and we arrived at the house around 11. During our absence, Aiden was perfectly content to hang with some of his grandparents and had only one bout of missing us.

For dinner Aiden ate turkey, ham, cranberries, mashed potatoes, peas and a roll. He liked everything (as per usual). He especially liked the rolls. Right now Aiden is having a breakfast of ham, a roll and cottage cheese.

Weekend Update

I fed myself a huge bowl of baked beans.

Mama made these cute pants!

The Incredible Sleeping Boy

I put Aiden down for a little snooze yesterday around 4pm and HE. JUST. WOKE. UP. Yes, that means he slept 13 hours. Yes, that means he missed dinner and a bath. Yes, that means he was incredibly tired.

As you can imagine, his diaper was VERY wet. A testament to Bum Genius diapers though...it didn't leak. He's still waking up though so I told the paparazzi to come back later.

Family Pictures

Adam's dad came out for a visit this weekend and he took our family pictures. We are totally thrilled with them! I was going to make you all wait to see them on our Christmas card but I'm just really excited to share them.

Aboard the S.S. Naptime

Aiden's new favorite hobby -- toying around in his new boat.

Pancakes!

We had lunch at a restaurant today. We ordered a pancake for Aiden's lunch and when it came we were shocked to see it was literally the size of a plate. We had to move the plate for a moment and Aiden let out a scream that made EVERYONE in the restaurant stop, look and laugh. He quieted down as soon as he got his food back. He proceeded to eat about 90% of that huge pancake. When he was done, he laid his head down on the table and looked very sleepy. It was pretty funny.

Here's Aiden's new weight chart. We weighed him at home so it's not a perfect weight but it gives us an idea of how much he weighs. By the way, that would be 18lbs and 5oz. You can see he hasn't gained much from last month but we know he eats a LOT and is quite active so we're theorizing that he just has a high metabolism.

Caution: Raccoon at play

Slide Show is Up!

Check the right hand side of the screen! There are almost 200 pictures this month.

October Slideshow Coming Soon

Here's a collage to tide you over.

Kickin' back

Breaking news UPDATE

He waved bye bye TWICE

UPDATE
We're home now so I have more time to explain.

When I leave Aiden at Lorna's house I always say, "Bye bye Aiden, Mama's got to go see those big kids. I'll see you later." He usually grins at me but today he stopped crawling and waved. I thought it might be a fluke so I did it again and he...did it AGAIN. Adam hasn't seen it yet but I'm confident he will soon.

Another First

Aiden was taking a nap today and when I picked him up I took him over to the rocking chair so I could finish a phone call I was on. He was sitting in my lap and all of a sudden I felt something warm on my leg. Yep, he was wearing a diaper and he peed right through it onto my leg. That was nice.

Boo at the Zoo

Today we're dressing Aiden in his pirate costume and taking him to the zoo. We're meeting some friends and their baby and it should be fun. If Aiden is cooperative, we'll enter him in the "Under 1" costume contest.

It's going to be cold today so we're putting him in a turtleneck and Hanna Andersson "Soft Landing" pants and we're putting the costume on OVER the top. We just did a test run and everything fits nicely.

Just now Aiden was starting to chew on one of my shoes. I told him "NO" and he put down the shoe immediately. That's progress.

Have Toy, Will Travel

Aiden has FINALLY figured out how to take things with him. He's been trying to do it for at least a month but now he can do it pretty consistently. It's cute to see him crawling around with something in his mouth. Now he's trying to figure out how to crawl with something in his hand. I think we all know the solution...WALKING.

The Littlest Pirate

Click on image to make it bigger

Raccoon Baby!

Aiden is currently in his raccoon stage. That is to say he likes to roam the house and scavenge through our stuff. His favorite thing to look at is a box of plastic cups and dishes. Nearly every night he pulls it down and spreads it out on the floor. The raccoon stage is hard to deal with but it's a huge improvement over his seal stage which involved a LOT of seal-like screams.

Also in this batch of photos you will see evidence of his ability to stand in the crib. I think I may have posted these before but I'm not sure.

Tooth Watch

I spotted another tooth! I was changing his diaper on the bed and saw it when he laughed. It is the lateral incisor on the top left. Right now it's pretty much flush with the gum line but I expect it to be fully visible soon.

Weight Update

We just got back from seeing Dr. Ally. Aiden is up to 17lbs 12oz! While we were there he got a flu shot and he didn't even cry. Dr. Ally said he is right on track developmentally. She was also surprised to see he has no stranger anxiety. NONE. She said it was fun for her because he actually let her hold him.

He will be going back on October 31 to get a second flu shot.

Standing Up

Mr. Man is a champ at standing. We routinely find him standing in his crib. Sometimes he is screaming bloody murder while standing but most often he is just quietly waiting for one of us. He really enjoys standing at the couch and yesterday he started cruising (using the couch to help him walk). He only takes a few steps right now but he isn't afraid to fall. In fact, he is usually smiling on the way down.

I don't have school today so we're taking him for an appointment with Dr. Ally. He'll be getting shots but I'm sure he'll be fine. I will post an update later today or tomorrow on his measurements.

Fascinated!

Aiden is in his jumperoo right now. He just spent about two minutes staring at his own hand. It was cute; he was curling and uncurling his fingers and paying close attention to the results.

In other news, he's a crawling machine and our babysitter says he's the busiest baby she's ever met! I had a feeling any child of mine would be slightly more active than the average child.

I don't have school Thursday or Friday so we'll be having a lot of fun this weekend.

Contest Day 5

Vote on Aiden's Photo!

A day at the races

Here's a little sample of what it's like to play with Aiden these days, he looks anything (or anyone) to climb on. With any form of climbing, there are risks involved, as he shows us here.

Contest Day 4

Vote on Aiden's Photo!