Catnapping on a Saturday afternoon....

A Seat at the Table...

Nowadays when we go out to eat, Aidan loves to sit at the table’s edge, like Mommy and Daddy. We’ve come up with a pretty good strategy that allows us to feed Aidan his meal and enjoy our meals at the same time. The minute we sit down to the table, we start to feed Aidan his baby food. Usually he’s done by the time our food arrives. To keep him occupied while we eat, we let him feed himself some finger foods and/or bites of our food. We LOVE the Table Toppers, too!

(Sorry, the pictures aren't too good - I took them with my cell phone camera)

Thank you, Danny!

Aidan received a package in the mail the other day from his friend Daniel. Danny's mom asked me to make his first year scrapbook so when she sent me the supplies and scrapbook, she also included some gifts for Aidan from Danny.

Aidan had a GREAT time opening up each gift, he even figured out how to tear open the wrapping paper - probably his favorite part about gifts! He absolutely LOVES his new toy and he's already worn some of the clothes. So, a giant THANK YOU to Danny and his Mommy and Daddy!!!

Scenes from today...

Aidan is Nine Months Old

Aidan turned nine months old today. That means he has been outside of my belly as long as he was inside it. It all goes by way too quickly.

Aidan has been making his personality known over the past month. He is no longer this little blob that we took care of and wiped up, but this wiggly, giggly little personality that likes certain things and, well, doesn't like other things. He loves spaghetti. He doesn't like peas. He loves to be tickled on the neck and the tummy. He will give us "the look" and then giggle until we tickle his little tummy or neck. Then, the full-on laughs come.

We finally have a solid routine during the day and Aidan seems to like it just as much as I do. His nap times (and bed time) can be timed by the clock. He no longer fights me and fusses when it's time to go to bed for the night. He leans into me and we cuddle for ten minutes and then he goes into the crib and drifts off to dreamland without a peep. I thought we would NEVER get to that point. I am so proud of him.

Aidan has been working on crawling on all fours, but he prefers to army-crawl. He is getting really fast (and into EVERYTHING). He's also talking up a storm. His current vocabulary includes Mama (his favorite, by far), Dada, Baba, Gaga, AhYa AhYa, and screeching noises.

His favorite activities are to eat (but not baby food - he'd MUCH RATHER have table food), crawl everywhere (especially places he shouldn't be -- like the dog's water bowl or the cat's food dish), dig toys and books out of baskets, throw toys, chase the cats and the dog (much to their dismay), stand up, walk (while holding onto my hands), and cuddle with his Mommy.

Aidan, I love you so much. I love that you hug me tightly before I put you down for naps. I love it when you growl like a bear because you know that it makes me laugh. I love how you turn the pages in books. I love it that you cry when I leave and then brighten up like a sun-flooded room when I come back. I will always come back to you. Love Always, Mommy

Happy Nine Month Birthday to Aidan!

Aidan is nine months old today!

Aidan, I love you more and more each day. It is so amazing to watch you learn and discover things. Everything is so new and exciting! You make my life so much fun. Happy birthday, kiddo.

Nine Month Well Baby Visit

Aidan had his nine month well-baby visit this afternoon.

He now weighs 21lb 12oz (up from 19lb 0oz at his six month visit) and he is now measuring 29.5 inches long (up from 27 inches at his six month visit). His head circumference is 46cm (up from 44.5cm at his six month visit). He is in the 70th percentile in weight and head circumference, and in the 90th percentile for height. The doctor even commented that he is an inch and a half taller than the "average" nine month old. No wonder I've been noticing less of a belly on him! He really is growing lengthwise.

He didn't have any shots this time, so he lucked out on that front. The nurse warned us that we won't be so lucky come next appointment. Oh, well. We have three more months to worry about that! =)

We talked about Aidan's eating habits (he is still a little piggy) but the doctor said that he's right on track. Right now, he's eating stage 3 foods and table food. The doctor said that he could eat anything he wanted, except for eggs, peanuts (including peanut butter), orange juice, and not *too* much dairy. Other than that, Aidan has free rein to eat whatever his little heart desires. (And, boy, does that little heart desire a LOT of food! *wink, wink*)

The doctor felt Aidan's gums and he said that his top four teeth will be coming in any day now. Aidan hasn't been fussy about it, which is great, but he HAS been gnawing on his fingers (and anything else he can get in his mouth). We've been keeping an eye on his gums and when they're red (or he's acting like they hurt - pulling on his ears), we give him Infant's Motrin and Hylands Teething tablets. Thankfully, that works for Aidan.

He said that we should start introducing a cup or sippy cup to Aidan and was surprised (and impressed) when we told him that Aidan is already drinking from a "big boy" cup with a lid. He said to encourage Aidan to drink from this at every meal (which we do) as we will be slowly phasing out his bottles by twelve months.

All in all, Aidan was pronounced healthy (and tall!). His next appointment is for his ONE YEAR appointment. Where, oh where does the time go?

Daddy took Mommy and Aidan to Abbotts (an ice cream stand) after Aidan's appointment because Aidan was such a good boy at the doctor's office. Aidan enjoyed his very own (kiddie) ice cream cone. We didn't have the camera, so we took pictures with our cell phones. I'll have to try and figure out how to upload them. As you can imagine, he made a HUGE mess!

Mmmmm.... Pasghetti!

Aidan tried Spaghetti for the first time tonight. He couldn't get enough of it! I think it's his new favorite food, with baked beans a close second...

A very special visitor...

Aidan and I were sitting on the couch in the living room, talking to Alex this afternoon. We spend a good 90% of the time in the family room (downstairs) so it's unusual that we spend time in the living room (upstairs). Well, we were sitting next to Michael's table. Aidan kept stealing glances towards the table so I looked to see if the dog or one of the cats was over there -- maybe that's what he was looking at. Nope. Noone was there.

A couple of minutes later, Aidan looks back at the table and he starts grinning one of his huge grins and then he started laughing! Not just a little giggle, but full-out laughing! Now, this is a little strange because normally Alex is the only one that can get Aidan to laugh (I can make him giggle but not usually laugh). So I looked at Alex and he wasn't doing anything to make Aidan laugh -- he wasn't even near Michael's table! So I'm looking at Aidan, trying to figure out what in the world he is laughing at... The only thing remotely funny on the table would probably be Michael's Stitch Angel, but Aidan has seen that hundreds of times and he never found it funny before.

Then it dawned on me... MICHAEL was making Aidan laugh. That is the only explanation I can come up with (well, the only one I want to come up with!). Even now, just thinking about it, hours later, my eyes are filling with tears. I am so touched that Michael decided to make his presence known today. And to his baby brother, of all people. I am so proud of both my sons. I'm proud of Michael for watching over Aidan and doing such a good job of it. And I'm proud of Aidan for sharing his moments with Michael with Alex and I. Sometimes I think that Aidan is able to communicate with Michael better than Alex and I because his soul is still so pure.

I can only imagine the faces Michael was making at Aidan or the "inside jokes" he was telling. And, you know what? I'm glad I don't know exactly what he was doing or saying. I'm glad that they, as brothers, have such a special bond. Today, I feel so blessed. So content. So proud. I feel like the luckiest Mommy in the world.

My sons are the best!

Today was a "Daddy Day," for sure...

Aidan was especially clingy today -- he has (at least) two of his top teeth threatening to break through any day now, so I think he's been in some pain. He's normally very happy as long as he's being held (especially by Mommy), but today, every time he saw Alex (even if I was holding him), he'd reach his arms out for his Daddy. It was so sweet to see the look of joy on Alex's face every time Aidan reached out for him.

At one point in the evening (right before Aidan's bedtime), I was holding him and Alex was getting ready to go and mow the lawn. Aidan was being especially fussy and it seemed like there was nothing I could do to comfort him. Alex walked over and Aidan reached for him, so Alex took him outside and they mowed the lawn together! =) (Actually, Aidan "supervised" -- he sat in his car and watched Daddy from the driveway. He was very content just watching and enjoying the fresh air.)

I'm so lucky to have such sweet boys...

Aidan found some new toys today...

Bungee Baby

Yard Work is FUN(ny)!

After our walk tonight, Alex and I decided to trim the branches on our plum tree in the front yard. We left Aidan in his stroller... he was the supervisor. As soon as Aidan heard Alex clip the branch with the clippers, he started laughing! And, every time we would cut a branch off, Aidan giggled. It was so cute.

I ran inside and grabbed the camera, but, of course, as soon as Aidan saw the camera he stopped laughing. Silly boy. He used to be such a ham! Oh, well.

We remember...

Great Uncle Harry... We love and miss you.
Today we had a family gathering to remember my uncle, Aidan's great Uncle Harry. Aidan never go the chance to meet him, but we know that he and Michael are watching over us. Uncle Harry died just fifteen days after Michael after a long fight in the hospital.

I can close my eyes and picture Michael and Uncle Harry boating in the enormous lake covering an area in Heaven. He was very much a "man's man" and I'm sure he took Michael under his wing and taught him all the finer things about boating, his passion.

Uncle Harry, we miss you and love you. I ask that you continue to take great care of my son and when it's my time, I look forward to having you and Michael show me around that giant lake in Heaven.

Aidan and Grandpa, having fun together

Shelby Mustang - ONLY $78!

So, if you didn't know before, you'll know now. I'm an eBay addict. I buy more than I sell usually, but I do my fair share of selling, too.

Alex and I have a couple of things listed up for auction this week so when I went into my eBay account, I was pretty surprised to see an extra eBay listing. That we were supposedly selling. And, guess what it was? A Shelby Mustang Convertible! The bidding began at $78.00!!! Heck, if it was a real car, I'd buy it for 78 bucks! Alex has always dreamed of owning a Shelby Mustang...

So I contacted eBay and, lo and behold, it looks like someone has hijacked our account. Ugh. Yet another case of stolen identity. Unbelievable. I thought we'd be safe - we have Anti-Virus software, Password Protection software, and what I thought was a thick as steel firewall.

So... if anyone is interested, there is a Shelby Mustang Convertible for sale. $78 and it's yours! =)

(I'd post the link but we had eBay delete the listing...)

We're Under Attack! Aidan Attack! =)

What happens when Aidan gets his little hands on the camera!



Aidan Attack!

A Boy and His Dog...

Aidan and Noah get along very well, as I've said before - they're destined to be the best of friends.

Well, tonight, at dinner time, we let Aidan feed himself with the spoon (which he's pretty good at - he gets better at it every day). Well, with only a couple of spoonfuls of lasagna left in the bowl, Aidan decided it would be fun to feed the dog instead of himself. Before I knew it, Noah was licking away at the spoon, enjoying every last drop. Much to my dismay (and before I could do anything about it), once Noah had licked the spoon clean, Aidan put it in HIS mouth!

Oh, well. They say a dog's mouth is cleaner than our own, right? =)

Sleepyheads...

Crawling is FUN! (And thumb-sucking is, too!)

Guess who's crawling!?!?!

Aidan has been rocking on all fours for quite some time but his preferred method of transportation was rolling. He'd immediately roll himself onto his tummy and roll all around the room, wherever he wanted to go.

Well, this afternoon he surprised me and instead of rolling, he army-crawled to me! For those of you not familiar with "army crawling," he basically doesn't lift his tummy off of the floor, he just pulls his whole body forward with his arms (or, in Aidan's case, just ONE arm!). He looks like a wounded soldier. That's probably why they call it the "army crawl."

Now I guess we *really* need to get baby-proofing!

Noah... the Babysitter