Scrapping...

A friend and I spent the afternoon working on our baby's scrapbooks... at least now I feel like I've made a small dent in Aidan's scrapbook! Aidan and Daddy spent the afternoon together, which I'm told was great fun for both of them.



Here's some of the pages I was able to complete when I didn't have a ball of energy tugging at my shirt every couple of minutes:

Playgroup at Mary & Nina's House

Playing Frisbee with Noah

Head Banger

Aidan has been giving us trouble lately when it comes time for bedtime. He doesn't like to go to bed (I'm sure he's afraid he'll miss something!) so when the time comes, he gets mad. Really mad.

Actually, let me rewind a little bit. We've (almost) always had sleep/bedtime issues with Aidan. He co-slept with us until he learned to crawl (and we would have let him co-sleep even longer had he not decided it would be more fun to crawl OUT of bed rather than go to sleep!). Anyway, once we got him into his crib, we tried the "No Cry Sleep Solution," which didn't work. After speaking about solutions with the pediatrician, he recommended (and we eventually tried) the "Cry it Out" method (or also known as the "Ferber Method"). And, we were so happy that it worked! In fact, we went from Aidan screaming (for three hours at a time!) to being put to bed awake but drowsy and he'd fall asleep on his own -- that transition took about three weeks.

And, he's been a relatively good sleeper since we've done the sleep training with him. Of course, we've had some bumps in the road when he was sick or teething. So, we've been at our wits end for about the past month because Aidan is, once again, refusing to go to sleep. We've spoken about this problem with Aidan's pediatrician (on more than one occasion) and he said it's completely normal. It's likely he's teething (his eye teeth, which are supposedly the most painful) and he's also going through his fifteen month growth spurt, the terrible twos, and separation anxiety (apparently it peaks at fifteen months). Wowza. Poor kid.

But, what we're most concerned about (again, we've talked to the pediatrician about it) is Aidan's tendency to bang his head on things when he's frustrated. If we tell him "No" and he doesn't like it, he'll run to the nearest wall and bang his head on it. If we're busy (say, in the bathroom or something) and he wants us NOW and he can't have us NOW, he'll bang his head on a wall, a door, or a toy. Usually, it's not hard and the pediatrician said to just ignore it and he'll eventually stop when it starts to hurt. He explained that it's a normal reaction (and supposedly more common in boys).

Lately (maybe the past three or four nights), Aidan has taken to banging his head on his crib when it's time for him to go to bed. Just this morning, I found him with a giant purple, yellow, and blue egg on his forehead. And, yes, this is the result of his head-banging on his crib. Alex and I have looked ALL OVER for something to put on his crib so he won't hurt himself, but the only things we've found are either foam (which he'll chew and then choke on) or hard rubber (which protects the crib, but not necessarily the kid).

I know that his bruise has got to hurt something awful. Tonight at bedtime, he cried for a little while (but not nearly as long as the past few nights) and I didn't hear (or see on the video monitor) him bang his head. So, I'm crossing my fingers that he learned his lesson by getting one big OUCHIE!

JACKPOT!!!

Very early this morning (around 4am), Alex hit the JACKPOT at Casino Niagara! (If you're wondering why he was up at 4am, you can ask Sir Aidan. He thought it would be fun to sleep four hours (from 8pm to midnight) and then stay up for the rest of the night! (In case you're wondering, Aidan did finally fall asleep around 4am - right as Daddy left to have some fun in the casino). Oh, and before you get too excited -- the jackpot was for the two cent slot machines! =) Still, it was $250.00 which more than paid for our hotel stay and waterpark passes!! Alex said that he didn't know what to do when the slot machine started playing all sorts of music and flashing all of the lights... Needless to say, as soon as he collected his winnings, he headed back up to our room and proudly shared his exciting news with us (well, with just me - Aidan was finally asleep by then).

Sorry - no pictures (no cameras allowed in the casino). So, instead, I'll share some of our fun last night at the Rainforest Cafe:


Oh, and I can't forget this one -- Aidan checking out the hotel bathroom!

Having fun in Niagara Falls!

Greetings from Niagara Falls, Canada! Yesterday morning when we woke up, we decided to take a spur of the moment trip to Niagara Falls. Alex got online in the morning and checked to see if there was any availability, and sure enough, there was! So, we quickly booked a room, packed our bags, and headed out! (THANK YOU to Uncle JR for watching Noah while we're gone!)

We're staying at the Skyline Inn and having LOTS of fun at the Fallsview Indoor Water Park, which is directly connected to our hotel. As you can see, Aidan is having a BLAST!

Fifteen Month Well Baby Visit

Aidan had his fifteen month well-baby visit yesterday afternoon.

He now weighs 25lb 1oz (up from 24lb 2oz at his twelve month visit) and he is now measuring 31.5 inches long (up from 30.25 inches at his twelve month visit). He is in the 60th percentile in weight and in the 75th percentile for height.

He had two shots this time (this time in his arms... in the past, they had given him shots in his thighs). And he gave the nurses quite the surprise when he didn't even flinch when he got the shots! In fact, he was giggling and flirting the whole time - I don't think he even noticed the pinches!

The doctor said that Aidan is doing great on his developmental milestones, as well, so we were happy about that. He confirmed that Aidan has indeed begun the "terrible twos." Oh, joy. He also warned us that the "terrible twos" last from the age of two (or, in Aidan's case, fifteen months!) until nineteen! =) I guess we're in trouble, then!

The doctor felt Aidan's gums and said that it felt like his eye teeth were about to come through. He warned us that the eye teeth are the most painful, so to be on the lookout for extra fussiness. And, oh, yeah, have we been experiencing that (along with the terrible twos!). He said to just give him Tylenol or Motrin as needed as well as the teething tablets and frozen fruit or veggies.

All in all, Aidan was pronounced healthy (and cute!). His next well-baby appointment is in June, when he will be eighteen months old.

Aidan is Fifteen Months Old Today!

It's really fun to watch him learn new things and try out new things each and every day. He loves to make sounds, his favorite is still a lion's ROARRRR! He also likes to mimic each and every thing we do, which is cute (but dangerous sometimes if we're not thinking about what we're doing or saying!)

His favorite "person" in the house (in the universe, really!) is still Noah. He loves to give him hugs and kisses and to share treats and snacks with him. He's recently learned how to throw Noah's toys and Noah will occasionally fetch, which makes Aidan giggle to no avail. It's adorable.

He waves, blows kisses, points, finds body parts, plays peekaboo and paddycake, walks, runs, and gives kisses without instruction.

His favorite foods are hot dogs, fruit, chocolate chip cookies, apple juice, french fries, frozen peas, rice, and chicken. His favorite books are Goodnight Moon and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? and his favorite toys are the Busy Ball Popper and his drop and roar dinosaur.

He loves playing with his friends, especially at the Medley Centre indoor playground or the Strong Museum. He is completely fearless, which makes Mommy VERY nervous at times. He loves to go down slides ("All by myself, Mom!") and he takes more than his share of bumps and bruises. He's such a trooper, though, never bothering to cry when he falls. He just pulls himself back up and goes back to whatever (seemingly dangerous) thing he was doing in the first place. He is definitely ALL BOY.

Of course, he has his share of cranky-Aidan moments, too. Lately we've seen more of Mr. Crankypants than we've seen of the happy, giggly Aidan I love so much. Mr. Crankypants likes to cling to Mommy, play the "wet noodle" game (throwing himself on the floor and throwing a temper tantrum when he doesn't get his way), and throw toys out of frustration. Like the pediatrician said at his appointment today, this is all part of the terrible twos. I just wish they weren't so terrible sometimes!

But, I do have to say, even with Mr. Crankypants making the occasional (or even more often) appearance, I can't imagine life without my sweet little daredevil. He keeps me on my toes and he keeps my heart full of joy. He knows how to melt my heart just by walking up to me with a smile and planting a wet one on my lips. He gives the sweetest baby kisses and I am so lucky to be his mother.

Bye, Bye Highchair, Hello Booster Seat!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Still sick... but feeling better.

Aidan is still sick, but he seems to be feeling much better. His appetite is still almost non-existent (if you don't count the Oreo cookie he devoured at lunchtime!) and he has been having some pretty nasty diaper blow outs. But, at least he's not (too) cranky and, thankfully, he took an hour and a half nap this morning. Alex has been sick, too (with similar symptoms) so maybe Aidan caught something from Daddy (or vice versa).

Poor Baby...

Poor Aidan. He's not had a good day today.

To start off, he woke up with a fever of 102.5. He was cranky and wouldn't drink his milk or eat his breakfast. He kept rubbing his eyes, like he does when he's overtired. So, I took him downstairs (where he usually naps) and tried to get him to nap. He wanted absolutely no part of that. In fact, he cried for a good half an hour before we had to leave for an appointment (for me).

He was an angel in the car - I figured he would sleep (he likes to sleep in the car), but he didn't. He just looked out the window and enjoyed the ride (and the beautiful warm weather!). After my appointment, we ran our errands and by the time we got home it was lunch time. He barely touched his lunch (but he did eat his chocolate chip cookies! Now, that's my boy!) and still had a high fever - although it did go down to about 101.5.

I tried, once again, to get him to nap (he usually takes a good 2 to 3 hour nap every day). He did fall asleep for about 45 minutes, but as soon as he woke up, he was crying. And this time, he was incosolable. There was nothing I could do to make him feel better. He's never been like this before -- I felt horrible! So, Alex called the pediatrician's office and they had us come in right away. They said it sounded like he had an ear infection (he does have a stuffy/runny/phlegmy nose).

So, we put him back in the car (he was happy as a clam once again) and headed to the pediatrician's office. Of course, as soon as we got to the pediatrician's office, Aidan had a 180 degree turnaround - he happily played with the toys and explored the office before it was time for him to go in an exam room. And once he was in the exam room, he happily played with the doctor's stool, the garbage can, and the scale. He even gave the doctor a huge grin once he came in!

And the results -- Aidan is perfectly fine. His lungs are clear, his ears are clean, and he just has a little cold. The doctor thinks he's probably teething (hard) and because of his cold, the teething pain is exaggerated. According to the doctor, when you're sick, pains that normally wouldn't bother you tend to bother you a lot more then if you weren't sick. So it's likely Aidan's teething pain is really bothering him and that's why he's crying (and not sleeping). The doctor said to give Aidan his Benadryl (for the cold symptoms) and Tylenol (for the fever and teething). We also give him Hyland's teething tablets which seem to work like a charm for the teething.

Thankfully, as I write this (at 10:22pm), Aidan is sound asleep in his crib (he has been since 7:15pm - a full 45 minutes before his usual bedtime). I'm watching him on the video monitor and he's tossing and turning, but quiet. I'm sure it's difficult to sleep when you can't breathe very well. Poor baby. I'm just glad he's able to get some decent sleep.

Watching the planes at the airport...