Getting Mobile

Aiden is trying soooo hard to crawl. He can get on all fours but just can't coordinated enough to really go anywhere. I'm sure he'll be fully mobile soon. I guess we better get the child locks installed!

Last week I sat him in his crib while I was putting his laundry away. I looked over and saw him standing up! Needless to say, it was time to lower the crib mattress. We had been meaning to for a while, but just hadn't gotten it done yet.

He can now go from laying on his belly to sitting up. I can't believe how fast he learning new things!

Tis the Season ....

FOR FOOTBALL! Aiden celebrated with Monty as the Tide crushed Florida to claim the SEC Championship. Now on to the National Championship against Texas in January! ROLL TIDE!

We took Aiden to Chick-Fil-A on Saturday to meet Santa Cow. He may not look happy in the pic, but really he thought Santa Cow was pretty cool. He LOVES stuffed animals, so this was just a big toy to him.

We finally found a sippy cup that Aiden will drink more than one sip out of. Of course, he still won't drink a lot, but at least he likes it. He looks like such a big boy to me in this pic!

Seven Months

Aiden was seven months old on Wednesday. Here's what I want to remember about this month ....

* He is eating three solid meals a day and nursing every four hours. I am still making all his baby food. He loves yogurt (I don't make that!) and fruit. Aiden is really doing well with finger foods. If it is solid, like a Gerber puff, then he will pick it up. If it is a little mushy, like bananas, then he just likes to smash it! We are trying to get him to drink juice from a sippy cup. He gets the concept, but still will only drink a few sips before he wants to play with the cup.

* This month he has really settled into a routine during the day. He wakes up between 8:30 and 9:00 and eats breakfast. Then he plays for a little while and is ready for a nap about 11:00. He'll sleep about an hour and then we play and/or run errands. After that he'll eat lunch then is ready for a nap. His afternoon nap is about 1.5 hours. I put him down for nap in his crib and he goes to sleep pretty quickly without fussing. Usually he'll roll over on his stomach and stretch out to sleep. Bathtime is at 8:00 and he's usually asleep by 9:15. Of course, when we are away from home then all bets are off. He doesn't sleep well in his pack-n-play.

* Still NO TEETH!

* Aiden is trying so hard to crawl. From a sitting position he can get into a semi-crawling position. Then he just flops on his belly and pushes himself backward. This gets him really frustrated because he just moves farther from his toys instead of closer. It's funny to us, but not to him!

* He can grab his toes and put them in his mouth.

* If he is sitting next to something short he can pull himself up and be on his knees. He's not quite able to pull himself all the way to a standing position.

* Overall he is a great baby! He loves to smile and giggle. We've discovered that he is very ticklish on his belly. His favorite toys are books and anything that makes noise. Honestly, if it crinkles or he can bang it, then he loves it.

Stats

Aiden had his 6 month check-up last week. He weighed 19 lbs. 4 oz. (75th percentile) and was 28.5" long (93rd percentile). Everything checked out great. I am thankful for a healthy boy. Monty's sister has been here visiting and we are so glad to get to spend some time with her. We have a busy three days here before we leave for Hot Springs on Wednesday.

Big Boy Carseat

Our little baby has moved up to a "big boy" carseat! We've been researching what carseat to get Aiden. He is about 19 pounds so we knew he didn't have much more time in his "baby" carseat. Last week we found what we were looking for at the Associate Store! The best part was that it was only $50. When we got home and looked it up online, we found that it retailed anywhere from $130-$150! What a deal! We put Aiden in it in the living room and he loved it. He sat and played in to for almost 20 minutes. Monty got it installed in the car the next day, so now Aiden's ridin' around in style!

Half a Year

At 6 months old ....
* He still loves to be outside. I think he'd play out there all day if he could!

* Aiden is a pro at sitting on his own! He has been doing it for about a month now and this has made my life so much easier. I can set him down with his toys and get a few things done while he plays!

* Still no teeth, but is chewing on EVERYTHING!

* He can roll over both ways and is trying to get his knees up to crawl. My luck he'll figure out how to crawl when the Christmas tree gets put up.

* He loves solid foods. So far there has been nothing that he doesn't like or is allergic to, so that is great. His favorites are bananas, sweet potatoes, and peaches.

* We had to take him to the doctor for his first illness last week. Poor guy woke up Monday morning so stuffy and raspy. He wasn't so much having trouble breathing, but his breathing was loud and just not what I would consider normal, even for being sick. I tried to suction out his nose (that was fun!) but couldn't get anything out, so off to the doctor we went. I didn't want it to get any worse. I knew Aiden really didn't feel well when he fell asleep while playing in my lap at the doctor's office. This NEVER happens!! I am not a mom who worries about every little thing, but I was glad we had decided to see the doc. He started Aiden on steroids and decongestant and that did the trick. This week he went for his flu shot and didn't even cry! What a big boy! :)

* Sleeping at night is great again! I decided it was time for Aiden to cry it out when he woke up in the middle of the night. I knew that wanting him to sleep 5-6 hours was not unreasonable since he had been sleeping 7-9 hours at a time when he was 2 and 3 months old. The first night he woke up after 3 hours, cried for 45 minutes and then slept for 8 hours. Now he'll usually sleep 8-9 hours, get up and eat, and then sleep 3 more hours.

* At the end of the month we are off to Hot Springs for Aiden's first Thanksgiving. Should be fun!

Check out more Aiden pics on our Flickr site! He was an elephant for Halloween and was super cute!

Alex and Amber's Wedding

We had a great time at Alex and Amber's wedding! The wedding was beautiful and went perfectly. The happy couple is now honeymooning in Hawaii. Almost all of our extended family was able to come, so we had a great time visiting. Aiden got to meet some new second cousins. He loved Ellie - he was all smiles and just wanted to look at her and touch her! She was a little less enthused at first. :)

Aiden was so tired by the time the wedding came so he wasn't really into smiling anymore. He does look so cute in his dress clothes though! :)

The boys had a great time with Aiden. He loves his uncles and I can only imagine the trouble they'll get him into when he gets older!

Times like these make me appreciate how wonderful my family is! We have a great time when we're together and I am glad that we have remained close even though we live far away from each other.

The Beginning of October

Fall is here! I love this time of year when the weather cools, the leaves change color, and there is college football on tv again. The Hogs have not done as well as I had hoped so far this season, but I was completely impressed with their last win over Auburn. Monty's Crimson Tide are having another great season and if they stay on track, they'll be playing again in the SEC Championship Game!

Aiden is loving solid foods! So far he's eaten green beans, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and pears. He is not a huge fan of the green beans, but loves everything else. I am making his baby food and have enjoyed that task. I love to cook, so this is my way of cooking for my sweet baby! It's really not as time consuming as I expected it would be. I just took one day and made A LOT of food then froze it in ice cube trays. Now I have the cubes stored in the deep freeze in ziploc bags and can just pull out what I need for each day. When I find fresh fruits and veggies on sale I can just cook, puree, and freeze for later! Last week I found kiwis for $0.10 each and avacodo for $0.25 each.

Aiden is able to sit on his own now for pretty good chunks of time and can almost roll over from his back to his stomach. He loves to watch the cats and gets the biggest grin when he catches sight of one. They have been very patient with him and will sit next to him for a short time so he can pet them.

Sleeping has been horrible this month. He still goes to bed at his normal time but is up most nights every 3-4 hours. I am hoping this gets better soon. I was so used to him sleeping at least 6 (but usually 7-8) hours when he went to bed! He typically takes 2 naps a day, but they are only 45 minutes long. Whoever said babies this age need 12-15 hours of sleep each day forgot to tell Aiden! :) I have to say that thankfully his Sunday naps are 1.5-2 hours so we both get a good rest!

This has been a busy month already and we still have half a month to go. The first weekend we went camping with our church in Branson. It was cold at night, but the daytime was great. Aiden did well in the tent and besides being a little congested, had fun! Saturday my friend Tracie and I went shopping and we took the kids along with us. Tracie has a daughter, Addyson, that 16 months old, so she and Aiden entertained each other. He loves to watch other children!

Last weekend we went to a pumpkin patch in Missouri. Aiden loves to be outside so this was perfect for him. We took some pictures of him with the pumpkins. Of course he was more interested in trying to eat the pumpkins and play with the grass. He and Addyson had a fun time playing in the "corn box" - instead of sand there's dry corn kernels. Again, he just wanted to eat the kernels! :)

Next week we are headed to Hot Springs for my brother's wedding. Aiden and I will go down on Wednesday and Monty will come on Friday. The wedding is on Sunday, so we will stay through Monday.

Four Month Update

Aiden had his four month appointment last week. He weighed 17 pounds and 7 ounces (83rd percentile) and was 26.5 inches long (87th percentile). Again he did well will his shots and only cried for a minute.

Here's what esle Aiden's been up to ....

* He has started eating rice cereal and oatmeal and loves it! We also give him baby rice cakes to eat and he gobbles them up like a big boy.

* New discoveries = toes and ears! Aiden loves to reach down and grab his toes and try to bring them to his mouth. So far he has been unsuccessful but he'll do it before too long.

* Still loves to take a bath!

* He can almost roll over from his back to his tummy.

* Loves to be tickled and have us blow on his belly! He is laughing a lot these days!

* Last Sunday was the first time he made it all the way through Bible class without getting upset. Yay!! We're making progress. I have to say that he is getting a lot more laid back about being away from his mama.

Our Big Vacation

We had a wonderful time on out first big family vacation! At 3:30 on Friday we picked Monty up from work and headed out (after a stop at Sonic!). We drove to Conway and ate dinner at Cracker Barrel and then stopped just south of Memphis to spend the night. Aiden was so ready to be out of his car seat. He travels pretty well, but likes to have me in the back seat to entertain him.

Saturday morning we continued to Montgomery where we spent three nights with Monty's family. This was the first time his mom's parents had seen Aiden and they had such a good time with him. He also got to meet his Great Aunt Sandra and Great Aunt Linda. Monty's other set of grandparents were in town from Kentucky and they enjoyed seeing Aiden again.

On Tuesday afternoon we headed to Huntsville to spend three nights with my grandmother. The first night we were there we had dinner with my Uncle Joe, Aunt Beth, cousin Joel, and his wife Ashley. They just had a baby girl a month ago so Aiden got to meet one of his second cousins. We did our best to take pictures of Aiden and Annsley together with my grandmother, but Aiden just wanted to grab Annsley's feet and try to put them in his mouth! We'll all be together next month at my brother's wedding, so we'll try more cousin pictures then.

On Friday morning we left Huntsville and headed to St. Louis. Saturday afternoon, on our quest to see all the major league baseball stadiums, we were able to to see the Braves play the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Braves won 7 to 6! Yeah! So now that's four ball parks down and about 26 to go! Aiden fell asleep before the game started and slept peacefully until about the 2nd inning when the crowd cheered a little too enthusiastically for his liking. He was so scared and stared screaming. He calmed down fairly quickly and was pretty good until the 5th inning. Then he and I got up and walked around. He fell asleep while we were walking so we just stood up and watched the game. No use tempting fate again by sitting back down! We also went to the Arch again and walked around downtown before the game started. A great day, but we were all exhausted!!

Sunday morning we left and were back at home in time for church Sunday night. I love vacations, but I miss going to church in Bentonville while we're gone. It was so great to be back home and get to visit with friends.

*** Monty is working on getting the pics from the trip uploaded to our Flickr site.

Such a Big Boy

It is so amazing how much a baby can learn and change in such a short time. Every day it seems like there is something new that Aiden does or discovers. He is getting a little better about being happy in Bible class. The boy just loves his mama and daddy and doesn't like being away from us. As frustrating as this is at times, at least I know he loves us a lot. :)

His new trick is being able to pull the frog on his play mat to make the music come on.

I am excited that he is getting close to sitting up on his own. With just a little support he can do it!

He loves his new bath seat! Now bath time is even more fun!

Yeah! One of the few times he was actually happy on his tummy. Look at him hold his head up so well!

Three (and a half) Months

Wow! Our little man is three and a half months old! What a blessing this precious little boy has been in our lives. Here's what we've been up to....

* At the beginning of the month, Aiden and I went to Hot Springs by ourselves. I was a little nervous because you never can tell how Aiden will do in the car. He did GREAT! He slept almost the whole way down and almost the entire trip home. He got a little fussy at the end, but I can't complain. I can handle 15 minutes of fussing after 7 hours and 45 minutes of quiet!


{Aiden was not quite sure what to think of Uncle Alex's dog.}

* He rolled over again. (That's only twice now.) He hates being on his stomach! I lay with him, put toys around him, set up his mirror so he can see himself, but still all I get is crying! I know this too shall pass but still it's frustrating.

* Favorite toys right now are his exersaucer, Johnny-Jump-Up, and his little seat. He can see everything and this makes him happy. He LOVES to look around and take in what's going on.

* Everything goes in his mouth!! He loves to chew on anything he can get his hands on, especially blankets, burp cloths, and stuffed animals. When there's nothing else to chew on, in go the fingers (and sometimes fists)! Drool is all over him all the time!!

* Our daytime routine is pretty consistent now. He nurses every three hours and stays awake between naps about two hours. Still no long naps, just 3-4 one hour naps. The bedtime routine starts about 8:30 with a bath, then eating, then rocking. Aiden is typically asleep by 9:30 and sleeps 7-9 hours. He wakes up to eat then is back asleep for 3-4 more hours. I am so thankful I am not going back to work. His sleeping schedule would not leave me very rested!

* We tried to let him sleep without being swaddled, but that didn't end very well. Poor thing is still a little uncoordinated and ends up hitting himself in the face and waking up. We'll try again soon.

* Coming next month ... a trip to Montgomery to see Monty's family and then up to Huntsville to visit with my grandmother, aunt, uncle, and cousins. Then over to St. Louis for Aiden's first baseball game! The day after we come back is his four month check-up and shots. :( I am guessing he'll weigh about 16 pounds.

Firsts

We have had a week of "firsts" ....



* Tuesday Aiden actually laughed while I was talking to him! It was so sweet. I am loving that he is interacting more and engaging in "conversation".



* Wednesday he rolled over from his tummy to his back (and I missed it!). I laid him on his play mat and then left the room to go to the bathroom. When I came back to the living room he was on his back just looking around. He hasn't done it since, but nevertheless I am still careful about where I lay him!



* Thursday was his first time with a baby-sitter other than family. My good friend Lesley came and stayed with him while I went to the dentist. She said he did great. This is encouraging because he loves being with his mama and sometimes has trouble being with other people. He is going to Bible class now at church and is doing pretty good with that too.



Aiden's 3 month pictures are now on our Flickr site! Enjoy!

Great-Grandparents and More

How busy we've been around here lately. Fourth of July weekend we went to Hot Springs for my mom's birthday. Aiden did great on his first road trip and slept nearly the whole way there and the whole way home. Monty had some vacation days to use so he was able to take off Friday through Tuesday! It's nice to have some days at home together.

Aiden is becoming more and more fun each day. His new favorite things to do are watch his mobile,
listen to books and look at the pictures,

and watch his musical glow worm.

My Pappaw had a great time with Aiden!

Monty's grandparents came to visit last weekend. Aiden had a good time meeting Pops and Freda for the first time. Unfortunately I was in a wedding the same weekend so our time with them was limited. Hopefully we will get to see them when we go to Alabama in September.

Two Months Old

I can't believe Aiden is already two months old. Time is flying! He went for his two month check-up today. He did real good with his shots. He cried for only a second and then came home, ate, and went to sleep. Hopefully he'll have a good day today and won't be too fussy.


Here are his stats:
Weight: 14 pounds 1 ounce (93rd percentile)
Height: 24.25 inches (83rd percentile)


This is a random picture of him sleeping. He looked so cute when I got him up this morning! We are using his pack-n-play this week so he will be used to it when we go to Hot Springs tomorrow.

Sleep and Play

Aiden is growing so fast! I can't believe he is 8 weeks old. There are some new pics of him on our Flickr site. Monty is having fun experimenting with different portrait options.

Aiden is continuing to sleep well at night. He goes to bed at 10 and typically sleeps 5-6 hours. Last night he actually slept 7.5 hours! Yea!! Sleep for mommy!! He eats and goes right back to bed. He doesn't wake up "for good" until about 9:30 or 10:00. We are still working on taking naps during the day. It is really hard to get him to go down. He will fall asleep and then cry when I put him in his crib. He usually will only sleep about 2-3 hours during the day. If I carry him in the baby sling then he will sleep, but I really don't want him to become dependent on that as his way to take naps.

Aiden is becoming increasingly aware of his surroundings and loves to sit in his bouncy seat and look around. He will just smile at the toys on the seat and "talk" to them! It is so funny to watch. He also enjoys listening to me to me read to him. I am still working on getting him to play on his tummy and on his back. He really doesn't like it when he is not being held. He prefers to be able to look around. He is getting better and is not crying when I put him on his tummy. It is now just a whimper. I know he will play more independently as he gets older, but I just don't want him to get used to being held all day.

Next week he will be two months old and we will go for shots and a check-up. I am curious to see how much he weighs. I am guessing about 12 pounds. We will spend the weekend of the 4th at my parents house. Aiden will ge to meet his great aunt and uncle and hopefully even his great great aunt.

All Smiles

Aiden is now a smiling baby!! He started smiling last weekend when my parents were here and has been smiling ever since. Monty took some great one month pictures and managed to capture his sweet smile. Everything else is going well. Aiden is becoming more and more alert during his wake time and is so much fun to talk and play with. Monty got to stay by himself with Aiden for the first time yesterday while I went to a wedding shower at church. This weekend was the first time Aiden took a bottle and he did great.

Likes and Dislikes

Aiden likes . . .

* eating (but who doesn't?!?)
* being carried in the baby sling
* talking with mama
* listening to music while I am on the computer
* being swaddled tight to sleep
* sleeping late

Aiden dislikes . . .

* car rides
* baths
* being by himself

Overall, Aiden is on a great schedule and is pretty predictable. He is sleeping much better at night and is able to put himself to sleep. All I have to do is wrap him tight in his swaddle and he is out! He is asleep by 10 (usually) and will continue to sleep until about 10 the next morning (with a few feedings thrown in). We are enjoying our little man!

The Last Week

The last week has been a busy one! We have been able to get out more during the day which has been good for me! Aiden has been to Wal-Mart, Target, and the Associate Store - all very important places that he will learn to love as much as I do :). We went to church last night and then out to eat afterwards. It was so nice to be able to visit with friends! I was beginning to feel out of touch with the outside world.

Monty's parents and sister came for the weekend. Unfortunately Aiden had a very fussy two days and didn't seem to want anyone else but me. Hopefully the next visit they'll get to spend a little more time with him.

Aiden had his two week check-up on Friday. He weighed 9 pounds 10 ounces and was 22" long. He had gained 11 ounces and grown an inch since his 4 day old check-up. I think we're going to end up with a big boy!

New pictures have been uploaded to our Flickr account. Just click on the "Our Pictures" link on the side.

At Home

We are all adjusting well to life at home. Aiden is doing a great job sleeping and eating and is getting into a somewhat regular schedule. He is letting us sleep at night for about three hours at a time so we are both staying pretty rested.

My grandparents came from Hot Springs yesterday to visit. Aiden slept the whole time and let them hug and love on him the whole time they were here.

I am slowly recovering but have had so much help from Mom and Monty!! Monty gets up with me at night while I feed Aiden since I can't get in and out of the rocker with him. He has been great to change diapers and do anything else I need him to do. He will be at home with me for another two weeks. Yeah for paternity leave! Mom has been cooking and cleaning and is enjoying being a grandma.

Preping for C Time.

So more naps and resting. Sitting between an 8.5/9 with one side being stubborn.
Ang and Aiden are still doing great.

Mr. Aiden is still deciding which way to face and is taking his time. Ang and I have taken quick naps to get some rest.

Ang and Aiden are doing great.

Catching up 8.5. Ang doing great.

Ang is doing good around 8:30 she got an epi and was around 5.5 at station 0.

She's taking a nap now.

Thank you all for your concerns.

Up to 4 and he's getting lower.

About an hour ago Up to 3.5. Ang is being a trooper.

She got some of the hour long meds and are really helping with the Pitocin induced contractions.

She now sitting up and doing well.

We'll keep you all posted.

Still hanging in there.

At 2.5 , still going with Potocin. Ang is doing really good.
Ang's Mom is now here and sharing stories to pass the time.

More to come.

Today's the day.

Ang's water broke around 5:30 in the morning. When my alarm went off about 6 she said, "We're going to have a baby." So I got a shower and we gathered the rest of everything and headed to the hospital.

Interesting side note if you're ever going to have an emergency, have it around 6-7 AM as there wasn't anyone in the emergency room waiting area.

We're all setup in the room and waiting. Ang is doing great.

So now we wait...

Good Things In Life

There are so many good things in life right now . . . .

* Monty got a promotion a work! He is now a Senior Programmer Analyst. He knew the promotion may be coming sometime soon but was surprised when his boss called him in the office on Monday to give him the good news. He has been working really hard on some big new projects, so he really deserves this. I am so proud of him!

* Due to all the snow and ice I have not had to go to work for two days. How nice to relax and enjoy sleeping in a little and getting some housework done. We will be out Thursday too. This has been a bad ice storm but thankfully we only lost power for about 1 1/2 hours. That was last night from about 10:00-11:30 so we were in bed and it didn't really matter! Monty has taken some great pics and you can see them on our Flickr page.

* As of tomorrow I am 27 weeks pregnant and everything is going great! Only one more week of the second trimester left. We have our nursery finished (for the most part) and have had lots of fun buying clothes and picking out stuff for our little guy. Thank goodness for the Associate Store where we have been able to buy large quantities of diapers and wipes. I love that place!

* We have decided our big home improvement project this year will be to put new siding and gutters on the house. The old siding in the back is beginning to rot, but after all, it is a composite wood and it's 16 years old. The new siding will also increase the selling value of our house. Not that we plan to sell soon, but we will in the next few years. I think it's funny that I now get so excited about buying things like appliances, furniture, and things for the house. I guess that's because I know purchases like that are an investment in our future.