once

There are a lot of things that only happen once in your life.  Right this second at 10:46 and 7 seconds AM, Aiden is 1 year, 2 months, 3 weeks, 4 days, 5 hrs, 6 min, 7 sec old! I'm writing this in advance and scheduling it, so it will post at exactly the right time. I can't quite explain how my aunt knows this, but it is rocking cool of her to take a second to notice and point it out...especially since this busy mom would lose track pretty easily and it's nice to take a second to think... because time flies when you're having fun, right?!

hippo growth rate

Yep, that makes 40 hippos and one bear disguised as a hippo: four that rattle, three that float, two that squeak, one that giggles, and all of which are soft and cuddly!  At the last hippo friend photo (at 10 months) I think there were only 27 hippos. That is a growth rate of over 48%! We're right on target ;)

party circuit

This was a nice full weekend full of fun! Aiden had fun with his old teacher babysitting him while I attended my second RISD class on Saturday morning. He is excited when he has someone new over to his house and he has to show them around and play hide and seek. J was out of town at the end of last week and arrived home Saturday afternoon. We cozied up and relaxed, saving up our energy for our double header birthday extravanganzas the next day. Aiden took a perfectly timed super long nap right before it was time to head to the first party.

Gymboree hosted the first birthday party and they put on a great party. It was really high energy and extra long playtime for Aiden. He was dubbed "a definite Gymboree Kid" by the teachers and he was really excited to sing some new songs. The definite highlight for him was the songs with maracas. He was also really happy to sit in the big boy chairs and eat some treats and sing happy birthday.

Then we were off across town to our friend's house where Aiden was expected to be the littlest of the party goers. He was able to keep up with the big kids and even played some of the simple ball games with dad's help. He was especially excited to sit at the little picnic table and munch on some crackers and a little cake...but the cold ice cream was a no go. Most of the kids at this party were two to four years old (and all of which went to that home daycare that didn't fit for us a while back - you all remember that awkwardness this time last year - yeah, that lady was there but she acted like she didn't remember us)... It affirmed for me that although Aiden can hold his own, he should not be in an environment with kids that are that much older than him (mostly because I think at that age kids can really assert themselves negatively and I don't want him witnessing/experiencing that all the time - especially when he's so interested in imitating everything he sees). He spent most of the night carrying these golf clubs around pushing them through the crowds of kids (i think there were 14 kids!). J thought the clubs were his defense mechanism...others thought they matched his outfit or his career goals ;)

aw shucks

Seriously Oshkosh you only have this shirt available up to nine months!? I considered buying one and tailoring it... or making it into a pillow... using it to dress his other animal friends... or wrapping over his shoulder like a little prepster... or something. Come on!

I'm home with A cuddling today because J's bringing in more hippo-buyin-money at a conference and nanny starts morning classes today. We had Gymboree class this morning and Aiden escaped from under the parachute house (causing it to deflate even quicker than it usually does - eek - but the nice teacher asks everyone to hold it up with their twinkle stars). He was really into playing with this new wooden tool box. He did tear himself away just in time to give Gymbo a kiss goodbye. We came home and he gobbled up everything I offered him (except for the new cakes I made -big frowny - but we'll keep trying). Then we went out to get some birthday presents for upcoming shindigs. He goes back to Gymboree with nanny this afternoon for open gym time. It's the good life when you go to Gymboree twice in one day. Thursdays rule!

jammie jam 2

It's bedhead bedlam!

Yep, Aiden's crazy hair will frizz out like that the rest of the day. We hadn't rocked much up until the holiday, but now Aiden is hooked. He sometimes insists on rocking out and will literally grab the guitar and try to get dad to rock. It cracks me up when he stomps his feet and throws his fist.

debrief

Today is a day which will hopefully align our history and our hope.  I edited (reading the same passage over and over) and had the inauguration on in the background. Aiden was going down for a nap with his nanny whimpering from some recent teething pain. I was peeking over my laptop at the inauguration and couldn't help but think that Aiden was protesting because he wanted to watch the historical oath. It was moving to see all the people collected to share the moment.    

It is hard to believe that the election is complete and we have a new president. It sure does feel like this year is flyin...  Aiden's nanny arrived today and kept remarking that he seemed taller even from last Friday. I think it's all the "fast feet" dancing that we did this past weekend. So here's a debrief from our nice long weekend: I kicked off the weekend with my first winter session RISD class focused on digital printing. It seems like it will be definitely worth the time away and I'll be learning many new things about the printing process (oh, chemistry!). Then we had brunch with friends who are hardy skier types that made it to us with the many inches of snow falling. It kept going even after they all skedattled. J dug out to drive up to Boston with his buddy for the Metallica concert leaving Aiden and I home alone to dance, skype, nibble and cuddle. He made it back safely at 2am despite the yicky snow storm I kept trying to ignore and he was razzed up, which made all the mild worry worth it.

We started to thaw out a bit on Monday, and while we were out we saw folks without coats in the balmy 30 degree weather - there were even two little girls without coats in flipflops surrounded by the melting snow! We kept our cozy coats on to get some schtuff done. There was some cooking, some shopping (a new used amp so that we can hear the drum set now), some cleaning (I actually cleared out Aiden's unused bassinet from our bedroom. Even though it couldn't possibly be sentimental because he slept in it no more than 3 hours, I had a hard time moving out of our room. Was it because it was admitting he wasn't a little baby anymore, well uh?! Or maybe I just liked using it as a clean laundry bin.), and some photo organizing (getting especially excited by the digital prints of our wedding photos - an awesome present from my folks - thanks!). A very typical extra weekend day for me...now it's time for a short week.

cakes!

It's been a while since I've been cooking exclusively for Aiden.  It's nice that he can eat what we're eating most of the time...or at least attempt to eat it.  I have to thank Dr. Praeger's brand for getting us through these past couple of weeks, when he would eat only yogurt, chicken, maybe a few tidbits of soft veggies, and some version of their frozen veggie cakes. So with a nice long weekend and the hustle and bustle of the holidays behind us, I thought it was time to try out some big boy foods. There are all sorts of fun recipes on places like weelicious, but some seemed too advanced (like those spinach polenta balls he ate for a bit and then took to throwing across the kitchen). I thought I could imitate some veggie cakes with other veggies than they offer in the grocery. The key here is variety and the ability for him to feed it to himself easily (big boys don't like mom holding the spoon now).

So I started reading recipes for vegetable cakes... they all had the same things in common... Grind up veggies, add bread crumbs, and maybe some egg white. I started figuring out that I could sub in a dollup of sticky hummus instead of egg white, added in some wheat germ because I had it, and some veggies didn't even need the bread crumbs (like lima beans). As long as I could roll it into a flat pancake shape it was good to go straight into the pan for a quick sear. And viola, I have a new big batch of my own frozen cakes: Lima onion, Cauliflower carrot, and Squash cauliflower. We'll see how it goes... but I'm hoping he at least gives them a shot.

good list

We have a huge new addition to the good list courtesy of our friend that works at Hasbro. It's clipo hippo! (Not yet released in the stores, but you can preorder your very own ;) I originally thought it was just an accessory to the clipo table, but it's a stand alone toy. Aiden loves the texture of the shapes. It really kept his attention. Clipo hippo eats pieces and can open and close his mouth. Aiden's favorite game is to put all the pieces in then dump then back out again. Huge thanks to J and S!

Minus the one mini geyser it created on the airplane the other day, this straw insulated thermos is a hit. It's Aiden's favorite new big boy cup.  I love it because it keeps everything cool, it's uber easy to clean, and it doesn't "sweat" like other cold cups.

push and pull

We're staying warm around here... warm at heart and on the fingertips.  We are settling into a nice new routine with our new nanny and gymboree three times a week. The best part is that Aiden gets to go to Gymboree with Dad at least once a week.  I wish I had the flexibility to take him myself, but I'm so glad that he gets extra time to learn from his dad.  (Who BTW, just got his advanced contract on his book finalized with Princeton...toot, toot)  Ever since the holiday, Aiden has continued to be what we affectionately call "daddy clingy"... He goes to J for comfort and looks for him right when he leaves the room. I think finding so much comfort from dad has helped with his "self weaning" too. He continues to nurse in the morning and the evening (we won't talk about the extreme sucking that he does when he can't quite get the flow going - ouch!), but you can tell that he is so quick or easily distracted that he's getting enough nourishment from his big boy food. He eats fairly well lately, although sometimes he only wants a few types of food for a couple days (like right now broccoli pancakes are out and spinach pancakes are in).   If I had to guess, I bet he will completely self wean sometime this century... ok, my real guess is sometime in the next two months.

Our Babycenter email update this past week included this excerpt:

"Does it seem as if one minute your toddler's a shrinking violet clinging to your leg, and the next he's eagerly toddling toward the swing set without a backward glance? Those are classic examples of the push and pull your child will exhibit on the road to independence. There's not much to do but accept that sometimes he'll act needy and other times he'll ignore you. Give him the space he needs to explore (provided it's safe), but stay close by for the occasional hug of reassurance."

My philosophy right now is that kind of reassurance will help him build his sense of security and confidence.  And it's just great that he sometimes shares a hug at just the right time.

Up next from Babycenter: Playing side by side, and what toddlers and puppies have in common...

silly video

Here are some Aiden highlights on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/gp/94324507@N00/dzp358

Here are some video clips from our silly play time in Ohio. This is what happens when you get snowed in on a mini vacation in a not-so-baby-proof house. I chased Aiden with the video camera a bunch while eating xmas nougats ;)


Ohio visit - Jammie time from LB on Vimeo.


Ohio visit - Henrichs, etc from LB on Vimeo.


Ohio visit - Gifts, etc from LB on Vimeo.

soft start

This year is off to a nice slow start so far...just the way I like it after a nice rejuvenating break. We had three awesome days with our new nanny at home, it's hard to believe how much easier our morning routine is now without having to drop the baby at school. I was a little bit worried about my work from home arrangement with the nanny in the house with him, but it worked out really smoothly and he didn't even know I was upstairs. Phew, because I was going to be sad if I had to give up working in my jammies because Aiden fussed for me at the stairwell all day.

Then after just three days back I was on vacation again (since I had vacation time that I was obligated to use we decided to have a second holiday and help my mom celebrate her birthday!). It's always such a treat to see all of my family. Trip highlights included helping my sister find the perrrfect wedding dress (while J and A literally ran around the store and my dad looked like he was ready to fall asleep), watching the over foot of snow fall for hours, giggling with Aiden over the lights (his new favorite sign) going on and off on the dining room chandelier, and imitating a sumo wrestler with uncle David.

I am so grateful for my mom for pulling together all the meals and especially for teaching Aiden new songs. My dad was even able to charm the Aiden fussmeister and he quickly started calling everyone PopPop and giving the sign for grandpa. My sister was the all-star baby whisperer and she was able to help get him down to sleep during all the hustle and bustle. He learned new signs not just for PopPop, but GranGran taught him the under the chin wave, auntie Liz gets the fist to the nose, and Uncle Bill two thumbs up with a big grunt. We got to see all of the Ohio crew and we are so thankful for all the hugs and presents. Can't wait for the next quick trip...

Aiden continues to be the master airplane kid. On the second flight he was awake the whole time excited by the flashy lights outside and the light over our seat. On the first flight, not a single peep as he read books as everyone boarded, then he was asleep in my arms almost the entire flight. The people around us twice now have openly admitted that they were "worried" but he "deserved a treat for being so good"... Oh, he has plenty of new treats ;) thanks to everyone...

thanks

(sorry about the scanned in photos, my camera will not connect with my computer which is traumatic... but i do have this little canon printer where I can plug the flash card in directly, print them, and then scan them.  oooh, what i do for some visuals ;)
One of my oldest friends (hard to believe we've known each other for 15 years!) visited this weekend! Aiden was showing off his playful energy and skipped naps just because he loved giggling with his visitors. We snagged them from the train station (since they were on an east coast extravaganza coming all the way from Oregon) and went straight to snowy Newport to catch the tail end of the xmas decorations at the Breakers. Aiden had skipped his morning nap, so he napped in the car with J while we toured the big fancy mansion, so unfortunately we missed Aiden oooing and awwing at everything... but i think that we oooed enough for ourselves. Then we headed to the Newport Winery for a tasting.  The owner gave Aiden a soccer ball to kick around (in his shop with all the wine bottles that is very brave, but it was a good distraction for him).  Then we headed back home for some play time and rocking out to guitar hero (which Aiden likes to dance to and his fist pounding makes me giggle every time). The next morning we toured around Brown a little, had a nice brunch, toured around Roger Williams Park, and had a carousel ride!  Aiden wasn't so sure about the carousel, so this time we sat in the seats and watched everybody riding which I think helped him be more comfortable.  K and K found an awesome new hippo friend for Aiden at FAO Schwartz in NYC - thanks so much for adding to our hippo collection - so thoughtful!

Yesterday was Aiden's first day with his new nanny. I expected that he might sleep late like we've been in the habit of over the break (you know sleep late means 8:00am...), but he was up around the same time I bounced out of bed sorta discombobulated...not sure what to wear because all my work clothes were buried by my comfy cuddle duds...and just generally trying to get myself motivated for what would feel like a looong day.  I had sifted through my email a bit already, so I knew what I was in for...but it did feel like I was in slow motion all day.  Aiden clearly didn't want me to leave for work because he peed all over my work pants right before I was ready to leave.  Then I realized my car was covered in an inch of ice.  Then when I finally arrived at work, I slipped on the ice next to my car.  Yep, it was one of those days.

J was with Aiden until Rebecca arrived for her first day at her "new job" - It seems strange to think that this is a "job" for her.  She seemed excited to start her new gig and even posted her excitement on facebook.  J gave her a rundown and a quick tour of things, but it's really not that easy to introduce someone to your house, routine, and expectations all at one time.  I think she had a nice day with him and she even kept track of his daily just like at school.  J beat me home, so I just caught her leaving as I arrived home, and the highlights she mentioned were that they went outside to play in the snow (where Aiden did his Christmas Story snowsuit gig), had fun drumming, and playing hide and seek around the corners.  I guess he was really into leading her around the house and showing her all his stuff.  The biggest accomplishment was that he took two really good solid naps right on schedule.  We used one of the crib mattresses we have as a "cot" and he seemed to like it.  I think since he's been on a cot at school for so long he is used to that with Rebecca.  A two hour Gymboree play gym is added to the mix today which I bet will help break up the day for both of them.  She's going to do a snowman theme of activities with him the rest of the week too.  Overall, Aiden seemed really well rested and happy to play when I got home (versus a normal daycare Monday where he would've napped less and would've come home super tired).  I just have more peace of mind knowing that he's safe and sound at home.

14 months!

Dear Aiden,

This was the month of noises, questions and answers. You started giving us responses to questions like where's your tummy? belly button? chest? head? nose? ear? And you'd give the biggest beaming smile when you figured it out. When you point out your chest you would imitate Tarzan, making the woaaah noise. There are many photos of you this month going aaah, oooh, aaaw as you are knocking towers over or pointing at the flashy lights on the xmas tree.
The holiday season was such a treat with you this year. You continued to love playing with greeting cards and you were especially excited by some cards that played jingle music when you opened them! You got pretty good at pulling on the wrapping paper and you definitely had plenty of practice. You also liked loading up your new wagon with all your new toys then trying to tumble inside with them to take a cruise around the barn room.
We had giggle fests while honking your nose and beeping your toes, especially when you felt cuddly with your tummy bug. You kept your sense of humor all month despite a little tummy trouble. You had your last day at school for a while and we hope that this will mean you might avoid some of the bugs. Although now you are signed up for Gymboree three times a week, but I'd expect that there are less germs there than at school.
Gymboree will soon be one of your favorite places and as we trotted in there this week I heard you babble em-or-eee. Your favorite game at Gymboree is to dunk balls into their basketball hoop. You do it in slow motion with the ball hanging out over your shoulder as you pull up on your tippy toes to tip it over the almost three foot tall hoop rim. You are also really into throwing balls at point blank range. You will run up and throw the ball as close as you can.
Your eating habits have changed dramatically now that you are eating almost all big boy food. Your favorite foods are yogurt (mixed with fruit and cereal especially) and broccoli pancake. Seriously, you won't eat applesauce but you love broccoli and spinach pancakes?! I'll take it kid, but you must have your dad's taste buds. You insist on using your own spoon to scoop which is sometimes more successful than other times. You can even scoop your own yogurt and get about 75% of it in your mouth on the first try. If you don't manage the first time, you will even scoop it off your bib occasionally. You would eat almost anything before your first birthday and then you developed some serious preferences. You know what you want now and you will point at it for us in the cabinet. Daddy had discovered that these little bowls I picked up in Iceland are like magic dishes from which you will eat almost anything. I think you have discerning taste and you like the Scandinavian design.
Your favorite new bath game is bath tub crayons which will even crayon on your tummy. We know that you've been scrub-a-dubbed well once that crayon rubs off. Brushing you teeth became such a fun thing we now have a gum brusher too and you usually want to hold both at the same time. You are also learning to comb your hair, but every once in a while you will mix up the brushes and brush your hair with your tooth brush.
You started learning to be more tender and gentle (although you can get in a good yank on my hair every now and then). You like to rock and cuddle any soft toy including a pillow like it's a baby. We now have a new toy bin just for your soft friends and you seem to like trying to dive into it for some cuddles. You love throwing bins full of things over your head. You are even getting good at recognizing which toys are hard and will hurt. You have learned more about how to get around the house safely too. You know to stop at the top of our three little stairs into the living room and you wait for a hand to take the big steps down. You have also learned how to get off the couch and even the high bed by sliding on your tummy.
Your favorite toy continues to be the xylophone that has a ball pounding area above it. You even like to stuff your weebles up the tube now too. This, of course, is when you are not insisting on bouncing on the big ball, sometimes wanting to do it on your own without our hands on your legs which doesn't work out that well. Daddy does the best bouncing and he says that it is a real arm workout. Your daddy is such a good sport and he even cracked a smile at our matching xmas jammies. You seemed to recognize that we were wearing matching jammies or at least that something fun was going on because mommy kept giggling.
Hat, bird, ball, baby and cat where your favorite new signs. You liked pointing out anything wearing a hat in your books, on people at restaurants, and even on posters at the grocery store. You would find a hat and try to plop in on your head, then you'd try to share it with daddy. Your teachers were very impressed by how many signs you've soaked up and that you intently want to communicate with them by stringing them together. They were so excited that they even started writing on your highlights section which "sign sentences" you used that day.
Along with your signs, we have been using lots of noises. When you do the sign for drink you will also go "gug, gug, gug" and giggle when we ask if you want a drink. You will make noises for cars, airplanes and trains when you are pushing them around. You will smack your lips when you are eating and go "aaah" when you had a refreshing drink (or you have cold ice on your lips - which is your favorite restaurant distraction). When you're not sprinkling the floor with your cereal from your new snack trap, you are chomping with a num, num, num. If you drop your cup and bend down to grab it, you will sometimes groan like an old man (I think you now think that is funny since we giggle at you).
We packed up all of your baby toys and you patted them goodbye and took one last bop in your bumbo. Then you unwedged your chubby legs and went right back to peeking at us from between your legs when you are in your downward facing dog yoga position. J thinks that they should have olympic trampoline jumping for men by the time you are old enough. His prediction is that you will be a dentist, trampoline jumper, and ceiling fan lighting designer. As we start this new year, I know there are many things you "will be" and I won't even try to predict. I'll just enjoy those upside down giggles for now.

Love, Mommy (aka. signing with your thumb to your chin)

happy new year!

Wow! Happy 2009!

Ten years ago I was standing right in Times Square (freezing for over 6 hours!) to watch the ball drop, and this year I watched it on tivo this morning. Honestly, I don't feel a day older, despite my old woman tendencies. We spent News Years Eve snowed in with over 6 inches that dumped very quickly in subzero temps (they even canceled the city First Night celebrations in Providence and Boston). We were cozy in our jammies watching the blustery snow. Whenever we mentioned snow, Aiden kept thinking we said nose, so he was wandering around pointing at his nose. We had one of our last dance parties to the xmas music, drumming sessions (daddy didn't lose an eye in 2008), wobbled some weebles, puzzled over some puzzles, and read his twelve days of monsters book over and over. Then we officially rang in the New Year warm and cozy in bed.