trick or treat

It's bat boy! Aiden ran himself ragged today running around pretending to be a bat. He also put this mask back on when he was finished trick or treating tonight and he was excited to help pass out some candy himself.Earlier today after naptime, we headed to the bookstore my boss owns for their Halloween parade and show. Aiden was making everyone laugh by walking up and introducing himself as a tiger, roaring, then saying hi to whatever costumed friend was there...."i a tiger, roar, hi giraffe" He's not a shy kid. He kept up in the parade around Wayland Square by chasing the giraffe in front of him, sometimes roaring, and then saying "I nice tiger" - good thing he wasn't scaring anyone ;)



We had a quick dinner and then Rebecca and her boyfriend came trick or treating with us. We made it to a bunch more houses than I expected. The weather was perfect, but our neighborhood was not very crowded... no idea why. Aiden's bucket was pretty full but he insisted on carrying it even as it bounced against his leg and skidded along the ground. He did a good job saying thank you every time, but only managed to get trick or treat out a few times - I think he was too distracted by all the excitement of getting up the big stairs, ringing the doorbell or knocking on the door. I have plenty of video too coming soon...

edible cars

Aiden is loving cars lately, but it's hard to believe that cars overflowed into my work life lately. I had quite a week hosting the Food Network's Glutton for Punishment on campus. He was here to compete in our Edible Car Competition. The engineering challenge was to take provided ingredients (that are almost all vegetables) and create a car that has at least three working wheels. The car that goes the farthest and looks the best wins! The winning car rolled nearly 174 feet! That is some serious engineering. Having the film crew there was quite an experience, and they recorded me (minus my expected nervous laughter) at a local farm picking out the produce and being interviewed by the host about the rules. We won't see anything until April, but it will be interesting to see how they narrow nearly 50 hours of coverage into a 22 minutes.

Here are tons and tons of photos from the actual event: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brownengin/sets/72157622578504815/

boo-kfast

Halloween Breakfast at Sunnyside this morning! They were playing spooky music, parading around kids in costume, and giving out treats. The best part was free mimosas for adults in costume and free breakfast for kids in costume! Aiden got some green brains (aka. green eggs) and I shared my really yummy pumpkin pancakes. We had him use a costume from the dress up bin so he wouldn't make his tiger all dirty for tonight. He fit right in as a mouse because all the waitresses were cats!


Then we zipped over to the a local bookstore for their Author's Festival and Halloween Party. We ended up with a new book too - The Cat and the Hat Comes Back! Aiden wanted to snuggle this pumpkin guy who was just the right size.

happy halloween!

Hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween!

He's doing a PopPop impression of a witch ;) Spooooky!

Our little tiger is going to continue to growl through a nice Halloween spooktacular today!

tgif video carving!

Aiden and Rebecca carved a pumpkin to get ready for Halloween - R and A go through a calendar with themes each week and this week was pumpkins!  (last week skeletons!)  
Rebecca took these on her cell camera and made my day:

whoosh

Wow, what day is it again? We celebrated at the Gymboree Halloween Bash on Friday, I left for a girl's weekend whirlwind trip (so fun!) on Saturday before dawn, Aiden and J partied it up at the Spooktacular at the Zoo, I arrived home Monday night after Aiden spent part of the day with the Toe Jam Halloween Party with Rebecca and Tyler, I was filmed for two hours by the Food Network show Glutton for Punishment on Tuesday morning, I made it to my RISD class on Wednesday night after finishing my homework right on time, and all the while J is plugging along as the super daddy/professor that he is.

Let's see I will probably catch up slowly with the fun visuals. At the Gymboree Bash we premiered what will become very well loved (or at least well used) costumes - We're a Wizard of Oz Family: Lion, Tiger, and Bear Oh My!- If you get J's pink floyd tshirt reference you get bonus points:
Lara came to town early to fly out early the next morning for our girl's weekend. She was a devil with a tail that Aiden thought was funny.

aiden's guide

I found this funny "guide" I'd written for my folks when they took care of Aiden for the night when we went "away" for our anniversary in June. So here is a synopsis of Aiden's quirks at 19 months (It's interesting to see how much more he communicates just about six months later):

“Stick – ick – st st st”

- pointing at freezer = wants fish stick – usually two – micro for 30 seconds, then cut up in half inch bites and give him a fork to eat them

- pointing at cabinet to left of sink = wants veggie stick chips – sometimes wants a specific color – if he throws them when you take them out of the chair you have him clean them up and put them in the trash

“aaal-al” – with fingers squiggle under chin

- wants cereal – usually munchies like the jumbo rice krispies or flakes

- at night he may want oatmeal with a little bit of milk

pumping fingers into a fist like he's milking a cow - saying “malk”

- wants some milk in the rockstar straw insulated cup

- likes it nice a cold

“unny” and thumb and finger bouncing up and down

- wants to look out the window to see if there are any bunnies

- will look out the front door as a good distraction or the windows by the couches

“dough” “elmooo”

- wants to play with playdoh in his high chair

- make elmo finger puppets with the molds out of the colors he asks for

“blue” and touching his lips

- wants his blue water bottle for a drink

- he sometimes also wants you to drink from the big red one at the same time

- he will start dumping this all over the floor if you get distracted

“Kaa” or smacks his lips like a fish

- wants some fishy crackers – can put them in snack trap to carry around or on his tray

“Baar”

- wants a fruit bar – which is usually best to eat in his chair because they are sticky

- do not break the bar up in pieces – he wants to hold the whole bar in tact and bite off it – otherwise he may fuss and throw it

“Waa Waaf”

- wants a frozen waffle - we toast them up normally

- he eats them just plain without syrup or anything

“Yo Yo”

- wants some yogurt – try to be sure he has a bib on or a shirt you can change him out of because he will want to feed himself

“Cheese”

- wants a cheese stick – don’t break it up he will take bites from it

- it feels good on his teeth nice and cold

Other words are pretty self explantory or he will point at obvious things.

good list

Sock monkey big boy jammies with buttons! I just can't get over how adorable these jammies are and that they actually fit Aiden now - I remember receiving them from my aunt, uncle, and cousins (thanks!) thinking that they were so big he'd wear them when he was entering kindergarten because they must be mislabeled...but they fit just right now.
It's a sticker safari! That foamy safari hat comes in handy for an early morning sticker fest.
This booklet of monster stickers was a huge hit! He can't quite pull them off the paper himself everytime, but he's patient with them and he likes to tell you which sticker is next. Then he matches them up with their "buddies" on the paper and proclaims they are "da same!" He occasionally asks us to draw a monster around the eyes, but most of them were matched up in a big pile on the white sheet. He was also into flipping the paper over to use both sides.
Homemade banana bread with banana and peanut butter- a double banana treat for mom and Aiden!
It was Monster week not too long ago, and Aiden couldn't get enough of this funny wooden mask he found to scribble on at Michael's. It lost an antennae but it's still a hit. He especially wants Dad to be the monster.
Spider Web Mantle! There is a spider hiding in the web and even a black crow. It's getting spooky just in time for Halloween.

New Green Mini Gloves - Aiden picked those green gloves out at the store the other day - The first time putting them on was tricky but then he got the hang of it... one finger at a time.

Then the good list this month must include the 30th birthday edition of Girl's Weekend with all my high school friends this weekend in DC! woohoo, can't wait! Aiden and Dad will be having a fun boys weekend hopefully making it over to the Zoo Spooktacular.

apple pie!

I just pulled the apple pie of the season out of the oven. I usually make about one a season because I'm so busy making pumpkin muffins ;) This will be the first pie Aiden tries, so let's hope it's a good one :) The verdict will have to wait until tomorrow. I also hope that it will cheer up Rebecca (since her poor doggie Rex was bitten multiple times by another dog).

We picked up the apples for the pie at the farm the other day, and ooh boy they are delicious. Even more delicious sliced, doused in sugary goodness, and baked in a pie! (The Joy of Baking recipe asked you to "Let the apples macerate at room temperature for about two hours." Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/ApplePie.html#ixzz0UVl2xvbC - I'd never "macerated" before but I think it's worth it because then it calls for less sugar!)

I've always had a "thing" about pesticides. I think it was that Independent Study I did for Zenith in middle school about Rachel Carson and Silent Spring that caused it. As the winter sets in, here is a list of the best foods to aim for organic options:

emberley's birthday

Illustrator Ed Emberley celebrates his 78th birthday today (turns out he is a Massachusetts native that went to RISD and Mass School of Art). I remember his fun step-by-step drawing books and I look forward to sharing them with Aiden.

"All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."

In honor of his birthday, here is a batch of Aiden art:

impulse

J and I both decided on an impulse to go see Where the Wild Things Are this afternoon. We didn't have a babysitter, so we each went along to two different showings because we're smarty ;) and we might have to do that again sometime. I went while Aiden was napping, so I didn't even miss any of the real wild thing action. Aiden and I made a huge batch of pumpkin muffins while daddy went to see it.

I think that the movie was more than I expected. It really left you thinking. I'd seen the sneak peak on the OnDemand and the trailer and I wish I knew less about it and had gone in fresh, because many of the coolest parts were already included in the preview. I think they did a good job translating the same feel of the book. It is a movie more about childhood than for children. I enjoyed seeing it on the big screen because some of the shots were so awesome. I also liked hearing the audience react. There was a little 5 year boy asking questions and I wondered how I would answer questions like that from Aiden. Then there was another little kid snoring away since it's a fairly slow, deep movie. Some reviews complain that it doesn't have much of a plot, but I think that the viewer has to use their imagination to elaborate on it. Of course, I like movies without plots according to J. It definitely delivers a thoughtful and thought provoking take on the classic book.

lost in the shuffle

I just realized that I had a bunch of posts that I'd never published! Here is a dated rundown of the incomplete posts, so that they aren't stuck in draft mode forever - I also published some in their original spot (which you google reader folks, etc may see?):
10/31/07 - places my water has not broken
Here are some scenarios and places my water has not broken:
- At the Ruby Tuesday's Garden Fresh bar while scooping up some cottage cheese
- Fighting a bit with the embroidery machine making some surprises
- Sneezing while trying to open the window in 50 degree weather because baby brewing sure is steamy
11/1/07 - postpartum party plans
Hot dogs, cold cuts, brie cheese, and wine will be the top menu selections. All three I've avoided based on mixed advice that these are "bad" for your developing fetus. For whatever reason anytime I saw someone eating a hot dog at the baseball game or getting a sample of soft cheese at the farmer's market, I craved that food.

11/20/07 - quotable quotes
Should I change him? No, I love him just the way he is...

3/11/08 - wish I knew
1. It would be nice to have a mobile that doesn't need to be wound up and doesn't power save after only a few minutes.
2. Miracle swaddler blanket. Aiden never really liked being swaddled, but it may have made it easier if we'd had one of these to hold his little arms against him wrapped in a blanket. He's such a little hot box I'm pretty sure this fabric would've worked well too.
3. Car seat strap covers - This prevents the straps from getting tangled and it's padded against the baby so when it slips it doesn't look like its cutting into his chubby neck.
4. The recline on the swing is very important, otherwise the baby will slump over too much.
5. More than three buttons shouldn't be allowed on baby clothes. The best outfits are those that snap and zip, don't need to go over the head, and have easy access for diaper changes. In the winter it also helps to have feet and longish sleeves that can be pulled over the little paws. I know it seems obvious but I didn't not realize how complicated the baby dressing can get.
6. Keep water bottles wherever you plan to nurse. Cups are easy to knock over.
7. Some prenatal/lactation vitamins are harsher on your stomach than others. The first batch I had was rough, but the next batch advertised being light on the stomach and they really were.
8. Always bring the caps to all the bottles you plan to use with your pump. Keep the pump parts refrigerated if you can't do anything but wipe them down (they even sell special wipes to wipe them down).

3/25/08 - sleeping through
American Academy of Pediatrics defines "sleeping through the night" as a five hour stretch of sleep. If so, Aiden's got that covered.

3/27/08 - i love you from
For weeks I've been chatting with Aiden
I love you from
your eyes to your thighs
your chin to your shin
your ear to your rear
your lips to your hips
your nose to your toes
Dad made up a new one: I love you from your thumb to your bum.

5/4/08 - drink
Aiden has grabbed the bottle out of his dad's hands, but we've reached a new milestone in the last couple weeks. Aiden is fascinated and fixated at trying to get Dad's soda can (which isn't baby friendly at all with it's sharp edges because somehow he knows to try to stick his tongue at it). He grabs and even grunts with pinchy hands reaching out every time dad takes a sip.

2/20/09 - addicted to hand me downs
Yep, I will take hand-me-downs from anyone and be excited about them. I think used kids clothes are the smartest thing. I am especially excited when they actually still have tags on them... and this was especially true with the itty bitty kiddie stuff that in those tired blurs in the first few months the new parents didn't even know that they were there... hidden in the closet waiting to become the best hand-me-downs around.

wild rumpus

Where the Wild Things Are - the movie is out! To celebrate here's the part of the book leading up to the wild rumpus - Aiden thinks it's funny to "argue" with his dad:

We hope to get out to see it soon - sans Aiden, although it would be a fun first movie I've heard that it's for bigger kids...and it's not likely he'd sit still that long.

family photos

So I'm keeping my top four favorite images from our family photos last weekend for our holiday card, but here are the "outtakes" - Colt State Park, Bristol, RI (right down the road from where J and I met)

best buddies

Aiden's best buddy Tyler is one of the original gang at school. So they have technically known each other since February of 2008. (Aiden has been friends with this kid longer than I've known some of my friends!) I'd like to think that they will be some sort of lifelong friends, but given how often people move around these days (especially people like us) and that we don't even live in the same school district, it's not too likely. It is fun to think that they both can call each other a "first friend" though. Tyler is a funny kid who loves to cheese...
They learned to share with each other waaay back in 08 ;)
It's a cat chasing mouse game!