inaugural fan club meeting

Oh boy, the stories... I hardly know where to start. I was really looking forward to taking Aiden home to meet his GREAT grandma, aunts, and uncles along with cousins and friends! I had no idea that this kid would have so many smiles to share with what I dubbed his fan club. He is one lucky kid! We are so grateful for all your loves and cuddles. Thank you, thank you! Your Fan Club cards are in the mail. Sign up now and get special updates and special photos signed by Aiden himself ;) teehee, I play, I promise this kid will understand a happy reality that doesn't revolve around only him ;)

The trip to Aiden's inaugural fan club meeting for the ohio chapter started with a really early drop off for our delayed flight. Aiden and I cruised back and forth in his favorite new stroller where he can recline and see all the flashy lights in the airport. I called home to let them know we were delayed a bit, and as I was hanging up Aiden had one of his classic pooplosions. Now some are worse than others, and this was a dooozey. I luckily was holding him and was able to carry him and push the stroller (with one hand! must have stroller feature) to the restroom. As I was walking in, two women looked at each other and started jabbering - "ohh good gracious, look at that, gross!" I thought, uh oh, this may be worse than I thought. I poked around looking for the pull down baby changing station - finding nothing - I determined that this space of counter without a mirror must be the only place. I throw down my changing pad and realize that my arm is wet. Let's just say that I had to give him a wipes bath. Both he and I got new outfits, and I really cleaned down that counter top for the next unsuspecting person (complete with anti-bac spray).

So I get on the plane without any more new outfits (dumb, trying to pack light in my carry-on) and I had picked a seat by myself on one side of the plane. They had to switch my seat because of oxygen masks or something annoying, so I ended up next to this poor guy that ended up being very nice. I had my nursing wrap but it is still very awkward being shoulder to shoulder with a stranger while nursing. But I had been given lotsa advice that on the ascent and descent it helps the little ear popping, etc. It really seemed to help him and he was asleep for about a half hour. Then the next hour and a half he spent bouncing on my lap laughing at this funny guy over my shoulder and pooed again just to scare me. I had visions of him wrapped in a blanket when I arrived off the plane because he'd pooed on everything else. Turns out there is a change station hidden in the wall of the bathroom that he just barely fit on and the diaper did it's job this time - phew! He didn't want to eat on the way down so he gnawed on his teething ring while babbling away. His babbling gets pretty loud sometimes, but he didn't seem to bother people or I'm just pleasantly oblivious... but really, what are you supposed to do!?

We land in Cleveland in their regional concourse which means they let you out on the tarmac. It was blustery and pretty cold, so Aiden and I snuggled close as I hopped down the stairs to snag his stroller off the big cart. I get it down and the agent tells me that I'll probably want to keep it folded since there are "a few" stairs inside. Turns out to be a huge flight of stairs and everyone is rushing around me to make their connections... so without any help to be found and a cold baby in my arms I take a deep breath to make it up those darn stairs. About half the way up my arms are shaking and the flight attendant came to my rescue snatching up my stroller so we could make it to the top. I really don't understand how they can get away with not having an elevator (because the wheelchair lift was in the cold! and cleveland ain't tucson!), but we survived. I then cruised with Aiden in his stroller across the half mile long walk across two concourses (I'm really not exaggerating) pretty excited to see some warm smiles.

We had a whole schlew of Aiden welcome events (thanks to Gran Gran especially! and thanks for the shepherd's pie from Great Aunt Hev and awesome peanut butter pudding pie from Great Aunt Pam) A highlight was meeting Great Grandma Oviatt who is just full of cheek snuggles. We had a requisite trip to Babies-r-us to get presents for one of my best friend's twin's shower! (Thanks to Hev for the cute outfits we couldn't resist - Aiden's new leisure suit for the summer is bound to be these tshirt jumpers. And while I'm at it: Thanks to Aunt Pam for Aiden's new favorite vibrating singing hippo and fuzzy book. Thanks to Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Roger for the barn yard animals that match his bouncey chair and especially for the OBall - for some Oviatt spirit! and especially for my parents for creating a home away from home nursery for Aiden complete with the magic crib mattress!)

The shower was the original reason for my trip. We used a whole big bunch of diapers to make a double layer diaper cake for two! The nursery rhyme themed shower (complete with nursery rhyme bingo and a chance for us to be videotaped reading a nursery rhyme to the twins) was a good chance to catch up more with friends and get Aiden some lap bouncing time. He konked out just in time for presents, so I could cradle mr. sleepy and enjoy the present passing. It was great to see how excited everyone is to welcome the twins! Aiden can't wait to meet his new buddies!

Here is a link to more photos from Anna's shower:
http://www.flickr.com/gp/94324507@N00/15j0uV

We left Ohio with snow flurries, which better not be around during the next Ohio fan club chapter meeting on mother's day - Can't wait!

rested baby!

Yeah! He slept well last night only waking at 2am for just a bit. I think Aiden was just trying to get up early for his fan club in Ohio. You'd think he'd be tired from all that bouncing and laughing in so many laps. The sleep is touch and go, but I'm glad that he is starting to get on track more and more. If he can really get in a groove before his 6 month mark I will be satisfied! Sleep is the new topic of the month for J and I, but the gist is that we are taking the flexible, no rules approach. We aren't ready for the long drawn out crying, so we are trying some other approaches first. So far Tracy Hogg, Baby Whisperer seems to be my favorite idea. The trick is you pick them up over and over again, but you don't bounce them until they are asleep you just put them back down as soon as they are comforted. I think our gurgle puss will have no trouble comforting himself, but I just worry that he'll not go to sleep but instead kick and play with his feet for hours... so we'll see. I promise a big Ohio trip update complete with photos soon! I'm cheating posting other snippets before the fan club trip update. Oh, the suspense...

since the 7 hours

The night before we left for our big trip to Ohio (more to come on all that fun!) we found a routine that somehow worked for Aiden. He slept nearly seven hours, which breaks his 5ish hour record and creeps closer to what an adult human would say is a full night's sleep. Versus the APA saying that sleeping through the night for an infant is five hours of sleep. Now I did not sleep 7 hours straight, but a good chunk of it. I woke up with mild pain and let's just say that it felt like there was tissue expanding out under my arm pit. Regardless it was a nice treat before our big trip, but I knew we'd be breaking his routine. Since Tuesday night his sleeping grade has slowly declined and he's become a 3am party animal (which is better than 4:30am because it gives me hope of getting him back to sleep with a considerable chunk left in the night)...buuut he stayed in his crib and would eventually fall back to sleep. I think my success getting him back to sleep without too much fussiness was the mattress my folks had for him in his new ohio nursery, so we went and got him the same mattress here in mass. We're off to go see if it works tonight! More stories on Aiden's first big trip tomorrow.... Thanks to everyone - We miss you already!

rolling rrrrs

Our little guy is ready to learn spanish and roll some Rs (better than his tongue tied mom):

consumer

I am now tagged as a consumer of baby products by email spam especially. My amazon account thinks that is all I care about too. I do feel like my indecisiveness buying baby products is partially due to the conflicting reviews on all these products posted online. I end up reading a bizzilion of them and I come up with a list of features I would like that becomes impossible to find all in one product. For instance, a couple weeks back I realized that carrying Aiden through the airport in his bjorn carrier wasn't going to cut it. So I knew I needed some sort of light weight, collapsible stroller. My hope was that it would be light enough for me to easily carry, sturdy enough to last, easy to collapse with one hand, big accessible under carriage storage, good recline function, five point harness, nice canopy, tall handles, sturdy easy turn wheels, light color to reflect the hot sun, and something that would carry him when he's bigger too. (Now you can see why I ended up crazy trying to find what I want)

I ended up with the Graco IPO which carries kids up to 50 pounds and is super sturdy. It is only 18 pounds and very easy to carry collapsed. The reason I ended up with this one is I was actually able to try it in the store. We broke it out to by sure we had the straps good to go and zoomed Aiden around the house. We'll be giving it a good test drive this week when we head to Ohio! P.S. Stacey's baby Ben has another stroller favorite - Chicco C5 - which looks like a goodie too. Blog roll topic of the week = strollers!

belated april fools?

or is this our new test cover?

slow transit

This week was a transition week for Aiden's digestive system. Twice he went almost exactly 48 hours between movements. And oh boy, they were movements - both right around 12pm - lunchtime! He broke in the new teacher at his school and brought home two ickified outfits. This kid is usually quite regular, but I think all the rice cereal, carrot, and sweet potato had caught up with him. When I told my sister I think she said something very nutritionisty, "hmmm, i wonder, that doesn't seem like it should lead to a slow transit time..." That made this sleep deprived mama laugh. We added oat cereal earlier in the week and then just yesterday some fibrous pears. And as of this morning, he broke his cycle and seems to be back on his normal track. He was never off track according to the doctor, because some babies can go up to a week without any movements?! So far, so good on the homemade baby food repertoire: carrots, sweet potato, pears....avocado and banana sometime this month.

mirror mirror

Our boy and mirrors.... He either plays that he's shy or he tries to play. Here he is thinking that his clone is super duper cool:

food diary

For the record:

March 11, 2008 - 4 months, 1 week, and 1 day old - rice cereal
through March 24 - once a day (some days skipped)

March 24 - 4 months, 2 weeks, 6 days old - added carrot puree
through March 29 - carrot on its own and mixed with breast milk and rice cereal
(Coded tracking: Same, None at night - It is a mystery so you won't be disgusted by TMI)

March 30 - 4 months, 3 weeks, and 5 days old - added sweet potato puree
through April 3 - sweet potato mixed with breast milk, rice and oat cereal
(Coded tracking: Skip 1st and 3rd, 1 on 2nd)

April 2 - 4 months, 3 weeks, and 8 days old - added oat cereal

5 months!

Hey Baby AB,

One of my mommy friends said that 4 months was her favorite age. She only has a 7 month old though, so there may be more fun on the way for her and for us ;) You started trying to really communicate with us this month. Your talky gurgles changed to right-on raspberries to smacky kissy lips within the span of three weeks. You seemed to revel in making us laugh at you and you would laugh back. My favorite thing is how excited you get when we pick you up from daycare or we haven’t seen you in a while. When you giggle as I smooch your cheek it makes my day.

You grew out of your bath tub sling a long time ago, and since then we’ve been awkwardly sitting you in the big tub end on a foamy pad. You don’t quite seem to mind but you sit there with your feet in the air listing from side to side trying to avoid dipping your toes in the water. I thought your mini acrobatics might be because of the shape of the tub, so I scrubbed out the sink to give that a try and you held onto the sides of the sink like a big boy, but weren't quite sure of that super sprayer. It's too bad that your hippo wand doesn't work anymore. We did find a good way to prevent that pesky water from getting into your ears – your penguin visor! Oh you can peek at me with that on and get a huge smile every time. It’s just too darn cute.
We had a pretty healthy month full of fun holidays. You are our little good luck charm. You celebrated St. Patrick’s day by wearing your only green suit that fit even though it was on the verge of not fitting anymore. You were such a good sport wearing bunny ears without even really noticing.
Your hair color is still a mystery. Your baby mullet/party in the back is still in full effect, but the patches that have been rubbed away are coming back in blonder. There are also some streaks of auburn red hair. For now we like the identity crisis that your funny little wisp hair is going through, but I'm sure it will make up its mind soon.
The biggest change this month was adding the solid foods. I don’t know who would really call them solid foods, but the runny purees and cereals really seemed to make you feel more satisfied. Even though carrots look the same going in as they do coming out, you really seem to like them and gobble them right up. Lately when we get that spoon ready you open your mouth wide and make the cutest num noises, and then the race is on. I have to get the spoon ready for big bites one right after the next.
You went from a “man of leisure” in your sleep-n-play jumpers to big boy cargo pants and hoodies. Your jumpers make for easy diaper changes and snuggled tootsies in the chilly weather. Although the hoodies weren't always your favorite they were cute and we always ended up distracting you and getting some smiley giggles.
We've tried a bedtime routine where we go around the room saying good night to things. Thanks to my hippo mural painting friend (you'll get to meet her soon!), it goes something like this: goodnight blue hippo hanging upside down from the ceiling... good night purple hippo falling from the cloud... good night yellow hippo dancing on the lightswitch. You do look calm and content but it doesn't make you sleepy - ohwell, good try ;) We'll have to retry that when you get a little older.
You seem to really like day care and I am happy with the center despite the fact that Miss Maria had to move. Your daily record includes a highlights of your day and it usually goes something like, "Today I enjoyed playing with the monkey in the exersaucer while listening to songs." At least three times, three different teachers have written on your highlights something like, "Today I enjoyed looking at himself in the mirror!" It is always followed by a little smiley face because it must amuse your teachers. We know you don't know that you're actually looking at yourself, but we're glad that you're able to entertain yourself.
This morning you decided that 5 months was time to feed yourself the bottle. You grabbed it with both hands and when daddy decided to find out what would happen if he let go, you took charge and raised it up to drink up. We're amazed at how independent you've become- holding your own books and bouncing around:

We're thinking you may just jump out and run around the room, oh let's say, tomorrow. Here you are reading your favorite new big kid book (now that the soft fluffy chick book is out) = The Belly Button Book. Look at those cascading cheeks - It's hard to hold up all the kissable sweetness and concentrate on reading about bee-bos:
We can't wait for a whole new month of discovery and we're thinking the first thing you'll find after studying your belly button book is your bee-bo! Now that winter's gone we can go find belly button beach! Oh, you'll have to reread that story when you're older and get the same warm fuzzies I get when I read Teddy Beddy Bear Goes to Bed. I'll keep it for you as long as it doesn't get too munched from all your teething.

Keep talking, Love, Your smile loving mama

Aiden's catch ya later:

150 days old

J pointed out that Aiden is over half a pregnancy old already. I remember reaching the 20 weeks mark and jumping for joy. I could still jump then because Aiden's head wasn't wedged under my pelvic bone. He is actually exactly 150 days old today, 21 weeks and 3 days (calculated thanks to online calculators). It makes sense to count months now instead of weeks, but I'm still keeping a ridiculous photo log with at least 100 photos from each week of his life. Now that we've started counting months it's harder to keep track of my downloads, so I'm glad I didn't start cataloging them by day. Aiden was ready to snuggle when I got home from class tonight and he was giggling when I kissed him... which is the best after class treat.

bright eyes

This weekend flew by and I woke up especially tired this morning… I had a new routine to add to the morning – makeup! This weekend was a little mommy pamper makeover. I’d signed up with my friend that was Miss Rhode Island 1998 to get a beauty consultation. Aiden was a good cooperative baby and nursed right before I had to leave and slept most of the time I was away. The consultant was very good at listening to what I needed – quick, easy, and lightweight. She went big on my eyes just to see what that would look like but everything could be toned down too. My favorite was the eye brightener pencil for the side creases of my eyes that really does the trick! I felt like I had two left hands as I tried to get everything on this morning. I think I need a personal consultant in home every morning who can do my makeup while I nurse ;) With my less tired looking, but still very tired eyes, I kissed my boys goodbye and managed to leave without my pump horns – eek. J came to my rescue and delivered them to work just a bit later than usual.

our sweet potato

I'm taking a blog break from preparing Aiden's next round of good wholesome purees. He likes to fall asleep in daddy's arms just as the chopping and steaming is done and I'm ready to use the loud screechy food processor. This time I've prepped some sweet potato which we're going to try just on it's own without the cereal and maybe add in some cereal later on. It's so easy to make these purees and I think it is worth it. He's getting all the nutrients from the fresh produce and I can mix them with my breast milk making them even more nutritious.

We're taking each new food about one week at a time. This week the carrots were such a hit that a couple days he had them for breakfast and for dinner finishing the whole triple batch by Thursday. We're letting him tell us whether he is still hungry after he's breastfed and if he's too sleep or just not interested we don't make him eat it just because it's "supposed" to be a meal. The doctor says that is one advantage to starting them around 4-5 months because they will learn to get more and digest it more efficiently by the time they are ready for a growth spurt around 6-7 months. He's really swallowing right away and eagerly leaning in to get big bites now that he 'gets' it. He is able to tell us when he's finished, open wide for big bites, swallow after munching, and grab at the spoon, so I really feel like he's on track. Let's hope our little sweet potato likes to eat some sweet potato.

spring?!

Spring sprung earlier this week and then it shrunk back into it's hiding place. We were out cruising the neighborhood with the stroller on Monday, but today the weather turned back. The weather reports say that there might be snow tomorrow but it won't stick because the ground has already thawed and warmed up. Our bunnies are back, and Baby AB has no idea what we are pointing at in the yard. He was all bundled in his little grey coat for his stroller ride this week. It is too cute because he gets all sleepy and warm in his coat and ends up letting his arms just hang in the air as he leans back and observes all the passing tree branches. His little eyes just dart around and then eventually they get sleepy from the soothing stroller. I can't wait for more stroller cruising as it warms up. We are also all set with our travel stroller (not as light weight at around 18 pounds, but I wanted it to recline, have good storage, and a five point harness) for our big trips in April/May.

breast feeding ra ra

These little snippets come from a blog I read which is connected to a maternity store here in town. Not that I need to be convinced any more of the benefits of breast milk, I am clearly committed regardless of the awkwardness of practically sharing an office with my boss, the illnesses this season, and the time commitment it takes.

This is exciting news from Australia & New Zealand. Catherine Madden writes: The Perth scientist who made the world-first discovery that human breast milk contains stem cells is confident that within five years scientists will be harvesting them to research treatment for conditions as far-reaching as spinal injuries, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.
“We already know how breast milk provides for the baby’s nutritional needs, but we are only just beginning to understand that it probably performs many other functions,” says Dr Cregan, a molecular biologist at The University of Western Australia. To read the article in its entirety, click here.

Breast milk used to treat cancer patients
This is another amazing story. We’re fascinated here at Bellani with the properties of breast milk and excited that this research is now coming out. It’s hard for Lactation specialists to explain to people the benefits of breast milk when so many people say “Oh, it’s just like formula.” Clearly we’re finding out it isn’t. Homeopathy remedies for breast milk have been used for years to cure ear infections, rashes and other ailments, but to find out it’s helping to cure cancer is just remarkable. To read the article click here.

carrot delight

Our little bunny tried some carrot delight tonight and he liked it! He didn't spit or spew and did so well swallowing smoothly. The 'delight' part of the carrot puree recipe included breast milk and rice cereal (3 tablespoons pureed carrot, 3 tablespoons rice cereal, and 1 tablespoon breast milk). He only eats a little over a tablespoon total of the recipe. I made a triple recipe batch for the week, so let's hope he continues to enjoy it! Fingers are crossed on avoiding allergies.

braver

Having a baby has made me braver. It has also made me more appreciative of sleep, time, and good company. J’s been out of town the last two weekends in a row at big funded workshops. The big honorarium check that he brings home doesn’t keep me company while he’s away (eating well, drinking cognac, and watching the plasma tv in his schmancy hotel bathroom after selecting his pillow from the menu available at the turndown service – pcha! – I was feeling pampered just stretching out onto J’s side of the bed). Instead, my family has been here to keep me company (which I am so thankful for!). They did leave for a big drive down to Baltimore for a wedding that I had originally planned to attend before they said no kids allowed. So, we celebrated easter early and it was just me and Baby AB starting on Friday.

I planned ahead to break up the weekend with a visit to the mall with my friend and her baby. Using the word brave is an overstatement, but I can’t think of a better word. But driving downtown to the mall on my own made me feel brave. I popped my stroller right out of the car and I cruised right in to meet my friend at the Nordstrom café. Nordstrom’s has the best women’s lounge where we could nurse our babies and gab away. We ended up staying at the mall for over four hours and the biggest hit was the pottery barn kids clothes clearance rack. I think it’s possible that we rode every elevator in the mall. My stroller maneuvering skills were in full effect on the one handed wonder model. Aiden was in awe of the big windows and he was especially excited by the big wall of Lindt chocolates. It almost seemed like he knew what was in those shiny wrappers and he has his dad’s chocolate lovers gene.

It’s all the small things that make me feel more and more settled in as a mom. I see the six months of breast feeding goal on the horizon and my inclination is to just keep going as long as everything continues to jive. It’s hard to believe that pumping is such a routine now. The first real pumping session is a distant memory - oh now, come on, bravery is not an overstatement there…cringe. I feel a huge sense of accomplishment doing even the simplest little things. The simple things like staying awake during my RISD class on Wednesday’s for three hours. I know I can do it because my new mommy friend sitting next to me has a 6 month old and a two year old – If she can stay awake, I can too! I do feel like hearing other mom’s stories makes me braver too. Like my friend that took her three kids under 5 to Florida on an airplane last month. And especially when watching shows like Jon and Kate Plus 8! I look at how many bottles I wash on a daily basis and I can’t even imagine having twins along with sextuplets. My pumping, bottle building and washing routine is something I could do in my sleep – I think I do do it in my sleep sometimes. I am faster than any bartender and that lady making blizzards at dairy queen. It’s a big sigh of relief when the bottles are ready for the next day and an even bigger sigh of relief on Fridays when I don’t have to make them until Sunday! Aah, the simple sighs and brave moments keep us ticking along.

sitting

Aiden at 4 months, 2 weeks, and 6 days old sitting like a big boy. He will lean forward and back, side to side but can get his balance back to sit flat. He loves his haba gym from Aunt Hev!

happy easter!

a year ago

What were you doing a year ago? I ask myself that question and I think of coming home from my RISD class pretty tired to find a box of pregnancy tests on the coffee table. J had purchased them for me because I hadn't had a real period for over a month and a half and I seemed kinda out of sorts (aka sick and grumpy). He didn't mention that he thought I might be pregnant to which I would've replied - you've gotta be crazy - since I knew how screwed up my cycle had been and I had had my period for the entire month of January. He just went out to grocery shop and picked up some sticks to pee on. In a fit of sleepiness I giggled as I opened it saying you really think that this is possible? He just smiled back shaking his head like he already knew. I peed and before I could even pay attention to the little windows there was a single word - pregnant - staring back at me. I asked whether "not" shows up after thirty seconds and as I russled through the instruction paper I began to well up inside. "Well up" with joy, anticipation, and disbelief!? It was like that feeling you get when they announce your name for an award you had no idea you were even eligible for.

The next few weeks of that first doctor's appointment and telling all our family and friends are a big blur to me now. I'm afraid that the whole thing would be a big blur if it weren't for this blog. I'm so glad that I can go back to read the tidbits. Sometimes I cringe, but most of the time I smile at all the snapshot memories. I can hardly believe how much can happen in a year.

thankful

My sister and my folks picked a great time to visit as our little Cheeks. My sister put it best, that she won't be sad when she leaves because she knows that next time she visits he'll be even more fun! We are so grateful for everything - and I can't really say that enough. Before Auntie Liz caught the nasty flu bug (it must get have been lingering around here) we had a chance to get out to visit Brown to visit my coworkers, eating out (Aiden even sat in a big boy high chair), and shopping (mom got some new shoes for her stretched out feet)! We celebrated easter just a bit early.

We couldn't help ourselves with the bunny ears. Here we are with our bunny krispy treats - one of which went to daycare as a thank you/welcome spring present.

Aiden's new drum set which the easter bunny dropped off early at Gran and Poppop's house.

Can't wait to see you all again in April for our big trip to Ohio! Willoughby, Capitol of the Universe, here we come!

happy shamrock!

Aiden's ready to go climbing out on the Cliffs of Moher in his little coat:

yum

How's the feeding going? Watch below for your answer.

Mr. Razz-m-tazz has learned how to razz his little bubble blowing lips. He razzes at me when I say that he's learning, so that's the gist of it. I think he might enjoy something other than grainy nums. I think carrots or banana are next.

happy pi day!

In the spirit of celebrating all of Aiden's firsts and to have a good excuse for more photos (and maybe a trip for some ice cream later!), we wish you a happy pi day! It's 3-14! When it's 3-14-15 it's going to be REALLY cool - I hope that little seven year old Aiden will be excited. Back in 2000, my sister made a shirt with really cool puffy paint for a math assignment in ninth grade. My mom found the shirt and brought it along for the visit, so naturally we dressed Aiden in it to take his photo. Yep, that's an apple pie on the front shirt shot where it says "Apple Pi - Now that's MY kind of MATH!". J is out of town for the celebration, but I'm sure he'll be proud of his math nerd in the making. Oh, he'll make the beeest mathlete with baby pictures celebrating pi day. teehee.

my day

Aiden is developing a schedule. He switched from a 4:30 to a 5:30 party animal with the time change over to daylight savings this past weekend. I guess it takes a time change to really notice how consistent he is becoming. I'm excited that his schedule may shift to closer to the normal start of a day since 4:30am is a bit too early to cut out the deep sleep option!

He wanted to share with you his day in the life at 4 months old:

4:30/5:30 am – I wake up ready to party, but usually Mom will bounce me back to sleep or I will eat while doing my ferocious tiger imitation just to keep her on her toes.
6:30am – Dad will scoop me up after his shower and we will go play on my favorite, the changing table or a close second, the big chair. If I’m really lucky he will help me learn his new drum pattern and I will giggle at mommy once she is dressed and ready for work.
7:10am – Mom gets ready to head out the door. I usually like what she’s wearing, but if not, I will boof or spit drooly bits onto it.
8:00am – I usually take a cat nap and then get a little 2-3oz. bottle to start the day with daddy. Daddy sometimes reminds me of a doodlebop because he sure can make some funny googoo faces.

9:00am – Daddy drops me at daycare, where I play in my swirly birdy chair before I take a snooze (as long as that loud crying girl is out or asleep!)
10:30am – Miss Maria gives me a 4 oz bottle, a diapy change, and then I try to snooze some more.
1:00pm – I have another 4 oz bottle, which I sometimes don’t feel like finishing. I mess up a few diapers all day long, but I’ve been getting better about not blowing out my outfits now that I have these really big silly looking diapers.
4:00pm – My last bottle before I head home, although every once in a while I prefer to wait for mommy because that warmed up milk just isn't quite the same.

4:45ish – Daddy usually comes to get me, but sometimes it’s mommy. I cruise home where I have this really cool exersaucer with a smiley frog which – you’re never gonna believe this – hangs down close enough for me to get in my mouth.
6:00pm – Mom and dad eat while I play in my super stimulation kicky chair. It lights up and plays music when I kick, but sometimes it gets boring and I prefer to snooze in my aquarium swing.
7:00pm – Mom and I get in some serious num nums, sometimes a bath, and play/story time.
8:30pm – Mom or Dad puts me down in my crib where I like to gurgle a bit and play with my feet. Sometimes I will watch my safari mobile or the birdy circle projections on the ceiling… Those can be very distracting though if I really want to sleep.

10:30pm – I wake up ready for some more eats from my sleepy Mommy. Daddy usually scoops me out of my crib and gives me a good snuggle before he drops me in Mommy’s arms. She is usually really slow and tender with me so that I don’t wake up completely.
1:30am – Sleepy num nums are my favorite, and sometimes I make a treat in my diaper because I love to see my changing table mobile in the dimmed light.
4:30/5:30am – Repeat the fun.

P.S. Mommy is happy that I like to eat just about every three hours, but maybe I'll stop eating at 1:30am?! She's such a funny mummy and I think she thought I'd sleep longer by now. Nah, it's just too much fun to eat and cuddle.

grainy num nums

We had the high chair ready and all day I wondered how Aiden would react to the rubbery spoon filled with single grain rice. I didn't have many expectations, but when I first opened the cereal to find finely ground saw dust looking stuff I was surprised. The doc said to make it pretty soupy so I mixed about a half tablespoon with about 2 ounces of breastmilk. It looked like some sort of plaster. We broke out the cool guitar bib (from Becca! thankso) for this special occasion, but I quickly realized we will need to get some plastic bibs. He seemed to like his high chair and looked up at us with anticipation. He immediately chomped the spoon and gurgled a little goop at us. Then he started to munch and swallow and he wanted more and more. He had moments of flustery fussing because he couldn't really eat it fast enough. He wanted a break from the chair about 3/4 through for some nursing, then he finished up the last bits.
Here he is excited even though he doesn't know why:




Aaah, satisfied...
4 months, 1 week, and 1 day old

i'll show ya doc

Aiden was on track for his 4 month well baby visit to the doctor. They started out by taking his stats, and we were very curious where mr. chubby cheeks would fall on his growth charts. He is 26 inches tall, which is at the 90th percentile, and 16 lbs 11 ounces, right below the 90th percentile. His head circumference was 43 cm, which puts him squarely in the 75th percentile. When the doctor charted his growth, we paused waiting to see how she'd assess it. She went on to say that she's happy to see that he's thriving and everything seems to be in line with his overall development.

She was impressed by how long he will stay standing and that he can almost sit up on his own. Then she asked about whether he's been rolling. I said, "Well, he doesn't really seem like he's attempting to roll yet..." Then she had me pop him on his tummy and he pushed himself up with his arms...and immediately tucked his arm under and rolled! Seriously, he rolled for the first time in the doctor's office right after I had reported that he didn't really roll yet. It was as if he was saying, "oh, yea, i'll show ya doc, i can do it, i just don't let on to these parents of mine..." Then he repeated the roll just to show off. I'm thinking it has to do with the cushy doctor table being really easy to roll on versus the floor or even his firm crib mattress. I guess we should be proud that he can have that milestone checked off. She asked if he was grabbing anything yet, and he lunged forward to grab her stethoscope off her neck. Aw, Aiden can answer the milestone questions from now on on his own!

We were talking about it beforehand trying to decide what to do about adding some solids to his diet. We had decided to essentially leave it up to the doctor. She said that she looks at every baby individually and whether they seem interested in eating is the most important factor. She also looks for good head control and a thriving baby, which he had checked off on her list. She said that we should really at least try it before six months because it can sometimes be hard for them to pick up the habit after that time window. She suggested that we start with the rice cereal really soupy mixed with breast milk, where he almost sips it off the spoon. If the rice makes him at all constipated we should try oatmeal. Once he gets used to that she suggested adding fruits and veggies - one every three days to detect any allergies. She said that we can make our own with mashed banana, pureed carrot, and avocado. I'm hoping that we can make our own purees and avoid gluten and all the baby food additives as long as possible. Lucky for us Auntie Liz is a nutritionist-in-training, so I think she'll be able to give some good tips.

He had three shots on the radar, but one wasn't available to give him, so he'll get the next part at 6 months. So, he had one shot in each thigh along with drinking the roto liquid. We had him laying down and he was kicking happily. The nurse was whining that this is the worst part of her job. We kept talking to him and he whimpered at me with the first shot, then started crying just a bit with the second. He really cried less this time than last (and he'd really not fussed that much last time), even though I thought he'd be more aware this time. The nurse was pleasantly surprised and said that he was making her job easy. He konked out in the car and is a tired little puppy now, but seems to be pretty even keel. I can't wait until he wakes up again to see if we can get him to do his rolling trick again. In the meantime, it's time to build the high chair!

my feet!

Aiden really found his feet this past week. He'd played with them before, but this week they became a fascination. He is this close to putting them in his mouth and munching some toes. Daddy has found that he can get some serious giggles when he claps his feet against his cheeks.

hangin out

We had a nice day hanging out with mom-in-the-making, Anna. Aiden can't wait to meet the twins. I bet they'll be good buddies! Aiden showed off some of his poo tricks and we went through three outfits (just to make Auntie Anna proud!). Outside of diapy changes, it was so nice to catch up with a good old friend. It's hard to believe how much changes in such a short amount of time. Anna is goin to be an amazing mom and I can't wait for her shower in April!

lunch with gigi

Aiden loved seeing his Gigi Lyver today... We trucked it up there in the rainy uck and he slept on and off he whole way there. He was asleep when we popped him out of the car, but as soon as we popped in the door he was wide eyed and smiling. He must love his Gigi's voice because he was all smiles whenever she spoke to him. We had a great lunch. It does seem that Aiden knows right when the food is ready and that's when he likes to eat too... He has some serious bite lately, and I think the little guys' teeth buds are blooming. You'll see him bitin his bottom lip, his sweater, his hands, etc for comfort.

shrinking clothes

We're going to visit Gigi Lyver today so I wanted Aiden to branch out from his collection of jumpers (which are technically glorified, or not so glorified, sleepers). Aiden was up to party around 5:30am this morning, because I think he was excited that we are all healthy and we have plans! Plans to get out of the house and see people, yeah! He got an early bath to fluff up that bird feather hair and then it was baby dressing time. I rummaged around in all the clothes that I haven't fussed with lately (gosh I got enough fussing in when I was pregnant) and picked out a new combination: knit cargo pants, polo shirt with suzy zoo bear embroidered on it, a sweater hoodie which says zoom, and to top the look, hoot owl "funky feet fashion" booties. A couple months ago it seemed that he wouldn't be wearing any of these for years. I think they shrunk! I remember putting the owl booties on him when he was about a week old and the stretchy part didn't even snug his ankle. I bet Gigi is going to think we are bringing a different baby to visit since we haven't seen her in a while. Better go get ready...

sleep

Getting any sleep? Seems to be a fairly common question. It is then followed by some story on how their son or daughter either: A) slept through the night at 2 days old, B) slept through the night around 3 months and then stopped sleeping through the night every so often just for kicks, or C) never slept through the night and is now a teenager that stays up all night. Just a few weeks back we started putting Aiden in his crib for at least the first dose of rest at night. He's done better and better with getting some good chunks of sleep, but we are still up about twice a night for num nums. We (and the doctor) are not worried though and we feel we're giving Aiden what he needs... emotionally, nutritionally, and physically. I'm not going to get into whether we should let him cry it out because that's more overdone than talking about the presidential candidates. We don't let him cry so that we can sleep. That is what we think, but everyone can think whatever they want to think. I'm pretty sure that when the doctor approves some cereal added to his diet he will sleep longer. But for now since he is so efficient at digesting and gleaning nutrition from breastmilk, his little tummy is empty and hungry more often. I don't mind the extra cuddles we get and I like thinking that I get to spend some extra time with him. Those nighttime half sleepy giggles are my favorite get-me-through-the-day memories. It's also good for my overall supply to get that prolactin flowing at night. I'm sure I'll miss these baby cuddle days, so I'll take em as often as I can get them. I'll sleep when he goes to college.

4 months!

Dear Aiden,

You're becoming such a big boy. I can hardly contain myself when you try something new. Granny was just as excited as your mommy when you found your thumb the other day. Most of the time the thumb is sorta a waste of time though and you find it more fun to try to eat your entire fist. We popped you into the exersaucer sometime around the middle of this month and you bounced around like a big boy. I credit your strong legs that even impress your doctor from all that working out you did in my tummy.

This month wasn't the healthiest, but you managed to avoid the nasty-flu-shot-resistant bug that mommy fell ill to twice. You went back for a follow up appointment and your ear drums are completely healthy now. Your doctor confirmed what my slight soreness suspected, you have little teeth buds popping out on the bottom. Yep, seriously, early little teeth! Your drooly and biting your bottom lip a bunch all makes much more sense. Throughout the teething and the ear infections you've kept your happy giggles as the number one priority. You never appeared sick through all this ear gookiness, and we never even fussed to warrant any tylenol. Your smiles are the best medicine.
Here's your little chomper impression getting your tooth massage in with your new ring:



You are a talker. I mean you are seriously trying to get us to listen up to whatever it is that you are thinking. You will talk back and forth with us with the most serious intentions. You talk like you really have a point to make and then when I finally seem to get it, you giggle and sigh with relief. Sometimes you even talk at the tv, which with the flashy lights and color is super fun. When you aren't talking you are grabbing and pulling on anything you can get your hands on.

You get praise from the day care teachers that you are "so easy and happy". Day care may be kinda germy, but you seem really happy to be there. They do have that rockin cool bouncey seat with the rings you can grab and pull to make that birdy chirp and spin. You sure like your bouncey seat and you even seemed to like it when this other little girl broke away from her teacher and gave you some biiig bounces. She bopped you on the head once when I was putting you in your snuggle suit, but you didn’t even flinch. You're a pretty easy going kid, even when you get splashed by cold water by accident during bath time. You just continued to gnaw on your chubby fist and give me that wide-eyed-oh-come-on mom look. You're even easy going enough for a fierce mohawk marsupial imitation.

You brought home your first foot print art and I look forward to more kid art. We're going to need to buy a new house for all the cabinets full of art since you've started so early. Daycare has a photo of you on your crib and bottle holder now. I might just need to get a copy someday even though daddy doesn't think it's your best look. You are sticking out your lip just starting a little laugh in that photo. I can't quite get those shots probably because I have a big scary camera most of the time, but even with the little camera you get camera shy. That explains the many wide eyed curious face shots instead of your giggle puss face.

Poppop dubbed you Cheeks McGee and you are sure keeping those cheeks chubby. Daddy sure can make you giggle with kisses on those cheeks. You have some other chubby cheeks that have officially grown out of the 1-2 swaddler pampers. We decided to give in and use the cruiser diapers after you blew out every extra outfit and managed to get your teacher this week. The cruisers seem too big, but I guess you are officially between sizes and bigger is better in this case. I know you're gonna just grow into a bigger and bigger boy and I hope we can enjoy a healthy, happy new month...

Love, Mommy

gurgle video

Despite his camera shyness (which I think may just be camera curiosity, because he'll have to love the camera in this family, right? Maybe he's a budding photographer and he just wishes I would hand over the camera so he could play), we caught some talky gurgles finally on tape. There is spotty light and a half dressed baby (what a production!) but you get the idea.

pumping reality

Pumping was a theme of the week for me. I turned in my hospital grade Ameda pump back into the rental place and I will be back with my Medela In Style next week. I had some tricky pumping situations on top of really wanting to work on being sure I pumped as often as possible. I had to be in a 6 hour long meeting and since our executive officer wasn't available, I was in charge of the minutes. Not an easy scenario when I need to sneak away to pump every two hours, but I was able to sneak away during discussion time. This week I also had my RISD class for three hours immediately followed by a two hour dinner. This meant that I had to pump once in the RISD bathroom with my new Medela Harmony hand pump (my Ameda hand pump lost its suction and I couldn't just get a replacement part, so I figured I'd get a whole new one to upgrade). Then in between class and the dinner (which I had to rush over to even though I told them I'd be late), I pumped in my car with a power adaptor hooked up to my Medela In Style. This tops the cake as the most awkward pumping session ever since I was tented in my coat hoping no one walked by. It did not go well. I then went into the Faculty Club restroom with my handpump to at least relieve things and try to ensure that I didn't leak much during my presentation. I was presenting over dinner and it was supposed to last 20 minutes and ended up being over an hour and half of discussion with our big advisory board. Good thing I had bothered with the hand pump. This on top of my normal 4-5 pumping sessions per day (in my office with a shared door to my bosses' office), sums up my reality of pumping.
P.S. I managed to get the stomach flu just two short weeks after getting over the respiratory flu. Yeah, not fun and I'm still recovering. I'm so sick of being sick and especially sick of talking about being sick. But the jist of this flu is that it comes on hard and fast... just like all of my coworkers that said they had it. I didn't really understand what they meant until I found myself running to throw up four times in a sink in front of about 100 students. I cringe with embarrassment...eek.