school luau!

Aiden's school kicked off the summer with a luau this year (last year they had a cowboy hoedown complete with pony rides!). This was a much more elaborate event than I expected with a dj, Polynesian dancers, a bouncey house, frozen virgin drinks, and catered food. They said the best dressed boy and girl would get gift certificates to the book fair, and people really took them seriously. I half expected that Aiden would be the only boy dressed in luau gear, but oh boy I was wrong. I think the little boy that carried a ukulele probably won. J could have let Aiden carry/destroy our real ukulele from our honeymoon, but it wasn't worth a book fair certificate ;) Aiden missed a big nap, so he was calm, tired, and pretty easy going about his raffi skirt, although his flower lei had to go early on because he wanted to eat it. I'd tied strands of raffi to buttons on these shortalls that had a matching hat and layered a little Hawaiian shirt over it.



You'll see him below with his teacher Miss Rebecca (Ms Kim wasn't there because she just got married last weekend and is honeymooning). I think Aiden thinks that Miss Rebecca is his Auntie Liz because he gives her big smirking smiles.

Konked out tired after the party:

happy 1st day of summer!

Celebrating the first day of summer by taking a trip to the swings and slides:

Or visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxr5DV32K9M

first dip!

Aiden's first splish splash (not quite a swim, but a dip):

Or visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAOIInkgoB0

zoo visit!

Or visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKJuRnyAbRw

ohio vaca

I felt like this third trip to Ohio was a real vacation. It was longer than a long weekend and J came along (which was really nice for Aiden and for me - for more reasons than just being able to stretch out on the plane - Aiden gets a solid A on both trips. As we landed he didn't even wake up, and J's commentary is that this kid flies too much to not even flinch when the plane skids to a stop.) It was a nice time to get away after a really busy time at work. It's hard to give a rundown of all the "events" but my mom, dad, uncle, and aunt deserve a big thank you because nearly every meal was an event. My sister, her fiance, my grandfather, his girlfriend, and J, Aiden, and I made a big group of visitors on top of an already large coalition of ohio fan club members (13-17 more making over 24 people some of the time). Aiden got to meet his great grandfather and some more great, great uncles and aunts and second cousins. I feel lucky that we can all get together so frequently.

Aiden had his first dip in a little baby pool. We were going to go to the city pool but decided it would be too much trouble, so we bought a cute little froggie pool where the eyes and mouth shape make a shaded area. Aiden loved splishy splashing away with his whistling hippos floating all around them. The little hippos had rings that they floated with and he picked out the yellow one as his favorite and chased it around the little pool. It's amazing that he can concentrate on anything with so many people gooing and gawing at him from outside the pool. His clapping was in full effect, and it seemed that he would start clapping just to get a ooh-aah out of everyone and get us to start clapping. I think he has us well trained.

A highlight of the trip was getting a chance to visit the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. We were able to meet up with a friend from high school and her adorable little boy who was celebrating his 9 month birthday (about a month and a half older than Aiden). It was nice to meet up and meet her family and I hope we can meet up during other ohio trips. It turned out to be free day for Cuyahoga County residents, and it seemed that the entire county showed up, along with a bunch of summer day camps. I couldn't help but think how "the zoo was a zoo"... I even had to let that "joke" slip when we got wedged into the monkey house with too many squealing kids...couldn't help the bad joke. We saw just about every part of the zoo and the rainforest and spent nearly five hours cruising along. Aiden and Ben were in and out of napping and sometimes looking at us wondering what we were pointing at... The really excited reaction we got from Aiden was in the hippo house. I think he got excited because mom and Auntie Liz were so smiley.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some stories, but I'll post photos later... maybe even video sometime this weekend if Aiden's a good sleeper ;)

happy first dada's day

Or visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCVFxfMqes0

the rhythm of parenthood

Visiting home is always a treat and I can't help but sneak away for a bit and "jot down" some thoughts. I would consider a live blog of all the excitement, but this will have to do for now ;) We were originally planning to come to town because my sister and her fiance were going to be in town, but it just happened to coincide with the graduation at my old high school. They had invited me to "participate" as a former award winner and I thought it would be a nice chance to see the school without all the fuss of alumni weekend. My mom came along as another alumnae, so we took the same drive together that we took together for all 4 years of high school. I was feeling reflective, and I couldn't help but think as I spoke to another parent about what it will be like when Aiden's graduating from high school. I know getting ahead of myself... but I don't think I quite understood what it meant to be proud until I became a parent. I also don't think I really knew what tired felt like ;) But most of all, I think I am more grateful to my parents than I've ever been... definitely more grateful than I was or realized I should be when I sat at that graduation 11 years ago.

The Head of School did his typical amazing job of putting together simple words to say really meaningful things. He started off by talking about how proud the class and their parents should feel. He spoke directly to the parents and described "singing the song of parenthood" by keeping "the rhythm of holding close and letting go". I thought about all the milestones where I will hold Aiden close and how learning to let go will be just as important. It all sounds trite when I try to explain it, but the senior speech given ended with a duet singing of the "For Good" song from the Wicked musical.
Here are my favorite parts of the lyrics:

"I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you..."
"So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart"

crazy class photo

I promise that Aiden's class is usually not miserable.  I also assure you that I laughed out loud and giggled all the way home after picking up this photo from Aiden's school today.  They had said initially that it "didn't go well because everyone got going after the camera guy scared Zach," and we may not get copies this year.  Bummer, I thought it must be a really good shot then for a good laugh.  Lucky us:


Aiden is no longer the itty-bitty new kid on the block. There are at least three new babies because some of the bigger kids moved up. Miss Rebecca on the left is still his secondary teacher although Ms. Kim started just after this was taken and that's Ms. Sandy on the right with her batch of cuties. I don't know all of the kids, but I hope to learn more of their names as I continue to be the primary pick up parent during my summer hours. We also have the workshop's annual summer party, this year a Luau, where we can meet more people. But here is a rundown of some of the more memorable characters:

On the far right with the little pointy pig tails (that hair stays like that even without rubber bands) is "that Kyla character" who literally hunts down Aiden and tries to unlatch him from his seat every morning.  She was an early walker and she can really get around.  She always has cute shoes on, but somehow they are missing in this photo.

Zach, the late bloomer, is smack center in the dark navy hoodie.  He made a pretty slow transition over to the big kid room and was pushing the 15 months old boundary (I think they told me he was 15 months for 3 straight months in a row).  He liked being the ring leader.

In Miss Rebecca's lap on the left, Aiden is sandwiched between Stephanie (formerly known as cry baby because she started daycare a little bit older and all she did was cry and/or have her back rubbed for weeks) and Tyler (who always wants me to pick him up and is Aiden's little buddy). You'll notice that Aiden is missing his white button down but still has his bear vest on with some sort of onsie peeking out - oh, his fashion sense is well beyond his years really and that is why he is crying.

baby signing

We're going to give it a try. His teachers are on board with signing so we have to learn their signs. Another mommy let me borrow her baby einstein first baby sign dvd.  For those that haven't had the pleasure of baby einstein, picture this: a puppet without any arms pops up on the screen, then a series of pictures of babies, followed by a sprinkling of rembrandts and other art history slides. The first thing out of J's mouth as he held our excited bouncey puppet lover was, "Now that puppet can't sign, it has no arms!"  But that puppet can show our baby how to feed another puppet by putting the spoon backward in it's mouth I guess.  The puppet doesn't need to sign because they have these other little cutie pies and Marlee Matlin for that (although some of those kids look old enough to do calculus or at least talk without baby signs).  Another thing I think is funny is which signs are considered to be "first" or most important.  One site I was reading had sign number 14 of babies first 100 signs as divorce.  The practice sentence was my aunt and uncle are divorced.  Now let's see: first, teach kid about the institution of marriage, then the legality of divorce.  Crazy?

I brought signing up with some other mommies and their advice was:
1. Always use a word or phrase while you're doing the sign
2. Use only a few signs when they are really young
3. Make good eye contact and watch them look at your hands signing
4. Teach them useful signs that can help them avoid frustration or gain control
We are starting to use signs for all done, more, and need diaper change. One mom swears that it made her potty training easier because he was already used to sharing when he needed a change.

clapping

Aiden likes to clap!

7 months, five days
His teacher noticed his clapping a while ago and wrote it on his daily highlights, but I got it on tape recently. He's also learning the "more" sign which he shows off a little bit with the closed hand. The teachers plan to use some signs with him too so I think they will help.

anniversary debrief

Last Thursday was our 4th wedding anniversary. The traditional gift is fruits and the modern day gift is appliances. Hmm, I had a predicament, because J's not a huge fan of fruit and he likes to think that anything of use shouldn't qualify as a gift. Lucky for me, he bought a really extravagant upgraded drum set that he promised would qualify as his ultimate gift for the year. In a sleep deprived stupor, I did remember to bring J's card to lunch with us that afternoon. After our somewhat botched valentine's day dinner, we decided to go to lunch while Aiden was at daycare shouting at puppets (instead of yelling at the robotic moose head like he did at our vday dinner). It was a nice lunch at the Cheesecake Factory where the 40 page magazine menu was narrowed down for us because there was a health scare on fresh tomatoes. We ordered a matched set of compatible, yet different meals so that we could share a bit and that food never disappoints. Then we cruised through the bookstore were I couldn't help but buy Aiden a set of safari puppets (hippo included) with matching books. My gift from J was a chance to hear a complete song created completely by his hands, called These Hands, using some of the words from our wedding vows - That new drum set and all those bass and guitars at work: http://www.lightningmp3.com/live/95243-TheseHands.mp3
I feel like Aiden's lucky to have a daddy that can teach him about music.

hot hot

Today is the hottest day in all of Aiden's life. It's a ridiculous 94 degrees plus humidity here in New England (it was a cool 65 degrees that day before!). Our friends from Tucson came to visit this weekend and they brought the weather with them (which wasn't nearly as cool as the mercat shirt for Aiden and the prickly pear cactus picture - thanks Becca and Scott!). Luckily, our new window air conditioner scheme seems to work out well and we are keeping cool. We were so glad to have a taste of Tucson from our friends, all though we could pass on this weather.

travel advice

From a blogging "friend" -

9 TIPS FOR QUICK AIRPORT SECURITY SCREENING WITH A BABY

Admittedly, Bryan and I stress about getting through security efficiently. We don’t like to delay other people, and we also don’t like to miss our flight. So we developed a system, a meticulous system, early on.

If you’re a laid-back sort, these tips will amuse you. If you hyperventilate at the thought of people in line behind you rolling their eyes, you’ll find this helpful.

The tips assume one baby, two adults, and three carry-ons. And away we go:

1. Get organized. Put liquids, gels, or powder (including baby food) in clear plastic bags. Wear shoes that slip on and off. Skip jewelry, empty your pockets into your bag, and affix your watch to a bag strap.

2. Toss contraband. Before queuing, ask yourself if you have any food or water that you’ve forgotten, and then throw it away. If you accidentally stow it in your bag, they’ll have to search your stuff, possibly send you through the air-puffing machine, call out the dogs, strip search you, and so on. It’s a pain.

3. Centralize IDs and tickets. Have one person keep IDs and tickets in an accessible pouch or wallet. That person shows ID for the group, and collects boarding passes after screening.

4. Get in the fast line. Lots of airports will send you into a quicker line if you have a baby with you. Approach the security agent with your stroller and ask, “Should we be in a different line with the baby?” Blink innocently.

5. Prep while you wait. Remove your shoes and laptops while you’re waiting. When you reach the magnetometer, un-stack as many trays as counter space allows.

6. Use lots of trays. Laptops need their own trays, as do your plastic bags full of food and toiletries.

7. Split up if possible. Ideally, one of you loads the conveyer belt while the other carries the baby through and packs up on the other side.

8. Load the conveyer belt judiciously. That means:

- Stroller or sling so the baby is situated right away and you have your hands free.
- Bag, then contents of that bag, rinse and repeat. That way you can zip one bag shut before tackling the next.
- Shoes go last. Either slip them back on, or go sit down elsewhere so you’re out of everyone’s way.

9. Exchange high fives. Damn, you’re good.

Like I said, meticulous. But awesome, no? If you have more ideas, please share them in the comments.

12 TRAVEL TIPS FOR FLYING WITH A BABY

In Hank’s first year, we’ve visited four different states and three different countries. We’re very tired. Still, we’ve learned a lot about flying with the little guy, and it’s all stuff you should know too.

Follow these guidelines and you’ll be comfortable, entertained, and prepared for the duration of your flight. And if not? Well, at least you’ll be in Belize when it’s over.

1. Book wisely. If your baby is on a regular sleep schedule, take a moment to savor your good luck. Then book your flight during nap or sleep time. Booking tickets is your first chance to optimize seating, though fortunately not your last.

2. Ditch your diaper bag. This smallish Samsonite tote is Hank’s travel bag. (On sale for $20! The hell?) We use it as his carry-on instead of the diaper bag because it has more room, but still stows under the seat. The extra pockets and U-shaped top zipper also make things much more accessible.

3. Provide entertainment. Pack a few new toys if the baby is older, otherwise cup lids and pretzel packets will fascinate. Leave noise-making toys at home. Even soft jingle or squeak will irritate others after an hour or so.

4. Prep for security screening. Invest in a couple of sturdy clear bags that you can yank out of the tote when you get to the security gate. (By the way, food doesn’t count toward your quart-bag limit on toiletries.) We use a medium bag for all his food—usually two ready-to-use bottles of formula, one empty bottle filled with the right amount of powdered formula, and a baggie of powdered formula with the scoop in the bag. The little bag houses children’s Tylenol, hand cream, travel-sized butt paste, a nasal sprayer, eye drops, thermometer, etc.

5. Plan for mishaps. Tuck in two fresh onesies for the kiddo, and a clean T-shirt for you or your partner, in case there’s an incident. You’ll want a few quart-sized plastic zippie bags for wet clothes. I also throw in a large plastic yard bag because it packs so small and is useful if you have a little guy who decides to poop, pee, spit up, and repeat. Dress the baby for easy changes.

6. Prep for fussiness. If you know your baby is a screamer, pack a bag full of foam earplugs for your neighbors. We also find that chamomile or herbal teething drops help calm our baby when he’s grumpy.

7. Buy a couple bottles of water. You can’t get bottled water through security in The States, but you can bring it on the plane if you buy it at the airport. The water on planes has lots of bacteria, so I add bottled water to our powdered formula. We also use a little bottled water and bathroom soap as a last resort if we have to wash a bottle for re-use on board.

8. Strategize seating. A bulkhead seat or an extra empty seat will change your life for the next few hours. First ask for the bulkhead (if you’re traveling internationally with a baby who’s under 28″ or so, this is where they hook you up with bassinets). If they’re not available, and you’re traveling with a partner, ask them to seat one of you on the window and the other on the aisle. This often leaves you with an empty seat between, because no one wants to sit in the middle. If you still haven’t wrangled an empty seat when you get to the gate, bring your cute baby up to the counter and ask very nicely if they can help you find an empty seat should one open up. Then ask if you can get them some coffee.

9. Keep your stroller with you. They’ll give you luggage tags at the gate, and you just leave it outside the door of the plane. We travel with a Kolcraft car seat stroller so we can check the wheels and take the car seat aboard if there are empty seats.

10. Make friends. Be extra kind to every crewmember you encounter. When you board the plane, show the flight attendants your baby, introduce them, take your baby’s hand and help him wave. Flight attendants are awesome, and they’re your allies in keeping the little one quiet and happy. They’ll heat bottles, bring extra blankets, supply cup lids, you name it. But only if you’re pleasant.

11. Do a scrub down. Our doctor advised us to use a few baby wipes to clean our arm rests and table trays. We even clean the light buttons and air vents so everything we touch is a little more sanitary. When you use the changing table in the bathroom, you might also want to wipe off anything the baby can reach in there.

12. Ease ear pressure. The baby should suck on something during takeoff and landing. Nursing works, as does bottle feeding, pacifiers, or a lollipop.

That’s all there is to it. Easier than you thought, right? You’re welcome to leave more ideas in the comments. Tomorrow I’ll do a little roundup of the best way to get through airport security efficiently. You can hardly wait.

family moments in a fast paced world

Yesterday was Brown's annual staff development day. I decided not to run my own session this year because I wanted to participate. I took a digital video class (yeah I know predicitable), a digital photo class (even more predictable), and a course called, "FamilyHood: Family Moments in a Fast Paced World". The description said something about how to "find more time" with your family. Yea, I know cliche and not possible, but enticing. I mainly just wanted to see who else showed up and I thought maybe, just maybe I would hear people say things that I think about. Of course, it was raining and they planted that session at the farthest, most unfamiliar corner of campus. I almost turned around on my way there when the street was blocked by a construction crane, but I made it. I'm glad I did. She described the things I expected: the power of play (NPR had a story about giving kids the executive function to create their own play), the hurried, overscheduled child, weekdays as layovers to the real family time on the weekends, car schooling, and family traditions.

She shared an interesting tidbit that working parents in the UK reported only interacting with their children about 32 minutes a day. She emphasized "opportunity time" with your children and all sorts of books with suggestions. Most were for much older kids but it was interesting to learn about the trends now (which I'm sure will change by the time Aiden is that old). She was into getting kids out into the woods (book called Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv), letterboxing (letterboxing.org), and getting kids to connect tv time to adventures (kidsoffthecouch.com) which made me wish Aiden was older ;) Some of my favorite tidbits were when she went into talking about music (John Lithgow's Singing in the Bathtub - big band children's music, J laughed, but he does have a song about hippos), using wordless books to create your own stories so that you remain engaged while reading, and the contact for the spouse of someone that works at Brown that sells pre-prepared meals each day (like the Mixing Table, but never frozen and delivered to you directly).

There was a question and answer time and it was interesting to hear what people had to say. I asked about signing with your baby and the newer moms said they used a few (like done, more, and dirty diaper) and it was well worth it. One mom even reported that it made potty training easier because he was already used to reporting his dirty diaper. There was a guy there that asked for advice on his 16 month old's seperation anxiety (which we can see twinges of in Aiden - Once he sees you at pick up time you can't go around the corner to grab his bottles without a little fuss. He is so excited to see us that I can't help but scoop him up right away anyway. I'm well trained in trying to do things with one hand and his nice teacher Kim helps me). Their advice was to make it predictable so that they expect you will be leaving by playing the same song in the car on the way to school.

Speaking of school, Aiden's not-so-new-anymore teachers, Kim and Rebecca, are great. He is happy to see them and gives them smiles. They've reported lately that he can hold his own bottle while being snuggled, he likes playing in the sand box outside, he "tries" to dance with them (he does a Stevie Wonder impersonation where he sways his head side to side - He's either saying no and really into the music) and he loooves puppets.

7 months!

Dear Aiden-bo-baden,

Daddy likes to calls you bitty baby boo, but you'll only be bitty for a bit. You started giving us glimpses of your future toddlerhood. You started the month off continuing your good eater reputation. You would share half a banana with your monkey mama, who only imitated a monkey occasionally just to get those giggles out of you.

When I was pregnant I used to say pip likes to nip to those ligament pains, but now you really like to munch. You'll munch on anything, but your favorite slobbers are sorta like baby kisses with an extra slime. You have a gummy smile with teeth buds stretching out those gums more and more with each drooly day. You only occasionally bite me while nursing and it's usually to tell me your done. Then there is the panda tongue (named after the baby pandas born recently) that you love to use to make us smile.

You laughed out loud for minutes when I hummed the flinestones song to you as you bounced on dad's tummy. Then you pulled out your little lobster claws and started your wham game. Daddy says that we should rename you Bambam. Just the other day you woke up all of a sudden and your arm immediately started drumming the bed. You've got a pretty consistent rhythm....making your daddy proud. A survey of parents found that fewer than one in six 6-month-olds regularly sleeps through the night, and some wake as many as eight times nightly. (babycenter.com) But don't you wanna beat the odds Baby AB?! You sing a sleepy song when you are tired and it sounds like a weak protest against your heavy eyelids.

I like to nurse or hold you on my lap with the laptop off to the side (which is much less distracting than the tv). You always wants to type or more specifically whap on the computer keys to write your own message. The other day you signed off on your little message to Auntie Liz with a ",a" just like you knew what you were doing. You did manage to teach me that the space bar will scroll my email and how to reattach the caps lock key.

You are in full scale sippy cup training. I help you with your form by helping you lift it high enough, but you seem to get the concept. You are usually so excited that you make this anxious aah, aah terradactyl noise. You make this noise when you see something you're excited to mouth or you see us eating or drinking. You get especially excited by the big orange bulb on your boon spoon which somewhat unsuccessfully squeezes out food directly onto the spoon. You even made that noise as you unsuccessfully tried to get our big exercise ball in your mouth the other day.

It was a pretty big deal this past weekend when you took your first ride in the floppy seat covered shopping cart. You sat like such a big boy with a whole new perspective and sense of independence. We are probably going to miss the car seat days when you could snooze, but the floppy seat that covers the yicky cart is your new favorite colorful play area. Some times I will show you things and you will reach for them with your eyes wide with excitement and if you really want it you will grunt like a baby terradctyl. We ended up taking one book home the other day because you were so excited by it. It just makes your day to see the Dino2News reporter with his munchy mouth. You even try to feed it your rings when it's not busy munching your fingers.

Your dad commented recently that it's hard to believe that it used to be a big deal for you to track us moving across the room with your eyes. Now it's a big deal if you can wack a drum consistently and you reach for a toy with your pincher fingers. Someday you'll be pulling out of the driveway in your car and we'll remember when it was a big deal for you to razz at us.

Mwah, mwah, Mommy

P.S. Here is a special edition howdy from Aiden that we sent to some rowdy folks this month.

P.P.S. We get to visit Ohio again this month! This time daddy gets to come along so that he can see you ride your hippo

23 hippo friends!

Oh my goodness, 23 happy hippos and Baby AB!

baby proofing phase 1

Aiden's been into floor time lately. His tummy time has evolved into dry land swim lessons or superman imitations. He will lunge forward from sitting, sometimes with his feet and hands on the ground. We see the beginnings of a creepy crawly mode. He can push off from your hands or rock towards a toy, but there hasn't been any official crawling. We did decide that we should be prepared though, because once this kids can do something he seems to like to do it all the time. So, our not-so-baby proof living room full of my vintage cameras and these wobbly shelves that never really stayed upright on the carpet needs to change. I cleared the shelves and made room for the cameras in other rooms (which look good above the hearth in the barn room - thanks to my mom's idea). The shelves are now relegated to the basement and the new blank wall now houses some vintage camera "artwork" which is a photoshopped photo I took of one of the oldest brownie cameras.

The next step was figuring out how we will corral him away from the fireplace hearth and the tv cabinet. I read around for advice and my favorite idea was using one of these gate yards to enclose the area around the couch. That way it's like a corral where the baby feels included in the parent zone and they can cruise and pull up on the edge of the couch. It can also be a toy zone to keep all of the fun stuff in one place. I wanted to cover the carpet even though it's really clean, but everytime I put down a blanket Aiden concentrates on eating it. So my solution was these big smooshy interlocking tiles that Aiden now thinks are so cool. He rubs his toys back and forth over their textured surface and whaps at it with his hand. The boppy has now officially become Aiden's lounger instead of a nursing pillow. We don't need the play yard set up yet, but I did find a nice gate that fit perfectly around the couch area for when we are ready.

spring fling

Ooh, Aiden started a new phase. For a while he would konk out when we hit a restaurant or a store, it must have been the swaying cart (which he liked us to keep moving at all times or else), his cozy carseat chair, and the general white noise in the store. But now it seems that even if he's tired he works to stay awake so that he can take it all in - the lights, the bright colors on the shelves, and the smiling people that stop to say the obligatory aw-how-handsome (aren't they obligated to tell you how cute your baby is even if he isn't!?).

Aiden, our little sponge, seems to like to go out to absorb new stuff and make new friends, so we've been getting out more and more. We ventured out in the overcast day to the local school's Spring Fling today. Last year we wandered over just after moving in to take a break from unpacking boxes. Aiden couldn't participate in the pie eating contest or the girls versus boys tug of war and he wasn't quite sure what that loud noise was from the army helicopter that landed on the front lawn of the school. But he did get some new books from their media sale and he seemed pretty happy to cruise through the grass in his off roading stroller. Our neighbors that have five little girls were really excited to be there, but even though they come over and ring our doorbell just about every other day to see Aiden (when he is usually asleep) they were too distracted to really notice him much. We cruised home before the misty rain (although I did have the new stroller rain cover just in case). Oh, suburbia treats us well.

making auntie liz proud - recipe bonus!

We're going to make nutriontist-in-training Auntie Liz proud! In an effort to be as balanced nutritionally as possible, I've been trying to give Aiden a really good variety of the foods he's already tried and the new foods we're introducing. Today he started eating squash with daddy at breakfast. May not be a favorite, but it seems he'll gobble anything. He would eat my hair if I let him.

Now I can't claim to have the best diet in the world, but I don't think I'm as picky as some people make me out to be. I don't like green stuff much. I'm a protein addict. I never drink soda (because I can't handle the fizz). I hope that Aiden will be a good eater and I hope to avoid too much over processed crud. I vow to not go overboard where my kid isn't allowed to have punch at birthday parties or eat out like a normal person, but I hope that I can at least encourage him to be more varied in his diet (like I try to be now, after realizing for many years how I'd go with the most convenient things and eat it all the time until I was sick of it). It's funny how being responsible for someone else's eating has made me more aware.

I'm learning more about foods that I'd never even heard about before. Like Quinoa: called the "mother grain," it is a complete protein, making it a delicious alternative to meat. Plus, it's high in iron and other minerals, including manganese and magnesium. Happy Baby has a recipe they call Mama Grain. It mixes quinoa with organic bananas, black beans, and DHA algal oil. That is next on Aiden's new protein list. Then we may venture into the Baby Dhal, which I think is an Indian food that I've tried without really knowing what it is. It's a mixture of red lentils, potatoes, and carrots. This will all be a precursor to starting the meats, which I'm pretty sure will be the ickiest puree for me to make. Maybe we can try them as minced meats or finger foods once he's a bit older and has more teeth.

Here is the Mama Grain recipe (since this blog is an archive of sorts too):

Step 1: Pick through 1/4 lb. dry black beans and remove any discolored or malformed beans and any debris. Place in colander, and rinse well with cold water. Drain. Place in bowl with 3 times the amount of cold water, and cover. Soak for 6-8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Using the same water you used to soak the beans, simmer (don’t boil) in a covered pot for 1 hour, or until tender.
NOTE: If you use canned beans, rinse several times to remove all salt.
Makes 1 - 1/2 cup cooked black beans

Step 2: Quinoa • Rinse 1/2 c. quinoa thoroughly to remove any powdery residue. Place in colander, and rinse well with cold water & drain. Place 1 c. cold water and rinsed quinoa in covered pot and simmer 20 minutes, or until translucent.
Makes 1 - 1/2 cup cooked quinoa

Step 3: Banana • Steam 4 large bananas until tender, which intensifies the flavor.
Should make 3 cups cooked banana

Step 4: Puree 3 ingredients together with any water left from steaming the bananas. Puree to a thick, chunky consistency. You will have 12 - 1/2 cup portions or 48 – 1 oz. cubes that you can freeze for up to 6 months well covered. I take them out of the plastic ice cube trays and put them in plastic bags to avoid leeching.

standing - no kidding!

Aiden's been standing and pushing up on our laps for a while and we knew he was getting stronger. But today he was so interested in playing with his exersaucer backwards that he was standing next to it holding on/balancing against it with his tummy. I snagged the camera off the table beind him just in time to catch a little tumble, but he is learning and those little chubsters have strong muscles!


6 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days old

nothing like family

There is nothing like family. J did what his aunt Kathie calls a A1 solo job taking Aiden up to visit with all the family on Sunday while I photographed our graduation ceremony. Aiden was a tired puppy, but he did a good job resting in the car and even took a 45 minute nap in cousin Daniel's crib. He even got kisses from cousin Kayley. He got to meet his Nana and Grandpa Brennan for the first time since they were in visiting from Arizona. We can't wait to get a chance to visit Arizona hopefully in the early winter/late fall. Here are some highlights of all the cuddles on Monday here at our place. Aiden says thanks for the snuggles and the cool new outfits (can't go wrong with hippos and redsox around here)!

whole pear!

One advantage of making our baby foods is that we know exactly what amount Aiden is eating... whereas with pre-pureed baby food it's hard to tell how much food it actually is. It's only getting easier to make them because they don't need to be steamed as much because his digestive system is more active. I usually make everything in two ice cube tray batches, but some foods (fruits especially) don't freeze well or it changes the flavor. Pears are one of these non freezer friendly options. So this morning I peeled, sliced, and quickly steamed to soften a whole pear. I figured he could have half today and half tomorrow for breakfast and it would last well in the fridge. It's amazing how it looks like such a smaller amount when it is all pureed. Aiden actually ate a whole pear!

welcome aiden's new girlfriends!

I am crying with excitement. One of my best friends had her girl twins this morning and I can't explain how I feel. All I have is a text message (which I'm not even used to checking and was suprised as it blipped in my bag as I pumped at work early this morning) but I can't wait to learn the details. My mind is one big racing cliche of everything you find written on balloons and cards in hospital gift shops. I've been getting more and more excited as she was getting closer and closer and just this week stopped working. We were just emailing about car seat installations and birth announcements, and now they are here! I'm so happy for her and her husband because the road just took a turn for them. It's a cheery and joyful, yet bumpy and tired road ahead! I'm thrown back to that time when all of a sudden my water broke at the top of stairs and our lives took a turn down this new road. We puttered along, slowly picking up speed as we learned more about Aiden, and sometimes I feel like now we are cruising along with the top down and winds blowing in our hair.... aahh, it feels good but when we stop my hair is one big tangled mess. There is always that whisper in my ear if we hit a pot hole... this too shall pass. Aah, I'm getting sappier and my analogy is getting worse... I'm just going to go indulge myself and look at Aiden's old baby photos for a minute ;)

dada and all for aiden

This week Aiden started talking with a new, even cuter baby voice. His babbles almost always sound like he is repeatedly saying dada, dada, dada... which J says means yes, yes, yes in Russian. I think it's so cute, but literally he opens his mouth to eat the camera when I bring it out to record, which ends the constant dada chatter....but eventually I will catch it. He also now upped the delicate raspberries to a more forceful zurbert. He's been eating like a big boy now at home and at school. It used to be that I'd share a banana and a yobaby yogurt with him, but now it's all for Aiden. Here is a repertoire of foods he has tried: carrot, sweet potato, green beans, pears, bananas, peas, spinach, apple, avocado, oats, rice, multigrain, banana and vanilla yogurt.

P.S. In unrelated news, I learned how to intubate a simulation dummy at the medical school yesterday - i opened that plastic airway on my first try. Now I think I should take that basic baby first aid class to master my skills...or just head straight to med school.

P.P.S Aiden's school reached epic proportions of crazy this week when they threatened to make me get a doctor's note to say that Aiden's eye boogies/sleep goop wasn't contagious. They are very nice and thorough, but when asked if it seemed red or itchy they gave a solid no, then when asked if the goop seemed to be there when he just woke up they gave me a oh-yes...but any non-clear fluids need to be documented as non-contagious. Aah, ok, I agreed to watch him overnight (all clear even for my paranoid standards) and they would check him in the morning, and luckily the sleep didn't seem bad to them the next morning. This all occurred after they called me at work on a busy day while J was staying overnight with his grandma to take her to Fenway to watch that historic Redsox no-hitter for her birthday. I'm just glad that I didn't need to take him to germy doc for proof that his eye sleep was clean. I should be glad that they are careful...but I just had to laugh.

life counts

My friend sent me this fun "life in an excel spreadsheet" that calculates all these details about your life. One approximates the hours slept in your lifetime: which is supposedly 84,027 hours and 3,501 days, which equals 9.6 years! It says that Aiden has slept 1,587 hours and 66 days, which equals 0.2 years of his life. I'm guessing less than half of that time was actually at night time. Although I do have to give him some big credit for being a good sleeper recently. We tuck the blanket around him and it's sorta like a big kid lite swaddle that seems to help him comfort himself back to sleep. I'm pretty sure he's going to seek out a house on the ocean someday because the waves noise from the radio is his favorite... it's becoming my favorite too since I can hear it from down the hall. Another detail calculated on this sheet includes how many work days until retirement, which equals 9,455 - aah, better get to work...

6.5 mo well visit

Today was Aiden's well baby visit for six months. It was pushed back because his last visit was a bit later due to our doctor's vacation schedule. So, it should really qualify as a six and half month visit. He had three shots. They did one and then two at the same time. He didn't even cry after the first one just stared quietly at the surprised nurse, then the double made him yelp. Then he calmed down quickly when I scooped him up to cuddle. He yelped one more time about 30 seconds later just to emphasize that wasn't too much fun. My tired mind went in with a list of things I wanted to learn.
Here is what we learned:

- She double checked his ears and one was still fritzy, so he is on the quick, low dose antibiotics for another five days.

- She said to give him a few ounces of water (or even watered down baby juices) in a sippy cup to keep him well hydrated when it is hot. She also said we could use the sippy cup for milk so that he will learn.

- She is ok with using baby sunscreens and suggests using one that is above 45 SPF.

- She doesn't recommend the teething gels (because she said they numb the whole area and that can lead to problems) and suggested just tylenol if he is really miserable along with a cooled wet cloth.

- From the beginning she has recommended yanking the bubbie at 6 months before they become dependent, so we took it away from school (which is the only place he really used it). He's never really been into it anyway, so I think he'll be ok without it.

- If he gets hard poos, give him a little bit of apple or prune juice.

- Wait to start the finger foods like cheerios until around 8 months. She said you shouldn't need to wet them because he will slobber them.

- He is holding on to his big boy status at 19.6lbs, 28 inches long, and 45 cm head circumference. His length for age, weight for age, and head circumference for age are all in the 50th-90th percentile, while his weight for length is in the 50-75th percentile.

- He's a good eater, but she was surprised that he still takes only 4-5oz bottles (sometimes not even finishing all of it) at school. She suggested getting more foods geared up including yogurts and proteins.
His current eating schedule looks like this:
6am - usually eats with mom for 10-30min depending on the morning
8:30am - little 3 oz bottle with banana, oats, or veggie
11ish - 4-5oz breast milk bottle
12ish - oats with 1-2 oz breast milk just added this week
2ish - 4-5 oz bottle
4/5ish - 4-5 oz bottle or eat with mom for 10-20 minutes
6/7ish - veggie mixed with probiotic rice or oats and 1 oz. breast milk
7/8ish - eat with mom for 20-30 minutes
11pmish or 4amish - sometime wakes up and may only go back to sleep after a snack for 5-10 minutes but we've started weaning him from that since he should be able to go 8-9 hours without eating now.

Aiden enjoyed scrunching the exam table paper and stayed active right up until he went back in his seat for the ride home. Then he was out for a good long nap. Let's hope he continues to sleep well tonight.

fingerpaints and other highlights

Aiden's school highlights sheet on Monday said something like, "Today I enjoyed fingerpainting to make stars" - Really! I looked at his little fingers and the nails had faint traces of yellow paint. So today I dropped him off at school and I got to see his crumpled masterpiece hanging next to his crib. He had blotches all towards the bottom of the sheet and the corners were all scrunched up. Just what I would expect from my grabby little one who was probably trying to get it in his mouth. It's a guarantee that the paint had some drool mixed in to it. The other kids had cotton balls added and their masterpieces were supposed to be bunnies. Now if Aiden's "stars" were a stretch, these bunnies were some artistic creations... interpretive art if you will... Yesterday his highlights said that he enjoyed sitting in a circle with his friends while singing twinkle twinkle. These are some imaginative teachers alright! ;) I bet he was at least smiling while they sang.

1st school photos

Oh boy, did you know that "Creative Images offers Big Smiles and Lots of choices [capital B, S, L, little C]!? We are proud to bring your family our Multi-Choice Proof program. [bolded] Thank you for the opportunity to preserve your families [sp]memories."

I mock the envelope that Aiden's spectacular first school photos arrived in because it made me laugh. Then I looked at our multi-choice proofs and laughed harder. It's quite literally a photo of my kid plopped on a white bean bag chair in front of a white screen. No fun crayons, no fake trees, not even a fake looking bookcase! Nothing! boo.

He has that wide stare in the first few, followed by his wide mouth bass imitation, which both make him look kinda tired and double chinned (not helped by being smooshed into a bean bag chair). He was sleepy that morning so Daddy was going to dress him in his cute button down and vest after I left (we wouldn't want banana smudges on his schnazzy school photos outfit, right!?) well, J claims I didn't give him any instructions and it's been a while since J wore a vest (maybe ever), so he put the vest on under the button down shirt. Yep, he kinda looks like a frat boy gone wrong, but at least they sorta popped his collar and folded up his sleeve. Maybe J just saved him from looking like a book nerd, but instead he looks like he's going to go out on tour with the new kids on the block or at least be waiting in line for tickets... we call that nerd cool. You too can get a package in mystic style for $54! Still waiting to see if we get a group shot of his class...but here are your mutlichoices (click on them to see them larger):

travel debrief

Now that I've had a chance to unwind from two air trips on my own. Here is a checklist of must haves for a air trip with an active 5-6 month old:
- hand puppet and assorted toys that can hook onto stroller straps
- handy sacks plastic bags (conveniently tucked into a little packet the size of those tissue packs you carry in your purse) for those really messy diaper mishaps
- tissues in every pocket and every easy to grab spot!
- multiple blankets to replace the ones that fall on the floor or changing pad
- bibs to catch the drool from all those giggle fits he'll have with his new airplane friends
- hand sanitizer gel and spray (to clean down those sketchier areas)
- extra everything! outfits especially, I was this close to buying this ugly little jumper at the I Love RI store because I needed backup.
- a calm, relaxed attitude that will hopefully transfer over to you munchkin

ohio photos

first community service

Here is a video review of Aiden's first community service, the Walk for Hunger, which ends up being a video tour of downtown Cleveland on a beautiful day:

Or direct link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhmywV9g2ek

adventures of snicklefritz and tired mom

Aiden and I took what is becoming our monthly commute to Ohio for mother’s day weekend! We will be back again in June for father’s day – this time with J AND (caps to show excitement) my sister and her fiancé AND possibly my grandpa from FL. Such a warm fuzzy in the making. This past weekend was a big warm fuzzy too. J had a big wig honorarium type conference in montreal, and there was no way I was going to stay home alone on my first mother’s day weekend! We really ended up with the best of both. I got to be with my mom part of the day and then J the second part of the day. Most importantly Baby AB, temporarily renamed by my mom snicklefritz cuddler, and I got some true quality time. Poor little snicklefritz was on the fritz earlier in the week since that hard, icky illness did indeed turn into his second official double ear infection (boo, but I guess those chubby cheeks are worth it since the shape of your inner ear has a lot to do with whether you will get an infection – let’s hope he will grow out of it). We almost weren't sure if we'd make it to Ohio, but we got him special antibiotic drops for his ears and it seemed to clear things up in time just like the doctor said it would.

A very nice friend had offered to take Aiden and I to the airport since J was already on his way to Montreal. Aiden and I cruised through the airport like experienced business travelers. Easy diaper change before boarding and our only explosion was a little leak from his medicine bottle. He fussed a bit before we took off, then fell asleep nursing and didn't wake up until we were landing. It was totally worth sitting so still for an hour and a half just to have him well rested when we got there, but it is no small task to sit still holding a baby that long. He gets a B+ for the flight there since he did fuss a bit at first scaring all the people around us. But the flight back he gets an A+ since he was smiley and making friends and then slept about 3/4 of the time... I think he was being a good boy for mother's day. People were very helpful this time, especially on Mother's Day. I am excited to have J's extra set of arms for our next trip though (especially as he becomes more of an active squirmy worm)!

This trip coincided with the Gib-a-thon 2008 which is the annual (sometimes biannual) visit from my uncle Gib from Oregon. It was so good to see him and introduce GUG (great uncle Gib) to the A-man. He had a new flip video camera which he mounted on a monopod and he called it the Aidencam. I think it will be hysterical to watch the video that he took while just bouncing that monopod stick through the air. We also got to visit GABZO and GUR (great aunt Bonnie and Roger) at their new house for a nice dinner which also included Aiden's great great aunt Ruth and great great uncle Earl. Aiden even had his first chance to play the piano with musician Bonnie. He really seemed to understand it was something that you bang on. It was so nice for Aiden to share so many smiles.

Saturday was Aiden's first community service! We weren't sure if we would be able to make it in time or if the weather would be nice enough, but we made it downtown for the 5K Walk for Hunger. I'm proud to say that Aiden and I walked the entire route (or Aiden cruised and napped) through downtown Cleveland. I have to admit I was tiiired and I could feel the lactic acid burn in my tired legs at the beginning, but it ended up being such a nice afternoon. I nursed him at the finish line park looking out over the water listening to the schnazy rock band. It was one of those moments that just makes you feel good and I was so happy to be with my family.

Other highlights were a quick shopping trip for some bargains. We had all sorts of fun around the house (with the new changing table addition to Aiden's Ohio nursery) with the cousins. Aiden has his great uncle Bill's wild hairdo and he really liked playing a staring game with him. My cousins loved sharing Aiden time. We got a chance to get over to Bob's for my favorite cinnamon pancakes. Aiden was cuddling his great grandma and suddenly decided to munch her nose! He's been giving J baby kisses every once in a while, but this was an extreme slobbery baby kiss right on the nose. I think Gigi loved it ;)

Auntie Liz sent along a Ben's Bell and a I am Kind onesie for Mother's Day which just made my day (Thanks Lizo!). We went over to my parent's church for mother's day and had a chance to see some familiar friendly faces. Then we came back and put the french toast and egg casseroles in the oven for a quick brunch (we'd made them the day before so technically it wasn't any work on mother's day) then it was off to the airport. It was so nice to have family time when Aiden and I got home from our easy flight. J bought me a book from one of my favorite bloggers called "things i learned about my dad". It has reflections on watching your husband become a dad and even though it may be an obvious father's day present, I was glad to receive it on mother's day...mainly so I won't try to buy it for him because it may be too obviously a present disguised as a gift to myself ;) I also have a mother's day massage scheduled for next Saturday - ooh, can't wait! Thanks to everyone in Ohio for everything - especially my mom and dad for their cuddles and shared giggles. I appreciate my mom more now that I'm a mom...and I thank her for all the chocolate pb chip cookies and an all around grrreat weekend. I hope all you mothers had a great weekend too!

I'll post photos and hopefully even video soon...

so hard

When Aiden gets fussy/overtired/gassy, J and I both find ourselves saying, "Oh poor AB, it's so haaard to be a baby, i know, it's ok..." It calms him to hear our voices, but it doesn't fix it. There are some things that are just sort of hard. Like a growing community of bacteria in his tummy that likes to work in overdrive... or a congested cough picked up from daycare... or mommy's least favorite: bloody ear. During Aiden's only real ear infection a couple months ago, he had something pop creating a big pool of blood in his ear right in front of me... while he giggled and cooed at me. A couple weeks later he had dried up blood in the same pooling area of his ear. I heard a friend's voice in my head saying, "This too will pass" as I called the doctor. That time he was completely free from ear trouble and they thought it might have been that he had a scratch on his ear. Seemed strange with that volume of dried blood and no noticeable scratch (and his nails are paper thin and trimmed)... Well, there was dried blood again yesterday and this time it was less than before and I remained calm... I washed it away to find a tiny little poke on that tender skin from all his ear grabbing. Phew, I was relieved... and I realized how far I've come when it comes to seeing my kid sick in some way. The first time I panicked, the next time I braced myself, and this time I took it in stride. He's home with me today because his tummy troubles aren't letting him get good rest, and I want to be sure his cold doesn't move into his ears. It's nothing a little cuddling can't cure! (and just to be sure we got him cleared at the doctor - He's a healthy 19lbs 2 oz in the 75th, which is good to know since we won't be in for his 6 month appointment until the 15th)

pj party

I realize that Aiden, J and I are frequently in pj party mode. Last night after Boo Bear came home with us and we were finished with bathtime and Aiden's sweety tater dinner, I whipped up an orange pudding cake (new more kid friendly name for the good ol favorite harvey something cake) that came out of the oven just before Aiden konked out. I found the party hats from his one week birthday (aren't we the paarty animals around here) and stuck an unlit candle in the cake. Although J thought it should only be half a candle for his half birthday. Aiden got a tiny little cake crumb to celebrate, and more photos... I just can't help myself... It was a good half birthday and the best part is that boo bear made Aiden smile even bigger this morning while I ate some pudding cake for breakfast ;)

six month celebration

Aiden may only slightly realize that it's a special day, but six months felt like a time to celebrate... or at least get out of the house and try something new. My first idea I day dreamed up was taking him on the swing in our laps. Wet coldish May weather nixed that idea. What can you do with a six month old inside?! The mall is inside, along with the Build a Bear Workshop! Oh no, I brought the camera too. Aiden's expressions were better than any commerical. It was more a treat for us to see him smile at his new friend, Boo Bear:

Or visit direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTljn-U95oY

closer to you video

Six months then and now...

Or visit direct link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0eTI_a2I_c
Music: Wallflower's Closer To You

6 months!

Dear Aiden,

As you woke up this morning you didn't really cry, you yelled out like a big boy, saying "hey, mom isn't it time to play!?". As I write this you're competing with me for some keyboard action. You even seem to look at me like I'm crazy when I delete your key stomps. You have a daycare runny nose and now that you are a big boy you don't like it when we wipe your nose (something you learned from that Kyla character at daycare). You're now distracted from the keyboard because you are noticing our kitties, Sophy and Peanut. You want them to be part of your fan club, but they aren't sure they want to sign up...they say it's something about not having any place to keep your membership card...sounds like an excuse to me.

This month we visited the Ohio chapter of your fan club. We will have part two of that visit this week when we go back for Mother's Day. I think we'll even get a chance to recruit new members since Uncle Gib will be in town. Last time when we came home you got quite the welcome home from dad. As we were riding down to the baggage claim in the glass elevator you became a giggle puss and your arms were reaching out for daddy with a big smile. You knew it was daddy and you must have missed him.

You are still sleeping like a teenager trying to wake to party late and trying to sleep in, but getting a new mattress seemed to help a little bit. I'm convinced you'll grow out of waking up a bunch and we're just lucky that you get to sleep without too much trouble. Your bath time has always been easy, and this month you got a new big boy bath seat. At first you'd hold on to the rim, but now you just lounge and some times try to splish splash.

Dad's been playing this up balance game with you and your strong legs for a couple months now, but you've got it mastered now. You even pull yourself to standing. We can't wait for more tricks. We're excited to have the skype video calls set up so that you can continue to get in some special appearances with your fan club. We look forward to getting closer and I'll admit to tearing up when I watched your six months then and now review video (coming soon!).

Love you,
Mommeee