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