This is the best sound in the whole world :-)
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Tarot Healing Card
11 months ago
We joke that Aiden is going to play soccer when he grows up because he is such a kicker. His legs are always moving! I think this video is cute because it looks like he is trying to dance to the music - his little legs are movin' and groovin'!
Aiden really enjoys kicking his legs and can't wait to be on the move, so we got him a jumper to help him burn off some energy until he can get around on his own. He loves it! He has toys all around that he can play with and when he kicks his legs he bounces up and down. What fun!
I was able to capture a picture of his tooth. I think the one next to it will be breaking through any day now!
Aiden has been practicing sitting up and reading his book. He loves this fabric book a lot more than the hard paper books. I think it is easier for him to turn the pages. He is growing into such a big boy!
I'm just throwing this picture in here because I think he looks super cute! I should probably also explain his helmet. His head has developed flat in the back, since he was putting pressure on it 5 weeks before he was supposed to and couldn't do as much tummy time as he should due to his reflux. He will wear the helmet for 3-6 months to allow his head to round out. I have already started to notice a difference. He doesn't mind at all that it is on, and neither do we. He just has an added accessory for his outfits for a while :-)
Aiden got his first tooth on 7/23! We were so excited! And relieved to finally understand why he had been so fussy! The week prior to the tooth breaking through was difficult because he was crying so much and we didn't know how to help him. I took him to the doctor thinking he had an ear infection, but the doctor said that he was fine. She couldn't see anything wrong with him. We tried to treat him with Tylenol, but I didn't want to give him too much because I wasn't sure if he was actually in pain or just cranky. I am so glad we have the answer and know the signs for next time! Aiden was trying to tell us what was wrong, we just didn't understand. But now we do and we will be much better listeners next time!
We took Aiden to have professional pictures taken yesterday and they came out great! Here is a sample. He looks like a baby model (but I'm very biased!) :)
Aiden is discovering that Daddy is funny, and laughs at almost everything he does. Michael is a silly person by nature, and Aiden just eats it up! Yesterday we were at Target and Michael found a stuffed Yoda (from Star Wars) and made him talk to Aiden. Aiden thought is was hilarious. We were all laughing so hard we had tears in our eyes (including Aiden)!
Later in the day, Daddy borrowed Paris' hand puppet and made it talk to Aiden. I was able to get that on video. His laugh is so infectious! It just warms the heart! Enjoy!
We recently went to California on vacation, both to visit with Grandpa and the Small's in Northern CA and to share in Jackie's wedding in Southern CA. We were gone for a week, and it made for a lot of flying and changes of scenery for Aiden. He did great! He loves to see and experience new things, and be part of the action!
We had a wonderful time visiting with Grandpa and the Small's. It was a visit I will treasure forever. Some of the best moments in life are spent just talking, and we were able to do a lot of that with Grandpa. He taught Michael and I how to play Cribbage, and so we spent many an hour talking and playing cards. It was wonderful. I sure wish we lived closer - we need to be able to do that more often!
We also had a great time participating in Jackie's wedding festivities: the mani/pedi's, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, pre-wedding girls brunch, and then the wedding! I have LOTS of pictures from those events, so as soon as I figure out the multi-picture viewer I'll add them. Until then, here are a few...
April has been a busy month for us. Aiden turned 3 months old, I went back to work, and he started day care part time. We are still trying to adjust to our new, busy schedule, and trying to make sure we take enough pictures because he is growing SO fast! He is such a little man now. He is doing a great job holding his head up, he is a big talker, he loves to smile at us, and he is beginning to sleep through the night! Oh my! Did I mention he is growing up so fast!?!
Here he is in the bumbo practicing holding his head up and sitting like a big boy. These were taken at the beginning of April, a little before he turned 3 months old.
Aiden and I needed a nap after a hard day's work...
He is such a happy boy!
This one is a little blurry, but his smile/laugh is so cute I just had to share it!
I just thought I would share some cute moments from the last week. Enjoy!
Precious Daddy time...
I love his cute new chubby baby cheeks :)
Snuggle time!
Here's a clip of Aiden learning to talk and to interact with his toys (with a little dog barking and Laryngomalacia noises thrown in there).
I don't know about other babies, but for our first few months together Aiden did not like to have his diaper changed. He wiggled and kicked and groaned about it... Until I put a mobile over his changing table. Oh my, that mobile is wonderful! He loves it! Now when we lay him down to change his diaper, he stares at the animals, talks to them, and laughs. It is so cute, and it makes changing his diaper such an enjoyable experience!
The other day Aiden was in his swing and we realized that his head fits into the newborn protector/support. Here is a look back at how much he has grown in the last 2 months. He is growing so fast! Too fast for my taste - before I know it he will be walking... and then off to school... and then graduating... and then married... but I digress
January 22
February 8
February 28
March 25
We have been having such beautiful spring weather here the past few days and Aiden and I have been trying to make the most of it by spending time swinging in the backyard swing.
I think he looks like his Grandpa preparing to go outside to the garden in this ball cap...
Now if we could only have that Hawaii weather last through the summer :)
Aiden and I have been attending the "New Moms" group that the hospital sponsors every week. I look forward to weighing him to see how much he has grown and chatting with the other new moms. However, last week when I weighed him he had actually lost an oz, which was very alarming, so we made an appointment to see his pediatrician. His pediatrician, Dr. Binder, did 2 things:
1. He switched Aiden to a completely bottle fed diet. He did this so that we could monitor his intake and so that he would expend as few calories as possible trying to feed. Dr Binder had diagnosed Aiden with laryngomalacia at his 2 week check-up, and we had a feeling that this condition was causing him to utilize too much energy trying to breast feed. In laryngomalacia the support structure of the larynx is not fully developed and collapses when Aiden breathes inward. This means that he has to work extra hard to try to breathe and eat. You can tell that he struggles because he sounds like he is snoring or whistling (depending on his position) when he breathes. We also went to see an ear, nose and throat specialist who confirmed the diagnosis by sticking a little camera down Aiden's nose and into his throat to examine the larynx. Aiden did not like this one bit, but he was very brave!
2. Supplemented each feeding with additional formula, for added calories.
I must say that the results were amazing! Aiden started this diet on a Thursday and by Monday he had gained 1 lb and 1 oz! Unbelievable! It took 7 weeks for him to gain 2.5 lbs and 4 days on the new diet to gain 1 lb! We were literally watching him grow before our eyes.
Here is a picture of him the day he started the new diet...
And here he is with his new fuller cheeks a few days later...
At last check he was 8 lbs 4oz. I am so excited by his weight gain! I feel like we are making so much progress in the right direction.
One of the things that I learned from this experience is that one size does NOT fit all! I had been doing what I thought, and what I read in almost every book out there, was the best thing for my baby - just hang in there with the breastfeeding because it is what is best. Aiden and I were really struggling and there were so many days that I wanted to quit, but I tried to stick it out because I thought that I was doing what was best for him. It turns out that I should have listened to my gut telling me that this was not working for us. In our case, he needed to be bottle fed. That does not mean that I don't give him breastmilk or that I don't believe that breast milk is wonderful for him. But rather, that we could not follow the traditional breastfeeding route - and that is ok!
Michael recent celebrated his 32nd birthday! Happy Birthday Daddy! While Michael was at work that day, Aiden and I had a wonderful time making him a cake...
Aiden just needed a little help from me with the frosting...
Daddy loved it!
Michael wanted to golf for his birthday, so over the weekend we all went. Aiden slept through his first golfing experience...
But Michael had fun anyway!
We are always laughing at the funny faces Aiden makes! He is hilarious! Here are a few samples.
And yesterday we had our first conversation. Well, sort of. He has been practicing making sounds, like da, ya, etc. Yesterday he said "Aggie" (with the A pronounced Ah). Since we live here in Texas/Aggie land, I started laughing and said, "Aggie! Did you just say Aggie?". And much to my amusement, he replied, "Ya". Hence, our first conversation! I was laughing hysterically! I'm not sure, but we may have a future Aggie in our midst?!?
Since Grandma left a few weeks ago the amount of picture taking has dropped dramatically. While she was here she was helping to keep us feed, make sure the house was in order, we had clean clothes, and that Aiden's milestones were captured. Thanks Grandma!!! Since she left we have been learning how to do all of these things by ourselves, one by one, while still taking good care of Aiden (his feeding need is a full time job in and of itself!). At this point I feel pretty confident that we are doing a good job of keeping the house up (cleaning bottles, laundry, preparing meals, etc), so now I need to focus on taking more pictures!
I have managed to capture a few memorable moments in the last few weeks though...
Aiden has started to stay awake more during the day, so to stimulate his senses we got him an activity center. His favorite part is the round mirror off to the right.
And here he is looking "Toadily Cute" in the swing...
I was even able to capture another smile (He has smiled a few times while awake lately too, but I haven't been able to get a picture of one of those). Oh, he is going to be a little heartbreaker :)
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