Christmas Card Time Has Arrived

I'm a little behind the ball this year, but it's time to think about Christmas cards already!

I normally send out generic cards that I pick up at the store, but this year we are wanting to do photo cards to show family and friends what Aidan looks like now that he's one year old!

We have used Shutterfly multiple times in the past. We've ordered calendars, we ordered our birth announcements through them, and of course we've ordered prints as well. I've never had anything bad to say about Shutterfly, so of course when I saw their Christmas Photo Cards it didn't take much to twist my arm into wanting to order from them.

I've been looking around for a while now and I can't figure out which type I should get!

(Source)
Option 1: This would of course have a picture of Aidan front and center!

(Source)

Option 2: This could be either a family shot, or a single shot. I was thinking more family style, as shown above.

Both are 5x7 cardstock, and I just know they will be wonderful quality if my past experiences with Shutterfly have anything to say about it! I do believe I prefer the folded card, just so I can personalize each card without having to include a seperate note for each, but I'm leaving it up to you guys! Any preferences about which one I should get? Any ideas on what type of photo I should use in my cards?

Aidan is One!

Got a cool new Cozy Coupe!

Dressed up in Toys R Us

He was THRILLED when we told him it was his birthday.

Playing with a new toy his grandma got him.

Eating some squash!

Always a ham for the camera

Opening gifts at his party

Even a busy toddler stops to smell the roses sometimes :)

Hamming it up. He LOVES everyone, would go to a stranger on the street if they tried to pick him up. He's not shy at all.

A nice shot of his semi busted lip. He misjudged the distance between to places and face planted.

New Pictures

Aidan's 10.5 months now, and oh boy is he a handful! He's always into everything, but it's so cute it's easy to not get frustrated. He's truly inquisitive about the world around him, and it's awesome to see him learn how things work. His big brown eyes just light up when he discovers something new!

He had his first real playdate with a friend close to his age. They played nice the whole time!

He loves it when his daddy lays on the floor with him to play before bedtime.

He's teething so he loves to chew on everything, including bottles of Gripe Water.

You can see 2 teeth here, but he has 4 more hiding up top!

He loves his puffs, and they stick to him if he isn't wearing a shirt ;)

10 Month Letter

Dear Aidan,

I have no idea where to start! You're 10 months old now. I swear I feel simultaniously like I've known you all my life and that you just got here. Such conflicting emotions but I guess every mom feels that. You do new things every single day, so I'll make a laundry list of them in the interest of quickness:

• You walk, kind of. You hold 1 handed onto anything and everything and haul butt across the room. Hands, walls, couches, etc.
• You say mama, dada, baba, buhbye, and hey
• You eat everything. Pizza, pasta, etc etc etc. We feed you veggies and all sorts of healthy items but in reality you want whatever we are eating, and we give you bits of it not only to keep you from screaming but to expose you to plenty of foods!
• You FINALLY mastered thumb-pointer finger grip. You still prefer to SHOVEL food into your mouth but you're just an enthusiastic eater and I love that about you.
• Favorite foods are still anything apple, pastas, breads, any fruits, carrots, broccoli, okay... everything! LOL
• You are in size 4 diapers, 12 or 18 month clothing.
• Your favorite toys right now are your Fisher Price music learning table, Fisher Price Roll Along Bongo Drums, and any and everything you can fit into your mouth
• You have 6 teeth. 4 up top, 2 on bottom and you are most definitely working on some more.

And really, I couldn't love you any more than I do. You're simply the most awesome baby ever. Your great great gram passed away this week, and you were an angel (maybe her angel!) every time I took you to see her. You were quiet and respectful and you smiled at me while I cried for her. At the funeral today you kept yourself quiet and when I showed her to you in her casket you reached out and tried to eat the roses she was clutching. You fell asleep in your stroller and while you were awake you literally stole the show. Everyone wanted to love on the "most adorable baby ever".

You have the most amazing personality ever, and everyone can see it. Thank you for giving me the honor of being your mother.

I love you,

Mama

9 Month Letter

2 weeks late, as usual. Mommy is just way too busy sometimes!

My dear Aidan,

You're now 9 months old. You are 21 lbs. 30 inches long. When we took you to your 9 month well-check you had a double ear infection! I'm so happy we went because you weren't showing any signs at all. No fever or fussiness or tugging at your ears. I guess you're too tough for an ear infection to get you down!

You are steadily growing. Size 4 diapers, 12-18 month clothing.

You're favorite activity right now is cruising the furniture, I swear one day you're just going to let go and toddle across the room! You've also discovered that you can push your bumbo chair in front of the couch and then CLIMB on top of it to climb up on the couch. Unfortunately you still try to climb off of the couch face first.. so we are always on our toes!

You're favorite foods are.. well, anything! Puffs, yogurt melts, cheerios, all stage 3 baby foods, grapes, strawberries, melon, crackers, wafers, bread.. you eat it all plus more. You're still averaging 30oz of formula a day, plus 3 solid meals plus snacks.

You're favorite toy right now varies, but you still love Sophie and the Fisher Price Roll Along Bongo Drum thingies.. you chase those all over the house. You also love to blow raspberries!

You go to bed between 8-9pm, and on weekdays wake up by 7:30am, weekends you sleep in a bit and don't get up until after 9am (yay!). You still take 3 naps a day usually, sometimes only 2.

You're going to be a boy, in all meanings of the word. You love dirt, leaves, trees, grass. Your favorite things to do outside is to play in your baby pool, go for a walk in the stroller, and crawl around playing with dirt. I must admit I LOVE this about you. I'm not a girly girl and I couldn't imagine having to play pretty princess. I'd rather hang out outside anyday.

You have your first girlfriend.. not really, but it's cute. Little Maxine is a younger woman by about 6 months, but she sure has eyes for you, little man.

All in all you're steadily making my heart grow more and more every day. You're my favorite man, and I wouldn't change a thing about you.

8 Month Letter

Dear Aidan,

Oh geez, boy. You have mommy busy! Even now I'm writing your letter 2 weeks late. Soon I'll be composing your 9 month letter!

You are still the light of my life. I can't think of any saying to describe it, other than that. You absolutely radiate love every single time I come home from work, and every time you see your father. You've gained a long laundry list of things you do, and do well.

• crawling, real, fast, full on crawling
• pulling up to stand on anything you can get your hands on
• eating more and more table food. you are a ninja and grab things off of our plates without us noticing until we see you chewing!
• saying Mama now, but only occasionally and not really directed at me
• you point at what you want
• you reach out to people for a hug
• eating between 32-40oz a day plus 3 meals of solids (which I'm about to up the solids some, you've been out-eating my servings for a while but I just now noticed)
• you're starting to "dance" when you hear music you like, you semi-jump and wiggle your whole body

As you can see you're growing in leaps and bounds. You're everything I ever dreamed I would have in a son. Keep on being amazing, it helps mommy through rough days.

Love Always,

Your Momma

My Apologies

I'm so sorry for not blogging a lot lately. I'm really trying to work on it. Things just got a bit overwhelming there for a while. We were all sick, work got busy which took it's toll on my moods, and Aidan is teething and starting seperation anxiety (even with me sitting right there, he wants constant attention it seems like!). Time on the computer at home has been limited to say the least.

Oh well, things have smoothed out some so I'm back in the game.

Updates on Aidan:

• 7.5 months.
• 2 bottom teeth, 2 top teeth pending (they are visible through the gums but not yet broken through)
• army crawls like a pro
• gets on hands and knees and hangs out, rocks back and forth a lot
• loves to stand now. on the couch holding onto the back, on the floor holding onto the cushion, on our laps holding onto our shoulders, etc
• loves to jump on people, not so much in his jumperoo. he will happily sit on our laps and kick his legs for an hour, easy, making himself bounce up and down
• still eats like a champ. 40oz of formula a day plus 2-3 solids a day
• sleep is still good.. usually 12 hours a night.
• bedtimes are getting rough though with teething + seperation anxiety. he has a big issue when i lay him down and then leave the room! we're working on it though.
• he gives big huge belly laughs now when he gets excited. he also FINALLY is starting to take interest in holding his own bottle. I still feed him but afterwards I let him play with it and he can now hold it up on his own and suck.

Adventures In Teething

Oh good lord Aidan is teething his top 2 teeth, at the same time. Last night in our house around 6:30pm the world ended.

He was rubbing his eyes, obviously tired. I fed him his bottle at 6:30 to prepare to bedtime at 7. Screaming insued so I laid him down closer to 6:30 than 7. Hysterical screaming. Not good. I'm game with letting him fuss lightly for 5-10 minutes because it will always fall asleep, but this.. this was full on "oh my god I'm dying" screaming. I got him right back up. Bounce, rock, play.. screaming through the whole thing. He looks like he has two peas shoved in his upper gums, they are super painfully swollen.

He wouldn't take a teether, and wouldn't calm down. Motrin, here we come! Gave him a dose and held/bounced/walked around for 30 minutes to let it take effect. Tried to lay him down again. Hysterical screaming.

Got him back up, gave him 2 teething tablets. He calmed down for about, oh, 30 seconds. Hysterical screaming in my arms. Took him outside to walk around, he was quiet outside but still groaning and rubbing his eyes. After about 20 minutes tried to lay him down again. Hysterical screaming. (Are you seeing where this is going yet?)

Got him up again. Rubbed some baby orajel on his top gums. He proceeded to make all sorts of funny faces, and even cracked a smile at one point. But 10 minutes later, hysterical screaming. At this point I will not lie. I was so distraught I had tears in my eyes. My child NEVER behaves this way. I could see in his face how miserable he was and all I wanted was to make him feel better but nothing was working! Poor little butt was clinging to me so tightly I could have let go and he would still be hanging there.

I ended up bounce/swaying in a circle (directly in a circle, like a carosel) for 20 minutes while he nodded off slowly. At this point it was 9. I was shot. He was shot. The cats were so far in hiding I wouldn't be surprised if they were in another country. Mike was sitting on the couch cheering me on giving me updates on if his eyes were closed everytime I turned to where he could see him. After 20 minutes he was asleep... My arms were numb and my back ached. But by God the child was ASLEEP! I laid him down, and he slept through the night. Now I'm praying that those two teeth come through today.

Now some pictures, he's 7.5 months now. Sitting on his own (but he prefers not to). Up on his knees rocking all the time. Army crawling like a pro. LOVES to stand, he is even trying to let go of the couch/chair/hands/etc to try it on his own.. and can do it for a few seconds before falling into a happy, giggly pile. Usually a very happy, smiley baby!

Thankful On Thursday

Today I'm thankful for many things.

1) Aidan army crawling all around. It makes things so much more fun to see him more mobile and getting into things!

2) My best friend having a healthy, perfect little baby. Maxine Ember was born 6/16 at 5:24pm 7lb 9oz and 19 3/4" long.

3)Aidan napping longer and more regularly now that he's scooting all around. All the activty wears him out and the extra napping helps keep him happy.

4) Mike, so working hard and helping to provide our family with what we need.

Photo Update

6 Month Letter

Dear Aidan,

You're now 6 months 2 weeks, technically. But mommy has been too busy being sick and loving on you to write this until now! This past month has been great for the most part.

You had your first illness. You contracted a virus somehow and had diarrhea for over a week. It was horrible! You even had fevers. After a visit to the pediatrician we amped you up with pedialyte and infant motrin and we made it through. A few days later daddy got sick with fevers and a sore throat. He was ill for a week. The mommy got sick with the same thing. The daddy got sick again for 2 weeks. Then mommy for another week. And now daddy has the same thing yet again. THANK GOODNESS you managed to avoid our illnesses. We can't complain because the entire time we were/are sick you were such an angel baby. Giving us plenty of hugs and playing independently quietly so we could lounge on the couch in misery.

You are still working on sitting up. You can do it, but most of the time you choose not to. Youare definitely army scrawling now. We have a 4'x6' rug and you scoot all over it and even off of it. Your new favorite thing is to scoot your toys to the edge of the rug by the couch and shove them under it. Then try to crawl under the couch to get them. It's quite adorable but mommy is getting rug burn from trying to reach under the couch all the time to retrieve your toys!

You eat solids foods now 3 times a day. And you are even expirimenting with stage 3 foods. You're loving the added textures and flavors! You're still in size 3 diapers, but you now we 9 months clothes and 12 month clothes!!

Our love for you has grown so much lately. You laugh at everything and get the biggest smile when you first see us in the mornings. I never knew how much it was possible to love a small child who can't even walk, feed themselves, dress themselves, talk, etc. You have SUCH an amazing personality. You never meet a stranger. On my darkest days a simple smile and you huggin me tight as I hold you makes it all better. You are the definition of love and I can't believe we made you. Keep on growing, scooter-butt, and remember mommy and daddy will always love you more than you know.

Love Always,
Mommy

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!

6 Months

First off, sorry for my absence. My great grandmother has cancer, and my grandfather had surgery, and I've just been flat out busy!

Aidan is SIX MONTHS OLD NOW! 18lb5oz, 27 3/4 inches long! :)

I am at work so I can't say much, but I will post an update with substance tonight!

Q&A Answer # 2, 3, &4

What has been your most memorable mom experience so far?? :
This is a hard question. It's SO MEMORABLE when he first smiled, rolled over, laughed, got a tooth, ate solid food, etc. I guess the best would be the first ime he said mama. I know he doesn't associate "mama" with me, but it still broke my heart and made my heart whole all at the same time.


Have you gone back on anything you said you'd never do as a mom? Like, "I'll never let him cry it out for even 5 minutes"???
By all means, YES! I swore I'd never bed share. And we did for 3 months. I swore we'd never let him cry for more than 2-3 minutes, and even though we didn't for the first few months we have since then and he falls to sleep now on his own. And he is happy playing on his own. He's goign through a small bout of seperation anxiety since he's close to 6 months but nothing 2-3 minutes of FUSSING (not crying) can cure. Very rarely does he actually cry for us before we are there. I swore I wouldn't dominate conversation with things about my pregnancy, baby, etc. And I so do. But only with people who ASK for it. It's a hard habit to break! I'm just so proud!


How do you like being a working mother? What is the most amazing change you've noticed in yourself since having Aidan?
I like being a working mother as could be expected. I'm clinically depressed. I cry at work all the time the first time I feel the least bit stressed. I am MEANT to be at home with my baby. But due to finances for the tim being I'm stuck at work. It is HARD and i HATE IT but I do it because I have no choice. As this poiint in our lives the best thing I can do is work so he has a home, and toys, and clothes, and food, etc.

And the most amazing change has been my EMOTIONS. I cry over everything! I ooh and ahh over other babies and pregnancies where as before it was like "oh, okay, cool". It's WEIRD how far of a range my emotions have now.

McFatty Monday, Week 2 + Mother's Day + Lake!

I'm still at 207. I don't want to talk about it. I didn't exercise once. And I ate my weight in carbs. I'm surprised I didn't gain. So I'd rather stay the same than gain. :)

Mother's Day was nice. Aidan cut his second tooth (oh hey, yeah, he cut his first tooth on May 3rd!!) on Mother's Day. And was fevery and clingy and screamy all day long. But oh mah gosh my baybee has 2 teefies! :D

Saturday we went to Carney Island. Aidan had fun, I guess. He liked staring at the moss hanging from the trees. :) We took a few pictures.

Me and my precious peanut. He SMILED for the picture! Melts my heart.
Angry face. Like "Daddy I dont WANT PICTURES"
ALWAYS ALWAYS EATING THE HAND. But he DID pop a tooth the next day, so I guess it's allowed.

This is Carney Island. AKA Little Lake Weir. Big Lake Weir is right behind where we were standing.

Check out Aidan in his swim trunks! Huge on his but TOTALLY ADORABLE. And apparently tiring, too. This was before we even left the house.

Q&A Answer #1

So a while back I asked for some of my readers to ask my some questions. I got a few, here's the answer to one of them (I'll get to the others this week, I promise!)

Nicci from Changing The Universe asked this:

OOO!! I have a good one. You went back to work very quickly after having Aidan (wasn't it like 4 weeks or something?) and you are the breadwinner while Mike is a SAHD.

How has that affected you as far as being a mom? Are you still expected to do the things that all working moms are expected to do (working PLUS cooking and cleaning, etc)? What made you decide to go back to work so soon and to have Mike be the one who stayed home?

In other words, can you talk about how the typical gender roles have been reversed in your house :)

Yes, I went back to work 2 weeks post partum. When I found out I was pregnant on March 24th, 2009 I was employed full time, working 55 hours a week. Mike was also employed full time working 40 hours a week. Things were looking good, I thought i would be able to stay home a tleast 6 weeks, despite only getting 2 weeks paid vacation time. My thoughts were shattered a mere 3 days after getting those 2 lines on that pregnancy test.

Mike was laid off. Which was strange seeing as the company had just finished a series of jobs for the county and seemed to be doing fine financially. It was only the owner, office manager (Hi Christine!), Shawn (Mike's brother) and Mike working there at the time. So needless to say I didn't cut down my hours AT ALL despite being pregnant, I had to work as much as possible to help pay the bills since Mike's unemployment obviously didn't 100% make up his lost salary.

I still thought I'd be able to afford to stay home those 6 weeks, but not any more than that. That thought was shattered when I was admitted to the hospital for a week due to gestational diabetes. This didn't kill our savings completely, but I wasn't bringing home any income that week and the biggest condition of me getting out of the hospital was that I would be on partial bedrest. It was either I work a maximum of 4 hours a day and spend the rest of the day in bed, or I remain in the hospital on bedrest until I delivered. Which was over a month away. Obviously I took the choice to be out in the world, even if it meant a drastic cut in pay and hours being worked.

After I had Aidan I was home for those 2 weeks. I had a chance to bond with him a bit, and we worked hard to get his nights and days switched so that when I was back to work I wasn't up all night. I took care of him primarily those first 2 weeks, but if I asked Mike to help he was right there and didn't hesitate. He was up with me at nights, making bottles, and changing diapers right along with me.

Once I was back to work I still got up with Aidan at night. I handled him primarily when I got home from work, and all throughout the night. Mike slept through the nights (except a few trying nights I had him get up to help) so he could be wide awake and in a good mood to stay with Aidan during the days. The system worked. I was able to sleep enough thanks to bedsharing to be functional at work, and I had extra bonding time with Aidan at 3am when I was feeding him ;)

During the first month or so our house was a wreck. Mike was adjusting to life with a baby during the days, and I was working. In the evenings it was all Aidan all the time for me, since I had been gone all day.

After that first month or so we settled into a comfortable routine. By 6 weeks or so Aidan was basically sleeping through the night and with the less frequent feeding I was able to get some housework done in the evenings. And on the weekends while he napped we both tag teamed the house & got it cleaned up.

These days our routine hasn't changed much. He takes long naps on the weekends freeing us up to clean and take our time (within reason). And Mike picks up during the days, making it easier. Mike is also working almost full time now. He works at his old job in the foam shop as a machine operator tuesdays and thursdays, 8+ hours each day. And he works at his old job land surveying monday, wednesday, and friday as needed. Those 3 days aren't full days, sometimes only 2-3 hours, sometimes more. But either way he's working more so it helps with our income as a family. Mike's mother watches Aidan while he's working.

So now our family dynamic is more back to "normal", whatever that means. I still wish I was able to stay at home. I have plenty of days where the mommy guilt kicks in full time because I didn't get a full 6-12 weeks to bond, I am not home with him all day, etc. But because of that he is bonded with his father like CRAZY, and he adores his grandmother, too. He's sharing his love with 2 other worthy people and that makes me happy. Despite all the mommy guilt I feel I know I'd rather feel guilty for working a job I have to work to put food on the table and a roof over our heads than stay at home and not be able to provide him with the things he needs to grow and thrive.

99 Things

I copied this from some other blogs I follow..I've done everything in bold below. Now you can copy this on to your own blog & bold the things you’ve done! Just a little something fun!




1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyworld

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightening storm

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Been to Westminster Abbey

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Got a tattoo

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

McFatty Monday: Week 1

So once, far back in time, I joined the McFatty Monday campaign started by Blair @ http://theheirtoblair.com/. Then I quit. Because I am the essence of teh lazy.

Ladies! I'm back on the wagon. I gained up to 207lbs. Which is a lot seeing as I was 185lbs 6 weeks postpartum. WHAT?!! You'd think I was breastfeeding the way I can chow down on some foods. Insanity, let me tell you.

I don't have a plan, per se. Which might be a problem. I'd like to keep it to 1500 calories a day. And at least 100 minutes of exercise per week. Unfortunately it's already desperately hot here in Florida, so outside exercise will be limited. But I do have malls to walk in, and a stationary bike. And 5lb dumbells for weight training. And 30 Day Shred. :)

Starting Weight Prepregnancy: 195
Highest Pregnancy Weight: 230
2 Weeks Postpartum: 190
6 Weeks Postpartum: 185
Current: 207
Height: 5'7"

Adventures In Sitting Up

Hi Mom! You want me to sit up? Umm.. I want to play with my foot & eat my hand.

I'm pretty sure I told you I didn't want to sit up.

FINE. I sit up, but I refuse to smile about it.

Blank stare.

Oooooh. I can play with my foot AND try to pick the flowers off the couch while I sit up.

5 Month Old Letter

Dear Aidan,

I can't believe I'm sitting here typing up a 5 month letter to you. When you came into our lives I was unable to think of the future. It was simply day to day, sometimes minute to minute. Trying to get by, learning each other and meeting demands. Now it seems all I can think of is the future. You crawling, walking, first words, etc. I still think all the time "is this my baby? I get to keep him forever?" so I guess in a way I still am unable to think of the future. It's amazing how much you've changed, and how much you've grown.

You now command my attention when I get home from work. Since I'm gone all day when I come home you are ALL MOMMY ALL THE TIME and god forbid I set you down to go to the bathroom, you WAIL until I come hold you. Instead of annoying me, it just endears me to you more. You truely need me in the evenings, for snuggles and loves and laughs. And that, my dear boy, makes me so proud to be your mommy.

You're rolling both ways, tripod sitting for maybe 20 seconds at a time, eating solid foods 2 times a day (1/2 a jar at lunch, a full jar at dinner), still eating about 30 oz of formula a day. Still on the Zantac 2 times a day, and the reflux shows no signs of letting up anytime soon, which makes me sad because I just want you to be able to eat your bottles without spitting up profusely afterwards.

My dear boy, you're waking up now so I'm going to go. Just know your mommy loves you more than words and even though I try to write you a letter each month nothing compares to how many kisses and snuggles I give you each day. Love you bunches.

Love always,
Mommy

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner

I had to bump up the date of my giveaway date, due to some family things going on. So without further delay, the winner!

Based on 106 entries, the winner chosen by random.org is...

Entry #19, Carla!! I counted each comments entry value (aka a tweet counts as 1 entry) and starting with the first comment went down the list.

Carla, I sent you an email, if you don't respond within 48 hours I will pick another winner.

A Day In The Life..

Our Usual Weekend Time Line:

8:00am - WAKE UP MOMMY I WANT TO PLAY!

8:30am - Bottle, then playtime.

9:00am - Independant play time, on mat, jumperoo, etc.

While he's having fun I'm usually gathering laundry up from around the house, & then I eat breakfast.

10:00am - Morning nap

While he naps I get the 1st load of laundry started, and pick up his play area in the living room. Depending on the length of his nap I'll do the dishes, or some other small task.

11:30am - Wake up! Bottle, then playtime.

12:30pm - Lunch time! Applesauce, green beans, squash, or whatever Mommy gives me.

1:00pm - Bath time!

1:30pm - Independant play time.

During this time I clean up from lunch (wipe down the high chair, etc), have my own lunch, switch clothes to dryer, start 2nd load of laundry. I sweep the house, or some other small, quick task.

2:30pm - Bottle!

3:00pm - Nap

This is his longest nap of the day, pretty much always. This affords me time to start thinking about dinner, fold the 1st load of clothes, put in 2nd load to dry, put away 1st load. Take a shower. Feed the cats. Mix up cereal & formula into the Munchkin containers for Mike's mom during the week so she doesn't have to measure it out. If I'm lucky I get to read some, play the Sims 3, catch up on TV, etc.

5:00pm - Wake up! Playtime!

5:30pm - Bottle

7:30pm - Dinner is served.

8:00pm - Bottle, then bed time.

After he's in bed we eat dinner, fold & put away 2nd load of clothes. Watch TV or watch a movie together. And we're in bed by 10pm. Voila, a day in our lives.

During the week it's vastly different (well, on my end) since I'm at work. His schedule stays pretty much the same, with minor variations.

Photo Update

Due to time constraints tonight here's an update in photos. He noms on his hands constantly.

He drools 24/7.

He visited with his 90 year old great-great-grandmother.

He smiles like a fiend when we get on the floor with him for tummy play time.

& he loves to play (eat) stuffed animals on his playmat.

I'll update more tomorrow when I have more time ;)

19 Weeks

In honor of Aidan reaching 19 weeks of age I'm going to do a Thankful on Thursday post, review a couple of items that have entered baby-entertainment rotation in our household, and just update in general. :)

First up, Things I'm Thankful For Today:

1) Mike's mother, for watching Aidan for us 2 days a week while Mike works. Without her we wouldn't be able to afford daycare, what with Mike only working 16 hours a week! We are lucky enough because she only works about 20 hours a week, so she's able to watch Aidan on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It's good for them to bond, and Aidan sure loves his grandma. It breaks my heart that I can't stay home with him, but everyone know how much grandmas love their grandbabies, so I know he's in awesome hands :)

2) Mike, for being the most amazing guy & father, EVER. He will get up at night if I ask (which I usually don't), he plays stay at home daddy 3 days a week, and he isn't scared of a poop or puke covered baby. He will buy me tampons when I'm bleeding, cheesecake when I'm dieting, and then hug me when I cry because I don't want to leave my baby and go back to work. All without a complaint. He cooks dinner for me every night and does more than 50% of the housework on the weekends. He isn't a very verbal man but he knows I work hard to provide for our family so he steps it up and tries to help.

Favorite items of the moment:

1) Baby Einstein Jumperoo (Here): He seems to think this is HIGHLY amusing when I grab his little legs and jump him around. He's starting to get the idea behind it, but still thinks it's funnier when I make him jump ;)

2) Sophie (Here): Pretty obvious, he chews, slobbers, & noms on her quite a bit.

3) Link A Dos (Here): Didn't expect these to be such a huge hit, but he LOVES him. Always has a link of 2-3 in at least 1 hand all day long. Loves to chew them, suck on them, stare at them, swat at them, etc.

4) Fisher Price Rainforest Gym (Here): I thought kids kinda grew out of this thing early, but it seems like the older he gets the more he enjoy it, especially now that we linked up some Link A Dos with some carseat toys, etc.

Aidan is doing well. He's rolling over both ways now. Eating 5+oz every 3 hours or so. His reflux is still there, we tried to taper off his meds and it was puke city. :( So we definitely upped then again, he's obviously not ready yet. He almost always sleeps from 8:30pm-8:30am-ish, with a few variances. He's SUCH a happy baby, loves to laugh and giggle. We finally got some real, true belly laughs the other night. I was crying I was laughing so hard. Every day just keeps getting better!

Whoring Myself

If you have 2 seconds could you please vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs? They just had a reset and I'm in the 700s!! :(

Thanks!

Edit: I went from 768 yesterday to 65 today! Keep voting ladies, for those trying to win the Sophie it's also an entry in that contest! :)

Weeks 17 & 18

I can't believe how time flies!!

Aidan went through a rough patch for about a week, refusing to nap, crying almost all day, nothing was working! I'm not sure what it was but he's back to normal now. He has now decided he will not sleep anywhere other than our arms or in his crib, and he prefers his crib believe it or not! I have such a big boy, he totally knows his crib is for sleepy time.

He's bumped his bedtime up to closer to 8 now, and he seems to be fine with it. He sleeps from 8 until around 8am usually, with no (or maybe just 1) wake up to eat. I'm loving the solid sleep! He fell off track for a few days and it made me appreciate sleep so much more.

He's currently in his swing pooping, or at least farting. HUGE MANLY farts. Love that boy!

We've been slack on taking pictures lately. We are going to a coworkers daughers birthday party this afternoon so I'm going to take some pictures while we're there.

I've been on a mission to get Aidan out of the house more. During the week when I'm at work he's inside all day because Mike's truck isn't running. So last night I took Aidan on a walk to go see his great grandparents. They are about a quarter mile or so from our house, one way. He LOVED it! We even got to see a horse!

And today our neighbors are having a yard sale so I walked Aidan over and we hung out chitchatting. I bought some childrens books and a couple murder mysteries for me :) Being outside is really good for him. I'm going this afternoon after the birthday party (which is outdoors, bonus!) to get him an outdoor swing we can hang from our magnolia tree out front.

I'll post some pictures later, I'm pretty sure he just pooped. :P

Do Me A Favor..

ASK ME ANYTHING!

That's right, anything! Only things that are off limits are social security number, address, etc. If you want my cell # to text me because I'm so awesome I will give it to you! LOL. If you have wants or suggestions about the blog, tell me! My favorite question might just get something special. Oh, and if you ask me a question you automatically get 1 extra entry towards my Sophie Giveaway! :)

I'll answer all my questions on 04/26/2010, same day as the Sophie giveaway, so I can count questions into the giveaway. :)

Sophie Giveaway!

I'm giving away a Sophie!

For those who are unfamiliar with Sophie she is a rubber giraffe made in France. She's perfectly sized for a teething baby, with a long skinny neck to hold onto and 4 legs with room to grab them & give them a good nom. I've heard nothing but good things about this thing, so I finally caved and bought one for Aidan. HE LOVES IT! The squeaker is his favorite part, he thinks it's hilarious. Yeah, it sounds a little like a dog toy but anything that keeps my kid happy when he's fussy & teething is well worth it to me, and I'm sure will be to the winner, too.

How To Enter:

-Follow my blog & comment that you do (2 entries)

-Follow me on Twitter & comment that you do: @nicolby (1 entry)

-Grab my Blog Badge for your blog & comment with a link (2 entries)

-Blog about this giveaway & comment with a link (3 entries)

-You can tweet once a day about my giveaway linking my blog. (1 entry per day, comment after each tweet)

-Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs by clicking here. You can vote once per day, comment afterwards. (1 entry per vote)

-Vote for me on Top Baby Blogs by clicking here. You can vote once per day, comment afterwards. (1 entry per vote)

Tweets, and votes will be verified.

Winner will be chosen on April 26th, Aidan's 5 month birthday, using random.org! Leave your email in at least one of your comments (or your website) so I can get in touch with you if you win :)

Weekend Recap

Aidan wearing a 9 month outfit. WHERE HAS MY BABEH GONE?! You can also see that his eczema flare up is gone. So happy his cheeks aren't red and raw looking anymore.

He is in a sitting up mood lately. He refuses to lay flat. He's either wanting to sit up (with support of course) or he's on his belly holding that head up high.

And the hand noms. It continues. Constantly. We both change clothes multiple times a day thanks to the massive amount of drool this kid produces. It was a good weekend, filled with love, hugs, drool, and adorable baby laughs.