Twenty-two months

What a busy month this has been! Lots of traveling, seeing new people (new to Aiden...or people he hadn't seen in a long time!) and places. And Aiden is growing by leaps and bounds! (Maybe not so much physically...but in all the other ways!) ;)

He looks like he's so over pictures...and this was the first one!

Favorites

• "Where'd go??" in the cutest voice ever. He says this about things he can't find, but he also likes to "hide" things (sometimes under his leg or a blanket or whatever is nearby) and then asking. Then he'll pull it back out and act surprised....THERE it is!
• Taking his shirt off. And he may get mad if you keep putting it back on.
• Foods - oranges, avocado, bread. If he hears the word "orange," you'd better deliver. We started Aiden back on gluten at the beginning of the month. So far so good, but we'll see. Oh, and mommy's salad dressing! He loves it. I'll put it on his salad or he'll even dip his apples in it. He just eats it up. (Here's the recipe. This is some good stuff!) And yes, he eats salad. It's mostly the fruit we have in our salad (apples, cranberries, etc), cheese, and then I cut up some lettuce or spinach into very small pieces - so it basically sticks to the fruit and he doesn't have big chunks of lettuce, which is a strange texture for him still. But he's eating more and more of the salad part these days - almost the same amount as the fruit, or close. Yay! He also likes stir fry. The other night we had some, and he loved it. I made a veggie version with (homemade) sweet & sour sauce, so I threw in some fresh pineapple. He was tearing it up...until Camden said "pineapple" out loud. Then he wouldn't eat anything more b/c he wanted pineapple by itself.

"I see you, Mommy!"

• Any type of vehicle. Not sure this will change for a while.
• Telling everyTHING "Hi!" Not only does he tell everyone we see, but he tells every little thing "hi" and "bye" these days. Bunny, his toys, various body parts, colors he sees, vehicles. He even says "Hi mommy's milk!" when nursing sometimes.
• Showers. While traveling, we just put him in the shower with us. Sorry...not going to give him a BATH in a hotel tub. Blech. Since we've been home, he's ended up in there a couple more times, and apparently he is back in love with showers! Now, he'll even move up to stand in the water and get it all over him. I let him play some while I dry off when he's in with me, and he does not like getting out when his time is up. He does, however, say "Bye water!" when he does get out.
• Spiderman. I think this is mostly b/c it's Camden's and kind of off-limits. He's pretty crazy about Camden's Spiderman figures, though. He calls them "Spiders!!" (though it sounds more like "piders!").
• Sharing with Bunny. He pretty much tries to share everything with him. He kisses him all the time, puts him up to our faces for us to kiss him. When nursing, he'll unlatch and hold Bunny up so he can have some milk.... The other day he was caught trying to give Bunny some milk (well, he actually DID give Bunny some milk.) And while at a friend's canning party (yes, you can be jealous b/c it was tons of fun!), Aiden slipped Bunny some guacamole. I'm glad he's sharing with his best buddy (actually, when he says Bunny, it comes out "Buddy"), but sometimes it's a little too literal.
• Song - "Rock-a-Bye Baby." I'm not sure how he decides he's changing favorite songs, but it seems like each month, it's a new one. He takes it so far that he pretty much won't allow another song. Even when he's awake and playing, if I try to sing something else, he might get really mad. Sometimes, if I start to sing another song, he'll actually get so upset he tears up! (No, I don't keep singing it - I'm not going to make him cry on purpose!) Whenever he wants me to sing this song, he says "Rock."
• Mommy's water. He'll ask for water...you give him his water bottle. No. He wants "Mommy's water." Sometimes it's Daddy's, but mostly Mommy's.

Drinking Mommy's water. He looks sooo old in this picture, too!

• Putting things where they don't really belong and then laughing about how silly he is for doing it. Mostly he'll do it with his cars. He'll either stack the cars, will put some other little toys on the cars, or will put something IN the larger cars that open up. After he does it, he bursts out laughing at himself for being so clever and humorous!

He looks so serious when he's focused on putting things JUST where he wants them. Afterward he laughs and laughs (didn't get a picture of that, though).

• Pinching/kicking someone else and then loudly squealing "OWWWW!" (and laughing about it). He hasn't really grasped the understanding that the "oww" means it HURTS. We think he just likes how it sounds and knows that the pinching will usually get it from Camden. Lately I've been trying to put the sound "oww" in there whenever he gets hurt himself and explain the meaning, so he can start to put the sound and feeling together and get what it really means. It's just like him thinking it's funny when you get angry and make angry sounds (or when you say "that's not funny"). He doesn't completely get it and thinks it IS funny.
• Book - Are You My Mother is a new favorite for me to read; Cat in the Hat for Daddy.
• He's getting particular about certain things, one being his blankets. Through the winter, we would put a light fleece blanket on him and then his quilt. He's gotten so used to that being what he uses that he insists on having them, even though it's quite warm now. I'll even try putting one to the side, maybe a bit of it over him near his chest...but he knows the difference and will move it all the way on top himself! No matter how hot it is in his room (and he has the warmest room in the summer, for some reason)!! He likes me to say which blanket I'm putting on, too (here's the soft blue one...and now the quilt that Mammaw made you). I think it's to make sure I'm doing it right. Hmmmm...
• His attachment to Bunny is growing stronger and stronger. A couple nights recently, he's woken up in the middle of the night asking for Bunny. I've had to go in and put Bunny in his hands because it was too dark for him to find him. Then he goes right back to sleep. Bunny goes just about everywhere with him and gets to participate in all sorts of things these days! (And as I said before, Aiden tries to share everything with him, as well.)
• Saying "see _____." This started after going to the zoo with some friends. See the zebra? See it? Since then, he's always pointing out things...See car. See this...see that. (You know, "see" is one of those words that looks totally wrong after you've written it so many times.)
  

His new silly face, making an "O" with his mouth open.

Least Favorites

• Ocean. The kid is terrified of it. He did fine with the sand this year, but the ocean...each time we saw it, he hated it more than the time before. I think it's the sound and the fact that it seems endless...and moves toward you! Maybe next year?
• Singing a song other than "Rock-a-Bye Baby" - Already explained above. He really doesn't like it.
• Camden getting in his face or trying to make him do things his (Camden's) way. He may be crazy for his big brother, but he usually does want him to back off! He'll start with a grunt for a warning (or a gentle push when Camden gets in his space). When Camden ignores that, he screams. When Camden ignores that, he might pinch him. You would think he would learn to listen to the first warning... (Rolling my eyes. It's an everyday battle in regards to this.)
• Meat that isn't IN something. I think this is more a texture and chewing issue. He knows what burgers are, what chicken is, etc. Put beef/chicken/fish IN something, and he eats it up! Put it by itself on a plate, even cut up...not a chance. He probably won't even try it and will most likely ignore it completely.
• This is something *I* don't like... If Aiden poops in his diaper, he'll often put his finger in his diaper and then come to me, finger sticking out to show me (sometimes there is something on it, sometimes not - I just know what it means at this point and don't touch it!), saying "Poop. Yuck!"...and then, he'll say "uggghhhh!" because that's what Mommy says. Haha! But really, I could do without him putting his finger in his diaper. Yuck is right!
  

Lining his cars up on the arm of the chair. He is so focused!

New Developments

• He climbed onto the ottoman (he can also get on the couch and bed sometimes, too). He was pretty proud of himself the first time...and most times still.
• 2 Naps still. We're pretty much not having any social life lately, but he needs the sleep! I put him down as soon as Camden leaves for school, and he's out sometime between 9 and 9:20. He can sleep anywhere from an hour to two, and he still takes an afternoon nap. Some days it seems like he's only up around lunchtime! We don't get out much these days, but...his needs come first.
• Time-Out. He's learning there are consequences when you knowingly break the rules. At first, he thought it was funny. And sometimes when you ask, "Do you need to go to time-out?" he still says "Yes" and smiles. But he doesn't always love sitting through that minute. (I keep warning him, he's about to turn two..which means two minutes!) After time out, he has to say he's sorry, show "gentle hands" (he nicely touches your face to show he can be gentle and says "nice" while he does it), and then he'll give me a kiss (just b/c he's sweet!). Sometimes he goes right back to doing what he did that landed him in time-out (which means time-out again!), but he's learning!
• Saying two words together (sometimes three). Not sure if I said this last month, but he did start this around then. It's so wonderful hearing his vocabulary grow!
• Possession (actually was last month). I know I forgot to put this last month. He's not only picked up that certain things belong to certain people, but he talks about it. He'll point to our milks at dinner and name everyone's "Daddy's milk. Camden's milk. Mommy's milk. Aiden's milk." He does it with body parts, food/drinks, everything.
• Changing his voice on purpose. He'll do this when saying "Hi." He'll be sitting there and will start out with his normal cute voice and will gradually deepen his "Hi"s until it's as low as he can go. Very funny.
• Saying "Yes." I wish I could explain how cute his "yes" really is. I love hearing it. I'll sometimes ask him something just to hear him say it. It's very properly pronounced, if such a small word can be. The "e" almost sounds like an "a" in a way (like the a in "cat") but not quite so much. More like a cross between that and the way the "e" should sound in "yes." Not sure if that makes sense... But it is beyond adorable. And I'm really hoping to avoid him saying "yeah" for quite a while. Camden wasn't allowed to say "yeah"...until he started school and heard everyone else saying it (that was frustrating!). Hopefully we can keep up the "yes"es and avoid "yeah"s for a while with Aiden, as well. Nothing better than a child who speaks properly. (Well, there are many things better, but that's also a very nice thing.) :)
• Speaking of manners...Remember last time I mentioned he was into pushing people out of his way? He's getting it. The other day, he wanted Ryan to move, and I overheard him say, "Move, please." Usually he'll say "move," you say "what do you say?"...and he'll say "please." But this time, he totally got the whole thing himself. I was mighty proud. We're also working on saying "excuse me" when he burps. He'll even say "burp" and when we do the "what do you say?" routine, he'll often say something that is supposed to resemble "excuse me."
• Movin' on up... Aiden is finally moving up to size large in his gdiapers. He has the tiniest waist, so he can still fit the mediums just fine in that regard. We don't have to tighten them hardly at all. But his rise is finally at a place that puts him starting to fit into the larges. So, we'll be doing some diaper shopping soon!
• Colors - he rarely, if ever, misses and says the wrong one. :)
• We're working on those two-year molars big time right now. You can feel them under the gums. There have been a number of days over the last week where Aiden wanted nobody but Mommy touching him.
  

Aannndd...picture time is over.

LOVE this guy.

Ok, I think that's enough for now, right? ;)

Back from Vacation...AGAIN.

Yes, we've already taken vacation #2... Do I recommend taking two vacations with two children (one under two years old) within two weeks, both multiple states away?? Hmmmm...not so much. But the dates couldn't be helped, and we had a blast on both trips. The driving has definitely worn on us, we have been reminded why it is a pretty good idea to drive through the night, and we are for sure beyond exhausted. BUT a good time was had by all. And we are happy to be staying put for a while now.

This trip was to KY to meet up with some of Ryan's college buddies, one of which he hadn't seen since our wedding back in 2006! When Ryan planned the trip, he made reservations for a cabin in a state park....which just so happened (totally coincidental!) to be at a park that I have visited many, many times for family get-togethers...because it just so happens to be less than 15 miles from much of my family on my dad's side. How perfect! The guys could have their guy-time, and I could spend a couple days visiting family that I normally only see for a couple hours at Christmas.

Well, things didn't quite go that way (do they ever?), but it was still nice.

My great-grandmother's older brother passed away over the weekend, so the get-together my grandmother had planned for us all had to be canceled (understandably). We did spend one afternoon with my dad, step-mom, sister, and my older brother and his two kids. We even made it to dinner at Hometown...home of the best white chicken pizza ever! And the next day, my brother and kids even made it back to spend some time at the pool with us. While there, my grandmother and great-grandmother came to the lodge for lunch, so I did manage to see them for a bit, which was a great treat!

While on the trip, Ryan also had another reaction to medicine he had finished taking a week before... If you remember, he had a bad reaction while in Florida, keeping us out of the sun for much of the trip. (He finished the medicine on Saturday, mowed the lawn Wednesday evening, and the reaction appeared the first day of our trip...a little worse in some areas this time. He has been told this is not a typical reaction, so this definitely will go on his list of "never take again.") So, that kept him from playing golf and enjoying the pool. But I feel confident in saying that he and the other guys still thoroughly enjoyed their time together.

The little guys had a blast, too. Aiden napped...once the whole trip (last day, after a great deal of time at the pool - poor guy was exhausted and just couldn't fight it any longer!), but the cabin was small and not conducive to napping really - and he was relatively well-behaved for a child waking before 6am and not napping. Both boys just loved playing around with the other guys on the trip, Tom and Darryl. Neither Tom's girlfriend or Darryl's wife were able to come as originally planned (but after seeing the cabin, I can't help but wonder...would there have been room? It was much smaller than expected.) Overall, the trip was a great success - at least for what it was intended, and that's what matters most. :)

Our drive home took 17 hours instead of 9, and we drove in the daytime b/c we needed to make a few stops on the way home...but we got to see some loved ones (even if for very short visits that nicely included food! Thanks, guys!!), and we made it back safely. And just in time for Camden's end-of-grade testing that started the next day. (Seriously...what school schedules EOGs right after a holiday/long weekend?? And how does that make sense?)

Here are some pics from the trip. And yes...they really did wear those.

2010 May, KY Trip to see the guys!

PS - If you know Darryl, you'll notice he's changed a bit. Congrats to him on the weight loss. :) Lookin' great, D!

Back from Vacation... Kind of.

Meaning it was kind of a vacation, not that we're kind of back...though I guess that could be true in a sense, as well. ;)

One of my closest friends just got married. In Florida. We've been friends longer than...well, any other friend I've had. We're those friends that were always inseparable up through high school and have been through a lot together, and even though we don't talk as regularly these days, when we do, it's like we just pick up where we left off. He still lives in KY, but they got married on the beach in FL, and there wasn't a question as to whether or not we would be there. We even pulled Camden out of school to go. I don't think he would have forgiven me if he hadn't gone. Mark is Camden's godfather, and Camden just has this connection with him. He looks up to Mark so much and thinks the world of him. (Me, too. His friendship means the world to me.) :)

So, anyway...off we went. And while we were at it, we figured we would take a few days to enjoy the beach.

The trip altogether actually wasn't the best "vacation" we've had. We drove through the night to get there, as it was 12 hours of driving not including stops. It took us 15 hours going there... We woke the boys to leave around 10:30pm Tuesday evening, and Aiden thought it was time to wake up and play once in the car, so he was up for another hour. We couldn't help but laugh, thinking it would be our luck that he would just stay awake, but he did eventually go to sleep. Then he woke at 2am throwing up all over the place...and thought he had to stay up for another hour to play once we finally had things cleaned up enough to get back on the road. I didn't sleep much in the car when Ryan drove, which is pretty typical for me. Once we arrived Wednesday afternoon, we realized that the memory card for the good camera was still at home in the computer. I was ready to freak out, but Ryan went and bought a new one after I explained that no, we couldn't just not take pictures. Hello...it was Mark's wedding! (Him buying a new one worked for me, since he's the one that told me he had gotten all of the camera things together...) Then when changing Aiden's diaper right after we arrived, that little kiddo kicked my hand just the right way and caused me to spill some melted coconut oil ALL over the place, including his body and my jeans (good thing that stuff isn't like regular oil and washes right out!). We found out the water was out in the room after unpacking EVERYthing, but luckily it was only for a couple of hours, so we didn't need to switch rooms. After a day and a half, we realized Ryan was having a bad reaction to being out in the sun...and finally put together it was because he was still on antibiotics and shouldn't have mixed the two. This meant he couldn't be in direct sunlight, so...some things weren't as fun for him (or the rest of us at times). I had a cold and woke up every morning with a sore throat that sometimes went away but most days didn't. We discovered that a restaurant with a sign claiming it is "Kid friendly" does not mean they have changing tables and other restaurants make all of their pasta and pizza dough with eggs, meaning you may just have to walk out if your child is allergic b/c there is nothing for him to eat.

It seemed like our whole vacation was full of little things like this. But we still managed to have fun and enjoy the trip. We saw dolphins the first morning we were at the beach (at 8am since they are an hour behind, meaning Aiden woke up at 4:30am Destin-time!). We also saw rays swimming around Camden the next day... Those things were everywhere. The weather was wonderful, though a bit too hot the last couple days, and there was no rain. (It always seems to rain when we go to the beach.) Aiden was so well-behaved when eating out. That's normal, but we ate out a lot, so we were very impressed. (I think we need to detox now, as well. All that eating out...ugh.) The kids both were great in general, really. We hit the breakfast buffet at the hotel as soon as it opened every day, and the lady working just loved Aiden and would bring him (& Camden) oranges...which he LOVES. It was nice to be met with a friendly face each morning. We also got to have lunch with Mark & Kelly the day before their wedding. And I saw some friends at the wedding that I haven't seen in years!

And the most important part of the trip, the whole reason we were there...the wedding. It was beautiful, of course! It really was. It was more than we expected for a beach wedding, and we had a lot of fun, even if we spent a lot of the night chasing after Aiden, who was RUNNING everywhere he could. You could see how happy the newlyweds were and couldn't help grinning for them all night long.

We left last night at 9:30 our time (8:30 beach-time) and arrived home about 14 hours later... The trip home wasn't as involved as the trip there. No kids throwing up or trying to play all night long. Aiden did have one hour where he really struggled with sleeping, but we were in an area with a lot of stop lights instead of the interstate. Other than that, the kids slept really well. Ryan and I struggled sleeping when it was our turn, but we managed and made it home all in one piece. As much as driving through the night might not be the most pleasant for us, it certainly has its benefits, and we'll be doing it more often, I'm sure! Our road trips aren't usually too short, and this really helped Aiden deal with being in the car for such long periods.

Of course, I took a bunch of pictures on the trip. I tend to go everywhere with a camera, but I only uploaded a fraction of what I took. You can see the most post-worthy here:

2010 Destin, FL Beach Trip - Mark & Kelly's Wedding

Things aren't always black and white

One of my friends posted a link to an article about children and racism on facebook today. It reminded me of a story I've wanted to share but keep forgetting.

When Camden was younger, I really tried to teach him that everyone was the same, regardless of color, sex, or anything else. It was an effort I made intentionally. I've always tried to make sure he is exposed to people with many differences instead of only having him spend time around people that are similar to him, in whatever way. When I went back to school and became a student at Berea College, I really appreciated the diversity of the student body. That's one of the many things Berea College is known for, and I knew it was an incredible benefit for my child to be exposed to people of so many different races, from so many different countries.

Another aspect of BC is that every student has to work on campus as part of its labor program. Freshman year, I was placed in the library cleaning. Our boss was a wonderful lady that I still keep in touch with, and she would always have tons of baked goods at our meetings. At one meeting, Camden was with me, and we were sitting across from two other BC students. They happened to be black. One had darker skin, the other lighter.

I can't remember the question at this time...but I clearly remember that Camden was saying he liked one better than the other because it was a lighter brown. I remember the boys both kind of trying to laugh it off a bit, and I definitely squirmed in my seat, quite embarrassed. Was he saying he liked someone better because they had lighter skin?? Was this my son making a racist comment??

NO.
It wasn't.

My son was talking about the types of fudge that were on the table in between me and the other boys. There was some chocolate fudge (dark brown) and peanut butter fudge (light brown). He wasn't talking about the people in the room at all. He was simply saying he liked the peanut butter fudge better, but he didn't realize why they were different other than the colors!

What did this show me? A lot. Mainly, the rest of us were so ready to assume that a simple comment was a racial one. We were quick to assume that a child was talking about the color of someone's skin before we even let him finish or show what he was talking about...which was right in front of our faces. This wasn't just ME assuming this, it was the other two boys, as well. The child in the scenario, the one making the comment, did nothing wrong and made no negative remarks. It was the adults that so easily jumped to race.

This was an eye-opening experience that has stuck with me. It reminded me that children often see past things like the color of someone's skin, and comments that have nothing to do with race can often and easily be mistaken as such. Why? Because that is what we often (and sadly) expect. Children are so innocent. They *learn* what they are taught. Racism doesn't just happen naturally on its own.

As parents, we have a lot of power when it comes to what our children learn. I try to make conscious decisions in many regards to ensure that my children are exposed to a variety of different people, places, beliefs, ideas. I want them exposed to great diversity. I don't want them going to all-white schools or schools where everyone is in a similar SES. I don't want to live in a neighborhood where all of our neighbors look the same. I do not want them to ignore that there are different races and colors of skin, eyes, hair, whatever. No. Differences are to be celebrated! Differences lead to learning, as well. I do want them to see that each and every one of us has differences as well as similarities...and that while they might like fudge that is lighter or darker in color...the color of someone's skin means absolutely nothing in regards to whether that person should be valued more or less than another.

Champions!!

Saturday was a very long but also a very exciting day. It was Camden's soccer tournament - both the semi-finals and the final game. Camden's team went into the semi-finals undefeated. This was Camden's last season with this team, as he'll age out in the summer. It was extremely hot, and we were out all day in the hot, hot sun. They won the semi-finals 2-0.

In the finals (playing one of his best friends!), they had a tied game, still tied in overtime, then a shootout, which always means lots of tension...and the Rapids came away the CHAMPIONS!!

They were also the only team in the entire Holly Springs league (not just their age group) to go through their entire season undefeated! Needless to say Camden has ONE happy boy since Saturday, and we are so proud of him! I have to admit that this mama teared up some and had to choke back tears when they won. I didn't want to go embarrassing him as the mom that was crying, but I was so proud of him and just so stinking excited for him! This is something he has really wanted and worked hard for since starting to play soccer, so it was a really big deal. It's his first time winning in the championship game, though his teams have come close many times - it was always just out of reach! :) It was quite a long day - basically out at the park from 8:30-3-something, with a break between the two games for lunch! But it was worth it! Even Aiden did extremely well, not getting fussy at all (he napped a bit when we came home for lunch, but Ryan had to wake him to come to the finals b/c we forgot he had the lawn chairs!).

After all this soccer hoopla, Aiden is becoming quite the fan, too! You might notice from all the soccer pictures throughout the regular photo albums online that Aiden always wears a soccer outfit to the games. Gotta support big brother! :) He started trying to say soccer recently, though it would come out "sock-ball!" instead of soccer ball. Throughout Saturday, he evolved from saying that to saying "soccer!"...and he says it ALL the time now! His other saying of the day on Saturday: "GO!" He would cheer from the sidelines and tell Camden and his team "GO!" as loud as he could. He has been carrying around this little soccer bouncy ball ever since he came across it a few days ago and has become inseparable from it. If he somehow looses sight of it, he walks around saying "Soccer?? Where go?" He says it in the cutest voice ever, holding his hands out, palms up, like he doesn't know where it is. I think we might have another soccer player on our hands...

Here is the link to some pics, if you're interested.

Camden's Soccer Tournament

A BIG congrats to Camden and his team, the Rapids. They had a stellar season this year, and I know Camden is thrilled to have ended his time with this team on such a great note!

Considering Ourselves Lucky

This morning started off pretty typical. Aiden woke earlier than we wanted, but later than usual at 6am. I tried to put him back down and went back to my bed. He was quiet for a few minutes and then started playing, indicating he was up for the day. After a while, Daddy went to get him and bring him to me to nurse. What was different was that he showed up with Aiden only wearing his pajama shirt.... Hmm.

My first question to Ryan: Did he poop?
His response: I don't know. It was too dark to see.

I've heard way too many stories of parents finding out their child could take off their diaper by finding them in the crib, dirty diaper by their side, and poop smeared EVERYwhere. That was my fear and what my mind immediately jumped to.... Of course, I usually hear this from people that didn't have some kind of pants on over the diaper, so the child just undid the diaper tabs and easily took off the diaper. I thought we were immune for a little longer, since we don't do that. Apparently they can figure out how to take those pants off at some age, though. Imagine that. ;) We'll go back to wearing onesies under those two piece pajamas, I guess. (Off topic, just last week, Aiden took his shirt off while he was supposed to be going to sleep, too. After I put it back on, he got it stuck over his head - his arms still in the arm holes but the rest of the shirt was pulled over his head and around the back of his neck. After that, I left the shirt off.)

When we went back into the room, the diaper tabs were still where they would have been if he had the diaper on, and they were still in the pajama pants, indicating he had pushed them off together. There was one tiny piece of poop lying on the sheet. Nice.

BUT...upon looking into the diaper, there was a much larger than normal amount of poop INSIDE it. He most likely did not even touch the poop that was loose in the crib. It most likely was still attached to another area and fell off...if you know what I mean. (Haha! Are you picturing that? Gross. Ha.) Considering the fact that what was in the diaper was more than usual and that he had managed to take all of that off while keeping it IN the diaper...we're considering ourselves very, very lucky.

Just one more reason we can't leave him sitting in his crib while we try to snooze a bit more. (We've learned that if he doesn't go down to sleep within a small amount of time, he will poop. I guess that now goes for when he wakes up, too...)

I'm sure you can sit back and enjoy a good laugh now. And be happy your child hasn't done it.

Yet.

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the moms and moms-to-be out there: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

I'm so appreciative of all of my mommy friends... I love that I know so many other moms that are there to show support and encouragement, to offer words of wisdom and advice, to accept the different ways we parent and learn from one another, to be there to listen when we need to vent and to simply offer an ear and a bit of understanding without judgment, and all the other wonderful things we are able to bring to our friendships. Being a mother is such an adventure, and it's so nice to be able to share it with other moms.

My children...words cannot express what becoming a mother has done for me and to me. I always felt I was born to be a mother. Whether I'm all that great at the job is hard for me to say, but the love I have for my children is overwhelming in a way that only other mothers could ever understand. Even on the most frustrating days, being a mother is still the most rewarding experience. That's all I'm going to say now, as I'm already tearing up...

One of my favorite pics of me and my mom - at my cousin's wedding in 2003.

And an especially Happy Mother's Day to my own mom, who has been the most amazing blessing in my life. She is absolutely incredible in my eyes. Nobody is stronger, more beautiful, and just simply more amazing than she is. I love you, Mom.

Twenty-one months

I've been working on this for over a week. Blogger keeps deleting things! Ugh. But here it is...

Favorites

• Lining things up. And when I say "lining things up," I mean he is showing some perfectionist tendencies. (He comes by that honestly...from BOTH parents.) The lining up is usually with his cars (any and all of them), and if they aren't exactly how he wants, he will nudge them into the right place a bit at a time. We'll find things lined up all over the place...

An example of things being lined up. This was in April, and he's gotten even better at it since then. More "perfect" lines and all...

• His Bible. Aiden got his new Bible for Easter, and he's basically been inseparable from it ever since. He takes the thing EVERYwhere he goes - to the potty (yes), to the car, in the stroller, to the store, the zoo...everywhere. It's about the only book he ever wants to read, whether he's reading to himself or having us read to him. We (I'm sorry...the Easter Bunny) first got him a paperback Bible with just the new testament, but we quickly realized he would need it in hard cover b/c he was wearing the book out (not being rough, just from so much reading!), so he now has it in hard cover, also including the old testament. I have read through the entire thing over 4 times now (and Daddy reads it at his own pace, too, so who knows how many times he's heard the whole thing already!). We're certainly not complaining.

Reading his Bible. Doesn't he look so serious about it?!

• Tag Jr. Books. He got these for Christmas and played with them some, but it's like he REALLY figured it out all the sudden and just loves sitting and playing with them.
• Favorite foods: carrots, strawberries, and oranges. He will eat and eat and eat any of these until you tell him there is no more. We've been strawberry picking four times now, and if you ask him about going again, he's already headed to the car... (He actually doesn't eat the berries while picking! He's managed to learn that they're dirty and we need to wash them at home first. I'm quite impressed! He does squish a few while inspecting some after I've put them in the bucket, but...can't always win!) And oranges...we have to watch him with those. At home, I cut them so there is no peel, but when we're at the grocery, there are usually samples. And if you turn your eyes away from him for a moment, he will eat the peel. And like it.
• Reading out loud. It's so funny to watch. He'll sit in his boppy pillow, stick his feet straight out and cross them at his ankles (I think it's adorable how he sits when he reads!), and will proceed to read out loud. He'll make his voice go up and down and will sound like he's really telling a story. (He doesn't use many real words when he does this, for some reason.) And the best part, every now and then, he'll "read" something and then will start laughing out loud like what he read was the most hilarious thing ever! He'll just laugh and laugh for a while and then continue reading.
• His Veggie Tales cd. He calls it "tomato" because one of the characters is a tomato. Whenever he says tomato, he emphasizes it "TOE-may-toe" (because that's how we always said it when talking to him...), and he reaches down and touches his toe! Haha! He knows the difference, but still makes the connection. He does this when eating tomatoes, as well.
• Baby. I started watching a little girl, about 8-9 months old, a couple days a week. Aiden is absolutely crazy about her!! He asks for her all the time and goes around saying "baby, baby" in this cute, sing-song voice. For those of you that are familiar with Baby Signing Time, it sounds just like the intro song (surely where he got it from!).
• The B-I-B-L-E song or Jesus Loves Me - Bible related songs, who woulda thought? ;)
• Walking over to one of us, reaching out for our hand, and leading us to what he wants to do. He doesn't always have something big to show us; I think he just likes knowing he can lead.
• Taking certain toys along when he goes upstairs for a diaper change or whatever else. It's usually his Bible, another book, or cars. He likes to have something in his hands, though. When I say it's time to go upstairs, he scrambles to get whatever he wants and then runs to the steps.

Holding as many cars as those little hands can handle!

• Saying "sorry" to his toys. This mostly happens with his cars. He'll be playing and then suddenly say "sorry!" and then go right on playing. Ryan and I just giggle quietly and wonder what is going through his mind.

Least Favorites

• Having trouble getting things where he wants them (e.g. books on shelves, cars just how he wants). He gets so frustrated if things don't go how he wants them or if he has difficulty. He'll throw himself a little mini-fit and might throw down the object. Sometimes he'll end up asking for help after a moment, and sometimes he just figures it out himself.
• Not nursing during the (new) morning nap. We took out that nursing session a long time ago, so when we reintroduced the morning nap, I wasn't about to add in an unnecessary nursing session. He would get really mad...well, not mad, but sad. He would cry in a way that showed he was truly hurt, not just mad he wasn't getting his way. It just about broke my heart! He wouldn't even let me read to him, b/c as soon as we sat down, he tried to turn around to nurse and would get really upset. But...if I just put him in bed, he would roll over and go right to sleep. He's doing better now and will sit for a story without fussing too much.
• Pooh Bear running. He has this big Pooh Bear that will walk, run, etc, when you push his hand. (He also makes a comment when he falls over and then thanks you when you hug him - it's really too cute!) Aiden likes for Pooh to walk but not to run, so when he runs, Aiden gets mad. But you can't skip that option, so he gets mad a few times before Pooh gets back to the walking setting...
• People being in his way. If he wants to do something and you're in the way, he just pushes you. Um...we're not having that. He's slowly learning to ask us to move please (usually just saying please b/c he doesn't say "move" yet). We won't move when he pushes, and if you happen to be around and he does it to you...make him ask. Nicely. Just because he's little and cute doesn't mean he gets a pass at being rude. He has to learn manners, too. ;)
  

This is the face he made when I told him to sit back down.
He knows he isn't to stand on the chair but thought he could get away with it...


And this is the face he made when he realized he couldn't get away with it and those precious cars went into time-out.

New Developments

• Saying "uh-oh" - Yes, one of those other typical first words, and he's just now saying it. I guess we just don't say "uh-oh" much in general, and we intentionally didn't say it when Aiden would drop things to avoid that "uh-oh" game. He says it now, and it's adorable, and he only says it when it really is an accident. :)
• Going down the stairs (and now not). Well, for about a week he would go down the stairs. Remember, last month, he was TERRIFIED of going down the stairs himself. Now he's back to being terrified of it. He didn't fall or anything, just decided he had enough and was still scared of falling.
• Sand box. We're hoping this helps him get over his fear of sand, especially for when we visit the beach again soon. It seems to be working. He'll not only stand in the sand box, but he will pour sand over his legs. That's big!
• Enunciating words ("Bibe-UHL," "miLK," "duck"). It's funny how these things seem to happen overnight! One day, he was saying "mi-mi" for milk. The very next day, he was trying to add in the "lk," but that's really all you heard when he said the word. The next day, I kid you not, he was saying "miLK." It's just incredible how quickly these things happen. You can see him trying to enunciate many words properly, too. Even today, he was repeating milk over and over, trying to say the "i" different ways..."muhlk, meilk, milk." He'll slowly sound it out while paying close attention to how his mouth is shaped. So neat to watch him.
• Sleeping - two naps in the daytime. It's amazing how much he has been sleeping, and it just goes to show that he really does need more sleep than he's been getting. It's been tough going back to two naps a day (for me, not for him), but it's also been necessary.
• Toddler picky-ness. This is just your typical, run-of-the-mill pickyness (is that even a word?). You know...I might have liked this food yesterday, and I'll like it again tomorrow, but not today, thankyouverymuch...I know I said "no," but I really mean "yes" and am just saying "no" because I can...things like that.
  
• Saying two words together (e.g. Bye Camden, more cheese). This was another thing that just seemed to happen overnight! Suddenly he's stringing words together!
• Weight... Is this kid ever going to grow!?! We had bought all 18-24 month clothes for the summer, and this child is still fitting mostly into 12-18 month pants! And a couple 24-month or 2T that have the adjustable waist (thank God for those things! I guess he will need those, just like his big brother does!). His waist is TINY. But he needs to grow soon or else his entire wardrobe is useless (or the bottoms, at least). Geez kid. Up until now, he's fit according to his age, so it's not been a problem. I think he likes to throw us curve balls to confuse us from time to time.
• Mommy instead of Mama. And another overnighter...literally. One day he called me "mama" and now I'm "mommy." It's still cute, but it's also another reminder of how quickly he's growing!

Are we done here?

Sleep update (kind of)

First of all, thanks for all of the comments. (I get most of my comments via email, fb, talking in person, or phone calls, actually.) It's nice to know others are going or have gone through similar things. Not that I want others to feel our pain, but there's definitely something about knowing you're not alone! I think many parents deal with problems with their children sleeping - they just don't all talk about it so much, whether because they don't want to admit they don't have it all under control or they don't want to be pressured into handling it in a way they aren't comfortable, or for whatever reasons. I know there are more of us sleep-deprived parents out there! ;)

Secondly...we kind of have a plan. It's kind of what we already started doing with a little added to it. We have been trying to just get up when Aiden gets up. After MONTHS of trying to get him to sleep past 5am, WE'RE exhausted, so we're trying to get to bed earlier. Sometimes you have to stop and take care of yourselves first, so that's what we're doing. Before we can put much more energy into working with Aiden at 5am or earlier, WE need to get some more rest.

But Aiden still needs more sleep. While it wasn't our preferred thing to do, we have gone back to giving Aiden two naps a day. This is not preferred for many reasons... We'll have to miss out on our weekly commitments (playdates and Bible study) for a while b/c a morning nap will take place at those times. Running errands is harder when you only have around lunchtime free, too. And at some point, we will have to transition once again to one nap instead of two. Also, Aiden nurses before the afternoon nap, but I'm not going to add back in another nursing before a morning nap. He's not liked that, but it's how it is.

The first day of two naps didn't go so well, so I wasn't too encouraged. He took two one-hour naps and woke up QUITE grumpy from the second one, clearly tired but refusing to go back to sleep. When we go for the first nap, I try to read to Aiden, but he gets so mad that I'm not nursing him, I end up just putting him in bed. BUT once I tuck him in and leave the room...he stops fussing. So, I don't feel so bad about him getting upset and missing the story. He's only mad while I'm right there!

Second day of two naps... He took two 1h45m long naps! That's a total of three and a half hours of sleep. When he takes one nap, he only sleeps about two hours. Now, we would rather him sleep that extra hour and a half in the morning before getting up for the day, but right now...we're just happy he's getting it period! Hopefully we can gradually get him to sleep longer and cut out that morning nap. But let's not get too ahead of ourselves just yet.

So, these long naps have happened over the past few days. And even though he's been sleeping until dinner time in the afternoons, he's not going to bed much later at all! Maybe 15 minutes later... And he's going right to sleep, often quicker than he usually falls asleep. Clearly he needs this extra rest! I've been really surprised at how easily he goes to sleep, as he doesn't even seem to be tired when I put him down for his morning nap! He'll be playing happily, acting like sleep is the last thing he needs. Yet it's obviously not.

Mornings... Well, one morning, he thought he would start waking at 3:30. I ended up going into him instead of Ryan. Why? Won't he just want to nurse? Well, of course! BUT I'm better about getting him tucked in and quickly leaving, even if he's fussing. Ryan wants him to calm down first and keep the blankets on. I've dealt with Aiden and sleeping more than Ryan has, so I'm a bit better at knowing when I can get out versus when I'm really needing to stay in longer. Not that Ryan doesn't try! He REALLY does, and I love that about him. So, I went in. Aiden screamed when I wouldn't get him out to nurse. I tucked him in, explained that he needed to go to sleep until the sun was shining, and I left. Before I was through my bedroom door, he had stopped crying. (This normally doesn't happen in the mornings...I wonder if that extra sleep during naptime has helped...) From this point until 5:30, he would wake like this and then sleep for 20 or so minutes, wake again, sleep again, with me going in whenever he woke. Why don't I just leave him alone when he wakes? Because I know my son. You don't go check on him, and he wakes up even more. That's the opposite of what we want.

This morning, he woke before 5, I went in, he went back to sleep until 5:30 and was then up for the day. See it however you want, I choose to see this as progress. :) I only needed to go to him once. And he went back to sleep for a bit and for a longer stretch than he did the other mornings. And he woke later than he did the other mornings.

Ryan and I have been managing to get into bed by around 10pm the past few nights, as well. I noticed the last two nights that by 10, I was feeling like it was well after 11. Maybe our bodies are adjusting to going to sleep a bit earlier, who knows. Hopefully we can keep this up, because WE certainly need the extra sleep. Another plus is that...if we continue to wake early (yet still get to bed early and get more sleep), Ryan might try to start working earlier...which means coming home earlier and actually having more time all together! That would be so wonderful because now, we eat the moment he walks in the door. As soon as dinner is over, he literally picks Aiden up from the high chair and takes him straight up to give him a bath! Then we get Aiden in bed. Not much time with Daddy... So, if this works out, we might even have more time as a family in the evenings. Silver lining.

I feel like we at least have a better grasp on what we are doing now.

We have gotten some suggestions from others. One friend also had to go back to two naps. It's always encouraging to know someone else who also had to back-track a bit. Some have recommended room-darkening blinds/curtains. We were all ready to get some, and when I was in Aiden's room multiple times the other morning, I actually paid attention and noticed it was still rather dark, as in very dark. Some have simply been sympathetic about it because they've been through something similar or just know they couldn't function on such little sleep. Some have mentioned letting him cry it out. Well, that's a long story, and there are many reasons we aren't doing that.

For one thing, (and I hate to even admit this) I tried it before and it totally backfired, causing Aiden to be extremely cling and fearful of me even getting him near his bed. I only let him cry for naptime for two days. It took much longer than two days to undo (more than a week even and that was with quite a bit of work and reassurance on my part), and I won't do it again. I only did it because I was at the end of my rope at the time, not knowing what else to do, as we had (thought we had) exhausted all other methods. Also, it's not that Aiden won't go to sleep on his own. He does. Every night and every naptime. We've always taught him to do that...sometimes he did better and he went through phases where he wouldn't do it. We never were ones to nurse/rock/sing him to sleep. It didn't help that he would fall asleep within minutes of starting to nurse. Even in the hospital, we would work at keeping him awake to get the full meal. A nurse snapped at me that he was too cold when she saw that we had left him in only a diaper while nursing. When my mother and I snapped back that he wouldn't stay awake to nurse, she politely backed off. Point is, we tried very hard not to let him nurse to sleep from day one, but it was a lot of work! So, this child who wonderfully puts himself to sleep will still have a hard time going back to sleep if he does wake. One of my friends said she thinks that is what makes his case a bit different b/c most babies that can put themselves TO sleep can typically put themselves back to sleep if they wake too early. Who knows why he's so different... But I'm not sure how letting him cry will teach him to go BACK to sleep. If he wakes and is left to cry, he only wakes up more! That just doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

I will say that Aiden will be allowed to fuss when going to sleep or back to sleep. Now...I differentiate between letting him fuss some and letting him CIO (cry it out). Fussing is a bit of crying but it's when he's whining some b/c he's not happy with what we're doing. When it gets to the point he is actually crying - that means he needs something or is scared or hurt. I won't let him get to that point without checking on him. I think there are many reasons not to let a child stay in that emotional state. It's not healthy for various reasons. It's not that I'm fearful he will remember being left to cry and will hate me for it one day. Ha. No. It has more to do with how being that upset can affect his stress hormones and his health. There's a lot of research on it out there. Also...the real CIO plan is not about leaving your child to cry until they fall asleep! The real CIO only intends for parents to leave their child to cry for a small amount of time before checking in on them at certain intervals. They're not meant to leave the child for hours, crying. And I won't do that. I think some people hear CIO and just assume you're supposed to just leave them to cry until they give up, but that's not the case.

Seriously...I could go on and on about this, but I won't. It's a whole other topic, and I don't want to turn Aiden's sleep stuff into a debate on whether or not to let a child cry it out (so please, don't go there). I know parents that have done it, and I know people that won't. To each his own, and I will not judge another parent for doing what they feel is comfortable. But I don't need to hear any more suggestions to just let him cry. We've tried to do that, anyway, and it does NOT work with Aiden...it does quite the opposite, and I won't go that route with him. He does fuss some, and we know at which point to step in. His sleep issues are not the result of us not letting him cry for hours. He actually sleeps rather well! He just wakes up an hour or so earlier than he needs.

Back to the main issue.... *Sigh* So easy to get off topic. Anyway, he's taking his second nap of the day now. I've noticed with each day of two naps, he goes to sleep quicker and quicker, indicating this is just what he needs. I've also noticed that he has woken some during his naps and put himself back to sleep! Even once or twice he's stirred in the middle of the night, and he went right back to sleep on his own. This is real improvement for him! And all we've done is made sure he got an extra nap! Instead of feeling guilty that we haven't been doing this, I am just happy we are doing it now. I know this means we'll miss out on our weekly activities - my time with other mommy friends, his time with his little buddies. But the fact is, his sleep is our top priority at the moment. It affects too many aspects of his health, brain development, and mood to put other *wants* above it. Hopefully it won't take too long, and we'll be back on track with our other activities soon, though. I know we're going to miss them! Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the fact that my child is sleeping and am hopeful that this will help.

Sleep? What sleep?!?

So, we're not getting much sleep around here lately. Well, Camden is. Good for him. GREAT for him. The rest of us? Notsomuch.

I've mentioned recently that we're trying a few different things to get Aiden to sleep longer in the mornings. He goes down just fine, going to sleep on his own. He usually doesn't wake up throughout the night, and if he does, all we do is lay him back down, and he goes right back to sleep. BUT the problem is him waking up by 5am. At this point, we feel we have done EVERYthing to try to get him to sleep longer. I mean everything.

We're at the point where we have NO clue what else to do.

Now, I know that I have always had trouble with sleep. My mom will tell me that I didn't hardly sleep as a baby, and it got to the point where the dr had to prescribe some heavy medicine to help me sleep some, probably because my mom also wasn't getting any sleep! Baby isn't the only one that needs it! As long as I can remember I've had problems falling asleep. I've been to doctors to try various medicines, all of them only temporarily working (as in a couple weeks). I still have insomnia, and I have found one medicine that actually works...but I won't take it with a baby in the house. It's supposed to be a good one for moms (and dads, right?!) b/c you are supposed to be able to easily wake up if needed, but I would rather not chance it. Besides, the other parent has that habit of turning off the monitor in his sleep.. And I'm still nursing Aiden, so that's another reason not to take it. BUT I've never had an issue with waking too early! Ha. Just the opposite. I truly think it's because it takes so long to GET to sleep, but I am nearly impossible to wake up. Always have been.

Apparently Ryan also had a hard time sleeping. His does involve waking way too early, but, as his mom has said...he just didn't need more sleep! He would be ready to get up and play!

The thing is...Aiden is NOT ready to get up and play. Yet he can't get back to sleep...or stay asleep past that early time. It's clear that he's not getting enough rest, and that really worries us. It's also becoming very clear that the parents aren't getting enough rest. I haven't had a good night's sleep in more than two years (I know, Aiden's not two years just yet, but, come on - you do not sleep all that well while pregnant!). And Ryan's been dealing with too little sleep for a few months now, too. We do worry sometimes that there is an underlying cause that we aren't aware of..maybe something with allergies or who knows what else! It's so hard to know the causes for things sometimes.

So....since we seem to be at the end of our ropes and still know we need to find some way to get more sleep...we're reserving to getting up when Aiden does. At 5. Yeah, we're kind of giving up and giving in. At this point, we're letting him come in to nurse before we get up for good. In order for the parents to get more sleep, we're trying to go to bed even earlier...as in 9:00pm! Ugh. This is really hard when that's the only time we get alone or to do certain things (many things) around the house. And it's hard for me to fall asleep even earlier, when I already struggle with it at 11 or 12. But we're trying. If we can manage to keep it going, Ryan might be able to go into work earlier and then come home earlier. We still are struggling with how to get Aiden to sleep more, too, though. Today he woke up at 4am (nice....), which happens occasionally, and he's on his second nap (which is not common). We're not sure if he needs to go to two naps a day again, and that would really mess with our other commitments during the week, as they ALL are at the time a morning nap would occur. But if it's needed and it works... I'm just not convinced it will work.

EDITED to update... Two naps didn't work so well today. Slept for one hour in the morning - going down was hard b/c he nurses before his afternoon nap and so wanted to nurse this time, as well. We haven't nursed in the morning for a few months now, so he did not like not nursing before his morning nap. Nap 2 only lasted an hour, as well, and he woke up very cranky, still clearly tired but refusing to go back to sleep. Not a great day for us, and I think we're both still pretty frustrated over it all.

Now - if anyone thinks they can come up with a solution, please, feel free to post away!!! No need to suggest letting him fuss some or having one of us stay in his room overnight or having just Daddy go to him or moving his bedtime earlier or..... When I say we feel like we have exhausted all possible solutions, I mean it. But if you think you have some other idea that might make a difference or that we might not have considered, we would love to hear it! I would love to say there is some prize for a winning idea because getting this child to sleep until 6am even is worth the world! I'm just way too tired to come up with something...

Busy Few Days

We had a busy few days recently. Lots going on! Fun stuff...but busy. :)

I took the boys to one of Camden's favorite museums on Earth Day last week. We took it slow and didn't rush through anything - and didn't worry if we missed seeing something, either. It was a nice change. Don't you hate going to the zoo or somewhere that has SO much to see and then feeling like you rushed the entire time just so you could see it all?? What's the point? (If you really think about it...) We realized we would much rather miss some stuff and really get to enjoy what we DID see. We had a great time! Aiden loved just about everything, too. He didn't nap, which I was prepared for, but he did really well...and did fall asleep while walking in the parking lot to the car at the end of the day! Of course.

The only bad part of the day was the hives that mysteriously showed up on his cheek during lunch. I brought our lunches from home and we used a roll-up placemat that we take everywhere (love this thing!), so he didn't eat anything he shouldn't have. When he was out of the stroller walking, we made sure he didn't touch any plants, etc. (There's a huge outdoor component to the museum - it really is an awesome museum with TONS to do!) The hives were on his cheek close to his ear, and we couldn't figure out where they might have come from. We even talked to someone at the museum... Hives are kind of new to me still, so we wanted to check to make sure it wasn't a bug bite or something from a plant he may have touched. They confirmed it looked like hives and even went as far as to give the whole family a free pass another day (which I totally did not expect). We're still not sure what it's from, and they ended up spreading down to his chin over the next hour. They never seemed to bother him at all - just me and Camden! And then they went away... It's still a mystery!

Pictures...

Museum of Life & Science - Earth Day 2010

When I asked Camden what his most/least favorite parts of the day were... Favorite: Two butterflies landed on him in the conservatory. Least favorite: Aiden's hives. Aside from the hives, it was a GREAT day, though. Aiden slept in the car on the way home, and we stopped to say hi to Daddy, since we passed his office going home. We quickly realized that was a mistake. Ryan opened the car door, realized Aiden was asleep and we weren't getting out, and closed the door. It woke Aiden up, and he screamed the next 30 minutes it took to get home. That part wasn't so much fun for any of us.

Then Saturday, Ryan threw me a 30th Birthday cookout with some friends. He bought way too much food, and we didn't get many pictures b/c we were so busy talking with everyone. It was a lot of fun, though. :) We don't normally do much for our own birthdays, but he decided to do a little something extra since it was the big 3-0. The rain held off until just after the cookout, too, which was really nice.

Pictures... (Ok, this album has ALL the April pictures, not just ones from the cookout.)

2010 April

Sunday... Aiden went to the nursery at church for the very first time. He did really well. That's because Mommy stayed in there, though. ;) He's very attached right now and has a difficult time being away from me, so we're trying to transition him as easily as possible. I just signed up to be the extra helper for that service, and I tried to stay out of his way as much as possible. Every now and then, he would realize I wasn't right next to him and would start turning around, looking at all sides of himself, saying "Mommy...? Mommy...?" in the most pitiful voice possible - until I reassured him I was right there. But for the most part he was fine. We've put off doing this for a few reasons...mostly b/c of how easily he gets sick (and being around more kids in this kind of setting might increase some colds at first, especially if we did it during cold/flu season) and also b/c of his food allergies/intolerances. They sit very closely together when having snack, so we do worry about him getting the snacks served, even though we always bring his snack (wherever we go!). He can't have any of the things they have on the snack menu. So, next week, Ryan will go in with Aiden and stay as the volunteer. If that goes well, Ryan will attempt to drop Aiden off in there the week after...leaving him while we both try to sit through the service, sans baby. We'll see how it goes!

So, after church, Aiden ended up falling asleep on the way home (we went to the 9am service, and the drive home is about half an hour). We thought we would let him take a short nap and put him in bed...he miraculously slept a total of three hours! This is UNHEARD of (he did wake up extra early, as in around 4am or so, but even when that happens...a three-hour nap never happens!). After the long nap, we headed back to Cary (close to church, actually) to go strawberry picking!! They're in season here and they are soooo super sweet. There are also TONS, so it took us no time to get four full buckets. It was a lot of fun. I think even Ryan had to admit it wasn't so bad. ;) Aiden and I went back yesterday with some friends and got a bit more, too! I have a feeling we'll be back a couple more times before the season is over. Our freezer will be FULL of strawberries to last us until next season!

Pictures of the strawberry pickin'...

Strawberry Picking! Spring 2010

Enjoy all the pictures!

Twenty months

Finally. Here it is... Later than usual. But as I mentioned, we've had a lot going on. Regardless....

Aiden is growing in SO many ways lately...language, development, abilities, personality. Attitude. It's a fun age, busy, and challenging at times.

Favorites

• Leo's horse. We had a playdate at our friend Leo's house, and Leo has this rocking horse. If you press the horse's ear, he plays music. Aiden could not get enough of the music!! He wasn't sure about the actual rocking on the horse, but the music was fun enough for him. (The rest of us were ready to stop hearing the music, I do believe.) Not only did he love the horse while at Leo's, but when we got home, he kept signing horse and asking about it. After nap, he kept asking about the horse. The next day when he woke up, still asking. This went on for about a week. He did NOT forget about that horse. It clearly made an impression on Aiden!
• His bicycle! Aiden wants to ride on this thing all the time. He doesn't do much on it...he can go forward a little bit, he can more easily go backward. He mostly just gets on and off of it, though.
• Hats and sunglasses. He's been ok with hats for a while, though sometimes we had to put the hat on, distract him so he wouldn't pull it off, and it would remain on for a while. But suddenly he always wants to wear hats! And where he never would allow sunglasses on his face, he now loves them! He'll put both on when we go outside, but if we're running errands, he'll often want them left on even while we go into a store. I'll ask him a few times if he wants them off, and he'll shake his head no. Of course, everyone that sees him thinks it's so funny and cute. It is.
• Dumping anything with liquid in it once he's done and before you can take it from him. If he's done with his cereal and there is still some milk in the bowl... If he's done with his drink in an open cup... If he's got a little bit of soup left and doesn't want anymore... He dumps it on his tray before you can grab it from him. To give him credit, he will often pick up the bowl/cup and hand it to one of us when he's done. But if you don't get it QUICKLY, he will then dump it. And sometimes now, he doesn't even do that first. He just dumps it. Once that happens, though, he's definitely done...because WE say so. I'm not sure how that will work as a deterrent, though, because he does it WHEN he is done...
• Cars. Just about any kind. He especially likes his two larger trucks that he got for Christmas from his aunt Rachel and family. And matchbox cars. Those are big winners! (Grandparents...please do not take this as a hint to buy him any! We saved all of Camden's - and he has a LOT - so Aiden gets a few here and there and thinks they are so awesome. Trust me, we have plenty. Way more than enough. And he does not care that they are hand-me-downs. Even if he understood that, he wouldn't care because he wants anything that is Camden's!)

• New favorite song: Hush Little Baby. You know, the one with the mockingbird... He mostly wants it when he's getting ready for bed or a nap or nursing. He'll sign "bird" and "sing" to let me know he wants me to sing it. Recently, he's been using the potty some, and I was doing some silly songs to celebrate when he actually did something. He loved it. I would dance around and act really goofy. Then suddenly, instead of wanting that...he would request Hush Little Baby. When he pottied!! I would ask if he was sure...and yep! To celebrate using the potty he didn't want an exciting, fun song. He wanted a lullaby.
• His 4am nursing session... Ok, so we took this away for a while. Two months really. I think that's long enough to see if something is going to work. And it didn't. Aiden would still wake at 4 or so...and then stay awake! Whereas before, he and I would both be awake a lot from that point on, this way...the two of us, plus daddy, were up from then on with basically no more sleep. It was not working. Sleep deprived and not knowing what else to do just yet, we have recently went back to nursing him. We all at least get a bit more sleep. And we're trying to figure out what else to do at this point b/c we all need more than what we're getting. But Aiden is happy that he's getting his milk at this time again. Of course.
• Animals. Aiden really loves things that are about animals. His favorite Signing Time videos are the ones about the farm and the zoo. The Zoo Train is his most favorite, and he'll ask for it by signing "animals" and "train." What is most funny is this game he made up, all by himself. He comes up to us and does the gorilla sign, grunting while he does it (the sign is simply taking your fists and alternating thumping your chest with the fists...just like you would do if you were acting out a gorilla). After we say "gorilla!" he does another animal sign and so on. He usually does (in this order) gorilla, crocodile, kangaroo, hippopotamus, tiger (and the rest in any order) monkey, penguin, bat, rhinoceros, lion, and then some of the others if we mention them. He thinks it's so great to do the signs and have us "guess" the animal.
• Fresh pineapple. Loves, loves the stuff.
  
• Big Bird and Elmo. He has a couple books with them and knows them this way. (Yes, I'm still the mean mommy who really only lets him watch a couple Signing Time videos here and there...) He was watching tv when we were at my dentist the other day, since he was having to sit in the stroller for so long. Sesame Street happened to be on, and his face just lit up with so much excitement and surprise when he realized that Big Bird wasn't just in his book! It was a priceless look.
  

Being silly

Least favorites

• Dirty diapers. Not that he doesn't like dirtying them...he doesn't like that if he does, he has to be changed.
• Throwing up. No fun. After his nasty virus, you know, the one where he threw up between 25-30 times in ONE DAY...he really doesn't like it.
• Stopping nursing sessions. He is going through some phase where he wants to nurse and nurse and nurse and just not stop. It's not that he nurses more often. He doesn't. He just doesn't want to stop during the times he typically nurses. I've asked other moms about this, especially after finding out that most toddlers usually are quick nursers b/c they're so busy playing, and apparently it's not all that unheard of. Hard to tell if he just wants the extra comfort after he's done actually drinking for milk or if he is teething and this helps or if he needs the extra milk due to all his developmental growth...or if he's just being a toddler and wanting what he wants. It's just so strange to me because as a baby, he was an extremely quick nurser. My let-down was so fast, he would get all the milk out in no time and be done. I noticed a few months ago, he might nurse for 20 minutes, which was long for him. Now...he could probably go for an hour if I let him!
• Going down the stairs. He's fine if you carry him, but he is terrified of going down them on his own. He won't budge and will turn and cling to you if you try to get him to even stand on a step at the top. If you ask him about walking down (or if you even hold him so that he is looking down instead of facing you), he will absolutely freak out.
• Going to sleep quietly. Not that he fights going to sleep, but lately he plays more and makes more noise, taking longer to go to sleep once he's in bed. We're not sure why exactly, but he just is taking a bit longer lately.
• Coming inside. This kid loves being outside and hates having to come in.
• Having the lid on his snack cup. The lid is made so that kids can reach through it to get the snacks out, but the snacks won't fall out and make a mess. (Someone made a fortune from that idea...) Aiden does not like having that thing on there anymore. We have been letting him have snacks in open containers when at home, so he learns not to spill, etc. He will sometimes be ok with the snack lid on when out and about, but lately he's less and less ok with it.
  

New developments

• Saying "no." He just started saying no, and he doesn't yet yell it at us or say it in a mean way. It's still cute. (I know...we'll get there.) He did take a while to say "no," but we really don't say it a lot to him (we try to use other ways of telling him what not to do or what TO do, etc), but he's been able to communicate it in other ways, as well. It is so cute, though. He sticks out and curls up his upper lip and says no in this little voice that comes out as if he has a Spanish accent.
• Going on the potty. He's done #2 quite a number of times and has peed a couple times. It's harder to know about peeing b/c he's on the big potty and I don't stay right next to him, so I might not hear if he does that. He's more likely to go if I am busy with something else and not sitting right there watching him, so we let him do his thing while we are nearby. He usually sits on the potty right after waking in the morning, before and after naptime, and before bedtime (and occasionally he'll ask at other times). Like I said before, we're not pushing potty training right now, just working on awareness and following his lead. If he says no, he doesn't want to sit, that's fine.
• Grandparents... Aiden is becoming more aware of the roles these folks play in his life, even though we don't see them often. After seeing Pappaw Gene (Daisy's stepdad) on the webcam one day, he would continue to make a gesture that Gene often makes toward him..it's where you pop your finger out of the side of your mouth, making a loud "pop" noise from pushing out the air in your cheek with your finger (if that makes sense...hard to describe). Aiden will do this ALL the time, also signing and saying "Pappaw!!" Pappaw was the first grandparent's name he said. He now also talks about "MaMaw" (Ryan's mom) after her visit at Easter and "Mammaw" (Daisy's mom). I'm sure the rest will follow very soon! (Visits definitely help, grandparents! After that, using the webcam does, too.) ;) He brings up grandparents fairly often, especially Pappaw, and does so out of the blue; it's not just after seeing them, talking to them, or hearing them mentioned.
  
• Talking more and more. Just as I suspected, once he started... ;)
• This isn't so much a development as something Aiden is interested in and is working on... Like I said before, he loves playing with cars. Well, he loves being outside and seeing real cars, too. Whenever we are out walking, he will point at EACH AND EVERY vehicle we pass. He'll either say "car" or "truck" or will ask if that is what it is (by adding a question mark). I name every vehicle (car, truck, van, SUV, etc), as well as the color of it. He can't get enough. I mean every single thing he sees, he points at for me to tell him what it is - or he will say what it is if he knows for sure. It can be exhausting sometimes because that is what our entire walk around the neighborhood ends up about, but he's learning new things, and it's fun to see him so excited about it. It's interesting when there is someone in the car he is pointing to, as well... Usually they just think it's cute and wave back.
• Aiden is definitely becoming more aware of what HE wants and how to let you know. He can be rather insistent, whether it's about something he wants to do or something he doesn't want to do. He's also starting to get more into wanting to have his way or doing things on his terms lately, letting you know what his preferences are. That personality is starting to really shine through!
  

Playing Catch Up...

Yeah, it's been a while. We have good excuses. Don't we always??

After Aiden got that nasty stomach bug, he passed it onto me. How would I not get it when he threw up all over me about 20 times? All over meaning sometimes...it went into my shirt. You wanted that visual didn't you? He had it worse the one day, but he continued to throw up at least once each day for the next few days. It took a while for him to recover and go back to eating normally, probably for fear he would keep throwing it all back up. Poor guy. :(

Then it was Easter and we had family in for that next week. Ryan's mom came to visit, which is always fun. Aiden had a blast with her especially and would ask for her when he was supposed to be going to sleep or doing other things he might not have wanted to be doing. I think he knew she might rescue him... ;) When she left for home, she took Camden, who is now visiting with his dad for the week. And since, Aiden and I have been running like crazy doing all the things we couldn't do while sick or entertaining company. So, we've been a tad busy.

Easter... We went back to our "home" church, where the service was actually held at an amphitheater in town instead of the actual church. (Another post for another time, but we've been back and forth about what church to attend, as we have moved farther away from our old church, and for other reasons. But we keep finding ourselves drawn back to it... More later. I hope. If I get time. For the many posts I keep wanting to put up...) Anyway, the service was HUGE, and it was incredible to see so many there celebrating together. I haven't heard the final count, but there were thousands. Back home, Aiden got a new Bible and a puzzle with animals. He adores both. He carries his Bible everywhere he can, saying "Bi-bi" and "Jeeees" (Bible and Jesus). Camden got some new books, too, one being his first daily devotional, and a t-shirt. We try to keep the Easter baskets full of things that represent what the holiday means to us. True...the puzzle might not seem to fit...but there were animals on the Arc, right? ;) And wait...no mention of candy?? Yep. No candy this year. Nobody noticed, either. Camden didn't ask or seem to care or even realize it was missing. He also got the new Toby Mac cd from MaMaw, and he was too thrilled about that to care for candy anyway, even if there had been some!

We have eaten out a couple times over the last week. (Eating out isn't a common occurrence for various reasons. Money. Food allergies....) We discovered that P.F. Chang's has an awesome gluten-free menu. And after ordering but before being served, we also discovered that all of their meats are marinated with eggs the night before, meaning Aiden couldn't have anything with meat, meaning that the only thing on the g-free menu he could eat was veggie stir-fry. He did not seem to care and loved it! Another discovery...their chocolate cake is probably THE best chocolate cake ever. Then last night we went to The Melting Pot for my birthday (well, mine and Ryan's, since we're just a week apart). Don't tell Camden!! He might not be so happy to find out we went without him... They also have a ton of gluten-free options and have a good menu telling you what you cannot eat. Only one meat has egg in the marinade, but it wasn't even one they had with the Big Night Out this time around. We had to make few substitutions so that Aiden could eat...leaving out the pot-stickers and getting extra chicken. And we almost forgot there was beer as a base with the Fiesta Cheese (the one we almost always get), so we just subbed with white wine, and it was fine. No chips or bread for the little guy, only two of the sauces (one of which he just loved with everything)...and for dessert he was stuck with fruit. But he was just fine with all of that. He ate fairly well!! And I'm very pleased that more places are getting on board with gluten-free menus and are actually aware of what all it involves!

Aiden turned 20-months-old. I'll get to that post next. Soon, I hope.

And today...today I turn 30. Most of all, it's just another day. It's not such a big deal that I am the big 3-0...but it just sounds strange to say I'm that age. It's like I am officially an "adult" now, even though I've been an adult for quite a while. I mean, I do have a husband, two children (one of which is about to turn 11!), a house, etc, etc, etc... But for some reason, being 30 seems to make it official. Not sure if that makes any sense.

Last night, after getting Aiden to bed, Ryan and I turned on Friends. We have the entire series on DVD and watch it every now and then. We start from the beginning and watch through to the end. And then do it all over again. So, last night, the next show for us to watch just happened to be "The one where they all turn 30." No kidding. Pretty funny, in a way. Some of them were talking about what they had or hadn't accomplished by this time. In a way, I've accomplished a heck of a lot. A bachelor's degree, a master's degree, I'm married, I have two kids...that's a lot. But I do feel that there is a ton that I haven't accomplished. I still don't have a career or know what I want to be "when I grow up." And here I suddenly am "grown up." I often go through the day just getting through the day...running errands, taking care of the kids, making dinner...and sometimes wonder what I'm not doing that I should. Is there something more profound I should be doing, too? Thanks Friends, right. (No, I wonder this all the time. With or without Friends to throw it in my face.)

Aiden has made the day so nice and easy...waking at 5am and refusing to go back to sleep. Taking over two hours, with plenty of yelling at me, before he would finally go to sleep for naptime. And the day is not over!! What more should I expect, right? He doesn't know it's mommy's birthday! ;) And now I'm going to go outside and do some yard work. BUT tonight...there will be cake. After our yummy and very filling (too filling) meal last night, we made a stop by P.F. Chang's and grabbed some of that chocolate cake to eat tonight. I'm still deciding if I'm going to share....

PS - Pics of everything in the April album online:

2010 April