Asserting His Independence

Maybe that's what this is all about, I don't know. I do know that yesterday, this kid had us all wondering what was going through his head... The high was 102, and he INSISTED on wearing a sweater. All day.

I posted about this on facebook and some asked if we kept it cold inside. Um, no. Our thermostat stays at 78 during the day. That might sound hot, but we also have ceiling fans running nonstop and room-darkening shades. We keep them closed upstairs, so it doesn't get hot up there at all. And downstairs stays fairly cool. Well, my hot-natured husband doesn't think it's COOL, but he also doesn't turn the thermostat down, so it must not be too bad.

Not really in the mood for pictures. And ignore the post-nap messy hair. And the fact that the sweater is dirty. I thought telling him at naptime that it had to go in the laundry would work. But as soon as he woke up, he insisted that it wasn't too dirty and got it right out of the basket. *Sigh*

But if it wasn't enough to wear that sweater all day inside, he also insisted on wearing it when we did go outside. We weren't out long, and we were in the shade for part of the time, BUT it was still HOT! And he did run around a lot and did not stay on the shaded porch.

Proof that he made me let him play outside with this thing on. He did have on shorts and sandals. But that sweater... And he also insisted on having it zipped ALL the way up!

Around 5, when it was still sweltering, we went to Camden's school for open house. It's too close to justify driving, so we walked. Aiden was in the stroller and still kept that sweater on! I laughed wondering what all those parents and teachers would think of us...showing up with a toddler in a sweater when it was over 100 degrees outside. But he never once asked to take it off.

We never tried to convince him to take it off, either. When going outside, I would ask (ok, more than a few times), "Are you sure you want it on? Are you too hot?" etc, etc. He never budged. He wanted to wear it to bed, but Ryan did say no to that, which surprised me. This morning, upon waking, he asked about wearing it. We said ok, but he later forgot. He did say, though, "I love that sweater!!"

He said he wanted a picture with his "angry face" Haha!

Potty Time?

One day this week, Aiden needed a diaper change. (Ok, so that doesn't mean he needed a change only one day this week. He gets changed several times each day.... Haha!) I needed to put the clean diaper on him, and he was trying to get away. Here's how it went down...

Mommy: Aiden, you need to either put on a diaper or go on the potty. (When he complains about having to put on a diaper, we tell him that sure - he can go without...once he starts using the potty. So, he gets reminded about it often. It's his choice!)

Aiden: I don't like those choices! Go potty or put on a diaper... I don't want to.

Mommy, trying not to laugh at what the little thing just said: Well, then what will you do when you need to go pee?

Aiden: I just want to stand up.

So, he doesn't always make sense.

I waited a little bit, which means I let him go without anything on for a while, and then returned to the conversation. He decided he wanted to wear underwear (he knew he had some in his room...for when he starts going potty) and that he would pee on the potty if he needed to go. We gave it a shot. He waltzed around in underwear for a couple of hours, never peeing in them. He thinks underwear is the coolest thing ever right now. I put him on the potty before naptime, and he peed!

This isn't the first time. A few weeks ago, twice he peed on the potty...times he was trying to put off bedtime, really. But the thing we noticed was that he was controlling it. He would watch as he used his stomach muscles to make himself pee. And he did that again this time. This week, he's spent a good amount of time many days in underwear. Not more than a few hours at a time, and he certainly doesn't sleep in underwear. If he says he won't pee on the potty, he's choosing to wear a diaper. He hasn't asked to go potty, but just about any time we put him on it, he will pee. One night at dinnertime, he didn't want to put on a diaper, so he came to the table with underwear on. At one point he stopped eating, looked up, and said "I peed" as if he was a little worried. I checked...no pee. So, off to the potty we went, where he did go.

Kind of exciting!

Who knows if this means anything about potty training. And I don't think we could even call it "training" because we're letting Aiden take the lead here. (Actually, in some circles now, it's called potty learning, which does tend to make more sense. It's about them learning, not so much about them being trained.) We're taking a very relaxed approach to this. Aiden will be ready for using the potty when he's ready. And he'll know more about when that is than we will. So...if he wants to go, great. If not, that's ok. We will not push it. Besides, this is one of those things toddlers will control if you try to push too much...there's no point trying too hard when it could just backfire on us. And since we use cloth diapers, we're not in a hurry to get rid of a diaper expense (because there really isn't one!). Sure, we have to do a couple extra loads of laundry a week, but that's really not a big deal.

So, yeah, it's kind of exciting. We'll see how it goes, though. It's totally up to the little guy. It is really cute to see him running around in underwear, though. He prefers to be in ONLY underwear, of course. I need to get a picture to post... ;)

The Tables Have Turned

I told Ryan this would happen.

From day 1 Aiden was quite the mama's boy. It's hard not to be when Mama is your source of food and everything you need seems to be associated with mama's milk. Over his two and a half years, Mama has been the only one this little guy wanted when he was hurt, tired...or just about any other time.

And from day 1, I've told Ryan his day will come. One of these days, I told him, he will only want you. He'll want you to play with him and will be so excited when you walk in the door after work. He'll cry after you when you leave.

Well, folks, that day is here. It took a bit longer than I thought, but that probably has something to do with the fact that he's still nursing and is *quite* attached to mama's milk. Now, he is still a mama's boy. I'm still the only one he wants when he's hurt or really tired, too.

BUT...pretty much every morning, he gets upset because Daddy has to go to work. He asks about Daddy throughout the day. And he is super excited when he hears Daddy's keys in the door when he comes home.

I had a doctor appointment this morning, so Ryan stayed at home with Aiden. It was for allergy testing, which meant I would be there for a while and not able to chase after a little busy toddler, so we figured this was best. When I told Aiden goodbye, he was almost too busy playing to tell me back. I barely got a kiss! And he was back to playing before I was out the door.

Then I come home. He did say hello to me...and then went on dancing. I'm special, right? (Hahaha...)

Now, Daddy leaves for work... Aiden: "Where did Daddy go?" (He knew, not sure why he had to ask...) "He had to go to work, sweetie." Aiden covers his eyes with his hands and proceeds to whine and pout, saying, "Noooooo!!! I don't want him to go to work! I want Daddy to stay and play!!" It's all very endearing to see and hear. And of course, when Ryan is opening the door, coming home at the end of the day, Aiden is so excited. "Daddy!!!!" He's so in love. Whenever Daddy is home, Aiden is constantly at him..."Come play with me, Daddy!"

I could have some hurt feelings, but I totally don't. I LOVE seeing him love his Daddy so much.

I told Ryan from the start I didn't feel too terrible about the fact that Aiden wanted me over him earlier on. I wasn't being mean; it was because I knew one day the tables would turn. I knew I would have my turn for a while, and then it would be about him. While Aiden still wants me and only me for certain things, Daddy is definitely a favorite these days. And I certainly don't expect Ryan to feel bad about it, either. In fact, I hope he enjoys every single second of it all.

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.

Aiden's Big News!

Aiden has some exciting news to share!

(And NO...not that kind of exciting news! Ha!)

Go to our pictures HERE and see the last few that were uploaded earlier this week. Here are a couple of them...

That's right...Aiden pooped in the potty!

This might have been coincidental and just plain ol' good timing, but we'll still take it. This was on Monday. Today, Aiden actually did this AGAIN...after asking himself to do it! (Earlier he told me he needed to poop, as well, but it was too late. But still! That's something!)

He sits on the potty multiple times a day, asking many of the times or agreeing enthusiastically if we ask, and happily sitting for up to twenty minutes if we let him, just reading a book and swinging his feet. We're not really pushing this at the moment, just working on awareness. He's been showing some signs that he's aware for a while now. But if he keeps this up...who knows!!

We're really not expecting much at the moment, though. Camden started to train around 18 months, then decided he wasn't ready. Started again around 2 years, then decided again he wasn't ready. At 2 1/2, he trained in no time. He was ready. ;) So, no worries. We won't be disappointed if he's not potty trained in a couple months or even more. We're just following Aiden's lead and seeing where things go. If he wants to potty, he sits on it. When he says he's done, we let him down. He's in charge.

Proving me wrong

Do you ever feel that children are just out to prove their parents wrong? I constantly feel that way...

Yesterday I said in my post that Aiden won't even work with me on going down steps on his bottom or crawling backwards. I've even tried showing him he can scoot off the bed. But he just doesn't pay attention and wants to do things his way.

Well, just this morning, he is lying there next to me on the bed (bright and early, of course). He was on his back and starts kicking his feet like crazy. I'm thinking what is this kid doing??? He was right next to the edge, but we have this thing that goes in between the sheet and the mattress to keep him from rolling off, so he was kicking that but going nowhere because he couldn't get over it. He managed to scoot down enough to get past that and was sliding right off the bed. I grabbed him just in time to help keep him from falling on his face as his feet hit the floor. But he would have been fine without me - I was just surprised!

Then...he did it all over again to show Daddy!

Out of curiosity, I put him on the steps earlier to see if he could come down some of them. He kind of did... He made it down a couple. He would kind of sit and kind of scoot his foot over the edge. Once he gets near the bottom, he just reaches out for the top of the gate and walks down the last couple. I tried again later, and he was just mad, wanting me to hold him, and walked right out - into my arms, of course, since I was there to catch him. But boy he didn't care that he was on the stairs!

Anyway. Totally proving me wrong. As usual. It seems as soon as you say something is a certain way, they up and change it on you.

Teething Oil & Other teething solutions

After my post about Aiden's rough week teething last week, a couple people have asked to know more about the teething oil we use with Aiden. We do not use Orajel. Among other things, it has artificial colorings, flavorings, and sweeteners in it. We try to stay away from as much of that stuff as we can. We have been using an herbal oil with Aiden since he started teething - Gum-omile Oil by Herbs for Kids.

Now, you really shouldn't rely on these type of numbing agents much at all - orajels or oils. It is possible to numb the child's tongue or throat (hopefully they do not get enough to swallow it!!) because they could bite their tongue, and other problems have come from the numbing of children's throats due to these types of things. This is not the first thing we reach for. Plus, Aiden isn't crazy about the taste, though I've read reviews where people said their children loved it. It is good for those times when there is a lot of pain and you need something immediate. We used it with the molars a tiny bit last week, mostly when trying to get Aiden down for a nap and the other things we were using hadn't kicked in yet - and he just needed something to help calm him down for a moment to help get to sleep. The last couple times we used this with Aiden, he did not seem to mind the taste at all. Not sure if he is just ok with it now or if he realized that it helped his pain (and therefore the taste didn't factor in).

When you do use it, be sure to shake it well. The first couple times I used it, I didn't and was wondering why it didn't seem to work. (I tried it on myself first - I always do that before giving something to Aiden.) But (thanks to my mom for having common sense and asking...did you shake it?) if you shake it, that stuff does work! Just use a tiny bit on the area that is sore. And remember, it doesn't last long and you shouldn't be using it repeatedly. That's not what it's for.

For the locals, I got a jar of this from the Women's Birth and Wellness Boutique in Chapel Hill. It cost $9.99 for a 1 oz bottle - but baby this stuff goes a long way!

Most of the time, we use Hyland's teething tablets for teething. For those REALLY bad times, we do Motrin (dye-free, of course). I have heard that Hyland's makes a teething gel, but I haven't tried that.

We have a hard time relying on some of the other non-medical methods for teething...though we don't use any of these things unless Aiden really needs it. Of course, the child teeths on everything. But he doesn't like cold things, so (even though we keep trying) giving a frozen piece of fruit, wet/cold or frozen cloth, or something like that is not something he goes for. He doesn't pay any attention to his actual teethers anymore. What he does go for is nursing, though, so we do rely on that some. If he's in pain and that helps, why not?! :) And no, he doesn't bite.

Any of you have some tricks that always work?

Rough Week

Last week. Was rough. Hoping for a bit better this week. So far it seems to be better...

It's those stinking baby molars! You know, when Aiden got his first two teeth in and they were soooo easy and didn't cause any problems other than the massive amount of drool, I knew not to say "he's an easy teether" when people asked how he did with them. I knew it could get worse. We've had some trouble with some of the other teeth, but nothing major. Mostly Aiden might get a little clingy (but still play well for the most part) and he has a rough time going to sleep. But the molars...oh those are a different story. Kind of.

He still doesn't really get fussy when awake, though he was a bit clingy with me some last week. Not enough to call him "fussy," though. But sleep...what's that?? Night one...we got NO sleep. I mean, none. Ok, maybe 10-15 minutes here and there a couple times, but we were up for hour-long (sometimes two or more) stretches at a time. At one point, I was on my back and he was lying across my belly, with his legs dangling off one side and his head dangling off the other...and he FELL ASLEEP! No way was I going to chance waking him up by moving him. We'd been up for more than two hours at that point. He slept a solid 15-20 minutes! Not sure why that position worked, but...I'll take it. During all of this, Aiden wasn't playing or even crying a lot; he was TRYING to go to sleep. You could tell he wanted to be sleeping. I felt so badly for him. He just tossed and turned. And nursed ALL NIGHT LONG. Sometimes he fussed because there was no more milk (maybe because he had been nursing for almost two hours straight?).

Night two...we got about two hours of sleep. Night three...maybe up to 4 or 5 total.

Now before you ask if I tried this or that - YES! We did. We tried teething tablets, his teething oil (we don't do orajel - we use this other stuff that is the same thing but has natural ingredients...and yes, it does work), motrin. We pulled out all the tricks we knew. Naps weren't much better. He usually will sleep about an hour and a half. This week, naps were no longer than an hour, and that was with him waking up between 3-5 times!

Yes, it was a rough week. By day three, the sleep deprivation was getting to both of us. We were both quite cranky and clearly exhausted. I felt like crap, and I'm sure he did, as well. Funny thing is, he's back to his normal sleep schedule by now - but the teeth have still not come through!! We actually went through some tough teething days with these same molars more than a month ago (though not this bad!). They are taking their sweet time. His gums are so swollen right now, and forget trying to touch them to see if anything is poking through. I just hope they do come through soon - for his sake and a little bit for mine, too.

The next two nights...teeth were ok, but for some reason Aiden had really bad gas that kept him up. This hasn't happened in the longest time. Could it be related to the teething somehow?? (I'm serious!) He also got a really bad diaper rash - and that never happens! Bad enough that we put him in flushies so we could use the really good stuff on his bum (can't use ointments with cloth) - and I trapped him in the kitchen/dining area so he could run around with no diaper for an hour or so a few times to help clear it all up. I can't help but think all of this has to be teething-related because it's not like him.

Another funny thing...CAMDEN is also getting molars in! Actually, he says they are already in. And they hurt. But he barely complains; just mentioned it as a fact. They're his twelve-year molars - a little early.

Ok - just an update on what a terrible week some of us had last week. Feel free to sympathize with both boys (and me, if you want....). :) At least we're doing better now! I just hope we don't go through a similar routine when the baby molars finally do cut through... How long do they really have to take! You can tell they are very close with how swollen and soft his gums are (when I can force my finger in there to feel).

Anyone want to share your experiences, so we can all feel sorry for one another?

First Words

Aiden said his first real words today.

First, let me say he has been "talking" in his own way for quite a while. It's a little pet peeve of mine to hear other people say their little baby (5, 6, 9 month or however old) "talked" when they said "mama" or "dada" but they were really just making the sounds and didn't understand the meaning behind it. Yeah, I'm sure some babies get it really young, but I seriously doubt most 6-month-olds know what they're "saying" when they do that. They're just babbling, people. I know you want them to talk, but...they're not.

I don't count it as being a word Aiden speaks until he knows what he is saying and says it in the correct context. That said....

Today, Camden was talking to his friend (named Ryan) on the phone. He said "goodbye" and hung up. And Aiden said "bye." Ryan (my Ryan) and I look at each other..."did he just say that??" He wouldn't repeat it for us, of course, but would just wave as WE said the word.

Then tonight, we were talking on the webcam to Pop & Lisey (my dad and stepmom). When we were saying our goodbyes, Aiden kept repeating over and over "bye bye bye" and waving at the same time. He clearly knew what he was saying. How exciting!!

He's also been trying to say "more." When he wants more to eat, he'll sign more and make the sound "meh." Of course, when we try to get him to repeat it and ask, "more?" - he just keeps signing. And gets frustrated because we're not giving him more, of course! I guess in a way we could have counted "more" as his first word because he did it before today - and it's a harder word to get ALL of it correct. But we'll with "bye" because he said the whole word correctly for all of us to hear. :)

A Year in Review

Since I took Aiden's picture each month in the same chair, I thought it would be fun to show a picture from each month in order. See how much he changes!

One month old

Two months old


Three months old


Four months old


Five months old


Six months old


Seven months old


Eight months old


Nine months old


Ten months old


Eleven months old


Twelve months old

Twelve months post to come soon. I know this stuff is really late...remember I warned about this, though. August is a super busy month this year! Lots of family in town and other things going on. But I'll get it all up soon! :)

Walkin' the Walk

Just a little something that took place today...








Way to go, Aiden!

Short video of the first steps later - and how we got him to go for it! Let's just say he didn't want to walk, but we knew what would motivate him enough to take those first steps!

Signing - Can someone clarify?

We use a few signs with Aiden and are adding a little more now that he's really starting to catch on. While we aren't doing a whole lot (mostly signs having to do with eating/nursing), the few we do use really are helping. It's so nice to have Aiden be able to tell us what he wants sometimes!! BUT...I'm wanting to try to fit in "please" and "thank you" now....and I'm having a hard time with the difference between "thank you" and "good." We just have a book that has drawings of babies/toddlers (My First Signs board book). For "thank you," it says "hand touches lips then moves forwards." For "good," it says "fingertips touch lips then move away." But the pictures look identical. So...can someone clarify what the difference exactly is for us?

Also - Becky, turns out we have been doing "all done" a little wrong, but the correct way is different from how you do it. The book says to have hands open, palms up, and then flip them down quickly. We were just doing the palms up part (and add in a little twisting of the hands b/c it's cute and hard not to do it). I guess we forgot to look and check to see if we were doing it right. ;) The book states the signs are "based on" ASL...

Thanks to anyone that can help with the "thank you" and "good" confusion!!

ELEVEN Months!

I can no longer deny that Aiden is "almost one year old" now... The next month will be it, so there's no more putting it off with "he's almost ten months" or "he's almost eleven months" and you can't say "he's almost twelve months" because...that's the same as a year. So....he's officially almost a year old. (Turned 11 months on July 6th - hence the 4th shirt...it says "I'm a little Firecracker"!!)

Gotta give him a book to sit still.
There were just a few good pics this time around b/c even with the book, he was a MOVER!

This past month we've seen a lot of development with Aiden's personality, especially him learning to express his likes...and even more so, his dislikes. He started out learning to whine and quickly learned to screech and scream when he didn't like something. But there have been many other things he's picked up on that are even more fun than that, so.....

Favorite Things

• Anything other than his toys. You can set the basket of toys in front of him, and, yeah, he'll take some things out and play for about ten seconds (if you're lucky) and then move right onto every single thing he shouldn't be playing with. It's like as soon as they become mobile, their eyes open up to the rest of the world, and they just HAVE to check it all out.
• My fig tree - or the dirt in the pot. I can turn him away from it over 50 times a day, easily - and he immediately goes right back to it! It's a large pot, so I can't just put it up out of his reach. (Anyone know of good ways to babyproof a plant?? One that you can't just put up on a table/shelf?)
• Screeching. He realized he can make noise just for the fun of it, and he often does. Doesn't bother me. Does it bother folks in the grocery store when he realizes his voice can be REALLY loud there? I don't know. Don't care, either - he's happy and entertained while I get things done. He also likes to grab things from the cart just to drop them over the side. I do care about that.
  
• The camera. It's very hard to get a picture of him looking at me because he immediately charges toward the camera. So we have quite a few pictures of him crawling at the lens. He's still cute, whatever the viewpoint. I think so, at least.
• Pulling up onto anything he can. The kid is everywhere and into everything. He does NOT sit still or understand the concept.
• Mommy's belly button. When he's done nursing - or taking a break to look around (he's quite nosy!), Aiden will sit up and look down at my belly button and poke at it. He even tries to say "belly button" - you can tell a slight difference between when he's trying to say it and his typical "ba ba ba"s. I try to get him to notice his own belly button, too, but he's more interested in mine. He has even tried to blow raspberries on it - very funny!
• Getting up at 6am. Good times. He used to sleep regularly until past 8 (waking up lots, of course, but not up for the day until then - or later), but now he's up by 6. There are pros, though. He is more consistent and predictable with his morning nap now, and it makes me get up and actually accomplish more.
• Shoes - he thinks they're for chewing, not for wearing.

• Door stoppers - you know, the kind that stick out from the wall and have that white soft tip at the end...We've had to remove all the white tips b/c he immediately learned how to get them off within a second - and would put them straight into his mouth. Guess we'll have to get out the superglue.
• Electrical outlets, even with the protective covers... Friends and people that have reviewed different ones online have said, once the covers are on, the babies don't even pay any attention to the outlets... Not so here. Aiden is intent on figuring out how to get those things off!
  
• Doors, drawers, bags - anything that can somehow be opened and might have something in it.
  
• Cheerios - those are like little magic circles that he loves to eat up. Those or his puffs. They are necessary.
• Pointing. He points at everything he wants or likes or sees...
  
• Paper - loves to tear it up. We have paper parties every now and then where we let him have at it with the magazines, ads, papers we are ready to put in the recycling. It's a blast!!
• Teething tablets - I think he's addicted. He sees the bottle; he must have it. He even shakes out of the excitement (seriously, I think he's addicted to these babies!) Once he has the bottle, he does not let go!
• Opening and closing doors (not all the way - just sitting there and opening and almost closing it. Over and over.)
• The vacuum. He CHASES after it when we use it. Cute - but I wish he was a little more hesitant because I have to really try not to get his fingers!
• The fans, now that we have some. One time, I put my arm up and moved my hand in small circles and said, "Round and round and round it goes..." - He immediately did the same, and now whenever he sees the fan, he sticks his hand way up high and makes the circles. Babies are so smart!!
• Kissing noises. He'll purse his lips and smack them like he's kissing. He will do this on his own and sometimes right before he kisses you. WHEN he kisses you, he doesn't do it, though. You might get a closed- or open-mouthed kiss. You never know. He'll also do a "mmmm" sound when he kisses (because we always go "mmmmmwah!").
  

Kissy face

Least Favorite Things

• Being changed. I don't know if it's that he really dislikes the changing (diapers or clothes) as much as he dislikes being expected to lie there patiently while you do it. I let him sit for as much as I possibly can, so he's only lying down for a moment to actually do the diaper part, but man he is wiggly! And try to change him when he's expecting to nurse - oh no, he will not have that. And he is much worse with Ryan - either that, or I am better at handling it. ;)
  
• Hearing the word or seeing the sign for "milk" and then not getting it right away. You have to be careful what you say around him.
• Having something taken away from him. He gets a tad angry. And lets you know it.
• Going to sleep with blankets over his feet. He will kick and kick until the blankets are off of him - especially if he's on his back or side. If he's falling asleep on his tummy, he might tolerate it. And if he's almost asleep and you try to sneak the covers on - he might be fine or he might wake up because it annoys him. It can be very frustrating when he's in our bed and I'm trying to sleep, too - not only because I want the blankets on me but also because I know he'll get cold after he's asleep, so I want the blankets on him.
• The ocean...he was not a big fan. I told Ryan we need to go back before the summer is over to get him used to it. ;)
• His activity bouncer. Sometimes when I'm making dinner, I can put him in that if I give him some puffs/cheerios on the tray. I'm trying not to do it often b/c I don't want to create that habit... But he's not too fond of being in it these days. Can you blame him??
• Standing. He does not want you to try to get him to stand and just hold your hands - or to try to get him to hold your hands and walk. He CAN do it. Just doesn't want to. At all.
  

New developments this past month

• PULLING UP - he figured this out right at the beginning of June. I knew he was on the verge.
• Signing!! It's like something clicked! He already could sign "milk" - but now he's doing "all done/gone," "more," and sometimes I think he's trying to sign "drink" (but that's uncertain). It is adorable when he signs "all done" b/c...well, he's just cute! (Picture putting up your hands close to your shoulder, palms up - he does it really quickly and shakes his hands a bit.) "More" looks like he's clapping almost, but Mama can tell the difference. His claps are more like a smack while his "more" sign is more like he's kind of grabbing his hands together for a second pulling them apart, and then doing it repeatedly - and he does it when he wants more to eat, so... (The sign for more is bunching your fingertips together and then bringing each set together, back and forth - does that make sense??) He hasn't signed "eat" yet, either, but he understands it. ("Eat" is bunching your fingertips on one hand together and bringing the tips to your lips.)

Aiden signing "all done"

• He is taking longer naps. I think being in the house and napping farther away from the noise helps. He regularly naps for more than an hour, almost two. He typically sleeps for three hours before waking after going down from the night.
• Eighth tooth is in. And two more are on the verge of cutting through (they have been a big pain lately). So, Aiden has all four on the top and all four on the bottom now.
• When he comes to our bed at night, usually around 11 or so, I nurse him and when he's done - he rolls over towards his Daddy and goes to sleep. It is so cute! Sometimes he has a hard time falling asleep, but often he just rolls right over onto his side and then his belly and goes to sleep, sometimes with his hand reaching out to Ryan's back.
• He's a little mischievous and sneaky. ALREADY. If you give him more than a few bites of food on his tray at a time, he'll take them and drop him over the side of his chair. But what's sneaky about it....he looks at you to see if you're watching while he reaches over the side...he keeps watching and if he's getting a reaction or you're looking, he'll drop it. If you're not looking, he will often put it back on the tray or eat it. See...sneaky! He's started doing this with putting the food into the seat next to his leg, too. And he does it when we're outside next to grass - he'll watch you while reaching over to pull up grass to try to eat! He knows he's not supposed to, and he doesn't even look at what he's doing - but keeps his eye on you the entire time. I'm wondering how much we're in for in a few more years.... (Are you laughing at me yet, Mom? Saying...payback's a..... Hmmmm?) And boy is he persistent. You can move him away from something ten times in a row and get him distracted with something each time - and he pushes to go right back!
• When he has something he shouldn't and we come over to him, he looks up at us and holds out whatever it is - and lets go when we take it! It's like he knows he's caught and is surrendering.
  
• He thinks "no" is a funny word. We really try to not say it often, but even if we say it in our meanest voice possible - he just looks at us and might even actually laugh. Then he'll proceed to do whatever it is he was doing to begin with. We might be in trouble.
• He was throwing his cup/water bottle whenever he was in his high chair and done drinking for the moment (like he didn't realize he could just set it down). We've been working on that, and while he still doesn't think he can just set it down on the tray, he will hand it over to me so I can put it on the table. (If I'm not there to take it, he will drop it over the side.) It's an improvement!
• He will try to feed us bites of his food sometimes. He actually let go of some cheerios while trying to feed us the other day.
  
• When he hands something over as if to share it, he'll actually let go sometimes and let you have it - but he expects it to be given right back. Hopefully we're on the road to learning to share.
• Just something I find kind of funny - When we're out, he watches people like a hawk. When they try to talk to him, like you do with babies, he will just stare at them. They'll try to get him to smile or laugh or...ANYthing. He'll just stare. I almost can't help but laugh. You can NOT MAKE this child smile. He doesn't fuss at them or get upset. He just looks at them with a straight face!! Cracks me up. That's just AIDEN for you.
• He FINALLY decided he would drink from a SIPPY cup or a sippy with a straw. It's funny that he hasn't wanted to do the sippy thing but wanted a water bottle like the rest of us. It is helpful that he will use a sippy, though, in case he is going to drink anything other than water b/c only water goes in the water bottles.
  
• Camden has been in KY for two weeks. When Aiden sees his picture, he points and points at it. There is a picture of the two of them over the changing table. If I ask where Camden is, he points to it and gets excited!
  

Mama can get him to smile!

Weighing in...no change since last month (20lbs, 29 inches). But that's kind of to be expected, especially now that he's moving around so much!

Long post!!! (Ryan says, "As opposed to your usual short ones?" Ha. Yes, it's longer than usual, even.) I could go on. This has been a big month for Aiden!!

Crib Teething Solution!

Aiden has one of the convertible cribs that have the wider crib rails, as I'm sure MANY of you other Mamas do, as well. You can't just get that plastic (or whatever it's made of) rail that fits over the crib rail to prevent those little chompers from making teeth marks once they can pull up and bite into the wood - which they WILL do. We found the rubber strips you can apply by sticking on, but we weren't all that crazy with that idea. You have to worry about it being able to come off cleanly later on, and then some reviews mention babies being able to bite chunks of the rubber off (!!!) or the stuff actually not sticking, which defeats the purpose.

So....we were very happy to find these cloth crib rail covers. They are adorable and match his nursery colors perfectly!! And they WORK! (That is even more important!) It fits just perfectly over the wide railing, and you tie it down in three places. There is a waterproof layer underneath it so the drool doesn't go through and harm the wood. We found these at Babies R Us - online so we had to order, but we ordered at a time when we could get free shipping. I've seen them other places, too - in other colors and materials (I would expect amazon.com would have them, too). And they have a set for the side rails, as well - which we might have to get once Aiden figures out he can reach that part, too. I noticed him making his way to one side rail - walking along the front to get to it - just earlier today. Hmmm... The front cover is about $21 and the set of side rails is also $21. So, no, it's not cheap - especially compared to the rubber sticky strips you can get. But I like not having to worry about what he can bite off and get in his mouth. And this covers the whole rail (not just the edge) without the possibility of ruining any of it (you just untie to take it off). And it's not like the crib was cheap, so I'd rather dish out another $40 to save that $500 crib...

He woke up to discover this on his bed - he really liked it and started playing and chewing on it right away!

Just wanted to share b/c I know many of you have similar beds and will eventually have to find some solution to keeping that expensive crib in decent shape (especially if there will be another baby following this one - or you want to attempt to sell the crib one day). :) I was very happy to not have to resort to the sticky strips.

Oh, and Ryan mentioned the added benefit for us...when we lean over to pat Aiden, we have a little bit of cushion instead of leaning onto the edge of the rail. It's a bit more comfy than the wood digging into our sides...

Aiden taking a big bite of the cover. He likes to bite it and then pull on it with his teeth.
We like that after one tooth mark (or two) that he made while this was being shipped, we won't have any more!

And these pictures are just here for the cuteness factor...

Aiden loves to point at things he wants, especially Mommy. ;)

I LOVE this picture with those big, bright eyes!
Isn't he beautiful! (That's not a question.)

Our Little Foodie

Aiden may not be the best sleeper around, but boy can he EAT! We recently decided to throw out all of the rules with babies and food...and now Aiden is basically eating everything we are. Now, we aren't throwing all caution to the wind or doing so without knowing what we're doing, in case you were wondering. Ryan's sister is about to finish up with her degree in nutrition, and I have a mommy friend that has her PhD as a pediatric dietitian. That, along with advice from Aiden's doctor and our own in depth research....we're confident and know what we're doing around here. No worries there!

Watermelon puree mustache (had to drink it)

Once Aiden started eating solids, he just didn't stop! He gets some pureed foods occasionally now, especially if we're eating something he really can't, but that's not often. (That happens when we're eating things like fries or something with lots of sugar...stuff I'm not about to give him yet!) So, what exactly is the little guy eating? And what are our restrictions these days?

Well....nothing with HFCS at the moment (that's High Fructose Corn Syrup, for those that might not know that - and it's something we really REALLY are trying to keep out of our own diets, not just Aiden's), nothing with refined sugar, no extra butter or salt. And of course, no peanut butter, nuts, or honey - those are big no-nos for a while longer!

This is why beets aren't a finger food...
This is not from him being messy but from doing the spoon swipe across his lips.
Beets are a messy, messy food, even when they're not.

Just about everything else is game, though! Here are a few things he's had lately that you might be surprised to hear about (there are plenty of others but these are some "different" "baby" foods):

• lettuce
• asparagus
• spaghetti with all the works (we have it with all sorts of veggies in there!)
• garlic toast
• taco soup
• chili
• salmon
• kiwi
• hard boiled egg yolks
• broccoli (I'm determined to have one child that likes this stuff)
• beans (refried beans and pinto bean soup)
• mushrooms (cooked and fresh)
• tomato soup (Trader Joe's has a really yummy tomato soup with NO HFCS) - we also mix in a little bit of plain yogurt
  
• grapefruit (nothing added to sweeten, of course!)
• sweet banana peppers
• goldenrod eggs with small chunks of hard boiled egg whites
• beef & lentils (exactly what it sounds like, add some cumin, onions, and garlic - I'll post the recipe soon!)
• strawberry smoothie - no surprise here! (with bananas, organic whole fat yogurt, and milk)
• cheddar & Swiss cheeses, shredded or small chunks
• wheat bread
• steel cut oatmeal (throw in some bananas and blueberries and oh my - he can't get enough!)
• baked potato
• cottage cheese (another thing from Mommy b/c Daddy doesn't like the stuff)

Tonight he also ate brown rice and chunks of chicken from P.F. Chang's lettuce wraps, which is in some sauce that has all kinds of seasonings he's never had. He loved that stuff!! (We do, too, by the way...)

Sometimes Aiden even tries to EAT his books...

And here he is getting mad and throwing the book when Mommy told him not to eat it.

Of course he gets small chunks of things he can smoosh with his gums, and then things like the spaghetti, we throw in the magic bullet to blend just until there are small chunks that he can gum.

It's bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Every now and then, Camden asks what Aiden's favorite food is..... We can't say because he seems to like EVERYTHING! When I gave him some banana pepper, I expected a face but didn't get one. With the grapefruit, same thing! He just kept going! He definitely has a taste for sour things, that's for sure. (That's something he actually gets from ME. Ha!)

So for those of you who are saying...Wait! You aren't supposed to give strawberries (or other berries) until a year old. Or what about that salmon! (We had a hard time finding info on fish other than white fish - so we had to go to our nutrition friends for that ok. She not only answered with an ok but sent me a website link that reinforced it.) And citrus? Well, don't worry your pretty little heads about all that. Sure, you might hear to wait on things like berries and citrus, some say until a year, esp with berry allergy concerns. My friend says most of this caution came from people starting baby foods way too early to begin with (you're now supposed to try to wait until six months or the baby is showing the signs of readiness, though some old school doctors will still say 4 months...). With no family history, though (immediate family), even our doctor says to go for it with all this stuff. Babies can eat almost everything we are by the time they're 9-10 months - and they should be, too. We still haven't tried corn, which is another one "they" sometimes say to wait with but we have been told is fine with no immediate family history (even though my mom is highly allergic, that is not immediate family and Aiden should be fine). The corn will come up the next time we eat it, probably. We've waited a little longer with that one but it's ok by now. But other than that and the other big no-nos that have great reasons for being held off (pb, nuts, and honey), this kid is eating everything we are whenever possible!

If you're interested (esp those of you with babies!), my pediatric dietitian friend recommended a book to me early on, and I absolutely loved it! I had it checked out from the library with multiple renewals. I really want to buy it, actually, to keep as a reference. She said this is the book that most parents say they get the most out of when she recommends it. It's GREAT. It's Ellyn Satter's "Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense." And it's not just about baby food...if you have a younger baby or are expecting, there is great info on feeding from the start, before real food ever enters the picture. And we've actually used some of her advice with how we approach food with Camden...and, even though he is a pretty decent eater, he's doing much better since then. (He's picky with odd stuff...like potatoes. Hates mashed potatoes and things many other kids love. But he LOVES things you wouldn't expect, like banana peppers and salmon - apparently Aiden does, too.)

This is the ONLY way Camden will eat potatoes...smothered with salsa! At least it's not bad for him, like the sour cream and butter I usually use... ;)
Is he not a cute kid??? (Yes, he is.)

So, check out this book. It's awesome. And if you're one of those parents worried about food or trying to get your little one to eat - lighten up and follow her advice. Part of the best advice...follow the baby's lead. One thing I've always kept in mind is her saying that I should not have to put the spoon into my baby's mouth. He should be bringing his mouth to the spoon (or meeting me halfway). And he does. We've never been pushy with food. If he says no, we stop. (That rarely is necessary, but he has said no on occasion, especially when teething or tired.) Meal time is fun. Not playtime but fun. And our baby LOVES to eat!! We're really looking forward to the summer and lots of visits to the farmer's market for all that yummy fresh fruit! I know Aiden is going to love that!

A few more food photos for you to enjoy...

Aiden's first finger foods - egg yolks

Eating a chunk of grapefruit! Yum-yum!


He LOVES milk (or pretty much anything that comes from OUR glasses...). He likes to make sure he gets it ALL out of there.


More sour stuff...limes!

Feel free to share your thoughts, what your little ones like/don't like, etc, etc. :)