Private Practice

Do any of you watch this show? I blame Ryan. Really. He had it on a couple times, and we've been watching it since (for the past month maybe?).

So, the last week's show was a little controversial, to say the least. I was kind of surprised they went there. It was about vaccinations. They had a parent that vaccinated one child, that child ended up being autistic, and she refused the vaccinate the younger two. Then the middle one got the measles and actually died. She still refused to vaccinate the youngest, and in the end, the dr just did it (after the other child passed away). It was well played out with the actors. I mean this in the sense that they didn't treat the issue as being one where the mother was irrationally overprotective. She was clearly doing what she thought was best for her children. But I was still surprised with how they did it and with the end result of the dr simply taking over and vaccinating the child without consent. I wonder how many watchers they lost after airing this episode.

But that's not why I'm posting about the show. No, the reason was this week's show. This time around, there was a single father and two young children, all with cystic fibrosis. The older child had some infection and was going to die. The father could not be with her, or else he would die, as well. So he basically had to choose - die with the daughter or live with the son, who was maybe 2 years old. They had no other family around, just the three of them. The daughter would cry for her father to be with her, and for most of the show, he held his son as they watched her through a glass wall. In the end, he handed the boy over to the dr and went in to be with the daughter, knowing he was leaving his son alone. In essence, he was abandoning him. The son reached out to the father, crying for him as dad went in to hug and hold his daughter, never to return to the son.

This had me upset all night long. It was all I could think about. Yes, this is just a show. I'm aware of that. But I'm sure similar situations have been a reality for a number of parents. It's never fun to have to choose between your chidren, but when it is really a matter of life or death and you have to choose to die with one and abandon the other or live with one and let the other die alone...that's devestating.

I have to disagree with the choice he made, though. While it would be incredibly difficult to watch one child die while you can't be near her, the other child has his whole life to live with your choice. If you spend those last days/hours/minutes with the dying child and die with her, the other child will spend his entire life dealing with the effects of that decision. How impossible would that be? I can see this being played out years later and the child becoming an adult and still having to deal with this. (The social worker/psychologist in me, perhaps?) I'm not going to go on and on and on about all of my feelings about this topic. I know it would be an impossible decision. But I spent a LOT of time thinking on this after watching this show (and being somewhat angry about it, too). I'm sure that while going through something like this, it would be nearly impossible to think past the moment. Like someone on the show said, the father was dealing with the possibility of his son living but the reality of his daughter dying. What was happening at that very moment was right in front of his eyes, while the other part of the equation was abstract.

So, I'm curious. What do some of my readers (however many of you there are) think about this. Or do you even want to go there? Well, really - who does!?! That's a ridiculous question.

I found out you can actually vote for which decision you believe would be the better one here. Apparently, it's about half and half right now. Just 52% think the character should have stayed with his son to care for him. But like I said, it's an impossible situation. Pretty much lose-lose.

I'm ready for a more light-hearted episode, I do believe.

Aiden's Newest Quirks

Aiden has a couple new things going on lately. One is just as sweet as could be. The other - well, not so much. We'll start with the other so that we can end on the sweet note!

Aiden LOVES to put things in his mouth. Um, hello - he's a baby. Of course he does. What he does NOT love is things that will not go in his mouth. What he especially does not love is things that he can't even get free to attempt to put in his mouth. For example, for Christmas he got this cute little toy that suctions to the high chair. He really likes it. It has things that spin and makes noises. Really likes it. But what he really wants is to get it free, off of the high chair, and into his mouth. If it is suctioned to the tray, he will pull, pull, and then get MAD when it doesn't come off. If we get up to take it off and hand to him, well, he's usually past mad and just wants nothing to do with it by then. And then the toy isn't really conducive to putting in his mouth b/c of its size and how it's made. So, there's just one more thing to make him mad. Another example, on his activity jumper, you can hang toys for him to reach and pull, which we do, and he reaches and pulls. But those toys do not come OFF when he pulls. And this he does NOT like. Again, he gets downright mad. And it doesn't take long.

Hmmmm...wonder if this is my impatience shining through in him. But then again, Ryan is impatient, too. We're just impatient about completely different things and at different times (which actually can be quite helpful - as well as quite annoying). So, who knows. Another then again - most people aren't that patient. So, this isn't really a "where did he get that from" kind of quality. He's starting to realize what he WANTS to do with things and is getting very frustrated when he can't do them. I get that. That kind of thing frustrates me, too.

Ok, now for the "sweet as can be" thing. When I am nursing Aiden, his new thing is to reach his free hand up to my face and touch my lips. He does this just about all the time now. I'll kiss his fingertips, and he just keeps them there for me to keep kissing (which, of course, I do). Sometimes he'll touch my nose or my cheek, but it's mostly just my lips. A couple times he has grabbed the lips (it's a good way to know when he needs his finger nails trimmed - REALLY). But when he is touching me gently, I quietly say "gentle, gentle" - and he's been doing that more. The grabbing happened when he first started this. So, I think he's getting that he needs to be gentle. What is so sweet - apart from the fact that it is happening period - is that he does this for the longest times! His poor arm has got to be tired after a while, but he doesn't act like it. He's holding it straight up, barely able to reach my face. AND he does it when he's already tired. At night, during his bedtime feeding, he will be falling asleep and will STILL hold his hand up to my lips. I love it! (Obviously he does, too.)

Baking Up Goodness!!

Yes, this is the third post today. It seems that I only get to post every week or so these days, yet my mind doesn't stop and there are many blog posts that get stored in my mind.

I've been baking a lot lately - or cooking, making things in some way. And posting about it on here. Before, I was tempted to keep my secrets to myself, but I've been sharing more these days, too. I hope you like my posts about the recipes I've been trying out (b/c there will be more and more!), and feel free to share any of your favorites. Also, let me know if you try any of the ones I post about and tell me how you liked it!

(PS - I still am not giving out my peanut butter fudge recipe. That's a signature dish of mine. Sorry - can't have it! Well, no, I'm really not sorry. You just can't have it. Few people have gotten it out of me, and it's only been for special occasions!)

So - my latest was bread. Ryan asked why I needed to make bread. He thought it was a little silly and superfluous, I think. Well, after last night, he's not thinking that anymore! This bread was delicious and easy. I did have to make the starter the night before and take various steps the day of making it, letting it rise for a couple hours between each step. But since I stay at home and was home for the day, it wasn't that bad. Aiden enjoyed watching me go through some of the steps, too (each only took a little while when I actually had to DO something with the bread). If you work away from home, this is probably better as a weekend recipe.

Here are a couple pictures. Pictures of the dough before/after it's risen aren't that exciting, but the pictures of the finished product sure are! (I think so, at least...)

First...a little help from my friends.

My KitchenAid mixer is a long-time friend of mine. I couldn't live without this thing!! Plus, it was a treat I saved up for when I was a single-mom in college, so it means that much more to me personally. A friend recently asked what I actually use it for b/c she couldn't think of what she would need it for to make it worth the cost. I wanted to laugh b/c it is indispensable to me!!

My newest kitchen friend is our new Cuisinart 11-cup food processor. We're going to use it to help make baby food for Aiden soon, but so far it has been a great help with shredding cheese, esp for this bread. (And yes, that is a tv in my kitchen... The tiny apartment kitchen does not lend itself to having a room full of people, so cooking can get either very crowded or lonely in there. It's nice to have something on while baking at times when I am in the kitchen for an hour or more.)

And the moment you have all been waiting for (or wondering about - since I'm posting about BREAD of all things here...).

TA-DA!!!

Yes, this came out of MY oven. Four of these, actually. And they were quite yummy.

The original recipe calls for Gruyere cheese. We used good 'ol cheddar - because that's what we like. It was fabulous. Not sure which kind of cheese I'll try next. The recipe is also called Gruyere-Stuffed Crusty Loaves. I told Camden I was making "volcano" bread (the cheese melts out of the bread like lava). Because then he was more excited and thought they were really cool. Call them what you like. They are simply GOOD.

Here is the recipe.
And the bakers blog with details, tips, pictures, etc.
This blog is worth subscribing to via Google Reader or whatever you use.
By the way, Google Reader is an excellent way of keeping up with my blog, too, ya know. ;) wink, wink. (You can also subscribe to my blog by clicking the "subscribe" button on the side of my blog page - or click to "follow" my blog if you are a fellow blogster, also somewhere on the side there.)

I subscribe to this blog AND get their email Newsletters. I have a bunch of printed recipes from them wanting and waiting to be tried!!

Our sick household...

So, this past week has been quite a week. All of our plans had to change when just about everybody got sick... First, Aiden was going to get shots on Wed, but instead, he got a cold (which means no shots until next week) and Camden ended up taking the dr appt in his place. Camden complained Tuesday of pain in his ear from time to time, along with fuzzy hearing. And he said there was a strange feeling that afternoon before it started hurting, along with a feeling of "bubbles." Ear infection immediately came to mind. So, to the dr we went.

Turns out, he HAD an ear infection. What happened on Tuesday was a rupture, so there is blood and pus in the ear. If the one round of antibiotics doesn't clear it up, the dr is sending us to an ENT for other measures. The strange thing is, he never had any pain or any other symptoms up until the rupture. I didn't know that was possible. But apparently it's rather serious, and the dr was really surprised when she looked in his ear (I was, too!!!). The pain is a little better now, but he says his hearing still isn't up to par. So, we'll see when we go back next week. (Where we will also get Aiden's shots at the same time.)

Then Aiden... he had a couple sneezes Tuesday, but that night, it kicked into full gear. He was so congested that a raised mattress wasn't helping, and I ended up sleeping in his glider, reclined, with him leaning back up against me - just so he could breathe. About 3am, we moved to the couch so I could stretch my legs out more. He slept much better - me, not so much. But it helped. He's been better with congestion but coughing more. And last night, the coughing was so bad, that about 1am, I got up and to the couch we went. Again, he slept much better. I hardly slept at all. Doesn't help that now MY throat is sore... Oh, the joys of a sick household. And being a parent that can't just "take off." That's life, huh?

Kind of like I told Ryan... When he complained after hearing Aiden fuss when I tried to suction out his nose. "Welcome to parenting. Where you do what needs to be done even if the child (or in some cases, the parent!) doesn't like it." Normally, Aiden is fine with the suction thingy. Now, after this last cold, he sees it and immediately gets angry with me and starts flailing his hands to block it and shakes his head. We just ordered a different one that promises to clean out the nose better without all the problems. We'll see how it works! (Of course, it won't be here until after he's well, most likely, but maybe next time... I'm HOPING he's still not sick by then, at least. )

Also, Ryan started coughing yesterday. He says he's not sick, though. It's "just a cough." Ha.

FIVE Months!

Aiden turned five months old this week, on Tuesday. This past month was full of excitement and new experiences for Aiden.

He traveled all around for Christmas and met so many new family members for the first time - and some new friends, as well. We had his baby dedication at church. He found out what fun his activity jumper is and now loves bouncing around in it. He now rolls from his back to his belly on purpose. It's almost like he can't help but roll over as soon as you put him down - and sometimes he even gets frustrated b/c he didn't WANT to roll over and stay that way (and he can't go from belly to back yet). He can "cuddle" with us now - when we pick him up, he'll push his cheek or forehead (or some part of his face) into our faces. It's adorable!! He learned to do the little "Indian call" (where you put your hand to his mouth and pat it and he says "ahhhh" - it's too cute!). He also got his first tooth!! (And the second one showed up two days after he turned five months!) It really does seem that there is never a day where he doesn't learn something new! It is so amazing.

Aiden slowed down his growth between three and four months, but he picked it right back up these last four weeks. He weighs in at 16lbs, 7oz and is 25 1/2 inches long. He grew over an extra pound and an inch this month.

Here are a bunch of pictures. I couldn't just pick one or two, so you get to see extra. :) See all that drool? I took the bib off RIGHT before taking the pictures, and he was drenched from drool within seconds. (We realized not long ago that you really can never have too many bibs... Really.)

What a happy baby boy we have!!!

He is ALWAYS going after those toes!
You can't sit him down without him reaching for them.


Just chillin...

First TOOTH

As I mentioned in the Christmas post, Aiden got his first tooth!! It popped through last Monday, 12-29-08. It's pretty early, I suppose - coming in when he is just 4 1/2 months. He started teething just before he turned three months. And the next tooth is soon to follow. It really is just on the verge of popping through.

With the first one, Aiden was the most pleasant teether!! The "worst" part (if you can call it that!) of it was all the drool and trying to keep his "drool rash" from getting out of hand. And the constant chewing on things. He would get frustrated from time to time when something wouldn't go in his mouth the exact way he wanted. BUT - that's really been the worst of it. We wouldn't have known it was even through if I hadn't been constantly checking it with my own finger! He's been having fun chewing on his own finger now that the tooth is through. I'm sure he is wondering what that new feeling is all about!!

Here are the first pictures of the first tooth. Let me tell you - this was a hard picture to get!! And even though Ryan tried to remind me that we don't have to get EVERY milestone on camera (to which I reminded him that I did so - and I am pretty sure the grandparents would agree and appreciate it!), we did end up getting it, and we managed to without making Aiden upset in the process. :) So, here it is:

Letting Mommy get a picture of that new tooth!


Zoomed in - that little line (his bottom, front, right) is the tooth. Can you see it? You may be able to tell that the one next to it is very, very close!

Now this next one... He hasn't been fussy. But he has been a little out of sorts, though it could have nothing to do with the tooth. Some meals he doesn't eat as much as normal, the other day he took longer to fall asleep for his naps. But he often gets distracted when nursing and stops early. And he wasn't fussy at those nap times - he was realizing he could roll around in his crib, talk to himself, and play instead of falling asleep. So - who knows. He's been a bit quieter the past couple days, so that could be part of it or not. Either way - this is far from being fussy. He really is just an easy baby for the most part. We have nothing to complain about! Even when he has nights where he wakes up every two hours to nurse - or like last night, where he woke up for an hour and a half in the middle of the night and thought it was playtime... That's still nothing to complain about, as good as he is! So, we won't.

Hopefully the rest of the teeth will come in so easily. (I'm doubtful that the molars would...) Either way, we do not take for granted how easy this first one has been! I've been through another child teething and worked with MANY teething babies (MANY!!). I know what it can be like... So, I'm remembering not to take this for granted! ;)

Another Yummy Recipe - Spiced Pecans!!!

I'm on facebook (who isn't these days, right? well...if you're not, you kind of should be! and be sure to add me as a friend once you get on there!), and I'm part a group that a friend created for those of us that love to bake (that friend being the one that gave out the recipe for the Red Velvet Bon Bons). Someone posted the recipe for those yummy spiced pecans/almonds. You know, the ones that they sell around Christmastime at the mall - you can smell them as you walk around and almost can't help but buy some of them, even though they are ridiculously overpriced. Well, now you can smell them cooking in your own kitchen. And they are far from overpriced. And very, very easy!! You probably have all the ingredients already. I just had to restock on pecans, which I usually have.

Spiced Pecans/Almonds

Ingredients:
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 T water
1 t vanilla
3 c pecan halves (or almonds)
1/2 c white sugar
1/4 t salt
1 t ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil sprayed lightly with cooking oil.
2. In a small bowl, beat the egg white with the water and vanilla. Stir in the pecans, mixing until well moistened.
3. In a small bowl, mix together sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the moistened nuts, toss to coat evenly. Spread nuts on prepared pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook and burn the nuts. If using almonds, cook an extra 10-15 minutes until crisp.

Ok - so here's my experience. First, I used a silicon exopat baking mat instead of foil. If you don't have a couple of these babies, you are missing out. They're inexpensive and indispensable!! And I always use really good quality vanilla - another must, in my opinion. Most of what I use, I got in Mexico when I went a while back (I stocked up!!) b/c I've been told the kind I got is one of the best. But I got some bourbon vanilla at Trader Joe's recently, and that's what I used with these. Good stuff. Also, when mixing the liquid ingredients with the pecans, I used a mixing bowl with a lid, popped the lid on, and just shook it around. Did the same thing when I added the sugar mixture. Made it easier - an a bit more fun, too. ;)

The wet mixture after shaking in the bowl

On the exopat mat, ready to go in the oven!!

These things are just too easy to make!! You will never be tempted to buy them at the mall again. They really are RIDICULOUSLY overpriced, esp with them being so easy to bake up. I want to try them with walnuts to kick up the healthy part next time.

They taste even better than they look!! I need to give some away quickly before I eat them all.

Thanks for the recipe, Carrie!!!

Resolutions?

First off, Happy New Year!! We spent ours in our own living room. Actually, Camden and I baked up some brownies while we enjoyed our new Wii Fit - that's a little contradictory, isn't it? Brownies and the Wii Fit at the same time?? Ha. Then we parked ourselves on the couch to watch a movie that ended just in time to watch the ball drop. And we toasted with sparkling Pomegranate juice from Trader Joe's (which was very yummy and made this breastfeeding-and-unable-to-drink-wine-or-champagne mommy pretty happy). Actually, Ryan was working until after midnight, but that's another story for another time. And I have no qualms about it b/c he's basically my hero. And we're not huge New Year's partiers anyway.

Ok, now... It's a new year, and this is when many people thing "new start," too, right? You get out some paper and write down your New Year's Resolutions. Right? Good for you. I gave up on that quite a few years ago. Like most people, they were usually broken or forgotten before February arrived. And they usually are things centered on health or relationships or whatever. Well, I would rather not try to force myself to suddenly change my habits just b/c it's a "new" year. Not that I think it's wrong to have resolutions. If that's your thing, that's cool. It's just not mine.

There are some things I would like to do differently this year, though. They just aren't "resolutions" - rather, they are things I am thinking about and hoping to work on throughout the coming months/years/etc. Not things I expect to change cold-turkey. So, with that in mind, here is what I would like to do differently....

I would like to stop wasting my energy on people that aren't willing to waste their energy on me. There's a nice one, huh? For those people that I try to make plans with or I email, call, write, etc and they never reciprocate or follow through...why should I keep trying so hard? If it's not important to you, it really shouldn't be so for me. It's a waste of my energy, and I'm sure I can find somewhere more useful to put it. For those people that we try to pretend we are friends but we really have so little in common - or so much in opposition, I guess I should say - what is the point? I wonder sometimes. Some people I have tried to get along with b/c I feel like I should for various reasons. But really, it's just an emotional drain on me. You don't care. Maybe God isn't calling me to befriend you after all, for your sake or for mine. It's just frustrating. And I should be spending my energy on people who do care or who lift me up, not the opposite.

Do I sound bitter here at all? I hope not. If so, I really don't mean to. Just trying to be straightforward. I feel that I easily waste so much time on people that aren't going to do the same. I've tried to be a support for others that really won't do the same for me. I've tried to justify myself to people that don't agree with things I do. And why? I know plenty other people that WILL support me and that ARE like-minded. I need to focus more on those friendships and not worry about the others. I would rather spend my energy being grateful for those people than frustrated by others. By the way, if you're wondering if you are one of those people....if you are bothering to spend time reading my blog, chances are, you're not. And chances are, if you are one of those people, you either don't care or are too (I'm drawing a blank on finding just the right word here...) to realize it.

One thing I would really love to be able to do is start waking up earlier... As an insomniac, that is something I have struggled with my entire life. No kidding. Ask my mother. Ask my husband. Ask my son (sad, huh?). I have always had such a difficult time going to sleep, yet I need a lot of it. Then I sleep in. And a terrible cycle has been created that I have a hard time breaking. I constantly say I'm going to start getting up earlier (so I can go to sleep earlier and continue in a better cycle), but it never happens. I LOVE sleep, and in the mornings, the motivation to get up is bettered by my motivation to get just a little more shut-eye - even if that means I have no time to fix my hair the way I want and spend the day wishing I had or I just feel crappy b/c I, once again, have slept in, etc, etc. I've taken medications to help me sleep - even found one that really helps, but I can't take it while nursing, and don't really want to take it while I have a baby sleeping in my home even if I wasn't nursing. But I would really like to break this cycle and learn to get out of bed earlier. I would love to be one of those moms that is up early enough to have breakfast with her child before he runs off to school. Ryan is the one that gets Camden on the bus these days while I sleep in with the baby. He will excuse things away for me (you just had a baby - you need the rest). While the excuses are often very valid, they're still excuses, and I'm tired of them. And I need to enlist his help for this to work. Really. I will sleep through the loudest alarm clock. Again, ask my mother (who would be woken by my alarm from one end of a very long house while I sleep through it on the complete opposite end...)

I would love to say that this year I will get more exercise. I will be more organized. I will lose my temper less. I will have a cleaner home. I will lose those last five pounds (ok - I DID lose all the baby weight in no time - you can hate me, that's ok, remember the energy thing I'm going to do differently....but I was five pounds heavier than my desired weight before getting pregnant, so that five pounds still needs to go...). But let's face it. Those things do not happen - not longer than the first month or so. Typically. Those are year-round struggles for me, not things I just resolve to do differently because it's a new year. I'm already "resolving" to do them. These other two are ones I would really like to focus on. In general - not just for New Years.

So - what about you guys?? First, any special things you did to celebrate and welcome the new year? And do you do "resolutions"? Where would you like to see changes occur in your lives?

Red Velvet Bon Bons

So, I tried a new recipe that I got from my friend Donna, who got it from the Bakerella blog. Red Velvet Bon Bons. They looked adorable (and yummy!)..and easy, too. So I gave them a try and included them in my Christmas goodies that I gave to our friends in our apartment building.Turns out they are very, very simple. And very, very yummy.

You know what else they are?? Tedious. Especially with a baby around. Lots of little steps that take time to do. It took me part of two days to complete the one batch. When I finished them, Ryan and I both agreed - this might not be worth the time it took...

But then he took some to work, and everyone there seemed to love them. One coworker said to quit whining and he expected more soon (we'll see if he gets them next time!). Then some of the ladies in the building said how wonderful they thought they were. And we liked them, too.

I think if I got the small ice cream scoop to make the balls and use a food processor to crumble the cake (which I am getting very soon!!), that will cut down on the time. I rolled the balls by hand, and I actually made them smaller than Bakerella did, so I had many more to do. Next time, I want to try German Chocolate Bon Bons.... That just sounds too yummy to me. Maybe even worth all the tediousness.

Here are pictures of the process....

After baking the cake, it is crumbled into tiny bits


Add in the cream cheese icing


And roll into balls

It's kind of hard to coat in the bark AND take pictures at the same time, so no pics of that. I gave all but a few out before remembering I needed the "after" pictures! Here is the final result with those few left over...


Mmmmmm...yummy, isn't it? ;)




I tried them for you. They ARE yummy.

If you want the recipe, here it is!

And Donna has a recipe for homemade cream cheese icing if you want. I went the canned route this time for lack of time (the bon bons took long enough as it was!), but I think it would be yummier with some homemade aspects!

I'm not a huge fan of the white bark coating (tastes too fake-candy-ish to me, if that makes sense), so my fave is the regular chocolate bark coating. I think dark chocolate would be even better...b/c I always think dark chocolate would be better. But a few liked the white better, such as Ryan. When I make the German Choc Bon Bons, they will just be made with the chocolate. I'll let you know how those turn out.

What a Christmas!!

Took a break from blogging during Christmas break. We traveled it up and got to see so many people that we typically only see once each year. A good time was had by all, with the exception of the terrible colds that Ryan and I had during the trip (why is it that the word "cold" sounds so insignificant, but they can really make you miserable??). I tend to write on and on, so I'll try to bullet-point all the main happenings and not make this a huge blog post.

Slideshow first...

• Camden spent a week at his dad's, but we still managed to work it out so he got to see all the extended Boyer and Priddy families (my dad's and mom's families), which was really great! This is the only time we see most of these guys since we live so far away.
• At the Boyer Christmas, there were three new babies! Aiden. My cousin Jamesey's little girl McKenna, who is just 8 days younger. And my cousin Bryan's little girl Braelyn, who is 8 weeks younger than Aiden. It was a lot of fun having them all together. Aiden also got to meet all my other cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmother, and great-grandmother (his great-great-grandmother). We, of course, got the obligatory 5-generation photo shot...

Five Generations - Bobbie (great-grandmother), Mom Elsie (great-great-grandmother), Daisy & Aiden, Terry (grandfather), & Camden


Here is Braelyn, Aiden, and McKenna.
Aiden was as happy as could be all day up until we took these pictures, which was right before we left. He was so tired by this point!!

• At the Priddy Christmas, there was yet another baby for Aiden to meet and play with. My cousin, Michelle, had her new baby, Cody Lee, who is exactly 4 weeks younger than Aiden. Cody was rather interested in Aiden and especially interested in Aiden's Santa hat. Aiden was interested in his own feet. (But he did notice Cody after a little while!)

• At my mom's, there will be two new babies NEXT Christmas! What fun that will be!!!
• We had a total of 7 Christmases this year, including our own. Camden had an additional one at his dad's. Most people did a good job of going along with our request to get the kids small gifts since we had such little room in the car. The ones that didn't had already planned on shipping the gifts but wanted us to open them there. (How nice!) The kids didn't get TOO much but still got spoiled just enough. And we received some items that we've really been wanting, esp some camping gear that we will put to good use this summer!
• The night before we left to come home, Aiden rolled over PURPOSEFULLY!!! He's rolled over a few times before (did it a couple times about two months ago, actually...), but they were all just by chance. This was intentional. He kept getting stuck but finally got it! He hasn't gone from belly to back yet, but anytime he's put on his back, he sticks those legs up and rolls onto his belly!
  
• The day we drove home, Aiden got his first tooth!!! He has been a pleasant teether so far, too. He fussed a little bit on the way home - about 20 minutes - but that's a long time for him!! He gets frustrated when he can't get something in his mouth to chew on the exact way he wants. You can barely see where the hole is in his mouth, and you can barely feel the tooth but have to use your nail. But it's there!! The one beside it is soon to follow, I can tell.
  
• Aiden also learned to do the little "Indian call" while at Mammaw Melly's. She put her hand up to his mouth and patted it some while he called out. When she stopped, he pulled her hand right back! It was pretty funny, and he still is doing it quite a bit.
  
• I recieved a very special gift from my brother. He knew I wanted it, but he took the time to get it. My mother collects M.A. Hadley dishes. One day (hopefully WAAAAAYYYY in the future), when she passes away, we're going to be fighting over that set - I just know it. She mentioned him getting it in her will, and I said....Ummmm...NO, I want those!! So we'll see. She suggested starting a set of my own, but, of course, I want her set. Anyway - back to the point. When Camden was born, I got him a M.A. Hadley "Baby's first Christmas" ornament - and it broke!! (I still have it, broken.) So Daniel, went and got me two new ornaments "Camden's First Christmas" and "Aiden's First Christmas," both dated the year they were each born. Probably my favorite present (even though we agreed last year not to exchange with each other anymore and he forgot but I remembered and didn't have anything for him...).

• Our gift to all of our parents were photo books about Aiden. The books took them through the pregnancy and his birth up until now, but each one was tailored for them and included pictures of them visiting (i.e. my mom's had pictures of her, Ryan's mom's had pictures of her, etc, etc.). It took some time to make, but they were so worth it! I think everyone really enjoyed them, and we were excited to give them!
  

• Aiden did an amazing job with his napping while traveling. He still went right to sleep on his own even though we stayed at three different homes over the week and a half. I would like to say I was blessed with a great sleeper, but I don't believe that. He has been taught how to go to sleep on his own (and withOUT crying!!), and that is why he is so great about it. No luck involved (or needed). When he gets tired, we read a story, we lay him down with his paci and his bunny, and he rolls to the side and goes to sleep. I was impressed he did so well while away from home, though. :)

• Many people on all sides of our families (even Ryan's) have said that Aiden has my eyes. I agree. Started noticing this about a month ago. (The kid looks so different than he did at birth already!!) Other people will comment that he has Camden's eyes - which means he has mine since Camden is not Ryan's biological son. Nice to know he's getting SOMEthing from me! ;)
  

FOUR Months!!

Aiden turned four months old on the 6th (yes, I know that was a week and a half ago...we've been a bit busy lately!!). He's changed so much and experienced so much this past month. He has been on two road trips - one to KY for Berea College Homecoming and one to WV for Thanksgiving with Daddy's family. He babbles all the time these days, and he will let out the most adorable belly laughs from time to time. It's hard to predict when he'll laugh, and you can't really "make" him do it. He laughs at what he wants to! But once he's on a roll, he'll go for minutes on end. We laugh so hard that we're nearly hurting afterwards! He's also really enjoying reading with us and tries to "read" along himself, talking as we read.

Sleeping - well, it was going GREAT! Sleeping "through the night" and only waking once to nurse, then right back to sleep. We've been working on going down for naps on his own, too - which he does SO well with (and did it withOUT crying-it-out!). He had a brief week or so where he was waking more at night, and we assumed he was going through a growth spurt. Then Thanksgiving happened. He was waking every two hours AT LEAST while away, and he just kept that trend up once we returned home. We've been working on it, and he's waking up only a few times now. Naps are still going well, though they're shorter again - about 40 minutes each (where he was napping for longer before the traveling). I'm not going to complain much, though. This is a little blip in the big picture, and if it was a result of the traveling and being in new places - we'll deal. Being with family is too important, and I can manage the sleep issues from time to time, if that's what it takes. (Easier said than done sometimes, but still!)

We've tried the bottle with Aiden a couple times - but to no avail. He's just not interested. Chews on it a bit and then looks around like "You really think I'm going to take this? Ha." We tried it with the sippy cup one day - I think that's more likely to work. Most likely we'll just not worry about it much b/c there really isn't a need for him to drink from a bottle at this point. And soon he'll be drinking from cups, so... No big deal. Daddy would like to be able to feed him sometimes, but that might have to wait until he's eating actual food and drinking from the cup - which really is NOT far off!!

Here are the four-month shots. I LOVE the one of him looking at his feet. Anytime he is sitting, he just stares and stares at them. He's quite interested now that he's realized they are part of his body!

I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas

If you've heard this song, you either love it or hate it. Well, I love it!!! Usually I'm not crazy about these kind of annoying songs, but I just can't get enough of this one. So, when I saw this ornament at Hallmark, I wanted it!

Apparently many others do, too. And many others have gotten it. We cannot find a store that still has it in stock - most have even sold the display! My mom has even looked around where she lives in KY - sold out there, too.

So, if any of you want to get me what would be my favorite Christmas gift of the year, this would be it. ;)

(Or if you find it - just get it and I'll pay you back!!!)


In case you haven't heard it (or just want to hear it now - who wouldn't???)...

Hard to Impress

This kiddo can be hard to impress. When you WANT to impress him or you want him to react with a smile, he tends to show you his stubborn side, his "you can't make me" side, which of course makes US laugh. He can be pretty funny... Here are some examples...

Here is a pic from our family portraits we had taken in November. The lady was acting completely RIDICULOUS! I mean out-of-her-mind crazy! And Aiden would not crack a smile. I think his look pretty much says "so?"

He's yawning in another. But most of them, he looks just like this. Like "you aren't impressing me, lady."

And here we are at My Gym. A group of us mommies went for a trial class after the owner came to one of our Baby Steps classes (a class for mommies with new babies at a local hospital). Some of the babies, esp the other boy, LOVED it and were squealing with joy. Others smiled a lot and obviously were having a decent time. Aiden? He had the same "so?" expression on pretty much the whole time. I know it made ME laugh. It looks like he's trying to say he's just too good for this and he knows it. Haha! I laugh every single time I see this picture...

"I am soooo over this..."

This picture below is the closest to a smile we got during this visit... (Granted, he was tired. Yawned on the way over - and after we left, he was asleep before we were 3 miles away.) He never got fussy. He just never got excited either.
On the trampoline with Julia, Jonah, and Stella. Others were giggling over the bouncing. Aiden just looked like he was kinda indifferent.

We've taken Aiden to get his pictures taken twice. Once for the family pics, once for his 3-mos pics. Both times (at different places, different photographers) - the photographers started saying to him "well, you're just mr. serious, aren't you?" Haha! Since I'm posting some pics, here's the 3-mos one, too. ;)

The little half-smile here (if you can call it that!) was the closest we got!

Now what is even funnier is that Aiden will CRACK UP laughing - I mean hysterically! - over nothing! Most times he does this, Daddy is holding him, and I am talking to Daddy. Talking as in normal conversation, nothing funny at all. And Aiden will burst out laughing and will laugh for minutes on end! When he does, he even throws his head back while he laughs! It is hilarious.

When Aiden gets this "can't impress me" attitude, Ryan adds in "wonder where he gets that???" I guess maybe this is what he gets from me, since the looks are all Daddy. Hmmmm... ??? I'm not sure about that, though. I think his looks often seem to show INDIFFERENCE, which is totally not me. I'm definitely opinionated. Ryan's the one that's more likely to be indifferent. Give it a little more time, we'll see which one Aiden really is. My luck - he's probably very opinionated!

Kids and Coffee - Be sure to vote!!

Speaking of coffee (see previous post), Camden constantly asks me "When can I drink coffee???" Keep in mind, the child is NINE years old.

I let him try mine from time to time. Just a sip here and there. But I'm not sure when I'll be ready to give him a cup of his own... Now, I started drinking coffee very early. My mom tells me that my grandmother would spoon-feed it to me! I drink some almost every day - just for the taste of it. I don't need the kick from caffeine. In fact, I always drink decaf, even when not pregnant or nursing. Camden assures me he would drink the decaf - he just likes the taste, too.

(I'm not saying it's ok to start kids out on coffee really young!! I don't agree with that. But I'm saying that's part of the reason I'm not so sure what is a good age - b/c I was drinking it so early on. I think that's why this is a difficult thing for me to think through... Make sense?)

Camden already is a big tea drinker. But we usually drink green tea or herbal, so I'm not opposed to him having that. And he drinks his with honey, no sugar. So it's pretty good for him in most ways.

So, I want to know what some of you think. What is a good age to let a child drink coffee???

Leave a comment with your thoughts. And be sure to vote on the poll. I'm interested in reading what you all have to say on this topic. This is one area where I'm really not sure how I feel. (Shocking, huh?!)

Gingerbread Galore!

Recently, someone I know blogged about some goodies they had tried and loved from Trader Joe's - one being their Gingerbread mix. I have been on quite the bread-making kick lately - banana bread (which is something I make lots anyway), chocolate chip zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, and now I'm going to try the gingerbread. Most of the things I bake are homemade. I'm not much of a mix person, partly b/c there is a satisfaction of making something yourself and partly b/c the ingredients aren't all that good in mixes. But TJ's mixes aren't so bad - no high fructose corn syrup for one - they use the real stuff, and that's what I go for. Honestly, we haven't found much from TJ's that we don't like! (This is going to be a problem if we move back to KY one of these days - unless they put a store there.... Let's cross our fingers!! I just checked and, as of now, the closest store to where we would be in KY is Cincy - a couple hours away...)

While at TJ's picking up the bread mix (the pumpkin bread mix is very good, too!), I decided to try their Gingerbread Coffee. And so glad I did. It is SOOOO YUMMY! Mmm. I'm drinking some now.

Of course, Ryan tries it and says he doesn't like it much. Why? B/c he doesn't really like gingerbread flavored things. Nice to know after we bought a few boxes. And I make gingersnaps every year at this time........ Oh well. Camden and I will still enjoy all the gingerbread goodies. :)

Our Christmas Tradition

I saved this picture for a post of its own. This is Camden putting up the first ornament - "his" 2008 ornament. (Normally my Kristy Yamaguchi ornament is first, but I gave it up to Camden this year...)

When I moved out on my own, I realized I didn't really have my own set of ornaments. I had some hand-me-downs that were given to me (meaning ones that were not really wanted by the giver) and I got to buy some. I appreciated what I had (hey - it was better than nothing! and they were given to me), but I remember having a tree full (or not-so-full, I should say) or ornaments I wasn't crazy about for a while and thinking that I would start a tradition that would leave my children with their own "starter" set of ornaments when they moved out - ornaments all their own, ornaments that had special meaning to them.

So, each year, Camden gets to pick out "his ornament." He chooses based on whatever his interest is at the time, and I write his initials and the year in a hidden area. We have quite a few Spider Man ornaments, a soccer one from last year, and this year, he picked out a Star Wars one (that makes noise, of course...). When he moves out, all of these ornaments go with him.

Now that Aiden is here, we get to start the tradition with him. I'm sure that my now full-of-ornaments tree will soon start to have too many ornaments (especially when we add the next baby, huh?!), but what fun that will be! Camden really enjoyed getting out all of "his" ornaments this year, seeing which ones were from each year, and counting them to make sure there was one for each year since he was born. He doesn't yet understand why it means so much to me or how much it (hopefully!) will mean to him when he moves out on his own, but it still is such a big deal to him. He loves picking out his own ornament each year - all on his own (no matter what we think, we don't get to tell him he can't get it b/c we don't like it - it's all about him!). It's become a tradition that we all really enjoy and look forward to each year.

It's Christmastime!!!

It is now officially Christmastime!!

Side note: Christmas does not start in our home until AFTER Thanksgiving. We do not put up any decorations, listen to Christmas music, or any of that until after Thursday. I feel that a lot of people end up overlooking the importance of Thanksgiving because they are so excited that Christmas is around the corner. Sometimes Thanksgiving gets a little neglected. But I love the Thanksgiving holiday - it's a time when you get to spend time with extended family for no reason other than to be with them. It's a time to focus on the blessings you have in your life - not to focus on what others are giving you or what you need to get for others. It's just a time to BE, to be together, and to be grateful. (That's how I see it, at least.) :)

But now Thanksgiving is officially past and Christmas is here! We are getting the tree decorated, all the decorations out. Christmas music is going pretty much nonstop. I love listening to Christmas music. It's so festive and just gets you in the spirit! That is all I listen to during December (well, now there are also some lullabyes and classical music with the baby here....).

I'm trying not to get too stressed out over the holidays right now. This week has been stressFUL to the max! There is just so much to do, Aiden's sleeping schedule is all out of whack from the traveling (no matter how hard we tried to keep things consistent while gone), and more traveling is coming up. BUT in the end, it's all worth it. We make every effort to see ALL of the family over the break - the grandparents, all the extended family, everyone! It's a lot of work, and I know Aiden's schedule will be even more difficult this time around - but the work and the stress are temporary. The memories and the time with family stick around. That's what matters. So, I am looking forward to focusing on that. Oh, and we have some great gifts for our parents, and we're excited about that, too. Hopefully they all like what we have in store just as much as we do!

Now, on to finishing the decorating and baking up some Christmas smells even!! :) What a great time of the year!!!

Here are some pictures from a night of decorating

Aiden was more interested in chewing on things instead of decorating...


Me and my boys after we started putting the ornaments up


Aiden helped a bit from his seat in the sling!


Daddy got in on the fun, too


Aiden is checking out the lights - he wasn't sure what to think of them

More pics of the finished product once we actually finish it! ;)

Giving Thanks

We have a LOT to be thankful for this year!! It has been quite the year for us! I graduated from grad school, Ryan is now *officially* a CPA, and Aiden joined us. We went through a bunch of hoopla with Aiden's tushie, but now we have been given the green light to assume it was not much of anything unless it returns. We're so thankful to have Aiden, that both him and Camden are healthy children, and that we are a family together. I am so appreciative of so much in our lives right now. Everything may not be perfect - but all the important things pretty much are. God has given us a lot to be thankful for this year, that's for sure!

For Aiden's first Thanksgiving, we visited Daddy's family for the long weekend. Aiden did well on the ride there, though I experienced motion sickness for the entire trip (well, after the first 20 minutes of the 8 or more hours we were traveling, that is).

We had a lot of fun visiting with Ryan's dad, Susan, and Susan's mom and then visiting with Ryan's mom and David. Aiden also got to meet Ryan's Granny. We got some really good pictures of that. He missed out on all the yummy food this time around, but he'll get to enjoy it all next year!

The ride home was not quite as calm as the ride there... What should have been a 6-8 hour drive took nearly 11. Due to traffic - not Aiden. Aiden actually slept a lot. Camden was very patient with it all. But after slow traffic for a while, Aiden decided he had enough and let us know it. He doesn't like sitting still in the car seat. So he had a bit of a meltdown, we stopped as soon as we could, and the second he was out of the car seat, he was happy as could be. He must have known we all needed a break - it really helped. Ryan, in the heat of all the stress of the traffic, said - next year we're staying home! But we'll end up traveling just like we do every year. ;) I reminded him, once we move back to Lexington, traveling will be much easier............... (wink, wink)

Here are some pics from the trip:

Aiden's First Thanksgiving 2008

Sleepy Time

Lately Aiden has been sleeping at night wonderfully but struggling with his naps. I got this book, which I think is GREAT. Lots of common sense stuff, but let's face it, sometimes even common-sense things get overlooked or forgotten and we need reminding. But there is also a lot of other good stuff in there. And it's not a plan to just follow - it's about coming up with a plan that fits your individual family, deciding if it's working, and tweeking it every so often if needed. (We're not all about the cry-yourself-to-sleep method...that's just not for us.)

Before all this, Aiden would nap after nursing, sleep for about 20 minutes, and wake back up still tired but wanting to nurse again. Sometimes he would sleep for up to two-and-a-half hours, sometimes only the twenty minutes a few times a day. It would vary each day, which was frustrating for both of us. He needed the sleep, I needed the time to do stuff around the house. Something had to change, and I wasn't going to do it by letting him cry it out. Enter the book. Thankfully it was a quick read and had things I could start using right away. :) Otherwise, how would you find the time to read on ways to help your baby sleep - if your baby never slept! Hmmm..... We didn't need the book for bedtime - that's easy for now. We do have a better routine, and he goes out even quicker than ever! But our focus was naptime.

So, I decided to alter Aiden's naptime schedule a little bit, and WOW has it made a difference! It's not much, but it works. At the very first eye-rub, yawn, or anything to indicate he is tired (if we are home and I am able!), I take him into his room, we sit down with his little stuffed bunny (that only comes out at naptime and during the day) and a book, read, then he goes straight to the crib with a paci (which he just started taking two weeks ago today!), and we turn on our sleepytime music. The child goes right to sleep (well, ok, not every single time - but 9 out of 10 he is out within just a couple minutes) without fussing at all.

Aiden napping with his little bunny

We're still working on sleeping longer without waking and needing to nurse or get his paci. But that will work out in time. He's already getting better at it. Naptime is just working so much better these days, though. He's happier, mama's happier - it's a win-win. :)

Side note: Aiden did go through a week of starting to wake every couple hours at night - but we think he was going through a growth spurt b/c we could tell he was just HUNGRY! And he's getting back to where he was - almost there!

Aiden's Medical UPDATE

If you haven't read about Aiden's medical issues, you can learn about it all here. Otherwise, this won't really make much sense.

We went back to the dermatologist at Duke last Thursday. After getting the results from the geneticist, he told us we could relax some and not worry so much. Not so bad to hear after all the drama we've been through, huh? Now, I am the kind of person that likes to have answers. I like to KNOW things. BUT...I figure if two specialists at Duke can tell us that we can relax a bit, then we can assume they are right and do just that. If it does come back, we know who to call to and what the next step will be. But for now, we (for the most part) have a clean bill of health. That's nice! There are obviously some unknowns still, but aren't there always? We'll deal with other stuff as it comes up and be happy with what we currently have in front of us.

We did come away with a diagnosis of eczema, though. I knew this going into the appt, but I like to have confirmation from a medical professional. :) He gave us a prescription for some spots that were really affected - such as one of Aiden's birthmarks. Apparently birthmarks can really get the brunt of eczema.... And he recommended this lotion, which is not cheap but feels soooo darn good. The first time I massaged Aiden with it, he just grinned the whole time!! So, it might just be worth it. And his skin feels so soft now after using it regularly. Camden has mild eczema but I doubt he will start using this... The only time he wants to bother with lotion at all is after swimming (b/c he KNOWS that can break him out big time).

So - good news in our home! We are happy with the results for now. And we have been reminded what a blessing it is just to have this little boy in our lives. That is a lesson we won't be taking for granted. :)

THE Santa Talk

I've never been a huge fan of encouraging Camden to believe in Santa. In fact, it's always been a source of tension for me. Why? Because I want the focus of Christmas to be on the real "reason for the season" - the birth of Jesus. And Santa kind of conflicts with that... In my opinion. So, while I've never really discouraged his belief, I've never really encouraged it, either. Sure, Santa has always brought him a couple things (but not much), and we have on occasion put out milk and cookies, but that's about it. I spend my energy on trying to teach Camden about the spirit of giving (not getting...) and about Jesus. I have been waiting and waiting for him to ask about Santa b/c I have a policy of not lying to him (which is just another reason I don't like this whole pretending that Santa exists thing...). So, he FINALLY asked. We were running errands, so we talked briefly (I did the whole "What do YOU think?" when he asked if I believed Santa was real) and told Camden we would discuss it more at home.

What led to this discussion is him bringing up The Polar Express movie and wondering about the boy who said Santa hadn't visited him before (the poor boy in the movie, not the main character). He wondered if Santa really didn't visit some kids or what that was really all about. So, we sat down with Camden last night, armed with brownies and ice cream (ok, that was more for me...) - and it all came out. (I am SO relieved!) I expected him to know what might be coming since we put off the discussion until we were at home and since we asked him "If Santa weren't real, would you want to know?" (To which he answered yes.) But he didn't put two and two together until we outright told him. We explained where the idea came from, who St. Nicholas was, etc. At first he was a little mad that parents lie to their kids about the whole Santa thing (which I totally get). We explained many of the reasons that parents pretend about Santa, and I think he got it. We looked up more about St. Nicholas, and he was really interested in the truth behind him, which was pretty cool.

But what was he REALLY upset about?? The same thing from earlier the same day... When he first brought up the whole "poor boy thinking Santa forgot him" - he got really upset and was crying. He thought it was awful that some kids would feel that they got overlooked by Santa. And this was still bothering him. He was upset about this all night - about the kids who get so little or nothing at all. Now, he doesn't get much either. Part of it has been b/c of money, yes. Being a single mom in college - you don't have a lot to spend. But I also don't agree with splurging even if you have it - kind of takes away from the real meaning. But back to the story... He hated realizing that some kids really don't get much and that they might think that Santa just didn't stop at their house. He thought it was so sad and felt really badly for those children. He was upset all night and had such a hard time going to sleep.

I reminded him about how he gives to a child each year to help with this. At his school, they have a "Dolphin Tree" (their mascot is a dolphin), and he picks out a child and buys them a gift with his own "charity" money that he has saved up. I explained to him that while it is sad that many children are worse off, instead of focusing on what they don't get and simply feeling sad about it, it is better to do something and try to make it better for some. So then he got upset because we only signed up for one child this year. When I told him we could do more, he was upset b/c he didn't have enough money in his charity money for this. I explained we could help with that. I mean, this is the point I want him to get!! And he's getting it. Regardless of how much or how little we have, I want him to learn to give to others and consider those less fortunate - and not just to consider them but to DO SOMETHING about it.

I love that my child has such a big heart. It nearly broke my heart seeing him so very upset and crying over children he doesn't even know, over a character in a movie. He kept wondering why they would put such a character in the movie b/c it is too sad. And I think this is one reason why. I'm so proud of Camden right now. We had such a great talk, and I'm glad that the biggest thing that came from it has nothing to do with finding out that Santa isn't real but that it has to do with caring about those less fortunate. I had many "proud mama" moments last night.

Oh, and when asked if he thinks we should teach Aiden whether or not there is a Santa, Camden thinks we should not. This is another reason we have wanted Camden to find out - b/c we weren't sure we wanted to keep it up and teach Aiden there was a Santa. It's nice to have the opinion of a child that just found out b/c, honestly, I forget what I felt when I first realized it. Sure, we can still have fun and pretend, but I would rather my children have a little fun with that while focusing on what Christmas is really about. Like Camden said, "so that really is why it's called Christmas - CHRIST!"