10 Months and Counting!!!

It's hard to believe that Aiden is well into his tenth month and fast approaching the eleventh marker! My little boy is growing way too fast, his first birthday will be here before we know it!

We've had a lot of "firsts" in the past few weeks. With the holidays approaching, I was a bit worried about how I would feel about the first Thanksgiving and Christmas without my mom. It's bittersweet to be both excited to share these holidays with my baby boy, but so sad that my mom isn't around to enjoy this time with us. But we are so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing family and friends to support us.

Aiden's First Thanksgiving:

My chubby monkey all smiles on the drive to his first Turkey Dinner!

Mommy and Aiden relaxing before dinner at Grandpa Gordon's house.

Daddy, Mommy and Aiden before sitting down to grub.

Aiden loves his Uncle Brian!!

Vic took this cute picture of Aiden playing near a picture of my mom. It made me feel like she was there, smiling at her grandson.

Dinner was absolutely amazing... and the leftovers were delish!! Aiden got to enjoy a couple bites of mashed potatoes, but enjoyed his own turkey and sweet potato (courtesy of Gerber).

As Aiden is growing older, he's also growing more mobile and more curious! It's so fun watching his little facial expressions with every new sound, new toy, and new development! Here's some of the things he's doing now:

Pulling to stand and cruising!! Aiden's now able to cruise along all types of surfaces... and does it the best when tempted. The cell phone works wonders to get those little legs moving. I can't believe he'll walk soon!

Stair climbing! Aiden LOVES climbing up the stairs. He's quite fast now! We're still working on coming down though... that'll take a bit more time.

Hello, Sippy Cup! So.. I've been trying to transition him to a sippy cup for a few weeks now. He's not a big fan of it. He really enjoys flinging it around and banging it on people's heads. But there are those special moments when he'll stick the spout in his mouth and water will come out. It's hilarious to watch his face crumble up in surprise!! Aiden actually does much better drinking out of a regular cup... but it's also a lot messier since he also enjoys sticking his entire hand in it as well.

We finally have a tooth!!! Vic and I have been saying for MONTHS that the reason for Aiden's sporadic fussiness was because he was teething. Now that he ACTUALLY is, he's an angel... no fever, no crying, just my happy little bugaboo. Looks like Mommy and Daddy lucked out with this milestone!!

I just like this picture. This is how I'm greeted almost every morning. Aiden is such a mild- mannered baby. I hear him wake up at 6-6:30am and he just lays in his crib, cooing to himself until one of us goes in to get him around 7:30am. I love that he can entertain and soothe himself, it let's Mommy and Daddy have just a few extra minutes in the morning. Thanks, Aiden!!

Getting Ready for Aiden's First Christmas: We are SO excited to celebrate Christmas with Aiden this year. It's hard to believe that at this time last year, Aiden was still in my belly.

Aiden's first visit with Santa Claus! I was a bit worried about how Aiden would handle sitting on Santa's lap. You always hear stories about little kids screaming and kicking because they're freaked out by the big guy in the red suit... as was the case with the little boy that was in front of us in line. But Aiden did pretty good! He was very interested (and slightly suspicious) of the large, strange man with the hairy face. Considering Aiden has stranger-danger now, I would say this visit was a success.

We're also SUPER excited about spending Aiden's first Christmas with his Grandparents. They love him so much!! I have a feeling I know who will score big in the gift department!! We were able to help them decorate their house for Christmas and Aiden had a lot of fun helping!

This is a fun one of Daddy and Aiden.

Aiden is the best present!!

Grandpa and Aiden enjoying the tree!

A few pictures at our house.

We tried to get a good one of Aiden and Rocky... we'll keep trying. =) Poor Rocky, it was hard to get him to sit next to Aiden. Now that Aiden likes to interact with his surroundings more, that means Rocky gets chased.. and when caught, his ears and tail are pulled. Poor puppy.

A Spook-tacular 9 Months!

Aiden is officially 9 months old! At his well baby visit he weighed in at 18 lbs 9 oz and 28.7 inches long. He took his two boosters and flu shot like a soldier.... with just a short wail. =)

New Developments:

1. Still doing the army crawl, but incorporating more of a reciprocal motion with his arms and legs. Very efficient... he's pretty quick now!

2. Can pull himself up to a standing position. He especially

likes to use Daddy and Mommy as an impromptu jungle gym

to achieve this position.

3. He's very naughty! I'm pretty sure Aiden knows the word "no" now... or can at least tell by the tone in our voice that he's doing something he's not suppose to be doing. He definitely tests his limits. But he's so darn cute, how can you be mad? I have to try pretty hard to make sure he doesn't see me giggle or grin when he is trying to be defiant.

4. He gives the most wonderful, don't-ever-let-me-go hugs. AND, he's learned how to give kisses!! It's the best!

5. A tooth is trying to pop through!

Another first for Aiden was dressing up for his first Halloween!!! Vic and I decided on a tiger since that is Aiden's Chinese Zodiac animal. We decided to surprise Grandpa and Grandma with a visit that evening, which ended up as a fun trick or treat adventure with Grandpa.

Aiden LOVES his Grandpa!!

And he LOVES his Grandma!!

Here are some fun pictures of our little tiger:

Our tiger in the jungle!!

We also took the opportunity to take some 9 month pictures of Aiden. He's such a cute ham.

It's hard to believe that in three months Aiden will be one year old. Holy cow! Where did the time go? I'm in the process of planning his Korean Doljabi with a Vietnamese twist. I was definitely torn about having a traditional Korean first birthday party without my mom here, but my brother and Vic both agreed that it is something that she would want me to have. It'll be tough planning it without my mom's expertise, but luckily I have a great support system to help me!

Looking back at the past 9 months, it is amazing how much our life has changed. Vic and I often ask each other, what in the world did we do before Aiden!!?? Life is good!!

Approaching 9 Months!

How quickly the past month has flown by! Aiden will be 36 weeks old tomorrow and has changed so much in the past month. His little personality is starting to bloom and so is his curiosity! Here are some recent pictures of my little bug:

Going for a ride on Daddy's shoulders. Aiden gets a kick out of the view!

My handsome little boy waking up from a nap. I have come to realize that the better he naps during the day, the longer he sleeps at night! Nap away, Aiden!

Aiden has become so sturdy over the last month. His ability to sit independently has improved so much that we started using highchairs when we go out to eat. It is much easier to keep him entertained when he can sit with us and bang spoons on the table.

Since he can sit so well now, I feel more comfortable giving him some space to play on his own (still within my view, of course). Shout out to my friend Kristie for giving me some great advice when I was pregnant. She told me to make sure Aiden got some alone playtime every day... and boy did that pay off! Aiden can keep himself entertained for at least 20 minutes! Just enough time for Mommy to clean up a little, enjoy a cup of coffee and a magazine, or eat lunch!

Tee-hee-hee. Aiden is definitely a happy and cheerful baby. He is always laughing (he especially finds how Daddy says the word "whoopsie" quite hilarious!). My absolute favorite sound is hearing Aiden laugh, there's no better sound in the world.

And.... he's mobile!! Aiden has officially started army-crawling on his belly. He's pretty quick too!! We have to keep a sharp eye on him, it only takes him a minute or so to get into something. I think we're in trouble now!

Aiden is now enjoying 3 solid meals a day. His favorite foods are carrots, bananas, sweet potato, corn, apples and chicken, and pears. Aiden does NOT enjoy peas, green beans, vegetable beef and mixed veggies.

We took a family trip to Larriland Farm last weekend to pick up pumpkins for Halloween. It was a gorgeous day and Aiden enjoyed his visit!!

My pumpkin in the midst of pumpkins.

Yes... I think Aiden will be upset about this picture when he is older. Come on, we couldn't resist!

Sitting in a calderon....

... surrounded by witches!! Yikes!!!

Hanging out with Daddy by the lake at the Farm.

Aiden has discovered grass!!! And... tried to eat it more that once!

Cheese!! =)

Mommy and Aiden at the pumpkin patch looking for our family of pumpkins!! We picked out 4, one for each member of our family (including Rocky).

It really was a memorable first trip to the farm. It's so fun watching Aiden discover and enjoy the world around him. As he gets older, Vic and I are having fun toting him around to new places. Looking at the world through his eyes makes me see things in a different way.

New Developments:

1. Object permanence- Aiden has realized that each time he drops his toy on the ground, while sitting in his highchair, that the toy is still there... and Mommy and Daddy will pick it up.

2. Passing toys from one hand to the other

3. He's starting to prop himself onto his hands and knees and bounces gently back and forth.. precursor to crawling?

4. His favorite thing to say? "Dadadadadadadadadada"! We don't think that he actually understands that Vic is "Dada", so we're trying to encourage him to associate Vic when he says "Dada". Poor Vic... he's constantly having to respond to Aiden when he calls... and he calls him a lot!

5. No more pacifier! Aiden has self-weaned himself off his Binky. He does have a new lovey though... Vic and I call him "Teddy". Aiden loves curling up and cuddling with his stuffed bear. He falls asleep so nicely when he is able to hold "Teddy".

It's hard for me to believe that I have a 9 month old baby. He's such a little boy now and I love him more and more every day. I can't wait to see what this next month brings! =)

7 Months.. Really!?

Hi Everyone! My apologies for the long lull between posts, but life has been so busy for us lately. Aiden is now well into his 7th month and is developing quite a personality! When Aiden was born, everyone told me to enjoy every moment because it goes by so quickly... no one told me it was going to fly by! I look at him every day in absolute awe on what a big boy he is becoming.

Some updates on Aiden's development:

Aiden has discovered Rocky!! After 5+ months of not really noticing him, Aiden can't get enough of him! He finds the fact that Rocky is actually moving and alive hilarious! Here's a cute picture of Aiden "petting" Rocky... although it's really more like a repetitive pat. Rocky's a good sport about it and tolerates Aiden for a little while, but when Aiden starts reaching for the tail or smacking his head, Rocky runs for a place of refuge. One of the things Aiden loves to do is watch Daddy play fetch with Rocky. I can't wait until he's a little older... I think the two of them will have a good time together.

Woo-hoo! Aiden is sitting independently!! He gets better and more balanced every day!

Oops!! But still has some trouble maintaining his balance with sudden trunk movements. =) He's starting to reach for toys outside his base of support and then return back to the upright position, toy in tow.

At the end of August, I made my annual trip to visit my best friend Ellen in London. I have to admit, it was a big decision for me to go, but I am SO glad that I did. I had a wonderful time! I loved spending some quality time with my BF, eating delicious food, hanging out in a city that I love, and SLEEPING!!! This is a picture of Ellen and I enjoying afternoon tea at the Landmark Hotel. Yummmmm!! I had some guilt leaving Aiden behind, but I realized that it was something that I needed to do. I've been pretty much nonstop since my mom passed away and I needed a break... a break from life. I came home feeling more refreshed than I have since Aiden was born.

I Skyped with Aiden every day (technology is amazing) and I was relieved to find that he still remembered me when I returned. A HUGE shout out to Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Elizabeth and Aunt Julliann for taking my son and my husband in for the week so Mommy could go!

I received so many great gifts at my baby showers and I am so glad that Aiden is getting big enough to finally enjoy them!! When I took this picture a couple of weeks ago, I had to put a pillow on the bottom of the saucer because his feet didn't reach. No problem with that now!

While I was in London, Grandpa bought Aiden a bouncer. When I returned home, one of the first things we did was go out and buy one for our house. AIDEN LOVES IT!! It is so fun to watch him bounce around like Tigger! Amazingly, this bouncer can keep him occupied for a pretty good length of time!

Aiden is so curious now. He's always looking around, following sounds, noises, and people. He's also very busy, always has to has his hands on something. We definitely have to watch him very carefully now, he grabs anything and everything!

Aiden can't walk yet, but Daddy couldn't resist buying him his first pair of shoes. When I was pregnant and we found out we were having a boy, one of the first things Vic said was that the baby's first pair of shoes were going to be Jordans. Well, here they are. Pretty pricey for baby shoes, but they're super cute. We got a large size to make sure he'll be able to fit them when he starts walking.

Speaking of walking, Aiden loves standing! He actually prefers to be in a standing position over any other one. He's a strong little boy. I have read that crawling is a pretty important developmental milestone, one that reinforces coordination and motor control, so I've been trying to get Aiden on all fours to practice and encourage him to try it out.

I have a feeling he may only crawl for a short while.. or skip it all together.

With every passing week, Aiden grows bigger and stronger. I love watching his personality emerge and am starting to see how much of Vic and I are in him.

Eyes: Mommy

Long Toes: Daddy

Eczema (my poor baby): Daddy

Laid back personality: Daddy

Hiccups: Mommy

Ticklish: Mommy

Strength: Daddy

Nosy: Mommy

It is amazing how much I love him. <3