Christmas and New Years!

There are so many updates to write about that I had to split this entry into two. I didn't feel that I could do the events justice by cramming them into one blog post!

Christmas and New Years was amazing! The holidays brought an especially warm feeling this year having Aiden to share it with. Watching him experience his first holiday season was both heartwarming and fun!

We started the holidays off with his first haircut! Well... his first official haircut. Mommy and Daddy had started snipping away at his sideburns a couple of months ago, but now that he had finally grown out of his male-patterned baldness, we felt a trip to Cartoon Cuts was in order.

I wish I could say that I got cute before and after shots, but considering he was mildly traumatized by the experience (thanks to Dora being on the TV), I decided not to push for formal poses. =) I have to say though.... $16.95 for a kids haircut when they only trimmed the sides and the back was a bit overpriced... but I'm happy to say that our second experience before his birthday was much better.

And then... Christmas!!! Aiden definitely hit the jackpot! He celebrated Christmas 3 times: With Vic's family, with my family and then just the 4 of us. Here are some shots from his big day!

Here's a family picture. We took a bunch and this was the best one. At least Rocky and Aiden and paying attention to each other! =)

Christmas with my family. We had lunch with my Aunts and Uncles on Christmas Eve and spend Christmas Day dinner with my brother and stepdad. Aiden was, of course, spoiled by Uncle Brian!

Funny thing about kids... Aiden got such wonderful and amazing gifts, but I think he would have been just as happy with a box of wrapping paper and ribbon!

Christmas Eve was spent with Vic's family. Aiden was spoiled with so much love and generosity by his Grandparents and all his aunts and uncles. It makes me so happy to see how much Aiden is loved, by everyone!

One of the many gifts from Grandpa and Grandma!!

Ever since our college years, Vic and I had made a tradition of visiting the National Christmas Tree every year. It was nice to be able to share that tradition with Aiden this year... and luckily it wasn't too cold!

I think Aiden's favorite part was watching the trains go round and round!

The state of our son after Christmas. That kid had never napped so well!

We rang in New Years with our best friends in a low key get together. Aiden wasn't able to stay up until midnight, but we made sure he got to play with the New Years goodies the next day. Thanks to Auntie Jennifer for the hat!

I decided not to make a New Years resolution this time around. I have a bad track record with them, I never seem to follow through. I instead decided to make a promise to myself and my family to be a better mother, wife, sister and friend so that all of the special people in my life know how much I appreciate and love them.

Happy New Year!!!

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! =)