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

Beach Baby!!

Every July, Vic and I take a trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We absolutely love it there and we were so excited to bring Aiden this year! Aiden is now 25 weeks old and a bundle of energy and smiles. Here are some pictures from our trip:

First day at the pool. It was pretty cloudy when we arrived, so we decided to lounge out here instead of lugging all our gear to the beach. Aiden was so excited to be in the water. He was so mesmerized by the ripples in the pool!

Hanging with Daddy on the beach. Aiden loved watching the ocean and took very good naps as he was lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves! Vic and I definitely had "new parent" syndrome when deciding what to bring to the beach. We brought everything!! We figured we'd just see what worked and what didn't. HUGE shout out to my friend Katie for recommending we bring the stroller!! It was all we needed!

Hehe, my chubby monkey... so happy.

Another cute pic of Aiden chilling by the pool. We ended up spending the majority of the time by the pool since we were more comfortable putting him in the pool versus into the ocean. Myrtle Beach had a serious heat wave while we were there!!

Mommy and Aiden at the pool

Sunset picture at Broadway at the Beach. Aiden is passed out from the swimming that he did with Daddy during the day!

Neat picture from our balcony looking down onto the numerous pools at our condo.

Happy baby! Aiden LOVED the water!! He would splash around and practice his swim kicks!

Beachside!

This was our best attempt at a family picture by the water. It was hard to get Aiden to look at the camera, he kept turning his head to watch the ocean!

My little beach bum

It was so funny watching Aiden in the water. He would constantly splash his arms into the pool, sending drops of water everywhere. When he would splash his face... he seemed so confused on where it came from!!

Daddy took us to Ripley's Aquarium for some fish gazing. Aiden really had a great time watching all the fish swim by.

Jellyfish!

Aiden looking at the great big fish tank at the entrance of the aquarium.

We had such a great time at the beach. Aiden is so curious now, it was really fun watching him interact with the things around him and try to figure things out. He was an angel all week.. and I'm not just saying that! Vic and I were able to go out to dinner every night, Aiden in tow, and every night at least one couple would comment to us how lucky we were to have such a wonderful, well- behaved baby! We're definitely looking forward to many more trips to come!

5 Months!!

Happy 5 Months, Aiden!!!

I cannot believe that my little boy is already 5 months old. I thought time flew by fast when he was 1-2 months old... now I feel like it's passing by at warp speed! It is absolutely amazing to watch Aiden grow and reach new milestones!! Lots of updates to give!!

We celebrated Vic's first Father's Day on June 19th. Aiden and Rocky bought Daddy nine holes of golf with Uncle Mark and we spent the evening with Vic's family. All in all a very nice day. I bought Aiden a special Father's Day shirt for him to wear... can you believe I totally forgot to take a picture of Daddy and Aiden together? Sorry, Daddy!!

Here are a few more recent pictures of our happy boy.

Aiden cheesin'

Aiden loves his Baby Einstein bear. He spends lots of time babbling to it!

Sitting up for Mommy!

Now that Aiden is a lot bigger and has much better head and neck control, we decided to start opening more of the toys I received at my baby shower. We started with the Baby Einstein Around the World Entertainer. Poor Aiden, he's not quite long enough to actually propel himself around (his feet still hang), but he loves all the different colors and toys. I wondering if it is a bit overstimulating.... check out the video below. He seems interested... doesn't he?

Just a couple of weeks ago we started Aiden on solids. I was a bit hesitant to begin, especially since many say you shouldn't start until they are 6 months, but the pediatrician seemed to think he's ready and Aiden started staring at us while we eat.. so I figured it didn't hurt to try it out. We started with rice cereal, but had to switch to oatmeal when my poor baby got constipated on it! When we called the pediatrician she said, "oh yes, rice cereal can be binding"... then why the heck start babies on it!?

Here's a cute before picture of Aiden... he's content.. and clean.

Yum yum, Aiden!! Here's a quick clip of his first couple of bites.

Now that we've been feeding him for a couple of weeks now, he seems to be taking to solids much better. We're still only giving him a couple of teaspoons a day since my goal right now is just for him to get used to eating from a spoon. I can't wait to start introducing different flavors and textures!

Aiden has also become much more tactile with his toys. He's starting to grab, mouth, and cling to everything. I love that I can give him a toy and he can entertain himself for a pretty good amount of time. One of my mom's friends gave Aiden this super cute teddy bear that I had been keeping on a shelf in his room. I noticed recently that Aiden would sometimes glance at it... so I gave it to him. Here's what he did.

So cute!! I could lie and say that Aiden is giving the bear a kiss (wouldn't that be so sweet!?), but he's actually gnawing on the poor bear's ear. =)

Another milestone... DRUMROLL PLEASE.....

Hooray, Aiden!! The big roll!!! This is one of his more seasoned ones. It took him awhile to get here. But now that he's rolling more consistently, he's quite the mover!! We really have to keep an eye on him so he doesn't roll off of anything and I'm pretty nervous at night. Aiden learned to roll from back to front first and is still not great at rolling the other way around. So at night, I'm terrified that he'll roll onto his stomach and smother himself! Needless to say, Mommy hasn't been getting much sleep lately.

Aiden is becoming such an active little boy. He's gaining more control over his body and engaging with the environment around him. He is constantly "talking" to those around him and is such a friendly baby. Everything he does involves a giggle and a smile!

All this activity makes Aiden one tired little boy!!!

I couldn't love anything more. <3

4 Months!

Happy 4 Months, Aiden!!

Aiden had his 4 month well-baby visit last week and weighed in at 14.0 lbs and a total length of 26 inches. He got his next round of vaccinations and was just as brave as the first time... just a little wail and he was done with all that! The doctor gave us the ok to try rice cereal when we felt he was ready and said that everything looked A-Ok! Aiden's breathing is much quieter now and I have to strain to hear him breathe at night through the baby monitor. Hopefully, it will keep improving over time.

This past month was my very first Mother's Day! While it was again bittersweet for me not having my mom around to share this milestone with me, I did enjoy extra hugs and love from Aiden and my hubby. We started the day visiting my mom, had a nice lunch with my brother, took a stroll around Centennial Park, had dinner with Vic's family, and just enjoyed some time with the three of us. Low key, but special!

Aiden and I at nap time on Mother's Day. He's such a happy baby! How did we get so lucky!?

Mother's Day flowers from my two boys: Aiden and Rocky.

Just before Memorial Day, Aiden and I had lunch with Aunt Josefina, Aunt Jennifer and Logan. It is so adorable to see Aiden and Logan together. Logan loves him so much! I can't wait until Aiden started crawling! They will be great playmates!

Super cute picture of Logan saying hello to Aiden. Logan is super good with him, so gentle and gives him lots of kisses and pats!

Yes, the outfits were planned. =)

At 4 months, Aiden has been working hard to reach those important milestones!! Here are some updates on what he is doing now:

Aside from being super smiley, Aiden can now officially reach and grab for his toys, then bring them to his mouth! He is also consistently helping us hold his bottle during feeds.

Rolling! Well.. not quite yet, but we're getting there! I think Aiden might be one of those babies that roll from back to front first. He seems to be able to get his head and trunk around, but that tooshie of his gets stuck! We've been trying to incorporate aspects of rolling into his tummy time and floor play. Big thanks to Sarah for teaching me some techniques to encourage the big roll!

Going to attempt solids! Here's Aiden in his brand new highchair! He had such a great time with me and Daddy at Babies R Us trying out all the different chairs! Here's the winner!

Teething! Aiden has been super drooley lately and gnawing on his hands a lot. I didn't think much of it until my friend Kris suggested that he may be teething. I pulled up the upper lip and WHOA! There are 2 front teeth trying to bust through!

Giggling! Vic and I heard Aiden giggle for the first time this past week. Oh my goodness... super cute!!! I'll try to post of quick video of it on my next post.

Head control! Aiden's head and neck are so much stronger now! He's able to hold his head up during tummy time for up to 15-20 minutes at a time! He may be able to go longer, but he gets tired of being on his stomach for so long that I haven't tried. We have decided to leave the car seat in the car since, aside from the fact Aiden is getting heavy and with the added weight of the seat it's becoming too much, he is able to hold his head well enough where we don't have to keep a constant hand on it.

It's so amazing how in just a few short weeks my infant has turned into a full fledged baby! I love watching him grow and change, but being sure to really cherish all those cuddles. At the rate he's growing, who knows when he'll grow out of those!!

Here are a couple more fun pictures:

Here's a pic of Aiden with Aunt Julliann, Grandma, Cousin David and Aunt Ashley.

Haha! I had to post this one so that I could give props to Uncle Brian and his first diaper change! Uncle Brian and Aiden both did great!

Even after 4 months, Rocky is still trying to get used to having Aiden around.. permanently. But I definitely think they are growing on each other. Every morning I feed Aiden around 7 am-ish. When I'm done, I put Aiden back in his crib for a little time to play while I get ready for the day. When I come back, this is what I see every time.. Rocky keeping Aiden company, standing guard. I love my puppy.

I think they'll learn to become great buddies.