And the germs have won!  Aiden has been sick, really, ever since he began daycare when he was 7 months old.  He is now almost 11 months old and is still….SICK.  Last week it came to a head though.  He was coughing through the night, congested, and cranky.  Then, I picked him up from daycare and he had one pinkish, oozey, eye.  I gave it overnight to see if it would get worse and sure enough, in the morning, he had two pinkish, oozey, eyes.  So, to the doctor we went. 

Much to my surprise, the doctor told us that pink eye is very common in infants and especially when they are sick already.  The incidence of pink eye supposedly increases by 50% when there is an ear infection.  So, they checked his little hears and BAM….infections in both.  So, to summarize:  Ear infections in both ears, cold/congestion/coughing, and pink eye.  Phew!  But, through it all, still smiley and lovey.  Okay, for the most part, anyway.

So, we got a prescription for Augmentum (antibiotic) and also a Probiotic powder to use on his food or in bottles twice a day.  6 days into the treatment, he is doing much better.  However, due to the side effects of the antibiotic, he has had some major diarrhea and therefore has some major diaper rash.  To me, there is nothing that looks more painful and uncomfortable than diaper rash.  I am oh so generous when applying cream right now.  I would be ok with using a whole tube in one day if it helped his little bum feel better.  I was wondering:  Is there an aloe cream for babies with diaper rash?  That just seems like it would feel SOOOO good to him when he gets this! 

Aside from all of this, life is normal.  He’s still crawling and getting into everything like usual.  Only difference really is that he is super cranky when I stop him right now.  He also is a bit more clingy and wants to be held a lot more.  I’m ok with that =)

As for food, I try to make him as much fresh food as I can.  I have given him steamed fresh apples, steamed fresh sweet potatoes, peas, greenbeans, and fresh pasta.  He likes everything generally.  I want to get some peaches this week to add to his usual repetoire of apples, strawberries, and bananas. 

Such an adventure!!!  =)

We’ve been very very busy!!!  Learning and growing, teething and eating!  Its been a crazy few months with all the holidays and having a more active Aiden!

So, since the last time I wrote I am assuming Aiden was about 6 months old?  I cant remember at the moment, but he is now 9 1/2 months old!  He has two teeth on the bottom and we are slowing switching him over to milk-based formula instead of the soy formula.  And boy does this make him GASSY!  WHEW! 

He wants to walk or stand as much as possible and he is getting more interested in crawling.  Now when I sit him on the floor, he immediately starts to lean or reach for whatever is remotely close to him!  I can’t put him down anywhere and expect him to stay there!

At night when I check on him, he is usually rolled over on his side or on his stomach!  This is a really recent development.  This morning Pete went in and found Aiden awake and sitting on his knees holding onto the wrungs of the crib staring up at him!  He does the funniest things…..

I have to post pictures and definitely a video- I will try to do that tonight!

Aiden had a great Thanksgiving and a really nice Christmas with tons of cool gifts from everyone.  We were lucky and managed to sneak in a visit with all of our loved ones and everyone was pleased to see how CUTE and how BIG Aiden has gotten.  He’s weighing about 27 lbs now!  He’s due for another check up soon so we’ll get the exact amounts then, but otherwise he’s doing really well!

His personality is developing daily- he gets made and kicks his legs or flails his arms- he reacts differently to Daddy than to me (some good ways and some bad ways!) and he is getting more opinionated about his food.  We tried something new last night and he downright refused to eat it!  He kept hitting the spoon and flinging Parmesan Pasta everywhere.  But, when I gave him the Apple Delight, he was all over it.  Funny how that works

Well, I am very sorry for the long wait for this blog.  I promise, it will all be worth it when the pictures come later!

Love you all!

Nicole

As expected, my big-little-man is doing great with his new day-care arrangements.  He goes to “school” MWF and then his Mom-mom’s on Tues/Thurs.  He is really enjoying both!  When I pick him up from daycare he doesnt even seem to want to leave!  So, I suppose that is a good sign as much as I would like for him to be excited to see me!  He’s such a little sweetheart!

We finally got him a pair of shoes that fit his big feet =)  You know what they say about a baby with big feet, right?  He has a…..Mom who can’t find shoes to fit his BIG FEET!

We visited our cousin Shannon this past weeked to meet her son, Jayden Morrell Hamer.  He’s such a little peanut!  We got this cute shot of Aiden and Jayden spending some quality time together!

Thats all for now!  Stay dry, everyone =)

On Monday, November 3rd, Aiden will be going to daycare for the first time in his 7 months of life outside the womb.  We are excited and sad at the same time.  I think it will be a great thing for him socially and educationally, but I am just going to miss my little munchkin.  He’s such a day-maker!  I don’t think my colleagues will enjoy me singing them the “ABC’s” nearly as much as him and I would probably get smacked if I tried to “see if they were stinky”….HAHAHA.  I suppose we will all get used to this transition over time. 

Anyway, thats really it for now.  Happy Halloween, kids!

xoxo Nicole

It only took him about six and a half months, but Aiden can now roll tummy-to-back and back-to-tummy.  Can you believe it?!  The long awaited milestone is here and gone now….we’re so proud!

What’s next you ask??  CRAWLING.

I can’t believe it but we have a 6 month old!  Aiden is proudly turning over on his own (FINALLY) and he is also grabbing his cute little feet, too.  Two things we never thought he would do!  He’s getting so handsome, but I will let you judge for yourself. 

Soon, it will be his 1st Halloween.  That is exciting.  There are so many cute costumes out there!  I am not sure what he will be or if we will even do the dress-up thing this year…but if so, I will be sure to post it!

Enjoy the new photos..I am posting quite a few since its been a while =)

XOXO Nicole

Hi Everyone!  Aiden is 5 months old, as the title of this blog so obviously states…He’s so independent now!  Or at least he would like to think so!

So, the major milestones now:

- He’s sitting on his own!

- He’s eating baby food (happily, in most cases)

- He can hold his own bottle (when he wants to)

- He can walk!  

(I kid, I kid– but he tries)

All joking aside, he’s really growing up fast.  I can’t believe how strong of a personality he has.  I think he got my aloofness and his dads sense of humor.  He loves to sit and watch the TODAY show in the morning; quietly snuggled on the couch in his jammies with his blanket.  

He’s got a little cold right now which is really the first time we’ve dealt with him sick in this way.  He’s really unlike himself.  But he’s improving day by day!

Well, there’s the brief update on Aiden!  We are shopping for his new (non-carrier) carseat this weekend.  This is going to be the start of a whole new chapter which I will endearingly call “Lugging”.  If my arms werent strong before, they will be from this point on because I will be lugging my 20 pounder everywhere I go.  FUN!!!

Gotta love it!  Goodnight all!  xoxo

 

 

Aiden had his 4 month doctor visit today.  He is such a big guy!  He weighed in at 20 lbs and is 27.5 inches long!  He wasn’t as heavy as I expected, but definitely a solid kid.  =)  Nice thing is, his height and weight are now proportionate.

He was so funny- I was laughing so hard in our room because while we were waiting for the Doc he was laying on the table that’s covered in paper.  Well, he kept moving his legs like he was running (he does this all the time), but with the table it was making a ton of noise because of the paper.  Eventually, the paper became wrinkled and finally ripped.  So, I fixed it nice again and he did it all over.  So, I pulled the ripped area down and he finally just layed there for a minute.  I look down and he had spit up ALL OVER the table, his blanket, himself.  I couldnt help but just laugh!  Man, kids keep you on your toes.  Everything’s a joke these days.  If you didnt laugh you’d lose your mind!  So, anyway, I fix it all up again and he still was so into the paper that I had to just hold him.  As I was taking him off the table to hold him, he held on the the piece of paper he managed to grab and ripped the whole thing right off.  Pff.  So much for keep my kid under control.  Haha.

So, then the end came.  And this is the part we dread.  He had to get his shots.  So, the nurse came and she asked me to hold his hands down.  So, I am holding his hands (so cute) and he starts giggling.  The nurse and I both felt so bad-.  Poor guy- he’s laughing and has no idea what’s coming.  But, to my surprise, he didn’t cry at all until all of the shots were done.  And then, it was only for a second.  Thats about what it took for them to pop the Rotarvirus vaccine in his mouth for him to gobble it down.

At this point we’ve been told that he should be getting a solid breakfast and dinner.  UGH.  Its hard enough to get him in the highchair once a day, but now TWICE and with cereal and fruit/veggies.  And, what’s going to be even more difficult is the bottle- he’s only getting 2 8oz. bottles now (vs. 5) and the rest will be 4 oz.  He’s doesnt like bottles being done.  This should be fun =)  But he does like his food.

Here are some pics…

Mommy, MomMom, Aiden, and Mary