Eating Machine

I love these pajamas's Aiden is wearing because they are so fitting- as in what is written on them, "eating machine" fits his lifestyle, but they are also form fitting because of the big belly that comes from eating so much. Just the other morning Aiden ate 3 eggs, a banana, and half a yogurt for breakfast. How can this 25 lb toddler eat that much food? just for breakfast! I'm not complaining. I hear from so many of my friends how difficult it is for them to get their kids to eat. I'm thankful I have a child who eats very well. He obviously doesn't skip meals! Every now and then Aiden will spit a particular food out, but if he is hungry enough, he will eat just about anything. He loved all the baby foods- he ate lots of veggies, I still try to maintain at least one green vegetable in his diet every day. Lately, it's been peas. He also loves chicken, strawberries, applesauce, kiwi, crackers, cereal bars, macaroni & cheese, and spaghetti. Not to mention he snacks all day- Cheerios or goldfish constantly. I think he's eating puffs in these pictures. When I go grocery shopping, his food accounts for a large portion of what I bring home. Can you imagine what my grocery bill will be when he is a teenager?

Boys will be boys!

He's only 1 and he's such a boy! Aiden is throwing, hitting, and banging things all day. Every time I turn around he has a random object (i. e. spatula, ball, cup, hanger, book or whatever else he can find) and he's destroying something with it. Just this week, I was hit on the nose with a cell phone and hit right above the eye with a cabinet door (I was leaning down to give him a kiss- and that was his response). The walls of my new house have tons of marks on them from his toys; I've gotten over jumping up with the magic eraser every time to wash the wall- I would be doing it all day. Aiden loves noises, so whatever he can bang together or drop on the floor to make the loudest racket is great fun for him! We have a small Christmas tin and it's one of his favorite toys. Dropping it on the floor or throwing objects into it has been quite entertaining. It's just amazing to me that he is so destructive at such a young age. And its just the way he is- he doesn't have siblings; it's not a learned behavior, he's just a little destroyer. I don't know where he gets it, but my girlfriends tell me "he's a boy". God made him this way. Did He make all boys like this? My dad has always said "he's going to break stuff", and I'm beginning to think he is exactly right.

A day at the park

A friend of mine introduced us to a really great park for toddlers near our house. It has the baby swings, and a giant playground with multiple slides, monkey bars, and lots of other gadgets. Aiden didn't like swinging- he just sat there and when I pushed him high, he got nervous. He loved to go down the slide, especially when Mommy slid down with him. My hips just barley fit on those tiny things! But his favorite part was the stairs! He LOVED climbing the stairs. He crawled up them using both hands and feet.
I had to follow him each time up the stairs because he was a little unsteady. Then he would walk down the stairs while holding my hands. It was actually more like hopping down them, but he laughed and thought that was a lot of fun. Of course one time he got courageous and tried hopping down the stairs himself and he hit the stairs face first (his bottom in the air). But he's a tough guy- got right back up and kept playing. He had a great afternoon nap that day! I think we will be visiting this park more often this summer. Aiden had a great time!

Weaning the Passy

When Aiden was younger (0-6 months), he didn't particularly care for the pacifier. He would spit it out and didn't really need it. We started using it when he got on a regular nap schedule, at about 6 months. It is a definite soother for sleeping and if it is in sight, he will take it and it goes straight to his moulth. We've been wanting to take it from him for about 2-3 months now. He only takes it at nap & bed time now, so I am going to start limiting it to just bed time. wish me luck on the naps. I know he's used to it and will want it. Our little boy isn't a baby anymore!

Easter

We had a great Easter!  It is always nice to spend time with family. We went to two Easter egg hunts. Aiden liked hunting and finding the eggs, and he loved to hear the noise they made when he shook them. If the egg didn't make noise, he wasn't interested. He discovered that they open up and then he was interested in the candy. He also liked banging them together.  He got very excited when all the kids ran out into the yard- he followed behind them- it was funny!
We went into the bouncy house for a little bit and he was nervous at first. I held him and bounced- (whew, what a work out) and then he bounced on his own. He wasn't crazy about it, but it was fun for the moment.
I'm looking forward to teaching him about Christ and the story of Easter in the years to come.

The Beach!

My brother & I along w/ our families visited our grandparents in Gulf Shores, AL last week. I wish I had a picture of the car ride- we had 4 adults & 4 kids in a Yukon- it was packed! Aiden was fussy on the ride up, but was good on the way back (through the night). We actually went to the beach twice last year, but he was too young to play-so this time he actually got to experience it. When we first came out, the waves and sand were overwhelming. He did not want to leave Daddy's arms. He sat in the tent for a while to take it all in. After a half hour or so, I took him out and sat him in the sand and he was much more comfortable. He realized he could pick it up, throw it, eat it and play with sand! We even put him close to the water and let the waves come up on him and he laughed- He enjoyed it as long as the waves didn't get too high- which made him nervous. We had a great time on the trip, but I learned that vacation w/ children is not relaxing- its fun, exciting, busy, and adventurous, but it is not relaxing. I brought a couple books to read, but I didn't open one. It was great to spend time w/ my wonderful family and be entertained by Aiden and his 3 cousins.

Aiden 1 year pics