Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Rocking Out

Date: January 30, 2012
Weight: 23.4 pounds
Height: 34.25 inches
Aiden is feeling much better, and the house is feeling the difference. Everything is getting played with and he is getting into everything. The words now in his repertoire include: "mama," "dada," "dog," and "star." I feel that any day now he is going to start adding to his word list, it will be fun to know what he is babbling about. We spent this past weekend in California, and this weekend we have family coming to see us in Arizona! We are so excited to be able to show off our house and this quaint little town! I know that little Aiden will be the perfect host, he has already gotten so good at sharing his food (whether wanted or not) with others. Sometimes I feel like Iago, in Aladdin, the way he stuffs his cracker in my face. His first birthday is fast approaching, and thankfully we seem to have gotten this sleep thing figured out for the most part. It was one of the milestones I was most looking forward to. I am nailing down the details of his first birthday party and will be sending out invitations within the week. 


He Loves His Rocking Horse

Book + Mirror = Happy Baby

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Day Late, Yet Feeling Good

Date: January 24, 2012
Weight: 23.4 pounds
Height: 34.25 inches
That's a spicy meatball! :)
Being a mom has really made accept that things are not always in my control. I will not always be able to stick to a schedule I set for myself, because with kids things come up and change all your plans. Take this blog for example, I try to post his weigh-in every Wednesday but lately I have been utterly failing. Things just come up that force me to put the blog on the back burner. This week it is sickness. On Friday, Dave came home very ill and spent almost two days in bed, with a fever and cough to boot. Despite keeping his distance from Aiden, my little guy woke up with a fever of 100.8 yesterday. It may not seem all that high to most, but it is the highest fever Aiden has ever had and he usually sits in the 97's temperature wise. Instead of weighing in, I had to balance  taking care of my sick little boy and getting all my work done. Needless to say, that was all that I could handle on my plate. It is nearly impossible to get anything done on a computer while holding/cuddling with Aiden because he loves to push all the buttons on the keyboard. His favorite buttons are the Spacebar, Escape, Enter and Delete; all which cause whatever you are working on to become altered or sent in a way that you really did not intend. So, if you ever receive any strange or half written emails/texts, you know that Aiden had a hand (or at least a little finger) in it. Aiden is doing better today, his fever broke and we are looking forward to seeing the family this weekend. Please keep us in your prayers, and know that whenever I miss a weigh-in it is not from lack of effort or desire, it is just one of those things that happens when you become a mom and your priorities have to shift taking precedence over your desire to keep a schedule. I am learning to take it all in stride and just appreciate when I am eventually able to get things done. :)

 My Little Trooper-Sick but still happy :)

Friday, January 18, 2013

Homemade Vanilla

This year one of my resolutions is to make more stuff in my home and life from scratch. I want to have more control over what we are putting into our body, and I get great satisfaction from creating things that I would normally buy.  Plus, homemade usually tastes and works better, in my opinion. I am a very busy person so I have set my minimum goal at one new thing from scratch per month. I am hoping that I will accomplish much more than one a month, but I know that it is a reasonable goal for my current lifestyle and demands on my time. 

For my first project of the year, I am making vanilla extract! Vanilla is so expensive, if I can make it at home for a fraction of the cost and have it be pure, that sounds perfect for me. It is a great launching point because it is relatively simple and low maintenance. I will update you on how it is going later on in the year. The longer it sits, the better it gets (or so I am told). When my vanilla has matured and become usable, I will post the recipe and steps I took. I don't want to share it until I am sure of the results. Wish me luck on this homemade journey I am taking this year, I look forward to sharing it with you! :)



January Homemade = Vanilla Extract

For some reason this will only post sideways.
This is a sort of before and after shot.
One full day has passed since I started making
my own vanilla extract and look at the incredible
change in color already! I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Eleven Months Old

Date: January 17, 2012
Weight: 23.6 pounds
Height:34.25 inches
I am finally hitting my stride after the holidays, getting back into the swing of the things. Aiden is finally starting to get a hang of this sleeping thing, but we still have a few sleepless nights. It is a good thing that he is so cute, it is the only way I could get through all these sleepless months with a smile on my face. Today marks the last "month" birthday before Aiden is 1 year old. I often remark at the passage of time and it's expediency, and today will be no different. I have no idea where the past 11 months have gone! As Aiden starts to take his first steps, I feel as though it marks the end of the beginning of his "baby" days. This is a time that I will never get back, but I am so blessed to have had. I count myself truly lucky to be able to stay home with my little man, I know that many mothers do not have the same luxury. As the months roll by, Aiden continues to grow both physically and in his personality. He is one of the biggest flirts I have ever seen! Most people instantly smile and gush over him, but on the rare occasion they are not aware of him, he works to get their attention! Every day he claps more, smiles more, laughs more, learns more and I am (clapping, smiling, laughing and) loving every minute of it. I am truly blessed.



Uncle Matthew is a Drag! :) Miss him already!!

My Little Reader!! Love Him!!

Monday, January 14, 2013

Murder, She Wrote

I am going to make this brief and let the video speak for itself. I am hoping that this brings a smile to an otherwise mundane Monday. My little man loves to dance to pretty much all music, but he is particularly fond of the "Murder, She Wrote" theme song! :)


Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Gettin Back to the Blog



Date: January 9, 2012
Weight: 23.4 pounds
Height: 34 inches
First off, I want to apologize for my poor showing in the blog world in the month of December. It was pretty much a non-stop whirlwind and I did not have time to document my adventures as much as I would have liked. Despite being unable to update you here, we had an amazing Christmas season. I have much to be thankful for and if last year is any indication of this year, I am expecting another amazing and adventurous year.Last year brought a lot of new things including: a new state, a new job(for both Dave and myself), a new house(rental but I still love it!), and a new baby. Actually, a lot of new things were introduced last year but I am just listing those specifically linked to the three of us. (We have a lot of family that had children last year as well.) I was thinking about doing a year in reflection post, but that is going to take a little time and I don't want the blog to be put on hold for any more time. Just something for all of you to look forward to! Christmas and New Years was fantastic, and I really enjoyed seeing Aiden meet/interact with his uncle Matthew for the first time. I will try to work on a makeup blog over the weekend. Until then, I hope you enjoy some of these pictures from our Christmas vacation in California! :)


Aiden with his rocking horse from Santa!

Look at those teeth marks! 4 teeth at the time!

Shirt says "All you want for Christmas is me"-Very true! :)

Aiden with me and my siblings aka his uncles!!