Darn

I woke up with a cold this morning, and I'm not the only one; Aiden is a touch sniffly, too, though you wouldn't really know it from the photo. Mike's at boxing, and I don't really feel like doing much other than lay around and browse the internet. Hope you're all enjoying your weekend and feeling better than I am. :)

Which One's the Monkey?

Not What I Was Hoping For

Today finally arrived--the day for us to see Dr. Brown for a weight check. I was a bit nervous as Aiden reverted back to his refusal to eat this weekend. I want to blame it on his upper teeth (one has FINALLY come through, and you can see the other three), but that seems like a cop-out for some reason. He had been doing SO WELL for a week there...but no more. Anyways, Aiden (who may I just tell you is in a horrible mood today) sat down on that scale, and the nurse cheerfully read "17 pounds 3 ounces." My heart sank a little. I know it's good that he's gained weight as opposed to lost it, but the only thing my brain was telling me was that's not even a pound in 6 weeks. Dr. Brown talked to me a bit and offered suggestions, such as giving him things you wouldn't normally expect to give a baby--like hummus--and to keep offering him new things while Mike & I are eating our meals. He also said to call him at the beginning of March, and if the situation hasn't improved, we'll probably need to have a dietary evaluation at Children's Hospital. OUCH. So at this point I'm pretty much trying my best not to freak out. It also doesn't help that Aiden refused his Pediasure (which he usually LOVES) after we got home. *SIGH*
In happier Aiden news (actually I guess it depends on who you talk to), Aiden got his first bona fide haircut yesterday, ala PooPoo. We were visiting my folks for my brother's birthday (Happy 25th, John!), and I had mentioned to her the day before that it was probably time to trim it up a bit. Now I was just slightly in love with his bed-head look, so when Mom lopped off the first tuft of hair--and it was more than 2 INCHES LONG--I almost hyperventilated. I guess I didn't realize his scruffy look meant so much to me. I'm sure I'll get used to this new cut, but right now I'm stifling the urge to ask my mom if she can mail me what she chopped off so I can figure out a creative way to glue it back to his head.
So next up for today is my turn at the doctor's; hopefully she can tell me that my blood pressure is going down, why my heart feels like it's fluttering randomly, and whether or not I have arthritis/carpal tunnel/etc. in my right hand. I'm sure hoping this week gets better...

A Visit from "Aunt" Courtney

We were lucky enough to FINALLY get together last night with one of my bestest buds--Ms. Courtney. Since we have opposite schedules, and then sometimes life in general gets in the way, it took awhile for us to hook up, but it was well worth the wait because we finally got to exchange Christmas presents! Aiden especially loves his new Leap Frog guitar--that is, if he can get it away from me! I know I'm a big dork, but it's awful fun to pretend to be rockin' out on a plastic guitar that's singing nursery rhymes in Spanish :)
Not much else going on here other than that; we're hoping to head up to the 'field on Sunday so Aiden can visit with PaPa & PooPoo since we haven't been there since Christmas. I really hate that these visits are so governed by the weather this time of year--just another reason snow, cold & I don't get along--but I guess there's nothing to be done about that. :)

I Promise...

...to stop messing with the look of my blog.*


*At least until next month.

:)

The doctor warned me this might happen...

...and thank goodness he was right! It seems that somehow in the past five days, the proverbial light bulb has gone off for Aiden; he's actually eating--and more importantly WANTING to eat--his food! I've been crossing my fingers nervously that this will continue, and I've even thought about not saying anything so as not to jinx the happy development, but after five days I'm thinking it's not just a fluke anymore! WHAT A RELIEF! I guess we'll see just how far he's come after we go to his weigh-in next Monday.
In other happy news, Aiden also seems to have figured out the ever-elusive sippy cup. Even though he continually refused to drink from it, I offered it to him randomly, so you can imagine my surprise this evening when he took if from me, threw his head back and started to drink! Happy Day!
I leave you with a photo of my two favorite guys after this evening's bath time--enjoy!!!

Ice-Skating

When Mike & I first met and started dating in January 2004, one of our favorite things to do was go ice-skating at Ohio State's rink. With Mike's love of hockey, he was a pretty decent skater. I had never been before, but years of roller-skating as a kid helped me figure it out for the most part; I just couldn't figure out how to stop, so I ended up running into walls a lot. It was a great activity to help us get to know and trust one another, though, and we really loved those memories. We hadn't gone in almost 3 years, but recently we both talked about how we should, and last night happened to be a perfect night. We were both a bit rusty, and the rink was pretty crowded, but we managed okay. I loved the opportunity for some one-on-one time with my husband! I'm excited to go back out and try again, and I also look forward to the days when Aiden is old enough for us to go skating as a family! :)

Scooter!

As promised, here is the long-awaited, gee-Aiden-can-move-now video! I must admit that it's probably only exciting to me. There's also a lot of his chatter in this, so consider it a two-for-one. Enjoy!
scoots from Kimberly Cotter on Vimeo.

I am soooo NOT a snow person...

This is the view of the corner from our front porch--part of the 5 inches of snow that has fallen today in C-bus (with more on the way). God I hate this crap. When it starts to snow, I am instantly in a BAAAAAAAD mood. One might ask why I live in Ohio if I hate it so much, and to that I'd respond I've been asking myself that question a lot lately. But I tried living out-of-state once and it didn't go so well (that and I couldn't stand Purdue fans). So I guess I'll just have to stay here and deal with it. With my arms folded across my chest and a firm scowl on my face.
To add insult to injury, it's supposed to be C-O-L-D tomorrow on my forced day off with Aiden, so I guess I won't be taking him to see the ladies at work. No biggie; I'll just stay here and cuddle with my little guy. Maybe the snow isn't so bad after all...

Ten Months Old

We're in uncharted territories now--double-digit months for Aiden's age! What a crazy & fun ride it's been so far. We've had a lot of developments hit us seemingly all at once in the past month! (And I want to throw in a brief shout-out to Aunt Megan for supplying Aiden's outfit for this month's update--he was soooooo cuddly wearing this yesterday, so thanks, Santa Megan!)

Aiden at 10 months:
--As of last week, I can't leave Aiden alone to sit and play quietly anymore; somehow, the little fart figured how to go forward. Now he's not exactly crawling--he really only picks up one knee and then kinda drags the other leg behind him--but it gets the job done, and it makes him deliriously happy. I'm finding that if I turn my back for even a second, he's made is way to some part of the living/dining room that he's never ventured before, and thus a place I haven't exactly baby-proofed yet. So he's definitely keeping me on my toes. I'll try to get a video posted soon, but I'm at the mercy of a very bad internet connection.
--Along with mobility came Aiden's first boo-boo; you can't really see it in the pictures, but he bumped his right eye against a piece of furniture the other night and had quite the lump going. He cried for a bit, but then seemed to forget about it.
--Another thing to check off the list is that Aiden can get himself into a sitting position from laying position; he also is getting much better at landing on his butt when he's falling down from a standing position. Little developments can mean so much!
--We still stand at just the two bottom teeth as of today, but his two upper front teeth are visible, and it's a wonder they haven't popped out yet!
--The Battle of Eating rages on. Everytime I think I'm getting a handle on what's causing Aiden's dislike for food or formula, he changes the rules on me, so it's been pretty rough and kinda shakes my confidence as a mom. I guess it wouldn't be so bad if he didn't spit things back in my face--I'd do better with just a clamped jaw--but we continue to try. Hopefully we'll hear good news at Aiden's weight check-up in a few weeks.
--This kid is chatty, to say the least! He loves to mimic sounds, too; sometimes I'll say "Ewwwww!" while changing a dirty diaper, and he'll smile at me and say it right back! He also likes to explore the upper range of his voice, which is pretty funny :)
--Last night, I set Aiden down amongst his toys so I could go get something in the next room, and he started crying immediately. I stayed a moment to rub his back (he's been fighting a cold and hasn't been feeling well), and for the first time, he reached his little arms towards me for a hug. I pretty much melted. :)

So there you have it--Aiden at a whopping ten months. We've still got a few hills to climb and battles to fight, but Mike & I are so proud of everything our little buddy has accomplished up to this point. We're trying our best to savor these moments as they seem to be flying by, but we're excited for the future, too!

Picture Tag

I saw this picture tag thing on Facebook and thought it would be fun to try here instead, so bear with me!!!



This stunning work of art was on my desk when Mike & I returned from our belated honeymoon in March of 2007. We went on a cruise to the Bahamas--aboard the now-defunct Sovereign of the Seas--and considering it was only a few weeks after we suffered our miscarriage, we had an absolutely fantastic time (Mike still gets teary when he talks about it). I guess to commemorate this momentous occasion, Angie & Ginger thought it appropriate to create this life-like rendition to cheer me up after a sad return to cold Ohio. I haven't see this picture in FOREVER--my favorite details are the pipe-cleaner sunbathers and the realistic ocean water!

The rules of a picture tag:
1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer.

2) Select the 4th picture in the folder.

3) Explain the picture.

4) Tag 4 people to do the same. NO CHEATING! (cropping, editing, etc!)

So Angie, Megan, Sara, and Emily, consider yourselves tagged!

A Small Dose of Inspiration

My mom is so talented--if you want proof, check her out here. Not long after Aiden was born, I saw this saying on a wooden sign on a Web site, and asked my mom if she could make me a pillow. Lo and behold, I finally got my pillow on Christmas Eve! It actually is a small dose of inspiration, especially with Aiden's recent eating issues. I know the phrase will take on different meetings as he gets older, but right now it just soothes my nerves a bit. So thanks, Mom--better late than never :)

The Thinker

More Teeth on the Way

Poor Aiden. We've all been having some rough times in recent weeks because the poor booger is trying his best to pop some more teeth out. I'm convinced that's the biggest cause for his poor (read: NO) appetite. Eating solids is quite the battle, but I think he's getting better with it; I've seen a lot less spitting, and even though he lets me know he's not exactly thrilled, he eventually eats everything (well, mostly--he would much rather have fruits as opposed to veggies). Aiden has also recently decided he is NOT a jarred baby food fan, so I got him a little food grinder, and he's been much more welcoming of the fresh stuff I mash up. The most annoying thing is that he's so off-and-on, though; one day he'll eat food but won't touch formula, and the next day it's the exact opposite. I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle, but I'm marching on.

As you can see in the photo, nothing is off limits for Aiden to chew on right now; socks seem to be especially enticing! And his cheeks have taken on the rosy shade again, which is exactly what happened before his two bottom teeth made their debut. I can actually see two little nubbies on his top gums that are without a doubt the culprit of all this pain. I'm crossing my fingers they get here soon!