Book Worm

"Okay Mom, today we're reading about a sheep"

"Are you paying attention?!"

Aiden loves books, he's got several bookshelves worth of board books, foam books and even some mutilated paper books. For a while now he's been enjoying climbing into our lap for a story, which is a relief because it took him a while to have any interest in sitting still long enough to hear one. Lately, he's been taking them out of our hands and reading to us (by reading I mean long winded babbling with an occasional serious glance in our direction to make sure we're paying attention. He also likes to show us the pictures).

His interest in books is so satisfying because Sean and I are huge nerds, and we both have a passion for books. Case in point: before Aiden was born Sean kept having boxes and boxes of books sent to the house, filled with shrink wrapped collector's editions of every classic novel you can imagine, for when Aiden was old enough to read them. That, and we came across a Walter Cronkite history of the Nuremburg Trials last night on PBS and cursed our luck that it wasn't on a Friday night because we had to go to bed and couldn't watch all of it. So basically, Aiden has no hope because nerdy tendencies run on both sides of the family.

Speed Demon

Scoot...scoot...scoot

This is a video of Aiden scooting about on his car (pardon my unflattering snorting laugh in the background). It's one of those convertible toys that started out as a walker but folds up into a car. Aiden's legs have probably always been too long for it (he's in the 16th percentile for weight, and the 75th for height. The doctor always takes his measurements and then says very seriously "Well...he's what we call lanky") and while can push himself around, he has to sort of use his upper body to get momentum and then splay his legs out a bit to go side to side.

We can't help but laugh and laugh when we watch him on this. He likes to make the noises for the car and sits there going "Brrrrr brrrr brrrr" like he's in the Indy 500.

Hot Temprature, Bad Temperment

Hazy, Hot and Humid

It's been about 90 degrees all afternoon. The weather people swear that today is the last day of the heat wave, the rest of the week will be cool and breezy. I enjoyed the warmth, but I think I may be the only one here who did. The summer is the only time Sean is ever grumpy, he hates the heat and the allergies and lethargy of oppressive temperatures. Aiden has had a rough couple of days too, he hasn't napped well and has been trying to climb up everything (the radiator to the windowsill, the stroller, the backs of the chairs) which in turn has put me on alert trying to pry him down before he hurts himself. The worst time of day has to be late in the afternoon, when Sean is walking in the door after dealing with a packed, sweaty subway commute, I'm standing over the hot stove and Aiden has just about used up all the patience his little body can muster. This combination of things has us all on edge and standing in front of the air conditioner is about the only thing that helps.

We are ready to go back to enjoying spring and letting summer take it's time. Hopefully, by the time the weather is this warm again we'll be back home, near the pool, with lemonade.

War Wounds

Here's Aiden, attempting to wedge himself beneath the coffee table, which physics says is impossible. It's stuff like this that earns him all of the bumps and bruises he's been getting lately. This weekend, while at the playground, he got his first skinned knee. He didn't even seems to notice, he was a little shaken but got back up and wanted to get right into the dirt and gravel while I tried to wipe down his bloody knee.

These past few days have been record breakingly hot, and we've spent a lot of time chasing this sweaty guy all over the park. He comes home dirty, grimy and now with a bandaid on his knee. All of these things are making my little guy look less and less like a baby, and more like a little boy. It's so exciting to see him grow and gain confidence and curiosity, but I still love to seem him waddling around in his diaper, all clean after a bath and ready to curl up with his blankie.

Playdate!

After a wonderful (if a little bit on the warm side) weekend in Brooklyn, June has been kind enough to allow me to post. Just wanted to share a few of my favorites from the over 100 hundred photos I took of my favorite little guy.
Enjoy,
Laura
(The Godmother)

Roughhousing

Yesterday three of my best friends arrived to spend the weekend with us. Aiden was in heaven with all of the new people to play with. Here's a video of him being a little monster with Laura:

A List

Here he is mauling his penguin, waiting for you to get closer so he can do it to you too.

A List of Things That Aiden Has Done This Week That Drove Me Crazy, But Will Seem Funny Later On

1. Quietly started scrubbing the tiles with his toothbrush
2. Collected everyone's muddy shoes into a pile....on the bed
   
3. Threw his Lion King Book into the toilet
4. Waited until I was straining hot pasta to turn his cup upside down and stare at me while it drained all over the floor
5. Stuck his hand in wet bird poo

Just Like Daddy

Aiden has definetly decided that Daddy is his favorite, at least for right now. In the morning when he first wakes up we hear him in his crib saying "Daddy! Daddy! Dad Dad Dad!". He sits on the bed while Sean gets ready for work and then when he's putting on his shoes Aiden is right there next to him getting his own sneakers and trying to follow Sean out the door. From the minute he comes back home right up until bed time Aiden follows him like a puppy. I would be jealous but it's just so cute.

Tag

Daddy's legs are 'safety' when we play tag.

Grocery Shopping

Last night, while making dinner, Aiden decided he finally wanted some attention and kept dropping his Duplo trucks at my feet to let me know exactly what it was he wanted to play. Of course he had to wait until I was elbow deep in raw chicken to decide I'm a worthy play mate, and I tried to find something he could play with in the kitchen without actually needing my assistence. I handed him a paper bag (which I know doesn't sound like a very good toy) and without any prompting he opened it up, headed for the cupboard and started filling it like he was grocery shopping. It was so funny to watch him imitate Sean and I like this, and after he was done I went over to see what he had picked out: four containers of grape jelly and one can of tuna.

Aversion Tactics

Always searching for places that mommy and daddy will not fit.

Aiden has recently discovered a multitude of new ways to avoid doing what we want him to. Usually we just resort to picking him up and moving him, but after sixteen months of success that measure is starting to fail us. Whenever we tell him it's time for a diaper change, or that it's nap time or that we need to put shoes on, he's starting hiding behind the crib, or slipping under the table or barracading himself in the Yookidoo. Sean and I then have to hunker down and try and wrangle him out of his hiding place much like someone trying to get their cat from under the bed. He has delighted in discovering that there are places we just can't get to very easily. However, the most effective trick he's learned so far is going limp: you'll be wrestling with his thrashing twenty two pound body and will finally have gotten a hold of him when he just transforms into jelly and slips right out of your hands.

'Nanner Puss

Enjoying a banana, and looking a bit like a monkey.

Bright and Sunshiny Day

Yesterday was one of the nicest days we've had so far in Brooklyn. It was about seventy five and sunny. You could tell that everyone was excited about the weather, since usually no one is out before 11am and yesterday by nine everyone was out strolling. I was just excited to see Aiden in his new shorts.

We packed a lunch and had a picnic in the park, along with everyone else in the neighborhood it seemed. There were people out playing games, having picnics and walking their dogs. Aiden loved being out in the warm weather with so many fun things to see and do.

Bonus

Since there were a few people who were sad there was no post yesterday (I had a stomach flu) I posted this extra clip to make up for it. Here he is jumping on our bed (after having ravaged the covers) totally unaware I was there with the camera. When he saw me he pretty much launched himself at me, which isn't unusual for him, and although the ending looks precarious I promise no cameras or babies were injured.


I am very certain this is exactly what he'll do when he sees Laura next weekend.

Mirror Mirror

Here he is checking himself out after his bath. He's consistently amazed at how handsome and clever he is.

Duplo Trucks

Tractor-trailer rollover on the coffee table...it doesn't look like the driver's going to make it.

I was trying to get a photo of Aiden because he had been playing to quietly and concentrating so hard on his trucks. The minute the shutter snapped his truck flipped over and the whole picture ended up a little blurry, but his expression was so priceless I kept it anyway.

Babbling

A Conversation With Aiden After Dinner

The Clothes Issue

When Aiden was first born, and I still naively believed in reading all of the parenting books, they kept saying that eventually children become interested in getting dressed and will want to help you dress them. This is just plain untrue, at least in Aiden's case. I know he'll eventaully learn to dress himself, but until then it is a constant battle and he frequently runs around half out of a shirt because Sean and I, two adults who are much bigger and stronger and hopefully smarter than this toddler, cannot manage to get him dressed in one go. Finally, once the shirt is on, we go for the pants. Usually there is so much wiggling and wrestling and flailing of limbs that he ends up with two legs in one leg hole, looking at us like we are just the most incompetent individuals he's ever had to deal with.

So this morning, I let him win, at least for a little while. He played Legos pants-less while I made breakfast and devised a better strategy for tackling the bottom half of the clothes debacle. As of right now, he's wearing pants, but eventually he'll have to change into pajamas and I'm tired just thinking about it.

Hey! Look Over There While I Throw Stuff On The Ground!

The Epic Naps

Grandma and Aiden
This picture is from a visit in February, but seemed appropriate since it is of them snuggling after a nap, and napping is about all he did today.

Last night we finally got around to installing a heavier shade over Aiden's window, as he's been waking up at six thirty with the sun rise. He still woke up at six thirty, but he went back to sleep after Sean left for work and slept until ten thirty! I was surprised but figured he needed the rest. Well, after he ate lunch he started getting sleepy again, so I laid him in his crib thinking he might just rest for a bit without really napping, but alas, he slept for four hours more.

I think it was a combination of the pitch black in his room and the fact that it was once again pouring rain, and Brooklyn is much quieter in the rain.

When I told my mom this on the phone she asked "Well why didn't you wake him up?!". I don't know, waking a sleeping baby always seems like shaking a bottle of soda and opening the cap. Just don't do it. Not to mention I was way too busy enjoying the blissful silence to realize just how much time had passed.

Aiden seems to have enjoyed his ridiculously long naps today, and I'm thinking that the worst case scenario is that he's up all night. Luckily Sean's home so it'll be his turn.

Action Packed

Now imagine a soundtrack of "Ohhh!" "Woooow!" and the constant thudding of his fork against plastic.

We're back in Brooklyn after a long and lovely Easter visit with our family. The weather was a little chilly, and we were living out of our suitcases in a house with no furniture (since we've moved it all down here) but it was so wonderful to be near everyone. Plus, Aiden loved being able to make all of the noise he wanted, whenever he wanted, as opposed to apartment living where you try not to cough too loudly lest your neighbors complain.

We knew we'd been missing home, especially now that the weather is getting warmer and we have no front lawn for Aiden to play on. However, when we finally arrived there and had two whole days of visiting our friends and family we realized that we truly hope to come back and give Aiden a future there. So much, including jobs and housing, are still up in the air, but with Sean and I graduating, and the wedding coming up, we are working harder to figure what we can do to make sure Aiden has the opportunity to grow up in a good community near his family, the way we did.

Interior Design, Courtesy of Aiden

We will frequently find a random piles of toys in the strangest places. We've had a Duplo truck in our spice drawer, a beach ball in the cabinet next to the pasta, board books carefully tucked under the covers on our bed and many other little surprises.

We are just now starting to collect items on our wedding registry, and these little piles of toys we find have inspired us to pick out more colorful dishes/towels/decorations then we ever would have chosen if Aiden weren't around. I figure we can either spend twenty out of twenty four hours in the day picking up his stuff and carting back to his room, or we can adapt and accept that these are little inevitable reminders that we have a child, and a least feel comforted by the fact that the Yookidoo playhouse will match the dining room placemats.

He's So Excited, He Just Can't Hide It

This is a taste of 6pm at our home and the 15 or so seconds between when Daddy unlocks the door, takes off his shoes and makes it up the stairs. I just have to point out that many dog owners will recognize that their pet greets them in a very similar fashion.

Clothing Optional, Pt. 2

Whatcha Lookin' At?

Upon entering my darling son's room to retrieve him from his nap, I realized he had shimmied out of his pants at some point between when he woke up and when I got to his room. Should I start worrying?

Snuggle

A rare moment of serenity.

Airing Our (Clean) Laundry

Last night, as Sean and I scrambled to finish our various tasks, we realized at about 11pm that we'd forgotten to get the laundry from the basement dryer. No problem, we figured, it's probably extra dry and fluffy now. Well, Sean came back up from the basement with an entire laundry basket full of soaking wet clothes. Apparently, the dryer had broken AGAIN and I ended up hanging our whole load of clothes throughout the apartment. Aiden woke up to a veritable jungle, with jeans and towels and tee shirts and socks hanging from every available space.

I was worried he'd see the new decorations and starting yanking them down as fast as he could, but instead he wandered around staring at them and then staring at me like "Is this a new holiday? Trees for Christmas, Pumpkins for Halloween and Laundry for Tuesdays?".

Hangin' Out

This is pretty much what we've been doing all day. Now that it's April we're looking at a whole weeks worth of showers coming our way, and I'm scrambling to think of fun things to do indoors. Luckily, the drizzly overcast weather is highly conducive to napping and Aiden is catching up on some sleep time. I'm hoping that the weather is better upstate this weekend so that Aiden can actually enjoy the backyard and the playground.

The VERY BUSY DAY

Daddy made breakfast

So, today we crammed in every fun thing we could think of since yesterday was so unbearably windy that we ended up staying in. After Sean made everyone a delicious breakfast we all walked up to Prospect Park, which was beautiful and green. It seemed like everyone was out enjoying the weather.

At Prospect Park

Aiden spent an excellent twenty minutes throwing things into a very deep puddle we came across. He also chased every bird, squirrel and dog he could see and wandered all over the place while we marveled at how steady on his feet he's become.

Grand Army Plaza

Finally we walked up to Grand Army Plaza and got hotdogs, which I've been dying to do since the weather got warm, it's the quintessential New York lunch. We walked back home and stopped for ice cream too, because heck, it was just that nice out.

Finally we had to take my mom to grand central to catch her train, and after that we wandered around mid-town for a little and rode back to Brooklyn. Altogether, it was a very long, very fun day. We already miss grandma but will be back upstate on Thursday for the Easter weekend.

Here's Looking At...

YOU!

Grandma's here, and it's been hours of fun. Even though it ended up being a very windy day, and too chilly for the park, we've been playing lots of games inside. Hopefully tomorrow the sun comes out and we can go into Manhatten for a little trip.

How Many Stamps Mom???

Trying to mail himself to grandma's. Luckily, she's coming to visit tomorrow. It's supposed to be a gorgeous weekend, and the park is officially opening so I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun. We actually visited the park this afternoon and Aiden met a little girl named Jasmine. I can already tell he's going to be a ladykiller since she came right up, gave him her bundle of sticks, and ran her little hands through his hair.

Ouchy

Here's Aiden showcasing the big red bump he got from banging his head on the crib yesterday.

Baby Kisses

At least he hasn't tried this on any of the girls at the playground yet.

Taking a Time Out

This usually happens late in the afternoon after I've exhausted all of my magical mom tricks to keep him entertained. I make a cup of coffee and Aiden gets a cracker and we lay around for a half hour or so listening to Van Morrison or even (gasp) watching Curious George. It's a really nice time of day when we both just take a little break and let ourselves be lazy.