Milestones

Aidan is really getting into imaginative pretend play. He has been going around saying he is a Space Ranger, like Buzz Lightyear in the movie ToyStory. He pretends to hit a button on his chest (like buzz lightyear) and puts his wings (arms) up in the air. Then he politely asks for permission to "fly" around the house. Then when he's done flying he presses the button again and his arms go down. He does it with sound effects and all. Then he presses another button and he says "Buzz Lightyear to a rescue!" He is sooo funny. He also enjoys playing the Memory game and Don't Spill the Beans. Aidan is also learning to actually play with other kids, not just parallel play. Aidan enjoyed playing "Treasure Hunt", a game made up by our friend's daughter Emma, who is 4 1/2. He is also beginning to remember people and places, more and more

Aidan is now fascinated with letters. He knows most of his letters and loves to spell words all of the time. He can even sweetly sing the ABC song. He loves to be read too. Daddy set up the fish tank in Aidan's room. He loves having them in there. Every night before bed, he says "night fishies, sweet dreams" He is fascinated by the two baby mollies that have appeared.

Aidan can now count to 20. He is starting to understand basic addition and subtraction. He will count his cheerios, eat one, and then count again to see how many he has. He is really starting to enjoy story time. We go on Wednesdays to the First Colony branch and again on Thursdays to George Memorial. He likes the one at George Memoiral best because Ms. Susan the librarian brings out a slide after story time and a bubble machine for the kids to play with. He also loves to play with all the puppets. But he especially likes all the singing and dancing during storytime. He has a blast.

Aidan has learned how to count to 8 this month. He says "one, two, hee, whore, hive, six, heaven, hate". Can you see a pattern here? He has this thing with H's! He sounds so cute when he counts. He's getting a little obsessive with it though. He counts everything! He absolutely loves to sing. He can sing along with "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Wheels on the Bus", and "5 Little Monkeys." And he's turned into a radio DJ in the car. He's quite particular about the music that is playing in the car and if a song comes on that he doesn't like, he says "No like this music." And he'll complain until you change the station!

Aidan is quickly turning into a big boy. He even likes to tell people that. "Mine a big boy." He says "mine" instead of "me" or "I." We're working on that. We also made the big move to Texas this month. Aidan got a little upset when the movers came to pack up the old house. He was concerned about all of his toys. He tried sneaking a few out of his room as the man was packing. He was afraid he wasn't going to see them again. He kept repeating "Race cars on big truck, new house" Staying in a hotel for a month was quite an adventure for all of us. Aidan learned how to climb out of the porta-crib while we were there. That prompted us to buy a new "BIG BOY" bed for Aidan. It is going to be a custom made cowboy bed, complete with Texas stars and cow hide. Yee-haw!

Aidan is my little chatterbox. It is absolutely amazing to watch him learn to talk. He picks up new words and phrases everyday. Some of my favorite are: "Morning mommy", " wash-a-mooey" (watch a movie), "sit your booty down", "I do it", "Merry Dismas" (Merry Christmas). His favorite movie is Monsters, Inc. Whenever he sees a big truck he thinks it's Grandpa's truck, and he says "I see, I see, Auntpa's truck!" Santa Claus was very good to Aidan this year. He received a Thomas the Tank Engine train set, race cars, little people, matchbox cars, and a big Hess truck with working lights. He loves it!

Aidan is really enjoying his little sis. Aidan and Fiona are actually starting to play with each other now. The cutest is when Aidan makes Fiona laugh. Those sweet moments melt my heart. Aidan is still fascinated with cars, both big and small. He can spot Mustangs from a mile away..."Mustang Daddy's!!"

I can't even write down all the new words Aidan has. He's had a vocabulary explosion. He even has a lot of 3 word sentences too. We have to be really careful about what we say. The little bugger repeats EVERYTHING! Aidan turned 2 this month!!! He loved blowing out the candles on his cake, over and over and over again!!! Happy Birthday, my love!

New words: door, key, seeds, pruned (he says this when his fingers get all wrinkly after a bath), shoes, Daisy, Ness (Guiness), bite, blue, doo (two). If you ask him how old he's going to be, he puts up his whole hand and says "doo". He can "neigh" like a horse. He can also say "sis" for Fiona. It finally happened. He learned how to say "No." It was cute for the first two days, then it wasn't! By the end of the month, he learned how to say belly, blue jeans, bright, ick, gross, and bushaloe (buffalo). He also said his first sentence, "bless you sis." Favorite toys are still matchbox cars and the bubble mower. Aidan celebrated his 2nd birthday this month. We had a little birthday party for him while we were in New York. Aunt Denise made him a "Bob the Builder" birthday cake. He loved blowing out the birthday candles and all of his presents!

Aidan has a lot of new words. Dee-Dee's (McDonald's), more, oh no, blue, vroooom, mine, bob-bob (spongebob squarepants), wa-wa (water), moo (moon), dar (star). Funny story about McDonald's...whenever we drive past one, Aidan gets all excited and yells "Dee-Dee's." If we tell him to put his shoes on at home and say we are going out, he automatically assumes we are going to McDonalds! He loves to make sounds effects with his matchbox cars. He makes siren noises with his police cars and fire trucks. He's just a little sponge lately. And he loves to "moooo" like a cow! Aidan received his birthday present a little early. Daddy bought him a huge battery operated Power Wheels Monster Truck. It is huge!

Aidan likes to copy the latest Dell computer commercial. In it, a kid strokes his fingers on his chin and says "hmmm." Whenever that commercial is on TV, Aidan immediately starts stroking his chin with his fingers. If you ask him if something tastes good, he says "mmmmmm!" He has some new words...bubbles, Bob (as in Bob the Builder), down.

Aidan is a big help around the house. He loves to help mommy dust, sweep, and throw things away. He takes great pride in throwing away his and Fiona's diapers when mommy is done changing them. He especially loves to console Fiona when she is upset. Whenever she cries, Aidan comes over and pats her ever so gently on her tummy. Grandma Lane came to visit this month. We had a great time. We took Aidan and Fiona to the Baton Rouge Zoo.

We took the kids on a camping trip for Memorial Day up to Petit Jean State Park in Morrellville, Arkansas. He loved being outdoors, playing with worms, chasing daddy long legs, and swimming with Daddy. He had a blast! Grandma Lane also came to visit us for a week. Aidan loved going for walks in his wagon with Grandma. All of Aidan's canines are in and his 2 yr. molars are all just under the surface waiting to pop through. He had his 20 month checkup and he is now 25 lbs 4 oz and 35 inches tall. He is the 95th percentile for height. I hope he'll be tall like his Grandpa. He likes to say "wheeeee", "cheese", "bow-ing" (bowling), . He also does this new thing with shrugging his shoulders. So cute.

Noticed his first freckle. His favorite toy is a play ball. And if he could, he'd spend the entire day outside playing with them! He also loves bubbles. He's teething again. His canine teeth are trying to make their way through. Now signs of them yet, but Aidan has been chewing on his fingers and drooling like crazy.

Aidan now has all four molars in his mouth. He has learned how to play ring-around-the-rosey and London Bridge is falling down. He especially likes to climb through Mommy and Daddy's legs. He likes to imitate Daddy playing soccer by kicking his soccer ball all over the house. A future Pele??? maybe. He has added more words to his vocabulary. "Uh-oh", "ball", "pu-ease" (please), and "fish."

Aidan has shown great interest in all the presents that keep arriving. He loves to play with the ribbons and bows. We are hoping that he doesn't open any before Christmas! We put our Christmas tree up and so far Aidan has not touched any of the ornaments. He just runs up to the tree, touches it, and says "tree." Christmas Day: Looks like someone hijacked Santa's sleigh and brought ALL of his presents to OUR house! Aidan is one lucky kid! It took us 3 days to open all of the gifts. Aidan would get overwhelmed opening and playing with all the new toys. He really seems to enjoy his xylophone, Tonka trucks, telephone, and blocks. Aidan is getting so close to talking. He just jabbers all the time and carries on "conversations" with us. It won't be long! He can say "tree", "doggie", and "guhight" (light). He walks on his tip-toes all around the house and can even walk backwards! His first molar appeared on January 5th and the second one poked through on January 12th. The other two are not too far behind. He has been chewing on his hands and drooling constantly.

Aidan's new thing is barking at the dogs. He barks at our dogs, dogs in books, and dogs on TV. Should I be worried?!? He loves to play hide-and-go seek. His favorite places to hide are along side the bathroom vanity and in our bedroom near the closet. He just giggles when you "find" him! Loves to finger play itsy-bitsy spider. Likes to "honk" our noses and his nose too. He loves to mimic what we do. He "brushes" his hair and ours. And he loves to brush his teeth. Aidan got to ride on an airplane again. We went to visit Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Neal in Geneseo, NY for Thanksgiving. He had a great time.

First clapped his hands on October 19^th. Mary Rivas had taught him how to play the cymbals 2 days prior and he finally put it all together! Aidan went for his one year checkup on October15th. He got three immunizations. He weighed in at 22 lbs 9 oz (50%), 30 ¼ inches tall (75%), and an 18 inch head(50%)! Four days following his vaccinations, Aidan came down with his first fever. It was a reaction to the MMR vaccine. The next day he broke out in a measles-like rash, red bumps all over his trunk and face. It took 5 days to clear up. Poor baby. We also took him to have his 1 year portraits done at Allen Breaux Studios. He was a ham as usual and they turned out great! He no longer looks or acts like a baby. He's now a little boy. Aidan does the cutest thing. He runs in place when you say “run, run, run”. He got another tooth this month. His 7^th appeared on November 2^nd. Great-Grandma Stein came to visit us on November 1^st. It was the first time she saw you in person. She fell in love! We went to the Texas Renaissance Festival in Houston and you had a blast.

Aidan continues to walk better and better. We bought him his first pair of shoes on September 17, 2001 from Stride Rite. They are a pair of white sneakers. For the first few days of wearing them, Aidan would look down and watch his feet as he walked. He didn’t know what to make of those heavy things on his feet! Aidan also got his first bloody lip, a result of walking with a pacifier in his mouth, then proceeding to fall. Mommy and Daddy freaked out with the sight of blood but we got through it, barely! October 13^th!! Happy 1^st Birthday, my son. I am having a really hard time believing that you are one already. The most glorious year of my life flew by. You have gone from a vulnerable tiny newborn, to a most happy, playful little boy.

Aidan’s balance has been getting better the more he practices standing and walking. He even let go for the first time on August 15^th and stood alone for 5 seconds. He is eating only people food now. He has learned how to get himself into a seated position all on his own. Sometimes he surprises me in the morning by sitting up in his crib, big smile on his face, and ready to start the day. TOOK HIS FIRST STEPS ON SEPT. 13^th during our trip to San Antonio, TX. He had fun walking between Daddy and Mommy all night long!

Aidan loves to stand. That’s all he wants to do. He can cruise the furniture. When he reaches the end of the coffee table he reaches for our hands to help him navigate through the rest of the house. He now has his 2 upper teeth. The first one appeared on July 14^th and the second on July 21^st. He’s become a little disinterested in regular baby food. He has tried a lot of regular people food and seems to like most anything. He especially likes Daddy’s ice tea. On July 29, 2001, we found out that Aidan is going to be a big brother sometime next March. Daddy and I are excited. Aidan still is not crawling but he does manage to scoot a bit on his butt. At his 9 month check up he was 20lbs 10oz, 29 ½ inches long, with an 18 inch head. He’s growing up so fast.

Took first assisted steps on June 15th while holding onto Mommy's hands. Started pointing on July 12th. It's the cutest thing I have ever seen. He started it last night and I thought it was a fluke, but this morning all he's been doing is pointing and saying "uhhh" at everything he sees. I'm amazed. aidan and I flew to New York. It was his first plane ride and he did fabulously. He slept for most of the trip. Saw the Atlantic Ocean for the first time on June 20th.

He’s started saying Na-na. Loves to talk really loud and squeal like a dolphin. Had his first haircut on June 9^th. First sipped from a straw on June 12^th. His pincer grip has gotten really good. He’s been practicing by picking up Cheerios. He loves to feed himself. He still is not interested in crawling but he loves to stand. He’s learning how to pull himself up, but needs our help to do it. He’s learning to “walk” while holding onto our hands. He started to take his first assisted steps on June 15^th. Makes motor boat noises all the time and loves when you put your hand to his mouth to make Indian noises. Whenever he is tired or upset he waves his hands around in circles. He can move all over the kitchen in his walker, forward, backward, and sideways!

7 months old. Where has the time gone? Aidan got his second tooth on April 28^th. You can see both of his bottom teeth when he smiles. He looks so cute. He can sit really well now. I still keep a pillow behind him just in case he falls over. The hardwood floors are not very forgiving. Ouch! He has been eating more solid food now. Aidan has had peaches (yum!), pears (just ok), apricots (yum!), prunes (yum!), plums (just ok), sweet potatoes (yummy!), squash (yum!), sweet potatoes and corn medley (yum!), green beans (ick!), and peas (really icky!). He has been taking 2 solid naps now. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. He usually naps at least 45 minutes and sometimes 2 hours. He is learning how to wave “Bye-Bye”. He can pass toys from hand to hand, babbles non stop, rotates his wrist to look at a toy, drops toys and looks to see where they went and he can throw toys. He loves to fling Cheerios off the high chair. The dogs circle like sharks hoping to catch a few! He also gives big wet open-mouthed slobbery kisses!

6 months old today. He’s getting to be such a big boy. He is talking more. He’s added La-la, ba-ba, and “Da-Da” to his repertoire of sounds. His favorite plaything is the doorway jumper. He bounces, squeals, and giggles with delight! He is also beginning to sit unsupported. He lasts a few minutes then topples over when reaching for a toy. But the biggest news is that Aidan cut his first tooth on April 8^th. His right bottom tooth is poking through. It looks like the one next to it will be making an appearance soon. He handled teething pretty well. There was a lot of drool and endless chewing on EVERYTHING. He has been sleeping better at night. Asleep by 9:00pm and sleeps all night until 7:00ish.

He can now roll both front to back and from back to front. He is beginning to realize that he can reach what he wants if he rolls to it. He is enjoying his walker and can even make it move. He said “mama” for the first time on March 6th. Aidan has tried rice cereal with bananas and applesauce it in to make it more palatable but he doesn’t seem to like it. Aidan has such a hearty laugh and is a very HAPPY baby. He sleeps from 10pm to 8 am waking once or twice to eat. And he only takes a few catnaps of 10-15 minutes during the day.

Aidan has changed so much in the last few weeks. He laughs. He's rolling over, grasping for toys with both hands, and he even learned how to make "raspberries!" It is so cute! Spit goes flying everywhere! He's even trying to sit up on his own. He loves it when you help him to sit up then he manages to get his feet underneath him and springs up and stands! And he stays there for about 15-20 seconds until his legs give out. He is almost big enough for his exersaucer. Aidan went on his first big trip to New York. We drove with Aidan, the dogs, and us!

Aidan’s umbilical cord stump finally fell off after 5 weeks on November 16th. He had his first tub bath on November 17th. Since birth, he has had good control of his head, but it’s even better now. He likes to be held facing out so he can see the world. He doesn’t take to being cradled like a newborn. Took Aidan to the Pediatrician on Nov. 15^th for a rash on his back and chest. Turned out to be prickly heat. I guess I've been dressing my fella a little too warmly. Either that or he's just hot blooded like his daddy. I talked to the doc about Aidan's diaper rash that wasn't getting better. It's thrush but on his tushie. Fortunately my nipples are not affected and Aidan has no signs of thrush in his mouth. Being treated with Nystatin cream.

Highlights: His first car ride was on October 14^th, the drive home from the hospital. His first outing was to Albertson’s grocery store on October 15^th. Aidan smiles in his sleep and when he toots, but smiled his first real smile at Daddy on November 7^th. Coos/talks to his “friends”, the Winne the Pooh characters on his mobile. He falls asleep when he dances with Daddy. Daddy’s favorite song to play for him is “I’m going hungry” by Temple of the Dog. (see the “Notes” for the reason!) Grandpa Lepsis and Aunt Denise traveled from NY to see Aidan for the first time on October 31^st.

Notes: Aidan had his first visit to the emergency room when he was just 4 days old. He cried incessantly for 6 hours and was only consolable when nursing. We suspected something was wrong. It turns out that our little man was hungry. My milk never came in. We went to see Paula, the lactation consultant at Women’s and Children’s Hospital, on October 19^th. She did a pre-feeding weight check and a post-feeding weight check. After 35 minutes of nursing, Aidan only took in 12 cc’s of breast milk. He should’ve received 30-40 cc’s. I was prescribed Reglan to help induce lactation and also rented a hospital grade breast pump to encourage my milk to come in. We supplemented with formula until my supply became adequate, at about 3 ½ weeks.