Daddy's Clone at 5 Months

Aidan is 5 months old and there may not be another picture where he will so closely resemble his Daddy. That is because Aidan is wearing one of Kyle's shirts from when Kyle was a baby. Grandma Finn saved a box full of baby clothes that were in great shape and gave them to us when Aidan was born. He is just starting to fit into some of them and I couldn't help but fall in love with this Oscar the Grouch t-shirt. We even got compliments at the YMCA on how cute it was. I'm sure we will have many more cute retro-baby pics as Aidan gets bigger and starts fitting into more of Kyle's old baby clothes.

Another Day At The Beach

For Grandpa and Nana's final day in Minnesota we went to the beach here in town. It was pretty chilly in the morning, so we didn't end up going until late in the afternoon. There weren't many people there and we had our choice of spots to sit. Aidan sat right down in the water, scooped up a handful of wet sand and tried to shove it in his mouth. Oh joy, the days of constantly watching him have begun.

Aidan and Nana enjoying the beach

After the beach we quick cleaned up and headed out to dinner with Grandpa and Grandma Finn. Aidan was a model baby and the waitstaff kept coming over to see him and tell us about their kids. He'd had his fill of being good about the time we were boxing up dinner, so I took him outside to watch the fountain. That soothed him and we got to take grandparent pictures.

Nana, Grandpa, and Aidan

Little Sailor Boy

Aidan's Grandparents

MN State Fair

On Monday we packed up and took Grandpa and Nana to experience the Minnesota State Fair. We had been prepping them that it really was all about food, but somehow I don't think they understood. Until we got there. For anyone who has never been, the streets are literally lined one right after another with food vendors. My mom said it's not like any state fair she's been to before. (where the focus is agriculture, animals, and the exhibit buildings) Nope, the Minnesotans love their fried food, and every year there is something new and wacky to try on a stick. This year's new items were chocolate covered bacon on a stick and homemade tater-tots on a stick. We didn't get to the bacon stand, but we did try the homemade tater-tots. Delicious! They were filled with ooey-gooey cheese, onions, and bacon, with a side of seasoned sour cream for dipping. I highly recommend them. Other than that we only had ice cream from the dairy barn and bought chocolate chip cookies to take home. None of us felt sick after leaving the fair, which means we controlled ourselves and didn't eat too much. I think that may be a first for us.

We spent the whole afternoon at the fair, and Aidan was delightful. He took a long nap in his stroller, watched people walk around, and chewed on his toys. I think this may be the best age ever. He's staying awake long enough to take him places and he's happy, but he can't talk back or run around. Perfection.

Wedding Bells

Kali and Kyle
(with Aidan)

Congratulations to my sister, Kali. She got engaged on Saturday night to Kyle #2 (as I like to call him). That's right, we will both be married to Kyle's. It's funny how life works out sometimes. She asked me to be her matron of honor and I am SO excited!!! I look forward to dress shopping and all the other stuff that comes with planning a wedding. I can't wait!

It's A Zoo Out There

Sunday was zoo day. We went with Grandpa and Nana to the Como Zoo is St. Paul. I had never been there, and Kyle hadn't gone since elementary school. The park areas were beautiful, the animal enclosures made my stomach turn. How can those poor animals be kept in tiny, tiny areas with only dirt and weeds on the ground? Maybe it shouldn't be free admission. I would certainly pay more money to get in if it meant the zoo would have more money for upkeep.

One of the neat things about the zoo was the Butterfly Exhibit. It's a long tent-like structure that you walk through, and the butterflies are flying all around you. They landed on me and my dad, and were flying around Aidan's head. He was trying to watch all of them at once, so his head was literally turning in circles. Very cute and hilarious.

Up next, the State Fair.

Nana carting Aidan around the zoo in the Bjorn

The deplorable conditions of the animal enclosures

Up close

Butterfly on Grandpa---He must be sweet

Vroom Vroom

Saturday night Kyle and I got to go out with friends while Grandpa and Nana stayed at home with Aidan. We won tickets to Elko Speedway at a golf tournament back in June and have been saving them so we could see the CBO band play after the races. Neither of us had ever watched stock car races before, so we didn't know what to expect. It turned out to be really fun! The actual stock car race was okay, but they also raced regular street cars, school buses, and drove minivans with campers off of ramps. Very amusing.

It was by far the latest we have stayed out since Aidan was born. 12:30am!!! Crazy, I know. I didn't feel too guilty since Aidan was fast asleep in his own bed and his schedule hadn't been disrupted.

Grandpa and Nana are in town until Wednesday, so I'll update with pictures of our adventures after they have headed home.

Grandpa and Nana Come to Visit

My parents are on their way to stay with us for a few days. That has meant lots of cleaning. I don't particularly like cleaning, so I don't deep clean very often. It always amazes me how dirty the house is when I do deep clean. It doesn't look dirty. We pick up, sweep, dust, clean the bathrooms and do the dishes on a regular basis...where does all this dirt come from? It will forever remain a mystery.

On tap for the next few days : the beach, the zoo, and the state fair. I'm sure Aidan will be worn out every night with our busy schedule, as will Roxie. My mom loves playing with Roxie and she makes it her mission every time she sees Roxie to make her as tired as possible. Roxie sleeps for days after they leave. I love it.

The Night From Hell

Okay, maybe the title is a little dramatic, but after two hours of a screaming baby in the middle of the night, it sure felt like the night from hell. Aidan woke up at 12:30am. Not overly unusual. It happens a couple times a week. I just pop his pacifier into his mouth and he's back asleep before I close the door to his room.

Not last night. He was wide awake and sort of crying, refusing to keep the pacifier in his mouth. I changed his diaper and nursed him, which has always done the trick in the past. Again, not last night. By this point he was full fledged screaming. I rocked him, I swayed him, I turned on his mobile, I tried nursing him again...nothing worked. Kyle took over after an hour of screaming. It seemed to work for a little bit. There was blessed silence for about 5 minutes. Then Kyle set him down in his crib and we were back to full-out screaming within 2 seconds. I'd run out of options so I made him a bottle. He sucked down the 4 oz. and was still crying. What was the matter with my poor baby?!?!?! I still have no idea. He finally went back to sleep around 2:30am while I was rocking him. I was hoping maybe he'd worn himself out to the point that he would sleep in a little later. It didn't alter his schedule in the slightest. He was up at 6am like usual, nursed, and went back down until 8:30am. No rest for the weary. At least he's happy today.

Say Cheese

We have our family portraits for the church directory this afternoon and I'm praying for a happy baby. It could go splendidly and we could come away with a great 8x10 or Aidan could scream the entire time. Afternoons are such an unpredictable time for Aidan.

Picking outfits for all of us was not an easy task. They tell you coordinating long sleeves and dark colors. Sounds simple, right? WRONG! First of all, I haven't taken out my winter clothing since having Aidan and some of it obviously does not fit anymore. Trying to find a top that fits, that coordinates with Aidan's clothes (which are summery b/c that's what he wears right now), that also goes with a shirt Kyle owns was tough work. I ended up buying a brown 3/4 length button down sweater from Kohl's. Kyle is wearing a light blue dress shirt and Aidan's outfit has both brown and light blue in it.

Ughh, who knew taking a picture would be so difficult???

All That Jazz

We walked up to the Jazz Festival on Saturday and had a great time. The first band we saw was fantastic! They're called Davina and the Vagabonds and you can listen to some of their stuff by clicking on the link. My favorite songs were Finally Home, 5 foot 2, and Hey Good Lookin'. After they finished their 90 minute set we walked across the street to a wine bar and had a light supper while the next act was getting ready to perform. The whole afternoon had the feel of urban living, without actually having to live in downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul. It was really cool. After dinner we walked back over to the festival, but unfortunately the second act was not as good as the first. (in my opinion) They were more techno jazz with lots of synthesized music. Not my style. The sky was getting black so we decided to head home in case it started pouring. It never did rain, but it was after 7pm by the time we got home and Aidan was ready to take a bath and go to bed.

Sunday brought the start of fall slow-pitch softball for Kyle. He will have double-headers every Sunday night now through the first weekend in October. Aidan and I went up to watch after he woke up from his late afternoon nap. Kyle wasn't kidding when he said they wouldn't win any games this season. Yikes. Their team got placed in the upper bracket because the lowest one was full. They are definitely out of their league. Kyle has played with most of these guys before, but it was always in the lowest bracket, more for fun and drinking beer than winning. Nothing can be done about it, so they'll just have to do their best and hope that next year they can move down again. Even though they may not win any games, I'm still looking forward to it because it gets Aidan and I out of the house. The games are between 5:30pm-8:30pm so we should always be able to make at least one of them based on Aidan's sleep schedule.

Delicious Summer Salad

Here is the salad that Kathy made for us on Thursday after our walk. So yummy!!

Mixed greens: spinach, arugula, leaf lettuce, etc.

Fruits: pineapple, mango, raspberries; Could also use anything "tropical": oranges, bananas, strawberries, grapes, etc.

Red or green table onions (thinly sliced)

Grilled chicken (cubed)

Dressing: Mix some vanilla yogurt with a little mayo then add a teaspoon of Thai chili sauce.
(You can also use a little orange juice & curry powder ( 1/2 tsp??) instead of the sauce)

Sniffles and Sneezing and Coughing, Oh My!

Aidan has come down with his first case of the sniffles. He has a runny nose, sneezes, and a little bit of coughing. Nothing serious, but it wears a person out (namely me). He refuses to be put down for more than a minute or two at a time. It's not happy cuddling time that he wants though. He just whines, almost like an unhappy puppy. He first started the whining Wednesday evening and Kyle and I thought it was funny because he sounded an awful lot like Roxie did when she was a puppy. Then I noticed his nose was runny after we got home from a walk yesterday and it has been downhill from that point. The whining is definitely not funny anymore. Now I just want him to feel better so he can get back to his happy, playful self.

So, Kathy, it wasn't you or your house that made Aidan fussy, just his cold. Poor Kathy, I promise he is not always that hard to please. We went to her condo in downtown St. Paul Thursday afternoon for a walk along the Mississippi River and she graciously made me the best salad I think I've ever had for lunch. (will post the recipe when I find out what she used) Unfortunately Aidan cried the minute he was not touching a human being, so we had to take turns eating. Not much amused him other than when he got his bottle and fell asleep for a little bit. The walk along the river was gorgeous, and I highly recommend it. Aidan got to see his first barge and the pilot even waved to us!

If Aidan is feeling well enough we're going to walk to a Jazz Festival on Saturday. I'm looking forward to it as I hear the jazz is supposed to be great.

Olympic Coverage

I'm hooked. Every night since the opening ceremonies I have watched at least some of the Olympics. I cannot get enough of Michael Phelps. Every time I watch him swim I am amazed. Can he get three more gold medals? I hope so, but that is a lot of pressure. Other sports I've watched: beach volleyball, gymnastics, synchronized diving (truly amazing), cycling, and handball. Kyle likes the fringe sports and was a little disappointed that he didn't get to see any badminton. He is hooked on the swimming too, and the other night after I went to bed I could hear him yelling downstairs. Come to find out he was watching the men's 4 x 100 free relay where the US came from behind to beat France. The ironic part of that story is that same afternoon he had made fun of me for saying that I was clenching my fists and my heart was racing the night before when I watched Michael Phelps win his first gold medal. He isn't making fun of me anymore.

Aidan is going to start his Olympic training on September 9th. I signed him up for swimming lessons at the YMCA. Granted, he will just be desperately holding on to me as we stand in the pool, but it could lead to big things...you never know.

GO TWINS GO!

Aidan attended his 1st Twins game today. We got to watch them beat the Yankees 4-2. Go Twins!! We drove downtown thinking it would be better for Aidan than taking the light rail...we may have been wrong. It's not easy finding parking in downtown Minneapolis during the day. We finally found a parking ramp with some space, but ended up missing the first inning. Oh well. Aidan seemed to enjoy it and never cried, which I'm sure the people around us appreciated. We sat in the "cheap seats" in the outfield, which were still pretty full. There were a lot of people in attendance even though it was a day game. Probably because we were playing the Yankees. I doubt we'll get to another game this year, so the next Twins game Aidan goes to will be after his 1st birthday. That seems crazy to think about!! He might be running around by then. We will definitely have to sit in the cheap seats if that is the case.

Aidan and Daddy in the Metrodome

The scary old man the we ALWAYS see no matter where we sit

Aidan looking appropriately scared of the creepy guy

The Finn family

How we transported Aidan to the game
(I walked him in, Kyle walked him out)

Oink Oink

No, we were not little piggies at the Dakota County Fair, but we did see some. Aidan got his first up close look at farm animals, but overall seemed more interested in watching the people walking around than looking at the livestock. Give him a year or two and I have a feeling he's going to love it. We couldn't have asked for a better day to be out and about. Sunny, mid-70's, it was perfect. My root beer float was the culinary delight of the day. Kyle and I also split some cheese curds, but they were just okay. They seem to get less and less appealing as the years go by. Note to self...do not get cheese curds at the State Fair, you don't like them very much anymore. Let's see if I remember that.

Mattress shopping was an eye-opener. Is it really fair to charge $3,000 for a mattress?!?! Seriously ridiculous. We came home Saturday evening with more questions than we left with. I'm going to do some online research and then see where we're at. If we do decide to go with a Tempurpedic it had better last us 20 years without a single problem.

Here We Go!

I see you Mommy

That's a WHAT??!!
(We were looking at the sheep)

Taking a break while Grandma buys us root beer floats

Besides Aidan, the cutest things at the fair

Hello Mr. Cow, it's nice to meet you

Intently watching the piggies

Splish Splash

Aidan and I were invited to the pool by my former co-worker, Carrie, and her daughter Keifer who is 15 months old. We had a great time. The outdoor pool is attached to the Lifetime Gym in Lakeville and seems brand new. Lots of moms and their kids. Even some babies younger than Aidan. After the pool we went back to their house for lunch. Keifer loved watching Aidan and kept saying "baby" "baby" "baby". So cute! She is going to be a wonderful big sister.

We have a fairly busy weekend ahead of us. Tomorrow afternoon Kyle and I are going mattress shopping while Aidan stays with Grandpa and Grandma Finn. I cannot wait until we have a new mattress. Ours is AWFUL! Guess that's what you get when you buy the cheap one. Then Sunday, weather permitting, we are going to the Dakota County Fair with Kyle's parents. I'm interested to see if Aidan pays any attention to the animals and what's going on around him. Up to this point he really hasn't cared about anything unless he can put it in his mouth.

Kyle is back to his normal self after the "major surgery" (as he calls it) on Wednesday. I think he's pretty lucky. No bruising, minor swelling, and he said it doesn't really hurt, just a little stiff. It seems so silly that he waited 10 years to do this. Such a man.

Who needs 'em?

After almost 10 years of dealing with tooth pain, Kyle's wisdom teeth are finally history. Hallelujah! It only took about an hour to get them out and then another half hour to let some of the anesthesia wear off. Kyle was a little loopy and said "I've got all these great jokes in my head, I just can't get them out." I was thanking my lucky stars that his mouth was full of gauze. I have a feeling I would have been mortified if he started telling his jokes to the people in the dentist's office. No earth shattering revelations while he was under the influence, he was just goofy and does not remember anything he said. He looked at himself in the mirror several times during the half hour we were sitting there and each time he did not remember that he had already checked himself out. It was pretty amusing from my perspective. It's soft foods and pain meds for the next couple of days, but the dentist said the teeth came out easily. We'll see if Kyle looks like he got hit by a Mack truck when he wakes up tomorrow...

NNO

That stands for National Night Out, which is what we did last night. Every year on the first Tuesday of August our neighborhood gets together up the street in the cul de sac and grills out. Everyone brings a dish to pass and we stand around and chat for an hour or two. Last night Aidan got lots of attention and we (finally) met our next door neighbor that has been there since last fall. Seriously, I thought she was anti-social b/c you never see her outside, but she was really nice last night.

I'm keeping this brief today because Kyle is getting his wisdom teeth pulled in 40 minutes. Gayle is coming over to watch Aidan. Hopefully this doesn't take hours on end. I'll update on how the surgery goes when we get home. (if Kyle makes it...) :)

Weekend Wrap-Up

Another weekend come and gone and now we're into the first week of August. It never fails to surprise me that summer is coming to a close once August hits. At least this year I get to look forward to being home with Aidan instead of dreading going back to school.

Saturday's trip to the cabin was lackluster at best. When we started going there 4 years ago we knew everyone that attended. Each year we've known less and less people as Kyle's friends have gotten married, had kids, have to work on weekends, etc. This year we knew the host/hostess and one other person. It's so sad! I enjoy meeting new people, but don't enjoy making small talk for five hours. Perhaps the dreary day accounted for some of my blah feelings. It was cloudy and windy which meant the lake was rough and thick with algae. So there was no swimming and no skiing. Ughh, but what can you do? We did meet 2 guys from Peru and they were very interesting to talk to.

Nothing exciting happened on Sunday. Aidan slept ALOT since his schedule had been disrupted the rest of the weekend. His naps are nice times for me, but he's a light sleeper, so I didn't get much housework done. I guess that's what I will be doing today.

Happy Birthday To Me

I turned 27 yesterday and had a fantastic day. Aidan and I did what I love doing most during the summer...laying by/being in the pool. My friend Krista invited us over to her pool yesterday afternoon and we had a wonderful, relaxing time. We swam, we laid out, we chatted, it was delightful. I makes me yearn for my own pool. Oh how I wish we had bought the house with the pool we looked at. Next time...

Last night we all went out for dinner minus the little guy. Aidan stayed with Gayle's mom while the rest of us (Krista, Eric, Gayle, Cory, Kyle and I) enjoyed some Italian food. I picked the restaurant, Bella Cucina, after remembering I had heard good things about it, thinking it would be nice to try something new. Well, we pull in and Kyle and I realize we have been there before! Kyle had found the restaurant while searching for a good place for pizza when my sister and her boyfriend were in town last fall. It was still delicious, just not new to us. :)

Today we are off to the lake, again minus the little guy. He is staying with Grandpa and Grandma Finn while Kyle and I enjoy catching up with his friends, swimming, boating, and hopefully a little water skiing (for me) if it's not too rough. Another perfect day...I love summer!

Here are the pics from swimming yesterday. Molly kindly let us borrow Charlotte's ladybug floaty. Not very manly, but it did the trick.




After we were done swimming Aidan hung out in his stroller without making a peep for the rest of the time. He was a champ.