10 Months Old

10 Months Old
1/31/09

Aidan is 10 months old. It hit a balmy 40 odd degrees outside and we celebrated by not wearing hats or mittens for the first time in months.

In anticipation of Aidan turning 1 in two months I signed up for a cake decorating class. May I just say, I think I am going to be an awesome cake decorator. (this said with absolutely no prior experience whatsoever) Today was my first class and I am highly enthused to go back next Sunday. Bonus: It gets me out of the house for 2 hours each Sunday during February.

This is your baby...

This is your baby on drugs

(just kidding, he's really NOT on drugs!)

New Car Seat

It was time. Aidan's feet were hanging over the end of his infant carrier...but oh how I loved the ease of popping him in and out of the car without actually having to take him out of the car seat. Those days are over now and I have a big boy with a big boy car seat. We went to the police department on Tuesday evening and had them install the convertible car seat that I got as a shower present from my aunts back in May. It has been patiently waiting in the garage since then, and now it's been put to use. Aidan sits up so much taller in this seat (still facing backwards) and looks like such a little person. No complaining from him so far, so it must be comfortable.

We also lowered Aidan's crib this week, another big boy milestone. I wasn't overly worried about him climbing out with the mattress up, but I noticed some teeth marks on the crib rail. To be honest, I just lowered it so he couldn't chew on the wood. He is a baby after all, not a beaver.

Tonight Kyle and I are going to see Bill Engvall (comedian from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour) perform at our new Performing Arts Center. The PAC was highly controversial...it cost a lot of money to build, money that a lot of people thought could be better used elsewhere...but the mayor prevailed and the PAC was built. Kyle thinks we should boycott it (he wanted a new hockey rink or a minor league baseball stadium) but I say since it's there, we might as well enjoy it. It sure beats driving into Minneapolis to catch a show. Hopefully the money was well spent.

1st Haircut

We visited Auntie Gayle today for Aidan's first haircut. He didn't seem to mind, although he kept swiveling his head around to see what she was doing. Ever the smart one, Gayle gave him a mirror to look down into so he could see himself and what she was doing. That did the trick. She gave us a little card with a lock of hair in it as a keepsake, and off we went. Painless. Thanks Gayle!!!

On Mommy's lap for the cut

The new 'do


Aidan and Auntie Gayle

Discoveries

*Gravity*
Aidan has discovered how funny it is to drop his sippy cup off the side of his highchair and watch Mommy pick it up.

*Splashing*
Bath time has become a wave pool. Good thing Rubber Ducky doesn't get sea sick.

*Biting*
Mommy's shoulder seems to be the spot of choice to sink his teeth into. I've been trying to watch for triggers, and it tends to be when Aidan is tired or when he's pulling himself up on me. (uses his teeth for a little more oomph!)

*Lip Smacking*
This started when he was hungry, but has turned into a fun sound and now he does it all the time. We've started making patterns with it...I smack once, he repeats, I smack twice, he smacks twice, and so on. Very cute.

*Sharing*
What Aidan likes to put in his mouth, you should like in your mouth, right? He has been practicing sharing (not intentionally) by handing his toys to Mommy and Daddy. We praise him for being such a nice baby, say thank you, then hand them back. Aidan loves this game. He also tries to share his toys with Roxie, but then she gets scolded, so Roxie isn't too keen on taking Aidan's toys unless no one is paying attention to her. Then she grabs one and runs away. Almost all of Aidan's plastic toys now have teeth marks in them.

*Puppies Love Food*
Note the sharing comment above. Aidan shares his food with Roxie. He'll pick up one piece and pop it in his mouth, then pick up another piece and give it to Roxie, who eats it out of his hand. Over and over I tell him "the food is not for puppies, the food is for Aidan to eat". It's just way too much fun to feed the dog.

Thank You Blogger

Apparently all you have to do is vent your frustrations on Blogger and all your problems will be solved. After posting yesterday that I was frustrated, our broken window got fixed, the phone issue is being resolved, and I got a free car wash. It was a great day. Turns out the lady I talked to on Dec. 30 never actually sent the request to transfer the land line number, she just saved it. So when everyone else looked at the account it said it was "in the process". I finally talked to someone yesterday who figured out what was going on and sent the request as we spoke. By this time next week the number should be transferred. *crossing my fingers*

I'm pretty sure I got the free car wash because Aidan is so cute. I took the Escape in to get the oil changed, and as we waited, he jabbered to all the employees and watched the oil get changed through the window. They all loved him. When I went to pay they offered us a free car wash. (couldn't have been because the car was so dirty it looked brown instead of green) I love freebies, and their ploy worked, I will be taking the car to BP to get the oil changed from now on. :)

Speaking of Aidan, he's still working on walking. He'll take his walk 'n ride all over the house now. Sometimes he ends up pushing it sideways, but whatever, he's still standing behind it. This week we've tried lots of new foods, all of which he seems to like; beets, scrambled egg yolks, taco meat, cottage cheese, mock manicotti. I reintroduced kiwi, and he ate more of it this time around. I've pretty much given up on feeding him with a baby spoon. If he can't feed himself he wants nothing to do with it. More of the food ends up on him than in his mouth when I try to feed him, so I'll let him take over in that department. He's starting to get a little huffy when I eat with a fork and don't let him try, so I've been letting him practice with a salad fork. I think he just likes holding it more than anything. He thinks it's really funny when I feed him with my fork, and he loves to bite down to get the food off of the fork as I slide it out of his mouth.

I wish I could update with some pictures, but I left my camera at Krista's baby shower on Sunday! Ugh, I finally remember to TAKE my camera, but forget to bring it home. I swear, when I got pregnant I lost about a million brain cells.

Grr!

No, I am not imitating a bear. I am frustrated with a capital F. I got a new cell phone for Christmas with the intention of switching our land line number over and then getting rid of our home service. Do two people really need three phones? Probably not. I called T-Mobile on Dec. 30th and they told me the switch would take 6 days. I am still waiting...

I have called weekly, been hung up on too many times to count, and waited on hold for at least a half an hour each time only to be told "it's in the process, but should only have taken 6-10 days". Translation: they have no clue what's going on. Grr!

The Hunt Is On

Aidan and I visited a daycare today. Let's just say I was severely underwhelmed. The room was run down and seemed cluttered. It was in the interior of the bldg, so there were no windows. I was disappointed. I don't think Aidan will be attending that daycare.

Our options are slightly limited because I'm only looking at half-day child care. Since Kyle will still be home next year, I was hoping to have Aidan in daycare in the morning. That way Kyle could pick him up around noon, give him lunch, and then put him down for a nap and still play some poker.

I'm going to schedule a tour of the local KinderCare and New Horizon daycare centers. The search continues...

Oh Yeah

That's right. I'm back in all of my pre-pregnancy jeans. Roo-Rah! As a celebratory gift to myself I bought a new winter coat at overstock.com :) The books and websites certainly weren't lying when they said "what takes 9 months to put on take 9 months (or longer) to take off". Losing weight sucks and I really hate eating healthy food all of the time, but I like wearing all of my old clothes. I guess it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Kyle has lost all of his sympathy weight and more. As of this post he has lost 30 lbs (since Oct.) and he plans to keep losing. I'm jealous and proud all at the same time.

My new coat:

Birthday Girl

Happy Birthday to Adelyn. Aidan attended his first birthday party today. Adelyn, my co-worker's daughter, turns one next week and they had her birthday party today. It makes my stomach clench up to know that soon that will be my little boy sitting in his high chair smearing cake all over the place. Where in the world has the past year gone? I know that April was lost in a haze a sleepless nights, but after that, I'm just not sure how time slipped by so quickly. Aidan got a cute little gift bag filled with fun stuff. Included was some sidewalk chalk that I'm excited to break out once the weather turns warm. He'll probably like it too, but I think I'll have more fun with it. :)

I don't talk about my husband's random career choice very often, but I would like to take a moment to congratulate him. Last night he became the #4 poker player in the world at the limit he plays. That ranking is based on how much you win. His goal is to stay in the top 25 the entire year. (on top of achieving Supernova Elite status) I wish him luck now, but I reserve the right to complain later in the year if poker is taking up too much of his time... ;)

Weather Update

Yes, I know I live in Minnesota, but come on! Kyle has been asking for at least a week now to move to a warmer climate. He said my options are Oregon (why, I don't know) or Texas. I said neither. If I'm moving somewhere warm it's going to have sandy beaches, warm water, and no hurricanes. (not to mention no cockroaches, termites, or other creepy varmints) Not sure if that place exists.

Aidan slept in later than usual this morning. He was all snuggled up in his blanket and didn't wake up until 8:15am. Even then, it was still -21 degrees (-39 windchill). I'm guessing he didn't want to face the cold house.

Lately Aidan has been adamant about eating with a utensil, trying to steal away the spoon when I feed him. I've tried giving him his own spoon to hold, even giving him one for each hand. Do you know how quickly you go through silverware when you're using 3 spoons per meal? He really likes forks and can feed himself if I put the food on it for him. Then he tries to get food on the fork. (which looks like him crazily sweeping the fork back and forth over his tray) I sneakily stab a bite of food while he's doing this, and he feeds himself again. Meal times are taking longer and longer these days...and getting much messier.

Brrr!!!

We woke up to -15 degrees this morning. (not including the wind chill) It is painfully cold outside, but that didn't stop us from venturing over to Molly's house for a play date. Aidan and Charlotte played while Molly and I ate cinnamon rolls, drank coffee, and I helped her add some new tools to her blog. Being in a new place, with lots of new toys, Aidan wanted to check out everything...which means he now has more than a few new bumps and bruises. It's too bad that his exploring usually ends in falling. One of these days his balance will get a little better. We had a great time and can't wait until Baby Bellmont is born in March so Aidan can play with him/her, too. (Molly thinks it's going to be another girl)

Yesterday afternoon Aidan and I went to my school and attended a baby shower for a co-worker and his wife who are expecting twins within the next 3-5 weeks. Her due date is the beginning of March, but the doctor doesn't think she'll last that long since both babies are already between 4 and 5 lbs each. Aidan got LOTS of attention and he perfected his new skill, waving. One of the secretaries waved at him and he waved back...except that he kept waving and smiling and didn't stop at just one wave. He waved at her for several minutes. She thought he was a hoot. If only our school had a daycare attached to it so I could visit him when I go back to work. That would be perfection.

Magic Martini

It's amazing how a shaker of Raspberry Sorbet martinis and three hours without a baby will improve one's disposition. I left the house at 5pm yesterday feeling crabby and sullen. Aidan had been less than happy most of the day. Trying to wash the dishes and pick up the house with a baby following along, crying in protest, will weaken anyone's attempt at positive thinking. Grandpa and Grandma Finn volunteered to watch Aidan and I was more than happy to drop him off. Kyle and I headed to IKEA where I had some frames to return. We wandered around for an hour, just browsing the massive store. Kyle said it made him want to buy lots of stuff for our house, I just enjoyed thinking about the possibilities. After IKEA we went to a restaurant we'd never been to before. Kyle and I spent the next two hours chatting and enjoying good food. By the time we picked Aidan up at 8pm I felt relaxed and happy again. Maybe it was the martinis, but more than that, I think it was the time Kyle and I got to spend talking (mostly about topics other than Aidan) without having to constantly keep an eye on our little ball of energy. Everyone came home smiling and laughing. Time well spent.

Status Quo

Now that the holidays are over we're back to our normal schedule. Not much happening in the Finn household this week. We've got lots of baby/kid related parties coming up. On Monday there is a baby shower for a co-worker who is having twin girls, on the 17th a birthday party for Adelyn, who is turning one, and a baby shower for my friend Krista on the 18th. I had so much fun looking at all the baby stuff again, remembering what I needed when Aidan was first born (easy access clothes, diapers, and wipes) and what I thought I needed but never really used (receiving blankets, we had WAY too many of them).

While perusing the baby aisles I decided to check out the baby food selection. Up to this point I've made almost all of Aidan's food. Now that it's time to start feeding him meats I'm a little grossed out by the thought of pureeing them. I bought 3 jars of "dinners"; spaghetti with meat sauce, macaroni and cheese, and chicken noodle dinner. They are horrifically disgusting. The mac and cheese tasted like paste and the chicken noodle dinner had absolutely no flavor. There's no way the spaghetti is going to taste any better. It's back to making Aidan's food, even if mashing up meat does gross me out.

While writing this post Kyle came home from his shopping trip to Kohls. I actually have tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. He left with big visions of new slippers, dress shirts, underwear, socks, and t-shirts. He came home with one small bag. "What did you buy, it doesn't look like very much" I said. Kyle pulled out 2 packages of boxers, 2 packages of socks, a 1 package of t-shirts. "Guess how much this cost me," he said. I quick tried to tally up the most I could possibly imagine myself paying for the stuff and said $45. The correct answer was $68. According to Kyle all he could find were buy 2 get 1 free deals and nothing had price tags on it. This is where I started laughing and couldn't stop. Poor Kyle, who hates to shop, is given a gift card and thinks he is going to have an easy shopping trip because he knows exactly what he needs to buy. I wish I could have been there to see his face when he heard the total. He said he "took it like a man" and just handed over the gift card. His exact quote was "What was I supposed to do, say that I'm too cheap to buy this stuff with a gift card?" More laughing from me. Needless to say, his purchases will all be returned and I will help him find some cheaper clothing. No one needs boxers that cost $28 a package when you can buy Hanes for $8.

And The #1 Names Are...

It's that time of year again. The time of year when the top baby names come out. The 2008 winners are:

	Girls Names	Boys Names
1	Emma	Aiden
2	Sophia	Jayden
3	Madison	Ethan
4	Isabella	Jacob
5	Olivia	Caden

Aiden was also the top name of 2007. Chances are good that there will be more than one Aiden in our Aidan's class when it comes time for school. Oh well.

I got these names from http://www.babycenter.com/top-baby-names-2008?scid=momsbaby_20090106:5&pe=2Uux2EC which lists the Top 100 names if you want to check them out.

Mommy Thoughts

*I love my new "mommy" bag. Aidan doesn't go through diapers like crazy anymore, so I decided to splurge and downsize my bag. Now he has one side for a diaper, wipes, and a few small toys, and I get the other side for my stuff.

*It's great sleeping through the night. I'm definitely jinxing myself, but it had to be said.

*My baby is a moving machine, rarely still. He loves his new toys from Christmas, especially his walk 'n ride and Leap Frog table.


---No, his shirt is not soaked with drool. He spilled apple juice on himself just before I took this video.---

*We are not taking Aidan to a specialist. He is eating finger foods now without a problem. I even noticed him working on his pincer grasp at dinner tonight. He was eating beef and noodles and trying to pick up the elbow macaroni between his thumb and pointer finger. (no success b/c the noodles were too slippery, but keep on tryin' buddy!)

*Only three more months and my baby will be a 1 year old toddler. Yikes! Time is going too fast!! Slow down!!!

*It's time to start thinking about daycare for next year. Crazy, I know, but good places fill up fast. Hopefully I won't have to pick my jaw up off the floor when I see how much it's going to cost.

*I started watching Weeds through Netflix. Very amusing so far. (Upper-class suburban mom as a pot dealer to make ends meet after her husband dies)

*Aidan is at the height limit for his infant car seat. Time for the convertible car seat to be installed. I tried reading the directions...I have a Master's degree and I was baffled. I'm taking it to the police station where they will help you install it for free. (and then again when it's time to turn it around to be forward facing)

Happy 2009

Happy New Year to all! Kyle and I rang in the new year at Gayle and Cory's house. Aidan rang it in with Grandma and Grandpa Finn. A BIG thank you to them for watching Aidan; it's nearly impossible finding a sitter on New Year's Eve, especially when you don't really know any teenagers! I had a great time playing Mad Gab (very fun, would highly recommend if you're looking for games to play on a game night), Battle of the Sexes, and Kyle got to try out a Wii. Very low-key compared to years past. ;)

I have had a request to add an automatic update to the blog. Since I try to keep my readers happy, here it is... Every time I write a new post, you can receive an e-mail notifying you that there is something new to read. That way you don't have to check to see if I've written anything. It's optional, and of course you can still read the blog even if you're not signed up for the notification. If you're interested, just type in your e-mail address on the right side of this page under Aidan's picture.