Happy Birthday Aidan!!!

The day has come and gone and we have survived Round 1 of the birthday fun. Round 2 comes on Saturday when Aidan has his birthday party. I envisioned a happy day with lots of fun. Aidan was so upset to be growing up that he cried or whined almost every waking moment today. So much for happiness and fun...

Once the presents started coming and we went out for dinner Aidan's mood perked up considerably. Nothing a little (or a lot) of sugar couldn't cure. Aidan opened one present at home, a toy gumball machine. He seemed interested in it, just couldn't quite figure out how to press the lever down to let the balls out. It's gonna take some practice. After that we went out for dinner at Perkins since Tuesday is kid's night. Aidan had rainbow pancakes and a birthday cookie. That was his first real experience with sugar and he handled it like a true Albers/Finn. He loved it. :)

After dinner we visited with Grandpa and Grandma Finn for a little bit. He got a few more presents and a mini cupcake. More sugar. YAY! Aidan is in love with the ball popper he got from Grandpa and Grandma. I think it's going to be a good incentive to get him walking.

Here are the pictures from today. Please disregard how completely awful I look. Like I said, it was a rough day and I did not get a shower or the chance to do my hair. If you think your child growing up means you get more time to yourself...think again. Maybe when they're in college.



Aidan’s 1st Birthday

This & That

I haven't posted in awhile, so this is more of a catch-up post.

We've been de-cluttering the house in an effort to make it seem not so small. We gave our big screen tv upstairs to Mick and Michele and sold the LaZBoy recliner downstairs on Craigslist. With the tv gone, the living room seems so much more open and bright. While I had some reservations about not having a tv upstairs, it's been just fine. The only thing I miss is not being able to watch the news while I make dinner. I'm pretty sure Kyle would give away/sell all our worldly possessions if I let him. I'm a bit of a pack-rat so I've indulged his need for "negative space" (as he calls it) by donating 3 bags of clothes to the Salvation Army and agreeing to let the tv and recliner go to better homes. I think I've reached my limit for the time being though.

On Friday, Aidan and I went to Grandma Michele's work and visited her co-workers. Aidan woke up with a runny nose that day and was more reserved than usual. We said quick hello's to everyone then headed out for lunch and a little shopping. Lunch was good but shopping got a cut short when Aidan decided he didn't want to be in the stroller, didn't want to be held, and didn't want to be put on the floor. He was being "willful" as Grandma put it. A nice way to say a pain in the butt. :)

We haven't done much this weekend because Aidan still has a runny nose and obviously isn't feeling 100%. Kyle coached the Select South hockey team this weekend. (like all-area players) They lost Friday's game, won Saturday, and have their third and final game this afternoon at 4pm.

In case anyone was wondering about the stroller saga...they found me a replacement frame. Good news, right? Well, it cost $120 for the frame and shipping. I paid the $120 while questioning if I really need 2 strollers. I decided that I do. Kyle was NOT happy when I told him. :) After just buying a new stroller the week before he was unhappy that a) I spent money on another stroller and b) we now have another stroller to store after just getting rid of stuff. If I don't use both of them I will sell one of them on Craigslist. Problem solved. ;)

The Pit

We had a fun afternoon on Tuesday when Adelyn came over to play. I bought a ball pit off of Craigslist for Aidan's birthday party, but decided to break it out a little early to make sure it was something the kids would like. I needn't have worried...

Aidan being "So Big"
(He WILL NOT put his arms above his head, only behind it)

There's that devious look again

Sharing with Adelyn

Chatting away

Where Did It Go?

I feel like everything on my shopping list this week has disappeared from the stores. Maybe it was only three things, but it felt like everything. I wanted chicken chili mix (from McCormick's), a Dole salad mix (not picky), and Oxy Clean Baby. Couldn't find any of it in Cub or Target. What the heck? I'm especially missing the Sunflower Ranch salad kit. I know that I could make the salad and the chicken chili myself, but it's just not as quick, and I'm looking for quick and easy.

Other things that are gone...the first year of Aidan's life. I was standing in line to pay for something this morning and another customer asked how old Aidan was. I said he would be one at the end of the month, then realized it's already the 25th. It IS the end of the month!

Still no word on a replacement frame for the Zooper. I called again this morning and was told the person that had helped me "was still working on it".

Stroller Saga (cont.)

No news yet on the Zooper . They are looking in their warehouse for a replacement frame. I hold out little hope though, so I went out and bought a new stroller. I wanted this one to be lighter, fold up smaller, and be generally less expensive. After shopping at Once Upon a Child, Target, USA Baby, and Babies R Us, I decided on the Inglesina Swift in mocha. It looks cooler in person. The one drawback is the lack of a cup holder for me, but you can buy clip on ones for umbrella strollers.



Funny story...after looking at used strollers and at Target with no luck, I headed to USA Baby, which is more of a boutique baby store with higher end products. I knew right away when I tried the Inglesina that I really liked it. It pushed so easily and didn't even feel like Aidan was in it. Bonus, it was on sale.

In my mind I had set a price point of $100, this one was $109. I decided to try Babies R Us to see if I could find anything cheaper. After looking at all of their "umbrella" strollers I didn't see anything comparable and wandered down the full size stroller aisle.

Lo and behold there was one brown and blue umbrella stroller for $79. It was a different brand and didn't push quite as smoothly, but I was willing to sacrifice since it was below the price I had set in my mind. I put Aidan in the stroller, walked him around, tested out all the features...all while this other lady stood staring at me. I was starting to get uncomfortable so I put Aidan back in the cart, collapsed the stroller and put it in the cart also.

Then the lady finally approached me. She told me that she was flying out that afternoon and could not find an umbrella stroller that she liked. She was admiring the one I had picked up (the last one in stock, as it was discontinued) and told me should would give me $20 if she could have it. I told her that was ridiculous, she didn't have to pay me, I would just give it to her. (knowing I had a back up in the Inglesina) She told me she was really appreciative and would feel better giving me the $20. I took the money, gave her the stroller, and went back to USA Baby and bought the Inglesina. She technically paid $99 for that stroller and with the $20 she gave me, I technically paid $89 for the Inglesina. Who got the better deal? I think I did.

My Theme Song

If there were a soundtrack to my life yesterday, "You had a bad day" would have played on repeat. We've got a wet carpet downstairs (see previous "waterfall" post...not so tranquil now) and I ran over my stroller. Seriously, be glad you're only reading this, because if you'd witnessed me running over the stroller, your ears would probably be bleeding from the language that came out of my mouth.*note: not in front of Aidan* Uhh, I feel so STUPID! I propped it up behind the Escape when I was bringing the garbage cans back in, specifically telling myself NOT to forget it was there, then got sidetracked putting Aidan in his car seat and running in the house to get my iPod so I could go work out. It is completely mangled. There is no fixing it.

I called Zooper (brand of stroller) and left a message to see if I can get a new frame...we'll see where that takes me. Otherwise, I'm shopping for a new stroller. Uhh, nice ones are SO expensive, even used. :( I don't want to spend a lot of money on a stroller because in a few years I'm going to need a double stroller anyway. But, I also want something that's easy to push/manuever since we will be using the stroller daily now that it's getting nice outside.

Why oh why did I forget the stroller was behind the car? ARGHHH!!!!

A Wee Little Lass

Well, Molly got her wish and Margaret (Maggie) Elizabeth was born this morning at 7:10am. A very Irish baby. She went into labor on her own around 1am...5 hours before her scheduled induction. We're going to visit them this evening, but if you'd like to see pictures you can click here to see Molly's blog. I must say, she looks EXACTLY like her big sister Charlotte did as a newborn.

Besides being St. Patrick's Day, it's also Grandma Finn's birthday!!! Happy Birthday!

In order for Aidan to celebrate his Irish heritage, Krista and I took Jackson and Aidan to St. Paul this afternoon for the parade and Irish celebration. It was fairly nice outside and we got to see lots of people dressed in green, hear the bagpipes, and watch the fire trucks roll by. A nice way to spend the afternoon.

Watching the bagpipes from the balcony

Irish Lads:
Aidan-11months
Jackson-6weeks

Bagpipes

Waterfall

I looked out the back door and noticed we've got a mini-waterfall. People pay money for the tranquil sound of running water, all I have to do is open the door.

Fun In The Sun

Those of you who don't live in MN are going to think I'm a bit wacky, but it is gorgeous outside this weekend. Sunny and 55 degrees with a light breeze. Yes, it would be even better if it were in the 80's, but that would just be unnatural for March in MN.

Aidan and I played in the driveway yesterday, getting all wet and muddy. Then enjoyed the weather today by going to the Como Zoo in St. Paul. There weren't as many people as I thought there were going to be and we found a decent parking spot. (unlike last time when we had to park miles away) Most of the animals were still inside their buildings, but fun to watch nonetheless. Aidan didn't seem overly interested in any of the animals, but he did watch the monkeys that walked right in front of us, then stopped to "get it on". :) Several of the parents of older children were like "Oh, look, the monkeys are wrestling." or "Look, she's giving him a piggyback ride." Haha! I was laughing out loud. Aidan was oblivious, so I asked him what sound a monkey makes and he granted me with an "ooo, ooo". That's about the only one he will consistently do, sometimes he'll say "mmm, mmm" for cow, but that's about it. Besides walking, I think animal sounds are the next skill we're really going to work on.

Lunch Mamas

It's been awhile since we've had a lunch date with my girlfriends, so we all met up today at Joe Sensers. We figured we'd better do it now, because Molly is due to pop any day now. (she wants anyone and everyone to pray that she's at least 1cm dilated by Monday so she can be induced on Tuesday, St. Patrick's Day) Jackson got to join us for his first lunch date and we all loved passing him around. It's impossible to remember your child ever being that tiny, although you know they were. Aidan was thoroughly entertained the entire time. Between Gayle's necklace and the million big screen tv's they have there, he was one well-behaved little guy. He also loved playing with Jackson's foot, trying to take his sock off whenever it came within arm's reach.

Watching the MN Gopher's basketball game on the big screen

Molly and Jackson (Krista's baby) sitting on unborn Baby Bellmont

Auntie Gayle and Aidan (lovin' that necklace)

Gayle, Aidan, Jackson, Molly

What Have I Done?!?

I finally caved. I'm ashamed to admit that I have been peer-pressured into joining Facebook. What have I gotten myself into??? I used to have a MySpace page, but then between being pregnant/tired and working, I lost interest in it and deactivated it. Now I've started the whole thing over again with a Facebook page. I know exactly how this is going to go...when Aidan is napping and I should be doing something productive, I'm going to be sitting in front of the computer cyber-stalking all my friends, seeing what everyone is up to. Oh man, this is not going to turn out well. (but I will hopefully know all the gossip) ;)

New Puppy

Did the title trick you into thinking we got a new dog? Nope, just a child who thinks he's a puppy.


I swear that I did not put Aidan in the kennel; he crawled in there on his own free will and thought it was hilarious. At one point he was even closing the door on himself so he was shut in the kennel. What a goofy kid.

Bottomless Pit

Aidan must be going through a growth spurt because he just can't seem to fill up.

Case in point: Breakfast- 2 1/2 blueberry pancakes and he would have eaten more, but I ran out. (he usually only eats one, and sometimes not all of it.)
Lunch-1/2 grilled cheese sandwich, YoBaby yogurt, container of mandarin oranges, sheet of graham crackers.
Dinner-cooked carrots, peaches, taco meat with cheese, Cheerios.
Not to mention the 3 bottles he takes during the day.

When we were at the doctor's office the other day for the "eye incident" he weighed in at 19 lbs 11 oz. That still puts him around the 12th %-ile, but I just read somewhere that 1 year olds usually weigh between 19 and 24 lbs. In that case, Aidan is finally average. YAY!!!

Sledding

I finally broke out the sled that's been in our garage since before Aidan was born (Thank you Molly!) I pulled Aidan around the backyard yesterday with the intention of pulling him down the side hill, too. Alas, the fence gate was frozen in place and packed with snow. There was no way we were getting out. Aidan still had lots of fun. You can tell by the huge smiles on his face.

*if you want to see the pictures larger, just click on them

Roxie was racing us. She won.

Playing in the snow for the first time

I'm pretty sure Aidan is winking in this picture

The First Cut Is The Deepest

Good news/Bad news

Bad News:
We had our first official "owie" today. After lunch, Aidan was standing behind one of the dining room chairs, holding onto it, while I rinsed off his tray. Next thing I know, thump, he's sprawled on his back screaming with the chair on top of him. Thankfully our chairs are really light, but it managed to catch him just right and split his eyelid open. Contrary to usual head wounds, this one bled very little, but I could tell right away that it was deep. I tried to hold a cold pack on his eye, but he was too upset. I fixed him a bottle, which stopped the screaming, and allowed me to hold the cold pack on his eye for a couple of minutes at a time. When his bottle was gone he didn't cry any more and the bleeding had stopped. Whew...I thought Aidan and I handled that pretty well.

When Kyle got home about an hour and a half later he thought Aidan should to go to the doctor and might need stitches. *I said they wouldn't be able to do anything since it was on his eyelid, right above his lashes* But, I didn't want to look like an uncaring, negligent mother, so I agreed to take Aidan in. Luckily there was an appointment open 30 minutes after I called and it was with Aidan's pediatrician. Dr. Y saw us right away and wasn't overly concerned with the cut. He said that even if it had been worse there wasn't much they would have been able to do. Aidan's cut was closing on it's own and it wasn't gaping or ragged around the edges. So, Aidan has a puffy blue eyelid for the time being and is now wary of the dining room chairs. I'm guessing the evidence of today's tumble will last longer than Aidan's hesitancy around the chairs.

Good News:
In more exciting and happy news, Aidan is walking voluntarily for longer distances. He walked from the loveseat to the couch without holding onto anything and then again from the coffee table to the couch. (Kyle was sitting on the couch) You can see the wheels turing in his brain while he tries to decide if he should go for it or not. Pretty soon it will be second nature.

11 Months Old

Yep, it's March already. That means several things:
1) St. Patrick's Day
2) Grandma Finn's birthday...on St. Patrick's Day
3) Spring arrives (on the calendar at least)
4) Aidan turns ONE!!!

While we don't have much on the calendar yet, I'm sure it will shape up to be a busy month. Just chasing after Aidan these days keeps me busy enough without things to do outside the house. His energy seems to keep compounding and growing. I read that toddlers get more exercise daily than Olympic athletes. I completely believe it.

Aidan's favorite things right now:
- Climbing on the fireplace hearth and trying to crawl/walk along it until someone comes to get him. He thinks it's a riot, I forsee many bumps and bruises.
-He's also figured out how to position the dining room chairs just right so he can pull himself up on them and lay on the seat. It's an interesting process to watch, he just keeps trying until he gets himself up there.
-The broom. It's a ratty old broom, but it might just be Aidan's favorite toy. He actively seeks it out several times a day to play with. If only he could actually use it to clean the house...
-His toy box. It's full of toys that rarely get played with, but he likes it when I open the top and he can look inside.
-The book "bag". Nana got me a large canvas tote at Christmas that was intended for grocery shopping. Instead, it turned into our living room book/toy bag. Aidan pulls out every single thing in it and scatters the items around the room. It melts my heart when he pulls out a book and flips through the pages, looking at the pictures.

11 months old, showing off his pearly whites

Aidan and the broom

Based on the look in his eyes, this may not be the last time Aidan and I chat through metal bars.