Senior Moments

Aidan, you have a lot of special people in your life. Most of them are older than you. Some of them are older than me and your mom. A lot of them are older than me and your Mom combined.

But age means nothing, unless you're trying to get senior discounts on movie tickets or yogurt or something, and then it totally counts. But, when it comes to playing with you, you actually are like the magic in the movie Cocoon. You de-age your grandparents, great grandparents and great aunts...greatly! (Not literally, but metaphorically...ya know?)

Of course, you always have a blast with Yaya and Baba and Mimi and Pops, and they have a blast with you too. You know all their names and get really excited when you get to see them and play with them.

(Remind me to get more pictures of you and Yaya, okay?)

But this past week, you got to finally meet one special relative, and finally warmed up to another.

Your famous Great Aunt Gerri, who is techincally your 1st cousin twice removed..right?) came to visit us from Tenessee. Though this was the first time you met her, she's been a part of your life since before you were born. The last time she visited, she told your Mom that the next time she visited, we would have a little baby. At that moment your Mom suspected she was pregnant with you, but hadn't told anyone yet. Kind of like an oracle, right? Aunt Gerri's always commenting on pictures of you and sending you gifts left and right, even though we tell her she's too kind and it's too much!

But you finally got to meet her, and you guys hit it off immediately. You love saying "Jerrrr-EEE! Jerr-EEE!" (although sometimes your refrain devolved into "Jeremy", but that's okay too!).

As I write this, Aunt Gerri has already headed home, but we had such a wonderful time with her. I don't think you'll be forgetting Aunt Gerri ever! (Who could?)

When Holly's grandparents, your great grandparents, are in town, you normally like to go check on Pa, your Great Grandfather Paul. You like to look at pictures of the family and point out Pa. Heck, you even liked to climb in his lap and give him hugs.

But recently, you've been pointing to someone else in the family photo, someone who you've met many times and -quite frankly- kinda ignored. But not any more. You love saying "Gigi" when you point to your Great Grandmother's picture, and then you started calling her "Grandma" ("GRAMMA!"). This weekend when she and Aunt Nessa ("Nesssss") came to town to spend more time with Aunt Gerri, you started calling her "Gramma Gigi!" and, with a little encouragement from your dear old Dad, got brave enough to go tickle her...and Gramma Gigi giggled! You loved this process so much that you repeated it dozens of times over the weekend.

I'd say that you two are now good friends, which is better than good for us!

I barely knew my grandparents and I wanted you to have a really good relationship with yours. Check! You love your Grandparents.

But as an added bonus, your Mom and I are so thankful that you're getting to know your Great Grandparents too! Not too many people get to spend an afternoon tickling their Gramma Gigis!

You're a really sweet little man, Aidan and I know you are destined for greatness. If you surround yourself with greatness, then it's only inevitable...and this weekend you got a great dose of greatness from your Great Aunt Gerri and your Great Grandma (Gramma Gigi).

So there's no need to point out the average age of some of the company you keep because calendar age doesn't matter...it only matters if you're young at heart, and as you prove again and again, you've got the magic touch in bringing out the kid in many an old person! (including me!)

The Epic Tale of Your very First (second, third and fourth) Thanksgiving(s)!

As your 8th month came to a close, we celebrated Thanksgiving...four-ish times! So you got to have your first four Thanksgivings all in one week! And, despite being in slight pain due to cutting 6 teeth during the Thanksgiving break, you really had a great time!

Our first first Thanksgiving was friendsgiving. Your Godmother made a Turkey, so the rest of us brought sides and babies to Kari and BJ's house. Only a few pictures were taken that night...and most of them occurred when you and Brady had a simultaneous diaper change.

It was really odd to realize that just one year ago we had Friendsgiving at BJ and Kari's house too and you were in your Mama's belly, and Brady wasn't even a glimmer yet. And now, one year later, your both celebrating your first Thanksgivings together!

This was probably your worst night, though. Your teeth were bothering you and we made you sit at the table for-EVER (in baby terms...about 10 minutes in adult terms), so you were a bit fussy. In fact, you started crying and screaming so much that you made Brady cry.

At that point, Uncle Jeremy said "Your Car Alarm set off my Car Alarm."

But, despite that, fun was had by all!

After we figured out that you were cutting so many teeth, we gave you Orajel and Baby Tylenol and the rest of the week (and the rest of the Thanksgivings) went way better for you.

Then, the Wednesday before your second Thanksgiving your Aunt Rebekka and Uncle Ross came in town. You hadn't seen Aunt Rebekka since you were teeny tiny, and you hadn't ever met Uncle Ross. But you guys all hit it off immediately!




The next day we had Thanksgiving #2 at Mimi and Pops' house.

First you got to play in a really old bouncy toy that was mine and Aunt Rebekka's when we were kids! Pops set it all up for you!

Your Mom and I were nervous for you...
But, you seemed to like it!


And since some of Auntie M's family were in town to meet Brady, you got to play with them and Brady.

You really liked to eat Nicole's bracelets! So, she donated them to you!

Brady celebrated in style!Since you're a big boy, you don't really sleep like that anymore...so we have to sometimes 'trick' you into sitting at the table for extended periods of time. Check out these awesome parenting skills:
Plug the baby into Youtube and booze it up while Mommy eats!

To be honest, though, we only try to let you watch your Sesame Street videos on the phone when we've exhausted all other options. At any rate, you love you some videos of Sesame Streets. Your favorites include these two (and yes, you've been watching Sesame Street frequently enough to have favorites, but infrequently enough to melt your brain completely):

You really trance and smile and even move your lips when you're watching Sesame Street!
But, anyway, we wined (or watered)...
Dined...(with the good silver)
And had a little after-dinner music:
The next morning, you played with your furry friends,

Then we all went for a walk and even got to go in the swing (your second time swinging!) It was a beautiful fall day, so we couldn't resist.



Later that night we had our third-ish Thanksgiving...mmm leftovers...but first, Mimi and Aunt Rebekka just had to eat you up! (not literally; cannibalism is not supported in this family)

The next day we drove out to Sulphur Springs for our fourth and final Thanksgiving. Immediately upon arrival, your 20-month old second cousin Kaelyn found you and gave you a kiss!
Then there was some playing...
Some patting:

Some sharing:
Some not sharing (no picture of not sharing...since it wasn't pretty)

And some of this (whatever this is)

The two of you got along fabulously! It was so cool to watch you guys figure out that the other wasn't just a toy...but a real little boy and girl! You guys played and giggled and flirted and talked and wrestled. You even pulled Kaelyn's pig tails! The cuteness continued when we went outside and the two of you hung out on Great Grandma's and Grandpa's swing. At first Kaelyn wasn't too pleased that you were on HER swing...
But then she warmed up to you, which was good considering that it was getting a little chilly!




You did get to see other people like you Cousin Jenny (who also practices cannibalism)
and your great grandma...
But, for you, the star of your Fourth Thanksgiving was Kaelyn Bright:
Thanksgiving was so great, but, all great things come to an end eventually. So, we said ttfn to Sulphur Springs, and later said ttfn to your Aunt Rebekka and Uncle Ross. We say 'ttfn' because 'goodbye' is so final...and we'll see your aunts, great grandparents and cousins again really soon!




Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you! Over Thanksgiving break you stood up for yourself. You've been trying this move for a few weeks now, but over Thanksgiving break you finally mastered it! Now there's no stopping you!

What's in Store: Grocery Carts, Country Roads and 4 Month Checkup

Your Mom and I (and the world) have a lot in store for you! And some of the things we have in store for you actually involve the store.

Which store? You may ask.

Well, you've been to lots of stores: Target (at least 2 times a day on weekends as long as your Mom is deciding where we go), Kohl's, even Home Depot. But the one store you haven't been to yet is THE store...the grocery store.

We just didn't know how one person could push you in the stroller and push the grocery cart...or if we put your car seat in the grocery cart then there'd be no room for groceries. But, we finally had a perfect opportunity, and the right tool (thanks to Aunt April) to put YOU in the grocery kart! And though you were a bit wobbly, and it still took two people, you really seemed to like riding around in the grocery store.


What else did we have in store for you? Your first trip to Great Grandma's house. Actually, we wound up going to your Great Aunt Nessa's cabin instead, but you get the idea.

Out in the country, you got to hang out with Great Aunt Nessa:

Grandma:
Your Second Cousin Kaelyn:


(who went to give you a kiss but accidentally head butted you...and then pretty much lost interest in you and gained more interest in your green chair)

And your Great Aunt Chrissy:

And then it was on to nap time...
Apparently napping with grandmas is the thing to do!
And then when you woke up you got to hang out with Great Grandma...


and Great Grandpa and your cousins Devon and Jenny and Great Uncle Phil too. You did great out in the country. I think being loved on by all your relatives suited you just fine...

And you had more in store for you this week as well. You got to spend part of the days with Mimi and Pops and Grandma (that's right, Nita has officially chosen 'Grandma' over 'Nanneh'...for now). And when babysitting, Pops likes to, among other things, go for long Wii walks with you:

but sometimes he gets a little crazy... look out!

And that brings us to yesterday. Your Mom and I knew what was in store for you. And we weren't too happy about it. You, however, were none the wiser about what was coming. We let you have as good of a morning as possible, which included taking goofy pictures with Daddy.

(Don't worry, we're both clothed: one in a diaper, one in shorts. Which is which?)

Oh yeah, quick side bar: you started sucking on your bottom lip this week as well. And as you can see in the picture, it's a trend that's gaining momentum!

Back to reality: At 9:30 a.m., we packed up, put on brave faces and went to see the Doctor for your Four Month check up.

First things first, they weighed and measured you. Your Mom guessed you would be 16 pounds. I thought 16.5. Uncle BJ guessed 4 pounds, but that was an uninformed guess, to say the least.

But in Price is Right rules, he won, because everyone else over guessed!

You weighed in at 14 pounds 6 ounces!

This is by no means giant...in fact as a friend pointed out, her 3 month old son weighed 16 pounds and could theoretically eat you (which I don't think is a good idea). But, it's a great weight to be at! You're at the 50th percentile for weight. And, I dont' recall the exact height, but you're around 25 inches tall...putting you around the 70-75th percentile for height (You were 25 1/4 inches tall!). Tall and skinny! Just like... no one in the family. That's odd. Maybe you'll break the mold!

You were really in love with the butcher paper they put on the exam table and you wouldn't hold still. You wiggled and squirmed and tore and chewed and drooled. You tried to eat the Doctor's hand while she was checking your heart beat...but, in your defense, it WAS within reach! You were having a grand old time at the Doctor's.


A grand old time, that is, until the nurse came in to give you your four month shots! I had to hold you down while the nurse gave you three shots in your leg muscles and you cried and cried and wailed and I even saw you squeeze out a single tear! It was horrible...for us.

When the shots were done and I could pick you up, you immediately stopped crying. Then your Mommy fed you and you seemed to feel better immediately!

Although, the baby acetomenophin we gave you probably helped too.

The rest of the day was a blast, and you and your Mommy even got to take twinsy naps together...with Toby at your side.
But what's in store for you now? You'll like this news, maybe. You've doubled your birthweight (and then some!), so the Doctor said you were ready to start trying solid foods!

Up to this point the only thing you've ever eaten is Breast Milk! But now... now you get veggies and cereal and fruit, oh my!

What will we start with? How will it go? How many bibs will we go through? I guess we'll have to find out...there's a lot in store for all of us!

But, the creatures who stand to gain the most from the new developments are the ones who stand just under 1.5 feet tall... with all the food dropping that's going to start happening soon Toby and Preston will definitely have something to wag about.