Aiden's Fall 2016 Update!

FALL 2016

Now that Aiden is over a year old, I'm switching the format of his update posts from being monthly to seasonally. At the end of each season, I will post an update with some of the fun things we've been up to and how he's been growing! Aiden is currently 21 months old. If you're looking for more frequent updates, I have been posting regularly on instagram. Follow me there! (@marlyssa).

Here's how our Fall was!

MOMMY

Exercise/Weight loss:

Well, I don't know how applicable it would be to post weight loss stats now, haha. Shortly after I posted our Summer update, we announced to our world of people that we are expecting baby #2 in May! So while I had gotten down to below my wedding weight at the last update, I can assure you, I am not there anymore. haha. The severe morning sickness and lack of energy this time around basically had me immobile and on the couch through the first 17 weeks of this pregnancy, and on top of that I seem to only be able to stomach junk food at the beginning of my pregnancies. So the weight crept up on me a lot faster this time around since feeling sick lasted for so much longer. I've gained 18.4 pounds so far at 26 weeks compared to 15.6 pounds at 26 weeks with Aiden. Eeek! I am trying to stay accountable and make healthy food choices and stay as hydrated as possible now that I'm feeling better (especially since we are still nursing at 21 months over here!), but it can be hard sometimes because I can get so busy that I don't always have time to plan ahead to prepare healthy foods to eat, or I forget completely to drink enough water! The weight gain has definitely slowed down to a normal pace since I started making better food choices and we haven't eaten fast food or dined out at a restaurant in a while. And actually, I started out this pregnancy almost 10 pounds lighter than I was when I got pregnant with Aiden, so even though I've gained more so far, I weigh less than I did at this point with Aiden. Small victories! I haven't been working out much (let's face it, I've barely worked out since before Aiden was born haha) but I think chasing after Aiden all day and doing housework count for at least something! (: I also try to get out and shovel snow from our decks and the trampoline as often as needed. It's good exercise! I have been thinking about starting to do home workout videos from time to time again - maybe Aiden would like to watch me and maybe he would even try to join in! (: I'm also hoping to start going back to some exercise classes from time to time now that the crazyness of the holidays has died down and I'm finally not sick anymore (I was sick for about a month straight in November/December, haha) I would like to keep my weight gain to around the same (or less) than I was with Aiden, which was 36 lbs total. I think I can do it if I stick to being healthy for the next 14 weeks! (:

Emotions:

Things have been going well the last while (: There were those days when I was dealing with severe morning sickness that I didn't feel like myself and it was easy to start feeling kind of worthless just laying on a couch all day, fighting sleep and nausea. There was also a lot of mommy guilt from having Netflix be Aiden's "mommy" for so long. But now that I am past that part it's been going pretty well. Also, taking several steps back from working at home has drastically decreased my stress levels and I get to enjoy more quality time with Aiden (: I'll still be working at home for a little while, but I have slowed down quite a bit as I work to downsize inventory and what not. Aside from being busy with two sweet babies soon, our house will soon have all of its bedrooms full so I have no room to continue doing business as I had been anyway. But that's no problem! Honestly I've gotten very burnt out from the home-business life and I know it stressed me out in ways I wouldn't be stressed if I wasn't so busy with it. I'm looking forward to a more simplified life, focusing on the things (people) that are more important to me than having a full time home business (: (And trust me I know it's a blessing to be just a stay at home mom - believe me, the income I made over the last few years was helpful to our family. But I weighed it out over the last few months and Jason and I decided it would be best that I focus more on our kid(s) and it's what I really want. I feel super blessed!)

AIDEN

Height/Weight:

At 21 months, Aiden is 32 3/4 tall and weighs 23 pounds! This puts him in the 18th percentile for height and the 18th percentile for weight. And his cranial circumference is in the 88th percentile! (: The ratio came down from being in the 97th percentile from last time, but he'll always be my 97th percentile headed boy. haha (:

Refresher course:

+ At 18 months, he was 32.5 inches tall and 22 pounds 10 ounces
+ At 14 months, he was 31 inches tall and 20 pounds 13 ounces

+ At 12 months he was 30 1/4 inches long and 20 pounds 10 ounces

+ At 6 months he was 27 1/4 inches long and 17 pounds 6 ounces

+ At birth he was 20 1/2 inches long and 6 pounds 14 ounces

Sleeping:

Aiden takes one nap a day, usually for about two hours. (Except, over the last couple of weeks he has decided to drop this nap also. Haha - he's never been one for much sleep.) I am hoping it's just a phase since so many things are changing, like how I am starting to wean him - pregnancy has this milk maid turning into just a regular maid, so I have no choice, sadly :( So he's having to learn how to fall asleep without nursing which has been going really well for his wake ups throughout the night, but he has a hard time falling asleep at nap time without much nursing. So far, I have noticed it seems to help him for his nap if I wake him up earlier in the morning (which is a learning curve for me also, since most days we wake up at the same time, haha). Otherwise, he will skip his nap until 5pm or later, and then only sleep a tiny bit, and then he's usually still roaring like the 20's at midnight. (: (But let's face it, he normally goes to sleep with us between 10-11pm. So it's not that much of a difference. Remember what I said about how he's never been one for much sleep? I wouldn't trade it though. (: Oh! And huge major success thingy here! Since I've been weaning him (especially middle of the night feedings), let it be known that at 21 months of age, Aiden slept through the night for the very first time! (And since then, he slept through the night for a second time!) Let me explain this more slowly and clearly: he fell asleep after nursing, and he did not wake up a single time until the sun was up and shining. Naturally, I woke up a few times throughout the night basically expecting him to be up, but he just kept on sleeping. haha. I do think he's improving with learning how to go to sleep on his own without help, and he's also been doing a lot better at nap time with a sippy cup of regular milk. (: Oh, and we nixed the idea of him sleeping on his crib mattress in our room long ago. It just wasn't working for us with my growing baby belly and having to hoist him into our bed to nurse a few times a night, and our floors get super cold in the winter also, so we've been cosleeping as we've always been. We do plan on having him start to sleep in his own room very soon though. Like in the next couple days, soon. It makes me sad to think about, but at the same time, I am excited because I really do think it will help him sleep better. We got him a twin size mattress (we still need to get a bed frame - pending a trip to Ikea) - and I got him new big-boy bedding and pillows and he LOVES it. If you ask him where his bed is, he points in the direction of his room with so much pride, he says "bee-bo-bed" (big boy bed), and he goes running to his room and jumps or flops on the bed and then the giggles start to ensue. We have a baby gate installed now so he will stay in his room at night (his room is on the second floor and this mom's brain is always whirring and worrying about the "what-ifs" - now all we need to do is make the room more of a "yes" space since he will be there overnight.  There are also even more big changes coming in less than 3 days that I know will help me feel more comfortable having him sleep in his room at night... (: Stay tuned!

Eating:

He's doing much better with food now, especially since I am starting to wean him. His new favorite drink is lemonade+iced tea. And he requests it by name! "T!" Haha. He usually eats a decent sized breakfast and gets really excited about food when Jason gets home in the evenings, but it can be hard for me to get him to eat much throughout the day. We are working on it. (: A few days ago the three of us were at home and I asked Aiden if he needed more to eat and if he would like me to get him an applesauce, to which he replied, "No, Daddy." A phrase which here means*, "No, I want Daddy to get applesauce for me." Knowing that Jason is the one who does all the cooking around here (because God blessed me in ways other than knowing how to read a recipe and make science happen and He clearly doesn't want me to set my house on fire, just ask me how I've set already cooked, sliced bread on fire before),  I furrowed my brow and said to Aiden, "I didn't know it required cooking skill to get an applesauce from the pantry." The moral of the story is, he did want the applesauce, he just decided he needed the one who makes all the food to go get it for him. It probably tastes better that way anyway. haha

(*Hi, I've been living my life-long, childhood dream of watching A Series of Unfortunate Events played out the way it should be on Netflix. My favorite childhood book series. The only childhood book series.) 

Clothing sizes:

He wears 2T shirts, although they are pretty baggy on him currently, but his head is so big it's what we have to do. I decided to mostly skip over the 24 month thing since I'm guessing they're about the same thing anyway, haha. For pants, some 18 month stuff is getting a little short on his legs, but anything bigger than that has to have one of those adjustable waistband things on the inside, and it has to be tightened like all the way. Otherwise they will fall right off. haha. He's just so little! (:

Developments:

+ Aiden has 16 teeth now! Finally after months and months of waiting, all four canine teeth have come through his gums. A couple of them still need to move down/up some more, but they are completely broken through. But now he's been chewing on things toward the back of his mouth so I think his 2 year molars are coming. haha

+ Aiden's vocabulary is phenomenal! It was something I actually used to be worried about since he seemed a little behind on it maybe 6-9 months ago, but in the last couple months he's gone from knowing a dozen words to being able to name just about every object in one of those "baby's 100 first words" books and he strings lots of 2 and 3  (and more!) word sentences together! He will also repeat just about any word you say to him, and his memory is getting pretty good so the word tends to stick after you tell him what an object is.  He knows a few of his colors, (most notably blue and green). And he's so chatty! He loves to tell you all about his day (:
+ I'm also pretty sure he's left-handed. (: Just like me!
+ He's started saying "m" words! Now instead of calling Jason "Daddy" and me "Datty", he calls me "Mon". Yeah, kind of like a Bob Marley thing going on. But it's the sweetest thing. He never called me mama or mommy before, so it's like finally getting to have those sweet butterfly feelings of your baby calling you by name. And now he calls milk, "mo" and let me tell you, do I have a story about that that involves realizing sometimes you need to think about what you're about to say before you say it to your child. Like how we're weaning and when he wants to nurse he asks, "Mo?" So this one time I asked him right back quite emphatically - in an energetic, silly tone - "Whatchu want milk for?!" ...Except here, instead of "milk" I said "mo", and instead of "for" I said... well... Just think about what you're going to say before you say it. I can still remember the feeling of my eyes sinking into my skull after I realized what it sounded like I said. Thankfully I was at home alone with Aiden when it happened so it wasn't entirely mortifying as it could have been. haha

+ In the last few months, while some days he skips his nap, he is getting a lot better at independent play. I can be in one room and he will just go off into another room and start playing contentedly for maybe 20 minutes! This is really nice if I'm trying to get some quick cleaning done or something. Of course, it's always a little nerve wracking in a sense knowing he's in the other room by himself where I can't see what he's doing, but usually unless it gets super quiet you know they're not getting into trouble because you can hear what they're playing with. I know now that when it gets really quiet (it's almost like something in the air changes too) that it's go time to see what he's doing. See, he has this insane knack for being able to find pens and markers where I swear there were none, and so I have since become well acquainted with magic erasers and alcohol wipes and using hand sanitizer to get permanent marker out of couch covers and so on. haha. But I do like that he can play by himself a little bit here and there throughout the day!

+ I've been dipping my toes into Montessori-style learning/living - I am by no means an expert or saying that we go 100% by it, but I have been working to implement more of it into our home. This means focusing on mostly open-ended toys, trying to make more "yes" spaces in our home, and teaching him independence. Recently I got a gallon drink-dispenser (one with a spigot) that we keep in the dining area on a shelf at Aiden's height. I keep it filled (as low as possible just in case, haha) with his favorite iced tea, and he goes and pours himself some tea in a cup when he wants a drink! (I tried it with water initially, but he just thought water meant play time. haha) The sense of accomplishment you can tell he feels shows all over his face. (:  I also plan to have snacks right next to it that he can get for himself, but so far I haven't found anything I can leave out that he will eat readily throughout the day that won't spoil or that he enjoys eating enough to not make a big mess haha. So that's a work in progress - but I know this little drink/snack station is going to come in handy especially when the baby is here! (We also use sippy cups on the reg, but it's pretty cool seeing such a little guy pouring their own drink for themselves! (: He also has a step stool so he can help me with the dishes and he knows how to clean up his messes. I'm working on helping him learn how to get dressed as well. Like I said, we aren't strictly Montessori (I don't think I have the energy for that haha) but I like the basic idea of cultivating independence and the creativity that is behind it all! (:

+ Aiden got his first hair cut! It wasn't anything major, but I trimmed a bit off the top so it was more of an even length. I like the longer, shaggy surfer hair look on boys, so don't expect any major hair cuts anytime soon. haha. (Especially with his super fine hair, he would almost look bald right now if you cut it short!). This picture was soon after his first hair cut. (:
+ I am not pushing potty training at all, (he is still too young in my opinion, and I'd mostly like to wait until Summer after the baby is born to really start working on it), but we do have a potty out in one of the bathrooms which he can use if he wants to so he can become acquainted with it. Well, he has gone #1 in the potty once so far! I can't tell you how proud of him I felt (:
+ His personality hasn't changed much over the last few months - he's still the same goofy, silly, happy, energetic, and wild little boy he always has been! And he's a total softie - and a major momma's boy! He gets a little upset when he sees Jason and I hugging or kissing, to which he then wants to sit on my lap and snuggle with me. haha. He wants his "mon" all to himself haha (: He tends to be quiet and calm when we're away from the house until he has time to warm up and run around and play. (:

General Preferences:

+ I'm really glad we got Aiden some outdoor toys this Summer at garage sales that can also be played with inside. Since we live in Minnesota (the land of half the year snow and cold) it can be a lot of extra work especially for a tired, increasingly round pregnant lady to get a toddler all dressed up for the snow. And since it's so cold, our time outside is often much shorter than it would be in the summertime (: So it's nice he has some "big" outdoor toys that we can bring inside for him to play with until it warms up again! I brought in his toy slide and his trike which both get a lot of use. He has his trike downstairs and goes around and around in circles endlessly around the kitchen island. Watch your toes! He goes really really fast!
+ Ever since we got back from visiting Aiden's cousins and Aunt and Uncle in Oregon at the beginning of September, he has been obsessed with trains! (Technically Christmas Day goes in the Winter update, but I will say it was so hard for me to wait a couple of months to surprise him with a train set for Christmas!)
+ At bath time Aiden loves to go "swimming". The deeper the water, the better! He lays on his tummy and kicks his legs and tries to get as deep in the water as he can (: We haven't gone swimming at the pool this fall/winter yet, but I really want to! There was a month or so from November to December where at least one of us was sick non stop. :( But since we're all better I definitely want to go soon and see what Aiden thinks of swimming in a pool - it's been a while for him!

+ He loves to play "bee-boh" (baseball) with Jason and I and hockey too! He has a natural talent for sports - it's unreal to me as someone who has never been good at sports that I have a child who is very good at them haha. It's a lot of fun seeing what your child is talented at and loves to do! (:

What we've been up to:

+ Shortly after the end of Summer, Aiden turned 1 1/2 years old! And we took some pictures outside in his sandbox to prove it. (It's almost surreal at this point seeing pictures of his sandbox without snow on it!)

+ At the beginning of October, we went to a local pumpkin patch where we picked out some pumpkins for Fall decorations that also doubled as props for our baby announcement. Aiden also got to go in a bouncy house and we all went down the big culvert slide and had apple cider. It was a lot of fun and Aiden liked all the activities. He especially liked seeing the farm animals (he liked the cow the most.) Jason fed the cow some cabbage and Aiden offered the cow his cookie. (Which the cow did eat.) The picture to the left is the exact moment when a tractor trailer load of people going on a ride around the pumpkin patch were going "awww" over Aiden holding the little pumpkin. I think Aiden was a little confused by it all haha, but it was very cute.

+ We spent warmer Fall days going on walks to the park where Aiden enjoyed playing the piano the most over playing on the playground equipment. He also still has a really good knack for finding cats every time we go to the park. haha. He always makes a new friend there. (: We also went on a few family walks to the beach and watched the geese before they headed south for Winter.

+ We started getting snow fairly late in Fall this year, and Aiden loves it! Something he loves to do inside is flop onto his belly when he's standing on our bed, and he quickly discovered he can do the same thing in a big fluffy pile of snow. (But then he can't get back up on his own because of all the layers of his snowsuit and jacket and big boots. haha. So I help him back up but then he just flops right back into the pile again! He's very silly that way.)

+ We went as a family to the movies for the first time! It's not something we do very often anyway, but it was fun to have Aiden experience his first movie-going experience. He did really well throughout the whole movie and I think he really enjoyed it! Especially the popcorn, haha

+ In late Fall, we packaged up our Operation Christmas Child boxes. Aiden did get to help a little bit with wrapping (and a little bit of the packing) but I think his favorite part was stacking the boxes like big blocks when we were all finished! (:

+ In early December, we went on our annual Christmas tree hunt. It took us a really long time to find a tree this year. The funniest part about it all was that we hiked around the wilderness for what felt like hours and then ended up finding a tree just a few hundred feet (and basically within eyesight) of where our truck was parked. Oops.
+ On the same day we went hunting for a Christmas tree, we went to the area where Jason was working at the time and Aiden got to ride along and help operate heavy machinery! He rode along with Jason in the delimber and got to steer the skidder! (: Jason had his GoPro along and took video of them in the machines and it was so cute. Aiden was yanking the steering wheel from left to right so fast! He was just so excited to help his daddy. (:

+ We continued more of our family traditions leading up to Christmas, and this year Aiden was excited to be big enough to be more involved with it all! He helped decorate the tree while we listened to Christmas music, he helped make Christmas cookies with me on a few occasions, and we got him a mini tree which he got to help decorate also. Of course, all of the ball shaped ornaments eventually ended up on the floor (they're plastic so no glass!) because he thought they could be used as hockey pucks better. (: haha

+ Also while it was still Fall, I reached 20 weeks in my pregnancy which means I am over halfway done now! (: I am feeling the baby move around quite a bit these days! (: (I am currently 26 weeks along. This means I'm 6 months in with less than 14 weeks to go.) (:

--

And now, an ode to the falling of all the leaves alongside my most favorite people.

As  always, you can check out more of our adventures (with frequent updates)

by following me on instagram - @marlyssa  

Happy Fall, Aiden! Daddy and I had a lot of fun watching you play in the Fall leaves and picking out pumpkins with you for making the baby announcement! I love the way your vocabulary has grown so much recently - it's becoming easier by the day to talk with you and for you to tell me about your day and what's on your heart. I love-love-love when you say "wooooooooow!" with so much excitement and wonder - it makes me smile every time I hear you say it. It reminds me to keep life simple - because even fruit snacks are worthy of a genuine, deep-sighed, "woooooow!" from time to time. I love seeing you discover who you are and what you like and what you're good at. I love the way you squeal and run across the room when daddy comes home, "Daddyyy!" and that you finally have a name for me, "Mon". (It was worth the wait.) I love telling you I love you and asking for kisses and getting them in return. I love the way Daddy says I look at you - that he says I have such pride in knowing that you're my son. I love fixing your curly hair - because 25+ years of caring for my own wild and outrageous curly hair had to have been good for something - although I think you got the better end of the bargain with perfect curls than I did. I love that you're eager to help me and love to learn new things! I love your heart for adventure to be outside in the snow and try new things. You're a boy after my own heart and I love you so. Though every season is different than the last, (especially living somewhere like Minnesota) every one brings new adventures that I'm so lucky to get to go on with you and daddy. Looking back on my life and then looking at my surroundings now... all of my dreams have come true. I've always wanted a happy, loving family and to get to stay at home with my children and now here I am. You and daddy (and baby coming too!) are a culmination of my wildest dreams come true.  

I love you through and through. 

Love, momma