Right now Aiden is about 32 inches tall - he was in the 70th percentile at his 1 year check-up. Aiden is around 22 pounds now - in the 7th percentile at his 1 year check-up. This little guy is still wearing just a size 2 diaper and still fits into some 6 month clothes, like the onsies. He mostly wears 9 month clothes. His head is where we impress the doctor - at over 21 inches he was in the 99th+ percentile at his one year check-up. (The plus being because he was off the chart!) He has sandy blonde hair and big brown eyes. He has four teeth now - a top tooth and third bottom tooth broke through the second week in June. Unfortunately, this means we are still cutting up food into little tiny bites, as he is still gumming most of his food. He still has one crinkled ear, just like his dad. He wears a tiny little size 4 shoe and is doing well with actually walking in his shoes and keeping them on! He seems to be right-handed, despite what we thought earlier. He tends to use his right hand to do things, like eat or pick up his toys. He then passes things to his left hand to hold while he walks around or picks up something else. He still loves the show "Blue's Clues." While he no longer watches a full episode, it is the only show that will hold any attention of his at all. Well, that and the theme song to "Big Bang Theory."
Summer has spoiled me in many ways. The best has been being able to get Aiden when he wakes up in the morning. Aiden usually wakes up around 8:00 right now, but will sit in his bed and talk and walk around for about an hour. It is so funny to hear him through the monitor talk with himself and try to form words. He will walk from side to side and even play with his bumper. The game usually ends, though, when Aiden throws his paci out of the crib and onto the floor. It is then that he starts to cry the classic, whiny, tearless cry until someone comes to get him. I have loved getting to see the BIG smile when I come through the door. I have also come to adore our nighttime routine. I am the one that gets to rock Aiden to bed each evening and it is one of my favorite times of the day! He has come to know the routine - plug in and turn on the night light, turn on the monitor, turn on the sound machine, and turn off the light. By the time I sit in the rocker, he has taken hold of both of my arms and laid his head on my chest. With as active as he is these days, it is usually not long before he is off to dreamland!
Aiden still crosses his feet often. Here, he he asleep (on his tummy, his new preferred way to sleep) with his feet crossed. He even crosses his feet while sitting in the high chair and eating. Aiden also still has very busy hands! It is easy to tell when Aiden is becoming upset or anxious because he curls his hands. Mom and Dad says he is revving his motorcycle. The funny thing is that he even does it with his feet! If he is in the carset or high chair, it is so funny to see all four turning in circles. He has been doing this since he was very small, but I am surprised it is something that has stuck with him!
Aiden started walking on Father's Day this year. As with everything else he has done, it was as if a light switch flipped and he decided today would be the day he made it happen. He had taken a series of three or four steps for a few weeks, but that Sunday he let go of the coffee table and walked across the den. Then he did it again. And again! Then he woke up the next morning and did it ever more! The next week he was able to change direction and turn around. The next week he was walking quickly and not holding his hands out in front of him like a zombie. He still falls on occasions, but has never once cried or whined when he hits the floor. He gave up crawling for good and has been quite the little mover and shaker ever since. The other day he crawled across the floor and it took me a moment to realize what looked so unnatural. He really hasn't crawled since he found out walking was so much better!
Aiden has a big, beautiful smile and he smiles and laughs all the time! He is ticklish on his thigh, tummy, and neckbone. Tickling his neck gets a good, hard belly laugh! When he laughs really hard he squeals and it is hard not laugh with him. The easiest way to get the squeal out of him is to chase him. It is so much fun to hear him laugh so often and I am so blessed to have such a happy baby!
Even though it has been summer, we have been doing a LOT of learning! Aiden is still not able to do a lot of things that require fine motor skills, such as a wave, pointing, or touching specific things like his nose. We have been working on word recognition with some of his toys, learning the name of a new toy each week. So far, we have learned paci, juice, Baby Beep Beep (the name of his favorite board book), monkey, Blue (his stuffed animal from Blue's Clues), and giraffe. It is fun to see him scan the room for the item I call out and when he sees it, there's a big grin. Then he walks over and picks it up.
We also worked on meal time in June. His high chair has two cup holders on either side. We have taught him to put his paci in one cup holder and his cup in the other. Despite his small weight, Aiden is quite the eater, shoveling food in without looking up, much less chewing. He scoops all the pieces of food like jacks or stacks the pieces like checkers and pops them in his mouth. We have to tell him "Juice" to get him to slow down and take a sip. He'll take a sip, then put the cup back in the cupholder. The funny part is to call "Juice" several times and he promptly picks up the cup, then immediately places it back in the cupholder and looks for his next food. We have also learned he tends to throw the cup on the floor when he is full and done eating, a habit we are trying to discourage with a stern "NO!" but his his smile makes it difficult to be stern! At the beach he dangled his cup over the edge and looked at each family member at the table to hear each individual say "No Aiden!" After polling each person at the top, he then dropped it to the floor. Let's just say it's a work in progress.
After finishing his meal and taking away the tray I always turn around to find Aiden digging. He has learned that the catch all at the bottom of his bib usually holds a few extra surprises!
Aiden is a funny little guy that always makes me laugh. Lately he has started planting on one foot and pivoting around. Matt is sure he is to be a basketball player. He will spin himself until he falls down. He has learned how to step over the open safety gate by holding on to the side and is wanting to crawl up stairs less, but go up and down them with help. He loves to take things out of something and then put them back in. (Lately this has been emptying my purse and instead filling it with his large legos) He loves taking his toys out of their box and putting them back in. The toys or anything else he can find to take out...
Aiden is also in love with a box lid in our bedroom. He has had the best time lately stepping into the box...
...and then sitting in the box triumphantly with his juice or toys, looking around to see if anyone has witnessed his accomplishment.
Aiden has also become fixed on stacking things. I think it comes from playing with his big legos, which he got for his birthday from our neighbors. It is funny to walk in a room and find little things stacked on the floor, a sure sign that Aiden has been there. He loves stacking the cups in the kitchen in a cabinet we made just for him. He loves stacking anything else he can find around the house...
I also forget how Aiden is a sponge and soaking up everything he sees and hears. It's amazing how fast he learns and what he picks up just by watching his parents...
Last week Aiden had another first - we played hide-and-seek. I went to pick him up from my parents' house and after changing his diaper in the bedroom, we suddenly became engaged in a game! Aiden would toddle out of the bedroom into the den and Mom and I would quickly find a hiding spot - nothing too tough to find, just a spot behind a piece of furniture. Aiden would toddle back in, find my mother first, and then my mom would prompt him to look for me. He would walk through the room and when he found me, squeal with delight, and walk back out of the room. My mom would hide in the same spot each time, while I tried to move spots. He would find my mom, my mom would prompt him to find me, and he would go back to the last spot I hid. It would take him a few minutes to find me in one of my three hiding spots, but when he did he would squeal, walk back out of the room, and come back in a few minutes later. The game went on for about half an hour! It was a small step, but made me very excited for the games to come!
We have had a lot of fun this summer and been able to spend some time with friends. The friend Aiden has spent the most time with is his cousin, Haleigh.
Sweet Haleigh has come to think that Aiden is SO funny! She loves to watch him walk around the room with a BIG smile on her face! She doesn't even mind when Aiden takes her toys right out of her hands. It has been such a fun summer hanging out with her and Lauren!
Aiden has also been able to spend time with his birthday buddy, Madden! We have run into Jordan and Madden several times and the boys have been able to walk and talk together - and even share breakfast! It is so crazy to think that this time last year both boys were just tiny little babies! I cannot wait until next summer when we can do some many fun things with our friends!
If there is one thing I have learned about this little boy this summer, it is that he LOVES the water! It doesn't matter when or where - he has a blast! It doesn't matter if it is in the bath...
or if it is in the ocean...
or if it is just in his little pool in the backyard!
He absolutely loves the water! He splashes his arms into the water and completely soaks himself, but he seems to think it is funny! He loves the splash pad at the neighborhood pool and is learning how to navigate the baby pool. It is hard to believe that his first steps ever were back in May in that baby pool. He used the water to help pick up his feet and learn how to move. Now, he is walking all around the pool! He even has a float that he uses with Matt in the big pool! He has been tough to keep up with this summer around the pool, but I am sure next summer will bring an even bigger challenge!
Last update on the list is the beach! We spent a week in July with the family at the beach, and what a trip it was! Aiden of course loved the ocean, but HATED the sand. He would sit in the sand and play, all the while moaning a tearless cry. He didn't like the sand on his toes or his hands and was perfectly fine sitting in someone's lap in a chair.
The place where we stayed was perfect - there was plenty of space for Aiden to run until he wore himself out! Aiden was free to check on my mom in the kitchen, peek in on Lauren, Hunter, and Haleigh in their room, pop into our bedroom, swing by the couch to check on Grandmother, and double check on my dad as he read his book in one of the chairs. The place even had plenty of room for the kids and their toys! (Which was great, because we spent WAY more time in the condo than on the beach!)
The place even had a HUGE patio outside overlooking the harbor. It connected to a large patio where we were able to set up the baby pool and let Aiden roam around until he needed to take a break. Aiden even had a good time playing in the rain one afternoon!
The beach was certainly a lot of fun and a learning experience! The ride down and back was double the usual time it takes, the amount of stuff we took down was easily doubled, but we also doubled the fun! I can't wait for next summer, when I am sure Aiden will then hate the ocean and love the sand!
As summer gets shorter each day, I am realizing that I won't be there for each and every milestone anymore. I am envious that his teachers will hear his giggle more than I will and see him play with his new friends and cross his little feet while he eats his lunch. I wouldn't have traded our summer together for anything! I never take a day for granted and remember to thank God each night for such an amazing little boy. He is truly a joy and so happy about life. I look forward to each and every day we are able to spend with him!
And last, but not least, I will leave you with sweet Aiden's first trip to play at the neighborhood park...
