Nothing as dramatic as squirrels eating through our vehicle engine wires but we did have a little bit of holiday drama.  All three of us came down with three different illnesses that had to be mended before we could enjoy Christmas!  Thank goodness for antibiotics! One solid week with all three of us basically in bed and after the holiday madness  another week at home recovering from the travels!

Aden enjoyed three lovely days of visiting family and receiving presents! The most memorable moment for me was of Christmas morning when Aden held a conversation with his two new playmates, King and Queen Castlehoff!  Two lovely puppets that Aden loves to talk to and spontaniously hug!  It was lovely!

Aden and his grandfather's train

Aden is getting the hang of presents.  We’ve been practising.  We did his picture with Santa sometime in the past couple of weeks.  I honestly couldn’t tell you when as the past month has been a blur.  I’m so glad I have next week off.  I hope I can get some rest!

~Life as Mom

We’ve worked so hard to babyproof the house that Aden has free range to wander.  And now?  He can’t touch the tree and it’s right in his play area! 

The main thought was to have everything put up while Aden was at Grandma’s or something like that, but we had to put it up while he was with us.  That in itself was so cute!  He wanted to help put ornaments on the tree.  Mostly he’s good at taking them off the tree.  I’m so worried he will pull the tree over in his overzealous attempts at removing the “child-safe” ornaments.  He REALLY enjoyed all the boxes!   OH BOY, WERE THOSE FUN!

Our tree looks half done because we only decorated about half-way down, just out of his reach.  You can tell he really enjoys the tree though.  Everytime he sees it he goes “oooahh.”  He gets so excited!

Last night we put up Aden’s special tree in his room.  This is his personal tree that I will let him decorate anyway he wants each year.  Last year and this year was my choice, of course!  Last year I did a baby boy blue them….it was so adorable!  This year I did a toys in Toyland theme with a Nutcracker as the topper!  So cute!  I’ll be dreading the day when he wants an Incredible Hulk theme. Ugh!

~Life as Mom

We took him trick-or-treating in my mom’s neighborhood as it is a small area and the houses are close together.   We pushed him in his little car from house to house.  We would park the car at the curb and walk to the front door of the house.  At the first house he didn’t know what to do, but luckily there was a little Snow White there to show him how.  He started grabbing handfuls of candy and then went back for more!  Smart Boy!  I had to explain that you don’t grab handfuls of candy like that.  The conversation went like this, “No, No, No, No, No.” 

By the third house Aden figured out that he needed to grab the candy and run!  He watched those other kids do it!  He really enjoyed his jaunt to each house and would point to the houses with lights on.  Smart Kid.  The whole evening was bittersweet for me though because I knew that he would never be this little and adobable again.  Big and adorable, but never this little and adorable EVER AGAIN.  Makes me want to cry.

On the other hand, we are really looking to the holidays.  Thanksgiving and Christmas!  We already have too many toys, so we decided a few more would help.  Aden can eat solid food this year!  I know he is going to love the turkey and stuffing.  I just don’t know how to get it all done!  Make magic happen and stay sane and you know, work. 

~Life as Mom

Aden seemed to really enjoy his first birthday.  He had a few friends (all girls) come over and really seemed to enjoy the company.  He didn’t get upset about anything.  He ate his cake and enjoyed the icing best.  I’m just glad it washed out of his clothes.  He had an alligator theme party with alligator balloons that were his absolute favorite toy.  He learned the word balloon though it sounds more like “ba-oo.”

Aden is now jabbering away especially since we took the pacifier away.  He has stopped crawling for the most part-preferring to walk everywhere.  He spends his free time playing hard and walking and exploring.  He really enjoys the outdoors.  He frequently grabs my hand and says “go” and walks me to the back door.  When we get outside (which isn’t too often right now because the bugs are so bad), he grabs my hand and walks me around the yard collecting treasures to hold or show me.  As we walk along, he will collect another treasure and decide if the new one is worth letting the old one go or if I should hold the old one.  So far he has collected rocks, sticks and acorns.  He is quite the little naturalist.

Developmentally he is doing well and hitting all his milestones.  The one thing we are concerned with is his little temper tantrums, for lack of a better word.  When he is told no or is upset he starts banging his head on the tile floor or against the wall.  When he is really upset he’ll start pulling his hair out.  After consulting the doctor and being assured that these are temper tantrums and that shows that he is really smart.  I didn’t ask why this proves he is really smart, because I don’t feel that smart, but I’m assuming it is because he has already learned to manipulate us. 

Getting him to go to sleep has been harder.  I can’t just put him in his crib and let him cry himself to sleep.  It just doesn’t happen.  He can go all night.  Mommy and Daddy like to sleep too.  I’m not sure which of us contributed to his stubbornness but it was probably both of us.  I dread when he gets older and we have a battle of the wills!

His favorite toys vary from day to day, but he really likes his balls. He got a couple of them for his birthday.  He plays with everything he has but his favorite activity is exploring.  His favorite foods right now are still the pureed vegetables and his snacks such as his cookies, yogurt melts.  In the big people food he loves chicken and waffles.  He is still the cutest kid around and now we find very smart.  I just hope we as parents can keep up and keep him challenged.

He went to the doctor for his one-year check-up and shots.  All went well and we got him the flu shot (regular) too.  he got to go get an ice cream cone after the doctor visit which he loved and wore all over!  Mommy even got to wear some!

He’ll be starting daycare soon.  I think he’ll really love it and love all the interaction.  It feels like sending him off to school.  I feel more nervous about it and hope I’m able to take him his first day. 

Birthday pictures coming soon.

~Life as Mom

Aden is now increasingly fast and mobile.  He follows us around the house.  We have done a decent job of babyproofing, but we find that when we cannot chase him we put him in his playyard.  Which of course he hates because; dammit Mom!, he wants to be movin’!

We find that at night we are spending more time with him which is good.  I don’t do the dishes or laundry and just sit on the floor with Aden.  We play with his toys and last night we played ball.  We tossed a beach ball around.  He loved that.   Which would children’s services find worse I wonder?  A kitchen full of dirty dishes or  an unhappy child in a playpen?  Aden  does seem to sleep better at night when we have given him lots of attention.

I polled friends on what they do to keep their kids busy.  Granted their kids are a little bit older than Aden.

This is what works for my child:

1) coloring, 2) singing abc’s and other nursery rhymes, 3) playing with Elmo, 4) playing with letters, 5) playing outside and if these don’t work I feed her.

As for toddler activities, here is my list.

1. Play dough!
2. Magnadoodle
3. Coloring
4. Stickers
5. Play with water-Use whatever you have in the kitchen, put a towel down inside if it’s too hot to go outside
6. Play with oatmeal or rice-Again, good for a hot or rainy day, use a big towel or table cloth
7. Blocks
8. Practice walking and holding hands (down to the mailbox and back)
9. Play outside (ride-on toy, truck, ball, and climber)
10. Newest activity-Throw pennies in the fountain near Gator Dockside or the wishing well at the mall (near Macy’s)

Here are some ideas that I’ve used to keep my toddler busy sometimes, although normally she’s attached to my hip so I get to participate too:

• Make a house with windows out of the big box that her car seat came in
• Let her drop clothes pins into a milk jug
• Put ice cubes in a Ziploc bag
• Table a paper towel role to the side of a table and let her drop legos, balls, or smaller toys through the chute
• Make ramp out of a piece of cardboard and push toy cars down the ramp
• Fill one large bowl with ice and one large bowl with water a little soap and let her use measuring cups to transfer the ice cubes back and forth (outside activity)
• Outdoor soup – put some water in a bucket and help her add different outside things like leaves and twigs to the outdoor soup and stir with a big spoon
• Put a little ketchup and a little mustard in a double Ziploc bag and let her squish the two colors together
• Big Lego pieces are great to play with
• Babycenter.com has some great ideas too on stuff to do with your baby/toddler

My toddler stays busy by:
1)  watching Baby Einstein videos
2) reading
3) playing with her toys and stuffed animals
4) playing with the tupperware in the kitchen cabinets and drawers
5) going to the park, Publix, the mall, or over to grandma’s
6) following mommy and daddy around

I’m so lucky to have friends who are ahead of me in this arena!  What do you do to keep your toddler busy, happy, healthy and learning?

~Life as Mom

We will be in Lake Mary this weekend and wanted to make a quick trip to Orlando on Sunday.  Downtown Disney is great for this purpose because you don’t have to pay an entrance fee therefore if you can’t stay all day you don’t feel as if you have wasted your money.  You get the Disney experience without the Disney price.  Don’t get me wrong you still spend money!  Who can resist all the wonderful Disney things you can buy since it is just a giant outdoor Disney mall.

As I prepare for the weekend I realize that traveling with Aden will be different than in the past.  Even a trip as recently as our beach trip, Aden wasn’t moving around too much.  Now he is a little crawling motor that can’t be turned off.  How does one prepare for that?

I have my travel strategy planned, a couple of outfits per day, lots of diapers and some toys.  I need to add to that his favorite Baby Einstein movies, the portable DVD player, his favorite spoon, stroller, hats, swimsuits, and what else?  I’ve studied these travel tips and this travel blog, DeliciousBaby.

Everything I have read has said to be prepared.  I have to prepare for him actually being awake while we are driving.  Hmmm, what games can you play with a 10-month old that can’t move?  Peek-a-Boo comes to mind.  I think I’ll bring our puppet too, but Aden has been kinda scared of him lately.  Perhaps bubbles?

How do you entertain a crawling baby in a hotel room?  Why play with toys when he can explore the room.  I hope they have their own pack and plays as we don’t intend to bring ours.

We love traveling and hopefully with a little forethought this and future trips with Aden will go smoothly.

~Life as Mom

Receiving this wonderful gift prompted me to look for matching bowls and plates and I found this wonderful wood toy company online called Heirloom Wooden Toys. They have tons of wonderfully natural wooden toys for all ages.

I especially liked that they had kitchen sets that weren’t too girly.  Even a wooden tea set that could be used for boys.  Recently we were at a friend’s house and they had a little kitchen for their girl and Aden loved playing with all the food and pulling out the drawers.  I am glad I could find a more gender-neutral one.  They also have puppet theaters which I think we are going to have to get for Christmas!  Aden’s birthday is coming up too and I’ve been trying to figure out what I’m going to get him.  I think this will be my new go-to website.

~Life as Mom

I try not to get caught up in the toy mania that is Toys R Us.  Believe me I wish we could buy Aden every toy on the market.  Sometimes I feel like I am depriving him of valuable entertainment and possible learning experiences without the latest and greatest toy.  Is that the reality or just the marketing?

Will he be a happy and self-satisfied adult having known he hasn’t had the latest Vtech?  Will he still learn all the things he needs to in order to be a functioning student?  I don’t know, but I do know when the wailing begins these are my go-to toys.

1.  Pool Noodle

As stated in a previous post, the pool noodle is about the best thing going for a young toddler’s confidence.  Aden thinks he is the strongest little man when he lifts it.

2. Wooden spoons

I love wooden spoons.  I wish I had more of them as I like cooking with them.  The feel of a wooden spoon in my hand is different than a plastic or metal spoon.  Somehow I always feel as if the food will taste better if I use a wooden spoon.  Aden has taken over the two wooden spoons that I have and I believe those are his favorite teethers.

3. Activity table

As soon as Aden starting crawling, he started pulling up.  Although this is the more expensive of his toys it is definitely one that is worth getting as he loves it.  When we first brought it home, he stood at it for hours.  He even uses it as a walker since he can push it across the room.

4. Plastic cup from Sonny’s BBQ

On a whim I kept a child’s cup from Sonny’s.  I thought when Aden got older we would need cups.  When he got into the plasticeware cupboard he pulled this out and kept it with him.  It is one of his favorite teethers.  He is always rolling it around chasing after it.  And the great thing is that it washes easily.

5. Balls

Just recently we have put balls into Aden’s toybox.  He has a big one that he can lift with both of his hands.  A bunch of small ones that he can fit in one hand and a medium size squishy one that he loves to bite and carry around in his mouth.  I love that he can fetch now.

6. Keys

What kid doesn’t like keys.

7. Plasticware cabinet

I read somewhere that making one cabinet child-friendly with objects they could pull out will entertain them.  What a brilliant idea.  Aden thinks he is hot stuff because he is getting into something and can throw plastic lids all over.  He likes the fact that he is with me too and can see me when I am in the kitchen.

8. Stuffed giraffe music box

This was a shower gift and a crib staple.  It was the first toy that Aden recognized and was able to put his little arms around.  The long neck of the giraffe has been squeezed a lot.

9. Plastic egg

For Easter I bought some plastic eggs for a $1 thinking that Aden would be into them in a couple of years.  It was love from first egg.  We now have to have an egg with us wherever we go.  I keep them in the diaper bags too.  It is the perfect toy to fit in his little hand.  He feels safe when he is holding his egg.  Best $1 investment ever.

10. Remote controls

Sometimes I think the toy manufacturers make everything colorful and shiny for the parents because everyone knows a baby will head towards the plain black remote everytime.  Without fail.  How is that for product testing?

~Life as Mom

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