Maine...

Well we are getting set to make our first big trip with Aidan...she is going to meet her great grandparents for the first time along with some other family. I am so excited to show her off because she is the cutest baby in the whole world! She is such a big girl now with her two teeth (and more on the way I think). Anyway, so I went on the weather channel do com to see what next week will be like in Maine and guess what???? it is supposed to snow...go figure. arghhhh... I mean we are coming no matter what...this is the only time, but now we are shopping for snow tires. (Which of course means it will not snow there or here for the rest of the season). Better safe than sorry! Now that we have baby on board you can never be too safe. So we will be there - snow or not...so Maine...here we come - look out for the cutest little girl in the world!

I'm Back...

I guess I have been on hiatus for the last few weeks...just getting things done between work and Aidan and other obligations. Its been an emotional time for me...watching my closest friend sit in the hospital with her 3 yr old for a month - the same hospital she visited me at while I was waiting for Aidan to come. He is home now - and in remission from his leukemia - thank god. They still have along road ahead of them though...and it feels like I keep finding out people are sick...many people I know are struggling. It is exhausting for me emotionally...I want for everyone to be happy and healthy. I am excited that we will be headed to Maine to see relatives in a couple weeks. Aidan will be meeting her great grandparents and spending time with her grandparents...I can't wait for everyone to see my beautiful daughter. She is growing so quickly - she has her first tooth. She is my life...I can't imagine what it would be like without her...I can't wait to watch her grow up...she is so special, and this world is so much better with her in it...everywhere we go she smiles and it makes people happy. I count the minutes at work each day until I get to hold her and see her smile. Her giggle is so silly - just like her. She snores...she is a miniature version of her daddy - he is so proud.
Well this has been a more serious and emotional post than I hoped it would be. To lighten things up I better get my act together - I haven't been sleeping well due to my husbands heavy snoring the past few days and I went to work Monday with my shirt on inside out - EMBARRASSING!!!

Update...

ugh...what a tough couple of weeks...between Gotti and his surgery (found Aidan's "My First Easter" bib in his small intestine), my friend's life-shattering news of her son's leukemia diagnosis, my travel for work and trying to fight off my never-ending sickness I am just done...To wrap things up...my friend's son has responded very well to his chemo treatments and although he isn't going home as quickly as they had thought, that is good news...Gotti is back to his old tricks...so quickly he has forgotten how horrible he felt after the whole bib eating episode...I KNOW he would eat one again so we have to be extra careful...$1,500 was a big shock to our already tightened budget...he's lucky we love him so much...work is so busy right now though...and I am really trying to prove myself...and it is exhausting...the next few months should be a whirlwind of meetings, presentations and writing...
the good things...
My good friend got engaged this past weekend and I am so excited for her...it has been a long time coming...my sister in law is having her baby shower this weekend and I can't wait to go and take pictures and celebrate with her and her friends...and mostly....IT IS FOOTBALL SEASON!!!!yeah....we love cooking "tailgate food" and watching football with friends on Sundays...Aidan has a Bears onesie and Giants bib all set to go...pictures to come!!!

Gotti...

Gotti is Aidan's doggie brother...he is the sweetest AmStaff mix in the whole world and he is in some trouble. We are worried that he may have eaten another one of Aidan's bibs. We have already found several in the backyard-if you know what I mean. We try extra hard to keep everything baby out of his reach because he loves to eat that stuff for some reason. We are not certain about what he has eaten, just almost certain that he has....says the vet during our visit today...he sees some sort of obstruction in his intestine...so we try to keep him comfy tonight and he goes back in the morning for some tests to figure things out. I feel so horrible for him, like Aidan, he can't tell us where it hurts or what he needs...some people say that when you have a child you pets become just that, pets...nothing more...that didn't happen with our dogs at all..we love them just the same as before Aidan was here...and she will love them too...she already love the feeling of the soft fur and the fuzzy snouts and whiskers...they make her giggle...everyone just keep Mr. Gotti in your thoughts.

Crying like a baby...

that would be me....not Aidan. I get so emotional everytime she reaches a new milestone...this is crazy, I mean, is that normal? She FINALLY slept in her crib in her room last night. It is not because she has had problems that it has taken so long, but more so that mommy can't let go. Typically, she would fall asleep with daddy and I watching TV downstairs and then one of us would bring her upstairs to the pack n play in our room. Yesterday, I was home with her since she had been running a temperature and I decided to try putting her down for naps in her room. She did awesome on those naps...but I felt so lonely downstairs in the house. So last night I had John lower the mattress so we could put the bumper in it...she likes to roll against the sides of the pack n play and would not understand that the crib isn't soft. I think she is big enough to move herself away from the bumper if she couldn't breath now..so when she fell asleep in my arms last night I carried her up to her room and put her in the crib. By the time I got downstairs to turn on the monitor I was crying. John was like "what is wrong??" and I told him I was upset that she was upstairs...it felt so lonely without her downstairs making little noises and being all cute. He took my hand to comfort me, and then told me I was crazy. I got up 2 or 3 times during the night and she was snug as a bug snoring away in her room...such a big girl now...sigh

Cereal...

not a fail!!! Didn't exactly start out as a success either, but not a fail! The first time we tried cereal I tried to feed her holding her on my lap like when I bottle feed her. It worked, but I found it much easier after a friend suggested I try feeding her while she is sitting in the bouncy. Sooooo much easier...it really helped being face to face with her. She is not quite ready to sit up in a high chair, but we are getting there. She is still having some tongue thrust issues...and we are only doing the cereal at night to help her practice, but I can foresee her moving to some veggies in the next few weeks. She really enjoys eating and will grab your hand and pull it towards her. She is eating rice cereal right now, but her favorite is definitely eating daddy's vanilla soft serve ice cream. Can't say I blame her. Time is flying...she is rolling back and forth, wanting to try sitting all of the time and playing in her exersaucer...my big girl...time is flying. In a few weeks she will have her first professional photo shoot at Picture People. I hope it goes well because I have heard mixed reviews. She is also being baptized...there should be tons to update about in the coming weeks.

Note: Yes, we use Christmas bibs when we are home...we have a ton from my sister-in-laws kids.

Feet

I think Aidan has finally found her feet... I never thought something so random would have so much meaning to me. I was changing her diaper and she just tried to grab her foot...so cute...but made changing the diaper much harder...I am now onto the White Cloud diapers from my diaper cake. I don't care for them as much as Pampers or Huggies - they aren't as soft and pliable, but they are less expensive and she doesn't have any problems with them...we'll see what I buy when I run out of the diapers from my shower cake. Anyway...I kindof got off topic for a minute...when we went upstairs to play under her gym she was going crazy batting the toys with her feet...so cute. She changes so much everyday. I don't want to miss a thing...geez, I sound like an Aerosmith song. I am downloading some of her forth of July pics and 5 month photos... I did try to get some of her playing with her feet...if there is a good one, I will supplement this post with a cute pic of my daughter.