Ayden Votes!

Morning snuggles!
This is actually a good shot of my "baby hairs."
Post-partum hair loss is no joke... Yay for re-growth!! :)

Today was actually a lot like yesterday, only it was Election Day so that added another errand to our day. Ayden was tired at his usual 11:00 am nap time but kept trying to play instead of going to sleep. Since I had places to be today I decided to finish getting ready, have lunch and get going instead of taking extra time to put him to sleep. If there is one thing I've learned about Ayden it's that when he's ready for sleep, he falls asleep easily and willingly. He even sleeps longer when I take his lead in this department. I had the right idea because he played nicely and ate a good lunch and then was asleep in his carseat before we even left the neighborhood. Good thing we vote at a church in our neighborhood because he was able to stay awake for that!

I was hoping to add a picture of me last year on Election Day. I was almost 30 weeks pregnant and it was actually the first time a stranger asked me when I was due. It took a while for me to become THAT pregnant I suppose... If/when we can access the data on our external hard drive, perhaps I'll remember to insert a link back here in a future post...

After voting I ran a couple of errands to get supplies for some DIY birthday gifts for my momma and then spent more time organizing at the pet store. I have finally figured out decent timing as far as Ayden's tolerance is concerned and have been able to stay for an hour and a half the last few times. That doesn't sound like long but it is actually the perfect amount of time to see one project through to completion. I am getting through it all slowly but surely and there really is no rush so it is perfect.

Though Ayden isn't showing very many "symptoms" of his current developmental leap, we can tell something is happening. He has always loved to read but has recently become OBSESSED with it. He's always pulling favorite books off of his shelf and looking at us expectantly. It is also pretty amazing that when we are reading to him he just sits back and listens so intently. That says a lot about our busy boy! We also feel like he is starting to really understand us. We can now add: bath, eat, grapes, banana, books, ball, and train to the list of words that he recognizes. He is walking with his little push cart like crazy and took FOUR steps on his own tonight!

He doesn't get road rage quite as quickly while walking with his push cart. Instead of screaming when he hits an obstacle, he looks over his shoulder at one of us with this sweet little pleading look on his face, which we are assuming is his way of asking for help. He also says, "a-da, a-ba" and such while he's looking at us. It is so cute! When we come and turn him around he gets a huge smile on his face and gets back to work. That look is so cute that it will surely get us into trouble in the future...

Month 10 seems to be a big one for our little man. He's making a lot of connections, seems to be sleeping better and makes us so proud everyday!

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about what direction this blog will take after January 21st, Ayden's first birthday. My goal was to write a post a day for his first year but I never really gave much thought to what I would do after that... I will definitely be proud of myself for sticking to my commitment as it has not been an easy one. You know what's funny?  I haven't kept up with a scrap book or milestones calendar like I always thought I would in the first year and whenever I get down about that I think, "um... Sarah?  What do you call the BLOG?!?" I think it is safe to say that Ayden's first year will have been well documented! The thought if not writing a post a day is both freeing and unfathomable all at the same time. I'll definitely keep it going but I am worried that if I don't make it a consistent priority, it will more than likely fall by the way side like all of my other hobbies. Chances are, I'll make posting part of my morning routine and they will be "pictures from the day" type posts unless I am inspired to write something more detailed. I would like to take the time that I usually use to write in the evenings to spend with David. I really like having a bigger purpose for all of the pictures and videos that I am obsessed with taking and I also love being able to recall details that go along with them that could get forgotten with time. The beauty of it all is that it is up to me and if it is important to me, I will make it happen!

~ Sarah