Hello, Little Cousin!

We made the road trip to DC to meet the newest member of the family today!

Nursing, fill up and potty break around 5 am

We were on the road by 3 am and this was the best road trip yet for Ayden. He slept the first 5 hours and the last hour and a half of the 9 hour drive. While he was awake I just kept handing him books and toys that he hadn't seen in a while (or had never seen before at all) and he kept himself occupied. As much as it pains me for my baby to grow up so fast, I have to admit that his increasing independence is vey refreshing.

Books, books, books

Though the car ride was better for Ayden, and therefore us, David and I were exhausted when we arrived around 1 pm. Of the two scenarios I think this experience still wins out over us making it a day trip where he is awake for most of it. Being tired is a good trade for a peaceful road trip in my book!

We did hit a pretty bad snow storm around the West Virginia/Maryland border and had a pretty scary moment that left us sitting perpendicular to oncoming traffic.  David stayed calm, regained control of the car, and got us straightened out before anything bad happened.  It scared me a lot and when I looked out my passenger side window to see cars coming our way, all I could think of was Ayden and how helpless I was in that moment. We are so lucky that everyone behind us were being cautious and leaving a lot of room for things like that to happen.

We finally made it, safe and sound, and got to meet Ayden's first little cousin.  It was nice seeing David experience what I have when I met each of my sisters' babies.  Somehow blood relation creates a special bond that strong and hard to describe.  

Ayden didn't really pay much attention to his new little cousin.  He patted him once by the end of the night but other than that he didn't really pay him much attention, even when I was holding him.

Reading him one of his favorite books

We will be in DC until Wednesday so more family fun will be had tomorrow!

~Sarah

Family Circus

We went out to eat for a family dinner tonight and it was a circus to say the least. We had 7 adults and 6 children and I think it would have been smart to think of some sort of seating arrangement before we went in. Either that or just stick to eating in. It turned out great in the end but there were some pretty chaotic moments sprinkled in.  I am sure that some of the folks around us found our circus entertaining and others were perhaps annoyed by all of the antics, but what can ya do?

We don't eat out much, mainly for financial and dietary reasons, but surprisingly Ayden has done great the few times we have done it.  A couple of tips that I have found helpful when dining out with a toddler have been:

1) To keep the child out of the high chair until it is time to eat. David and I usually just pass him back and forth to one another while we wait to order and for the food to come. We bring a few toys or books but he typically finds more interesting things to play with on the table.

2) When everyone is done eating, take the child for a walk. Typically, family friendly restaurants a have pretty interesting decor. Tonight we were at a steak house and there were plenty of animal heads and fish on the walls to point out as well as pictures to look at and saddles to sit on.

This placemat also comes in super handy!
Suction cups right to the table.
source

I'd love to hear some more tips to add to our collection since we aren't very experienced with dining out with kids. Please share!

~Sarah

Cousin Play Day

Today was the second time that all six of my sisters' and my kids were together; but it was the first time that they were all ages that could really play together.

We spent the morning at home. They played inside and out and they had a lot of fun. After lunch we picked up my middle sisters' kids (she had to work) and took them all to the pet store:

And to the mall:

The adults included my mom, my oldest sister and myself so a 2:1 ratio. Not TOO bad but still a little nerve wracking at times, especially when we were keeping track of them in the mall play area. It was like a flashback to my preschool teaching days, constantly doing head counts to make sure everyone was accounted for. Not that I needed it but it was another reminder of how we want our kids spaced out a bit.

Ayden gets to play with kids his age every Thursday after story time and at the studio on Wednesdays while I teach dance so seeing him interact with other kids wasn't a new thing for me. For some reason, though, watching him play so well with his cousins made a difference and I was so proud of all of them. The older three play "big kid" games together but are still cautious around the 3 little ones and even help look out for and take care of them. I love that Ayden has all of these kids to grow up with and am also excited that we will meet his new little cousin in just a couple of days! It will be neat to see him as the older one.

This day wore me out, but in a good way :). It is bedtime for us all.

~Sarah

V-Day Fun

We got an early start today.  We went to the grocery first thing so Ayden could say hi to all of his girlfriends for Valentine's Day.

All of the employees at Whole Foods know him by name and call him the store mascot :).

My good friend Whitney and Baby Girl joined us for story time today!  Ayden was all over the place.  I think it was because it was too crowded for us to sit on the risers so we had to sit on the floor.  He must interpret being elevated as a cue that he can't get up and explore.  He is also a toddler, which explains a lot...

After story time we headed over to the school where I used to teach (and from which Whit is on maternity leave).  I needed to give the DVDs I made for one of my old co-workers since they were a Valentine's Day gift for her husband.  It was so good to see everybody and catch up!  I worked with an awesome team of women and I am so happy that they invite me back into the group like I was never even gone.  Everyone enjoyed Ayden and once he warmed up he was ready to wander the halls all by himself if I would have let him.  He showed off all of all of his animal noises (the snake was everyone's favorite) and he seemed to really enjoy the Kindergarten classrooms.  Baby girl is 4 weeks old now and is still almost a pound smaller than Ayden was when he was BORN.  She is so tiny, sweet and adorable and stayed asleep almost the whole time.  

Puzzles!  Ayden took the pieces out and Mommy put them back. 

My oldest sister came in for a visit today and we kept it a secret from my mom so that was a fun surprise.  When my mom left for work, where my sister and her boys were waiting for her, my dad and I got busy with straightening up the house in preparation since my mom always likes visitors to come to a nice, put together home.

As for my Valentine, we cooked dinner together and baked a cake together for dessert.  We exchanged small, personal gifts tonight and have a much needed couple's massage scheduled a couple of weeks from now on a Saturday.  Once we get through my sister's visit and traveling to meet our new nephew out of the way we will be able to steal some time away together.

Our Valentine dessert!

Last year on Valentine's Day, Ayden was 3 weeks old and had a tummy troubles melt down right as we sat down to our candle lit dinner.  This year we put him to bed early and enjoyed a wonderful, romantic evening together.  It is amazing how much can change in a year!

What did you and your sweetie do for Valentine's Day?

~Sarah

Focus On the Positive

In any relationship, you take the bad with the good. This goes for spouses, parents, friends, and even children. I always say that I paid my dues early on with Ayden because he was NOT an easy going, happy newborn. Due to milk over supply and over an active let down issue, Ayden had major tummy problems and therefore cried...a lot. He also didn't like to be held by strangers from day 1 and then there were the sleep issues. We even went so far as to mentally prepare ourselves for parenting a difficult child for the long haul. These days, posts dedicated to the stress of parenthood, rough days, or even sleep woes are far and few between.  They have been replaced with posts about how wonderful everything is. Part of this is because I am a doting mother and am fascinated by and proud of pretty much everything Ayden does (as any first time mother is), he is my job after all...  The other part is because we have been at a place for a while now where we have all found a rhythm and things really are remarkably easier and more enjoyable than they were a year ago. We are so thrilled that Ayden grew out of his fussy pants and is now a very happy and content little boy... For the most part.

As happy as he may be and as much as I dote, Ayden IS still a toddler and he definitely can have "toddler" moments:

-He currently HATES to be changed. This is actually a funny one to me (when I'm not dealing with it in the moment) because back during his fussy days, changing him is what we did to make him happy. My the tables have turned. The severity of his crying during any diaper or clothing change seems to correspond with the time of day and his energy level. The diaper changes right when we wakes up, in the morning and from a nap, tend to be painless for all. Any other time is a wrestling match where he is crying and twisting; and we are having to work together to sing silly songs and practically pin him down while we finish the task as quickly as possible. How I handle the situation is also directly related to the time of day and my energy level. Sometimes I have the energy to think ahead and get him distracted by a tube of Chapstick or something else equally as awesome in his opinion. Sometimes the "What does a ____ say" game still works, but even that can be hit or miss. I think they should give awards for who can change a wiggly toddler the fastest and I'd bet I'd be a good contender with all the practice I've had.

- He loathes having his hands and face wiped after meals just as much as diaper and clothing changes.  Especially when he has a cold.

- He hates having an "off limits" thing, aka "coolest thing EVER," taken from him. We try to do a switcheroo or quickly redirect him but he still does a little "don't take that" dance with his feet while making grunting noises in protest and holds onto said object as tight as he can as we pry it out of his little hands. Sometimes he fusses a bit and moves on, other times he sits down and wails like his world has ended. We never give in, and it typically blows over quickly, but it doesn't make listening to it any easier.

- Lastly, he tends to wait until I am on the finishing touches of any given task (cleaning, cooking, crafting, computer, etc) to decide that he is all done with independent play. He latches onto my legs and dramatically cries until I give him a change of scenery. As a result, by the end of the day I have a bunch of incomplete projects all around the house.

Now, I am pretty sure that these are all standard toddler behavior. None of it is particularly "fun" to deal with; but he is so pleasant all of the rest of the time that these things don't stand out as significant when I sit down to recall the things that I want to document in my daily posts. Instead, I like to focus on the positive and recall the wonderful things that he did and any fun that we had together.

Today, those moments were:

- How he went right to sleep for his nap and stayed asleep for an hour and a half while I got some important computer work done.

- When he sat quietly and just worked on eating an apple during my first hour of teaching dance tonight. Also, how every time I got on the floor while doing choreography, he came running at me with a huge smile on his face thinking I was down there to play.

- How he practiced going down a small step, without turning around backwards, over and over until he got it without falling... and laughing when he did fall.

In the middle of a bunch of running pre-dancers :)

- How he is learning and trying to say a new word almost everyday. Today's was "slipper."

Such a character!

In my mind there is no contest about what will make the cut when I write these daily posts! The good and positive always win in my book.  I hope that having a constant (as possible) stream of love and positivity will enrich Ayden's life and in turn make him a loving and positive person.

Words to live by...

~Sarah

Fresh Air!

Today we had a little taste of Spring in The Bluegrass. The sun was shining, there was a nice breeze and it was warm enough to take a walk without our coats.  Ayden had a clingy, fussy morning  (teething a molar we believe? Awesome...) so it was nice for both of us to get out into the fresh air.  It is amazing how a walk has always been just the ticket for resetting both of our moods.  He was in a much better mood for the remainder of the day after he woke up from a long afternoon nap.

I spent most of the day unpacking more boxes and bags and actually got our basement space feeling more like a home than a storage room. There is a pool table in the main area of the basement and until today it was piled high with all kinds of stuff. By the time David got home it was clear enough to play a game of pool on. I'd say that progress was a good exchange for my not changing out of my PJs today :).

Moving tip:
Use liquor store boxes for transporting bottles
of oil, vinegar and other cooking liquids.

I also tried a new chili recipe for dinner that ended up being delicious (just substitute diced diakon radish for the beans to make it Paleo friendly if you are interested).  I think adding cinnamon to chili adds so much depth to the flavor. The recipe made a lot so we kept the leftovers warm on the stove and it will be a nice surprise for my mom when she gets home from work tonight.

I am working on putting together a few photo/video montage DVDs for an old co-worker so after dinner, I worked on those while David and Ayden had their boy time. We've been gradually making Ayden's bed time earlier so we can get him back on a schedule that we like.  During the packing and moving whirlwind we had to fly by the seats of our pants and any routine went out the window. Around 8:00 is an ideal bedtime for him because it allows time for us each to tackle a couple of individual projects, as well as have some alone time together.

What is your favorite chili recipe? Share a link in the comments below!

~Sarah

Sweet Little Honey Bee

We had another farm related activity this evening. We eat a lot of honey, so naturally we want to explore keeping bees on our homestead, not to mention the benefits they will bring to the plants in the garden. We attended our local bee keeper's association meeting in hopes to learn a few things and make a couple of contacts. Ever since I read The Secret Life of Bees, years ago, I have been fascinated with bee keeping and hoped to do it someday. I am excited that the time has come and can't wait to get it up and running so we can have honey from our very own hives!

There were several kids at the meeting but Ayden was the only baby/toddler. As we entered people seemed a little surprised that he was with us. By the end of the meeting he had stolen the hearts of everyone in the room! He was quiet and mainly worked hard on putting my chapstick and a receipt in and then taking them out of my wallet the whole time.

Good little boy!

It was also a pot luck so we were able to grab some fresh strawberries for him to snack on.  He made good friends with the people right behind us and kept smiling, saying hi and waving at them:

At the end of the meeting they were supposed to have a drawing for a door prize but everybody voted for just giving it to Ayden for being so good. They snapped a picture and asked our permission to put it on their blog which, of course, we granted... If they only knew :).

Proud papa holding Ayden wearing his prize!
(I'm not really sure any of the adults would have wanted it anyway...)

On our way out we were stopped from every direction while people commented on how good and cute he is and, of course, we soaked it all up and just beamed with pride. As a parent you can't help but be proud when a room full of strangers complement you on your well behaved child. It was a really fun moment for David and me.  Someone even said, "You can tell he is really loved" which was the highest compliment anyone could ever give us as parents because that is what we want most for Ayden.

David made a few contacts and we found out about an upcoming annual "bee school" as well as an orientation of sorts for newbies like us being held in two weeks right in our town. We plan to go to both and are eager to learn as much as possible so we can be successful right out of the gate.

Ayden was so sweet all day today. He has stared blowing kisses (though his version is covering his mouth with one or both hands and making the mmmm sound) and also said "sticky" for the first time tonight while playing with my name tag. He spent a lot of time in my lap and just wanted to be close and I soaked up every second of it!

Here are a few sweet clips from our quiet morning:

Any other bee keepers out there? What is your #1 tip for beginners?

~Sarah