Dreaming of Bugs and Butterflies

2010-10-24T16:46:00.005-04:00

Wow, I have not updated in quite a while. It has been very busy around here with me going back to work. I am spending every second I can with Aiden.

New Haircut

2010-07-21T20:43:00.003-04:00

I thought I would try to give Aiden a new summer haircut. I think I did a pretty good job.

Reading to Chloe

2010-07-17T09:40:00.000-04:00

Summer pictures

2010-07-12T16:13:00.008-04:00

Playing in the fountain

2010-06-22T16:24:00.002-04:00

My new chair

2010-06-21T09:44:00.003-04:00

I learned how to wave... finally!

2010-06-10T18:44:00.001-04:00

So grown up

2010-06-06T13:05:00.008-04:00

First beach vacation

2010-06-01T08:46:00.008-04:00

We just got back from 4 days in the Outer Banks. Aiden had a wonderful time. He loved the beach.

some recent pictures

2010-05-22T19:21:00.006-04:00

More walking

2010-05-20T19:26:00.005-04:00

Aiden is doing much better with walking. He spends most of the morning wobbling around the house. He is so proud of himself! And we are very proud of him as well. He has come such a long way in the past 14 1/2 months. I can not believe how much he has grown and how much he has learned.

I can walk!!!

2010-04-19T15:43:00.002-04:00

Today Aiden started walking :) I am so excited for him. I was afraid that it would be awhile, but he is getting the hang of it. YAY!

Throwing - a new phase

2010-04-09T14:34:00.002-04:00

I bought Aiden a stacking toy to help with his coordination. He became easily frustrated with the toy after about 5 seconds of trying to put the shapes on the pegs. He then discovered that it was a lot of fun to pick up the pieces and throw them. He does this with just about all his toys now. And he is so amused by it. How can you not love that laugh of his!

By day 2 he figured out how to put the shapes on the pegs, but he still likes throwing them much better :)

Turning 1 and other stuff

2010-03-29T21:21:00.002-04:00

So it has been way too long since I have posted anything. It has been a heck of a year so far. The winter was pretty rough on our little guy. We were hoping that the medicine that the asthma specialist gave us would prevent any problems from the wither weather. But as it turns out he was not getting the medicine because he would fight the nebulizer treatments. He had 3 bad colds and they would last for weeks. It seemed like every time he better he would develop a new one. We are finally out of the woods. He is just getting over his double ear infection. His newest issue. And he is now using an inhaler to help with the asthma. He seems to be doing much better with the inhaler and I have not hear him wheeze since he has been using it.

It looks like he will be walking in the near future. He is able to stand up without holding onto anything. Although he is not very interested in doing it. He did take a few steps on Tuesday last week. And a few steps on Friday.

He is talking up a storm. He says "dada" all day long. He is also making a sound that sounds like "baby" to us. Who knows what it actually means.

The month of the never ending cold.....

2010-01-31T19:39:00.003-05:00

So January has been one heck of a month for us. Aiden started out with a cold at the beginning of the month. Which quickly turned into bronchitis due to his asthma. And it just would not go away. On top of that he also had an ear infection. Poor little guy! I took him to the doctors a few times because he just was not getting any better. The doctor finally diagnosed him with RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus) after 2 weeks of being sick. This is not very serious in adults, but in babies it is pretty serious and especially for babies with breathing problems (e.g. asthma). The doc told us that if he got any worse that we were most likely going to end up in the pediatric unit of the hospital. I was not looking forward to that. Our poor little guy has had a rattle in his chest from all the fluid and a horrible cough that could wake the neighbors. His nose runs nonstop and he has just been miserable.

He is just now starting to sound better, about 4 weeks later. The docs gave him Orapred to clear up the remaining fluid in his lungs. But the downside is that it works by weakening his immune system. He already has a weak immune system and now with the meds is it even weaker. So we still can't go anywhere. Aiden and I have pretty much been cooped up in the house for most of the month and we are going crazy! I am hoping that this doesn't last much longer.

Other than that not much else is going on. He is getting two more top teeth. The ones on either side of the top two. He is growing like crazy and so is his attitude. I feel like I spend my entire day saying "No," and making Aiden cry. I know I am teaching him by setting boundaries but I hate seeing him cry, even if it is for his own good.

Some recent video of our little guy

2010-01-10T16:55:00.004-05:00

The hiccups are SO funny!

riding around on my new airplane!

Grammy can clap and it's funny :)

this video is a little long, but he is so cute crawling around!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T12:07:00.005-05:00

It has been quite a year! I can't believe that my little one will be 10 months tomorrow. My how the time flies.

I received the coolest gift from Aunt Sandy. It is the ZOKU popsicle maker. I saw it in a magazine and thought it looked like fun. It makes popsicles in 10 minutes. Aiden and I tried it out yesterday and had a blast with the popsicles. We made blueberry peach pudding pops and orange juice pops.

Christmas and LOTS of SNOW!

2009-12-26T20:28:00.002-05:00

Chugging Along

2009-12-16T09:33:00.003-05:00

I can't believe that it is almost Christmas. Where does the time go???

Aiden has learned how to crawl properly and also pull himself up on things. Walking is not too far away. Today he stood up on a toy and then let go and was standing without holding on. I am so proud of him but at the same time I am not ready for him to be such a handful. I can't walk away from him any more because he gets himself into trouble and he is FAST!

Thanksgiving and SANTA!

2009-12-03T22:33:00.004-05:00

Well it has been eventful around here. We had Aiden's first Thanksgiving. I know I am a little late in posting about it but we have been busy.

He enjoyed the sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and broccoli. I think he likes the turkey but I am not sure. He also had a great time visiting with his Daddy's family. We had a great Thanksgiving week.

We also took Aiden to see Santa today. He did not want to smile at all. He was too busy looking around at all the stuff in the mall. But hey, at least he didn't cry!

Floppy foot

2009-11-28T16:44:00.002-05:00

Finally finished!

2009-11-28T16:43:00.000-05:00

Kitchen renovation project part 3... oh, I've lost count...

2009-11-21T11:17:00.003-05:00

So, I decided to paint the kitchen cabinets and finally put on the hardware that we bought over a year ago. It was not the smartest decision I have ever made! Painting the cabinets when you have a 8 1/2 month old is a little harder than it sounds. He was extremely fussy through the entire project. He decided that he was only going to be happy when held. So, I am glad to say that the hard part is done finally. Now the hardware needs to go on the cabinets and I need to paint the walls. I hope to be done before Thanksgiving... we'll see :)

Momma's new hobbies

2009-11-21T10:53:00.008-05:00

Garrett keeps bugging me to get some hobbies. I guess I am driving him crazy wanting to have conversations at all hours of the night because I can't sleep. So I have taken up knitting. Well, at least I am trying.

I started out with a knitting loom. Which I consider cheating since it is so easy. I have made 5 hats so far. But while I am doing that I am also trying to learn to use knitting needles. So far I have knitted about 5 rows of 6 inchs. A long rectangle. Not really useful for anything but practice. It is not as hard as I thought. But I was looking at knitting patterns for some hats yesterday and it is like trying to read Greek. Maybe by the time Aiden is in high school I will have figured it out :)

I am also making personalized name art. I have been going around taking pictures of architecture and nature that resembles letters and making peoples names with them. I have sold 2 so far. If I can get the word out there it should be a pretty lucrative business.

If you know anyone interested in the name art please have them email me at dawncampanell@gmail.com.

November pictures

2009-11-16T20:42:00.002-05:00

Halloween

2009-10-31T13:29:00.004-04:00

He was not very happy to be in a costume! I am lucky I got any pictures of him not screaming. I don't think he will be wearing it to the Halloween party tonight.

Photos Unscripted 2

2009-10-31T13:06:00.002-04:00

Some of the other moms and babies from the photoshoot.

Photos Unscripted

2009-10-31T11:00:00.004-04:00

A friend from my moms group is a wedding/family photographer and as a nice gesture did a group photoshoot for a few of us. Her photos are amazing!

http://photosunscripted.com/

Update

2009-10-20T21:37:00.001-04:00

So, I realized that I have not posted any updates in a while. Tonight seemed like the perfect time to update everyone.

Tonight we have started sleep training with Aiden. After 7 months of rocking him to sleep and rocking him when he wakes up at night we thought it was time our big boy learned to sleep on his own. I have decided to go with the Ferber method after talking with friends about various methods. The Ferber method is essentially following a bedtime routine and then putting your baby in bed awake and leaving him (even if he cries) for gradually longer periods of time. The first night starts with a 3-5-10 minute interval, the next night is a 5, 10, 12 minute interval and so on. I had a difficult time settling on this approach. I know that it works for most people. Several friends have done it and say it takes about 4-5 days. But, I have a hard time letting Aiden cry. I know that it is for the best. I mean I don't want a call from him in 18 years from college asking to come rock him to sleep. I have to realize that my baby boy is growing up (and way to fast if you ask me!) So, that is why I am posting an update right now. Garrett, my absolutly wonderful husband, is upstairs dealing with the wakings and checking on Aiden. There is no way I could have started this on a night when he wasn't home. Hopefully we will get some sleep tonight :)

On another front, Aiden is on nebulizer treatments through February. I don't know if I posted an update after we went to the allergist a month ago. We think that Aiden may have asthma, or restrictive airway disease, since they don't diagnose asthma until 3 years old. We will reevaluate in February. He developed a little cold this week and is feeling pretty crummy. I had to get him antibiotics since he has asthma and colds turn into bronchitis very quickly when you have asthma. Poor little guy!

He also has 2 teeth! They are the two bottom teeth. I have been trying to get a picture showing them but he does not want to cooperate. Aiden has decided that he does not want to look at the camera... ever! Most of the recent pictures he is looking to the side or down or away from me. Today we went to the pumpkin patch to get some cute fall pictures but he did not want to look at us at all. He was very interested in all the little girls there though. Such a ladies man :)

Well, I think that is all. Oh, Aiden will start swim lessons in November. We can't wait. Aiden loves the water. I am very excited and will have to let you know how he does.

Pumpkins!

2009-10-20T21:34:00.003-04:00

Aiden learned how to make a new sound

2009-10-12T18:47:00.002-04:00

Visiting family in Jersey

2009-10-11T10:52:00.002-04:00

7 months

2009-10-11T10:33:00.003-04:00

7 months old

2009-10-04T15:44:00.006-04:00

Today Aiden is 7 months old. He has popped his first tooth! We noticed it last night when he woke up and was in a bad mood. I decided to check his gums just to make sure it wasn't his teeth and sure enough it was! I can't believe how fast he is growing up.

Visiting the cousins

2009-09-22T20:25:00.002-04:00

Mommy likes to mess with my hair!

2009-09-19T20:53:00.002-04:00

I love my feet!

2009-09-13T18:27:00.005-04:00

More 6 month pictures

2009-09-08T19:19:00.004-04:00

Funny

2009-09-07T14:27:00.002-04:00

He thinks mommy's weird noises are funny.

My six month birthday was exciting!

2009-09-05T15:15:00.007-04:00

Talking is my favorite thing!

2009-09-03T21:14:00.002-04:00

Aiden's favorite thing to do is avoid bedtime and talk non stop and look totally cute while doing it. For the past 3 nights he has decided that he does not need to go to bed and he stays up hours past his bedtime talking to us. But he is so cute how can we resist?

He can sit up now on his own if you put him in that position. I think that it happened overnight. Pretty soon he will be able to sit up whenever he wants to without my help. Am I ready for that??? Hmmmmm.... I don't think so. I miss my tiny little baby that needed to be held all the time. Where did my little baby go? Don't get me wrong, I love him so much and I am enjoying every stage of his development. But I do miss the earlier stages.

He is also almost able to crawl. He can get his legs under his body and he pushes himself all the way up on his hands. He just can't quite coordinate all of the movements together. He will get it soon though.

He is enjoing solid foods. His favorites remain apples and pears with sweet potatoes coming in third. He has also tried bananas, peas and carrots, peaches, cantelope and green beans. I tried avacado and he gags and tries to make himself throw up which makes Garrett super excited since he hates avacados. Any time someone around him has food or a drink Aiden wants to have some. He reaches for cups and foods like we haven't fed him for days. My child eats like it is his last meal! I can't figure out where he stores it all. Oh wait, that's right, its all in his thighs! He has massive thighs! All the fat in his body is stored there :)

I can't believe he will be 6 months tomorrow! Time flies when you have a baby.

I love my feet!

2009-08-26T10:52:00.002-04:00

Doctor Update

2009-08-26T10:35:00.003-04:00

We got Aiden in to see an allergist yesterday. He does not think that Aiden has asthma. That was so great to hear. Although he probably has a case of bronchiolitis. Which is an infection in his airways. Unfortunately kids who have bronchiolitis are more prone to asthma later in life. But we are taking it one day at a time.

The doctor prescribed 4 meds that he takes everyday for 2 weeks. We are going back in two weeks to check his progress. Hopefully it will be cleared up.

Despite all of this Aiden remains a happy baby. He has started playing with his feet every chance he gets. He loves to roll around and grab them. He can also almost sit up by himself. He weighs in at 18 pounds now. He has outgrown his girlfriend Kaelyn, who is a year old!

Some Videos from the past weeks

2009-08-22T09:29:00.004-04:00

Update - doctors visit

2009-08-15T19:17:00.005-04:00

So, Monday I took Aiden to the doctors for a cough he had. It turns out that he may have asthma. He is wheezing a little. The doctor told me that they don't technically diagnose asthma until they are 3 years old. They diagnosed him with Restrictive Airway Disease (which is basically asthma), and prescribed the use of a nebulizer. We started with Albuterol and Aiden did not sleep for 5 days. He was restless and very sad. We switched the medication to Xopenex which is supposed to make them less restless but so far haven't seen any changes. We are seeking a second opinion since daddy's side of the family has problems with allergies and asthma. We want to make sure we are taking precautions and getting him the correct medications. I will keep you updated on the situation.

Other than that not much has been going on here. Aiden is growing at a rapid pace. He is 5 1/2 months and weighs in a a whopping 17 lbs 13 ozs!

Faces

2009-08-12T20:24:00.001-04:00

Visiting Jersey

2009-08-12T14:10:00.007-04:00

Conversation with mom

2009-07-31T19:38:00.003-04:00

I really like talking to my mom!

Aiden hanging out with his friends

2009-07-30T15:50:00.003-04:00

Bath Time!

2009-07-29T12:54:00.005-04:00

Jumperoo!

2009-07-21T15:33:00.004-04:00

Aiden has gotten two new toys that he absolutely loves! He is crazy about jumping now. It is so funny to watch him. He is such a big boy now. I can't believe that 4 1/2 months ago he was so little and couldn't do anything on his own and now he is playing and entertaining himself. It is so cool to watch him grow.

Hanging out in dads workshop :)

2009-07-18T18:18:00.002-04:00

Some random pictures from this month

2009-07-18T18:17:00.002-04:00

4th of July

2009-07-05T15:03:00.002-04:00

Cutting Teeth

2009-07-03T20:31:00.002-04:00

Aiden is getting 2 teeth. Our little guy is growing up so fast!!! He has been interacting with his toys more and he really loves to talk to mommy and daddy.

Our sleepy little guy

2009-06-29T13:44:00.002-04:00

Photoshoot 6/25/09

2009-06-25T20:24:00.002-04:00

Laughing!

2009-06-22T10:44:00.001-04:00

Happy Fathers Day!!!!

2009-06-21T19:43:00.002-04:00

Aiden had a wonderful Fathers Day with his daddy. He slept for a long time on his daddy's chest. He also took extra long naps so that we could put mulch down in the backyard. He was such a good little boy today.

Grammy and Poppa came over for breakfast and Aiden sat in his big boy chair at the table. He really enjoyed being able to look around at everyone while they ate.

Arrrrrrrrrggggggg

2009-06-21T13:46:00.002-04:00

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum....... and some sleep!

Hey! How does this thing work?

2009-06-20T20:06:00.003-04:00

Aiden got a new toy 2 weeks ago and it has been his favorite thing to look at. He stares at it for hours everyday. He enjoys putting his whole arm through it. It is the only toy so far that he is able to hold onto for more than a few seconds.

I am a big boy

2009-06-15T20:20:00.001-04:00

I can't believe how fast my little man is growing! Today he was talking up a storm. We had many conversations. Most of them about how he is a big boy and wants to play by himself. I told him that I like to play too, but he didn't care. He is a big boy and wants his time. They grow up so fast!

Aiden loves his Poppa!

2009-06-14T21:11:00.002-04:00

Aiden's first drink :)

2009-06-14T20:57:00.001-04:00

The Pool!

2009-06-14T20:51:00.004-04:00

We took Aiden to the pool with his 2 girlfriends up the street on Friday. He got to wear his cute swimmy outfit for the first time. Little did I know, I needed swimmy diapers and a plastic diaper cover for him. I am such a first time mom. Although I don't know why, because at 3 months all that was in the water was his toes anyhow. Stupid pool rules!

So we got to the pool and of course he decided it was time to eat. So daddy fed him and I played in the water with some of the other kids we went with. After he was finished Garrett brought him over to the edge and dipped his feet in. I think it was quite a surprise. He was thinking "this is not my warm bath, what is this place???"

Photo shoot June 9th

2009-06-09T20:22:00.002-04:00

The Beach!

2009-06-09T20:13:00.004-04:00

Aiden had his first trip to the beach this past weekend. I don't think he even knew. We decided to put him in the Baby Bjorn and walk down to the water and all he did was chew on the Baby Bjorn. He just wasn't into the beach. Although the salt air worked wonders to put him to sleep. Garrett and I walked on the boardwalk and Aiden was fast asleep. I really wanted to get our pictures taken in the photo booth on the boardwalk but Aiden was asleep everytime we walked by it.

He did very well over night. We took his pack and play and he slept all night. I was so proud of him. Of course, I woke up in the morning worried because it was almost 9am and he never sleeps that late. I looked down in the pack and play and he was gone. Grammy snuck in the room and took him. She just couldn't help herself. She needed her Aiden fix.

Family Photoshoot

2009-06-02T10:55:00.002-04:00

Sleep over

2009-05-29T08:23:00.000-04:00

Last night Aiden and I spent the night at Grammy and Poppas (my parents) house. Garrett worked 2 shifts yesterday and one was overnight. Since Aiden is not consistently sleeping through the night, I thought it might be a good idea to have some help. Aiden really enjoyed his time with his grandparents and Auntie Kayla. He did not, however, enjoy his bath last night. He screamed so loud I think the neighbors could hear him.

I was very proud of my little bug last night. He slept through the night in a new place. It was wonderful. And, I have to add, having mom get him this morning and feed him and play with him until his morning nap was great! I got to sleep in a little :) That hasn't happened since... gosh, I can't even remember the last time I slept in.

Oh No! We are in trouble...

2009-05-27T21:45:00.000-04:00

So I was playing with Aiden on Monday while Garrett was getting ready for work. We were sitting on the couch and I was talking to him. He spit up while we were playing and I looked at him and said "Oh no!" He smiled and laughed at me like it was the funniest thing he had ever heard. So, I continued to say "Oh no" over and over again. He laughed and laughed at me. Then to my amazement he stated to make the "o" shape with his mouth, imitating me. He started to make sounds and eventually was saying "Oh no" back to me. I was totally shocked. At first I thought it was a fluke. I mean he is only 3 months old. How could he be able to talk right? But he kept saying "oh no" over and over after I would say it. I finally called Garrett to get the video camera and come over and get it on tape. My son is such an overachiever!

Not sleeping!

2009-05-25T14:22:00.000-04:00

So, Aiden has decided that one week of good sleeping was all he was going to let us have. He has been back to his old habits of wanting to play at 2am. Which would be great if either of us wanted to stay up all night, but we don't. Last night Garrett stayed up with him and finally got him to sleep sometime around 2am. They only way Garrett could get him down was to put him in his carseat, in the bathroom, with the fan on and lights out. But he ended up staying asleep in there until 7:30 this morning.

He has been paying and laughing so much more lately. He has found out that his hands do work and has been using them to bat at his toys. This makes him smile. Although, when he is frustrated he can not get the hands to his mouth yet. Oh well, one thing at a time.

Garrett and I went to Target yesterday and bought him his first swimsuit. I can't wait to take him to the pool and put his toes in the water. It will be so much fun. He loves to be outside so I can see him loving the pool.

photoshoot preview

2009-05-23T22:41:00.000-04:00

Professional photo shoot

2009-05-23T21:02:00.000-04:00

Today we had our first pro family photo shoot. A man Garrett works with is a photographer and offered to do a family shoot. It was so nice to finally get some family photos. I realized last night that we do not have a single picture of the three of us together. I can't believe that we never took a family photo. Aiden will be 3 months on Wednesday. That was too long to go with no family pictures. Ray was great with us too. He was very patient. We were there for over 2 hours and got some amazing pictures. I can't wait to get them. He is going to edit them and give us the CD in a week. When I get it I will post some of them.

Aiden was so wiped out from the shoot he slept on the hour car ride back and for an additional 3 hours after that. I was so excited that he was napping that I laid down on the couch to catch some z's myself. But as I was napping I was woken by a loud popping noise. It sounded almost like someone opened a champagne bottle. I got up to see what the noise was and was confronted with a shattered sliding glass door. Luckily, I think it has a warrenty and we can get a new one. It is always something!

Here are a few more video clips of the little man talking, smiling, and attempting to roll over.
Aiden smiling

11 weeks old

2009-05-21T09:23:00.000-04:00

Rolling Over!

2009-05-21T08:51:00.000-04:00

Aiden rolled over for the first time at a doctors appointment he had when he was 8 weeks and 1 day old. We have tried to catch it on video many times without success. I finally caught him on video this morning during our photoshoot. He is becoming such a big boy.

Also, while I was uploading the video a moment ago, I looked over at him and noticed that for the first time (or at least the first I have noticed) he was batting at his toys.

Sleeping

2009-05-19T18:34:00.000-04:00

So I think Aiden may have this sleeping thing figured out. Over the past few days he has been going down at night around 8:30-9:00. I swaddle him up and put him in his crib (yes, in his own room!) not in the pack and play in the living room anymore. He wimpers for about 5-8 minutes and then falls asleep. It has been so great! I can actually get some sleep in my own bed. Oh, how I have missed my bed, the couch is just not the same. The down side to this is that he has not been good about taking his daytime naps. He gets very fussy and fights sleep during the day. He used to be really good about his day naps. But I would rather him be awake during the day, even if he is cranky.

Photo shoot 5/17/09 - part 2

2009-05-17T16:54:00.000-04:00

Photo shoot 5/17/09

2009-05-17T16:51:00.000-04:00

10 1/2 weeks

Welcome!

2009-05-17T15:52:00.000-04:00

Welcome to our new blog. We have moved here so that we can add videos as well as pictures. We will try to keep it updated weekly.

Our little overachiever

2009-05-17T15:49:00.001-04:00

Wow, I have been so bad about keeping this site updated. Things have been going well with us. Aiden is growing up quickly. I can not believe how fast the time goes. He is almost 11 weeks old. At 8 weeks we had a doctors appointment and the doctor put him on his stomach to check his progress with lifting his head and my little overachiever rolled over. I couldn't believe it! He has rolled over 3 times since then. He has been slowly sleeping more and more each night. Last night he actually slept from 11:30-4:30. I was so excited to get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.Aiden and I belong to a 'new moms' group. We go on Wednesday mornings. There are about 20 moms and our kids are all between 0-4 months. It is really nice to spend some time each week with other new moms who are going through the same things I am. I have made a few friends in the group and we have started walking during the week. I also befriended some of my neighbors who have 9 month olds. We do coffee a few mornings a week. I have really been enjoying staying home with Aiden and meeting with other moms.