A House Divided

Daddy's going to a really big game today at the new Cowboy Stadium!
What?!? He's not taking me?Then I'm calling the Hogs today! Mama says SEC rules, anyway!

Baby Gear

This is a different post than I usually do. Kelly is hosting a tour of your favorite baby gear items and I thought I would participate because choosing baby gear was definitely a hard decision for me. I would spend hours each night researching different brands, features, safety ratings, prices, etc., to try and find the perfect items. At first I was so overwhelmed and I was blessed to have so many friends who helped me by telling me what was worth the money and what wasn't. That's what Kelly is trying to do with her tour - help people who are going to have a baby figure out what they need. I don't think I have anyone who's pregnant reading my blog, but I thought it would be fun to look back over things anyway and it gives me an excuse to dig up old pictures of Aaron!

First and foremost is the Pack N Play that is in our bedroom. The absolute best thing we had! Without doubt. We registered for it and decided that if we didn't get it we would not buy it. Thank the Lord that someone got it for us! I have "sold" this exact same Pack N Play to three other moms already. The sound soother, the changing table, the shelves for "stuff" - it's just great. It worked out perfectly when Aaron lived in our room when he first came home, but we are still using the changing table and we use the Pack N Play as an actual playpen now that he's older. We love this thing. It is the best gift we got!

The second best gift we got was the bouncy. We actually didn't get the one we registered for, but it would not have mattered. Aaron has been in several bouncies and he just loves them all. We have only ever had the cheapest of bouncies - not those fancy ones with all the bells and whistles that cost a lot of money. I'm sure those are great, too, but the point is that Aaron just loved the bouncy - any bouncy.

In fact, we almost bought a second bouncy because we were carting this one all over the house. We may do that when we have another child. The one we had cost less than $30.

The thing that we absolutely used the most and had to buy many more of were swaddle blankets. There are different opinions on swaddling your baby and I know some babies don't take to it, but ours did and the swaddle blankets made it SO easy. We would gladly buy stock in the company that makes them!
As far as 'toys' go, we had the activity mat, activity gym, exersaucer and jumperoo. There were times in Aaron's life that he loved each one of those things, but the phases never seemed to last very long. Honestly, I was glad that we had received those things as gifts and I'll definitely pull them out for the next child, but Aaron always did really well on the floor with a blanket, so...
Oh, the swing. This wonderful, wonderful swing. There was a period when Aaron LOVED the swing. It was also (relatively) short-lived, but so worth having it for the time when it was his favorite thing. That was a fussy age and the swing was wonderful.

Here's something that I didn't use as much as I thought I would. People sing the praises of the Boppy. I mostly used it for photo ops. While I was in the hospital, my husband bought a glider/rocker that I swore I wouldn't use (Papa John witnessed this conversation). I used that thing constantly. All the time. Still do. Probably the best money we ever spent. This is why I submit to my husband - he is much wiser than I am. Anyway, the way the arm rests are on that chair, I didn't need a pillow for feeding Aaron. I did need one when I fed him on his bed, but I just grabbed a regular pillow from the bed for that. So the Boppy was somewhat wasted on me, though it did make for good pictures of Aaron.

The Bumbo is another such item. I was told the Bumbo was the greatest thing ever. And it was. For about four weeks. Up until he was certain age, he wouldn't get in the thing. Once we decided he liked it, it was wonderful. But then he learned to sit on his own and wouldn't have anything to do with it again. Maybe if he had taken longer to learn to sit or he had taken to the Bumbo earlier, I could have gotten more use out of it.
Here's something that I didn't use. I don't even have a picture of it. I am sooo glad that this was a hand-me-down. Our travel system stroller with the infant carseat. Aaron hated the infant seat. He hated it pretty much from the beginning. We went to a convertible carseat very early and it made a huge difference in road trips for us. As far as the stroller, I used it one time. Once. It was traumatic and I never used it again. Then he got big enough to go jogging with Daddy, so the jogging stroller that Grandad and Mimi gave us went into use big time. That's what we use for walking now. And when I go anywhere (like the zoo), I just throw the umbrella stroller in the trunk. It is so easy and it works well for little outings. We bought the A&M umbrella stroller when we were pregnant. It's one of the few things we bought and it was well worth the investment.
Other things that we didn't use: we did not go with a diaper genie or diaper pail of any kind. My friend told me about Sassy Sacks and that's what we use. They are easy and smell good and take up no space. It was the way to go for us. The same friend told me not to get a wipe warmer because it dries out the wipes. So we didn't and we haven't had any problems. I think those may be the only two baby items we did not get, though. We were SO blessed by our friends and relatives and Mr. Aaron has absolutely reaped the rewards. And, as a parting gift, here's a picture from today. Aaron and I had lunch with my friend Allison and her beautiful daughter Kate. Kate is just precious. Aaron thinks so, too.

Big Week

Aaron now has two teeth! He won't let you see them, though. Unless he's screaming - then you can sometimes catch a peek. Other than that, though, no can see! So, Mama is the only one who has seen the teeth. You can also deduce that Mama is the only one who gets to hear him scream, but he thankfully does that very rarely.

You can definitely feel the teeth if you so choose. He has no problem letting you stick your finger in his mouth. He will happily chomp down on it and show you that he does, indeed, have teeth. Mama's the only one who's done that, too. I don't know why no one else wants to try this.

We are moving right along with food experimentation. I have stayed on every vegetable long enough for Aaron to love it before moving to the next. The only two that took a little time were green beans and spinach. Everything else he liked right away. So far, butternut squash is far and away his favorite food.

Here is what he has had so far: Rice cereal, oatmeal, barley, wheat cereal, mixed grain cereal, green beans, peas, spinach, butternut squash and pumpkin. Corn is next.

The Zoo

Today my MOPS table had a play date at the zoo. It was a perfect day for it and Aaron loves to be outside, so he was completely content.
Last night our Sunday School class had a shrimp boil and, again, it was outside so Aaron loved it. It is so nice to have such a contented child. We have a busy week of play dates and activities so I hope to have lots of good pictures to share.

Wishes and Kisses

I mentioned yesterday that we got a package of outfits from Grandma Sheri. I have to tell you that I squealed out loud when I opened the box and saw a hanger that I recognized as being from the brand Wishes and Kisses. I love Wishes and Kisses clothing. They're by far the easiest clothes to get on and off Aaron. Far and away. They're super soft and they're awfully cute. Here's a picture of Aaron watching football with Daddy in his brand new Wishes and Kisses clothes.

Aaron had a very big day. First of all, Ohio State showed Illinois that we are still a little irritated about them beating us a couple of years ago and advised them not to attempt to repeat that endeavor. Secondly, Aaron ate spinach for the second time today and by the end of the experience he was enjoying it some. The beginning of the experience was pretty funny, though. He'd open his mouth for the spoon then look at me like he was going to cry when he tasted the spinach, then once he'd get the stuff swallowed he'd open up for more and repeat the whole process. That kid will eat anything.Aaron also had some big accomplishments today. He demonstrated his ability to climb over large obstacles in order to get to what he wants. It was really impressive, though we should probably be nervous. AND, this morning, Daddy waved Bye Bye to him and he waved back!!! Oh my word! We were so excited. We spent the rest of the day waving at him so he'd wave back. He probably now has no concept that waving is supposed to indicate arrival and departure. He just thinks that's what you do on Saturdays.

Big Boy

This post is actually not related to Aaron's size. It has to do with his growing independence. Such a Big Boy, has to do it himself! I have been trying to give him bottles during the day and he's not a fan of taking a bottle from Mama, as you can probably understand. Our first bottle today was frustrating and he took about half a feeding. The second bottle was worse. Finally, I realized that he clearly isn't under-weight. If he doesn't want to eat, it's not the end of the world. If he gets hungry enough, he'll take a bottle. As soon as I resigned myself to that and set the bottle down, Aaron picked it up and proceeded to feed himself. Oh! I did not know that it wasn't the bottle he had a problem with, it was the lack of control he had over its administration. I am thankful that has been cleared up.

Today I was so excited to receive a package from Grandma Sheri with some new fall clothes for Aaron! His wardrobe for this cooler season is somewhat lacking and I haven't done anything about it since it didn't cool down until this week, so I was thrilled with the gifts! Be prepared for a fashion show this week. Today's outfit is courtesy of Grandad and I love it. Soft, cute and easy!

The picture below is from last week when I babysat Charlotte. This was the girl Aaron had his very first playdate with when he was itty-bitty. She was born the same week he was and her parents were in our birthing class. We think they're great and their daughter is an angel. Although in the picture below she is wondering what to do about the young man who just took her sock off of her foot.

Happy Baby

Aaron had such a fun time yesterday. He got to go to my old work and sit with Jana who just loved on him! He got his own work space and papers and just helped her and helped her. He loved it!

Then last night Brooke came to keep him and you can't beat that. Oh! Mama and Daddy got home and he was not pleased. He asked us to go ahead and leave again so he could spend more time with Brooke. He loves that girl!

And then there's today. See how happy he is? It's because he FINALLY has a tooth coming through! He is actually handling it pretty well, though I am planning to buy some teething pellets to have on hand in case of an emergency melt down.

We've just had such a fun, sweet week. I love my little man and I love that he does so well going places with me. It is very nice.

Look where Aaron got to have breakfast

Uggg. My baby is definitely growing up too fast, but I have to admit that he did look awfully cute in his high chair. Bonus - he LOVED the high chair! So, we are moving into another phase.

Aaron is still a great eater. We got to the point that he loved green beans and then we moved on to peas. He liked peas from the start, so I probably won't hang out there too long before trying carrots.

Aaron's Awesome Weekend

Aaron had a big time this weekend. Papa John and Kimmie came down and kept him so Daddy and Mama could go away for the weekend. Apparently, he was absolutely perfect. Kimmie and Papa John seemed to really enjoy themselves and they didn't even make fun of the five typed pages of notes left for them. We left our camera so they could capture Aaron's Weekend Away on film.

Here's Aaron taking Sandy for a walk. Kimmie bought him this Camo hat that says 'Daddy's Little Hunter'.

Reading the Sunday Morning Paper with Papa John in his Aggie jammies, of course.A little Morning Playtime with Sandy.Floor Time with Papa John. Surrounded by toys from Kimmie.We had a wonderful weekend and are so thankful to Kimmie and Papa John - Aaron is, too!

A Note to Clothes Buyers Everywhere

This is my 6-month-old son lounging comfortably in his cousin's 12-month shirt. Yesterday's post showed him in his favorite T-shirt which is also a 12-month and fits perfectly. Aaron can still wear some of his 6-9 mo clothes, but some brands only go to 18 pounds and some only go to 28.5 inches. Those brands are too tight for him now.
Yes, he is a big kid. I am being told way too often that he looks like a toddler. I am not okay with this. He is 6 months old. I want him to be a BABY. I don't want him to be big enough for his high chair or have a digestive system that is developed enough for green beans. I have discussed with him that he's going to have to slow down on this growing up thing. Mama absolutely can not handle it. A couple more clothing notes: I anticipate him being in 12 month clothes for a LONG time. This is because (1) I have asked him to not grow so fast, (2) the next size up is 18 months and that would just be abnormal and (3) I understand that weight gain slows once children are fully mobile. I realize this probably won't help with his height, but humor me.

Finally, Aaron is in desperate need of a belt. This is on my To Do List for this week. I assume they make belts for babies since his jeans and khakis have belt loops. In order for his pants to be long enough for him the waists are HUGE. This is a problem his Mama went through for years (having a baby substantially helps with that). It is a frustrating problem for a little man who is trying to learn to stand and walk. Big waists make for saggy pants that little feet can trip over. Okay, moving on. These pictures are in his Winnie the Pooh chair that Kimmie bought him. He's really not ready for it yet because he kept wanting to get out of it and he only knows one way to get out of things at this point (leaning forward and falling out, in case you don't have ready access to 6 month olds for observation). But it was fun for pictures.This is Aaron about to pull up to standing using the chair. Below is a picture of the result. We're getting that a lot these days. Fortunately, he thinks it's really fun to play with the furniture once he pulls it down on himself. It keeps him entertained for extended periods of time. (Please pray for his grandparents who are keeping him for 48 hours this weekend. They know not to what they have agreed.)