My other son

Much of the time, my other son, holes up in his room(den) only to come out that cave for this:

Right now he's only playing by himself. It's great fun to watch Dad get in on the action!

I can't help myself I have to post something about Aiden!

He loves to look at the sheep on these pajamas. It's the only reason that I still have them!


Grrr...he's more than mad! He fell back and is angry because I won't lift him back into a seated position. I love it when he has to do something for himself!

My secret

Just a few people know that I went and had a mole of serious concern removed in October of last year. Well, it came back positive as a basal cell carcinoma. This type of cancer affects over 800,000 Americans each year. I have been very uneasy about this and even borderline depressed. It is dead center on my forehead and because of the upcoming Mohs surgery and eventual scarring, I decided to cut my bangs (boy I hate bangs). This could have all been handled differently if I had been insistent with the (extremely rude) doctor 2 years ago.

Anyway, I thought that I wouldn't have to worry about it until the surgery. No such luck, I found 2 more places. They're not as bad as the first, but still had to be biopsied. One is right under my tear duct and the other on my shoulder. Since I had them biopsied Friday, we will know the results the first week in February.

I just read the papers that the doctor sent and realized that no matter what happens there will be scarring. Therefore some may eventually ask about it.

The doctor said that since I've had many burns during my childhood, this was a likely culprit. Also, I've tanned in tanning beds before. I'm thankful that I'm so anal with keeping sunscreen on my children and regulating how long they've been in the sun. So now here's my rant: Apply sunscreen! If you don't wear it, put it on your children even on cloudy days! 80% of the sun's rays get through those clouds.

Here's a picture of the offending mole:
Gosh I miss that hairstyle!

Ali, Aiden and other musings

Ali loves playing with Aiden! I wish she was little again! This crappy stage where the eyes are rolling and the sarcasm is coming out of her mouth like a filthy trail of skunk spray is driving me bug nuts. It's official...she's me when I was 16. Oh here's some wonderful news-NO MORE REHAB! She was released today.


After we named the shapes and colors, we rested;-) He had a few belly/gas issues this day, so, being on his tummy didn't bother him as much as usual. His nickname is tooteroo. I'm not kidding!

Mixed feelings

How can we have come so far only to be dragged down again by racial feelings? I normally stay away from blogging about politics. This mostly stems from the fact that I am not a feminist and big E and I discuss it way too much at home;)

So if you are a lurker (WITH an open frame of mind) please view this horrible video of complete disrespect! Leave me your thoughts or not. Just take the time to realize that I've had two of my four brothers in Iraq. They all wanted to. The other two cannot enlist because one had open heart surgery and the other had his cornea ripped off by a branch when he was clearing our parents' property. One is still there fighting for a wonderful thing we enjoy here in the United States of America (I am proud of all of them). I still love my country and pray for it's people. Even if I don't like someone or agree with them...I always show respect for that person as a human being.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEAFhGmahtQ

Some pictures and thoughts

I am so thankful for the 3 day weekend! It's so nice to veg with the family! Aiden had fun playing with every toy in his box. He is no longer allowed in his bouncer because of the 20 lb mark. We put that away.

He ate half of a jar of sweet potatoes with such gusto that I ended up putting the jar away because I was worried. He never eats more than a tablespoon or two. He had much more. I cannot eat with him at the table anymore because he gets mad at us eating. He has us wrapped around his little finger!

Budget

We are trying our best to stick to a strict budget. This includes our groceries. Well, with a new little one, it's been different and difficult. We stuck to our list and this is a picture of all we purchased for $100.74. We only had one coupon and a couple of great sale items! There are 47 items. Diapers and formula next week will increase this by about $55.00. So, our budget per week is about $125-150.00 a week.
Menu: M-Sandwiches & ravioli (daddy has a business dinner); T-Chili & potatoes; W-Spaghetti; Th-Stuffed shells & sauce; F-Pizza; S-Soup & Sandwiches (I would've liked to make tot casserole...but Ali hates it!)

We're all brown bagging it for lunch as well. We're also buying regular items instead of so much organic. I try to go organic as much as possible, but now when it's on sale.

Next week, we will weed out the extras...coke and tortilla chips. There's really no need for us to buy those, especially the coke! The lime tortilla chips are a family fav, but Dave says we have to live like no one else now, so that we can live like no one else later.

6 month check up

Aiden had his 6 month check up and 3 shots today. Well, I guess we need to lay off the food so much;-)! Had he not had 2 stinky diapers today, he would have been over 20lbs. He weighed 19lbs. 11 oz. That is the 83rd percentile. He was in the 42nd percentile for height and a little over the 70th percentile with the circumference of his head. Our wonderful dr. said to keep rubbing lotion on him with his dry patches and that it could be eczema. My other two have, so, why not.

He was wonderful for his shots. He barely cried! Daddy had him giggling. He almost giggled through it, until right before the 3rd shot. They gave him what looked to be an overdose of Tylenol. He was so good for this visit. He grabbed the dr, her fingers and her stethoscope. He laughed for her and grabbed his toes when she began to look at his feet. She commented on how he looked like a little Buddha sitting for her. I made sure to let her know what he had been eating. Avacado, banana, applesauce, cereal, and peas are some of the things we feed him. Right now applesauce, milk, and cereal are his favorite things to eat.

Dertermination and Drool

He is so determined to sit. He gets so frustrated being on his stomach sometimes. Where does all the drool come from? He insists on watering his bib and clothes daily. Sometimes we have to change bibs because he is chewing on them.

Today, while we let Ali spend the Christmas money that was burning a hole in her pocket, it was so windy. We were going in and out of stores. Well, the wind kicked up and he looked like a rocker with hair going in every direction.

Last night he started pulling on his hair. I'm going to have to read: Parenting with Love and Logic. The book for teaching was helpful in the classroom and I brought some of the techniques home. I wonder, will they work with Aiden...

A very happy 6 months

Going...
going...
going...
gone!

He is so much fun! The past six months have gone by so very quickly!!!! Baby Aiden hasn't taken any time to stop and smell the roses. He pushed himself back up into a seated position when he was falling down. He almost finished all of his applesauce/bmilk/cereal combo this morning. His hair is going wild! He's been interested in only blowing rasberries at us! He's rolling in both directions and bouncing so hard in the jumperoo that he tetertoters. We are in love with him!

Secret life and other happenings

I have to admit...I love looking at blogs. It's so neat (sometimes) to see a different life other than mine. I enjoy looking at the blogs of families with babies around the same age as Aiden. I don't get to do it much anymore, because of little guy, teaching, and life in general. Well now I am addicted to something else, too! I am a Craig's list addict. I need a support group. I go and look at homes and furniture. I know it sounds crazy, but when I have insomnia, I just check out the furniture list and think why don't you just donate that or maybe even trash it!

Aside from my secret life in blogland and on Craig's list, I am sleep deprived (but cannot sleep right now) because I have been prank texted (and called)! If it keeps happening, tomorrow morning at 4:45 a.m. when I get up to review my newly finished report cards, I will call them all back!!!!!!! Then, because I think I know one of them, I will make a visit to the place where one of their mothers work! I am almost hoping it happens because of the 12:30-1:30 a.m. prank texts and calls I received. Also, I'm a little bored. So, I thought it would be fun to prank these middle schoolers and their sleep!

Aiden is so precious!!!! His legs are so fat and squishy! Because of his new talent, we're baby-proofing the house this weekend. I have to find a few gates, outlet plugs, cushioning for furniture/fireplace, etc. Mybe I'll return to Craig's list to see about those baby gates;-)!
This is my life and I wouldn't trade it!

Capturing his efforts is hard work!

Here he is trying to roll over. He is now a proficient roller! Now, he's exploring the floor, his mat, and the little hooks on his mat. He lifts up the mat to look at the bland carpet. This is such a great age to watch!

Misadventures in rolling

This is how my little one fell asleep after he started rolling over. He cannot figure out how to get back to his favorite position.

Cuteness

Daddy is taking time to play with the baby.


I love this smile!


Somehow, he has found that his tongue can blow rasberries! That's our new game. Also, grabbing hair, food, cups, paper, or anything in your hands can be fun as well!



Aiden and Aaron play together. Usually Aiden giggles, but Aaron is being forced to play with him here.

Success!!!

Baby Aiden rolled over from BACK to front at 2:59p.m. today. Aiden really didn't know what to do when we all cheered for him.
He also scoots backwards all over his blankets. He pushes up and gets his knees under him. Then flattens out going backwards. He still dislikes being on his tummy!