Well baby check-up

Today Ayden had his 18 month (actually his 19.5 month!) well baby check-up. We saw a new pediatrician that I absolutely loved! He was great with Ayden, gave a very thorough exam (down to counting his teeth!), asked all about Ayden's development, and gave lots of great advice and education. Exactly the kind of pediatrician I love! Ayden had to get one shot (his 2nd and final Hepatitis A vaccine) and he cried the biggest crocodile tears I think I've ever seen :( But, a blue sucker from the nurse cured him right away :) He is meeting all and exceeding most of the developmental milestones for his age. The doctor called him "long and lean" and said he had the type of frame that carries weight well and doesn't gain easily (YEA AYDEN! WAY TO BEAT YOUR GENETICS!) He said he looked and sounded great, and had the best looking ears, throat, and nose he'd seen all day! Here are his STATS:
Weight (in his birthday suit): 27 lbs 12 oz (68th percentile)
Height 34.75 inches (93rd percentile)
Head Circumfrence: 48.6 cm (67th percentile)

We are so blessed to have such a healthy boy!

Meeting Baby Finleigh!

We had a great time this past weekend in Texas visiting Jenny, Kyle, and baby Finleigh! She is such a precious, beautiful baby girl! She is a very good baby, the only time we ever heard her cry was when her diaper was being changed, otherwise she nursed and slept like a champ! Chris and I just could not believe that Ayden was ever that small (actually he was smaller!). Ayden was very interested in the "be-be" and was very gentle with her for the most part :) However, he did not like it when his mommy held the baby! He stopped whatever he was doing and protested very loudly everytime he saw me holding her! Hopefully this phase will pass before we decide to give him a sibling! I did manage to hold them both together a few times and it was a precious moment to say the least :) I miss her already...hurry up and move to NWA Jenny and Kyle!!

Sweet Finleigh Tate

Mommy and baby

Precious!

Holding the babies :)

Checking out the baby...

Uncle Chris and Finleigh

Cute big boy

Sitting in his old Bumbo...

Rotten or cute? you decide!

Running some of his energy off outside

Finleigh and Mommy

Kyle and Chris doing the "guy" thing outside...

Ayden trying to get in Finleigh's bouncy seat

Eating his first S'more!

Ayden hesitantly letting me hold Finleigh

Rocking the babies...so, so sweet!

The ride home...Worn out!

Random stufff...

We have been staying busy the past several weeks, it seems the unpacking will never be done! I had fun unpacking the major things and doing the decorating, then I was over it! If you were to look in my hall closets and under the bathroom sinks you would find unpacked boxes and bags, and don't even ask about the garage...yikes! And sadly enough, we still have 4 or 5 truck loads of stuff sitting at the apartment. So anyway, all the work of moving and settling in is far from done, but we are enjoying our new home so much! The nice weather has enabled us to enjoy our backyard and deck immensely! As you can tell from the previous post, we (and by we, I mean 99.9% Chris and 0.1% me) are busy with a new project-Ayden's swingset, fort and sandbox! Chris got the slide put together last night and we put it on the steps and let Ayden test it out several times. He loved it! I think he threw his all-time biggest fit ever when we finally went inside!



Also as you can tell from previous posts, my BFF Jenny had her baby girl, Finleigh Tate last Wednesday! I am overwhelmingly excited to get to meet her! I had been planning to be there for the birth and then found out I had a mandatory 2 day class I had to attend for work :( But, on the upside, we are going to visit the new family this weekend! Yea! Ayden loves looking at pictures of the baby and saying "baby" so very sweetly. I am looking forward to seeing how he reacts when we go to see her!



We are excited to be going to Mena for Easter weekend! We can't wait to see everyone! I am taking Ayden to get Easter pics taken next week since my regular photographer (Jenny) is out of commission for now. I am having a blast putting together his Easter basket since this is the first year he can really enjoy his gifts!



I am also taking Ayden to a new pediatrician next week for a well-baby check-up (his doc cancelled his last 2 appointments, I was not impressed with that). I hope we like the new doc and am looking forward to seeing his measurements. Also, I found a vegetable he will actually eat--and loves--baked sweet potato fries! Very easy to make and very healthy. Now if I can find a way to make the green veggies appealing...I am open for suggestions!



Chris is still loving working for Wal-Mart. Last week he had his first solo presentation for several VP's in Finance and Accounting and he got great reviews and feedback. I am so proud of him! And thanks to a never-ending increase in the number of pregnant women, I have been staying busy at work (but I guess that's job security at its best!). I am really enjoying my new schedule and having some weekends off. I am losing 2-3 pounds a week and feeling great. I think this might be the first summer in a long while that I am not completely dreading swimsuit season (although I have a long way to go before Sports Illustrated calls me for a cover shoot :) ) We have lots of fun summer plans with our little guy! He is at such a fun age, we are constantly thinking of new things we want to do and places we want to take him! So far we are planning a trip to the Tulsa Zoo and Aquarium, Silver Dollar City, and a camping trip in there somewhere as well. We can't wait!



Well, I guess that's about it with us...Hope everyone is doing well and we'll see you soon!

Ayden's new swingset...BEFORE pics!

Only 2,299 pieces to go...

Chris went to get another beer, LOL :)

Standby for "after" pics, hopefully we'll have it put together before

Ayden starts kindergarten!!

Thanks Pappaw and Grandma!

Finleigh Tate Robertson

I am now a proud honorary "aunt" of a beautiful baby girl! She arrived last night weighing in at 8 pounds even and measuring 20 inches long. Congratulations Jenny and Kyle!! You did fabulous! We can't wait to meet her!!

Ayden's antics

Just sharing some random silly pics from tonight...

After sticking his head under the faucet- he loves to

have water run over his head!

Check out those black and blue little boy legs! Can you tell

he played hard today? But oh what fun he had!

A classic Ayden fit

Adding a little extra drama...

St. Patty Party!

Ayden's class got to have a St. Patrick's Day party at Mom's Day Out today, complete with face and arm painting, balloons, and cupcakes! How fun!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day 2009

19 months old!

Showing Andy some love!


St. Patrick's Day 2008

7 months old

Interesting article

This morning the Today Show featured a reporter who has written an article titled, "Is breast feeding really best?" It immediately caught my attention and I quickly logged on to the Today show website to read the article. It is different than any breastfeeding article I've ever read and I think it's worth sharing (it is a lengthy read, but very interesting). I rarely share personal views on my blog, partly because they are indeed personal, and also I don't ever want to appear to be "pushing" my opinions on others because that goes against everything I believe! But I found this article especially intriguing, the author/mother is questioning all the hype about the benefits of breastfeeding, all the while she is breastfeeding her 3rd consecutive child! I obviously think breastfeeding is great, I did it for 7 months (although never exclusively because I had issues with my supply, but that's whole other story) and I have some of the warmest and most special memories of that time with Ayden that I will cherish forever. That being said, the first 2 weeks of what I like to refer to as "breastfeeding bootcamp" were 2 of the most emotional and stressful weeks of my life. If not for my wonderful support system of family and friends (namely Melissa!) I know for a fact that I would have given up. Would that have made me a bad mother? ABSOLUTELY NOT! I can only assume that breastmilk is best, because, after all, it is natural and right from the source. But I do tend the think that studies promising smarter, healthier, thinner kids if you breastfeed are a little far-fetched. I can name a number of super healthy and intelligent kids who were bottle fed and another set of ear-infection and allergy prone kids who got nothing but breastmilk for 6+months. Not only that, but Ayden was never "exclusively" breastfed and has only been sick once in almost 19 months. You have to wonder what other factors were and were not included in those studies. And as far as intelligence goes, I think environment is a much more important factor- nuturing parents, enriching experiences, and of course a healthy diet to help the child thrive.

Bottom line: I think that when a mother is able and willing to breastfeed her child, it can be a very rewarding experience for both and just might help make the child healthier. But I also totally support mothers who, for whatever reason, are unable to breastfeed and give their babies formula. I think the measure of a mother should NOT be concluded upon whether or not she breastfeeds her child. A happy mother makes a happy baby and if a woman is having trouble breastfeeding and is under constant stress to do so, she cannot possibly be reaching her fullest potential in other areas of mothering. Okay, I put it out on the table how I really feel! I would love hear the opinions of all you other mommies out there!

Video of a rotten baby!

I got out the camera tonight to film Ayden's all too common refusal to eat his supper (he is also in a rotten mood because he didn't nap well). Chris asks him if he is daddy's boy, and he says no and then proceeds to say/scream Pappaw! Pappaw! So apparently he is Pappaw's boy, and this explains why he is such a stinker! :)

It's official...the house is SOLD!!!

need i say more!?

Cute pics!

Ayden was all-smiles last night showing off his new (size 2T!!) Dinosaur PJ's! (Although the picture taking did involve playing a little game of chase!)

His favorite new hiding place-our shower!

I've never seen a kid love taking a shower so much-

he LOVES to have water run over his head and face!

*Bonus pic*

Ayden only thought he didn't need a nap today :)

Video: Ayden's favorite words!

This is my best attempt so far to capture Ayden in the mood to talk. He loves to sayElmo and Pappaw more than anything else! He also does a good job saying Nick, Brandy, Andy, down, love you, milk, slide, and go play. He will not say Grandma, Mimi, or Memaw for anything! I don't know where he gets that stubborness!

Video: Reading "Elmo"

Ayden reading from his new Elmo book he got in the mail today from

Pappaw and Grandma!

Ayden Mania!

Here are pics from the last couple of weeks of our little stinker!

Eating a "cooker" (his word for cracker and/or cookie) :)

Ready to go bye-bye

napping with Elmo

goofball!

Being insanely spoiled by Uncle Nick & Aunt Brandy

Enjoying last week's nice weather

Sleepy boy

The Anderson's New Home!

We have internet access, finally it feels like home! LOL :) No, honestly, the new house is fitting us perfectly, we love it! Most of the unpacking and decorating is done(besides putting up curtains) and we are finally able to sit and enjoy all our hard work! Here are the "after" pics of our house, in no particular order!

Master bathroom

Love the His and Hers closets!

Master bedroom

Hallway to our bedroom, the laundry room, and garage

The little monkey's bathroom

Ayden's room has 2 doors, and he loves running "laps"

through his room!

Toddler Bed

*Future* office

Guest bedroom

Hallway to the 3 other bedrooms

Front entry

Living room

Backyard

(will look much better when the trees and grass bloom and Ayden's

new swing set from Pappaw and Grandma gets here!)

Relaxation Central :)

Kitchen

Dining Room