THE Mower

We have saved some of Ayden's presents for later dates. One of those gifts was the bubble mower from Aunt Sherry and Uncle Jesse. Pushing the mower is now his favorite outdoor activity. We go nowhere without the mower.

This thing is cool! What is it?

 

I knew this thing was cool.

The Mower & Ayden... at the Park

 

Held up by a stick...

On the move again...

 

Daddy, I got a mower!

The Mower & Ayden... at Arrington Vineyards

 

 

I like your hat.

Conga Line
(some creative help up the hill)

 

 

 

6 Weeks & 2 Years

This past week I went to the OBGYN for my second follow-up from the C-section. Over the past six weeks, my family and friends have done almost all of the lifting, pushing, and pulling required in a household with two young children. Bryan was insistent that my body be given the opportunity to heal appropriately, and, even though it was occasionally frustrating for me, I am grateful to him and everyone else who helped. As a result of all of their efforts, I have recovered well, and I was given the go-ahead to resume life as normal. I know I am going to quickly miss the luxury of having all of that extra help!

Somehow I missed the opportunity to take a picture of Brogan with Dr. Saig, the OB who delivered him, so I was determined to get the shot at this appointment. He slept through the appointment, and I handed his squirmy body to Dr. Saig as he was waking up. Like most everyone else, she remarked on how big he was getting. (He's almost outgrown 0-3 month clothing!)

Ayden also went to the doctor this week. He had his two-year pediatrician appointment with Nurse Martha and Dr. Hood. He had already had his two-year shots at his 18-month appointment, so the time at the doctor was relatively harmless. Ayden loved getting on the big boy scale. At previous appointments, he had to be placed on the baby scale. He so enjoyed stepping on and off the scale that he did it more than once, and all were impressed by his willingness to comply. He wasn't, however, as crazy about standing against the wall to be measured for his height. Since he wasn't thrilled about the experience, I'm not sure we actually got a good measurement on him.

 

 Age: 2 years

Height: 34"      Percentile: 40-50

Weight: 28.4 lbs.      Percentile: 50-60

(You can see Ayden's 18 month stats here, or you can see what three-month-old Ayden looked like at his first pediatrician appointment.)

We took a few things with us to make Ayden feel comfortable about the appointment. He had his Zephie train and a WubbaNub. Ayden was initially wary of the experience, but Dr. Hood was amazing with him. He especially liked that she showed him her medical tools and allowed him to touch them.

He asked me for a wipe to clean the table... this is typical behavior for him,
and, yes, I know he learned it from us!

 

 

  

 

Food Party

"Together in the backyard again,
In the place where we belong,
Where we'll prob'ly sing a song,
And we'll maybe dance along.

We've got the whole wide world in our yard to explore.
We always find things we've never seen before.
That's why every day we're back for more
With your friends, the Backyardigans."

This year's theme? Backyardigans. I mean, they sing and dance, and Ayden loves to sing and dance with them. (He loves to sing and dance to most anything.)

Ayden's favorite character? Well, he points to Pablo, so we went with it.

And the location? Well, we don't have a backyard, but we do have a great local park, and Ayden loves the park.

 

 

And his buddies liked the park as well... especially the part where they could run to and from the park to the sweet and salty tables... cheese & crackers, chips, Chex Mix, dirt dessert, cupcakes, raisins, candy.

 

Max: "Ms. Allison?"
Me: "Yes?"
Max: "This is not a birthday party; this is a FOOD party!"

Of course, if one has an outdoor party, the party and all its goers are at the mercy of the weather. In this case, we had to deal with the wind... or maybe I should say, the wind dealt with us. Putting together the event was sort of a circus, complete with a lost Pablo balloon...

But when Ayden showed, he didn't know the difference. He was among friends and family at the park!

I'm here! Let the party begin!

For some, it was the first time they had interacted with Ayden... or with Brogan, for that matter.

For others, the party was playtime as usual. Of course, Alex did some expert entertaining. Ayden loves to throw the ball away from Alex, only to watch him run after it. Oh, and there is always laughing at Alex falling down.

 

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY, AYDEN!

Thanks to all of you for celebrating his life with us!