Sunday, December 10, 2006

Helllooooo?



Here's Aidan talking on the phone (remote control) with a very important client (Santa). Please note the pile of boxes behind him -- we've been oh-so-busy packing for our impending move (Anna's crazy idea that moving between Thanksgiving and Christmas would be a good idea).

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Aww, aren't we cute?



We had an appointment with a photographer to take some pictures of our little fam-damily before we went on vacation, and she bailed on us without notice. What a peach, huh?

HOWEVER, my super wonderful sister Buffy swooped in to save the day while we were in Oregon and took some pictures of us! I guess the lighting wasn't ideal, and Buffy was worried that they wouldn't turn out -- Aidan "squirmy butt" Silver was fuzzy in a lot of them I guess.

I think this one is pretty cute though, aside from my double chin. That's not Buffy's fault, though. That's on me... well, maybe I could blame it on all the turkey.

Thanks Buffy!!! You really ARE a peach. mwah.

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Vacations are good for my sanity...

And you know I must have been in desperate need for one if I claim they're good for my sanity and I was with most of my side of the family (we missed you Jo and fam!). I loooove my family, but a week in a cabin together when it's raining 23 1/2 out of every 24 hours of the day is maybe not the best idea, if anyone is considering taking such a vacation for themselves.

Here is an example of said weather:

It does look cloudy, but now imagine rain, LOTS of it... and while we're doing that, make it horizontal so it smacks straight into the windows. Now, throw in some thunder and some wind, I believe I read that there were gusts up to 65 mph. Ahh, now you have it. Anyone care to take a walk on the beach with me?

So we spent nearly all of our time indoors... in front of a toasty fire. Aidan had a couple of his cousins to play with, and after a few days cooped up inside they even got over the fact that they were playing with "baby toys" :)



There were some moments of decent weather though, so we visited Newport's bayfront and saw some sea lions, which are very loud and whose breath is quite unpleasant and can travel great distances because of its potency:



We also stopped by Devil's Churn...



We also made a stop at the Oregon Coast Aquarium where Aidan ran around enamored of all the fish, one flounder in particular.



And then, just in time to say goodbye, the sun came out. I took a picture of it while we were loading our suitcases into our rental car, and couldn't help but feel a bit miffed at Mother Nature and her sense of humor. I counted no less than 15 people on the beach, walking around without jackets. Hmph.



I am aware of the "non-fantastic-ness"of these photos, but our camera battery died halfway through the trip and so I am waiting for some other pictures from my sister and mom... and they're both way better at taking pictures than I am. So hopefully I will get a few more pictures up here in the near future. :)

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Happy Halloween

I figured I would pop in and post some pictures from our day since many of you may have forgotten what Aidan looks like because I've neglected my duties so....


Here's my bat boy right before I took him trick-or-treating to a few houses on our street. Like the fangs?


Digging in the candy bowl... must be genetic, since he's never actually tried candy so doesn't even know of its wondrous qualities.


Checking out the goods after coming home - the most important part of the evening, as many of you know. By next year a pencil with dracula's picture taped to it won't be quite so cool, I bet.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Beautiful Dreamer



This is what happens when a toddler decides to transition from two naps a day to one... the mind is resolved to stay awake during lunch, but the body lags behind in the actual execution of this new plan. I'm sure it will catch up eventually, but for now it's pretty entertaining to watch the struggle!

Monday, September 11, 2006

Aidan's 1st Haircut

Well, Mike finally got his way. I loved Aidan's messy baby hair, but Mike was positive it was starting to resemble a mullet. So today, on Mike's birthday, we took Aidan to a cute place called Cookie Cutters haircuts for kids, and came home with an entirely new toddler - yikes!

He got to sit in a little fire engine chair, and they put on an Elmo video for him to watch, which really did work, he was only upset about half the time. Here's his mostly unsuspecting before photo:


And here is Aidan starting to realize he wasn't comfortable with the situation:



This is where he is completely positive that he hates what's going on:



Here the very patient and extremely quick stylist is trying to finish up, after I swooped in to help hold him tight since he decided he was so unhappy he was just going to get up and walk on out of the salon:



And here's a picture of him in the car after he stopped crying!



And finally, here's how he celebrated his new haircut while mom ran to the store and dad was getting ready for work:



All in all, a red letter day. Aidan even drew all over a homemade card for Mike's birthday, since he's now figured out what pens and markers do (Aidan, not Mike). He even scribbled with his left hand, people.

What a birthday present for Mike!

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Anna's case of slackeritis...

I am pretty embarrassed right now, since I have been so ridiculously awful at posting this summer! I started selling lia sophia jewelry, which I love, and that enabled me to quit my "real" job (yay!) and Mike worked all sorts of wonky hours because his work is hiring so many new people that the new hire classes he teaches are at all sorts of odd hours to fit more classes in.

Not to mention Aidan's kicking out butts as far as our energy goes! He's walking, and talking... (if anyone's keeping track he says no, duck, cat, bus, light, and clock) and basically growing into this whole toddlerhood thing. He's mastering the art of food-throwing and tantrumizing, and if my family's karmic wishes come true, he'll be holding his breath until he passes out in no time (seriously mom, it's not that uncommon! I read about it in "What to Expect the First Year" I promise!)

So we've been keeping pretty busy lately. We've had plenty of time for playing in the sprinkler...



and playing peekaboo with the shower curtain...



and learning all about the wonderful sounds things make when you hit them together...



So you can see we've had our hands full. I do apologize for my serious case of slackeritis, and I hope it's not chronic! :)

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Holy Crazy Week, Batman!

Wow, I don't even know where to start! Maybe I'll take a nap and try again later. No, you say? You don't think I would dutifully post right after I woke up from my much needed rest? I don't know why, it's not like my last post was over a month ago. Such a lack of faith, tsk tsk.

FINE, I'll do it right now. But if I nod off in the middle of posting, I'm going to blame it entirely on you.

Last week was nuts! Monday the 17th was Aidan's 1st Birthday (sniff sniff) and we threw a backyard party for him to celebrate, and my friend Jessica married Mike's friend Aaron yesterday, and Mike's parents stayed with us the whole week, too. It was a lot of fun, but I am soooo glad it's over!!

Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure:


Mike made about a billion hamburgers, at both Aidan's birthday party and the rehearsal dinner we hosted in our backyard Friday night. Such a manly grilling god.


Mean Auntie Buffy, letting Aidan lick limes and then laughing... tsk.


Singing "Happy Birthday" to our little goober! See his smash cake? I'm so crafty, it's even shaped like a "1."


He really didn't get too messy. I guess he was a little grossed out when he got frosting all over his hands and couldn't get it off. It must just be his neat personality, because I'm sure his sugar-free carrot cake and cream cheese frosting were DELICIOUS. Really.


Opening the bajillion presents... I kind of forgot it was a party for him, and just invited all my friends for a fun BBQ. They all brought presents, and I didn't even think about that until I saw the obscene pile of gifts. Not that Aidan was complaining...


On Monday we went to Hogle Zoo with Grandma & Grandpa Silver in the morning. See the tiger in the background? We caught him at naptime, I guess!


Aidan really liked this little cat... Snow Cat or something like that. It was cute and little, and Aidan went a little crazy for it.


Jessica & Aaron's wedding. I hope I don't get in trouble for stealing my sister's picture, but I didn't have my camera with me, I was too busy being Jessica's Matron of Honor and looking fabulous in pink. Don't beat me up Buffy! Here go to her website and see it for yourself so she doesn't get mad at me for taking the photo.

Yawn, now I really am taking a nap.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Thank God for infant's ibuprofen



This is the first real smile I have gotten in two days, I swear. After being struck down by a mighty flu buggie last Tuesday evening, Aidan hasn't been in the best of spirits. Especially since this stomach boo hung around for several days, rearing its ugly little head every evening between 9 and 10 PM for an encore performance. I learned that with little ones, they can get sick like that for several days... and apparently it's quite normal - I know this because my kind, patient pediatrician told me this after I called the on-call number at ten o'clock Thursday night in a panic because my son had thrown up on me again. Ahhh... first-time motherhood.

Anyhoo, just as Aidan seemed to be getting over his tummy troubles, he started getting extremely clingy, and fussing/crying around the clock, no matter if he was on the floor, in our arms, or flying through the air as his alter ego, Baby-lor the super baby. We tried tylenol, thinking maybe he was finally getting some more teeth... tylenol did nothing. Then I bought some infant's ibuprofen, and this magical dinner-time scene popped into existence. We haven't had a happy mealtime in almost a week! Maybe he is teething... feel free to share your thoughts on the state of swelling that his upper gum may or may not be exhibiting in this photo.

Either way, I'm just glad he was happy enough to chow down on some blueberry-cheerio-chicken noodle soup bits for dinner. Mmm, mmm good.... right? And I wonder why my kid started throwing up!

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Catch me if you can!


Look at who has discovered how much fun climbing stairs is!

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Spring has officially sprung

Look what I found in the hanging basket of geraniums on my front porch the other day:

Here's a closeup!

I don't know if they're just late starters, or maybe they're on batch #2, but whatever their reasons, I'm glad I get to be so close to the action. New babies! I know it's almost June, but it sure does feel like Spring around my house...

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Don't bother me, I'm eating.


Sooo... Mother's Day started out pretty nicely, but it ended in a puddle of puke. Literally. Poor little Aidan got a stomach bug, and there was not much sleep to be had in our house that night. Mike even got thrown up on, poor guy. Well, I think that's more amusing than sad, but feel free to send him your sympathy.

Anyway, I am not surprised that Aidan had stomach issues. The boy is like a goat, he'll eat almost anything. Window blinds? Sure! Potting soil? Simply delish. Cat? Let me sink my baby fangs into that one! I can barely keep up with him, it seems as soon as I pull a leaf out of his mouth, he's climbed to standing and is sucking on the knob on a drawer.

At least he's not a picky eater like his Dad.

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Happy Mother's Day to meee.....

Exhibit A:

I think I like this Mother's Day thing... here's the evidence in its favor:

1. I got flowers, and they were even delivered to my door.
2. I got to sleep in until 8:00 this morning.
3. I got breakfast and coffee brought to me in bed.
4. My friends and family have called me simply to send their love!
5. I haven't had to change any diapers so far today.
6. We've relaxed all day and even went to the park (see Exhibit A)

So far this is evidence is pretty indisputable. I'm going to have to say that I am definitely in favor of this holiday continuing at my home. Maybe even two or three times a year.

Friday, April 28, 2006

A moment to think



I know, I know, this photo really doesn't qualify as a "moment" but I just noticed that it's been a while since the last post. I also wanted to reflect on the changes that are a-comin' to our household.

So... Aidan is a handful. (Cue laughter from all the parents reading this) He's hilarious, and so squeezable and kissable, and he has the cutest darn butt you've ever seen. I'm just learning really quickly that nothing nice has a place in my home any longer. My 7-month old couch and loveseat? Yep, puke stains. Actually, I was dumb enough to buy a sofa that stains from water (cue more laughter) and so I have several baby mouth-shaped stains on the front of it now from Aidan pulling himself up and licking whatever is in front of him.

Also, today Aidan grabbed my purse off the counter, but unfortunately a 20-pound iron wall decoration was sitting underneath it. The wall decoration slid off the countertop onto my wood laminate floor and gouged a big hole in one of the planks. And best of all, there's really no way to fix it.

I realize this is just the beginning, and as much as I like my nice things, I am so excited to watch my little gooberbutt grow up. He is so big already, crawling around, even starting to figure out how to cruise around on furniture. I just know I'm going to blink and he'll be one year old, and the next time I open my eyes he'll be riding a bike, then graduating high school, and then even having a family of his own. And it makes me feel a little bit sad at how quickly I know it will all pass (and old, just imagining it...) but mostly I'm so happy that I have this little boy in my life. His sweet smiles just melt me, and I am so glad that I get to be his mommy.

Monday, April 17, 2006

Adventures in eating

Aidan has officially decided that he doesn't want anyone's help eating. If you're lucky, you can get 3 or 4 spoonfuls of food into his mouth before he starts hollering and grabbing for the spoon. For the first few days, Mike and I thought, "maybe he just wants to hold the spoon, we'll use another one!" Nope. He wouldn't take his spoon out of his mouth to eat. Next, I tried 'helping' him scoop some food up letting him feed himself. Problem is, the moment another person's hands touched his precious spoon, he dropped it and cried like some great injustice had been committed against his little person.

So this morning, I let him go for it.

He tried his hardest, but he quickly learned that it's not as easy as it looks. After all, mom and dad are seasoned pros with utensils. After a while, he kind of gave up on the spoon and resorted to more primitive means.

Aidan didn't get much in his belly, but he seemed to enjoy the indepedence. After a quick 8 a.m. dunk in the tub, we were off, no worse for the wear. And his babysitter reported that he ate his lunch like the very hungry champ he no doubt was.

Monday, April 10, 2006

It was quiet... too quiet.


I was spending my afternoon playing with Aidan, just minding my own business, when suddenly it occurred to me that I needed to unload the dishwasher. Thinking nothing of this quick, simple task, I moseyed over to the kitchen to begin. A few minutes later, I noticed that the house was quiet, which is hardly ever the case anymore. So I walked the few steps back into the living room to investigate. There he was... short, blonde and busted.

This crawling thing is definitely going to take some getting used to.

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Sleeping like a baby


Looks comfy, doesn't he?

Saturday, March 25, 2006

And they called it puppy love...


My strapping young lad has his first girlfriend, isn't she a cutie? She's a Leo, and likes playing with toys, wrinkling her nose when she smiles, pretty hairbows, and long walks in her walker. When asked what first drew her to Aidan, she explained that she "digs a guy who can clap."

Aidan and Taylor, sittin' in a tree...

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Argh! My eyes!!


Poor Aidan. First I drag him to the backyard while I work in the garden, then I make him stare into the blindingly bright hell that is the late afternoon sun... just for a photo. Serves me right, his eyes weren't open in a single one. He still looks awfully cute, dontcha think? My baby the vampire. Aww.

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Zoom-zoom!




We traded in Mike's Prelude today and bought this lovely vehicle. It's a 2006 Mazda 3, and it belongs to me!! Mike says it belongs to us, which shows you how adorably naive he is. The Prelude was fun, but it will be nice not to have to buy premium fuel or squish myself into a Cirque du Soleil-esque shape to fit into the back seat!

Monday, March 13, 2006

Look ma, no hands!


Tonight we gave Aidan a piece of chicken in one of those mesh bag feeders for babies, and he sucked on it like there was no tomorrow. Yes, Aidan likes meat. He just doesn't like handles.

And in less baby related (and therefore much less important) news, I got a haircut. I caved and got the mommy-do. My scalp feels 10 years younger now that Aidan isn't using my hair like monkeybars!

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

And...we're back!


Yay! Our computer just recently returned from a nasty 2 week vacation. Were you all just worried sick about us? I'm sure you were, and the only reason our voicemail box wasn't flooded with concerned messages was that all your phones were broken, right? Right, I thought so. Well, Mike just finished installing photoshop so I could work my red-eye reducing magic on the bright-eyed Mr. Naked Cutebutt, whose new favorite thing is apparently watching the bathtub fill up...

Saturday, February 25, 2006

"Get me outta here!"



So today we put a baby gate at the top of our steps. Well, I shouldn't say we. And this time, I can't even say that I did this... all the credit goes to my boss. Yes, I was so pitiful and my boss is so kind, that he came to my house this afternoon with his tools and did me this huge favor. He and his wife are expecting their third baby in April, though, so maybe I was doing him the favor and helping him brush up on his babyproofing skills. Yeah, I'll just keep telling myself that.

Thanks John!!!

Saturday, February 18, 2006

A nice end to a (somewhat) crazy day...



We decided to go on a "family outing" this afternoon to the mall to buy a new nursing bra. (See how I just lay it all out there for everyone??) It went pretty well, except for getting stuck in a blizzard, slipping on the snow and landing on my bum in front of said shopping establishment (it's my own fault -- who wears flip flops in a snowstorm? Someone with wet nail polish on their toes, that's who!) and dealing with a cranky baby all the way home. Everyone's mood improved after dinner, though -- and Aidan and his daddy even got some playtime in before Aidan's bath.