Two months already?!

It is absolutely mind boggling that Tyson and I have been parents for only two months and yet, it is crazy that Aiden is already two months old and changed so much! He has been such a blessing in our lives and we are so grateful for his sweet soul!

Aiden is a miracle baby as he is already sleeping through the night and has been doing so since he was around 5 weeks (if you don't count the 4am binki replacement, as he goes right back to sleep once he has it). Tyson and I can't express how grateful we are for that and yes, we know we are lucky. We don't expect that to come with the second one. He/She will teach us what is really like to stay up all night with a baby. As expected, these two months have been filled with so many firsts for our little man. I will be the first to admit, not the best at documenting when they happen but I'm going to do my best to get caught up!

2 Week Apt (July 14, 2015)

When Aiden left the hospital, he had lost weight and was at 7 lbs 3 oz, but by his two week appointment, he gained it all back and was at 7lbs 12 oz. We got the go ahead to let him sleep at night without waking him intentionally for a feeding. As mentioned before, he is a great sleeper, so I was only waking once a night to feed him. As of 9/13, he slept completely through the night without waking for the first time. Tyson and I both thought we had just slept through the other one getting up. It was great to get a night of uninterrupted sleep!

Baby Blessing (August 3, 2015)

We were so excited for this day and very grateful for the family which were able to join us for that day. Aiden was dressed in Tyson's blessing outfit and looked so cute! I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to raise my son in the gospel. I look forward to seeing his relationship with his Savior to grow and witnessing his testimony grow.

First Smile

We love catching as many smiles as we can! His eyes light up and you can't help but fall in love with this little man! His first "social" smile was on 8/12/2015 after a nap with me and not wanting to miss any, kinda went overboard with the pictures... Here are four of the 20+ pics I took!

Since then, he has given us plenty more! The best time for smiles is in the morning. I'll feed, Tyson changes his bum and after that, he is one happy boy!

First Trip Out of State & First Flight

I got a bit of flak for taking Aiden on a flight so young (5 weeks old) but it went great! We were going to Phoenix, AZ for two weeks (Aug.14 - August 27) to visit my family. Ogden airport is super small though! Tyson and I pulled in and we had no idea how a full size plane was supposed to land there; it would be bigger than the building! Getting through check in and security, it was fun to hear the ladies coo over how cute Aiden is and talk about their own little ones. Sitting in the small waiting room, Aiden did great! He just stayed in his stroller and I would have to push it around every now and then to lull him back to sleep. I really wanted to wait till last minute to feed him so he would be full and sleep on the plane. 

They announced it was time to board and to have all the families with small children come up. I had brought a baby carrier to put Aiden in to make getting on the plane a little easier with all I had to take on (stroller, carseat, pump and diaper bag) but he was having none of it. A sweet lady asked if I needed help, that her son could push my stroller for me. It was nice to have some help and I would definitely not suggest traveling with a child that young by yourself.

Once we got boarded on the plane, I started feeding him. As the plane took off, it was funny to watch his face. Each time the plane would start to increase in elevation, he would look at me all wide-eyed, as if to say "What is going on?!".  One good burp after eating and he was out for the count!

Great Grandma Shannon was so excited to see Aiden again, but I think my cousins had her beat! Nathan and Noah absolutely loved him! On the ride from the airport to Grandma's house, Aiden was crying and poor Noah, he wasn't a huge fan. 

"It sure is noisy back here. I don't like riding back here." I started to sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Noah joined in. You should have seen the look on his face when Aiden stopped crying and fell asleep. He was amazed! Every time Aiden started to fuss after that, he would immediately start singing. Super cute!

When we got "home", the boys wanted to hold him so they each took turns and again, Noah was just eating him up! He was asking me a bunch of questions like, "Why does he need his binki?" "Why was he crying so much earlier?" "Why is he so small?" "How old is he?". He had a hard time understanding what 6 weeks meant and thought I was meaning years. Grandma had him burp him once after I was done feeding and Aiden spit up just a bit. When Noah looked at his shirt, he asked what that was and Grandma told him that Aiden had spit up on him. I missed this but she said that Noah gagged a little and said, "Grandma, I almost threw up." Every time I handed Aiden to him after that, he made sure I had burped him first.

I absolutely love going to visit my grandma, as I only get to see her once a year, twice if I am lucky. I was so glad to be able to take Aiden with me. Tyson wasn't going to come out for another week and I missed him like crazy. I know I had my grandma there to help during the day but having nights all to myself was super hard. Tyson had definitely spoiled me at home with all his help! To make things eaiser, we would chat during the day and I would send him regular pictures. We were even able to do a few video calls. Thank heavens for technology. 

My uncle Ryan and aunt Jen were taking the boys on a trip to Yellowstone so we got to watch their Italian Mastif, Hannah. She was HUGE! She was so sweet though, every time Aiden cried, she made sure Mamma was there. I was even taking a nap one time while Grandma had him and Hannah came to wake me up. Opening your eyes to that dog not even an inch from your face is quite the experience...

First Swim!

I was a little hesitant to take him into the pool for the first time but man, HE LOVED IT!!!! Great thing about the heat of Phoenix, it heated the pool perfectly, so when the sun was down enough, the water was the perfect temp for him. It was so cute to watch him kicking his legs and just relaxing. I had a hard time determining if he was loving it more or if Grandma was. Tyson didn't want to miss his first swim so we did a video call then as well.

During this stay, Tyson and I were apart for our 2 year anniversary. The one week we spent apart was the longest we had been apart in the 5 years we have been together and I would like to say it was okay, but I don't think either of us slept very well during that time. The moment he walked through the door, he got a GIANT bear hug! I had missed him way too much! 

The next week was full of fun and family. Tyson loved taking Aiden to swim, we had a Hobbit marathon with Grandma, and plenty of political talks. Over all, a fantastic trip!

First Road Trip

We had decided to drive home and were a little nervous, as we didn't know how long it was going to take with the pit stops. We left at 5 am there and were hoping to get home by 9 pm Utah time. We did have to stop every 3 hours or so to feed and change him. Every time we stopped, when changing his bum, he was smiles the whole time. I think he enjoyed being able to stretch his legs more than we did!

He did amazing through the whole trip. The only time he fussed was when we had to put him back in his seat but as soon as we got on the road, he would quickly fall asleep. We were able to make it home around 8:30.

First Camping Trip

Every year, there is a family camping trip in Alpine, WY at Greys River. It was a little crazy going from a 2 week vacation in AZ to a weekend of camping but it was way fun, as always! We camped in the trailer and Aiden did great, just fussing through the night occasionally for a binki. We were able to do a family first as it was the first time Tyson, Aiden, and I had been to Jackson Hole and had a chance to walk around. It's a pretty neat town!

Aiden and his cousin, Codiak were in a double stroller and it was funny to listen to all the twin comments that were made. Eventually, it was just easier to go along with it so they were "twins" for an afternoon.

2 Month Apt (Sept. 8, 2015)

Aiden got his next round of shots, which I am grateful for! I definitely wanted him to have the vaccinations before sick season rolled around. We had occasionally weighed Aiden had home and figured he was around 12 lbs. We weren't far off. He was 12lbs 3 oz and 23 1/2 inches long. When they gave him the shots, I almost cried! He got this shocked look on his face and then just caved! It was sooooo sad!

We went to Angie's afterward for breakfast and he just slept away. He was a little fussier than normal but the Tylenol took the edge off and he was happy afterward.

First Roll Over! 

Today was the first day he rolled over. I think it was a mistake, as he was just watching an elephant on his mobile while doing tummy time and as he cranked his head to watch, he just fell on to his back but still super exciting. He isn't a huge fan of tummy time so it will probably be a while before he intentionally pushes himself over.

...

Whew! I think I am all caught up on the events in Aiden's life. I am so grateful for the blessing that this little boy has played in our lives. Tyson and I have never been closer and Aiden has taught me so many important lessons. I have seen my patience grow, and my testimony has grown exponentially. I have a strong testimony of the role of the family in Heavenly Fathers plan and I am honored for the opportunity I have to raise this sweet boy as his mother. I wouldn't trade my role in life for anything. Being a mom has been the best calling I have been given.

On a lighter note, I have also gained confidence in my appearance. My body certainly has changed but each time I see the stretch marks, I remember feeling his feet kick inside me and his little hiccups. I had some long nights, swollen feet, and sickly hot days at work so I have earned each mark! There have also been many days where I just didn't feel like it, or didn't have time to put make-up on. At first, I would refuse to go anywhere if it was one of those days because I didn't have my "face" on but now, I look in the mirror and can confidently say I love the way I look without makeup and don't feel the need to have it on in public (though, I will say, mascara is a must... Not a fan of my blonde eye lashes.)

 I am back to work in 2 weeks and I am not looking forward to it. I miss everyone I work with and I miss having regular adult conversations, but I am going to miss spending the whole day with him. We were blessed enough to find someone close by to watch him and I am glad to have a place to take him that I feel good about. We have been so blessed so far and I cannot express fully the love that I have for our Father in Heaven and our Savior, Jesus Christ. They are always watching out for us and I can't imagine raising my sweet boy without their guidance and the prompting of the Spirit. There are so many more adventures headed our way and I can't wait to see what motherhood will continue to bring me!