{Big Boy Bed.....Day 2}

Well, last night went just as perfectly as yesterday's nap did! In fact, it was even better. We got some last few finishing touches done before he went to bed (set up the humidifier, put a nightlight on and set up the monitor so I could watch him without having to peek under the door)! Yeah, it was a sight to see....me laying on the floor outside his room, peeking under the door. It was so relaxing though that I almost fell asleep myself! =)

Anyway, when Jeremiah left his room last night after reading stories, Ayden stayed right in bed! He didn't even try to get out once and stayed there until 8:00 this morning!! We couldn't believe that day 1 was so easy...we had been dreading this for so long! I woke up a couple times in the night feeling like a nervous mom with a newborn....checking in on him to make sure he was still in his bed and still breathing! And when I woke up this morning, I ran into his room worried since I hadn't checked on him since 3 am....only to find him fast asleep in the same spot he was last time I checked! What a relief!! (I had to attach a picture...it cracks me up how tiny he looks in this GIGANTIC bed!! You can hardly see him up by the pillows!!) And for his nap today, he actually told me he was ready for bed, hopped right in and he was out! I'm glad he now realizes that his sheets are a lot more comfortable than the carpet!

What a breeze this has been so far! And Katie, yes you can say "I told you so"!! =) Because the reason I really tried yesterday is because of you saying what an easy time Nat had!! Thanks! I am only hoping that we can continue like this...I'm sure there will be bad occasions here and there where we will have to whip out the Supernanny methods, but until then I am so proud of him for adjusting so well!! Maybe he will do just as good when we take away the binky and start potty training!!

{Big Boy Bed.....Day 1}

Well this afternoon for Ayden's nap, I decided at the last minute to just try to put him to bed in his new room. We weren't planning on trying it for another month or so, but I had been talking to people lately that have shared stories of their kids having no problem going to the big kid bed! So I decided to give it a shot today! It was funny because when I asked him if he wanted to go to bed in his new bed, he said no and he ran and climbed up on his crib and said "night night". We got his favorite blankie, his lion and a book and tried it out! I am happy to say....it was a success!! I was shocked! He didn't try to open the door at all and he didn't make a peep! I laid on the floor watching under the door and he went back and forth from his bed to pulling all the baskets out of his dresser to playing with the blinds to opening all his drawers! He went on like this for about a half hour, but all of a sudden, I saw his little head lie down on the floor. Why he chose the rough carpet over his brand new 500 thread count sheets is beyond me!! And a few minutes later, he was ASLEEP!! I couldn't believe it! I was not expecting it to be that easy...especially during nap time! I thought for sure naps would be harder than getting him in bed at night! Now I'm not getting too excited yet because it has only happened once...I'm preparing myself for the fact that this may have been a fluke! Guess we will see how the next few days go...and we will really see what happens when he realizes that he can actually open the door and escape!!

{cOoKiE mOnStEr}

It's so good to know that there is someone else in the house that gets as excited about dessert and making cookies as I do!! When Jeremiah and I first met, he "pretended" that he liked desserts, so I was so bummed after we got married to find out that he really does not have a sugar tooth at all and would be fine if he went his entire life without a dessert!! How boring is that....I can't relate at all!! I consider baking one of my hobbies because I love to do it....ALL THE TIME!! I don't care what it is...if it is a dessert, then I enjoy making it! Sometimes when Ayden and I get bored during the day, we whip up a batch of cookies and that always cheers us up!

Tonight for family night, we made cookies. Ayden was so excited when I whispered in his ear that we were going to make cookies. I told him to tell Jeremiah what we were going to do and that is when we learned that Ayden can now say "cookie". He said "make cookies"!! It was so cute! He was so excited to get out the mixer and even more excited when the flour and sugar came out! This just puts a smile on my face that someone else is on my side and LOVES to make cookies!!

Ayden could hardly control himself while the mixer was going and as soon as it turned off, he dove in and came out double fisted with dough in each hand!! He couldn't eat it fast enough and kept diving in for more! It was hilarious! And while I was putting the cookies on the stone, he carefully (for about 20 minutes) licked the bowl clean. What a cute little cookie monster!!

{wInTeR bLuEs}

I don't know what it is, but I have a major case of the winter blues right now!! To say that we are experiencing cabin fever at our house would be an understatement! I find myself looking at the calendar a couple times a day to see how close we are to spring. This kind of worries me since it is still January and we have another couple months of this dreaded winter! I think what really started me thinking about all of this is the fact that I am working on Ayden's scrapbook and this is the page that I did a couple days ago. It was so depressing to see us at the beach in such warm weather!!

For some reason, this winter seems worse than the past winters I have experienced in Utah....not sure if it really is worse (it could be because I don't remember blizzards like we had today in years past), or if it just feels worse since this year I have an active, all over the place, into everything, hates to be indoors TODDLER!! We are trying to cope and make the best of it with play groups and we even brought all of Ayden's outdoor toys inside....so now he is riding his quad and scooter all over the kitchen and family room. Hey, whatever makes him happy at this point!! He is also getting his fair share of watching his favorite show, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He is just a kid that loves to be outside and he doesn't understand why we can't just walk out the back door to play in all that fun white stuff all day long (his Mommy would freeze)!! I just hope that when May comes around, he doesn't expect to watch hours of TV a day!

The other thing that might be making this winter harder is the fact that we are going on the longest stretch of not going back to Cali since we have lived here...or maybe it just feels like that because now that I think of it, we were there for Thanksgiving (which was only 2 months ago)! Anyway, things are looking a little up because today we booked our ticket to Cali for March! I can't wait to enjoy the warm weather and see my new nephew who will hopefully be born before I get there!

In the meantime, we will continue making the best of it! If anyone has any great ideas for how to get through these next couple months, please share them with me! =)

{Oh My.......SNOW!!!}

We woke up this morning to what looked like a foot of snow outside! It snowed for most of the day and Ayden loves to watch out the window while it snows. He laughs so hard every time the dogs go outside and prance around because the snow comes halfway up their body! He thinks they are so funny and then cleans up all the snow that falls off them when they come back in the house! It's nice to have my little "cleaning assistant" around at times like that!

Ayden was pulling me towards the door all day long trying to get me to take him outside. I kept telling him "when daddy gets home, you can go outside!" I got him all bundled up when Jeremiah got home and it was SO COLD outside!! I could only take a few pics because I had to come in! I couldn't believe that Ayden was enjoying it for as long as he did! He had a blast and was throwing snow up in the air and getting all "snowy"! He had so much fun! If only we could just play in the snow all the time and never have to drive in it! It took Jeremiah 2 hours to get to work this morning and when I went to the grocery store, my car got stuck at the end of the driveway and I couldn't go anywhere!!! At least somebody enjoyed the snow today!

{My Barbasol Man}

Yesterday when we were getting ready for church, Ayden got into Jeremiah's drawer. He pulled out the shaving cream and luckily we caught him with it before he went too crazy and got it over EVERYTHING!! He is always so interested in watching Jeremiah shave...he wants to be just like his daddy!

AYDEN HAS SOME GOOD NEWS......

....he is going to be a BIG BROTHER!!! OUR FAMILY OF THREE WILL SOON BE A FAMILY OF FOUR!!!! No, I'm not pregnant.....but our lives are being blessed by adoption AGAIN and we are so filled with joy right now that we wanted everyone to know about it!!

Let me go back a bit...we were approved through LDS Services to adopt another baby at the end of August. With Ayden we didn't have to wait very long at all (just 5 months) before we were contacted by his birthmom saying that she was choosing us to adopt her baby! But we tried to not get our hopes up too much this time. We have watched and heard about many people that have to wait so long to get a baby! Since you don't have any control over when it happens since you have to wait for a birthmom to "choose" you, it is pretty much a waiting game that calls for a LOT of patience! Our caseworker also told us "it usually takes a little longer for #2"!! I really wanted Ayden and his brother or sister to be close in age, but I felt so patient about waiting...I knew that when the time was right, we would be contacted! And after Ayden was born, there was NO DOUBT in our mind that he was the child that was meant to come to our family, so that helped us be patient this time as well!

At the beginning of December, we were contacted by a darling birthmom. We were able to meet her and get to know her during the month! And just as we did with Ayden's birthmom, we have fallen in love with her as well!! Ayden has also fallen in love with her too! The first time we met, he was all over her. He was kissing her, hugging her, flirting and was all up in her face the whole time! Luckily she loves kids and didn't mind! But we were saying that he must have known who she was and what was going on! I sware if he could've talked to her, he would've told her how much he wants a baby sister!! Anyway, she is an adorable girl and the birthfather is cute as well...so we know this will be a darling little baby!! It's an amazing thing...something you can't even imagine until you are in this situation. These birthparents are AMAZING!!! We have so much respect for them...their strength, determination and unselfishness!! What a blessing it is that they are giving us a gift that means so much to us! I'm getting emotional just talking about it! =)

We found out the great news right before Christmas! Just three days before Christmas, we received the BEST Christmas gift ever...she told us that she was choosing us to adopt her baby which is due in April!! We just couldn't believe it! It felt so right and we know this LITTLE GIRL is meant to join our family!! We have had so much fun getting used to the idea of a new baby being in our home in a couple months! And when we first told Ayden he was going to be getting a baby sister, he got a huge smile on his face and said "baby, baby, baby"!! Whether he truly understands or not, I know he will be thrilled to meet his new sister!! He is going to be the BEST BIG BROTHER ever!!

So we couldn't be more thrilled!! And I am hoping that the next 3 months FLY BY!! The due date is April 16th...I am starting the countdown! For those of us familiar to the adoption world, 3 months is still a long ways away!! But if I was pregnant, I would for sure be planning and getting prepared for our little bundle to enter the world! So that is exactly what we are doing!!

And although I want the next 3 months to go by fast, a lot still has to be accomplished before April! First of all...Ayden needs to move out of his room and into his "BIG BOY BEDROOM" so the baby can have his old room! Seriously, the thought of Ayden having free roam of the bedroom freaks me out right now!! Could it be because the last two night he was up from 12 am -3 am for no apparent reason other than he "couldn't sleep"!! So that will be a major challenge in itself...Jeremiah thinks it will be "easy"....he plans to use the Supernanny's method, so we will see how that goes!! And second...how nice would it be to not have 2 kids in diapers when April comes around! I'm sure some of you that have kids that have already potty trained are laughing at me since Ayden is so young! In fact, he will only be 22 months when the baby is born! But still...maybe a little wishful thinking will get me somewhere!! And I will for sure be doing a lot of it! If nothing else, we can start getting him used to the idea of the "potty" so that maybe soon after he turns two, he will get it!!

Anyway, we are thrilled and I am so excited at the thought of shopping for a little girl! I have already started doing some damage and I have to say...."pink" and "girlie" are my favorite things right now!!! Oh what fun these next few months will be!! This is all such an amazing process to us and we feel so blessed for the chance to be parents! There truly is nothing greater in life and we are so grateful to these birthparents for allowing us to have the experience! We are praying that everything goes well and that we will be meeting our little princess in a few months!

Sleep Deprived!!

We're all a little sleep deprived around here! Or should I just say that some of us are (and that would be me)!! Some of us can fall asleep whenever and wherever (and that would be Ayden)!! The last two nights, Ayden has been waking up at midnight and staying awake until 3 am! Why???? For no apparent reason other than he "doesn't feel like sleeping"!! He cries in his room and waits for me to come get him. As soon as I come in his room, he starts squealing in delight and I know that he is thinking to himself, "yes...I won this battle, Mom!!" Anyway, I change his diaper and give him a drink just to put my mind at ease that he doesn't really need something! Then, put him back in bed and "try" to go back to sleep! With Ayden's room directly across the hall from ours, it's hard to not hear him crying (even with the doors closed)! At this point, I can't decide what is worse...Ayden crying or Jeremiah snoring right through it! Just how does somebody sleep through that?!?!?! After an hour passes and Ayden is still awake, I wake up "Mr. Sound Asleep Boy" and ask him what we should do! He said we just need to leave him in there and let him cry himself to sleep! Yeah, easy for him to say when he has no trouble sleeping through the noise! So another hour passes and nobody is getting any sleep around here so I go in to Ayden's room again and let him run around the house for a few minutes! For some reason, that does the trick sometimes! He was having the time of his life....that is until I put him back to bed! This went on until 3 am and we finally had a quiet house! It's a good thing this kid sleeps in until 8:30 or 9 am! I don't know what I would do if I had to get up at 5:45 am like Jeremiah does!

So today I decided I was going to give Ayden a later nap than normal and put him to bed a little later tonight to make sure that he sleeps all night long! When it was well beyond the time that he normally would take a nap, he fell asleep! He was watching a show on TV and sitting in his activity center chair (which he loves to do when he watches TV...as long as he has a bowl of snacks and a drink)! It got pretty quiet all of a sudden, so I looked over and the poor guy had fallen asleep in his seat! It was too cute! Hopefully tonight will be a better night!!

sLeEpY hEaD!!!

Here is Ayden falling asleep today in the activity center! Sorry, the video is a couple minutes long, so you don't have to watch it all, but it's pretty funny!! =) He was so drowsy and all of the head bobbing that he was doing didn't even wake him up!! It wasn't until he layed down on one of the music buttons and it started playing a song in his ear that he was really awake!! So funny!

Battle of the Binky!!

So we have been trying to decide when is the right time to take Ayden's binkies away! We never thought we would have an issue with them because he didn't become attached until a couple months ago. But the last couple months, he seems to pull them out of everywhere and stick one in his mouth! I can't stand it when I see a kid that is 4 years old walking around with a binky. I didn't want Ayden to learn how to "talk" through the binky which is why we have been thinking about this lately with him talking more and more!!

Well, yesterday I think I might have recieved the sign I was looking for! When I walked in to get Ayden from his nap, he had not only one binky in his mouth, but TWO of them!!! I started laughing so hard that he was really sucking on two at the same time!! I think it might be time for the Binky Fairy to come to our house before this binky addict gets used to the feeling of a mouthful of binkies!!

I Am A Child Of God!!!

Today was Ayden's first day in nursery at church! This was kind of an emotional experience for me...I'm not sure if it is because I realize he's growing up and is not my "little" baby anymore or what. I felt like this was his first day of school! Jeremiah has been taking him in the last couple weeks for a few minutes here and there, but every time he leaves, Ayden starts crying. So we knew getting him to go to nursery alone would be a challenge and we were going to have to go in with him the whole time during this first "real" week. I was so bummed that I couldn't go in with him today since I had to teach in Primary. The one minute break that I had, I went to look in the window of his class!! I had to do a double take when I saw him and could hardly recognize him. He was sitting in a little chair at the table coloring and he seriously looked like he was a little kindergartener!!! I almost started crying right there in the hallway!! He looked like such a big boy! As I watched for a minute, I was quickly reminded at the fact that he is not a kindergartener, but really just a one year old!! He took the entire box of crayons and dumped them out on the table. When his teacher picked them all up, he did it again. Then, when she turned her back, he started scribbling all over the table with his crayon! I couldn't help but smile. I was so grateful for the reminder that it will still be a few more years before I have to send my little baby off to school!!

When he came out of his class and saw me in the hallway, he was so excited to show me his little crown he made in class. He mumbled on and on in his own little language to tell me about what he did in class. I couldn't wait to get him home to take a pic of him in his cute little crown! Jeremiah laughed at me when I told him I want to keep this crown forever as a keepsake of his first day in nursery!

MY BABY IS 18 MONTHS!!!!

Today was Ayden's 18 month check-up! I can't believe my little baby is already 18 months! I think this is my favorite age because he is really starting to communicate with us! He is saying more and more words each day and I know it will only be a short time before we are having conversations and laughing at the funny things he has to say!

This morning, Ayden grabbed my hand and dragged me over to the dishwasher. He grunted as he pointed to the handle, which is how he tells me to open it. I opened the dishwasher and he stood on the door, pulled out the top rack and grabbed the pizza cutter (I have no idea how he knew that was in there). We use the pizza cutter to cut up his chicken nuggets. Then he went to the freezer. At this point, I knew what he was after and asked him if he wanted chicken nuggets. He got a huge grin on his face and said "yah, yah, yah"! I opened the freezer for him and he pulled out the bag of chicken dino nuggets. Then he ran to the pantry to get out a paper plate for himself while I popped his nuggets in the microwave. It was hilarious and I was so impressed at how he communicated the whole thing and showed me exactly what he wanted. He could've pretty much made himself lunch without me!

This afternoon was Ayden's 18 month check-up. He weighed 25 lbs and was 34 in. Looks like he is going to be a tall, skinny boy! He was in the 90th % for height and 25th% for weight. He is already realizing that the doctor and nurses are the "bad guys" since they give shots!! He cried as soon as the nurse walked in the room and started up again when the doc walked in! He was a brave little man though and didn't even cry for more than a second! We also came home with more antibiotics because he had an ear infection! Grrrrr....I can't wait until winter is over!!! Other than that, he checked out great!!

dOuGh BoY!!!

For New Years Eve, we made homemade pizzas and had Jeremiah's sister and some neighbors over for dinner and to play games! Ever since Jeremiah and I got married, one of our favorite things to do is make homemade pizza!! Jeremiah is really picky about his dough and sauce, but we have finally found the perfect recipe after trying a ton! This was the first time that Ayden expressed any interest in "helping" us make them! He was so impressed with the bread machine and watched it twirl the dough around almost the entire cycle.

When the dough was finished, Ayden couldn't wait to see what the next step was! He had so much fun turning the dough into a pizza! It was really fun to see him so excited to help out and I think this is now a new family favorite!!

sOuR fAcE!!!

We went to dinner the other night and Ayden was so funny with the lemons that were on the table. He kept wanting to eat them, but he hated the taste....his face says it all!! It was like he couldn't stand the taste, but he wanted more. He always does this with lemons and limes when we go to dinner, but we don't normally have our camera with us! This was just too funny to pass up on the opportunity to capture his face!!