Dinos! Planes! Aiden-penguin oooh and Bubble Q

Hello all and welcome to a much belated blog! I am sorry for the months that have passed, but we are back and ready to talk (and of course share fun pictures!). So for those who haven't heard we are back in Albuquerque and working hard! Dave seems to be enjoying his new job (however, not so much the traveling part) and school is keeping me more than busy.

Aiden is as fantastic as ever! He has completely exploded with his language these past few weeks. Making sure to answer questions with his ever enthusiastic nod, "uh-huh" and "no". I love it! Perhaps the best part are his little sentences that he tells us ever so happily, like, "I want juice please," or "New oo-ooo watch?" (translation curious george), or even "Ab-ud-eew" (I love you). It's just so neat to see how far he has come from just a few weeks ago to now.

Now as for our blog title, well how to start. Our son is obsessed with dinosaurs... they are everywhere. And now thanks to my wonderful family, it has transgressed into something even deeper...everything is a dino-thing. Imagine my shock when one day he askes me to "draw dino-bunny," WHAT? lol. So we have dino-bunny, dino-bear, dino-bug, you name it and it's a dino. Then to add to it, the boy is loving planes right now and especially being turned into Aiden-plane, so needless to say our arms are getting stronger! Aiden-penguin is his night-time alterego lol. After his bubbles that penguin towel gets put on and bam! Aiden-penguin is checking out his Aiden self, nakey, in the mirror.

Now for the "Bubble-Q," well that has been inspired by our no meep-meep law that has been in affect for a bit now. For those who dont know his "meep-meep" is what he called his binkie and since thats been gone there's been a need to add more conversation to our car rides. With that we've covered all animal noises and are now on to our ABC's, which he copies very well, but now has become quite fond of the letter W, which he pronounces "Bubble-Q." Oh how he loves this letter, telling people in restuarants it all the time - oh what a ham we have!

Well to kinda wrap up let me just tell you a few things we've noticed. Aiden is a hoot, trying to get people to laugh and smile and he is good at it. He's that kid in the restaurants waving to all the ladies and the one on the playground following all the kids laughing. We feel so very fortunate to have such a great little man and it is so fun to watch as he's transitioning out of being our baby to our big boy. Keep your eyes out for new blogs as we are venturing on to the potty training stage! I'll be better about more pictures and posts, but until then, much love and blessings go out! =0)

He found his winkie!

Oh it truly is a wonder how the littlest things can make a kid happy like, for instance, discovering a body part you didn't realize existed! Oh to be young! Well things here have been more hectic than ever. The new things Aiden does and says each day alone are enough to keep us on our toes, but we've also planned our move back home to make our days even more jam packed with packing!

Aiden is growing in leaps and bounds these days. He walks, he runs, he jumps like a frog, goes up and down the stairs and plays ball with Stitch. He is signing a lot more to us as well and every day we feel more and more grateful that he's picked up on it so easily. He'll tell us when he's ready for his nap, when he has a poopy diaper, when he wants milk, or water, when he's all done eating, when he wants more and when he wants food (that one happens to last all day long). We can't help but feel that the sign language has saved us from many a tantrums just because he can tell us what exactly it is he's wanting and/or needing.

His word vocabularly has also increased significantly. Right now the most common words we hear are, "Dada, Mama, Woof (that's Stitch lol), Up, Down, Nana, Apple, Blue, Ball, Duck, Owl, Balloon, Hand, Toe, Head, In, On, Off, Cup, Hat, Bubbles" and then there are the two huge ones, "Out and Book." Now those are the two that come much more demanding. "Book," is by far the cutest one. He'll go pick out a book, walk over to you, hand it over and look up at you with those beautiful green eyes and ask, "Book?" Who could say no to that? Though after 6 times in a row it's either time for a change (for our sanity of course), or for a new book lol. Now "Out," is a much harder word to contend with, because not only is it a word, it is the word that sets his whole attitude in a new direction. If you are getting him dressed, the whole time he chants the word, shoes cannot be put on without the promise of either stepping out for a second or leaving the house and if you even think that you'll be able to step out to take out the trash, or check the mail, well think again... saying this kid loves to be outside, would be to big of an understatement.

Along with the craziness that our house has become, I've been trying hard to keep Aiden and myself busy with out of the house trips during the last tidbits of sunshine Seattle will see this summer. We've done a petting zoo outing (see above), trips to the Greenlake wading pools, various parks, shopping centers, we even took a ride on a mini-train in Country Village the other day. In the midst of all of our activities it's become pretty aparent that the things we will most about Seattle are some of the great friends we have made over the years, especially this year.

The play group that Aiden and I have been a part of this last year has been a saving grace, for both of us really. All the women are so insightful, wonderful mothers and we will miss them terribly! Aiden has made so many great friends (see Aiden with his best bud Owen to the left), as have I. It's hard for me to think of what a week will be like without seeing Lindsay and her son Owen, as they have become a staple in our week, keeping our sanity in check! Or to see Aiden's favorite femail duo, Shannon and her daughter Gigi (Aiden's girlfriend below)

I mean look at these kids... they have such a blast together! Thank you guys for making this last year such a fun experience and please come and visit us!

I almost forgot that Aiden also got his first haircut! Our little man did so great, sitting in his little car chair, as we watched our little man transform into a less hairy version of himself! lol.

As you can see it's been a crazy couple of months (my apologies that this is all so scattered!). However, I think the nicest part of it all is being able to watch Aiden as he becomes this totally wonderful kid. He is so loving (yay our kid hugs, kisses and cuddles now!), smart, funny and is just a blast to be around. We feel really blessed watching him grow into his own and can't wait to see what comes next. Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers and I'll try to keep up with this more! God Bless! =0)

He's one year old!!!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! Our little man is offically one year old. It's crazy really to think about it. And I must admit everytime I see his sweet face today I can't help but remember every detail from this day one year ago. So in memory of it I'm going to share that day with everyone before I start on the millions of updates and then years from now Aiden can read this blog and about the day he came to join this world. =0)

So one year ago today started like any other pregnant day had for us, rolling out of bed, barely and rather huge. We had a scheduled doctor appointment for that day so we could meet another doctor in the practice, in case my doctor wasn't available for delivery. We met Dr. Russell and I feel in love with her. She had done her residency at UNMH, she was funny, honest and when I asked her "how much longer," she just smiled and said that I wouldn't make it to my due date (which was 15 days away). As we left the doctor's office I told Dave that if anyone other than my doctor (who was on vacation, but assured us she'd be back before we delievered - and I told her no she wouldn't - haha!) had to deliver me, I wanted it to be her.

So after our doctor's appointment (around 10am) we went to Trader Joe's to pick up some snacks and the back pains that I had complained to the doctor about began to intensify. David asked if he should not go to work and I said I was fine and I just needed to lie down before I met Natalie for lunch. A couple hours later, my back pains haven't calmed down and I was hungry! I pull into the parking lot of Olive Garden next to Natalie and she looks at me and asks, "Are you ok?" To which I said, "Ummm, no, I think I'm in labor." She of course became very worried and tried to convince me to go to the hospital, I however said no and that we should calcuate the time between contractions as we eat yummy Olive Garden.

So we order food, calculate my contractions, which are steadily getting closer and only in my back. As I'm pacing around, on the phone with the doctor, a very freaked out Olive Garden employee offers to call someone for me if needed. We finish lunch and with doctors orders head back to the hospital. When Dr. Russel saw me she smiled and said, "Yea I thought I might see you back today," and let's me know that she'll be the one delivering me (YAY!). I of course started crying, part of me was convinced it was false labor and Natalie and I head to the maternity ward and call Dave. He of course doesn't beleive me at first and then rushes to the hospital.

So we get settled into our room and they come in and break my water for me. From that point my labor becomes way more intense and yet there is not a single contraction felt in my tummy, great back labor - supposedly the hardest of them all. Fantastic. So lying down is completely unbearable because every contraction is radiating through my back, so I walk, for hours. I pace, I eat ice, I breath and I refuse drugs, until transition starts. At that point I had decided I would change my mind and take them, but a wonderful nurse I had, told me I'd have to wait till the nurse change took place, a lie yes, all because I had expressed how important it was for me to go all natural and knew I'd need some help and encouragment from her. So it was her way of helping me achieve my goal. 20 minutes later and with help from Dave and Natalie I gave birth to our little man at 8:05pm. I only screamed once and then apologized in fear that I had scared some other moms about to start labor and though it was really hard it was also so empowering.

So that's the story of how our little man came into this world, thanks for listening! LOL. Anyways. So things around here have been extremely hectic, as always. We actually celebrated his birthday a couple of weeks ago when my parents were in town and had a nice dinosaur themed party. We had a bbq and I made a special dinosaur cake for my little man. It was nice to have just family and a few close friends to celebrate it with. Then the following weekend we had our playgroup birthday party. So we had about 14 kids and all the parents there to celebrate all of our little ones first year. So I, of course, went totally overboard making about 100 cupcakes for the party. It was so nice to meet all the dads and the kids were just a riot to watch!

For the 4th of July we headed down to Oregon to spend some more time with my family and Aiden saw his very first ocean! On the way there we spent a day at Cannon Beach and he was quite the little sandmonster. I wish everyone could have seen how cute he was, crawling in the sand and water. He also got a lot of play time with his cousin Dylan and loved to watch his new little cousin Sophia, I think they're all gonna be great buds!

As far as all the new things he is doing since our last post I don't even know where to start! Yesterday we noticed another new tooth, so that makes 5 and we're pretty sure 6 is on it's way. He is almost solely walking and while he is taking 25-30 steps at a time, he falls and we get to enjoy the last little bit of his famous crab crawl that we will miss so much. He's the only kid I know that loses his footing while crawling. He has started to sign to us a lot more lately, telling us when he wants milk, food, more of something or if he is all done, regularly.

Aiden is still as obsessed with balls as ever! I think both Dave and I are sooo ready for him to learn a new word it isn't even funny. I did get him to say duck in his bath yesterday, but besides that it's strictly "Dada, Mama and BALL" anymore. He wakes up from his naps whispering "ball," while lying with me the other day he started from a dream said "ball" and hit me, then fell back asleep, points at everything and says "BALL" - I mean the kid has a one tract mind.

He is still as funny as ever with food. Only now he needs a fork for it to be considered food time, he just loves to be like the big kids!

That's about all for now, we're just enjoying the summer time and enjoying our little man. Tonight we'll be spending the evening wondering where the last year went and most likely I will be fighting back the tears. I'll post some more random pictures from the past few weeks so you guys can have your Aiden-fill. Hope all is well with everyone, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

Ball, Uppp, Ooof!

Let me start by apologizing, I know it's been forever since I posted! But in all fairness it's been a crazy couple of months and keeping up with this little guy becomes harder and harder each day! So once again as the title would suggest our little man is learning actual words! I swear all I hear all day long is "ball", the kid is obsessed with playing with the bouncy ball, the soccer ball, the baseball, the football - he is such a boy! Oh and the kid has an arm! If you were to come by and visit here's what the visit would consist of... Aiden finding a ball, Aiden telling you ball, Aiden throwing the ball and Aiden chasing the ball and then the cycle would start all over.

So then "uppp" is pretty explanatory, it's just so cute to hear him ask! =0) Now "Ooof" is complements of my parents who everytime he acted like he wanted to go outside (which is all the time) they'd make a noise like a doggy. I can't really tell if he even relates that noise to the dog, but hey all the same it's so fun to hear! And boy does he love being outside! He lives to play with the leaves on trees, pull grass and try to eat flowers. I have a feeling we have quite the out doorsy kid, which is awesome! Recently he's gotten to enjoy things like going to the zoo, aquarium and botanical gardens with his grandma and grandpa. And even getting to practice swimming with his Godmother Talia and buddy Lea!

Let's see what else have we missed in the past couple of months.. oh yes Mother's Day! I have to say I am really blessed to have such a giving son and dog (which is a great reflection on their dad). I was spoiled with a yummy breakfast, a CD from the dog and a more than needed massage from my wonderful kiddo. And now with Father's day around the corner these little guys in our lives continue to surprise me, coming up with wonderful ways to surprise Dave. I must say we've raised 'em good!
Oh I think it is also very important to mention that our little guy doesn't ever stop! The kid is constantly on the move. He even has quite the creative crawl, we call it the crab crawl. He sticks his butt up in the air, hikes on to his tippy toes and goes, oh it's way faster than his normal crawl! To add to it he's practicing standing on his own and has it down fairly well and walks holding onto objects. Pretty soon he'll be walking and then nothing is safe! =0)

As for his enthusiasm for food, well lets just say it has increased two fold! Holy cow the kid eats! And now he's more demanding as ever! Luckily though we have discovered the key to his happiness is being able to feed himself. A bit more messy, well at times yes, but it is well worth it to see that great smile that we adore so much!

Beyond all that we are still working with him on some sign language and he seems to be picking it up quite nicely. And now we are preparing for his 1st birthday and in doing so reflecting on this past year and how truly fast it does go. Hope you all are well, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, as you are in ours!

Day 263: Dada, Mama, Nana, Hi-Da

Hello everyone and welcome back to tales of our little man! Well as the title would suggest his vocabulary has become a little more comprehensive. Pretty much all day long we hear, "dadadadada" and the occasional, "mamama" but the most distinguisable is "nana" which of course is his version of "NO" and now "Hi-Da" which he says when he is waving at himself in the mirror. LOL! He's such a ham! Any opportunity he has to wave at someone or something he loves. I tell ya this kid is a terrible flirt. Perhaps the funniest part of it all is that he hasn't quite figured out that inanimate objects don't wave back and he becomes very frustrated when he's continually waving and try as he might he just can't seem to get that exercise machine or vaccuum cleaner to wave back, huh go figure.

So what could be more fun then learning lots of new noises and words? Well that's easy - learning how fun it is to make your voice echo in the fun hallways in Las Vegas! That's right the Wolf family traveled to Vegas in celebration of Christina's 21st and the fact that we all haven't been together in a quite some time. Aiden loved it! The food, the lights, spending time with his family and finally meeting his Uncle Nick and Aunt Crystal. Although I don't think he enjoyed anything more than playing with Dylan - they did so well together and watching Aiden's face light up everytime he saw his cousin was priceless.

As if traveling and talking weren't enough the boy is totally mobile and working on giving his mommy a heart attack every day. He's still just doing the army crawl, every now and again he'll venture to an actual crawl, but then gives up because his way is simply faster. He's also venturing into the world of pulling up. He tries it on everything and I mean everything. For us it's a whole new world of baby proofing. Just when I thought things were starting to look safe and alright, there he is showing me more and more things to put away, push back or simply hold down while he tries to test it.

Today was also a first for him when he hiked his butt up in the air and managed to put himself in the sitting position. He truly is so smart and strong, it's a blast watching him! On a sadder note our little dude has gone through a couple of hard times, too. A few weeks ago he suffered through the stomach flu and I have never felt so helpless in my life. Watching him go through that and being able to do very little for him was awful. But he amazed me to no end. Just by seeing him you would have never guessed he was so miserable - the kid is all smiles. Then when we tried to venture out the other day my little man had a total melt down, very unlike him, and spent the rest of the afternoon fussing. So Dave and I took him to the doctor and he has an ear infection in both ears!

So if by some chance it doesn't seem that his appetite for life is strong enough then his appetite for food more than makes up for it. This kid can really pack it away! I don't know where it goes! I mean if he see's it, he wants it and if it is not in his mouth within seconds oh the noises he makes to let you know he's dissatisfied are hilarious! His face turns red, he grunts and groans, but perhaps the funniest part is when he starts hitting his tray and his mouth is wide open. Oh and if that's not enough, now he helps you - but pushing the food furthur in his mouth, getting it on his hands and smearing it everywhere - ahhh he's a hoot!

Well hopefully these pictures are enough to curb everyone's appetite for a while, sorry the blog was so random this go around - it's been a crazy few weeks. Hope everyone is doing well, we love and miss you all. Please keep us in your prayers and thoughts! =0) Oh and Happy Easter!