9 months

Aiden is officially 9 months and I can't believe it's been that long. Time goes faster the older I get, it is kind of depressing.. I have made it through the first half of my diet bet. I have to lose 8.8 pounds in 4 weeks and I'm surprised but happy to say I've lost 7.6 in the first week. I have yet to go to the gym (not only because I'm lazy but also because it's always SO crowded in January until people stop going. Ha ha) I've just been doing the macro diet and I'm really feeling good! It feels time consuming to plan my meals but I LOVE it because its not really a diet, it's something I can do long term. Plus I can eat whatever I want. I'm going to start gymming in the evenings this week.

As for Aidens stats, we went to the doctor and he weighs 22 pounds 5 ounces (he was 23 pounds the day of his surgery so I'm quite surprised) and he's 29 3/4 inches long. Everything looks great, he's done really well after his surgery. I told Dr. Buchanan I have been looking forward to this appointment so he can give me the magic answer to solve Aidens lack of sleeping. He laughed and said if he knew he wouldn't be working. Ha! I told him I've read several books and articles and tried just about everything. He recommended solving your child's sleep problems and I remember vaguely hearing about the authors methods. He suggested starting with night sleeping and laying him in his crib, once he cries wait 10 min then go in 1-2 min consoling him without touching him, leaving 3 min, in 1-2, out 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, etc. sounds HARD. but we have to do it. And he should be sleeping 8+ hours by now. Stinker. So we did it that night. I had Preston give his shift away the next day and we planned on being up all night. I've tried this before at night.. Lasted less than an hour before I gave in. So I got him to sleep (which the book says to lay him down awake, but for my piece of mind and sadness I got him to sleep) and we went to bed.40 min later he was awake and crying and we decided it'd probably be better if it was Preston that went in at first and not me. So he went in, came out and Aiden was totally throwing a tantrum. Ha ha, he'd stop crying at look towards the door. After about 10 seconds of silence he'd scream, stop, look by the door.. Yeah. 3 min later Preston went in then out, 3 min later he repeated, then Aiden just went to sleep. Like instantly. I was shocked. He slept for 2 hours and cried at 12:30. Preston went In right away, came out, and 2 minutes later Aiden was asleep. WHAT!  He slept until 5:30, cried for 2 minutes, and was asleep before Preston even went in. Then he slept until 7:45 and Preston got him out and I nursed him. It was amazing. This is what a sleeping baby is like?!? I feel like I didn't sleep well and I kept checking the monitor on my iPad to make sure he was ok. The book and Doctor said to just do night time until it's consistent then start with naps.

We're going on night 13 and he's still doing good! He usually wakes up once or twice in a night. My current problem is he sleeps good until 3:30 or 4 then doesn't calm back down, so I end up nursing him, which I'm all for and the doctor did say he should be able to sleep 8 hours, which that is.. but after he nurses he doesn't do well when I lay him back down. He fusses way more often and for longer, and he's usually up before 7 which totally sucks.  The last few nights I've ended up just nursing him in bed and going back to sleep but that isn't going to end well, so I need to kick that habit before it gets bad. I just hope he will  get better. Still no nap success yet but I'm not going to push it.

I asked the doctor about him not having any teeth yet, and he said his top two and one next to them will be coming any day now, I am surprised because he hasn't had any teething symptoms! I swear by his necklace. One broke through the other day and It's a sharp bugger!

He absolutely loves food. Hates baby food, although I got him to eat 3/4 of a jar of applesauce. I love doing baby led weaning. I highly recommend it. There's lots of studies behind how it's Better developmentally than baby food, plus it's cheaper. We just give him whatever were having, lasagna, steak and potatoes, eggs, toast. Anything. The only two things he can't have are cows milk and raw honey. Did you know if you feed your baby peanut butter before 12 months they are at a lower risk of developing allergies to nuts? Aiden loves cashew butter. He loves yogurt, cottage cheese, blueberries, noodles (with garlic - thanks Patty!) hamburger, steak, sweet potatoes roasted with olive oil. I'm telling you he hasn't tried anything he won't eat.

He is officially crawling! He did it the first time in a long distance for my dad, go figure. He loves his grandpa! He gets so excited and just giggles when he crawls for something. I got him some nike frees (for $5 might I add) and they fit better than any shoe I've tried before on his fat feet. If they weren't so expensive new I'd totally by another pair. eBay here I come! ;)

random fun facts:
Onesies are 12 months, some 9 months
Bottoms are 18 months, some 12 months
Shoes are size 3 or 4 (his nikes are 4's)
Diapers size 4
Naps are usually between 10-11 and 2-3 and last 1-2 hours
His favorite toy is his activity stand, his car at grandmas, or the coffee table. He loves to hold on to it and circle it over and over!
He's getting more hair, in the sun it sometimes has a red tint to it
His eyes are a grey-blue. I love them,  gorgeous.
He loves to hit, clap, and throw things - all boy
He LOVES bath time! He likes to lean forward and drink the water.
He likes his car seat only if someome is sitting next to him or I play a cartoon/movie on my iPad
He gets so excited when he sees me or Preston, he lunges for us and claps and laughs
He grunts and sighs a lot, him and my dad have their own language.

I love seeing my little boy growing up, and it's so sad at the same time. What did I ever do without him? I know I say that every month, but it's true!  I was talking to someone at work today about my labor experience and I remember it like yesterday, I can't believe my 6 pound baby has been with me for 9 months! I love him more and more every day, even if he is needy and I can't leave the room without him crying ;)

Prestons grandma likes to sing to Aiden and bounce him on her leg, I'm surprised she can bounce him he's such a big boy, but I finally got it on camera and It is just so darling! 

Also, we gave Aiden a lemon for the first time on the 13th, he actually liked it! He kept going after it for more until he bit off a big chunk then his face was priceless! Ha ha!