Shadow Box for Baby

I've been wanting to put together a shadow box for Aiden ever since he was born. I knew it was something I wanted to do, but I had to wait until I found time to buy a box first. I kept putting this off and forgetting about it entirely. 

I mentioned to my mom recently that I needed to get it done and she brought a shadow box for me to use! I opened it up and was super stoked that it had magnets instead of pins! This way I could present all of the items without anything showing. I saved all of the items I wanted to add and quickly collected them. It took me all of about five minutes to set this shadow box up. 

I saved his newborn coming home outfit that included a matching onesie, hat, and gloves. I added the hat he wore immediately after birth, his hospital bracelet, and a newborn diaper. I wanted to remember (and never forget) how tiny my little guy was as a newbie. I never would have thought about saving his last newborn diaper though, thanks for the tip mom! I have the card that the nurses used in his bassinet in the nursery that I might go back and add later. I didn't think about it at the time!

I'm not sure where she got this specific shadow box, but wherever you are shopping, look for one that uses magnets. This helps keep your box clean looking. I also chose not to add any scrapbook paper to the background. I felt like the burlap fabric that it came with looked nice enough and that saved me time and money.

Did you put together a shadow box for your babe? What did you include in his/hers?

7 Months

Here I am again, posting another late monthly update of Aiden. Shame on me! I blame it on school. My time management and procrastination is getting better though. And, I really miss blogging. So, I'm coming back with a vengeance.

The main thing that has changed this month for Aiden is the fact that he learned how to pull up to stand and he can stay standing as long as he is holding on (for dear life.) He learned how to do this a few days before he turned 7 months old. Sometimes, if he sees something just out of his reach, he can walk and hold on to something to go get it! Holy crap! Also, he has officially mastered crawling! He is so fast, too! He steadily surprises me with all of the new things he is constantly learning! What will it be next? Standing on his own? Walking on his own?

Sleeping patterns: He is sleeping about 8-10 hours a night, which is fabulous, waking up anywhere between 8-9am for his first bottle of the day. It seems like he was sleeping a lot lately, and now I know why. He plays so hard and wears himself out! He's also been doing fairly well with his naps in his own crib. For the past few months, I've been making him take all of his daytime naps on his own. My hopes for this is that whenever I'm ready to kick him out transition him to his crib at night, he will be comfortable enough to do so. I'm crossing my fingers!

Eating habits: He is eating anywhere between 6-8 ounces 5-6 times a day. He gets an eight ounce bottle first thing in the morning. We fell of the solids bandwagon there for a few weeks, but we are back in the game! But, now when he gets solids, he will drink his normal 6 ounce bottle right after! We introduced Gerber 2nd foods like sweet potato and corn, chicken and vegetables, pear and pineapple, and apples and chicken. I'm pretty sure he likes apples and chicken the best! We also got different kinds of puffs that kind of look like the puffy Cheetos's. I'm not going to lie, they all taste pretty dang good!

Accomplishments: Aiden is an official "crawler!" And he can pull himself up and stand next to anything he can get a grip on!

Places I went:  He sits up in the buggy at the grocery store like a big boy! He has a convertible car seat, and he sits in a high chair at restaurants now!

Special memories: Seeing Aiden pull up to stand and even try to take a few steps. He also can find his pacifier in his sleep and put it back in his mouth, which I think is absolutely adorable. He is just growing up so fast!

Likes: Sitting and standing up, petting the puppies, "telling stories", cuddling, playing with his feet and sucking on his big toe. 

Dislikes: He hates anything that involves being alone and he can't sit still for anything. He is his father's child.

No wellness visit this month so these measurements are by me and I consider them good estimates. I can't wait until his 6 month visit to see how much he has truly grown!

>>>>> 7 Months <<<<<

10.01.13

Height - 29 inches long

Weight - 18lbs 8oz

6 Months

I am a month and a half late posting this update, but school started a few days after his 6 month check-up. I've been super busy and got completely wrapped up in school. It's been hard trying to balance time between taking care of my little bean and trying to study. The first month was hard, but I'm slowly figuring out what works and what certainly doesn't. 

This month was full of wonders. He started eating puffs and drinking apple juice from a sippy cup! And most exciting of all, he has taught himself how to sit all on his own! He looks like such a big boy now when he sits up to play with his toys. Not much progress has been made in the crawling department, though. He still tries his hardest, even though he just scoots from place to place. He usually scoots a few inches and falls on his belly and has to start all over again. The main thing he has to figure out is how to keep himself up while crawling, but I think that has a lot to do with having the upper body strength in his arms to be able to support his own body weight. He learns quickly though, so I'm looking forward to him learning this trick!

Sleeping patterns: He is still sleeping about 8-9 hours a night, which is fabulous, waking up around 7-8am for his first bottle of the day. I feel incredibly blessed that he sleeps through the night, but I kind of feel like I'm cheating because we "bed share." I kind of feel deep down that if he were to sleep in his own crib at night, he wouldn't sleep all the way through.

Eating habits: He is eating 6 ounces 6-7 times a day. He gets a 6 ounce bottle first thing in the morning. I try and give him solids twice a day - once at lunch and again for supper. Most of the time he only gets solids once a day though and sometimes not at all. Our pediatrician said that we could start Gerber Puffs around seven months, but I really felt like he was ready for them now, so he's been getting a snack with puffs and apple juice between naps. I also started him on a sippy cup! He's not so sure about it just yet, but he's trying.

Accomplishments: Aiden is still scooting as much as possible, but the new trick he has learned this month was sitting up all on his own a few days before he turned 6 months old! He can push himself up to sitting from the crawling position. He's turning into such a big boy. Make time stop please! He also said mama and dada!

Places I went:  Mainly just outings to the grocery store, running errands, and a few trips out to eat. Nothing too exciting here.

Special memories: Capturing a video of my boy sitting up for the very first time, without propping up with his hands! It made me such a proud mommy!

Likes: Eating puffs and apple juice, cuddles, babbling, chasing after the puppies, interacting with any and everyone, sitting up to play with his toys!

Dislikes: He hates it when you set him down somewhere and you walk away. He hates lying on his back and will roll over to his belly so he can sit up any chance he gets. 

The wellness visit this month went really well. I wasn't able to stay for his shots, but his daddy was there and he told me that Aiden only cried for a minute or two after his shots. He got four shots and an oral vaccine. The Tdap vaccine isn't available due to a shortage so, we have him the flu shot instead. The good news is that we don't have to go back until he is ready for his 9 month wellness visit! I think I am most excited for his to not have to get shots for 3 whole months! 

>>>>> 6 Months <<<<<

09.01.13

Height - 28 inches long

Weight - 16lbs 15oz

We almost forgot to take his 6 month picture this month, and it got late in the day. We had to make do with the ceiling fan light and trying our best to get him to smile. He looks like he is missing a foot and the glare on his sticker looks ridiculous, but he is smiling and that's all that matters to me!