First Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  Yay to posting more than one post this month!!!  

We have made it through Aiden's first Christmas, and as everyone told us, we have discovered Aiden doesn't care much for any of his presents.  Wrapping paper is another story.  As the days go on and the wrapping paper disappears, he is starting to find out that there are some new toys in the house.  We definitely feel the loss of space in the house once we brought home all his toys (and that's with some being left at the grandparent's house).   

So, what goodies did he receive for his first Christmas?  Well, he received a big, stuffed dog (much more low maintenance than Zoe and Daphne), a playhouse that makes lots of noises, an activity table to encourage him to stand and become more mobile, a cell phone (Fisher Price... $8... take that, iPhone 4s), a wooden frog pull toy (he can't walk, he just eats the string), and a toy piano that plays synthesized Mozart and lights up with each beat.  So, I don't think we had this when I was little since I started learning spanish well after my Fisher Price, Leapfrog years, but most of his toys are bilingual (the piano is trilingual... of course, it's a piano... french is a must!).  Keeping our fingers crossed for a polylingual child, though I don't think just knowing how to count to 5 in french will get him through even an hour in Paris.

I love Christmas... the family time, relaxing on the couch, good food... I have to thank my mom and dad for allowing us to have that relaxing time because there is no day off when you have a kid.  They were a great help!  Kevin came home for a few days and got a break from the chilly Chicago temperatures.  Albert was able to visit with friends, who promptly reminded me of my promise to post on the blog more often.  So guys, here you go!  Can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for us!

  

8 Months and Happy Holidays!

Things are not so happy here at the moment.  The poor babe has come down with RSV, a respiratory virus that presents similarly to the flu, and a whopper of an ear infection.  Of course, I bring him to the doctor's office this morning and he has an astronomical temperature (103.5).  Not only that, but he was tired and it was creeping up on nap time, so his eyes started getting glazed, possible even a little cross-eyed at times like he would keel over with a febrile seizure at any moment.  Pretty sure I had the "I promise I'm not a bad mom" look on my face... hey, Tylenol doesn't stay in the body forever...

We're camped out at home right now, so I figured I'd update the blog since I did promise myself I would be more diligent about keeping up with this.  Before the fever and rolling eyes, we were able to get one 8 month picture that looked fairly decent... I will share.  I will also share some of the other ones that did not turn out so decent.  This is what happens when they become mobile!  We have also started standing up on our own.  Now, Aiden is not picky about where he stands up, but I think he has a preference for dangerous places, such as the fireplace and the crib.  The first time I discovered he could stand, I saw his little toosh in the side of our video monitor.  "Where's the rest of Aiden?" I thought to myself.  Well, the rest of him was hanging off the side of the crib.  Lovely.... I have an adventure seeker as a son.  My life as a mom is going to be thrilling!

FINALLY!!!!

Holiday photos... gotta love them.  I'm sure there's more to come.

Thanksgiving 2011

As always, I'm once again delinquent posting things to the blog.  Maybe my New Year's resolution should be to actually post things when things occur instead of waiting weeks later.  But until then... here are some pics from Thanksgiving at the Le household.  Thanks to Ms. Dani and her shop Sew Sweet Boutique for Aiden's handsome turkey shirt!  

Fall Goodies

Well, Aiden is changing about as fast as the leaves on the trees!  We've gone from just laying around staring at things to army crawling, sitting on our own, sitting in a high chair for meals (thank goodness), and eating all sorts of yummy foods (still mashed up and messy, we're working on puffs and a sippy cup now).  Here are some stats of our growing boy...

Height: 27.5 in.

Weight: 16 lbs. 4.5 oz.

Sleeping: 1-2 hour morning nap, 1 hour afternoon nap, bedtime 7-7:30 PM - 7 AM, about every 5-7 days waking up around 3 just to see if mommy and daddy will play

Favorite things: dogs, funny noises, daddy, jump-a-roo, walks in the stroller, looking at the leaves, eating

Favorite foods: pears, apples, bananas, squash, sweet peas

Still hating the car seat...

I have also recently decreased my hours at work and will be working 2 1/2 days/week.  The distance from Smithfield to Raleigh cut into quality time, so this is definitely going to be great for me and Aiden.  Hey, Albert may even get a decent meal out of this!  

Mush Monster

We are now delving into the world of rice cereal and pureed foods, and boy, is this an adventure....  Thank goodness for bibs!   Now, you're seeing the glories of rice cereal, but we have also moved on to bananas, apples, peaches, and avocados.  So far, Aiden has enjoyed everything!

Around Aiden's 4 month mark, we also had the opportunity to head to Charlotte for a photo shoot with our wedding photographers, Kristin and Aaron Byrum.  Love these guys!  Aiden was great during the photo shoot, but the drive home was a bit of a mess.  No day trips for awhile.

100 Days Come and Gone!

Since going back to work, it's been a bit difficult for me to find time to sit and update our blog.  So sorry for those few people who do keep up with us through the blog.  I don't make any promises, but hopefully, once I get more settled into being a working mom, I'll be able to keep this current.

So, my chiropractor described mommyhood as ...  "the best, hardest job ever."  After going back to work, I would say that is absolutely true!  Every new milestone is so rewarding and makes up for the late nights, tears (from both Aiden, myself, and secretly Albert as well), and frustration (once again, from all parties).  

Recently, we celebrated Aiden's 100th day birthday, a Korean tradition.  The family gathered at the Minn residence, ate delicious Korean food, and yapped away, mostly about Little Minn.  

All legs with a side of cheeks

Beach Trippin'

Well, my maternity leave is coming to a close, and what better way to relax and spend time with Little Minn than to head to the beach!  As everyone knows, Albert and I love the coast, so here is our first attempt at brainwashing Aiden into loving the beach.  We headed to Rodanthe at the Outer Banks with grandpa, grandma, and dogs in tow.  Aiden didn't get to spend too much time outside due to the smoke warnings, but there wasn't much he was going to do at this age anyway.  He was content just hanging out in the house and staring at his toy.  Well, I think we accomplished our mission... he LOVED the beach!

Lovin' the ocean breeze

Aiden's Dog

Grandpa Comes to Visit

Albert comes from an international family with his sister living in Switzerland and parents in Korea, so we were very excited for his dad to come to the USA and meet his first grandchild.  We have been very lucky to have his mom in town since April.  Now, we just need to make plans for Aiden to meet his auntie!  

As soon as grandpa arrived in Raleigh, he made a visit that evening to meet Aiden.  I think someone is smitten! 

Happy Father's Day!

What a lucky boy to have such a wonderful father and grandfather!  We celebrated Father's Day at one of our favorite brunch places (mostly because it's crowded and loud) over at Cheesecake Factory.  Aiden did a wonderful job of being on his best behavior and letting daddy enjoy his humongous burrito.   Happy Father's Day, Daddy!  We love you!

Aiden also turned 2 months old on Father's Day.  He's really starting to get the hang of sleeping, though naps have been a bit of an issue.  Morning naps are starting to develop, but afternoon naps are definitely a struggle.  Apparently, Aiden hates to sleep in the afternoon.  I can't blame him!  There's so much stuff going on and so many things to look at... I wouldn't want to miss out either!  He's now weighing 12 lbs. and is 24" long.  Our arms are definitely getting a workout, though there's not much to show for it.  The best part about 2 months is Aiden has started cooing and smiling.  We really have to put on a show to bring it out, but it is well worth it!  Can't wait to see what 3 months has in store for us!

Aiden NOT sleeping

First Trip to the Mountains

I would call this a vacation, but since becoming parents, vacations are not what they once were.  For Memorial Day weekend, we headed to Blowing Rock with Grandpa and Grandma Le.  Having grandma around was very helpful.  Albert and I were able to go out on a 2nd date since Aiden's arrival, and we took full advantage of it.  Luckily, he was on his best behavior, so looks like a 3rd date will be around the corner.  

The Blowing Rock/Boone area is gorgeous!  It's so nice to know that after all these years, we're still able to find new places to visit in NC.  Not only did we get a chance to somewhat relax, but Albert was also able to drive (speed) around on the Blue Ridge Parkway in his fairly new ride.  Aiden loved it... I loved that Aiden wasn't crying :)