[UN]swaddling success!

I can safely say it, now that it has been a full week - we are free of the swaddle habit! At over 4 months, it was really time to quit, but it has been our safety net, our key to a full nights' sleep, not to mention great naps in his crib during the days. But Aidan is a big boy now - I was beginning to worry about what else I could use to swaddle him, because one by one, he kept growing out of the latest swaddle blankets I'd been relying on to wrap him up tight. It took a few nights of getting up at 2 or 3am, and a few nights of letting him fuss for about 20 minutes before falling asleep, but he's great now. We're using the soft, snuggly cotton Sleep Sacks, so he stays warm, and can move his arms and legs freely. Naps aren't quite as long as they used to be, but he seems happy most all of the day, so I think he's getting plenty of rest. Now I can take a deep breath, and quit searching the Internet for extra large cotton and velcro swaddling contraptions... whew!

Come on in, the water's fine!

Summer seems like it should be right around the corner... but lately the weather has been acting otherwise. Even though the days are pretty nice, and sunny for the most part, the temperature has still only been in the 60s and 70s. Nothing to complain about, but not exactly swimming pool weather either!

Now that the pool is open, we are all so ready to get in it and let the summer days begin. But the thought of turning the heater on to heat the entire pool (which is currently 66 degrees - brrr!) wasn't exactly seeming cost-effective. So we compromised, and turned on only the hot tub, and brought Aidan in for his first time in the water!

He seemed to like splashing around in the water, but I'm sure it seemed like just one big bath tub to him - except that he was wearing swim trunks! We got in when Ava was napping, so I'm sure next time his big sister will be excited to show off her swimming skills. Hopefully it will warm up here soon so we can all enjoy it!

Aidan's 4 month appt.

He weighed in at 14 lbs, 14 oz, and was 25 inches long. 50th percentile for both! No problems to speak of, and he is right on track developmentally. Our only hurdle to jump now is to wean him off the swaddling at night when he sleeps, since he will probably start attempting to roll over here soon. That will be difficult... swaddling him for sleep, is like the blue blankie that Linus carries around in the Peanuts cartoons. Except it is OUR security blanket - when Aidan's not swaddled, no one gets any sleep in this house!

Pass the peas, please!

We've started a whole new phase in this babyhood thing.... welcome to the world of solid foods! We decided to start a little earlier than the recommended 4 months of age, just because we'd sit Aidan in his seat on the kitchen table during our meals together as a family, and he would watch in amazement (or jealousy, maybe!) as we ate, and would even start to move his mouth, making eating motions! It was so funny to watch, we thought maybe he was ready to be an active participant at the dinner table, so we decided to give it a try.


We started with a little cereal, but anyone who's ever had kids knows how bland and boring that is, so we've moved on to veggies and fruits. This is a nightly scene at the Whetzel house - Aidan covered in whatever was on the menu for the night! But he LOVES it - he opens up big for the spoon, and sometimes he'll just gulp it down and want more immediately, other times he'll smile his big gummy grin, and whatever he's eating will dribble down his chin. Either way, he's loving it!


So far his favorites seem to be bananas and sweet potatoes. But on the night these were taken, the theme was peas.... everywhere. He has a habit of sucking on his fingers and fists (teething is our guess right now), even in the middle of the meal. So this means, peas everywhere! Our laundry, and our diaper changes have gotten a bit more interesting lately, but he's happy and growing, so we must be doing something right!

Happy 4 months!

Soooo big! Our baby is 4 months old already. Sleeping through the night (for the most part!), eating cereal, fruits, and veggies, smiling and giggling, and loving to stand with us holding his hands. Just another great baby phase, and we are loving every minute of it!

His 4 month checkup is friday. I'm curious to see how much he weighs. All I know now is that the infant carseat is getting mighty heavy to lug around when he is in it!! I've resorted to "wearing" him in the baby Bjorn for trips to the store, because he loves to look around and see the sights, plus it is easier to wear him than to lug the heavy carseat in with me and hoist it into the carts.

Who is this growing boy?

And what happened to my baby?! Aidan has grown so much, he has definitely left the wrinkly newborn stages behind and is learning new things almost every day. We are working with him to try and sit on his own... he is making slow progress, but he has great head control so hopefully he'll be able to sit unassisted soon. He still hates the tummy time, but I think most kids do at this age! And we've started a few solids - he loves bananas and sweet potatoes so far. He sits with us in his Bumbo seat at mealtimes and sometimes he'll take just a few bites, other times he'll devour whatever I have in his little bowl for him. Oh, and we're moving up to size 3 diapers. Size 3... really? I don't think Ava wore size 3's until she was 9 months old!

Brother and Sister

Ava is finally starting to play a little bit with Aidan. Now that he is alert, happy (for the most part!) and able to smile and coo in her direction, she is much more interested in him than when he was a baby who just laid there. It is so funny to watch her - she'll grab a few DVDs off the bookshelf, and she'll notice some of the Baby Einstein series, and she'll ask me what they are. When I say "Those are baby Aidan's movies" she'll say "Oh. Ok!" and then proceed to take the DVDs and pile them on top of Aidan, wherever he might be! She means well, and it is cute to watch her share!