First order of business… Owen is 11 months old today! One year, here we come! He capped off the day with a record sprint to the top of the stairs - this is day two of his stair ascension prowess. There are a few photos of the triumphant event in the new gallery.
Second item on the agenda - to explain the title of this post. Ayden has recently taken a liking to the game “hide and seek” and has asked to play every evening for the past week or so. In the beginning, as he was still trying to get a grasp on how the game works, Patrick and I would work together by dialogging something like this:
Patrick: Where’s Ayden? Mommy, can you smell him in here?
Chloe: Yep. I smell him. [audible sniff]
Patrick: Oh, me too. I think I’m getting closer… [sniff, sniff, etc]
Somehow or another Ayden managed to interpret this version of the game with a new name… Smelly Stinkers. So instead of asking us to play “hide and seek”, we’re now asked to play Smelly Stinkers every evening! 
Owen has finally managed to accomplish that which separates us from most of the other animals on the planet… he stands! At the end of last week he figured out how to crawl properly up on his hand and knees (rather than dragging himself across the rug with one arm). He’s gotten rather quick at that now and I’ve had to recommission the gate at the top of the stairs. So I’d say it was Friday that he had the crawling nailed, and on Saturday he experimented with pulling himself up onto his baby grand piano. He was feeling quite overconfident at that point and has several large knots on his head to prove it! Then the rest of the weekend was spent figuring out how to not trip over his own feet as he cruised along the ottoman, couch, bathtub, etc. I’m already having to move things up in the house that I haven’t had worry about in almost two years! The other unfortunate side effect to Owen being able to stand is that he can do so in his crib - though he can’t get back down. He therefore screams bloody murder until we come to lay him back down - or he ends up falling and adding another braille bump to his skull! Ah well, one step at a time I suppose! This too shall pass! Enjoy the newly added pictures from the weekend.
First order of business… a few photos from Easter through last night in the newest gallery. Enjoy!
Second order of business; I keep meaning to post a couple of funny tidbits about Ayden - so here they are:
1) Ayden received a big ceramic piggy bank from a neighbor for his first birthday. He’s always had fun putting random coins in whenever he comes across them, but otherwise hasn’t really paid much attention. Until recently. Now in the evenings when Patrick is putting him to bed, he asks Patrick if he has any money in his pockets, and if so, can he have it!!! The kid is only two years old! I thought we’d have at least another decade before he started asking for handouts!!! And so it begins….
2) I have no idea where he picked up this new mannerism (Lindsay maybe?), but a few days ago he started crossing his arms (complete with a lip-out-pout and the “hmph!” sound to go with it!) when he isn’t getting his way or I’m reprimanding him. Unbelievable! I asked him where he learned that and he said from Grandma Kelly! When I told Grandma about this, she denied that she ever does that - so I don’t know where he got it. Talk about a two year old with ‘tude!
Even though Ayden is nearing the 3-year-old mark, today was technically the first real Easter Egg Hunt he had the pleasure of attending. Our MOMS Club chapter hosted the hunt at Commonwealth Lake Park in the Cedar Hills area. A handful of families attended, dodging dark clouds and raindrops! 
As soon as Ayden gathered what was going on and just how this whole “egg hunt” thing works, he was very excited - especially at the prospect of chocolate inside those eggs! You should have seen the wonder and amazement in his eyes when he figured out that some eggs in this world actually have chocolate inside!?!?! He filled his John Deere bucket to the brim.. and then the heavens opened up on us! Just as quickly as the kids had raced into the field to collect their eggs, the parents scooped up their kids and raced for the cars!!! The hunt was a success and Ayden had a blast! Enjoy the pics!
The only explanation I can offer is that the two-week hospital ordeal managed to throw off our “regular” doctor visit schedule. So here we are, Owen is now beyond the 10 month mark, and I just took him to his 9-month checkup. Oh well. What can you do? Cutting to the chase, here’s how he checked out:
Weight: 21 lbs 8 oz. (50th percentile)
Height: 29 1/2 inches (75th percentile)
Head: 47 1/2 centimeters (90th percentile) - following in his brother’s footsteps!
Owen also had to suffer through two shots, Hepatitis B and Polio. He cried for about 5 seconds and then sucked on his fingers. No prob. Everything else checked out fine and we were told to come back for his one-year checkup (relatively on time if possible!). Ayden thought the whole trip was a blast since it was Owen that got the shots AND Ayden got to choose a toy from the basket for being so good! Reality check next time though!!!
Ten months and counting! The baby of the family is rounding the last corner to a year old! I don’t think I’ve mentioned that I think Owen’s hospital stay may have set him back developmentally a bit. Right before we headed to the hospital, Owen was SO close to crawling. By the time we were back home and he’d had a week and a half or so to rest and heal, he was basically back to square one on the crawling front. Over the past two weeks in particular, he has really been perfecting his skills… well, in an Owen sort of way. Even though he is physically capable of holding himself up on his hands and knees, he just can’t or won’t figure out the coordination. Instead, he has developed a sort of belly crawl wherein he stretches an arm out in front of him and then drags/pulls his entire body forward. It’s progress. And it gets him to where he wants to go. I told Heather that he resembles a half-squashed bug that only has an appendage or two still functioning, and dragging the rest of it’s body behind. Pretty picture, huh? 
In other accomplishments over the past month, Owen is now feeding himself little stars and dehydrated fruit pieces (and attempting a chewing motion once he manages to get them in his mouth), splashing enthusiastically in the bathtub with Ayden, babbles and gabs constantly as if we should all understand what he’s saying, is actually helpful while being dressed (meaning he’ll push his arms through the sleeves and straighten his legs at the appropriate time for pants! - A HUGE milestone as any parent can attest!), successfully drinks from a bottle by himself, and has passed the 20lb mark (by two or three pounds) and therefore no longer fits in his infant car seat. I’m sure I’ve forgotten something, but I’ll make up for it in future posts this month!
In Ayden news… [Warning: Gratuitous potty humor to follow. ] Ayden has been perfecting his counting skills in recent days. He now takes great pleasure in counting the number of “caca’s” he can put in the potty. Yes, it’s gross. But hey, his counting skills are great!
Check out the latest gallery too!
Friday afternoon we had the opportunity to tour the local Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue facility with our MOMS group. We got the full tour, including trucks, gear, fire pole, sleeping quarters, hang-out room, kitchen, exercise gym and dispatch center. All the kids were thrilled with all the hands-on action and getting to see the trucks up close. It was nice to see our tax dollars put to good work with people willing to do a job I could never do. More power to ‘em! After the tour, we let the kids burn off (pun intended!) the rest of their steam at the playground right next door. There was also a small BMX dirt course between the firehouse and the park… and you betcha, the kids all ended up running up and down the mountains!!! What a dirty mess - but they all had a blast!!!
Saturday we headed to Seaside for the day to visit with Grandma Kelly and Grandpa Guy. We also had a brief visit with Mark (Patrick’s dad) in the parking lot of the local Fred Meyer (only in a small town!). Ayden played hard with his new crane from Grandma and he also enjoyed seeing his cousin Deontay for a bit. It was a full and fun day at the beach! Enjoy the pics of all these adventures in the new gallery. Hope you all had a great weekend too!
Daddy and Ayden awake this morning and get ready to head downstairs for breakfast and playtime. Patrick is putting socks on:
Ayden: Why are you putting on socks, Daddy?
Patrick: Cuz we’re gonna head downstairs, Bud. The floor is really cold so I wanna put my socks on.
Ayden: Ohhhhh, I don’t need socks.
Patrick: Well, you’re a bigger man than I.
Ayden: No, I not a bigger man. I’m a little small man!
~Have a happy Thursday everyone!
Sometimes this kid really cracks me up! Patrick was busy at the kitchen counter preparing Ayden’s english muffin. Ayden comes up beside him:
Ayden: What are you doing to the muffin, Daddy?
Daddy: I’m gonna put some cheese on it, Bud.
Ayden: Ohhhhhhhh, that’s clever!
Patrick and I just looked at each other in disbelief and then started cracking up!!!
Enjoy the family pics in the newly uploaded gallery!
What is that bright shiny orb floating in our Oregon sky??? Oh, that’s what the sun looks like! I think we’d almost forgotten. We took advantage of this beautiful afternoon by taking the family on an adventure to someplace new. The Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge is conveniently located between our house and the Boisvert’s. It’s hidden gem as far as I’m concerned… bright new modern interpretive center, adequate parking, beautifully groomed gravel trails, well situated overlooks and interpretive signs, and amazing scenery and birding. All in all, it made for a very pleasant afternoon out in the fresh air and a good find for future family outings.
To follow this fun adventure, we headed to the Boisvert’s for the some family time and dinner. The kiddos all had a blast playing with one another and having cousin Spencer there just added to the excitement!!! Spencer, Auntie Fay, and Nanna are all up for the week from central California and we’re lovin’ every minute!!!
