Ugh, here we go again

This year hasn't been Aidan's best year as far as illnesses go. He has had multiple ear infections, surgery for tubes, bronchitis/pneumonia after surgery, multiple colds and runny noses, and others that we just never figured out.

Well, he's been ear infection free since August (when we put the tubes in), and I have noticed a HUGE difference in his language skills since then. I am blessed that we had such a great experience thus far with that.

Unfortunately, now we are having issues with bronchitis and pneumonia. The past couple weeks, he has been feeling under the weather, and over Christmas weekend, he had a horrible cough (ok, he had the cough before, but it got worse of the last week). He spiked a temperature Sunday night of 101F, but never had a temp after that. Yesterday at daycare, he was not eating as well as he normally does, continued to have a horrible hacking cough, and maintained a temp of around 99.5F. Oh, did I mention that his nose has been running like a garden hose?! Finally, I decided to just take him into the doctor to see if something was going on. I know several things have been going around his classroom, including strep, and I wanted to make sure that he was free and clear from that, or if he needed treatment, he would get it.

At the doctor's office, she checked his ears, both looked great (yay!). She checked his lungs, mostly clear, but some fine crackles in the left lung base. She said this was most likely a mild case of bronchitis or pneumonia, given his history as well. She also checked his throat, it was slightly red, but negative for strep. Thank goodness, no strep! So we are back on antibiotics again for the next 10 days. I sure hope they kick in soon, cause I want my lil man back to feeling better.

Now that we have his ears fixed, we seem to have moved onto something else. Oh, please just let my baby boy feel like a normal toddler!! I hate it when he is sick all the time!

Merry Christmas

Before explaining what we did for Christmas, I thought I would share this video of Aidan opening his presents on Chrismtas Morning. It was loads of fun watching him rip open the gifts and get so excited. This is the first year that he has actually enjoyed it, and it was very exciting to watch. Merry Christmas!

Road to a Healthier Me....Update

The last time I wrote about my attempts to lose weight, was in the very beginning, back in October. Well, 1 1/2 months have passed, as well as Thanksgiving, and I need to update on how my progress is going. So far, I have lost 8 lbs since the start, and the thing is, I haven't even been working out like I wanted. Just trying to eat healthier. I am very proud of this accomplishment, as I can't even remember when I was this weight. I can't say that I see much of a difference, but my clothes are fitting a bit better. Unfortunately, there isn't a change in size yet, so maybe once I really can't fit into anything, I will have another accomplishment. My goal through the month of December is to maintain my weight through the holidays. I would love to keep losing, but I'm not going to disappoint myself when it doesn't happen. I love the holidays, and I don't want to deprive myself. I think I did great over Thanksgiving, so I am motivated to do well over Christmas.

So check back in the New Year to see if I can accomplish my goal!

Being Thankful

Today I am thankful for my loving husband. He has put up with a lot from me, and yet, he is still here. Love you!

Today I am thankful for my little boy. I never thought he would grow into such a silly, awkward little man, but I love every bit of it....especially the excitement he has when he accomplishes a task.

Today I am thankful for my mom. She is an awesome listener, and even though I don't like hearing it, she always tells me how she feels about something. I am a stronger person because of her.

Today I am thankful for my sister. Although we battled it out in our younger years, she has become my best friend. I love our conversations and enjoy just hanging out with her.

Today I am thankful for having a roof over my head. Now that we are in a house instead of an apartment, I am greatful for not having noisy neighbors above me anymore.

Today I am thankful for having a job that I love. Its a tough economy and I am glad to be in a profession that always needs me. I love being a nurse, and I am so glad I made that decision. Although it is hard getting up early, I rarely have a day that I don't want to go to work (unlike my previous job where I hated to go every day).

Today I am thankful my husband also has a job. It is a true blessing to have two incomes in our family home.

Today I am thankful for all the material things that we own, such as good, reliable cars, furniture, and appliances.

Today I am thankful for all of my family. I love them for everything that they are!

Today I am thankful for old and new friends. Although I have lost touch with many old ones, I kept the most important ones close by. And I am greatful for all the new friends I have made over the past couple years as well.

I'm sure I am missing something, but I have got to get ready for my holiday family gathering today! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Starting over

Some know that I have been trying to get into better shape and lose weight since the beginning of August. I even started running, which isn't my favorite thing to do. Eating right, well that's a different story. I'm starting to lose my way, again, just like I always do. But I'm trying to get back on track before it gets too bad. I want to start 'checking in' weekly to update my progress, not only for myself, but for those who are interested as well. I doubt anyone of my blog readers need motivation, but it's out there. I hope that it motivates me. So every Tuesday will be my weigh in day (I pick Tuesday because the Biggest Loser is on, and I love that show), and I will report my loss/gains. Every 6 weeks, I plan on doing measurements. While I'm not comfortable putting my stats on the internet for the world to see, I will post how many inches I have lost.

So, to start with a little background. I have always struggled with my weight, since I can ever remember. I get pumped to start working out and eating right, weeks go by (sometimes just days), and I slowly lose motivation. I tell myself that I can't do it, I don't have the self-discipline that I need to say 'no' to the pasta and cake. I crave these types of foods, and it's not fair to omit what I love from my diet. I have learned how to incorporate these foods I love in moderation, but it's tough when you have events that come up (such as holidays, weddings, birthdays, etc), or eat out because you don't want to cook (hello pizza). It is SO hard to say no.

Then, trying to work out is difficult as well. I used to get up early to work out on my days off before my husband would go to work. That worked well, but started to get old when I was so tired and would rather sleep in rather than go to the gym. I gave myself excuses to avoid the gym. And as of today, it's been over a week since I've been near the fitness center. I will officially restart tomorrow. I will restart with a new starting weight,  new measurements, and a new goal in sight. I hope that the Biggest Loser will keep me motivated with how hard they work out every day, and the amount of weight they lose each week. I know some weeks will be harder than others, and I will have to work around that. But this is something that I need to do for myself to be happy. I need to stay motivated to meet my goals. I just have to find the inner me to give myself the discipline that I need to stay on track.

someone please tell my son to slow down, he's growing up too fast!

Ok, so maybe I'll admit that I have enjoyed watching him grow up these last 2 years, but I am not ready for him to keep growing! I love him at this age, he's so much fun! The first year was great, being able to watch him experience all of his firsts. The second year was even better, watching him explore and learn everyday. I must say, it has been a great year!

Size wise, he is growing right on track. He weighed in at 31.4 lbs and is 35 inches long. He's in the 70-80 percentile for age-weight and age-height, which basically means he is long and lean. I personally think he may be a little bit taller than the doctor measured him at since he was having a hard time sitting still. But it's got to be pretty close. We are just now getting into size 2T pants (which are a little bit too long on him, and need to have the adjustable waistband super tight in order to fit his little waist and short legs), and moving on up to a size 3T shirt. He's always had a long torso and short legs, so it makes it very difficult to buy an actual outfit. He is still wearing size 4 diapers (we use Pampers), but his daycare puts him in size 5 (Huggies brand). Size 5 huggies diapers tend to leak through overnight, so we still like our size 4 pampers at home. He wears a size 7 1/2 in shoes, which still provides a little bit of wiggle room in his sneakers, but his size 7 sandals are a bit too small. He received all of his teeth around 18 months, including his 2 year molars, for a total of 20 teeth.

Developmentally, he has mastered several skills of children in his age group, as well as exceeding skills that other kids can't quite do yet. Over the past year, he has learned several tasks, such as jumping, walking up and down stairs, throwing a ball overhand, opens doors, washes hands, and several others. His speech is coming along well, despite his frequent ear infections. He can speak in 2-4 word sentences, and speak up to (and possibly more) 75-100 words. Over the past 6 months, he has learned animals and animal sounds, such as horse, cat, dog, cow, duck, goat, sheep, mouse, and pig. He has also learned several letters and numbers, although he doesn't say the alphabet or count (except he can sometimes count from 6-12, but he starts at 6, not 1). He can recognize colors, primarily red, blue, green, and yellow.

We recently purchased a toddler bed when he was 23 months. He started climbing out of his pack and play at an overnight trip to grandma's house, but we thought that was just too easy for him to get out of. Well, that was until we got home and heard him fall out of his crib (not climb out, but fall out and hit the floor). After sleeping in mommy's bed for a couple nights, we pulled the mattress of his crib onto the floor and let him sleep on that for a while. He managed, but needed someone to fall asleep next to him. We finally got his toddler bed, and are still working on getting him to stay in his bed at night.

As far as potty training goes, well, we haven't really pushed the issue too much. He has had a potty chair for about 9 months now, but has yet to go in it. He sometimes recognizes when he needs to go potty, but doesn't tell me until afterwards. Eventually, we will start pushing that issue a little more, just one thing at a time for now.

While his interests change too frequently, he currently enjoys watching movies and playing with his cars. His favorite movies are Up, Over the Hedge, Cars, and now Transformers (don't know where that came from:). He still loves Sesame Street, particularly Elmo, Abby, and Grover. He also enjoys watching Dinosaur Train, Super Why, Word World, and Sid the Science Kid (all on PBS). He loves to watch the airplanes in the sky, and looking for deer on our way home from work/daycare. He enjoys his train set that he got from his birthday, and his new Grover stuffed animal has become a new security blanket. He likes to build blocks, but overly enjoys just dumping them on the floor. He continue to enjoy reading and looking at books. I occasionally catch him in his room, oh so quietly, sitting in his rocker reading a book to himself. He loves to help out mommy in the kitchen with cooking, and knows all too well on how to get into the fridge. I swear, every time he is in the kitchen, he gets in the fridge!

He's a pretty picky eater, and has been for about the last 4-6 months. For breakfast, he will usually eat yogurt, but lately has enjoyed eating my Fiber One bars. He occasionally eats cereal for breakfast too, but not usually. For snacks, he loves to eat cheese sticks or goldfish crackers. I try to offer him other snacks, but he won't eat them. Lunch is hard. When all else fails, we resort to chicken nuggets. Dinner is a hit and miss. He will either eat nothing at all, eat very little, or eat most to all of his dinner.

His schedule is pretty consistent. On most days, he wakes up around 7am, eats breakfast about 7:30am, snack at 9:15am, lunch at 11:30am, nap at 12:30pm, snack at 3pm, dinner at 6pm, and bedtime between 8:30-9pm. I've tried to put him to bed earlier, but he just won't go to sleep. I truly believe he is a night owl. I put him to bed at 7:45pm one night, and he just laid in bed, tossed and turned until 10:15pm. That was a crazy night. I knew he was tired, but he refused to fall asleep! I feel that is one battle that we are not going to win. However on days that I work and he goes to daycare, he gets up at 5:45am.

He started a new daycare in July. I have to say, this one is WAY better than his previous daycare (not going to say why, but just trust me, we both love it). He still cries when I drop him off about 90% of the time, but he always has a good day, so I don't worry about it too much. He just recently moved up to the 2 year old classroom, which is more set up like a preschool. They will start teaching him to potty train, and have more of a structured classroom schedule.

Oh, and in regards to all of his ear infections, which mainly started after his 1st birthday, we had tubes placed in both ears on August 15th. Since his 1st birthday, he has had a total of 6 ear infections that we know of. He has almost always been asymptomatic. The only reason we knew he had them was because we had follow up appointments with his doctor. So we decided that putting tubes in his ears would be the best option for him. In case you missed it, you can view the blog entry here. Oh, and after his surgery, he developed bronchitis, go figure. We also learned that he also has a sinus arrhythmia (his heart rate speeds up when he exhales and slows down when he inhales). The doctor said that this is a common occurrence, and we shouldn't be worried about it. I guess kids typically outgrow it, or it becomes less noticeable as they grow older.


He was like "mom, stop taking my picture and let me have my cake!"

 This little guy is the most amazing person I have ever met. I have enjoyed the last 2 years, experienced things that I never thought I would, and felt a love that I never new existed. Although I miss him being the little 8lb 14oz, 21 inch long bundle of joy I brought home from the hospital, I look forward to all the many adventures we will have together in the future. Aidan, I love you more than you will ever know, and I can't wait to keep watching you grow!

Blogger Help Needed!!!

I SUCK at blogging designs...and maybe blogging in general. I started this blog to document the happenings in my life, and never really figured out how to create such a custom blog. My computer is a basic computer set up with Windows Vista. I have attempted to download design templates, but when I try to upload them, it doesn't work. Not sure why. All I know is how to write and post general pictures. I need help with making my blog 'cool'. So I am asking all you fellow advanced bloggers out there...please help!!! Things I would like to do... 1. upload a new design 2. figure out how to change my font 3. Figure out how to add captions to pictures 4. find out how to put 2 pictures side by side 5. how to put an imprint on my pictures....you know like a copyright? - not like this is necessary, but I've always wanted to know how! 6. Any other cool things that you know how to do! If you please leave comments to instruct a 'blog-dummy' on how to do some of these things, I would really appreciate it :) Thanks!!!

My Journey

At the beginning of August, I decided it was time to get back into the habit of health and fitness. I started the C25K app again, and am currently on week 4 day 2. I must say, I actually have been faithful to it, minus 1 week when Aidan had his surgery and was sick. But c'mon, I'm on week 4!!! Last time I did this, I don't think I made it through week 2. I have to say though, it sure is getting tough, and I don't know if I'm going to make it. But I keep telling myself that I just have to do it. I know I will regret it later if I don't. So I keep getting up early every morning (when I'm not working), and go to the gym to run. I also started monitoring my diet as well. I have the iphone app 'My Fitness Pal' and use it to track my calorie intake. My daily goal is 1200 without any exercise, but sometimes I go over occasionaly. Hey, you only live once, right! Plus my sister got married, and I didn't really stick to my diet that well during the 1-2 weeks before her wedding. But now that that is all over, I am finally getting back on track again. So far, I have lost 6.2 lbs (since the beginning of August), and about 7 inches (waist/hips/chest/arms/thighs/neck). I don't really notice a difference, but my husband says he does. I know it's only 6 lbs, but I hope to get that number much bigger. I NEED to get into shape, and I WILL stick to this. I know there will be hard times (especially with the holidays coming up), but my motivation is sitting in my closet with all the clothes that I can't wear (yes, some are even from high school). I am so proud that I am down 6.2 lbs, but my biggest accomplishment is the inches. I know there is a difference when you measure smaller. And right now, that is the number that counts. I have a mini goal that by the end of this year, I will be down another 10 lbs, if not more. I am keeping my goals small, and shooting for the stars. I know I can do this, and I have the support to keep me motivated!

and yet another doctor's appointment

We went back to Aidan's pediatrician yesterday. Not for any particular reason, but he had a follow up from 6 weeks ago when he had his ears checked out. His doctor said that his ears look the best they have ever been since he has been seeing her. But I told her about how he developed a cough since his surgery, and well, it wasn't the best news I have heard.

After his surgery, Aidan had started coughing. It was the kind of cough that sounds like it could be productive, but he just couldn't get it up out of his chest. The cough seemed worse at night, and resulted in him sleeping with mommy for a few days. I mentioned this to the doctor, and she listened to his lungs. Crackles. Which means he more than likely developed bronchitis from not being able to 'turn,cough,& deep breathe' after surgery. She said it is common to develop a cough, but most people are able to cough. It is difficult to tell a toddler that he needs to cough and deep breathe, and actually believe that he will understand. Bronchitis can eventually turn into pneumonia if left untreated. She said that the fluid that was in his chest has now settled into his lungs, resulting in the bronchitis. We were given a prescription for Omnicef again (we used that all the time when he had ear infections). So for the next 10 days, we will be doing medication again, but this time for a different reason.

I feel awful. I wish that my little boy can just get a break. It seems that he is always sick with something. I just hope this time is the last for a while!

Aidan's Surgery

Getting up at 5:15AM is nothing new to me, since I usually get up that early to go to work. But today was different. Today, Aidan was going to have surgery to put tubes in his ears. I know its nothing that big, but it is to me. Having to take your 22 month old into the hospital to undergo general anesthesia is a big deal. My lil man was such a trooper though, well for most of it. We waited out in the waiting room for maybe 10 minutes, before we were called back. Can you tell he was a little tired???

He looks so pleased...

We checked in about 6:25AM, and his surgery was scheduled for 7:40AM. We went back to the pre-op room and met with the nurse, anesthesiologist and doctor, as well as some other people. Aidan got into his little gown (so cute!), and watched PBS and colored while we waited for them to take him back to the OR.

Yay! Coloring!

Mom, Stop taking my picture!

He went back with the CRNA, and of course he cried the entire way. Derek and I had to go back out to the waiting room while he was in surgery. Not even 15 minutes later, the Doctor comes out and says everything went fine, and that Aidan was in recovery starting to wake up. He said that there was no infection, but there was still a lot of fluid behind his ears, more so in the left. He gave us some drops to put in for the next few days. After a few more minutes of waiting, we were called back to the recovery room where we got to see Aidan.
He was being held by one of the nurses, playing with the stickers that were on his chest, taking them off and then putting them back on again. He seemed to be doing alright. He did get fussy after a little while, and he took some tylenol finally. They gave him some apple juice and graham crackers, which he enjoyed. We had to stay for 30 minutes before we could take him home.

Still drowsy from anesthesia

Once the anesthesiologist came in to sign off, we were able to go home. Aidan fell asleep in the car.

We got home around 8:30AM. Aidan tried to eat some fruit, but wasn't really interested. He fell asleep about 9:45AM and slept until 1PM. I guess that means he won't be taking a nap this afternoon, but it will probably call for an early night.
We spent the day just lounging on the couch and watching movies. He seems to be back to his normal self now, and hopefully we can get out and get some groceries. We made it through it, and now it is time to see if this is going to make him better. I sure hope so!

Ear, Nose, and Throat Visit

We saw the ENT doctor Monday for his first appointment. The doctor looked in both of Aidan's ears, after digging out a mountain of earwax, found that he still has quite a bit of fluid buildup behind his membranes. After giving him a history of Aidan's ear infections, the doctor agreed that putting tubes in his ears would be the best option. We have scheduled an appointment here in the next couple weeks. I have to admit, I am nervous for Aidan. I can only imagine how scared he will be when he goes back to the OR with a bunch of strangers in gowns and masks. I just hope I will get to be there when he wakes back up. The procedure only takes 10-15 minutes, and he will more than likely be home by 9am. I just hope everything goes smoothly, and we get all this fixed. Will post after the surgery with cute pictures of him in a hospital gown :)

oh where does the time go??

As I am putting a book together of Aidan's first 2 years, I am flooded with memories of when he was little. I say was, although he still is technically, because he seems like a big boy now. I mean, he's almost 2! Next thing you know, he will be going to pre-k, and soon enough, I will be in tears watching him get on the school bus for his first day of kindergarten. As much as I enjoy watching him grow, I miss him being little.

It seems like yesterday I was holding him for the first time. I can't even remember what my first reaction was to him, mainly because I was exhausted after being up 36 hours after labor, but I knew that he was special. I knew that I would love him more than he can ever imagine. I knew how important he was. I knew how much he would change my life. I look at pictures and remember those moments. I can't recall him being that small. I never thought of him as a 'newborn' since he was so big (well if you call 8lbs 14oz big). I never imagined him being that small when I held him in my arms. I didn't even realize it until now. Now that he can barely fit in my lap.

Although my little boy is growing up, I hope he takes it slow. I don't think I will ever be ready to stop the night-time snuggling on the couch, or the quiet rocking in the chair. How he snuggles up next to me and just falls asleep peacefully. Although he makes me mad, I will never stop enjoying how much he craves my love and attention. He is definitely a mommy's boy, and I don't mind that at all. I crave his little kisses, and sweet big hugs. I long for his laughter, and his corny smiles. I am sure I will miss his jabber, and telling me 'how it is' in his little baby language.

My baby boy is no longer a baby anymore. He is a toddler. And as scary as that may be, I will enjoy watching him grow up into a little boy. But just slow down baby. You are growing up way too fast.

Colorado Vacation...Part II: Colorado Springs

Day 4
We drove up Pikes Peak today. With an elevation of 14,110 feet, it was a long drive up. But it was a beautiful drive. Poor Aidan, his ears kept popping, and he was fussy the whole way up. I was hoping he would take a nap, but that wasn’t going to happen. We had to stop about three-quarters the way up so Aidan's ears would adjust to the altitude change.

When we finally got to the top, Aidan was in a much better mood. He could get up and run around. He really seemed to enjoy it.

We bought some fudge, a sucker, and hacky sack at the gift shop on top of the mountain. The sucker was to help with his popping little ears, but instead, he fell asleep on the way down, well, most of the way down.

After Pikes Peak, we went to Seven Falls.

We took the elevator up to the viewing dock, then went to feed the chipmunks (although, you’re not supposed to). Aidan did great with them. He sat still and let them take the ‘fish food’ from his hand. He just giggled and smiled the entire time. After a while, he just started chasing them around and screaming. Those poor chipmunks.

Oh, and we must not forget about the sign that was posted by the chipmunk feeding area...

We went back to the house and started grilling up some hamburgers for dinner. Matt made some guacamole dip, which was amazing. Aidan ate that up, as well as some grapes and chips. Unfortunately, he didn’t eat many pieces of the hamburger, if any. But I’m just glad he ate what he did. Oh, did I mention he loves corn on the cob? Yeah, he ate a whole one all by himself.

After dinner, Aidan played again with the dogs for a while. Then he took a bath, and went to bed. Tonight, he actually went to bed early. Well, if you call 9:30 early. Derek and Matt went out, so maybe that had something to do with it as well.

Day 5
Oh, Sunday. Today was just a relaxing day. We didn’t do hardly anything. We just hung around the house, Aidan got his normal nap in, and we went to the park in the afternoon. Aidan loves the park. He loves just being outside and being free to run wherever. We stayed about an hour before heading back. We then ordered some pizza and chilled at the house all night.

Again, Aidan didn’t go to bed until about 9:30pm again. Boy, are we going to have a rough time trying to get him back to his normal schedule. He tossed and turned before waking up a couple hours later. He joined me in bed and slept really hard the rest of the night.

Day 6
Monday, Monday, Monday. We had to get up early to get on the road back home. Aidan decided he was going to sleep as long as possible. Of course, he didn’t wake up until about 6:20am. We left about 6:45am. We stopped to eat breakfast before getting out of town. And yet again, Aidan barely ate anything.

We drove for a few hours before stopping just past the border to switch drivers. Of course, Aidan was passed out, so he missed the opportunity to get out and run. He did wake up shortly after, so we stopped about an hour outside of Hays to let him stretch his legs. He seemed to really enjoy that. We stopped in Hays for lunch and gas. We ate at Freddy’s Frozen Custard. Aidan got a hot dog and fries. He ate the majority of everything. I was so proud of him. We even had to take the leftover fries with us, cause he kept eating them. After lunch, we turned on the movie Wall-E, and hit the road again. Aidan did finally take a nap, a 2 hour nap, after lunch. I was so glad, and he seemed well rested. We stopped again about 30 minutes outside of Topeka to let him run around. He loved it.

We ate dinner at Texas Roadhouse in Topeka. We had to try the ribs. Aidan did really well at dinner too. He must have been hungry. There was this man dressed in an armadillo costume that freaked Aidan out. He kept an eye on him the entire time.

The armadillo did come up to Aidan, but he made him cry. I guess it’s not a good time to introduce him to Santa Clause this year.

We got home rather late. Aidan didn’t fall asleep until almost 11pm. I decided to let him sleep in the next morning and take him to daycare later. Yeah, he sure did sleep. He slept until almost 9am!

We had a great vacation. I can’t wait to do this every year, or at least every other year. I know Aidan had a good time too.

Aidan's lil ears

We had our follow up appointment with the pediatrician today. His ears are not infected, but they do still have clear fluid behind them. The ENT referral for Children's Mercy never contacted us, only to find out that the doctor's office never faxed the form over. Fantastic. So they were supposed to fax it today, and I should hear from them in the next 7-10 days. The pediatrician believes that getting tubes put in may be the best route for him, since he has had recurring infections, and the cold/flu season is typically over. Also, the fluid hasn't drained in the last 6 weeks since his last appointment. She also noted that his ear drum doesn't move/vibrate well with the fluid behind it, causing some hearing loss/difficulty. Basically, noise sounds like he is hearing everything underwater and is muffled. Tubes are believed to be the best thing for him long-term.

Other things that she checked was his throat, which turned out to be red. His lymph nodes on his neck were also slightly swollen too. We did a strep test, and it came back negative. No fevers either. She wants to send the throat sample out for a culture just to be sure.

His lungs sound much better than the previous appointment as well. So overall, he seems to be doing alright. Once we hear from the ENT doctors, we will see what happens next. I also received another referral for a different doctor just in case CM takes too long.

New Beginnings...

I am so excited to announce that I have accepted a new position at NKCH as a Registered Nurse. I currently work as a nurse in a medical/surgical/oncology unit, and I will be transitioning to a strictly oncology floor. I am really excited to move, as the new job will be a day shift position (currently, I work night shift), and I truely believe that it will be better on my family and personal life.

The hospital also offers daycare, so Aidan will be able to come to work with me. They offer all 3 meals and 2 snacks, provide all diapers and wipes, and help them potty train when they turn 2. And we only have to pay for daycare on the days we use it. Which is awesome. That means I won't feel guilty when I keep Aidan home on my off days. And I will get to see him before he goes to bed every night. Oh, I look forward to that.

The best thing about this job is that it is literally 10 minutes from where I live. My other job is about 45 minutes, so I will be saving money on gas, as well as daycare. I can't wait to start on July 25th. It will truely be a change for the better.

Colorado Vacation....Part I: Denver

Here is a somewhat detailed day by day of our vacation.

Day 1
We left KC around 6:15am to head to Topeka to pick up Aidan. He was staying at my mom’s house for a couple days so we wouldn’t have to pay for a full week of daycare, and I had to work only one night shift this week. We ate breakfast at my mom’s (cinnamon rolls…yum), and started to head back on the road.

Unfortunately, we were running late, but what else is new when you have a toddler with you. We left Topeka about 8:20am (we were hoping to leave by 8), and headed off towards Colorado.

Aidan did well in the beginning. Although he didn’t eat hardly any breakfast, we was in a pretty good mood. We put on Sesame Street for a couple hours, then watched Cars. He seemed to enjoy that, all while playing on his magnet doodle.

We didn’t want him to sleep before lunch, or he would be up all night. Well, I guess you can say we almost got our wish.

Aidan started getting pretty cranky about 20-30 minutes from Hays, where the plan was to stop for lunch. So, he did end up falling asleep for about 20 minutes, only to wake up (well, I forced him to wake up) so he could eat. Yeah right. He barely touched his lunch too. I figured he would be super hungry, since he has barely eaten all morning. Boy was I wrong. He ate some French fries, that’s it. I guess he will eat when he is hungry.

I was really hoping that after lunch he would take a nap (like usual). Nope. He sat in his car seat, playing and fussing off and on. We put in Wall-E, in hopes that that would help him fall asleep. Nope. It was pointless. He was so tired. Our next stop was around the Colorado/Kansas border. After 2 ½ hours of fussiness, I decided to switch driving with Derek, so I can try to soothe him. Well, I did, and he finally fell asleep about 3:30pm, and slept until we arrived to the hotel in Denver. With the time change, we arrived about 4:40pm. The only thing I have to say about Denver, was OMG the traffic is HORRIBLE! Of course, we had to arrive around rush hour, go figure.

We went to dinner at Famous Daves, which was conveniently located across the street from where we were staying. Aidan enjoyed some ribs and fries, oh, and my corn on the cob.

He ate about half of a rib, once he didn’t know what to do with it after making his fingers and hands really messy. He would only eat it if we held it for him. Then he enjoyed some Oreo Cookies, however, he only ate the center cream filling.

After dinner, we pretty much went to bed. With the time change and driving all day, we were exhausted. Sadly, we went to bed around 8pm here (9pm central time).

Day 2
We woke up around 6am, Aidan woke up about 6:30am. We ate breakfast at the ‘free hot breakfast buffet’ provided by our hotel. Well, Aidan ate some luke warm eggs, yogurt, and 3 sausage links. I am just glad he is eating better now that we are off the road. Our plans today were to go to the Denver Zoo.
.

We left for the zoo just a little after 9am, in hopes of avoiding the morning traffic. We arrived at the zoo around 9:30am. There was supposed to be a Sea Lion show at 10:30, but it was cancelled. So we walked around letting Aidan run up to the exhibits to look at the animals. He had a blast. He really enjoyed looking at the fish, sea lions, birds, lions, and monkeys. When he first saw the monkeys, he called them ‘nanas’. He has a stuffed monkey he received for Valentine’s Day that we named Bananas, and so he calls him ‘nanas’. It was so cute. He made the sounds of the animals, as best he could. Later we ate lunch and went to watch the Wildlife Show. They had several free-flying birds and a couple of exotic animals. Aidan really seemed to enjoy it, although he was getting very sleepy. It was about 2pm, and he was surely ready for a nap. We decided to go ahead and leave the zoo so he can get some zzz’s, and sure enough, before even walking out to the parking lot, he was snoozing. He slept through being transferred out of the stroller, into the car seat, out of the car seat, and back to the hotel room. And he slept for 2 hours! Woo-hoo!

When Aidan finally woke up around 4pm, we lounged around for a little bit before heading to dinner. We went to a restaurant called Casa Bonita. This restaurant has cliff divers that dive from a 30 foot waterfall into a 14 foot deep pool down below. It was pretty entertaining and Aidan really seemed to like it.

Derek went out with his friends after dinner, and Aidan and I hung out in the hotel room for the night. Aidan finally passed out about 9:30pm (10:30pm central time), which is really past his bedtime.

Day 3
Our morning started around 7am. Aidan woke up all by himself, and we went to eat breakfast. Aidan really enjoys his yogurt and sausage for breakfast.

We are due to check out of the hotel today, and head down to Colorado Springs later. We hung out at the hotel until about 10:30am, so that we can plan our day around lil man’s naptime. While Derek and I packed up, Aidan hung out watching movies.

Once we left the hotel, we headed to the Downtown Aquarium in downtown Denver.

Aidan loves looking at the fish. As in, he runs up to the window, puts his little face up against it, and ooh’s and awes over all the little swimmers. He also enjoyed the shark tank as well. They had small (well, maybe not so small) windows under our feet so that the sharks can swim under us. Aidan really enjoyed that, although it took him a little bit to be able to stand over it.

At the end of the aquarium, they had a stingray pool. We were able to touch and/or feed the stingrays there. Well, Aidan wanted to touch them, but he couldn’t find the courage to do it. He freaked when they got close, which is what I had expected. I did touch one, and it was pretty awesome. We didn’t feed them though, but I don’t think I missed out on much.

We left the aquarium and went to lunch before the long drive down to Colorado Springs (it’s really only about an hour and a half). We got to Colorado Springs around 4pm, so we went to the Garden of the Gods to kill some time. Now that was a beautiful site. Aidan sure did enjoy it…well enjoyed running the entire path around the park. He fell down so many times, but kept getting right back up and took off running again. Poor baby has so many cuts/scrapes/bruises on his arms and legs. But, he sure is one tough kid!

We met up with our hosts, Matt & Kacie, about 6pm, and went to dinner at a local brewery. Of course, Aidan ate like a bird. Are French fries in one of the food groups?! Oy, he just doesn’t get the kind of nutrition I would like for him to have. Oh well, I try.

Aidan enjoyed playing with Matt & Kacie’s 2 dogs all night. He didn’t even go to bed until almost 10pm (which is 11pm central time). Considering his normal bedtime is around 8:30pm, he sure is turning into an night owl.