Superman Turns Three!

Three years old.

Yep.

But with the sadness that my baby boy is growing up so quickly comes the excitement of the party! And I have to say that this was his best one yet. Jamie and I had a blast, and I hope that the rest of our family and friends feel the same!

Ever since last year's birthday gift from "Uncle B" (Captain America stuff), Aiden's obsession with super heroes has grown tremendously. I know way more than I ever knew I could know about super heroes, their affiliates, groups to whom they belong, villains, and their alter egos. And my kid? knows about twice as much as that. He now has an always growing (much to my chagrin) collection of super hero t-shirts. I will admit, though, that some are still cute. {Thank you, GAP and Old Navy} His closet holds a dress-up drawer where you can find everything you need in order to go fight crime and two drawers full of every figure that graces the aisles of Target or a commercial break on The Hub. The fact is: My kid can't get enough. He wants to get the bad guys 24/7, and if you agree to be his accomplice? Good luck getting out of it.

With that said, the theme for this year's party was a huge "DUH". We would celebrate SUPER HERO STYLE!

We even invited the guests to join in on the fun, and dress as their favorite hero or villain. We think dress up parties are kind of awesome. Actually, our family used to do them quite a bit, so we were all a little more than excited to bring it back.

After months of planning our "outfits" and Aiden going back and forth, back and forth about who we should all dress as, we finally made up our minds his mind! IT. WAS. SO. MUCH. FUN. Jamie and Aiden were originally dressing as Superman together, but they just don't make the adult costume for a 6 foot 2 man! Which I found kind of ironic. So instead, Jamie opted for the alter ego, Clark Kent. When we found the fedora, I was sold. We found Anna Scott's Wonder Woman onesie at Old Navy which was awesome! I had pinned it long ago, and was anticipating a long, drawn-out internet search. Aiden is a fan of the Super Hero Squad show, and I have been told since the beginning that I would be Miss Marvel, aka "Yellow Hair". Mind you, this is NOT the comic book Miss Marvel for the adult crowd. She's the one who wears clothes. We all had a great time shopping and putting the looks together, and I'm sure Jamie and I scored major cool points.

We weren't the only cool people, though. Batman and Robin were there, and they brought their Avenger friends, Captain America and Black Widow!

Among the other guests were Wonder Woman, a somewhat taller version of Captain America, a cute, mini Black Widow, and Batman and Catwoman! Aiden was so thrilled to see everyone dressed up as his favorite heroes! To say I loved seeing his reaction would be a major understatement.

 There were four different tables: Batman, Captain America, The Hulk, and Iron Man. The main table was decorated in honor of the Birthday Boy, Superman! There was a Superman cake, snacks, pizza, hero cupcakes, and even Kryptonite Cookies!

And Superman got everything his little superhero heart could wish for. And MORE! Seeing his little face light up was just about the sweetest and cutest thing ever!

After everything was opened, he had one last surprise from Mommy and Daddy...

A Spiderman Bicycle!

After gifts and cake, everyone went out for a swim, and even more fun was had! We are so beyond blessed to have family and friends that love our little boy as much as we do. Jamie and I were talking about it later that night, and both agreed that we had not had that much fun in a long time. 

I hope Aiden remembers each and every birthday, not because of the gifts, but because of who was there to celebrate along with him. He is so loved. And I am glad he knows that.

Happy Birthday, Little Man! We love you!

Anna Scott's Baby Book - Three Months Old

Baby Girl,

I am sure I've said it before, and I know I will say it over and over throughout your life, but I cannot believe how time has flown. You are Three Months Old! As sad as it is to see you grow out of those teeny tiny onesies and socks, you are getting cuter and sweeter each day. I have always said that God made children grow in the perfect way. All of the fun, exciting, and cute things you do make it hard for me to get sad about you not being small anymore. He really knows what He's doing, huh? 

This month, you have really developed more personality. You are still my little social butterfly. You smile from ear to ear to anyone who talks to you. You "talk" (coo, gurgle, ooh, and ahh) almost non-stop. My favorite is when I'm holding you and talking on the phone, you start grinning and cooing like I'm talking to you. So sweet. Every morning when I wake you or go to pick you up, you squint your cute little eyes and squinch your nose while giving the sweetest baby grin ever. And when I say every morning, I mean every morning. Even if you're fussy and hungry, you find a way to give me that smile. You also smile every time you see Aiden walk into view. He loves it! Mommy loves it too.

You laugh a lot more now. It seems you like silly noises and to be a little startled. The weirder I can be and the more it surprises you, the harder you'll giggle. It is just so cute. Anytime I try to get you on camera doing something, you will stare straight at the camera. This can be frustrating because it distracts you from laughing at me! But you sure do know how to lay the charm on thick. You bat those eyelashes and smile right into the lens. This is hilarious and scary at the same time. But we've had the chat about boys. But when we did you just laughed at me, of course.

We spend about half of our weeks at the swimming pool. You love it because, as I've said before, you love being naked. You are perfectly content just laying in the shade looking around or napping. Unless you decide you would rather be held. The past couple of times, you've not been to happy about Mommy putting you down. But that's okay! (wink-wink)

Ready for the pool

You take two little naps each day and one big three hour nap. You are sleeping 12 hours each night! Your big brother didn't do this until he was six months old! So good job, sista! You still wake a few times (but not fully) to fight your paci. Spit it out, whine, spit it out, whine... But you figure it out and go right back to snoozing. 

You have found your little hands and sometimes seem amazed by them. Putting them in your mouth, swaying them in front of your face, clasping them together. It really is so cute. So far, no thumb sucking (phew).

Your favorite activities include baths, cuddling (especially in the Boba), looking at things, talking to people, blowing bubbles, chewing on Sophie, and watching your hands. You still poo and pee with the diaper off, but much less now, thank you! You also do this cute thing with your feet. You put them together like praying hands. I kinda love it.

I packed away your first box of clothes which made me tear up a bit. But I am enjoying dressing you in all of your cute little outifits! I am guessing this will only get worse as time goes on. Poor Daddy.

Tummy time is becoming more fun for you. You can hold yourself up much longer and kick your little legs like you are trying to crawl. Sometimes, when you want to be picked up, you will try to do a sit-up. This is something your brother did all. the. time. and it used to scare me, but he turned out okay, so I'm not as worried. But it sure does look like you're working on a six-pack. You are definitely getting stronger! 

This next month, you will be starting cereal, and my least favorite, sleep training. This means you will be sleeping in your crib in your own room! Without a swaddle! I'm sure this will be harder on me than you. We will soon find out. 

I love you so much, Sweet Girl.

Love,
Mommy

30 Day/300 Ab Challenge

Let me start with saying that I hate working out. Which may come as a surprise if you saw my yoga pant/Under Armour collection. I'm a major poser. I once saw them referred to as "fake out" clothes. I couldn't help but snicker. Honestly, I can count two times in my life that I actually stuck with any kind of workout plan. Both of those phases were when I was childless. And both were short-lived. The only other experience I have with fitness is the occasional dusting off and playing of a $10 Pilates DVD when I feel extra squishy (usually right before swimsuit shopping...or most often after). So needless to say, I've never seen any kind of results-my fault, of course. I think I'm too impatient. Or skeptical. Or both.

Enter Shannon Dew and her blog post on the 30 Day/300 Ab Challenge. I saw her results and was sold. It's different than seeing results on an infomercial. It was a real woman. A real mom. That's one thing I love about the blog world--getting advice and recommendations that you can trust. All I can say is girlfriend rocked this workout. I knew I had to try it. So, one night, I asked my hubs to be my motivator/coach (because I know my tendency to give up).

Days 1-5
SUCKED. I felt like an out of shape, goopy, sloth-like loser. And when I would wake up the next day , I simply felt like I would die. Okay, a little dramatic, but keep in mind I do absolutely no physical activity (other than lifting a baby and walking up and downstairs...oh, and shopping)

Day 5-8/today
I no longer feel sore throughout the day. I still am feeling a burn during the workout, but don't find myself having to take breaks every 5-10 reps. (Yeah, that's right. I said "reps". I talk the lingo now) I can get through the whole workout in under 15 minutes. I still can't do a legit sit-up without tucking my feet under furniture, but that gives me something to work toward. I also started to see and feel results around day 6! I felt like I was standing up straighter, and felt stronger somehow. It's like I felt more solid? Does that make sense? I also have noticed that I eat less and less often. I no longer look at eating half of a pizza as an enjoyable activity. I can be just as happy with one slice. Not sure if it's physical or just an I-don't-wanna-mess-this-up mentality, but either way, I feel healthier and I like it. My saggy post-baby pouch is shrinking and I'm noticing more definition to my tummy. Also, it doesn't protrude to 15 weeks preggo status after I eat a meal. That may be my favorite thing.

Day 1 vs. Day 7

Bottom line?
This workout is quick, it's easy (once you get past the hellacious first few days), and you get fast results. I feel healthier. I drink more water. I eat less. I'm sticking with it. It's perfect for this mommy of two. I can't wait to see everyone else's results! Thanks, Shannon, for the inspir- and perspir-ation!

Anna Scott's Baby Book - Two Months Old

Baby Boo,

Happy Two Month Birthday! This month flew past us faster than your first. Everything has evened out, and we now have a beautiful schedule! You, Aiden, and I run our days like a well-oiled machine! But, we are still flexible whenever we want to get out and have some fun. You are down to taking six bottles a day and sleep 9-10 hours straight each night! Thank you!! You have been sleeping for longer stretches for a few weeks now. 

Every morning during our snuggle time I notice how much you have grown. You've lost that pinkness and traded it for that baby soft skin, chubby cheeks, and chunky legs. I'm loving dressing you up in outfits! I could spend hours and hundreds of dollars in the baby stores. I am more than a little obsessed with all things pink. 

Talking, I have to say, is probably your favorite activity. Cooing, gurgling, squealing, and clicking (this cute noise you make with your mouth closed) are at a constant while holding you. You also always greet people with a smile. A big one too. And if we don't reciprocate, you get a little upset. You really like Mommy to make silly sounds. That keeps you entertained and content, but leaves my lips a little numb. 

You can fall asleep by yourself for your "big" naps and night time, but you love to be swaddled and sometimes you need your paci. Every time I swaddle you, I have to give your feetsies super smoochie kisses. It's a ritual I did with your brother too. I just can't not do it. During your "little" naps, Mommy likes to snuggle you, so I let you curl up on my chest. It's kinda my favorite. Other times, you will sleep in your swing-like when I have chores to do or food to stuff my face with.

Your favorite things to look at are the floor lamp by our rocking chair, the TV, people talking to you, and your teddy bear mobile. I crank it up for you while I wash your bottles in the morning. They keep you mesmerized. 

When you feel me put your bib on or you see your bottle, you start smacking your lips for your bottle. It gets me tickled every time. Just too cute. You still like to poop when the diaper is off, although it has gotten a lot better. I thank you for that. You have grown to love bath time as well. I knew you would because you love being naked. Ha. 

We had to take you for your doctor appointment yesterday, and while you impressed her with hitting all of your milestones (rolling from side to back, mini push-up, smiling, etc), you had to get your shots. It broke my heart. But, like your brother, you cried a little and then you were fine! Tough girl.

rolling from side to back

mini push-up

I thank God every day for giving me you, little girl. Just laying my eyes on you brings tears to my eyes. You remind me that miracles happen, and that God has a beautiful plan. I love you-love you!

Love, 

Mommy

Guess What?!

Needless to say, I feel like a new woman. I actually had the energy to clean the ENTIRE house today. I just love my baby girl! She's growing up so fast. Let's hope this happens again and again!

Anna Scott's Baby Book - One Month Old

Hey Sweet Baby Girl,

Today you are officially one month old. I remember the first month going by quickly with your brother, so I truly have tried to savor every moment with you since we met. But time has still flown. It is so exciting yet heartbreaking at the same time. You have the sweetest little disposition and seem to be adapting to this new world of yours very well! Your family and I have enjoyed every minute we have shared with you, and cannot wait for the many more we will have in the months to come.

You simply are the cutest little baby (girl) bundle I have ever set my eyes on. You are so special to me and your daddy. Even though you are still so tiny, you still have found ways to either makes us swoon or die laughing. Around three weeks, you started to "ooh" and "ahh" and smile at us. Mommy was able to get it on video! You make the cutest (and sometimes funniest) little expressions. 

You sure are unique and special. Did you know that you cry real tears? You have since our stay in the hospital, something that is pretty rare. Most newborns don't produce tears until later. This, my friend, has been working greatly to your advantage as it breaks my heart to hear you cry AND to see those streaks down your cheeks. Also, I would like to take this time to thank you for all of the "accidents" that have happened involving you and an open diaper. I always heard this is a boy thing, but you have proven that to be false. And did I mention that it ain't just the peepee? Yeah. Pro. Jec. Tile. Lucky for us, I have developed a super-stealth-ninja diaper swap that keeps you (and me-and the bedding-and your clothes) clean and dry. Speaking of laundry, we sure go through a lot due to your spitting up. Bless your little heart. I hate to see you uncomfortable. But the doctor says it's okay, and you are handling it like a champ! Much better than I handled reflux while pregnant. You go girl! 

Sometimes I call you "Baby Grunts". Grunting is pretty much your favorite noise to make. You grunt in your sleep, while you eat, and even while you poo and pee! It really is the cutest thing. And it's nice that you give me a heads up to change your diapers! Also, when you sleep, you like to sing to yourself. Another sound that I just love. 

So far, you seem to be a lot like your brother in that you are laid back and easy-going. But with most other things, you are different. He hated to have his diaper changed or be anywhere close to naked. You? Love it. Unless you're in the bathtub. You're still getting used to that one. He also did not care for the car seat. You could stay in it for hours. And while on the topic of your brother, he is just as smitten with you as everyone else! He always has to kiss you, and is so good at helping take care of you. Hopefully, that never changes.

You have hit many exciting milestones! You can hold your head up, sleep for a 5-6 hour stretch, take 4-5 ounces each feeding, turn your head to find a sound or voice, and even try to talk to us. I can't wait to go through next month's milestones with you. Every day spent with you and Aiden are just the best days of my life! You are my answered prayer, Baby Girl. I love you.

Love,

Mommy