9 Months

Aiden went to the doctor for his 9 month check-up last Tuesday:  19 lbs 12 oz 

Although he only gained a few ounces in a few weeks, he is still growing. We are now wearing 18 months clothes in some instance (everything seems to fit so different--and he is still short legged). The funny part about Aiden is that his feet are in size 1. Kyle also wears 18 months clothes, although we buy larger so they'll fit him longer. One large wardrobe for both kids now!!

He is such a growing boy. Monday of last week, for instance, he ate:
05:00      8 oz bottle (cries when it is gone)
08:00      3/4 c applesauce

10:30      1/2 banana
              4 oz peas
              4 oz bottle
(4 hour nap today---or at least the boys were in their room that long)
03:15      6 oz soy yogurt
              1 c puffs
              1 pkg freeze dried pears
05:45      3/4 c cauliflower and Indian spiced meat dinner
06:45      7 oz bottle

He is almost exactly like Kyle who used to eat 40-50 jars of baby food in a week. This time, I am smarter in that I just blend up dinner and such. That kid can eat. It seems he went from really only consuming formula thru the day about a month ago to becoming my great eater who is always up for food, any kind. Food makes him happier than anything else besides me!

Today, I finally used the benefits of this blog. I looked back at my posts from Kyle's 9 month period. He had been crawling for awhile and was pulling himself up and walking around objects. He also would walk with his push toy. But most importantly Kyle weighed 14 lbs 11 oz and he was wearing 6 months clothes. I thought for sure Aiden would weigh much more than Kyle did at that point--although I guess 5 lbs is 1/3 of Kyle's weight at that time :)

Yard Surprises

Yup, that is what our front yard looks like. Honestly, that is what most of the back yard looks like too. The previous owner did a wonderful job keeping it up :)

However, a week after we moved in bulbs started to come up. Several more weeks brings us to this week and---that is what we have now. Pretty flowers in all the ugliness. Although the bulbs in the back haven't bloomed yet, this small patch out front is really. Kyle even shows me the flowers every time we leave the house :)

Bath Time

Last week there were a lot of big changes for Aiden (he got two more teeth---with two more days away), but we also retired the bath seat. So now, he sits in the bath tub. It makes me really nervous because Kyle has become fascinated with rolling him over, pulling him down, and rocking him and I fear he'll still do that in the tub. But the seat was becoming too small, Aiden would reach for something and almost fall out, and Kyle was trying to pull him out. So far, Aiden being graduated to the tub has been working. 

I love how I was never let in on the secret that kitchen utensils and water bottles are the best toys, and not just in the bath tub. This happened because Kyle stole them from a box. But I am totally on board now.

Seriously, look at how rolly-polly Aiden is compared to Kyle. 

It Can Be Done

So my husband, Evan, the good old Oklahoma boy was raised on steak, potatoes, and gravy. I like good potatoes (mashed that is), but I have never been a fan of the other two. I had about five steaks or less in my life before Evan and I became an item. However, since then, I have eaten steak at least 2 times a month if not more at Sunday dinners with his family. I still don't eat gravy though.

This post is mostly for Teresa, because her husband, Chris, grew up with Evan and they both love their steak. But Teresa and I do not do our husbands too proud, in that we don't really cook a lot of meat and definitely not steak. Once in our married life, maybe over a year ago, I cooked some steaks. They were okay, but dry and I just wasn't that in to them. I have also stooped to make him biscuits and gravy (my stomach hates even the thought) twice in our married life. But recently, I have found myself happy to eat steak at his parents, and I'll even eat it medium rare. Mom doesn't even bother making me chicken any more.

Well, petite sirloin steaks were on sale this week. Some times I buy them and freeze them and use one to make a good stir fry. However, I decided to make steak for dinner. Asparagus was also on sale.....oh my goodness, I LOVE asparagus. So Teresa, here is how to make a fabulous steak with no training.

I tweaked the marinade from www.SkinnyTaste.com for a recipe from a rack of lamb Dijon glaze recipe. So take your steaks, I did four (we ate all of them--even Kyle ate 1/4 a steak). Place in gallon ziplock bag (at least a few hours before the meal): add 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 good spoonfuls dijon mustard, a good shake dry mustard powder, 4 cloves smashed garlic (I used a bottle), 1/2 spoonful sugar, good shakes of rosemary---she goes on and on about fresh, but I have a bottle---a good shake of basil, 1 tbsp olive oil. Rub (Kyle loved this) into the meat. All of this was eyeballed. Let it sit in the fridge and remove to come to room temp 1 hour before meal. Put foil over one baking sheet.

Kyle and I snapped the asparagus together. Put foil over second baking sheet. Place asparagus on the sheet, drizzle some olive oil, sprinkle some curry powder and then roll the spears around until they are evenly covered.

Place the steak on the baking sheet, put it on the high rack in your oven and the asparagus in the middle rack. Broil for 3.5 minutes. Flip steaks. Let it continue for another 3.5 minutes. Change the places of the baking sheet (asparagus on top, steak on bottom). Cook for 5 minutes at 375 degrees. Pull out the steaks and broil asparagus for another minute or two. Let the steak rest for 5 minutes. I'd never done that---I thought it was way too red, but after resting it was just right.

Serve and enjoy. Evan even said my steak was better than his mother's---the highest compliment in our house when it comes to food.

I cooked dinner, we ate leisurely and even discussed the government shut-down (I heard about that on Facebook), and I did the dishes (tin foil in the baking pans) all within 45 minutes. Amazing. Try it Teresa, he'll love you for it and rave, who doesn't need that :)

Dentistry

 We went to the dentist on Thursday. It was so freakin' fabulous and fantastic. Kyle loved it and he was so good. I am bursting with parental pride and they told me such great things about him---although he has an over bite from sucking his thumb. That is how it goes, he could have one from a pacifier. He also is still young yet.

 The "tickler," she was so kind and told him about how all the tools worked and let him play with all of them. This was the cleaning tool.
 

Aiden was fascinated by the whole process. All the tools made noise, so......

Tickling the chair arm. 

The squirter, she really let him squirt water all around!

Kyle's squirting. 

The sucker. He used it more like a wand.

Cute patient little brother.

He was getting reclined (when we repositioned him to where he should have been his little feet didn't even come down to the joint in the chair) and the hygienist was going on and on about how wonderful and cooperative Kyle was. She said most two year olds don't do that well---the dentist even went so far as to say that he was well adjusted. They were so kind and wanted to make sure that he didn't get traumatized. They weren't going to do anything that he didn't want. Kyle, like he is with all medical stuff, has no problem letting people examine, poke, and prod him. He did every thing that they wanted, no problem. So compliant. :) Not like he is at home. He wasn't super chatty, he was actually kind of shy, but very good.

The actual cleaning. The hygenist was so impressed that he did it all so well and willingly. He got down from the chair as soon as she was done. But he still talks about the TV in the sky---there were TV's playing movies above the chairs. I told you it was awesome.

The doctor came to count his teeth and examine. The doctor asked me if I wanted it done in my lap or in the chair. I asked Kyle and he wanted to be in the chair. So back in he went and he let them do everything they wanted.

He got the cap for being a new patient, and he got the mask for being cavity free. They took his picture in front of a bulletin board in his get up to add to their collection. Overall, he was amazing and he loved it.

Just a cute picture to end this long post.

Conference Sunday

The first day of General Conference (where we watch apostles and the prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints address the members world wide) didn't go as I had hoped. I was interrupted during the morning session by Zoie needing to use my house to film something for her multimedia class. Then I was able to do lunch with the boys and lay them down for a nap and listen to the last thirty minutes uninterrupted.

During the second session (two to four), my landlord came over to install blinds and we only have one radio, so I just couldn't hear and there were way to many distractions. The kids don't exactly stay quiet.

However, Sunday went much better. Kyle was a little distracting, but Aiden slept through the whole second session. In between sessions, Kyle and Zoie even built a snowman. He loved that and really wanted to play more in the snow, but he won't touch it just walk in it. If it touches his skin he has a meltdown in a way I've never seen equaled.

The kids with the grandparents munching on cereal

Aiden loves to eat

The snowman built by Zoie and Kyle 

He loved using the dog ball flinger to scoop snow

Trees

Friday morning, I realized that one of the trees in the backyard had blossomed overnight. It is gorgeous. 

 

Then I woke up this morning to find the tree looking like this (sorry, this time the outside deck/walkway is showing because I wasn't going to go outside to take the picture).

I don't really mind though, it is how it is every year in Utah and I think it makes us appreciate the real arrival of spring/summer.