Merry Christmas!

This was an eventful week! On Monday, I went to the doctor's office for an ultrasound, where we found out that we are going to have a baby girl! When we talked to Aidan about it in the morning, we told Aidan that when the baby was born it would be their birthday. Aidan responded, "When the baby in Mommy's tummy comes out, I'm going to sing her happy birthday!" That night, when we told Aidan that he was going to have a little sister, he said, "when she comes, I'm going to give her a hug!" :)


After an office party on Tuesday night and some late night packing, we all took a plane on Wednesday morning to San Francisco. We are spending Christmas with Uncle Gabe, Aunt Karen, and Cousin Miya this Christmas, and we were all looking forward to the vacation! The plane trip went well: Aidan fell asleep before the plane left the ground and slept for 2 hours, and then was totally happy watching Wonderpets and garbage truck DVDs, reading books, playing with another kid one aisle ahead of us, and hanging out. Uncle Gabe picked us up from the airport, and soon we were over the Golden Gate Bridge and on vacation for real!


We have had a great time chilling out and catching up on some much-needed relaxing. Aidan has been thrilled to play with Cousin Miya, and she has been wonderful with him! Mommy and Aunt Karen, who are both pregnant, have had fun catching up and commiserating, and Daddy and Uncle Gabe have had fun being Daddy jungle-gyms and catching up, too. Aidan has been singing lots of silly songs, our favorite so far being: "Hi, ho, the dairy-oh, I love trains!" He is also picking up on silly things to say, like (thanks to Daddy and Uncle Gabe), "Oh, the humanity!"


On Thursday, Mommy made breakfast streudal and apple pie, and then we all had fun visiting and going to the park with Uncle Chris and Aunt Lauren, who drove in for the afternoon. On Friday we had a simple and delicious Christmas dinner of turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, carrots, spinach dip with sourdough bread, and apple pie. It was wonderful, and everyone chipped in to make it very easy to do. After a mid-afternoon Christmas dinner, we Skyped with the rest of the Ruane clan (Grandma and Grandpa Ruane, Uncle Matt, Aunt Devon, and Cousins Rae and Elsey) in Los Osos. During the conversation, we asked Aidan, "What is the name of the baby in Mommy's belly?" and he said, "Jesus!" We're not going to go with that option, but it definitely made everyone laugh!


We will be here until Friday night, and are glad that we have a chance to keep relaxing for a while. :)

First sledding

This week, we got Aidan a new "big boy" (twin) bed! After jumping on it for a while, he warmed up to it quickly, and has been sleeping on it great! It is amazing to see him off the crib mattress and on a "real" bed.


Mommy and Daddy also managed to succesfully make it though some gigantic work projects, which will make our Christmas vacation next week much more peaceful and joyeous!



On Saturday, Aidan's friend Cira (and her Mommy Mary) came over to our house for a playdate, and Aidan had fun sharing his new toys. Although there were a couple of arguments, the kids for the most part played very nicely together, which was wonderful! Since we don't see Cira and Mary at playschool and so don't see each other as much anymore, it was really nice to catch up.


On Saturday afternoon, it started snowing, and by Sunday morning, we woke up to a winter wonderland. It had snowed about 8 inches! Daddy had checked the forecast, and had bought sleds on Friday night, so we were all prepared. We walked up to a little hill in Fort Tryon park with our sled, and Aidan had his first sled ride! He was a very good sport about going down the first time, but after that he got cold and kept saying, "I want to go home!" We stayed for a little while with our friends Johnny (& Mark & Christa & Oliver) and Jakob (& Dorota & Andy), but then we gave in and went home. It was too cold to make a snowman (the snow wasn't sticking), so we'll have to do that some other time. After we got home, we went up to Jakob's apartment (on the 6th floor), and warmed up with some hot cocoa and some trains. This afternoon, we are going to try to make a snowman in Bennett park, and then go over to a holiday party at our friend Rowan's (& Kimberly and Jarrod) house. This has been a fun holiday weekend!

Early Christmas

This Friday, Aidan got sick and had to stay home from playschool. He woke up, threw up, and was lethargic, with a 100.5 degree fever (poor baby!). Fortunately, after he had an almost 4 hour nap (10AM-1:45PM), he felt much better (still had a cough, but didn't have the fever and was cheerful). Since Mommy and Daddy had rearranged our schedules around him, we were all able to enjoy the weekend starting early on Friday afternoon!


On Friday night, Grandma and Grandpa Ruane drove over and spent all day Saturday doing a first early round of Christmas with us. We ate a delicious Christmas breakfast (Mommy made her family's breakfast streudal and fruit salad with hot chocolate and tea), and somehow managed to mostly keep her family's tradition of opening most of the presents *after* breakfast and cleanup. (Aidan opened a few beforehand, but then didn't mind waiting, incredibly enough!) Aidan was amazed to open his new Aidan-sized kitchen, tool bench, legos and truck set, among his piles of presents, and had to stop regularly to play with different things, before moving on to open the next present.


After presents, we all took the train downtown to Rockefeller Plaza to see the giant Christmas tree and look at the Sach's 5th Avenue Christmas window displays. Aidan fell asleep on the way back and had a nice nap, after which we all played basketball and soccer at the blacktop next door. Finally, we grabbed dinner at Blue Agave (a nice new Mexican place in our neighborhood), and even ran into carolers on our way home. Grandma and Grandpa left after dinner, and after Aidan went to bed, Mommy and Daddy had fun with our new Wii and Wii fit (Thanks, Nana!) We had a very nice, Christmasy day!

First snow

This week went by quickly. The best part was getting our very own Christmas tree on Tuesday (the first time Mommy and Daddy have had our own tree since we grew up) and downloading lots of favorite Christmas music from Itunes. (I was thrilled! I love Christmas!) Aidan continued to entertain us with his language. At bathtime one day, as he watched the water spin down the drain, he said: "the water spins around the tornado, and it goes on a boat, and it goes on a train, and it has dinner!" He also claimed, very emphatically, that: "I am NOT kissable" (though he wasn't very convincing about this, despite his emphasis!).

This weekend, we had a lot of fun. On Saturday, it snowed for the first time this year, and we made gingerbread cookies! We all loved them, and it made the day felt so merry and bright. :) On Sunday, we went to Costco and went back a couple of times to the fudge tasting both, as well as having a good shopping run. Mommy also got some work done and visited with some college friends, and Aidan and Daddy also went on the trains to the Innwood parks.



One of the games which Aidan has liked playing recently is a singing game where we alternate singing parts. So, for example, he'll start singing "A, B, C, D" and then pause, and then we sing "E, F, G" and then he chimes in again "H, I J, K" and so on. He especially likes doing it with songs he knows really welll, like ABC, Twinkle Twinkle, and Old MacDonald. It's fun!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Aidan and Mama had a happy reunion after playschool on Monday. Aidan was thrilled to see me, but also (understandably) mad at me for having left all weekend. I was just thrilled to see my kissable boy!


We had a short week! Daddy was able to take off work on Wednesday, so we drove up to the Catskills on Tuesday night. Mama was going to try to get work done on Wednesday, but Aidan got upset and said: "all of us stay together!" so we ended up just chilling out together: we bought apple tarts, cinnamon rolls and cranberry-chocolate cake from Bread Alone (our favorite bakery), played with trains, walked to the stream, ate pizza at Brios for dinner, watched an owl right outside the window at Grandma and Grandpa's mountain house, and enjoyed each other's company.


On Wednesday, people started arriving. Grandma and Grandpa Ruane and Daddy's cousin Kevin and Sara drove up first. Then the rest of the weekend was full of visitors: Carol, David, and Danielle, Bob, Elli, and Tim; Helen and Rudy; Peg, Chris, and their exchange student Matt; and, of course, Marguerite and Nadir. We had Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday, since Bob was on call on Thursday, but the food was still delicious!


Aidan loved playing with Grandpa, helping Grandma cook, and playing trains with Kevin and Sarah. He also loved listening to Tim and Bob play piano: he pulled up a chair two feet away from the piano when they started to play, and just sat and watched in awe! And he even gave a concert to the full thanksgiving dinner crowd: singing "Twinkle Twinkle" and accompanying himself on the piano! We also showed Grandma and Grandpa Aidan's new "letter game", where he types letters on the computer: he tells us what he wants to write, we tell him what letters to click, and then he writes things! While Mama was in Seattle, he sent me an email that he had typed entirely himself that said:

"MISS YOU MOMMY

LOVE, AIDAN
XOXOX"


It was nice to see everyone. We drove home on Sunday after lunch with a very sleepy Aidan who had stayed up late every night, and until midnight on Saturday night, and who was very happy to have a nice long nap in the car through Thanksgiving traffic!

Hooray, Goldbug!

This week, drop-offs at daycare got a whole lot better. Aidan has seemed to be happy AT daycare for a while (he is almost always happy when we pick him up, and he frequently doesn't want to leave, at least right away). But he continued to frequently be unhappy about *going* there in the morning. Mama was starting to get really worried about this, but then, this week, things really changed! Last Friday, while Daddy was coming back from Germany, he had a completely happy drop-off (after a week of experimentation about what would be better or worse). Then, even though things changed (Daddy came back), Daddy was able to drop him off perfectly happily the entire week this past week as well! It is such a relief, and we are so happy about it! It has helped that we are now bringing one of Aidan's favorite books (Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go) to playschool: Aidan loves looking for "Goldbug" (kind of like "Where's Waldo") in that book, and he is now happy to keep playing that game with a teacher when we (usually Daddy) has to leave in the morning. Hooray for Goldbug!


This Friday, I (Mama) flew to Seattle by myself for the whole weekend to visit my sister Frances. This was the first time I have ever been away from Aidan for more than about 12 hours at a time! I had a fantastic weekend (pedicures, shopping, zoo, aquarium, lots of yummy food, a sunset hike - and FRANCES!)! :) Aidan was not thrilled to wake up in the mornings without his cuddles with Mama (which are our routine), but he had a wonderful time with Daddy: they went on the Staten Island Ferry, shopped at Target, visited with Daddy's Uncle Bob and Aunt Elli, and enjoyed his Aidan-Daddy time. Mama flew back in on a red-eye and got in Monday morning, just after Aidan went to playschool. We are all looking forward to hanging out together and enjoying Thanksgiving in the Catskills this week!

"Why not?"

This week, Daddy was in Germany (Sunday through Friday), and Aidan and Mama hung out together, and Aidan went to playschool like normal. We were happy to have some Skype dates on the computer during the week, and to see Daddy after playschool on Friday! Mama was grateful for playschool so that she could keep getting work done.


Aidan has been doing a lot of imaginative play this week. Sometimes he impersonates his teachers at playschool. A couple of times this week, he told me: "I'm Nana [his teacher]! 'Criss cross applesauce, sit on the yellow line!'" And one night after bathtime, he picked up his"baby" [blue Ugly Doll] and said "I'm Mama!" and then he sang his baby the "baby burrito" song that Mama sings him after bathtime!


He has also started a classic phase of development in a new way: he now frequently asks "Why not?" Mama and Daddy have been thrown for a loop, because we expected the "Why" phase, but, weren't expecting "Why not?"!


Here are some other highlights:
- At mealtime, Aidan now tells Mama, "I'm gonna share with you" and then proceeds to take her food (rather than giving her his).
- Aidan now things that "8" is the magic number which means that food is done cooking. A few weeks ago Mama and Aidan cooked oatmeal cookies together, and Mama told him that they would be done at 5:48PM, so he should keep an eye out for the "8" and they would be done. Now he thinks that, no matter what time something starts baking, it will be ready when there is an "8" on the clock!
- On Thursday, Mama offered Aidan chocolate ice cream for dessert while he was playing with his trains. He promptly replied, "I don't want chocolate ice-cream! I'm building bridges!"
- Aidan has been learning about "zero" and other numbers at playschool. Last week while we were at the playground, we brought Aidan's tricycle, and his friend Jacob wanted to ride it. When Jacob tried to get on, Aidan followed him, saying loudly, "I want ZERO on there! Nobody! Nothing! No Jacob!"

Music Time

Between music time every day at playschool, a singing Leap Frog caterpillar, and singing with Mama and Daddy, Aidan is developing quite a musical repertoire. Here are the songs that Mama has managed to write down which he has sang in the last few days - for most of them, he knows most of the words, even for multiple verses!


- ABC song
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
- Old MacDonald Had a Farm
- Ring Around the Rosie
- She'll be Comin' 'Round the Mountain
- Wheels on the Bus
- Three Little Kittens (have lost their mittens)
- Round and Round the Cobblers Bench (the monkey chased the weasel)
- Are you sleeping, are you sleeping, little pig (Frere Jaques tune
- (A song about Boston which Mama and Daddy can't figure out)
- If You're Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands
- Hello [Name], We're so Glad to See You (welcome song at playschool)
- Yes yes yes... No no no... Maybe maybe maybe...
- B-I-N-G-O
- London Bridge Is Falling Down
- We're Goin' to the Zoo Zoo Zoo, How about You, You, You?
- Do re me fa so la ti do
- Clean Up, Clean Up, Everybody Everywhere
- Wonderpets songs (Wonderpets, wonderpets, we're on our way! / What's gonna work? Teamwork!
- Yummy yummy yummy yummy Fruit Salad! (Wiggles)
- Wags the Dog (Wiggles)


A couple of times this week, Mama heard Aidan singing himself back to sleep, either with the ABC song or with Twinkle Twinkle ("Tinkle, tinkle, 'ittle staw!"). After bath on Sunday, she found out that he also knows a song that we've made up for him (with the "Baby Baluga" tune) that we sing after bathtime:

"Baby burrito in your towel so yellow,
You look so clean, my precious little fellow.
It is time to go to bed,
But first let's dry off that head!"
[Kiss kiss]

"Baby burrito, baby burrito!
Cuddled up with me,
Baby can't you see
How much I love you."

"Baby burrito in your towel so yellow,
You look so clean, my precious little fellow.
It is time to go to bed,
But first let's dry off that head!"
[Kiss kiss]

(We had a different version earlier, that went "... towel so green, you look so fresh and you smell so clean..." but Aidan has liked the yellow towels better recently, so we've changed to a slightly diferent verse.)

Happy Halloween!

This Saturday was Halloween, and we all dressed up as the Wonderpets, Aidan's favorite TV characters (they are three classroom pets who use teamwork to save baby animals in trouble). Aidan has wanted to be Ming Ming Duckling (his favorite) for months, so he was Ming Ming, Mama was Linny the Guinea Pig, and Daddy was Turtle Tuck. We bought a duck costume for Aidan, and Mama spent a couple of days hand-sewing capes for all three of us - it was a lot of effort, but we looked good! Aidan wore his outfit twice: at playschool on Friday afternoon, when they had a party and parents showed up early to see the kids dressed up and get "goodie bags" (mostly containing fruit/nut bars, fruit leather, breakfast bars, and only a few pieces of chocolate and cheese puffs); and second on Halloween afternoon/evening, when we had lots of real goodies, went to a party at our friend Jeanie/ Dan/ Jack's house, and then visited Angela in her restaurant, Laurie at her building's party, and a little bit of the neighborhood parade. (We only stayed in the parade for half a block, though, because Aidan melted down a couple of times after a crazy evening of weirdly dressed up people and way too much sugar.) After the parade, Aidan told us that he had a tummy ache :( and was too wired to go to sleep till after 10PM, but despite that, we had a good Halloween!

Here are some other highlights from this week:


- One morning this week, Aidan was cuddling with Mama to wake up, and he turned, looked at me, and said: "I wike [like] your smile!" (I melted.)


- Aidan has been playing a game with Daddy at night time where he climbs up into Daddy's rotating office chair, and tells Daddy to spin him around and around. After a while, we ask him if he is dizzy and tell him to hold up his finger in front of his face and tell us if it is still or if it is moving. No matter how dizzy or undizzy he is, Aidan holds up his finger carefully, grins, and then waves his finger crazily all over the place and says: "it's MOVING! it's MOVING!!!" :D


- Aidan has started telling us, when he is doing something goofy, that: "I'm just siwwy [silly]!"


- On Sunday night, after helping Daddy with the laundry, Aidan opened the apartment door, ran inside to see Mama, and said: "Mommy!!! It's nice to SEE you! I wuv [love] you." :D