Just Hangin' Out

We've had kind of a low-key week around here. Nights are better now that Aidan usually sleeps anywhere from 5-7 hours straight. He's also started cooing and laughing a little bit. Happy Father's Day!!!

Baby Dedication

Here are some pictures from Aidan and Bryson's dedication this morning! Aidan slept through the service, but was wide awake for pictures. It was very special because the church presented him with a bible that had his name on it, as well as a plaque. "Grandpa" Mike, "Nanna" Diane, and Uncle Jacob drove up from Crawford, and Uncle Cody and Aunt Amy were also there.

Smile!

Just wanted to post a couple more cute pictures. One is of Aidan's sweet smile that we've been catching a little more frequently lately. The other is in his "old man pants" which make us laugh. More fun pics below!

Aidan Goes to Work

We had a busy day today, starting with a visit to Daddy's office! After getting a "faux-hawk" hairdo, we went to lunch at Pei Wei downtown with Tom, Mirna, and Ella. It's interesting because I realized the only two times Aidan has really gotten fussy WHILE nursing were after I ate at Pei Wei, so I am probably going to hold off on the spicy Asian food for a while. Anyway, after we rested at home for a while we went to a party with friends from church. Aidan and his buddy Bryson had matching outfits and we couldn't resist taking some pictures! We're looking forward to relaxing this Saturday, and then on Sunday he and Bryson are getting dedicated at the church...stay tuned for pictures!

Looking Around

Aidan's favorite thing these days is to look around at his surroundings. So the baby bjorn comes in helpful...it gives us free hands while he can see what's going on. He is awake more during the day and is known to get a little fussy if he's not entertained to his satisfaction! So Daniel and I are court jesters these days :) He also started smiling recently!!! He has to be in just the right mood, but we were lucky enough to catch it on video today. He got hot in the car ride home from lunch, so we took his onesie off and blew on him to cool him down, and he loved it!

Memorial Day

Aidan had a fun Memorial Day weekend with lots of visitors! "Grampa" Mike and "Nanna" Diane came to town along with Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Jacob. Jacob was a little nervous about the whole baby scene so he steered clear, but everyone else (especially Nanna!) enjoyed cuddling with Aidan. Then Cookie and Great-Grandmother were in town on their way to North Carolina and the whole family ate dinner here last night. We can definitely tell that Aidan is getting bigger and bigger each day! He has already outgrown his newborn onesies and newborn-size diapers. He is starting to coo a little every now and then and we're still waiting for that smile...unfortunately the cute gassy smiles don't count!

One whole month!

Aidan is one month old!! It's hard to believe how much he has grown in the last few weeks. We are having so much fun with him...I think his first smile is just around the corner (we catch hints of it now and then). He still dislikes bathtime, but loves going on walks around the block with us in the evenings. We went to dinner tonight with our friends Tom and Mirna who had their daughter Ella just three weeks before Aidan was born. Ella had eyes for Aidan, but Aidan slept through everything! Hope everyone has a nice Memorial Day weekend :)

Our buddies

Here are a couple of Aidan's friends! The first picture is of Bryce McGrew, who is exactly two months older than Aidan. Bryce's parents Jodi and Ryan are friends of ours from Sunday School. The second picture is of Charlie Kelley, who is about eight months older than Aidan. His mom Renee was a co-worker of mine at UTD. That pic and the one of our family were taken at my co-worker Kellyn's wedding. Aidan didn't get to go to the ceremony, but he drove around with Daddy and then we all three went to the reception. Fun times!

Mother's Day

Things are great here at the Steward household. I had a fantastic Mother's Day...we took Aidan to church for the first time and he was a huge hit! Daniel's mom ("Cookie" to Aidan) was in town so we had a nice family lunch out that day. I attached a funny picture of Uncle Cody holding Aidan like the Heisman trophy. Then we had our first playdate today because my friend Courtney and her twins Blake and Cody came over. Aidan pretty much slept through the whole thing, but the other two boys seemed to have a good time at the park in our neighborhood. We are still trying to work out eating and sleeping schedules and I think he is about to hit his 3-week growth spurt. But it's fun to watch him grow more and more each day!

Two weeks old!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to post an update and let you all know that Aidan had his 2-week appointment today and is doing fantastic! He isn't the heartiest eater which worried me at first, but he weighed in today at just over 8 lbs. so the doctor said his feeding schedule seems to suit him just fine. Right now he is waking up during the night around 2 or 3, and then about 6 or 7. So he is nice enough to let us get little 4-hour blocks of sleep :) He has enjoyed spending time with Grammy in the morning while we sleep for another couple of hours, but since she is going home on Saturday we will need to readjust! But we are happy to do so because he is just the most pleasant and content baby ever. He got to meet his Uncle Jason this week as well as his great-grandparents (Gamma and "Great" Pa), Great Aunt Marsha, and Aunt Jenna. He is definitely the Main Attraction around here!

Life with Baby

Aidan will be a week old tomorrow! He is getting to be such a big boy. He looks like he is already trying to roll over on his own. He had his first bath Monday night and was NOT happy about it at all, but the one we gave him today was a little better. He is eating great, although Mommy is still getting used to breastfeeding. His pediatrician says his weight gain is good, and he seems to be filling his diapers with no problem! He loves snuggling on Daddy's chest, and also taking a snooze in his swing. Grammy (my mom) is on fire...she is cooking, running errands, doing laundry, and even takes Aidan for a while during the night to help Daniel and I get some sleep. We're all getting used to adjusting to Mr. Aidan's schedule, but we just love our sweet little boy!

Meet Aidan Steward!!!!

Our little boy is here!!!! James Aidan arrived on Thursday at 5:08 p.m., weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz., and was 20 1/2 inches long. He was a little stubborn, so I ended up having a C-section. He is so beautiful and we could not be prouder parents. We arrived home today and he's doing great. My parents are here with us...my dad will fly back to Florida tomorrow and my mom will stay for about a week. It is really nice to have them here to help out. Aidan has already met all five grandparents, five aunts and uncles, a great-grandmother, and several friends. Everyone is absolutely crazy about him! Here are a few pictures for you all to enjoy :)

Countdown...

I thought I'd post a quick update. I have been dilating by a centimeter each week and I'm now at a 4. I went to the doctor on Wednesday and she decided to strip my membranes (which was supposed to bring on labor within 48 hours) and...nothing's happened yet. I guess sometimes it works, but sometimes not. Aidan seems perfectly content in there for the time being! My mom even flew in from Florida yesterday morning thinking The Big Day was coming, but it looks like she'll be hanging out for a little while. She's been a great help to us and we're really glad she's here. She's been walking with me twice a day...I'm trying everything I can to get things moving! My next appointment is scheduled for Wednesday but I'm going to call on Monday to see if I can move it up. Since I've been continuing to dilate, she may want to induce me. Daniel and I are totally ready, totally packed...now it's all up to Aidan! We'll keep everyone posted. Here's the most recent (and hopefully the last) belly shot at 38 weeks!

One last shower

Our blog is working again, thanks to Aidan's wondeful, awesome, terrific Aunt Jenna!!! Anyway, things are going well and now we are just playing the waiting game. I went to the doctor last Friday and the sonogram showed Aidan was head-down just like we hoped he would be. He's also dropped and the doctor predicted he'd be here within 2 weeks (I was 80% effaced and 2-3 cm. dilated)! I'm trying to relax and get a bunch of things done before then. I had a shower this weekend thrown by my friends Leslie, Courtney, and Sarah and it was so much fun. Leslie has a one-year-old son, Courtney has twin 2 1/2-year-old sons, and Sarah is expecting twin boys this summer. So they definitely know how to throw a shower for someone who's expecting a boy! My family was in town so I had lots of help with finishing up the nursery and buying some last-minute baby stuff. I re-posted the updated nursery pics on a previous post below so you can scroll down to see how it looks now. It's hard to believe the amount of planning and preparing that goes into getting ready for a tiny baby. We are taking it one day at a time and enjoying every minute of it :)

Couples Shower

We had our second shower this weekend...it was a couples shower so Daniel and his friends got to join in on the fun! My best friend, mother-in-law, and two sisters-in-law were the hostesses and they came up with a cute cowboy theme. Aidan got more great stuff, including a red wagon and lots and lots of outfits! We had so much fun hanging out with our friends and family. In other pregnancy news, my ankles swelled up to Elephant Man size last week which was sort of funny...luckily they're not as bad anymore. Mr. Aidan, who's been doing cartwheels for months now, was in breech position at my doctor's visit last week. We are having a sonogram this Friday to see if he's moved or not. The doctor said there was still a chance he could move head-down before then, but who knows...he may decide to do things his own way :)