"GO!"

"GO!" this pretty much sums up Zaiden's personality and it is so fitting this is what we consider his first true word. He has always been a babbler and has had a lot of sounds. He had a few things that we though maybe sounded like words, but "GO" is for sure a purposeful word. He says it all the time when he is walking to the door or when he picks up a ball (or really his cup or any toy he has) and is going to throw it. He knows what the word meads and uses it at appropriate toys. He is still saying other things that sound like they are words for "dog" "bubble" "buba" for Zander "dada" and makes some sound I can't really describe for "cup" (maybe the P sound??). Our little buddy is sure growing fast now that he is WALKING  and TALKING!!

Just had to add a cute picture of this cool man!

Zaiden's first hair cut

Before the 4th of July, we decided to take Zaiden for his first haircut. His hair was getting a bit out of control with the water activities of the summer. He wasn't sure what to think at first, but then quickly decided it was horrible. He cried hysterically throughout most of the cut. It was really cute and kind of funny (sorry little buddy!). Big brother, Zander was there too and tried to show him it wasn't so bad, but Zaiden did not believe him and brought the drama! He looked so handsome after and recovered pretty quickly!

Zaiden is walking

Zaiden has been on the move for a while, but he took his time walking on his own. He has been standing for several months and walking with push toys, but he liked crawling. He was a very fast crawler which was nicknamed "speed crawl" in our house. You could always tell when Zaiden was on a mission with his crawl (following his brother, trying to get his brother's toys, or going to the stairs). He has finally decided it is time to walk and he now is able to walk most places. He can walk across the floor and has walked down the street with us. He is still working on his balance, but is getting pretty good. It has been exciting to watch his latest milestone achievement!

Happy Birthday, Zaiden!

We celebrated Zaiden's first birthday over this past Memorial Day weekend. We had a big party planned to celebrate his amazing year. He is a big fan of Mickey Mouse (by having a big brother who loves it too!) and we had a Mickey themed party. We were fortunate to host his godparents and their children over the weekend to celebrate with us. We started the weekend with a trip to the beach (just playing  and having a picnic by the lake due to a cloudy/windy day) followed by a party at our place. We had several other children to play with and to help him open presents. Grandma and Grandpa as well as 2 of his aunts also joined the celebration. He was certainly the star of the show when it was his turn to smash his cake. He only needed one lick with a little help from mom to figure out what was happening and realized how much fun (and how yummy the frosting is) when digging in to your own cake!

Our happy, Mickey loving 1 year old 

getting ready for his cake

Zander was excited to "help" blow out the candle

not too sure at first 

He loved it! 

Time to clean up!

Beautiful Boy! 

Zaiden 12 months

Wow! Zaiden is 1 year old! He is a curious, funny, energetic and adorable little boy. It has been so much fun for us to watch him grow! He shows us a lot of his personality and loves to be silly and loves to be inn on the action with the big boys. It is so much fun to see him grow and to watch him and his brother play and actually are beginning to act like brothers (laugh, play, fight, etc). We really though Zaiden would be walking by 12 months, but he has decided he really enjoys crawling and has an amazing speed crawl and has decided walking is too slow for him. He moves around really well, walks with toys, and can walk holding onto someone's hand (often with only one finger for support). He is also able to crawl up stairs....which also allows us to see his mischievous side as he will often sneak over to the stairs then alert us when he has made it up a few and greet us with a proud smile! He still likes to throw and bang toys (making noise is one of his favorite things to do), but he is now starting to play with toys (nesting cups, ring stack and putting cars on the race track). Although we really have not decided if he truly has used an "official" first word, he has several word approximations he uses consistently such as "dog" "bubble" "all done" and "hi." He will inconsistently wave "hi" and "bye" and is now blowing kisses. Putting his hands up for "so big" is also a favorite (which can be viewed in some of the pictures below). He is also getting his 2 top teeth (he already has his 2 bottom) and is eating a lot more foods. It is nice to have him eat dinner with us without having to plan any baby food. He has also been drinking from a straw cup more in preparation for his birthday and NO MORE bottles!!!! He also enjoys going to the playground now that it is nice and can crawl, cruise around the equipment and likes going down slides with a little help. His new favorite is the water table for summer.... he LOVES to splash! He is a fun little guy and of course can't wait to see what the next year brings!

Zaiden 11 months

We can't even believe that Zaiden is 11 months old already and am in shock we are preparing for his first birthday! He has made a lot of gains over this past month. He is standing by himself without holding on and is taking some steps and walking with push toys, although he is in no hurry to walk as he has found he can keep up with his brother and all the other kids by crawling (he has a speed crawl that is pretty great!). He likes to bang and throw toys, but is starting to hand you something when you ask and is starting to put toys in containers....or his favorite, to put a car on a race track. He remembers where his favorite toys are and for sure remembers where the things are that he is not supposed to have (chords, the dog food). He is beginning to wave and is doing more imitating ("so big" and clapping are his favorites). He has said "dog" a few times, but we are not so sure how purposeful, so are still hesitating saying it is his first true word. He has 2 bottom front teeth, which is helping him to eat more foods and some of his favorites so far have been pasta and french fries. The biggest accomplishment for this month, and the one we have been waiting for is.....sleeping through the night!!!! He is a sweet little boy who loves to laugh. Can't wait for next month and celebrating his birthday!

So handsome! Checking out the fountains at the zoo

Big brother, Zander is his favorite, and knows how to get the big smiles and laughs 

Zaiden 10 month

I am a little late getting to this post as Zaiden turned 10 months old last weekend over the Easter holiday weekend. 10 months brings a lot of activity for Zaiden. He is on the move and pulls to stand and cruises around furniture. He will stand for a few seconds on his own without holding on sometimes! He now knows where the things are that he is not supposed to have (chords, the dog bowl, etc) and as soon as someone is not looking will crawl at super speed to get there and then look very innocent when told "no." He is getting good at feeding himself and is starting to try more foods. He babbles a lot and has a few new sounds, but still not "mama," he is sticking with his "dada." He will sign more (by clapping his hands) for more food at dinner and raises his arms for "so big." He will sometimes wave bye if someone helps him first. He still loves to have the attention of his brother as well as from our dog, Parker. He is still having some challenges with sleep and has slept through the night a few (very magical and wonderful!) nights, but still wakes up frequently..... oh, well. This month brought a big change as he started a new daycare so he could continue to go to the same place as big brother, Zander who started in a pre-school. He is in the baby room and it is a bit of a change as he will not be with Zander (he was very sad on his first day when I left him there all alone....but only for a few minutes), but he also loves it as he now is around several other little babies his age. The teachers report he really likes "baby school" and loves to clap his hands during music and circle time! We are looking forward to having nicer weather so we can spend more time outside. We have had a few chances to take an afternoon wagon ride or spend time in the swing, which he LOVES!