Stopping short on grandma

Aiden has recently started being really interactive. He makes a lot of noises and responds more to sounds and actions. We call him 'baba' at home which back in Goa, is usually the nickname given to the first boy in the house. He has figured out that there's a connection between 'baba' and himself and responds to the sound. Of course he has no idea that Aiden is name. Call him that and you will get no play. He loves being held up high in the air and flubbers on his tummy. Here he is playing with grandpa.

We were at grandma's over the weekend and there was a lot of love flowing between Aiden and his grandma. Could it be because grandma looked after him while Mommy and Daddy went out on a date to a local restaurant? He was so engrossed in Grandma that he didn't even notice us when we returned and continued telling her stories. This picture reminds me of that episode from 'Seinfeld' where Kramer is caught stopping short on George's Mom :)

In the last couple of days he has also become very physically active. He's started to toss and turn on the play mat, gestures a lot with his hands and even started practicing walking. I have a feeling he's going to be out and about a lot sooner than we can say 'walk'. BTW, if you click on this picture and enlarge it, you will notice that his pants have pockets on the side. I guess they are meant for his visa card and keys to his strollers but they sure aren't big enough to store things that he really needs, like diapers.

Ways of getting around

One thing the boy does not like is the stroller. Daddy spent hours researching the stroller and in almost four months it's only been used a couple of times. He loves going out for walks with Mommy all wrapped up.

Daddy usually carries him in the baby bjorn. He loves sucking on the thing before eventually conking off to sleep. I was at Trader Joe's the other day and the cashier said to me "Hey, you have something on your chest'. I thought to myself "Does he mean that literally of figuratively". It's turning out to be quite the chick magnate by the way. Daddy gets a lot of play when he goes out with Aiden.

He also loves being all wrapped up in a warm towel after a bath. Talking about the bath, it's a well rehearsed manoeuvre which requires two professionals. First we have ensure that both the bedroom and the bath are exactly 70 degrees. Then we have to toss the towel and the night clothes into the dyer to get them nice and toasty. And of course the water has to be a very pleasant temperature as well. It has to pass Mommy's expert test. If all goes well, we have a very happy baby ready to go to bed, if not we have a long night ahead of us.

A comb over and a hat

Aiden was born with a lot more hair than most babies, but it's not filled out yet, so its perfect for a good old fashioned comb over. He's going to love his mommy and daddy when he grows up and realizes these pictures were posted for the world to see :)

Our doula made this eye catching hat for him. It drew quite a lot of attention at our local sushi place. He doesn't usually like hats but somehow this one doesn't seem to bother him too much. Which is good, because today Mommy got called out for taking him for a walk in the neighborhood on a cool day without a cap. It's funny how perfect strangers come up to you and start offer parenting suggestions. I guess they must think 'these rookies need advise'. We've had some folks who think nothing of lifting the blanket to take a peek at the baby. It's really weird when they do this and he's nursing :)

Aiden tries to pick-up his first girl

Our Swing dancing friends Jonah and Rachael come over to dinner with their daughter Eliana. Aiden was very taken with Eliana - she's a beauty. Unfortunately, she likes older men. We're still rooting for Aiden and think his chances will improve considerably once he upgrades his wheels.

Happy Halloween! - Shape ooooof......a PENGUIN!

Who cares if Aiden's first Halloween was more about Mommy and Daddy, it's been a while since we went trick or treating!

Aiden was a Penguin this year. We didn't actually take him on the candy walk about but mommy did take him for a walk in the afternoon all dressed up in his penguin duds. He was a hit in the neighborhood....

Later Daddy came home and hung out with Aiden dressed as a freaky monster. Aiden didn't seem to mind but Daddy scared the !#$% daylights out of Mommy.

We Miss You Pamela!

Lac's sister Pamela came to live with us for 3 weeks. She kept me company and helped out immensely around the house. Aiden was wooed by her beautiful voice and she sang him to sleep often with wonderful versions of "Down in the Valley", "Spanish Eyes", "The Alphabet song" (it never sounded so good!). She is sorely missed by us all!

Here's a close up of Aiden being serenaded. He's in love! Thank you Pamela!!