B-Day Bonanza

On Sunday, after church, we went over to the Weidner's house to celebrate Jen and Darren's birthday and have a delicious lunch.  It seems like there are lots of birthdays to celebrate this time of year.   But we're not complaining, it is nice to have the excuse to get together with family and catch up.  Aiden seemed committed to hogging the spotlight despite the fact that we will not be celebrating HIS birthday for another 11 months.  I guess we can't be surprised though.  We should have remembered the old equation:

           Baby + Sweater Vest = Center of Attention

It was just great to hang out with everyone and enjoy some birthday cheesecake.  Grandpa Jones' birthday is coming up next so I'm sure Aiden will be back to his old shenanigans.

Boy in the Hood

This guy just keeps getting bigger.  He is starting to look like a promising entry in the "giant pumpkin" competition at the county fair (we would paint him orange.)

But in addition to his beer (milk) belly, the other thing that he is developing is a little personality.  For example, he's got "likes": Over the Rhine music, long walks in the stroller, nice warm baths. And "dislikes": not eating, not sleeping, any and all forms of bodily gas.

Yeah, I know, its all pretty simple stuff for now.  But one of these days we'll wake up and he'll be way into comic books, or dump trucks, or goth rock. (aren't all little boys?)  

Well, no matter what Aiden loves, we'll always do our best  to support and encourage him in his interests.  

Just as long as it isn't something dumb.

Check out the "Aiden Shuffle."  

Its the latest dance craze that is sweeping the nation.

Tuesdays with Aiden

We all went for another nice walk today.  This time we went to Black Rock Sanctuary, another park just a couple of minutes from where we live.  It's great being outside again, but even though it is starting to feel like spring, it still looks pretty barren and winter-like.  

Once again, Aiden couldn't be bothered to open his eyes and take in the outside world.  One of these days he's going to realize that there are more interesting things in life than the ceiling fan in our living room.

If you've never strapped a baby to your chest and walked around in public, I highly recommend it.

Our friends the Benner's were over at the house this weekend.  It's hard to imagine anyone who is not actually related to us loving our son (and us) as much as Mike and Rhianwen do.  We are sad but so excited about their big move to Los Angeles next month.

Here are just some odds and ends type pictures from the last few days.  Napping... hanging out... looking cute.

Bliss

Perhaps you woke up this morning needing to see a baby with a look of absolute contentment on his face?

Look no further my friends... you've come to the right place.

Our Little Jelly Bean

Aiden is not yet old enough for Easter baskets, egg hunts, or chocolate bunnies, but he still managed to have a great first Easter holiday.  

We started our day with the obligatory Easter family picture.  It took a couple of tries, but I have to say; I think we have it easy.  We saw across the street our neighbors with NINE kids were taking a family picture out on their porch.

Yikes.

So here is our first official Easter family picture:

After the church service we had Easter dinner at Grammy and Pop Pop Hultslander's dining hall. We had a great meal with everyone.  Aiden enjoyed being passed from aunt, to grandmother, to uncle, to great grandmother, etc...

We also had time to celebrate Leann's birthday.  It was during this time that Aiden found a kindred bald spirit in his Uncle Darren.

Just a great-grandmother and her great-grandson, hanging out on Easter.

Mr. Big

It has gotten to the point where pretty much every day we comment on how big Aiden is getting.  He is already busting out of his newborn clothes, and it literally seems like he is growing right before our eyes.

For a side by side comparison here are two pictures of Aiden.  The first is from about 1 day old, the second from about 1 month.

And just for fun, here is a goofy picture of the way he almost always sleeps.  Kind of makes you wonder what he's dreaming about.  (weight lifting?  being robbed at gunpoint?  sky diving?)

Out for a Stroll

With the weather slowly getting warmer we've been doing our best to take advantage of the nice days by getting outside.  We've been living in Phoenixville for awhile now, but there are a lot of parks and walking trails nearby that we haven't had the chance to explore yet.  Hopefully this spring and summer we'll be able to get out there more often.  Monday afternoon was nice and warm so we decided to go for a walk at the Schukyll River Canal Trail, which starts right in Phoenixville, about 5 minutes from our house.

We are clearly going hiking because Aiden is wearing his hiking boots.

It was a really pretty walk with the river on one side, and the canal on the other.  We kept thinking that in the summer, once everything is green, it will be really beautiful.

Lots of houses back right up to the canal.  In one of the yards these funny looking geese were hanging out, honking up a storm.

Aiden liked his Baby Bjorn carrier.  He pretty much just slept.

Just a really nice, sunny spring afternoon.

Just the Facts

Scrolling back through old posts I realized that there has been very little actual information to be found on the blog lately.  Sure if your looking for fake children's books, essays on diapers, or pictures of Aiden making faces you've come to the right place.  But it occurred to me that some people may want to actually want to know what's going on in our lives after the last silly picture has been taken.

Like, say for example you live in Uganda, Jordan or South Korea (you know who you are), or even if you just live in another state, we started his blog so that you would feel connected with what is happening right here in Phoenixville Pennsylvania.  Not to say that the everyday goings-on here are especially riveting (or even that interesting.)  But still, we want you to KNOW the boring details of our day to day lives, not just sit there for hours speculating about them.

And so, a Jones Abode update:

It is finally starting to feel like we've settled into a routine here at home.  By now we are used to Aiden's little nuances and tendencies, and it makes it easier to know what to expect from him during different parts of the day.  

Jen especially seems to be able to understand his every whimper, yawn and burp.  She has also been adapting great to her new life at home with the baby.  If I hadn't been living with her for the last 2 and a half years I'd have thought she'd been doing this forever.  

My job has been going well too.  We are all working on being adjusted to the unique schedule that it requires.  The hardest thing for me is just being away for all those hours, because regardless of whether its day or night, it's hard not to feel like you're missing something.

It's tough to summarize your life in a blurb.

 I'd say that things here at the Jones Abode are going well;  life seems simple, and fun, and satisfying, at least right now.  Aiden is making us laugh all the time, and regardless of what else may happen throughout the day, having him around makes other stuff feel kind of small.

So hey, we'll keep you posted on whatever happens around here.  But for now, thats the deal...

Travels with Bailey

We've got a child now so it's about time we publish a children's book.  

The title is "Travels with Bailey."  

This is the rough draft:

"Hi, my name is Bailey.  I'm at the aquarium.  Whee!"

"Bonjour, je m'appelle Bailey.  I'm at the Eiffel tower.  Sacre Bleu!"

"Hi, my name is Bailey.  I'm the first dog on the moon.  Yipee!"

"Hi, my name is Bailey.  I like to play with clouds and chase sunbeams.  Wahoo!"

"Travels with Bailey" will be hitting bookshelves near you in short order.  Soon to be followed by "Travels with Bailey II: Bailey Goes Spelunking."