Aiden the Teenager

I know kids have growth spurts. I just have forgotten - or was never really aware - of how suddenly they come on and how hungry it makes them!

I HAD been hitting some awesome sales at the Children's Place, buying Aiden's current size in shorts: 18 months. We were at the library 3 or 4 weeks ago when I heard Aiden cry and looked up to see him standing with his shorts around his ankles. They had been a little loose that morning when I got him dressed but I was surprised they were falling off. Those shorts were 12 months, although I have to admit that style ran a little large. At Gymboree he had been wearing 18-24 month shorts and I was thrilled to find a few pairs on deep clearance. They fall off now, too. I've gone back to some of the 12 month shorts I put away a few weeks ago because they were getting too small. Now they fit.

Two weeks ago he started waking up in the mornings slightly earlier than usual with his once-protruding belly now completely flat and signing for food as soon as I walked in his room. I would have to rig some way to keep his size 4 diapers on because his waist had become so narrow overnight. By noon everything fit again but he's been eating an amazing amountof food! It's been within the last few days that I have realized I need to cook for 4 adults if I want Brian to have leftovers to take to work for lunch. Aiden will eat half or more of an adult serving at dinner (which is actually his second dinner of the day: one at 5 and with us at 6:30) and the other half I like to save so I have something quick to heat up the next day when he's again signing for food.

This morning has been even more amazing. Again, he was up early, signing for food and he has been eating off & on since he woke up. He's had 2 muffins, 3 strawberries, 1 egg, 2 slices of bacon, a handful of dry cereal, half a packet of oatmeal, a handful of raisins, 8 ounces of milk and he's working on a sippy cup of watered down apple juice. I don't know if I should worry about him or my grocery budget!

He just turned 15 months and just passed 32.5 inches tall. (And despite all this eating, the doctor's scale hasn't budged from 24.6 pounds. He weighed the same at his one year visit for shots.) I really appreciate BabyCenter.com. Their Growth-Percentile Calculator has been a life saver and made me realize I don't need to worry about feeding him bacon and eggs. He really needs the fat and protein!

Oh, speaking of shots, I have a little Aiden story! Yesterday I had a doctor appointment and I took Aiden with me. He got a steroid shot for his croup at the doctor last week and I noticed he seems to remeber such events for a very long time now. I thought it might be good for him to go to a doctor's office and not have anything bad happen. Good idea, but Aiden wasn't playing along. He had a grand time flirting with all the women in the waiting room but burst into tears as soon as my nurse led us back to the examination room. He continued to pitch a fit the whole time she took my vitals and I had to hold him, still fussing, while she got my pulse. She left and he calmed down. She came back in once and he started up again. Then the doctor came in and yet again, Aiden started crying, anticipating a shot. The doctor left and the nurse brought my final paperwork in, which resulted in one last melt-down from Aiden. We left - neither one of us getting shots - but I'm certain the entire experience was more traumatic for Aiden than actually getting a shot!

His day wasn't all bad. I took him in to Kapok Tree Toys, a little family-owned toy boutique across the street from the doctor's office in Kingwood. I haven't been in since I had Aiden and I was impressed they only carried toys that encouraged creative or discovery-type play. They're a little pricey but I appreciate what they offer and will shop there again. I stopped in because I have been hunting for a cage bell just like the ones the library has. Aiden loves them, he always finds one to play with and it's nearly impossible to get him to put it away when they call for clean-up. He doesn't understand why I suddenly pry the thing from his hands and he always cries. Luckily Kapok had two left and for less than I would have paid on Amazon after shipping. He was thrilled with the little orange & lime green bell but was distracted by another toy. He found the Alex floating car wash set and spent quite a while turning all the cranks and touching the brushes. I resisted the impulse to buy it for him (he was already getting the bell) and I figured it would be a fun thing to add to his christmas list. I think it was more difficult for me to walk away without it but I know that the less over-indulgent I am now, the easier grocery store checkout lines will be in the future! LOL!

OH! There is one little purchase I didn't pass up on. I found this wooden toy gun on etsy and bought it for Aiden's cowboy play set. I know how some people feel about guns - my mother was one of those absolutely against it - but I have a brother who was never allowed to play with them and is now obsessed with owning guns. (He has recently aquired his THIRD AR-15.) It seems boys will turn anything into a gun and when the toys are forbidden, they turn to shoot-em-up video games. I prefer this wooden silhouette, that would never be mistaken for a real gun, but is an heirloom-quality toy that will be the envy of all our grandsons, I'm sure!