The Pogachnik Family

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T15:30:00.002-05:00

Seems like the past couple of years I keep catching myself saying "Wow, is it really Christmas already?" or "It sure doesn't feel like Christmas." This year as I caught myself saying that, I really challenged myself to figure out what makes Christmas feel like Christmas. What was missing? Why does it have to feel like something anyways?

Then I realized that I was looking at all the wrong things to make Christmas what it is. I am now a grown woman, wife and mother who works and is also raising a son at the same time, so my time is a little more limited during the day then it used to be. I have a husband now which means traditions and time is shared between two families (and in our case, multiple families who all live in the same city), so there is no more waking up my brother and sister at the crack of dawn in anticipation of seeing what we were going to open on Christmas morning. I now have a child of my own who I am responsible for actually going out and buying presents for, driving through mall traffic and barging through other crazy parents at Toys R Us trying to get our child the best gift ever.

Finally, this Christmas season as my Christmas tree is wilting and is almost completely dried out (glad it made it through the week without everything falling off!), or Aidan didn't want to pose for one single picture....I stop myself from saying "It just doesn't feel like Christmas" because Christmas isn't about trees, and decorations, and what presents I will receive or who will I get what, or my house has to be cleaned so perfect for everyone who will be coming through, or what traditions will I keep from my childhood....Christmas is about the BEST gift you or I could ever receive, who came in the form of a baby lying in a manger (with stinky animals all around, and not Santa Claus or Polar Express to watch or cookies to bake).

So this Christmas as I make new traditions with my family, try not to make a big deal out of a wilting Christmas tree, or decide to make the cookies but I am too tired to frost them...I will also focus on celebrating Jesus, and when I stay focused on Him, suddenly everything doesn't seem such a big deal anymore.

"But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:10-14

Here's Aidan with his 'no smile' when I tried to take his picture by the tree.

He didn't want to pose with his Aunt either.

He got a little annoyed as I was trying to snap pictures of our tree.

But we did manage to make Christmas cookies this year!

And send Christmas cards!

We wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

'stache Update

2010-12-24T14:59:00.000-05:00

I know I promised updates on Adam's facial hair growth (a bet he has going with his office), however I have been a little busy decorating, baking, shopping, chasing a 2 yr old that life got a little in the way. Well actually, I am not a huge fan of facial hair, so there you have it.

Here is the latest and greatest.....ONE MORE WEEK and its gone.

Pogachnik 'stache

2010-11-26T14:54:00.000-05:00

Adam and the guys he works with have decided they are going to grow a mustache starting now until the new year. I think they are trying to raise money for charity (but I think it's more of 'who can grow the best manly hair on their face'). I am not excited about this, so here's to the next month flying by! Check back for progress pics. Here is the first one.

I am so thankful...

2010-11-26T14:42:00.000-05:00

...to have 20 minutes to sit down at my computer uninterrupted. I can't believe it's been almost 3 months since I have updated this blog. I don't even know where the time has gone. Was yesterday really Thanksgiving?

Meanwhile, we have been busy starting a new church, potty training and cheering on the Gators every Saturday that I hardly ever have a chance to sit down.

We hope everyone is enjoying spending time with your families and enjoying a few days off from the craziness! Here are a few pictures from the last couple of months.

The girls on Thanksgiving Day

The boys

Red Wagon Parade with Hire Methods

Happy Halloween! Aidan was a pirate.

Lately....

2010-09-06T14:36:00.000-04:00

....Aidan likes to push his car instead of ride in it.

...I've had to put the booster seat away. It's just a plain old chair now.

....Rookie has grown to love this little person who has lived with him for almost 2 1/2 yrs.

....Aidan has really enjoyed singing.

.....we have really enjoyed living 10 minutes from the beach.

I'm back! Lately our lives have been a little crazy, but it's time for me to update this blog a little more often then I have been. I just have too much to share to keep it all to myself.

The Marriage Tree

2010-06-17T16:46:00.000-04:00

I have never considered myself someone who was a gardener. Every plant I have ever been in charge of in my life has died, usually from me forgetting to water it. The most success I have had was throwing some sunflower seeds in my dad's yard and hoping the rain would make them grow (and they did, up to about 5 ft!).

A month before our wedding, my sister-in-law threw us an amazing couples wedding shower around Valentine's Day. One of the best gifts we received was a ficus tree (perfect for me since it lives on very little water) covered in cut-out hearts with written marriage advice from our guests. I proudly took it home and placed it on my balcony with high hopes that this was our first plant together and I was determined to keep it alive. Little did I know that all of the marriage advice (and water) in the world would not prepare me for "real life".

Of course I forgot to water it. For many weeks in fact. This plant held on to the very last possible surviving brown leaf before I remembered that it was on our balcony and I had to water it, even though it seemed impossible to revive since it looked like a bunch of sticks in a pot. And did I water it! Every day in fact. I was ready to bring this plant back to life, I wasn't going to lose another plant! What a horrible gardener I am! And to my surprise, a green leaf sprouted. And then some more. The plant was back again, and thriving.

After about a year, I got tired of watering the plant. I had our first child and had better things to do then worry about a silly plant. Adam quickly said, "You can't get rid of the plant. It's our Marriage Tree." I didn't think much else about that silly comment, except throw out some silly jokes every now and then like, "time to water the Marriage Tree" and "oh, looks like the Marriage Tree is dying, it needs some more love!".

But now, 3 and a half years into our marriage, I recently stepped out onto our balcony to water the Marriage Tree (along with a tomato plant and peace plant which I have successfully kept alive, have even eaten tomatoes from this plant, whoa!) and realized that this tree has looked the greenest and healthiest I have ever seen it (and that plant has died and come back to life so many times). After struggling through one of the hardest and most challenging years of our marriage, the comment Adam made so long ago was more true then I could ever imagine.

The point of me taking a break from writing another blog post about our wonderful son is that so often in life I forget that the small daily tasks (like watering a plant) end up being so crucial to survival- in my marriage; being a working mom during the terrible 2's; in my walk with Christ. If I don't take the time and energy to nurture my child, love my husband well, or spend time in prayer, daily, everything will fall apart. And that Marriage Tree is the greenest and healthiest it has ever been, because God has turned something that was so broken into something new.

So, I gladly take that watering can (sometimes not every day, but I sure try) and water the Marriage Tree with a big smile on my face.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5

And So it Begins

2010-06-11T14:51:00.000-04:00

A couple of nights ago Adam and I set aside all distractions and went outside for some good "old fashioned" fun (I say old fashioned because we get so caught up in computer, phones, dvr, tv that we don't ever get outside and 'play' like I did as a child).

I don't know if it's the athletic genes Aidan has inherited from his Daddy, but this boy can swing a bat and hit! I already know my future weekends will be full of activities and sports when he gets older, but for now I will just enjoy my little guy playing on his own.

The Condo Life doesn't leave much room for backyard play, so we have to resort to the Social Security parking lot. Real classy.

Has his hand-eye coordination down pat. He seriously can sling that ball across the whole parking lot. No lie. (Ok, I might be a little biased).

He has even perfected throwing the bat down in frustration! He's definitely ready for the big leagues. You saw him here first! Watch out world, this kid is going to be special :)

Can't forget the real ball player. Let's see how long it takes for him to ask me to take this picture down!

Disney!

2010-05-20T16:14:00.000-04:00

Wow, it's been almost ONE MONTH since I have last updated this blog! I wish I had the time to really keep up with this, more for myself then anything. I really enjoy looking back and seeing how much my little booger has grown and remembering fun memories our family has shared.

A couple of weeks ago we packed up our bags (it felt like our entire house, especially traveling with a two yr old!) and took a week long trip to Disney World. Now most of you would probably think, "WHAT can you possibly do for an entire week at Disney? Wouldn't you get tired of it after a few days?" and my answer is, "you have never done a Disney Trip Dickenson style".

I mean...how can you not have fun with these guys? We stayed in a great villa right on Disney property, had our itinerary and park hours posted on the fridge, and we were ready to go. Staying there for 6 days meant we could spread out and take our time at each park, (yes, we visited all 4 plus one water park, multiple times) and even spent one late evening riding Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain over and over again at 1am.

I had so many hesitations about taking Aidan for the first time and him still being pretty young, but let me tell you, he did amazing! He slept well, he ate well, he barely fussed and he enjoyed pretty much every ride he went on (well ok, he didn't enjoy the Haunted Mansion, my fault).

The main thing I really wanted him to do was meet Mickey Mouse (who doesn't???). THIS was the highlight of the trip (besides waking up every day and seeing Papa, G-Mo, Ree-Ree and Josh). He was the biggest ham and enjoyed every second of it and will still talk about it to this day if you ask him!

I can't wait to take him back one day when he is older and can enjoy it even more. But for now, I can say we did the Disney Trip and it was great. And this picture pretty much sums it up!

Rookie Manor

2010-04-21T16:13:00.000-04:00

Need I say more?

The (Not So) Terrible Twos

2010-04-17T13:54:00.000-04:00

Aidan at birth

Aidan at his first birthday

Aidan at his second birthday

It's official, we have a two year old! On April 3 we celebrated Aidan's second birthday and it happened to be on a Saturday so we had a little birthday party for him at the park with some family and a few of his little friends, and let me tell you, he soaked up every single amount of attention he could handle in one day. I started making these Elmo cupcakes the day before his party and I didn't hear the end of it with "Elmo cupcakes" and him singing "Happy to you" the entire two days. And I mean from the moment he woke up to the moment he went to bed was flooded with Elmo Birthday.

I think the highlight of the entire day was when we finally sang him Happy Birthday and he got to blow the "real" candle out.

Here is trouble brewing! I cannot even begin to explain to you how much he loves and adores his cousin Parker. These boys are about 2 yrs apart in age and are on their way to becoming great friends. I guarantee there will be trouble with these boys in the years to come!

Aidan wowed everyone with "Wheels on the Bus".

And now we begin the journey of a two year old. I am geared up and ready for anything and everything he throws my way with his new little independent self. But I do have to say, the "2's" have so far brought the most laughter and joy and I can't help but be a proud Mama who has the privilege of raising this sweet little boy.

Picture Puzzle

2010-03-30T22:30:00.001-04:00

This is a picture I took a couple of weeks ago with my new tri-pod. After I finally figured out how to get my camera on the thing correctly, and after another 15 minutes of searching for the timer, this was the result on the first try.

I'm not bragging, in fact, I don't even really like this picture (and don't get me started on the angle of my arm that makes it look ten times larger then it really is. And yes I had to crop this picture because Adam is sitting in his boxers...and well, see, I've already told you too much).

Do you notice anything off in this picture? As I am typing this, I am hysterically laughing. I can barely get the words out I want to say. You probably won't even think it's funny.

What makes me laugh so much about this picture is Aidan's face. If you know my son, you know he is ALL boy and all engineer. He would rather turn the lights on and off then eat a cookie. He spends hours figuring out how our sliding glass door works and why it opens on both sides. He wants to take apart the flashlight instead of just turning it on. And well, this picture captures him discovering a brand new toy.

The tri-pod.

And it's not any old cool new toy. The tri-pod HOLDS the camera (that I never let him play with). It has flaps that go up and down that MAKE THE LEGS LONGER. It has a crank that makes the camera go even higher up in the air. It is the perfect height for him. I think he was in 2 yr old heaven.

So, the kind of mother I am (the one who lets their kid play with things they probably shouldn't but won't kill them but might occupy them for a while so I can rest mother), let him have at it. I think he has found his new calling in life.

(I wouldn't let him play with my super nice Nikon so he had to deal with the point-and-shoot, I don't think he cared.)

So for the next couple of days after this discovery, every morning he would strut himself over to the yellow tri-pod box and demand to "play this, pictures!!" and proceeded to take pictures of anything and everything he could. Finally, I had to put the box away because it was getting a little out of hand, but that hasn't stopped him, he just went back to the sliding glass doors.

Spring is in the Air

2010-03-12T21:03:00.001-05:00

I am SUCH a complainer when it comes to cold weather. I was born a Florida girl and will forever be a Florida girl. I would be content to wear my flip-flops all year round if I could.

So I will have to say, this abnormally COLD winter coupled with an almost 2 yr old very active boy who loves to be outside every chance he gets was quite the challenge. Now that I see 60's and 70's in the forecast daily, I am ready to do my happy dance! My parents bought us some new wicker chairs this past Christmas that fit great on our balcony which has now (almost) become our new favorite place to be (if you can ignore the view we have of the lovely social security office parking lot...such is condo life).

Here is the only good shot I have of Aidan before he decided he wanted to grab my camera and take pictures himself. Now I wonder why I never have pictures anymore!

Here he is pretty mad I won't let him hold my camera. Such drama!

I Big Boy!

2010-02-19T15:11:00.000-05:00

Lately Aidan's theme for his life has been "I big boy", and he will say it loud and proud, and many times in a row. Usually after I hear this phrase come out of his mouth, it is followed by:

climbing to the top of the dining room table
standing on a chair
trying to open the (hot) oven
walking down the stairs (alone)

Usually I will try to correct him and show him what real "big boys" do.

My "big boy" is growing up so fast, and in less than 2 months we will be celebrating his 2nd birthday!

Cheeeeeeese!

2010-01-30T14:27:00.005-05:00

Cheese!

I have to admit, I haven't been that great at taking pictures lately. And that makes me sad. Most of it is laziness, and the other half is not remembering where I put my camera. A lot of it probably has to do with Aidan, and how he has figured out what that device is that I shove in his face all of the time and how I am always talking about cheese. So now HE wants to take the picture (play with the camera). So, in my annoyance of not taking pictures lately, I decided to grab my small point and shoot camera and take it with us on our trip to the outlets.

Aidan is usually pretty good with shopping. If we keep moving, then he really enjoys riding along in his stroller. But if we stop for longer than 3 minutes, I get hit with "Mommy, Mommy, out out out!". I finally let him roam around in the dressing room while Daddy was trying on some clothes, and he had a great time with the mirrors and opening and shutting the doors.

I can't even explain to you how happy this boy is opening and shutting doors!

And then we lucked out and found this Bob the Builder machine. Luckily, he was very content just sitting in it so we didn't have to keep throwing quarters in there.

Here's to more cheeeeeeeeeese!

New Year!

2010-01-15T14:16:00.006-05:00

Cheeeeese! (Aidan decided he wanted to play with my camera and this is the result!)

Finally, another blog post! I have been SO bad about keeping up with this blog, so hopefully in this new year I will be able to post more frequently. Aidan is growing so fast, he will be 2 years old in less than 3 months!

This past week has been one of the longest and coldest weeks in recent Florida history. We are not used to lows in the teens and 20's at night and only highs in the 40s! Aidan was not used to putting lots of layers on and he was so upset he couldn't play "ow-si" and at the park every day. Adam and I decided to take him to the MOSH for the first time and thought it would be a fun inside thing to do on a Saturday morning. We had a blast!

Family pic!

Daddy and Aidan at the JEA exhibit

Looking at the "hisssssss" (his word for snake)

Playing with the water in the play area.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T22:05:00.006-05:00

Our house has been in a flurry the past couple of weeks with Christmas decorations, wrapping presents, cookie baking, picture taking, lights being turned on and off continuous times followed by a little bit of yelling and a few tears......oh, wait. This Christmas season has been a lot of fun with Aidan being 20 months old and a little more aware of what is going on.

Last year Aidan was only 8 months old during Christmas, not quite crawling, so I had an easy time keeping him out of the tree and presents. Well, this year I have to admit I have been a little impressed by my son's ability to keep his hands off of the ornaments. (Oh believe me, I have seen a few ornament slaps and mischievous smiles, but not quite as many as I thought).

One thing that he cannot keep his hands off of is this choo-choo village decoration.
He first fell in love with this during his trips with G-Mo to Target, which was always followed by large crocodile tears and a tantrum when he had to be finally pulled away to go home. (The boy loves his choo-choos!). We decided to wait until it was on sale to purchase this light-up village, and so that leads us to today. I wish I had his expression on video when he first saw that this choo-choo was in his house. However, I am glad I do not have on video the unraveling of emotions after he realized Mommy and Daddy wouldn't let him touch the choo-choo or turn it on and off. It was a sad sight.

We hope you have a great Christmas!

Gingerbread Family

2009-12-14T14:21:00.003-05:00

This past Saturday happened to be another rainy, nasty day. And it also happened to be the first Saturday without college football. So I decided to brave the rain and head up to the grocery store for some gingerbread cookie ingredients (or in my case, premixed in a box!).

We tried to get Aidan involved, but he wasn't too intrigued by just watching. So we left him to the taste-testing.

He wasn't too sure at first, since he had never had a gingerbread cookie before, but that didn't last long! He had two!

Here is our Gingerbread family. I for some reason never knew there was a gingerbread "lady" cookie-cutter. There for sure isn't a gingerbread "dog" either....but due to Adam's creativity and awesome knife-cutting...there he is!

A Day in the Park

2009-11-19T18:48:00.007-05:00

Now that the weather is a little cooler (only Florida is in the 80's in late Nov!), Aidan has really loved going to the park in G-Mo's neighborhood. What's even better is he has learned how to climb up on the horse all by himself (yes!). Every now and then you will hear an occasional "yeeeeehaaaaaw".

Here he is peeking at me through the tunnel.

Seriously he will slide at least 20 times a visit.

He watched an older girl swing on the "big boy" swing so he had to try it out.

What's even more awesome than Aidan loving the park so much is that I am sitting here at 7pm on a weeknight at my computer writing a blog. What you don't see is the tornado that has taken over the room behind me.....

....something else you don't hear is my husband asking "is there any mention of me in this blog?" Well, there ya go Adam :)

19 Months

2009-11-08T21:45:00.008-05:00

So I really can't believe that I have not updated this blog in over a month! Aidan keeps me so busy that I barely have time to sit down at the computer and when I do I am usually working (or checking my facebook...seriously, such an addition). So I will highlight what we have been up to lately.....

Aidan LOVES, ok no is OBSESSED with reading books. As soon as he was old enough to sit down long enough to look at a book, I began adding story time to his nightly routine. We go in his room, turn the lamp on (ok he is obsessed with lamps too) and he picks out three or four books for me to read. Usually they are the same books over and over but every now and then the favorites rotate. Sometimes he likes to "read" them back to me doing the same hand motions that I do, except the language sounds more like Chinese then English.

Another thing Aidan loves is Rookie. He cannot leave that dog alone! He chases him, hits him, pulls his tail, kisses him...Rookie is the neediest dog on the planet so I would think he loves the attention, but usually he is in my face wanting me to save him from Aidan, or hiding in the covers of our bed. Rookie, if you only knew how much Aidan loves you!!

Another fun thing that happened this month was Aidan got his first black eye (you can kind of see it in this picture). I am actually surprised it took him almost 19 months to get one! We think he fell on one of his toys at G-Mo's house...but it sure wasn't fun answering all of the questions about where he got it. Oh, and yes he is holding scissors, and yes this picture is blurry because I realized he had them and I had to grab them from him before he ran off. Another fun thing about being 19 months old is that he LOVES to get into all of the no-no's and he knows exactly which ones they are!

We took Aidan to the zoo for the second time in his life and he had a blast! He knows a lot of the animals now and can make some animal noises. He had a fun time looking at the "hiss hiss" (snake), but his favorite part of the whole trip was riding the train (another obsession!).

For Halloween, we dressed him up as a cowboy. This was his "first" Halloween since last year he was only 6 months old and we didn't feel like dressing him up. So this year we had a blast and I am actually surprised he wore this outfit since he cried and kept pulling it off when he tried it on the first time. But this night he hammed it up and showed his costume off to everyone!

More to come, hopefully not in another month!

18 months

2009-10-02T14:26:00.004-04:00

18 months is.....

...silly tantrums for no reason because he is not getting his way.

...taking his shoes and socks off in the car because I can't stop him.

...shady faces because he's up to no good.

....is a GREAT, fun stage in Aidan's life!!

When Aidan was a newborn I remember looking at 18 month and 2 yr old kids and thinking I could never imagine Aidan that age. It was hard to imagine in just a 2 yr span he would change so drastically. I don't know what it is with the 18 months age but I feel like the magic button has been switched on and he is a whole new person.

Let me tell you, raising this little boy has been the most happiest, joyful, exciting time in my life paired with the most challenging, hard and confusing time in my life. I have no clue what each day will bring and sometimes his little smile and a slobbery kiss is the only thing that gives me the strength to make it through a tiring day.

BUT, I love every single minute of it!

Go Gators!

2009-09-20T21:04:00.004-04:00

I've been in football heaven now that it's September and another year of FLORIDA GATOR FOOTBALL! One of the traditions that my family follows (or made up) is wearing a "game shirt". Every year before the season starts, we all pick out our shirt for the year and we have to wear it for every single game. Here is Aidan in his Gator gear.

He's also wearing his Gator backpack that Adam gave me the day I was in labor with Aidan.

Can you tell we are fans????!!!! Yes that is Rookies collar and yes it's a Gator one.

It's GREAT to be a FLORIDA GATOR!!

17 months

2009-09-12T10:19:00.006-04:00

Every time I sit down and say I am going to write a blog post, I end up getting so distracted by something else that it never gets done. It's almost been a whole month since I last wrote a post! I can't believe how fast time flies....

...so Aidan turned 17 months the beginning of September, and boy has it been a month! The picture above says it all. This is a really strange stage in his life, not quiet able to talk but understands everything I say. So when he wants to communicate something and he gets frustrated (really easily!) it comes out in various whines and cries. And I have to go down my list of questions until I have reached what he is trying to tell me. ARG! On the other hand, in just the past couple of days, I have heard a bunch of new words come out of his mouth! So we are well on our way to great communication. Here is a list of what he is up to lately:

he now has finally transitioned to one nap a day (usually 3 hours). This was a big milestone for him and took a lot of night time waking to get used to this new schedule.
he still only drinks milk and water only
his favorite foods are: chicken nuggets, french fries, chips and icecream (nice and healthy ha ha)
he now knows how to run, and fast!
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is his favorite show, and he watches it just about every morning
he still sleeps with his bear-bear
he likes to "tap dance" while watching Elmo
every room he touches in this house turns to a complete mess in about 5 minutes

Sorry to bore you with my "list", it's more for me to look back one day and see what he was like at this age!

Another thing he loves to do is take his "legos" and line them up like this....looks like we have another engineer on our hands!

The Great Chair

2009-08-17T21:43:00.005-04:00

Aidan has had some new additions to his life lately. One being this chair....

I made the decision to go on a hunt for a cute chair for him the minute he decided he wanted to sit on the big couch like Mommy. Except "sitting" is not in Aidan's vocabulary. It's more like "wiggling" and "standing" and "falling". So instead of sitting on the floor all of the time so I won't upset him but not letting him do the same, G-mo and I found this great chair at Homegoods. It seriously is the cutest thing I have ever seen AND it's leather to match! He has not stopped playing with it since I brought it home on Saturday. He even knows what it is because I ask him to go sit in his chair and he does, gladly. Of course, why would he want to SIT in his chair....

...when he can stand??? This new addition goes perfect with Elmo and Barney videos. I highly recommend it.

A Day in the Life....

2009-08-07T10:56:00.005-04:00

Most of you know I have been blessed with a WONDERFUL job at my church that has provided the best situation for Aidan, Adam and I. I have also been blessed to have a AMAZING mother who is willing to watch Aidan full time when I go into the office. However, I don't think she feels blessed to see THIS FACE every day..............??! HA!

Yes, this is our dog Rookie. Yes, he is panting wildly. Yes, he is in my front seat of my car. Yes, this is what I look at every day on our way to G-mo's house in the morning. Rookie has a very very hard time with separation anxiety (even more than Aidan). He knows my routine so well in the morning that he knows when it is time to make a mad dash to the door because I am leaving for the day. And after much yelling and scolding from me to be quiet and yelping and whining on his part, I just give up and let him come with us. (Seriously, he puts up the loudest commotion that even our neighbors have complained about how loud he is). So, almost every single morning I have great hot doggie breath in my face, but he loves going to doggie day care. On the other hand, who can resist this face??

So to get my mind off of the panting thing next to me, I can turn around and see this sweetness staring at me. (No, he hair has not grown back that fast, this picture was taken a couple of months ago, before the haircut. It's hard to remember how long his hair was!!)

Last Monday Aidan turned 16 months old. WOW! He really continues to change so much as the weeks pass. Here is what he has been up to lately:

I have heard him say the words "Uh Oh", "Down", "Bye" along with a lot of almost understandable words. And he is starting to know how to imitate a facial expression I do.
He points at everything he wants me to do. Last night he dropped one of his toys behind the couch, looked at me, pointed at me then pointed behind the couch.
He is such a great eater. I even watched him put an huge piece of broccoli in his mouth and eat the entire thing without one gag. Impressive considering I have tried everything with veggies, including ketchup and ranch. (ew)
He still only drinks water and milk, nothing else.
He has really been into keys lately, to the point that I had to find some old keys and keychains so that he can have his own, since he would cry and cry when I took my car keys away.
He is still taking two naps but some days he will only take one. I will miss the two naps a day but when he takes one long three hour nap, thats nice!
He loves Barney and can't get enough of those Dvd's.
He is starting to love morning cartoons which is great for me while I get ready for work in the mornings. He loves Mickey Mouse the best, can't wait for a Disney trip!
He has figured out I have hair on my head, and its long, and he can grab it and pull it which makes him laugh loudly! Arg.

Sorry to bore you with these pesky details, since I am busy and lazy at the same time, I don't keep up with his baby book, so I can look back and see what he has done each month as he grows!

Lately

2009-07-21T10:41:00.008-04:00

I confess, I have not been a good blogger lately! There are so many funny things Aidan does every day that I would love to be able to share more. So here's to tryin...this is what we have been up to the past couple of weeks.

Nanny
A few weeks ago, we gathered the troops and took a trip up to South Carolina to visit my Grandma (Aidan's Great Grandma who he will call Nanny, my Dad's Mom) for the 4th of July weekend. We had a blast (minus the fact Aidan did NOT want anything to do with sleeping in the pack n play which was his sneaky way of getting to sleep in between Mommy and DeeDee). We swam in the pool, shot off some huge fireworks and ate ourselves silly. One highlight of the trip was Aidan's chance to meet Asher, a little boy that is the great-grandson of my Grandmas best friend (bear with me...) WHO was born on the SAME DAY AS AIDAN! How cool is that?! This trip was the first time they have met, and the pretty much didn't think it was as cool as we did :) After a while they warmed up to eachother, and we got to capture a few snapshots of them hanging out with Nanny (and cheerios and Elmo).

Nanny, if you have a chance to read this, I will send you copies of these pictures, they are adorable!! Needless to say, after a weekend away and 8 hours total in the car, I don't think we will be traveling with the little guy for a while. Phew.

Haircut
Ok, so most of you know that I gathered up the courage to get Aidan's curls cut off. Whew, I think I added a year to his life, he instantly looks like a little boy now instead of my little baby! The lady who cut his hair was amazing, she managed to do such a great job without cutting me, Adam or Aidan, all the while Aidan was screaming and crying big elephant tears like it was the worst thing that has ever happened to him. I am so annoyed that I did not check my camera battery life BEFORE we jetted out the door, so this is the one and only picture I took of him at the salon.

...and yes, I did save those curls. Here is the after!

What a handsome little fella! More coming soon!

15 months

2009-07-06T22:06:00.004-04:00

Last Friday, July 3, my baby boy turned a big boy 15 months old. Wow. 15 big whoppers of months. He amazes me each and every day by what he knows, or learns, or even remembers. He's not saying much yet, in forms that you or I could understand, but he sure thinks he is having conversations with everyone! Most of it comes out in the form of "DeddleDeddleDeddle" and most commonly "heh heeeh heeeeeh heh?". Surprisingly, I can understand most of these babbles. That might even be a scary thing, but us Moms, we are great translators!

Here is a list of some things Aidan is up to lately:

he doesn't have many words in his vocab yet but if you listen closely a few have popped out every now and then, some being ow-si (outside), er (arm), li (light), MA! (milk), dat (that)
he can be a nonstop tornado mess maker on most days, turning a very clean room into a very messy one in a matter of minutes, some favorites being: magazines, papers, everything in my bathroom, pots and pans, his clothes
he actually has some sort of sense of humor, and laughs at the right moments when things are funny (they really actually are funny)
he gives kisses (and really sweet, slobbery ones at that!)
he points at everything including himself and then what he wants (in the correct sequence)
when he really wants you to do something there are very very dramatic points with his finger (one being when he wants to get IN his wagon, NOW)
when you say bye bye he waves
he understands just about everything you ask him, including "give me your shirt", "you want to take a bath?", "give to Mommy", "you want Mommy to help?"
he recognizes people he sees on a regular basis and actually knows who they are, for example you ask where Papa is and he points, Dee Dee, Aunt Ree, G-mo....however when you ask where Mommy is, no point! How rude!
he is the biggest lover of routine I have ever met. One example being: every single morning when I go get him up from his crib, the first thing I expect is a point to his sippy cup (which is sitting next to the rocker), hands me his paci, I pick him up and he holds his sippy, we go to the kitchen and he points to the fridge, I get the milk, he holds the milk top and puts it back on after I pour and then he stands in the kitchen and drinks his milk. This happens every.single.morning. In that very sequence. Any variance and it causes much anxiety and a squeal followed by several whines. One day I thought I would be ahead of the game and bring him his milk to his room. BAD IDEA! He cried and whined and would not take it until I went into the kitchen and pretended to pour milk into the cup. Never again! My game every day is to get him his milk without one cry or whine. Fun times.

Now here is the good stuff. Some recent pics.

Really loves being outside!

One great mess he made...

...followed by another!

Family Vacation

2009-06-19T10:34:00.005-04:00

Two weekends ago we packed up our things (I thought traveling with a baby last year was bad but traveling with a toddler is even crazier!) and headed an hour north to our favorite beach spot ever, Amelia Island Ritz-Carlton (ok well not ever, maybe just in Florida, we have visited some great beaches elsewhere!!). It was so great to get away but yet not have to travel that long in the car. We met up with my parents, brother and sister for a long weekend.

It's hard to believe we were just at the Ritz one year ago with my Dad's side of the family. Aidan was barely 3 months then.

He didn't really have a chance to enjoy the beach and he was too young to wear sunscreen much less sweat, so we didn't have a lot of chances to spend time in the sun. But this year was another story!

He loved every minute of it! This spring/summer has been incredibly HOT and humid, but thank the Lord this weekend we had on and off showers which cooled everything off a tad. The first time we brought Aidan on the beach was after an early afternoon storm, so it was overcast and cool, and the tide was really low. He got out and immediately touched the sand over and over and stared at his hands and feet. Then he noticed the water and waves, and he was off running, pointing the entire time and yelling "EEEEEEEEEEEEE!". He sat himself down and let the waves hit his feet. It was so exciting to experience this with him!

One of the things I was worried about was the sleeping situation, but after one night of confusion, he became comfortable with his surroundings. We pushed his crib by our room door so he couldn't see us, but he was so tired each day from running around that he slept the best he ever has in his life!

Most of the day we would either be eating, sleeping, by the beach or the pool. And when it rained we headed in to the indoor pool! What a perfect place to spend our days! At night we ventured out to Fernandina to eat dinner and walk around downtown.

We had such a great time and hope we will have a chance to return next Summer!!

Summertime in Florida means....

2009-06-10T20:50:00.004-04:00

you walk outside for two seconds and you are sweating
the temp in your car says 98 or above
it storms every day in the afternoon
you don't want to do anything but get in the pool
the beach is almost too hot
your JEA bill skyrockets (no, my Dad does not get free electricity!!)
vacations are in order
you don't feel like working!

Summertime has to be my second favorite season of the year (right behind spring). I love wearing flip-flops and dresses every day and getting out in the sun at the beach or pool. One of Aidan's presents for his first birthday was a swimming pool and it has finally been hot enough for him to enjoy.

He wasn't so sure about it at first, I think the water was a little too cold for him. But he has slowly started to enjoy a nice refreshing afternoon in the water!!

Dee Dee and Roo Roo

2009-05-29T16:07:00.011-04:00

I am still waiting on Aidan's first "official" word to write down in his baby book (besides the obvious MaMa and DaDa). We still haven't gotten there yet, but I do hear a lot of babble that sounds like sentences! There are a few words that I am still trying to figure out what he means by them.

One of them my mom figured out was Roo Roo (sounds more like ruh-ruh) and that means Rookie. He has taken a new liking to poor little Rookie, who lost our undivided attention the minute Aidan was born (and he is still having issues, one of them being many a poop left suspiciously next to Aidan's toys, grrrrrrr!!!!). This new found love for the dog has pretty much saved Rookie's position in the Pogachnik household (anyone want a dog??? jk). Aidan loves giving him cookies, his own food from the highchair, playing froggie with him, you name it. So the other day while Aidan was chasing Rookie, out came a string of Roo Roo Roo Roo Roo Roo from his mouth. Candidate number one for his "First Word".

Aidan playing froggie with Rookie

Another word I have payed close attention to is "Go-Go". (usually Guh Guh Guh Guh followed by wild motions of the arms and running and an occasional slap on the dogs head). This also appears when Rookie is around and I have decided he is telling the dog to go get something, since I am always telling Rookie to 'go get your frog' or 'go get your ball' or 'go away' or 'go outside'. This can be canidate number two for his "first word".

Lastly, I have heard the word "Dat" (that) come out his mouth quite often lately, but not as often as the others, so this can be canidate number three.

I will let you know which word I pick as "The Official One".

Aidan wants to work out with Daddy so bad!

Adam has been working on getting back into shape the past couple of weeks, and Aidan has tried so hard to be just like him! I didn't capture any good shots of Aidan, but I did catch this one with his DeeDee (another new word he has come up with) showing him what to do with the weights.

Now I must go! Nap time is almost over, so the blogging shall end!

13 months

2009-05-08T09:56:00.007-04:00

I used to never understand why mothers would tell me their child's age in months. It drove me nuts trying to figure out what 15 months was, or 22 months (I am not the quickest at math in my head!). I made a promise to myself that one day, when I had my own kids, I would never say my child's age by months. And look! I did it! 13 months!

Well, now that I am a mom of a child over the age of one (12 months exactly) I have decided that I now understand the months thing. Because seriously, coming from a mom who gets those weekly emails about 'what your child is doing at 13 months, week 1, I am the first to tell ya there is such a HUGE difference between a 13 month old and a 18 month old. Or a 23 month old (I am pretty sure you stop at 2 yrs because I sure haven't told anyone lately I am 336 months old). And there have been some big changes in my little bug from 12 mos to 13 mos...

...like his hair for one. WHERE HAS ALL THIS HAIR COME FROM? And why is it only growing longer in the back?! Aidan and I were swimming in the pool the other day and this girl asked me "is your baby a boy or girl"....seriously??? Maybe it's time for a hair cut, but I can't get myself to the point to do it! He is just so darn cute! Adam keeps threatening me that he is going to cut it one day without me knowing. I warn him of the consequences. Until then, Adam enjoys giving Aidan some rockstar hair. This one looks like he's stuck in a windtunnel.

Another thing Aidan has learned to love in his 13 months of age is the swimming pool. Now that summer apparently has arrived so quickly with this lovely 90 degree weather, we have begun to visit the pool. At first he was very hesitant and did not enjoy the bright sun, after the second day he was a natural. Here he is in his full blown outfit. He never wears a hat, but for some reason he does when his bathingsuit is on! He's pretty upset in this picture because he is ready to go and I am too busy being that crazy mom taking pics and delaying him from his fun. He is understanding language so well right now, that I really have to watch what I say. Because if the words 'bye bye' or 'outside' come out of my mouth, I will never hear the end of it until that child's foot touches the ground outside.

Look What I Can Do?!

2009-04-24T22:05:00.003-04:00

Wow, two posts in one day!! I decided I would get ahead of the game...since life with a toddler is a whole new ballgame, once which includes doing tasks with a small person attached to your leg and does not include sitting down at a computer for more than 5 minutes at a time. People warned me about being too anxious for Aidan to start walking! Because he does now! And I GET IT!! Whew, I think I have lost my remaining 5 pounds of pregnancy weight, except of course there is still the stomach flab...which Aidan kindly reminded me of yesterday when he grabbed a handful of skin and laughed as he was pinching it! HA! You gave that to mommy stinker!

Anyways, I had to share the picture above, since Aidan was so proud of himself after finally getting himself inside this basket. After of course, spreading all of his books around the house. :)

A Walk in the Park

2009-04-24T21:52:00.004-04:00

Adam and I bought Aidan a "car" for his first birthday (wow we are really jumping the gun huh?). Let me tell ya...he loves loves loves his car. One thing I love to do is take Aidan for walks after dinner, especially while the weather is nice and breezy. He sure loved walks before in his stroller, but now they are better than ever with his car. I decided to take my camera along so I could show off some pictures.

Our neighborhood is full of condos and concrete which is not very pretty, so luckily there is this nice sidewalk that is behind us that I can feel like I am in some type of nature area. Well, if you look to the left or to the right, there are office buildings. And tons of cars passing by all day. And if you keep following the sidewalk around the corner, you run into the Social Security office, which also happens to be what we look at off our balcony. Great.

Happy Birthday Aidan!

2009-04-11T15:47:00.012-04:00

4/3/2008

4/3/2009

Ok, so I know I am a little behind on this, but Happy First Birthday to my sweet boy!! We had such a good time celebrating Aidan's first birthday last week. Of course the day meant a lot more to me than to him. It was so strange thinking back to everything I went through to bring him into this world. After all of that pain, I never thought I would enjoy rethinking it through a whole year later!! I really, honestly can't believe how fast this year went by.

Aidan's birthday was on a Friday, so I just spent the day with him relaxing and celebrating his life and praising God for giving me such a great, healthy, fun little boy. Saturday was the birthday extravaganza!! We decided to keep it just family, in order not to overwhelm the poor kid...however family is abundant here in Jacksonville, so it was still overwhelming in the least! Aidan for the most part enjoyed opening his presents, and taking a taste of his very own cake. I will leave you with a picture of him enjoying that cake at the end of this post.

Now, being the mom of moms that I am, I am going to end this with a list of all the things my son can do at 1 year (mainly for me to remember if I ever choose to look back at this one day when he's older) but also in case you were curious :).

takes quite a few unassisted steps. I am a full believer that he will run before he walks!
cruises all over the place on everything
understands a lot of words and sentences when I talk to him
knows who Rookie is and points to him when I ask where he is
says "Ma Ma" and "Da Da, Dadeee" many many times a day (actually it's a lot of Daddy lately)
says "hi" every now and then
waves, but with his hand facing himself
has 4 top teeth and 4 bottom teeth, and is currently cutting in his 1 yr molars
has horrible, horrible separation anxiety from his Momma
is fully off of the bottle and holds his own sippy cup
takes two naps a day and is on a very good schedule that he loves to follow almost to a T
loves to "read" books and points to everyone on the pages

The 11th Month

2009-03-18T16:50:00.009-04:00

I can't believe Aidan will be a year old April 3. I can't believe it has been almost a year since I gave birth. I can't believe I STILL have 5 more pounds to lose before I hit my pre-pregnancy weight. I can't believe Aidan is almost walking! I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW HARD IT IS TO KEEP UP WITH THIS LITTLE GUY! Whew ok, rant over. To all the people who say "they grow up faster than you think...", well, I finally believe ya.

This past month has been crazy (as you can tell by my last post being back in February). Aidan is a handful! He is now crawling at super fast speed, and has now moved on to standing and standing with anything and everything he can use..... especially the toilet seat (hands in water as a bonus). I am still waiting on the "first step"...so far its just a wobbly balancing act (and believe me, I am in NO hurry for the walking).

Aidan has a new fascination with all things small. (Pictured above is a case that holds my moms camera memory stick...my mom hides it in this basket in the kitchen and somehow he manages to find it every time). He likes to take these small things and crawl around (or push) them for a while. The latest things have been: a CD, a q-tip, fuzz balls, Rookies boney.

The weather has been so nice lately, so this means trips to the park! He really enjoys the swing, but the new thing for him to do is the slide. He is not quite old enough to slide alone so he needs some help from his Momma or Gramma. During these trips is when I can't wait for him to walk, just so he can enjoy the park so much more!

The Tenth Month

2009-02-17T20:46:00.011-05:00

I have noticed Aidan has done a lot of standing, especially in the last few days. This does not excite me in the least! I have barely adjusted to this crawling thing and am getting used to the words "no Aidan", "not that Aidan", "get out of the toilet Aidan!". I am pretty positive he understands "no" now, but not the word obey. The best thing about him standing is his complete and utter joy that he has accomplished something amazing, but he isn't quite sure what that is! Usually he ends up staring down at his feet, then falls over.

Another new "Aidan thing" is putting objects into his mouth and crawling around the house. This started with a toothbrush. As soon as Aidan popped out his first tooth I rushed to the store to buy him a toothbrush (I know, I'm crazy!!). But I really value taking care of your teeth and I wanted him to get used to it as quickly as possible. He thought it was the funniest thing at first (as I brushed his one small tooth)....then he realized he could grab it and take control himself. And that did not involve anything with brushing. So now, as I hand it to him so we can brush our teeth at the same time together, he takes the toothbrush, pops it in his mouth, and off he goes! Here is a short list of things that I find in his mouth: Rookie's toy frog (with a frantic Rookie close by), the electrical outlet baby proof cover (YES, this is not a mistake, we are on round three of baby proof socket covers), washcloth, and as pictured above, his sock.

Aidan's most favorite time of the day is bathtime with his Daddy. I really enjoy sitting down in the other room, relaxing for about 10 minutes, and listening to all of the laughter and love between the two of them. Aidan loves his Daddy so much, I can tell by the GIANT smile and the way his face lights up every single night when Adam gets home from work. Usually I leave this time for them to hang out, but every now and then I get the "Hey, come here and see this!" and usually something funny follows. Once it was the first time Aidan figured out he could make huge splashes with his legs flapping all around. Another was him trying to eat the bubbles. Then I got THE call. The "Hey, come look at your son." And yes, it was the moment I had anticipated but was never quite ready for.....Aidan had found his Pee Pee. AJHslkajhslkfjh! I knew the day would come, and ever since then, he finds it every diaper change chance he gets. So this particular night (the pic above) I got a call and I had to rush and grab my camera because it was the ever famous candle crazy hair that all parents do to their children at some point in their childhood. And of course Aidan loved every second of it!

Fun with a Pampers Box

2009-02-07T21:03:00.004-05:00

This picture pretty much shows a great example of life with Aidan lately!! Some days I really wonder why I ever spend money buying him toys. He seems to have so much more fun with everything else! For some reason, he has an obsession with opening and closing things. Doors, drawers, cabinets, the TOILET (ick)....I think that is Papa Jim's engineering genes in him. The other day he figured out he could pull all of the stuff in the drawers out and make a royal mess of it. He has also acquired the skill of throwing. So put two and two together, and you get the point. SO my house is a constant tornado, all day. I have had to teach myself to clean up the mess AFTER he goes to bed...and not a minute sooner.

A recent discovery of great entertainment was this Pampers box I brought home one day. Adam has taken him on Choo Choo rides in the laundry basket before (yes, down the stairs I have to admit....) which he REALLY enjoys, so he was so excited when his Daddy put him in this new choo choo. I don't think I have laughed harder in my life!!! Most of you have seen the video I posted on facebook, if not go check it out. I will guarantee laughter for at least 5 minutes!

Playtime

2009-01-16T21:47:00.005-05:00

Ever since Aidan has decided he wants to crawl now, playtime has become a whole new ballgame. Most of his time is spent getting into things he shouldn't (and me baby proofing as he goes) but on the rare occasion he decides to play with the many toys he received for Christmas, here are a few of his favorites...and yes, one of them is the window. He discovered that after I had to pull away the blinds so that won't become his new play toy as well! I can't believe how fast he has gone from completely immobile to Mr. Independent!

9 Months

2009-01-04T21:38:00.004-05:00

Pulling up to his knees

Attempting to crawl...almost there!!

Watch out world! Aidan is 9 months old. I felt like I looked at my baby boy for the first time today and realized how fast he has grown in the past few weeks. I don't know what it is, but he just looks "different". Maybe it's his expressive face or the way looks at you square in the eye when you are talking like he understands every word you are saying. I am not ready for him to crawl!! And he is ALMOST there...today he took one small forward push on his knee....gone will be the days of him sitting quietly, playing with his toys and watching a dvd. He is actually getting into stuff now...AH! Anyways, when all is said and done, I am really enjoying this little boy he is becoming, and looking forward to the many bumps and bruises that come with growing up.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T10:14:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas! I can't believe how fast the time has gone by...it just seems like I put the tree up and turned the calendar to December. This year is will be a very special Christmas, since it is Aidan's first. I decided this would be a great year to begin sending out Christmas cards to family and friends, which led me to pull out my Nikon and do a photo shoot (not as easy as it sounds!). Several shots later, a few tears and several attempts to grab my camera, I finally nailed down three I loved (the top pic was included). I added a few of the pictures that did not make it to the card, but show his little personality well! I hope all of you have a great Christmas this year!!

8 Months Old Means Big Boy Things

2008-12-07T11:59:00.005-05:00

December 3rd, Aidan turned 8 months old (wow!) and for some reason it has opened up a whole new chapter of his life titled "big boy things". I finally sat him in a full blown highchair, and now he wants all things grown up. Since he sprouted his two bottom teeth, I decided to buy him his first tooth brush, which for the moment, he loves (only if I let him hold it, of course). He pretty much just chews on it, but I do manage to get a few swipes of those tiny teeth. I am still waiting on those top ones to emerge, I would love for the whining and early morning wake-ups to cease! He also has enjoyed trying to drink water from a cup, mainly because he watches me drink from one and wants to do everything I do. However, he still won't hold his own bottle!! I still can't believe how fast he is growing and how quickly the baby part of him is disappearing quickly.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-28T20:49:00.004-05:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday! We had a great time eating some awesome food and visiting with family. I bought this outfit for Aidan (I know, I am one of those "Moms" but oh well) and he enjoyed showing it off! He did really well on the go and visiting with some cousins he doesn't see often. Now it's time to pull out the Christmas tree.....

Brrrrr!

2008-11-19T15:33:00.002-05:00

It has been unusually cold the past week here in normally 70 degree November and Aidan isn't sure what to do with himself since he was born in April and hasn't experienced one bit of coldness. The first time I took him out in the cold morning his eyes got real big and I heard a huge gasp come from his little mouth. So now I have pulled out the heavy jackets and bought him a stocking cap (which he quickly took off) and I think he hates every bit of it (welcome to the club!!). Everytime I put this blue jacket on him he immediately stops moving and stares at me like I am punishing him. He seriously does not.move.one.muscle and I see his eyes staring at me like "come on!". Then eventually the puppy dog whine begins until I take it off. He really is a Florida boy!

7 months

2008-11-09T21:07:00.003-05:00

Bath time with Daddy

Cheesin' for the camera

Wow I still can't believe my baby boy is 7 months old! He has changed so much in the past few weeks that it is hard to believe he is the same child. We decided that we weren't going to dress him up for Halloween because most likely he will hate his costume and he would have lasted maybe two houses. Next year he will be a year and a half and it should be much more fun. I just put him in a cute onesie and he hammed it up for the camera! One of the things Aidan loves is bathtime with Daddy, so since he has been sitting up really well we now put him in the sink, and as you can tell he has a great time! He is still trying to figure out how to grab that water flowing out of the faucet. He has reached a few more milestones in his old age, one being clapping. He still hasn't figured out he has to have his hands open, so he pounds his fists together, which is pretty funny. He also has become a "steamroller" lately and is now all over the place since he mastered all ways of rolling over. I can tell crawling is around the corner (save me now!).

Sippy Cups and Sittin Up

2008-10-25T21:27:00.005-04:00

New sippy cup (notice the colors..go gators!!)

For a couple of weeks now I have been trying to get Aidan to learn how to use a sippy cup (I know I have a long haul ahead of me). So far he just bites on it, but he gets really excited when I give it to him and it keeps him entertained in his highchair. He also has been pretty much sitting up unassisted, which makes me very happy!! He still is a weeble wobble but every day is better. This past week he finally mastered rolling over from back to belly, and loves that now, and I just felt his first tooth coming in! Yay! A week full of milestones.

6 months!

2008-10-07T20:33:00.004-04:00

Taken on his 6 mos bday

Rookie has finally warmed up to Aidan!

Ready to play baseball Daddy!

On October 3rd, Aidan turned 6 months old. I can't believe how fast time flies, my baby is getting so big! He is around 20 pounds now, wears 9-12 months clothes (yes, he is a BIG BOY!), and is pretty much sitting on his own. He loves going on walks and being outside, playing in his "office", watching praise DVD's, watching Rookie run around with his toy frog (he laughs and laughs at him), and having fun with his Daddy during his nightly baths. The first half year of his life has been amazing, and I can't wait for all the changes he will go through in the second half!!

The Zoo

2008-10-01T20:10:00.005-04:00

Aidan was reading up on the zoo exhibits

Last Friday, Adam and I took advantage of the nice weather and went to the Jacksonville Zoo! Both of us haven't been in a long time so we were really looking forward to it. Even though Aidan didn't understand where he was, he really enjoyed being outside in the fresh air and hanging out with us. Most of the animals were out and about except for the lions....there was a note from the zookeeper that said "the lions probably don't feel like coming out today". WHAT?! You can only imagine how upset Adam was (haha). At the end of our visit, we rode the little train around the park. Aidan enjoyed it, except the train whistle startled him a little. We look forward to taking him again when he is older (and we will make sure the lions are out for Adam).

The Next Billy Wagner

2008-09-26T21:11:00.005-04:00

Adam decided to do a "test" on Aidan to see if he will be a lefty or a righty if he decides to play baseball in his future (Adam played ball his whole life up to college and was a lefty). I'm not sure if babies show a preference of what hand is dominant this early in life, but Aidan definitely grabbed everything with his right. Of course, the baseball went straight to his mouth, but he showed some early signs of baseball talent holding the bat! (haha anyways, we had a good time watching him!). Keep an eye out in the next 20 years for Mr. Pogachnik on ESPN!

Splish Splash

2008-09-22T21:54:00.008-04:00

One of the things Aidan loves to do at Gramma and Papa Jim's house is play in their pool. He really only lasts about 10 or 15 minutes...it takes longer to lather him up with sunscreen and get his bathing suit on!! He is not so sure about his float either. Just wait for next year Aidan, you will have so much fun!

5 months!!

2008-09-12T09:25:00.004-04:00

Aidan turned 5 months old on September 3rd, and I still can't believe how fast time flies!!! He has become a totally different baby in just a few weeks. He is doing so well with his eating, so far he has had carrots, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, squash, apples, bananas, and pears. He loves all the fruit and sweet potatoes and thats about it! Gramma and I, when we are feeding him, always go "mm mmmmm" so now he makes the same noise each spoonful! He reaches, grabs, switches toys from hand to hand, squeals really loud, gives hugs around our neck, babbles, gully gullys and sits up unassisted for a few seconds at a time (I am impatiently waiting for that milestone, I can't wait until he sits up alone!!). He loves to play in his "office" and go on walks outside. Ok this is starting to sound like a personal ad........anyways, he is growing so fast, and I love every minute of it.

Mmmmmm REAL Food!

2008-08-29T09:52:00.007-04:00

Aidan's first bite of cereal

His first try with carrots

We decided to start Aidan on solids after his 4 month appointment, and so far it has been an adventure! We started with rice cereal which wasn't a big hit (and I don't blame him, its nasty). We moved on to oatmeal and barley before starting on the "real" thing. So far he has tried carrots, sweet potatoes, and green beans. Sweet potatoes were a hit! He finally got the hang of the spoon and does pretty good with eating now. I can't believe he will be 5 months old next week....time flies!

Aidan's Baptism

2008-08-27T21:30:00.006-04:00

Papa Jim got to be the witness and hold the water!

Aidan's baptism was last Sunday, and what a great day it was! He got to share his day with his daddy, who stood up in front of the church to finalize his church membership! I didn't hear one peep out of Aidan the entire time, and it actually looked like he was listening to everything Pastor John said. Aidan had two rows of family there, he is so loved!! At our church, when an infant is baptized, the father writes a blessing to his child and it is read to him afterwards. Adam's was based on 2 Thessalonians 1: 11-12 "With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." We are so blessed to have Aidan in our lives!

4 Months and The Office

2008-08-13T20:02:00.008-04:00

Showing off his new "office"

He has the same expression in every picture in this thing!

Good times with Daddy!

Aidan recently turned 4 months old (I know, time flies!!). He has all of a sudden transformed from a little "baby" into a little personality. He "talks", squeals, blows raspberries followed by a TON of drool, reaches, grabs, laughs, holds his toys and sits up (with some assistance of course). Since he no longer is satisfied laying around and has to be entertained pretty much all of the time now, my mom (she now watches him during the day since I have gone back to work) and I have decided we needed to invest in an "office". I got the Baby Einstein jumper which he LOVES, but he still is a little small so we have to stuff him with blankets so he can't bang his head on the seat. I am sure he will be in love with this thing in a few weeks when he gets really strong and steady. We have also decided to start him on rice cereal (this is a whole new blog post...coming soon!!), since his last visit to the doctor he is a whopping 16 pounds, 26 inches and ready to begin on his journey to solid foods. So far his reaction is "BLEEEEGGGH pFFTTTTTT".

The Evolution of the Bumbo!

2008-07-23T20:24:00.005-04:00

A little wobbly

A little more upright

Perfecto! (well not quite)

I have been staring at this Bumbo seat since Aidan was born waiting for the day he could sit in it and FINALLY I think we have it down..except he doesn't last in it long. He hasn't quite figured out that the back support is good for him to sit up (instead of annoying- he arches back and whines) and the blue section in front of him isn't available to grab and put in his mouth. Every day he gets a little more steady and I am excited for many more Bumbo days to come!

Aidan's First Vacation

2008-07-14T15:50:00.006-04:00

Aidan's ready for the beach!

He had a great time under the umbrella on the beach...it was a little bright for him though.

Every time he got in Uncle Josh's lap...he passed out! Aidan's Nanny (Great-Gma) had a great time hanging out also.

Last week we all packed up and went to the Ritz-Carlton for our annual family trip with my dad's side of the family. This year we went somewhere close to Jacksonville so that Aidan wouldn't have to travel far and be as comfy as possible. You can't complain about the Ritz!! Aidan had such a great time...(however it was very hard for Adam and I to get used to sleeping in the same room as Aidan..I didn't realize he moved so much in the middle of the night!!). This was the first time Aidan has been to the beach....which is hard because he isn't supposed to be in the sun really at all....so we were fortunate they had umbrellas on the beach (and a nice breeze most days) so he could hang out with us. Aidan's Great-Grandma (Nanny) even came and hung out with him on the beach as well! We had such a great time and I can't wait until he can remember and enjoy beach days in the future.

3 months!!

2008-06-30T12:43:00.004-04:00

Aidan will be 3 months old in a few days and he is already a completely different baby then even last week! He is about 14 pounds and is a pretty solid boy. My arms get so tired from holding him...which is perfect timing since he now doesn't want to just "lay" around anymore, he wants to be up and about and a part of everything. He HATES tummy time but I am slowly getting him used to it and making it a part of his daily routine. He still only lasts about 5 minutes max, but he now pops his head straight up which was perfect to get these pictures of him. (Don't be fooled he was crying only minutes after...) Also...last Friday I got him so mad from laying on his tummy that he flopped his big 'ol head over to the side and figured out he can roll back over! Yay! That was fun to see. He has only really done it a few more times (twice for his Daddy) but of course wouldn't show anyone else or the camera. Oh well. Then yesterday, Adam was playing with him and out burst a quick giggle and it was the coolest and sweetest thing I have heard! We can't get him to do it again but I can' wait until he does it all the time!

Milestones

2008-06-23T15:34:00.009-04:00

Aidan is now almost 12 weeks old and will be 3 months on July 3rd and it seems like every week he is a new little man!! Just this past week or so he has discovered he has hands...I am not sure if he knows they are attached to his body or that he can control them but I always catch him in a deep, contemplative stare at his closed fist with crossed eyeballs, and he will do this for hours!! He also tries to bat and grab his toys that I hang over his head but he hasn't quite mastered this yet. I am sure it will be soon! He is not a big fan of tummy time, but I try and get him to do it a few minutes at a time every day. He is holding his head up so much better now, but I still can't get him past licking the sheet he's laying on..AAHH! Adam can't wait for him to start crawling around but I am happy with not having to chase him around yet. We finally figured out how to sit him in his little tub now that he can't lay in the hammock anymore since he is too big. The first time I did this he wouldn't move his body...he was so confused and had never had his legs and feet under water, so he just stared at me! But he finally relaxed and really enjoys bath time now. He is growing up so fast!! I love watching him learn all the new things he can do :)

A Little Slice of Heaven

2008-06-19T11:34:00.007-04:00

Rookie has felt very left out lately with this huge change in his life that I decided I would dedicate an entire post to him. (Meanwhile he is lounging on my pillow thinking his is king of the bed probably getting crusty eye booger on my pillow and loving it). SO....thank you to Temple and Mike for being Rookie's frog supplier. Once his frog starts looking like the top picture and I start seeing white frog fluff hanging from his beard, its time for a new one. Temple was smart and brought two over the other day, so I decided to see what would happen if I threw all 3 at him at once, and WOW!! He was beside himself in excitement. It really was Rookie's little slice of Heaven!!

Aidan's First Road Trip!

2008-06-18T12:24:00.006-04:00

This past Tuesday Aidan got a chance to go visit his Uncle Josh in Gainesville and go on his first road trip!! He did so well in the car, slept most of the time and didn't fuss (except for a bottle). I actually accidently left my keys in Adam's truck and he was at work so I couldn't get Aidan's stroller out of my trunk. So we decided to go buy a smaller one (his regular stroller is HUGE, where you attach the car seat)...but that sure turned into an adventure!! We had about an hour to scramble and went to Wal Mart AND Target but we finally lucked out with this one. He still is a little small for such a big boy stroller but I made a head support with his blanket. And all was well. We had a good time visiting Josh's coworkers at UF and had a sushi lunch downtown. Aidan got to see where he is going to college in the future....because you know he has NO CHOICE! GO GATORS!!

Happy 1st Father's Day Adam!

2008-06-16T08:16:00.000-04:00

Adam celebrated his first Father's Day yesterday! Aidan is really starting to recognize us and gets a HUGE smile on his face every time he sees his Daddy. They love playing together and their bond is really growing strong. We had a good time celebrating with Papa Jim for lunch and his Pop Pop for dinner. We are so blessed to have both sides of our family in town!

Papa Jim

2008-06-14T10:00:00.000-04:00

A lot of people have been telling me Aidan looks like his Papa Jim (my Dad). I think so too.....that just means he has a lot of Dickenson in him!! As you can tell, he loves hanging out with his Papa. They play all kinds of hand games which bring huge smiles. He is such a big boy now holding his head up so well...he is no longer a little bobble head! (wah he is growing up so fast). He is much more social now and loves trying to "talk" back to us. Every day there is a new sound that comes out if his mouth which is so funny to watch and hear. I love every single minute I have with him!

8 weeks! And slept through the night!

2008-05-29T10:46:00.000-04:00

8 weeks ago I looked like this (which I still can't believe!). This was the day before my induction.

I never thought I would post a hospital picture but I gave in.....that's what 20 hours of labor does to ya! Adam did such a great job he was a great coach, they wanted to hire him as a labor and delivery nurse!

Our new favorite picture of Aidan :)

Aidan at 8 weeks. He will be 2 months on June 3rd, hard to believe! GO GATORS!

I am still in shock that it has already been 8 weeks. Aidan is changing so much every day that it is hard to keep up. I finally pulled out my video camera so I can capture some funny moments so I won't regret not doing it in the future. Aidan gave Adam and I a great present today....he slept from 9 pm to 5:30 am without getting up to eat!! Of course, i was up at 3 and 4 checking on him (since that is when he usually gets up) and he was sleeping away. Then he went back down until 7:30 am. I am sure this won't happen again for a while so I had to document it! He is smiling more and more every day and "trying" to talk to us with "coos" and "ooohs". He is starting to enjoy playing with some of his toys and batting at them, and every now and then he likes to watch his Praise Baby DVD that his Grand"mo" (Grandmazz, Grammy...we haven't decided on her name yet!) gave him. As soon as I figure out the video thing I will upload that....more to come soon!!

Tummy Time!

2008-05-21T11:45:00.001-04:00

I've been trying to get Aidan to enjoy his tummy time since most of the time he rubs his face in the floor since he's not used to it. So we got this cool mini-boppy pillow and he does a pretty good job with it, however it only lasted for about 3 minutes because he starts to root around and lick the pillow. What you don't see (and I wish you could) is my arm in a constant flutter trying to push Rookie away so Aidan won't get a giant stinky frog in his face...or worse, his stinky beard, or mess up the picture, or mainly just annoy me. So all you hear is, "Hey Aiiidaan, Rookie stop, Aidan look at mommy, ROOKIE STOP, ROOKIE get down.." and so on, you get the point. AHAJHSJ! Rookie is doing great with the baby but every now and then he has a giant memory lapse and thinks its another new squeaky toy. Nothing is simple around here. :)

6 weeks already?!?!

2008-05-13T10:33:00.000-04:00

Aidan loves car rides!!! This was taken on my first Mother's Day!

One of our favorite pictures of him.

Rookie is feeling very left out lately so he has taken to our pillows as his new bed!

So now that I am finally pretty much recovered from my long hard labor and getting used to the mom thing...the days seem to be flying by! I can't believe Aidan is 6 weeks old already! He is growing so fast. Adam and I tried to weigh Aidan by our little scale in the bathroom, and he seems to be close to 12 pounds. What a hoss! He sure doesn't skip a meal. He is still eating pretty much every 3 hours but he is getting himself on a semi-schedule at night, going to bed around 10 pm and getting up at 2 am and 6am for feedings (and one time he went from 10-4 and it sure was a treat...never thought I would say that!!). I finally decided to put him in his own room in the crib and graduate from the cradle he slept in since birth....considering one morning I found him with a leg dangling out of the side :) It took a day or two but he loves his own little space and does a great job putting himself to sleep. I have too many pictures to keep up with, more to come soon when the little man allows me time to write more! :)

The Crazy Life

2008-04-28T11:18:00.000-04:00

Rookie is still a little confused

Is this not the sweetest face you have ever seen???

He loves taking over our bed!

Rookie always wants Aidan to play with his frog. (One day, Rookie, you will regret that). Thanks Temple for the new froggie he walked around the house like this for a while!

Aidan's First Bath

2008-04-25T10:41:00.000-04:00

"The Stump" finally fell off so Aidan got his first bath! He was very confused at first but I think he enjoyed it. He also peed on his Daddy which was fun for me to see!! I captured it all on video so I can embarrass him one day when he's older (I never thought I would ever say those words).

Aidan John Pogachnik is here!!

2008-04-11T14:19:00.000-04:00

Finally! After 9 long months, 20 hours of labor, 2 hours of pushing, our little (stubborn) man is here. He sure put up a huge fight from the beginning of my induction! Aidan was born on April 3rd at 4:33 a.m. and weighed in at 7 lbs 8 ozs and 21 inches long. He is perfect in every way (of course I am biased) and I am still in shock that he is ours to keep forever. I know all babies "look alike" but most people say he looks like me, but I do know he has his Daddies feet and cowlick on the top of his head, the hurricane as we call it (Adam hates his!). We are doing well, just adjusting to our new life as parents (and learning to function on no sleep). Aidan changes so much every day, and we are looking forward to watching him grow!

Finally! Welcome to our crazy world!

2008-02-29T14:08:00.000-05:00

Hallo!! I am finally here and ready to share all the craziness that is about to unfold on the Pogachnik household. Most of you know, Adam and I are expecting a baby boy in the next 5 weeks (or less!). As soon as I figure out this thing, I will post pictures!