Paris grass is A-okay

Aidan overcomes his fear of grass in Paris--in front of the Eiffel Tower, April 12, 2009.

Flying the friendly skies--away from grass.

Grass sucks!

Guess who hates grass? Doesn't want to touch it, or even have his feet touch it. It's amazing to watch a baby balance on his butt just to avoid a little greenery. Already a city boy. We're so proud.

Finally taking a stand

Look who finally decided you can't keep a good baby down.

In the most terrifying Friday the 13th moment for mom and dad, Aidan decided to start standing up by himself. He even shouted his good news from the rooftops ("mama, mama, dada, dada, dada!").

All we can really say is, it's about time. Some kids start walking early and other kids, like Aidan, decide to be careful and take their sweet time. At this rate, we expect to see some independent walking somewhere around 15 months old. We'll keep ya posted.

I will never go hungry

Once again, Aidan proves he will never starve. The lowdown: boy decides he's hungry, boy finds can of snack crackers, boy opens canister and devours snacks. Could he look any more proud of himself?

God made dirt and dirt don't...

Here we are at the park in the middle of January. It's 3 p.m. and 74 degrees outside in the lovely Parkside district (which is by the beach and typically VERY chilly). If you don't believe in global warming, doesn't this make you rethink things, even just a little?

Anyway, the big news is that Aidan decided to eat sand for the first time. This look says, "I'm gonna do it. I swear! Just try to stop me." We didn't. This photo was followed by a lot of spitting. Hysterical. But every kid's gotta do it at least once.

What fun! Look who's one...

It's the most anticipated moment of a kid's first birthday party: the moment everyone sings Happy Birthday and the guest of honor starts bawling. Except that didn't happen with Aidan. 

As the singing begins, a slow smile begins to spread across his face. He thinks, "this is cool--I like songs." Then the magic line, "happy birthday dear Aidan" and as he recognizes his name, smiles big, laughs, and claps. It's the baby equivalent of, "Oh my god! I can't believe this song is for me! That's AWESOME!"

And then he got to eat cake for the first time, which seems to be another big hit. Already birthdays are shaping up to be a favorite. Forget Thanksgiving and Christmas. Bring on more birthdays.