Family Frenzy

After the 4th of July, we went back to Maryland to stay with my parents for awhile and Aiden got to start meeting his extended family. Great Aunts and Uncles, Great-Great Aunts, cousins, second cousins, second cousins once removed, first cousins twice removed... it's a lot to keep track of, but everyone was so excited to meet him.

Aiden's Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother (from my mom's side) even came all the way from Alabama to meet Aiden, which was very special. His Great Grandmother would barely put him down to eat dinner. But it was neat having four generations of family in one room, like in this picture.

We were having so many family get-togethers that there wasn't time to do much else except rest. That didn't really bother us though, since as anyone on the east coast knows, we've been dealing with an unbearable heat wave. We didn't really want to go outside anyway. The only positive with heat waves is that they invariably bring thunderstorms, which can leave beautiful sunsets to enjoy.

After enjoying time with my parents, it was time for Stephanie's baby shower. I guess it isn't often that the baby gets to be at his or her shower, but Aiden did. It seems that everyone had a good time. We've been really blessed to have so many generous friends and family who care so much about Aiden.

Just as exciting is that the day after Stephanie's shower, she went to my cousin's (and Aiden's Godmother's) shower. She's due the beginning of August, so Aiden will have a second cousin just his age to play with as he gets older.

After the shower, we decided to stay at my Aunt's house near Annapolis for a quiet getaway. She has a lovely house overlooking a river and we couldn't have asked for a nicer setting.

We even got to take advantage of the location by going kayaking while Aiden stayed with my Aunt. Early in the morning, it wasn't too hot and we got to see some blue heron and osprey on the way. No camera on that trip because I was worried I'd tip and lose it.

That afternoon I got to go out with my uncle and some of his friendly neighbors on their sailboat. I even got to pilot the boat to where the river meets the Chesapeake Bay.

On the way back, I somehow got the boat spun around and decided to spend the rest of the trip taking in the beautiful scenery.

There's no better place to be during a heat wave than on the water.

We had a little bit of a scare towards the end of our stay when we thought Aiden might have caught my sister's strep throat. He was almost inconsolable, wouldn't sleep, and wouldn't eat, but didn't have a temperature. We talked to a nurse at the doctor's office and after a few short questions, she felt that he might be teething. We thought three months sounded early, but she said it wasn't unheard of. We took her advice and got a homeopathic remedy made from chamomile, and that seems to do the trick when he's fussy. No teeth yet, but he likes to chew on our fingers and seems to have some promising bumps on his gums. Aiden has a check-up later this week, so we should be able to learn more then.

Other than that, Aiden is having smooth sailing as he approaches his three month birthday. He's smiling, even laughing at times, and continues to be very curious.

In celebration of his pending milestone, our friends even made a special pot pie for dinner last night!

Time seems to be speeding up now that August is approaching. I can't believe there are less than two weeks before I have to return to Tajikistan. Hopefully it will go fast so I can get back to having more adventures with Aiden.