Our First Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! We had a wonderful holiday and first Christmas. Thank you everyone for everything, we feel truly blessed to have such a loving and generous family to share Christmas with. We spent the abnormally sunny and warm Christmas eve with Abuelita Sonia, Ramon, Emmanuel, Ricky, and Abuelito. We had sopitos, pasole, cake and jello--yes, we were stuffed! Aiden loved his bowl of rice and beans. Aiden also loved the ornaments on the tree and the candles on the reindeer. He amazed us all when he crawled toward the stairs and then crawled straight up them like he had done it a thousand times before. Despite being sick, we all hung in there and enjoyed the night. The next morning, we woke up and opened our gifts before heading to mass in Redwood City. Aiden wasn't too interested in his presents, but he did enjoy the wrapping paper! After a beautiful mass, we got to my parents where breakfast and Uncle Mike, Grandpa, Bri and Chris were waiting for us. We exchanged gifts and later on we were joined by Toddy and Jose, Uncle Danny and his family, Aunt Wendi and her family, and Rod and Kathy. We had prime rib and ham for dinner...delicious! Aiden ate mashed potatoes, yams, carrots, and some ham. He loved it and had so much fun playing with his new toys. He got so many amazing gifts (and so did we!)--thank you everyone, soooo much!

Aiden is 10 months!

Dec 1-23: On the 8th, Aiden started blowing raspberries on my arm. Now, he blows them on everything--the floor, the furniture, and even while he is eating sometimes! He loves playing peek a boo games and does anything that makes us laugh, over and over again. He is also copying things that people do (sticking out his tongue, waving, clapping, laughing, dancing). He recognizes the names of things now. "Donde esta tu pelota?" --And he will go get his ball. He has 6 teeth, is 27lbs, sleeping through the night, takes two 1hr naps a day, is eating more solids (whatever we eat), and is just the happiest little guy. He is standing and has started to take a couple steps before falling into my arms. Everyday he cracks us up and every day he does something that I want to burn into my memory and remember forever. But with so many new things he is learning and doing, my brain just can't keep up (and neither can this blog!). Oh Aiden, we love you more and more each day. My heart grows with you--bigger everyday.

Holiday Photos!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! We are so excited for our first Christmas with Aiden. He is such a blessing. Here are the Holiday Photos that we took on the 10th--Aiden was such a little model, he loved the session!

Favorites from November

Aiden can now make "m" and "n" sounds. He says "mama" and his personality has started growing as fast as the rest of him. On the 19th, he crawled into my lap and cuddled with me...aww. He is becoming more independant and will crawl from the living room to his room to play with his toys (even when it is dark and the lights are off--he isn't afraid of the dark!). He is very interested in other kids and new people and he was even touching people as I walked through the crowed stores on Black Friday. He can throw the ball, wave, and he has his top two teeth coming in. He gives hugs and kisses and loves to talk and point to things (especially pictures of himself, he clearly has good taste!).

Flashback! then and now...

Martin found this photo of me and Aiden a couple of weeks ago and it has become my favorite photo. When I look at it, I am transported back to the time when I was on maternity leave and with him 24 hours a day, and 22 of those hours we were paranoid and nervous and scared we would somehow "break" him. It amazes me how quickly he has changed and how fast I have adjusted. I never thought that I would forget him being so tiny, but I have. It isn't until I see photos like this one, where he looks so fragile and small that I am reminded of how far we have come in such a small amount of time.

Then:

Now:

October was a busy month, Aiden is mobile! 8 month recap

He's crawling! Officially, on Wed. Oct 27th he made strides across the floor on one knee as he pushed with his right foot. He is already trying to walk. He is pulling himself up on everything and is trying to stand when he is crawling. He has conquered the threshold from the office to the living room and he spends a lot of time in that doorway. He throws toys into the living room and crawls up the step and he also practices standing there. He is so social. He takes only 2 naps a day and sleeps through the night (for the most part). He caught his first cold this month, but it didn't even phase him. He smiles at everyone and loves to try to talk to them. Mostly, he says, "ahaaaa!" and then laughs  when they look at him. He gives hugs now. He wraps his arms tight around my neck and squeals. He was the Hulk for Halloween (thanks Auntie Bri for the costume!). It was perfect for him, did I mention how massive he is now! I just can't get I just can't get enough of him. Everyday he amazes and excites me with something new. I can't even describe how much I love him.

Click here to see all of his videos and here to see some new instagrams.

Oct 1-15: some favorites :)

Oct 16-31:

Big body, Big brains: Aiden is growing and learning

September 17-30th: Progress! Aiden learns something new practically every 5 minutes. He has mastered his basketball hoop and can now slam dunk without assistance. The first time he did it on his own was on the 23rd (video below) He even pulls himself up to the standing position! Crawling is still a challenge but he gets in position and rocks on his hands and knees before face planting and  screaming out in frustration. Our living room has transformed into a play room....toys are everywhere! He learns so fast, and has started to copy what we do. Uncle Mike taught him how to "Pet the doggie", (there is a page in his touch and feel book with a sheep dog that has fluffy fur), and now whenever he grabs that book, he goes to that page and pets the doggie. It is the only page in the book that looks tattered and used! When I type, he wants to type. When I am on the phone, he wants the phone. You get the point, he wants whatever I have. September is the sunniest month in Pacifica so we have been walking to the beach almost everyday. Aiden loves listening to the ocean and watching the waves. We even saw two dolphins! We also took him to Gymboree one Saturday, he was the biggest but least mobile baby in the group. He seemed to have fun though, and he loved the bubbles. He is probably 30 pounds now and he has definitely gotten longer, but I don't know the exact measurements--he's a beast! He loves looking out the window at the dogs and he says, "Dghthh" (his version of "dog") every time he sees them. Some things I love about this age: his laugh (things are actually funny to him now), his hugs (he wraps his arms tight around my neck), the squeals he makes when me or his dad comes home, clapping when he is excited, his big smile when he wakes me up in the morning, his eagerness to be mobile and his ability to play with his toys (I am so proud when he figures out how things work), how he shares his toys and food with me (he holds them up to my mouth and laughs as I pretend to eat it) and how he reaches out to me with his arms when he wants me to hold him. He cries out "nehnahh" when he wants his mama and he says "da da" when his dad comes into the room...coincidence, I think not...but who knows! I love that he can stand now, that he is trying to walk and crawl and that he can entertain himself for longer periods of time but he still doesn't want to be alone. Yes, he still sleeps with and on me, and no, I don't mind one bit! Now, on to the pics and videos...
 To see all of Aiden's videos, click here.

What a month so far...mini vacay, emergency surgery....oh my!

Sept 1-16th: My parents came and visited us on Friday and we went to lunch at Nick's. It has a beautiful view of Rockaway beach. As you can see, my dad was checking out the waves and Aiden had his lunch before we left.

The mini-vacay: We started off the month with our first mini vacation. A trip to Santa Cruz over the Labor Day weekend. We packed everything but the kitchen sink as you can see in the picture below. We decided we would see where the trip took us, we had zero plans. We cruised downtown Santa Cruz and stopped in a "learning" toy store where Aiden got to play and pick out a new puppet and recycling truck to take home. Aiden ate a lot of solids, he had avocado and oatmeal at brunch, mangos and peaches for a snack and then some rice cereal with dinner. We were impressed at how much he ate, but then he started vomiting and wouldn't stop from 9pm-midnight. We were freaking out and had Kaiser on the phone until they convinced us it would be better to stay where we were since it was likely a stomach virus. They had a Dr. call us on Sunday to check in, but since he had no fever, and hadn't vomited again, she said that he probably just ate too much food and it overwhelmed his system. He seemed to be doing ok, so we visited the Wharf and Boardwalk before heading to San Jose for Uncle Rod's birthday bbq even though Aiden was sort of fussy and not acting like himself.

Emergency: On Monday, he vomited one time and then on Tuesday he got sick 5 times in a row. I checked his inguinal hernia and it was purple, enormous and it looked incarcerated. We rushed him to the ER in SSF and thus began the worst week of our lives to date. They had us hold him down while the Dr. tried to reduce the hernia. She was unsuccessful and wanted to run labs and get xrays before ordering us an ambulance to take us to SF Kaiser where they have Pediatrics and Surgeons on call. They had us hold him down while they secured an IV (it was horrible watching him be in so much pain, it made me hurt all over). But despite the paid, Aiden managed to flirt with all of the nurses, flashing them his big smile and "talking" to them. Nobody could believe that he was 6 months old. Everyone would gather around him to pinch his cheeks and smile at him. As usual, he drew a crowd of admirers :) When the ambulance arrived, Aiden was asleep. We thought he would stay asleep, but he woke up when we put him on the stretcher and then he stayed awake the entire ride to SF. He was so calm and he just started at this one EMT the entire time. The EMT was laughing and told Aiden that he had never had anyone stare at him for so long and that it was starting to creep him out! They also told him that he was their best and most handsome passenger that they have ever had. At SF, we had 2 doctors try to reduce the hernia again before they called Dr. Lee the Pediatric Surgeon in. It was horrible. I cried so hard as he pushed and pushed. I had never heard Aiden scream like that in my life. It killed me. But once he got it back through, Aiden passed out. Just fell asleep instantly. In total peace, like an Angel. It was freaky, but a huge relief. I was still trying to catch my breath and was wiping tears as Dr. Lee told us he wanted to move his Surgery from the 16th (today) to Friday. He told us that it was unlikely to get incarcerated again before then. After Aiden ate and held it down we went home. He started antibiotics because they found a UTI and then Aiden and I both caught a cold and were sick on Wednesday. I called to ask if surgery was safe and they scheduled a physical for Thursday. Everything was going great until Thursday evening. They cancelled surgery due to the UTI and risk of further infection. Then, Aiden started vomiting again. Martin and I panicked...NO! not again! I looked in his diaper, and yes, it was incarcerated, again. We jumped in the car and headed to SF emergency. Poor Aiden had to endure the same trauma he did on Tuesday. 2 attempts before they had to call Dr. Lee. We got admitted and put on the books for the next day to have his hernia repaired. He finally had surgery at 2pm on Friday by a wonderful and very prestigious, Dr. Farmer. She did a wonderful job and they even hand drew baseballs on his bandages since he was wearing a Giants shirt that day. We got to go home that night after he held down his food. Now, he is doing wonderful, you can barely see any scars or bruising. He is healing great as you can see below. Martin took the week off work to spend time with Aiden after the surgery :)

Dear Aiden, 
Happy Birthday to you, wow, 7 months today! How fast time is flying by. It seems even faster because you are growing so fast and so big! You are wearing 18-24 month old clothing and you are 26 lbs. When I hold you now, you rest your head on my shoulder and you play with my hair. Your feet dangle down to my thighs and I am bear hugging you because you are as long and as wide as my torso. It is insane to me that just 7 months ago you were only 8lbs and 20in.
I am so glad you are doing better. It was so rough at the hospital last week mostly because I love you so much that it physically hurts me to see you in pain and it emotionally destroys me when I can't make you feel better. Just 7 months ago, I was bringing you into this world and I felt so excited and so happy to have you in my arms and I thought I could always keep you safe. But, last week in the hospital, the same one you were born in, I held you and felt helpless. Tears ran down my face uncontrollably as I tried to comfort you. I was scared, worried, and sad. All I could do was hold you and sing to you and pray. I prayed that God would give me strength and that He would take away my worry and keep you safe and take away your pain. And He did. I want you to know that when you hurt, I hurt, but I will always be strong for you and together we can ask God to make things better and He will.

Love,
Momma

Photos from the 12th-16th:

Milestones: Clapping: Aiden can clap on demand! (Sunday 11th) He perfected this in the hospital. We kept saying, "Bravo!" and he would smile real big and clap.


Balance: He is getting so frustrated that he isn't moving yet, but he sure is trying! He can pull himself into the crawling position and will just stare at his hands like...move, dangit! He will now steady himself and will balance his weight with his hands when he is sitting.

Object Permanence: Peek-a-boo! Aiden can participate now. This was his favorite game to play with the nurses. He anticipates when he will see something now. I will stand in front of the hall mirror and before he can see himself, he will start kicking and clapping as he smiles. Then I raise him up so he can see his face in the mirror and he cracks up. So...adorable. It's one of his favorite games. He has also learned how to lean and stick his neck out when something is moving out of his view.

2 sharp bottom teeth help him tear into this broccoli!

August--it's a wrap!

8/9-8/31: "Da-da-da-da-da!" That is Aiden's new favorite word (Martin says its his "first word," I'm not convinced ;) haha). He is making more complex sounds now as well as throwing some little tantrums. He literally learns something new everyday. He rolls over flawlessly now, he gets into the crawling position and his two bottom teeth are coming through. He is still singing himself to sleep and loves to talk and be talked to. He needs constant attention and affection and we don't mind indulging him. He gives hugs and kisses and will snuggle with me. I can't even explain the love I have for this big-little guy. We had so much fun with him this past month...its hard to believe it has passed!

The many faces of Aiden (photos will be added as taken)

Click the photos to enlarge. I have been playing with Instagram. Any photo with Aiden will pop up in this post...so keep checking back!

"He Smells Holy!" Aiden's Christening and 6 month well check

8/1-8/8

Baptism (8/7): There were a lot of preparations behind this Blessed day and they all paid off! Tigre and Ruthie got skunked Friday and we thought for sure that we were doomed, but Tio Emmanuel, Daddy, and me cleaned the dogs and the deodorized the house up just in time for Sunday. Aiden looked so adorable in his suit. It was a challenge to find one that fit him, but Ricky found one! He was the biggest baby that was baptized that day out of the 5 boys, but not the oldest. It was a beautiful ceremony and we were excited and honored to have Monsignor Steven Otellini perform the baptism since he was the one who baptized me and Bri, confirmed Martin, and performed our wedding sacrament. The day went smoothly and I think everything went well. We somehow fit over 50 people in our house! Aiden was a bit overwhelmed with all the people and he started to get fussy, but he did great during the ceremony. We hired a taquiero and we had a piñata that Bri destroyed so the kids could get some candy. We didn't have a chance to open the presents at the party (mostly because Aiden wasn't in the mood, and then people started leaving), but we got some great videos and pics of him ripping into his first presents after his Dr. appt on Monday. It was too funny. His Godparents are Brianna and Ricky and we know that they will provide spiritual guidance for Aiden throughout his life. Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate with us!

Aiden, 

May the peace and blessing of almighty God, 
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 
descend upon you and remain always.

6 month checkup (8/8): Aiden weighs in at 25 lbs 9 oz! Dr. Mahoney said he is very healthy and ready for solid foods. He can start with whole grain rice cereal or oatmeal and then move to pureed fruits and veggies. She said to stick with the breastfeeding and to only feed him foods 2-3 times a day and only 1-2 tbsp. There are a lot of foods to avoid: citrus, berries, nuts, milk, eggs, dairy, soy, tomatoes. We gave him some whole grain rice cereal (yes, it was organic!) when we got home, and he didn’t seem too excited about it at first, but he got into the third time around! We have some pics and videos.

His development is a little ahead of schedule. He can sit by himself, make a variety of sounds, respond to his name, interact with others, pass objects back and forth between his hands, roll over, and high five! (we have a video of that too!) This is such an exciting age because he is interacting with us. He seems to wake up smarter each day. If I ask him for besitos, he will grab my face with both hands and will kiss me wherever his mouth lands (usually my entire cheek!). When I get home from work he flaps his arms, smiles, laughs, and squeals. Yes, my heart melts every time he recognizes me. He is doing a little better in his car seat, but he still fusses sometimes. He gets the giggles a lot, grabs everything, laughs all the time, and squeals too. He has even learned how to manipulate us to get his way, he will fake cry and will scream until he gets what he wants then he instantly stops fussing and lets out a little giggle puts a huge smile on his face…what a little monster, hahaha we love him so much!

PS- Daddy smells your head everyday and says, "He still smells Holy!" Cracks me up :)

 

Sitting Up solito and Grabbing dedos del pie

July 16- July 31st: Aiden has mastered grabbing his toes and is still perfecting sitting on his own (being built like a linebacker doesn't make it an easy feat!) He has started to make brrshhhhlppss sounds and he loves to laugh. He will stick his hands in my mouth and I will pretend to eat his fingers and he will crack up. He is getting more curious about the things around him and he has discovered his surprisingly strong grasping, slapping, and throwing capabilities. His curiosity also means that he becomes bored faster, so I am constantly coming up with new songs and games to entertain him. Lately, "I'm gonna.....GET You!" combined with me rubbing my head into his belly entertains him and cracks him up. He also fell in love with Raffi, his Giraffe squeaky toy. We have been working hard on getting the house ready for his baptism and it is starting to come together! New pics to come soon. We also took him boating on the 31st and I will post pics as soon as I get them :)

Sitting up alone and grabbing his toes (also sweet morning moments with Daddy):

The many faces of Aiden (7/19)

 Random pics from the last few weeks: