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!

"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 :)

 

Letter to Aiden (faith and love)

I was reading about my co-worker's journey through open-heart surgery. Her outlook on life is incredible and her faith is unshakable. She is so committed to her faith and she really lives each day genuinely happy and free of fear and worry. When the thoughts started entering her mind that she might not live through the procedure, she thought of writing letters to her children and husband. She thought of saying goodbye, she wanted to share all the words that she had in her heart for everyone she loved. But just as she grabbed her stationary, she felt the Lord's presence, she knew he was there. And, she thought to herself, "why am I fearful now? I need my faith to be strong now more than ever." So she put the pen and paper away, and prayed. She wrote about how she felt his love and even saw "signs" that he was with her and her family the entire time. Her admittance number was 143143 (I love you, I love you), little "signs" like these brought smiles to her loved one's frightened faces. I cried as I read her letter (she sent it out to the entire company). She even sent out her daughter's blog post, which also made me cry. Not because I was sad, but because I was touched by her (and her family's) faithfulness, devotion and love for God and each other. It inspired me to research some psalms to remind me, each day, to practice faith, show my love, and to let-go of worry. She wrote about lessons she learned and I included some of them below. Each day is a gift and as I prepare to be a mom myself, I want to be able to share God's love with my son and instill in him the positive outlook, faithfulness, devotion and love that she practices and shares with her family.

Fear is the absence of Faith-- "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

'Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.' John 14:27.

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength. --"Don't worry about anything instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

"Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." John 16:33

"The LORD is my light and my salvation - so why should I be afraid? The LORD protects me from danger - so why should I tremble." Psalm 27:1

"Trust me in your times of trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory." Psalm 50:15

Set your worries and troubles aside, God will provide. -- "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you." 1 Peter 5:7

"Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall." Psalm 55:22

"God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea." Psalm 46:1-2

"They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the LORD to care for them." Psalm 112:7

"I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid." John 14:27

Someone once wrote, "Worry is an old man with a bent head, carrying a load of feathers he thinks is lead." --"Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not...Your heavenly Father already knows your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today." Matthew 6: 27-30, 32-34

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28-29

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us - they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation." Romans 5:3-4

"So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world." 1 Peter 1:6-7

My sweet Aiden,

When you feel overwhelmed, fearful, or worried, you can look back on these words for comfort, faith, and strength. I hope you have a strong relationship with God. That you keep him close to your heart and that you follow the Lord’s example as you move through life. When you are scared, I hope you pray to him. When you need strength, I hope you hear his voice, for he (like me) will always be there for you. Life is what you make of it and your attitude towards it will determine your happiness. Aiden, I hope that I can provide you with everything that you need in order to make your life full of opportunities, happiness and most of all love. Your Daddy and I love listening to the Beatles, especially after we watched the musical, “Across the Universe.” He sent me flowers one day with a card that included one of their lyrics, “Love is all we need. Love is all we ever need. I love you, Martin.” I still treasure the note and the sentiment because it is so true, love is all we need and we get it from family, God, and our friends. Love always remains. My hopes for you are; that you trust in God and yourself, that you follow your heart and stay true to yourself, that you are a loyal friend and that you grow into a good man. I’m not worried that my aspirations for you are unattainable; you have a wonderful example to learn from, a wonderful man—your Dad.  

All my love,
Mommy