September flew by as fast as Aiden is growing

Fianally! Here are photos from September (19months). He is growing so fast that it is getting harder and harder to keep up with everything that he is learning, saying and doing. He is fitting into this world so naturally, he is figuring out his place in it all and understanding what is going on around him. His personality is growing as much as the rest of him. He is super social and loves engaging with others. He is certainly not shy. He had his first ear infection his month, and that led to the first of his many crazy and unbearable tantrums. Luckily, he is getting better at expressing himself with words, so it won't be long until this phase is just a memory. He makes me laugh and surprises me everyday. He can also wear me out and get me frustrated, but even so, I wouldn't trade a single second. He fills me with so much love and joy, he is just the greatest and I love him to pieces.

Summertime and the livin's easy...

June 1-3: We kicked off June in Disneyland! We needed a little family get-away and it was awesome. He LOVED the pool and was working on his skills with the ladies. We couldn't keep him away from the water or the girls!

Inside the park: He didn't like the characters up close, but he loved the rides. He was in awe and loved the parade. He would say "Quack Quack" when he saw Donald Duck and "Rrraww!" when he saw Simba. The only thing he wanted was a giant balloon, so of course, Martin had to chase down the balloon man to get one for him.

16 months and I can barely keep up with Aiden's development. He is such a happy boy. He spends most the day laughing, eating, and running around playing with his toys (mostly practicing his soccer skills and yelling GOAL!). He is fearless and is climbing and jumping off things now. He is helpful and wants to do whatever I do, so he has been wiping up some of his messes. But my favorite thing is he has grown into a little love bug. He is super affectionate, always giving kisses and saying, "MMMMWA!" He waves to everyone and grabs their hands to take them to play. I love how outgoing and social you are-- I hope you never outgrow that.


Growing Vocabulary- Added to: car, bath, duck, quack, woof, dog, meow meow, go, sit, car, fish, mama, dada, shoes, roar (when we ask him what a lion or oso says--its so cute, my favorite thing he does).

Ball
Toodles (the character from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)
GOAL! (he runs around kicking his balls into everything and yells "GOAL!")
SSSS (when we ask him what a snake says)
BaBa (for his bottle)
Uh-Oh
AhAhAhAh (Monkey sounds!)
This
Ooooh (whenever he sees something cool, like the ocean)
Wow!
Cracker (he is addicted to Whole Wheat Ritz Crackers)
One...Two...Treee
Onta? (Donde Esta?...where is it?)

We rented a row boat at Loch Lomand. Of course, Aiden wanted to swim, but they don't allow it, so I had to hold him over the side of the boat so he could kick and splash in the water.

Wrapping up 14 months: talking up a storm

Mr. Independent! He is really coming into his own and he just keeps surprising us everyday with something new. His back molar came in on the right side and now a top one is coming in too! He has been eating so much more now that he has some big chompers! He is able to tell us what he wants now and he is not shy when it comes to his needs. He knows more than he can say, but he is saying a lot of words now. He doesn't say the words correctly, but he is saying them consistently. Now we have to be careful what we talk about in front of him, because even mentioning going outside or saying "bath" gets him all excited, and he either runs for the front door or bathtub.

He can say:

car, bath, duck, quack, woof, dog, meow meow, go, sit, car, fish, mama, dada, shoes, roar (when we ask him what a lion says--its so cute, my favorite thing he does). He is so social and he gets a kick out of making people smile and laugh, so he of course is always smiling, waving and laughing when he sees someone. 

April 21-22: Auntie Bri came to visit on one of the hottest days in Pacifica, so we hiked to the Linda Mar beach. All Aiden wanted to do was dig in the sand and play with other kids. He also can't get enough of his little flip flops. They are the only shoes he wants to wear! We brought over a pool to my parents house so that Aiden could keep cool. He loved splashing around and getting sprayed with the hose.

April 23-25: The sunny days mean AMAZING sunsets. We made sure to walk down to the beach to watch the sun go down. He loves his evening walks. He is such a water baby, as you can see he is wading in Grandpa's river! Aiden also got to be a baby model for my company's rebrand, so you can see him sporting the new logo. His photo was all over our company Facebook, Twitter, and Newsletter :)

April 28-30: Giants Game for Martin's Bday!
Aiden's first Giants game, he loved it. All the people, all the fried chicken and fries, and oh yea the game too- they won! Erica, Rob and Emily came to visit that Sunday and Aiden couldn't get enough of Emily. He wouldn't even let her eat! He would pull at her shirt or grab her hand because he wanted to play with her...aww cousins :)

May 1-15: While Martin goes to the gym on Saturday mornings, I take Aiden to our neighborhood park. He loves the slide and hiding under the play structure to dig in the sand. Martin and I took him to Lomo Farms in Half Moon Bay and he got to see a bunch of animals (goats, horses, roosters). We thought he would ride the pony, but he got scared. He liked the fountain the best. Now he is interested in the TV and he even snuggled up with me in bed one night, grabbed the remote and handed it to me. I turned on the Disney channel and we watched Bolt until he fell asleep. He also has Martin doing the Mickey Mouse Hot Dog dance every morning! Oh Aiden, we love you so much!

Social and Silly at 14 months

At first it was weird to adjust to the fact that Aiden is his own little person now. He has his own agenda and he knows how to put it in action! The things he can now do on his own, as simple as they are, blow our minds. We constantly say, "Look! Look, what he is doing, its like he's a little person, he is putting shoes on himself!" It happened so fast. He went from being completely unaware of his surroundings to taking charge of them. Its so exciting! I get such a thrill watching him discover new things and seeing him laugh and giggle. Even though he makes huge messes, can get a little loud, makes a quick trip to the store take over an hour, sometimes falls down, tastes something icky, or gets completely dirty...I let him go for it. I let him be him. And it is so much more fun that way-for the both of us. "oooh!" I love it when he says that when he figures something out. "mmmm-num num," when he eats something he likes. "Aaah-ha-ha!" when he wants to get someones attention. When we go out in the stroller, he will point and reach for practically every flower or leaf and will say, "mama! mama!" until I pick it and hand it to him. By the end of his walk, the front of his stroller is filled with flowers and leaves (and so are his hands!). 

He is becoming such a love bug. He gives me the best hugs when he is sleepy--just squeezes my neck and pulls my head into his body and smiles. He has started to give other kids hugs to when he is trying to make friends. He is such a little giant though! I swear he has grown taller and heavier this month. 

He understands far more than he can say at this point and he follows instructions pretty well. "Want to take a bath?" He will run to the bathroom and start pulling at his clothes. One morning, I grabbed a cracker for the dogs out of a drawer and then I threw it out the sliding door so they could have a treat, well, Aiden remembered that. For the last 3 days, he has woken up, ran to the kitchen, "Dog! woof! Dog" and he will open the drawer and wait for me to give him a cracker. Then, he runs to the sliding door, I open it, and he throws the crackers to the dogs.

He even recognizes our house. If I try to pass our house after walking around the neighborhood, he will point and yell, until I turn into our driveway. In the mornings, before I go to work, he hands his Abuelita the remote so he can watch the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He is active, he is social and silly and I love him more and more each day.

Easter- April 8th 

 April 20th:

Wrapping up February

20-29th, yep a leap year!

The day after his party, we took Aiden to Frontierland Park. He loves the sand, running in the field, and throwing tanbark. We can't keep this guy indoors. He is a an adventurer and outdoorsman (got the Rotondo blood running through him!)

On a very hot morning, I took Aiden to the beach near the Pacifica Pier. He loved the sand beneath his feet and the sea breeze in his hair. He couldn't get enough of the sea gulls or the dogs that were constantly passing by us. After he got his beach fix, we headed to San Jose to grab some lunch with Uncle Chris and  Toddy. Aiden had his first soft serve ice cream cone, which he loved! He also enjoyed sharing his toys with Sugar and grabbing some mexican food with Grandpa and Great Grandpa at Adelitas before heading back home!

Family day! We took Aiden to the SF Zoo. I was fascinated with the Gorillas and Aiden, well he just thought everything was a giant dog. The only thing he really seemed to like was a seagull by the fountain and a giant cement hippo. He also loved the store, and of course we were tempted to buy everything he pointed at, but we refrained and only left with a $30 keychain! haha. Yes, we are suckers, for anything with our Angel's face on it, and he was waving in the picture, so how could we resist!

Our little big guy is definitely a handful, but we wouldn't want him any other way. He is smart, hilarious, and handsome! He also took his first bath in the tub without his big ducky and spent 40 minutes just playing in the water, so yes, he is a water baby. He can open doors, turn lights on and off (on and off, and on and off...he loves pulling the chain on the lamp) and he understands most commands in both English and Spanish (even though he will ignore us most of the time!). Almost forgot, his well check! He is 28.5lbs almost 3ft tall and as our Dr. said, "he is very verbal, and very active. He sure knows what he wants. He is doing Great! Keep up the good work!" Oh, we will and we are. We love you Aiden!

Aiden is One! Happy Birthday

Feb 1-16:

Dear Aiden,

First I have to tell you, you are the most amazing, most beautiful, most interesting and the sweetest and smartest little boy in the WORLD. Yes, the world. I love absolutely everything about you (yes, everything!) My heart grows with you each day, and the bigger you get, the more my heart is filled with pride, joy, and love. You are such a sweet little soul and I am so blessed to have you as MY son. Just writing that you are mine, literally makes my eyes fill with tears (happy tears). A year ago, I was bringing home a fragile, tiny baby boy and I was naive and clueless as to what came along with my sweet baby boy. So many changes! I was so scared and nervous. But like all parents, I am learning as I go and I am very proud of how far we have come. You are one year old today. Already one! And at the same time you are only one. One, and you have changed me and my life forever in ways that I never imagined and ways that I will forever be thankful for. You are no longer a baby, but a little boy. My little toddler. You are truly a miracle and a blessing and I will always pray for God to protect and bless you with a healthy and happy life that is full of love.

Now back to the point of this letter….Happy Birthday!  Your dad had to go to work at 6am so he kissed you and whispered Happy Birthday as he blessed you with the sign of the cross. “Awe, Babe! He opened his eyes.” You melted your dad’s heart and all you had to do was open your eyes while he was kissing you goodbye!

I had to leave for work early, before you woke up (very rare!). You were snuggling with me and I held you close and smothered you in birthday kisses while you slept so peacefully. I hated the thought of having to go to work on your first birthday. I am selfish and want to soak up every single second of your life while I can (it truly does go by so fast!). But I had to leave, and before I left, I snapped a birthday shot of you:

It still amazes me that in just a year you developed into a little person! Here is a list of just some of the things I can't get enough of:

You are your own little man now. You are so independent. 

You love being outside and you bang on the front door and groan until we open it for you.

You dance- you will grab furniture and will rock side to side with a giant smile on your face (especially when “Pumped up Kicks” or “Love Song” comes on).

I love how you wave bye-bye and blow kisses. 

You LOVE dogs. Even small pictures of dogs on product packaging on a shelf in a store (you will find it). You point and chant “dog, dog dog!” with such excitement and enthusiasm. If there are multiple dogs, you will point to each one. You even recognize dogs on tv now. 

I love how you open your mouth wide when you clap your hands.

You are so smart! You recognize objects and you know many of them by name and you love to read your books.

I love your little language and all the little sounds you make. You have a sound for when you want to eat (sounds like hiccups), when you are singing yourself to sleep (sounds like humming). You love it when I hum in harmony with you.

You capture the hearts of strangers. Everybody comments on how big you are, how cute you are, how much hair you have, how smart and how social you are.

I love your silly viejitos faces. 

I can wrestle with you and tickle you on your thighs, on your ribs, and daddy always gets you on your neck—and you laugh so hard and squirm around.

I love how you make up games. You have your own silly sense of humor and it cracks us up. It’s safe to say, we “get” you!

You can kick and you can throw balls and you can figure out how to work any toy.

You are outdoorsy, inquisitive, intelligent, and interesting. Smarter, sillier, and sweeter each day. 

Its obvious I love every part of you.
But, most of all, I love your kisses, laughs, and giggles!!

Here's to many more Happy Birthdays! God bless you my sweet little soul. I love you more than words.

Love,
Mama

Photos from your FIRST BIRTHDAY!

He's an unstoppable toddler!

Jan 16-31: What a busy 2 weeks! I took Aiden to Barnes and Noble and he walked around the children's section with so much excitement. He was like a little alarm, "dog, dog, dog..." and pointing at all the dog books and stuffed animals. He also got excited when he saw another kid. He has no boundaries though and he invades the other kid's space making them uncomfortable and scared. He is so friendly, outgoing, and full of energy. He is unstoppable and he is learning so much, so fast. He can blow kisses now and he can mimic what people do. He is practically running and he grabs everything and anything to pull himself up (including my legs!) I love how he reaches up for me when he wants to be held or how he runs to me when he is startled. He rarely wants to be held and cuddled since he wants to be toddling around on the ground with his toys. He even points at the light when we say, "Donde esta la luz?" and he knows who Mickey Mouse is too! His personality brightens my day. I just love him to pieces, he is such a sweet little soul. I can't believe the next time I update this blog, my little baby will be 1 year old! When I look at him now, I see a little boy--time sure does fly. As much as I miss the cute little baby he was, I am so excited about the big boy he is becoming. He is so much fun!

Looking for movies? Click here for Aiden's videos.

Emily's 7th birthday party! 1/28/12 Photos by our friend Joe Blea:

Aiden is 11 months!

Jan 1-17: Yesterday, Aiden turned 11 months! It has been an action packed month so far and it seems to go by faster now that Aiden spends more time awake and active. He is always on the move. The only time he is still and quiet is when he is nursing or sleeping. He has started to demand food. He opens his mouth like a bird and makes a fire alarm sound until whatever we're eating makes its way to his mouth. Aiden now gives me kisses and hugs when I get home from work or back from an errand. The kisses are slobbery, and sometimes more bite than smooch, but they are the sweetest kisses ever :) Aiden stares at my face so intently when he is eating and he reaches out and rubs my eyelashes very gently and giggles. I can't help but laugh back at him, he is always doing silly little things that crack me up (like his veijitos face). He is walking around more than crawling now and has started to shake my hand loose when I hold it. He is becoming more independent but still needs his mama (or papa) within eye sight. Not only is he getting more independent, but he has become more curious and interested in his surroundings. He notices everything and loves feeling different textures- even the smallest spec or crumb on the floor can't escape him. Even though he is getting bigger and older, he is still the cutest baby, "look at those cheeks! what a cutie!" I can't even count how many times I hear that when we go somewhere. Oh Aiden, my sweet boy, I love you so much!

Some of his loves:

• Dancing: anytime he hears music he stops what he is doing and rocks side to side
• Waving: he has started to wave both hands simultaneously while he walks around
• Crawling on me: he loves to lay across my lap to sleep and he crawls in my lap to play
• Reading: Aiden will sit and read his books all alone but he loves it when I sit him in my lap and read to him
• Dogs: he loves to say, "dog," and watch them out the window and visit them in their room
• Kids: he is so curious about other kids--touches them and follows them around
• Pelotas: "Donde esta tu pelota," he knows that means "where is your ball" he will crawl or walk to his ball and will kick, throw, and carry it around.

Jan 3- kicking the ball while walking. He can dribble the soccer ball like a little pro.
Jan 4- he was fussing and rubbing his face in my shoulder, and then I said, "Say bye, bye to Alex (his babysitter), and he popped his head up, became very quiet, and very seriously waved her goodbye. So funny!
Jan 5- facing forward in carseat and loving it, and so am I! Makes the drive sooo much better!

(Thanks Aunt Freda and Uncle Mike! He LOVES Elmo!)

See all his videos: Aiden's YouTube Videos

Aiden walked into 2012!

12-26-12-30: On the 28th, Aiden took more than two steps (you can see in the video below). He got a walker for Christmas and the minute he got his hands on it he knew exactly what to do. He was roaming the house and ramming into walls. We spent most of the days after Christmas at home recovering from being sick and playing with his new toys. We took one trip to San Jose to visit the family. He officially hates his car seat. If I am not sitting in the backseat with him and feeding him, he is screaming bloody murder as we drive along. It doesn't matter the distance, the instant the door shuts, his tantrum begins and it doesn't end until the car stops, the door opens, and he is released from the seat. It is like magic, he will go from screaming to smiling. "Da, Dog, Onta..." He will start talking and pointing at stuff as if nothing was ever wrong, but the second I put him back in his seat, the screaming begins again. Oh Aiden, I love you so much, but this is the one thing that drives me to insanity--pun intended!

First New Year!
2011 was without a doubt, my best year yet. The arrival of this little munchkin was the biggest blessing of my entire 27 years and ringing in the new year with his smiling face just reminded me that every year here on out will be more exciting than the next. Aiden was perfecting his balancing and walking and impressing us with his abilities before he passed out at 8pm. Uncle Chris stopped by and Aiden woke up to say hi, and didn't fall back to sleep until 20 minutes to midnight. He was on a mission! He was manhandling his toy--picking it up and moving it around as he did laps around our living room and hallway. He is unstoppable now!

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!).

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 :)