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.

July was action packed!

A couple weeks ago I bought Aiden a potty thinking it would be good idea to get a head start on potty training. But, we have been so busy and out and about, that I ended up putting it in the linen closet. Today, when I went to grab a towel before bath time, I pulled the potty out and thought maybe I should set it out so he could get used to seeing it. A few hours later, I heard Aiden in the bathroom and thought for sure that when I looked in he would be doing the usual, pretending to blow his nose with the toilet paper and throwing it in the toilet before flushing it. Instead, I found him sitting on his potty...pushing. Yep, he went #2 in his diaper, but he was sitting on his potty. It's official, my son is a genius. He is potty training himself! After I realized that he actually knew what he was doing, I helped him out if his diaper and let him finish like a Big Boy. It's so crazy that just a few months ago, he was just learning to walk. Now he is starting to talk, he is running, kicking and throwing balls... and he is starting to use the potty! I'm so proud :)

On the 4th of July, Aiden got to go swimming, which he loved and he got to eat corn on the cob for the first time. The next day, we took advantage of the gorgeous SF weather and took Britt out to Rainforest Cafe and then walked around Pier 39. Aiden could not get enough of the fish and the "quack quacks"--that is what he calls anything with a beak and wings.

We actually had some sunny and hot weather in Pacifica which is very rare in July, so we took advantage of it and headed to the beach every day we could. We also went with Bri, Grandma and Grandpa to Santa Cruz to check out the Boardwalk. Aiden was so scared of the cave train ride!

He likes to sit and eat like a big boy now. He is super independent and doesn't want help from mama or anyone else.

Aiden grabbed Auntie Bri's phone but didn't know that he was taking pictures of himself until he looked down and saw himself on the screen. He started laughing and then captured the last photo of himself cheesin.

 He loves to climb on my back and wrestle with me. He will squeeze my neck really tight and kiss me...mmmmmmwwwa!

See the photo of Aiden with the green ball? He won that ball in one of those claw games all by himself!

Our little family getaway! We went to South Shore Tahoe for 3 nights. Aiden LOVED it and so did we. Lots of swimming, sun, and hiking. It was so beautiful there.

Aiden got to meet his cousins from Mexico and we took some fam photos at my mom's house after we got back from Tahoe! Aiden is learning so much so fast. He says waffle, no no no,  and good girl (when he sees Ruthie). He is communicating, interacting, and playing so much more now and he just lights up our lives.

Aiden, We love you so much! Next month you will be 18 months...time is flying.

This is such a huge post of photos since we were so busy this month so I won't add videos...but there are some good ones: Click here to watch

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.

Bye May...busy and big 15 mo old

Everyday he learns something new. Everyday his personality grows and everyday we fall more in love with him. 

I'll just let the photos do the talking...

May 16-30:

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:

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!

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!

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.

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.