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!
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.
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.
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 is getting bigger by the day, I swear, he must be close to 25 pounds now. He still eats every 3 hours and about 5 oz each sitting, which I think is insane, but he is totally happy and healthy. I love our morning routine. He has started to grab at by face (grabbing my nose or lips) when he wants me to wake up. When I open my eyes, I see a big toothless grin—adorable. I reach over and sit him up on my stomach and we “talk” and smile at each other before I change his diaper and start his day. He has been screeching a lot lately—yes, screeching! We went to Georgios in San Jose for Father’s Day and Aiden was belting out some high pitched squeals. I had to take him outside so he could get some air and he calmed down to his regular coos and sighed with relief. He will also pick stuff off the table now and of course, will try to put it in his mouth. If he isn’t trying to pick something up, he is usually smacking whatever it is—be it a toy or a spoon on the table. He started to give me kisses! He grabs both sides of my face (or my hair) and pulls me in, and lays a big slobbery wet one wherever his mouth lands. Martin said he is just trying to eat my face (since his mouth is open), but I insist that they are besos! When he is fussy, all I have to do is lean over him and give him a kiss on his mouth while saying, “MWAAA!” He will instantly start smiling and cooing. It is so exciting to see him play and to watch his little head rotate around while his eyes scan the room. It makes me swell with pride and happiness that he is starting to interact with the world. When we are driving around, Martin and I can’t help but laugh as we hear the rattle of the toy that hangs from his carseat, “He’s playing with it all by himself!” we will both say at the same time…dorky! Yes, we are already such dorky parents—ecstatic (and sometimes paranoid) about every single thing…but that just means we are head over heels in love with our boy.
So much is new, he grows bigger and gets smarter every day. He got the giggles yesterday and just kept cracking up as he stared at his Daddy. He grunts and coos himself to sleep when he isn't nursing to sleep. The last few nights he sleeps not next to me, but on me! He loves his bath before bed and kicks and splashes around and even sticks the washcloth in his mouth. When we walk past the window, he pulls the blinds down to peek outside. He is grabbing everything now. Speaking of outside, he loves the outdoors and he sits in the stroller like a big boy. We even had to buy a new carseat! He is growing out of everything, his clothes, his swing, and his bouncy seat. He is starting to respond to his name and he interacts with everyone. The only bad news so far... we had his consult with the Pediatric Surgeons and found out that he needs to have his hernia repaired as soon as possible. We know God will be watching over our Angel, but we wish he didn't have to go through it.
Wow, a whole month FLEW by and so much has happened. I am back to work full-time, but I am lucky to have 2 days to work from home so I can still be with my little-big guy. Aiden is 21 pounds and he has a big personality to go along with all those pounds. Lately, he smiles as he squeals at the top of his lungs and talks to himself. Abuelita Sonia thinks he is going to be a singer since he loves the sound of his voice and he has quite a range. It is hilarious. He has been hitting all of the milestones...he can roll over from his back to his stomach and he is putting everything in his mouth. He discovered his thumb, he laughed for the first time (Uncle Mike tickled his feet, and since then I have only gotten him to laugh once!) and he has become sensitive to his environments. He will let everyone know if he doesn't want to be somewhere, and so far his favorite place is home. He is wearing size 4 diapers and 9-12mo clothing! I can't believe how big he is and how fast he is growing. Before I began to type this I rocked him to sleep and laid him on my chest. His head was resting on my shoulder and his body was like a ton of bricks stretched across my torso with his toes dangling on my thighs. As I rubbed his back, I began to remember how he used to lay on my chest like a little ranita. How I could lay my hand on his back and my fingertips could rub his back while my palm supported his bum. And I have to admit, I got a little sad. I already miss him being little(er)...he is still barely 4 months. Martin and I always give him kisses and he always tells Aiden, "I gotta get all my kisses in now, because pretty soon you won't let me!" So, here's to our little man--we love you so much.
May 12-May 18: This is the week he found his thumb. We bought him a Bumbo seat to help him sit up, but we had to take it right back to the store because his legs were too big! He also figured out how to play with his toys.
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May 19-25: We spent the weekend at my parent's house and Aiden laughed for the first time on the 21st.
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May 26-June 1: Aiden pretending to eat in his high chair (he's so smart, already knows what to do!). He went to his first wedding (congrats to Rodrigo + Janet!) and he wasn't even bothered when the mariachi's played--he slept through it!
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June 2-8: I miss Aiden when I am working! We think he started teething. He hasn't been sleeping well and he has been drooling so much. As you can see in the video, he loves the toys on the bouncer that Hazel gave him (thank you!). He stays awake and plays a lot longer during the day and only takes one hour naps.
May 5-11: Aiden partied down at my work's Cinco De Mayo lunchtime party. He had a good time meeting new people and he smiled at everyone as they passed him around. Everyone was amazed at how big he is! He got to meet his Great, Great Grandpa who is here visiting from Mexico. He is 96 years old and still healthy as can be! He gave Aiden a blessing before he left asking God to give Aiden a long, healthy and happy life. We also celebrated my first Mother's Day by going out to brunch and out to dinner. We drove to San Jose to visit GG Toddy and Grandpa Mark. Aiden started batting at toys and grasping objects. He is also beginning to play with his hands more.
April 21-27: Aiden has always been alert, but now he is becoming aware of his surroundings and he is beginning to interact with us. He loves to be in a sitting position now and he has started to become more comfortable during tummy time. He can now lift his head and hold it steady for longer periods of time. He has also started his own 9pm bedtime and he is sleeping for longer periods of time at night since he is so active during the day. It cracks us up when he is sleeping because he gets so grumpy. If you move or touch him while he is sleeping, he will grunt and push his hand out and then he will sigh himself back to sleep. He loves to stretch his legs and will even stand if I hold him under his arms. He loves the sound of his voice and he smiles at everyone who talks to him. The video below is of him trying to talk to me one morning after he woke up. There are a few other videos on youtube that you can check out: Our YouTube Channel
March 17-23 Week 5: Aiden weighed in at 12.4lbs this week and he is wearing 3mo clothing! He also had his first outing (other than his trips to Kaiser). We took him to church and he received his first blessing during communion. From there, we headed down to Campbell to visit my family.
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March 24-30 Week 6: Aiden smiles on-demand now. All we have to say is, "Where's your smile?" or "Who's handsome?" and he coos and smiles. He is outgrowing 3mo clothes already! He had a growth spurt and was nursing non-stop for a few days and was a little fussy. I go back to work next Monday (but only one day a week while I am on my Paid Family Leave). Aiden had lots of visitors this week. Uncle Emmanuel took prom pictures at our house so he got to meet some new faces. Julie came with my parents and Bri brought Britt over. He even shared some smiles with Ricky. My mom and Toddy took him to Costco to get more diapers since he went through 50 in less than a week! He had an upset stomach so now I am on a non-dairy diet. He also tested out his baby bjorn and he LOVES it! We went on a few walks since the weather has been so nice.
