Some Halloween Pics

Aiden's first Halloween was spent at Uncle Chris and Aunt Lisa's house. We had fun and ate Halloween themed foods and candy and checked out all the little trick or treaters when they came to the door. Aiden got to spend time with his cousin Sydney (a butterfly) and friends Eden and Lily (also known as the little mermaid and her sissy).

Aiden was a little penguin for the night, he looked so darn cute!

11 months old/8 months adjusted (a little late)

11 months old/8 months adjusted already! Time flies!

Aiden's closed mouth smile, his daddy does the same thing!

Little Aiden is 11 months old already and just turned 8 months adjusted last week. It is so fun to watch him grow up, even if it is slowly :) Over the last couple months Aiden has really started to notice the world around him, he sees everything and is very curious about it. He wants to touch everything with both hands and then put whatever it is in his mouth. He is particularly fascinated with people and loves grabbing noses and mouths. He has also entered the phase where he loves pulling on hair and jewelry...ouch!

He is really close to sitting up without any help, but still needs a finger to grab onto for balance. He wants so badly to be able to explore, but doesn't have a lot of interest in crawling, the boy just wants to walk! He loves it when we hold onto him and let him walk around the house - he gets so excited and just has this huge smile on his face the whole time. He hasn't had any teeth break through yet, but he is definitely working on it, he chews on everything. I have read that the longer preemies teeth are below the surface the better, medication and breathing tubes can mess with their teeth, so we are happy that they are taking their time!

He is really such a happy baby, he wakes up with a smile on his face every morning - and in the middle of the night. It doesn't take much to make him smile and laugh, but don't let that fool you, the kid has a temper! If you don't give him what he wants quick enough, he just has a little fit! I think he might get that from me ;)

He loves watching baby Einstein DVDs - especially the parts with puppets or animals, and playing with his toys on the floor. His favorite toys are his interlocking rings, Sophie the giraffe, light up gumball machine, big soft blocks and mirror. He also loves, loves, loves playing in his little saucer - he gets to stand up like a big boy and there are so many activities on it. He also loves watching baseball with his dad, especially if there are fireworks when the players hit a home run!

Playtime in the saucer

He loves being sang to, Old McDonald, Wheels on the Bus and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star are his favorites. He also loves being read to, he loves all of his books and likes to kick them when I read to him. He loves it when I read magazines when I hold him, because he just kicks and kicks at them and then laughs.

He hit some big milestones in the preemie world, he is off oxygen during the day, he still has it on at night - although I don't know how much longer that will happen, since he has started pulling off the cannula several times every night. He also is doing so well that the home health nurse no longer sees him. We were sad that she stopped coming, she was one of Aiden's friends, but happy that he has "graduated". We don't get weekly weigh ins anymore, but we think he is around 14 1/2 - 15 lbs.

We still have problems getting him to eat enough formula (not that I blame him - yuck!), but he loves his solid foods! He loves bananas, peaches, oatmeal, yogurt, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and apples. He was OK with avocado, carrots and pears but was not a big fan of green beans or peas. I know, a boy who doesn't like green vegetables - what a shock!!! I still make all of his food for him, which I love doing. I know he is getting all organic, nutritious food with nothing bad for him in it.

Avocados..blah!!!

He is such a good baby and a sweet little boy. He has even learned how to give kisses - mouth wide open on our cheeks :)

An escapee from the zoo

Last night, on Halloween, there was an escapee penguin from the local zoo. I was able to capture it on video walking around...

A week by the ocean

Last week we went on our first (and much needed!) family vacation. We spent a nice week by the ocean in Mendocino. My family used to rent a house there when I was younger. A few years ago the house we used to rent burnt down and they rebuilt a bigger totally upgraded house in its place - but made it look exactly the same on the outside. My parents and grandma rented it for the week and my whole family headed over. It took a little over 4 hours to get there and it was a the longest car ride Aiden has been on, but it wasn't that bad, we went at night so he slept most of the time.

I love Mendocino, it is a town full of tourists and old hippees - it is pretty funny. It is such a cute, quiet town and everything was within walking distance to the house we stayed at. We got to take Aiden out with us because everything we did was outdoors. He was probably outside more last week than he has been his whole life! We took him on walks through town and to several beaches, and my parents watched him one night so Jeremy and I could go out to a nice dinner and relax. Aiden was pretty spoiled, he didn't get put down much and he got a new outfit, a new pair of shoes and 3 new toys out of the vacation!

The house we stayed at, it was awesome. The window on the third floor was our bedroom (if you look close Jeremy and Aiden are in the window). There was even a spa behind the water tower. The kitchen was huge, which was good since there was alot of cooking going on!

This is the view out our bedroom window - Mendocino bay and the ocean. What a way to wake up! Right across the street is a state park, bluffs, tidepools, trails and a little beach.

The town of Mendocino, we took Aiden on a walk through town and got some coffee and a toy for him at the little toy shop. He also went to his first restaurant (we sat outside of course) - a little cafe with a balcony overlooking the bay.


Me and Aiden out on the deck outside the house. We had pretty good weather, it was cloudy a couple days, but it was still nice! Most of the time we just chilled out on the deck overlooking the ocean.


Me and Jeremy at the bluffs, this day was right after a storm had gone through and the waves were HUGE!

My grandma, mom, me and Aiden. It was windy, hence the hair :)

Aidens first beach experience, we took off his socks and let him play in the sand. At first he wasn't sure what to think about it, but then he started to like it!

Yep, he had a good time playing in the sand!

Little sandy feet :)

Jeremy and Aiden at McKerricher state park - there is a boardwalk that goes out to a point on the ocean where you can see seals and sometimes whales.

Me and Aiden taking a little timeout on the boardwalk, it was a nice walk and we got to see lots of wildlife.

Thats it! We had alot of fun, but eventually had to come back home ;)

This time last year

A year ago today we were sitting in a specialist's office in Sacramento. I was barely 5 months pregnant and a doctor was explaining to us that my water had broken and there was no amniotic fluid left around the baby.

He was explaining to us all the horrible things that would probably happen next. He told us to think about terminating the pregnancy.

When this happens, the story doesn't usually end well.

We know how lucky we are, we are the exception.

And our story ended with this...

We love our little Aiden.

A Reunion

Today was the Mercy NICU reunion. The reunion is held every year and all the tiny babies come back all grown up to see the nurses and doctors and other families from the NICU. It was held at a park in Carmichael and there were soooo many families there, some that we recognized with babies around Aiden's age and others with older kids running around. We were so excited to go and see the people that saved Aiden's life and show them how great he is doing. The people that work in the NICU become like your family when you are there, they take care of your baby and they take care of you, too. We became very close to some of them when we spent our 4 1/2 months there and got to see many of them today. I hope that they don't mind that I posted their pictures, but I want my friends and family to see the people that helped Aiden so much.

Jeremy, Aiden and Heather. Heather and I have been friends since we were born and she works in the NICU. The day Aiden was born I was in the operating room in the early morning hours finishing up my c-section when in comes a worried looking nurse in operating room attire, it was Heather. She came in on her day off and watched over Aiden when we could not be in the NICU. She went between him and my room giving us updates on what was going on. Without her doing that we probably would have gone crazy not knowing - plus Heather can make you laugh even when you are having one of the most tramatic days of your life :)

;

Me, Aiden and Dawn. Dawn was Aiden's daytime primary nurse. Dawn watched over Aiden when he was very, very sick all the way through until he left the NICU. I loved it when Dawn was there because she let me do everything with Aiden and would chat with me like I was a friend, not a mother in the NICU which made me feel so much more comfortable there. She would joke around with Jeremy and made things a little more fun. She loved Aiden and took great care of him. She got teary today when she saw him :)

This is Dr. Getman, she was Aiden's main doctor, she was on duty the morning Aiden was born. She literally saved our son's life. Probably more than once. She had to give us the bad news and got to give us the good news, too. Sometimes I miss her morning phone calls to update us on Aiden's progress...mmmm...maybe not :)

This is Sheila, she was there today but we weren't able to get a picture of her - this is from the night before Aiden left the NICU. She was Aiden's nighttime primary nurse. Sheila taught us so much and helped us learn to do the basic things like giving Aiden baths. Sheila was Aiden's nurse the night we were told that things were looking bad, he was on full support and nothing else could be done for him. That night he started to turn around and got better, now maybe it was just a coinsidence, but I think Shiela helped him. He always had good nights with her and she was so good to him, we loved the way Sheila used to talk to him and comfort him. She was so excited to see him today!

This was the main area of the reunion - look at all the people there! We also got to see alot of the other nurses and also some of the respritory therapists that took care of Aiden. There were also a few people missing that we were hoping to see, maybe next year!

Jeremy and Aiden sitting on the lawn. Please note, Aiden has no oxygen tube :) He has been able to be off his oxygen during the day for the last few days!

This morning...

This morning I got up, got Aiden's bottle together and grabbed a cup of coffee. Then I heard this strange noise coming from the bedroom. So I grabbed the camera and headed in to see what was going on...

Yep, Aiden was cracking up at nothing. The ceiling, maybe? Even Sophie had a very confused look on her face. This went on for about 15 minutes, something was very funny :)

Apple Hill

We took Aiden on his first trip to apple hill today. I wanted all 3 of us to go before it got really busy up there and we really wanted to get out of the house and enjoy the nice weather today. We stopped and got sandwiches and picnic supplies on the way up the hill, so our first stop was lunch at one of the apple ranch's picnic area. It was really nice, we set up our blankets under a tree by a little waterfall and stream. Aiden laid down and smiled up at the trees and sky, he talked to them a little, too.

After lunch we went directly for dessert - apple cider donuts from Rainbow Orchards, I remember going there with my mom and dad for donuts and hot cider when I was little. Then we went on a search for some apples and other goodies. We stopped at a couple more places and bought 2 different kinds of apples and some peaches - we already had a ton of pears from "Walshaw Orchards" ha ha. I plan on making Aiden some food this week with fresh apple hill fruit!

I can't wait until the day we can take Aiden on the train, ride on the ponies, and get his face painted but, until then, it was really nice for us to get out of the house and spend some time together. It was a great way to spend labor day!

9 Months Old

Aiden turned 9 months old yesterday (5 months and 3 weeks corrected), so we celebrated by giving him his first real food. We decided to skip the whole rice cereal thing - I read alot about rice cereal being a filler food without alot of taste and not alot of nutritional value. So, Aiden's first food was home-made organic sweet potatoes - packed with nutrients and just sweet enough to get him interested in food. He LOVED them! He ate every bit that was in the bowl - about 2 tablespoons (this was after taking his full bottle first).

Messy Face!

Aiden wasn't so sure about the spoon, so I used my finger - a texture he is familiar with since he loves trying to put my hands in his mouth! We tried the spoon again tonight and he did much better :)

Me making his sweet potatoes using my babycook - it is a great little gadget, steams and purees super smoothly, I LOVE it!

Yup, this is what it is going to be like feeding Aiden :)

Please note: there is no oxygen tube on his face!

In addition to his first food, he also finally got down how to roll over from his back to his tummy. He had been trying for the last few weeks and getting so mad when he couldn't get all the way over - he would just start screaming. Well, last night he finally figured out and now he rolls over everytime we put him on the floor :) We are so proud of his latest milestones.

Last weigh in was Friday and he was 12 lbs. 3 oz. We have been able to take him off oxygen for a few hours during the day and his oxygen saturation stays between 95-100%, but once he falls asleep it drops down into the high 80's and we put him back on the oxygen. He is getting closer to coming off it everyday! I can't believe he is already 9 months old!

Lounging in the chair, watching some TV...

I think he is giving me attitude in this picture :)

The blog is updated :)

I know it's been a while since the last blog update. We are still trying to figure out our routine now that I am back at work, and to be honest, when I get home and on my days off I would rather play or snuggle with Aiden than update the blog! He has been doing really good, he has been eating more and last week weighed in at 11 lbs 3 oz. His nurse comes tomorrow so hopefully he continues his good weight gain.

I am thinking of starting him on "big boy" food in a couple weeks when he is 6 months corrected age. He is really starting to watch me eat - follows the spoon from my plate to my mouth and looks curious. He is also waking up more at night to eat - I'm thinking maybe he needs something that sits in his tummy a little longer at night. He has such good head control when he is sitting and now that he has figured out that he can sit up (with help), he doesn't like to lay down that much anymore - except when he is sleepy.

Chillin' on his surfboard mat, smiling at daddy. He is such a happy baby. He smiles all day long, especially when momma and daddy come home from work and in the morning. Sometimes he wakes up at 4am smiling, talking and kicking in his bed. It is so cute, I have no choice but to play with him, even though I know I should be ignoring it so he goes back to sleep :)

He likes looking at us upside down, it usually makes him smile, he thinks it is funny. He usually gets really serious when he sees the camera though.

He is trying to be a little thumb sucker. He gets his little thumb in his mouth and chews on it, but he hasn't quite gotten the suction part down yet. The other day he had one thumb in his mouth and the other thumb in his eye.

He has really been interested in playing with his toys lately. The cow above is one of his favorites, it's the one he laughed so hard at a few weeks ago. He fell asleep yesterday with it gripped tightly in his hands. He also loves his mirror, ball and crinkly little sun toy that we take everywhere with us. He loves putting them all in his mouth!

He still sees his occupational therapist once a week and a child development specialist every other week. They are both very happy with his progress, his OT says he gets stronger every week. He likes to see them, for him it is just playtime! He always smiles alot when he sees his therapists and his nurse, they are his friends :)

So, thats about it. He is just so darn cute, Jeremy and I just sit around making funny faces and noises at him and watching him smile back at us. We love him so much and are so excited at every new thing he does!

Aiden's week

Here are some pictures of Aiden's week. He has been doing good, last week he weighed 10 lbs. 6 oz. He gets weighed again tomorrow and has been eating pretty good this week, so hopefully we will have another good weight gain! Of course, he also has been very active and yelling like a crazy boy.

We bought him a bumbo chair so he can practice sitting up like a big boy! He does pretty good for about 5-10 minutes and then starts to lean over. He likes sitting up.

He has always hated "tummy time" but, he's liking it more with this little surfboard mat - there are little fishys in water for him to play with. He now lasts about 15 minutes on his tummy instead of 15 seconds :)

He had another good laugh at his daddy tonight. Every time he laughs he gets the hiccups - which is why is eyes are all watery in this picture! He thinks his dad is funny!

So, that's it...lots of playing, sleeping, eating and cuddling!

welcome home daddy!

Well, I had a pretty rough day at work, the day turned around pretty quickly after this happened :)

Guess I should update the blog :)

It's been a few weeks since the last update. Which is probably a good thing - it means that there isn't anything new going on, just playing with the little man and doing normal baby things :)

We celebrated Jeremy's first father's day...

And I went back to work and had to adjust to some time away from Aiden...

But, Jeremy and Aiden now have "man time" on Monday, Tuesday and every other Wednesday...

He laughed out loud for the first time (at his daddy) and rolled over for the first time from his tummy to his back. All that work doing new things tired him out...

He has found his voice and likes to hear it. He yells at us all day long...

He is becoming quite the little man and definitely has a mind of his own!

P.S. Aiden weighed in at 9 lbs. 15 oz. during his weekly visit with the nurse last Tuesday...almost to 10 lbs!