4 Weeks!

Aiden is officially 4 weeks old today. Hooray!! Time seems to be flying by and he continues to change and grow every day... he's almost out of his newborn clothes! He's starting to spend more time awake, looking around and absorbing his environment, and now makes the most adorable sounds that make me smile every time I hear them. We had a one month photo shoot this past weekend and had such a great time. I think we got some really great pictures of Aiden, I'll be sure to post some when we get them.

This past week was my first week flying solo since Daddy had to go back to work. All in all, I think it went really well... we survived! We've fallen into a good Aiden/Mommy day time routine and I even had enough energy to cook dinner for Vic a couple of nights. We definitely had a couple of rough patches, but you just have to go with the flow! Wow... who would have thought that I would ever say that!! =)

We ventured on our first official outing this past weekend, visits to the pediatrician don't count. Where did we go? To the mall, of course!! Timing was key, we left right after Aiden was fed and changed. It was a successful trip, although Vic says that poor Aiden was unable to enjoy it since I had created an impermeable cocoon for him for fear that some stranger would breathe on him.

I wanted to take a picture to document the event, but would only open the bundler enough to stick my phone inside... I don't think I was being TOO over-cautious... do you?? Yeah, yeah... I know...

Things that I have learned so far about being a Mom:

1. Sleep is a wonderful thing... and getting CONSECUTIVE hours of sleep is even better.

2. I never thought I would be so happy about passing gas... my son's that is. Seeing his little fists tighten up and his face get all red as he's straining, I almost want to do a little dance when I hear him toot.

3. People who say that you should sleep when the baby sleeps are either able to time manage really well or don't have children. When Aiden sleeps, I'm trying to either put the house back in order or go to the bathroom.

4. My pediatrician is my new best friend and to her I am the frantic, OCD mother... but I only call when I have at least 3 questions to ask... so what if I called because Aiden sneezed? How am I suppose to know that it's normal and not the beginning of a cold?

5. I have mastered the art of completing most tasks one-handed while holding a sleeping baby in the other. I can even eat one-handed and not drop a single crumb on my adorable son.

6. Life with a newborn is all about routine... sleep, eat, change diaper, play while awake, pump, repeat.

7. You have to give yourself at least an hour to prepare for an outing with a newborn... at least that's about how long it takes me right now... I'm hoping to shave some time off with more practice. I'm still figuring out what to pack in the baby bag.

8. I had no idea I could be so patient... with Aiden that is. Poor Vic has been getting the shaft due to my sleep deprivation.. sorry, Babe!

9. I have become an expert diaper-changer. When you have a little boy who is consistently armed with a weapon of mass wetness, you learn to be fast.

10. My favorite time of day, surprisingly, is the 3am feed. Gazing at my son during the silence of those early morning hours when he is the most peaceful, warms my heart every time.

11. Being a mom is probably the most challenging and most rewarding role I will ever play in my life.

Super cute picture from this past weekend of Daddy, Aiden, and Rocky... all taking a nice snooze together.

Day 15

Hooray! Aiden is officially 2 weeks old. It's absolutely amazing how much he changes every day. He's much more alert now, constantly looking around and absorbing his new environment. Rocky returned home on Monday (thanks, Uncle Brian, for watching him for 2 weeks!) and is still trying to figure out what Aiden is. I don't think Rocky even noticed him at first, but as soon as Aiden started crying Rocky was very confused. This will definitely be a period of transition for our pooch, but I think that he will do well... he better!!!

We've finally reached a point where Aiden and Mommy don't have to go to the doctor every other day!! Since we've returned home, either me or Aiden have had to go for checkups each day (him for his bilirubin and weight checks, me for my blood pressure). Happy to report that our little Bugaboo is now 6 lbs 1 oz (past his birth weight, yay!) and his jaundice is noticeably less. Mommy's blood pressure is still a bit high, but being controlled with medication. I'll return back to my doctor in a few weeks to see if some more tweaking needs to be done... hopefully as my hormones normalize, so will my pressure.

Vic and I are starting to get a pretty consistent daytime routine down... well, at least getting better going with the flow. For those that know me, I am a planner... always wanting to be prepared for whatever is next. Being a new Mommy is definitely making me realize that it's ok to just wing it sometimes! Now if we could just figure out a good night time routine...

Vic goes back to work next week after being home with Mommy and Aiden for 3 weeks! We've definitely been spoiled and have enjoyed having Daddy around to help out. We'll see how it goes flying solo during the day!!

A New Life

So after a long hiatus, I'm going to give this blogging thing another try. Someone told me that it may be therapeutic for me, but I think it'll be a nice way to keep everyone up to date on what's going on.

After 38 weeks of being pregnant, Vic and I finally got to meet our son. Aiden Lewis Nguyen was born on January 25, 2011 at 5:39pm. He weighed in at 5 pounds 15.4 ounces and was 19 inches long. Apgar score was a 9, already an over-achiever like his mom. I was suppose to be induced, but after 7 hours of labor, Aiden decided that he had had enough of the pitocin. His heart rate dropped from the 150s into the 70s so it was quickly decided that mom would have an emergency C-section instead. By the time I fully realized what was going on, Aiden had made his debut... wailing like a madman... music to our ears. I had to spend an extra day at the hospital due to my high blood pressure and they reluctantly discharged me after 6 days with orders to "take it easy". I'm still trying to figure out what that means. We spent one night at home and were sent back to the hospital due to Aiden's jaundice and increasing bilirubin levels. After a night in the photo-therapy tanning bed, Aiden is looking less like a lemon and is getting cuter and cuter every day. Despite being absolutely sleep deprived, I'm loving every minute.

Life has been bittersweet for me these past couple of weeks. Losing my mom just a few days before Aiden was born was extremely difficult for me and I realized that no matter how much you try to prepare yourself, you're never really prepared for a loss like that. I'm sad that my mom 's not around to share this time with me, she was so looking forward to meeting her first grandchild, and it's hard for me to know that I can't pick up the phone to call her for advice or comforting words. But I am sure that she's looking down on us from heaven and is so proud. I'm trying really hard to focus on the good things and Aiden certainly is making life better.

So here I am, trying my best to figure out how to be a mom. Vic's been an absolutely wonderful husband, taking such good care of mommy and baby. With my life being a mess lately, Vic's been the glue holding me together. I definitely picked a good one.