100 Days Old!

Happy Baek-Il, Aiden!!!

In the past, due to the lack of medical information, childhood diseases and because of Korea's seasonal temperature differences, the death rate for children was extremely high. Many children died before they reached their 1st birthday. Because of this reason, it is Korean custom to celebrate a child's Baek-Il, or 100 day birthday. Today, April 29, 2011 is Aiden's 100 day birthday. I know that if my mom were here, this would be a big day filled with celebration, family, good food, and great memories. But since she's not, Aiden, my brother and I had a little mini-celebration for my little man. One of the traditions associated with a child's Baek-Il is the giving of gold jewelry to the child. My brother lent Aiden his Baek-Il jewelry to commemorate the day. The three of us had a special lunch and enjoyed some family time with one another. Here's a picture of Aiden sporting some bling. =)

Sorry the picture isn't bigger! I didn't have my camera on hand, so I had to use my phone. In case you can't tell, Aiden is wearing a 24K gold pendant and matching bracelet. We couldn't find my brother's tradition Korean dress, wouldn't Aiden have looked cute in it?

These are the kind of times I miss my mom the most. She would have loved celebrating this traditional Korean birthday with Aiden. But I know she's looking down on him from heaven, wishing him lots of love and luck for his future.

A rare picture of Aiden and Mommy. I realized that I spend so much time taking pictures of Aiden, trying to capture him as he grows up, that I barely have any pictures of Aiden with Mommy and Daddy!

Tummy time! Aiden loves doing tummy time on his boppy. His stamina is a little better since the boppy helps him prop up a bit.

Aiden also loves his Bumbo seat! Thanks to all my peds PT/OT friends for giving it to him at one of my baby showers. Aren't the sunglasses cute? I know, he looks confused... I promise I only kept them on to take one picture... or two.. ok, I took five.

My happy little boy. Seeing him smile is the one of the best feelings in the world.

Haha! I just had to post a picture of Aiden passed out. He sleeps just like his Daddy, all sprawled out!

Another cute one on the Bumbo. His head and neck aren't quite strong enough to hold his head up for long periods of time, but he's getting there!

Aiden is growing so fast! As much as I love watching him grow and change, I'm sad he's not a little baby anymore! I'm trying my best to cherish every little snuggle and coo!!

We're taking Aiden to a pediatric ENT at Hopkins on Wednesday for a consultation for his mild stridor. When he was about a month and a half we noticed that he was a noisy breather. The pediatrician attributed it to some mild congestion he had at the time, but now that the congestion has subsided, the noisiness continued. We're hoping that it's what the pediatrician thinks it is, a common upper airway issue that Aiden will eventually grow out of. She didn't seem overly concerned since it only occurs once in awhile, does not interfere with his ability to feed, and he is growing well. We'll keep you posted on the results of the appointment.

I return to work on Monday with a mixture of emotions ranging from sadness and anxiety to a feeling of uncertainty. I know it'll be hard to leave my baby Monday morning and miss out on his first smile of the day, but I know he'll be in good hands, waiting to give me a huge grin when I come home.

12 Weeks- Aiden found his fingers!

I can't believe that Aiden is already 12 weeks old. Vic and Aiden sent me flowers to commemorate the occasion; don't I have a wonderful husband! I definitely love having beautiful, fresh flowers to look at every day!

It's amazing what a week will do. Here are some recent pictures of my little bug.

Aiden is getting stronger and stronger during tummy time! He can now prop himself up for at least a couple of minutes at a time and turn his head side to side to follow his toys.

Haha! I love my little chubby monkey.

This is how I am greeted every morning. How can you not love that face!!

Aiden on his changing table before a diaper change. I am still trying to figure out what in the world is so funny! =)

A couple of weeks ago, Aiden met Uncle Mark and Aunt Josefina's son, Logan. Cousin Logan was so sweet and gentle with "Baby Aiden", as he calls him. =) I see lots of playdates in our future!

Since I'll be going back to work in a couple of weeks, Vic and I decided that it was time to make the move into his crib. Vic's mom will be watching Aiden on Mondays and we figured it would be so much easier for her to get him up in the morning if he was sleeping in his room. Aiden was a champ with the transition. Me? Not so much. I must have gotten up at least a dozen times to check on him.. as if he would roll out or something. One thing that does baffle me is how Aiden manages (while tightly swaddled) to shift himself from a horizontal position in the crib to a vertical one. I'll have to sit and watch one night. I think Aiden is enjoying his new bed, he's all smiles every morning when I come in to get him up.

We're still sticking strong to our 3 hour daytime routine. The "Baby Whisperer" recommends switching to a 4 hour routine when the baby turns 4 months. We'll try that in a few weeks. Aiden still consistently eats about 4 ounces/feed; to me it seems like he should be eating more now. But he's gaining weight and is happy as a clam, so I guess 4 is enough for now. Our nighttime routine hasn't changed. Aiden still gets up at midnight and 4am for a feed, not sleeping through the night yet. I tried to increase the volume of his daytime feeds to see if it would make him last longer through the night, but to no avail, 4 ounces and he is full. The nighttime feeds don't bother me much anymore, I'm so used to it I'm not sure what I would do with longer than a 2 hour stretches of sleep at night.

Aiden is becoming quite the talker, much like his Mommy! He's now able to make sounds that incorporate vowels like "ahh" and "baa", as well as the usual "coos". He and I make sure to have lots of daily conversation and storytime to increase his vocabulary. =) So far, I'm finding that he likes to hear me read Peter Pan. Hopefully he'll grow up to have a great imagination like the characters in that story!

Something new that recently developed, Aiden discovered he has fingers!! Now they are constantly in his mouth. He's not a big pacifier fan, unless he's going down for a nap or bedtime, so fingers it is!

It's amazing how big he is now. He's not an infant anymore! In a way I'm sad that he's growing so fast, I'm trying really hard to cherish every second. I absolutely love being home with him every day to see him smile, hear him talk, cuddle with him and help him grow and develop. It's going to be really difficult for me to leave him when I go back to work. But I know that he'll be in excellent hands, Grandma on Mondays and Daddy on Wednesdays, so how can I complain.

We're planning on visiting my parent's house in Florida for a weekend in May. It will be the first time we've gone there since my mom passed away, so it should be an interesting trip. I'm definitely nervous about flying with a baby, so any advice anyone can give is greatly appreciated!!

More to come! Until then, fingers rule! =)

11 Weeks- Smiles warm my heart!

Aiden will be 11 weeks on Tuesday, approaching the three month mark, and is as cute as ever. Here are some recent pics:

Look at my big boy sitting up. Yes, Daddy positioned him perfectly so he wouldn't tip over. =)

Mommy's milk does Aiden good!

Visiting the Cherry Blossoms! Thank goodness Vic has long arms.

On one of our first walks of the Spring season at Centennial Park.

Aiden received his first round of vaccinations at his 2 month well-baby checkup and although he did scream bloody murder for a second, he was a trooper. Poor thing.. 4 shots and an oral vaccine all at once! That's enough to make anyone cranky! Aiden weighed in at 10 lbs 0.2 ounces and 22.75 inches. He had a little cold awhile back with some lingering congestion, but I'm happy to say (and hear) that it is much better. Hearing your little baby squeak like a pigeon can be unsettling.

It's amazing how much babies change day to day. I was looking back at some of his older pictures and was surprised at exactly how different he looks. He's definitely filling out, look at those cheeks, and is getting more and more interested in his environment.

Aiden is definitely morning person, just like his mommy. We start our day at around 7am with a morning feed and Aiden is all smiles. Sometimes it takes awhile to down that bottle because he's smiling and cooing so much! He's much more responsive, cooing and babbling to conversation. He especially enjoys talking to Mommy about the plans for the day... or he's just mesmerized by the ceiling fan. =)

Nighttime is getting better and better. We put him down around 8pm after a bottle and he sleeps until around midnight. He eats again and (on a good night) sleeps until around 4am. Then he's up again for another feed and back to bed until around 7am when we start our day. I like the predictability of his schedule and as much as I try to change it up to get him to sleep longer, he always wakes up at those exact intervals. Well, at least it makes bottle prep easier! I automatically wake up about 15-20 minutes before him so I can minimize the crying. =)

We're on a 3 hour schedule during the day (thanks to the 'Baby Whisperer'). So it's feed, play, nap and repeat. =)

Although I still have some time before I go back to work, it makes me so sad to think about leaving him. What if I miss something!!??

More to come!

2 Months!

I can't believe how fast time flies by. It's hard to believe that my little Bug will be 2 months old tomorrow! Wasn't he just born??

New developments:

1. A genuine, non-gas-related smile! Today he smiled at me all morning long. He must think Mommy is hilarious!

2. Reaching for things! Maybe it's just me, but it seems like he is intentionally reaching for toys we play with.
3. He is huge! Well.. not really, but huge in comparison to what he was when he was born. We've outgrown the newborn clothes and are just about to out grow the 3 month clothes in terms of length... he's a long boy! I hope he gets his height from Daddy!

4. He misses me when I'm not around! At least I think he does. He screams bloody murder when he can't see me but when I show my face again he smiles and coos. So heart warming.

5. I'm now a pro at going out with Aiden by myself. =) I can't wait for it to get warmer so we can go for walks outside!

6. Aiden slept through the night! Well... I guess he did in Mommy terms... for one night. But it's a start! He slept from 8:30pm-2:30am... 6 hours! Although I still don't understand how 2:30am is through the night. =)

We took Aiden to his first basketball game last weekend. He saw the Wizards beat the NJ Nets! He was a trooper and slept through the entire game. I'm glad he's not very noise sensitive, he really can sleep anywhere (although Vic thinks that the Baby Bjorn did the trick )! Vic got him some baby noise cancellation headphones, we were afraid it would be too loud, but the pediatrician said that it wouldn't be a problem and it really wasn't very loud at all. He and I went to a lot of basketball games during my third trimester so I wonder if Aiden felt at home with the familiar sounds.

Aiden's doing so much better during tummy time. I am convinced he'll be holding his head up on his own before the 3 month mark. He loves lying on his belly and often falls asleep. Mommy has to do some crazy stuff to keep him awake so we can strengthen those neck and back muscles!

Uncle Brian still visits every Friday and Aunt Julliann and Aunt Elizabeth are starting to come every Sunday. Aiden enjoys the company and Mommy and Daddy enjoy the little break! I love our family and how much they want to be in Aiden's life. My mom always stressed the importance family and I will be sure to pass that along to our little Bug.

We got the professional pictures from Aiden's one month photo session, I attached a couple of my favorites. It's amazing how different he looks now!

5 Weeks and Counting!

Aiden had his one month well-baby visit and clocked in at 8 pounds 2.5 ounces and 22 inches. It's hard to believe that my 5 pounder has grown so much in just a couple of weeks! He is definitely becoming more and more alert every day.... I think I even got a non-gas-related smile the other day! Tummy time is definitely proving to be beneficial, his head control is getting better and better.

On Wednesday of this past week I finally did it... I ventured out alone with baby in tow. I have to admit, I was pretty proud of myself! The plan was to hit Babies R Us to return a couple of items and then come straight home, but it went so well

that we decided to window shop at the mall for an hour or so. Granted I didn't have to change him or feed him while we were out, I made sure those things were dealt with before we left home, so I'll need to start going out more for longer stretches of time... but hey, it's a start!!

I'm absolutely loving Mommy-Duty; it's absolutely amazing to look at Aiden and remember that he was in my belly just over a month ago... crazy! I'm getting better and better with our day time routine and have started integrating daily activities for Aiden and

Mommy. We do tummy time, read short stories, have conversations about colors and count fingers and toes. I've even started multitasking Aiden-time with house chores! Vic and I started a new night time routine, which is so far proving to be much better than what we were doing before. Acclimating Aiden to day and night is a good thing. =)

Fridays have become Uncle Brian's day. It's been nice having my brother come over every week to spend time with me and Aiden. He's definitely getting the hang of caring for a newborn and we've even set up his first babysitting gig... that should be interesting! But I have faith!

So for all you Daddys out there: a question. When your little one was first born, sleeping in your room, were you able to wake up to their cries at night? I find it absolutely hilarious that Vic does not stir AT ALL when Aiden cries in the middle of the night. He could be screaming bloody murder for a few minutes and Vic is sleeping peacefully away. I asked one of his friends about it, since I am so intrigued by the lack of awareness, and he said that men don't wake up to the baby's cry because they know that the mother is there to take care of him/her... but that it will come eventually. Either way, it's fine... I love the night time help when I can get it, but I cherish those quiet little moments with my little Bugaboo. Now don't get me wrong, functioning on 3-4 hours of nonconsecutive sleep per night is rough, so I am still looking forward to the day when Aiden sleeps through the night.. but until then, this isn't so bad. =)

February 24th was my mom's birthday and I spent the day reflecting. Sometimes I look at Aiden and see my mom in him, which makes me happy and sad at the same time. I think about how wonderful it would have been for my mom to have met him. I can almost see the smile on her face. Since everything happened so quickly, I really haven't had a chance to just miss her and really accept what has happened. I almost still expect to be able to pick up the phone and call her, just to hear her voice and tell her about my day. Now that things are starting to settle down, things are starting to also set in. I had a strange dream the other night about her. I was laying in bed and she crawled in next to me, wrapped her arms around me and asked me "Why did I get Cancer?". I'll never understand that one, Mom.

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!!