Favorite Photo Friday

We have had 2 photo sessions this fall. The first was in late September. Erica took some amazing pictures of Aiden. Amazing. You can check out more of her work here. She is trying to start her professional business and is a finalist in a contest for a free Pro-Account Website. Please vote for #5- Erica- here (she's in 3rd place right now!). I would love to see my deserving friend (and mama to one of Aiden's best buds) win!At the end of October, my friend Audi and her sister took pictures of Aiden and me. It was FREEZING cold and they still got some great shots! This was my baby gift from Audi (hey, we got it in before it had been a year since my shower). Such a great gift! She sent me over 100 shots so I am just posting a few now. My absolute favorite? Of course it was one of the random, at the end of the shoot, mama's already in her coat shot. But I love it....and it will have to wait to be revealed on the Christmas card and in Aiden's one year video. Wow- our one year video will be posted in less than 2 weeks. Can that be possible?

Happy Half Birthday- Then and Now!

Hard to believe that last year on Aiden's half birthday, I hadn't held him in my arms yet. I was a bit sad to be spending another special day away from him, but I decided to make the best of it and celebrate his life so far and celebrate the fact that very soon I would be holding my son. I brought cupcakes in the next day for my students so we could celebrate together. Before I could pass out the cupcakes, something BIG happened- I got my travel call! It was a total shock since I was told I would be in Vietnam for Christmas. After I called my mom, who had to sit down because she was about to pass out thinking about leaving for Vietnam in less than two weeks, I posted this on my then private blog:

I can't wait for school to be over to post this-
I am going to Vietnam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have to be there on November 29th. That's all I know right now. I have TONS to do!

So the celebration turned into a half-birthday, leaving for Vietnam party! You can see pictures here and read about my student who correctly predicted the day I would hold my son (I had completely forgotten about that until I went back and read it!).

And today, Aiden's 2nd half birthday.

He is now closer to 2 than 1. Hard to believe. I find myself reduced to tears a lot these days (good tears): remembering all of the special memories from this time last year; feeling overwhelmed with the amount of love I have for my son; feeling grateful for his presence. I will never ever take for granted the fact that I have this little boy in my life. Just looking at this sweet face brings tears to my eyes.


I stare in utter amazement, wishing I knew what he was thinking...

All the while, wondering how I got so lucky. I can't imagine life without him.

Happy Half Birthday Aiden Bao Quoc!

Ma Hep

"Ma ha" is one of Aiden's favorite phrases. He says ma ha a lot; when he wants more (even though he says more too), when he wants to hold something or do something. Today I heard something new: ma hep. He was at the top of the stairs. It was 10 minutes before we had to leave for church. Evidently Aiden wanted to help. I was busy putting things in his diaper bag so I didn't pay much attention. My mistake. Aiden wanted to "hep" by bringing the cat food dish...full of food, downstairs. I have to say, I was impressed that he made it all of the way to the landing without spilling any food. He was even wearing my school keys around his neck. Of course he then felt the need to "hep" clean it up. Love that boy!

Sweet Tooth?

You be the judge....



The candy is almost gone. Thank goodness because Aiden knows each and every hiding place. He hasn't been getting it every day. But he certainly asks...and melts down when I say no. And two more videos, just because....just because I finally uploaded ALL of my videos off the camera that have been on there since July. Yikes. That's going to take me a while to sort through...

This is a brief version of Aiden's hiding game. At least I knew where the remote went. He's getting very good at hiding things when I'm not looking. He will then say "hhmmmm" and throw up his hands- my clue to look for it!



Aiden has been quite a parrot lately. He is adding words to his vocabulary like crazy. I can't keep up anymore. Aiden is also putting to words together. The cutest ones are "oh cool" and "got it". Of course he won't say them for the camera. But I did catch this new word on camera tonight. Oh, I do know how to spell- just can't figure out how to change the title now that it's uploaded. On to Aiden cuteness!

A New Day

Saturday was a new day. Eight hours of sleep for me, plenty of sleep for Aiden too. The weather has been gorgeous the last few days. Lots of outside play time. I won't mention the trip to the mall....I think we would both rather forget it. Other than that, it was a fantastic day.

Today's high is 70. Yippee! Aiden will get lots of outside time...at Grandma's and Grandpa's house. I will be taking him there after church today and he will spend the night. Shopping with a friend and time to clean the house before the carpet cleaners come. Exciting, I know. I am hoping to get laundry done and make it to the gym too. Maybe even watch a little tv.

Thanks for all of the kind comments and emails. It truly meant a lot to me. Sometimes I have a very hard time admitting I can't do it all. And Friday I reached my breaking point. Lack of sleep, not feeling great and a teething toddler can be a recipe for disaster. But it's nothing that can't be fixed. And a bad day or two will never change the love I feel for this little boy. Even when he screams and cries the entire time we are at the mall :D. I love him with all my heart- and what could be than waking up to a new day, knowing there is a little boy who loves me, no matter what? Definitely makes everything worth it.

Sinking

I think that word perfectly describes how I feel this week. For the past few weeks I have felt like I was barely keeping my head above water. This week I feel like I have lost the battle. I am sinking.

I will admit to having a good cry tonight. I think the emotions are coming to the surface due to lack of sleep. Aiden screamed (literally) much of the night last night. started as soon as I had settled into bed at 9 to watch Grey's. Needless to say, I didn't have any down time and I have no idea what time we both fell asleep. He even whimpered in his sleep (broke my heart), which meant I held him much of the night and I think we got about 5 hours of sleep last night. He woke up screaming at 6 this morning as I was trying to get ready. So no time for breakfast or 15 minutes of news.

I so needed time last night (or a little time this morning). And of course I want to be there for Aiden. I feel guilty for admitting I was (am) a wreck because I didn't get to unwind from a hard day at school. I would do anything for Aiden. I would give up all of my free time (okay, most?). However, work has been physically and emotionally exhausting this week. I am truly praying for a good night's sleep tonight. Not sure how many people read on Friday nights, but I could use some good sandman thoughts :). Heck, if you are reading Saturday or Sunday, I could probably use the good thoughts then too- it's going to take me a while to catch up on my sleep.

I had a serious crisis with one of my students yesterday. I care so much for them- when they hurt, I hurt. No teenager deserves to be in so much pain as some of my students are. No teenager (hell, no adult) deserves to experience what so many of my kids experience and live every single day. I've been working with students who have emotional disabilities for 10 years. I can't imagine doing anything different for the time being. I put my administrator license and director of special ed license on hold and I wouldn't have it any other way. I have no desire to be in classes right now. I would miss so much time with Aiden and it's not worth it right now. Crap, if I had to take classes right now, I wouldn't be sinking...I would have drowned about a month ago! The demands (which seem to increase by the month) and paperwork that I have now are more than enough. Some weeks it is definitely a thankless job. And, no, I'm not expecting thanks from the students. That's all I say about that. I promise I love my job, but some days it's hard. Some days it feels like I am sinking.

And when I am going on little sleep and I have had an emotionally exhausting week, I notice I lose my patience at home. I get frustrated over the little things. And that makes me feel like a horrible mother. It's SO NOT FAIR to Aiden.

Speaking of horrible, I haven't been feeling the greatest either. On Wednesday I made the resolution to really take control of my diet. I have done an okay job, but I am also an emotional eater. I have done an okay job, but I could do better. I let the stress of the week take control today. I know, I know... tomorrow is a new day. I just hate that my weight has always been such a battle for me. I hate how some days it controls me, controls my self-esteem and determines what kind of day I will have. I know I posted a while ago that my relationship with my weight gotten better- it has, but again, some weeks are harder than others.

Along with my weight, I have some unanswered medical questions. It's so frustrating. I need to get a second opinion, but I didn't even have time to call my doctor's office this week. And it's probably just as well. The nurse completely pissed me off when she called twice- with the exact same results. She didn't find out the answers to my questions after the first call. I know the doctor is to blame- I seriously if he remembers anything from my visit 2 weeks ago. Time to move on but it's been a huge stressor for me this week. Sinking.

Sorry for the downer post...I hate to go 5 days without posting and then post a woe is me post. I just needed to get a few things off of my chest and this is why I haven't posted this week. I need to move on (and up) from here. The tears have dried and I do feel a bit better! Aiden is in bed- he's awake, but hopefully he will fall asleep soon. Praying next week will be better. I got some great pictures of Aiden in the leaves today. Hopefully I will get them off of my camera this weekend.

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today, I had I600 pre-approval for 6 days. The excitement of traveling soon had left the building. But don't doubt for a minute I was not grateful to have my referral and pre-approval.

One year ago today, I was starting to cope with the fact that I would be in Vietnam for Christmas. It was the being in Vietnam for Christmas that bothered me, it was the fact that I would be away from my son for another 6 to 7 weeks.

One year ago today I had no idea that my travel call would actually, instead- 'oh by the way you won't be waiting, your paperwork moved through more quickly then we originally anticipated"- come 3 weeks later!

One year ago today I didn't know that my giving & receiving ceremony was exactly one month away (eek!).

One year ago today I had no idea my breath would be taken away as I reflected on my life with the amazing human being on the 1st of every month.

One year ago today I didn't know how one little guy could bring me such joy, laughter, adventure and love.



11 months as a family, and I am just as thankful as I was on December 1st and I am even more in love (drool and all!).

Happy Halloween!

So many pictures to share...I'll start with tonight's and hopefully do a Halloween highlights sometime next week (or on facebook...who knows). Aiden had lots of practice before the big night. So much so that today he was an one eye duck. Yesterday during the town's trick or treating, Aiden learned to say trick or treat (treat treat). Ah, the power of candy. It sure came in handy tonight. First stop, Gram's house.

Aiden's other new word this week (besides cool)? Cheese! And it usually comes with a pretty good smile!

Pumpkin Carving with Papa

The final product...with a ghostly Aiden thanks to my inability to photograph in the dark!

Fall Break!

Ah, fall break- a 4 day weekend. What could be better than that? Christmas break and spring break, but I am not complaining at all. I am enjoying the time with Aiden.

Wednesday started off as a very sad day. I got the news that a friend from my hometown lost his life in a plane crash. A few hours later I got a call that a former student passed away. Poor Aiden had a rough day too.

Aiden fell into fall break- literally. He took a nasty fall at Gram's house. No stitches, and I know Gram was more traumatized than he was. I already posted this picture on Facebook, but I'll throw it out there again- poor Gram! I'm actually surprised it took my little climber this long to sustain an injury.

It was so nice to sleep in until 7:30 this morning, and Aiden woke up in a great mood despite the head wounds. We had a pretty busy day. We took a 4 mile walk and spent time with friends. It was at my friend's house that Aiden made it perfectly clear how he felt about me holding a baby. He tried to rip the 2 week old out of my arms and then threw a major meltdown. Guess I won't be thinking about number 2 for a while! We also went to zoo boo again, this time with Grace, Max, Sam and Lucy. I find it interesting that Aiden has no problem with me holding Lucy...guess he doesn't feel threatened by her like he did a teeny tiny newborn.

Tomorrow is our town's safe trick or treating downtown- it's supposed to rain but it's all inside. Luckily that is all we have planned. Saturday and Sunday are shaping up to be busy days.

These outdoor pics are from last weekend. Glad I got a few because most of the leaves are now off the trees. This makes Aiden very happy- he's a big leaf collector!

How much is that duckie in the mirror?

I couldn't wait until Halloween. Someone decided that the duck hat was a-ok today at our gym*boree party. And this picture? This picture could possibly be one of my all time favorites. I was waiting for Aiden to run through the tunnel and he got sidetracked. I just started snapping away and ended up with this (so glad I had my zoom lens on my camera):



How cute is he (I know, I'm biased)?!? I know it's not the perfect picture, but love it so...I just had to enter. Check out more great dress up pics at I Heart Faces!

Aiden at 17 months

Just a few of the many things Aiden is doing these days. What a fun age (I think I say that every month).


Rarely looks at the camera :)

Shakes his head no; shakes his entire body back and forth for yes and says "uh-huh"!

Still loves to cuddle (makes mommy happy)

LOVES his blankie- now known as little brown. I have also heard him call it "b".

Cut 4 molars during his 16th month- yikes! Now come the eye teeth- does it ever end?

Has, for the most part, dropped down to one nap a day.

Has the shortest little legs- 9 months pants are the best way to go. 12 months are still too long! And they are bowed- adorable, especially when he runs.

When Aiden falls down, he will often answer uh-huh before I ask him if he's okay. Of course this is after he yells "whoa!". He stands up, brushes his hands off and keeps on running. Aiden runs like the wind!

Dance moves have been added to his customary bounce. Aiden now twists, sways his arms and twirls (I really need to get more video of this...and download it from the camcorder).

Loves talking on the phone. Doesn't even need a phone to talk on the phone. As I told Christine, even a hand phone will do. The hand his is phone of choice at 4 in the morning and I am trying to get him back to sleep. "Hello? Uh huh.....uh huh....mmmmhmm!" It's really hard not to laugh! Another thing I need to get on video (and download what I have).

Doesn't just say hello into the phone. Aiden says hello to everyone and everything. "Flower...hello". "Truck (in a high pitched voice)....hello". Last week he went around the circle at Gym*boree and said hello to every single adult. Mr. Social!

Obsessed with crocs. I have to hide them or Aiden would wear them morning, noon and night! I will admit that Aiden has slept in his crocs- not a battle worth fighting.
Loves being outside. We have many hills at the front of our neighborhood. He loves to go to the "big hill" with the neighbor kids. He could run up and down all.day.long. Aiden also loves to swing. He has started leaning back and holding his head back as he swings. Makes for one dizzy boy!A blurry shot, but you get the idea!

Still loves his vegetables but has starting eating applesauce and grapes (which he calls apples)

Has opinions of what shows he wants to watch. Usually Dora and the Backyardigans. Gone are the days of just turning on Nick Jr for a half hour. And he is interacting with the shows too. He giggles and giggles when he finds something funny (I usually can't figure out what was so funny). And when Dora, Diego or Kai Lan ask him to repeat something, he tries his hardest. We were watching Diego one day and he made the sound of a humpback whale. When it was Aiden's turn, he repeated it perfectly- "ahwooah"!

It's hard to believe we will have been a family for 11 months in just about a week. I am excited about celebrating our first family day and our first Thanksgiving together. The next month or two is going to be so much fun!