crazy busy days

dear blog,

i truly do love you dearly,

but i love creating memories to write

about even more.

i promise i'll be back soon,

but until then, just a glimpse of the

memories being made.

a very special girl's first communion

and her cousin's (aka bff's)

(note how the girls are being goofy as Aiden shows them how they should be posing)

a very kick butt first communion party for the two princesses,

even if it did rain the whole time and

all the kids were covered in mud by the end of the night

a trip to the farm with aiden's class

(and one to the zoo, pictures on their way)

tumble/cheer class recitals

(note: putting make up on a 10 yr old for the first time is.not.fun)

spending as much time outdoors discovering, climbing, playing

(which I may still need to build that ark with all this rain)

and most of all ...

mom's here.

and when mom visits, I cherish each little moment of her!

see you soon.

Just Because ...

He's SO dang cute!

I'm his mom - I'm supposed to say that : )

AND I was so busy yesterday hanging out with Aiden AND his daddy,

who took the afternoon off to spend with us,

that I forgot to post my Wednesday Workout!

So thought I'd share the TRUE Wednesday Workout.

(sorry about image quality ... it's what you get with an iPhone and no flash).

Aiden + Naptime = Disaster

Let me paint the picture ...


Aiden's brother and sister are finally back in school; I'm trying to get Aiden back into OUR daily routine - which includes trying to get him back into a nap (more so for me); and while he naps, I of course, try to finish a thousand and one things, including craziness like washing all the bedding and starting dinner in the middle of trying to fill in the blanks on posts I started ages ago yet are still in limbo out in never never land waiting to be finalized and probably never will.


Whew.


and then, when I think I have him on task, when all is quiet above, I creep up the stairs (as many times as I remind other's he cannot hear without his CIs, I still find myself "creeping" up to his room to "peek" in quietly. Why? Who knows.) just to check, because when it comes to Aiden, "quiet" typically means "trouble".


As in this case.


Most of you know how I've checked on Aiden before during naptime to have every.single piece of clothing pulled out of his drawers, every.single.wipe pulled out (to which I stuffed every one right back in), even a pants full of poo torn off and left in a corner. I thought we were over this and he was back to actually napping instead of destroying.


Apparently not.

I think he's done with naps and even more importantly I think I need grandma closer by. The (not-so) funny thing is, is that I was in the process of deep cleaning his room. Maybe he thought he was helping.


Here is the video I took after I put his CIs back on to talk about what he had done. I sound like mommy dearest, but was honestly trying hard to hold back from laughing and letting him think it was all ok.


(make sure to turn off the music to the right)

The first video has captioning, but for some reason doesn't work on all computers (works on my Mac, but not my desktop), so I added a noncaptioned one directly from YouTube.

Life With Aiden

I've been meaning to jot these stories down in Aiden's baby book,

but then I remembered this blog IS his baby book.

Every night we have the typical bedtime routine to brush teeth, read books, say prayers, I LOVE Yous, kisses, Aiden hands me his CIs, and lights out. Well, actually, there's also the 100 times in and out of his room to stop him from cleaning out his closet or drawers or bookcase, tearing down the blinds (which reminds me I need new ones for his room AND Kailyn's since he tore those down too), but anyway,

last night, as I was saying prayers with him, his left CI was already off and he accidentally knocked the right coil off. He continued to put the coil back on, listen to a couple words, then take it off, put it on, take it off over and over again. He thought it was hilarious. Of course I was laughing too thinking, "Oh my, this is just the beginning of him realizing he doesn't hear my voice when he takes that thing off." I wonder if he thinks maybe I'll shut up if I see his coil is off. Oh my, here we go.

Lately Aiden has been trying to put his CIs on our ears. Then he smiles at us and gives us a high five, like he's proud of himself for sharing. I've even caught him trying to put one on the cat. I wonder if he thinks we can't hear like he does unless we have one on too? I wish I could take a peek inside that nonstop mind of his.

I'm sure I'm missing some other Aiden silliness, but last but not least,

Aiden has become very good at performing and SAYING the Sign of the Cross. I really need to get it on video cause it's too damn cute. He must sense that we know just how cute it is, because when he's been getting in trouble during the day, he'll stop, look me straight in the eye and start the motions as he says, "Da fadder, da son, (something mumbly for Holy and Spirit), AHen!" Then he'll smile this ear to ear (excuse my french, but honestly) shit eating grin that says, okay am I good to go now? Definitely a Catholic boy.

Oh Lord help me.

A New Tradition

Every year the kids and I head to Wisconsin for our annual camping trip with grandma, but this year, due to a very unfortunate event, we weren't able to go. Therefore, we chose to get our camping fix locally over a long weekend with four other families.

aiden was in his element,

content the whole time.

he pointed to his ear over and over.

"was a?" he'd say, as he

heard birds screeching, leaves rustling,

fire crackling, cicadas chirping.

he RAN to keep up with all his cousins

and friends, and when he couldn't

keep up, they never left him behind.

his quote of the weekend (and newest three word phrase),

that was said over and over and over again,

"be ri ba" (be right back),

as he'd hold up his index finger, look us right in the eye,

then run off to catch up with the others.

It was a weekend of hangin' with cousins and friends

of all ages, no fighting, no arguing,

just joking and pure enlightening laughter.

It was a weekend of spinning tops and decorating the patio with chalk.

of playing baseball (which Aiden hit his first ball by himself!)

of flirting.

a weekend of paddle boats and canoes,

of fishing and snapping turtles

of complete pure innocent silliness from the younger ones

and the older ones alike.

it was a weekend of laughter.

of great food. of great company.

kids ages 2 through 40 something joined the outdoor festivities,

although us 10 " grown kids" were outnumbered

by the 16 kids aged 2 to 15,

we all had equally amount of fun.

it was a weekend we decided to start a

new tradition, it was our first annual

friends and family camping trip,

with many, many more to come!

Summer of Popsicles

If there's one thing that we've all learned this summer,

it is that Aiden L-O-V-E-S popsicles.

Not just any type of popsicle, but the icee pops we all ran around the

neighborhood with as kids. He loves

ALL flavors, ALL colors, ALL THE TIME.

The scary part is he's learned to open the freezer in our garage

which houses them. I'm sure by the end of the summer

he'll also learn how to use scissors ... just for the fact

that he needs them to open his much loved summer treat.

Here are some of my favorite "Aiden with "HA-sihle" pics.

sharing with mom

good to the last drop

mmmm, "pah-le HA-sihle"

Being his silly self with a "ehwo HA-sihle"

Heading toward mom with the orange popsicle,

to be sneaky and squirt it all over.

(and check out the "I've had every color popsicle today" face)

Which he missed, but still thought it was hilarious,

and proceeded to lick every spilled drop off his hand.

and of course, you have to love the "you can tell every color

popsicle I ate today by looking at my tummy and/or diaper" picture

Last but not least, Mr. Sneaky himself had just gotten out of the pool and I only had the chance to get his right CI on before he hightailed it to the garage, so I followed him, Flip in tow.

I'm sure he did get just ONE MORE "HA-sihle".

What's summer without them?

(turn off the music to the right before watching)

ALL IN A DAY OF AIDEN

Everyday I have to stop and take many deep breaths.
No, I don't have health problems,

I have Aiden.
The boy is a ball of energy and into.every.little.thing.

Not much has changed since he became mobile as an infant,
except that now he can hear me say NO and STOP,

although he acts like he can't.

I'll use today as an example (and note, it's not even dinner time):

Breakfast

When Aiden is finished, he either starts throwing his food on the floor,

stuffing it down in his highchair, rubbing it in his hair,

smashing it through his fingers, or all of the above.

This morning he decided to also wear the bowl

(with some milk still in it) on his head.

DEEP BREATH.

He thinks he's funny (and he really is),

He also knows those eyes melt my heart.

Grocery Shopping

I don't know why I even try. Let's just say I shouldn't

have taken the extra time to check out all the new Spring

scents of air fresheners and I had a lot of boxes

torn open and Gogurt squished all over the cart.

DEEP BREATH.

Home

After feeding him lunch (which I made the mistake of giving him

a sippy cup without the spill proof thingy and he proceeded

to shake it all over juice flying everywhere),

I decided to clean up the floors and therefore shake the rugs first.

I unlocked the front door and stepped outside,

closing it behind me and that little stinker

LOCKED ME OUT.

As I'm peering through the windows on each side of the door,

PLEADING for him to open the door, he stands there and

WAVES, LAUGHS then RUNS OFF!

Thank GOD for a beautiful day and open windows, BUT

I quickly learned the screens won't come off from the outside unless

you unlock them from the inside first. I'm getting frantic by this point.

I run to the truck to search for a spare key and (thank GOD number 2),

Aiden's daddy left his toolbox in there from a weekend trip.

I get the screwdriver out and tear up the screen to crawl through the window

Aiden laughing and cheering me on the whole time.
MANY, MANY DEEP BREATHS.

Nap time.

During this time I sit to check emails and hear my phone ring ...

can't find it, but the ring leads me to ...
the trash can.

That must be where he ran off to as I was locked out.

Not too fun digging through the garbage

looking for a phone all while hearing Aiden playing in his crib.

DEEP BREATH.

Still.nap.time.

...half hour later, STILL not sleeping.

I go up to check on him, since he's also very well known

to take off his pants and his diaper,
sometimes with an extra surprise (again not fun)! Sure enough,
there's my boy, bare bottomed, clean diapers thrown all over the room,

dirty diaper laying on the floor, and there he stood

holding a clean diaper and his pants out to me, Hard to discipline a little boy who can't hear you.

So I have to get his CIs and put them on.

(notice the mattress on the floor ... that's because he

also loves to climb out of his crib and nearly

broke his arm - I know, time for a big boy bed).

So after the third time of chasing him down,

changing his sheets, CIs on and off again,

and getting him BACK TO BED,

he finally fell asleep

with his pants on.

Forget the deep breaths.
I need a glass of wine.

All in a Haircut

I started my day with some crazy, unruly hair.

Some would say it looked like I had a curly mullett going on in the back, but my mom really loved my curls. My dad said it was time for them to go.
I sat pretty still in the chair for the lady cutting my hair, well for a one year old anyway.Oh, dad please, not the slicked back comb over look ... I'm only one!

Bye-bye baby curls and hello big boy look! Mom almost cried. AND I had my first sucker too! I actually liked chewing on the stick better ... then I could get my hands all nice and sticky and rub them all over my face!and before we went home I rode on my first merry-go-round!

I loved it so much I got to ride those horses two times!

TAG - I'm It! Five Things I Love About Being a Mom

I've been tagged (and am late at responding!) by Lucas' mommy, from the blog, Life with Lucas, to list the five things I love about being a mom. I could list so many things, unconditional love to baseball games, but here are five things that popped into my mind from the get go.

Five Things I Love About Being a Mom to

Ryan, Kailyn, and Aiden

One: Unconditional Love - I remember when I was in college, I brought home two cats to my mom's house. I didn't think I could love anything more than those two cats. Then I got married and became a mother. I was so scared too, about having a second child. I worried about how I could love another child as much as I loved my first? But I did. Then eight years later, came Aiden and a whole other new love. This is the one thing I love most about being a mom is the unconditional love for each child is just unbelievable!


Two - Snuggles - There is nothing better than getting one of my kids in bed with me and snuggling all over them! Ryan was always my biggest snuggle bunny. As a baby he'd snuggle his head right into my shoulder and as a toddler he'd nest himself right into my chest. Kailyn I worried about, because as a baby, she just wasn't a snuggler, but now ... watch out ... she'll fight her daddy for any bit of snuggle time with mommy - and she always wins! Aiden's a little snuggler too! He'll lay his head on my shoulder forever and I just love every little bit of it!


Three - Unlimited Hugs and Kisses, THEY'RE FREEEEE! - In our house we are always giving hugs, kisses, and saying "I Love You". My own dad never let me leave the house until I came over planted a kiss on his cheek and he always told me, "Be safe. I love you." As a child, it got on my nerves, as a mom, I have a whole new appreciation for this. Oh, and butterfly kisses and eskimo kisses ARE definitely included here!

Four - Family Traditions and Lil' Sweet Nothings - I think family traditions are so important, but even more important to me are the little repetitive things, no matter how cheesey, I want my kids to remember so that when they grow up, they can look back with a smile and say "Remember when ...". For example, notes in Kailyn's lunchbox or on every family roadtrip we have a "theme song" we play over and over; then whenever we hear the song later, we talk about "the trip" it belongs to.

Five - Watching them Grow - I hate how fast they are growing (I can't believe Ryan is already 12!), but it's just amazing to see who they are becoming. I love the different stages they go through ...belly laughs as an infant, first steps and first words; all the great "why" questions around age 3 (i.e. "mommy, why's that house blue? mommy, why's the grass green? mommy, how'd that baby get in your tummy?"; age 5/6 - HELLO?!? GIRL'S DAY!; age 10 - independence starting to set in, yet still very loving; Age 12 - Puberty ... it's not the funnest stage, but it is fun hearing his voice change, being able to joke around a lot more sarcastically, and seeing the teenager that's about to emerge.

Yes, being a mom has made my life complete. Each one of them has fulfilled a part of me in their own way. Each one of them has that certain something about them that makes their mommy smile each and everyday! Each one of them holds a very special place in their mommy's heart and soul ... a love that no one can take away.

I'm supposed to tag five more moms now, but I think most of them have been tagged. So if you haven't been tagged and you have the time to share your five favorite things, TAG ... YOU'RE IT!

Friday Fun Day

We started our day driving into DC to Nat. Geo. studios to finish up the photo shoots for Aiden's piece in an upcoming piece that includes the amazing world of cochlear implants. Despite the fact it was all during his nap time and that we had to take many breaks, he was truly a real trooper. I forgot my camera, but captured what I could of a nonstop toddler on my iPhone, which, I've come to find out, does not take the best "in action" pictures.

As soon as he hit his carseat, he was out. Which I wasn't too excited for as I'd rather him sleep at home then in a car when I can do nothing productive (part of my ADD/OCD etc problem). But, I have to say he slept on the way home, ate lunch, then took another nap at home! WOO HOO!

I actually had to wake him up from his nap (can't believe I actually did this) at 4:30pm to head to the Johns Hopkins Cochlear Implant picnic. What a nice time we had! Aiden's daddy had to work, so his brother, sister and I all piled into the family vehicle and headed out, not having a clue what to expect. It was very nice to meet so many wonderful people. I talked to so many people and got many different hearing loss perspectives. This is what's so wonderful about this world, no two stories are alike. We met people who have been in this journey for quite some time, people who are just beginning (like us), and parents who are about to embark on this amazing endeavor. It was a great time to not only meet other mom's in my shoes, but even more so to hear first hand from the adult CI users themselves.

Our miracle makers ... Aiden's surgeon, Dr. Niparko

and his audiologist, Miss Jill

By the time we got home, Aiden was done. He had such a great day of hearing. He didn't eat too much at the picnic, so after his bath I gave him some cereal and fruit to fill his belly in hopes of a full nights sleep. Usually, after every bath I only put back on one implant to test that particular ear. Tonight, he was done with hearing altogether and showed me in his very silly ways. Here's my silly little man being his silly little self. (Stop the music on the right before playing the video!)