This kid has really been giving us a run for the money in the health department. It seems like he has been sick non-stop the past few months. Once again, he started up with the coughing and wheezing, and after maybe a day or 2, just sounded awful. We got in to the pediatrician, and had to see the one doctor that I absolutely despise. She diagnosed Aiden with walking pneumonia and an ear infection. They gave him a horrible, hideous, painful shot that was supposed to take care of everything. Cole, on the other hand, sounded so much worse than Aiden, but she decided to do nothing. She said to continue with his nebulizer twice a day, and to just wait it out. We went home, and this just didn't sit well with me. I called the next day, and asked to come in again to have another doctor check him out. This doctor agreed that he sounded awful, and started him on antibiotics and upped his breathing treatments to every 4 hours. She said to come back in 2 days, sooner if I thought necessary. Well, the next morning, I just didn't think he was doing well, and got an appointment for that afternoon. The doctor agreed that he seemed to be having a hard time.  She then shocked me by telling me that an ambulance was going to be coming from Children's Mercy to pick us up! By the time they came, it was around 6:30pm, and Cole was exhausted and hungry. During the ride, they were suctioning him out and doing breathing treatments. He was handling it all well, and not crying, til just before we got there. By the time we got upstairs and checked in, and had x-rays done, it was almost 8pm, and the poor kid usually goes to bed around 7:00-7:30. He was struggling to keep his eyes open, and having a hard time breathing. They said they were going to start an I.V., and then he could go to sleep. Well, the nurses put the tourniquet on his arm, and prodded around for probably 20 minutes. They inserted the needle.... and missed. At that point I just knew that it was going to be a long, awful night. It ended up taking them almost 2 hours, and 5 tries to get the I.V. in correctly. It was probably the most horrible thing I have ever experienced. They were holding him down, digging that needle around, and Jonny and I took turns standing by his face trying to comfort him. He would just look up at me like, "this hurts, and why aren't you helping me?". I could cry just thinking about it! Once that was done, things were finally a little better. He got to rest and even slept through his breathing treatments. They kept him for about 24 hours, to monitor his oxygen levels and to administer medication and breathing treatments. They officially diagnosed him with asthma, as well as pneumonia. The combination of both had caused one lobe of his right lung to collapse. Needless to say, I am a little ticked at the doctor who sent him home and told us to, "wait it out". We ended up being discharged at around 5:00 pm on Christmas Eve. We had the option of staying one more night, but I am glad that we were able to make it home to spend Christmas together. The entire time in the hospital, and for several days after, anytime he was awake, he insisted on being held by mommy. And, whenever I held him, he wrapped himself around me like a little monkey. It was such an awful night, I hope it is the last one like that we have to experience!

Here's my little guy being transported from the doctor's office to the ambulance.

 Resting up after a long night.

Yay, I feel better!  Time to go home!

Daddy's dream come true.

Aiden is at such a fun age right now, especially for daddy. He is so solid and sturdy on his feet, so now he can begin to learn athletic skills. He has already taken a strong liking to golf, which of course daddy is thrilled about. I know we are biased, but anyone who sees him hit can't believe that a two year old can hit so far and straight! Well, he has had a tee-ball set in the garage for awhile that he usually just tries to use as a golf club. A few days ago, we were outside while Jonny was painting the house, and when he took a break, we pitched a few balls to Aiden. The first couple times, I would pitch it, and Jonny would help him swing. After a couple hits, he said, "I do it myself!!". Jonny stepped back, and I pitched him one... and he HIT it!! All the way across the driveway on the first try! I could see the gears turning in Jonny's head! He was so thrilled and proud, it was a sweet moment.

Quite a scare.

Wow, Cole gave us quite the scare last week. I took him in for a cough that was getting worse and worse, and once again they did a chest x-ray. In this film, his lung still looked compressed, just like it did a month ago when they said he might have a food allergy that was causing a gas buildup in his belly. Well, since there had been no change in the condition, the doctor was a little worried. After looking at his xrays, she determined that it was not croup or pneumonia, but the wheezing was partially due to his lung not being able to fully inflate. Then she said the words that would make anyone cringe, she wanted to send him to Children's Mercy to get some more tests to rule out a mass or tumor. I felt like a deer in the headlights. I felt like I was ok, but I completely tuned everything out and didn't hear anything else she said. I felt like I was in a fog, til I called Jonny and broke down. I know it wasn't bad news yet, but given my family history, I was so sure that it was going to be awful. Jonny came home from work right away, and we ended up being able to get into Mercy that afternoon. Thankfully Kenny and Courtney were off and came to stay with Aiden. I was so prepared for the worst, I had packed Cole's jammies and his favorite blanket. They ended up doing a couple of ultrasounds and a test called a fluoroscopy. On the ultrasound, they were trying to get a simultaneous look at the lungs in action, because it seemed like one wasn't working as well as the other. This was really difficult, so they had to order the fluoroscopy. The reassuring part was that they could tell via the ultrasound that there were no masses. I felt so relieved at that moment. During the fluoroscopy, he was on a table, with the xray machine positioned over him. On the screen, we could see the image of his lungs working, in real time. It was very clear that one side of his diaphragm was expanding, giving the lung room to inhale. The other side, however, was not moving at all, or if it did, it moved in the opposite direction, pushing up onto the lung. This is a side effect that they frequently see when someone has had surgery in that area and the nerve gets traumatized. So, they know what it is, but not why it is occurring. We are going to go see a Pulmonologist soon to determine what to do next. I can't believe the range of emotion we all went through on that day! Through it all, he was so happy and cooperative and sweet, we are so lucky.

A sweet photo

Oh, I hope they always love each other this much! I just love this photo.

Seasons change, kids keep getting older...

I can't believe that summer is already over. We had such a mild and enjoyable summer, and it was abruptly cut off with a really cold fall! Although I dread the impending winter, I really love this time of year. I am so looking forward to seeing the boys experiencing and enjoying the season and the holidays.

My little Cole is five months old now. This is such a fun age. He is no longer a fragile infant, but a roly poly, happy, giggling little baby. He has finally started rolling back and forth, and holding his head up when he is on his belly. For the longest time, whenever he was on his belly he would just lay his head down and suck his fingers. I was starting to wonder if he couldn't hold his head up, or just wouldn't! This new milestone has opened up a whole new world at playtime! He kicks his little legs and tries so hard to get to toys in front of him. I have a feeling he will be mobile soon! I know Aiden can't wait for that day! He is really good with Cole for the most part, but every now and then he gets a little too excited and forgets how much bigger he is than Cole. It's ok, though, because Cole never gets hurt, and usually thinks it's funny. He can sit up unassisted for a few moments, like a tripod, resting on his hands while leaning forward. He can't do it for long, though, because he will fall over backwards! He has started babbling some consonant sounds, like "mm-mmm" and "huh-huh". I can't wait for him to start saying words, it is such a fun and exciting process! Just the other day, he was sorta whining, and he looked at me and said, "mmuh... mmuhhh". I said, "Did you just say Mama?". He smiled, stuffed his hands in his mouth and squealed! It was like he was saying, "You understood me!!". It was precious He has started teething, and is chewing on everything in sight. The poor guy has had a rough couple of weeks healthwise, too. I took him in because he had started coughing, and within a day it was a horrible, chunky sounding cough and wheeze. The doctor ordered x-rays, and it turned out that he had croup, but it also looked like he might develop asthma. They also think he might have a gluten allergy because his intestine was so full of air that it was pushing his other organs up and compressing a lung! I was told to stop giving him oatmeal, and do rice cereal instead, if anything. Well, I waited two weeks before giving him the rice cereal. Less than 3 hours later, it all came back up, projectile vomit style. It turns out that it had soy in it, and Jon was allergic to soy as a baby and would have the same reaction. Poor kid can't have anything! We go back in a week to see what the next step will be! Even though he has had some issues lately, Cole is just the happiest, sweetest baby you could ever hope for. These days, Cole's favorite things to do include blowing slobber bubbles, chewing on anything he can get his hands on, being tickled and squealing about it, laughing at Aiden, being read to, and rolling all over the floor while playing

Aiden is such a big boy these days. He started preschool a few weeks ago and is loving it. The first few days were a little rough, but not nearly as bad as I expected! He cried for less than 5 minutes, and spent the rest of the time following Miss Jane or Miss Ria closely and getting a hug or a hand hold when he needed it. By the second week, he was an old pro. He would ask me to stay, and his lip would get a little quivery, but he wouldnt cry. Well, just a couple days ago, when I came to pick him up from school, he wasn't waiting there looking for me like he usually is. He was playing at a table, totally enthralled with what he was doing. I came in and sat down by him, expecting the joyous "Mommy!" that I usually get. Instead, he looked up, and matter of factly said, "Hi, Mommy." and went back to playing! I had to do a little convincing to get him to leave! I am so relieved that he is enjoying it, and that I am able to have some one-on-one time with Cole. Since starting school, I am noticing that he is starting to play with his toys by himself for longer stretches of time. He is also starting to do imaginary play, which is fun for us to take part in. I found a cute little play kitchen at a garage sale that I bought and put in the dining room. Every day he is in there cooking us breakfast and pouring us "ginks". While he still has his moments, it seems like the terrible-ness of the twos is starting to wane a little bit. Unless he is overly tired or hungry, you can usually reason with him to some degree. He is also really into helping mommy out around the house, and helping with Cole. He is obsessed with the vacuum and broom, and I think that Santa might have found a working child sized vacuum to leave under the tree this Christmas! He is starting to talk up a storm. I love hearing what goes on in his head, but sometime I just wish I could have a little quiet! He is quite the blabbermouth.

Mommy, thank you for the beach.

As you know, we had our wonderful family vacation to Monterey two weeks ago (from which I will be posting photos soon). Aiden had an AWESOME time, and was so enthralled with the ocean. Since getting home, he has mostly been talking about the seahorses at the aquarium and the plane ride. But, today, when I was tucking him in for his nap, he gave me a hug and said, "love you Mommy, thank you for going me to the beach" Break my little heart! As if I needed another reason to add to my list of why I want to move back home! I knew my little boys were truly California boys at heart.

Aiden - 26 months old

Aiden is now 26 months old, and is growing and learning so much every day! I am just amazed at how fast his language is developing. Just today, he was sharing one of his yogurt snacks with me, and he told me, "careful Mommy, chew it up good!". It cracks me up to hear the things that come out of his mouth! He is starting to correct his baby pronunciations of things, and becoming more and more understandable to people other than family. We are in the process of touring preschools, and he will hopefully be starting sometime this month. I never thought that I would be sending a two year-old to preschool, but I think it will be really good for him. I think he is very smart, and he just soaks up everything that I teach him. He is really interested in reading and learning, as well as tinkering and figuring out how things work. I think the extra stimulation is going to be a great thing. Not to mention, he has had some issues with acting out, and I think alot of the time he just gets bored. It's hard for me to provide enough stimulating activities while caring for a breastfeeding infant. I will definitely be sad when he goes, but I think he is just going to love it. We are getting ready to go on our first family vacation, to Monterey. We are all so excited! We are staying at http://www.montereybeachhotel.com/. I have been teaching Aiden all about different ocean wildlife for the past couple months, so he is extra excited about seeing the aquarium. Several times a day he will tell me, "I go see seahorses and sharks and frogs at the aquarium!". For some reason, he has really become obsessed with seahorses. I really hope they have some sort of a seahorse toy to bring home! I have to admit, I use seahorses the way some moms use Santa. For example, "seahorses don't like little boys who don't listen to their mommies!". These days, Aiden's favorite things to do are playing outside on his scooter with the neighbor kids, practicing golf in the front yard (he is actually really good!), playing soccer with Daddy, dancing and singing, making Cole laugh, reading his favorite books (The Tiny Seed, Brown Bear, and Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too?), making racetracks out of blocks, and going on playdates with his little friends.

My smiley baby Cole - 4 months old

I know I always say this, but I can't believe how fast time is flying by, and how fast these boys are growing up! Cole had his four month checkup this week. He is a HEALTHY boy, to say the least! He weighs 18 pounds, 10 ounces, and is 26 inches long! That is in the 95th percentile for both! He has grown three pounds and 3 inches in only 2 months! He is SUCH a sweet, sweet baby. He is very mild mannered, even more than Aiden was as a baby. He reminds me alot of Uncle Chris. He is my good sleeper, sleeping 10-12 hours every night, waking once, maybe twice, to eat. While Aiden loved to be rocked to sleep every night, Cole prefers to be laid down in his crib with his music box on. He will babble to himself or suck his fingers for a few minutes, then fall asleep. It's nice at times, but sometimes it makes me sad, too! I like having a baby to cuddle and rock to sleep! He has really begun to interact more with people and things. He loves to be read to, especially his "touch and feel" books. Daddy lays on the floor next to him and holds the book up above his chest. He gets so excited that he looks like he is doing horizontal jumping jacks! Just this week, he has started to actually reach for the pages himself to touch the different textures. I can't believe he is already old enough to do that! I have also seen the first glimpses of Aiden and Cole actually playing together, where they are both active participants. A couple of days ago, at bathtime, they were doing the CUTEST thing! I am just kicking myself that I didn't have a camera nearby! Aiden was kicking his feet, and splashing around Cole's infant tub. At first, I was telling him not to, as to not splash Cole. Well, I look at Cole, and he is grinning ear to ear, and then begins to kick his legs, imitating Aiden! He stops, and Aiden laughs, thinking it is just hilarious! So, then Aiden kicks again, and this time Cole watches and laughs. They went back and forth, taking turns kicking and laughing for a good ten minutes. It was the sweetest, funniest thing I have ever seen! I am so anxious to see my boys playing together! I know it won't be long, though, til they are having wrestling matches and fighting over toys. Aside from watching and laughing at Aiden, these days Cole's favorite things include reading, bouncing in his exersaucer, chewing his fingers, and basically slobbering all over anything he comes in contact with.

Aiden- 2 years old, Cole- 3 months old

Wow, where is time going? Cole turned 3 months old just a few days ago, and Aiden had his 2nd birthday almost a month ago now. They are both growing so fast. I have really noticed huge leaps in Aiden's development lately, especially in speech. He has gone from speaking in fragments that only Jonny and I understand, to speaking full, clear, and sometimes funny sentences. The entire week before the 4th of July, Aiden, Daddy, Papa and Uncle Kenny would light off a few fireworks a night. The first night, he came home after watching the fireworks, and he just could not get the words out fast enough to tell me all about it. He said, "Daddy say stand back, Kenny hold Aiden! Fireworks go boom really loud! Parachute go up high, go boom, fall down! Tug boat go whoooosh! Car go vroooom! Boom really loud!" It is so funny to see him get so excited and actually be able to tell us about it. We hear about the fireworks every night before bed. He is definitely a little Chretien man in training! We have been working on potty training, and he has been doing awesome! I think I have had to change one poopy pull-up in the last 2 months. He has been dry every night this week, too! Diapers are one part of babyhood that I don't think I will miss! He had his two year checkup last week and is doing great. He is 30 lbs, 6 oz, and 35 inches tall. He lost over a pound, and grew 5 inches in the last 6 months! He has pretty much looks like all boy now, no sign of baby anymore! It makes me sad! He is such a cute and sweet kid, though. We are very lucky. Since Cole has been born, he has definitely had some issues with adjusting. He seems to be coming out of a phase right now, cross your fingers! His favorite things to do these days include playing golf with daddy outside, playing with playdoh, bubbles, riding his bike at Grandma's, riding the carousel at the mall, reciting Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See by memory, and saying Hiiiiii babbbyyyyy Cooooollle every 5 minutes!



Cole is living up to the nickname Mommy gave him, "Cole-ossus". He is all beefcake! At his two-month checkup he weighed 15lbs, 10 oz! He was 23 inches long, in the 75th-95th percentile for both! He is SUCH a happy and sweet baby! As long as he is rested, fed, and clean, he is good to go! He is rarely fussy for no reason, and is a great sleeper. He has been sleeping 6+ hours a night since he was 3 weeks old! Lately, he will sleep anywhere from 8-12 hours straight. Mommy loves this! This past month, he has become very animated and engaging. He loves to be talked to, and gives smiles easily to anyone. He hasn't quite laughed yet, but rather gives a screechy squeal when he is excited and happy. He loves talking to and looking at Mommy and Daddy, but Aiden is by far his favorite. He gets so excited when Aiden is around, and just smiles and squeals at everything he does. Aiden loves having such a captive audience, and is more than happy to give Cole lots of attention. Not to say that Aiden hasn't been having a bit of jealousy issues, but he hasn't had any of that directed at Cole at all. It is very obvious that Aiden is so anxious for Cole to be able to run around and play with him. Lord help me then!! Last night, I had Cole propped up on a pillow in an attempt to take a picture of him. Aiden came in, and I decided to have Aiden try to hold Cole up so I could get a picture of them together on my phone. I got them all situated, with an extra pillow behind Cole for support. Well, when I put my phone up to take the picture, Aiden leans in and hams it up, saying, "cheeese!!". In doing this he lets Cole go, and Cole goes flying backwards.... but he thinks it's hysterical! The picture I caught was priceless: Aiden hamming it up right in front of the camera and Cole flying back behind him, with a HUGE gummy smile. Those little stinkers If I can figure out how, I will try to get the picture on here from my phone!

We are officially a family of four!

Cole Charles Chretien was born at exactly 10:00 am on Tuesday April 21, 2009. He weighed 8 lbs, and was 20 inches long. I was 5 days overdue, so I had been scheduled for an induction that morning. It was kind of nice knowing when it was going to happen. That way, I could be fully prepared, packed, makeup on and hair done, and not rushing out at 2:00 a.m.! It was also reassuring to know exactly where Aiden would be. We got up at 5:00 a.m. in order to be at the hospital at 6:00. Charlie and Joanne came over to watch Aiden so we wouldn't have to wake him up. But, he knew something was going on, and woke up when we did. I got a little choked up saying goodbye to him before we left. My baby was about to be a big brother!
We got to the hospital and got checked in and settled. Around 8:00 a.m., Dr. Mosher came in and broke my water and then started a light pitocin drip. The nurses were taking bets as to when I would deliver, and most guessed around 12:30 or 1:00 p.m. For the first half hour or so, I didn't feel a thing. I didn't have any contractions, and Jonny and I were just laughing and talking. All of a sudden, shortly after 8:30, I had my first contraction, and it was intense! I had maybe two more, when I told the student nurse (yes, they left me alone with a student nurse!), that I had a feeling it was going to be fast, and I wanted an epidural. They had just checked me, and I was at 3 cm, so she said she was going to wait twenty mins or so, and then send the doctor in to check me again. Well, less than ten minutes later, I was holding onto the bedrail for dear life, screaming, "He is coming NOW!!!". Even through the closed door, the nurses outside heard me and came running. There must have been at least 7-8 people in the room within a few seconds. They threw the bed back and the doctor came and checked me, I was at a 10! I went from 3 cm to 10 in about 15 mins! They wanted me to get ready to push when I, admittedly, freaked out. I was in so much pain, and freaked by how fast it was, so I insisted on some drugs! The anesthesiologist was able to rush in and give me a quick spinal injection. It was HEAVEN! It slowed everything down a bit, but it was worth it. I pushed for just under an hour, and at 10:00 a.m, Cole was born. Just one hour and 39 minutes after my first contraction! The only thing I kept thinking was, "what if I had been at home when my water broke? I would have had this kid in a car!!"

Here are some pictures of Cole with his first visitors.

I am going to start a new blog, cause I like this site much better! I don't want to lose my old posts, though, so here are my posts from our old site.


Bittersweet
My baby is such a big boy! It makes me so sad! Ever since he was born, he has been either rocked to sleep, slept with us, or parented to sleep in some way such as holding his hand. We have taken a lot of flack for it, but it has worked for us. It was a labor of love, though, because while we felt like it was good for building his confidence, independence, and self esteem, it took a ton of patience. There were nights where it was so tedious and difficult, and I would sit in his room and wish that he would just go to sleep on his own. Naptime has always been especially difficult. He would take a long time to calm down, and I would either sit in his room for 45 minutes trying to get him to fall asleep or take him for a drive until he fell asleep. So today at naptime, I asked him to lay in his bed while I finished doing something. I went in there a few minutes later, and he was asleep! I was in total shock because that has never happened before. At bedtime tonight, Jon and I each read him a couple of books, gave him hugs and kisses and daddy walked him back to his room. He said goodnight, and asked him to lay in his bed. No more than ten minutes later, he was out! I am just so surprised! I have been wanting this for so long, but now that he is doing it, I'm sad! I can't believe he wants to lay in there and doesn't need me. I know I am hormonal, but my baby is getting too big! I just hope that when the new baby comes, he doesn't feel like he has been banished back to his room to go to sleep alone.
Posted by miss_trish at 8:12 PM 0 comments
Friday, March 13, 2009


Where has the time gone?
Wow, it has been a long time since I have updated. The days are just flying by! I am just a few days away from being 36 weeks along..... a point at which if you go into labor the doctors won't stop it because they baby is developed and ready to go! I am soooo ready for this kid to be here! I am really nervous about having 2 babies under 2 years old, but at the same time I am ready to have my body and my energy back! It is going to be a lot of fun to see Aiden interact with his new baby brother. I hope that if they learn nothing else from us, it is to always be there for each other and be good friends.
I am getting a little nervous for the actual delivery. I would love for it to happen at like 10 in the morning, that way Aiden can go play at Grama's or Auntie Courtney's for the day, eat dinner, and then daddy can come home and stay with him overnight. I am more worried about it being an easy transition for him than anything else! I guess I'm a little worried about the pain, too. Grammy is gonna be out here right around my due date and I can't wait for that! Although, this time it's only for 4 days When Aiden was born, it was summer so she was able to take off two weeks, which eventually got extended into 3! Either way, it is going to be good for Aiden to get to spend some time with her and also for her to be my extra set of hands!
Aiden is turning into such a little boy, and it is happening so fast! Everyday I look at him and it is getting harder and harder to see "baby" because he is pretty much all big boy now. He is starting to string words together. Like, "goodnight, mama" and "more milk, please". He tries sooooo hard to talk to us, and I feel bad because sometimes I can tell he is so frustrated trying to get the words out and he just can't! It is slowly coming, though, and it won't be long until he is a little blabbermonster With the weather getting better we spend as many afternoons outside as possible. He likes to ride in his little car and blow bubbles and kick his soccer ball. I scored an awesome play gym on Craigslist for $40 (yay) that is waiting to be built by daddy. It is going to be so nice to have that right in our backyard because this summer it is going to be a bit more difficult to get out for trips to the park.
Anyway, I guess that's all there is for now. Chances are, next time I get on here, it will be as a mother of two! Ahhhh!
Posted by miss_trish at 6:18 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, January 7, 2009


.... what's next?
Man, this kid needs to live in a padded room and wear a helmet at all times!! I can't handle him hurting himself all the time! We went to the park last week because it was a relatively nice day, and we are both tired of being cooped up inside. He was so excited, just running around and shrieking. This was really the first time he has been able to climb up on this particular play structure by himself, and he was loving it. Well, after about 5 minutes, he decided he wanted to go down the slide. He goes down slides on his belly, feet first, rather than on bis booty. This usually works out best because he can catch himself on the bottom, and I don't have to worry about him falling backwards and hitting his head. Well, we get to the top of the slide (a short one by the way!) and I decide to let him go first, as I didn't feel like squeezing my fat pregnant butt onto a slide made for kids. Right before he went, I just had a bad feeling and knew it was going to happen. I am so mad at myself for ignoring that intuition. Anyway, he pushed off and slid down. I watched his face the whole way, and on it was pure delight. Well, he hit the bottom, but his feet didn't plant, so he flopped off of the end of the slide and landed on his belly. When he did that, his head bounced forward and he basically bit the end of the slide with his top teeth. It broke my heart to watch his face go from so happy, to full of pain. I slid down after him, and picked him up. His bottom lip bled a bit, but other than that, everything looked fine. He only cried for maybe a minute, and then wanted to go play again. This led me to believe that everything was okay. On the way home, he was attempting to eat his snack, but was crying with each bite. By then, it was after 4 pm (on a Friday) and I knew I wouldn't be able to get him in to a dentist. We had to go through the whole weekend with him in pain. Finally, Monday came and I got him in to the dentist. It turns out that his two top front teeth are a bit loose. It is pretty much a waiting game right now. One of three things could happen. One, the teeth could loosen up and just fall out. Two, they might die from the trauma and turn black, and then need to be removed. Or, they might just tighten back up into the bone and be just fine. I am so worried! The dentist said just coming back for his 6 month check up would be fine, so I take that as a positive sign. But, I think I might just bring him back in in a few weeks so they can follow up. I am crossing my fingers for the best!
Posted by miss_trish at 9:03 AM 0 comments
Saturday, December 27, 2008


What a horrible night
Christmas Eve was supposed to be so fun, instead it turned out to be one of the worst nights ever. We went to Jon's parent's house for Christmas Eve dinner and gifts. Aiden was starting to get antsy fairly early, so we decided to let him open a gift to play with. He went running to the tree and started to tear into the first gift he saw. It happened to be a gift for Charlie, so I grabbed shand, trying to prevent him from tearing it further. He was not happy about this, and proceeded to stand up and then throw himself backward, in true toddler tantrum style. I didn't let go of his hand because I didn't want him to smash his head into the ground. He ended up landing all twisted and not very happy about it. He has done this several times before, and I didn't feel anything wierd when he fell, so no one was concerned. He laid on the ground and stomped his feet and screamed, just like he always does when he throws a tantrum. Lately, after getting that upset, he just wants to be held and sit quietly with me. So, I took him into a dim bedroom and let him cuddle on my lap for awhile. He calmed down, but I noticed that every time I moved he would start to whimper. At first, I thought he was just tired and not wanting to be social, but then when I tried to hand him off to Daddy, he started screaming. We sat him on the couch and noticed his left arm pretty much hung limp. That's when I called the on-call doctor, and she said to take him into the ER. He was such a little trooper. He didn't cry at all, except for when his elbow was touched. I can't even imagine how much it probably hurt. When they took him in to do an xray, I had to stay out of the room because I am pregnant. I could hear him screaming from the hallway because they had to bend him arm. It is a sound that makes my stomach turn. Not long after, the doctor came in and said that his elbow had been dislocated. She did a quick little move where she held his elbow and bent his arm, bringing his hand up to his shoulder. He cried for a second, but then you could tell he felt immediate relief. The nurses brought in Christmas cookies and juice to entice him to move his arm. He was more than happy after that to snack on his cookies and flirt with the nurses. He spent the rest of the time there waving and "ho ho ho-ing" to everyone in the halls. I was so glad to see him better, but the guilt I felt from the entire thing was so horrible. No one wants to see their baby hurt, especially by their own hand, accident or not.
Posted by miss_trish at 10:35 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, December 23, 2008


Too smart for his own good!
This kid amazes me every day, he is so smart! I know we are going to have our hands full as he gets older. Here is just one example. We baked cookies the other day for Aiden to give to his little friends. Every time I opened the oven, I asked him to stand back because it would be hot. I know that he is observing and taking everything in as he is watching me. Later on in the day, he was playing on the kitchen floor and decided to try and open the oven himself. I told him "no", and reminded him that the oven gets hot and he is not to touch it. Well, I watched the light bulb go on in his head. He proceeded to open the drawer next to the oven, put on the oven mitts, and then try again to open the oven!! I was just amazed! Now, tell me, how do you argue with that logic? I was trying not to laugh as I told him yes, mommy uses oven mitts, but the oven is still too hot for Aiden. I don't know many 18 month olds, but I think I have a pretty bright one on my hands!
Posted by miss_trish at 11:21 AM 0 comments
Friday, December 12, 2008


My little buddy
What a nice day we had. Aiden has been really getting into learning the art of tantrum throwing lately, and needless to say, it has been wearing on me a bit. So today, I had a bunch of errands and last minute Christmas shopping to do. Aiden was a trooper, being so patient as we went from store to store, and of course, wooing all the sales ladies. After I had gotten everything on my list, we went down to the food court in the mall for some lunch. He sat so sweetly and ate his lunch and just babbled to me about everything he saw. He talked about Christmas lights and Santa and neighed at the horses on the carousel in the play area. I just looked at him and was so amazed at how lucky I am. I can't believe this sweet little monster is mine. It is so amazing to watch him grow from a tiny infant to a smart, fuuny, sweet, playful little boy. Sometimes staying at home all day can be very tedious and exhausting, but moments like that are what make it so worth it. I am so lucky to get to be able to spend all day, every day with him, and to never miss a moment of him growing up.
Posted by miss_trish at 6:23 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, November 26, 2008


Sick baby
It has been one looooong week. Aiden wasn't acting like himself last Monday and Tuesday, then woke up around midnight Tuesday night absolutely on fire. His fever ranged from 101 to almost 103. The poor kid was so miserable. That lasted for a couple of days, and we decided to take him to the doctor when his chest started to sound rattley. The doctor agreed that his chest sounded bad, and thought he might have pneumonia! She ordered a chest xray!! (Gasp!) I was so nervous because he has never had anything like that done!! We went into the radiology room and saw this crazy looking contraption. They had him sit on what looked like a bicycle seat in a hole in a table, with his legs dangling through. I had to hold his arms up over his head as they strapped this hard, plastic tube around him. I thought he was going to freak! I would have! His arms and body were totally confined in this tube, and all he could move was his fingers. He got really quiet, and I thought something was wrong! The technician swiveled the table so that he was facing me, and he was smiling behind his pacifier!! Then he waved by wiggling his fingers because that was all he could move! We were just hysterical. He is the goofiest kid, and some things just tickle his fancy. Anyway, turns out that he has finally gotten his first ear infection. The xray looked fine, and now we are just waiting for the antibiotics to work so we can all get back to sleeping at night.
Posted by miss_trish at 6:27 AM 1 comments

Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Danta! Danta!
With the holiday season fast approaching, Santa has been at the mall for a few weeks now. We go up to the mall a couple times a week to walk around and for Aiden to play in the play area. There is a huge South Pole display with lights and trees and reindeer, and the fat man himself in the middle. Every time we walk by, Aiden waves and yells, "Danta! Danta!". I decided today to beat the rush and get Aiden's picture taken with Santa. I put him in his cute little outfit and we strolled up the the entrance. Walking up, I reminded him that it was Santa and to say hi, and he waved, albeit a little bit hesitantly. When I put him on Santa's lap, he was not a happy camper. It wasn't long before the tears welled up and the "maaaa-maaaa's" began! We snapped a few pics, all of them with arms reaching towards the camera! Oh well, maybe next year. I think everyone needs that classic pic of crying on Santa's lap anyway!
Posted by miss_trish at 6:54 PM 1 comments


Better late than never
Where has the time gone? I blinked and my baby is now a rambunctious, charming, sneaky, silly toddler, and we have number 2 on the way! Where has the time gone? These days Aiden is learning and doing new things every day, and I don't want to forget any of them! Also, it is so hard to be away from a large chunk of our friends and family, and I hope to keep everyone updated with this blog.
There are a few things that happened this week that inspired me to start writing things down. A few days ago, Aiden and I were reading a book from Jean and Alina, the Dr. Seuss ABC's. I will point out words and pictures and he will say the ones he knows and attempt the ones that he doesn't. Usually, if he can't pronounce it, it will come out, "dada". Well, after saying "bubble" and "turtle", I said, "Aiden, can you say rhinocerous?" He stopped for a second like he was going to try, then just said, "No!". It was so funny! I was proud of him that he actually used the word "no" in context! I have a feeling that will not be the last time!!
Aiden has been learning words daily and the other day he actually strung a few together! I told him that we were going outside, and he ran and got his jacket and said, "Jacket, hat, brrrr!". It is going to be so fun, and I'm sure sometimes exasperating, to hear what he has to say! I can't wait to hear what goes on in that head of his! It will be so exciting to really get to know my little man.