the little swimmer

Today we went to the pool at my brother's new townhouse in Aldie, Virginia. Everyone was there - Grandma, Bobba, Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Dullah and Natalie. Aiden had a great time and really enjoyed being in the water. Other than a little bit of fussing due to getting used to the cold water, Aiden really didn't complain.

For some reason, I dunked Aiden under water (I guess cause I've seen those water babies). He seemed to do okay. I'm really hoping to teach how to swim as early as possible.


I kept his hat on to protect his head for the sun...and cause he looked so darn cute. Other people at the pool kept coming over and telling us how cute he looked.


Here he is sitting under the umbrella as I prepare a light snack for him.

I can't wait to get home!

My friends told me that I'd love having kids. That kids change you're life (thanks Pearson!) for the MUCH better. I have to admit, that couldn't be any more true. When I leave work, I am counting down the seconds until I get home and see Aiden. The entire ride, I think about how much fun its going to be to hug him and kiss him and play with him. I think about how excited he will be to see me. I think about the kicking, jerking and screaming he's going to do when he hears the front door open. I think about calling his names (nick names) - I call him Boooooonie and Tooooooonie. As soon as he hears that, he goes bonkers looking for me. Oh man, I love that boy!

swimming in the ocean?

Is that Aiden swimming in the ocean by himself? No way....

Or did I Photoshop this picture? Nope...

Keep guessing....

I'll give you one hint. Adam was involved in setting up the shot.

when Aiden gets really excited...

When Aiden gets really excited, he puts his hands behind his head (or holds his head) and kicks kicks kicks. All the while he is laughing and carrying on. It's the cutest thing in the world. I've tried to video tape him doing this but I never seem to get lucky with my timing.

my little guy

I love this picture (taken by Jo Ann).

Fourth of July 2006

We spent 4th of July at Virginia Beach with our family. It was fun and relaxing weekend. The two cousins got to spend time with (actually more like next" to) each other for the first time since they were three weeks old in Christmas 2005.


We setup camp under the bridge where the kids won't get sunburned. Aiden fell asleep in his swing with the slight breeze blowing. Saturday was a very very pleasant day.

my cool little dude

Check out Mr. Cool looking out of the window of our 4Runner.

It was another 4-hour drive to Virginia Beach from our home (Centreville, Va). Before we had Aiden, Adam and I would make this drive with our eyes closed. We'd leave at odd hours to avoid traffic, we'd avoid stopping for food, bathroom, or gas...you know the tricks.

Well, now that we have little dude, the trips are a little more difficult. First of all, we have to stop for diaper changes, feedings, and carseat-fatigue. This little boy cannot be strapped to a car seat for longer than 2 hours without a break. Also, I have to sit in the back with him for his entertainment the entire ride. I must admit though, little dude makes ride more exciting for us.

All gone!

The mango are all gone! Aiden loves mangoes, sweet potatoes, and apple sauce...so I'm thinking this kids already has a sweet tooth.

One day we'll find out if he likes or dislikes chocolate. If you haven't heard, I'm a big fan of chocolate and Adam couldn't care less if chocolate was wiped off the face of the earth. So it will be interesting to see which gene Aiden inherited there...

the Italian kid loves spaghetti

Today I gave Aiden speghetti for the FIRST time! Wow - Does this kid love spaghetti! He also has a lot of fun eating it. He was picking up fist after fist full of spaghetti and shoveling it in his mouth.

I have to admit, I'm thrilled that he likes spaghettie because it's one of the few dinners I'm good at making. ; )

sandy toes

Aiden is very comfortable around water - bath, pool, ocean...you name it. When he grows up, I bet he will be into water sports (okay, really what do I know but i can day dream). I also bet he will spend considerable time hanging out in beaches - surfing, playing volley ball, and getting into mischief.

I took this picture of his sandy toes as reminder that his love for the beach started a very long time ago with his Mommy and Daddy.

I love you, Aiden!

he'll change the world

You can just tell that there is a lot going on behind those eyes. This little man is going to change the world. My bet is that he'll solve the world's energy crisis or maybe he'll cure cancer or even both. Whatever he does it will be great. I just hope whatever he does makes him happy and fulfilled.

the first of many walks they will take together in life

I can already tell that Adam and Aiden are going to have a wonderful father-son relationship. Adam talks about all the things they will do together as Aiden grows up. Its just the sweetest thing in the world.

Aiden's first tooth!

We have a tooth, people! Aiden got his first tooth this week. He is now seven and half months old. This so exciting, I want to have a party!!!

a very focused baby

I'm really amazed at how focused Aiden can be some times. I didn't expect a six month old to be so focused. When he is playing with toys, he really pays attention to what he's doing. I hope he continues to be like this as he grows up....I often hear about how kids can't stay focused on one task very much and then the whole ADD thing.

tummy time

I'm trying to give Aiden as much "tummy time" as possible. He is really getting good at getting his chest off the ground and he's almost picking his stomach off the ground too. I think if Aiden learns how to crawl soon, he'll be a happy kid (and I'll be happy too). I can see already that he wants to move around but can't.

an expressive little dude

He may not be able to talk yet but I'll tell you, he is an expressive little dude. He knows what he wants (and what he doesn't want) and he'll find a way to tell you.


Is it bad to say I like his sad face? Look how sweet he looks!


Some times he also gets an offended look...which is also adorable.


But there is nothing sweeter than his curious look.

bounce bounce...zzz zzz zzz

Okay, I feel horrible. I put Aiden in his bouncer while I caught up on some chores this morning. After about 10 minutes, I look over and there he is sound asleep in his bouncer. Funny thing was that he was still ever so slightly moving his feet to keep the gentle bouncing going. I felt horrible. How could I be so negligent that I let him fall asleep in there? I should have put him down earlier! Poor little boy! I had to snap this picture.

staying home with Grandma

Aiden stays home with my mom three days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday).  Since our house is baby-proofed and furnished with baby-gear, she watches him at our house.  We're super lucky my mom  does this for us. Aiden receives the best care in the world in a safe, clean environment full of love and tenderness.  Aiden loves being with my mom and my mom loves being with Aiden. It's a match made in heaven....it truely is.

My mom arrives at our house at 8:45 in the morning.  By 9:00 I have all of Aiden's food (milk, lunch, snacks) prepared, diaper table stocked, and toys cleaned and disinfected and ready for play time.  

Here's our daily routine:

I usually leave the house by 9:15 at which time my mom and Aiden also go out for a morning walk. 

- 7:30 wake-up!

- 8:00 morning freshening up for Aiden (rinse)

- 9:15 morning walk

 - 10:00 am Aiden goes down for a two-hour nap

- 1:00 pm is lunch

- 1:30 - 3 pm is free play time

- 3:30 is snack (milk)

- 4:00 is afternoon nap time - roughly one hour

- 5:00 out door play time

- 5:30 I get home from work

- 6:00 Adam gets home from work

- 6:00 is dinner time

- 6:30 is bath and massage time

- 6:50 is reading time

- 7:00 is bed time

Nawroz dudes

They're in control now but in a year or so, my dad and brother will be out of breath chasing Aiden around the house.  From the looks on their faces, I can tell that they have no idea what's to come.   

Aiden's first solids

So at the 4-month "well check" doctor's appointment, our pediatrician said Aiden is ready to start solids. So very exciting!!!! I've been working with him on controlling his neck (requirement for starting solids). I'm so excited that we're progressing as expected!

We gave him four table spoons of Gerber rice cereal mixed with breast milk. He LOVED it. I was of course very very nervous giving it to him. I looked forward to it all day and at 4 pm today, he had his first solid food. Now, solid is a relative term because according to the pediatrician's instructions solid means "runny yogurt" consistancy.

While Aiden loved the rice cereal he had a hard time keeping it in his mouth. A lot of it kept pouring out of the sides of his mouth.

Aiden's stats at the 4-month check:

weight 15 lbs 6 oz
height 25 inches
controls head; when laying on his stomach he picks his head up 90 degrees
keeps eye contact
smiles a lot and coos

tummy time!

So my pediatrician has put the fear of death in me with this "tummy time" stuff. She stresses about a 1,000 times how important it is for Aiden to get lots of tummy time. She says otherwise he won't be able to start solids in a couple of months and he won't learn to crawl. So the neurotic mom that I am, I give Aiden lots and lots of tummy time although he absolutely hates being on his tummy. As soon as I put him down on his tummy he fusses which makes me uncomfortable and uptight.


Ya know what? I think there truly is a "mom gene" that lowers women's tolerance for a baby crying. Every time Aiden starts crying I have this urgent need to comfort him and stop the crying. Adam on the other hand can totally stay calm even if Aiden is screaming his head off. Aiden will be screaming bloody murder and Adam is just sitting next to him calmly reading his book. I don't know how he does it. It must be the "dad gene". The picture below shows Adam holding a screaming and crying baby Aiden and instead of calming him, Adam continues to tease Aiden because he think he looks cute when he cries (i'm shaking my head as I write this).

a cowboy and a sailor

We went to Dullah's house for dinner. It was really nice to relax and have everyone else (mom, dad, Dullah, and Natalie) care for Aiden. My mom cooked a really big meal and we all sat around playing with Aiden, shooting pool, and watching TV. Ever since Aiden was born I feel like I don't get out much. Its so cold out these days, I feel guilty when I take Aiden out so I try to stay in as much as possible.

I snapped this shot of Bobba and Aiden right after Bobba randomly picked up a hat that someone had left around and put it on his head. The sailor outfit Aiden is wearing is something I picked up for him only because it was made of a sweater material that I thought would keep him warm....now, I love it. Its also Adam's favorite outfit of Aiden's.

hanging out in their white T's

I love these two pictures of Adam and Aiden. Notice how they're both wearing white t-shirts. Adam was getting ready for work but before he got dressed, he spent some quality time with his little man. I can just imagine them being very close as Aiden grows up.

poor kid has gas

Aiden has been crying more than usual and I think it's due to gas. Desperate to anything to calm him, I think I've invented a new technique or remedy.

To relieve his gas, I simply lay him on his back in a warm comfortable room. I remove his diaper (so he feels totally comfortable), and move his legs like he's riding a bicycle upside down(doing big circles) for about a minute. Then I message his belly gently and do the bicycle some more. After two or three iterations of massage followed by air bicycle, I put his legs together and I bend them at the knee and gently push his legs agains his abdomen. After a couple of gental pushes he starts to pass gas. I continue until a he's passed gas 3 or 4 times. I figure that's a significant amount of gas expulsion and it should give him some relief.

2 month check-up

Today was Aiden's two-month check up. He's doing great and growing like a weed. His stats were: weight 12 lbs. 10 oz. and height was 23 3/4 in. Little man is definitely growing. He did well on the development test - holding his neck up, making eye contact, etc. I give him only breast milk and he's nursing well....almost too well.

clean and ready for bed

Here's Aiden after his bath and baby massage. We have a nice bedtime routine now and he regularly goes to bed by 7pm. After dinner at 5:30 he gets at bath at about 6 pm. After dinner I play/talk to him for a little while and then bath starts at 6:30. After bath he gets a baby massage and then I dress him for bed. At 6:45 I nurse him until about 7 and then he goes down for the night. As far as night time feeding goes, he wakes up every 3 to 4 hours until he wakes up for the day at 8 am.

Aiden visits Platinum

I took Aiden into the office with me today. The little boss arrived in his infant carrier. I had dreamed about this day for a long time and I was excited to show him off. As you can see from this picture, Adam was also a very proud Poppa.

Aiden's first trip to the beach

We had a nice quiet weekend at the beach over New Years.  This was Aiden's first trip to the beach and it was like 38 degrees with a wind chill of like 10 degrees. Needless to say, we didn't do much outside but we sure relaxed and enjoyed the indoors. 

Aiden was a pretty fussy yesterday and today - I'm guessing its his tummy. Just look at those eyes that have been crying for about half and hour now. I've been giving him Mylicon before each feeding but it doesn't seem to do much for him. I'm thinking that maybe he is affected by me eating dairy. I am going to do an experiment starting this week and cut out all dairy from my diet. Maybe that will help little man.  I'll keep y'all posted.

the best feeling in the world is...

...this little dude sleeping peacefully on my chest.

So we have this pattern thing going now - first, I play with him (kiss him, talk to him, look into his eyes), then I usually change his diaper (always pee and poop), then he fusses meaning he wants to eat, then I feed him but he always falls asleep nursing. After about an hour of sleep, he wakes up and I change him and feed him again.

Sometimes I can get some work done with Aiden sleeping on my chest - things like thank you cards (Aiden got tons of baby presents) and my daily log of Aiden's feedings and other activities. That's why I have a pen in my hand in this picture...

By the way, it snowed yesterday and it's freezing cold outside. Our front steps are frozen solid and I can hear the wind whipping on our deck. Being home safe and warm with the baby is very cozy.

a brand new uncle

Uncle Dullah likes to come over and take naps with Aiden. I still can't believe Dullah's an "uncle" but then I can hardly believe that Adam and I are "Mom" and "Dad". Anyway, we're all enjoying our new titles.

Aiden's two week well check

Height: 21 inches
Weight: 9 lbs 3 oz.
HC: 14 5/8 inches

aiden meets his grand parents

daily journal entry 12/7/05

Aiden arrived home from the hospital on December 6th. Bobba Steve had already arranged for teh stork announcement in our drive way. What an awesome surprise to come home to.

It was a very very cold day so we rushed Aiden into the house. I wished it wasn't so cold our so that we could have showed him off to the neighbors.

12:00 am - Diaper Change (DC) - Pee and Poop
1:00 am - nursed 35 minutes
1:05 am - DC - Pee and Poop
4:00 am - DC - Pee and Poop
4:15 am - nursed 33 minutes
4:45 am - DC - poop only
4:45 am -nursed 15 minutes
7:00 am - nursed 15 minutes, DC - pee and poop
8:00 am - nursed 20 minutes, DC - pee and poop
8:45 am - nursed 10 minutes
11:30 am - nursed 20 minutes, DC pee and poop
12:20 pm - nursed 15 minutes
2:20 pm - nursed 15 minutes
3:30 pm - nursed 40 minutes
7:45 pm - nursed 30 minutes
9:00 pm - nursed 20 minutes, pee and poop
11:45 pm -nursed 20 minutes, pee and poop

Aiden's first bath

We gave Aiden his first bath today. Okay, let me just confess right off the bat, I was super nervous giving him this bath. Even though Adam and his mom were there with me, I was very anxious. His skin looks so red and vulnerable that I'm afraid to even rub it gently. Aiden cried some and that made me even more nervous. The umbilical cord hasn't fallen off yet so I have to be extra careful.

As soon as the bath was over, he was happy and calm. After I dressed him and brushed his hair he was ready to eat AGAIN. This kids nurses non-stop. I feel like I spend the entire day either nursing him or getting ready to nurse him.


After I fed him, he took a nap on Adam's chest.

the first hour

Words can't describe the first hour after Aiden was born but I'll try. The first time I saw Aiden was when the doctors carried him from the surgery table (I had a c-section) to the baby station. All I saw was a baby's back, arms up and out, long legs stretching and kicking, and he was all wet and covered with blood (from my surgery). Since his hair was wet it sort of looked curly and dark. I couldn't believe my eyes, this was the little baby that was in my stomach all this time. I heard the nurse say "baby boy, 1:11 am, December 2nd, 2005".

Since Aiden didn't cry immediately, I ask Adam what was wrong and with his voice cracking and tears in his eyes Adam said "he looks perfect, nothing's wrong". The nurses cleaned Aiden and I saw the doctors checking him out. Dr. Hodges came over and said, he looks like a really good looking boy. I heard another nurse say "8 lbs 5 oz, 20 inches long, APGARS 8 and 9". I was relieved and happy to hear his APGARS. They then wheeled me to the recovery room where I waited 20 minutes for Aiden. That twenty minutes seemed like an eternity. Then Adam came over and said he had watched the nurses clean the baby and that he looked great - five fingers on each hand, and five toes on each foot. The nurse then brought Aiden over to me and Adam took the picture above. Then I took the first picture of Adam and Aiden together. The picture I took of Adam and Aiden was not from a good angle because I still couldn't feel my legs or sit up. After Adam and I had a good chance to see Aiden, my mom, dad, and Natalie came into the room.

the night before

My doctor had made an appointment for us at Fair Oaks hospital on December 1st, at 6:30 am. Since Aiden was ten days over due, they were going to induce me on the 1st. For days before the scheduled induction date we cleaned house (over and over again), organized every closet in the house.  We cleaned and organized the garage (even painted the floor). We went grocery shopping and stocked or shelves...preparing for lots and lots of visitors after our arrival from the hospital. Every night before bed, I spent time in the nursery, folding and refolding the babies clothes.  Just incase, I had packed my hospital bag 3 weeks before the official due date.  So the night before, I re-inventoried my hospital bag.  I packed some additional magazines, our iPod, and snacks for Adam. We went to bed early but neither one of us could sleep for hours. I got up several times and search various baby topics on the internet. Finally at 5:30 am I got Adam up and we got showered and dressed for the hospital. It was only a 10 minute drive to the hospital but we were anxious as could be. Adam even missed the turn once because he was so wired. The check in at the hospital was thorough but way too long. The anticipation was killing me. Finally after tons of paperwork, we were assigned to our private "birthing room". Adam was very insistent that we do not allow others in the birthing room. At about 8:30 I was "induced" which meant they gave me Pitocin through an IV in my arm. Then we waited and waited. The entire day went by and we made no progress. Finally, at 9 pm they gave up and recommended that we go through with a c-section.  Adam felt strongly that we should wait (he didn't want to put me through surgery). The doctor agreed but said, if not now, we will definitely have to do a c-section if the baby doesn't arrive by 10 or 11 pm.  Finally at 11 pm Adam and I conceded and decided we couldn't wait any longer and asked for the doctor. However, our doctor was called to Fairfax hospital for another surgery so we had to wait again. Finally, our doctor made it back to our hospital at 12:30 and "scrubbed" for surgery. I was wheeled into surgery at 12:45 and the baby arrived by c-section at 1:11 am.