Surgery day!

Aaron had his surgery today.

The day started with instructions for Aaron not to eat anything and to drink only clear liquids up to about 8:00 in the morning. We were scheduled to arrive at the hospital at 11:00 so I knew it was going to be a long morning.

I had already planned several things for us to do in the car to keep him distracted and away from food and drinks. My plan worked well (evil laugh...ha ha ha haaa!). He only asked for something to drink one time and was satisfied with the answer that we didn't have anything but that we would get something for him when we got home.

I had told him what was happening that day beforehand so it wouldn't be an unpleasant surprise for him. I've found it makes a huge difference in how he reacts when he knows what's coming.

While we were out, I got a call to see if we could come in early. Of course I said yes. (Who in their right mind would pass on the opportunity to just get this over with already?)

He got to wear really cool pajamas and got 2 (count them 2!) new Cars toys! (He gets so spoiled when he goes to the hospital.) He got to play until it was time to go into the O.R., and even the ride there was fun for him (the staff was so great with him!).


I did pretty good with waiting. I was told it would take about an hour, so I was patient...until the hour was up and the doctor still hadn't come out. Then I started watching the clock every couple of minutes (seconds) for the next hour (20 minutes) until he (finally) did come out.

I got to go see Aaron as soon as he started to stir so I was there when he first actually woke up. He just wanted me to hold him. He was in and out of sleep for about an hour.

The nurse let him choose the color of bandage to put on his hand when she removed the IV. He still wasn't completely alert, so I was surprised when he actually chose green. We brought Aaron's little stuffed Elmo, since he's one of Aaron's best (stuffed) friends. To make the recovery experience a little easier for Aaron, the nurse also put the same color bandage on Elmo's same hand.

They released him around 2:30. He was still groggy, but was with it enough to let me know that he wanted to watch the Pixar Short Films we had in the DVD player in the car. (The boy knows what he wants.)

We hung out on the couch the rest of the day. There have been a few times that the pain has kicked in, but we're alternating ibuprofen and acetaminophen. He can't stand up without a pretty good amount of pain, but otherwise the meds are working well. We'll see if he can stand up tomorrow.

Here's to a speedy recovering....and never having another surgery???

Another first, but this one I could've done without

Aaron had his first trip to the emergency room.

We had spent a great weekend at my sister's house nearby. Late Sunday afternoon, Aaron got what seemed like, and still could have been at least partly, really bad gas pains. I spent the next couple of hours with him "burrito" wrapped in a blanket and working out some bubbles. He started to feel better after awhile and was in and out of sleep.

Around 8:00, I started to get ready to go home. While I was changing Aaron's diaper, I saw something bulging out of his groin. After Shera directed me on what to do, 'cause I was just a little freaked out, we took him to the ER.

The bulge turned out to be a hernia, which I'm told isn't all that uncommon and should be easily fixed...with surgery. :(

The ER doctor was able to push it back in, which is good. Otherwise, he would have had much worse procedures done that night. He was feeling much better just a couple of minutes later.

He was such a trooper! He was so calm the whole time. All the nurses fell so in love with him instantly (shocking, I know). As we left he was saying "good-bye" and "thank you" to everyone on the way out. (He is so sweet!)

We have an appointment with a specialist tomorrow. I'll find out more about the surgery, recovery, etc. during that appointment. I'll let you know how it goes.

Sibling Rivalry...with an only child

I experienced something with Aaron this morning that I never imagined I would have...him being an only child and all.

Aaron noticed some pen marks on the sheets on my bed and asked what happened. I said, "It looks like you drew on my bed." He responded, without missing a beat, "No, Tanner did it."

Tanner is the babysitter's son...who has never been to our house...ever.

I'm interested to find out how many more conversations I'll have over the years that I never thought I would have with an only child.

Being a mom can be HARD

Do you ever feel like your kid is doing everything possible to make you snap? I felt like that today. Every time I was in a different room that Aaron, he would do something that he knows he shouldn't do...spill his drink on the floor, furniture, TV; throw his toys, the Christmas decorations (that we just put out this morning), his food, the mouse to my computer; put electronic wires or connections in his mouth...just to name a few. I'm not exaggerating about it being every time and all day long either.

I have to say that I'm proud of the way I handled it all, especially considering that I have been struggling with yelling at him. I got close to losing it this evening, but instead we took a drive and listened to Christmas music.

I love this little boy with everything in me, but on days like today I could really use a break from being around him...even if it's just for a couple of hours. Know what I mean?

I am not a blogger

As much as I want to stay on top of this blog and share the wonderful moments of my life with Aaron, I am just not very good at it. It's been months since my last post and, at this point, I don't even know where to begin.

I'm not ready to give up just yet, though. So, here goes....

Over the past few months, Aaron has continued to grow by leaps and bounds. He talks up a storm and I can understand more of what he's saying. He has an incredible imagination. He talks on his play cell phones daily and "calls" many of our family and friends.

He is very strong-willed (shocking, I know), but he is also very loving and compassionate so they balance him out most of the time.

We are experiencing what most parents call the "terrible two's". I have come to realize that most of what makes it terrible is not him, but rather it is my own strong will and stubborn determination. When I get stuck on what I want we butt heads. When I am more flexible and work with him to get what we both want it works really well. (Unless one or both of us are really tired... then there's not much that works well except sleep!)

Aaron had a fantastic 2nd birthday. He's grown out of his high chair and sleeps in a toddler bed. I still watch him and wonder how it happened so quickly. I am very grateful that I am enjoying him as he grows up.

We took road trips this summer, both to Vegas and both for the same person...my Grandpa. We enjoyed celebrating his 85th birthday in June and returned in August to honor his life after he passed away. He lived an amazing life and accomplished so much. What I remember about him most is his sense of humor and his incredible love for his family. I am glad that Aaron got to meet him, even though he may not remember him.

Let's see. What else?

Aaron is figuring out what Christmas is about. He recognized Santa Claus and Christmas trees as soon as they started putting them out in the stores (at the beginning of October!). We're watching lights go up on the houses. He gets so excited to see them when we're driving. He has some favorites.

Earlier tonight he became heartbroken when I told him we got to go home after sitting in front of someone's house looking at a train made of lights for about 10 minutes. He cried almost the whole way home, which luckily was only a few blocks away, but it was still very sad.

I am really looking forward to Christmas morning.

That's about it for now. I'll write again...sometime. ;)

Sometimes technology just sucks!

So, I realize I've made a new post in the time frame I'm about to talk about. I had wanted to post several more, but no such luck.

I went to Las Vegas from May 31st to June 4th (one of the things I've wanted to...and WILL...post about). Upon my return, I discovered that my computer had some automatic updates done in my absence - not altogether uncommon. However, this time, whatever happened with or during said updates killed my computer...completely! It wouldn't even boot up no matter what I did. Grrrr!

I spent the next few weeks on the phone with tech support and/or hovering over my computer in every spare minute working to re-image my machine, download the programs I'd lost, upload the files I'd been smart enough to back up, and figure out what else I used to have that I might be able to get back. I did stop doing anything with it for a little over a week because I was getting so frustrated with it all that I had started overreacting to Aaron's typical behaviors. (So NOT cool!)

I lost all of my documents and spreadsheets (which I used to track my expenses, contact information and other personal information). Luckily, I only lost about 2 to 2-1/2 months of pictures. It could have been a lot worse, which would have been awful since I am selling my landscape photographs. (You can find them here.)

So, after a month and a half of aggravation, I finally feel as though I can do (most) of what I want to do on my computer. There are still a few things I want to download again, but otherwise, I'm good to go.

My overall opinion when all is said and done is that sometimes technology just SUCKS!

WARNING: This post has been rated BF for references to bodily functions

Aaron peed on his potty for the first time ever! Yea!!!

Okay, now that have that out of my system, I'll tell you the whole story. About a month and a half ago, Aaron starting telling me when he had a poopy diaper. After several days of this happening consistently every time he had one, it hit me that he was giving me the perfect opportunity to start potty training him.

I had already decided I was going to go with a laid back, let-him-do-his-thing kind of approach. I didn't want to create a power struggle...especially not with something like this. So, I figured we'd get the tools and let him guide me.

We already had the "Elmo's Potty Time" DVD (which is so cool, by the way!). We went to the store and picked up a potty and some "big boy" underwear. We ended up going with Toy Story and Cars underwear (6 pairs altogether) because those were the only ones they had in the smallest size available, which is still slightly too big for his little bum.

He got to choose which potty he wanted, but I narrowed it to the 2 kinds I could live with -- Cars or Elmo. He went with the Elmo potty that says several different potty-related things in 3 languages (English, Spanish and French). I actually kind of like that part, except for the fact that I can only understand the English ones.

We went home, set up the potty and let him sit on it to get a feel for it. We started going in there whenever he would tell me that he had a poopy diaper so he would get the association. It didn't take too long for the poopy part to kick in and he actually got a little bit of poop in the potty one time. Even though it mostly luck that not all of it stuck to the diaper, we still celebrated and called my mom and both of my sisters (they totally get it and celebrated with us).

The peeing part of it all still brought a puzzled look to his face....until tonight!

I was putting him to bed, when he started grabbing his diaper and saying "peepee". I asked him if he'd wet his diaper and he said "potty". So, I got him up, rushed him in the bathroom, took off his PJ bottoms and diaper, and let him sit on his potty. I didn't expect much, since there hasn't been anything hitting the bottom except the one time. He sat for all of 2 seconds, said "done" and stood up (standard practice). I was about to put the dry diaper back on when all of sudden, it started coming out!

We both just kind of stood there for a split second. Then I realized he wasn't finished. I hurried and put him back on the potty. He finished up while I was whoopin' and hollerin' and clappin' telling him how proud of him I am and what a big boy he is. He watched it come out until it was done and then looked up at me with his big ol' grin. He was so proud of himself and I knew it finally clicked for him what this potty business is all about.

Not even 2 years old yet and potty training himself!!! (How did I get so blessed?)

Aaron's many faces

Aaron has a very expressive personality and a different face for each thought or mood. (I have no idea where he got this from. hahaha!)

Here are a few of my favorites so far this year.

I got nothin' to say.

Oh wait! Maybe I do!

Cheese!

Hey! If you're gonna take my picture, ya gotta let me see it!

Are you kidding me with this?

Peace! (or something like it)

I'm....going....to get this. Almost there. Just....stay....focused.

Heh, look what I just did.

I'm gonna get you! Hahaha!

Whatcha doin', lady?

I am so-o-o not in the mood.

First Trip to Hogle Zoo SLC, UT

Aaron and I went to Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City on March 19th. I haven't been there since I was a little girl, so this was an exciting new adventure for both of us. We had SO MUCH FUN!


Aaron was really into the truck we saw holding some people who were taking down Christmas lights...in March. He loved the puddles of water from the rain earlier that day and had a blast running around...especially away from Momma (hahaha!).


He also had a great time with the animal statues they have around. He climbed on a bench all by himself (another first for him).


















Mmmm. What else? ...Oh yeah, and there were some animals, too.



He did enjoy looking at some of the animals, particularly the birds and one little monkey that was so cute and followed him as he ran back and forth in front of the window.









Aaron did stop for a minute and watched just long enough for me to snap a couple of pictures. This is the only that wasn't completely fuzzy from him moving around. (Even having a really good camera doesn't keep some pictures from being out of focus.) I have to say, though, that I love the reflection of Aaron in the window with the monkey right there, too.


While Aaron was just as content as could be running and climbing and exploring the things he could touch, I was fascinated with all the animals we saw there. They are magnificent creatures! The patterns, colors, size and/or strength of each one had me in awe. I couldn't help but feel a little sad that they were locked up, but I am also very grateful that we have an opportunity to see them up close (without worrying about being eaten, that is).




Truly amazing!






These colors! Wow!



I'm looking forward to going again!

Busy month!

I can't believe it's been a month since my last update. I feel like I've been going almost non-stop...but most of it has been great! Where to start...

Aaron has grown...again. This time he grew out of his shoes! We bought him a new pair of size 5's last night. He spent today walking around very clumsily, which is stinkin' adorable to watch. Of course, he did go from shoes I only just realized were squeezing his feet into a pair that still have a bit of room to grow. A little clumsiness can be expected.

He is continuing to be a little daredevil, which makes my heart jump sometimes. He did fall off my bed because he was walking along the edge and lost his balance. Cracked his lip open, too. I instinctively called his name in horror as I watched him (in slow motion) fall over the bed on the other side of where I was. I ran around just in time to see him land on his face and do a back flip. He thought he was in trouble at first, until I picked him up and held him and rocked him back and forth. He just sobbed and held onto me. It was about a minute later I was able to pull him away and see blood pouring out of his lip.


You'd think he'd stop or at least slow down a bit on the daring maneuvers, but no-no. Not Aaron. That same night I came into the living room just in time to see him balancing on the arm of his little rocking chair and reaching for the doorknob. I said his name and he got down before he fell again, but that's one of those things that gets my heart pounding.

He has also started hitting. :( At first it was just me, but today he whacked a little girl at the daycare when she wouldn't give him the toy she was playing with. I don't like this phase because I know if I don't handle it with care it could become a permanent behavior...I've watched it happen. I seem to question myself at every turn, too. Am I handling it in a way that works? Am I feeding into it instead of deterring the behavior? I'm sure other moms go through the same thing, but there are times when I also feel like I'm the only one....especially when other, more experienced moms jump in with their ---judgments. (I was going to say opinions, but that isn't what I have been hearing.)

On a much happier note, he has been amazing at sharing, giving, being friendly and compassionate, and cooperating with picking up after himself. He also lo-o-o-ves being outdoors. We've had some nice weather on and off in the last month, so he's been able to go outside a bit. We've had a blast at the park, taking walks, running around in our yard and going on new adventures. I'll post more about some of our adventures in the (very near) days to come.




Until then, I trust you're all enjoying the beginnings of spring, too!

My Little Daredevil

It still amazes me how quickly kids grow up! My little guy, who just yesterday was barely starting to crawl, has become quite the daredevil. (Okay, so it was more like a year ago, but still!) Aaron mastered climbing up and sliding down his slide the "right" way and has moved on to climbing up the slide backwards now. He was so proud of himself when he reached the top and slid down backwards on his tummy.

He has started working on climbing over things, like the side of the laundry basket and his crib (time to lower the mattress again!). He's working on climbing onto couches, chairs and beds, too, but he's still a little bit too short to make it by himself. One more growth spurt and I'm sure that will change. He's also starting to figure out how to open doors and turn on the water. All I have to say is it's a good thing I don't use the oven very often and I'm glad I stay with him when he's in the bath. (I do get to make sure I have a burn kit handy, though.)

I love watching Aaron learn, especially when he turns to me with that proud grin on his face. Boy, does he keep me on my toes!

I have the sweetest boy ever!

Aaron and I have a normal morning routine. He wakes up at the crack before the crack of dawn. We get him a sippy cup of milk and a graham cracker. We go back to my room and I lay down and finish actually waking up while Aaron munches his cracker (yes, getting crumbs everywhere, but I really don't care 'cause I get to just lay there), drinks his milk, climbs on me, lays on top of me, gets up and down from the bed, and explores my room.

This morning was going along like it usually does, but then suddenly Aaron stopped climbing all over me. He scooted up closer to my face, put his hands on each of my cheeks and just looked at me with a bit of a grin on his face. All I could do was smile at him and tell him that I love him so much! How did I get so lucky?!

Sisters say the strangest things...

...and, sometimes, come up with some pretty amazing ideas in the process.

I was on a 3-way call with my sisters last night (which was great!) and I realized that we say some of the strangest things. We are all getting closer to the big 4-0 and were discussing some of the exciting transitions and new experiences that happen for women at that age. You know, wonderful things like mammograms.

Now, the key point here is that the conversation was taking place at night...late at night. I am no longer used to staying up into the wee hours of the morning and I tend to get a little loopy the closer it gets to midnight. (I'm starting to see the reason for Cinderella's curfew.) My sisters were apparently experiencing the same beginnings of loopiness because we started planning mammogram parties and laughing about squished boobs. One of them even came up with a name for our little group - Mammy Maids!

Then, the idea came that we could join the annual Susan G. Komen 3-day walk that takes place in the Seattle area every September. (Actually, it takes place many times throughout the year and in many places across the country; but, my younger sister lives in Seattle, so this location is important to the story.)

For those who don't know what this is, it's a fund-raising walk that covers 60 miles in 3 days. The proceeds go to breast cancer research - thus the correlation to our conversation about mammograms. My younger sister participated in the walk in 2009 and loved the experience.

AND...we are doing it! The plan so far is that we'll shoot for September 2013 (which happens to be a month after I turn 40 *gulp*) so we'll have plenty of time to train and so that those who are in school now will be finished. I get to talk them both about this part a little more, but we talked about setting up a facebook page, getting a logo and making this an "official" group.

So, sisters do say some of the strangest things, but we also come up with some pretty cool things from them, too.

(Watch for more info on the Mammy Maids...coming soon!)

Gross things little boys do...

As Aaron gets older he learns new skills and becomes more adventurous. I've recently started to realize how many things he does that just plain gross me out. I don't know whether or not any or all of these things are only related to what little boys do, but I don't recall seeing little girls with the same behaviors.

One of the many examples happened when we were at my older sister's house last Sunday. Her oldest daughter came upstairs carrying Aaron in a rather odd way. She explained that she had found him in the basement getting into the cat litter of all things. Apparently, he had gotten it everywhere. I took him from her and brought him outside to dust off as much as I could get out of his hair when I saw a bunch of small clumps around his mouth and realized...HE'D EATEN IT!!! Eeewww!!!

Luckily, my sister had gotten some all-natural, corn-based litter and it had just been cleaned recently. Also, her cats are the outdoor type and don't use the litter box very often. I was grateful that the only side effect was a little bit of constipation later that day and the next. Still, that's just GROSS!

He also has an insatiable fascination with toilets, toilet brushes and plungers. I cringe every time I catch him playing in the toilet water and feel my stomach churn whenever he reaches for the toilet brush or plunger. Again, eeewww!!!

I don't know why the interest is there and I don't know how to steer him away from being fascinated by them. I just get to watch him very carefully and do everything I can to keep all bathroom doors closed. (This could make potty-training very interesting.)

This one I know is common among little boys because I've had conversations with many other mothers of little boys about it. I am referring to him playing with his penis -- every chance he gets. This one is not so much stomach churning or being worried about whether or not to rush him to the hospital, but it is still something I am not exactly thrilled with seeing him do. Why are boys (of both the big and the little variety) so fascinated with that part of their body?

With all the gross things Aaron has done, I am still very grateful that I have not walked in "poop wall art" or the "open diaper dinner". Blech!!!

Working toward "funner" posts

So, I've been following a few different blogs lately and I enjoy reading them. It got me to wondering if anyone likes reading mine and, if not, what I can do to make it, well, more enjoyable. So, I am asking for feedback and suggestions, and I'll be working on making my future posts something that is more than just a play-by-play of what Aaron and I have been doing in the month or so since my last post.

Oh, yeah, and that's the other thing. I am committed to writing far more frequently. A lot goes on in our lives. (I mean, it's not full of extravagant activities day in and day out. But, we do a lot and Aaron is a blast!) So, I get to share more of him and more often.

Our Holidays 2010

Our holidays this year were amazing! We spent Thanksgiving Day with my sister and her family at Chuck-A-Rama, a local buffet-style restaurant. I really enjoyed spending the day with them and we all enjoyed a day free from cooking and cleaning!

As Christmas approached, I got to participate in several service activities, including donating stamps, visiting with friends I hadn't met yet, donating food and items I no longer used, and sending a greeting card to someone I didn't know. I also spent my holidays smiling at everyone wherever I went. I was excited to see how many people shifted from being "grumpy holiday shoppers" to smiling or at least a little less grumpy.

The most exciting service was one that Aaron and I got to do together along with several of my family members. We raised enough money to provide 2 full turkey dinners with all the fixings, which we gave away to 2 wonderful families. We also had treats and toys donated as we were raising the money for the food. This is something I can absolutely see us doing again as it brought us closer together as a family and it got the community involved, too. What a great way to spread the holiday spirit!

I realized pretty late in month that I had done nothing to get Christmas cards ready. So, I found an opportunity to run Aaron to a nearby business park that has beautiful streams and ponds and, with my mom standing near him, I took some quick snapshots of him. They turned out really good, other than poor quality from the cameras...but that's a story for another post.

I put up our tree about halfway through the month and did most of it after Aaron had gone to bed. He had a lot of fun playing with the Christmas tree, especially after he found the switch to turn the lights on and off. He particularly loved it when he could get them to blink. That was the BEST!











Aaron and I also enjoyed our own holiday traditions, which are still developing. He was much more involved with this year, of course. He "helped" put out the cookies and milk for Santa by very quickly taking 2 of them off the plate as soon as I put on the small table. (He was not very happy with me when I put it out of reach until after he was in bed.) We had hot chocolate, which was really more lukewarm so as not to burn his little tongue. We read the Christmas story from a kids board book I bought for him this year. Then we opened one gift each before bedtime.

The next morning when he woke up, I brought him into the living room where Santa had placed our gifts on the couch and left a letter for Aaron next to the now empty plate of cookies. The first thing Aaron noticed was the empty plate where he had seen the cookies the night before. He got down from my arms, picked up the plate, dumped the crumbs and dropped the plate on the floor with frustration.

I started pointing out the new toys and presents he had been given. Instead of coming over them to start exploring, he turned around and walked directly over to another plate next to the TV where Santa had left some treats for us. I still don't know how he knew they were even there! He has definitely developed his "candy radar".

Once he had some candy, I was able to get him to notice the gifts. He wasn't very interested in opening them, though. He would tear a small corner of paper every once in awhile, but he was far more interested in playing with what was already out (including his old toys!) than he was in opening any of the presents.










We ended up bringing the last 2 unopened gifts with us as we went to visit with my mom and my sister and her family and got to open one at each home. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and playing at my sisters house.

I enjoyed this holiday season far more than any I can remember for quite some time. Part of it has to do with the fact that Aaron is older and is beginning to know what's going on. Part of it is because we got to spend so much time with family. Most of it is because I am appreciating giving service this year and I am embracing the reason for the season. I know that I can carry that spirit with me throughout the entire year and I plan on giving throughout the upcoming year the way I was able to at Christmastime.

(This picture doesn't really have anything to do with the post, but he's just so darn cute I couldn't resist adding it!)

My, how the time has flown!

I have been meaning to write for several weeks now. Between work, caring for Aaron, being involved with some training that has taken a good amount of my time, the holidays, and fulfilling other commitments I have made the time has simply gotten away from me.

I've been considering what to write all week. As you can see, there's been a lot going on, so this is no small thing. Rather than continuing to ponder on it, I figured it would be better for me to write something than to continue writing nothing at all!

So, here goes! I said before, I've been in some training. This started the 3rd of November and has kept me very busy ever since. But, it's been the most amazing, life-changing experience I could have ever imagined...and then some. I would love to tell you all about it, but that would literally take hours. So, to sum up, I am happier, more confident, more at peace and full of love than I thought possible. I feel like a huge mental and emotional weight has been lifted off of me. And, I'm actually losing weight physically, too! Woo hoo!

In addition to the training, I have continued to work full-time and spend my free time with Aaron. Who, by the way, has been working on all 4 molars for about the same amount of time I've been in training. I don't know who came up with teething process, but there is a LOT of room for improvement! He's had feverish weekends, sleepless nights, frustration from being in so much pain and from not being able to tell me what's wrong, which leads to more frustration because I just can't figure out what's going on so much of the time.

Through it all, he has still handled it like a champ, though. I recognize that ultra-grumpy for Aaron is normal for a lot of other children and I know I am extremely blessed to have such a happy boy.

Our holidays were amazing, to say the least. I got to work through them, but I was still able to spend quite a bit of time with Aaron. We also spent a lot of time with my family and he got to see his dad for a while shortly before Christmas.

He still hasn't figured out the Santa thing and wasn't extremely interested in opening his gifts. On the other hand, he has figured out candy, cookies and playing with the abundance of new toys he received. I'll write more about our Christmas experiences and add photos in my next post (which WILL happen before the month is over!).

So, that's a very brief overview of what's been going on with us. I trust your holidays and lives in general have been just as wonderful in their own ways. Till next time, take care and know that we love you!