Shock and Awww

Yesterday Ayden had a shocking experience while at Beyond Bread with his Great Grandparents.

Most of the lunch was filled with lots of eating and even more food flinging.  (It is amazing to see how much food actually ends up on the floor when you don't have dog vacuums.) Towards the end we started to get more creative with the entertainment. 

Why not a straw and some water???

Harmless....

Even a little cute..... (seriously, what isn't cute when this kid is doing it ; ))

It was all fun and games until the straw fought back.....

Ayden vs. Straw

I must point out that in the background (if you can filter past my obnoxious laugh....AT my son) you can hear Great Grandmere declare that the child has gone into SHOCK! Shock may be extreme, but certainly brief paralysis would describe the incident.  Who'd of thought a straw and some water could do that!

'What Happens in Vegas Stays...'

Yeah Yeah, we all know the quote.

Well apparently my bronchitis didn't get the memo.

Hello, Anybody There?

For all 2 of my readers ;) who may be wondering what happened to my blogging inspiration this past week, I write to inform you that I have been home in Tucson for a total of 24 hours =( Thus, no adorable Ayden time to speak of.  However! the future is looking brighter. Though I am still stuck in Vegas until Sunday, J and Ayden will be joining me in about 4 hours. I am beaming with anticipation.

Truth is they were slated to come last night, but thanks to mother nature who decided to pay attention to her parched SW corner of the US, their flight was canceled. I was practically in tears. I found myself alone, suffering from a nice case of bronchitis (aka hacking up a lung), attending a mind-numbing class (who all very much appreciated the hacking), and staying in a crappy old Vegas hotel room (boo Luxor). GAH!! Their arrival was the only light I had!

But, thanks to a trip to the Minute Clinic, (can you believe they have one on the strip), where I got some drugs, a call down to the Hilton (who actually have a real mattress and pillows!!), and the rescheduling of the family's flight, things are looking up!!

I promise there is more to come.

(If you couldn't tell, I am very much enjoying this blogging adventure - thank you for taking it with me!)

The Power of Motherhood

The power of motherhood never ceases to amaze me.  I am currently on the last night of what is the first trip J and I have taken away from Ayden (together)for more than a night. We have known about this trip to Costa Rica for over a year as it is for my friend Sara's wedding. Sara and I have been close friends since I was ten - she was my maid of honor - I've waited many many years to celebrate this wonderful day with her and yet, I underestimated the power of motherhood and found myself questioning my attendance the day before we were slated to leave. I could have never predicted the emotions.  The tearing of my heart. The legitimate thought that I might be able to miss Sara's wedding and be OK with it.

Craziness.

It was in that moment that I began to understand this complex, unpredictable, raw force that Ayden had inadvertently thrust upon me the second I knew of his existence.

Over the past 11 months I have traveled (quite a bit!) for work, so leaving Ayden is not a novel event.  Each time it is difficult, sometimes overwhelming. In fact, I have often finagled travel plans to shorten trips or bring Ayden along. But this was different.  In many ways. First and foremost I wasn't leaving Ayden with his father. This is not a statement of quality of care (lets be honest, Susan is probably giving Ayden more undivided attention that J and I together! =)), but there is a different emotion when walking away from Ayden and Daddy than Ayden and ___ (insert any other name). It was the sense of abandonment that surprised me the most. The inability to explain to Ayden that we would be back in a few days, or that we were even leaving in the first place! Secondly, this was the first time there were competing emotions. There is no question that Ayden takes precedent over work (hence the finagling!), but this time it meant something. A once in a lifetime celebration for my 'sister'. I know....a no brainer....but thanks to motherhood, it wasn't.

Sooooo, I went, left Ayden with Susan, danced my ass off, and came home to Ayden walking to greet me at the door (yes that word was walking...like two feet in drunkin-like synchronization, arms out reached and a 4 tooth grin to beat all grins). Another milestone checked off the list. Where does the time go??

Bottom line - never underestimate the power of motherhood. And for those of you who have not yet had the opportunity to experience it, I suggest you reserve comment/(judgment) until you have =)

Uno Poncho Senior?

Tonight while visiting Great Grandmere and Great Grandpere for dinner, Ayden discovered his Mexican roots. I know what you are thinking...Mexican?? Have you seen his translucent skin and almost red hair?? But believe it or not he has a bit of Mexican heritage and wore it proudly
in his homemade poncho.

 

So, why you ask is my child wearing a white and yellow rubber ducky 'poncho'?? I'll tell you why. A HUGE MASSIVE POOPSPLOTION!! This is officially the first, of what I'm sure will be many, posts about the creative things mothers (or fathers for that matter) do when in an unexpected time of desperation.

I consider myself fairly organized and prepared - at least to date - as a mother. And to be fair (or, lets be honest, to point fingers) it was J's responsibility to replenish the diaper bag with a new outfit. Somehow, perhaps a short attention span, only pants got put into the bag.  And thus, we have shirtless Ayden running around his great grandparents house in the middle of January (yes, it does gets chilly in AZ in January). What to do? Take an old receiving blanket cut a hole in it and make the kid a poncho of course!  Worked like a charm.

[For J's sake I won't mention the fact that there were only three wipes in the bag as well......must have been a really good post-season game ;)]

Who needs sleep?

Ahhhhhh..... sleep........ Without a doubt one of the necessities of life.  Sure there is food and water and air...but I'd trade one or all three for some good old fashion, drool on the pillow, psychedelic dream inducing, coma-like zzzzzzzs.

It amazes me how what you need and want rarely seems to align with what you have an opportunity to do.  For example, when you are a kid, you have nap time and can sleep for 12 hours a night, however, kids don't want to take naps, they want to be up like the adults.  Little do they know that those adults are green with envy at the sleep kids have the opportunity to have. (Other examples are riding in a stroller or being carried - again, things kids don't appreciate when they have it.  But clearly a topic for another post another time.)

I have to admit that Ayden is not yet the sleep-fighter type, (I'm sure it is in our future), but if he is at all fussy about going down, I find myself telling him how lucky he is.  How he doesn't know that for the rest of his life he will have to function through chronic sleep deprivation and will yearn one day to sleep as soundly, peacefully and often as the child he holds in his hands.

I've never thought so much about sleep as I have the past 11 months. Not due just to my lack of it with working full time, infant at home and my constant 'training' for my next athletic feat, but because of my nightly participation in the 'sleep game', as I call it.  It's a game I know all parents are familiar with. The endless quest to find the perfect sleep formula for your ever-changing child.  Is he too hot? too cold? fan on? fan off? blankets? music? vibrations? too early? hungry? wet? teething? or dare I say....over tired??? Again, I must say I don't have it hard.  Ayden has been 'sleeping through the night' since he was 8 weeks, but has spans where he will whine in his sleep until his pacifier is replaced every couple hours or so.

So, every morning I still find myself taking mental notes, what was it about last night that made the stars aligns for 10 hours of peaceful sleep?

Of course the true answer is always - WHO KNOWS?!?!? But what self-respecting mother takes that for an answer!!? (I'm his MOTHER - of course I know what's best - right?)

So, we continue to play the game. Little tweak here, twist there and before we know it we have the formula figured out.....................the kid goes off to college.

Truth be told, I'm a sucker for Ayden mornings. Nothing kicks sleep deprivation on its ass like a smile from my 'Bug-a-boo' and a little giggle on the side. Take that Sandman!!

Rub A Dub Dub Ayden's in the Tub

There is little that Ayden loves more than his baths.  Well, any water for that matter.  We've created a fish. A fish with absolutely no fear.  Ayden will stand up in the tub and despite my grip of death, at times he still manages to slip and whip himself around and around.  It is complete chaos and I do all in my power to make sure he doesn't hit his head and he doesn't go under the water (so far so good).  I can only imagine the look on my face, but on on his, there is a cheek to cheek grin.  I can't help but laugh, but deep down I'm thinking my nick name 'bruiser' just might be appropriate and Ayden definitely has his mother's thrill seeking tendencies.

We recently began adding bubbles to the tub.  Thought it might spice it up some. First go around was consumed by Ayden eating the bubbles. He'd grab them with his hands, proudly show me his new found talent and then faster than a bullet shovel it in his mouth, leaving a few stray bubbles on the corners to ensure I knew exactly what had transpired. I assume all kids eat bubbles as some point - what could the harm really be?!?  Thankfully he has all but ceased this behavior and the bubbles are simply another welcome bath time toy.

Perhaps more so for me than him...


But really...who can resist...we ALL have the exact same picture of ourselves. I felt it my duty as a parent to support and continue the unspoken bubble hat tradition.

Bean Beans and More Beans!

Last night we had the pleasure of hosting our long time friends Vanessa and David for some fajitas and margaritas! Ayden was feeling a little left out so rather than fill his sippy-cup with margarita (as the boys suggested) we offered him his first experience with re-fried beans.  And this is how it went...

I think we can safely say these pictures might rear their face again, perhaps around the time Ayden brings home his girlfriend =)

To Have More or Not To Have More...

That is not the question =) The burning question is WHEN to have more. I find myself consumed with this question these days. We know we want at least one more, but how do you plan when the whole process is so unpredictable! And I find it hard most days to imagine pulling my 200% attention from Ayden.  As they say you don't have to share your love you simply have twice the love...I think it is one of those 'you have to live it to know it' things.

What is a good age spread? I have always thought 2 years apart would be perfect.  Now that I have one and that timeline is rolling and rolling FAST, I'm feeling the pressure!! The fact that I even mention the word 'Plan' in the same sentence as kids shows that I didn't learn a thing the first time around. Considering our year and half process to get pregnant with Ayden, I should know better than to think you can possibly Plan ANYTHING when it come to having kiddos. But I guess that is the beauty of it all.  You can't plan when you have them because lord knows you cannot plan what happens in the lifetime after you have them!! Its preparation in unpredictability.
Bring it on!

Laugh and Repeat

I must say we are loving the laugh and repeat stage Ayden is in at the moment. A few weeks back I stuck a bow on his head and we laughed and laughed - he hasn't forgotten. The whole Christmas weekend I found him roaming around sticking any bow (whether attached to a gift or not) to his head and then looking around for adoration. Truth be told, Ayden is a bit of a ham. (I think it apropo here to say 'the apple doesn't fall far from the tree'.  And we all know it's not the Montijo tree growing these drama enthused fruit!). J has also taught Ayden to do 'Cowboys and Indians'.  On verbal cue, Ayden will methodically beat his hand against his mouth and 'chant'. Another favorite is his exaggerated 'aaaahhhhhhh' after taking a sip of water. It never gets old!

Holiday Wrap Up

What just happened??? I feel as though I was hit in the head with a 2 x 4 and left for dead.  I guess that is what 35 family members converging on our humble abode will do to ya!  This holiday season had promise with two weeks off from work and no runways in sight.  Music to my ears. Our first Christmas with Ayden, what more could one ask for. Cue 'Jaws' music.....and family from all corners of the earth.  Don't get me wrong, I love my family as much (or probably more) than the next person, but lets be honest, entertaining is entertaining and two weeks is TWO WHOLE WEEKS!!  But, my squashed hopes, dreams, desires, yearnings, aching aside, we had a great two weeks with the family ('all things considered') and Ayden made it successfully through his first Montijo-Riley Christmas virtually unscathed. There is no telling what latent issues the traumatic Santa Experience will cause. Thankfully Ayden will never know the horrifyingly cheerful, round bellied, bearded jolly man was his very own Grandpa Joe.

Grandpa Joe does Santa

Our first holiday event was Zane's second birthday hosted by the one and only Gram-E. A perfectly planned meal of Mac n' Cheese and Dogs for the house full of kids. Those in my generation spent the night scratching their heads wondering where in the world all these kids came from??? And so fast?!? (Well, we know the answer to the second question, nudge nudge *wink *wink, Mike & Dash!) Zane had plenty of help opening his gifts as all the kids were primed and ready to be the fastest gift unwrappers in the west.

 Where's waldo??

Christmas day started out, well, like any other day.  Ayden and Zane were up at the crack of dawn,  but instead of rushing to the tree to count how many gifts were theirs or shaking them to see if it was a puppy, they did the same blanket toting, passie sucking, hold me while I continue to wake up routine they did the day before. Lets just say the whole thing was a little underwhelming! That said, who needs the kids to act like kids when you have husbands around to fill the role! J's sulking when he found his stocking empty was spot on. However, Ayden's reaction to his own empty stocking was a well timed nap. (Thank you Santa!)

Post nap and, Montijo tradition, Spanish Tortilla, the house began to rumble with anticipation for our first shift of the day, my mom's family, J's family and Dasha's family. Despite all the presents under the tree and the large crowd urging him on, Ayden was FAR more interested in playing with Daddy or better yet, the empty wrapping paper role.

 

Around 4pm we had a shift change with my dad's family joining us for the evening gift exchange and dinner (Yum TACOS!).

*Note to self* - remember for next child....level of excitement does not waiver if he finds tissue paper versus extravagant toy.

Needless to say, the whole day was really for us parents to stare adoringly at our son, dressed in cute Christmas PJs, crawling around placing stickie bows on his head. Despite Ayden's strong disinterest in unwrapping, he has a strong interest in playing with the gifts, so, a big THANK YOU to all our friends and family for the wonderful presents you so lovingly and graciously bestowed upon him. No doubt next year we will be yearning for the calm, collected Christmas of 2009!!

Inspired!

Yes, that's right...I have been inspired.  By whom or what I can't exactly say...all I know is it has hit me head on.....I have the will to BLOG!  And not about just anything...about the light of my life, the apple of my eye, my reason for being (and every other mother/child clique that comes to mind)....my son, Ayden William. Born 11 months ago to the day, Ayden has done what I once thought impossible. He has brought joy, laughter, and purpose to ALL facets of life. Who knew a closet door could provide hours of entertainment or the vibrations of an electric tooth brush could cause a toothless grin from cheek to cheek while sparking a belly jiggling giggle from mom, dad and son alike.

Ayden knew.  And with each day that passes he opens my eyes to the natural wonders of our world. I'd like to say that I'm writing this for him to read one day, and perhaps he will, but for now this blog is purely selfish.  It is an outlet for my overwhelming happiness, pride and passion that Ayden inspires in me. Truth be told I often lay awake at night, mind racing with the details of the day with Ayden.  The facial expressions, the laughter, the tears, yes, even the whining and possibly screaming. The details of his little boy hands and scrumptous chubby thighs. These details flood my thoughts and more so my heart. I often feel I might burst if I don't find some release. So, naturally I wake my dear husband, J, up and babble to him while he pretends to listen through the oh so obvious snoring. Thus, for the sake of my sanity, my husband sleep deprivation, and my overflowing heart.....I shall BLOG.

Speaking of husband...I'm certainly not in this alone. I am traveling through this windy, unpredictable adventure with the love of my life, Jeremy Joseph (aka J or better yet Uncle JJ). For those who don't know, J and I met in undergrad at Cornell, he moved out to Tucson with me while I attended law school, we were engaged and married and are now living happily ever after in Tucson with our son, Ayden and dog, Erowyn.

As this is the first post of what I hope to be a long and fruitful relationship with this blog, I will try and keep it short. But to be fair, I do have 11 months of 'details' to catch up on. So with that I close my first post and enter myself among the millions of other 'bloggers' detailing the intricacies of their life for all (or none!) to read.