Terrible Twos... 4 Months Early

Dr Hirsh warned me that Terrible Twos actually begin at 18 months. Let the record show that Aiden's began at 20 months. His tantrums don't last long but they are dramatic. When will he get sick of hitting his head on the floor from falling out backwards? He gets mad when I turn the cartoons off TV for a few hours or when he can't have GoldFish crackers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Sesame Street Live

Coincidentally, Aiden learned to say Elmo a few moments before entering the Fox theater to see Sesame Street Live. While in the parking lot across the street I pointed to the Fox and told him that we were going to see Elmo and he said,"MoMo?" Cool timing.

He enjoyed the show...dancing, singing along, and eating popcorn.

Mickey Mouse

Milk Mustache

Sleeping with Mommy

Aiden no longer sleeps through the night. He wakes up around 2AM crying.
A first I thought he was having nightmares or teething. He calmed down as soon as I picked him up. I tried to return him to his crib but he refused so I laid him in my bed.
This has happened every night since then. Each night Aiden cuddles beside me, face to face, positions both of his hands on opposite sides of my face and then and only then, he falls asleep. After two weeks of this I began to think that AJ is not teething or having nightmares. He simply wants to sleep in my bed. On one particular night I decided not to allow this to continue. I reasoned that I was ruining his sleep training by giving in to his demands. I figured that I was doing more harm than good so I put him back in his crib to self soothe himself. 2 minutes later he jumped out of his crib (for the first time) and put himself in my bed. I guess he told me.

Mine-Itis

Does anyone know the cure for Mine-itis? Justin and Aiden caught it first months ago. It is begining to spread. Nathan caught it last week. He can't say the word mine but he snatches and steal toys while screaming....sounds like Mine-itis to me. The fighting and screaming is too much. They have plenty to play with but that is not good enough for them. Buying two or three of every toy does not work either. They still fight over the exact same toy because the other brouzin has it, in there hand, at the time. I've read that kids don't learn the concept of sharing until age 4 or 5. I can't wait that long. Any ideas?

Learning to Skate with Elmo

AJ had a blast skating. Check out his 2nd time.

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Spinach Balls

AJ is continuing our family tradition..........family gathering, fun, and enjoying spinach balls. Normally our mother makes them but shout out to Grandpa Smitty for making them this year. Yum yum.

Snow Day

This is AJ's 1st winter experience. He was less than 9 months old last winter so he doesn't remember his first snowfall. He loves snow.

At Home Photo Shoot

Dr Visit Update

Goodnews from Aiden's cardiology appointment. AJ's heart murmur is normal. An EKG and ultra sound confirms this. The doctor compared his condition to a noisy pipe in the home that you hear at night. A plumber checks it out and assures you that your pipes function properly and normally...just a little noisy.

Whew, what a relief!

The doctor and his staff were friendly. The room where the ultra sound was performed had a TV placed directly in his face. He laid on the exam table for 15 minutes and was distracted by watching his favorite Disney shows. He was so brave.

Circuit Assembly 2011

Doctor Visit Update

Weight: 26 pounds 8 ounces Length: 32 inches

As always Dr Hirsh checked Aiden's heart beat but this time she heard something to be concerned about.... a heart murmur. She referred AJ to Pediatrics Cardiology at Children's Hospital for a second opinion so I made the soonest appointment available on January 12th.

I had never heard of a heart murmur so I researched it online as soon as we got home. I learned that murmurs may be caused by a number of factors or diseases, including the following:

◦defective heart valves

◦holes in the interior heart walls (atrial septal defect or ventricular septal defect)

◦surgical repair of congenital (present at birth) heart defects

Right away I freaked out and I wondered if all murmurs signify heart disease? I kept reading and found out that this is not always the case. Sometimes, a murmur may be heard in a normal child who has a fever or who is anemic; these murmurs often go away when the underlying problem is treated. Some children have what is known as an innocent murmur. These murmurs are not related to congenital heart defects, and usually resolve by the time a child reaches adulthood.
I am praying for the best!!!!



Cut & paste this link to find out more about Heart Murmurs: (//www.childrensdmc.org/healthlibrary/gettreebysubtopic.aspx?ContentTypeID=90&ContentID=P01806&request=heartdetail )

No... But Not Really

AJ saying the word NO is getting ridiculous. I understand him deliberatley saying it to trick me out of diaper changes but now he says no to everything I say. I could ask him if he wants to meet Mickey Mouse, play with Elmo, and get all the ice cream and candy he wants and his answer would still be no.

3 Brouzins and a Brouzinita

The cousins travel in a pack.
Picture Arianna laying on my lap after I take a seat on the couch. 10 seconds later Nathan cruises next to us and reaches for Arianna's hair. 15 seconds later Aiden climbs on the couch beside me, leans over Arianna, and grins in her face. 20 seconds after that Justin walks up to my knees and hands me a book to read.

Like Mama Like Son

Aiden likes to poke his fingers inside his belly button. It began with intrigue and recently it turned into obsession. He won't let me cover it up. He screams, "NO" when I try to snap his onsie closed or pull up his pants up.



Is this normal exploration of body parts or does he take after his mom? Throughout my childhood, I can't remember a time when I didn't play with my belly button. ( I still do it while driving or in times of stress) Other kids suck their thumb, twiddle fingers, or twirl hair but AJ & I play with our navel.


It is neat to finally say that Aiden takes after his mom for a change.

Imagine A Day In the Life

1 day with 3 brouzins and 1 brouzinitta consists of the following constant and repetitive vocabulary: share, take turns, one at a time, get down, no, stop, don't....touch, push, hit, snatch, bite.

Sharing Kisses

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am uncomfortable showing affection. That changed when AJ was born. I can't get enough of kissing him and telling him that I love him. Two great moments were when he gave me a kiss when I asked for it and when he kissed me without me asking.

I've noticed lately that he kisses his youngest brouzin and brouzinita and sometimes his Aunt G. He positions himself on their level, looks them in the eye, calls them baby and gently kisses them on their lips. Cute right? He obviously learned this from me. I am embarrassed to admit that I get a little jealous. Why don't I want to share my kisses?

Beautiful Liar

Aiden learned the word NO. It goes without saying that learning new words is improving our channel of communication. Unfortunately he is not always truthful. My beautiful liar tells me NO when I ask him if he pooped or if he has a wet diaper. He fibbs because he dislikes diaper changes. He refuses to do anything that interrupts his play. When will he learn that he can not trick his mother?

3 Brouzins and a Brouzinita

Arianna joined the team of cousins a week ago. I call her BROUZINITTA.

The thought of 4 babies under 1 roof was scary. After 6 days I'm relieved to report that I can handle it. We had a rough start because Arianna refused to drink from a bottle. It took her less than a week to adjust. Now that the feeding challenge is behind us, I am glad to say, Arianna will fit in quite nicely.

The brouzins love to have her around and show it in different ways. AJ kisses her and calls her baby. Justin has to be near her by climbing in her swing or bassinet and straddling her. Nathan taps her head.

Stay tuned for more episodes of 3 Brouzins and a Brouzinitta