Friday, July 16, 2010
Update
It's been brought to my attention that I'm a terrible blogger... so, in order to remedy that, I'm going to attempt to post more. We'll see how that works. I have TONS of pictures to post. The girls are getting so big. I'm really not sure where I left off (I'm sending this from an email to my blog). Ashton's now 17 months old. She's just gotten interested in walking [finally!], although she has yet to take a few steps on her own. At least she's tall enough that I don't have to bend too far to hold her hands. :) She'll walk soon, I'm not worried. Emma's going on 12 weeks already. Baby's growing FAST! She's a wonderful sleeper- she's slept through the night for a few weeks now. (Thank the Good Lord!) So, mommy & daddy are getting to catch up a little bit on sleep, too.
We went up to Pittsburgh last weekend, and we had a great time. The girls did wonderfully with all the "new" people- the family they haven't seen in a while (or not at all for Emma). They were exhausted by the time we got home- slept most of the way back (which took 8 hours, thanks to construction & stuff), and a good chunk of Wednesday. I'm so proud of them- they were really great. :) Although we did have some mishaps... like at the pool when Ashton's swim diaper over-flowed & she peed all over Amber... or then later at the pool when she puked all over Amber... or when I was showering her off at the pool & then she peed all over Amber's towel when I was drying her off... *sigh* poor Aunt Amber.
Speaking of whom, Amber & Dan were an amazing help all weekend! They came over early in the am to help with the girls so Craig & I could get ready to go, and Amber worked as a great replacement for me whenever I was unavailable to comfort Ashton or cushion her so she could sleep or whatever. Conveniently, she looks like me... :) Haha.
Ashton, Craig & I got our haircut on Saturday- we had a blast at the salon & Aunt Rose did an awesome job. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my haircut- SO much easier, though not too much shorter. I think it's great. Ashton did great for her haircut- she was very good, in my arms, while Rose trimmed her hair. So, no more hair in her eyes! Yay! She looks adorable, too.
Emma's getting so big already! She's holding her head up & "talking" a LOT. She LOVES watching her big sister- one of her favorite things is to lay on the floor and watch Ashton play. Ashton then comes over & kisses Emma on the forehead. Thankfully, Ashton has quit hitting her intentionally... unless I'm occupied with Emma & Ashton wants my attention, of course.
Craig's been home with the girls for the summer, and he's been such an awesome daddy. <3 I'm so proud of him. Taking care of two babies isn't easy, but he's doing so well. I think he'll be glad when school starts in September, though. ;)
Otherwise, I'm back to working full-time... which has been ok. I changed my schedule for the summer, so I work 6:30-3, so I can help Craig in the afternoons. Ashton still goes to bed rather early, so it's nice to get to see her in the afternoon & have some play time.
Well, I'm going to add some current pictures here, so I'm going to quit typing now.
:o)
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Ashton's first birthday
This year has gone by SO fast... it just amazes me. Although she's toddling and talking, I still think of her as my little baby... which she definitely isn't anymore. She's 30" tall & just under 20lbs. She LOVES reading, and even if we're not reading aloud to her, she'll sit & flip through her books. She's eating mostly table foods now, finishing up the last few baby food jars, and we're down to usually one bottle during the night. She was almost bottle-free, until she got sick in January & quit taking foods & fluids. That's when we started giving her a bottle again. Oh, well. She'll be off again soon.
Her birthday has been so much fun, even though we had to cancel her little "party" we had planned. Craig & I both got ill the same weekend we had another big snowstorm, and that was supposed to be our weekend to get ready for her party. There was just no way to still have it. So, we waited & on Monday (the 15th), we gave her our present (some baby-hand-sized books & an Elmo toothbrush & toothpaste) & her cake. You can see from the pictures that she had a great time. She was SUCH a mess! Hee hee! :)
Today, her actual birthday, she spent at daycare with her little friends. I let her sleep in a little bit & then took her over, and she was talking & drinking her sippy of milk the whole way. She has a little sing-songy voice she "talks" with when she's happy, and that's all I heard the whole way to school. To announce birthdays at daycare, she makes a birthday sign on her front storm door with wet erase markers. Then, they have cake / cupcakes & the kids sing Happy Birthday (which they said Ashton just LOVED- such a ham!), and the birthday kid gets to pick out a gift from the toy box. She chose "My Pretty Learning Purse" that comes with lipstick, bracelet, mirror, money, and keys. The purse itself plays music & stuff. She fell in love with the lipstick already.
I don't know which of us have grown more over the last year... Ashton's growth is more obvious, but Craig & I have both learned quite a few invaluable lessons. There's just SO much you really can't prepare for with a baby, no matter how many hours you spend researching on the internet, reading books or talking to other parents. I'm not sure how many times over the last year I used the phrase, "I'm making this up as I go," or "I don't REALLY know what I'm doing." Haha. I still don't really know what I'm doing... I seriously am still making it up as I go along. Even now, when I think i know what's going on, something changes. I'm not quite as clueless as I used to be, but it's still new waters for me. I'm just getting better at adapting, that's all. :)
So, AJB's been in bed for a while already... and mama's getting tired, too. I have some MD appointments tomorrow, so we'll see how #2's growing then. I'm still on bed rest and plan to be until this kiddo's born... which feels like forever away, although I know it's not.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Busy Busy
So, a couple of weeks ago, I started writing about some of Ashton's accomplishments... and then she & daddy both got sick & I ran out of time for silly things like blogs. :)
Well, I'm finally back, AJB's MUCH better (and back to being the Olympic sleeper she is, just like mama!) & daddy's just about back to himself. Ashton had a double ear infection & RSV. Ugh. The poor kid was just miserable: she quit eating & drinking much, and when we got her on antibiotics for her ears, she started vomiting with diarrhea. :( After another trip to the pediatrician, we cut her antibiotic dose in half & they put her on albuterol to help her breathe & a form of children's pseudophed / nyquil kinda thing. Both were amazing- cleared her right up & she finally got some sleep! The only problem we had was when the pharmacy (not our usual place) filled the pseudophed script, they labeled it incorrectly- putting the dose 3x what it should have been! Thankfully, Super dad called the pediatrician to check before we gave it to her. <3 She started improving after that, and, like I said, she's all better now. :D
Ashton's personality is really coming out now- it's so much fun! She's SO silly. :) She has a "fake" laugh & then a more genuine one, and both make me laugh so hard. Her little fake giggle-laugh is so cute, and I think that's mostly to see my reaction to it. Her real laugh is definitely the greatest thing ever- and I recorded it on my phone tonight. I love it & it makes me smile just thinking about it!
There's so much more I wanted to write about... but my exhaustion is catching up with me. I think it's about time to go to bed. More soon... I hope!
Well, I'm finally back, AJB's MUCH better (and back to being the Olympic sleeper she is, just like mama!) & daddy's just about back to himself. Ashton had a double ear infection & RSV. Ugh. The poor kid was just miserable: she quit eating & drinking much, and when we got her on antibiotics for her ears, she started vomiting with diarrhea. :( After another trip to the pediatrician, we cut her antibiotic dose in half & they put her on albuterol to help her breathe & a form of children's pseudophed / nyquil kinda thing. Both were amazing- cleared her right up & she finally got some sleep! The only problem we had was when the pharmacy (not our usual place) filled the pseudophed script, they labeled it incorrectly- putting the dose 3x what it should have been! Thankfully, Super dad called the pediatrician to check before we gave it to her. <3 She started improving after that, and, like I said, she's all better now. :D
Ashton's personality is really coming out now- it's so much fun! She's SO silly. :) She has a "fake" laugh & then a more genuine one, and both make me laugh so hard. Her little fake giggle-laugh is so cute, and I think that's mostly to see my reaction to it. Her real laugh is definitely the greatest thing ever- and I recorded it on my phone tonight. I love it & it makes me smile just thinking about it!
There's so much more I wanted to write about... but my exhaustion is catching up with me. I think it's about time to go to bed. More soon... I hope!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Ashton's recent accomplishments
As I was watching Ashton playing in the living room today, I was really amazed by how much & fast she's growing. I feel like she's learned new things overnight! Yesterday, she started to click her tongue (when you kind of suction it to the roof of your mouth & then pull it down). It's REALLY cute to watch, since she only does it right about 50% of the time. I tried to record it on my phone, but she kept getting distracted & then tried to take the phone. You can kind of see it, though. I can't describe quite how she does it... I think it's more off her lip than the roof of her mouth. Either way, it's SUPER cute to see.
Another new thing involves a toy she got for Christmas. It's a "blender" with holes at the top that correspond to 5 shapes that have fruits on them. You put the shapes through the appropriate holes & then you "blend" them to make a "drink!" It sings & plays music & stuff. Anyway, she used to just slam the blocks together in her hands. Then, I'd put the blocks half-way through the holes & as she pushed each one individually, I'd tell her the color or shape. Now, she'll take the blocks out of the bottom of the blender & hand them to me to put half-way through. I think she's checking to see if I know which ones go where...
She is now the sippy cup pro! Ok, not the traditional ones, but the one with a straw. She had milk this morning & then drank diluted apple juice all day. We're almost bottle- free now. (Thank goodness... formula is SO expensive!) She can use the other "normal" sippy cups, but those seem to be more fun just to chew.
I'm starting to think that she's smarter than she lets on. She has a little pull-out book that has pictures of "Baby's Things" on each panel. It pulls out to about 1 1/2-2 feet long. It includes things like "bear, bottle, duck, ball, rattle, bib..." So, she & I were going through the pictures & then, somewhat jokingly, I asked her if she saw a bottle... and she smacked the panel with the bottle. Craig & I were surprised, but laughed & figured it was coincidental. Then, I asked if she saw the teddy bear... and she smacked the bear panel. Ok, weird, but she can't know these things yet, can she? Next, I asked if she saw a ball, and sure enough she grabbed at the picture of a ball. We went through a few more, and she only got one wrong, and I think she was getting bored by that point. Maybe we'll try again tomorrow... but I was kinda weirded out. She's definitely a smart cookie, though.
Ok, I'm going to bed soon... this mama is tired!
Another new thing involves a toy she got for Christmas. It's a "blender" with holes at the top that correspond to 5 shapes that have fruits on them. You put the shapes through the appropriate holes & then you "blend" them to make a "drink!" It sings & plays music & stuff. Anyway, she used to just slam the blocks together in her hands. Then, I'd put the blocks half-way through the holes & as she pushed each one individually, I'd tell her the color or shape. Now, she'll take the blocks out of the bottom of the blender & hand them to me to put half-way through. I think she's checking to see if I know which ones go where...
She is now the sippy cup pro! Ok, not the traditional ones, but the one with a straw. She had milk this morning & then drank diluted apple juice all day. We're almost bottle- free now. (Thank goodness... formula is SO expensive!) She can use the other "normal" sippy cups, but those seem to be more fun just to chew.
I'm starting to think that she's smarter than she lets on. She has a little pull-out book that has pictures of "Baby's Things" on each panel. It pulls out to about 1 1/2-2 feet long. It includes things like "bear, bottle, duck, ball, rattle, bib..." So, she & I were going through the pictures & then, somewhat jokingly, I asked her if she saw a bottle... and she smacked the panel with the bottle. Craig & I were surprised, but laughed & figured it was coincidental. Then, I asked if she saw the teddy bear... and she smacked the bear panel. Ok, weird, but she can't know these things yet, can she? Next, I asked if she saw a ball, and sure enough she grabbed at the picture of a ball. We went through a few more, and she only got one wrong, and I think she was getting bored by that point. Maybe we'll try again tomorrow... but I was kinda weirded out. She's definitely a smart cookie, though.
Ok, I'm going to bed soon... this mama is tired!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Sick kid & sick mama
Ugh. I'm sure I have a sinus infection (I'll see my MD this afternoon & start some antibiotics), but I think Ashton's incubating something, too. I'm taking her to see the pediatrician in a little while. She's been SO grumpy! Usually I can cheer her up, but the last couple of days, she's been nearly inconsolable. She's very irritable, which is completely unlike her. I was thinking it was just a phase, but now I'm concerned she has an ear infection or another sinus infection brewing. We'll see in a bit.
Otherwise, she's growing up... a lot! She LOVES to turn light switches off, so Craig & I have agreed she's a little "green baby." Haha. :o) I inadvertently trained her to do it... the first time she played with the switch in the kitchen, I praised her for turning them off. Now, she does it every chance she gets. There's worse things I could accidentally teach her.
I'm so amazed by her growth- physical & mental. She's able to climb up to standing & then sort of shuffle along holding onto things. She'll be walking very soon, I'm sure. She's remembering toys & games & books. She has a few favorite books- I'm really trying to read to her as much as possible. A few times in the evening, we'll sit & read, and she has a couple bath books, too, so we'll read in the bath even. I think "Daisy Duck" is the current favorite... but I'm not sure if it's because I made up a tune to the words or because she likes the big yellow duck!
I think one of my favorite things about being a mom is seeing her face when I get home from work, and putting her to bed at night. She is SO happy to see me when I get home. It makes it all worthwhile. Her little face just lights up & she bounces up and down in her high chair (she's usually just finished dinner with daddy when I come in). And although she'll go to sleep relatively easily at night, I have such a hard time putting her down. I want to just sit & rock her all night. There really is nothing like a sleeping baby cuddled in your arms.
Well, I need to get this sick baby off to the doctor, so if I get the chance (don't hold your breath for it!), I'll add some more later. I have some cute new pics to share, too!
Otherwise, she's growing up... a lot! She LOVES to turn light switches off, so Craig & I have agreed she's a little "green baby." Haha. :o) I inadvertently trained her to do it... the first time she played with the switch in the kitchen, I praised her for turning them off. Now, she does it every chance she gets. There's worse things I could accidentally teach her.
I'm so amazed by her growth- physical & mental. She's able to climb up to standing & then sort of shuffle along holding onto things. She'll be walking very soon, I'm sure. She's remembering toys & games & books. She has a few favorite books- I'm really trying to read to her as much as possible. A few times in the evening, we'll sit & read, and she has a couple bath books, too, so we'll read in the bath even. I think "Daisy Duck" is the current favorite... but I'm not sure if it's because I made up a tune to the words or because she likes the big yellow duck!
I think one of my favorite things about being a mom is seeing her face when I get home from work, and putting her to bed at night. She is SO happy to see me when I get home. It makes it all worthwhile. Her little face just lights up & she bounces up and down in her high chair (she's usually just finished dinner with daddy when I come in). And although she'll go to sleep relatively easily at night, I have such a hard time putting her down. I want to just sit & rock her all night. There really is nothing like a sleeping baby cuddled in your arms.
Well, I need to get this sick baby off to the doctor, so if I get the chance (don't hold your breath for it!), I'll add some more later. I have some cute new pics to share, too!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Working Mom
I'm so tired... finally got home from work & got some dinner. I really enjoy my job & all... BUT I really hate working late & not seeing Ashton in the evenings. :( She's not up for long after I get home anyway, but I still enjoy spending time playing & feeding her. She gets SO excited when she hears the door open. She's usually playing in the living room with daddy when I get home, so she's right there. That's actually good & bad, being that if I don't pick her up & greet her immediately, she gets upset. I think she's convinced that I've forgotten about her or something (which, of course, is never the case). She's so sweet & I love that she says "mama" when I come home. Or like tonight, says "mama" all evening because I didn't come home until late.
Anyway, I really should get to bed. Baby 2 is doing very well- I had a fetal echo today to make sure her heart is formed well, and everything looks wonderful. Size-wise, she's measuring right on target for 23 weeks. :) She'll be here soon... is it too soon to start pulling my hair out? *just breathe*
Ok, goodnight!
Anyway, I really should get to bed. Baby 2 is doing very well- I had a fetal echo today to make sure her heart is formed well, and everything looks wonderful. Size-wise, she's measuring right on target for 23 weeks. :) She'll be here soon... is it too soon to start pulling my hair out? *just breathe*
Ok, goodnight!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Updates on kiddos
So, I'm not much of a blogger... and I don't really have time to blog... but I thought I'd revive my old blog mostly to post updates on Ashton & baby 2 & post pics.
Ashton's gotten very big... about 30inches tall & 20-ish pounds. She's crawling EVERYWHERE (and drawing attention to the things we have yet to child-proof), climbing up on everything (especially mom & dad), and she's talking a LOT.
Next month, she'll be one... where has this year gone?! I have a feeling I'll be saying that for the rest of my life.
Baby 2 is doing well... though I can't pick a name! It's driving me crazy. I'd like settle on something now, but nothing seems right. I know I'll pick one soon- and regardless, I might go and change it when she's born anyway. :o)
Ok, enough for tonight. I'm going to try to add some pics and figure out this whole blogger-thing.
Goodnight!
Ashton's gotten very big... about 30inches tall & 20-ish pounds. She's crawling EVERYWHERE (and drawing attention to the things we have yet to child-proof), climbing up on everything (especially mom & dad), and she's talking a LOT.
Next month, she'll be one... where has this year gone?! I have a feeling I'll be saying that for the rest of my life.
Baby 2 is doing well... though I can't pick a name! It's driving me crazy. I'd like settle on something now, but nothing seems right. I know I'll pick one soon- and regardless, I might go and change it when she's born anyway. :o)
Ok, enough for tonight. I'm going to try to add some pics and figure out this whole blogger-thing.
Goodnight!
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