Ash - ONE YEAR OLD!

Today is my birthday!  One year ago today @ 3:16pm MST I entered the world healthy and alert.  I weighed 7.5 lbs and was 19" tall.  Today I weigh 17 lbs and am 27.5" (2.5") tall.  I'm a little guy, but with my cloth diapers I'm filling out most of my smaller 12 mo clothes pretty well.  Unfortunately, I'm sick on my birthday, so this was the closest momma could get to a smile out of me this morning, even with a book to read and Superbear to play with.

Wow, was this a busy month!  We flew to visit grandparents for Christmas and New Years, and I had LOTS of firsts this month.  I didn't fuss much on the airplanes, but I did hear momma say to daddy "it's like trying to hold a tornado," whatever that means.  Here are some pictures of a couple of my firsts:

My first french fry at Dwarf House CFA & my first shrimp (yummy!)

 

My great-grandpa and great-grandma were staying at Lola & Paw-paw's, so I got to meet them.  Here's a picture of daddy (not smiling for the picture), Lola, and my great's at the table on Christmas dinner.  I loved playing with grand-grandpa and even learned how to say pa-pa (between grandpa, paw-paw, and pop-pop, I got lots of practice).

I didn't really get the point of opening gifts for Cmas.  I liked playing with the ribbons and bows, but daddy had to help me rip the paper to get my presents open.  I loved the books Lola got me, and made her read Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb to me about a million times.  Nobody does it like Lola!

The day after Christmas we spent the whole day in the car to take my great-grandparents back to their home in Mississippi, and then drove another 30 min to spend the night with my OTHER great-grandparents.  It was great to meet Nanny & Pop, but we only stayed there for the night and then we got back in the car and drove back to Lola & Paw-paw's.  It was exhausting to be in the car for so long, but we survived it and were glad to get to see everyone.

Me and Paw-paw napping on the road trip

When we got back to Georgia after our trip to MS, Nanoo and Pop-pop picked us up and took us to North Carolina to spend a week at the timeshare.  While we were there, momma took me to the pool and I swam for the first time.  I wasn't afraid of the water, but wasn't quite sure what I thought about the whole experience.  There were so many kids swimming & playing and so much noise, plus I got pretty cold after a few minutes, so then I just sat with Nanoo by the hot tub and dipped my feet in to get warm (until we got asked to stop by the management - boo!).

   

I also got to see my great-aunt Laura again b/c she came to spend a couple nights at the timeshare with us.  We had so much fun feeding bread and nuts (and other oddities) to the squirrels and birds on the deck outside the sliding glass door.  Momma didn't get her camera ready in time to get a picture of me and "Fatty Short-tail" - the bravest of the squirrels who would come right up and eat food out of your hand.  It was a fun experience since squirrels will never get close to my back door b/c I've got two yappy dogs to chase them away.  Anyway, after a week of being at the timeshare, we drove back to the airport and flew the rest of the way home.  Here's a picture of me taking a nap on momma's pillow on the flight home.

Developmentally I've been busy too.  I have been busy honing my furniture-cruising skills, and have learned how to crawl up the stairs AND back down safely.  Momma or daddy still always go with me to make sure I don't fall, but I'm already a pro.  I've also started to figure out language, waved bye-bye (night-night) for the first time on New Year's Eve, started using baby-signs for things, and am in the middle of a vocabulary explosion.  Here are some cute pictures of me just for fun:

I woke up still sleepy from a nap & mom couldn't resist the pathetic cuteness

playing with my phone, and enjoying blackberries & my new sippy cup

I've also put aside my clock obsession for a couple new ones.  For a few weeks I was crazy about balls.  All the Christmas ornaments on trees were "balls" and I've picked up a few new balls to add to my collection too.  I also LOVE airplanes and notify mom every time I hear one fly by our house (which is multiple times a day since we live near an AF base and an airport).  And I'm starting to love cars and trucks.  I do the "signs" for car and airplane (excitedly, so they're a little spastic) every day.  Here is a picture of me looking out the window b/c I just read about an airport fire truck and that made me think of airplanes:

Well, I'd better get going.  I've got to get some rest so I can shake this cold before my big party on Saturday.  Plus I've got plans for some fun this evening, including a mini-party with mom & dad and a cupcake with my name on it. (banana cake with peanut butter frosting, oooh!)  I'll try to make sure momma takes lots of pictures of my party so you can see all the fun.  Until next time!

Ash - 11 months!

Can you believe I'm almost a year old!?  I'm such a big boy :)  I'm wearing mostly 12 mo clothes with just a few 9 mo things still mixed in.  I'm so excited to start passing my clothes (back) to Aunt Lindsey for the baby boy growing in her belly; I got most of them from her after Elijah had outgrown them.  When momma measured me today I weighed 16.6 lbs (1st %) and am 29.25" tall (47th %).

Momma finally got smart and put me on the floor with a book to keep me safe & still for pictures

It has been a busy month around here!  When Nanoo came to visit, I was very sick with roseola (also known as 3-day fever), but got better in time for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with the whole family.  Unfortunately momma forgot to take any pictures of me and Nanoo, so you'll have to wait till next month after we get some at Christmas.

As you can see, I've blossomed in the tooth department.  I went from one to six in just over a month.  Whew, glad that's done for now.  Since I've got more teeth now, momma's letting me eat more and more finger foods.  Here's a picture of me having my first "big boy meal" with no puree, just eggs and pears and waffles.

I've also been working on getting up and around.  I love to cruise the furniture or pull up to standing so I can reach things that used to be too high for me to grab.  I finally figured out which cabinets are unlocked in the kitchen and love emptying them out and playing with the pots and pans while momma cooks food for us.  Sometimes I even climb into the empty cabinet. 

This was before I opened and emptied the other side too!

I've also had a couple brave moments in the past couple weeks that momma just barely caught on camera - pardon the blurry quality.  I climbed up a couple stairs one day last week, and this weekend I let go and turned around at the couch : look, ma, no hands!!  

I've also been working on my verbal skills.  I've had an obsession with clocks most of the month, and I make momma laugh when we're anywhere and I point at a clock and "tick tock".  I found one on a book at the library and momma told me that's a small clock you wear on your wrist called a watch.  I'm gonna have to get one of those when I get older!  In addition to my "tick tock", I've also been working on lots of other words.  Sometimes I get the sounds right and sometimes I don't, but it's fun to try.  I've been reading a lot of books to build my vocabulary too; it's been one of my favorite past-times in conjunction with naming everything I can.  Momma even put a couple big books in my toy basket for me to play with anytime I want since they're too big for me to get to my mouth.

Look, momma; I LOVE bananas!

Last week Rylee-girl stopped coming to stay with us (she has a nice aunt who wants to take care of her now), so momma and I had lots of time to see friends and run errands.  Wednesday was the Christmas party at daddy's work, so momma and I went to hang out and eat with them.  Some of the ladies had funny hats they let me try on.  I really liked looking at myself in the mirror with those silly antlers on my head.  It was a fun time and I got passed around to lots of the folks daddy works with.

Then on Friday, momma's friend Mindy came to visit.  She used to live here and moved away a month before I was born, so I was excited to meet her.  Unfortunately we waited till it was past nap-time to take pictures, so I was too tired to give a really good smile by then.  Also, I went Saturday night with momma to walk around the neighborhood and look at Christmas lights.  I have ALWAYS loved lights, but since we're traveling this year momma only put up one little decoration that lights up.  She said next year maybe we'll have a tree with lights on it and possibly even lights on the outside of the house too; that sounds fun!!

So that's been my month.  Busy and full of development.  And the upcoming month is going to be even busier!!  We're leaving Friday to fly on an airplane to GA to spend a week with Lola & Granddad and Great Grandma & Great Grandpa.  Then we're going to drive to NC to spend a week with Nanoo & PopPop and Uncle John at the timeshare.  I might also get to see some other family and friends while we're there.  Then after a that crazy two weeks we'll hop back on an airplane to come home.  And by then I'll be less than 2 weeks from turning ONE YEAR OLD!  I can't wait to share pictures next month of all the fun I have between now and then.

Until next time... I'm watching you!!

Ash - 10 Months

(daddy had to come and pin me down so momma could get a picture of me!)

Today I am 10 months old!  Only two more busy months and I'll be turning a year old; can you believe it?  9 months old has been a fun age for me.  My dr visit went well and my measurements there were the same as momma's home measurements.  The doctor was happy with my growth and development, even though I'm not gaining tons of weight.  I'm still wearing 9-12 mo clothes and 12 mo pj's.  I have graduated from my sleep sack to fuzzy feety pajamas at night.

Oh, you wanted me to sit still for these photos?  HAH!

I was so excited to have my Lola come visit for a few days last month.  We had so much fun together, playing and snuggling.  She rocked me and sang to me, and she crawled around on the floor and played with me too.  What a fun grandma!  She also got me some cool new clothes.  Check out my dinosaur outfit!  I don't like wearing hats anymore and have figured out how to snatch them off, so momma had to be quick to get my picture before I got it off.  I also have a dinosaur hoodie that goes with the outfit for those really cold days.  

Developmentally I've been a busy bee.  Last time I wrote I'd just started crawling.  Let me tell you, it is FUN being able to get around!  I love to follow momma into the kitchen and "help" her cook dinner or do the dishes.  She moved my animal magnets onto the washer & dryer so that I wasn't in her way in front of the fridge, but that doesn't stop me from getting in the way anyway! :)  I love to open the the pots and pans cabinet and pull them out on the floor.  I also figured out how to stand up this month.  First I was just pulling up in my crib, but now I've figured out how to do it on the furniture too.  I haven't really started moving on my feet much, but you'd better believe I'll be walking before you know it.

Now that I'm moving around so actively, my parents have put up a few baby gates to keep me safe.  The box that gate came in is the coolest toy ever! (I really enjoyed the flattened dog food bag too, what a crinkle!)  My parents said they're not buying me toys for Christmas, just wrapping up boxes for me to unwrap and play with.  Momma could barely get a picture of me in the "my first halloween" outfit I wore Oct 31st b/c I wouldn't stop crawling around long enough to get a good one.  Yep, I'm on the move for sure!

My fine motor skills are also developing.  I LOVE to turn the pages when momma reads me board books.  I'll sit through double readings of half a dozen books before I get bored!  I've also started to figure out how to put things down.  Now I know that might seem like a simple thing to you folks, but everyone's gotta learn sometime!  I have fun moving food around my tray or dropping things in the precise place I want them.  I've been picking things up for a long time, but just never thought about how to let them go.  I've broken a couple sippy cups dropping them from my high chair too.  Whoops!

Laughing at my bored & OCD mom lining up my pears

Other than the visit from Lola, it's been life as usual.  Momma and I have had a couple Starbucks breakfast dates before we go grocery shopping, which we both love.  I enjoy grocery shopping for a while, but I need a toy to play with or something to distract me by the end of the trip.  Mom's gotten smart and started bringing things for me to do.  Check me out chillin' in the cart and playing with momma's travel mug.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner.  Now that I'm eating so much table food, I'm going to really get to enjoy most of what everyone else is eating.  And as if one visit from a grandmother wasn't enough fun for one season, my Nanoo's coming this afternoon!  She's going to stay with us till after Thanksgiving and spend some time hanging out with my cousin Elijah.  Well, I'd better run; we've gotta go pick her up at the airport soon.  See ya next month!

Ash - 9 months

Distracted by SuperBear!

Mom gave me this toy to keep me from diving off the chair...

It's the first time I've played with it, and I love it.

Can you believe I've lived 75% of my first year already?  I've been out of the womb for as long as I lived inside it.  And let me tell you, I'm loving my ability to grow and learn!  According to momma's measurements, I'm 28.5" long and 16.5 lbs.  This puts me in the 58th% for height and 3rd% for weight.  I'll get measured "officially" on Friday at my appointment, and I'll be a little longer and a little lighter, b/c that's how momma's measurements always compare to the dr's office.  I'm wearing 9-12 mo clothes and outgrowing my 9 mo pj's pretty quickly.

Learning how to sit myself up and thinking about crawling

So at my last appointment shortly after I turned 6 months old, I heard Dr Dawson say that I needed to be making forward movement by my next appointment (9 mos).  I realized last week that we were getting close, so I got busy teaching myself to crawl.  I spent one whole day learning how to sit up on my own, then a few days later I spent the whole day figuring out how to crawl.  One day of practice, and I've got it down!

The new DVD shelves, so now I can't reach the movies

Momma & daddy put up some new DVD shelves so I couldn't reach the movies and bought ottomans to hold their stuff since I was pulling on the tray tables.  They have to be careful to make sure everything is closed and picked up now, otherwise I'll get into it.  I love when Daddy leaves his cup on the floor or the remotes where I can reach them!  Momma went downstairs to the basement one day and by the time she came back up I was IN the pantry!  Loads of stuff to explore in there!

Momma stood me up so I could play with Rylee

I love playing with the dogs too

I'm such a happy boy that my parents know when something is wrong with me, and so they were worried when I wasn't myself last week.  Momma thought it might have been something she ate, so they were shocked to find a tooth popping through my gums.  Let me tell you, that sucker HURT!  But now I love experimenting with different things in my mouth.  I especially like putting hard toys in my mouth, and get a kick out of biting down on the spoon when momma feeds me.

The day I got my tooth I fell and busted my lip on it :(

Pumpkin pancakes!

Speaking of eating, I LOVE food!  My fine motor skills are so good, momma has started giving me all sorts of yummy finger foods to try.  Even though I just have a nub of a tooth, I love to eat chicken and veggies.  And here's where I take after momma - I LOVE french toast and pumpkin spice pancakes.  I can also finish 4-5 oz of baby food and STILL find room for a WHOLE pear. (Don't ask me why I'm not gaining much weight...)  Yum, yum!

My first Ritz cracker - yum!

Food has also got me started talking.  When I'm eating something I love, I tell momma "mahr, mahr" ("more, more").  I also like to wave hello, especially when I first wake up.  I get very excited and giggle and wave at the super heroes and SuperBear on my shelf, or the dogs on the floor.  I also wave to my buddy Rylee when I see her after a nap.  Another skill I have learned is kisses.  Mostly I give them to stuffed animals or my blanket that has teddies on it, but I've been known to give them to momma and daddy, the dogs and Rylee-girl too.  For some reason, daddy doesn't like my wet, open-mouth kisses, but momma loves them.

Giving SuperBear some kisses

Speaking of kisses, I can't wait to hug and kiss my Lola!!  She's coming tomorrow night to visit for a few days.  Momma & daddy keep telling me how spoiled I'm gonna be and how much she's gonna LOVE hanging out with me.  Unfortunately she's only going to stay for a few days before she goes to visit Aunt Christen & Uncle Jonathan and the cousins.  But we'll get to see her in a couple months when we go home for Christmas, so I only have to save up my lovin' till then.

Well, I've got a world to explore, so I'm gonna wrap this up.  Just wanted to check in and let you know that everything is going well here and I can't wait to share again next month!  Bye-bye.