Five on Friday

1.  I'm so glad this was a 4 day work week :)  Hooray for the weekend arriving again already

2.  The nesting instinct is really settling in full force.  I have the urge to clean and organize EVERYTHING.

3.  I tried a Chick-fil-a banana pudding milkshake yesterday.  Two thumbs up. :)

4.  We've had a break from highs in the high 80s and have had two glorious days in the low 70s.  Loving it.

5.  I gave Asa a haircut.  His hair was way too long, so I went for the summer cut--NOT a buzz, but much more tapered to his head.  Oh my goodness he looks entirely too old.  The following picture is right after he got up, so his hair is tousled and messy.  I can hardly stand how much older he looks though--I miss his fluffy head!

Five on Friday

1.  I accomplished several pre-birth to dos this week, including some crafting

I made bloomers and 2 hairbows to match the dress I sewed earlier.  One hair clip is a polka dot bow and the other is ribbon shaped into a strawberry.

Matt hung Anna Reaghan's name letters above the crib

 

The flash kind of washed out the E and H in Reaghan, but I promise it's adorable in person! :)

And I made 2 important phone calls.  I confirmed with our pediatrician's office that Anna Reaghan can be added as a new patient.  Thankfully Asa's been so healthy, we haven't been to the office and our ped didn't know I was pregnant!  I wanted to give them a heads up. ;)  I also called the hospital to see if they prefer for patients to pre-register.  Not only was I able to pre-register over the phone (in FL, Matt & I both had to be present in person, answer a zillion questions, have photo ID and all sorts of things--this was obviously more stream-lined than that, so hopefully Matt's up for answering all those questions when I go in in labor and need to focus on slow, controlled breathing ;)), but the hospital also gives a 30% discount for pre-registering!  They ran our insurance through to give an estimate of what our responsibility for labor and delivery will be, and we got GREAT news!  Our doctor's fees meet our deductible!  Woo hoo!  We're free and clear from here on out for the rest of the year. :)  We have a small co-insurance for the hospital, but it's measly compared to Asa's birth (which was still a smaller amount than I thought it might be, and TINY compared to the portion insurance pays.... especially when you have room and board fees for a DAYS long induction).  This was very happy news to me.  We have a higher deductible here, so I don't know how it worked out that we pay less for the birth, but I'll take it!  And we have an HSA to cover the deductible/co-insurance we ARE responsible for.  I am praising God for the provision.  It was kind of scary to go into this with new insurance and hope we had interpreted and understood it all correctly.  YEA!

2.  I also received a call this morning that our new couch is in and ready for delivery!  As you might recall, when we ordered a new comfy reading chair for Asa's room, we browsed for a couch or love seat for the basement as well.  We found one we both liked, but it was on back-order.  It's in even earlier than they thought it would be!  The salesman said he though it would be mid-June before we'd get it.  Woo hoo!  Now we just need to decide if we want to hurry and get carpet ordered this weekend before we have the couch delivered (we have carpet picked out, we just need to purchase it).  Decisions, decisions. :)  I, for one, am very thankful we'll have a nice place to sit in the basement very, very soon.  Getting up and down is an increasingly cumbersome task as the weeks fly by. ;)

3.  Earlier this week I saw a listing on Craigslist for a now-discontinued Fisher-Price washer/dryer/laundry station.  My parents have one that all the grandkids love to play with.  The seller was asking only $5 and she lived less than 10 miles away!  I was so excited to receive an email reply that it was ours for the taking!  Asa is loving opening the washer compartment, putting things in the dryer compartment, and carrying the "in-ron" all around the living room.  I also think it's amusing and cute that whenever he puts something into the washer, he tells me he's "washing diapies."  Yup, we have a cloth diapered kiddo over here, all right. ;)  You see, our actual washing machine has a transparent window on top (it's an HE top loader), and he loooooves to sit on top of the washer while it fills and when it starts agitating.  He knows we wash his diapers about every other (sometimes every 3) days, so that's what gets washed most frequently and what he ASKS if we can wash several times/week. :)  The things he'd never know or say if we didn't use cloth! hehe

4.  Asa got some new shoes in the mail yesterday.  They are a brand that includes an optional squeaker.  I kind of feel like we're probably past the age of that being adorable out and about (the squeaker is supposed to encourage heel-to-toe walking as it's in the heel of the shoe), but he was HILARIOUS running around the house in them.  We had a pair back around Christmas that had squeakers, and he liked them but I'm not sure he tooooootally made the connection that he was in control of the squeak.  Does he EVER "get" it now!  He immediately starting bouncing up and down to make them squeak.  He'd start to walk and then run really fast to make them squeak more quickly.  I was cracking up and Mom could hear him squeaking all over the downstairs when we chatted on the phone.  The ones I ordered are for a few sizes from now, but I am certain he'll be thrilled when they come back out of the closet to wear all the time.  He couldn't stop grinning and giggling, and neither could I. :)

5.  We are sooo excited for a long weekend!  I can't say we have any big plans, but just knowing we have 3 days with Matt sounds WONDERFUL!  Tonight we're actually helping set up a fund-raising garage sale for a family at church.  The husband/father sustained a traumatic brain injury in a car accident about a year ago (visit supportjeff.com), and the garage sale is to help support the family.  It's part of a larger, huge neighborhood garage sale that I hope we can peruse tomorrow morning (it's over near the townhouse we rented).  Then Saturday afternoon Matt's helping finish and clean up the garage sale.  Sunday we'll have church.  Monday Matt has off.  The only thing I know for sure is that he'll be grilling us burgers :), and Asa and I will both LOVE having him home an extra day. :)

We hope YOU enjoy time with family this weekend and the sweet freedom that has been won for us... not only here in America, but in Christ!

Weekend Rewind?

So I'm not going to do a weekend rewind for last weekend.  It was rainy.  Matt was out of town.  It doesn't feel like the weekend if we don't get to pal around with Matt.  Weekend errands aren't as fun without Matt to talk to... I run errands without him all during the week.  Don't get me wrong, the weekend was fine.  It had it's long/lonely moments (like waiting 1 hour and 20 minutes for our pizza to be delivered?), but he made it to Baltimore and back just fine.  We even got to all go to church together on Sunday because Matt got home late Saturday night.

What have we been up to this week?  What thoughts are rolling around in my head?

• I am 33+ weeks pregnant today.  I feel like Anna Reaghan is definitely growing!  My stomach is getting harder and harder as she fills out more and more space.  Knock on wood, I'm still not feel digging into ribs or anything like you usually hear.  She hopefully will follow Asa's lead and have plenty of room inside my 6 ft. tall frame. ;)
• I am still wearing pre-pregnancy jeans.  I'm not sure if this speaks more of how much too big they were before I got pregnant (Asa was still nursing, my weight fluctuated a bit as a result, and I didn't want to buy new pants until he was done nursing and I could see what size I settled at), Anna Reaghan riding higher than Asa did (I think I had switched to jeans the next size up with him at this point).  I mean, I'm sitting crossed legged on the couch, and I have the top button of my jeans undone for comfort, but that's it!  It kind of boggles my mind, because I KNOW she's growing and I look pregnant.  The doctor even thinks Anna Reaghan might end up a few ounces bigger than Asa was (although, who knows!).
• Further proof that the pants thing is really weird:  Today for the first time in this pregnancy I noticed new little stretch mark extensions.  There are 2-3 places stretch marks (which I didn't get until the verrrrry end of Asa's pregnancy) from my first pregnancy have grown by the tiniest margin (think 1 cm).  Anyway, I know some women really worry about stretch marks.  Honestly, I'm not planning on ever wearing a bikini or anything that would show the stretch marks, so it doesn't bother me too much.  I just find it interesting in light of how many of my maternity clothes are still too big.  Again, maybe I'm carrying ARK higher, and so the skin is stretching (earlier) in different places than it did with Asa?  Beats me!
• I CAN WASH DISHES AGAIN!!  The disposal up and quit working a few days ago.  Matt used the handy-dandy hex key to free the motor, but it bound right back up with just WATER running through it.  Our landlord agreed to let us pick one up and Matt installed it tonight.  We were at the point where the kitchen sink was not draining well if we ran any water down it, so I have a HUGE stack of dishes, pots, and pans to wash.  I have to pat myself on the back that when nesting is really, really hitting (I cleaned the laundry room floor on my hands and knees this week b/c it just bothered me suddenly), I have stayed really calm and relaxed about piles of dirty dishes mounting in the dishwasher, on the counters, and slowly running out of clean pots and pans to use.  I am really excited to run the dishwasher tomorrow (we thought it was connected to the disposal, but during the installation tonight Matt determined it is not after all) and let my pots and pans soak before scrubbing them clean and washing everything away!  Woo hoo!!!
• Asa has said some funny things lately.  Matt carpools with a coworker named Simon most days.  Several times early in the arrangement Asa would become rather confused that Matt's car was still in the garage (on days Simon drove) but Matt was not home.  I just told him Daddy was at work but he rode with Mr. Simon.  Now every morning Asa tells me, "Dada work... Simon."  Tonight Matt ran to get the disposal and I was putting Asa to bed while he was still at the store.  Asa told me, "Dada... bye... Simon."  Apparently, Matt & Simon go EVERYWHERE together. :)  As I mentioned, I ordered pizza for dinner last Friday when Matt was gone so we could have an easy dinner and even have left overs later in the weekend.  I ordered it online, and I do believe Asa was sitting next to me on the couch when I did that.  This afternoon I was checking weather radar online to see if it was clear to run to the grocery store (we could hear lightning), and Asa told/asked me, "Order pizza."  He only saw me do that once!  He kept insisting that we order pizza while we were online.
• Asa recently noted that on a set of magnets he has, you can see men operating construction vehicles.  He now checks pictures of trucks for "men," puts all sorts of little figures into his cars and trucks so they have "men," and he even took a sticker of a "man" (it was a knight), stuck it right over the cab of a bulldozer sticker, and told me the "dozer" now had a "man."  Loooove all the connections he's making and how his play (LOOOVE imaginative play!) is becoming more and more elaborate.  He is changing and learning and growing at lightning speed right now.  It's amazing, oh so fun, and it keeps us giggling a LOT of the time to see how he sees the world and pieces things together. :)
• Anna Reaghan was RIDICULOUSLY active for about 1-1.5 hours straight this evening.  Nonstop, LARGE movements (some borderline painful as, well, she can't just bust out through my stomach... as much as she was trying).  The constant movement was wild.  It was followed by a short time of hiccups, and then she must have gone to sleep.  It's interesting to me to note her patterns.  Asa's evening active times in the womb definitely correlated with his active/awake times as a newborn.
• Lastly I'll close with the news that we checked on our little robin family tonight, and the baby birds have hatched!  It rained a bit yesterday (the first day in the window of expected hatching), so I didn't check then.  Tonight we saw three little birdies with necks outstretched and beaks uplifted when their mom hopped away as we approached.  Asa's eyes got SO big when he realized the nest had tiny birds in it, and he asked where the eggs went.  We will try to get a picture tomorrow.  I'm so glad all the birds hatached!  We have about 2 weeks they'll live here before they learn to fly and take off!

Five on Friday

1.  We got to go outside for a walk or at the very least a little walk around the house almost EVERY day this week!  It has been amazing!  I think spring is here!  We have a couple days of rain rolling in now, but you can still find pockets to at least walk to check the mail and stroll around the yard when you want to.  Asa is eating it up!

2.  I did something I have REALLLLY been wanting to do this week.  I've worked through enough of the MUST TRY THIS items on my crafting (sewing) to do list that I worked up the nerve to dig out a scrap of fabric and run it through the pleater.  I am now set up with my A-Z of Smocking book and learning different stitches.  I am so, so, so excited!!  SO excited.  It's not as brainless to keep the stitches straight across as I thought it would be, but I am thrilled to be learning something I've wanted to learn for a long time, to be learning/doing something that CREATES something, and to have a little handwork while Matt and I hang in the evenings.  I can be creative but not holed up in the guest room away from him. :)

3.  Asa's speech is going through a major verbal explosion.  I know I keep saying it, but it's amazing.  He talks, labeling of course AND providing commentary, alllll daaaaay looooong.  Two word phrases are very much a regular thing around here as of the last 1-1.5 weeks and 3 word phrases are popping up more and more all the time.  Not to mention that he learns, uses, and applies new words and phrases every day.  I LOOOOVE it!  It's SO fun to get small glimpses into what he's thinking. :)

4.  Matt has a short, one-day business trip this weekend.  I'm thankful it's a little jaunt and he'll be back soon. :)  While he's gone, Asa and I might check out a little cupcake/bakery/cafe nearby (Alissa, I thought you would approve :) ).  I hope it's yummy!

5.  As an update on our baby birds, the mother bird is patiently sitting on her nest and tending to her eggs.  She stopped laying after 3 eggs, and we should expect them to hatch sometime next week!  I try not to bother her too much because I want her to stick around and take good care of her babies. :)  But I'll be sure to snap a picture once the baby birds are out of their eggs! :)

Weekend Rewind

We had a low-key weekend of enjoying family time and celebrating Easter.  As I mentioned on Friday, God has been so faithful to give us friends to celebrate with each year as we just live too far away to make it home for such a short weekend (and would end up driving home ON Easter--that's no fun!) visit.

Friday:  On Friday afternoon, Asa and I were browsing Target and found a perfect little table for Anna Reaghan's room.  It has a lower platform that's great for a clock/sound machine/cd player, a drawer (Asa's table doesn't have a drawer, other than that they're almost identical), and a table top that's just the right size for the little incidentals (WATER BOTTLE) that are handy to have nearby when nursing. :)  After Matt got home we went to a local Mexican restaurant for dinner.  Asa napped late, so he was not too sleepy or falling apart and he ate every.last.bite of his refried beans (and dipped chips in salsa). :)  He went to bed later than usual after napping late, but it was worth it for a family night out.  A break from routine every once in awhile doesn't hurt him. ;)  Right before bed, we Skyped with G-Pa & G-Ma.  Asa was soooo excited to see them and literally bouncing up and down, playing peek a boo (that HE initiated), and "near/far" with them.  It was adorable.  He was devastated when we turned the computer off to get ready for bed, but we Skyped again later in the weekend to make up for it. :)  After Asa was in bed, I finished some sewing I started during naptime and then Matt and I cuddled up on the couch to watch The Voyage of the Dawn Treader from the Chronicles of Narnia series.  Matt received a subscription to the Blockbuster movies/games by mail program (like Netflix) for Christmas from a friend, and while he misplaced his activation card for awhile, I found it after we moved. ;)  This was our first selection, and a good selection it was!  We both really enjoyed the movie.  Matt REALLY enjoyed it and proceeded to watch it 2 more times before we went to bed on Saturday!  When he gets into a movie, he reallllllly gets into a movie. ;)

Here's my Friday sewing adventure (made from a flat sheet I picked up awhile ago at a thrift store):

Saturday:  Asa slept in a little (yea for his 30 min. late bedtime not reversing sleep!!), so we got to sleep a little extra.  We all had breakfast together, and then we just kind of played around the house Saturday morning until naptime.  I love seeing Asa EAT UP playtime with his daddy.  He waits all week and you can just tell he delights in weekends when Matt has more time at home.  It makes Mondays kind of sad, but he usually perks up by lunch time on Monday.  During naptime, Matt watched the movie again and I looked up furniture stores.  We wanted to look for a new upholstered chair for Asa's room so his glider could move to Anna Reaghan's room.  Especially with Asa still being in a crib, we wanted a cuddly place to still curl up and read in Asa's room but knew Anna Reaghan will need the rocking motion of the glider more than Asa does. ;)  We tried a different furniture store in town a few weeks back, but nothing was comfortable or in a print that would even remotely work in Asa's room, much less transition to a living room/family room or whatever have you when Asa's room no longer warrants such a chair.  Of course a chair could be covered or reupholstered, but it would be great to find something neutral from the get-go.  At the very FIRST store we tried on Saturday, we found a chair on clearance that is comfortable AND neutral!!  Praise the Lord!!!  It was a very exciting find. :) :)  The chair will be delivered this Saturday!!!  I had been planning on leaving the glider in Asa's room until Anna Reaghan is sleeping longer stretches (as she'll be in a bassinet in our room until that time), and having the new chair in our room until she switches rooms.  But I realized it makes more sense to me to feed her in the living room (steps from our bedroom door) if we get up in the night--then I can listen to my faaaavorite lullaby cd (Sing Over Me) while she eats or talk to her or have a light on low without ANY fear of disturbing Matt.  So we're going to go ahead with the big chair switch on Saturday!

While we were there, we thought we  might as well see what loveseats and couches were on clearance as we'd also like somewhere comfortable to sit in the basement while Asa/the kids play.  We completely agreed on a couch, and it should be delivered in May or early June (it's on back-order).  I can't believe we found BOTH furniture items we were looking for on sale and at the same place!  SUCH a praise and blessing.  We have been praising God for overseeing even the little, trivial details of our life and hopes. :)

On Saturday night Matt watched the movie again (seriously) while I sewed again.  I had seen these little onesie cuddly sacks on a blog and went to a site where they were sold.  I thought I could make one myself for MUCH cheaper, so I went for it.  I want to swap out the band of red polka dot fabric for some type of wiiiide grosgrain ribbon with red in it (and tie it in a bow in front), but other than that it's complete!  I LOOOVE little sacks--they're so great for easy diaper changes and babies with little kicky legs.  Asa would often kick his legs and scrunch them up to his stomach such that they'd get stuck in the tummy of his sleepers and then he couldn't get his legs back into the actual legs of the sleepers and get frustrated and fussy.  Little sleeping gowns were the perfect solution. :)  I think this will be perfect for lounging around the house, and I love that it has Anna Reaghan's monogram. ;)

Sunday:  Brought us EASTER!!  Christ is risen, indeed!!!  Hallelujah!  We got ready for church and were very pleasantly surprised to find it PACKED OUT.  That was really cool to see. :)  Asa cried when we dropped him off in the nursery for the first time in awhile, but he was okay when we picked him up.  I set up with the nursery director to complete my nursery orientation this coming Sunday, and then I'll be on the schedule every 4th Sunday (until Anna Reaghan arrives).  I am excited to serve in the nursery as they have so lovingly welcomed us and Asa!  After church we went to the house of friends from our small group.  They do not have family nearby either, and they thoughtfully invited us to join them for Easter lunch.  They have a little girl Asa's age, and a little boy 3 years older.  There were lots of cars and trucks around to keep Asa very entertained. ;)  And they had a cat, Honey, whom Asa met.  I'm not sure he'd ever seen a cat in person before and he was verrrrrry intrigued.  Now when he sees a cat, he says, "Honey!!"  Doesn't miss a thing. ;)  He also seemed to actually enjoy cake for the first time, taking a total of maybe 6ish bites before he was done.  Asa doesn't have a particularly sweet tooth and usually eats 3 bites of cake/cupcakes MAX... IF that.  No complaints here, and he hasn't been exposed to cakes/cookies much since we are still careful with dairy, but it was fun to see him enjoy it so much. :)

After a nap at home, we gave Asa his Easter basket. 

We got him a McQueen and Mater from the Cars stories (he has only read 1 storybook about Cars, never seen a video of it, but has really latched onto the characters from that 1 book) that he was THRILLED about!  His eyes just lit up and he grinned.  It was precious--you love finding something your child loves. :) 

We also got him some placemats now that he prefers to eat at the table instead of with the tray attached to his booster seat.  Two of the 3 we ordered arrived in time for Easter, and Asa is quite pleased with the trucks and farm animals on the table now.. just wait until the DOGGY placemat arrives! :) 

Our last Easter basket goodies were a harmonica (he LOOOVED hearing it at Caroline's house in TN), a book about Easter, and some toddler 100% fruit snacks he LOOVES (and calls "yummies" instead of "gummies"). :)

He is thrilled with both, and even this morning spotted the harmonica, brought it to me, and said, "Song!"  He hasn't figured out how to play it yet himself, but he just laughs and laughs and bounces along if you play it for him.  He is quite taken with the book as well and we have read it several times.  I want to build a collection of books about the real reasons we celebrate various holidays, and Easter was a perfect opportunity for my little bookworm to get another book. ;)  My parents sent some new pjs and some stickers, and Asa wore his new pjs last night (car!  zoom!  zoom!) and asks for more stickers frequently. :)  We're so glad he enjoyed his basket so much and that we could give him some little gifts to celebrate the gift of Jesus Christ

 enjoying his "yummies"

 See me drink from a cup?  I see you!

 Our trees FINALLY bloomed... on Easter Sunday!  NEW LIFE! :)

We had a very low-key dinner last night, then Asa had a FUN daddy bath before bed (he was faaaading fast from his big Easter day and a bath is a great way to stretch him to a reasonable bedtime).  After he was in bed, we took care of dishes and things around the house, Matt called his parents to catch up with them, and then we watched a movie (a different one!).


Next weekend is supposed to be warm (70!!!!!) AND sunny (lately if it gets to the 60s/low 70s, it's also rainy and stormy).  I don't know yet how we'll take advantage of that, but we'll find SOME way I'm sure. :)

We hope you had a sweet Easter celebration of our RISEN Lord and Savior!

Weekend Rewind

Our weekend was rather low key as we were all fighting off a cold.

Friday:  We all felt pretty crummy on Friday, so we took it pretty easy.  Asa really started to seem congested on Friday, and you could just tell he didn't feel well.  Matt picked up dinner for us on the way home, and Asa eventually ate some.  He pretty much lost it (crying, upset) at the beginning of dinner, and he ate less than usual all day.  But we got some food into him and then got him in bed.  Later Matt went to Sonic to get us milkshakes to ease our throats. :)  We pretty much kicked back and tried to rest and not cough our heads off. :)

Saturday:  Matt and Asa woke up with some notable relief.  Starting Friday night, I felt like my asthma was kicking in a little.  I went to take my inhaler before bed and noticed it expired (good news:  I hadn't taken it since I was pregnant with Asa! Bad news:  not taking it for so long = not paying attention to its expiration date).  Saturday morning I woke up much tighter and could tell my breathing was beyond what was acceptable for making sure Anna Reaghan is getting enough oxygen.  I called my doctor, she called in a new prescription, and we hoped that would do the trick to get air flowing more freely again.  Matt got to go out with his boss/friend and blow some ammo in the woods.  They had a really good time :), and I was thankful Matt not only got to have some guy time but also that it coincided quite nicely with Asa's nap on Saturday.  He came home right around when Asa woke up, so I had help for the rest of the day when I was really not feeling well.  Between being 6 months pregnant and sick, just going up the stairs felt like running a marathon.  Saturday night we set up our Wii for some fun and got a little carried away playing Lego Star Wars.  Aren't we the most enthralling couple?  It's actually a SUPER fun game, Matt loves how it follows the plot of each movie, and I love how it's very kid-oriented (but still very entertaining) so it's not frustrating. :)

Sunday:  I knew Asa should not be in the nursery with a runny nose and I was in no shape to be at church and possibly pass along the cold.  Matt was still recovering and stayed home to help me with Asa was well.  My inhaler was making a difference, but I was still pretty tight (thankfully by today, Tuesday, I could tell a significant difference when I woke up!!).  We played in the basement some, walked around the yard a couple times to get outside even though it's still cold, and enjoyed a fun day together.  Asa LOVES having his daddy home on the weekend, and on Sunday that was very apparent. :)  Asa had a bath late in the afternoon (he only took one nap, so we were working toward an early bedtime), and just when I would have dried him off he asked Matt to get in too.  He LOVES when Matt throws on swim trunks and gets in the tub with him.  They make cars race down the sides of the tub and do lots of splashing.  On Sunday they had their biggest splash-fest yet!

Overall, it was a bummer to be sick but we tried to make the most of it and had really sweet times as a family.  Oh the memories we are making! :)

Week/end Rewind

I didn't get any other posts up last week other than the wedding weekend recap.  Whew!  It's not even that we were that busy, I guess just enjoying some slow days before newborn days begin again and making the most of being in the house while it's still COLD--hopefully spring will arrive in earnest very, very soon. ;)

We had our usual outings:  Bible study on Wednesday, the grocery store, etc.  I was thankful to see on Wednesday that Asa was so engaged in playing that he wasn't clamoring at the door in distress when moms started arriving to pick up their children from the nursery (like he does on Sundays).  Bible study is winding down.  This is the last week of study, then there's a week of overview and a final luncheon.  It has passed so quickly!  I am hoping to sign up for the Fall Bible study and go whenever Anna Reaghan's (& Asa's) sleeping permits. ;)  Even if I only get to go a couple times, I know enough ladies now that it would be a blessing to me and not feel weird to just pop in now and then.

The weekend:
Friday:  Asa and I had a pretty low-key day around the house.  He napped late in the afternoon which turned out to be great.  A friend needed help retrieving car seats from her husband's car at the airport, and I volunteered Matt's services. :)  It ended up being a bit of a time intensive endeavor, and Matt didn't get home until 10:30!  In the meantime, Asa napped late, had a late dinner, had a fun bath , and then went down to bed late (and slept in Sat. morning--woo hoo!).  My most significant aversion during this pregnancy has been Italian food--well, Italian food in a tomato based sauce.  SOMETIMES lately, I'll think I could probably stomach spaghetti, lasagna, or cacciatore, but I do not write them into our weekly menu because I never know if I'll have an "I could probably eat that" day or a "don't even THINK about it" kind of day.  On Friday, I thought I could probably stomach it, Matt's been missing spaghetti for 6 months now, so I surprised him with a spaghetti dinner waiting on him when he arrived home at 10:30.   Then we fell asleep watching tv.

Saturday:  As I mentioned, Asa slept in!  That rarely happens, even if he goes to bed late (which pretty much never happens at home, because I admit I'm a pretty big stickler about bedtime... I KNOW my child and he will reverse his sleeping if you extended his waking hours ;)).  It was a blessing to get a little more rest before we heard our favorite little boy voice talking over the monitor. :)  We had a list of possible things to do and a honey-do lists for Matt.  He whipped right through it!  First we actually went to a craft show over by where we used to live.  Many of the same vendors were there whom we saw at the winter craft show, including the BOW LADY!  I was SOOO excited!  She makes ADORABLE hair clips, and when we went in the winter we did not yet know if we were having a baby boy or girl.  When we walked into the venue on Saturday, I said to Matt, "Oh!  I wonder if the bow lady is here again!!"  I turned around and was looking right at her booth.  Yea!  I have been saving pictures of lots of novelty bows to make myself, but we bought two that looked a bit more complicated:  a hedgehog clip and a ballerina slippers clip.  If Anna Reaghan is born with as much hair as Asa was, she'll be able to wear hair clips right away.  But just in case, we also bought a few crocheted headbands the clips can be attached to. :)  Our other purchase was two small fabric birds Asa saw and was instantly attached to.  One is made of a shaggy pink chenille--it's Anna Reaghan's, the other is made from a yellow cotton--Asa's.  Although he held them both, clutched to his chest, the rest of the time we were at the craft show and the next 2 stores we stopped at!  After the craft show, we stopped by 3 stores looking at carpet remnants.  We want to put carpet down (not installed, but lay it down) in half of the "finished" basement to make it a bit more cozy.  The first store had nothing that worked for us, the second had a strong contender, and that strong contender turned out to be THE contender after checking the third store.  So when we are ready, we know exactly which carpet we want to purchase.  Asa LOOOVES playing in the basement even now, but I'm also looking forward to having a cozy half of the room to play in.

As for Matt's honey-do list, he completed the final step of setting up my car's homelink to the garage door opener (it involved using a ladder which I figured would be frowned upon at 6 months pregnant ;)), fixed a setting on our tv, and collected our local bank's online access information for me (in the busyness of the move, I guess we never added my name to the account he started when we moved here--it's not our primary bank so it's not a significant issue, but I at least wanted online access until we can stop by the local branch and add me to the account).

Lastly, the GROOM from last weekend called Matt to catch up while driving a moving van to his new home.  It reallllly blessed Matt to hear from Tyson already and they had a great time talking.  Hooray for Tyson & Anne setting up their first home together!!

Sunday:  We went to church, ate a quick lunch at home so we could get Asa down for a nap, looked for a fw things in the basement I needed Matt to bring up for me, and enjoyed relaxing (for me that meant prepping some sewing projects :)) while he napped.  When Asa woke up, we ran to Walmart for a few things.  It is still awfully chilly here, but Asa has been asking to go outside for days, so Matt chased him (and Sammy) around the backyard for a little while when we got home.  I started dinner in the meantime,  and we all ate a yummy chili dinner. :)  Asa is a fan. :)  Asa was asking for a bath as soon as dinner was over (he loves baths), but with it still being cold/the heater running, we try not to do a bath EVERY day for him or his skin gets dry.  We distracted him with an offer to play downstairs in the basement instead (it was met with gusto!), and I sorted through more baby clothes pulling out gender neutral items for Anna Reaghan's closet while Matt and Asa played rice table, ball pit, and Asa raced back and forth across the room with his firetruck Duplo container.  He finished up with some sliding downstairs before we came back up to get ready for bed.  With only one nap on Sunday, he was more than ready and we got him all cozy in pjs, read his stories, and got him tucked in.  Matt and I cleaned up the dinner dishes, made s'mores (yum!) as a special weekend dessert treat, and enjoyed relaxing as the weekend drew to a close.

We both felt like this weekend afforded us lots of fun family time and a nice, slow pace. :)

Weekend Rewind

Thanks to Matt's building being without power on Friday and his business travel being canceled, we had another long, 3 day weekend together as a family!  WOO HOOO!!!

Friday:  We spent the morning playing with a very delighted Asa who was oh-so-happy to have Daddy around. :)  Around lunchtime, Matt and his boss took off to make their flight which was back on schedule.  Asa and I accessorized his snowman (post coming this week all about Asa's first snowman)--it was really fun to see his responses!  A little while later Matt called to tell me the flight was still on but his company canceled the trip; other participants were not able to make it due to the weather.  He turned around, grabbed a bite for lunch, and was home just a little while later!  Hooray!  We had a low key evening of hanging out, playing with Asa, and enjoying extra time together.

Saturday:  Asa slept in a smidge, he and I played, and then we woke Matt up after Asa had breakfast.  After Asa's nap and some lunch all around, we went on a few errands.  In particular, we needed an additional gate for the stairs in the basement at the new house.  Then we walked/chased Asa through a furniture store browsing for a comfy upholstered chair for his new room (he'll keep his chair until we find another one/Anna Reaghan arrives and it moves to her room).  He looooooves to run down the long, straight aisles of the furniture showroom. :)  We had another relaxed evening, Asa had a bath--he loooves splashing with his feet, and I fell asleep on the couch--a regular occurrence these days. ;)

Sunday:  I took Asa to church/Sunday school and Matt met a coworker at the new house to use his snowblower on the driveway that was buried under 6-8 inches of snow.  Our Sunday school class spends the 4th Sunday of each month prepping materials for the 2 & 3 year olds' classes, so we cut out a whoooole bunch of "palm branches" from construction paper for Palm Sunday.  The BIG EXCITING event was meeting our landlord in the afternoon to conduct a final walk through of the house and get KEYS!!!  We are officially renting the house!  Asa loooooved running all around and exploring all the nooks and crannies, which was especially easy to do in a completely empty house. :)  I measured a couple areas for furniture placement, sketched the bedrooms so I can figure out where things will go in them, and then we came home for lunch and to put Asa right in bed.  He took only one short nap (for the past several days, actually), and is TIRED!  I'm actually not SURE if we're seeing, "I'm almost 2" or "I'm working on eye teeth" or "I'm playing through my 2nd nap" or "You let me try some food with dairy this weekend"... or some combination of the above.  But he's been a little bit of a bear the past few days.  I'm hoping he'll catch up on sleep and that will help alleviate whatever is the root to at least some degree. :)

That sums up our weekend!  Later this week you'll get a full recap of Asa's first snowman.  You don't want to miss it!

Wordless Wednesday

 

Five on Friday

1.This week has felt fast and slow at the same time.  It's also been warm and cold.  We had been warm (70s-ish?), and then overnight it became cooooold and windy.  Our overnight lows are back below freezing even before the windchill.  BRRRRR!  The Florida in me says, "But it's only October!!" :)

2.  On Thursday Asa dressed up as a ducky for a moms group Halloween party.  I dare say he is the cutest little ducky you'll ever see. :)  When he got up in the morning, he hopped down from my lap where we were snuggling, walked over to his closet, petted the ducky costume hanging from the closet door handle, and then walked back to cuddle some more. :)  Here's one picture to tide you over until a full ducky photo shoot post. :)

3.  I can't believe October is almost over!  As of Nov. 1, I have been in Ohio for 5 months.  It seems like much longer and much shorter at the same time.

4.  I tried to make oatmeal raisin cookies this week, but we didn't have any oatmeal.  I intended to enjoy a spoonful of dough before I baked them, so I'd held off on a the egg while I mixed them.  In the end, we've enjoyed a couple spoons of oatmeal raisin cookie dough (minus the oatmeal and raisins) for dessert the last 2 nights. :)  I kind of doubt it will actually turn into cookies at this point....

5.  We have family coming to visit soon and we are SOOO excited!  We can't wait for you to see all of Asa's newest tricks and to spend time together.  Hooraaaaay! :)

Too Cute Tuesday

aka "Thievery" ;)

This evening as I finished cleaning up after dinner, Asa saw his lunchbox (what I take his meals in when we go out to eat, etc.) and asked to see it.  It was clear he wanted to get into what was inside: some plastic forks, a bib, etc.  I unzipped both compartments a little and handed it to him.  He happily sat on the floor and played while I finished the dishes.

I turned around to see Asa, who oh-so-recently had distinctly signed "all done," snacking on a cracker with a huge grin on his face!  I forgot I had a few crackers in his lunchbox from when we went out to eat for our anniversary!  He was quite satisfied with himself.

Here's my sneaky guy in action:



The evidence



And here's his partner in crime!



The nibble Sammy took resulted in tears from Asa.  He loves to feed her a cracker--is downright giddy about it--until he realizes his cracker is gone.  More of that cause-and-effect exploration I suppose. ;)

May all your crackers be crunchy today. :)

Weekend Recap

We had a great weekend!  The weather was gorgeous and we got to take great advantage of that!

On Friday night we had our usual homemade pizza for dinner.  I tried making a bbq chicken pizza... it wasn't bad but it wasn't our favorite.  Matt topped it off with yummy ice cream from Handel's for dessert after Asa was asleep.  Dark chocolate peanut butter ripple is my current flavor of choice. :)  Matt had deep dish apple pie ice cream.  We relaxed with a few episodes of Dr. Quinn on dvd.  Yes, I do have the best husband in the world for watching that with me. :)

On Saturday we went to a craft show after lunch.  It was organized by the Lion's club and held at the local high school.  The artisans were really friendly and it was fun to see all the crafts.  I do enjoy a good art show, but I realllly like a good craft show.. you know, fun homespun kinds of things as opposed to expensive paintings and photograhpy.  Lots of Christmas decor, several things I sew for myself and gifts, and I always love getting new ideas (and I did walk away with a few).  We had fun and even picked up a couple Christmas presents.  After the craft show we treated ourselves to Taggert's ice cream (I know, 2 days in a row!).  If Mom had come to town, that was my plan for the day and I still wanted to keep the fun (minus Mom... Matt was a good stand-in, I do have to say).  Saturday night Asa and I joined Sammy and Matt for her evening walk.  Asa walked with me instead of riding in his stroller!  We finished up by going out onto the golf course.  We walked until we were a ways from the road and then I let go of Asa's hand and Matt gave Sammy plenty of line on her leash so they could run and play.  It was fun to see Asa walking all over and trying to figure out how to go up and down hills.  He also discovered a sand trap on the course.  You know he loved that. ;)  Lastly, before bed we let Asa try his new Aquadoodle.  He l.o.v.e.d it.  I think his next word will be "dot" because we taught him how to make them and say "dot dot dot" over and over.  He's definitely trying :), and he cried when we had to stop to get ready for bed.

On Sunday we were blessed to worship at the church we've been attending here.  I know I've worked hard to call the house in Florida "the" house in Florida and not "our" house, because it's not ours anymore and it helps me not feel like it is.  But I do have to say, when I think of "our" church the only thing that comes to mind is CCC in Florida.  I don't know when I'll be able to call the church here "our church."  So bear with me while I remains "the church we go to here." ;)  Asa had his usual sobs when I took him to the nursery, but he was playing alongside a buddy happy as a lark when we picked him up (praise the Lord!), and the caregiver seemed rather fond of him when she brought him to me (melt this momma's heart!). :)  After Asa's nap on Sunday we ventured to a new park.  We started on a small, little kid playground and then visited the big one.  Asa definitely went into "this is new, I am taking it all in" with very few smiles mode; my little introvert. :)  But he decided the slide was fun on about the 3rd try, and he loved feeling the different playground textures... mulch, gravel, sand, plants.  He was in explore mode... hunt and gather for new info.  Not only is he my little introvert, he has plenty of his daddy's engineering mind in him as well... always evaluating. :)  I'll post pics and a video from the park later this week, so stay tuned!

I'm so thankful we had such BEAUTIFUL weather to go OUT and play before winter really settles in.  We're told it could snow before the end of this month (!!), so an upswing to 82 degrees with clear skies was a perfect way to make some fall memories. :)

5 on Friday

1.  Tooth #9 has arrived!  Asa's had 7 "front" teeth + 1 molar for awhile now.  He was missing the front tooth to the right of center on the bottom, but the corner broke through today!  Yea!

2.  I'm so glad the tooth is almost all the way through, because it's made my usually happy, easy going little guy a bit more of a fussy, bewildered bear.  He had a grumpy spell in the nursery during Bible study on Wednesday and when we got home.  That is when I realized he was either getting a tooth or coming down with something.  Praise the Lord it's a tooth!  Hopefully he'll have full relief soon.  I don't know the last time (if ever) I gave him pain meds during the day for a tooth, but I did on Wednesday and then he was good as new.

3.  It's almost the weekend!  We are going to a craft show at a local high school.  I was hoping to go with my mom, but she had to stay in TN instead.  I told Matt he's her stand-in... we'll see how he measures up. ;)

4.  I don't know why it took me so long to remember, but I finally realized Asa's favorite dinner is an EASY one to sneak extra veggies into!  He loves spaghetti, so I've been added carrots, squash, green beans, you name it (fork mashed) into his helpings of sauce.  He is none the wiser, and I feel like he's getting a great variety for a picky young toddler.  Woo hoo!

5.  After the craft show on Saturday, we're going to celebrate a slight upswing in temps (70 degrees) with ice cream from a fun place in a nearby town.  If we are graced with your company up here in Ohio, we'd love to take to you have some!  Come see us!

Six on Saturday

I missed yesterday, so here's a quick weekend update. :)

1.  We made it to our 2nd Bible study this week on Wednesday morning, and Asa did GREAT in the nursery again!  I think they had only 3 or 4 babies in his room again this week as well.

2.  I am almost done with a very overdue gift.  I just have 2 steps left.  I am excited that I'm almost done and hope the recipient likes it!  I'll post pics after it's been received on the other end. :)

3.  Asa and I went to the dollar store to scout crafting materials and hit the jackpot.  I'm most excited about a Christmas gift idea and buying cheeeeap board books to modge podge into personalized board books for Asa!!

4.  I pulled out my fall decorations boxes on Friday and it's so fun to have our fall things out.  Asa loves our leaf pumpkin and mini soft scarecrow the best.  It's so funny to think he was completely oblivious to these things a year ago, and now he notices each and every one!

5.  Our high on Friday jumped up to 90, but Saturday's high was 63!!  Welcome back, Fall!  It feels soooo nice outside. We've been enjoying lots of fun times like Asa's first chalk experience!

6.  Today we also took advantage of the glorious weather by visiting (and becoming members of) the Akron Zoo.  It is a very nice zoo (though much smaller than the one we go to in TN), but it's just the right size for a quick spin with our little guy.  The tigers were his favorite.  One was RIGHT in front of the glass panel, and Asa squealed with delight (and signed dog over and over and over again). :)

Boy's Best Friend

So really I am going to take credit for being Asa's best friend. Well, I'll actually share that role with his super fun daddy, too. ;)  But Sammy is a VERY close second to us.  Asa LOVES his doggy!  When he's nursing in the morning after he wakes up, we'll often hear Sammy's collar clinking as she walks around the kitchen.  Asa's eyes open wide, he listens, signs dog, and becomes very excited to see Sammy once we join her downstairs. :)  One of his faaavorite things to do right now is play with her in the kitchen.  He follows her all around the kitchen patting her head and back, saying and signing doggy, squealing with delight and a hilarious belly laugh.  Sammy is handling it beautifully, I must add.  Anyway, I know you cannot see the THRILL on Asa's face too well here (he wasn't exactly holding still), but trust me when I tell you we had one VERY happy boy when we picked Sammy up from the "spa" upon our return from our Labor Day road trip.

To illustrate:  a very sleep, desperate for cuddles Asa after waking from his afternoon nap (he wants to cuuuuuuddle and cuuuuuuddle after his afternoon nap each day.  He wraps his arms around me with his head buried in my neck, raises his head to look at me and make sure I'm still there, then nestles his head back into my neck and cuddles some more.  I.love.it).

In contrast, a very excited, can't hold still, desperate to pat his doggy Asa about an hour later when she was home.  When we picked her up, Matt took her outside to relieve herself before our drive home :), and I waited with Asa inside the vet office while they collected her blankie (yes, she has a blankie).  Asa fussed and struggled to follow after his Sammy dog.  He didn't want her out of his sight!  He was glad to be right beside her when she had dinner that night.

 

Big Boy Carseat Update

Asa is still loving his big boy carseat (Britax Boulevard CS)!  Our Labor Day travels were his first road trip in it, and he took the best car trip naps he has taken in a long time!  He slept about 45 minutes each time (instead of 15-20 in the bucket seat) and he would usually drift off instead of crying and crying first.  YEA!  We love that he's more comfortable, can see out the windows better, and happier.  Hip hooray!

He tends to fall asleep in his new seat more easily around town, too.  It's not uncommon for him to drift off on the way home from church since he misses his morning nap on Sundays.  Here's some photographic evidence of the ease with which he nods off now that he's nice and comfy. :)

On our way back from the farmer's market one Saturday (we went to one about an hour away).  One minute he was looking out the window and playing with his truck.  The next minute, he was out (this was his first time falling asleep in the new seat).

This is actually in G-Ma's car/carseat when she came to visit (his first time facing forward, too!).  He fell asleep on the way home from church.

Once again, Asa fell asleep on the way home from the county fair.

5 on Friday

1.  Asa had his check up on Wednesday.  We tried a new pediatrician here in town (we went to one when we *first* moved here and Asa had croup.  He was nice but just not the right fit for me).... and the verdict is GOOD!  I think she's as close as we'll find to Dr. Kelly up here in Ohio without actually visiting every pediatrician in town. :)  She had a great bedside manner with Asa, completing her exam with him in my lap the whole time (check!), she did not make me feel rushed at all or stupid (check!), she was receptive to how we've handled vaccines (check!), and she was super complimentary about Asa (check check! ;) ).

2.  Speaking of which, Asa is doing GREAT!  He is up to 22 lbs. 2 oz. (he has gained exactly 10 lbs. since we found out about his tongue tie the end of January/beginning February!  So 10 lbs. in 8 months vs. gaining 5 lbs. his first 7 months!  Improvement?  I think yes!  He's also gained just shy of 4 lbs. (3 lbs. 14 oz.) in the last 3 months!  I love the math!  Praise the Lord!).  His height has taken longer to get on the upswing with his increased intake, but it's finally catching up as well (just short of 30").  He is more the size of your average 12 month old, but ever since he fell off the curves his size has been about 3 months "behind" his age.  He is chipping away at that difference though and slowly closing the gap.  We are SOOOO thankful!  The doctor commented on how talkative he is and said his vocabulary is already what she'd see in an 18 month old, and she noted how developed his fine motor skills are.  That was fun because every doctor has commented on that from the very beginning. :)  They gave me an infant gown to put on him while we waited.  Asa looked at me like I was crazy when I was putting it on him, and he kept tripping on it as he tried to walk around the exam room.  I couldn't help but take a picture!

3.  We also had a big morning in Wednesday (the doctor appointment was in the afternoon).  We went to our first Bible study here in Ohio!  The women's study at the church we've been attending started last week when we were visiting family out of town, so this week was our first chance to go.  We are studying Cynthia Heald's Becoming a Woman of Simplicity.  Asa was in the nursery with 3 other "under 2s."  He did GREAT!  He cried when I left (to be expected), but he was already calming when I left the nursery corridor AND he played happily the whole 2 hours!!  During church he's only in the nursery for 1 hour max (we keep him in with us for worship until the sermon begins), so this Bible study nursery was a huge step (and praise!).  I love the head nursery lady at the church.  She already knows us by name and could not be sweeter to Asa.  She even told me on Sunday that she missed him not coming last Wednesday!  The first hour of Bible study is a whole group "teaching" time, and the second hour is broken down into small, consistent (yea for getting to know people!) discussion groups.  My group had 3 other ladies in addition to the leader.  I'm definitely the youngest person in the study, and most of the ladies are old enough to be grandmothers, but that's okay!  I'm just so thankful to be there and have the opportunity to learn and make friends!

3.  I have been on a roll with dinners this week.  On Monday I made the teriyaki burgers, Tuesday was the oriental chicken salad, Wednesday was a yummy pot roast with loads left over for another dinner in the freezer, Thursday was not mind-blowing but ham and veggies is turning into an extra freezer dinner of scalloped potatoes and ham from the leftovers--yum!, tonight was homemade pepperoni and artichoke heart pizza, tomorrow is peachy pork chops, and Sunday is chicken tortilla soup.  I am racking up lots of meals for the freezer which I love. I'm hoping to always have a week's worth of dinners in the freezer this winter in case a snow storm keeps me homebound when I'm low on groceries.

4.  Matt's new video game (Halo Reach) was released this week.  He's excited to say the least. ;)

5.  I broke out my serger today!  I wanted to make some little cloth bags for storing some of Asa's toys when he's not playing with them (namely some awesome alphabet blocks Holli & Todd gave us and Asa's toy cars), and I figured the serger would make strong reinforced seams that would withstand the tugging of an active toddler. :)  Thankfully, my grandmother left the serger completely threaded for me, so all I had to do was plug it in, turn it on, and refresh myself on a couple levers and buttons.  The I was off and running (thanks for the lesson, Grandma!).  I have a dedicated craft space in our room now (I used to sew in the dining room in FL which was easy enough to keep Asa out of when needed.  Now we have a medium-sized great room Asa is in all day long... not conducive to sewing with all the needles and scissors and such spread out, much less that my sewing mess isn't great for the dinner table ambiance ;)).  Our bedrooms is huge and I have taken over the far side with Matt's blessing and encouragement. I have a bookshelf of sewing books, 2 sets of cubbies--one for sewing materials and one for misc. craft items, a desk for sewing, and a table for cutting, the serger, whatever else have you.  I am LOVING it. :)

So this is not the crafting center in our room, but it IS our new bed frame, as promised :)

10 on Tuesday

I missed posting 5 on Friday last week when we were out of town, so I thought I'd make up for it today!

1.  We spent last week traveling to visit our families.  We usually try to make a summer road trip earlier in the year, but Matt hadn't been at his new job long enough to take time off when our normal vacation week rolled around.  We decided to take advantage of Labor Day week instead and visit both our families in TN and SC.

2.  The timing was GREAT because we got to see both our  moms ON their birthdays!!  HOORAY!!

3.  Asa had LOTS of great cousin time.  I LOVE that he can truly interact with them now.  It was his first time seeing his cousin Izzy in SC and really interacting with her (he last saw her at Christmas when he was 6 months old).  Fun, fun, fun time with cuzzies! :)

4.  Sammy endured a week at the "spa."  She definitely lost weight and they told us she refused dinner (at least for the day we picked her up... by the looks of her I'd say she refused it more nights than that), but that's her usual response when we're gone for a longer trip.  She is verrrrry glad to be home and enjoying some extra attention. :)

5.  It is FALL here now.  We're told the temps changed the weekend we left.  Highs are now in the low 70s or high 60s and evenings are getting into the 40s!  The highs were still low 90s/high 80s when we left!  This is CRAZY (but wonderful!  I need to enjoy every minute though, because I have NO idea when winter will hit instead!).

6.  I switched out Asa's clothes to prep for this cooler weather.  It made me sad to pack up some favorite outfits, but judging by the new clothes hanging in his closet, there are plenty of new favorites to be found!

7.  We bought a new bed frame.  When we were first married, we got a particle board/put together bookshelf headboard.  I loved the bookshelf feature even though that's not particularly grown up or romantic, I guess.  Anyway, it kind of just barely made the move from the townhouse in FL to the house in FL.  It was jerry-rigged (particle board holds up so well ;) ) and definitely not going to survive a move across the country to OH!  We've had our mattress on plain rails since our belongings arrived which is fine, but didn't feel very homey or inviting to me.  I scoped out a furniture store that runs sales on bed frames each week.  We ended up with a sleigh bed!  It's a cherry finish and we really like it.  It really helps finish off our room--I'll try to post pictures soon!

8.  Asa tried some new foods this week and liked one of them!  He decided sloppy joe sauce is DELICIOUS. :)  HE couldn't get enough!  He also liked baked beans for a short amount of time (4 bites' worth) and then changed his mind. :)

9.  Asa is growing!  Today he is wearing a pair of jeans that are size 12-18 months!  I think this is the first (or mayyyybe 2nd) time he's worn something that was the same size as his age!  Wow!  To be fair, they are a small 12-18 months, but they fit in the waist and the length!  Asa has a check up tomorrow with a new ped (please pray it's a good fit!), so we'll know his official stats soon!

10.  We (Asa and I) begin Bible study tomorrow!  He's stayed in the nursery during church up to an hour, and Bible study is 2 hours, so that will be new and different for him.  But the same ladies work on Wednesday mornings and said they missed him last week. :)  I am so thankful for our smooth transition to using church nursery.  God has really covered that big change for both Asa and me!

And speaking of our sweet boy, I hear him talking to himself upstairs. :)  He's up from his nap and ready to roll again!

5 on Friday

1.  We averted disaster (really it was just God).  The basement of the place we're renting is half finished. In the unfinished half we have our laundry area and then boxes and boxes of things that just didn't work now that we lost some living space and/or weren't worth unpacking knowing we hope to find a house to rent at the end of our lease.  Stacks and stacks of cardboard boxes.  Cardboard boxes that are certainly not impervious to water!  And water we had!  The HVAC drain line was leaking apparently, only at some point it must have been more like a gush based on the areas we found water and the puddle of standing water under the HVAC and water heater.  Only a handful of boxes got wet.  We have one more to check, but so far the contents of the soaked boxes have been no worse for the wear (praise the Lord!).  Plus for renting:  we didn't pay a dime for the repair. :)

2.  Asa and I went to the county fair on Wednesday morning.  We saw goats, geese, ducks, rabbits, guinea pigs, cows, hogs, and sheep!  The goats were the friendliest and Asa's favorite (and mine).  The rabbits came in a close second. :)  It was cute to see Asa's reactions to the various furry things he knew were not dogs but couldn't quite place. :)

3.  I took care of lots of odd jobs!  I finally closed our bank account in Florida.  I rerouted the last doctor bill the insurance denied while the COBRA neglected to inform the we had purchased the COBRA.  Hopefully everyone will get their money now--out of the insurance's pocket! ;)  I mailed a bunch of letters and pictures this week.  Paid bills.  It's nice to have those things off my to do list!

4.  We received Asa's 1 year portraits from our photographer in Florida!  I was slow in choosing which prints I wanted, but once I did we had a fast turn around.  I love, love, love them!  The free Picaboo book I made of Asa's first holidays came this week as well, and it's sooo fun!

5.  Asa is excited to see his G-Pa, G-Ma, Poppy, Nana, aunts, uncles, and cousins very soon!!!! :)

Five on Friday

1.  Asa's one year portraits were delivered today!!  I took a long time deciding which ones I wanted enlarged--the delay in receiving them is all me (not the photographer!  If you are in Gville, get in touch with Sheli Derato!).  I was sooo excited to see them.  It was a VERY happy delivery. :)

2.  Asa is still SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT.  Have I mentioned that yet?  For about 2 weeks now, he's been sleeping til about 7-8!  Occasionally Matt's getting ready for work activities wake him up before 7, but he pretty much goes back to sleep until a more reasonable time when that happens.  Hooray!

3.  I tried playing around with Asa's afternoon nap today.  In July I traded a before morning nap nursing session to an after nap nursing session with ease.  I appreciated knowing that if I needed to be away before a nap, someone else could now put him down for the morning rest time (no nursing before bed then).  Anyway, I tried putting him down without nursing before his afternoon nap... and it did not go swimmingly. ;)  He is not ready to trade the order of nursing and sleeping in the afternoon yet, and that's just fine.  I figured since the morning trade off when so easily, the afternoon switcheroo would be harder.  But no complaints, honestly!

4.  I hung some more things up around the house today; mostly pictures in our bedroom.  It adds a lot to the room though!  I really will post some pictures soon. :)

5.  Our low last night was FORTY-SEVEN degrees!  47!  In August!  How CRAZY is that?  We cracked our bedroom window open and our room was COLD this morning (even Matt said so, and he is always hot)!  I think Fall must arrive in Ohio before Christmas. ;)