1. My mom is visiting! She arrived on Wednesday, and it's bliss! And she'll be back SOON--whenever Anna Reaghan is born. :) With her help, the house/ironing pile are totally being whipped into shape! :) THANK YOU, Mom! Asa is ecstatic that she is here and asks, "Where Mine-uh?" whenever I get him up from a nap or in the morning... he has to make sure she hasn't snuck off somewhere (Sunday morning ought to be fun when she won't be downstairs waiting for him to get up). He is also occasionally calling her G-Ma! And he's finally referring to my dad as G-Pa! :) It is so fun to see Asa and my mom enjoying each other SO much. Love, love, love.
2. Our new couch for the basement was delivered yesterday... except it was too long to fit into the basement doorway! It was too tall for a straight shot, and there's a corner near the basement door that prevented any angled maneuvers. We figured any couch (it's not an extra long couch or anything) would give us similar problems, so the store took it back and is delivering a love seat from the same collection instead--tomorrow! The basement will be so homey then as we put down our carpet piece last weekend... but that's a post in and of itself. Let's just say it's a comedy of errors to try to put carpet down when the scenario involves a huge thunderstorm complete with tornado sirens, a lady who's 9 months pregnant, a 15 ft. long roll of 18 ft. of carpet, and the corner that prevented the couch from going down to the basement.... among other things. Everyone survived, we laughed a lot (A LOT), and we all love the cushy carpet under our feet downstairs now.
3. This week I worked to set out larger baby gear items for Asa to get used to. The big swing is now set up (I put it in our room so Anna Reaghan can nap in there with some sound separation from Asa if he's playing in the living room or we're eating a meal while she rests, etc.). The bouncy seat is currently also in our room, but only because Asa is ENAMORED with playing music on all the baby gear and we're trying to spare the fresh batteries we put in things. :) The travel swing is upstairs so there's a place to put her besides on the floor if we're up playing in the kids' rooms or the loft (or eventually sewing? Someday? I know I'll have to take a hiatus, but I also remember how refreshing it was to sew again when I got around to it after Asa was born). Asa seems mostly to have quenched his investigative desires to try pushing the swing really hard, sit on the bouncy seat, etc. the first day they were set up. Now he likes to put Anna Reaghan's stuffed hippo into them, turn the music on, and cover hippo with a "cozy" blanket. What a sweet big brother he is already! :)
4. Matt was supposed to be traveling to California this weekend--I'm pretty sure I mentioned how that wasn't my favorite since it's so close to our due date ;)--but this trip was canceled! He still has to go next week, so please keep praying Anna Reaghan stays put. I'm thankful we eliminated one of the times Matt would be gone though. We're down to a 36 hour window next weekend.
5. I'm feeling well for being almost 37 weeks pregnant! I take it easy getting up off the floor when I've been playing with Asa, and I ask for Matt's help with little things I *could* do but it's easier to ask for help on (picking something I've dropped it, etc.), I'm tired but not exhausted (don't worry, I know that's coming ;))... the biggest change I've noted is that I have reached the stage where I am hungry at meals, etc. but Anna Reaghan is too big to allow me to eat very much. I eat about half of my meal and just can't take another bite I'm so stuffed. So I stop and if I get hungry later I have a snack. I vaguely remember this with Asa, but not as strongly. Then again, they think she might be up to 1/2 lb. bigger and I think I'm carrying her higher... she must be squishing my stomach more than he was!
That about catches you up on us! Stay tuned--the official "place your bets" invitation is coming very, very soon. Start thinking---what day will Anna Reaghan arrive, how much will she weigh, how long will she be, and if you want bonus points you can follow Brad's lead from Asa's guess collection and even include an estimated TIME of birth! I won the weight/length guess last time--I was SPOT ON! We were all off by daaaays with Asa's birth date of course (today is the anniversary of his due date, by the way). ;) It will be fun to see who's closest this time!
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Friday, June 10, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Five on Friday
1. Our week has been mostly low-key. Matt's parents came up last Saturday and stayed until Tuesday morning. It was so good to spend time with them, show them our new house, let them see Asa in his natural environment, etc. He showed them all his favorite things to play, adjusted their names (Poppy = Poppies and Nana = Nonny currently) :), and was his sweet, adorable self. :) We also took a yummy trip to Taggarts and each enjoyed a delicious ice cream treat on Monday when Matt took a half day. Mmmmmmmm.
2. We found out on Tuesday that I passed the glucose test for gestational diabetes, but we were surprised to find out I'm anemic. I was so bone-achingly exhausted during Asa's pregnancy but NOT anemic that I figured there was no way I was currently anemic. I mean I'm tired, but it's nothing I don't just push through. With Asa I napped all afternoon every day. Seriously. Looking back some things make sense--I've snacked more with this pregnancy, both to keep nausea at bay and for little boosts of energy (I did not snack in front of my students during Asa's pregnancy). And I'm super winded just going up the stairs or after a quick-paced conversation and I have to sit down during worship--standing + singing makes me very light-headed. The anemia explains those things. So now I'm adding an iron supplement 2x/day to the prenatal vitamins I take. Hopefully it will give me the boost Anna Reaghan and I need!
3. I finished my first dress for Anna Reaghan. I've had the material for a long time--for sure since before we knew Asa was a boy. Maybe even before I was pregnant with him. It was on clearance, adorable, and I just knew it would make a cute dress for SOMEone. I didn't know that someone would be OUR baby girl! I am really happy with how it turned out. :) I'm almost done with a second one (made from a different pattern), and deciding what's next on the crafting docket. :)
4. We are so thankful a family from our Bible study invited us to have Easter lunch with them. They do not have family nearby either, so it's a blessing for all of us to have someone to celebrate with. God has sweetly provided fellowship with Believers each Easter since we've been married--in FL we spent one in Orland with Uncle Randy and Aunt Janie, a couple with the Eubanks family, and Asa & I spent our last Florida Easter with 3 other families at the Frenches' house. Those are sweet memories, and we look forward to making new ones this Sunday.
5. Asa is learning new words ALL.THE.TIME (seriously, on a daily basis). TOO fun. And we've been able to introduce him to special phrases. My current favorite, in light of the season, is "Zanna! (Hosanna) Sus-jee is risen (Jesus is Risen)!" Hallelujah!
Playing with his Easter train ("Eater tane")
silly smile
favorite activity: reading (he snatched the journal where I record something he does/says everyday and pretended to read it)
2. We found out on Tuesday that I passed the glucose test for gestational diabetes, but we were surprised to find out I'm anemic. I was so bone-achingly exhausted during Asa's pregnancy but NOT anemic that I figured there was no way I was currently anemic. I mean I'm tired, but it's nothing I don't just push through. With Asa I napped all afternoon every day. Seriously. Looking back some things make sense--I've snacked more with this pregnancy, both to keep nausea at bay and for little boosts of energy (I did not snack in front of my students during Asa's pregnancy). And I'm super winded just going up the stairs or after a quick-paced conversation and I have to sit down during worship--standing + singing makes me very light-headed. The anemia explains those things. So now I'm adding an iron supplement 2x/day to the prenatal vitamins I take. Hopefully it will give me the boost Anna Reaghan and I need!
3. I finished my first dress for Anna Reaghan. I've had the material for a long time--for sure since before we knew Asa was a boy. Maybe even before I was pregnant with him. It was on clearance, adorable, and I just knew it would make a cute dress for SOMEone. I didn't know that someone would be OUR baby girl! I am really happy with how it turned out. :) I'm almost done with a second one (made from a different pattern), and deciding what's next on the crafting docket. :)
4. We are so thankful a family from our Bible study invited us to have Easter lunch with them. They do not have family nearby either, so it's a blessing for all of us to have someone to celebrate with. God has sweetly provided fellowship with Believers each Easter since we've been married--in FL we spent one in Orland with Uncle Randy and Aunt Janie, a couple with the Eubanks family, and Asa & I spent our last Florida Easter with 3 other families at the Frenches' house. Those are sweet memories, and we look forward to making new ones this Sunday.
5. Asa is learning new words ALL.THE.TIME (seriously, on a daily basis). TOO fun. And we've been able to introduce him to special phrases. My current favorite, in light of the season, is "Zanna! (Hosanna) Sus-jee is risen (Jesus is Risen)!" Hallelujah!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Little Catch Up
So it's been about a week and a half since my last update. Oops! :) Asa and I took off to Tennessee for a quick visit with family before Anna Reaghan arrives. Her arrival should not not be imminent, but May is the last month I'll be able to travel home and it's full of all sorts of things going on back home that wouldn't make it possible for Mom to come get me (and we're saving Matt's time off for those early days and the holidays). She graciously came to retrieve us :), and we had FUUUN playing with cousins and one of Asa's little friends while we were in town. :)
We drove down on Thursday, and Asa was amazing in the car. He is usually awfully easy-going for how long he is strapped to a car seat. He's much more patient than I am--I wiggle and change positions constantly. He never made even one sound that was remotely fussy sounding. Incredible. The drive took up most of Thursday, and on Friday we tried to get Asa back into some kind of routine after being thrown off in by the car trip. We played outside a LOT and soaked up the beautiful Tennessee sunshine and spring time. Asa and I even accidentally had some rosy cheeks by the end of the day!
On Saturday Joy hosted a sweet gathering of my mom's closest friends and a few of my friends who still live in town to celebrate Anna Reaghan. I have never seen so much PINK in my life! I crack up and just how different this whole girl baby thing is from a boy baby... especially when it comes to clothes. :) Everything was incredibly thoughtful and the food was delicious (Joy's strawberry cake is amazing!), but the best part was seeing sweet friends who've known me and prayed for me for so long. I am so thankful, especially living far from home, to know we have an army of prayer warriors supporting us--even states away. :)
G-Pa played with Asa at home during the baby shower. They played outside at the water table and got soaked! :) One of Asa's uncles and a cousin came over to play during the shower as well, and I came home to find Asa alllll snuggled up in G-Pa's lap reading books (and in warm, dry clothes). It was a precious sight. :) We got the Bobe's down for a nap, and later in the evening Mimi came over (my mom's mom) for dinner on her very birthday! What a special lady to share the spotlight of the day with me. Our whole family party for her was on Sunday, but we still wanted to do something special on her very birthday. :)
On Sunday we got to worship at Cedar Springs and then have lunch with Brad & Joy and 2 of Asa's 4 Tennessee cousins. Asa actually ate as soon as we got home, and he played just long enough to see his cousins when they arrived after their church service. Then he was off to bed so he could be pleasant for the evening's birthday festivities. ;) Before the party we hopped over to my friend Rachel's house so we could catch up and Asa and her daughter Caroline could play. Caroline was so sweet to share everything in her playroom and Asa was mesmerized by her kazoo. :) Before we left, we played in her backyard and the kids had a few turns climbing up and sliding down the slide and a few pushes on the swings. :) All the fam came over that evening for yummy and fun grilled out birthday dinner in honor of my grandmother. I couldn't believe how all the cousins have grown!
On Monday and Tuesday we had more fun cousin time. I'm so glad we got to see ALL my family while we were in town, even though it felt like a quick trip! All the cousins are so sweet to Asa, and he just LOVES seeing them and copies whatever they do--he definitely came home with some new tricks to show Daddy. :)
Wednesday was spent back in the car driving to Ohio. Thankfully we had good weather, no car or road problems, and a cooperative traveler again. :) It's been fun to show Matt all our PINK! Mom stayed with us an extra day on this end so she wouldn't have to turn right around and drive back to TN by herself with basically no break. We had a leisurely day on Thursday and took care of a few minor errands before Asa showed G-Ma the huge park that's just a short distance from our new house. He loved going down the slide on the toddler playground and looking at the different structures (and giant tires) on the big kid playground, though he's not too sure of baby swings (he prefers the Fisher-Price kind that's very secure to the round baby swings at a park--those garner his "serious Asa" face). He loooooooved being "side! side!" (outside!) He isn't going to know what to do with himself when it warms up here in Ohio once and for all after being cooped up in the house all winter! :)
This morning we had a check-up with my doctor. I'm 28.5 weeks along (29 on Monday). Time is absolutely flying! I had the glucose tolerance test. Maybe I'm just naive, but I passed with flying colors with Asa, so I'm not anticipating a problem. It was a quick appointment as we have been so thankful to have another smooth, complication-free pregnancy. We have switched from appts. every 4 weeks to every 3 weeks now and will return for another appointment on May 6 (31 weeks), then one 3 weeks later (34 weeks), then 2 weeks later (36), and I think we switch to every week at 37 weeks. I can't believe we're at the point of going more frequently! The staff is always really friendly to Asa which I appreciate. I mean, goodness, they're in the baby business, but I know most people don't bring their little ones with them. They were super sweet to him today as Matt got held up at the office and couldn't meet me in time for the glucose test blood draw (he made it in time to hear Anna Reaghan's heartbeat, however ;)), so the nurses and I were working together to keep Asa occupied and distracted as he was a little clingy around all the strangers and Mommy having to do strange things. :)
That about catches you up on us! I hope to post pictures of Anna Reaghan's room soon. It's still a work in process as far as details, but we have her bedding in place and there are enough pieces coming together to give you a sneak peek. :)
We hope you have a wonderful weekend and a heart full of joy and worship this week as we celebrate and remember Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.
Christ is Risen!
We drove down on Thursday, and Asa was amazing in the car. He is usually awfully easy-going for how long he is strapped to a car seat. He's much more patient than I am--I wiggle and change positions constantly. He never made even one sound that was remotely fussy sounding. Incredible. The drive took up most of Thursday, and on Friday we tried to get Asa back into some kind of routine after being thrown off in by the car trip. We played outside a LOT and soaked up the beautiful Tennessee sunshine and spring time. Asa and I even accidentally had some rosy cheeks by the end of the day!
On Saturday Joy hosted a sweet gathering of my mom's closest friends and a few of my friends who still live in town to celebrate Anna Reaghan. I have never seen so much PINK in my life! I crack up and just how different this whole girl baby thing is from a boy baby... especially when it comes to clothes. :) Everything was incredibly thoughtful and the food was delicious (Joy's strawberry cake is amazing!), but the best part was seeing sweet friends who've known me and prayed for me for so long. I am so thankful, especially living far from home, to know we have an army of prayer warriors supporting us--even states away. :)
G-Pa played with Asa at home during the baby shower. They played outside at the water table and got soaked! :) One of Asa's uncles and a cousin came over to play during the shower as well, and I came home to find Asa alllll snuggled up in G-Pa's lap reading books (and in warm, dry clothes). It was a precious sight. :) We got the Bobe's down for a nap, and later in the evening Mimi came over (my mom's mom) for dinner on her very birthday! What a special lady to share the spotlight of the day with me. Our whole family party for her was on Sunday, but we still wanted to do something special on her very birthday. :)
On Sunday we got to worship at Cedar Springs and then have lunch with Brad & Joy and 2 of Asa's 4 Tennessee cousins. Asa actually ate as soon as we got home, and he played just long enough to see his cousins when they arrived after their church service. Then he was off to bed so he could be pleasant for the evening's birthday festivities. ;) Before the party we hopped over to my friend Rachel's house so we could catch up and Asa and her daughter Caroline could play. Caroline was so sweet to share everything in her playroom and Asa was mesmerized by her kazoo. :) Before we left, we played in her backyard and the kids had a few turns climbing up and sliding down the slide and a few pushes on the swings. :) All the fam came over that evening for yummy and fun grilled out birthday dinner in honor of my grandmother. I couldn't believe how all the cousins have grown!
On Monday and Tuesday we had more fun cousin time. I'm so glad we got to see ALL my family while we were in town, even though it felt like a quick trip! All the cousins are so sweet to Asa, and he just LOVES seeing them and copies whatever they do--he definitely came home with some new tricks to show Daddy. :)
Wednesday was spent back in the car driving to Ohio. Thankfully we had good weather, no car or road problems, and a cooperative traveler again. :) It's been fun to show Matt all our PINK! Mom stayed with us an extra day on this end so she wouldn't have to turn right around and drive back to TN by herself with basically no break. We had a leisurely day on Thursday and took care of a few minor errands before Asa showed G-Ma the huge park that's just a short distance from our new house. He loved going down the slide on the toddler playground and looking at the different structures (and giant tires) on the big kid playground, though he's not too sure of baby swings (he prefers the Fisher-Price kind that's very secure to the round baby swings at a park--those garner his "serious Asa" face). He loooooooved being "side! side!" (outside!) He isn't going to know what to do with himself when it warms up here in Ohio once and for all after being cooped up in the house all winter! :)
This morning we had a check-up with my doctor. I'm 28.5 weeks along (29 on Monday). Time is absolutely flying! I had the glucose tolerance test. Maybe I'm just naive, but I passed with flying colors with Asa, so I'm not anticipating a problem. It was a quick appointment as we have been so thankful to have another smooth, complication-free pregnancy. We have switched from appts. every 4 weeks to every 3 weeks now and will return for another appointment on May 6 (31 weeks), then one 3 weeks later (34 weeks), then 2 weeks later (36), and I think we switch to every week at 37 weeks. I can't believe we're at the point of going more frequently! The staff is always really friendly to Asa which I appreciate. I mean, goodness, they're in the baby business, but I know most people don't bring their little ones with them. They were super sweet to him today as Matt got held up at the office and couldn't meet me in time for the glucose test blood draw (he made it in time to hear Anna Reaghan's heartbeat, however ;)), so the nurses and I were working together to keep Asa occupied and distracted as he was a little clingy around all the strangers and Mommy having to do strange things. :)
That about catches you up on us! I hope to post pictures of Anna Reaghan's room soon. It's still a work in process as far as details, but we have her bedding in place and there are enough pieces coming together to give you a sneak peek. :)
We hope you have a wonderful weekend and a heart full of joy and worship this week as we celebrate and remember Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.
Christ is Risen!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Weekend Rewind
Here's our weekend rewind!
We received about 4+ inches of snow by mid-morning. Matt was supposed to fly out to Phoenix, but his flight was canceled. He and his boss found a later flight that was still on track, booked it, and went on their way. Thankfully, the roads between here and the airport city were clear enough to travel safely and off they flew! After a long layover in Philly, they finally made their way to Phoenix. Meanwhile, Mom, Asa, and I continued to work around the house. I was supposed to have a check-up for Anna Reaghan, but it was still very snowy at that point, and I try to avoid going out in the snow if Matt's not in town to rescue me if needed! I called and they rescheduled me for this week. Instead Mom ran out to run a few last errands for us while Asa napped. By this point, we were completely out of the townhouse as of Thursday (THANK YOU, MOM!!). We had a relaxing evening at home, Asa enjoyed a bath in his BIG new bathtub (well, it's in the master bathroom, but trust me, Asa has claimed it), and Matt's trip was off to a good start.
By Saturday all boxes were unpacked!!! We got to have more of a play day. When Asa got up from his nap we went out for some lunch and to order a wedding gift. We picked up some take out to reheat for dinner later and came back home to let Asa try for another nap. It was a no-go, but that meant he was ready to go to bed at a daylight savings time adjusted bedtime. :) Both nights, Mom and I watched an episode from Avonlea season 1 (girly sigh). Matt always teases me about that show, but who wouldn't love more sweet story lines on Prince Edward Island after reading and loving Anne of Green Gables?!
Sunday: Mom headed out for TN in the morning and Asa and I got ready for church. Matt boarded a plane to come home to us--yea!! I took pictures of the house to upload to Facebook--I'll try to post some here soon, and Asa was realllllly excited to have Daddy home again (it was very sweet). Asa walked around showing Matt various cars he has stashed in different toy places (as if Matt hadn't seen them before! Ha!). After Asa's rest time (he never slept--thank you, time change), we had dinner and then we went to play in the basement so Asa could show Matt the fun rice in his sand/water table downstairs. After Asa was in bed, Matt caught up with his parents and we received a WONDERFUL call from his boss telling him to stay home and hang out with his family on Monday to catch up from the move/his weekend trip to Phoenix! WOO HOOO!
It was wonderful to have Mom's company and help during the move and unpacking, and she even stayed a couple extra days when we found out Matt was booked last minute for the Phoenix trip. But we are thankful she made it back home and that Matt is back home with us. We get an extra day with Matt today to boot! What a blessing all around! :)
We received about 4+ inches of snow by mid-morning. Matt was supposed to fly out to Phoenix, but his flight was canceled. He and his boss found a later flight that was still on track, booked it, and went on their way. Thankfully, the roads between here and the airport city were clear enough to travel safely and off they flew! After a long layover in Philly, they finally made their way to Phoenix. Meanwhile, Mom, Asa, and I continued to work around the house. I was supposed to have a check-up for Anna Reaghan, but it was still very snowy at that point, and I try to avoid going out in the snow if Matt's not in town to rescue me if needed! I called and they rescheduled me for this week. Instead Mom ran out to run a few last errands for us while Asa napped. By this point, we were completely out of the townhouse as of Thursday (THANK YOU, MOM!!). We had a relaxing evening at home, Asa enjoyed a bath in his BIG new bathtub (well, it's in the master bathroom, but trust me, Asa has claimed it), and Matt's trip was off to a good start.
By Saturday all boxes were unpacked!!! We got to have more of a play day. When Asa got up from his nap we went out for some lunch and to order a wedding gift. We picked up some take out to reheat for dinner later and came back home to let Asa try for another nap. It was a no-go, but that meant he was ready to go to bed at a daylight savings time adjusted bedtime. :) Both nights, Mom and I watched an episode from Avonlea season 1 (girly sigh). Matt always teases me about that show, but who wouldn't love more sweet story lines on Prince Edward Island after reading and loving Anne of Green Gables?!
Sunday: Mom headed out for TN in the morning and Asa and I got ready for church. Matt boarded a plane to come home to us--yea!! I took pictures of the house to upload to Facebook--I'll try to post some here soon, and Asa was realllllly excited to have Daddy home again (it was very sweet). Asa walked around showing Matt various cars he has stashed in different toy places (as if Matt hadn't seen them before! Ha!). After Asa's rest time (he never slept--thank you, time change), we had dinner and then we went to play in the basement so Asa could show Matt the fun rice in his sand/water table downstairs. After Asa was in bed, Matt caught up with his parents and we received a WONDERFUL call from his boss telling him to stay home and hang out with his family on Monday to catch up from the move/his weekend trip to Phoenix! WOO HOOO!
It was wonderful to have Mom's company and help during the move and unpacking, and she even stayed a couple extra days when we found out Matt was booked last minute for the Phoenix trip. But we are thankful she made it back home and that Matt is back home with us. We get an extra day with Matt today to boot! What a blessing all around! :)
Friday, January 7, 2011
Five on Friday
It's my first 5 on Friday of 2011 and in almost a month!!
1. We had a wonderful time visiting both our families, first in SC and then in TN, to celebrate Christmas. Lots of time with family and friends and playtime with cousins and grandparents galore! :) Asa slept great (always a concern on the road) and really rolled with all the changes of routine and such. :) We are so thankful we got to see everyone and make more special memories. :)
2. We came back to GRASS in Ohio! Woo hooo!!!! It's gone again, but we got to enjoy seeing it for 3 whole days! Yippee!
3. I am behind on unpacking and putting things away because nausea really kicked back in with gusto when we returned home. I'm starting to get the house back in order from unloading the car though. We WILL get there!
4. We have my next appt. next Thursday. I imagine we'll schedule the big anatomy ultrasound at that appointment! We hope to know if we're having another boy or a girl next month, as long as the baby cooperates. :) I really do not have my heart set either way, but I AM praying it's beyond clear either way. That there is no room for doubt based upon whatever we see on the monitor. :) Boy name is set, bedding is not. Girl name is not set, bedding is. ;) We need to get cracking on the name in the next month or so, so we can introduce you when we find out!
5. We are celebrating our little family Christmas tomorrow morning. With Matt's travel right before Christmas, we didn't get to before we left town. It's kind of strange to me to be celebrating this long after Christmas, but that's okay! We're excited to get up tomorrow morning and have some special family time and our little family Christmas traditions. Hopefully I'll get some pictures up soon!
1. We had a wonderful time visiting both our families, first in SC and then in TN, to celebrate Christmas. Lots of time with family and friends and playtime with cousins and grandparents galore! :) Asa slept great (always a concern on the road) and really rolled with all the changes of routine and such. :) We are so thankful we got to see everyone and make more special memories. :)
2. We came back to GRASS in Ohio! Woo hooo!!!! It's gone again, but we got to enjoy seeing it for 3 whole days! Yippee!
3. I am behind on unpacking and putting things away because nausea really kicked back in with gusto when we returned home. I'm starting to get the house back in order from unloading the car though. We WILL get there!
4. We have my next appt. next Thursday. I imagine we'll schedule the big anatomy ultrasound at that appointment! We hope to know if we're having another boy or a girl next month, as long as the baby cooperates. :) I really do not have my heart set either way, but I AM praying it's beyond clear either way. That there is no room for doubt based upon whatever we see on the monitor. :) Boy name is set, bedding is not. Girl name is not set, bedding is. ;) We need to get cracking on the name in the next month or so, so we can introduce you when we find out!
5. We are celebrating our little family Christmas tomorrow morning. With Matt's travel right before Christmas, we didn't get to before we left town. It's kind of strange to me to be celebrating this long after Christmas, but that's okay! We're excited to get up tomorrow morning and have some special family time and our little family Christmas traditions. Hopefully I'll get some pictures up soon!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Five on Friday
It's been a little while since I posted...
1. Asa & I spent 3 weeks in TN! Matt joined us for the last 1/2 week/Thanksgiving. He asked me if I wanted to go home for a visit while he had some business travel, but that prevented him from coming to get me after 1 week. And if he came to get me the 2nd weekend, we would have turned around and come right back 3 days later for Thanksgiving (not my idea of fun really ever, but I especially didn't want to subject Asa to that many days of all day car rides so close together). While I was in TN, Asa had LOTS of fun time with G-Pa & G-Ma, Mimi, and his cousins. We also got to visit with several friends and I got to attend a baby shower for a friend. We missed Matt and feel very done being apart (6 weeks for the move, 1 week in July, 2.5 weeks before Christmas, plus another week or so back before the move for business travel with his old company and a few extra days smattered here and there for current company business travel... TOO MUCH), but I'm thankful for extra time with family. :)
2. We are hoping to get our Christmas tree tomorrow. We have a plan to gate it off so Asa can't play with it unsupervised, and we're going to hand our non-breakable, Asa-approved ornaments on the bottom 1/3 or so of the tree for when he IS allowed to touch. In addition, he has his own little tree with a few non-breakable ornaments that his grandparents sent him after seeing how much he loved our birthday count-down tree.
3. We had our first snow this week! I'll post a whole blog about it soon, but it was snowing on Wednesday morning when we woke up! It snowed off and on most of the day without any real accumulation but completely blanketing the golf course we live on. It was so cold overnight (13 with windchill, I believe) that the dusting that fell overnight covered the roads so truly everything was white! Then it snowed more yesterday AND this morning! There's a chance of snow every day until Monday. We are SOO not in Florida anymore! Crazy! Asa thinks the snow is very fun. We took a very bundled up, short walk in it on Wednesday and he kept holding his hand out trying to catch snow flakes. I took him out to play in it yesterday, and he loved shuffling his feet through the snow especially when he could get the snow to build up over the toes of his shoes and hide his feet. He liked to pat and move the snow around with his little mittened hands. And he didn't even mind when he toppled over and some got on his face! In fact, he sobbed when we came inside. He may be a Florida baby, but I'm thinking he's an Ohio toddler now. ;)
4. I ordered my 50 free Shutterfly cards. I need to write our Christmas letter and print it so it will all be ready to go as soon as the cards arrive. Free cards are a nice treat. :)
5. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my parents, grandmother, my brothers and their families, and my sister-in-law's family. The turkey was delicious and we even got to have left-over turkey sandwiches (with gravy--yum!). Asa is still in love with rolls and he even decided he liked rolls dipped in gravy. :) Attaboy! :) We hope you had a sweet time with family and thanking the Lord for His provision and faithfulness!
1. Asa & I spent 3 weeks in TN! Matt joined us for the last 1/2 week/Thanksgiving. He asked me if I wanted to go home for a visit while he had some business travel, but that prevented him from coming to get me after 1 week. And if he came to get me the 2nd weekend, we would have turned around and come right back 3 days later for Thanksgiving (not my idea of fun really ever, but I especially didn't want to subject Asa to that many days of all day car rides so close together). While I was in TN, Asa had LOTS of fun time with G-Pa & G-Ma, Mimi, and his cousins. We also got to visit with several friends and I got to attend a baby shower for a friend. We missed Matt and feel very done being apart (6 weeks for the move, 1 week in July, 2.5 weeks before Christmas, plus another week or so back before the move for business travel with his old company and a few extra days smattered here and there for current company business travel... TOO MUCH), but I'm thankful for extra time with family. :)
2. We are hoping to get our Christmas tree tomorrow. We have a plan to gate it off so Asa can't play with it unsupervised, and we're going to hand our non-breakable, Asa-approved ornaments on the bottom 1/3 or so of the tree for when he IS allowed to touch. In addition, he has his own little tree with a few non-breakable ornaments that his grandparents sent him after seeing how much he loved our birthday count-down tree.
3. We had our first snow this week! I'll post a whole blog about it soon, but it was snowing on Wednesday morning when we woke up! It snowed off and on most of the day without any real accumulation but completely blanketing the golf course we live on. It was so cold overnight (13 with windchill, I believe) that the dusting that fell overnight covered the roads so truly everything was white! Then it snowed more yesterday AND this morning! There's a chance of snow every day until Monday. We are SOO not in Florida anymore! Crazy! Asa thinks the snow is very fun. We took a very bundled up, short walk in it on Wednesday and he kept holding his hand out trying to catch snow flakes. I took him out to play in it yesterday, and he loved shuffling his feet through the snow especially when he could get the snow to build up over the toes of his shoes and hide his feet. He liked to pat and move the snow around with his little mittened hands. And he didn't even mind when he toppled over and some got on his face! In fact, he sobbed when we came inside. He may be a Florida baby, but I'm thinking he's an Ohio toddler now. ;)
4. I ordered my 50 free Shutterfly cards. I need to write our Christmas letter and print it so it will all be ready to go as soon as the cards arrive. Free cards are a nice treat. :)
5. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my parents, grandmother, my brothers and their families, and my sister-in-law's family. The turkey was delicious and we even got to have left-over turkey sandwiches (with gravy--yum!). Asa is still in love with rolls and he even decided he liked rolls dipped in gravy. :) Attaboy! :) We hope you had a sweet time with family and thanking the Lord for His provision and faithfulness!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
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. :)
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. :)
Friday, August 20, 2010
5 on Friday
- Mom is here! Woo hoo! She drove up on Wednesday, and we get to keep her until Monday. Hip hip hooray! She is getting to see Asa walk, feed himself with a fork, eat the new foods he likes, babble all day long, wave bye-bye, tell everything "Hi!", see his new haircut, and be his sweet, sweet self. :)
- We explored in the big(ger) city today. We went looking for a scrapbooking store, and it happened to be in the same shopping center as a brand new Hobby Lobby and across from Michael's! It's a good 30+ minute haul, but it would be worth it to hit all three stores with Asa.... especially if I were armed with coupons! :)
- We also visited a little fair trade market that sells handmade goods and gifts from around the world. They said they have a huge stock of Christmas ornaments and nativity sets they start putting out in November. You can guess what's marked on my calendar now. ;)
- Matt is in California for the weekend for a cadaver lab where surgeons will be testing out a new instrument he designed. He had a safe and uneventful trip to get there this morning. Tomorrow is the lab, and he comes back to us on Sunday. :) What a whirlwind!
- I made an appointment for a belated 12 month check up for Asa. I was trying to gather some more pediatrician recommendations (kind of hard when the mommy friend-making has been slow going), and came up with one that sounds very promising. Asa goes the middle of September. We really appreciate prayers that this will be a great fit and that we find doctors for all of us whom we are very comfortable with, especially after leaving some of the BEST behind in Florida.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Four Generations
As promised, here is our 2nd four generations picture with Asa! The first was in September with my mom, her mom, Asa, and me. Now here is my dad, his mom, Asa, and me. :) What a blessing family is!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Cousins!
We have had the BEST time playing with cousins! It is so, so sweet to see Asa's relationship with his cuzzies. They love each other with a precious intensity. Asa is squeeeeezed every time he sees them, :) and now that he's old enough to interact more it's so fun to see him respond to them. Cousin S thinks Asa's babbles are hilarious and cracks up whenever Asa makes a peep. He'll try to make the same sounds Asa does and/or "interpret" what Asa could be trying to say. They copy each other a lot, too, especially when Asa "dances." :)
When S laughs, that makes Asa laugh, and that just keeps the whole cycle going. :) Asa isalso fascinated by S's baby brother, our new baby cousin J. He has been interested in babies for several months now. Last night before dinner, Asa kept crawling over to the swing to take a peek at J. :)
Asa's other TN cousins love to bring him a huge basket of baby toys and take out every.single.toy to place right in his lap. As soon as he sits town, he is practically buried in toys they bring to him and lovingly insist he play with (or sometimes put in his mouth "encouraging" him to chew on). :) It's too cute. The other night they played "football." Asa loves to carry things around in his mouth, and this particular night he was carrying a small nerf football. Soon the cuzzies were down on all fours crawling right along with him and laughing up a storm.
"dancing"
When S laughs, that makes Asa laugh, and that just keeps the whole cycle going. :) Asa isalso fascinated by S's baby brother, our new baby cousin J. He has been interested in babies for several months now. Last night before dinner, Asa kept crawling over to the swing to take a peek at J. :)
Asa's other TN cousins love to bring him a huge basket of baby toys and take out every.single.toy to place right in his lap. As soon as he sits town, he is practically buried in toys they bring to him and lovingly insist he play with (or sometimes put in his mouth "encouraging" him to chew on). :) It's too cute. The other night they played "football." Asa loves to carry things around in his mouth, and this particular night he was carrying a small nerf football. Soon the cuzzies were down on all fours crawling right along with him and laughing up a storm.
For many months Asa's cousin interactions were very one-sided; he was on the receiving end. It is precious to see him reciprocating now with smiles, laughs, and chases. :) We love our cuzzies!!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The Fourth & Family
We drove down (boy that sounds weird when we've been saying "up" for 4+ years!) to TN for Independence Day weekend. My grandmother, aunt, and cousin were visiting from California and Asa needed to meet them! Last time Grandma "saw" Asa I was 5 months pregnant! Since my family had traveled all the way from California, we knew we wanted to try to make it down while they were visiting.
The trip involved putting Sammy in a kennel for the first time in OH. But that's a story for another day. :) Today I just want to recap our July 4th celebration. :)
The whole fam came over, all 5 grandkids included, Dad grilled, we had several yummy desserts to choose from, and then we had fun playing BUBBLES outside. Mom & Dad had a bubble machine that the kids LOVED.
Evidence:
(I purposefully chose pics where the cuzzies faces aren't too obvious, to protect their privacy, just so you know)
After bubbles we took a whole family picture, well, as many of us as were in TN (the original TN fam + the visiting Cali family) :)
It was fun to see the kids chase and pop bubbles amidst squeals and laughter. Even tiny Jacob came out for a little while to be cuddled while his big brother and cuzzies played. I'm so thankful we got to have this time together and make these memories!
The trip involved putting Sammy in a kennel for the first time in OH. But that's a story for another day. :) Today I just want to recap our July 4th celebration. :)
The whole fam came over, all 5 grandkids included, Dad grilled, we had several yummy desserts to choose from, and then we had fun playing BUBBLES outside. Mom & Dad had a bubble machine that the kids LOVED.
Evidence:
(I purposefully chose pics where the cuzzies faces aren't too obvious, to protect their privacy, just so you know)
After bubbles we took a whole family picture, well, as many of us as were in TN (the original TN fam + the visiting Cali family) :)
 | |||
| the whole crew |
It was fun to see the kids chase and pop bubbles amidst squeals and laughter. Even tiny Jacob came out for a little while to be cuddled while his big brother and cuzzies played. I'm so thankful we got to have this time together and make these memories!
Monday, June 21, 2010
A Good Day
I'll be honest, a good day seems hard to come by right now with all the transitions, grieving, letting go, unfamiliar, out of routine, and loneliness that accompanies a cross-country move. Don't get me wrong, we have a safe, quiet place to live, I love being with Asa, and my thoughtful husband comes home every night and listens and loves me--whether I have a joyful story to tell about the day or my pending tears have reached critical mass and overflow the minute he walks through the door. It's not *that* bad in the grand scheme of things, but moving.is.hard.
Today was a good day though, so I thought I should document that. My mom modeled and taught me from an early age about recording blessings and praises to go back to later on down the road. Sometimes you go back to them just to praise God again for how good He is. Sometimes you go back to them when it's hard again and you need to remind yourself how good He is.
Asa had a great night last night. One of the 3-4 teeth he is currently working on finally made it through yesterday and seems to have brought some relief with it. He went from 7:30-2 (I fed him then), woke at 5:10 but I decided to give him 10 minutes and see if he'd go back to sleep. He didn't even make it to 5:15 before he was back out! AMAZING! He didn't wake again until just before 8:30.... so to summarize, he did 2 long stretches, was only fed once during the night, AND he slept in. ANNNND no illness seems to be causing the extra sleep. That is a GREAT way to start a day around here.
Asa had some play time followed by a few Cheerios until about 10:30. He seemed tired then but decided to talk for a looong time after I put him down. He ended up waking at 12:45. Crazy. He nursed and then played a little before I tried to feed him some lunch. He wasn't too keen on pears today, and he was even a little iffy about his beloved peachies, but I wondered if his gums might still be feeling sensitive. No harm done, we set out on our errands knowing I could always give him a snack if he was hungry later.
We went to a children's consignment store that is only about 2 miles away! My son is not lacking in the wardrobe department, but a store where a good deal can be found is a nice place to know and get out of the house sometimes. They had a $1 rack in front of the store where I found him a cute pair of pants. Inside I found prices to be comparable or even slightly better than the store I frequented in Gainesville. I found him 2 brand new looking (all 3 items I bought seem unworn) outfits for $5 each. One is a cute button down with khaki pants and the other is an adorable summery one piece in a style Matt and I both love on Asa. While I was in the store I heard a radio ad for Once Upon a Child (another kids' consignment store). I decided to punch it into the Garmin and see how far it was--less than 3 miles away! We headed to OUaC to discover it has recently moved. It's not far from the house, but it was close enough to nap time that I didn't want to head a completely different direction to get there. The same shopping center where it used to be also houses a Tuesday Morning and then I passed a craft store I have never heard of before. I decided we should go in an check it out. It's an interesting mix of Hobby Lobby/Michael's with a little bit of the random/warehouseness of Caroline Pottery thrown in. :) But it had great prices and craft supplies for basically ever media I could think of. Cool! Michael's is on the other side of the Big City, so I had only located JoAnn's nearby. Now I have an alternative when needed! :)
After I got home, Asa got to play for about 15 minutes before I put him down for a nap. He talked for awhile again, but eventually he fell asleep. I had to go wake him up (!!) at 5:30! In the meantime, I got some butternut squash peeled, sliced, and started in the steamer, dinner going on the stove, and started chopping carrots for the steamer as well. Woo hoo!
Matt got home and we all sat at the dinner table together (Asa was about done when we started, but he sat happily and played). Then I got to hear Matt and Asa having the BEST time playing while I rinsed the dishes and got the next round of veggies into the steamer.
Asa's birthday is Wednesday, so I'm hoping to do some prep tomorrow (make his smash cake, make sure I have everything else I want for birthday meals and decorations, wrap his gifts!!). I can't believe he's having his first birthday party. This year has passed ENTIRELY too quickly. He's the perfect mix of baby and boyish for a first birthday. :)
Now we get to relax and enjoy an evening together. The week is looking up. And we have lots of time with family coming soon, too! Matt's parents are coming, and they haven't seen Asa since Christmas. I am so excited for them to see how he's grown--literally, the whole tongue tie thing went down after Christmas, so he is completely different now. Not to mention all his latest accomplishments (eating table food... he was still exclusively nursing at Christmas, crawling, pulling up, cruising, playing peek-a-boo, reading books, babbling all day long, signing, dancing, humming, motoring about the house, getting into everything in general...)! Then in a little bit we get to take Asa to meet his other great-grandmother, great aunt, and 2nd cousin who will be visiting my family.
Thank you, Lord, for these blessings and bright spots during a difficult time of adjustment!
Today was a good day though, so I thought I should document that. My mom modeled and taught me from an early age about recording blessings and praises to go back to later on down the road. Sometimes you go back to them just to praise God again for how good He is. Sometimes you go back to them when it's hard again and you need to remind yourself how good He is.
Asa had a great night last night. One of the 3-4 teeth he is currently working on finally made it through yesterday and seems to have brought some relief with it. He went from 7:30-2 (I fed him then), woke at 5:10 but I decided to give him 10 minutes and see if he'd go back to sleep. He didn't even make it to 5:15 before he was back out! AMAZING! He didn't wake again until just before 8:30.... so to summarize, he did 2 long stretches, was only fed once during the night, AND he slept in. ANNNND no illness seems to be causing the extra sleep. That is a GREAT way to start a day around here.
Asa had some play time followed by a few Cheerios until about 10:30. He seemed tired then but decided to talk for a looong time after I put him down. He ended up waking at 12:45. Crazy. He nursed and then played a little before I tried to feed him some lunch. He wasn't too keen on pears today, and he was even a little iffy about his beloved peachies, but I wondered if his gums might still be feeling sensitive. No harm done, we set out on our errands knowing I could always give him a snack if he was hungry later.
We went to a children's consignment store that is only about 2 miles away! My son is not lacking in the wardrobe department, but a store where a good deal can be found is a nice place to know and get out of the house sometimes. They had a $1 rack in front of the store where I found him a cute pair of pants. Inside I found prices to be comparable or even slightly better than the store I frequented in Gainesville. I found him 2 brand new looking (all 3 items I bought seem unworn) outfits for $5 each. One is a cute button down with khaki pants and the other is an adorable summery one piece in a style Matt and I both love on Asa. While I was in the store I heard a radio ad for Once Upon a Child (another kids' consignment store). I decided to punch it into the Garmin and see how far it was--less than 3 miles away! We headed to OUaC to discover it has recently moved. It's not far from the house, but it was close enough to nap time that I didn't want to head a completely different direction to get there. The same shopping center where it used to be also houses a Tuesday Morning and then I passed a craft store I have never heard of before. I decided we should go in an check it out. It's an interesting mix of Hobby Lobby/Michael's with a little bit of the random/warehouseness of Caroline Pottery thrown in. :) But it had great prices and craft supplies for basically ever media I could think of. Cool! Michael's is on the other side of the Big City, so I had only located JoAnn's nearby. Now I have an alternative when needed! :)
After I got home, Asa got to play for about 15 minutes before I put him down for a nap. He talked for awhile again, but eventually he fell asleep. I had to go wake him up (!!) at 5:30! In the meantime, I got some butternut squash peeled, sliced, and started in the steamer, dinner going on the stove, and started chopping carrots for the steamer as well. Woo hoo!
Matt got home and we all sat at the dinner table together (Asa was about done when we started, but he sat happily and played). Then I got to hear Matt and Asa having the BEST time playing while I rinsed the dishes and got the next round of veggies into the steamer.
Asa's birthday is Wednesday, so I'm hoping to do some prep tomorrow (make his smash cake, make sure I have everything else I want for birthday meals and decorations, wrap his gifts!!). I can't believe he's having his first birthday party. This year has passed ENTIRELY too quickly. He's the perfect mix of baby and boyish for a first birthday. :)
Now we get to relax and enjoy an evening together. The week is looking up. And we have lots of time with family coming soon, too! Matt's parents are coming, and they haven't seen Asa since Christmas. I am so excited for them to see how he's grown--literally, the whole tongue tie thing went down after Christmas, so he is completely different now. Not to mention all his latest accomplishments (eating table food... he was still exclusively nursing at Christmas, crawling, pulling up, cruising, playing peek-a-boo, reading books, babbling all day long, signing, dancing, humming, motoring about the house, getting into everything in general...)! Then in a little bit we get to take Asa to meet his other great-grandmother, great aunt, and 2nd cousin who will be visiting my family.
Thank you, Lord, for these blessings and bright spots during a difficult time of adjustment!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Happy Anniversary!
I wanted to wish my parents a HAPPY 40th ANNVERSARY today!
Not only would I obviously not be here without them, :) but it is such a blessing to us and our marriage to have the example of their love, grace, commitment, and faithfulness before us!
We praise God for you and your 40 years!
Not only would I obviously not be here without them, :) but it is such a blessing to us and our marriage to have the example of their love, grace, commitment, and faithfulness before us!
We praise God for you and your 40 years!
Friday, June 11, 2010
10 on Friday
This week included a LOT of unpacking, necessitating the late edition of our weekly update. :)
1. Mom came up on Monday and helped me unpack All.Week.Long. She is the BEST! We got Asa's room situated first, followed by the kitchen (those were the two rooms I had most unpacked before her arrival), then the guest room/basement, living room, and finally our bedroom. Almost EVERY box is unpacked!
2. I still feel like our stuff is just at some random vacation house, but at least I'm surrounded by things that are familiar!
3. As you saw on the video from Monday, Asa L.O.V.E.S. his walking toy! LOVES! The grin of satisfaction on his face when he is walking is *priceless.* Oh my goodness, I just want to eat him up!
4. I am starting to get a mental picture of the lay of the land here.. names of the streets I will use the most and starting to get a feel for how they intersect. Thankfully we really are close to basically everything I "need," and all the shopping is quite close together as well.
5. We succeeded this week in getting me a library card--yea! The library ladies were very kind, and I am hoping Asa & I can start going to "Babies & Books" on Monday mornings this month and meet some other moms and babies at storytime!
6. Matt's car is officially all registered for Ohio.
7. Our house CLOSED! PRAISE THE LORD! It is ONLY Him! I mean, seriously, 3 weeks from the MLS relisting to close?! No repair requests from the buyers?! I have a give HUGE props to our Realtor, Craig Wilburn (PLEASE call him if you are in Gainesville; he is WONDERFUL!!!) and we are just so thankful for the Lord leading us to him, his wisdom, his honesty about the market, and his sensitivity to our situation.
8. Speaking of which, thanks to the housing market we were upside down on our mortgage. Lovely, right? When we realized just *how* upside down, there was a lot of frustration. I admit it is/was frustrating that we pay our bills in full and on time, but other people's foolish borrowing and lending practices precipitated this housing crash. However, how about this for God's provision? We really wanted to try to have a baby a year before we did, but we felt God was telling us to wait. Among MAAAANY other things God has mercifully revealed as pieces of that puzzle about WHY He had us wait, me teaching an "extra" year allowed us to save my income that year, which cushioned our savings in a way that allowed us to afford selling our home in this market. Unexpected, but surely His provision. We Are Thankful!
9. Asa had his first "sick" doctor's appointment today. He'd had a shallow, wet cough for 2-3 days that quickly became a deep, dry, croupy cough last night. :-( I was worried how it might progress over the weekend, so we called a doctor and they kindly worked us in this afternoon. While Asa is not horrible (and thankfully the cough loosened up today, though I expect it to worsen at night again), the doctor said he is not 100% and prescribed some oral steroids to help clear up the croup. I am sorry to see my sweet boy not feeling well and hear the awful, barking cough I know so well myself from my asthma, but I cannot help but praise God we made it 11.5 months before Asa had a "sick" doctor visit! How amazing is that?! (and YEA mommy's milk!!)
10. We heard back from the metabolic geneticist, and one level of his latest round of tests (right before we moved) is still elevated. He said it suggests a B12 deficiency, so I will call him Monday to get the specifics, but in general we'll complete a month of double his B12 intake and then see where things are. He didn't sound alarmed, so I'm glad we know a hopeful "treatment." We'll be praying the increased vitamin load resolves the deficiency, but I'm thankful to have the expert involved and leading the way. :)
stay tuned for a bonus post this weekend! And I promise, I really will take pictures now that the house is coming together!
Happy weekending!
1. Mom came up on Monday and helped me unpack All.Week.Long. She is the BEST! We got Asa's room situated first, followed by the kitchen (those were the two rooms I had most unpacked before her arrival), then the guest room/basement, living room, and finally our bedroom. Almost EVERY box is unpacked!
2. I still feel like our stuff is just at some random vacation house, but at least I'm surrounded by things that are familiar!
3. As you saw on the video from Monday, Asa L.O.V.E.S. his walking toy! LOVES! The grin of satisfaction on his face when he is walking is *priceless.* Oh my goodness, I just want to eat him up!
4. I am starting to get a mental picture of the lay of the land here.. names of the streets I will use the most and starting to get a feel for how they intersect. Thankfully we really are close to basically everything I "need," and all the shopping is quite close together as well.
5. We succeeded this week in getting me a library card--yea! The library ladies were very kind, and I am hoping Asa & I can start going to "Babies & Books" on Monday mornings this month and meet some other moms and babies at storytime!
6. Matt's car is officially all registered for Ohio.
7. Our house CLOSED! PRAISE THE LORD! It is ONLY Him! I mean, seriously, 3 weeks from the MLS relisting to close?! No repair requests from the buyers?! I have a give HUGE props to our Realtor, Craig Wilburn (PLEASE call him if you are in Gainesville; he is WONDERFUL!!!) and we are just so thankful for the Lord leading us to him, his wisdom, his honesty about the market, and his sensitivity to our situation.
8. Speaking of which, thanks to the housing market we were upside down on our mortgage. Lovely, right? When we realized just *how* upside down, there was a lot of frustration. I admit it is/was frustrating that we pay our bills in full and on time, but other people's foolish borrowing and lending practices precipitated this housing crash. However, how about this for God's provision? We really wanted to try to have a baby a year before we did, but we felt God was telling us to wait. Among MAAAANY other things God has mercifully revealed as pieces of that puzzle about WHY He had us wait, me teaching an "extra" year allowed us to save my income that year, which cushioned our savings in a way that allowed us to afford selling our home in this market. Unexpected, but surely His provision. We Are Thankful!
9. Asa had his first "sick" doctor's appointment today. He'd had a shallow, wet cough for 2-3 days that quickly became a deep, dry, croupy cough last night. :-( I was worried how it might progress over the weekend, so we called a doctor and they kindly worked us in this afternoon. While Asa is not horrible (and thankfully the cough loosened up today, though I expect it to worsen at night again), the doctor said he is not 100% and prescribed some oral steroids to help clear up the croup. I am sorry to see my sweet boy not feeling well and hear the awful, barking cough I know so well myself from my asthma, but I cannot help but praise God we made it 11.5 months before Asa had a "sick" doctor visit! How amazing is that?! (and YEA mommy's milk!!)
10. We heard back from the metabolic geneticist, and one level of his latest round of tests (right before we moved) is still elevated. He said it suggests a B12 deficiency, so I will call him Monday to get the specifics, but in general we'll complete a month of double his B12 intake and then see where things are. He didn't sound alarmed, so I'm glad we know a hopeful "treatment." We'll be praying the increased vitamin load resolves the deficiency, but I'm thankful to have the expert involved and leading the way. :)
stay tuned for a bonus post this weekend! And I promise, I really will take pictures now that the house is coming together!
Happy weekending!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Another Big Wait
Today instead of waiting to move or for our furniture to arrive, we are waiting for G-Ma to come! Woo hoo! G-Ma is coming to explore Ohio with us and help me unpack! It's a little bit of a slow process with Ba-Basa underfoot. His room and the kitchen are really coming along, but the rest of the house leaves much to be desired!
We received our closing documents by FedEx this morning. Tomorrow we will sign them and get them notarized and mail them back--with our keys! This is unreal but such an answer to prayer!
Asa seems to have had another little mini growth spurt the last few days. He seems to have one every few weeks--it's like his body really IS trying to catch up. Amazing! After several days of eating tons, he had a much lower volume day today (so far). He did this right after the Hilton Head growth spurt, but that was also followed by a fever. I'm hoping this is just a tapering of the growth spurt and not the onset of a bug!
Asa slept GREAT last night! His room has shades but his window faces the sun in the morning, so he was waking with sunrise. Matt installed a curtain rod last night and I put his curtains up. It's great because the room feels more like "his" and because he did NOT wake with the sun! He slept until just before 8 (8 was his normal waking time in FL) ANNNNND his first stretch last night was 6 hours! He had a great morning nap earlier as well. Praise the Lord for some rest for all! Those teeth are still swollen along his top gums, so I am enjoy every good stretch of sleep while it lasts!
Last night we tried a local drive in restaurant called Swenson's. We were actually looking for Sonic but switched gears. It was good (but I like Sonic better--eek!), and we had fun watching the car hops RACE from the cars to the building (you can park anywhere in the parking lot, not just in stalls like at Sonic, and the carhops literally run FULL OUT... it's one of their "things"). Matt had a butterscotch milkshake and I had a hot fudge one. They were yummy!
That about covers things for now. Still unpacking and learning my way around. Still can't believe Asa's birthday is this month! And that reminds me you should STAY TUNED because I have an adorable video of Asa I will be posting momentarily!!
We received our closing documents by FedEx this morning. Tomorrow we will sign them and get them notarized and mail them back--with our keys! This is unreal but such an answer to prayer!
Asa seems to have had another little mini growth spurt the last few days. He seems to have one every few weeks--it's like his body really IS trying to catch up. Amazing! After several days of eating tons, he had a much lower volume day today (so far). He did this right after the Hilton Head growth spurt, but that was also followed by a fever. I'm hoping this is just a tapering of the growth spurt and not the onset of a bug!
Asa slept GREAT last night! His room has shades but his window faces the sun in the morning, so he was waking with sunrise. Matt installed a curtain rod last night and I put his curtains up. It's great because the room feels more like "his" and because he did NOT wake with the sun! He slept until just before 8 (8 was his normal waking time in FL) ANNNNND his first stretch last night was 6 hours! He had a great morning nap earlier as well. Praise the Lord for some rest for all! Those teeth are still swollen along his top gums, so I am enjoy every good stretch of sleep while it lasts!
Last night we tried a local drive in restaurant called Swenson's. We were actually looking for Sonic but switched gears. It was good (but I like Sonic better--eek!), and we had fun watching the car hops RACE from the cars to the building (you can park anywhere in the parking lot, not just in stalls like at Sonic, and the carhops literally run FULL OUT... it's one of their "things"). Matt had a butterscotch milkshake and I had a hot fudge one. They were yummy!
That about covers things for now. Still unpacking and learning my way around. Still can't believe Asa's birthday is this month! And that reminds me you should STAY TUNED because I have an adorable video of Asa I will be posting momentarily!!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Asa's Message
to G-Ma...
Asa decided to leave this message for G-Ma when she arrived. Isn't he clever?! :) What a sense of humor that boy has... CRIB--ha! We just need to work on his spelling...
Asa decided to leave this message for G-Ma when she arrived. Isn't he clever?! :) What a sense of humor that boy has... CRIB--ha! We just need to work on his spelling...
Monday, February 8, 2010
Worth the Wait
G-Ma came to visit this weekend. She was planning to come last weekend, but snow predictions in TN kept her wheels spinning, so to speak, for an extra week. Asa has changed and learned so many new things since we were in TN for Christmas. He didn't have any teeth then, and now he has TWO! It was fun to show her all of his latest and newest tricks. :) And even though waiting an extra week to see her was a bummer up front (though keeping her safe was #1), now we have one LESS week between this visit and her next one. :)
Asa showed G-Ma all sorts of fun things, like his new Christmas toys, pulling/pushing up to his knees, getting closer and closer to a real crawl, his new favorite scrunchy nose face and sniff, both of his teeth, and how to eat like a big boy (oh my!). Our doctor asked us to increase his solid foods while we figure out some things that are a little off with his metabolism, so G-Ma arrived just in time to see us increase to offering solids twice a day. It took about a week of coaxing before Asa became willing to eat from a spoon (and eat anything but milk). He didn't like cereal + pumped milk, but bananas were pretty convincing. :) In order to get some cereal in him as well, our pediatrician said we could add apple juice. So he has been having apple juice mixed with rice cereal + banana twice a day since Saturday. The rice cereal and bananas had him stopped up pretty well, so we switched to oatmeal cereal instead. It's less binding, has good fiber for keeping things going, and he can totally handle the less runny consistency now. He has no problems swallowing the solid foods... you just have to convince him to take them!
G-Ma arrived at the end of a week with lots of running around for Asa. To sort out the metabolism issues, we've been trying to have blood drawn for a couple tests. Trying being the operative word. One day, we got to go to the lab three times! We ended up going to a different lab where they were able to get a line their very first try (praise the Lord!). Now we are waiting on a few more results and a couple follow-up tests to narrow down exactly where things are going. We praise God our doctor said Asa's development is perfect and that he's even reaching milestones early. We just need to figure out why all the milk Asa's been eating hasn't been helping him increase his weight a bit more typically. We love our pediatrician, and she has been wonderful. The two weeks of working to sort this out since our last well visit make me so very thankful (all over again) that we switched pediatricians. She has been incredibly available to us with answers to questions, results of tests as they come back, etc. She's even called us back after hours twice when she couldn't call during normal hours on busy Fridays. We will actually be seeing her tomorrow for a follow up as we continue to dig into smoothing out Asa's growth.
Stay tuned for videos and pictures of Asa eating his big boy food and some changes around the house.
And what's a post without a cute picture of Asa?
Asa showed G-Ma all sorts of fun things, like his new Christmas toys, pulling/pushing up to his knees, getting closer and closer to a real crawl, his new favorite scrunchy nose face and sniff, both of his teeth, and how to eat like a big boy (oh my!). Our doctor asked us to increase his solid foods while we figure out some things that are a little off with his metabolism, so G-Ma arrived just in time to see us increase to offering solids twice a day. It took about a week of coaxing before Asa became willing to eat from a spoon (and eat anything but milk). He didn't like cereal + pumped milk, but bananas were pretty convincing. :) In order to get some cereal in him as well, our pediatrician said we could add apple juice. So he has been having apple juice mixed with rice cereal + banana twice a day since Saturday. The rice cereal and bananas had him stopped up pretty well, so we switched to oatmeal cereal instead. It's less binding, has good fiber for keeping things going, and he can totally handle the less runny consistency now. He has no problems swallowing the solid foods... you just have to convince him to take them!
G-Ma arrived at the end of a week with lots of running around for Asa. To sort out the metabolism issues, we've been trying to have blood drawn for a couple tests. Trying being the operative word. One day, we got to go to the lab three times! We ended up going to a different lab where they were able to get a line their very first try (praise the Lord!). Now we are waiting on a few more results and a couple follow-up tests to narrow down exactly where things are going. We praise God our doctor said Asa's development is perfect and that he's even reaching milestones early. We just need to figure out why all the milk Asa's been eating hasn't been helping him increase his weight a bit more typically. We love our pediatrician, and she has been wonderful. The two weeks of working to sort this out since our last well visit make me so very thankful (all over again) that we switched pediatricians. She has been incredibly available to us with answers to questions, results of tests as they come back, etc. She's even called us back after hours twice when she couldn't call during normal hours on busy Fridays. We will actually be seeing her tomorrow for a follow up as we continue to dig into smoothing out Asa's growth.
Stay tuned for videos and pictures of Asa eating his big boy food and some changes around the house.
And what's a post without a cute picture of Asa?
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Filling in the Gaps
So, between my previous two posts we celebrated 3 holidays, saw LOTS of friends and family, and took our longest road trip/vacation yet at as a family (technically Matt was gone from work one day longer for our wedding and honeymoon, but our longest since then).
What did you miss?
1. The end of November Asa took his first road trip to South Carolina to see Matt's family for Thanksgiving. He got to see Poppy, Nana, Auntie Lakey, and Izzy again and meet Uncle Steve, Uncle Tyson, and Anne.
We had delicious Thanksgiving food (including a very yummy and moist turkey) and enjoyed time with family. On Friday Matt's family always goes out in search of post-Thanksgiving shopping deals. We wound our way through Old Navy, Barnes & Noble, Target, and a few other stores. We got Asa a fleece jacket, hat, and mittens at ON and found an adorable ornament for his stocking at Target. Our trip home from SC was Asa's worst road trip yet. We learned that even when you do not anticipate an all-day drive, leave first thing in the morning. Our sweet boy was beside himself and completely OVER being in the car seat later in the day since we took a leisurely start. Thankfully, he did much better at Christmas. :)
2. G-Pa and G-Ma came for a visit in December. G-Pa came down to see us/pick up his new 'stang (which he and Matt drooled gallons of drool over). :)
G-Ma stayed a little longer and even got to decorate our Christmas tree with us! I loved that. :)
3. On the weekend before Christmas, we celebrated our first Christmas with Asa. Dada read about Jesus' birth to us from the Jesus Storybook Bible, and then we opened stockings. Asa got a Sophie the Giraffe teething toy (that has since been renamed Lolo) and his ornament--a cute little yellow bird that says, "Baby's first Christmas." Then we moved to the living room and opened gifts. Asa was a big fan of the bows and tearing paper off packages. He received 2 books and a toy. We took lots of pictures and video of him opening gifts. :) After he went to bed, Matt and I had our traditional gourmet breakfast dinner (my baked French toast worked with rice milk--it usually has cream!) and I even found dairy-free cinnamon rolls for desert. I gave Matt the movie The Count of Monte Cristo for Christmas, so we watched that and then went to bed.
4. On December 23rd we hit the road for Tennessee. It took about 10 hours (same as last time) and even though Asa didn't nap as well as his September trip, he only had one melt down.... when I let him out of his car seat while Daddy took a break at a gas station. Apparently it wasn't a long enough break because Asa had a FIT when I put him back in the car seat... as in screaming for the following hour. I will NOT do that again. He's only getting out of the seat if it's a real, long break (like a meal). Whew! Brad, Joy, C, & C came over for dinner that night. The next day we went to the Christmas Eve service and got to see some friends afterwards at church. Dad grilled steaks for us and Mimi for Christmas Eve dinner. Then on Christmas morning Brad, Joy, and the kids and Mimi came over for stockings and gifts. Matt and I had not been there since the kids really "got" the whole present opening thing . It was funny to see how much the flow has changed! But we worked around them and Asa's naps and had a sweet time. :)
The rest of the day we lounged around, played, napped, and such. We had a delicious Christmas dinner, as well as the traditional breakfast Mom made earlier in the day. I missed the egg souffle, sniff, sniff, but it will taste SOOO good when I CAN have it. :) I had waffles instead with Brad. :) On Saturday we got to play games with Brad and Joy. He dominated.... big time. And on Sunday I met Jessica for breakfast, saw friends at church, met another Jessica :) and Melissa and their babies after lunch, and we met Kerry, Ruthie, and Jessica (and husbands) at Barley's Sunday night. Around lunch time on Monday we set off for Rock Hill. Our time in Tennessee was SOO fun and a blessing; it just passed too quickly!
5. We got to South Carolina on the 28th... and we got to see snow on the way! There was snow on the side of the road through the mountains. So technically, Asa has seen his first snow. :) There was another first the same day... Asa got his FIRST TOOTH! You read that correctly. I know I posted about it earlier, but it was visible just below the surface of his gums in the afternoon on our way to SC. By the time we got to Matt's parents' house, a corner had poked through (thanks to LOTS of chewing), and the next morning the entire top edge had poked through! CRAZY!
6. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day arrived while we were in SC. Asa wore his 2010 onesie that Jessica B. made him on New Year's Day. He looked really cute in it. :)
On New Year's Eve, UT was playing in a bowl game so we watched that (and I read and fell asleep on the couch). Unfortunately, UT lost. But I think Matt enjoyed the time just hanging out with his dad. On Jan. 2 we headed back on the road to FL. We fit everything into Matt's car (this was the first big road trip his car has been on since we got married) and made our trek south. We left early (remembering our lesson from Thanksgiving) and took nice, long breaks from the car for breakfast and lunch (this WAS Asa's 3rd big car trip in 11 days). Asa did GREAT! Praise the Lord! We got unpacked and let Asa play and stretch when we got home. Then we settled in for the night, headed to church the next morning, and got to pick up Sammy that night while also hosting our Bible study for our monthly meal together. THAT is a whole story in and of itself. Just wait--you'll want to hear it.
I am SOOOO glad we got to spend so much time with family for Asa's first Christmas--4 whole days with each family plus travel days. We missed Sammy, and she definitely looked a little thinner when we picked her up, but she is back home now and all recovered from her time at the spa. :)
And there you go! We are caught up! What a wonderful whirlwind of family and friends. :) Thank you to everyone who made time for us!
What did you miss?
1. The end of November Asa took his first road trip to South Carolina to see Matt's family for Thanksgiving. He got to see Poppy, Nana, Auntie Lakey, and Izzy again and meet Uncle Steve, Uncle Tyson, and Anne.
We had delicious Thanksgiving food (including a very yummy and moist turkey) and enjoyed time with family. On Friday Matt's family always goes out in search of post-Thanksgiving shopping deals. We wound our way through Old Navy, Barnes & Noble, Target, and a few other stores. We got Asa a fleece jacket, hat, and mittens at ON and found an adorable ornament for his stocking at Target. Our trip home from SC was Asa's worst road trip yet. We learned that even when you do not anticipate an all-day drive, leave first thing in the morning. Our sweet boy was beside himself and completely OVER being in the car seat later in the day since we took a leisurely start. Thankfully, he did much better at Christmas. :)
2. G-Pa and G-Ma came for a visit in December. G-Pa came down to see us/pick up his new 'stang (which he and Matt drooled gallons of drool over). :)
G-Ma stayed a little longer and even got to decorate our Christmas tree with us! I loved that. :)
3. On the weekend before Christmas, we celebrated our first Christmas with Asa. Dada read about Jesus' birth to us from the Jesus Storybook Bible, and then we opened stockings. Asa got a Sophie the Giraffe teething toy (that has since been renamed Lolo) and his ornament--a cute little yellow bird that says, "Baby's first Christmas." Then we moved to the living room and opened gifts. Asa was a big fan of the bows and tearing paper off packages. He received 2 books and a toy. We took lots of pictures and video of him opening gifts. :) After he went to bed, Matt and I had our traditional gourmet breakfast dinner (my baked French toast worked with rice milk--it usually has cream!) and I even found dairy-free cinnamon rolls for desert. I gave Matt the movie The Count of Monte Cristo for Christmas, so we watched that and then went to bed.
4. On December 23rd we hit the road for Tennessee. It took about 10 hours (same as last time) and even though Asa didn't nap as well as his September trip, he only had one melt down.... when I let him out of his car seat while Daddy took a break at a gas station. Apparently it wasn't a long enough break because Asa had a FIT when I put him back in the car seat... as in screaming for the following hour. I will NOT do that again. He's only getting out of the seat if it's a real, long break (like a meal). Whew! Brad, Joy, C, & C came over for dinner that night. The next day we went to the Christmas Eve service and got to see some friends afterwards at church. Dad grilled steaks for us and Mimi for Christmas Eve dinner. Then on Christmas morning Brad, Joy, and the kids and Mimi came over for stockings and gifts. Matt and I had not been there since the kids really "got" the whole present opening thing . It was funny to see how much the flow has changed! But we worked around them and Asa's naps and had a sweet time. :)
The rest of the day we lounged around, played, napped, and such. We had a delicious Christmas dinner, as well as the traditional breakfast Mom made earlier in the day. I missed the egg souffle, sniff, sniff, but it will taste SOOO good when I CAN have it. :) I had waffles instead with Brad. :) On Saturday we got to play games with Brad and Joy. He dominated.... big time. And on Sunday I met Jessica for breakfast, saw friends at church, met another Jessica :) and Melissa and their babies after lunch, and we met Kerry, Ruthie, and Jessica (and husbands) at Barley's Sunday night. Around lunch time on Monday we set off for Rock Hill. Our time in Tennessee was SOO fun and a blessing; it just passed too quickly!
5. We got to South Carolina on the 28th... and we got to see snow on the way! There was snow on the side of the road through the mountains. So technically, Asa has seen his first snow. :) There was another first the same day... Asa got his FIRST TOOTH! You read that correctly. I know I posted about it earlier, but it was visible just below the surface of his gums in the afternoon on our way to SC. By the time we got to Matt's parents' house, a corner had poked through (thanks to LOTS of chewing), and the next morning the entire top edge had poked through! CRAZY!
(more recent picture of his pearly white)
He was not the greatest sleeper in SC. He woke up every 2 hours (sometimes less, sometimes a little more) all night.... every night. WHEW! I was one tired mama! He knew he was not at home and I think he didn't like the smaller size of the portable crib they had there. I hope to have him sleep in his pack and play some before our next trip to SC and get him used to it. Then we could just have him sleep in IT so it would be familiar. I'll let you know in plenty of time before our next trip to be praying about that. ;) We got to see Matt's sister's family and his aunt who recently moved to SC. Izzy was at the house all day Tuesday and Wednesday, so we got to see her a lot. :) We had lunch with Tyson & Anne and took Asa over to see Tyson's family too. And Asa got to see Matt's mom's best friend and her husband as well. Matt sweetly took me to 2 fabric stores where I found a little bit of fabric and a couple kinds of ribbon I liked. We had a sweet Christmas with them!! I also read the book My Sister's Keeper (it was on the nightstand so I figured, why not?) while we were there.
6. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day arrived while we were in SC. Asa wore his 2010 onesie that Jessica B. made him on New Year's Day. He looked really cute in it. :)
On New Year's Eve, UT was playing in a bowl game so we watched that (and I read and fell asleep on the couch). Unfortunately, UT lost. But I think Matt enjoyed the time just hanging out with his dad. On Jan. 2 we headed back on the road to FL. We fit everything into Matt's car (this was the first big road trip his car has been on since we got married) and made our trek south. We left early (remembering our lesson from Thanksgiving) and took nice, long breaks from the car for breakfast and lunch (this WAS Asa's 3rd big car trip in 11 days). Asa did GREAT! Praise the Lord! We got unpacked and let Asa play and stretch when we got home. Then we settled in for the night, headed to church the next morning, and got to pick up Sammy that night while also hosting our Bible study for our monthly meal together. THAT is a whole story in and of itself. Just wait--you'll want to hear it.
I am SOOOO glad we got to spend so much time with family for Asa's first Christmas--4 whole days with each family plus travel days. We missed Sammy, and she definitely looked a little thinner when we picked her up, but she is back home now and all recovered from her time at the spa. :)
And there you go! We are caught up! What a wonderful whirlwind of family and friends. :) Thank you to everyone who made time for us!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
My Crazy Husband
Matt had way too much fun making various faces and arranging his mouse ears different ways for some unusual looks. :)
making chicken sounds
rocker
tough guy
he really was being sweet and giving me a kiss, but it looks like he's about to eat me
I love you, honey! :)
I love you, honey! :)
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Happy Birthday To Me
Friday was my birthday, and I got to celebrate it all weekend with Matt, Asa, my dad, and my mom! Woo hoo! My parents came for my birthday last year, too, when I was newly pregnant... two years in a row after 3 years of it just being Matt and me on my birthday. Hmmm, maybe we should have had a baby sooner. ;) Just kidding--Asa has joined our family at the perfect fulfillment of God's timing, but I DO love partying with my family. :)
Dad and Mom arrived Friday afternoon. We visited a little bit while Asa finished up a nap, then they got to love on him really quickly before I fed him. The he got LOTS more loving from G-Pa and G-Ma. After Matt got home from work, we got to have my party! Asa was already asleep, but he made up for missing the party later that night--more on that later. It was a Minnie Mouse party. :) We all had mouse ears (Mom and I had Minnie ears, Matt and Dad had Mickey ears)! Dad and Matt grilled chicken for us, and we had mashed potatoes and corn on the cob too. YUM. Then we had delicious dairy-free cupcakes and dairy free buttercream (ha!) frosting cupcakes that Mom made and brought down. YUM YUM. :) After dinner and dessert I opened gifts. I received several crafting books I can't wait to jump into. There are seriously so many projects I want to make that I need to make a list. I don't know how I'll ever decide which one to begin with! I need to finish 1 or 2 I have started before I get to begin something new though... or else I will never finish my existing projects! :) I also got 2 great cds I can't wait to listen to as Asa and I run errands or play around the house (Christy Nockels and Paul Baloche), as well as 2 parenting books I am super excited to read. It's perfect timing too, because I'm almost done with the book I am currently reading! Lastly, Matt and Asa gave me a necklace I am SOO excited about! I have been wanting a "mommy" necklace. I found one that I loved, and Matt sweetly ordered it for me. He had Asa's name and birthdate engraved on the back of it, too. I love, love, love it! :) I'm sure you will see it yourself the next time you see me. :)
Dad and Mom arrived Friday afternoon. We visited a little bit while Asa finished up a nap, then they got to love on him really quickly before I fed him. The he got LOTS more loving from G-Pa and G-Ma. After Matt got home from work, we got to have my party! Asa was already asleep, but he made up for missing the party later that night--more on that later. It was a Minnie Mouse party. :) We all had mouse ears (Mom and I had Minnie ears, Matt and Dad had Mickey ears)! Dad and Matt grilled chicken for us, and we had mashed potatoes and corn on the cob too. YUM. Then we had delicious dairy-free cupcakes and dairy free buttercream (ha!) frosting cupcakes that Mom made and brought down. YUM YUM. :) After dinner and dessert I opened gifts. I received several crafting books I can't wait to jump into. There are seriously so many projects I want to make that I need to make a list. I don't know how I'll ever decide which one to begin with! I need to finish 1 or 2 I have started before I get to begin something new though... or else I will never finish my existing projects! :) I also got 2 great cds I can't wait to listen to as Asa and I run errands or play around the house (Christy Nockels and Paul Baloche), as well as 2 parenting books I am super excited to read. It's perfect timing too, because I'm almost done with the book I am currently reading! Lastly, Matt and Asa gave me a necklace I am SOO excited about! I have been wanting a "mommy" necklace. I found one that I loved, and Matt sweetly ordered it for me. He had Asa's name and birthdate engraved on the back of it, too. I love, love, love it! :) I'm sure you will see it yourself the next time you see me. :)
On my birthday, I also received phone calls from both of my brothers and from Matt's parents. :) Thank you ALL for making it such a great birthday!
p.s. Stay tuned for more about Dad & Mom's visit and about my parties with Asa over the weekend. :)
p.s. Stay tuned for more about Dad & Mom's visit and about my parties with Asa over the weekend. :)
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