slinging a baby

Asher's got a new ride.

After reading several positive reviews on blogs like Beverly's and Erin's I decided to take the plunge and buy a sling from Kangaroo Korner.

So far we love it!

Asher loves to be held and often refuses to sleep in his crib during the day {we're working on it}. While I love cuddling with my love bug Mommy still needs to get some things done. This sling seemed like a great solution!

I also have a Beco baby carrier, which is fabulous, but it has lots of straps and clips, so for a quick pop in and pop out to make dinner it can seem like overkill. The sling is pretty easy to use and is adjustable, so as Asher grows we'll still be able to use it.

Initially, I was a little skeptical of the fleece material that it's made out of, but it turns out that's my favorite feature! The fleece is so soft and stretchy -- Asher seems really comfortable. Since we're using it inside he doesn't get too warm at all.

This kind of turned into a Favorite Thing Friday post. Oh well, happy Friday on Tuesday!

super bowl party!

Asher went to his first Super Bowl party last night. Thanks Karen, Carl, Amy, and Tim for hosting us all!

Since this was his first party, we decided that Asher needed to dress up a little.

How cute is a baby in bibs?!

Asher even wore his shoes {thanks, Aunt Ali!}

We had a really fun time -- Asher didn't even cry for the most part, which was amazing. Usually being around that many people causes a complete meltdown. Hopefully this means we'll be able to socialize more and more!

favorite thing friday and updates

First, some updates from yesterday...

Asher's 2 month doctor appointment went really well! He's the "picture of health" according to his pediatrician. That's always great to hear!

Asher now weighs 11 pounds and is 21.5 inches long. According to the growth charts he's smack dab in the 50th percentile. Perfect!

My brave little guy also got a couple vaccines -- 1 oral {which he gulped right down...I swear, this boy will eat anything you put in his mouth!} and 3 injections. He definitely felt betrayed when the nurse gave him the shots. I felt so bad! Ash cried for a few minutes, but as soon as I picked him up he stopped. He clearly only blames the nurse. Fine by me.

Once we got home he slept for a few hours, but when he woke up he was very upset. His poor little leg was all swollen and red. I gave him some Tylenol, but he still cried for several hours last night. WAY above his average. I think the trauma of it all wore him out though because he slept for 9 hours straight last night!

If I have 1 piece of advice for Moms who still have to face this appointment it's this...see if you can bring a small, soft fabric Band-Aid with you. They put these giant plastic Band-Aids on Asher's legs and ripping them off later that night was BY FAR the worst part of the whole experience.

------------------------------

Another update:

Yesterday I mentioned all the terrific unexpected Mommy skills that I'm gaining. Well, I have another one to add already!

This morning Asher and I threw caution to the wind and decided to live on the edge. After that 9 hour nursing hiatus overnight, I desperately needed to dump some milk. Asher was doing his part on the right side, but that still left 1 very full baby-feeder. Rather than waiting until he was done I simply hooked the pump up to the left side while Asher was nursing on the right.

You heard me right -- I nursed and pumped at the same time!

If you stop by later and we're not home it's probably because we joined the circus. You can reach us there.

----------------------------

Ok, onto the good stuff!

Do you all remember those Dial soap commercials that encouraged us to "Wash the day away"? I love that concept. I love clean stuff. I love the idea of starting fresh and clean.

That goes for my body and for my house. One way I've been able to get squeaky clean feeling on my floors is with the

Shark Steam Pocket Mop

I received this as a Christmas gift and absolutely love it!

I always used to mop my floors with a cleaning solution, but now that Asher is here I really wanted a way to sanitize without using chemicals. This mop only uses steam -- which sterilizes and removes dirt without any cleansers!

There were a few concerns I had before I received this mop and I'm happy to say that it exceeded my expectations. It doesn't leave the floors soaking wet, so I don't need to dry them by hand {especially the hardwood}. It also holds enough water and has a long cord, so I'm not constantly re-filling or changing outlets.

I highly recommend it if you're in the market for a steam mop. I feel great knowing that once Asher starts crawling around the floors will be clean and not depositing chemical residue on his little hands!

unexpected mommy skills

Before Asher was born there were a few skills I assumed would come with the territory. You know...diapering, burping, breastfeeding, baby bathing, etc.

What I didn't realize is that there are a whole host of bonus skills that come with having a baby which no one tells you about!

7 weeks into this adventure I have become amazingly proficient at typing with one hand. This post, for instance, would have taken me an hour to type out during Asher's first week, but now I'm a speedy 10 words per minute.

It's good to know that if I ever lose an arm in a freak accident my career in the typing pool won't be in jeopardy.

I'm also rapidly becoming ambidextrous. To most of the world my being left-handed is a shock worthy of the nightly news. Well, Brian Williams can look away from the Tele-Prompter because I am officially using my right hand more than my left these days.

The other night Asher was crying up a storm (as soon as dinner was ready, of course) and I finally got him to sleep in my left arm. I was sure that laying him down or passing him off to Drew would result in an instantaneous wake up, so I did the only thing I could and ate with my right hand.

Ever try to eat with your non-dominant hand? It's not pretty. I was trying to shovel peas into my mouth using a giant spoon like some unfortunate stroke victim. So many peas fell to the floor I almost asked Drew to get out Asher's splat mat.

A few more meals and I should be cruising, though. Ambidexterity is a really cool skill!

What unexpected Mommy skills did you acquire? I can't wait to see what comes next!

Asher goes for his first set of shots today -- I'm really not looking forward to this. Wish us luck!

Hopefully I'll see this face again soon!

7 weeks old

We're halfway through the 2 week storm. Do you know about the 2 week storm? I didn't either, but I do now.

Oh boy, do I know now.

It turns out that most babies have a rough patch at 6-8 weeks old. There's a lot of fussing, spit-up, and general crabbiness. Asher has blessed us with all of that.

BUT he's on his way out of the storm because Asher is 7 weeks old now! His mood is improving just in time for us to visit the pediatrician tomorrow and get 3 shots.

Really though, despite the {relatively} frequent bad mood I love this little guy more and more each day. Yesterday morning Asher was crying when he woke up, but once I went in and said "Good morning Asher!" he stopped crying instantly and gave me the biggest smile. So precious!

Asher's elephant friend got a little sassy during our photo shoot and he LOVED it!

I'm off to cuddle my snuggle bug!

kickin' up a storm

Asher just started kicking his legs recently and realized today that doing so will move his bouncy chair!

After this he immediately fell asleep. So much exercise is exhausting!

super bowl frenzy

Asher is totally ready for his first Super Bowl. Daddy spent all fall talking to my belly about football and how excited he was to have another boy in the house to tip the scales in football watching's favor. Well, Asher is ready to deliver.




At least he was until I told him that the Steelers aren't in the big game this year.



Oh, Ash, don't be so sad. I'm sure Troy will recover from his injuries and will be back next year better than ever!




I know you're mad that The Bus retired before you were born, but that really isn't my fault.

Maybe you can wear your Steelers gear to the Super Bowl party at Aunt Karen and Uncle Carl's house anyway.

Would that make you feel better about this season?




That's what I thought.

mommy's lttle helper

With a helper like this I really don't understand why it's so hard for me to get things done during the day.