we miss daddy

Can't wait to see you this weekend Daddy!

we're still here

Remember what I said a few days ago about having more time now to catch up on blogging?  Well, that was completely false.  Moving is a lot of work -- I've spent all week on the phone getting my address changed at a million places and turning services off and on.

Someday I'll get back to normal, but for now we just wanted to do a quick check-in!

Luckily for me, this shirt is completely true for Asher.

Hopefully we'll be back soon!

one year ago today

My life changed forever in the best possible way.

On a cool and rainy late April day I came home from work with a suspicion that had to be confirmed or denied immediately.

A scant 2 minutes later I was looking at this:

Then in a rush of euphoria, I ran over to Walgreens and a scant 25 minutes and 2 liters of water later I was looking at this:

What a joyful day!  Even though Drew and I had been hoping to get pregnant it had been about 7 months since we started trying and I'd sort of come to expect that the test would be negative.  The quick positive was so exciting!

I had told Drew earlier in the day that I might try to test that evening, but I didn't call him right away.  Once he got home from work I waited for him to ask about it.  He didn't. 

I guess he figured I'd say something if it was good news!  Well, I told him to go check for something in the bathroom and he froze while going through the mail and just said, "Are you serious?"  He couldn't believe it either!  We were both so excited we called our families that same night and shared the wonderful news!

18 weeks later I saw my baby boy for the first time.  Even in 2D black and white he was beautiful.

Then he arrived in person and I couldn't believe my eyes.  It's true what they say, you really do fall in love instantly.  When they wisked him away to get oxygen after he was born I actually tried to get out of bed to follow him.  My doctor told me to lay still because you simply can't just hop up after pushing for 3 hours and walk across the room.  I conceded, but didn't take my eyes off of him. 

Would you?

Now he's a vibrant boy who loves to laugh, smile, and play.  What a difference a year makes.  This time last year I knew someone was coming to change my life.  Now I have my Asher.  And I wouldn't change a thing.

on the road again

Phew, I'm exhausted.

It's been a really crazy week.  Have you ever traveled for a week, across 7 state lines, with a 4 month old in tow?  If you have, you have my sympathies -- it's hard!

Asher is a great traveler, but it was still a long, tough time for all of us.  Just the sheer amount of stuff that a baby needs boggles my mind.  You pack enough diapers, clothes, burp cloths, wipes, bottles, etc for a couple weeks in the car, then unload, then load, then unload.  Repeat many times.  We slept in 5 different places over the past 8 days.

But now Asher and I are settled in at my parent's house in North Carolina for the next 2 weeks!  We're letting Drew handle the move logistics in Cleveland.  Lucky him.  :o)

Now that we're in 1 place for awhile I can get caught up on my blogging!  I haven't been able to read many blogs this past week, so I'm anxious to see what you all have been up too as well!

For now, let's rewind to last Sunday.  When we last saw our heroes we were in Harrisburg visiting with Aunt Erin and Uncle Ryan.  Late Sunday afternoon we hit the road again and headed towards our new hometown!  Drew and I were so lucky to have his aunt and cousin available to watch Asher for us while we house-hunted like possessed people on Monday.  Thanks Aunt Carol and Annette!  You made it so, so much easier for us to find a place!

We managed to find a great townhouse to rent on Monday and by Tuesday morning we were back on the road, cruising up the eastern coast like nobody's business.

Destination:  Grandma and Grandpa Wilkinson's house!

Drew's brother Chris was getting married on Saturday, so we stayed in New Jersey for the rest of the week leading up to the wedding.  With all of the craziness in packing, unpacking, and caring for an infant I didn't get nearly as many photos as I hoped to, but we did get some good ones with Asher in his Yankees finest.  He had to show his support for the game on Wednesday and Grandpa really appreciated it.

Next time on The Weary Travelers...a wedding and the ultimate road trip.

secret revealed

I hate keeping secrets {although keeping Asher's name in the dark was pretty fun} so I want to tell you all the exciting things that have been going on for us!

As it turns out...

we are moving!

{Asher's pretty excited about it}

That's right -- Drew, Asher, and I are making a big move from Cleveland to Washington, DC in just 2 weeks.

A few weeks ago Drew got an offer for a new job outside DC.  We love our home and friends in Cleveland, but a move to DC would put us significantly closer to both Drew's family and mine, so we had to go for it.  Ever since we made the final decision things have been a complete whirlwind.

Last Saturday Asher and I said goodbye to Cleveland for the last time and started on a l-o-n-g trip around and about.  We made our first stop at Aunt Erin and Uncle Ryan's house in Harrisburg!

They were nice enough to let us stay with them {even though Asher isn't the best house guest just yet}.  This was Uncle Ryan's first time holding a baby -- he did awesome.

Asher met his "cousin" Phinley -- who was just dying to lick him all over.  It's so funny how he snuggles in Erin's arms just like he's her baby!

Days 3 and beyond of our adventure to come...

4 months old

Asher, you are 4 months old!

{2 days ago...Mommy is a little behind}

You are doing so many amazing things now!  I can't believe it has already been 4 months since we brought our little bundle home from the hospital.  Drew and I were both so nervous and excited to have him home -- now it feels like he's always been here.

Of course, he loves to throw us curve balls {see yesterday's post}, but for the most part we've fallen into a nice routine.  This makes us all happy and confident!

What are you up to these days, Asher?

At 4 months you:

*wear size 3-6 month clothes
*wear size 2 diapers
*eat every 3-4 hours during the day
*wake up a lot at night, but we're working on it
*talk, coo, and gurgle all the time
*still hate tummy time, but love it when we "help" you roll over
*love bath time!
*go to bed at 7pm
*wake up smiling at me
*love to play on your activity mat
*weigh 14 pounds, 5 ounces
*are exactly 24 inches long
*suck and chew on your fingers constantly

I didn't have Asher's elephant available for scale, so we'll have to make due with some other cutie photos instead.  We'll get those pictures later!

help, please help. i'm exhausted.

My little love bug has decided that sleep is for the birds.

Honestly, I got more sleep when he was 2 months old than I do now.

What happened??

Just last week Asher decided that waking up 3 hours after he falls asleep is the way to go.  He gets his bottle at 7:00, then used to sleep until 3 or 4am before waking up to eat again.  Now he is waking up at 11:30, screaming for attention.  I know he isn't truly hungry at that time, so I've been ignoring him {be still my hurting heart!} and he goes back to sleep.  But then he gets up again at 1:30am {I feed him} and every 3 hours after that.

Anyone experiencing this change?

Half the time he nurses for 5 minutes then drifts back off, so I'm not convinced that he's really hungry.  It seems like a combination of being a little hungry and really wanting to see me.

Do I let him cry at 1:30am too, then feed him the next time he gets up?  My pediatrician told me that he should be sleeping through the night {maybe waking up once in 12 hours to eat} soon, so I shouldn't let him get into a waking habit.  Is that what's happening?

According to my gospel, Baby 411, infants who are 4 months old should be able to go at least 6 hours at night without eating.  I'm trying to encourage this, but I'm terrified of letting Asher cry it out when he's actually hungry and not just protesting being alone.

Sorry if this seems like a desperate plea, but I'm feeling desperate!  I'm am so, so exhausted and entering zombie territory.  Only getting 2-3 hours of sleep in a row is starting to take a toll and I'm not interested in keeping it up if Asher doesn't really need to be up.

If anyone has advice, I'm all ears!  Thanks!

Really, though, who couldn't love this guy no matter what happens at night?

poo-tastrophe

Two firsts today:

1) Blogging from my Blackberry

2) Changing a poo explosion diaper on the back seat of my car.

More on number two, in all senses...

Drew, Asher and I are on a little trip. I'm riding in the back with Ash while Drew chauffers us around. I happened to hear Asher making a deposit in his diaper, so while Drew ran inside to take care of something for us I went to change the baby.

Little did I know the terrible gore that awaited me.

I lifted Asher out of his car seat and saw nothing but poo. It had completely soaked his entire back. Since we were in a parking lot I had to stick with changing him in the car. Somehow I had to do this without getting poo on my seat while giving him a bath with baby wipes.

The outfit and cloth that I laid him on were so disgusting that I just rolled them up and pointed Drew towards the garbage can. Ash has had some diaper blowouts before, but this one takes the cake.

Drew tried to blame the Indian food I ate for dinner 2 nights ago. He called it a poo-daloo.

We still have two hours left on our journey. Wish us luck for no more poo!

thanks, but no

I've notice a big change in Asher over the past few days.  He is clearly growing out of his newborn-ness into being an infant.

Baby is baby, right?

I would have thought so until I experienced this change.  For the first time, Asher is starting to show preferences.  His life is no longer fully directed by his biological needs.

As a newborn when he was hungry I nursed him or he took a bottle of expressed milk from whoever was available.  Just the other day we were visiting my sister and I asked if she would like to feed him his bedtime bottle.  When she sat down with him and offered the bottle he just screamed and screwed his head away from it. 

This is the boy who would eat from anything.  He never had nipple confusion or refused food in any form.  I thought my presence was confusing the issue, so I left and told Drew to go in and try.  Asher takes bottles from him all the time, so that should solve the issue.  Right?  Yeah, right.

Asher refused it from him as well!  After a few minutes of continued screams I went in to investigate and decided to throw my hat in the ring.  I took Ash and offered him the bottle.  Wouldn't you know, the little stinker settled right down and drank his whole bottle.

We were giving him thawed, frozen milk so I thought it might taste or smell different and that was why he wouldn't take it.  But, no, he knows me and just wanted me there. 

Then when we were in the car the other day Asher was crying, so I offered him a toy to play with.  Drew was driving so I was able to entertain the little one to some degree.  Ash wanted no part of his "frog friend," whom he typically loves chewing on, so I offered a pacifier.  This boy has hated the paci for the past few weeks, but I still had one rattling around the bottom of my diaper bag, so why not give it a try.  Anything to stop the screaming in the car {which, I think, is the original form of parental torture}.

Again with being a stinker...he started sucking on that thing happy as a clam.

My little guy is growing up!  He has very specific likes and dislikes.  Just like an adult, he doesn't want the same things all the time.  Unfortunately, unlike an adult, he doesn't have the vocabulary to vocalize what he wants.  Enter massive amounts of crying.  Mommy will figure it out eventually!

Now we just need to get back to our good sleep routine.  Along with increased preferences, Asher has also entered the dreaded 4 month sleep regression period {more on this to come}.

Awesome.

four month check-up

Yesterday Asher went to the Pediatrician for his 4 month well baby visit.

He was a total rock star.

Ash now weighs 14.5 pounds (50th percentile) and is 24" inches long (25th percentile).

I knew his legs were extra chubby.  I love them!

He charmed everyone in the office, in the elevator, and in the lobby.  This boy is a chick magnet.  Too bad I'm not in the market for a girlfriend.  It would almost be too easy.

The doctor specifically said how tolerant he was of the exam.  That's my chill guy!

Then came the shots.  The poor baby was so betrayed by that smiling nurse.  She poked him and he cried for a few minutes, but rallied pretty quickly.  Sweet Asher passed out from the excitement of it all and slept the whole way home.

Last night he had a hard time and ended up waking up A LOT.  He usually sleeps for 8-9 hours after he falls asleep at 7, but last night he was up screaming at 8:00.  I tried feeding him, but he kept refusing, so finally I just rocked him and sang to him until he fell asleep.  While I hated seeing him so uncomfortable, it did make me feel good to be the one person who could soothe him.  He didn't want food or a pacifier...he just needed his mommy for some hugs and love.

Any time friend, any time.

{By the way, there are some really exciting things going on for us right now!  They are still a bit of a secret and mean that I need to take a blogging break.  I promise to be back as soon as possible and fill you all in on what's happening!}  

surf's up

The weather has continued to be really summer-like around here, so we had to break out some new outfits!

What's on your shirt Asher?

Surfboards! 

How fun!

You're one cool dude.

how to make a necktie onesie

A couple of you were asking how I made the necktie onesie...

well, it was super easy!

First I measured the onesie torso, so I'd know how long to make the tie,

then I made a tie template from some cardstock.

I drew the "tie shape" free hand using the onesie measurements so the tie part wouldn't be too long or short.

The easiest way to do it {in my opinion} is to make the "knot" part and the "tie" part separately.  This made cutting out the material and attaching it to the shirt much easier.

I then cut out the tie using leftover quilting fabric and attached it to the onesie with some iron-on heat bonding material.  Then I sewed around the edges to secure it better using the zig-zag setting on my sewing machine.  I'd definitely recommend doing the sewing step -- the bonding didn't hold as well as I had hoped.  Sewing did the trick to hold it on securely, I even ran this one through the washer and dryer with no problems.

Asher's Easter onesie was made with some fun Hawaiian fabric, but here's a more traditional striped one that I also made for him.

It was so easy!  I saw a lot of these onesies for sale on Etsy for $15-20 and I'm so glad I tried to make my own.  Since I used onesies I already owned and leftover fabric it only cost me a couple dollars for the heat bonding!

That's it!

I can't post without adding a photo of my little guy, so check out these baby blues.  Oh, how he's got me wrapped around his fingers.

all dressed up

Drew, Asher, and I were invited over to our friends, Carl and Karen's house for Easter dinner on Sunday.  Asher, of course, insisted on dressing up like the dapper young man that he is.

I had the hardest time finding cute dressy clothes for a baby his size, so I did what any desperate {and yearning to be crafty} mama would do...I made him something!

How cute is this little necktie onesie on him?!  I just love it.

Unfortunately, Asher decided to spit up {several times} while we were there, so he had to wear his bib the whole time and nobody got to really see it.  Ahh, shucks.  He then proceeded to cry through the entire dinner. 

We really have to work on being a better guest.  Thanks for inviting us over anyways!

hip, hip, jorge!

As it turns out, I married into a family of Yankees fans. 

I had no baseball loyalties before Drew came along, so I was happy enough to join this bandwagon.  Well, I didn't so much join as concede.  Drew grew up in New Jersey, so the Yankee runs deep.  Even if I did like another team it would mean a constant fight, which I just don't have the energy for.

Baseball always kind of bored me since the games could be slow and there were so many each season.  But, over the past 6 years I've actually started enjoying it!  Following one team is totally the way to go!  I know the players {somewhat} and can keep track of how the team is doing overall.

Plus I grew up in the hometown of Mike Mussina, so that's a bonus.

Plus I think catchers don't get enough credit overall, so I love Jorge Posada.

Naturally, Asher is a huge Yankees fan.  Since he's his Daddy's son we didn't even have to teach him -- it's already in his blood.

We're excited for the start of baseball season around here!

can you say bed head?

Asher, not me.

This baby has got some crazy awesome hair.

I love it big time.

:o)

{By the way, if someone had told me a few months ago that I'd be posting photos of myself to the internet where I'm in a bathrobe with no make-up I'd have said they were crazy.  Well, there it is.}

mommy's little monster

Last week Asher's grandparents came to visit him!  Having fun with them was another big reason why we took a blogging break.  Asher loves it when he gets visitors, but, unfortunately {for me} he also gets really used to being held and played with constantly!

While they were here we took a trip down to the outlets and Grandma Wilkinson spoiled Asher with some new summer outfits!  One thing we found that I absolutely love are these monster pants!

Those of you who have little boys can appreciate how hard it can be to find adorable clothes for little guys.  Asher is a cutey-patootie in everything {of course} but these are especially great.  Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

happy easter

He lives!  He lives!  Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way.

He lives!  He lives!  Salvation to impart.

You ask me how I know He lives -- He lives within my heart.

We are so blessed.

My Easter chick agrees.

Thanks, God for the blessing of your Son - and mine.

to catch a thief

A few weeks ago I mentioned how I think having a baby is causing me to lose my mind. I love you, but it's true.

Most of the time I just accept it and go about my business.

But sometimes it affects other people. Then other times it affects other people AND me.

Other people like The Law.

Uh-oh.

Today Asher and I were shopping in Target and I may have accidentally shoplifted.

Ok, I definitely shoplifted, but it was an accident.

Nice example for a baby, huh?

I had Asher in the Snap 'N Go stroller and put a bottle of laundry detergent in the basket under his seat. The few other items I needed were in a bag I carried along, so once I checked out I just unloaded the bag and headed out of the store.

It wasn't until I was at the car and went to lift his car seat off of the stroller that I saw the detergent still in the basket.

I don't know Asher...should we take the time to go back inside, wait in line again, and pay for this detergent?

Being a baby I didn't expect Asher to know what the right decision was here, so I decided for us.

I felt pretty ridiculous, but we high-tailed it back inside to pay.

Do you think we made the right choice Ash?

Oh good! I'm glad you approve.

Moral Lesson #1: Don't steal.

Even if your clothes are dirty.