daddy standards

On Saturday morning I had to go to the DMV.  As I'm sure is true for everyone out there, going to the DMV is my favorite part of moving.  What's not to love about waiting in line for an hour, gathering 3-5 different kinds of ID, getting a lovely new driver's license photo, pressing your forehead against the vision machine that countless others have also caressed...and on it goes.

Needless to say, I released a big sigh of relief when I left the DMV 2 hours after I arrived with a new license, license plates, car title and registration.

During my time with Virgina's happiest employees, Drew was home with Asher.  I left before Asher woke up for the day, so I'd say Drew had a total of 1.5 hours of baby time before I returned.  Drew feels very strongly that Asher shouldn't watch any TV and I agree {to a point...confession: sometimes when I'm on hour 12 of baby care and the late afternoon crankiness reaches a peak, I'll let him watch a little tube just so we make it until bathtime.  I don't feel bad about this.  Thank goodness for that magical box with flashing lights, colors, and noises!}

Anyways, I came home from Hades the DMV and found this:

Daddy passed out and Asher watching Sports Center.

Seriously?  Are you kidding me?

Haha...I thought it was hilarious!  How quickly the mighty standards fall when Daddy is in charge!

name that present

My birthday present finally arrived!

Way back at the beginning of the month we celebrated my 28th birthday with a delicious ice cream cake {ahh...dairy...those were the days} and the promise of a gift to come.

Well, just the other day my gift appeared in the mailbox!  Drew had ordered it for me, but since it was a custom item it took a few weeks longer to arrive than he anticipated. 

How beautiful is this....

I love it!

It goes with absolutely everything and is the perfect size for Asher to grab and try to strangle me.  Ideal!

If you're as smitten as I am, you can find your own here.

pick of the litter

Some days I think I might have given birth to a puppy, instead of a baby.

Exhibit #1:

Sophie the Giraffe.

Sophie is a teething toy that came highly recommended to me from some blogging friends.  She is made of all natural rubber and food grade paint, so she's completely safe for little mouths to chew on.  I didn't realize this until she arrived, but it turns out that she also has a very sensitive squeaker inside.

So, let's see, Sophie is:

made of rubber
squeaks when squeezed
intended for chewing

Sound like anything else?  Perhaps something you could buy at PetSmart?

Asher loves her.

Exhibit #2:

I left Asher playing on his activity mat yesterday and went into the kitchen to do some dishes.  When I returned I found Asher doing this...

That's right, he was chewing on the entertainment center!

Don't eat the furniture!  Bad dog baby.

Thank goodness they don't make stuff with lead paint anymore.

Exhibit #3:

Last night after Asher's bedtime bottle I was walking him around so he would burp and I heard the telltale sound of spit-up.  I quickly turned him around to assess the damage to his PJs, but couldn't see anything.  Yay!  No PJ change!  Then I looked on the blanket covering my shoulder to see how much he spit up.  Nothing there either...hmm...that's strange.  I know I heard him spit up!  Finally I looked down and saw that he had expelled his dinner past my shoulder all over the carpet.

Are you kidding me??

I called Drew and told him to bring up the Resolve carpet cleaner.  It now lives right next to the Dreft stain spray in Asher's room.  Who, besides new puppy owners, have to keep Resolve within arm's reach?

Oh, my puppy baby.  Gotta love him!

lots of visitors = one spoiled baby

Asher got a ton of attention this weekend!

We had one visitor after another and had such a great time!   It all started Saturday morning with a visit from my sister, Erin and her hubby, Ryan.  Asher just adores his Aunt Erin and Uncle Ryan!

They drove down from Harrisburg to spend the weekend and see our new place.  I can't believe they are only 2 hours and 15 minutes away!  That might sounds far to some lucky people who live in the same town as their extended family, but believe me, this is the closest we've ever been!

On Saturday we played it easy and just hung around the house lovin' up on Asher.  After he hit the hay for the night the grown-ups ordered Chinese food {dairy-free, woohoo!} and watched Sherlock Holmes.  If you can believe it, this is the first movie I've seen in 5 months.  Must get back into reality soon.

Uncle Ryan had a softball game on Sunday afternoon, so after a relaxing morning of coffee and baby time they were on their way.  We were sad to see them go, but so happy they made the trip.  Now that we know how easy it is to get and there we'll be seeing them a lot more often!

On Sunday afternoon we got a very special visit from a dear friend of mine, Jessica and her hubby, Felix!  Jess was one of my bridesmaids and a friend that I met at Bucknell.  She and Felix just celebrated their first wedding anniversary last month!  They were visiting her sister and swung by to see us on their way out of town.  I'm so glad Asher got to meet them both -- we'll be coming to see you guys soon too!

Asher just lapped up all the attention this weekend.  He loves to be held and talked to.  This boy was in seventh heaven, for sure.  :o)

Luckily his Grandma and Grandpa are coming to visit on Tuesday or he'd be going through some serious withdrawl!  We'll have to detox after they leave.

Anyone else who wants to visit this cutie...come on over!

which way to the clam bake?

Who's ready for a summer on the Cape?

This little prepster is!

My best friend from Bucknell, Emily, gave me this outfit when I was brand new pregnant last May.  Now Asher fits into it! 

{She also gave me a super cute dress version for a little girl since we weren't sure who I was expecting at the time.  Hopefully I'll get to use it in the next few years!}

He is so adorable in this little collared button-down romper.

Hello, baby blues!

it's the little things

This morning I woke up around 7:15 to the sound of a lawn mower racing up and down my yard.  We live in a small development and, apparently, the same guy mows all of the backyards because he was moving right down the line.  We are renting our current house, so I guess either the landlord or HOA arranged for lawn care because I certainly wasn't expecting to see him out there today.

Anyways, despite the fact that hearing the LOUD whirring of a mower first thing in the morning isn't really my favorite, there was a little something about this situation that made me smile.

When we were living in Cleveland there were no shortage of lawn care companies.  They all had big trailers to haul around the mowers and usually parked just enough in the street so you almost couldn't get by.  Since I squeezed past my fair share of pick-up trucks advertising lawn care {and snow removal...these always, always go together in Cleveland} I learned the names of most of the companies.  They were, without exception, always something like "John's Lawn Care and Snow Removal."  Or "Bob Jones Lawn Care and Snow Removal."

The thing that made me smile this morning was the t-shirt our lawn care professional was wearing.  Across the back of his shirt, advertising for his company, was their name...

"BLADE RUNNERS"

Now that's what I'm talking about.  Rock on, Blade Runners, rock on.

I love it here!

{But I miss Cleveland too...especially you, Karen!  :o)}

a good read

I've always loved to read.  For me, books are a way to transport out of this life into a world that I'd otherwise have no access.  Sometimes it's a world that no one can access a la Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings.  Nothing impresses me more than an author who can create an entire culture out of thin air!

However, most other times books introduce me to characters who live in places or times far from my own.  Who else loves to read the old timey English that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy use?  Or enjoy taking a seat in the court of King Henry VIII while Anne Boylen spins her web.

For me, these {and many other books!} are good reads.  I'm trying to impart this love of literature on Asher by reading to him every day.

So far, however, his definition of a "good read" has less to do with content and more to do with taste.

Yum...delicious story, Mommy.  I love to read snack!

last weekend

We had such a fun time last weekend!  This morning I realized that I'd better get something up here about it before the next weekend rolls around!

The past few weeks (month?!) have been spent organizing a move, moving, unpacking, and settling into our new place.  For the first time in many weeks we spent Saturday doing fun stuff and learning to love our new neighborhood.

My car needed to be inspected before I can get it registered in Virginia, so we loaded up and dropped it off at our friendly neighborhood service station early Saturday morning. 

The service station is conveniently located just a few blocks away from the Farmer's Market, so we put Asher in his stroller and walked on over to the market.  It was such a gorgeous day...mid-70s, sunny, and breezy.  I immediately bought a freshly squeezed lemonade and some beautiful strawberries.  Drew found this teeny, tiny thin asparagus {so delicious!} so we got some of that to grill for dinner as well.  The farmer's market was quite a bit smaller than the one we used to go to in Cleveland, but it still had a good variety and, I'm sure, will grow as the summer approaches.

While we were walking around, Asher needed to eat, so I parked us in some shade and pulled out his bottle.  I have to say, the convenience of bottle feeding is so nice when we're out! 

The sun was playing peek-a-boo with the tree leaves, so poor Ash kept getting the sun in his face. 

That is, he was getting the sun in his face until Daddy came along and donated his hat.  I really need to remember to bring a hat along all the time for this boy!

After Asher had his fill we wandered over to the Whole Foods to find some dairy-free food replacements for me.  I found a few things and by then my car was done.  Gotta love good timing!

Sunday we took our first outing to church since moving.  Going anywhere with Asher can be a bit of an adventure, especially when it falls during his usual nap time.  I was a little nervous about how he'd do in the nursery with strangers, but he was amazing!  Of course, it helped that the sweet lady who was working held him the whole time.  Spoiled little guy.  :o)

All in all, it was a great weekend for our little family!  This weekend Aunt Erin and Uncle Ryan are coming over...we can't wait!

that's ironic

**Last week I was complaining about how I had to eat an entire ice cream cake by myself.  Now my son has a milk allergy and I'm off dairy.

**For the past few weeks I've been trying to teach Asher how to roll over so he'd stay on track with his motor skills.  Now he rolls over so easily I can't keep him on his belly to work on neck, back, and arm strength.

**Oreo cookies contain no dairy, despite the fact that there's a picture of milk right on the front of the package.

**When I had to leave Asher with Drew for a whole day to attend an out-of-town wedding last week, I pumped furiously in the week preceeding to make sure I had enough breast milk to leave for him.  Now since I'm feeding Asher 1/2 breast milk and 1/2 formula, but still pumping 4x/day to maintain my supply, I have a freezer full of 100+ ounces of milk...and no baby to feed it to.

Anybody know anything about breast milk donation?

like a rolling stone

We had a big weekend around here.

Asher rolled over!

I think getting those extra milk proteins out of his system lightened his belly enough for him to be able to get the whole way over.   :o)

Drew and I have been practicing with him for the past few weeks and on Saturday he decided to give it a try on his own.  Since then every time I put him on his tummy he rolls right over onto his back.

This is good and bad.

While I'm proud of him for rolling over he still needs practice raising his head and pushing up on his arms.  This boy has always hated tummy time and now that he can get himself out of it we have a battle on our hands!

I'll take it, though.  Way to go Mr. A!

Check out his big moment for yourself.  Drew and I are so proud! {can you tell?}

MA meeting at my house

Hi everyone.  My name is Emily...and I'm a milk-aholic.

My reign as the dairy queen has come to an end.  I am officially off all dairy, both obvious and hidden.

On Friday I called Asher's pediatrician to have a more in depth conversation about his milk protein allergy and how we could deal with it.  I expressed my fervent desire to keep breastfeeding, if at all possible, and asked if we had some time for me to change my diet and see if that helped.  My fear was that this allergy could be causing serious internal damage to him {since I saw blood in his poo} and didn't want to exacerbate that by prolonging his exposure.

His pedi assured me that he would be ok for a little while longer so I could try cutting all dairy out of my diet to see if that would do the trick.  It can take up to 2 weeks to get all the milk protein out of my system, then another 2 weeks before it's completely out of Asher's system, so it might be up to a month before we see major changes.

Until my 2 weeks are up I'm going to be giving Asher half and half {breastmilk and Alimentum formula} so he is getting less of the offensive milk proteins, but still some breastmilk.  In the meantime I'm still pumping every few hours to mantain my supply for the day when he can go back to fully breastfeeding.  There's nothing like pumping and mixing up formula bottles!

Because of Asher's newly discovered sensitive system I decided to hold off on giving him any solids until he is 6 months old {unless he starts showing some really clear signs that he needs/wants more food}.  Even when he is ready for solids, I think we'll start with something that's easier to digest, like avocado, rather than a grain which is often tougher for kids with these protein intolerances to handle.

I am just starting to discover how much I loved dairy.  It's really no wonder Asher had a problem!  Once I started reading food labels it looks like dairy is in nearly everything that I eat often.  Granola bars, breakfast cereal, English muffins...and of course, the obvious stuff like ice cream, yogurt, butter, and cheese.  I really don't mind making sacrifices for my little guy -- it will just take some planning and good observation skills on my part!  If anyone has ideas or suggestions for yummy dairy-free items I would love to hear them!

Thanks to everyone who left a comment and gave me advice!  I feel much more confident now that if this new diet doesn't help Asher, he will not only be fine, but can thrive on the hypoallergenic formula.  I'm so grateful to have options!  This community really is the biggest reason why I love blogging!! 

got milk {allergies}?

We do.

Well, Asher does.

I took him to the Pediatrician yesterday because over the past 3 weeks I've noticed an increasing amount of blood-streaked, mucousy stuff in his poo.  It doesn't happen in every dirty diaper, but at least 3x a week I've seen this very unsettling sight.  With the move and new job {read: new insurance} it took me this long to get him in. 

Our new Pediatrician was super nice and listened to my lengthy description of his symptoms and even took a peak at a dirty diaper I hauled in with me {hands down, grossest things I've had to do as a Mom so far}.  After our discussion and a physical exam of Asher she believes that he has a milk protein allergy. 

The weird thing is that this just manifested itself a few weeks ago {most kids who are allergic show the allergy from birth} and he hasn't been vomiting or experiencing intestinal pain.  I was hoping it would be something that we could control through my diet, since I've been exclusively breastfeeding since his birth, but the Pedi thinks that won't be enough to clear it up entirely since my milk will contain the protein as well.

She recommended giving him hypoallergenic formula over the weekend to see if that stops the bloody poos.  In the office I was so shocked to hear all of this that I agreed to the plan, took the formula samples, and headed home.  It wasn't until I was getting ready to give him the bottle at bedtime that I started getting upset.  I just cried and cried over this bottle of formula.  Have you ever smelled Alimentum?  It stinks like a wet dog.  I felt like a terrible mother feeding that to my little guy.  You should have seen the disgusted look on his face.  But, bless his heart, he drank it down like a champ. 

Meanwhile, I'm crying and ended up giving him to Drew halfway though the feeding.  Not only does it smell like the worst food imaginable, we've worked so hard to keep up with breastfeeding that I can't fathom just stopping cold turkey.

If I have milk to give him, isn't that the best?!  Shouldn't we at least try to alter my diet and see if that helps his symptoms?

I mean, he's a thriving {mostly healthy} boy who loves mama's milk!  I'd be willing to do whatever it takes to make my milk tolerable for his little body.  I am really hoping that cutting all dairy out of my diet might be enough to help him.  His symptoms are so minor it doesn't seem like it should take much to curb them...right??

I plan to call the Pedi office again today and ask the list of questions that I came up with overnight, including re-pitching the idea of cutting dairy from my diet.  Asher's doctor said that most kids outgrow this type of allergy by the time they are 1 year old, so if we can just make it for another 7 months we should be ok.

My first priority is doing what's best for Asher, so if that means hypoallergenic formula, then that's what we'll do.  I just don't want to give up instantly and assume that this solution is the only one.  I really want to keep breastfeeding him.  Anyone else have to deal with this kind of situation?  Any suggestions??

How do you feel about all of this, Asher?

Yeah, me too.

five months old

Asher, you are 5 months old today!

I know I say this every month, but I really can't believe it's been 5 months since you were born.  My life is completely different than it was before you were here and I couldn't be happier!

Our first few weeks together were a little rough....lots of crying, lots of pooing, not much smiling.  But these past couple months have been such a joy!  You smile all the time, love to play, and get so excited to see me or Daddy walk in your room.

Asher, you are changing by leaps and bounds.  I love watching you discover new things -- like your hands and feet!  I never knew toes could be so facinating {although yours are particulary adorable!}

Thanks for coming to brighten my world little man.  I promise to 'say yes' as often as I can and make your world a special, happy place.  Next month you'll be a half-year old and we're going to celebrate big time!

At 5 months old, Asher:

*wears 3-6 month clothes
*wears size 2 diapers
*sleeps anywhere from 8-10 hours straight at night
*eats at 4am, 7am, 11am, 3pm, and 7pm
*eats from 6-7oz at a time {plus 2 nursings of mystery amounts}
*will smile at anyone who smiles at him
*has eyes so blue the whites look blue too!
*still hates tummy time, but is getting better
*will push up on his forearms
*refuses to roll over
*scoots backwards constantly
*loves to splash in the bathtub
*will chew on anything close enough to grab
*has the sweetest laugh {especially when you kiss his neck chub!}
*likes to be read to/grab the books

reading ahead

Sometimes I think that Asher is reading the baby reference books when I'm not looking.

I had written a desperate plea for sleep help the other week and I'm happy to say that we're doing much, much better!  My baby reference bible, Baby 411 {Jocelyn, I still can't believe that Dr. Brown is Eli's actual Pediatrician...that's awesome!} says that healthy, full-term 4 month olds should be able to sleep 6 hours without needing to eat and 5 month olds should be able to sleep 9 hours without needing to eat.

Asher really struggled with making it the 6 hours all through his 4th month.  Since we were on the road for most of that month I indulged his pleas for food and comfort all night long, but decided to play it tough when 5 months rolled around.  We all need more sleep and he doesn't have a biological reason to be waking up 3x at night anymore.  Apparently he got the message and decided to cut the chase by sleeping 10 hours straight last night!  One day ahead of time!  I'm so proud of him!

It could be a complete fluke {and I probably just jinxed it}, but there's a lot of hope on my end that we've turned a corner.

Maybe I should put some books about potty training around the house and see if he just picks that up too!

By the way, how cute is he in these blue jeans?  Such a big boy!

I was trying to figure out what looked weird about this outfit and I decided that he needs a baby sized belt.  A tucked in shirt {onesie} with no belt just looks funny in jeans.  Do they make baby belts?  That would be ridiculous, but pretty hilarious!

favorite thing...tuesday!

Thanks everyone for your encouragment!  I know that Asher is ready for the next step...no one is more surprised by my hesitation than me!  I forgot to mention this yesterday, but I was inspired by a. lee over at Monkey Love and gave Asher a spoon to play with.  He put it straight into his mouth, spoon-side in and everything!  I guess he's ready for some chow.

Just not the Subway breakfast. 

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

Last Friday I got a little busy and didn't get a chance to post a Favorite Thing Friday, so here's it is now!  This product is hands-down our new favorite baby item.  A few weeks ago I was faced with driving Asher from New Jersey to my parent's house in North Carolina.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the route, that's a 10 hour drive.

If you don't make any stops or hit traffic.

Both of those things are impossible, so we were looking at an 11+ hour journey. 

Luckily for me, Asher is an amazing traveler and only got really fussy towards the last hour of our trip.  Once we got to NC I decided to try and find some new car toys to keep him entertained on the 5 hour trip back up to VA when our visit was over. 

My mom and I found this toy in Target and thought it looked like just the ticket.  Asher loves to grab and spin his toys on his bouncy seat, so this seemed like a natural thing to try.  The ends have velco attachments that hook onto the infant carseat carrier bar, so it's suspended right in front of his face.

He absolutely loves it!!

Every time we get in the car his eyes light up when I connect his "friends" to the bar.  He starts playing right away and doesn't stop until he falls asleep!

Best $10 ever spent.  Now I just need to figure out how to connect it to the stroller so he stays entertained while we're shopping!

nothing but tangents

I wanted to write a quick post before going upstairs to pump and, oh yeah, sleep.  My mind is a big jumble tonight, so this post is going to be a melting pot of my current thoughts.

You've been warned.

First:

I think it's ridiculous that Subway now offers breakfast.  I can't wrap my mind around the giant cooler of sub meats/cheeses/toppings somehow being transformed into a breakfast bar.  Or do they set it up differently?  I'm a little curious about the logistics of this operation, but mostly just turned off by the whole idea.

Next:

My birthday cake is exhausting me.  I think I mentioned that Drew got me an ice cream cake from Coldstone Creamery for my birthday last week.  My parents were here to help us get it started, but we only finished off a third of so with them.  Drew decided that he's "healthy" all the sudden, so I'm on my own.  I can't, in good conscience, throw away perfectly good ice cream cake, but I'm also concerned about running out of Lactaid before I finish off this bad boy.

And you think you've got problems.

Finally:

Even before Asher was born I was looking forward to giving him baby food.  Who doesn't love those pictures of cutie babies covered with brightly colored purees?!  As I've recently been reading on other peoples blogs about how they have started giving their little ones food it struck me that the time is near!  And I'm not longer excited.  In fact, I feel kind of sad.  I just want my little guy to stay little and depend on me for his food.  No one is more surprised than me at these feelings.  I told Drew I wanted to hold off until Ash is 5 months old and he reminded me that that happens on Thursday.  Yikes. 

Needless to say, we're going to take it slow.  But I know it will be ok.  My little boy is growing up and I need to accept it. 

Now for a happy picture.  Oh, how I love him.

first mother's day

Today is my first Mother's Day!

Asher and his Daddy got me a great card and gift.  This summer Asher and I will be going to the Little Gym in a "Bugs" class for 4 to 10 month olds.  I'm so excited!  Hopefully this will be a great chance for Asher and I to meet some other babies and mommies in our area.  Great gift idea, Drew!

Drew's Mom sent me a first Mother's day card and a not-so-subtle hint that she'd like another grandchild in the form of a Victoria's Secret gift card. Thanks, Mom!....but don't hold your breath.

I can't believe this time last year I was expecting Mr. A, but didn't actually know him yet.  Life before him is becoming a distant memory and I couldn't be happier.

Asher, being your Mommy is my greatest accomplishment and joy.  I love you so much and cherish the days {and nights!} we spend together.  Stick with me buddy -- we're a good team.  :o)

{I can't finish this post without a shout out to our Moms as well.  We love you both so much!}

wwmjs?

What would Mick Jagger say, you ask?

I was just wondering the same thing.

As a Rolling Stone, I assume he'd refer to Asher's lack of rolling over with something like, "that boy sure must love moss."

You may be shocked Asher, but I have to agree.

If a rolling stone gathers no moss, than Mr. A is the mossiest kid on the block.

He refuses to roll over!  We practice every day, but he just isn't interested in trying that hard.  Every morning I catch him via the video monitor rolled up on his side, but that's as far as he takes it.  Apparently Asher has the perfect anatomy for balancing on his side.  Most kids would just let the momentum take them the whole way over, but not Ash.  He manages to get up on his side, then throws his leg out to stop himself from going the rest of the way over.

It's actually kind of impressive.

He is finally, finally getting more comfortable with being on his tummy at all.  For the longest time when I put him down he'd just scream and scream. 

Now he tries {and succeeds!} at pushing himself up on his arms.

I have a feeling that Asher will completely skip rolling over and go straight to crawling one day.  Now that he can push up with his arms he loves to move his legs too.  If they were a little stronger he'd be off like a shot.  Look out world!

He already has a pretty dramatic backside scoot.  The other day I had him playing on his activity mat while I was pumping and throughout the 20 minutes he managed to push himself completely off the mat and halfway across the room.  Fortunately it's a big room, so he had plenty of space!  Anyone else remember the "blast-ended skrewts" from Harry Potter?  The movement is something like that.

Plant feet

Push off with explosive force

Fly backwards

{usually into furniture when Mommy isn't looking}

Needless to say, Asher isn't allowed to be alone on beds or near the TV console anymore.

Wish us luck on rolling over!

i'm losing it. and so is he.

Our hair, that is.

I'm pretty sure that both Asher and I are going bald.

A few months ago, I heard that pregnancy causes increased hair growth, so once you have the baby and the hormones level out all that extra hair falls out.  Thank goodness I had heard about this or I definitely would have assumed there was a vitamin deficiency of some kind at work here.  My hair is coming out in huge clumps.  My shower drain is begging for mercy and my hairbrush is about to give up entirely.  And that's just me.

Poor little Asher was born with a head full of hair, but now he's got this hilarious "ring 'o bald" around the back and sides.  I guess all of his time playing on his back is starting to cost him some hair.  The worst part is that the hair on top is still growing strong and getting way too long.

In fact, his hair is so long that the faux-hawk wouldn't stand up anymore, it just kept flopping over to the side.

This won't do at all.

So, I gave him a haircut!

It seemed too early for a first haircut, but he needed it, so I gave it my best.

It was a little challenging trying to snip scissors around the face of a baby who's head was bobbling around while sitting in a Bumbo, but I did my best.

Asher seems to approve!

catching up {by the numbers}

I'm been MIA for the past few weeks and while you all know the broad strokes of where I've been I wanted to fill you in on some of the details!

Drew, Asher, and I took a major road trip over the past few weeks.  First we headed to DC to find our house {which we're in now!}, then we headed north to New Jersey to celebrate Drew's brother's wedding on April 17th.  After the wedding Asher and I headed WAY south to North Carolina to stay with my parents for 2 weeks while Drew handled the move logistics in Cleveland and finished up his job there.

Ever drive 10 hours with a 4 month old?  Asher is a super traveler, but it was still tough.  I'm so glad my Mom was able to ride with me and Asher!

Then just last Saturday we came back north to DC and moved into the new place.  Drew started work yesterday and Asher and I are on our own for the first time in many, many moons.  It feels great to be all together again and settled in a house.

Now, for the grand tally.

Days between homes:  21
State lines crossed:  13
Explosion diapers while traveling:  1
Photos taken:  52 {pathetic, I know}
Trips to Wal-Mart for baby stuff:  3
Places we slept:  6

Our trip in photos!  I didn't take nearly as many photos as I typically do, but it was all I could do to keep up with life in general.  Come away with me...

Hitting the road out of Cleveland

Stop #1:  Visit with Aunt Erin, Uncle Ryan, and Phinley!

After our house search {no photos, bah} we headed to NJ and visited with Grandma and Grandpa Wilkinson before the big wedding.  Go Yankees!

Lovely wedding day for Chris and Lisa. 

What a beautiful bride!

Ah, living easy in the south.  Asher loved all the attention Grammy and Pop Pop showered on him.  We're detoxing back to real life now.

Finally in our new house!  If you ever find yourself crusing by DC on I-95 come by and visit us!

I can't wait to get all caught up on your blogs -- watch for my comments on old posts, it's been too long since I had time to sit and read.  I hope to get caught up this week!!