party animal

Finally, the long awaited birthday party post!

Last weekend Asher attended his first ever friend birthday party.  It was so much fun!!

{He was pretty obsessed with this ball}

All of the kids were encouraged to wear their costumes, so of course, the lobster had to make an appearance.  Unfortunately, Asher was hot and overwhelmed by all of the excitement, so this lobster looks pretty grumpy.  You'd think we were surrounded by boiling water and claw crackers by the expression on his face.

But really, it wasn't that bad.

We popped him out of the lobster-wear and he was happy as a clam.  Maybe that should be next year's costume.

Miss O {the birthday girl} was the cutest little ladybug. 

Asher had fun playing around the other kiddos - he still doesn't play with anyone - I think this is normal.

The birthday girl got a little help from Mom and Dad on blowing out her candle.

It took a little time for her to warm up to the idea, but eventually she took a face-first nosedive into her cake.  I love it!

We had such a great time!  Thanks for inviting us to celebrate with you!

baby friends - Halloween edition

Asher and I have been going to a Moms/Babies bible study this fall and last week we had our Fall Celebration so all of the babies {and some mommies!} could dress up in costumes.

Ash was having a bad day {exacerbated by a nasty cold} so we skipped the lobster and stuck with his Adora-boo shirt instead.  He was still super cute!

I love that Asher is big enough to have little friends - and sit up by himself on the couch without falling off - way to go A!

Look at sweet little Lucy sleeping in the corner.  I was really proud of Kate for resting her there - so brave, mama!  But, in all fairness, Madison {Nemo} was on watch and taking her job pretty seriously.  :o)

favorite thing friday - cupcake toppers

Welcome Fall!

Yesterday I made beef stew in my crock pot for dinner, but was lamenting the fact that it was so warm here {a high of 78} that it just did not seem like stew weather.  It's the end of October!  The leaves are changing!  Where's that crisp air I love?!

Well, it's here now!  We had a 20 degree drop from yesterday to today - yikes.  That was dramatic {and appreciated!} I love fall.
 
This weekend we have big plans for family fun.  It's been such a busy fall that Drew and I haven't had much time for just the 3 of us to hang out.  I'm really looking forward to taking Asher to the pumpkin patch {finally!!} and maybe having a picnic or trip to the aquarium.  Not sure where the weekend will lead us - any suggestions for family fun with a 10 month old?

In the meantime, it's favorite thing friday! 

A few weeks ago the bible study for moms that I attend was throwing a baby 'sprinkle' for 3 moms in our group.  It's a sprinkle, rather than a shower, since these ladies are all expecting their second child.  I love that!

Anyway, I was in charge of snack for the week and wanted to do something 'baby' without going overboard with work and expense.  I've seen cupcake toppers on a few websites recently and thought they were so cute!  What a great way to add decoration!

With keeping the expense down being a primary goal I decided to try my hand and making some myself, rather than buying them.  I plan to make some for Asher's birthday as well, so all of the 'gear' I needed will get more use.

Someday I'll do a detailed post on how exactly I made these, but for now I'll just show off the final product!

Happy Baby - and Friday!

baby fight club

Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned that if Carl and Karen's baby was a boy the men had big plans to train he and Asher into the world's foremost baby MMA club?

Well, Asher wasn't about to let something as small as them having a girl stop him from learning to be a great fighter.  I try to discourage this, but he's got the bug - what can you do?

With battle comes, of course, battle wounds.

Lest you get the wrong idea and social services start knocking on my door, I'd better come clean and confess that the only thing Asher has been fighting is his crib.

That's right, my tiny dancer was hopping in his crib and fell over, impressively knocking himself on the approximately 0.01% of exposed wood in his bed.  I'm actually not sure how he managed it - but his big ole shiner says he did.

Good thing Grandma W brought him a handy Boo Boo Bunny.  Nothing says tough fightin' man like needing a Boo Boo Bunny, right? 

How cute is this little thing?!  You put the ice cube part in the fridge or freezer then pop it into the soft bunny holder when someone gets a bump and needs some soothing.  

Boo Boo Bunny - I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

the cutest crustacean

I'm dying to tell you about Asher's first experience as a birthday party guest.  His baby friend, Miss O celebrated her first birthday with a fun party last weekend!  The thing is - the party encouraged all the kids to wear their Halloween costumes {which, of course, Asher did} and if I show you photos from the party, you'll see his costume.

I was waiting until Halloween to share the cuteness with you all, but who cares, we're close enough now.  I just need to spill the beans on his - oh so cute - costume already!

Without further adieu, I present my crawling crustacean

Can I just say how much I LOVE this costume!  It cracks me up every time.  I love that it's a little different.  The biggest problem is just how HOT it is - poor boy practically melts after just a few minutes.

Uh oh, look out - Daddy is hungry!

For those who are wondering I got it on eBay for a fraction of the cost of a new one.  I made the decision that if I'm not making it myself then eBay is the way to go.  These costumes usually only get worn once for an hour or so before being put back in the packaging.  You can bet I'll have this one listed for sale next fall! HA!

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Oh, and for those of you who were wondering about Asher's new shoes, they are from Stride Rite.  I looked all over and they had, hands down, the best shoes for little feet that are just learning to walk.  We bought them a little big on purpose since Asher isn't actually walking yet.  By the time he's up and around they should fit great.

Thanks so much for all of the encouragement about Asher's lack of sleep recently.  He had another bad night last night, but I'm hopeful that this phase is on its way OUT and we'll be back to getting good rest again soon.  I'll keep you updated!

new kicks

Asher got his first shoes over the weekend!

I was beginning to feel like a bad mom when I saw that Asher was the only baby sans shoes the last time we were out and about.  It's not exactly cold here yet, but it will be soon and this little guy needs some cold weather foot protection.

Not to mention that it's only a matter of weeks {days?!} before he's up on two feet, walking around.

Grandma and Grandpa W wanted to treat him to his first shoes so we picked some up while they were visiting.

These little sneaks are too cute!  I love the velcro - Ash tried his hardest, but he couldn't get them pulled off.  He did, however, manage to lick the bottom while it was still on his foot.  His flexibility never ceases to amaze me.

He's looking more and more like a little boy and less like a baby every day.  Mommy sob!

{But I'm proud too.  He's so fun now!}

on the lack of sleep

I intend to fill you all in on our fun weekend, but first I need some advice.

I know what you're thinking - how could this angel be the source for anything but bragging?

But...Asher has been having a lot of trouble sleeping through the night recently.  A few weeks ago he started waking up in the middle of the night, screaming bloody murder.  Now he's sick with a cold and teething {which I'm sure makes it worse}.

I've read that babies often start waking up at night when they drop their 3rd nap {which we did at 9 months old} and when they start moving around more.  All of that crawling, scooting, standing, and learning stimulates their minds and makes it harder sleep soundly.

All of that said, I guess it makes sense that Asher is experiencing these wake-ups.  He's been having his own mini-Renaissance recently and is SO busy all day.  The thing I'm wondering is...what do I do about it??  Anything?

I did move his bedtime up a little to compensate, but he still cries out at night.  When this happens I've stopped going in to him because when I do he just gets revved up and wants to play, rather than fall back asleep.  BUT I hate, hate hearing him cry!  Any advice?

Is anyone else going through this with your little one?  I'd love to hear any tips you might have!  Anyone have an idea of how long this will last or how I can help Asher get back to a good night's sleep?

The good news is that he's still a happy boy during the day.  He takes 2 good naps and goes down for night sleep easily.  I wouldn't worry about it so much, but I know that have interrupted sleep isn't the best for him {or me!} and it's been going on for a long time now.  It will be great when we get back to the lovely sleep schedule we used to have!  Just when you think you've got these babies figured out...

adora-boo

Boo!

 

 

It's an adorable baby!

Asher's Grandma and Grandpa were visiting this weekend and brought him this super cute Halloween shirt and hat.  A doesn't love hats, so keeping it on him was a bit of a struggle.

Teddy gladly took over that responsibility.

We had a really fun {but busy!} weekend with Drew's parents.  There was a birthday party, shopping, lots of eating, a trip to the park, house hunting, a visit to the Pediatrician, and a major Yankees disappointment. 

There were stories

and some down time.

More on all of this fun throughout the week!

Hope you all had fun weekends too!