happy birthday, drew!

Today is Drew's 30th birthday!

Asher and I spent the morning making him a very special birthday cake. Well, I made the cake...Asher slept in the Beco.

We love you Drew/Daddy -- Happy Birthday!

mr. blue eyes

Everyone keeps asking me what color Asher's eyes are. For some reason it's really hard to tell in most of the photos.

Well...they're blue!

I know there's a chance they could still change until he's about 9 months old, so we're on the watch for brown eyes to pop up.

Drew has brown eyes and I have blue, so we'll see what happens!

you asked for it

I've had a request for more Asher videos, so here you go Grandparents!

2 months old!

Asher had his 2 month birthday on Saturday. How does the time go so quickly?! I really can't believe that he has been a part of our family for over 8 weeks already.

I love him so much!

At 2 months, Asher:

*wears Size 1 diapers

* wears Size 0-3 month clothes

* weighs 11 pounds

* is 21.5" long

* sleeps anywhere from 5-8 hours straight at night (woo-hoo!)

* still naps every hour or so during the day

* LOVES his activity mat

* focuses on faces

* is starting to coo and giggle

* can lift his head briefly

* eats every 3-4 hours

My little guy changes and grows every day -- I'm so grateful to be able to stay home with him to catch every moment!

happy valentine's day!

This little love bug wants to wish all of you a happy valentine's day!

He also wanted to send a special request out to Aunt Erin asking if she would be his Valentine.

I came in a close second. :o)

watch me!

Here are some new random Asher videos for his grandparents, aunts, and uncles!









Happy Weekend!

birth announcement

Thank you all so much for your suggestions about getting Asher to nap alone. I'll let you know how it goes!

One piece of excitement we had around here the other week was finally {finally!} getting Asher's birth announcement out!

 
Since we didn't send Christmas cards this year I wanted the announcement to have a little holiday feel. But...then it was the end of January and the holidays felt pretty far in the past. Hopefully this was a good middle ground.

I really like it!

sleep, sweet sleep

I have to start by saying that Asher is a great night sleeper. At 4 weeks old he started having longer periods of night sleep and now, at 8 weeks old, he sleeps 7 hours straight at night. He'll usually go down in his crib around 10 and sleep until 5. A quick breakfast and he's back to sleep until 7 or 8.

It's wonderful!

However.

This little bugger refuses, absolutely refuses to sleep in his crib during the day! He'll nap for hours and hours if I hold him, but the minute I lay him down he's wide awake and screaming. The thing is that I know he isn't hungry or wet, just wanting to be held.

No, Mommy! Don't put me down! Please!

And who can blame him? I'm pretty cozy to snuggle against, if I do say so myself. :o)

Plus, it's really hard to say no to this face.

At first this wasn't a problem. I love holding him and was happy to help him sleep. But now it's getting to the point where I can't get anything else done during the day. My life has been reduced to nursing, changing diapers, and sitting on the couch. Not the worst life, but not exactly sustainable for the long run.

So now we're nap training. Except that I have no idea what I'm doing. The sleep book that I've been reading says that babies don't have the neurological ability to soothe themselves consistently until they are 4 months old. That's why crying it out becomes a "reasonable" solution at 4 months.

If this keeps up until he's 4 months old I probably won't mind leaving him to cry for awhile. Anything to have baby-free hands for an hour! But my goal is to avoid that and nip this in the bud now!

So...I need help! Does anyone have any advice??

To recap:

Asher is a great night crib sleeper and a terrible day crib sleeper. I don't want to let him cry it out because he doesn't yet have the neurological ability to soothe himself to sleep.

Should I just keep putting him down and soothing him back to sleep everytime he wakes up crying?

If anyone has a better idea I'd love to hear it!!

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.

my seven dwarfs in one

Yesterday I was talking to my Dad as he was driving home from work and, of course, we ended up chatting about Asher! I mentioned how grumpy Ash has been recently and Dad commented that he's a lot like the Seven Dwarfs -- grumpy, then happy in a matter of minutes.

I realized that he's totally right!

Let's review, there is:

Happy

Grumpy

Sleepy

Sneezy

Bashful

Doc, whom I'm replacing with Elvis

or Derek Zoolander

and Dopey

7 adorable characters in 1 little baby, who could want more!

6 weeks

Asher is 6 weeks old!

I can't believe how quickly the time is going by. I've read in my baby books that fussiness often peaks at 6 weeks old -- Asher is no exception. He's been more of a crab this week than any time previously.

I'm a little tired of looking at this face.

As I type this, however, he's resting peacefully in his bouncy chair. Yay, Asher!

Asher is still smiling a lot, which makes all those moments of crabiness seem less bad. I just love this little guy!

He's also been spitting up more often. I think that's a direct result of him gulping his dinner down all the time. Maybe he's going through a growth spurt because he has been eating like crazy recently!

Yesterday as I was trying to put him down for the night he spit up all down the front of me. Fortunately, the vomit took the path of least resistance directly between the girls and pooled in my bra, saving me from getting my PJ pants soaked as well.

If that's not looking at the glass half full, I don't know what is. :o)

tummy time

Ever since people realized that sleeping on their backs helps prevent babies from dying of SIDS newborns have needed parent supervised tummy time during the day.

And they hate it.

Tummy time is just what it sounds like. Short bursts {5 minutes or so at first} of time spent with the baby on his tummy. This helps him strengthen his neck and shoulder muscles to increase head control. Babies spend tons of time on their backs, so we have to be purposeful about giving their necks a workout.

Asher has been doing great! He usually screams when I put him on his belly, but just the other day he laid peacefully while cranning his neck to see what was happening {for a little while at least, the cries came eventually}.

He actually managed to turn his head from one side to the other, yay! Check it out - yes, that's me encouraging him like a moron in the background. Keep the volume low people, it's for your own good.

say uncle!

Asher is such a lucky baby in that he has lots of aunts and uncles! I grew up with a big extended family and it was awesome - I'm so glad that Asher will have that same opportunity!

This past weekend 2 of his Daddy's brothers came to visit and meet their newest nephew. Drew comes from a family of 4 boys, so these guys love having another boy in the family. In fact, I'm not totally convinced that Wilkinsons can produce females. It started with the original 4 brothers, then the 3 grandchildren that have come so far are all boys. Surely someone will have a girl someday, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Asher was thrilled to meet his Uncle Jared on Friday night. He came all the way from Maine to visit!

Then when Uncle Matt showed up on Saturday the fun leapt to a whole new level. Uncle Matt is the self-proclaimed "fun uncle" or "Funkle." Doesn't that pretty much say it all?

Since the uncles were here to give Daddy some back-up, I was able to go out for awhile! I had a great time having lunch with my girlfriends that I've hardly seen in the past 6 weeks.

While I was gone, the boys went out for lunch too. Daddy put Asher in the Beco since I had the stroller with me {oops}, but it sounds and looks like they made out ok. Poor Ash looks a little stuffed in there, but I'm assured he was fine.

I think the best part of the weekend came when Matt was called upon for a diaper change. Jared has twin boys, so he's a very experienced diaper changer. As a bachelor, Matt is not so much.

When Asher heard that Uncle Matt was on deck for the change he looked appropriately concerned.

How many men does it take to change a diaper? :o)

Thanks for visiting, Uncles! Asher can't wait for lots of fun with you all in the future.