Mama!

I realize I'm not posting in order, but I wanted to forever document the day Asher said the most important word he will ever say - Mama.  He uttered this word for the first known time on Saturday, December 11th.  I was so excited!  What made it even more exciting is he looked at me and grabbed for me when he said "Mama".  I had a big ole smile on my face.  :)

He also has added the following to his vocabulary:
Dada
Mama
Thathatha
Hey
Bababa (bottle)
Nanana (This either means no or Nana)
Naynay
Lalalala

9 months

I started this post over a month ago.  So much time went by that I thought I would just skip it, but I figured better late than never, right?

What has Asher been doing since last time I posted?

Crawling EVERYWHERE.  I love it!
Pulling up on everything.
Continues to put everything in his mouth... even dirt and leaves.
Says "da da".  Does he know what it means?  I'd like to think he does, but probaby not. 
Had another ear infection - we're on number 4 now (since posting this, we've had a 5th infection - more about that to come later).

I will post some pictures later, but I'll leave you with a few videos. 

Asher was getting tickled at Emma on a quick stop at the McPhail's one afternoon.  He has definitely found his laugh out loud voice.

I was teaching Asher the word "dog" and he just giggled every time I said it.  Jill and Asher are pretty good friends.



Asher started crawling yesterday.  How exciting!!  Think I need to baby proof the house yet?  Probably!  I have no idea how to do that....Mom, I need help! 



He was so funny because he whimpers while he's trying to get to his destination.  Once he getst there, he's all smiles!  He knows his parents are super proud of him. 

It's a Tooth!

Asher's first tooth came in today.  I thought he was chewing on his fingers differently today - like he was playing with something in his mouth other than just sucking on his fingers.  We checked, and sure enough, we found a sharp little white tooth on the bottom gum in the center.  I tried to get a picture but was unsuccessful, so I'll leave you with this one we took tonight. 

I have so much more to tell you... to be continued. 

Very busy

I have neglected this blog for a while.  Give me about three weeks and I can blog all the time!  Our life is consumed of work, short play in the evenings, bath and bed time for Asher, then workout time for us parents.  I can finally rest starting Oct 5th - which is the last day of P90x. The only reason I'm blogging right now is because I skipped tonight's workout...oops!

A few quick updates:

Asher went to his first football game - Pearl vs. Brandon.  He really didn't care for it but only because it was very loud.  Every time the women behind us would scream their shreaky voices would scare the daylights out of him.  We're thinking about taking him to the Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt game this weekend in Oxford.  We might regret it, but he MUST go to a Rebels game this year. 

Robbie has been extremely busy at work.  Normally, this wouldn't be a bad thing, but it has taken so much time away from his family that he feels really stressed out and busy all the time.  

Robbie and I went to the first Ole Miss home game of the season a couple weekends ago.  Yep, we lost to Jacksonville State which is terrible and embarrassing, but we go to the Vandy game this Saturday and hopefully make up for that!  

We learned that some friends are expecting!  So exciting for them!  Baby is due April 9th.  I don't know if they're telling the world yet, so I'll keep their identity a secret for now.  

Robbie is applying for business school.  We find out if he is accepted sometime in December.

Asher is sitting up now!!  He has been doing this for a couple of weeks.  We put him in his first public restaurant high chair this past Sunday.  He did so good!  I was worried that he would get tired of sitting up and make his upper body go limp and hit his head on the table.  Sometimes he just decides he's bored of sitting up and falls over on the floor to lie down.  He is also pulling himself up - not on furniture or objects, but he does it while holding my hands.  I expect any day now that I'll walk into his room and he'll be standing in his crib.  

Still no baby teeth yet.  He is really teething - or at least showing signs of it - but those teeth are just so stubborn and will not make their appearance.  I've been saying he's teething for months!  

That's all for now.  Come back later for some pictures and videos - if I can find some time to upload them to the computer.

Six Months

Asher has hit another milestone.  He has turned 1/2 year old.  Can you really count that as a milestone?  You can in my book!  He has learned so many new things just in the last few weeks.  My baby is growing up fast.  Here are a few things he's mastered recently - grabs for toys, pulls everything to his mouth including his feet, rolls over both ways, scoots around the floor, brings his knees in to crawl (just doesn't go anywhere yet), briefly stands up while holding on to a chair, blows lots of bubbles, gives kisses, reaches for us, gives me a big sugar every day when I pick him up from daycare, feeds himself a bottle (Hooray!  Can you tell we've been waiting on that one?), and he has found his shreaky loud voice.  He loves to squeal and squirm in the morning on his changing table.  I really do think that's his favorite spot.   

 6 month birthday pictures

Asher had a pretty bad ear infection a few weeks ago.  It was so bad that he was vomitting everything we gave him to eat for a couple of days.  I'm convinced he had a case of the stomach virus, too, since I also had the same thing a week before that.  Not to mention just about every baby and teacher in daycare carried it over the last few weeks.  Anyway, we cut out all solid foods for about a week in order to get him over that spell.  He's back to normal now and has a big appetite.  I'm still working on getting through all the veggeis before I start the fruits and meats.  He's about to start having to eat so many times in one day that I don't know how we're going to fit it all in. 

I took him to his six month check-up yesterday.  Everything checked out fine except his weight.  The doctor was concerned that he didn't gain enough weight since last check-up.  I did remind him that he was really sick a couple of weeks ago.  I know he lost weight during all of that.  He really didn't care for those shots. He turned blood red in his face when the nurse stuck him in both legs. :(


Asher's 6 month stats:
Weight: 15 lbs. 14 oz.  (20%)
Height:  28 1/4 "  (90%)
Head:  I don't remember this measurement (25%)
He is still measuring very long and slender - just like Daddy!


Did I mention he chews on everything?  And when I say everything, I mean everything. What baby doesn't, right?

Welcome Back, Joe!

Robbie and I have been working really hard the past two and a half weeks at P90x.  We have done every single exercise every single day of the program so far, and I can really see results!  I've already boxed up my maternity clothes, but I was hanging on to some larger size jeans since I haven't gotten all of my pregnancy weight off.  Time to put them away!  I thought I'd never see this day, but I can finally say that I can successfully fit into my Joe's and Sevens!  Only five more pounds to go to get the preggo weight off.  Yay!

Careful!

Last night, I laid Asher on our bed in our room so he could hang out there while I got a few things done.  He still hasn't rolled from his back to his belly yet - at least not in front of me.  He twists that whole body around except for his shoulder!  Anyway, I had him in the middle of the bed on his back and was helping him twist that shoulder around to turn over.  He seemed so proud of himself when he finally rolled over (with help)!  Then I got distracted and started cleaning up.  I don't think anything of leaving Asher alone on our bed because he never rolls around.  I turned my back for less than a minute, and he was on the side of the bed ALMOST about to fall off!!  Now, how he got there, I don't know because I didn't see him.  But surely he rolled over there!?  It scared me, but I was happy about it at the same time because that at least mean's he's moving. 

Let's catch up

I realize it has been a while since my last post, so let's do some catching up.

Eating
Asher is five months old now. He started solid foods at four months beginning with rice cereal then oatmeal. He loved it! Upon the suggestion of a friend, we stripped him down to only his diaper to avoid a huge clean-up. Surprisingly, Asher got most of the food in his mouth!

More, please!

When he turned five months, we were able to give him veggies. So far, he has eaten sweet potatoes, squash, peas, and carrots.  His first impression of all of them was, "what IS this you're putting in my mouth??"  But he loves them all!  You can tell when he really loves it when he's saying, "mmmmm hhmmmm mmmmmm hhmmm" between breaks.  He's so funny! 



Father's Day
We celebrated our very first Father's Day.  Asher gave Robbie a personalized photo book made by yours truly and an Ole Miss grill cover.  We spent the day at church, with family, and back home for a lazy afternoon.

Development
Asher (or should I said I) is/am working so hard to turn over from his back to his belly.  He is a master at doing the opposite.  He gets pretty close.  Something will get his attention behind his head, and he'll twist half way over to see what it is, then it's back to his back. I caught him doing this one day and was sure he was going to turn over...  no such luck.

watching TV

He used to absolutely despise tummy time.  Maybe he associated it with nap time because ever since Nana got him used to napping on his belly when he was a few weeks old, that's the only way you could get him to sleep without being swaddled (that is still the case).  Yes, I realize the SIDS police do not approve, but this particular baby won't have it any other way (he does sleep on his back at night).  Anyway, he has been getting better at tummy time.  He can lift his head pretty high, but he still won't roll. 

In my earlier post, I mentioned Asher was babbling.  It's the cutest sound I've ever heard!  He talks much more now, even [happy] squealing at times.  Here is a photo of him the day he came home from daycare "talking" to us. 

I've been practicing with him daily to sit up unsupported.  Aunt Steph is coming to take his six month pictures soon, and it's a goal of mine to have him sitting up by then!  It started on the counter of the bathroom a few days ago.

Then we tried this today...pretty good, right? 

Then he decided he wanted to eat it...like everything else.

That lasted about five seconds, then he decided he'd rather do this...

Crawling
He hasn't crawled yet, but I see signs of it coming soon!  Check out this video of him scooting around in the crib at Nana's. 

Oh, another thing he has improved on is standing up.  His legs are really strong.  He can stand up while holding on to something...a couch or your leg.  I think he might be one of those babies that never crawls and just starts walking.  His Daddy was like that. 

Update on Daycare

Asher is doing great at daycare. I'm glad I didn't scoop him up in my arms and run away that first day. I still do wish he could stay at home with me all day, but I realize that isn't a reality right now. I think the pros are outweighing the cons so far. I believe Asher is learning from the other babies in there. Like today on the way home, he was just babbling at his toys on his carseat. I have never heard him talk so much! It was one of the cutest sounds I've ever heard. It sounded like, "haaoo, haooo, hooo, hoaooo" over and over again. Of course he has made these sounds before, but not so much in a row. The other babies in the nursery are very vocal, so I think he may be picking this up from them along with just growing up.

Another pro is patience. He does still cry when he's hungry (what baby doesn't?!), but now he gives you a little head start to make the bottle before he gets mad. He can also entertain himself now. I am loving this! I used to not be able to leave a room without him getting upset/worried that I wouldn't come back. He is really enjoying his toys. I've also noticed him reaching out to touch everything. That hand-eye coordination is improving!

Pictures will come later...

Daycare

Well, it happened - Asher's first day of daycare was yesterday.  After six waiting lists and nine months of waiting for a spot to open, Ridgecrest Baptist Church finally called me last month to tell me they have room for Asher beginning June 1.  I've always thought daycare would be a good idea for children, and I still do, but it's always hard to send your own child there!  I just know he won't get the same attention he's been getting with his parents, grandparents, and babysitter. 

So, yesterday I took Asher to RBC for his first day.  I was very positive going in.  Once I got there, I got very nervous for him and me!  We had a substitute teacher in Asher's room, which made me feel very uneasy because she didn't really know how to direct us.  I had no clue what I was doing since I've never been in that atmosphere with him before.  So I put him down in a bouncy seat next to another playful baby.  He seemed fine in that seat.  I couldn't look at him much longer...he was staring at me!  My heart melted, and I knew I had to get out of there fast before he saw me cry.  I really wanted to hold it together for him, which I did, but I did cry all the way to work.  Turns out he had a great day.  I got his daily report card and noticed he pretty much slept most of the day.  He took FOUR naps!  Which is unusual for him.  They noted that he was happy most of the day but fussy at times...which was fine with me!  He has some days where he's fussy most of the day.  I was also worried about his teething.  The day before daycare, he was a mad baby all day because he was in pain.  The teachers said he didn't give them any problems! 

I was so emotional about the whole situation yesterday that I told Robbie he had to take Asher the next day because I didn't think I could go through that again.  I braved up, though, and dropped him off again today.  It was a much better day!  The regular teacher was there this morning and seemed to have everything under control.  I felt good leaving him there.  He was in such a good mood!  I still can't wait to go pick him up and hold him all night!

Happy Four Months, Asher!

Gosh, where has the time gone?  I haven't updated this blog since Asher was born.  Today is his four month birthday!  We've already reached a few milestones.  Asher smiles, laughs, holds his head up, turns over from front to back, eats solid foods (introduced today),  sleeps about 8-9 straight hours every night.  He has also discovered his hands!  He tries to eat them as much as possible.  One day I thought he was gagging himself because he had his entire fist in his mouth.  He amazes me every day!  We are so blessed to have this beautiful baby in our lives.

We took Asher on his first beach trip last weekend.  He traveled well on the way down there...slept pretty much the whole time, but on the way back, he was not a happy camper.  I think he was tired of the car.  I don't blame him...so was I.  

I recently discovered that Asher decides he wants to hit the sack whenever he is hot.  As soon as we got down to the sand, he wanted to go to sleep.  Thanks to the McPhails' baby dome, Asher had a comfy place to sleep.  This is what he did the whole first day at the beach.

He did the same thing the second day, but he did wake up and we got a few cute pictures of him:

He loves to stand up, too (with support of course)!

Mommy and Daddy with Asher:

Baby toes in the ocean!

I knew we wouldn't make it to March 4th...

Oh boy, do I have news for you!  The last weekend of January started out fairly normal.  I was excited because my best friends were throwing us a baby shower on Sunday the 31st.  My friends are so creative with shower decor, and I just couldn't wait to see it!  That Friday at work, I had been feeling a little odd.  The entire month of January was just so uncomfortable to me that I just didn't think much of it.  I even went shopping on Saturday to do some last minute things to get ready for Asher's arrival.  Little did I know, he was planning his arrival a few hours later!

My water broke as soon as I dozed off to sleep Saturday night/Sunday morning.  I jumped up in the bed and let out a huge gasp...which I thought would scare Robbie, but he was surprisingly very calm about the whole situation.  He immediately called the doctor just like we learned in childbirth class!  I was frantically running around the house trying to figure out what I needed to throw in our "emergency" hospital bag.  I'm such a procrastinator that I was even surprised I had a bag already packed.  It wasn't the one I wanted, but it would do in case of an emergency!  Doctor said to come to the hospital immediately, so that we did.  We hopped in the car, called the parents and arrived at the hospital about 30 minutes later.  Keep in mind, my due date was not until March 4, so we were really not expecting this to happen at all.  I was worried the entire car ride there because Asher was four and a half weeks early.  We just had him measured a week before at the doctor's office and he was measuring about 4 lbs 11 oz.

I had a very easy labor.  I couldn't even feel my contractions at first.  I only knew I was having them because the monitor showed me!  I was in labor about 9 hours.  Asher made his appearance at 10:48am on 1/31 weighing a whopping 6 lbs 3 oz (big for a preemie!) and 19 inches long.  When the nurse told me his weight, I was shocked but very relieved!  They take babies to the NICU if they're under a certain birth weight...I think it was 5 lbs.  I thought we were in the clear, however, the nurses wanted to monitor his lungs.  They took him to well baby nursery for a few hours and then decided to send him to the NICU due to some apnea problems he was having.  Little did I know we'd be in the NICU for 12 days.  That was the longest 12 days of my life.  Asher had several apnea spells his first two days of life.  He progressively got better, but he couldn't come home until he stopped having spells for at least 5 consecutive days.  Every time he had one, my heart sunk a little.  I knew he had to stay there to get better, but I just wanted to take him home with us.  I never thought I'd have to leave the hospital without my baby.  After what seemed like a lifetime, we finally brought him home on February 12th... the biggest snow day Mississippi has seen in quite some time!

Asher is doing very well now.  I think he loves his new home.  And his parents sure do love him!  He'll be 4 weeks old this weekend.  I cannot believe it!  Seems to me like he should only be two weeks old.  They do grow fast! 

Thank you everyone for your prayers and blessings during Asher's NICU stay.  We are very appreciative of all the love and gifts that were sent our way.

Third Trimester

Our pregnancy is coming along nicely.  I'm 32 weeks and feel huge!  I guess that is a good thing.  Both of us are healthy, which is all I ask for.  Being pregnant was so much fun and "cute" in the beginning....now it's starting to feel miserable.  Sleeping is more of a task than a state of relaxation.  I feel better standing up than I do lying down.  People would always ask me when my due date is, and I'd tell them March 4th and I hope no sooner than that!  Almost everyone would tell me I will be wishing this baby comes a few weeks early when I get to that point.  Well, I'm to that point!  I guess I'm a little selfish because I want all these aches to go away, but I also can't wait to meet Asher!  I don't have everything together for him yet, but we're getting there. 

Robbie and I took our first childbirth class this week.  I've got to say it was very educational.  Neither one of us knows much about pregnancy and babies, so I think it helped. We have three more to attend over the next few weeks.  I'm anxious to see what we'll learn. 

My good friend Stephanie was nice enough to practice her photography skills on us a few weeks ago.  She took some great pictures!  Here are a few of them.  Thanks, Steph!  To view Stephanie's blog, click here.