30 January 2012

New stuff

I confess, I'm cheating on this blog post. I'm very busy watching the Bachelor but realized I haven't blogged in awhile. The least I can do is upload some new media (apologies in advance for any Facebook duplicates)...

New pictures first:







And new videos (again, these won't win any oscars so don't expect to be on the edge of your seat :) )

Ashton has learned how to shake it!


He gets very vigorous and has hit himself in the head a couple of times.

Also, like all babies, he loves music. We are actually in a music class every Tuesday with a few other babies. For the record, Ashton does not often watch TV (usually Giants only) but at the end of the day he is often fussy and sometimes it quiets him down/distracts him. This was today...


I promise my next post will be better. We are headed back to the dermatologist tomorrow because his rash persists and he is so itchy. Hopefully they will give me new tips for managing his eczema if that's what it is (papa I will email you separately some pictures).

Okay back to the Bachelor. Silly roses, overuse of the words "finding love", "journey" and "connection", and yet I always watch!!

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

24 January 2012

Solids: Take 2

We decided to try again with solids today. Skipping the totally gross, nutritionally deficient rice cereal that Ashton hated last time, he had...avocado! He was much more ready for it this time around, he opened his mouth and actually ate a lot more than I thought he would, swallowing and everything vs. just spitting it back out. Here are a few pictures, getting ready to try it, the initial reaction (not good) and then...mmmm, I like this!!















I did take a few videos (which are action packed as you would expect!) but due to technical difficulties I can't seem to post them. Let's just say this kid will be eating guacamole in no time.

In other news, thanks to everyone who has sympathized with me about Tate being gone. We made it up to Vermont and, to be expected, he is having some little adjustment troubles but hopefully will settle down soon. It is VERY weird not having him around the house, laying on the couch, trying to eat things off the counter, etc. Today was 50 degrees and I thought a few times about how much I would have loved to take him for a walk. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure what I want the outcome of our experiment to be. If Ashton clears up, it would be great to know the cause of his rash and itching. But, what does that mean for Tate? Similarly, if Ashton's allergy remains a mystery, at least we can feel good about having Tate around and having Ashton grow up with him. There are pros and cons to both. So far there have been no major developments...

21 January 2012

Tate

I think our beloved dog Tate deserves a little airtime right now. After all, he will be four on Monday and has been very gracious to let Ashton completely dominate this blog. There are lots of fun things you should know about Tate. First, he LOVES dinner:


Second, he was a very cute puppy.


Third, he loves to go to the park with his ball.


He chooses Jason's pillow every time. Everyone could really learn a lesson or two from Tate on how to truly get comfortable.

He enjoys the culinary arts.


And holidays.


He loves warm laundry. I found him like this after putting the basket down and going to check on Ashton.


He has ruined our couch cushions.


He and Jason have done a little bit of modeling together.


Despite how this picture looks, he actually hates riding in the car and frequently suffers from motion sickness.


Tate can fish.


I could go on and on but most importantly, he is a big brother.


It is with huge tears in my eyes that I post this because tomorrow I am taking Tate to Vermont to stay with my dad for a little while. Ashton has continually had so many problems with allergies and I can't watch him suffer any longer. I have to know if Tate is the true cause and the only way to find out is to get him out of the house and see if Ashton gets better. Of course, if he does get better, well I can't even begin to talk about the implications of that right now. So, all my readers out there with dogs, please support me through this because as much as Tate can be a huge pain sometimes, he is totally a member of the family and I know everyone knows how much I love him. I am going to miss him very much.

17 January 2012

Renewed.

My dad bought me a Healthworks membership to get me through January, February and March. Although the membership was active starting January 1, I have just been too exhausted and overwhelmed by the idea of getting everything together to actually make it there. When was there going to be a good time to go? Ashton pretty much always needs to eat, nap, or be changed - all three of which were not going to happen in the 2 hours it was going to take me to drive over, work out, and get home. But today was the first day I actually suited up, put my running shoes on, got Ashton ready, and went. And a curious thing happened: I LOVED it! And the gym is beautiful! Everything is brand new, it's women only, and I felt 100% comfortable leaving Ashton in the nursery. (Okay, that's a lie. 50% comfortable, but it was all me and nothing to do with the providers. It was a small glimpse of what it would feel like to drop him off at daycare before going to work at a full-time job and I have to say, it made me grateful that I don't have to.) Anyway, they said, "Don't worry, we'll page you if we need you!" and sent me on my way. I'm mainly a treadmill person, so with some trepidation I climbed on...Now, my last good, real run was in November 2010. Yes, you read that right. It was just before my 30th birthday and I was about to find out I was expecting. Despite vowing I would be one of those fantastically fit pregnant women and keep up my exercise routine, it, uh, didn't happen. Ashton made me too uncomfortable to really do anything besides walk. But I digress. So as I was pressing "Start" on the treadmill, a million thoughts ran through my mind: would I run for 5 minutes and collapse in a fit of breathlessness? Would I even get off the ground? Not to mention, because I'm breastfeeding, let's just say my sportsbra was going to have to work overtime. Would it hold??

What happened was, I ran my heart out. At a speed of between 6.5 and 7.0, which was more than I expected I would be able to do. I can't tell you how great the physical exertion felt. After 7 or 8 minutes my chest started to burn a little, but in a good way. In the beginning I told myself, "I'll run for 5 minutes and see how I feel, about both the exercising and about leaving Ashton." At 5 minutes I was doing great. Then I told myself, "Okay, 10 minutes." And then it was 15, 20 and then 25. Then I walked for 15 minutes at an incline and just when I was about to quit, Nicki Minaj came on my iPod and I realized I had to sprint for just this last song because it's Ashton's favorite :) Gosh it just felt so good to run! It erased the dullness I have been feeling and gave me a renewed spirit. I didn't feel like a tired mom, I was exhilarated and revived! I felt energized and strong!

Now let's not be mistaken. I know that this is reality:


But I WILL be the top picture by March! That's my goal.

The icing on the whole experience was when I picked Ashton up and they told me he did great - he didn't cry or fuss, turns out he loved watching all the other babies and toddlers and pretty much just stared at them the whole time. It was a perfect hour for both him and me. Win-win. I can't wait to go tomorrow :)

16 January 2012

A little football and a little bouncing

It's been VERY quiet around here the past few days. Jason was off Friday/Saturday/Sunday and honestly we didn't do much of anything. Ashton did a little bouncing, a little football watching... all I have for you tonight is some new pictures, no good stories I'm afraid :-/

So many toys, so little time





Also we are introducing him to his doorway jumper - 
he doesn't really hop yet so he pretty much just dangles :)






Big win last night for the GMENNNNNN!!!








That's all for tonight folks!




13 January 2012

Russian Gymnast

When Ashton sleeps we swaddle his arms but keep his legs out because he is too tall for the swaddle blanket. This means we dress him in footie pants so his little toes don't get cold. This also means that his pajamas end up looking like the outfits a Russian gymnast would wear. Tonight was so funny, Jason dressed him and brought him into the kitchen before swaddling, announcing "Next on the uneven bars...Ashtonovich Nillovich!!" I died laughing. (That's Ash-TAWN-o-vitch NILL-o-vitch.)











- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone