3rd floor Christmas tree disposal

This is how you do it. Jason told me that my one job was to warn anyone walking down the sidewalk but I sort of forgot because I was too busy capturing this amazing footage.

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Two amazing things

Last night, for the first time in 5 months, I cooked dinner. I mean, REALLY cooked: made a list, went to the store, bought my ingredients, prepped my mise en place, etc etc. Jason was not due home until 6 so I put Ashton in the bjorn (facing out now of course so he could see) and he watched me chop my peppers, mince my garlic, etc. I was so excited about my dinner that I had already planned to title my blog post something like: "Behold! Chicken Cacciatore!" with a glamour shot of my beautiful meal but in all my excitement I actually, uh, forgot to take a picture of it. Regardless, it came out great. All of the real cooking took place after Ashton went to bed and after Jason came home but I still did it all by myself (mmmm, 95% of it by myself, I have to give Ashton sous chef credit where sous chef credit is due! :) You may recall his previous experience helping Jason with breakfast several posts ago. Also Jason did cook the pasta now that I think about it, so, 90% by myself).
Anyway! I have made a few things here and there but nothing so complete as last night. I felt really good and Jason took my picture to mark the occasion:

See what my apron says? IRON CHEF, that's right. 

So my chicken cacciatore is amazing thing #1. Amazing thing #2 is that I got the iPhone 4S today, wow! Is it cool. I am used to getting Jason's hand-me-down phones so this is a big deal. I love it. 

Good news is now over. Tonight is night #2 of our cry-it-out strategy with Ashton. He has been waking too many times at night and I just simply can't go on like this. He needs to learn how to put himself back to sleep. Although it takes about 10 minutes total for me to hear a peep on the monitor, go in, pick him up, let him essentially comfort nurse back to sleep and then put him back in his crib, it has to stop because I'm exhausted. Getting up 4 times a night is beyond draining- when you're pregnant people joke about the sleep deprivation but it is real and it truly affects my wellbeing. Now that Ashton is 5 months, I am fairly certain he is not waking because he is hungry, it's time. I'm dreading tonight - last night he woke up at 1 am and cried for an hour, and then again at 5 am - at that time I went in to feed him as I felt 11 hours was enough time to go without eating. But that was good, usually he is up twice before the 5 am one so I'm praying I don't have to sit through two bouts of wailing tonight. As awful as it is to hear him cry, it is more awful to imagine him not sleeping through the night for months to come, so I have to remember that this is for the best/tough love/etc. So tonight when I put him down and shut the door at 6:30 pm, I resolved not to go back in until 5 am as long as he was crying but otherwise okay.  I never thought hearing my baby cry would be so gutwrenching. Last night when he cried, I cried. All I wanted to do was scoop him up and rock him and tell him everything was okay. My plan for his first wakeup is to focus my energy on my new iPhone and learning Siri...

Okay I'm stalling. I have to sign off, put on my pajamas and go to bed. Wish me luck.

Baby's First Christmas

Merry Christmas!! We just got back from visiting Jason's family in Long Island for the holiday, we had so much fun! We didn't get down there until late Friday night because Jason had to work but of course there was plenty of pizza and wine there waiting for us. I think the best part of the couple days that we were visiting was that no one had anywhere else to be- we all just hung out, relaxed and enjoyed Christmas music, the tree, and plenty of yummy food and drinks! I'm bummed I don't have a picture of Ashton in his church outfit from Christmas Eve, he was in an argyle sweater, corduroys and bucks, SO cute. It was the first time he had really worn shoes and he got lots of compliments :) Anyway, after church, dinner and Ashton's bedtime we had QUITE the dance party...we have about 200 pictures and several videos, none of which are in any kind of focus but this one can give you an idea:

We were playing the music so loud I can't believe Ashton didn't wake up. He was clearly resting up for Santa because come Christmas morning he had a LOT of opening to do. Here he is, ready for action!

First one of the day...this was a new Santa outfit from Grandma, you'll see the hat in the next picture and later he did a full wardrobe change.

One of his favorite gifts was from Aunt Lizzie and Uncle Stone, the wiggle worm!

You can't see it but he was actually smiling behind the worm in this one :)

Playing with his new toy with Aunt Lizzie and Uncle Stone, and excited that they are expecting his first cousin on 5/5/12 ... Ashton will have lots of clothes to share! ;)

Uncle Chris got him a cool new sled:

And it didn't stop there. Grandma and Grandpa got him a new truck, lots of books, clothes... and plenty of kisses of course.

Reading a new book

In case you are wondering what Tate was doing, he was busy in the other room shredding all the wrapping paper he could find. He looks guilty in this picture don't you think? Like, who - me? What?

A few more in his new outfit and baby Uggs...

And one last group shot before Christmas dinner :)

Just want to say thanks to Grandma and Grandpa B for a wonderful Christmas holiday and for everything you do for us while we are visiting. We love you so much.

p.s. this is mainly for all the grandparents as I'm sure I am going to be asked about ordering prints :) The complete photo album (with way more pictures) is on snapfish.

Merry Christmas!

My my, we certainly look fancy today!

I thought about putting this up on Facebook but wondered if everyone was tired of me posting pictures of Ashton ha ha. At least on the blog it is expected!!


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Somewhat boring medical updates and a few new pics!

The usual medical updates first. We had a followup dermatologist appointment at Children's Hospital on Tuesday. The timing was actually perfect because Ashton was having a minor eczema flareup and I wanted to make sure to get some prescription refills on his creams. In general he is doing great, except he clearly has a hard time being around our dog Tate. If I feed him on the couch (which is where Tate naps and sits to look out the window) Ashton's eyes get really red, watery, and itchy- he rubs and rubs them. Same thing when we are playing on his playmat - the playmat goes on the living room rug which clearly Tate walks on, rolls on, etc. So there has been an obvious connection and while I am mostly successful at keeping Tate out of the nursery, our condo is simply too small to keep Tate out of everywhere else; we only have one main living space and it makes no sense to put baby gates up everywhere and keep Tate confined to the kitchen. Not fair to Tate. On the other hand, it has been really difficult to watch Ashton suffer. I spoke with the dermatologist about this and she suggested finding someplace for Tate to go for a couple weeks to see how quickly and how fast Ashton's allergies cleared up, just to make sure it truly was a dog allergy (which he has tested positive for). This morning I was supposed to drive to VT and back as my dad had offered to watch Tate until New Year's. A) At 7 am this morning, I simply could not conceive of driving 3 hours each way and B) I got out Tate's little Christmas present last night - I wanted to wrap it and make sure to give it to my dad for Tate to open on Christmas and I just about lost it! I was like there is no way I can leave Tate up in VT, he's part of our family! Admittedly he's been in the (figurative) back seat since Ashton was born but I still make sure he gets a walk and park time every day that the weather cooperates. And after Ashton goes to bed every night he's right there with me on the couch to snuggle. It's like he knows that he has to be patient during the day and he has to survive on a few less ear scratches and belly rubs because I have my hands full with the baby. Awww Tate. So the good news is, Tate isn't going anywhere. The bad news is, I have to get some kind of air filter and figure out another way to keep Ashton comfortable. The other bad news is that I have just completely wasted your time by making you read that whole paragraph. Talk about an anticlimactic story. Sorry about that.
After we got home from Childrens I made myself a sandwich on the Joseph's wraps that I like to eat from time to time. I was reading the back of the bag ("Contains flax and omega 3's for a healthy heart!") and then skimmed down to the ingredients and stopped mid-chew: sesame flour. No wonder Ashton had been having an eczema flareup- I had eaten three of these in the past two days! Poor baby. I spit it out immediately and threw the rest out. How did I miss that? Sigh.
OH, and then lastly, when I begged the dermatologist to give me a prescription for something for his cradle cap, that it had become totally unmanageable and I've tried everything short of napalm, she goes, "Well, you could try to put the cream you have been using on his body on his scalp and see if it works." She said it like it was a throwaway, no big deal comment, and in ONE NIGHT it worked!! Like MELTED the cradle cap scales away,  you couldn't even tell it was ever there! I was totally amazed and completely annoyed at the same time- couldn't she have maybe suggested this six weeks ago?! Or couldn't my pediatrician have mentioned it? Or the allergist? I mean for pete's sake I've only been asking about this for, oh, almost Ashton's entire life. Who would have thought that the cream I have had this whole time would be the answer.
Let's see what else. Morning naps are going great, afternoon naps, not so much. I've been putting him to bed earlier, by 6:15 pm, because he's cranky. We have Auntie Katie's big holiday party on Saturday night so we'll see what happens when he misses bedtime, I'm a little nervous.

Okay cute picture time, Jason took this one this morning:

Jason wanted to try and capture how tiny Ashton was compared to the tree:

Ha ha gotta love his pink bumbo seat :)

And then some from him trying solids the other day (which by the way, we are holding off on. He hated it and there really is no reason to start this early so I'm going to give it another couple weeks).

Watching dad mix:

and looking a bit nervous...

Btw, if you click on this picture and open it up full size, you can see part of the yellowish cradle cap I've been talking about. It really got bad and it was less about how it looked and more about his discomfort, he rubbed his head back and forth all the time and now is almost completely bald in some spots from trying to itch it :( Also, his lymph nodes behind his ears/on the nape of his neck have been swollen so hopefully with the cradle cap gone and eczema under control they will shrink. 

Lastly, a bit off topic but saw this today and for other moms I think you'll get a laugh:

http://thefeministbreeder.com/massive-recall-of-2011-version-of-babies/

Not sure about the website name itself. Ignore that and just read the article, it's funny :)

I picked out an ice cream at the grocery the other day that has no egg in it. Right now I am going to go sit on the couch and eat it. Can't wait and can't think of anything else I'd rather do. Talk to you soon!

Weekend recap!

Let's seeee...where to begin. I have finally emerged from the funk I have been in the past couple days. Truth be told, I was getting very spoiled having Jason around all the time for his 10 days off and felt very sorry for myself when he had to go back to work. Thankfully all is back to normal and we are getting into a new, good routine. Our focus this week has really been napping. Most babies don't work things out consistently until 6 months but it never hurts to get a head start. It truly is amazing, the days that Ashton has good naps he is sooo much happier, alert, content and pleasurable to be around. It's so funny, before I had a baby I was like, "what is the big deal about naps?" and it turns out they can be pretty hard to come by even when they are so important. When Ashton is napping, our house is very much like a library. If one of us makes a noise, the other follows with a quick "SHHHH!!!" even if it's accidental. If you happen to call and I whisper and sound like I am trying not to wake a baby up, chances are it's because I'm trying not to wake a baby up haha. We talk very quietly like this and sometimes even quieter like this - it's that important to me that his sleep does not get interrupted.

Anyway, here is the big announcement for tonight: I am officially on Ashton's schedule. The first few months where I could tote him anywhere and he'd sleep and be fine are over. I've lately had to say no to many wonderful invitations (walks, dinners, parties, etc.) because they interfere with his nap schedule (ideally three 1.5-2 hour naps every day, with bedtime beginning at 6 pm). I am now free between 2 pm and 3:30 pm every day and that's it haha. But really, um, seriously. Oh, and after 7 pm and that's if you come to my house because Jason's usually at work. If I'm going to have an easy go of things later on, this is the time to be vigilant. Ashton needs to learn how to sleep on his own, without nursing, without rocking, etc. He will be a much happier baby because of it and much more secure. So it's my top priority right now and I'd just like to say to everyone who is kind enough to ask me to do things, if I ever have to say no it is certainly not because I don't want to go to brunch, come over for football, or go shopping. I would love love LOVE to, but often it might not work out timing wise :-/ Luckily I have such wonderful friends who I know understand this but I just wanted to say it for the record.

In other news, Ashton tried solid food today! "Solid" "food". It was basically rice dribble and I admit I tried it and it was terrible. I actually had to go get a drink of gatorade to take the taste out of my mouth. No wonder he spit most of it right back out, couldn't blame him. Hmmm. We'll try again tomorrow but I might do a bit of research to see if there's anything else we could give him. And then we went to Kings for Berg's birthday (happy birthday Uncle Berg!). I didn't bowl (out of courtesy for the others, I am THAT good ;) ) but we were there for a good two hours (3-5 pm) before Ashton turned into a pumpkin. There was no late afternoon nap and it became quite obvious why he was cranky! Our time was up and we headed home. Jason is off today so right now we are having my favorite kind of night: the tree is lit up, football is on (go GMEN in another half hour!), the baby is asleep, the house is toasty and warm and I'm about to get into my pj's and have a glass of wine. Merry Sunday night everyone. xoxo

First Bite!

Ashton's pediatrician said we could start solids...although of course we use the term "solid" loosely. In this case, it means rice cereal made runny by breastmilk. Yummm...

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4 month checkup and a finished tree

Our Christmas tree is officially up and decorated! I admit Jason picked out the best tree we have ever had, it is really full and after putting all our lights up and ornaments on there is still room for more!
The tree by day (note Tate in his favorite spot on top of the couch):

 and by night (oooo!!)

In the daytime picture Tate was not looking as enthusiastic as I hoped he would be so we stuck his Santa hat on him haha:

Also, Ashton went for his 4 month checkup yesterday and is doing great! Besides the shots which he didn't like one bit, but who does? His weight is a bit in question- last week at the allergist he was 15 lbs 10 oz, yesterday (different office and location) he was more than a pound less? Who knows. He's not the biggest baby but he's not the smallest either so I'm happy :) The nurse told me that he was so soft and moisturized, not realizing it was the best compliment she could give me considering how much time we spend lathering him up/managing his eczema, which is in remission right now. Yay! We have hit some fun 4 month milestones too- we were told that Ashton can officially start solids! WHAT?! My baby! Solids! I went to Babies R Us this afternoon and got those itty bitty spoons and some rice cereal, I just can't believe it's time to try it. Not that I am wishing breastfeeding would go on forever, believe me. And today we went to playgroup down the street and Ashton got his first try in a Baby Einstein jumper. For those not familiar, it's basically a ridiculous looking contraption that may or may not be suited for outer space travel:

[note: baby pictured is Ashton's stunt double. Don't tell him I told you he has one.] Not visible is the little piano and three big buttons that light up when pressed, Ashton was so focused on the flashing that he looked like he was playing a slot machine. Anyway, this jumper, combined with a bumbo chair we got from Grandma are our two new additions:

(Yes, it's pink, but it's a hand-me-down so who cares! ;) ) After we set up the Baby Einstein we will officially have our first big colorful plastic noisy baby thingy that is not hideable. His playmat, bouncer, etc. all fold up nicely for closet storage. This will not and I have a feeling it's all downhill from here...I know one day our dining room table will become a fort and there will be baskets of toys everywhere. But most importantly, Ashton is starting to grow up and get bigger and it is so cool to watch him concentrate on toys, reach out and grab his rattle, etc. That's way better than keeping our house free of clutter :)
Jason is back at work right now after his long 10 day break, I miss him already. It's 9:20 pm, Ashton's been asleep since 6:45 pm so I think I'm going to go take a shower and sit by the tree for awhile. Good night!

Ashton's first Christmas tree

So Ashton's first tree ever was the one in Rockefeller Center last Thursday. Today we went to get his first very own tree, the one that will go in our house! Jason has had the last 9 days off (goes back Tuesday night) and it has been soooo amazing to have him home like this. He took about two days off when Ashton was born so this is the longest vacation he has had since we went to Block Island for a week in July 2010. Anyway, we have been all over the place, up to VT, down to Long Island, into NYC...lots of driving and we are ready to stay put for a while. Tomorrow's goal is to get all of our decorations up and the tree lights and ornaments on, we really have the spirit of Christmas in our house! So far Ashton's favorite carol seems to be Sleigh Ride even though I sing the same verse repeatedly because it's the only one I remember: "Just hear those sleigh bells ringing, ring ting tingaling tooooo...come on it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with youuu..."  I'm a very poor singer, I think I've mentioned that here before. Anyway, here we are shopping for our tree:

{editors note: this is not the actual tree we ended up picking. Too short!}

Pics tomorrow of the one we chose, all decorated and waiting for Santa to come!

Rockefeller Center

Ahhhh New York. Last Thursday we headed into NYC to see the tree at Rockefeller Center. We really want to do Ashton's first Christmas properly and seeing the tree is the best way I know how to do it. Uncle Chris came with us and of course KN managed to do some shopping but here are our best photos!

This is how Ashton rolls in NYC:

Family picture on the front porch in HB: