12 months - Part 3 (Final installment)

I think I've beaten 12 months to death by this point. Regardless, I took Ashton to his 12 month pedi appointment yesterday and thought I'd share his latest stats. He weighs 25.2 pounds (91st percentile) and is 30.5 inches long (62nd percentile). I suppose I should lose the word "long" and replace it with "tall" now that he stands and walks. They take his height laying down so who knows. Who cares. 30.5 inches from head to toe - there.

Unlike past monthly milestone visits, Ashton did not sit nicely in his carseat or in my lap. (He has graduated to a convertible carseat which stays in the car, no more schlepping! So I carried him in.) Instead, he had lots of fun taking the roll of paper that lives at the end of the exam room bed and flinging the crinkly goodness all over the place. I wish I had taken a "before our appointment" and "after our appointment" picture. Hurricane Ashton (or TRex Ashton, or bulldozer Ashton, whatever you prefer) definitely left his mark.

Besides walking, Ashton loves to be read to. He will actually bring me a book and hold it out expectantly. I also have to pretend I've never seen a feather, or a stick, or a kernel of corn, or whatever he finds that he thinks is so unbelievable he has to reach out and show me. I express oodles of excitement over his treasures and he smiles and has started to clap. No waving or pointing yet. Still in size 4 diapers but they are a squeeze so he'll be in 5's soon. And today we bought him his first pair of real shoes. Little brown stride rites and they are adorable. And I mean obviously, Ashton hates wearing them. Of course he hates it, I spent more money on his shoes than I spend on mine! Where's the justice? Also, if you want to know what will test a marriage, I'll tell you: walk into a Keds/Stride Rite outlet store with your husband and baby on a weekday during their back-to-school, buy-one-get-one-half-off sale. Let's just say we weren't the only ones there and leave it at that.

What else. Oh, how about a quick look at the Ashton dictionary.

"Da": interpreted as "look", "yes", "ok" or "cool!"
"Da?": "Da" with a slight intonation. Implies uncertainty or confusion.
"Da da": the obvious. "Dad". (such BS)
"Daaaaa da": expression of wonderment.
"Da da da da da": general babbling sequence. Could mean "Tate, come back here!" or "Did you see that article in the Globe on circumcision?" or "I'd like to visit Hawaii." Wouldn't we all Ashton, wouldn't we all.

That's the abridged version but more or less what we're working with. This is the same guy who thinks it's funny to spit out all his food after he has chewed it. We have a ways to go.

1 year old adventures

So we've had quite an August around here. A true summer month, 1 year old style. Very heavy on the exploration (boxes! the dishwasher!) and shenanigans with some wobbly steps, kiddie pools, park time, walks, drives, toys, and snacks thrown in...I feel like I should let the pictures do the talking. Here's what Ashton and his sometimes sidekick Tate have been up to:

(photo credit: Lizzy Flanagan)

And there's more where those came from. I have to remind myself that there's only so many pictures people want to see of ONE baby and ONE dog. I overdid it on this post didn't I. Well there's this cool new collage website I'm trying to get the hang of so that's my excuse. Pbbbthhhh.

I have to end with this photo - we had a particularly long travel day a couple of weeks ago and when we got home, we popped Ashton in his car before bed for his usual "drive" around the block. He was so tired he fell asleep at the wheel and Jason had to carry him the rest of the way home.

Now, a lot of my comments on this blog are a tad sarcastic in a desperate attempt to be funny and retain readers. So I apologize in advance for the reverence, but this photo melts my heart into the deepest, sweetest puddle imaginable. This could be my second glass of wine talking, but looking at my husband holding our little boy in the sinking sunlight reminds me of how much I have to be grateful for and really, isn't that what life is all about? Small moments of clarity when we otherwise are letting the days just blur on by? (If Chicken Soup for the Soul wants to quote me on that, please consider this permission.) But time really does pass -  in the 388 days that Ashton has been alive, I've basically been with him all day, every day and now there are 8 of those days left until I go back to work full time. 8. Eight.  That's why I need that picture, to remind me how lucky I've been, no matter what the future holds.

Mama's got a brand new job

Quick update post on my search for employment: it seems I have managed to get myself hired! I am starting at Bentley University on Tuesday, September 4th. My official title is Executive Academic Coordinator in the office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences. There are several Academic Coordinators under me in each of the departments and besides some general office-like stuff, I am responsible for the training and professional development for the other Academic Coordinators and then the best part, all of the event planning for the school of Arts and Sciences and the Dean. Woo! So there's a pretty long list of things that make up my job description but all in all, it's perfect. My commute is super short (there's one light along the way that's it! If it's green, 4 minutes total, red, 6 minutes.) That was the most important factor for me, to be close to Ashton. I already have visions of having Jason come with him on my lunch break so we can eat together :) And the days that Jason is working, my super wonderful amazing friend Chera is going to watch him. I have already told her that I am not sure how I would have survived this year without her and now she's doing us this huge favor. You've seen her son Owen (20 months) pictured on this blog before. Here we are at Ashton's first birthday party:

And here are the boys, such great little buddies.

They seem to share a love for leftover ice in party coolers. So it's perfect. I feel really good about it. :)

Now I have two weeks left of whatever you can call the last year of my life- full time parenting? No doubt a huge change and I am certain it hasn't fully sunk in yet. I am excited about this first step in the next direction of our lives (hopefully a house is next) but sad that considering Ashton is doing new things every day now, there are some wonderful moments I am going to miss.

Anyway, that's the update. If you want to start wishing me luck, now would not be too early :)

Truths

So we've been plugging along in our little routine for several months now. Ashton has his naps, his bedtime, his bottles, his meals, and we manage to do a little of this and a little of that in between. Reflecting on the past year, I am absolutely, one hundred percent a living, breathing, motherhood cliche. It's really no wonder that women bond over the good, the bad and the ugly that children bring. In any event, here is my personal list of motherhood truths after a year in the trenches. 

1) Sleep can only be truly appreciated when you aren't getting any. Night.after.night.after.night. C'mon, this had to be first! Sleep, or lack thereof, is like the ubiquitous new parent joke. Ah, if only it was funny.

2) Fact: our water consumption has increased more than 400%. I know this because bills do not lie. I won't be surprised if I go downstairs one of these days and the washing machine has up and left. Just gone, perhaps to a beach in Mexico to retire.

3) Moms like to buy in bulk. It's a survival mechanism really. Moms also like Target. A lot. 

4) Personal hygiene takes a back seat. I do sometimes forget to brush my teeth. Um, or shower. And my poor hair has seen nothing but the insides of a ponytail since Ashton was born. Shockingly, this hasn't changed in a year.

5) I'd rather buy something for Ashton than for myself. It's quite sad, I spend more time in the baby section at TJ Maxx than my once-beloved shoe aisle. What do I personally need to shop for? If I buy a new shirt, it's either going to be (a) immediately stained or (b) banished to a drawer so it doesn't suffer the fate of (a). New clothes shouldn't live like that, so I leave them for better owners.

6) Sometimes, with no explanation, things are just sticky. Or wet. Or both.

7) In my next house, I'd like my kitchen sink to have a window in front of it. That design idea must have been thought up by a mom because honestly, I spend more time there than anywhere else: washing, wiping, more washing, drying...it would be nice to have a view. 

8) Stale cheerios are still cheerios and quite snack-eligible. Babies don't know the difference. And while I'm on food, besides the leftover squishiness from pregnancy (yes thank you I'm aware it's been a year, but it's still there) are the pesky pounds that have lately resulted from a very particular kind of perfect storm. Weather front A: the end of breastfeeding, which burned a nice 500 calories a day without me having to do a thing. Weather front B: Now that Ashton's meals are so important, and wanting to expose him to all kinds of foods, I really try to cook things. Meatballs, chicken and turkey burgers, salmon, pasta and sauce, fresh steamed veggies with melted cheese...Of course, he eats none of this and prefers watermelon to pretty much everything so I end up having most of it myself, plus my regular meals. I put so much effort in that I don't want it to go to waste! But without my "freebie 500" to balance it out...alas, it does go to waist. (Terrible joke, was that a pun? Sorry about that, haha.) But it's a valid point! Moms eat their kids' stuff and a little bit of extra fatness results. 

9) You miss your friends. But you make new ones in other new moms, and appreciate them equally. 

10) Teething deserves its reputation. It's really that bad, practically a horror movie with all the drooling and the whining.

11) You think that everything your child does is amazing and can't stop taking pictures. Despite knowing deep in your heart that almost no one cares about Ashton's newfound ability to bring you clumps of dried grass from the yard, you still manage to mention it on your blog. 

12) In my diaper bag right this minute are not one, not two, not three, but FOUR kinds of wipes: diaper, boogie, facial, and antibacterial, and they actually all get used. The diaper ones are self-explanatory. Boogie wipes have saline and are grape flavored and gentle, used on stuffed up noses. Facial wipes are safe for mouths and pacifiers, and the antibacterial ones are the closest thing I have to weaponry.

13) Wine has never tasted so good. It's my favorite four-letter word.

14) Baby steps really are little. These things are like an inch at a time, and they are the cutest inch you've ever seen.

15) I happened to be sweeping the other day when Katie called. Jason was within earshot when I answered so I waited for the usual, "So what's up? What's going on?" and then said loudly, "Oh you know, JUST A MODERN DAY CINDERELLA AROUND HERE." I am always cleaning up. Always. You'd think I was bad at it too because you can't even tell, it's so frustrating. But I crack myself up because I actually do hum that song from the movie that the little mice sing: "Cinderelly cinderelly night and day its cinderelly..." You know which one I'm talking about?

Hahaha :) I'm laughing right now just typing this. OBVIOUSLY it's not like that but I love to exaggerate.

16) Lastly, there's a scene in Sex and the City when Charlotte and Trey are trying to conceive and have just gotten back from a dinner at their friends' house. Their friends have three kids and the meal was generally a disaster: food being thrown, tantrums, screaming, parents bickering over the children's behavior, just totally uncivilized. The pandemonium and utter chaos have Charlotte and Trey in a quiet mood when they get home, like, "Oh boy, is this what we are in for if we have children?" They ponder this and Carrie's voice narrates: "But then Trey told Charlotte something that all parents-to-be have to tell themselves: Our kids will be different." Oh, everyone thinks theirs will be: that their baby's cry won't be as piercing, that their baby will nap and sleep perfectly and will never have avocado under its fingernails or a dirty belly button. Their kid won't destroy the walls, throw food or terrorize the dog...well, you've heard it from me: no kid is ever different. Ever. ever. I admit, even I was guilty of assuming mine would be. But if kids were perfect and made no impact whatsoever on your life, what fun would that be?

p.s. Tate's food bowl met its end a few days ago. Let's just say it didn't survive the beating. R.I.P.

12 Months - Part 2 (A Party)

It would be my dream come true (and I do mean, my dream come true) to have one of those party blogs where all the pictures of all the little details are in perfect focus and the whole thing looks like it is straight out of a Martha Stewart magazine. Here's how I am making this happen. First, we were given a professional photography gift certificate back when Ashton was born and I had decided to save it for his one year portraits. Then, when we started to plan his birthday party, I thought BINGO! Have them come take his pictures and also snap some party shots before they leave. A little two-for-one if you will.  And so they did just that. Great! But what I didn't count on was how long it takes for professional photographers to post the pictures they take and right now I have been told it will be another couple of weeks. Well, A New Nill must go on! What follows are my own (and friends and family members') totally amateur, decidedly un-Martha-Stewart-blog-like pictures from Ashton's first birthday party last Sunday. A poor man's Real Simple or any other very nice living magazine, truly. But, as I believe is true in life for just about everything, you do the best you can with what you've got.

So here we go. First, you should know that this party started out as a cowboy theme. That was the theme for Jason's first birthday party 35 years ago and we thought it would be cute to continue the tradition. Here was the invite:

I immediately got to work on the decorations- I made bunting flags out of scrapbook paper, a giant #1, a banner, the favors, signs, and centerpieces, accented it all with rope and I ordered tables and chairs and red checkered linens. After weeks of thinking about everything, my brother Erik came to visit the day before and we were casually discussing the party. "So how exactly is this cowboy and not, ummm, barnyard?" he asked. I froze. Omg. It WAS barnyard. Besides a couple of sheriff's badges I had glued on some mason jars, there was not one cowboy hat or anything pertaining to horses except a bale of fake hay. In fact, the predominant patterns were cow print and bandannas, so it wasn't even barnyard because there were no animals!! Truly, what kind of party was I throwing here?? Martha would have been so disappointed. At the end of the day, I settled on "western". Without further ado, here are pictures of Ashton's WESTERN birthday party.

We had two main drinks: Six-shooter Sweet Tea (regular iced tea) and Lasso'd Lemonade (definitely spiked and re-named from Grandma's usual Laidback Lemonade (pink Countrytime mix and Southern Comfort)).

Here's the saloon in all its glory (next to the chuckwagon table, which was obviously for food :))

Those coolers were painted with cow spots by none other than my amazing husband (quick shout out to him: Thank you for the many, many miles you drove the day before the party in order to find me the straw that I absolutely HAD to have to sprinkle on the driveway for decoration. The straw that I decided not to use in the end. Love you honey.).

  

We decided it would be nice to warn people about the Southern Comfort as it was completely undetectable taste-wise, so here is me making a note on the sign:

Here's Ashton testing out the corral that was built for all the babies

The favor table. I made s'mores on sticks for the grown-ups and the babies each got a little board book of "Cowboy Small" by Lois Lenski

Other detail shots

After the party got started, the cameras were put away for the most part but I did get a couple including an aerial view

The cake

The aftermath

Now, this cake was vegan due to Ashton's egg allergy. Whole Foods clearly substituted butter and eggs with oil and extra sugar and let me tell you, it was A-mazing. Like, so good. Dense and sweet... It was really important to me that Ashton be able to eat his own birthday cake and I was so happy with it. Honestly you'd never know it was vegan!

To wrap up, having family and friends surrounding him and singing Happy Birthday was one of my best moments of this past year. To everyone that was there, I am so grateful you came. And to those that couldn't be, we were thinking of you and counting our blessings that, present or not, this little boy has so much love in his life. Because really, besides a proper cowboy, er, barnyard, er, western themed party, what else is there. xoxo

Happy Birthday Ashton!

Sneak peek from Ashton's party on Sunday, still getting my photos together for a post so thanks for your patience!

12 Months - Part 1

Well, here we are. My baby is one year old. I have thousands of pictures and hundreds of videos, so I'm not quite sure how to accurately capture what a milestone today was. I think for this post, Part 1 of the 12 Month series, I'll just do a quick recap of how Ashton spent his day. We are throwing his big first birthday party on Sunday and I have sooo many things to do. But for now, let's start with a quick glimpse of Ashton exactly one year ago:

One year later, it's August 3rd, 2012. We had our usual playtime in the sun right after waking up:

If you're looking to book an appointment with Ashton's hair stylist, I'm afraid you're out of luck. His crib does not have a phone number.

Poppy and Mema were here for a quick visit so we went out for a big boy first birthday breakfast!

He was so good, he ate his watermelon and yogurt and the mess we left behind was far smaller than I anticipated.

Attempt at a family picture back at the house after breakfast. After regarding Poppy fairly heavily (look at that chin?!) Ashton decided he had had enough and was ready to walk around some more.

Yes, I said walk. Well,

toddle  (ˈtɒd ə l)
— vb  (foll by round, over, etc )
1.	to walk with short unsteady steps, as a child does when learning to walk

But boy, that's some technique right there. See you at the next Olympics.

There was more of his usual shenanigans...

And then we hit a speed bump after his second nap. A little "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to" type thing :)

Luckily he pulled himself together just in time to look like Brad Pitt's baby son from A River Runs Through It:

If you're thinking that Brad Pitt didn't have a baby son in A River Runs Through It, you are correct. That's because Ashton hadn't been born yet and they couldn't cast the role. If you're also thinking that Ashton really doesn't look like Brad Pitt and I'm totally delusional...well, a mom can dream. 

Later on, more toddling in the park with Tate...

By the way, he simply will not let go of the blue Chuck-it. He clutches it for dear life in the house and generally just feels better holding it when we are out and about. So funny - for anyone that doesn't own a dog, it's a tool to throw a ball extra far. You might have seen it in the above pictures, maybe I'll make it a "Where's Waldo" type thing if he continues to be so attached to it.

Last picture of us before bedtime:

And last thought of mine before I sign off: Happy first birthday Ashton. I have to repeat a quote from another blogger (way more popular than me) who said that to be a mom is to walk around with your heart literally outside of your body. This could not be more true and although I have had what at times has felt like a tough year, it has generally been full of a different kind of joy than I have ever known or ever could have imagined. Stay tuned for first birthday party pics and the nitty gritty statistics after our 1 year pedi appointment on August 13th (12 Months Part 2 and 3 respectively). 

Um, I have a toddler. Holy sh$%#^&*t. (Sorry Mom ;) )

Monkey see, monkey do??

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First steps?!