our happy holiday dance...

here is a little holiday dance from our family to yours!
man, this cracks me up. thanks gretchen for putting it together. happy holidays everyone!

passing the time...

asher and i were taking pictures of ourselves with the camera on the computer today (the things you do when you spend all day with a 7 month old...). it was really funny because he loved seeing himself and would smile really big, but it takes 3 seconds for the camera to take the picture, so by the time it would snap the shot his smile was gone. oh, well...i'm sure we'll try it again another day.

funny noises...

asher was making funny noises while he was eating today. you have to listen close to hear it, but it sure was making me laugh!

oh, boy...

asher has figured out how to unlock our entertainment center. i caught him in the act! i need to not only baby proof our apartment, but asher proof it. and his morning just isn't complete unless he pulls my dish towel of the rack, and most days, all of the towels out of the drawer. what a sweet little trouble maker.

update...

well, the sock saga was a success! asher has been wearing his sock/mitten pajamas for a week or so now (more frequent laundry for me...) and his little fingers are SO MUCH BETTER!! other than the first night with a few extra wake ups (...he just made some noise and went back to sleep) it hasn't even been a bump in our road. he still sucks them during the day, but not nearly as much and this just gives them so much time to heal at night. eventually i think we'll be able to leave the socks where they belong!

on another note, asher now weighs 15 lbs 8 oz. the doctor was concerned because he didn't gain any weight between his 4 month and 6 month visits, so the goal was to get him to gain some and he did! almost 2 lbs. i'm sure it is because we finally found some formula that he likes.

i am just so thankful for asher and that he is healthy, happy and strong!

cool trick...

look, dad...no hands!

splish, splash...

asher is all about splashing in the tub these days. even in the bath he is always moving! it looks like a lot, but in this video he is only splashing at about half his normal craziness. what a funny boy. sometimes he even stands up to let us know when he's ready to get out.

i took his comfort...

oh, my heart is aching! i feel like such a mean mommy. asher's comfort is to suck on two of his fingers, but he does this so much that it has caused them to become terribly chapped and it's starting to cause problems with his little fingernails too. i've worried about this since the beginning and tried to give him other forms of comfort instead. we've tried the traditional pacifier and finally found one that he tolerates, but spits out as soon as i put him in his bed. we always have his special blanket that he likes to rub on his face, and recently i found a puppy dog
that feels a lot like his special blanket and he really likes that too.

in the last few days his fingers have become so chapped, swollen and red that i felt like i really needed to do something before they split open and became infected. so, after a few failed attempts to gently coax him away from this habit i finally went to my cousins house and we sewed some socks on the ends of his pajama sleeves.

i tried so hard to make it all okay. i even picked the socks that feel like his special blanket and puppy dog so that he can still rub his face. i put vaseline on his fingers and got him ready for bed in his new mean-mommy-altered pajamas. he was doing great and we enjoyed some singing/snuggle time. then, i put him in his bed, said goodnight, and told him how much i love him (this is when he usually puts his fingers in his mouth...) he cried, he screamed, he shrieked. it only lasted for 8 minutes, but to me it felt like 8 hours.

now, he is sleeping. we'll have to see how the rest of the night goes... (i have a feeling it won't be good), but right now i'm feeling thankful that babies don't remember everything. sigh.

fun evening...

we babysat for some of our friends tonight. asher was happy to have some kids to play with.














really happy.













really really happy. he was a little too excited for the baby's taste, but what can i say asher is just a happy, friendly kid. we had fun.

daddies and doggies...

today was a good day.

a few new things...

asher got a few new things today. the craziest being a TOOTH!!! wow, my little boy has an itsy bitsy little tooth popping through. time sure flies!! i can't believe how it wasn't there yesterday, but then i felt it this afternoon. great job asher man!! way to grow a tooth! he also got this awesome outfit from his great aunt becky. so nice! thanks aunt becky. and last, but not least he got a new friend. i think he is too cute and asher really likes him too. he played with him until bedtime.


new friends...
piggy back...
cute little guys...
two tiny tushes...
getting sleepy in their fort...
checking out his new pal...
does every kid like the remote control?
mister dog...
asher loves to stand up now...
aren't we adorable...

little fingers update...

thanks everyone for the helpful hints. i love having friends with experience!! i'm not sure if this picture shows how chapped and red they really are (click on the picture to make it bigger). poor little guy! so, last night...the socks didn't stand a chance. i guess i'll just keep trying.

best buddies...

i love to watch these two hang out when justin gets home from school. usually this involves little bodies being tossed high in the air and squeals of joy while i hold my breath and try not to watch!

p.s. there is a sock on asher's hand because i was trying to get him not to suck on his two fingers. he sucks on them so much that they are terribly chapped and almost bleeding. any ideas? tonight the poor baby went to sleep with one of my socks on each of his arms tucked high up under his pajama sleeves. we'll see how long it takes him to get them off.

wait a minute...

or is he more like sleepy?

resemblance?

justin took this picture - then pointed out the resemblance. what do you think?
could it be the ears?

i LOVE that little face!

least expensive, most valuable...

1 grocery store baby aisle bottle: $1.20

1 giant can of wal-mart brand infant formula: $8.98

having your baby finally take a bottle: priceless.

p.s. does anyone need any type of baby bottle or nipple imaginable and lots of name brand formula? :)

k ..i ..s ..s ..i ..n ..g ...

asher is pretty much a pro now at giving kisses. but, he doesn't just kiss anyone... anytime..., so i always feel so loved when he gives me a little peck.

asher likes to make faces in the mirror and today when i was in the back room and he was playing in the living room i heard kissing sounds. this was what i found him doing. too cute.

happy halloween!

i hope you all have a fun and safe halloween tonight! we took asher out with a few or our neighbors and their kids to trick-or-treat at the outdoor shopping center just down the road. we had a good time and asher got LOTS of compliments on his costume. we dressed him up like squirt from finding nemo (thanks lisa!! it was an awesome idea!) and we got the costume for a great deal. these are just some quick shots to give you an idea. more pictures to come!

Game on...

asher saw justin's football behind the chair today and spent a lot of energy trying to get it out. finally i realized what he was doing and got it for him. he had a good time rolling it all over the living room.


















he sure seemed to like the taste of it... yucky!


















for a while it was like he was wrestling it. he is so funny. in the end i think asher won!




















then daddy came home and they played together for a little bit. sweet little hands.

nothing better...

one of my FAVORITE things in the whole world is when my baby wakes up happy! i love to hear his little play sounds coming from behind his door, and i love that he is happy to see me again after his nap!

my baby bird

lunch with asher was fun today. he has traded in his ways of always grabbing the spoon for imitating a tiny baby bird. he opens his mouth, stretches out his neck and waits! it's very cute and a lot less messy. happy mom.

this was also hilarious. asher made a friend with the slight reflection of himself that he found in the high chair tray. he would take a bite, find his reflection, laugh, try to give it kisses but he couldn't quite reach, then take another bite. so funny.

my big standing up boy

asher has been standing up to furniture for a few weeks now, but it would take him a while to get up with a little bit of a struggle. now he just pops up. this isn't the best shot of it, but it's what i have. also, he is so tough...nothing keeps him down! i love this little boy.

halloween dance and BBQ

justin took this quick video clip with his cell phone the other night. we spent the day with our sister and brother-in-law. first we went to Thriller at Kingsbury Hall, where i was sufficiently freaked out, but it was very entertaining! thanks for letting us go with you guys! then hannah and i hung out together while asher took a nap and the boys played football. after that we went to dinner at famous dave's BBQ which we all really enjoyed. asher was a champ at dinner and as you can see he really likes playing with his aunt hannah. thanks again for the great day!

asher wants his mamma

this is pretty long... so, watch it if you want. it's justin and asher playing on the couch. this was right before his nap and he was getting cranky, but usually he really likes this game. my favorite part of this little movie is when he is crawling to me, stops about half way there and gives me this "i'm so super sad and i want you NOW!" look. also, right at the end doesn't it sound like he says "mom, mom"?

giggles

justin was being silly and asher thought it was funny, except for when he was distracted by the camera. enjoy.