Fall Time

Asher is 21 months and says things like "these blueberries muffins are delicious".  He talks to and cares for his stuffed animals.  He's beginning to explore humor, making "jokes".  To watch Asher grow is so much more than watching his hair grow long and his pants become short.  He's such a little man with such a personality.

This fall we've enjoyed lots.  Nature walks, a new bible study program, Halloween and a big trip.

We get outside whenever the weather allows.  Asher's starting to pedal his bike a little bit, he loves collecting sticks, leaves and rocks and will throw dirt any chance he can get.

The bible study program is BSF - Bible Study Fellowship.  I love it and the bonus: the kids program is AMAZING!  The teachers are so loving.  The time spent for them is very structured and they learn so much.  It's been a fun journey for both of us, so far.

Our travel this fall was bold.  We took an eleven day trip that started in Los Angeles and finished in Salt Lake City.  We left on a Thursday to fly out to LA.  My cousin and his sweet wife were having their daughter baptized and Austin and I were asked to be the godparents.  It was an honor and blessing to be a part of it all.  We stayed with them for the weekend and celebrated and celebrated and laughed and laughed.  Los Angeles and Dallas are just too far apart.  Miss them so much.

The following Monday we flew to Salt Lake.  It was the worst flight of my life.  I'll spare the details but on the short, hour and forty minute flight, Asher puked.  Twice.  And I thought our plane was going down.  I thank God that Austin was there with me. We found out later it was a stomach bug.  Ick.

Our first few days in Salt Lake were spent near the city and Austin worked.  So Asher and I shopped. A lot.  The weather forecast forgot to mention snow.  So Nordstrom Rack and Old Navy came to our rescue!  No one complained about getting a new coat.  AND - Asher got to play in the snow for the very first time.  He LOVED it.  Before the week was over we also got a chance to catch up with my former boss at Wells Fargo and his wife.  What fun it was to see him and meet her!

Towards the end of the week made our way up to the north end and stayed the weekend with Austin's aunt, uncle and cousin.  We adore these guys and had a great time just hanging out and seeing some of the sites, including more snow and train ride in the mountains.  Oh, yes and football.  We played and watch some football.

We flew home Sunday and needless to say, we were so glad to back in our domain.  After two illnesses, three beds, the beach and the snow, we were ready for some down time.  Although I will say, Asher was a blast on this trip (aside from the stomach bug.)  He said and did a lot of funny things.  One of my favorites: the morning after it snowed in Salt Lake we were out driving and said to him "Look buddy, we can see the snow covering the mountains!"  To which he replied "Asher pop the mountains?  Yeah!"  I have no idea what that means but he seemed pretty stoked about it.  And continued to say it.

I wrap up this post with Halloween.  Last year he was a skunk.  This year, a vintage 1970s marathoner.  We got the idea from Parents magazine and with a little nudge (and helping hand!) from my bestie, Callie, it all came together perfectly.  And Asher had fun going door to door, although he seemed quite confused as to why he couldn't enter the homes.  Friendly fellow.

15...no wait, 19 months

Well, this is just embarrassing.  For the last two three months I thought that I blogged in May. HA!  Apparently not.

Our little man is turning into a boy.  I may have said that before but everyday it becomes more real.    At 19 months he's attempting full sentences.  Acting out scenes with his toys.  Asking us questions.  Recalling things that happened weeks before.  He amazes us every day.

His stats:

Weight: 24.6 lbs
Height: not sure but growing
Overall report: Super healthy and super ahead of the game in so many areas.

We recently changed pediatricians (loved the doctor, didn't love the staff or office) and went to Asher's 18 month check at Dr.Schwartz's office.  The whole way there Asher recited "Dr.Schwartz office".  Smarty pants. And the whole way home he said "Shots. Ban-aid, mommy. Shots."  Yeah...our previous doctor was VERY conservative when it came to vaccinations.  Asher has had plenty of them in the last 18 months but I knew we were a little behind.  Bummer.  Three shots and some tears.  But Dr.Schwartz gave Asher a raving review.

When he asked me how many words I thought Asher knew, my response was "Definitely over 100 but I'm not sure of the exact number."  He blinked.  I think he thought I was lying.  Then I went on to explain that we made a list of words around the time of Asher's first birthday and we wrote down over 50.  I said I was certain it has at least doubled.  His response was, "Ok, so he's a genius."  Mmmm...I'm going to go with verbal at this point.  Our little monkey can communicate and comprehend things very well for his age.  But he's still 19 months.  He still loves learning by getting messy.  He still tries to drink his milk through his fork and tries to cut his food with a cooked noodle.  He throws daily tantrums.  We're glad.  We're not ready to send him off to Harvard.  But he is very amusing and fun to communicate with.

Some of the things he's been up to that keep us entertained:

"Show you." - his way of showing you want he wants, what happened or just what he's talking about.

"Asher do it." - needs no explanation.

"Hold it. Asher, hold it." - wants to hold everything!  We were on the boat the other night and an airplane was coming in for a landing.  You could see it clear as day in the sky.  Asher pointed to it, said "Airplane!" and then looked at me with all seriousness in his eyes and said "Mommy, hold it? Asher hold it?" and looked back up at the airplane.  LOVED that.  Such innocence.

The boat.  This kid LOVES the boat.  And wake boarding (watching, at least.  He hasn't gotten up - yet.)  And "GO FAST!!".  Oh, we hit the jackpot on this.

It may be difficult to see but we're going about 30mph here...that smile just tickles me!

Lawn equipment.  He knows the difference between a trimmer, edger, blower and mower and wants to use all four.  He loves to watch daddy mow and will run from window to window while Austin is out there.  Too cute.

And...the potty.  He recently ran to the toilet and said, "Mommy, poo poo."  And immediately following needed a new diaper.  He definitely got my attention but we'll see about actually moving forward just yet.

I could go on and on but then I would never post this.  So I'll leave it here and look forwarding to posting more often in the future.

The Big ONE

It's been over a month since our last post and it's been over two months since Asher's actual birthday party and I'm just now sitting down to post about it.  The bigger Asher gets the more I want to soak up every moment because it's going by so fast.  Things like blog posts and laundry wait a little longer these days.

On Saturday, January 28th at 4pm, we celebrated Asher's first birthday with a house full of friends and family.  I spent hours the month before preparing and planning and loved every minute of it.  It was a great excuse to be creative with Callie (my BFF :)) and an awesome way to reflect over the last year.

The theme was flight, including airplanes, transforming our house into an airport and a plane themed birthday cake to boot - made by the one and only, Auntie Shana.

*Most of the paper decor, compliments of CallieB Designs.

I took a picture of Asher each month, on the same blanket to watch him grow!

Goody bags for the guest, collected at baggage claim.

Bomber jacket, compliments of Great Aunt Patti and Uncle Steve,  shades compliments of the Newtons.
Ready to fly!

Our tiniest party-goer, Ms. Quinn!

Asher was walking a couple weeks before his birthday and here he is, showing off his skills!

Singing Happy Birthday! 

YUM!

These three babies were all born within a week of each other!  Good friends (babies and mommies :))

And Nolan and Asher are almost exact three months apart.  True buds.

We had close to 40 people in our little house and while there was some debate as to whether hosting that large of a crowd was the best idea, I have to say the chaos was amazing.  If you go back up to the picture of Austin and I giving Asher his cake, there's something missing from that shot.  Our point of view.  From where we sat, picture more than 30 people huddled in our kitchen, singing Happy Birthday to our little man.  Our hearts were full and we are blessed.  It was a pretty cool moment.

While the decorations were a blast to create and I loved making some of the snacks, my favorite part of all the prep was taping pictures to our empty dining room wall.  There were over two hundred and I smiled each time I pressed one into place.  I left them up for a month after the party, until they started falling down on their own.  To see Asher grow before my eyes absolutely took my breath away.  Reliving moments of his first year through photographs is something I will cherish forever.

Asher, at one year you surprise us every day with your growth.  Walking is no longer enough, you must run wherever you go.  Your list of words multiplies each morning you wake up.  You have become our buddy, that likes to go where we go and do what we're doing and I can't tell you how much we enjoy every minute of it.  We love you, Boo Boo.

12 Months

Well, it happened.  Asher turned one on February 1st.  We celebrated and celebrated and played and played.  All month long :)

I was barely able to take his last monthly picture.  He won't sit still for anything!

12 Month Stats:

Weight: 19.5 lbs
Height: 29.5 inches
Overall Report: A+

We have a healthy, happy one year old.  HOLY COW, it's weird to write that!  Here are few things Asher is up to these days:

Mobility: Walking, walking, walking!  He started about two weeks before his birthday, taking small steps here and there.  Now, he's practically running everywhere and crawling is very much a pastime.

Size: He's still a small fry.  His weight falls in the 7th percentile.  He's still in 12 month clothes although his length/height is outgrowing that size quickly.

Food: He successfully made the transition from formula to milk, although we still offer a bottle around bedtime because he can use the extra calories.  He eats almost anything we put in front of him but is like anyone else - sometimes he's hungry for something and sometimes, not so much.  His favorites are bananas, berries and chicken and turkey (or "gobble, gobble" as he calls it!)

Activity: With the warm winter we've had lots of opportunities to play outside.  We love walking the sidewalks, playing with chalk in the backyard and explore the dirt and grass.

Sleep: For the most part, sleeping through the night!  This took some serious work in November but it paid off.  He goes down around 7:30pm (sort of a joke - he gets wound up before bed but thankfully he'll wrestle in his crib, putting himself to sleep) and wakes up between 5:30 and 7:00am.  We've only had a couple of hiccups lately, due to teething.  Naps, we're still at two a day and Asher is a napping champ.  He goes down in the morning at 9, in the afternoon around 2:30 and both are usually an hour and a half or so.

Teeth: For a long time Asher had seven teeth, all in front.  But just after turning one he started teething again and we're starting to see MOLARS!  Painful but helpful when eating "gobble, gobble" :)

Learning:  This one could be a completely separate post...that would go on forever.  I've been told that from here on out their learning is exponential.  The one thing I will say - talking to a baby early is completely the way to go.  They really do understand everything.  So mommy note for the future Jones bambinos: talk, in full adult sentences, all the time from day one. :)

Asher right now knows:
 - Animal sounds when you ask what a _____ says or show him in a book.
 - Off, on, up, down
 - Ouch, hot, yuck
 - Yum, food (he calls it naan)
 - Asher, mom, dadeeeee, Papaw :)
 - Banana, blueberry, apple, onion, cherrio, gobble, gobble
 - Eye, hair, mouth, arm, hand, belly when you ask, he'll touch them.
 - No and Yes
 - Truck, car

Asher surprises me everyday.  He learns so quickly, remembers things very well and is showing independence and defiance, which I know, is completely normal.  He now brings me books constantly, to which we'll sit wherever we are and read.  Just recently I've found myself more often watching him as he plays, pushing his trucks, trying to figure out puzzles, talking to his animals.  It is the coolest thing to watch your kid grow and learn and I feel blessed to be a part of his process.

More to come on the birthday celebration but for now, Happy First Birthday, Boo Boo.  Your mommy and daddy love you more than words.  You bring us joy and challenges everyday and we love it.  Life with you is a true blessing.

Reminiscing. A Mommy's Take on the 1st Birthday.

Today I was putting clean sheets on our bed and I thought back to a year ago.  Something I find myself doing a lot lately.  A year ago my sister was putting clean sheets on our bed, prepping the house for our return.  We were still in the hospital, recovering and getting acquainted with our new little bundle.

My current state of reminiscing has caused me to slow down and soak in the last year.  All the changes.  How far we've come.  Asher has gone from an itty bitty, swaddled in my arms to a little boy, walking everywhere, eating solid foods and constantly trying out new words.  As a momma I've gone from being completely clueless and vulnerable to being comfortable with being completely clueless and vulnerable.

Such growth.  Such a year of discovery.  When we had Asher I had no idea where we would be in a year.  I couldn't fathom it.  It was such unknown territory.  Now I feel like I've climbed a mountain and I'm at the top, enjoying the view.  While I realize this was the first of many climbs, I hope I never forget to stop and soak in the journey.

Christmas 2011

So...I realize it's February 2nd.  Asher's birthday was yesterday.  And I'm just now posting about Christmas.  Bad mommy.  What can I say?  We've been enjoying life!

So here's Asher's first Christmas in a nutshell:

We kicked off the holiday season by attending our first Christmas concert where we got to watch our friend Ghirin sing a variety of Christmas songs.  Asher had a BLAST!  Love these faces (Ghirin in the middle, his brother Nolan on the right.)

Asher enjoyed his first sugar cookie.

Then, Asher helped daddy put up the lights on the house.

Later in the month we hosted the Newtons for hot cocoa and a stroll through the neighborhood to look at lights.  Definitely a new tradition we're hoping to keep for years to come.

As the actual holiday arrived there was present opening, family time and lots of holiday cheer.  Asher's first Christmas was great and we were left feeling completely blessed.

11 Months

The countdown begins...

Asher turned 11 months on January 1st and I had to catch my breath.  Eleven months means we're 31 days away for having a one year old.  Thirty one days away from celebrating his birth, a year ago.  Oh.My.Goodness.  Time flies when you're having fun.

I'm going to save the mushiness for the next post.  This one will be the facts, straight-up. Enjoy!

11 Month Stats: - No doctor visit

Weight: Near if not over 20lbs
Length: Growing
Overall Report: Look out world, we're on the move!

Eleven months is full of sounds and activity.

Movement: He's crawling at the speed of light and walking with the help of his riding/pushing truck and furniture (I learned this is called furniture surfing.)  We even call him "Spiderman" because we'll catch him walking along the walls.

Sounds: Asher is starting to form words, real words and his little voice is adorable! He'll say things like light, all done, dog, on and off, nana (banana), hat and that.  He even mimics the "ouch", "stop", and "eh, eh, eh!" commands that Austin and I use for dangerous situations or things that are off-limits.

Boundaries: Little man continues to test his limits, all the while looking to see what we will say and do.  He knows that certain things are off-limits and will sometimes respect the boundaries and other times, blow right past them.

Our Favorites: At this stage some of our Asher favorites include he knows how to give kisses and is learning hugs, he LOVES his bath time, he's developed a little man quality about him where he becomes very serious about his play and learning, zeroing in on the task at hand.  He also has taken a liking to music.  He even has a few dance moves!  Let's just hope he got his daddy's rhythm.

Our Challenge: We've decided to begin our discipline routine with Asher, setting boundaries with him based on certain things and behaviors.  I'm not referring to spanking or timeouts but more so commands and intentional conversations.  Yes - we realize he's only 11 months.  We noticed at a very young age that Asher was very aware of his surroundings so we thought we would try this out.  It works well for him.  As mentioned above he's aware of certain boundaries we've set and he's already pointing to things and saying "eh, eh!" or "oT!" (hot!/ouch!)  So everyday is filled with commands and learning but we're hoping that this sets a foundation for years to come...ha ha, I'll let you know how that works out!

Most of all, we adore this precious face.  His smile melts our heart every time.  And man, this picture reminds me he's becoming less of a baby and more of a BOY!