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!

10 Months

*Disclaimer - this was supposed to publish weeks ago!!

Our baby is now becoming a big boy!  He's growing, learning and moving at a rate that's becoming difficult to keep up with and I'm told that this is only the beginning.

At 10 months he is:

 - Eating solid foods with his hands (when he wants to.)  This includes cooked broccoli, bananas, sweet potatoes, cooked squash and zucchini, whole apples (peeled), pears, and much more.

 - Eating new things: pasta, oatmeal, bread, waffles, eggs.

 - Attempting the sippy cup (the ones with a straw are easier for him.)

 - Waving and ALMOST blowing kisses.

 - Free as a fish in the tub - no more baby tub, it's been gone for awhile.  This one is quite funny because Mr.Man does not sit still.  Period.  He's all over the place and the tub is no exception.  So he slides and climbs constantly while being washed and has a blast doing it.

 - Standing on his own for short periods of time (30 seconds or so.)

Other miscellaneous things he's been up to - more jabbering and trying to form words, chewing on furniture, attempting to open cabinets, open and close doors and investigating everything.  He's also become familiar with certain people and as well as become fairly clinging with momma.

Ten months also brought a new experience for our family...the sickies.  Asher has now been sick twice in the last month and the first round was, well, terrifying for us as parents.

Round 1 - Roseola.  I hadn't heard of this until Asher went through it.  A fever (102) appeared on a Sunday morning only to fade with medicine.  We thought it was just a fluke but when Thursday rolled around the fever came back and settled in.  Our lively baby wanted to cuddle instead of play - which was so odd.  

We got in to the see the doctor on Friday.  No other signs of illness other than his fever and lack of energy.  They drew blood and called with the results that afternoon - white blood cells were low indicating a virus.  All we could do is wait and watch.  This doesn't sound scary, right?  Well, for one thing, to see our active baby just want to cuddle was just strange.  I won't lie, having him sleep on me was blissful but I would trade it in a heartbeat to take away how awful he felt.  You could just see it in his eyes.  

Secondly, his fever spike to 104.8 that Friday night.  I thought I was going to come unglued when I saw the thermometer register that number!  We gave him another round of Advil and immediately put him in a lukewarm bath.  His temp came down shortly after but man it scared us.  Needless to say he slept with us that night.  His fever broke and came back a few times that weekend but by Sunday it was gone and the rash that comes with Roseola settled in.  That stuck around until Tuesday and we haven't see that nasty bug since.

Round 2 - A Common Cold.  The week of Thanksgiving Asher started in with a nasty cough.  It was "productive", he carried a little bit of a fever and it got worse as the week wore on.  He finally beat it the following week.

But all in all he's a good, healthy baby.  We couldn't ask for better.  Here's a sneak peek at our Christmas post... :)

Pumpkins, a Skunk and a Turkey Leg

Fall is my FAVORITE.  I love cold weather, I love the changing colors and to me it's the gateway to the most wonderful time of the year, Christmas!  So when September rolls around and football is in full swing, you'll find me giddy.

Being that this was Asher's first fall, we had to make sure that he got the full experience.  Pumpkins, a costume, family and friends and TURKEY.

First we visited the Pumpkin Patch with some dear friends, Nolan and Ghirin:

Following that we attended a playdate where all the kids dressed up.  This year, Asher was a skunk.  Quite appropriate for a crawling nine month old, if you ask me.

Then we had the family over the day before Halloween (as Halloween fell on a Monday this year) for some food and fun so we could show off the costume.

On Halloween, Asher and daddy ventured out to knock on a few doors and wave to the neighbors.  Mr.Man even scored a Kit Kat!

Our last stop of the season was Thanksgiving.  This year was a bit off-kilter.  Disaster struck Austin's parents house and they were dealing with renovation realities and my mom had to leave town unexpectedly the Sunday prior to Turkey Day because my dear Grandma Donna was not doing well.  She passed later that day in fact so Gigi was not coming home for the holiday.

The original plan was to have Thanksgiving at my parent's house as my grandparents on my dad's side were in town.  We kept that plan and Shana (my sister) and I helped pulled dinner together and Asher got his first turkey leg.

We then got to see the other half of the family on Saturday and enjoyed some yummy lasagna at Lauren and Dave's.

While this season wrapped up with a loss and things still in limbo it has been a reminder to be thankful, more now than ever, for what you do have and to spend time with the ones you love.  Living life to the fullest will leave you with little regret and a full heart.  Something we hope to continue to teach Asher.

9 Months...oops!

Ok, so it's November 28th and I'm just now publishing Asher's nine month update.  Baaaaaad mommy.  I've let time slip by.

Nine Month Stats:

Weight: 17.5 lb.

Length: 27.5 inches

Overall Report: Super healthy!

Asher is getting to be SO MOBILE!  He started crawling as he turned the corner on nine months but since our last post he has made some serious progress with his mobility.  He's a pro at crawling, pulling up, and moving from the couch to the ottoman.  He even tests his ability to stand alone a little!!

Mr.Man still likes solid food, now eating three times a day but has backed off on how much he consumes.  This month we made a big and difficult decision to start transitioning to formula.  Mommy has been bit, ALOT.  My guess is that it's a result of the introduction to more solid foods and the decrease in my supply.  After numerous instances of screams, tears and ending our nursing sessions early we thought it best to move to formula and pumped milk.  I'll just say that this was harder than I thought - not physically but emotionally.

The last mention I'll make is about teeth...as previous stated, Asher is biting which implies he has teeth. SEVEN to be exact!!! (as of November 20th.)  While I miss the gummy baby smile, it's kind of fun to watch him grow into a boy. Here's a shot where you can see some of these pearly whites making their debut.

Month 10 is coming up soon!!  (and a post about a skunk, pumpkins and a turkey leg.)

12 Days on the Road

We just got back from a trip to the good ole Northwest and holy cow was it a TRIP!  I'll provide some background but then tell the tale through pictures.

Austin was recently offered a job with Microsoft, to which he accepted and started in August.  This is great news for multiple reasons.  Some of these include:

1. A great career move for Austin
2. Benefits are amazing - which is important with a family
3. Microsoft's headquarters is located in SEATTLE!!!  My all-time, most favorite city in the whole world.

Why I love Seattle: I spent my childhood there and have family roots, that date back over a century in central Washington state.  Most of my family still lives there.

So you can only imagine the mixed emotions I had when Austin said "Babe, I have two weeks of training for work in Seattle, in October and they want me to stay over the weekend."  Big sad face when I thought about 14 days without him.  But thanks to airline miles I had accrued through my own business travel, some wonderful family and a very understanding husband - Asher and I tagged along!!

We flew out early Saturday morning but then parted ways once we got our luggage.

Asher and mommy's first stop: Yakima!  We stayed almost a full week and got to visit lots of family.

Great Granparents, Don and Donna Schmitt.

Aunt Theresa Hoff

Aunt Patti and Uncle Steve (Alegria)

Cousins Jon, Joy, Anthony and Kate Alegria - Stayed with them four nights.

Cousins Brian, Buffy, Bella, Olivia and Diana Alegria - Got to stay with them two nights.

Then, we headed back to Seattle to crash with Austin in his hotel room.  We spent Saturday and Sunday in the city and with some family.

Visiting the first Starbucks.

Lunch and playing at the park with Aunt Polly, Uncle Don, Anna and Holton Schmitt.

We also got a chance to visit daddy at work, which is pretty cool if you think about it because most days he's working from home!  We met him on one of the Microsoft campus' and had a little lunch.

And here are our new friends - Sushma and Kaustubh Giri.  Kaustubh is a co-worker of Austin's and he and his wife are the sweetest people.  Sushma and Asher became fast friends as the three of us got a chance to hang out quite a bit while the boys were at work.

It was a wonderful trip full of memories and experiences we'll cherish always.  While traveling with the little one wasn't a cake walk (time change, climate change, always on the road, semi-mobile baby, sharing a hotel room - keeping in mind he goes to bed at 7:30!) I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.