Splishy Splash
Just a snippet of some of the high jinks that goes on during bathtime.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Funny Elmo
At the end of last summer, Mom bought this Elmo sprinkler mat that was on clearance for Asher to enjoy this summer. I finally took it out of the box this evening and Asher was completely fascinated with this huge, plastic cut-out of Elmo. He spent a good ten minutes running over it, laughing hysterically. I caught this little snippet just before he pooped himself out.
I'm sure once we hook it up to the hose and water is sprinkling out of it, once we're using it as intended, he'll want nothing to do with Elmo anymore.
I'm sure once we hook it up to the hose and water is sprinkling out of it, once we're using it as intended, he'll want nothing to do with Elmo anymore.
Read more...
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
NeeNee The Corruptor Strikes Again
When my sister and I were little, we loved it when Mom would make us a special treat of coffee milk - basically, half milk, half coffee, with sugar, of course! I still to this day LOVE coffee milk.During brunch on Sunday, Ella got her mug of coffee milk, while Asher got his sippy cup of juice. Apparently, NeeNee found this to be highly unfair. This was not surprising, considering the fact that I was chastised for being an unfun mom at Bob Evan's the morning before because I ordered Asher white milk instead of chocolate and informed her he never gets chocolate milk, unless it's just a drink from my glass. It's not that I'm anti-sugar, or anti-junk food - I'm a believer that if you're too strict about things like that, it could easily backfire. But, I figure while I'm still making his food choices for him, before he can tell me what he wants, I'll try to be as healthy as I can. You know, as healthy as you can be with a steady diet of chicken nuggets, french fries, and no vegetables. Anyway, NeeNee decided it was time to break out the ultra-dorky-but-funny cowboy coffee mug we found for Cowboy Asher at Goodwill last year and give Asher his first mug of delicious coffee milk. At least I can say it was decaf.
Asher thought it was the BEST STUFF EVER. He couldn't suck it fast enough. And guess what happened not more than twenty minutes later? Yep - poopies.
First ice cream, then soda, now coffee. What's next? Beer? Cigarettes? Porn?
It's no wonder why kids love their grandparents so darn much.
Monday, June 15, 2009
A Goodbye Letter
My Dearest Twenties,
Well, here we are. The end of our journey together. I hoped one day we'd reach this point - after all, I knew if we didn't, that would only be because I was dead. But I never imagined how quickly the ending would come. Like a good book, you want to reach the end, but at the same time, you want to hold on and savor every page of that story. At least with a good book, though, you don't gain gray hairs or wrinkles, or find that your boobs hang just a little lower at the end.
You gave me a lot of special memories that I'll cherish my whole lifetime: college graduation, marriage, getting the first pet of my very own, gaining nieces and nephews, buying my first house, having my first child. We had our share of heartache along the way, too: losing a beloved grandmother, losing a beloved first pet, losing a couple of childhood pets, financial struggles, losing our first home. We've made dear friends along the way, people who have helped us reach this point, people who have pulled me off the roof of the building just as I was about to jump. We successfully grew out of those teenage years and attitude and realized how important family truly is. You've taught me responsibility, patience, and forgiveness.
I'm sad to see you go, it's true - it's kind of scary leaving the comfort zone of that young adult stage - but I'm hopeful that my thirties will hold good things for me. I'm hopeful that I'll have the chance to write a goodbye letter to my thirties one day, too, but I'm going to savor each day, one at a time, and try to make the decade last as long as possible.
P.S. I am willing to let you keep the gray hairs that have started to sprout, if you will let me keep my twenty-something boobs.
Read more...
Well, here we are. The end of our journey together. I hoped one day we'd reach this point - after all, I knew if we didn't, that would only be because I was dead. But I never imagined how quickly the ending would come. Like a good book, you want to reach the end, but at the same time, you want to hold on and savor every page of that story. At least with a good book, though, you don't gain gray hairs or wrinkles, or find that your boobs hang just a little lower at the end.
You gave me a lot of special memories that I'll cherish my whole lifetime: college graduation, marriage, getting the first pet of my very own, gaining nieces and nephews, buying my first house, having my first child. We had our share of heartache along the way, too: losing a beloved grandmother, losing a beloved first pet, losing a couple of childhood pets, financial struggles, losing our first home. We've made dear friends along the way, people who have helped us reach this point, people who have pulled me off the roof of the building just as I was about to jump. We successfully grew out of those teenage years and attitude and realized how important family truly is. You've taught me responsibility, patience, and forgiveness.
I'm sad to see you go, it's true - it's kind of scary leaving the comfort zone of that young adult stage - but I'm hopeful that my thirties will hold good things for me. I'm hopeful that I'll have the chance to write a goodbye letter to my thirties one day, too, but I'm going to savor each day, one at a time, and try to make the decade last as long as possible.
P.S. I am willing to let you keep the gray hairs that have started to sprout, if you will let me keep my twenty-something boobs.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Big Sister Cousins Are Awesome
My sister and niece have FINALLY come home from Virginia for a visit! We hadn't seen them since Thanksgiving - which is way too long to go without seeing your sister and niece, if you ask me. This had been the longest amount of time I've ever gone without seeing either Jamie or Ella, and I didn't like it one bit. When you've been apart from most people for that long, I always think it's kind of awkward at first when you see each other. But nope, not with them. Ella came barging into my bedroom and started yapping away to me like she just saw me yesterday, and Jamie and I acted as bored as usual to see each other. That's the great thing about family - you don't have to pretend.
Asher was SO excited to be around Ella. They arrived by train SUPER early on Saturday morning (around 5 a.m.), so Asher and I were still in bed when they got to our house. They came in and woke us up just before eight, and usually Asher is a total grumpersaurus if you wake him up. But the second he flopped over and saw Ella's face, he sat straight up, got a huge cheeky grin, and started kicking his crazy legs like mad. And that's pretty much how he was the whole time around her. 
We have lots of fun things planned for their visit home. This Friday, we're going to The Children's Museum, next Thursday we're going to the zoo, and next Friday we're going to make some pottery and go to Chuck E. Cheese. I love it when Jamie and Ella visit. Not only is it awesome to see them, but we all actually go out and do activities as a family. Who knew I'd miss doing things together as a family so much? Ten years ago, going to Chuck E. Cheese with my parents and sister would have sounded like cruel and unusual punishment. Monday, June 08, 2009
40 Years Strong
I love my husband to pieces. I really, really do. We began dating our senior year of high school, dated all through college, married after six years of dating, and now have been married for seven years. As much as I'm still in love with him as I ever was, I can't imagine being married to him for forty years. Of course, I can't even imagine myself living for forty years! I guess the next ten years will prove if I can even handle that, let alone maintain my marriage vows.Stephen's wonderful parents have successfully survived forty years of marriage, and who knows? I think they could survive forty more. If nothing else, I think they'd do it just to drive each other insane. Really, though, this is an amazing feat in this day when the divorce rate is taking over the lead from the rate of successful marriages - I'm really proud of them.
Our gift to them was to "loan" them our baby for a couple of nights this week. Asher will be spending tonight and Wednesday night with them. Nothing puts you in the mood quite like chasing around a toddler all day. Which is exactly the point, Maryann: maybe Joe will leave you alone tonight and you can get some rest!
Happy slightly belated anniversary to my favorite in-laws!
Friday, June 05, 2009
Screaming Match
Stephen has informed me that he and Asher have a new game they play, primarily when they're out shopping. It's basically nothing more than Asher pulling Stephen in so they're nose-to-nose, and then proceeding to scream their heads off at each other. I got to witness a snippet of this tonight. Stephen said that this was a very weakened version of the game because Asher was distracted by other things going on; normally, they yell a lot louder at each other.
The next time you're at Target and get annoyed by the sounds of a screaming toddler off in the distance, it's probably just Stephen and Asher, duking it out.
The next time you're at Target and get annoyed by the sounds of a screaming toddler off in the distance, it's probably just Stephen and Asher, duking it out.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Seventeen Months Old
Our little monkey bug turned seventeen months old today. He celebrated by having a frozen fruit sorbet after dinner, helping Mommy with the laundry, and spoon-feeding himself yogurt before bedtime. It was a pretty low-key evening, but that's just how Asher rolls.
Asher's comprehension continues to amaze me with each day. I tell him to stand up, and he stands. I tell him to bring me a book, and he'll walk over to his bin of books, pick one out, and bring it to me. I tell him to find his ball, and he starts searching the room for his ball. The other evening while he was eating some crackers, I asked him where Elmo was on the box. Imagine this - he pointed to him! This evening I was reading Parents Magazine and, of course, he started whining because I wasn't paying full attention to him. So, I leaned over and asked him - where is the baby? where is the little girl? where is the cow? - and HOLY CRAP he knew! He pointed to each one without a mistake. The best one was when I showed him a picture of a man and a toddler and asked him to point to the daddy in the picture. Asher looked around, then looked up and pointed to Stephen. Oh, Son. Sometimes I think it really is possible to be too cute.
A big reason why I think I'm so impressed and relieved and shocked by Asher's comprehension is the fact that he STILL isn't talking. I know, I know - kids all develop at different rates, and I've read a million times that some babies don't say their real first words until around age 2. Asher can say mama, dada, and papa, and he does speak a lot of his own mumbo-jumbo language, and sometimes he'll try to imitate words, but I haven't heard any concrete English words, yet. Well, supposedly a couple of weeks ago he said kitty twice, but I've yet to hear it. I know I'm just a worrier - it's in my nature to think the worst and anyone who knows me knows I have zero patience. I've been very good, though, about not expressing this concern to Asher or pushing him too much. I just try to talk, talk, talk to him as much as I can, and keep that pacifier out of his mouth as much as possible when he doesn't appear to need it. Which is another thing some people have questioned me about - OH HE STILL USES A PACIFIER?! Good grief, really? Is THAT what I need to be fretting about? I always provide the same, vague answer of you have to pick your battles, and this isn't one I feel needs fighting right now. Maybe this is because I was a thumb-sucker for many years beyond what most would consider "normal." I couldn't fall asleep without it. I was scared of the dark, scared of going to sleep, scared of ghosts, scared of burglars, scared of everything under the moon, and the one thing that brought me comfort was my thumb. So be it. My mom never pushed me to give it up and never made me feel bad about it, although I can remember I felt very ashamed and embarassed about my dark little secret. Maybe that's why I was such a good kid and never did drugs or smoked or had sex - I had my addictions fulfilled in my thumb! What really strikes me as funny is that some of these people who have given me a hard time about his pacifier are the same people who in previous conversations belittled me for my beliefs in the importance of breastfeeding or putting my newborn baby to sleep on his back. Okay, so your priority is ridding your baby of his sucking needs; my priority is my baby's safety and health. By the way, annoying-judgmental-person, did you know sucking on a pacifier can help reduce the risk of SIDS? Oh wait, you also think placing a baby to sleep on his back to reduce the risk of SIDS is ridiculous, sorry!
I'm so fired up about something so minor, and just think - this is just the tip of the iceberg of all of the unwanted advice and opinions and criticism I'm going to receive regarding my parenting skills (or lack thereof). The real issue here lies not in Asher's pacifier, but rather in how to prevent myself from committing a very serious crime.
The picky eating issue continues to rear its ugly head and gnaw on that one last little nerve I still possess. This is the current list of foods that Asher will eat on a regular basis: chicken nuggets, fish sticks, grilled cheese, oatmeal, cereal bars, cereal, bananas, watermelon, applesauce, cheese (only if it's orange in color), french fries, corn, yogurt, crackers, and chicken noodle soup. I know it could be worse and it's a fairly good list, but when you spread these foods over three meals a day, every day of the week, it turns out to not be a very big variety. We continue to offer as much variety as we can, but just getting him to try a new food - let alone him liking it - is all so very hit-and-miss that it's easy to fall back on the same old foods. We tried peas for the hundredth time tonight. He wouldn't let even one past his lips, and we were punished with spitty raspberries. Lima beans he tried and seemed to like the first time I gave it to him; now he won't even bring himself to touch them. Grapes, we've tried unsuccessfully a couple of times before, but last night we gave him some (sliced) and he somewhat reluctantly ate a few. I know it's normal, I know we're doing all we can do, but ARGH.
Child, eat your peas! Mommy is going gray over the fact that you go DAYS without eating ANY vegetables!
Despite a nasty cold and his first almost-ear infection (the doctor said he was showing signs of one starting), Asher is doing really well. Once the lump in his gums gives birth to a tooth, he'll be up to ten chompers. He's energetic, climbing all over everything he can, running from here to there and everywhere. He does whine and fuss - he is a toddler! - but he is mostly a very happy, smiley little guy. Stephen puts it best when he says that Asher makes friends everywhere he goes. He loves everyone and I think he makes the world a tiny bit better every time he flashes one of his charming, cheesy smiles to the grumpy checkout lady at Wal-Mart or waves bye-bye to some lonely old man at McDonald's. Those are the times when I could care less that he has a pacifier stuck in his mouth or has eaten chicken nuggets for lunch the past three days straight. He's happy and healthy and all mine, and that's all that matters!
Asher's comprehension continues to amaze me with each day. I tell him to stand up, and he stands. I tell him to bring me a book, and he'll walk over to his bin of books, pick one out, and bring it to me. I tell him to find his ball, and he starts searching the room for his ball. The other evening while he was eating some crackers, I asked him where Elmo was on the box. Imagine this - he pointed to him! This evening I was reading Parents Magazine and, of course, he started whining because I wasn't paying full attention to him. So, I leaned over and asked him - where is the baby? where is the little girl? where is the cow? - and HOLY CRAP he knew! He pointed to each one without a mistake. The best one was when I showed him a picture of a man and a toddler and asked him to point to the daddy in the picture. Asher looked around, then looked up and pointed to Stephen. Oh, Son. Sometimes I think it really is possible to be too cute.
A big reason why I think I'm so impressed and relieved and shocked by Asher's comprehension is the fact that he STILL isn't talking. I know, I know - kids all develop at different rates, and I've read a million times that some babies don't say their real first words until around age 2. Asher can say mama, dada, and papa, and he does speak a lot of his own mumbo-jumbo language, and sometimes he'll try to imitate words, but I haven't heard any concrete English words, yet. Well, supposedly a couple of weeks ago he said kitty twice, but I've yet to hear it. I know I'm just a worrier - it's in my nature to think the worst and anyone who knows me knows I have zero patience. I've been very good, though, about not expressing this concern to Asher or pushing him too much. I just try to talk, talk, talk to him as much as I can, and keep that pacifier out of his mouth as much as possible when he doesn't appear to need it. Which is another thing some people have questioned me about - OH HE STILL USES A PACIFIER?! Good grief, really? Is THAT what I need to be fretting about? I always provide the same, vague answer of you have to pick your battles, and this isn't one I feel needs fighting right now. Maybe this is because I was a thumb-sucker for many years beyond what most would consider "normal." I couldn't fall asleep without it. I was scared of the dark, scared of going to sleep, scared of ghosts, scared of burglars, scared of everything under the moon, and the one thing that brought me comfort was my thumb. So be it. My mom never pushed me to give it up and never made me feel bad about it, although I can remember I felt very ashamed and embarassed about my dark little secret. Maybe that's why I was such a good kid and never did drugs or smoked or had sex - I had my addictions fulfilled in my thumb! What really strikes me as funny is that some of these people who have given me a hard time about his pacifier are the same people who in previous conversations belittled me for my beliefs in the importance of breastfeeding or putting my newborn baby to sleep on his back. Okay, so your priority is ridding your baby of his sucking needs; my priority is my baby's safety and health. By the way, annoying-judgmental-person, did you know sucking on a pacifier can help reduce the risk of SIDS? Oh wait, you also think placing a baby to sleep on his back to reduce the risk of SIDS is ridiculous, sorry!I'm so fired up about something so minor, and just think - this is just the tip of the iceberg of all of the unwanted advice and opinions and criticism I'm going to receive regarding my parenting skills (or lack thereof). The real issue here lies not in Asher's pacifier, but rather in how to prevent myself from committing a very serious crime.
The picky eating issue continues to rear its ugly head and gnaw on that one last little nerve I still possess. This is the current list of foods that Asher will eat on a regular basis: chicken nuggets, fish sticks, grilled cheese, oatmeal, cereal bars, cereal, bananas, watermelon, applesauce, cheese (only if it's orange in color), french fries, corn, yogurt, crackers, and chicken noodle soup. I know it could be worse and it's a fairly good list, but when you spread these foods over three meals a day, every day of the week, it turns out to not be a very big variety. We continue to offer as much variety as we can, but just getting him to try a new food - let alone him liking it - is all so very hit-and-miss that it's easy to fall back on the same old foods. We tried peas for the hundredth time tonight. He wouldn't let even one past his lips, and we were punished with spitty raspberries. Lima beans he tried and seemed to like the first time I gave it to him; now he won't even bring himself to touch them. Grapes, we've tried unsuccessfully a couple of times before, but last night we gave him some (sliced) and he somewhat reluctantly ate a few. I know it's normal, I know we're doing all we can do, but ARGH.Child, eat your peas! Mommy is going gray over the fact that you go DAYS without eating ANY vegetables!
Despite a nasty cold and his first almost-ear infection (the doctor said he was showing signs of one starting), Asher is doing really well. Once the lump in his gums gives birth to a tooth, he'll be up to ten chompers. He's energetic, climbing all over everything he can, running from here to there and everywhere. He does whine and fuss - he is a toddler! - but he is mostly a very happy, smiley little guy. Stephen puts it best when he says that Asher makes friends everywhere he goes. He loves everyone and I think he makes the world a tiny bit better every time he flashes one of his charming, cheesy smiles to the grumpy checkout lady at Wal-Mart or waves bye-bye to some lonely old man at McDonald's. Those are the times when I could care less that he has a pacifier stuck in his mouth or has eaten chicken nuggets for lunch the past three days straight. He's happy and healthy and all mine, and that's all that matters!
Here are his pictures from the past month. Read more...
Monday, June 01, 2009
Bye Bye, Wesley
Stephen's younger brother, Wesley, was home for the past week and a half from San Francisco visiting family and friends. We were able to visit with him briefly on several occasions during his stay, but, unfortunately, between my working, not feeling well, and Asher's sometimes-not-so-pleasant disposition, we didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with him. No going out for a drink or to English Ivy's for some kick-ass bar food. Bummer.
We were happy to learn that he's planning on coming back for Christmas, though, so we won't have to wait a whole year before seeing him again. I'm sure Asher will be very happy about this. Uncle Wes and Asher seemed to get along really well - they watched Thomas the Tank Engine and Ernest Goes to Jail together, lunched together, and Uncle Wes even read to him. It was the cutest thing ever.
We look forward to seeing you later this year, Wesley - thanks for visiting us! Maybe we can plan a little trip out west before that...Lord knows we could use a vacation!
We were happy to learn that he's planning on coming back for Christmas, though, so we won't have to wait a whole year before seeing him again. I'm sure Asher will be very happy about this. Uncle Wes and Asher seemed to get along really well - they watched Thomas the Tank Engine and Ernest Goes to Jail together, lunched together, and Uncle Wes even read to him. It was the cutest thing ever.
We look forward to seeing you later this year, Wesley - thanks for visiting us! Maybe we can plan a little trip out west before that...Lord knows we could use a vacation!
Read more...
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