Tradition

As I rocked Asher to sleep for his afternoon nap, I got to thinking about Christmas traditions. Our family has some great ones including cutting down our own tree and eating deep fried foods on Christmas Eve. I decided today that we needed to start our own tradition, just the three of us. It had to be Christmasy and fun, and any time I can get dressed up I always do. So we decided to plan our First Annual Lein Family Christmas Program. Click on the link below and enjoy our show!


http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/64rSjJR8ZJXszkt8eFXw

Sara, Sam, and Little T were our inspiration:

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/rt2Ev7UYt7T5KyfSWpbb

Exciting Week

Asher has had an exciting and fun week!

He learned that the best toys are free (that's a piece of junk mail that he played with for 20 minutes straight!)

He got to visit Grandma and Grandpa Lein, Grandma Bonnie and all her nursing home friends, and he got to spend some time with Auntie Kimmers.

We found that time spent in a hand-me-down walker is the cure for the crabby patties (no offense Grandmas named Patti or Patty...this is a spongebob reference, not a rip on you!) Asher loves to sit in the walker and he even scoots around a little bit. He bends one leg up (his right) and pushes with his left leg! (You'll want to have your sound on for this video!)

Growin Up

Babies coo, cry, babble and screech. Toddlers, on the other hand, yell. Asher had a productive sleep last night and woke up just a little bit older. Here's how I know...

Saturday mornings are a special time for our family because Daddy is home. Usually he leaves for work before 7 am and before anyone else is awake. But on Saturday, he's home. Once Asher lets us know it's time to get up, Daddy goes and gets him and brings him back to our bed. We have a nice family cuddle time before starting the day. Well today, Momma heard baby first. I went in to get him up and he gave me his usual huge, heart-melting smile. I picked him up and brought him into our room where Daddy was still laying down but awake. Asher was looking right at him and Daddy popped up really fast. Usually when Asher's startled he'll giggle or cry but today he yelled! He opened his mouth real wide and gave a good, startled shout that nearly knocked Daddy right out of bed! He seemed so old at that moment!! This gave us a good laugh as we kept replaying the incident. After the big yell, Asher turned quickly to me and I hugged him and then all was good. He looked back to Daddy and gave him his signature smile.

Since Asher was visibly older this morning we decided today would be the day to try rice cereal! Ok, so maybe we decided it was time because we haven't slept well for the past week and a half because Ash suddenly forgot how to sleep through the night. Either way, today was the day. He was a bit indifferent to it, a bit sloppy, and he didn't really get the concept that he was supposed to swallow it. But there was no spitting, crying, or throwing up so we considered this first attempt to be a great success. I'm sure he'll catch on in no time!

Happy Little Man

Our sweet baby boy will be five months old tomorrow. Man how time flies! Seems like just yesterday we were putting him in newborn clothing and he wasn't filling them out. Now he wears up to size 9 months sometimes!! Asher is a happy little man. He loves to laugh and playing peek-a-boo really brings out the giggles. He likes to look at Lula and occasionally he'll touch her snout or run his hand along her side as she trots by. He's working so hard at rolling over, but that darned arm keeps getting in the way. We'll give him a little push and over he goes. You should see his proud smile when we praise him - like he did it himself!

Here's a little shout-out to our family up north.... Hello Tibb's Family!! Can't wait to see you at Christmas!

Marquette Michigan, 75 miles from nowhere

This past weekend, the family and our good friend Jenny, hopped into the Passat and headed up north for Auntie and Uncle Sam's house. On the way we stopped at Grandma and Grandpa Marble's for a night. Asher made friends with the grandson of one of Grandma's good friends. At one point they were even holding hands! Unfortunately Asher got a little excited and started flailing around and ended up scratching little Timmy's face. I felt so bad!!

Friday afternoon we got to the Galvin's. There was fun to be had every minute of the weekend. It started with trick or treaters and halloween costumes.
Saturday we went hiking up Sugar Loaf. It was chilly but beautiful. Asher got some new fall outerwear for the occasion.

Auntie and Topanga entertained Asher while Uncle Sam played us some tunes.


























It was a fantastic weekend and we were sad to go. Asher was awesome in the car, thanks in large part to Jenny. She had the smart idea of buying buddy lights (the little round lights that you push to turn on - these had smiley faces on them) so Asher could see in the dark. It made a world of difference! Thanks Jenny!

Wonderful Weekend of Weddings and other Wacky Poses

Last weekend was a busy one for the Lein's we had two weddings, one of which was in St Louis, MO. Here's Asher in his new saggy-baggy jeans, getting ready for Josh & Megan's wedding on Friday.














Saturday we hopped in the car with our good ol' friend Lowis and headed south. Asher was such a good boy in the car! Here's us all dressed up for John and Patty's wedding.
Here's Asher with mom's good friend from high school, the groom, John.

Some other exciting things that happened this week: Asher got a bumbo chair so he can sit up without our help! He's getting so strong already and this will help him learn to sit on his own.










He also got a new hat! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!!

.....

Well, not too much to write about today but I thought I'd share some more photos for those who are ever anxious for them. Asher has started pushing off with his right leg, trying to roll over to the left. He can get on his side but then he stops. He also has a new favorite pose, something of a mob boss - I'm gonna get ya stance. He holds his hands in front of his chest and makes a fist with one and wraps the other around the fist. It's cute! He's discovered his high voice and plays with that once in a while...too funny! He's smiling all the time and is more fun to be around every day.

Asher's Trip to Door County

Asher had a great time in Door County with Mom, Grandma, and Auntie! He did some sightseeing by the lake, lounged in the adirondack chairs, relaxed on the comfy pull out bed at the Yacht Club, and even met a new friend. Leah is 9 mos and weighs one pound more than Asher. He could steamroller her in a heartbeat! (that is, if he knew how to roll over!) Isn't she adorable!? She belongs to my great friend and college roommate Laura, who we got to stop and see in Green Bay on our way to DC.

Tag from Sara K

4 things I was doing 10 years ago...
Driving a Sundance
Studying Psychology
Living with Laura and Andrea
Riding my bike around Lake Antoine almost everyday

4 things on my to do list for today...
Laundry
Take a shower
Take a walk and watch a movie with my hubby
Play with Asher

4 things I love about my husband...
He's handsome
He always does the dishes
He adores kids, especially Asher
He drives the jetta and lets me have the passat

4 jobs I have had...
Core Cutter at a paper mill
Waitress
Delivered meds to people's homes
Therapist for Autistic children


4 places I have lived...
International Falls, MN
Quinnesec, MI
Green Bay, WI
Madison, WI

4 places I want to visit...
The Greek Isles
India
Africa
Portugal


4 (or 5-6) things you may not know about me...
I've driven a tractor and a forklift, not just once but daily for summers on end
I can play the piano
I played the saxophone in my HS alumni marching band in the 4th of July parade 3 years ago - and had a BLAST!
I love cars and speed
I have my own business with The Body Shop At Home
I attended the Milwaukee School of Flower Design last fall

Now it's Sara G's turn.

Gigantor Baby & the Search for a Halloween Costume

My baby is huge. Have you noticed?

Kyle and I have been looking at halloween costumes on ebay for Asher. We have bid on several and have yet to win an auction. It was getting pretty disheartening so I gave up.

So yesterday, mom and Asher went to town to get this costume situation taken care of once and for all. First we hit Walgreens.....nothing. Then we went to Target......they had some adorable costumes for reasonable prices! So I picked out the cutest one (a shaggy dog with a bone) and attempted to wrestle it on Asher while he laid in the basket of the cart. He was not enjoying this and I was struggling. But I didn't want to admit that it didn't fit (did I mention it was size 0-9 months?) so we headed over to the baby section (which is carpeted) and I laid him on the floor to try again. This time he didn't mind, but it was obvious that he was too big for the costume. Yes, my 3 month old is too big for a costume made for 0-9 month olds!!!

Discouraged, disappointed, and worried that my son will continue to gain 4 lbs a month until he's 2 years old and 100 lbs, we left Target and headed for Baby's R Us. At last, we found what we were looking for! An adorable costume, size 6-9, that is a bit roomy so he has room to grow in the next month before he wears it. Yes!

I guess it was a blessing that we didn't win any ebay auctions because the costumes probably would've been too small for our gigantor child.

Angel Baby

Imagine this....

A beautiful blue sky filled with white puffy clouds. My sweet Asher, wearing only a diaper, floats by on the most comfortable cloud of them all.......And he is screaming his head off!!

This was the scene as we took Asher to have his first professional pictures taken. Wouldn't you know it, our seldom fussy baby boy cried and complained almost the entire time. But the photographer knew what he was doing and got some great shots anyway.

Our budget only allowed for us to pick one pose and we choose a handsome one. But now that I think back, I would give anything to have a copy of the crying angel. It was perfect in it's irony. But alas, the studio deletes all pictures as soon as you leave and me crying over it for two days didn't reverse time and didn't get me the picture I wanted. So I will have to take a mental snapshot and cherish it forever.

To look on the bright side, I am blessed enough to get to see him crying everyday. Maybe next time I'll hold him up to the window and try to recreate the scene in my mind.

It's a Numbers Game

My baby boy is growing up!

As many of you know, diapers come in different sizes: newborn, 1, 2, etc. Well for my little one, the one's were holding #1 but not #2. So I had to break down and buy some number two's. Hopefully now the two's will hold both #1 and #2 so we will stop having 3, 4, and 5 blowouts per day!

Where's Asher?

So, Asher thought he would play a little hide and seek to see if he could trick Mom and Dad....

There he is!

A Smiley Video For You To Enjoy...

Asher is now 9 weeks old and is becoming quite the brute! He's up to 12 lbs 14 oz and 23 inches! He loves sucking on his fists, watching the ceiling fan, and taking a bath. He's started babbling and his burps and toots are as loud as his Dad's!

Let's Get Physical!

Excercise is important for people of all ages. When you're a baby, exercise means TUMMY TIME!! Here is an excellent demonstration of tummy time by Asher Lein.

First you start with your head down.

Then you summon all your might and lift your head up. (Unfortunately Mommy didn't get a picture of his head all the way up.)

Then you wobble a bit and crash back down.

Here's an arial view to show you the proper technique.

After exercising you should always stretch. This is Asher's favorite thing to do. He stretches sometimes when he wakes up and always after he eats.

Look at that chubby face! I may be biased, but gosh - could he be any cuter!?

Asher's Happy Day

Apparently Asher is very happy that Auntie Sara and Uncle Sam have added a new puppy to our family. We all went with Sara on sunday to pick up little Tapanga. As the ladies sat outside talking to the breeder, Asher was smiling away at Daddy in the car. Kyle kept pinching his chubby cheeks and Asher kept on smiling. It must've been because he was so excited for the new puppy because I haven't seen him smile again since!

Big Week

Asher will be four weeks old tomorrow and he is growing like a weed!! We don't have a scale but he is looking bigger and bigger and feeling heavier and heavier. His legs are no longer chicken legs, but are starting to get a few tiny rolls on them!
This was a big week for Asher and Mom. On Monday, we took our first trip to the grocery store. This was no small task. Even though he was wonderful for the most part, any outing is made harder by the fact that he likes to eat every two hours and we live at least 20 minutes from the nearest, decent store. So here's what our timeline looked like: 1:00 feed Asher. This takes about 40 minutes. 1:40 Change his diaper, put the dog in her pen, load up the car, and get on the road. It's now 2:00. 2:20 arrive at Woodman's, struggle with putting the car seat in the cart, navigate the torn up parking lot in 90 degree weather. 2:10 start shopping. Now Asher will want to eat again at 3:00. It takes us 20 minutes to get home. We are quickly running out of time!

Luckily, my sweet boy loves anything he can ride in. So the cart bouncing along the brick floors of Woodmans is just what he needs to keep him sleeping. Unfortunately we have to stop at the photo department to pick up some pictures. They are not ready. We wait. Asher is not pleased and starts to cry. Mom starts to panic. Crabby photo lady grows a heart, hurries up, and makes a nice comment. Phew, we are back in motion and baby is quiet again. Just to be sure I forgo the frozen section (yes I missed out on the Marble girls' favorite thing - frozen pizza, but this is the sacrifice that must be made) and high-tail it to the checkout. Three checkout girls come over to comment on my gorgeous baby and all the photo drama is forgotten. Asher sleeps in the car and actually makes it 3 hours between feedings this time!

Daddy gave Asher his first bottle. He didn't seem to mind it but we're not sure he got any milk in his little tummy. He would suck it in, hold it in his mouth, and then let it all dribble out the side. Maybe next time will go better.

Wednesday we decided to visit Daddy at work. Asher was an absolute dream and made all the co-workers ooh and aah and made Daddy very proud. He was so good that Mom and Dad even got to go out for lunch while he slept in his car seat. It felt like our first date! Has it really been so long since we've been able to spend some time together? We were both giddy and it made our days!

Now today, Thursday, I've made dinner. This has only happened a handful of times in the last ten months and this is the first time since coming home from the hospital. Granted it was a frozen turkey-etta that I plopped in the crockpot, but trust me - this is progress (if you're not from upper MI you wouldn't understand and you're definately missing out on the turkey-etta). I can't wait for Kyle to come home and realize there is food ready for him. If you've met my husband you know he will be ecstatic and truly grateful! It's awesome to cook for a man like that.

Tomorrow we're off to Grandma and Grandpa Marble's house. It's literally over the river and through the woods. The three of us can't wait!!