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!!

I've been getting razzed quite a bit for not updating my blog anymore. I have to say it's pretty hard to find time to blog between the feedings, diaper changes, and trying to catch up on my sleep. And when I do find a free minute, it's hard to choose blogging over showering, putting lotion on my dry feet, or vegging out to Rachel Ray. But I finally found a second here so I thought I'd do my best for a quick post.

Asher is doing awesome. He's at least half a pound more than his birth weight now and he's grown two inches! He is an excellent baby and is rarely fussy. But even though he's so good, being a mom is insanely hard. It's no 9 to 5 job and that can be very overwhelming. Not to mention getting pooped and peed on, puked on, and having the baby cry and cry when you try to put him down for a nap or even change his diaper. But it's truly amazing how quickly your frustration and tears turn to pure joy when the crying stops and he looks up at you with those blueberry eyes and a peaceful look on his face. You forget the drama of the past 5-10 minutes (or maybe even an hour) and you just feel the love.

INTRODUCING....

Asher Scott Lein arrived at 6:10 p.m. on Friday, June 20th, 2008. He weighed in at 7lbs 7 ounces and measured 19 inches. He is absolutely beautiful and the whole experience has been truly amazing. I can't even begin to tell you the number of prayers that were answered this week in our little man's birth story. I'll have to save that for another day when we're not so tired. Enjoy the picture's for now and I'll fill you in on the rest later. Thanks to all for the calls and prayers, we appreciate all the love and support. Feel free to come visit, just be sure to call first. And now, for the pictures you've all been waiting for....

June 16th, Our Due Date

In the words of Tom Petty...

....the waiting is the hardest part.

We've packed our bags and filled out everything we can in the baby book. The relaxing mixed CD's have been made and my focal point picture has been chosen. The bags are in the car, along with a sleeping bag for extra comfort for Kyle, and of course we have the car seat installed. All the little socks and outfits, blankets and bedding have been washed in baby detergent and folded and put in their place.

Our laundry is caught up and the spare room has been made up for the guests that will be arriving. We have a point person ready to send out the mass text message to our friends when our bundle of joy arrives. I'm carrying my camera and two sets of batteries in my purse everywhere I go, and my mom and sister have started to get jumpy when they see my number on their caller ID. Kyle never turns off his phone, and he carries his stopwatch 24/7.

My last day of work will be Monday, June 16th. My official due date. My shower thank you's have been sent (finally) and we even have a pediatrician. Now all we need is that baby!

I've been blessed with a pretty painless pregnancy. Sure I had my complaints and tough moments, but overall I couldn't have asked for anything better. So it's not out of pain, discomfort, or even exhaustion that I can't wait for it to be over. It's the unknown, the uncertainty of when and how it will happen. And Kyle and I just can't wait to meet our little man, hold him in our arms, and love on him like crazy.

And that is why the days pass so slowly and I can't get Tom Petty out of my head.

End in sight...

There is a definate end in sight now. My due date is less than a week away and my doctor won't let me go much longer than a week after that. So either way, there will be a baby in about two weeks, give or take. I pray I don't have to be induced...

Well, I gained back that pound I lost but I'm not overly devastated. I've gained about 39 lbs total and now my belly is 39 centimeters up and down. Notice I said centimeters, not inches. I think in all my past posts I've said inches. Thank goodness it's centimeters!! My word!

No one thinks that the baby has really dropped any yet, but somehow the waistband on all my pants is getting ruined. The belly juts out so abruptly that the band gets folded over. I'm afraid on my weaker pairs, I may not get a second baby's worth of wear!

And I would walk five hundred miles...

Well, I missed my day in the baby pool at work. It chose yesterday, and it would've made sense from the way my day went. But alas, still no baby boy.

I started off the day with a trip to the doctor. Normally I go to the East Clinic but yesterday I had to go to the hosital. For those of you who don't know, St Mary's is under major construction and I'm a bit challenged when it comes to navigating that part of town. So I parked where the signs sort of told me to, even though my gut was telling me it was wrong. Should've went with the gut feeling because I ended up walking about 5 blocks to the hospital entrance, through the construction, and among the hard hat clad workers. None of whom whistled or made any flattering comments toward me. Hmmmm.....

I finally made it to the doctor's office and I was tired, hot, and crabby. Did I mention it was already in the seventies at 9:00 in the morning? I told the doctor about my long hike and her unsympathetic response was "well good, maybe that'll put you into labor". Let me tell you, that would've made it all worth it. But it was not his time I guess.

There was an upside to this appointment though; I may have gained another inch up and down my belly (now I'm 37.5) but I lost 1.1 lbs! And don't say it was probably the walk! There is no more room for food in the half/whole basketball.

After the hospital ordeal, I went to work only to have people staring at me all day as if I may burst into labor at any moment. I think they thought I had some mother's intuition about the day I picked in the pool. But really I just picked that day because Kyle had a double-header in softball and was so excited about it, that it seemed the most Murphy's law-ish day to choose.

Yep, that's right, you heard me. Last night we had a double header in softball. Yes, I went to both games. Yes, it rained almost the entire time. And yes, they locked the nasty park bathrooms so preggos like me had to use the even nastier port-a-potty. But all in all it was a really fun night. Kyle got his second home run of the season, and we even won our last game!

So after all that walking at the hospital, trudging to and from the ballfield, eating extra Cholula sauce at Taco John's, and making myself as exhausted as could be, still no baby boy. I suppose it's for the best, I may have been too exhausted to even get in the car to make the mad dash to town.

Full Size Basketball?

Tomorrow I'll be 38 weeks along. Wow, that's amazing! I just looked at the little ticker at the top of the screen here and it says only 15 days to go. Shocking. All week I've been wanting the baby to come NOW but when I read that, 15 days doesn't seem so long! I feel so anxious for him to get here and so unprepared at the same time. Good thing he'll come on his own time, otherwise I'd never be able to decide if I was ready or not.

This week has been pretty uneventful. On Tuesday at my doctor's appointment, I weighed in at 38.5 lbs gained and she measured me at 36.5 inches up and down the belly. At home, Kyle measured me at 41 inches around the belly. I'm not sure how big a basketball is, but I'm pretty sure I've got one under my shirt. Just take a look at this picture taken minutes ago:

When I look in the mirror it really doesn't look this big! And Kyle says that it's only about half a basketball, so we'll go with his description because it's better.

The last few days have been draining since I caught a nasty cold at work. Sore throat and stuffy nose....no fun. Hopefully that will go away before baby comes.

As for excitement this week, we packed our hospital bags and wrote out our birth plan. Kyle's bag mostly contains snacks, which is a good thing. He can get pretty crabby when he's hungry! Also, I decided to take the next two wednesdays off of work so I can get more rest and then Friday the 13th will be my last day, even if the baby hasn't come yet. Yay! The countdown begins!! =) Kyle is convinced little man is coming this week though, so it may be even sooner than that. We'll keep you posted!

37 Weeks...

Baby boy is officially full term today! Yay! He can be born any day now and his lungs and everything else should be functioning as designed.

We spent Memorial Day at Oakfest, our church's first annual M-day festival, and we had a great time. The weather was sunny and hot so I had to try to find shade whenever possible and drink as much water as I could. I didn't really do any work, but Kyle was diligent about his post as bounce house monitor. I mainly just sat by him and ate. I got tons of comments about my outie belly button and almost everyone I talked to suggested I hop in the bounce house myself to get this show on the road. As much as I love bounce houses and am dying to go in one, I just couldn't do that to the little man.