Our Little Girl

Yesterday we had our 32 week appointment, complete with ultrasound for measuring all of the baby's organs. Everything looked great and the tech said she weighs 3 lbs 14 ounces right now and they are estimating she'll be 7.5 lbs at full term. She was a bit bashful and wouldn't' move her hand away from her face no matter how much the tech bounced my belly around.
It looks like she's already working on her pouty face - not good news for Daddy. He'll be wrapped around her finger in half a heartbeat!

After the appointment Kyle and I took Asher for a walk to enjoy the gorgeous weather we've been having. He doesn't love the stroller like he used to so we took the wagon instead. He loved it! He is truly my sweetheart boy - he wanted to hold Mama's hand the whole time we walked! And how could I refuse?

Asher's New Room

Last night was the big event! After Daddy got home from work, the three of us set to work redecorating Asher's room and setting up his big boy bed. We were all exhausted by the time we were done but it was exciting! Ash loved all the balls and was thrilled to be able to climb into bed himself. He even has a bigger chair in his room now so all three of us can fit and read stories together.

We did our normal bedtime routine and tucked him into his big boy bed and didn't hear a peep after that. We checked on him a while later and he was sleeping soundly under his new comforter. This morning I heard him wake up and start chattering a bit - but even then he didn't get out of bed! After 15 minutes or so I went in there to see what he was doing and he was just laying in bed, smiling away! I asked if he wanted to go see Daddy, which is his favorite thing to do on saturday morning, and he didn't want to! He wanted to stay in bed and read books! Hee hee - what a guy!

Here's the old room:



Here's the new room:

Random Daily Events

Spaghetti anyone?














One of Asher's favorite new games to play is Naptime Baby. He lays face down in his little sleeping bag and pretends to cry while I rub his back and say "night night baby".














He's now able to open doors. He loves to go in the coat closet and pull out various hats to wear. Here he's sitting with Uncle Sam - one of his favorite people - at his new table and chairs...the best gift we've ever given him. He didn't play with toys for three days after getting it. He just colored all day, everyday, at the table.














Today we are wearing our vest around the house. This is his winter coat without the sleeves. He's gotta be hot, but he's loving it!

Christmas 2009 Highlights

As part of our Lein Family Christmas, the three of us decorated a cake for Jesus' birthday. When Ash found out he had to wait untill after dinner for a piece, he was not too happy! Mom relented and gave him a piece though...it was a special occasion!
























Ash got some great gifts this year, including a motorized Cozy Coupe! He still hasn't quite gotten the hang of it. You have to hold down the button to make it go and he just pushes it once, and jerks, pushes once, and jerks. I'm sure he'll master it soon though, now that it's down in the basement so he has plenty of room to drive around.






























All of us on the Baldwin side of the family went on a sleigh ride the day after Christmas. It was absolutely perfect! Warm temperatures, gently falling snow, and tons of snow already on the ground. There were so many of us that we needed two sleighs. We stopped along the way for the more adventurous types to jump off the sleigh into the deep snow and wrestle. Then, just before the ride was over, we stopped for a wienie roast complete with hot chocolate and s'mores!

























On the way home, Auntie, Sam, and Little T rode in our car all the way to Superior, WI. Ash wanted T to ride on his lap. Have you ever seen a boy so happy to have a dog on his lap?

Snowy Video

17 inches and counting!

Today we woke up to a winter wonderland! We were all excited to get outside as this was Asher's first time playing in the snow.

He didn't mind sitting in the snow bank.

But he wasn't so sure about laying in the snow.

His favorite thing was flying with Dad and chasing after Lula, of course! I have a great video of it but I can't get it to load. I'll try again soon....

The Griswold's Get a Tree

Saturday we decided to venture out to Albany and cut our own Christmas tree. We bundled Asher up in his new Lightning McQueen snow boots and hit the road. He fell asleep on the 15 minute drive but was quickly awakened by the bright sunshine and the fact that there were two dogs running around the farm.














It was pretty chilly so we didn't take too long picking out the tree. Dad expertly cut it down while Mom and Ash watched.















All was going great as we dragged the tree out of the woods and headed for the car. But once we started to think about how to get the tree into/onto the car things started to get a little like National Lampoon's.

The tree we thought was so tiny in the woods, ended up being an 8 footer! We had imagined putting half the tree in the trunk and letting the rest hang out - with a bungee to secure everything. Um yeah, that wasn't going to work!

So on top of the car it went, wrapped in a tarp and tied to the doorhandles with twine. Seemed like a plan that could work. We opened the sunroof cover to keep an eye on it and we headed for home.

In the first mile we stopped 2 times to catch the tree before we lost it on the road. We hadn't even gone over 30 mph! This was going to take forever! But the second stop brought some insight and I won't name names, but someone suggested tying it to the hood like a canoe so it would stop sliding off the back. Voila! We were back up to 55 mph in no time.





We almost lost the tarp, which in hindsight was pretty much unnecessary, but we made it home in one piece. Next year hopefully we'll be more prepared and won't look like clueless yuppy city folk.

We got the tree inside and that's when we realized it was so big - it was about an inch from the ceiling! And Mom was worried it was too small!

We decorated tonite as a family and we all had a great time starting our own family traditions. And the tree looks perfect! Stop by and see it sometime!

Turkey Day

We spent Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa Lein where the rule is if you want to eat, you need to earn your keep.

Just kidding! The food was delicious and abundant and we all spent the days of our vacation relaxing on the couch. That is all of us but Asher, who happily swiffered Grandma's new kitchen and dining room floors until you could see your reflection in them.We all enjoyed homemade waffles for breakfast....Asher enjoyed the blueberries with a bit more gusto than the rest of us!

Lover Boy

My sweetheart boy is turning into a real lover boy! He loves to show his affection now, mostly to Lula and Eli. He shows he cares by laying on the floor next to them and snuggling up with his back against them. It's awfully cute!He's also started taking my face in his hands and snuggling up to me and sometimes kissing me. It can get pretty messy, but could a mom love anything more?Right now he's in the kitchen trying on all of his bibs. He puts them upside down under his chin and then walks around on his knees. Funny, since lately I've had trouble getting him to keep one on during meals. What a kid!

Happy Halloween!

We spent Halloween with Auntie and Uncle Sam in Ishpeming, Michigan. We had a great long weekend! Here are some highlights...

Could Anything Be More Fun??

Introducing Our Little Pumpkin!

*Click on the photo to see a larger version*

Getting There

Asher is just now starting to realize that walking is cool. Yesterday he decided to walk on his own...from the coffee table to the tv twice, from the piano to the the toybox a few times. There was no prodding at all. He just climbed up and took off. Yay! Of course I didn't get any of that on video, but here's him practicing with Dad last night. Notice his excellent posture!

Wanna Pick a Punkin?

This is what we did with our morning...

Thought of the Day

There's nothing better than a chubby cheek, rosy and warm from an afternoon nap, sweetly pressed against yours.

My Heart Swells

It's been a while since I've posted anything here on the blog. It's not for lack of things to write about, more like a lack of time. Our days a filled with eating and naps and walks and sitting on blankets. We see friends here and there and get groceries and hit the library and chat it up with people at the post office.

The biggest change of late is that our little friend Eli has been coming to our house two days a week. He's about 2 1/2 months old and requires a lot of attention, as all babies do. This was a rough thing for Ash to handle at first. There were many tears and even a head butt but all is well now. Each day Eli is here, Asher gets a little more comfortable with sharing mommy's attention.

Today my sweet boy definitely woke up on the right side of the bed. He's been making my heart sing all day long with his sweet gestures, loving looks, and funny ideas for playtime. It all started when I had Eli over my knee for a little quasi tummy time. Asher crawled over and gently kissed him on the head. I praised him profusely for being soft and gentle (this is not his strong suit so he needs the encouragement!). He went back to playing on the floor but every so often he would come back and give Eli another kiss. A few times he just squished his nose on Eli's head...a sort of Eskimo kiss I suppose. It was too cute for words and of course getting up to grab the camera would've ruined the moment!

On our walk this evening he kept turning around to look at me and smile, showing me the most angelic and loving face I've ever seen. My heart melted. It was exactly what I needed today.

Lastly, after dinner we played with a dining room chair. Sounds fun, right? But it was! It couldn't have been funner! He squished his little face through the slats and I tickled his nose with mine. One time was all it took to get him hooked! He thought this was the funniest thing ever and we probably went back and forth with this 20 times. It gave me a good laugh and the whole day brought me a renewed joy. Being a stay at home mom is the best!

Ash's Adventures

Summer is a busy time and Asher is a busy boy. He's been having a ball lately as we cart him to and fro. Daddy's got a softball game? Asher will gladly sit on the blanket all evening. Mom, Dad, and friends want to go to concert on the square two weeks in a row? Asher will enthusiastically eat everything in sight and then get in on some wrestling with Daddy and the White boys.

Asher is growing and learning everyday of course! He's recently discovered the piano and loves to play pretty music.He used a fork for the first time the other night. He actually picked up two rigatoni on his own and was able to finaggle it into his mouth!

He is saying a few words now....Mama, Dada, Up (pronounced "bup"), Go, and More ("mo").

And just last Saturday he started standing! He can stand for about 30 seconds now without holding onto anything. And he can sit down from that position. May little baby is growing up!

God Bless America

Asher's second 4th of July turned out to be a fantastic weekend. He enjoyed every bit of it even though he was off schedule and sleep deprived.

We started the day off with the parade. The sun was shining and it was already starting to get hot. Asher was a quiet observer for the most part, not scared of the sirens, and not particularly excited about anything.







After a quick stop at Grandma and Grandpa's house for lunch, we were out the door again, this time to the Skeeters water ski show. The lake was gorgeous but the sun was brutal. Especially on our fleece blanket! This was Asher's favorite part of the day because he got to share a dilly bar with Auntie and a fudgecicle with Grandma.














After the Skeeters we went back to G&G's for a cookout. The guys shot of fireworks in the yard "for Asher" and it was off to bed at a somewhat decent time.















The whole weekend was a blast! Asher loved seeing the family, playing in Grandma's cupboards, and rough housing with Dad!

We made it home just in time for Kyle's softball game.