8 Months

Wait. 8 months!? I guess! This last month has seemed to be a big one in lots of things happening!

What we have learned…crawling rocks!  Chasing Boaz’s tail is the best thing and eating food is fun too.  Though, kiwis do not make for fun diapers…

What we are enjoying right now…eating food, crawling around, making lots of noises, chasing Boaz, music, Asher loves being sung to, & sleeping longer!  He’s got all sorts of personality and is such a happy baby.  He loves mornings and exploring!

What our biggest struggles are…getting to sleep without us…little man loves mom and dad.

Asher’s most exciting milestones…crawling! And hello more teeth.  Two on the bottom and seems like two on the top are just through or just about through too.  He also loves to “walk” while holding our hands. Oh and we retired the kick n play but kept the piano part separate and out.

What we are looking forward to…spring…please come quickly…

Asher’s likes and dislikes…still loving jumping, songs, being held, Boaz, funny noises, when we raise our eyebrows at him, being tickled, standing, and chewing (especially chewing on straws or pens).  Also loving crawling, crunching paper, picking things up, the drum set, trying to crawl on the treadmill, and chewing on tags.  He dislikes getting to sleep, when straws or pens or things he wants are taken away from him, when he gets stuck, and when he notices us but we aren’t paying attention to him.  He’s got a pretty good “blah blah blah” angry noise when he doesn’t like something too now.

What sleep looks like…getting longer sleeping stretches! Who knows why but bedtime has been pushed back a bit lately and it’s been more like 8:30-9:30 by the time he actually falls asleep but then he’s sleeping more like 5-6 hour chunk…here’s to dropping night feedings soon!

What we are eating…Asher keeps eating more new foods and we are trying to keep up on buying things he can eat!  We got to go to Bello Cucina for Valentine’s Day and got a vanilla milkshake from Cafe 116.  We discovered we love Papa Murphy’s pan pizzas.  We ate queso from Qdoba.  We snuck in a Starbucks treat.

Who we have seen…we got to see grandma and grandpa when they got back from their trip!  We did get to have dinner with great grandma and grandpa—Asher showed off his crawling and eating for them too!

At the last doctor’s appointment…we had his “6 month” appointment this month and found out that he’s 18 lb. 12 oz. and 28 1/4 inches long!  Still our tall and skinny kid according to the doctor.  He’s also definitely into 12 month clothing.  Rocking the size 4 overnight diapers but mostly doing cloth still!

7 Months!

Ah! You’re closer to your first birthday than to when you were born, baby.  And you’re looking more and more like a little boy.

What we have learned…being sick can seem to last a long time.  Sleep does get better!  Asher learned how to get up on his hands and knees as well as to move backwards. He’s also rolling all over now and not as unhappy on his stomach!

What we are enjoying right now…sitting at the kick n play playing, a few warmer days, staying awake longer (usually about 2ish hours!).

What our biggest struggles are…getting to sleep sometimes and balancing all of the things we want to do and how to find time to make them happen.

Asher’s most exciting milestones…starting food!  He also has a tooth just barely poking through on his lower jaw.  He’s learned how to move backwards and can roll all around to get what he wants.   He also got to hang out in the Nursery during Bible study.  Oh and let’s not forget to talk about his hair…yay for even more hair coming in and it looking thicker!

What we are looking forward to…Valentines Day, date night, warmer weather (please?), and Grandma & Grandpa coming back from their trip.

Asher’s likes and dislikes…still loving jumping, songs, playing at his kick n play (he likes to sit in front of it now though), being held, Boaz, funny noises, when we raise our eyebrows at him, being tickled, standing, and chewing (especially chewing on straws or pens).  He dislikes getting to sleep, when straws or pens or things he wants are taken away from him, and when he notices us but we aren’t paying attention to him.

What sleep looks like…getting better!  Bedtime has been all over because of being sick and just crazy schedules still, but he’s pretty consistent at going 4ish chunks.  The last week or so he’s been in a 2 and 5 rut, but then will sleep in a bit so we will take that.  He is totally not the kid who goes to bed late and still wakes up early…he is the I will sleep as long as I want no matter when I go to bed.  So we’ve had some late mornings 🙂

What we are eating…Asher started eating food other than milk!  So far, he’s tried bananas, avocado, pear, rice cereal, and broccoli.  The rest of us enjoyed going to eat at the Minnewaska House for date night and we got to try the new Ben & Jerry’s cookie butter ice cream.  We also snuck in a Chipotle run and some yummy cinnabites.  Pretty much, we all love food.

Who we have seen…we got to meet Graham this month!  He and Asher are going to be best buddies just like their mamas 😉 Though, we wished the circumstances had been different we were definitely happy to have Ally, Levi, Madi, and Graham home.  We also got to celebrate Carrie’s birthday with her and Micah in St. Cloud.

At the last doctor’s appointment…well, in the middle of the month when the poor guy had the miserable influenza, we found out that he weighed 18 lbs! He even got to sit up to be weighed and watch the little fishes.  We have another doctor’s appointment next week so we will see where we are at then!

6 Months!

Happy half birthday little man!

 

What we have learned…how much fun it is to have a baby at Christmas! We also learned that Asher likes to chew on wrapping paper and ribbon.  He’s also a big fan of sitting up and playing at the kick n play.

What we are enjoying right now…laughing, playing, sitting, rolling (well only sometimes we enjoy that!), and just plain life!

What our biggest struggles are…still working on figuring out naps and sleeping 🙂 hair loss seems to have slowed which is a BIG plus!

Asher’s most exciting milestones…we definitely have a roller!  He decided to roll from his back to his stomach at night and boy did that make him mad!  He was not a happy kiddo when he got stuck there.  Right now, at least, he prefers rolling from back to stomach and does it more often even though he totally knows how to roll the other way.  He’s still loving chewing on anything and everything.  He got a Sophie the giraffe for Christmas and an aardvark, which he loves to chew on often.  He’s a pro at sitting…until he gets distracted or decides he’s done.  Still in size 3 diapers and pretty much at the edge of 6 month clothes and we’ll be switching to 9 month soon.

What we are looking forward to…a semi-normal month where we can hang out and do fun family things!  And a few of our favorite people have January birthdays so we are hoping to celebrate with them!

Asher’s likes and dislikes…still loving bouncing in the jumper and standing up to jump.  He’s a talkative little guy still and had fun at Christmas too.  He’s also liking sitting up to play with toys and grab for them.  He dislikes being tired, having to wait to eat, and we are not a fan of too many car naps.

What sleep looks like…good question…maybe I should try to write this down during the month because I don’t even know!  He’s still good at eating and then going right back to sleep.  He did go through a growth spurt/wonder week at the end of December where then the rolling started right after…those were some nights full of eating.

What we are eating…for Asher, still loving the milk!  The rest of us are enjoying Christmas cookies and treats, Noodles & Co., Cru, Good Earth, Crave, The Chocolate Ox, and ice cream of course.

Who we have seen…we had fun seeing all sorts of family for Christmas!  Those who came from far included Jack, Tom, Laura, and Doug.  We went down to the cities for a fun day at MOA where we ate at Crave.  We also got to go to Grandview Lodge in Nisswa for a fun little anniversary getaway.

At the last doctor’s appointment…well, at the “4 month” one we found out that our little guy is still the tall and skinny guy according to the doctor.  27 1/2 inches long and 16 lb. 11 oz.  This appointment was at the beginning of December so he’s grown since then!

 

5 Months!

What we have learned…how to make noises with our lips, about losing our balance while sitting, about what diapers don’t work well at night for little boys, and that Boaz is funny.

What we are enjoying right now…when we can get him to laugh! Lots of smiles still!

What our biggest struggles are…drool. Lots and lots of drool.  Random stranger anxiety! When he decides to boycott naps 🙂 And my hair is still falling out..but it maybe seems to have slowed? I hope…

Asher’s most exciting milestones…he’s rolled over a few more times (front to back)! Chewing on things like crazy–doesn’t seem to have a preference for teethers yet.  Sitting up for longer and longer on his own!  He also knows how to spit/make noises with his mouth.  He’s gotten really good at grabbing things and bringing them where he wants (aka his mouth).  Oh and he totally has putting his whole foot in his mouth down too.  Still in size 3 diapers, but let me tell you…this kid can pee.  We have yet to find a good nighttime solution, but are still loving our cloth diapers during the day. Still mostly 6 month and 9 month clothes.

What we are looking forward to…Christmas! An anniversary trip! My birthday! December is the best.

Asher’s likes and dislikes…bouncing in a jumper (thankful for friends who borrow baby toys!), standing, jumping, making noises, sticking his foot in his mouth, sticking his tongue out, fake “dropping” when being held, Boaz, and eating.  He dislikes certain nap times, having to wait to eat, and being over stimulated.

What sleep looks like…we’ve gotten much better at longer nighttime sleep! More toward 4-5 hours for the first chunk and then good chunks after that.  Naps and daytime sleep are more sporadic and he’s edging up his wake time but still napping shortish (maybe an hour or so?).   He’s still waking up somewhere between 7:30-8:30 for the day and going to bed earlier…more toward 6:30-8 depending on the night and if I have to work.

What we are eating…for Asher, a nice milk diet!  The rest of us are enjoying Thanksgiving food and bountiful baskets and soups and cheese sandwiches and cereal and ice cream when we can fit it in the budget!

Who we have seen…we finally got to go see Carrie, Micah, and Mardo in the cities and have them meet Asher.  Uncle Jack also came home for Thanksgiving and finally got to meet Asher.  We went to the Rose side for Thanksgiving and stayed overnight in the cities.  We’ve been hanging out at church and he’s still coming to staff meetings.  Oh and Asher and Boaz are still hanging out happily.  Until Boaz is sad that he doesn’t get to eat Asher’s drool.

At the last doctor’s appointment…well, we still are waiting for our next appointment! Next week though 🙂 At grandma’s, we did the scale trick and he weighed about 17 pounds–that was toward the middle of the month.

yeah…we love him!

4 Months!

Ah! My little man is already 4 months. He is so loved.

What we have learned…being sick is no fun at all.  Staying at a hotel with a baby is a different experience but our Nuna Sena was awesome to have!  I learned that I get to go back to my job with contact work so I don’t have to meet set hours (win, win!) and this means my grad school loan will be paid off even faster!

What we are enjoying right now…smiles, lots and lots of smiles.  Pterodactyl noises galore.  Asher loves to squawk.  Family days at home.  Tasty food.

What our biggest struggles are…being sick!  Not fun at all.  Ear infection and colds.  Boaz even got a big cut recently too.  Oh and my hair is still falling out. Eh!

Asher’s most exciting milestones…he rolled over! Only once, but still!  He rolled from his stomach to his back in the media room at church.  He still loves loves loves to stand up with help and bounce up and down.  He’s liking tummy time more lately too.  We are moving into size 3 diapers and mostly using cloth except at night.  We haven’t tackled cloth at night.  He is into 6 month clothes and a few 9 month clothes (especially with cloth diapers).  He’s had some more time without me since I’ve gone back to work at my other job too.  Grandma & Grandpa and Ryan have had all sorts of fun having time with him.  For Halloween, we went bowling with church and Asher wore his hot dog costume for all of 10 minutes.  He also came in a solid 2nd place for a photo contest for Bountiful Baskets where he was covered in veggies. Ha!

What we are looking forward to…Thanksgiving!! My brother will be home and we will likely go to Rochester too.

Asher’s likes and dislikes…eating and eating some more, reading books, bouncing/jumping, music/having people sing to him (still loves head, shoulders, knees & toes), playing with his toes & hands, flipping to the side, turning 90 degrees while laying on his back, and being held.  He dislikes waiting to eat, not being able to jump, sometimes when he’s confined too tightly, and waking up when mom & dad aren’t there.

What sleep looks like…during the day he is still pretty consistent! He’s still loving his 2 hour schedule, but with a longer nap in the afternoon.  Let’s not even talk about night time sleep since sickness messed everything up!  Still waking up for the day around 8 though and is maybe up 2 times a night on a good night with no sickness ha!

What we are eating…milk!  Definitely still more distractible while eating and still eating speedy.  We also went to Cafe 116 to eat on a Saturday! So much fun and Asher was a champ. We also got our first Bountiful Basket and got fennel in it!  We made fennel soup.  English muffin bread was also made and devoured.

Who we have seen…church family, family, friends, and Asher has taken a new interest in Boaz.  He’s starting to grab at Boaz’s ears and face. Boaz is handling it like a champ.

At the last doctor’s appointment…we found out that our poor little guy was sick, but up to an impressive 15 pounds–probably more now that it’s been a few weeks.

Who we have seen…we had friends over for lunch, church family, and family.

At the last doctor’s appointment…we found out that he’s the “tall kid” right now at about 25 inches and weighing in at 14 pounds 2 oz. He’s doing great and now we’re waiting for him to roll over 🙂

3 Months

Here’s an update (a few days late!) on my favorite little man.  He’s pretty loved.

What we have learned…our little guy has quite the personality!  He is a happy little man who will smile often for us and even sometimes laugh.  We’ve learned he likes sitting and reading books with us.  We also learned that he likes being sung to before he goes down for naps.  We’ve also learned how to juggle everything on Sunday mornings now that I’ve been back to working with the kiddos.

What we are enjoying right now…the last of the warm days while we can!  Date nights and time together as a family.  I’m liking being able to spend time reading my Bible, doing some bible studies, and get things done with his more consistent naps now.

What our biggest struggles are…our night time sleep is pretty inconsistent, getting Boaz enough exercise with the colder weather, and all the hormones causing my hair to fall out (annoying!).

Asher’s most exciting milestones…we’ve heard little laughs, he’s smiling more and more, sitting up with help, and loves to “stand up” with our help!  We are still in size 2 diapers, but are mostly using cloth when we can.  We are almost out of 3 month clothes and into the 3-6 month clothes!  A consistent enough bedtime that meant we went out for half-priced appetizers while Asher got to have a babysitter!

What we are looking forward to…a trip to the cities to see friends and to see my brother.  This will be our first hotel stay with Asher!  We also are looking forward to going bowling on Halloween with church.

Asher’s likes and dislikes…eating (still!), smiling, being naked on the changing table, grabbing things, sitting up with help, standing up with help, having people sing to him (particularly head, shoulders, knees & toes and his nap time song), and playing on his kick n play. He dislikes waiting to eat, being left alone too long, and sometimes being swaddled works him up.

What sleep looks like…during the day he is pretty consistent!  He likes to eat about every two hours and has wake time for about 45 minutes.  At night, his first stretch of sleep is somewhere between 4 and a half to 8 and a half hours.  Typically, he goes to sleep around 9 and wakes up for the day around 8. His longest stretch now is 9 hours.

What we are eating…still lots of milk!  Though, Asher has gotten more distracted while he’s eating and has taken more notice in his surroundings.  The rest of us have been eating salads, pizza, ice cream, pasta, Doolittle’s, eggs, and yummy oatmeal bread.

Who we have seen…we had friends over for lunch, church family, and family.

At the last doctor’s appointment…we found out that he’s the “tall kid” right now at about 25 inches and weighing in at 14 pounds 2 oz. He’s doing great and now we’re waiting for him to roll over 🙂

Breathe

At the end of the day, when my little family puts up with my silly ideas of fitting everyone on the green chair for a picture, when the puppy is sleeping on me, when I get to watch my man play with our little man, when I get to hold them all close, and when I get to breathe in all the pieces of this life that’s when I feel a glimpse of resting in being the beloved wife, mommy, and puppy owner that I am. They love me well.

Pour Out Your Hearts

Trust in Him at all times, o people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. – Psalm 62:8

I love that throughout scripture I see examples of God hearing and answering His people.  He longs for them to cry out to Him and to come to Him.  He asks them to cast their cares on Him.  He binds up their broken hearts.  He knows their sitting and their rising.  He does not act like an indifferent bystander.  He’s working for us and for our good.  So, today, in light of writing that, I’m going to share some of the things that are tucked into my heart and just plain make me happy (besides, Fridays are for happy things!).

1. That husband of mine who does life with me.  He is such a gift.  Such a rock and such an encouragement. The road has been rocky and full of adversity, but I’m grateful that I chose him and am still choosing him…and grateful that he chooses me still.
2. Baby oh baby.  Mr. Asher is pretty much the happiest baby and my goodness I am so blessed and privileged to be able to be his mom.
3. My Lindo. He’s the one I miss and the one who taught me to love little boys so much.  I’m so glad I got to know him and for all the ways he cracked open my heart.  He taught me much and he is part of one of my absolute favorite God stories.
4. My Africa. My heart still beats for this place and for this country.  This is such a both and of happy and the heart wrenching grief of not being there.  This is where I pour out my heart waiting for God to weave this piece back into my life in a bigger way.
5. That crazy Boaz.  He pushed me out of my comfort zone and led me on a path toward more joy, laughter, and lots more snuggling than I could have guessed when I brought him home.
6. Church.  I couldn’t have guessed all the ways being on staff at my church would challenge, encourage, change, and ground me.  There’s so much goodness in being planted in a local church.
7. Community/Friends/People.  The world is so full of so many good, good people and I am so glad I’ve gotten to know and do life with a lot of them!

I think (maybe?) sometimes part of knowing you are the beloved of God is remembering, taking note, and being grateful for the things He has put in your life.  He is good to us.

What has He put in your life that makes you happy?

Weekend Finds

Hello Monday! You’ve been pretty good to me so far so I’m thankful!  The weekend also included some fun things.  We got to go out on a date on Friday night and eat delicious food!  I really like going out to eat and spending time alone with the husband.  Eating and traveling are top priorities in our “fun budget” category!  It’ll be so fun when Asher can enjoy these things more too!

Speaking of budgets…we spent a bit of time going over our budget this weekend and working hard to make some of our goals happen.  I’m always trying to tow the line between going extreme and being realistic.  There’s such a balance between living life and being responsible.  If I could chuck responsibility out the window, I’d be jumping on planes and traveling a lot while also eating really well and there’d be a lot of dessert.  Instead, we’re focusing on enjoying life and putting a lot toward my last graduate school loans.  Any budget tips for me?

Saturday was filled with worship practice, prepping for Sunday, and time with family to celebrate a birthday.  Sunday was a bit quieter, which I was so thankful for then.  Plus, we got a movie and snagged a pizza deal from Papa John’s.  I am in love with their garlic dipping sauce.

Other things that I “found” recently include….

• This verse stuck out: He will bring you quietness with His love. Zephaniah 3:17
• She Reads Truth starts their new reading plan called “Open Your Bible.”  I jumped on board this morning!
• WestBow Press is accepting manuscripts for a New Look Writing Contest.
• Cool Running has some fun speed work plans. I’m hoping to improve my 5k time this fall!

Oh and lastly…there’s these two who keep making us smile, laugh, and love life even more.

Friday!

Yikes! This week kind of felt like it was dragging on, but I’m sure glad it’s finally Friday.  I’m ready for a date night, family time, church, and maybe even a few other fun things packed in there.  Oh and guess who is 10 weeks old today!? Asher!  I am like whoa he is already in double digits for weeks.  To celebrate, he oh so kindly has been sleeping 8 hours in a row the last few nights.  I’m a fan of this new stage.  Plus, he is extra smiley too.  Though, let’s be honest…the flip side is that during the day he has been extra hungry and quite a bit clingy.  There’s always something new to learn and an ever expanding lesson in flexibility.  Other than that, this has been a pretty normal week.  Here’s a little list of the things I’ve been loving!

• KIND Bars
  • Since I’ve been nursing (and that boy can eat!), I have been so snacky and have often found myself needing something fast.  I’ve taken to trying out some fun granola bars.  I’ve been loving the Vanilla Blueberry by KIND this week!  I’m on the lookout for healthy, fast snacks so send them my way if you have any!
• BOB Stroller
  • The more I use the BOB stroller, the more I love it.  I’m a little addicted.  Trip to Target, okay I’ll grab the BOB.  Grocery shopping? Why, of course, I’ll use the BOB and then I won’t need a cart.  Time for a walk or running? Yep, the BOB.  I am so very glad and thankful that we budgeted and made getting a nice jogging stroller a priority when it came to baby things.  Asher loves it and he’s a happy guy in it or well probably mostly sleepy or content, but I will take that!  Plus, the shocks make rocking him just enough if he does get fussy and they help curb the uneven ground on the dirt roads by our house.
• Journaling
  • I’ve been intentional about journaling more lately and really trying to set aside time to write.  I love writing.  I have for a long, long time.  I can remember whipping out a 70 or something page book in middle school and being extra proud.  Though, I also know other times where “art scars” have popped up and caused me to hold back from writing.  I’ve got a whole shelf full of journals and they’re one of my favorite things.  I’m working on putting those gremlins death and to keep on picking up the pen or typing out the words.
• Baths
  • Since having Asher, I’ve learned the wonderfulness of a warm bath and time to sit and read or write or just plain think.  The time alone is golden and I am a big fan in this season.  Plus, we have a nice big bath so I will take advantage while I can!  I’m glad I’m finally learning to enjoy this and this week was no exception!
• Instagram and Feedly
  • I’ve really been enjoying reading other people’s stories lately and seeing beautiful things in the pictures they post.  Lately I’ve been inspired, encouraged, challenged, and refreshed by the updates I have been seeing.  I love when these are what I walk away with rather than bitterness, jealousy, envy…those are my red flags to check my heart and see what is going on inside.  All that to say, I’m loving them right now.

Lastly, here are a few of the pictures I’ve loved from this week!

Boaz cracks me up!

Somebody looks SO big!

I love that we are a family who loves to read! 

I made food! Frittata deliciousness. 

What have you been loving!?