this baby boy of mine

I cannot even get over him.

words:
ball ball, up, mama, dada, auda, ot, i, nigh nigh, hat, kick, nana

signs:
milk, more, all done, night night, music,

pictures:

this is his cheesy smile that he makes when he knows I'm taking his picture. Goofball!

see. here it is again. He heard the camera click and turned to me with this cheese.

the wonderful world of asher

first steps. 9/9/14
teeth #s 9 and 10 coming through
learning to go down steps on tummy
when I say smile at mama he scrunches up his eyes and gives me this super cheesy grin
says up, hot, mama, dada, bro bro, hi, audy, oof oof, ooh ooh aah aah, and maybe out.
is very territorial of his mama and pushes people away if they try to hug her.
understands everything we say. seriously. this kid is wicked smart.
eats a lot. he likes everything we've given him, especially meat and watermelon.
when he wants milk he lays flat in my arms and says, "mmmmm." real subtle, kiddo.
crawls quickly, climbs everywhere, giggles like a madman as he tries to beat us up the stairs, loves baths, loves being outside.

He is a whole lot of silly, beautiful love wrapped up in a sweet one year old body.

his silly smile 

Eleven Months

You hold your hands up high over your head, reaching toward me with all the love in the world. You say, "Umph" or "Utta," which are your perfectly adorable versions of up. I lift you up and you bob your head back and forth against my puckered lips until you have reached the appropriate number of forehead kisses.

It is the very sweetest.

Getting Audrey cuddles in the morning

11 months old-blurry, but adorable

You have a new obsession with yellow squash sauteed in olive oil with cracked black pepper. You want to hold wii remotes and tv remotes and cell phones. You like to eat books. Your favorite toy is a long wooden stick with a round piece on the end that is supposed to hold stacking toys. You just like to chew on it and wield it like a medieval weapon. You would gladly crawl off the edge of the bed or down the stairs or off the climber or into the deep end of the pool if we weren't on high alert at all times. After four tries we may have an adventurous one.

You are a busy fellow

You look so serious here as you play hit the pesto lid with the rolling pin

smiley baby

You love to play open shut with doors and cupboards.  You love to empty out anything at your level. You used to only play with the bottom drawers, but like the layers in a rain forest, you are finding the top canopy of our house and open the top drawers, too. You go to the steps and bang on them so we can help you up, but you really only go up one step so far. I know that'll change quickly. You also love to play up, down where you sit down then pull yourself up. Over and over. You are easily entertained and love to bang on balls or pesto jar covers or blocks with your wooden weapon or a plastic rolling pin. When the hit object pops up in the air you giggle and giggle. Oh, the things we will do to make you giggle.

sooo big

You are hungry and like everything we feed you. Your favorites are breastmilk, watermelon, avocado, banana, sweet potato. . . who am I kidding? You like all of it. You sometimes touch the food on your tray, but really don't like the texture of things. You will gladly pick up a fork and put that in your mouth like a proper gentleman. You seem to favor your left hand these days.

playing with the big kids at camp wapo-you were a good obstacle

You are beautiful. Those cheeks and eyelashes and kissable lips. That smile and roly poly tummy. People always tell us how beautiful you are. It's not unusual for people to think you are a girl. They thought the same about your big brother, Elliot. A lot of people also ask if you're always so happy. Yep. You are. Keep you fed and cool and you're good to go. Even when you're up past your bedtime, you just roll with the punches. We feel so very fortunate about that. Well, about all of it really.

You wake up between 5:15 and 6:30. We play, you have breakfast, we play some more, and then it's naptime at 9 or 9:30. You sleep between one and two hours and then it's up for more play, maybe some errands. Lunch is between 12 and 1 and then you go down for your nap around three hours after you woke up from your morning nap. We sing songs and play and go for walks and hang out until dinner time. Then it's usually baseball or softball or something. Bedtime is anytime between 7:30 and 9. You are up anywhere from 1 to 3 times throughout the night. It's not ideal, but it is what it is. Guess what? You're worth it.

I nurse and rock you to sleep and I stare at your precious, calm, beautiful face, and I breathe in the best of the day. You have added so much to our lives. We have no idea what we did without you, our boo boo sha-roo. Our sweet Lou. Our boo boo. Our choochie face. Our goose. Our Asher boy.

In case you ever wonder.

10 month adventures

Today. All of this happened today.

First non-familial word: up.

A possible second word: Audy. (must confirm tomorrow to see if this was a fluke)

First time trying to crawl down the steps. (with a spotter)

First time standing up in crib.

Today. All of this happened today. We all celebrated Asher appropriately and cannot believe that he is just a bundle of learning fun.

checking out the pantry. love the thighs!

snoozing in his new carseat

when a mama's bookworm heart soars

Isaac is on day 2 of CAT testing and I asked Elliot if he'd like me to get the rice table down to play with while Asher naps. Here's the conversation that happened next.

E: "No. I'm going to read. I could read for 15 hours."
Isaac: "I could read all day."
E: "I could read 24th 7." (cute!)

today

Asher is snoozing. Isaac is doing his math. Audrey and Elliot have invented their own kind of checkers involving multiple king me options resulting in the ability to jump more squares. It sounds confusing to me, but they've got it under control. The best part is when they purposely get jumped by the other person so that the game can be even and last longer. Then Audrey says, "Oh, it's on," in a really deep voice and they both laugh and my heart is happy.

Asher's 9 month appointment

Asher's 9 month appointment today. 24 lbs 7 oz brings him in at a solid 98%. 28 3/4 inches tall for 63%. Head so big he can legitimately wear my sunglasses. 18 5/8 inches at 96%. His pediatrician would like to see him picking up food and feeding himself soon, but he is absolutely not interested and has people for that. She'd also like him to put himself to sleep. I refrained from telling her I'm the (failing) president of the put yourself to sleep fan club.

my boy

The kids had their variety show with co-op tonight. What a fun night. Everyone was just adorable and did their best and it was a great night to celebrate kids taking chances and being brave.

A lot of people were especially surprised by Isaac's performances. He was all over dancing and rapping and just feeling it. We talked about that as we drove home and he said, ""When I'm in class, it's kind of like I stay in the shadows. But when I"m on stage I come alive. It's why I want to be a rapper."

He is so smart. And so in tune with himself. He says stuff like that and I'm just blown away by the maturity and self-awareness. And I dream his big dreams right along with him.

I just love that kid so much.

What a great night.

ma-ma

four times i've heard it. the first time the word mama passed a baby's lips and meant me. me. asher's been saying mmmmm and mamamamama for a few weeks, but today, more than once, he said it distinctly and most certainly for me.

melting my heart. ooey gooey ball of love.

the sweet things they say

bedtime after a long day. all of us tired.

I get audrey settled in her bed and am about to turn the light off when she says, "I want to tell you something before you go."

I turn back to her.

"You're the best mama in the world and no one could be better even if they gave me candy every day."

I walk over to her and hug her. Hard and tight.

Once the lump leaves my throat I thank her for saying such nice things to me and say how lucky I am to have her for the best daughter in the world.

I walk into the hallway.

Good night, sweet love.

asher boy-7 months

Asher,
Oh goodness, where has the time gone? You are this amazing, beautiful, smiling, laughing, smart, strong, loved, loved, loved baby boy. You are interacting with us so much and have realized that you can make us giggle. The other night at dinner we were sitting at the table and you were in your high chair and you started bobbing your head back and forth and then laying it on your high chair. The kids started laughing and you looked from one to the other to the other and did it again. They kept laughing and you stopped and looked at them and laughed back. Can I tell you how much I love that sound? How it is music and bliss wrapped into one? It was a new way of interacting with us and it was a sight to behold.

You also love your tummy and armpits tickled. You love sitting up and playing with toys, but have spent a lot of time trying to pull up to a stand. Or, when you're on tummy time, you go on your elbows and push on your toes until you're in a weird pike position. You are so strong and we think you'll be our earliest crawler, which makes me so happy to see you grow and develop so beautifully, but also makes me so sad because I want this time right here to last.

Your personality is growing and we are seeing more of who you'll be. I love to look at you and wonder what you'll like, what will make you laugh, what will inspire you, how you'll react to difficulties. You are such a wonder to me, a true delight, a beautiful addition to a family I didn't know I could love more.

Nicknames: Boo Boo. Bear Bear. Asher Boy.

I love that smile!

Likes: Standing up. Talking. Eating new solids. Laughing. Siblings. Mama. Dada. Jogging stroller. (hooray!) Eating books is your favorite. Chomper toys or spoons to chew on.

Asher loves bathtime-we have no idea what color his eyes are

Dislikes: Overstimulation. Sitting through sermons. Being put down for too long.

meal time is messy here

Eating: He is doing well again. For about a week he didn't want anything to do with solids, but now he's eating everything again. His favorites are asparagus, carrots, brown rice or millet porridge, and avocado. I feed him about 5, then he gets a big supper that always includes rice or millet and avocado and usually a fruit, then nurse him again before bed. I try to tank him up for his sleep. He still nurses often so he is definitely getting all of the fat and nutrients his strong, beautiful, growing body needs. We were at the doctor's office for Audrey's toe and I weighed him. He was 23 pounds 2 ounces, so he's definitely slowing down in the weight gain department. Still off the charts, but not quite so much.

at swim and gym with co-op, he put his toes in the water for the first time. . . too cold!

Sleeping: (Read this in a whisper so as not to jinx me. Thanks.) The last two nights he's slept a 7 hour stretch. The night before that was an abomination due to teething and croup, but the night before that he had an 8 1/2 hour stretch. Progress? Maybe. He naps 2-3 times/day, only about an hour each time.

Playing: Whatever the toy, he wants it in his mouth. He is starting to like to suck on the tags of blankets or stuffed animals. He loves his Very Hungry Caterpillar. He especially loves eating board books. Well, he especially wants to eat the kids' history books and gets quite irritated that I won't let him, but such is life. He loves playing with his toes, pulling on them, and, of course, eating them.

Oh how I love his back rolls. They are just made for tickling.

Milestones: Rolling both directions. (he's really only gone from back to front once or twice, but he has it in him to do it, he just doesn't really want to. Talking up a storm. Rocking on hands and knees. Trying to pull up to a stand. Sitting up with more confidence. So much excitement.

happy mama heart

Today Isaac was skiing, Asher was napping, and our co-op friends had gone home. I was making dinner and asked the kids if they wanted to paint. Audrey did, but Elliot waffled, never one to rush into an art project. I gave him a few ideas of what to paint and he decided to paint a beach.

Paint was gathered, paint brushes found, and paper laid flat on the table. They painted away and I listened in while I cooked. Here's the conversation that made my mama heart happy.

Elliot: I hope mama likes it.
Audrey: She will.
E: I'm not a very good painter.
A: She'll like it because she likes everything if it's made by us.

Yep. I smiled a big smile from the kitchen, but didn't say a thing.

He brought my picture over once he'd finished it. We were out of blue, which is usually important in a beach scene. Not this one. He had mixed gold and tan and white to make a beautiful sand color.

I got down and hugged him tight and told him how beautiful the picture is. I told him how it reminded me so much of making sand castles at the beach and how happy that made me on a cold spring day. His smile. Oh, his smile. It was shy. Uncertain. But thrilled. I ruffled his hair and he looked up at me and said, "I'm going to go paint another beach for you."

I loved that one, too.

today

some days the good homeschooling moments bring actual happy tears to my eyes. Of course sometimes homeschooling moments bring actual exhausted, sad tears to my eyes, too, but not today. Isaac just started a new level of writing curriculum, one that is a new challenge for him. He does most of it on his own, so he was plugging away and Asher was sleeping and Audrey and Elliot were playing Frozen with matchbox cars. No joke.

He wrote a few sentence fragments highlighting the main idea of the story and then he combined them into a paragraph. It was beautiful. He got the main point of the story, which is key, but he presented it beautifully, keeping the essence of the story alive in his narrative. I cried. It was gorgeous. And he hugged me and it was just awesome, to share that moment with him.

mistaken conversation

Elliot: What is icing?
me: You know what icing is.
E: No. What is it?
me: It's the same as frosting.
E: What's frosting?
me: (getting frustrated because, hello, you know what it is!) Frosting. You know. On a birthday cake. Icing is the same as frosting on a birthday cake.
E: What does frosting have to do with hockey?

Jim and I got a nice long chuckle out of that one. He wanted to know about the icing rule in hockey and I thought he meant the cake icing.

life with 4

Asher is noticing our reactions to him and it is just the sweetest thing to see the kids interact. The other night we were having dinner and he kept pumping his head back and forth and then laying it down on his high chair tray. The big kids thought that was hilarious and laughed like crazy. He looked at them and did it again. On and on they went.

Six months is such a fun time. He is finally sleeping a little better, sitting up and playing, and interacting so much more. He's getting such a big, fun personality and watching all four kids together is a highlihgt of each day.