7 months (Semptember 25, 2010)

Wow I still cannot believe my baby is 7 months, and on the move! He has been army crawling for a while now but just recently he has been exploring all over the house. He is still not getting up on his hands and knees to crawl to places but he is making all the motions and getting to where he wants to go, quickly! I should just tape a swiffer dust cloth to his belly and let him clean the floors as he goes because he is trying to cover every inch of our house. The other day John put him in the floor in our room thinking he would stay put....the next thing he knew Ashton was in my closet trying to get my shoes!! AHHH! Everytime we turn around he is in to something new! Don't get me wrong...I am not complaining!! I am very thankful that John Ashton is meeting all the right milestones. We just were not expecting them so early. He is still the happiest, most content baby. He is laughing more and more, and smiles everytime we walk in the room. Talk about melt your heart...he has even started to give kisses. (Well it is more like an attack on your face, but i will take it.) He is eating solids three times a day and we have yet to find something he will NOT eat. He may make a face when I give him green beans or peas but he eats them, and prunes have become an everyday/every other day staple...UGH!! He has also started using a sippy cup to drink a few ounces of water every afternoon, he is not great with it but he is learning. He is sitting up on his own now and looks like such a big boy when he does it. He is on a pretty good schedule during the day, he takes a morning nap that is anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, and then a long afternoon nap that is 2 1/2 to 3 hours. (That is usually when I get all my work/chores done!) At night he sleeps 10-12 hours, usually goes to bed between 7:30-8 and wakes up in morning anywhere from 6:30 -7:30. He is a great sleeper and on most occasions we can lay him down in his crib awake and he will put his self to sleep, Unless he is overly tired then we usually have to rock him. (but once again whose complaining...because I love to cuddle/rock him.) He loves his bath and has begun playing with his bath toys, which is lots of fun too! He still loves his books and likes us to read to him. He also still likes to watch football, which his daddy loves!! He actually gets really distracted when the TV is on so we have been making more of an effort to just turn it off and play! He even has begun rolling/chasing his ball from one end of the house to the the other, which keeps him busy until he gets distracted by things like the fireplace or the lamp cord! Yes we have actually begun to use the words "NO NO John Ashton!!!" and he just looks up and smiles...little stinker! He really doesn't fuss unless he is hungry, sleepy, has a dirty diaper, or we leave the room. He likes all attention on him, hmmmmm....wonder how that happened?! It is just so much fun to watch him. He is changing so much and is learning new things everyday.

On the move!

Once again, John and I truly feel blessed! We continue to thank God for our many blessings, but especially for John Ashton. He is so much fun right now and we are so thankful that he is a healthy, happy, adorable little boy. He has definitely changed our lives but we wouldn't have it any other way. We love it!!!

Our prayer today and everyday is that God will guide us in this Amazing Journey!!

6 months!

Wow, I can't believe we have a 6 month old! John Ashton turned 6 months on August 25, 2010. He is such a good baby and we are having so much fun with him right now.

6 MONTH STATS:

LENGTH
27 inches 80th percentile
WEIGHT
15lbs. 15 oz. 3oth percentile
HEAD
17 inches 5oth percentile

Looks like John Ashton is going to be a tall, skinny boy!

So here are some of the things he is doing these days....

• sleeps 10-11 hours at night
• takes a short morning nap and then takes a 2 1/2 - 3 hour afternoon nap!
  
• loves his solid foods.
• he has started using a sippie cup but we are still figuring that out. He likes to chew on it more than suck on it, but he will get the hang of it soon. (After all, he is only getting 2 oz of water in it so it is not that exciting yet!)
  
• still loves a pacifier and can actually put it in his mouth on his own now!
  
• rolling back to front and front to back.
  
• loves being on his tummy
• army crawling/scooting. Yes he is very mobile these days and his pediatrician was impressed. We are too of course!!
  
• still smiling and laughing alot.
• loves his jumper/exersaucer
• plays with his toys and loves to play with any type of ball.
  
• he loves for us to read to him and he loves to look/chew on his books.
  
• he is working on sitting up but is still a little unsteady.
  
• loves his bath
  
• enjoys swimming/splashing in the neighborhood pool.
• he has even begun to take an interest in sports. He will do a 360 to watch TV when sports are on and it is really funny to watch him.
  
• enjoys strolls around the circle
• loves to watch people
• he thinks it is really funny when he sneezes and even coughs for attention (such a silly boy!)
  
• he is a very active/curious baby these days and we LOVE it!!!
  

John and I feel very blessed to have such a good baby. We pray that God will guide us in raising this special little boy and that we will be the parents God wants us to be. We are so proud of John Ashton and there is not a day that goes by that he doesn't make us laugh. He is such a happy baby.

We went to Atlanta last weekend and Amie Jackson (Bethany's sister) took some really cute pictures of John Ashton so I will leave you with a preview of those. (Thank you Amie!)

July 2010 - A Month in the Mitten

Life is Good at The Lake!!!

So my Mom has been extremely busy lately (I guess I might have something to do with that!!) so I thought I'd surprise her by updating the blog. This is my first attempt at writing, but I'm pretty advanced for my age so I'm sure I can handle this. Here goes nothin'...

I am starting to get the feeling that Mom and Dad really like to travel. At the beginning of July they drove us out to something called an airport. Wow, are there some interesting people there!! Next thing I know, we walk down a hallway and into this big metal tube with seats and away we went. This was my 2nd adventure on the flying tube in just 4 months so I know not to cry or fuss too much. My favorite trick when I ride on the tube is to pass gas!! You should see how red my mom and dad's faces get!! The people around us don't seem to enjoy it very much either. Before I knew it the metal tube had us back on the ground in this new state shaped like a mitten called Michigan. Pop Pop picked us up at the airport and took us home to see Grandmommy and meet dad's friend Ryan Traver.

We spent the night in Marshall before heading to Grand Rapids for Kortne and Todd's wedding weekend. Mom and Dad took me to the rehearsal dinner on the beach in Grand Haven. All of my parents friends were taking turns holding me and playing with me. It was a lot of fun. When it came time for the wedding on Friday, I stayed with Grandmommy and Pop Pop. My first real baby sitters (can I call grandparents that??). We had a great time playing and going to eat at the hotel. I think my mom and dad only checked in 20 times during the few hours they were gone!!

Dad and his Friends at the Rehearsal Dinner on the Beach

Hangin' in the hotel with Grandmommy

After the wedding, we went to Grandmommy and Pop Pop's house at the lake for our real vacation. You'll never believe how big this thing they call a lake was. They actually drive something called "boats" around in it and everything!! That place is great!! I did so many new things during the 3 weeks there, but most of all I enjoyed spending time with my family. Grandmommy and Pop Pop took a week of vacation and Aunt Lisa, Uncle David, my Cousin Lauryn, and her friend Drew came to visit us for a couple days too. Each day was something new, boat rides, learning to swim, sleeping on the boat, eating fruits & veggies, walking around the marina, sleeping in the hammock with Pop Pop. Oh, I almost forgot...I started to get up on my knees and elbows like I was going to crawl too!! As you can imagine, I was WORN SLAP OUT every day!! I actually slept through the fireworks all the neighbors were shooting off every night.

Walking the Marina with Mommy and Daddy


Daddy, Pop Pop and Me at the Hamlin Lake Sculpture

Cuddling with Aunt Lisa...I think She's More Tan than Me

Going for a Stroll with Mommy

I definitely like this hat!!

Napping in my Favorite Spot, The Boat!!
Mommy & Daddy put these towels next to me so I wouldn't roll over...apparently they didn't see the neon orange life jacket with pillow I was wearing!!

Before we left Mom and I went back to Marshall for a few days and met up with Dad who was back in town for work. While we were in Marshall, my new friends Mallory & Brady Bigelow came to to play and Mom and Dad got to see their good friends Brad & April.

Me and My New Friend Brady

It was great to spend the month in Michigan. Grandmomy and Pop Pop are so much fun! I laughed and smiled at them all the time. Boy have I changed. I arrived a Michigan a 4month old that could barely roll over and left a 5month old that was able to sleep on my stomach, eat solid foods, and roll all over the floor!! Check out my 5month pictures, I'm really becoming Mr. Personality! My parents have it easy, I am extremely happy unless I get too tired or hungry...then you better Watch Yo Self!!

Here are a few lessons my parents learned while on vacation...
1.) Pampers Swaddlers will absorb approximately 16lbs of water when wear worn in the lake
2.) When moving your child to fruits & veggies, go easy on the prunes!!

One of my first times eating solids...clothing optional!!

I'm starting to get the hang of it!!!

5 months old!!

Hey mom, can I eat this now that you got the pictures??

I hope y'all had as much fun reading this as I did writing about it. Maybe if my mom likes it enough she'll let me come back and help again soon!

Love,
Ashton

June 2010 (written on August 20, 2010)

I am just so far behind on my blog that it is hard to get motivated again! So June and July will be mainly a picture update. That is all anyone really wants anyway, right?!

Well the month of June held lots of travel. We started June with a trip to Perdido Key, FL with my family. We had a great time swimming, laying on the beach, napping, eating, and just hanging out with the fam. We had a few tar balls that washed up one day but other than that it was beautiful. John Ashton enjoyed his first trip to the beach. We would take him down to the beach every morning for an hour or so and he would take his morning nap underneath the umbrella. He takes after his momma and loves to lounge by the ocean! He was a great little traveler.

John Ashton enjoying the beach

Campbell and John Ashton
(1st day on the beach!)

Brooke and Avery Caroline

MiMi, PawPaw, and the Grandkids!

me, my mom, and my sisters.

Campbell and John Ashton
(these two are going to have so much fun together one day!)

We even got to celebrate Houston's 3rd Birthday! He is quite the cutie!

And we celebrated my parents' 40th Wedding Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! We love ya and hope you enjoy your trip this fall!

We were home a few days before heading to my parents to play with all the cousins again. My Aunt Shelley, my cousin Leanne, and her daughter Eden came to Mississippi to meet John Ashton and Campbell and to play with all the other cousins, of course. We had a great visit with them and John Ashton really enjoyed getting to know Eden. She is precious and was so sweet loving on the babies. I wish we all lived closer so that we could see them more often! Thanks for meeting us in MS Aunt Shelley and Leanne. We will have to do it again sometime.

The Cousins

MiMi and John Ashton

We then came home to spend a few days, we fit in a 4 month well check up with our wonderful pediatrician, and even got to enjoy our small group at church a few times before we packed up and headed to Michigan for the month of July! It is a good thing our sweet little John Ashton is such a good traveler!

4 months

I still need to blog about all the events of June, but for my memory I have to post about my 4 month old first. On June 25, 2010 John Ashton turned 4 months old. He is a GREAT baby! Don't get me wrong we still have our moments, but for the most part he is a Happy Happy baby. We are really enjoying him and we continue to thank God for choosing us to raise this little boy!

4 MONTH STATS:

LENGTH
26 inches 90th percentile
WEIGHT
14lbs. 11 oz. 5oth percentile
HEAD
16 3/4 inches 5oth percentile

Is it even a surprise that he is going to be a tall one?!?! Just for my memory...things we are doing at 4 months....

• smiling like crazy, a smile that melts my heart (yes I know I am in trouble if that smile already gets to me)
• laughing! He loves to laugh when we laugh, when we tickle him, or bounce him.
• loves to stand up and bounce
• says GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
• loves to eat
• sleeps thru the night, occasionally wakes up and needs his paci.
• naps 2-3 times a day
  
• rolls over; loves to roll onto his tummy and then gets mad!
  
• loves to watch people, especially all his big cousins that run circles around him.
  
• likes to be read too.
• likes to watch TV. (I know this makes me a bad mom)
  
• loves Praise Babies and his vibrating, bouncy seat (thanks MiMi)
• starting to grab things and trying to put them in his mouth!
• loves to be talked to and loves to talk back
• loves to be swaddled (we will work on breaking that habit soon)
  

I am sure there is much more but that is good for now! We love our John Ashton and all the fun things he does. It is something new every day and we love it!!

May 2010 (written in June, almost July 2010)!!

Wait, it's already going to be July this week??? Where in the world does the time go?? Reagan has asked me once or twice (ok, more like 20 times) to do the May update...she didn't say when it had to be done!! May was like a revolving door at our house. Great friends visiting us in B-ham, Ashton's first plane ride, and a road trip to Atlanta quickly filled the calendar.

Natalie Smeltzer made the trip to meet Ashton (and hang out with Reagan too). Fresh off her time in Africa doing mission work, Natalie jumped in the car (less than 3 days after getting back to the U.S.) and drove to B-ham. The girls and Ashton had plenty of fun shopping, playing, and actually going to the Pro-Am for the Senior PGA Tourney here in the neighborhood. They took Ashton to see Nick Saban who was playing that day...I am still not happy about that one!! It was great to catch up with Nat. Ashton absolutely loves her!! He would just sit and smile at her. I'm pretty sure he likes the girls already. Thanks for making the trip Nat, it was great to see you again!! Oh yeah, one milestone from the week...They must have worn Ashton out because he finally decided to sleep through the night that week!!! WOOOHOOO!!

Natalie, Ashton & Reagan

I'm pretty sure Ashton cried out during Coach Saban's swing!!!

By the end of that weekend, Reagan, Ashton & I had packed the truck up and were heading to Atlanta for Senior Sunday at North Atlanta. I've been a trail guide for an amazing group of 5 young men over the last 2 years. I met these guys during their Junior year and the more time we spent together I really loved it! Now they are off to college, work, etc. and it has been amazing to see how God was preparing them for their next stages of life. This has been an amazing learning experience for me, I hope they enjoyed it as much as I have!! One other surprise on our trip to Atlanta was getting to meet Ashton's new friend Luke Vyverberg!! He came a little early so we were lucky enough to catch him just a couple of days after he was born. He is pretty stinkin' cute!! Congrats Matt & Steph!!

Senior Night with Andrew & Adrian.

Later that week Reagan and Ashton took another big adventure together. Ashton was off on his first plane ride, bound to see his cousins in Ohio. Reagan's mom went too and was a huge help making sure the trip went smooth. The kid never seizes to amaze us...no crying, mostly sleeping and smiling the whole way!! The only slight hiccup was the blown out diaper about 25min into flight. Reagan handled that like a champ, and honestly I couldn't have been any help even if I was there....have you ever seen the size of an airplane bathroom??? I can hardly make it in there by myself, picture me trying to change a dirty diaper in there...that would have been a disaster!!! The rest of the trip and visit was great! They got to see Avery Caroline's dance recital, softball game, and spend lots of time playing together. It's always interesting to see Ashton after he's been around his cousins for a few days. Campbell (who is 5 weeks older than Ashton) always teaches him some new tricks!! They really enjoyed the trip, but I was glad to see them come home. It's way too quiet here without them!

Ashton's first plane ride. I think it was a little early for him still.

Ashton & Campbell spending some Quality Time together

Avery Caroline, the little ballerina!

Before we knew it, Memorial Day Weekend was upon us. Our great friends Jeff & Katie and their beautiful twin girls came down for the weekend. We hadn't seen each other since before the girls were born last November...wow how our lives have changed since then!! Their girls are absolutely precious. They are great parents, and I give them a lot of respect for being able to do double duty!!! We didn't venture out too much (it's a big ordeal to get 3 kids under 7 months old out of the house), but enjoyed the time playing with the kids, going for walks around the neighborhood, catching up with each other, and just relaxing.

Amelia, Ashton, & Ainsley

May was fun, but it was also a blur. The rest of the summer is going to be pretty busy, but we are loving every second of it. We just need to remember to take time each day to enjoy it and thank God for the amazing blessings he has given us.

Now back to the summer fun. Hopefully we can get the June post up before Thanksgiving!!

Having fun after my bath!!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband, my dad, and my father in law! I hope that you all have a wonderful day filled with lots of love and appreciation! I could not have asked for better men in my life.

And to my husband... thank you for being such a great daddy to John Ashton. He loves you so much and I love to see him light up when you talk to him! It is the sweetest thing ever! We love you and we hope you have a wonderful 1st Father's Day!

And yes I know that I am way behind on blogging so I will TRY to catch up this week!

Happy Father's Day!!!