Hurray for the Short Week!

We had a lot of work to catch up on this week, being that it was such a short work week and also that wedding season is now in full swing! (Our small business is custom wedding decor, John and I run aside from when he's at the restaurant.) Therefore, we didn't have much opportunity to get out and about with Asher, but that does not mean the week was not filled with "excitement"!

We are back on the formula hunt as some of the allergy-related symptoms started showing back up with the soy formula. Gas, rash on face (that never really went away), lots and lots of nasty spit-up (did I say lots?), fussiness… I will be posting soon with all the the nitty-gritty details of our experimentation with several new ones. We have a doctor's appointment coming up soon so I will make the post after that. As of right now, we are trying out Similac Alimentum for food allergies and so far, pretty good. Fingers crossed that we'll get this figured out before he's on solids! Ha!

I'll finish off this week with some random thoughts on various baby-related subjects…

Velcro and I have made up. I am getting better about using the laundry tabs. Only once this week has some velcro had a fight with a blanket. That's an improvement! I can't say I'm not the one to blame…

Asher is rolling over in either direction all by himself now! He doesn't roll from tummy to back as much now since he is LOVING getting onto his tummy on his own. He's such a big boy!

We decided to forgo the birth announcement cards. :( It has been so long already, plus with Facebook and everything nowadays, it's not like anyone doesn't know! That makes me sort of sad considering how much I love sending out things like that, but hey, what are you gonna do? I'll just have to plan ahead a little more for baby #2. (No, there's not a baby #2 yet!)

Here are some more pics from Memorial Day weekend. We spent Monday with Asher's soon-to-arrive girlfriend inside our friend Nancy's tummy. Can you believe how great she looks with only 2 weeks left??

I can't say enough about how much I love our Schwinn Turismo jogging stroller. I even unfolded it with one hand yesterday while holding Asher. It's the best!

I got those awesome sandals for a steal from a Zulily sale!

And here are some pics from Sunday after our zoo experience back at John's parents' house for a BBQ. I snapped a bunch of pictures of Asher's 2nd Cousin, Reagan. She's such a cutie - I couldn't resist!

I am researching things we might need for our upcoming vacation to North Carolina for the 4th of July with John's family. It will be a long drive I'm anxious to see how that will go with a 5 month old (I can't believe he'll be 5 month by then!!!). Does anyone have any recommendations for gear we might need while traveling with a baby? Is a travel bassinet a necessity? There's just so much to think about... it can make your head spin!


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Asher Goes to the Zoo

We were really looking forward to Memorial Day weekend's three full days off - no work, no chores (well, less than usual) and lots of time together as a family. 

We planned on taking Asher to the zoo for the first time. Brevard Zoo has an AWESOME giraffe exhibit that neither John or I had been to yet, so that added to the excitement. We knew the zoo would most likely be packed due to the holiday weekend, so we went first thing in the morning on Sunday. We couldn't have planned it better. The weather was perfect and the crowd had not yet started to accumulate. We went right in and headed straight for the giraffes!

I have SO MANY great pictures, so I won't waste any more time. Here we go!

This picture is my favorite!!!

 

Asher was sporting his Gymboree hat!

We used this baby carrier I picked up for the first time (only $12.99! What?!?) and for the money, it definitely did the job. I've never used one of the big name brand ones, but I think the difference is probably in ease of getting baby in and out and the overall sturdiness of the carrier. Although this carrier is decent, I'm on the lookout for a nicer one.

Asher had a great time at the zoo! Now he loves his plush "sophie" even more since he has seen giraffes in person.

We did cheat and use disposable diapers for our outing. I was worried Asher would get too hot in the Florida sun with a cloth diaper on, plus his outfit wouldn't have fit him since the cloth diapers tend to add a lot of pouf to the bum area. Regrettably, we do have a lot of sore looking redness that has popped up again. I am on the lookout for a brand of disposables we can use for travel and outings like this. The gDiapers with disposable inserts probably would have hit all the marks, BUT we always end up with a leak. He might just need to grow into those ones. I will keep you updated on my progress finding the perfect travel and outing diaper!


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10 Fingers, 10 Toes

There are things in life that we take for granted. Many of us tend to get sidetracked from the simple yet valuable aspects of our lives and are distracted by day to day annoyances and trivial things that seem so important while they are happening.

I ran across another mother's blog today about her baby who had a terminal illness and didn't live past age 2. He would have been 4 just a few days ago.

Reading the story of this brave mom and her precious child brought me to tears and made me think about how grateful I am to have a healthy baby. I don't think this is something we actively think about enough. When you are pregnant or when your baby is just born, you say and others will say to you, "Just happy and healthy, that's all we're hoping for!", or "10 fingers and 10 toes!", but I think many of us don't even grasp the reality that a baby of good health really IS something to be hopeful and incredibly thankful for.

I don't know what I would do if I was unable to watch my baby grow and smile and laugh and learn… I can't even imagine it. I don't want to imagine it. I can only hope that I would have the same incredible strength that these admirable parents exhibit on a day-to-day basis if I was ever faced with such a life altering challenge. I pray that I would. I don't think I would have much choice.

I love my baby more than any words I could conjure up to try and describe. I am so thankful for him everyday, every minute, every second. I love him and am thankful for him when he is overtired and cranky and just needs a good cry. I love him and am thankful for him when he spits up all over me, the couch, the floor, the dog. I love him and am thankful for him when I have only had 3 hours of sleep. I love him and and thankful for him when I just can't figure out if he needs dairy milk or soy milk and won't sleep because of gas pains or that his hiccups just won't go away. I love him and am thankful for him during the hardest of times that we've had, which, let's face it, are nothing compared to what they could be.

Asher, baby, you are my life and my heart. I love you more than you will ever know. I love your smile and the squint that your eyes get when something is so funny to you that you just can't smile big enough. I love that you are here and that you are happy. I hope that I make you proud that I am your mommy and I know that you have and always will make me proud that you are my son. I hope you reach your every goal and every dream. I hope you live your life to the fullest and love with all of your heart. You are my baby and I am so thankful to have you, all of you, every day. You can count on me to stick with you through the thickest of thick and the thinnest of thin. That's what moms are for.



I want to share the blog that touched me so deeply and inspired me to write this. I can't even begin to imagine how it would feel to go through such a painful experience and I pray for this and any mother…or father, grandparent, brother, sister, friend… that has to, as well. Moms, be grateful for your healthy child. We are so lucky. Kiss them, hug them, tell them you love them. It's too easy to cry over spilled milk.

Here is the story of baby Tripp who was born with Epidermolysis Bullosa and his incredibly brave, incredibly strong, and admirable beyond words mother who is now and forever in my prayers.

http://randycourtneytripproth.blogspot.com/p/tripps-story.html

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Happy Birthday to John!

Last Sunday was John's birthday! The plan was, and had been for days, for Asher to go to his Nonna and Grandpa's house and John and I were going to go to the beach.

We had our morning coffee and Asher helped John open his gifts. ;) Asher and I got him a subscription to MistoBox. We heard about this cool new company while watching our favorite reality show Shark Tank. If you don't already watch this show, it is a must that you start DVR'ing it right away. In a nutshell, entrepreneurs seek investments for their small companies and many of them become millionaires within months of going on the show. Mistobox is a subscription service for supposedly the country's best roasts. I got John a 3 month subscription and I'll let you know just how good they are once the first box arrives! John loved the gift and we are both anxious to try them.

John also opened a gift from my parents - some great clothes perfect for our beach day! Little did we know what was working it's way into our area up in the sky...

Read on as our day progresses...

...and the day continues.

I had just bought a new outfit to wear for our beach day. Well, my mom bought it for me, actually. Thanks, mom! :) John had his new beachy duds to sport. We definitely had a theme going and were SO looking forward to catching some rays and laying in the sand.

We dropped Asher off at Nonna and Grandpa's house. We saw some darkening clouds in the distance but figured the Florida weather is so unpredictable this time of year and we were hoping it would clear up pretty quickly.

On that note, I have something incredibly embarrassing to admit about the beach. We live in a beach town (well close enough, anyways), I went to high school literally within walking distance of the beach, we both have lived here our whole lives... and here's where it gets embarrassing... we both haven't gone to the beach here in almost 6 or 7 years!!!! I know, that's just ridiculous. John's very into boating, so we've always either had a boat to take out on the river or ocean, or we go with friends who have boats. But the beach... we have been seriously taking it for granted. We were pumped to have a real beach day.

And then this happened....

So we drove South thinking we could outrun the rain or find a break in the clouds. No such luck. After an hour or so of driving, maybe more, we decided to just get a bite to eat. Somewhere "beachy" so that we could at least feel like we spent a day in the sun. The first restaurant we went to had no indoor seating and everything was windy and wet. We got back in the car.

We headed back mainland and ended up right back in our stomping grounds. We decided to eat at Mustard's Last Stand - a local hotdog joint that has been around for ages and boasts some of the most unique menu items I have ever seen. Honestly, this is a restaurant I have driven by my entire life and never thought to go into. I've never considered myself a "hot dog kind of girl". What a mistake! I had a "Hollyweird Dog", topped with cream cheese, onions, and some kind of red sauce (?) and it was amazing! If you are ever in the Melbourne area, you have to give this place a try. Yum!

After our hot dog experience we decided to go pick up Asher. We arrived at John's parents house and stuck around for long enough to give Asher a taste of the pool. We dipped his little feet into the water for the first time. He wasn't phased by it! He seemed more interested in eating his hands. 

Our day didn't end until much later after dinner with John's parents and then cake at their house. We somehow fit grocery shopping in there, too. Phew! We gave Asher his usual - Bath, Bottle, Bed - and then headed to bed ourselves. Hope your birthday was fun, John! We'll reattempt the beach very soon! XOXO <3


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