Jogging with a Soft "J"

"I believe it's jogging or yogging; it might be a soft 'j'. Apparently you just run!" - Ron Burgundy

We whipped out our jogging stroller this weekend for the first time. I'm still not comfortable jogging (or "yogging") or running with it just yet since Asher's head is still a little wobbly, but we went for a brisk walk with it and had a great time! 

Asher stayed asleep most of the ride, but when his eyes popped open here and there, he was content and even gave shy little smiles. I love how his hair always looks windblown, even when there's no wind. It's very Donald Trump. Maybe we've been watching too much Celebrity Apprentice...

I couldn't get enough pictures of him wearing his sunglasses. He just looked so cool! But I guess I am a little biased. ;) It was nice for us all to get out of the house and into the sun together. We woke up at 7am and got out at 11am. Ha! We have come to the realization that with a baby in tow, you have to prepare ahead of time and get out while you can or the to-do list starts to pile up and your plans go out the window.

We made it out eventually and found our way to a nearby playground. We had to cut through some pretty rugged paths to get there - the 'all-road' route was 4 miles each way - but our Schwinn jogging stroller could handle the rough terrain. We tried to plug in my iPod for some music along the way, but the music played directly into the stroller and not very loudly, so I'm thinking that the MP3 capability is supposed to be for the baby and not for the jogger? Who knows. We considered just using the phone itself and then ended up enjoying the quiet and each other's company instead. 

I was happy to get some fabulous pics of our little stud muffin rollin' in his new wheels. He brings smiles to our faces no matter what time of day... we love him so much!

"They see me rollin'... they hatin'..."

Asher's sunglasses are BabyGap. :)

My exercise pants are a Zulily find!!! :)

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I Love You To The Moon & Back

As a parent, you want to make the wisest decisions possible for your child, especially regarding their healthcare. We extensively researched the controversial vaccination topic and decided to go with the standard immunization schedule. There is a plethora of information on the internet on either side of the issue (some credible and much more not) so no matter which option you choose, I have to assume it is natural to feel slight anxiety about the decision that you make.

Well, this week Asher had his 2 month shots. My emotions were already on edge, I suppose. Did we make the right choice? How would he react? Will he be ok? All these questions emerged revolving around our child and yet I was not prepared to have such a strong reaction of my own. Asher is usually such a happy baby and the extent of his cries up until this point have been more or less whimpers. When that needle went into his thigh, oh he cried out so loudly; his screams shattered the silence of the tiny room! His red, little face scrunched into a knot with his eyes shut so tight! I instantly went into protector mode, kissing his forehead that was so hot to the touch. I kept telling him it would be ok. Before I knew it I had tears of my own. My heart cracked; I felt that in some way I had let my little baby down and caused him this pain. I knew it would be short lived, but he didn't. I tried my best to comfort him as best I knew how and as expected, his cries died down within a few minutes. I sheepishly grabbed a tissue feeling a little silly and slightly embarrassed. John gave me a comforting smile, the look on his face telling me he knew what I felt. Not an hour later, at breakfast, we were once again graced with that famous grin, Asher's way of assuring us he was ok. I'm sure this will be one of many difficult parenting moments to come.

People tell you while you're pregnant that you will love your baby more than you know, to, "Just wait and see. You'll fall in love." You hear these things... but I don't think you really understand until it happens. As a new mother, I have surprised myself again and again. Those who have crossed the bridge before you will try to convey their gained wisdoms but you probably won't truly get it until you are there. I didn't.

The cliches come with the territory. "It's hard but it's so worth it." "You love them more and more everyday." "Your life and priorities will change." "Your life gets new meaning." "Every day is an adventure."

"You never stop worrying."

It's not an easy job, but then, no one ever said it was. In fact, they probably said quite the opposite. As soon as you think you've got your child figured out, they throw you through another loop. You will shed tears at the most unexpected moments. You love them to the moon and back and a thousand times over again. There are days when you are ready to throw in the towel and then they laugh for the first time. It's an indescribable love, but it is so worth every tear.

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Spending Time Family Style

Let's fast forward for a minute. I still am working on posts of our nursery, those first days/weeks home with our new baby, and other topics that are behind us; but today I want to post on a more current topic with some more current pics. :)

FAMILY TIME REINVENTED

Spending time together as a new family is so important to me. It's different than it used to be. Looking forward to the weekend has a whole new meaning even when we have no plans - wait, make that especially when we have no plans. There's something so special about those quiet Saturday and Sunday mornings with the aroma of fresh coffee in the air, all three of us sitting on our couch, our pugs squeezing in between us vying for our attention from the baby. The chaos seems to be damped by the weekend. There's no rush, no stress that we won't get everything done on our ever growing list in the limited time of the workday. A fussy baby is less of a stress and more of a challenge, a time to work together as a team to learn about our baby and ourselves. The weekends are a time for relaxing and getting to know each other in our new roles as mom and dad while tending to our wonderful new addition.

I also seem to get the best pictures of our little one on Saturday mornings right after we wake up. The lighting in our bedroom is just right and he is generally calm and generous with smiles. (For a little while, anyways!) The trick is catching those smiles on camera since he usually is smiling while looking at my face or when I'm looking the other way. I have yet to get one in full focus or within the frame, although some of those out-of-focus, in the moment shots capture another mood altogether and are fun to play around with while editing.

That smile that is so difficult to catch in time!

We also have yet to send out our birth announcements - eeek! So while we used a photographer for our newborn photos when Asher was 1 week old, I am trying to get a current picture to include, as well. I know the etiquette says we have until 6 months - but I already feel like we are late! Here are some pictures from our Saturday morning photo shoot we had today. (It lasted about 5 minutes and then there was a slight meltdown. Who wants to "model" so early in the morning???)

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