If You're Happy and You Know It...

This past weekend, my mom and sister came to Cleveland to visit.  Sadly, my poor mom was sick, which was such a bummer.  She made the best of it though and we had a great time.  It was so nice to see to see them both!
We spent most of the time relaxing at home and playing with Ashton.  We did make a trip to Iron Chef Michael Symon's burger/brats/beer restaurant though, which was DEElicious.  Ashton's becoming quite the foodie! 

My mom captured a great video of us singing 'If You're Happy and You Know It', which Ashton loved.  He lights up to anything musical, even my horrible voice.  Unfortunately, I'm having trouble uploading it.  Any of you that know me well, will not be surprised to hear that I'm not singing the correct lyrics (as Erin points out in the video hehe).  Apparently, the second verse is 'If You're Happy and You Know It, Stomp Your Feet', not 'Clap Your Feet' (which admittedly makes more sense).  Oh well, Ashton didn't seem to mind.  :)

Really, Dad?

Sleepyhead

All smiles!

Snuggled up with Aunt Erin





You're funny, Dad!

I wanna ROCK!

Love,

K & J

Shake, Rattle and Roll

We celebrated Valentine's Day today with our first restaurant outing.  Ashton was a trooper and slept the entire time.  It was so nice to enjoy a meal and conversation together, all with the little man within arm's reach!

A couple of weeks ago while I was cooking dinner, Jeff was entertaining Ashton and recorded the video below of him holding (and shaking!) his rattle.  I wanted to share before he got any bigger!  I've also included some of our favorite photos taken over the past couple weeks.

Tomorrow, Ashton and I are trying out Mom and Baby Yoga...wish us luck!  The toughest part will be getting up and out of the house by 11am!  :)

Little bean

Fishy lips

The thinker

Apres bath, getting ready for bed

Gearing up for the big game!

My guys

First Valentine's Day - I love Mickey!

Love,

K & J

All Good Things Must Come to an End

After 5 great weeks together as a happy threesome, Jeff returned to work last week.  His last day at home was a rare 60 degree and sunny day in Cleveland so we enjoyed the afternoon at the lake.  We can walk to the lake from our house - it's about a mile - so we put Ashton in his carrier and off we went!  Ashton loves his Baby Bjorn and pretty much slept the whole time.  Funny how this familiar walk felt so much further when sleep deprived and carrying a little one.  I needed a nap afterwards! 

All in all, it was a great day.  And now, it's just the two of us...we miss Jeff and all of his help but Ashton and I are managing well and getting into our own routine.



Love,

K & J

Our Little String Bean

Ashton had his one-month check up this week, which went great!  He's growing like a weed and was very brave when he got his second Hepatitis B shot.  He's now 8 lbs 12oz, which is exactly 2 pounds more than his birth weight and nearly 3 pounds more than his hospital exit weight.  He's grown more than 2 inches and is now 22.5 inches long.  Our little string bean is in the 25th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height/length.  He's now officially outgrown his newborn clothes -not sure whether that's a happy or sad event.  We left the appointment feeling very proud of our little man and a little bit in awe of how much he's grown already. 


Below are a few photos and a video taken on his one month birthday for your viewing pleasure (I will do less chatting in future videos!).

Bday bath

Yeah - it's my bday!

Love,

K & J

Happy One Month Birthday, Ashton!

They say time flies when you're having fun....well, judging by how quickly the last month has gone, we're having a blast!

Ashton turned one month old today.  One of his favorite things to do is, you guessed it, sleep (a boy after his mom and dad's heart!).  He has stretched his night sleeping to every 3 hours (usually) vs. his initial stretch of 2-3 hours.  It's amazing what a difference even that extra hour makes for his sleep deprived parents. 

He's a great eater and is even taking one bottle a day from Jeff now.  We were worried that he wouldn't take immediately to the bottle but no problems there...he doesn't care where it comes from as long as he's getting his milk!  Dial forward 15 years and no doubt he'll be eating us out of house and home! 

Ashton also still loves the bath - he's so relaxed in there, it seems like he could almost fall asleep.  He isn't crazy about his getting his lotion put on afterwards and the process of getting dressed however (those darn onesies are hard to get on when your skin is all lotioned up).  Speaking of spa treatments, he's also had several mani and pedis as his nails grow like crazy and unless they are filed down, they could take your eye out! 

He's incredibly strong, especially his little neck which gets a daily work out during tummy time.  To say he likes tummy time would be generous but he's getting better at tolerating it.  He's also recently discovered his hands...he holds them together and also uses them to suck on.  He very much likes the motion of the car and his swing.  Pair the motion of either with some gentling shhhhing or white noise (pacifer and swaddle blanket optional) and your chances of a sleeping baby are pretty good.

His one-month check up with the pediatrician is on Monday, January 30th...fingers crossed for good weight gain and not too much crying (he has to get a shot).

Sleepy head!

Enjoying the swing

Go Blue Hens!

Big foot! :)  And double jointed toes...

Snoozers!

Love,
K & J

Party at My Crib

As Ashton's room is nearly complete (for now anyway), I thought I'd share some pics.  We decided to go with a whale/nautical theme in honor of our love of the ocean/Jeff growing up on the beach.  No pressure, Ashton, but we REALLY hope you like the water. :)

Thanks to Grammy and Grandad for helping Jeff paint the walls and stripes and thanks to Grandaddy for helping to hang the nautical flag artwork above the crib.  The flags spell out Ashton's name, for those of you who were wondering what the significance may be and were a find on Etsy (love that site!).

Now, we just need to transition the little man to his new room. Baby steps!

Love,
K & J

Newborn Pics - Ashton, 10 days old

While I was still pregnant, I came across a wonderful photographer, Rachel Cohara, and decided to book her for newborn photos of Ashton.  Apparently, the ideal time for these pics to be taken is btwn 6-10 days old, so the day after he was born, we called Rachel to schedule a session.  The great thing is Rachel comes to your house, so you never have to leave the comforts of home.  This was especially convenient since we had snow and it was 20 degrees outside - not ideal for taking out your newborn. :)

As I look back today (it's Ashton's 3 wk bday!), I can see how much he's changed already.  I'm so happy that we have the photos as a wonderful keepsake to treasure those initial days with him.

Love,
K & J