Asher James: Eight Months

With each month that passes I think its not possible to love this little boy anymore, but then it happens and I love him even more so.

Let me tell ya, this kid is strong-willed, like full on knows what he wants and won't give in until he gets it, kind of strong-willed. It will serve him well in life as he grows but for now it means he 'yells' at me when his highchair tray is empty or he can't get to a toy he desperately wants. I will take it though because as much as he is strong-willed he is the biggest sweetheart around. There is nothing more he loves than to cuddle and has started nuzzling down into your neck when he wants a hug from you. I die every time he does it and squeeze him ever so tightly and think how lucky I am to have this little boy. He loves cuddling so much that he is still waking at 6am looking for my arms to snuggle into, so we cuddle under the blankets until he wakes around 8am to eat.

With the weather having been beautiful this past month we have spent every waking moment outside and Asher is perfectly fine with that. When he sees us heading out to the garage he starts bouncing around in excitement. We have used the water table and the pool a bunch already and he loves to splash around in both. We have also been making the most of the swingset out back.

As you can all tell this our Ashey loooooves his food. He has decided he only wants to eat table food now, that's fine by me, makes my life easier. This past month some of the new foods he has tried are; ribs, bbq chicken, ice cream and turkey burger.

How I love life with this cute guy around. He is so laid back and he is completely and utterly amazed by his big brother and I am so thankful I get to spend my days raising them to be the most kind hearted, selfless loving boys they can be.

Mothers Day 3rd Edition

While this year was my third Mothers Day, it was my first with Asher and two children. Two more children is twice the fun, twice the love and twice the reward. I've said it before and I know I'll say it again; there is nothing I love more than being a Mum. Sure, there are the hard days, especially with a newborn and a 2 year old who likes to throw around his new found attitude from time to time, but nothing worth having comes easy right? And the good days far out weigh the bad.

It seems heading to the beach is our Mothers Day tradition. There is nothing I love more than having my toes in the sand and being surrounded by my favorite people. This year we headed to Lewes, DE. It's a smaller beach, very family friendly and has zero waves which is perfect for Chase and his love of paddling in the water. We couldn't have asked for a better beach day, 80 degrees and very few clouds in the sky. We have been to a lake by our house a few times where there is a bit of sand, which Asher has played with, but this was his first time on an actual beach and dipping his little toes into the ocean. Just like big brother, Asher was a fan of the sand (he would have eaten the beach if we had let him) and the water. It was so relaxing to sit there and watch Chase run back and forth filling his bucket with water and pour it into other buckets and sand toys for Asher to splash in. Two brothers playing together ever so nicely..a moment I won't forget.

After the beach we drove around Lewes picking out beach houses while the boys took a little snooze. Once everyone was feeling refreshed we headed to Go Brit, the English fish and chip shop. This town was made for me, beach and English food all in one spot! The battered sausage and chips never disappoints. We ended the day walking around the marina watching the boats come in and out and let Chase run out the last of his energy before the drive home.

I am so fortunate to have these 2 little boys in my life. They are a gift I have been given and never take them for granted. There is so much to worry about when raising children; are they eating enough, did they get the right number of naps, should they know the alphabet by now, is it ok that they watched tv for more than an hour today and its very easy to forget what matters most when raising and teaching these little souls and that is to make sure they truly know how so very loved and special they are. 

Asher James: Seven Months

Our little A man, munchkin, lovebug, our Ashie is growing up far too fast but it's such a joy to see him developing new skills and his personality.

We don't have a doctors appointment this month so I'm not sure of his weight but I'm guessing he's around 22lbs by now. Height, he is looooong, very official I know lol. Now that the weather is changing I've pulled out Chase's old summer clothes and Asher is fitting in the 12 month size things, however another month or two and we will have to go and buy 18 month stuff. This kid is not going to be a slouch. When Chase steals a toy from Asher I always warn him that Asher will be bigger than him one day and will beat him up. Chase just laughs at me, well he got to witness what I have been telling him first hand the other day. The boys were sitting next to each other and Chase had a toy that Asher wanted to play with, so Asher decide to grab Chase's tshirt and try with all of his might to pull Chase other. Granted he didn't pull Chase over but Chase's tshirt was half way off of him. Since then Chase has been ever so nice to his 'little' brother.

With each of Asher's meals I have started giving him pieces of food so that he can practice eating that style of food vs. puree and so he can also perfect his pincher grip. So far he has had, bagel with cream cheese, puffs, blueberries, and mixed veggies. I'm really going to push this harder over the next month. Chase was on whole pieces of food only by 9 months and I would love for Asher to do the same.

Asher has been sitting for a few months now but one of the new things he has been trying to do is the sit n scoot. If he is on his play mat or in the tub he can get movement because they are slicker surfaces. In general he is trying to move so badly but just isn't quite there. When he is on his tummy his arms and legs are going so fast but stays in one spot. If I help him up onto all fours he cant stay in that position so I'm really hoping he can figure out crawling within the next month as he will be less frustrated. He wants to keep up with his big brother in the worst way. Asher has also gotten down onto his tummy from sitting a few times now to get to a toy he wants.

We have spent so much time outside this past month which has been great. As soon as we step foot outside Asher starts to babble and bounces around in my arms with excitement. He has gotten to feel grass and sand. Chase's swingset is up in our yard so Asher got to try out his infant swing and it's a hit. Asher has also gotten to see sheep, cows, monkeys and other animals at the farm and zoo.

One of my favorite moments with Asher is in the evening post bath time. He is so happy on his changing table and loves doing 'nosey-nosey' and me blowing raspberries on his tummy as I'm getting him dressed. His new game to play is as I'm putting a shirt over his head, he rips it away and laughs at me, we do this numerous times until he is giggling so hard he is crying tears.

Each day I spend with our lovebug is a blessing. I love that I wake up to his face next to mine every morning.  He really is such a happy baby and I'm so excited to see what new things he does this next month.