Sleep sacks and smiles…

“Children learn to smile from their parents."
-Shinichi Suzuki

I’m sorry to say that this week will be somewhat light as far as pictures are concerned.  Everyone, with the exception of James, came down with a cold this week so we didn’t have the camera out as often as usual.

As James is getting stronger we decided that it was time to pull out the baby bouncer seat.  James likes it, but so does Ashlyn.  In fact, she seems to be sitting in it more than he does.  James on the other hand was the subject of a sleeping experiment this week.  We read that some babies sleep well with a nighttime outfit that has the sleeves tied off.  The experiment was a failure, but it looked funny.

Our friend Jamie came in town and James took to her right away.  He smiles at everything and everyone, he’s the most smiley baby either of us have ever seen.

Next week we travel to St. Louis for a wedding.  I’m Very Excited™ about this trip since it will be our first time to travel with the kids in something that doesn’t move along the ground.  We’ve been doing our best to get Ashlyn excited for the trip, and I think its working.  Below you will see Ashlyn sitting in her airplane with her dolls for a nice flight.

I’m crossing my fingers that the flight will be a quiet one.  As long as the kids don’t have ear problems, I’m sure it will be fine.  Until then, we’ll try to get as much rest as we can.

Back to work we go…

"When I hear people talk about juggling, or the sacrifices they make for their children, I look at them like they're crazy, because 'sacrifice' infers that there was something better to do than being with your children."
-Chris Rock

Unfortunately for mom, this was the last week at home with James before she has to return to work.  But it was a good week to end maternity leave on because James is now at the age where new milestones are reached almost on a daily basis.  This week he held up his head while on his stomach, began playing with hanging toys while on his back, and started holding his own weight as long as you help him maintain his balance.

While out shopping this week we ran across a great deal on an A&M jersey that was too good to pass up even though it’s several sizes too large for either one of the kids.  Even so, when Ashlyn saw it she immediately put it on and danced around the house in it for 15 minutes.  Gig ‘em Ashlyn.

The experiment of the week was “touchable bubbles”.  The idea is that you can make bubbles that won’t pop immediately when you touch them.  What we ended up with was a sugary mess that not only popped but left sugar rings everywhere.  Oh well, Ashlyn still had fun and that was the point after all.

We made a stop at Target this week to pick out a helmet since Ashlyn has shown herself to be fearless on the tricycle.  We weren’t sure if she’d keep it on as she has never kept a hat on for more than a few seconds but she decided that it was acceptable.  So we drove out to the park and rode around for a bit, and Ashlyn climbed to the top of the play set which is something she has not done before.

As the first three months come to a close, we’re amazed at how much James has grown already.  We shouldn’t be surprised given that he’s following in his big sisters footsteps.  Thanks James for a fun three months, and a big thanks to mom for doing such an awesome job with the kids while still letting me get some sleep!

Big boys, tiny bikes, and cups…

"Children use all their wiles to get their way with adults. Adults do the same with children."
-Mason Cooley

Baby James is continuing to grow at an alarming rate.  Not alarming in the Discovery Channel mini-series sense, but too fast for us to keep up with.  Just look at how big he is already, he’s practically half Heather’s size in height and is wearing clothing normally reserved for children twice is age.

Ashlyn on the other hand is growing more in attitude and intelligence than she is in height.  She’s constantly asserting her independence on one hand and her fear of being left alone on the other.  She has half her nighttime books memorized and will often “read” them to me before I’m allowed to read them to her.  It’s actually kind of impressive how many of the words she gets right, but maybe that’s normal for a kid her age. She’s developed a fascination with cups and continues to be a great big sister to Baby James.

This weekend marked the season opener for our dear ‘ol Aggies.  Despite a resurgence of last year’s second half collapses and the inevitable loss that comes with them, we had a good time at a friend’s house watching the game.  James and Ashlyn wore their Aggie best, and Ashlyn kept up her spirits while proudly wearing what she calls her “Gig ‘em shirt”. 

You may remember reading last week about Ashlyn’s new found ability to ride a tricycle.  She’s gone from novice to expert since then, and as proof I’ve posted a video of some of her adventures this week.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiFwPOU48cA&feature=youtu.be

Before you ask, we do not let her just ride off into the street without first checking both ways.  She likes backing up and going down fast so we check the street and then back up a few feet so she can get momentum.  And with that disclaimer out of the way, it’s time to go night night.

Smiles and stories…

"If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves."
-Carl Jung

James had his two month appointment this past week and we’re happy to report that he passed his tests with flying colors.  He’s surpassing all his physical milestones and is topping the growth chart.  He’s in the 97th percentile in height and in the 82nd percentile in weight, so he’s a big ‘ol baby.  Ashlyn started growing fast and slowed down, so we’ll see if James follows in her footsteps.

Speaking of that, Ashlyn is taking an active role in helping James in his life’s firsts.  This week was sitting in the bumbo.  James had a little trouble at first, so big sister showed him how it’s done.

I’m sad to report that Texas A&M’s first game in the SEC was postponed this week due to hurricane Isaac.  That didn’t stop Ashlyn from giving a nice “Gig ‘em”.  We’ll have the jersey ready for next week.  Bring it on Florida!

We’ve been trying to get Ashlyn to ride her tricycle ever since a friend gave it to us.  I use the word “trying” because we’ve been very unsuccessful.  So it was a surprise to us this past week when Ashlyn went riding through the living room on her tricycle like she’s always been doing it.  And now she rides throughout the house and to the community lake to feed the ducks.  A bicycle has been ordered for her birthday.  As long as she doesn’t learn to read this blog, it should be a nice surprise for her.

This is a segment I like to call “The many smiles of James”.  We’ve seen goofy smiles, Buddha smiles, shy smiles, and everything in between.  Here’s what we’ve been able to capture on camera so far but expect more as we get them.

Now I want to pause with the pictures and this post with a few choice Ashlyn stories and quotes.

• Quote:  “I have teeth, mommy has teeth, daddy has teeth, but baby brother doesn’t have teeth so he doesn’t get bacon.”  - Sometimes the truth hurts.
• Quote:  “We don’t throw crabs daddy, that’s not nice”.  - Solid advice.
• Story:  Kids have been playing parents off each other since humans were painting on cave walls.  Ashlyn played the game for the first time this week.  She went potty and wanted some chocolate, but it was right before dinner.  I told her that she could have one piece before dinner, and one after.  This was not the answer that Ashlyn was looking for, so she went to mom and asked for chocolate.  I want to give Ashlyn credit for trying, considering how young she is, but Ashlyn’s plan had one critical mistake.  We were both in the kitchen the entire time, so she only received one piece.
• And our favorite recent quote:
  • Ashlyn:  “Look at that dinosaur!”
  • Mom:  “Where?  In the clouds?”
  • Ashlyn:  “Yeah.”
  • Mom:  “What else do you see?”
  • Ashlyn:  “A giraffe, an acorn, and a sandwich.”