Aug
13
Dear Ashden: Month Eleven
Filed Under Dear Ashden
Dear Ash,
You’re 11 months old today! HOLY COW. This has been a crazy month, one where the focus was mostly on your father and I- who tied the knot. I’d been planning our wedding for about four months during your naps and when you go to bed for the night, and the day was everything I’d hoped for and more. Now we’re an official family!
You’re changing daily now, and I can hardly keep up. You’re growing leaps and bounds mentally these days, and you learn new sounds and words and you understand me more and more every day. It’s absolutely amazing to watch, and it makes me so excited for the day and I’m really going to have to stop swearing so much. I knew this day would come, but I’m not sure I’m ready for it!
At the beginning of your eleventh month it was very hot at night and I sent your father to buy a fan for the bedroom so you didn’t get too warm. It was love at first sight, with you and that fan. Oh man, you loved looking at it, feeling the air, and when I would then blow on your face to show you what a fan does, you giggled like crazy. Within a couple of days of me blowing on your face, you were also blowing in response to my question, “What does a fan say?” Now when I turn on the fan, you blow back at it. It’s very entertaining to watch.
Throughout the month you’ve also learned how to “mooo” when asked what a cow says, and now you even recognize cows in books and will moo when you see them. Within the past couple of days you will also make “monster” noises when you want to play Baby/Mama/Papa Monster (a throat guttural noise), or when asked what a monster says. I keep expecting you to come out and meow or woof or choo-choo when I ask you what a cat/dog/train says- maybe by next week.
Also within the past couple of days, you’ve started saying, “beh” about everything and anything. Dog? Beh. Cat? Beh. Telephone? Beh. Good night. Beh. Beh Beh Beh Beh Beh. Look at that! Beh. It’s quite comical, actually.
You haven’t really picked up on sign language very well, despite your dad and I being consistent with it since you were five or six months old. You have, however, created your own sign language for brushing your teeth. You take a loose fist and move it up and down over your mouth, which is actually quite similar to the actual sign. You love brushing your teeth, so we take turns doing it- I do it properly for you, and then you take control and basically just bite your toothbrush. Brushing your top teeth is a bit hard though because you tilt your head back, so I have to put your up against the wall so you can’t tilt too far back.
You had your first (three) haircuts this month. I trimmed around your ears before the wedding, your bangs one day, and then when it was pointed out that you had a bit of the dreaded mullet, your father trimmed the back of your hair while I pinned you down/distracted you. Your hair is still very long, but here’s what it looked like before I cut your bangs.
The biggest event of the month was your parents wedding, of course. I was a bit scared about your nap schedule being wonky (which is was) making you grumpy and not very fun to be around, but you were actually quite okay! You loved being around all of these new people and in a new place. You made friends with everyone who tried, especially your extended family who were visiting! It was great to see you with your grandmother LaLa and Papa John, your aunt and uncle Tina and Brian and your cousins Myah and Caleb, and even your great aunt and second cousins- Amanda, Rebecca and Sarah. Everyone just loved you. I wish that there was a way to see everyone more often. I feel sad that they don’t get to see you as much as my side of the family does. Especially for Tina who cried when she was saying her goodbyes to you. Plans are in the works to go to Ontario next spring or summer to visit everyone. We’ll go before you turn two so that we don’t have to pay for your plane ticket, haha. Just think of how different you’ll be the next time they see you! Luckily we have the internet- they get to see you whenever they want to.
The wedding was great, and you and your grandmother were the first people down the aisle. I called her the morning of the wedding to ask if she’d do us the honour of bringing you, the biggest love of our lives, down before anyone else, and of course she accepted. You were dressed like the rest of the men in the wedding party- an untucked white dress shirt, grey pants and bare feet. You were so beautiful. I can’t say you paid much attention to the wedding ceremony itself, you were in the front row flirting with people behind you and distracting us with your squeals of delight. When the Justice of the Peace brought you up in the ceremony, it was the only time our eyes welled with tears. You are our pride and joy, and the thing that binds your father and me together for the rest of our lives. How lucky we are.
I, no, WE love you!
The day after the wedding you took your first steps! Marc, Nicole, your father and I were sitting on the deck of our cottage, encouraging/tricking you to walk by yourself, and you did it! We couldn’t convince you to do it again, you much prefer to be on your hands and knees (which is just fine with me!), but you did it. All of us were so proud. Even though all of us were taking turns trying to get you to walk between us, you ended up walking between me and your dad.
We’re a great team, the three of us. Every day you learn something new and every morning I get so excited to see how you’ve changed overnight and how you’ll change throughout the day. I can hardly keep up. Feel free to slow down a little, everything is moving a bit too fast and I feel like I’m forgetting everything. I want to take in as much as I can.
You make me appreciate every single day.
Love,
Mama
Jul
1
Talking
Filed Under Developmental Milestones
Ash said his third word yesterday, “baby.”
Now he says “mama”, “bath” (ba) and “baby.” Adorable!
Jun
30
Another tooth
Filed Under Developmental Milestones
In the past month, Ash has cut FIVE teeth. The last top one arrived overnight (on his right/my left). He’s been acting pretty weird as far as sleeping goes lately, so this explains it.
Jun
23
Fruit
Filed Under Developmental Milestones
We’ve finally found a fruit that Ash enjoys: cantelope!
He and I took trip to the organic grocery store the other day and I gave him an apricot to hold, and he bit into it. He made a face like he didn’t enjoy it, but then he wouldn’t let it go. By the time we got to our picnic location he’d finished half of it. His face and clothes were covered in apricot juice. It was adorable.
Jun
23
First Step
Filed Under Developmental Milestones
Ash took his first step the other day, but it was an accident. He hasn’t learned to stand on his own yet for longer than a second or two. He was coming towards me (I think using his Plan Toys walker wagon thing) and took a step after letting go of the wagon and grabbing my legs.
Jun
18
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Filed Under Websites
I update more often at my regular blog- just in case you don’t know about it…
Enjoy!
Jun
9
Dear Ashden: Month Nine
Filed Under Dear Ashden
Dear Ash,
You’re 3/4 of a year old! This month has been great. You’ve slept better than you ever have before, you took your first plane ride (or six) and you did phenomenally, and you cut FOUR teeth in the last half of the month. But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself…
We took a trip to Georgia a few days after you turned eight months old. Your father left a couple of days before us, which meant that you and I had to travel together, alone, our first flight leaving at 6am and not ending for eight hours and three plane rides. I was extremely nervous. I’ve been on flights with crying babies, and boy, they are annoying as hell. I did not want to be responsible for other people’s discomfort and I didn’t want you to be upset. You surprised the crap out of me by being everything I needed you to be- friendly and calm, curious and overall a wonderful travelling companion. You even nursed when I needed you to (during takeover and landing), something which doesn’t happen very often- especially when there are new and exciting things to see. You loved looking out the window and the people in the seats behind us.
I must say that the sling made it so much easier to travel. If I had to haul around a stroller, even a small one, I’d have been screwed. I don’t have that many arms. That’s my biggest piece of travel advice for parents: invest in a sling. They’re cheap and yet PRICELESS>
We had a great ten days hanging out, going to restaurants and lounging around the pool. I was glad to go home though because one can only stand reading the same five books and spending days in one little room. It was nice to get away from home though, because the past eight months have been… well, the same, and it was nice to have some change. The weather was great, the food was greasy, and everyone FREAKING LOVED YOU.
I thought Canadians were friendly, but they’re nothing compared to the people down South. Every waitress in Denny’s would come over and say hello to you, coaxing many smiles out of you. I even had a guy yell out of his big pickup truck that you were beautiful! Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, commented on your eyes.
The highlight of our trip was going to the Georgia Aquarium, a trip which you really enjoyed. I’m glad that you’re such an observant baby, because I think a lot of other children your age would have just been there along for the ride- but you have always paid close attention to your surroundings, even as a newborn. So being able to see the fish and other sea-life was really easy for you.
It was your first time playing in the sand, too. You were more interested in eating it, and well, you pooped quite a lot of sand the day after the trip. Oopsie.
Your father and I are so happy that you enjoy the water. You’ve always liked the bath and have been taking swimming “lessons” since you were seven months old. We went in the pool quite a lot during our trip, but it was pretty chilly so you never really wanted to stay in the water for very long. It was the very first time you ever expressed that you were cold to us, even after this past horrible winter. You’d raise your knees and try not to let your feet touch the water, or worse- your bum. But once you got used to it, you were happy.
Another big milestone that you reached this month was the ability to clap. You really like clapping, and can clap on command. Yay for you!
I must admit something… during a channel-flipping episode while we were vacationing I came across the Teletubbies. I haven’t allowed you to watch children’s television shows yet, but was curious about how you’d react. And… you freaking loved it. You spent the entire 20 minutes glued to the tv, bouncing up and down on the bed and reaching out for them.
And then, your laugh. It still takes quite a lot of effort to make you laugh- me often looking like an idiot, but damn, I love to hear your giggle.
On the trip home, everything was going smoothly until we hit the last flight home. We were able to fly with your father, this in itself made everything much easier. We boarded the plane in Boston, headed for Halifax and ended up staying on the tarmac for nearly FOUR HOURS due to plane troubles. Four hours we sat in the same seats, only being offered a mint and a glass of water and we kept expecting you to suddenly break down from fatigue (it was prime bedtime) or boredom, but instead you stayed extremely happy and a model baby. We were so proud of you. We sang, we clapped, we let you look out the window, we entertained you the best we could and as long as we were paying lots of attention to you, you behaved. When we were waiting in the customs lineup and for our luggage we got several compliments from other passengers about you. You were magnificant!
This month we had a little event at your grandmother’s house. She and Dee have been planning to plant an Ash tree basically since they found out your name, and this was the month that we planted it. It’ll be nice to look back at the pictures when this tree is much bigger. Maybe someday you’ll sit under it and play with cars or read library books. Maybe, a long time in the future, you’ll even be able to climb the tree.
I spent a lot of money on you this month, specifically on a new toy. You’ve been pulling yourself up into standing position since you were seven months old and have developed into a wonderful crawler, but you seem to really want to walk around. So, I found this walking tool by Plan Toys and you really like it. You figured it out so quickly! Your father and I are constantly amazed at just how smart you are.
You are a character.
You make us so proud.
I love you so much.
Love,
Mama
Jun
5
Ash’s Second Word
Filed Under Developmental Milestones
Ash has his second word! “Bath” which comes out as “baa” but he’s definitely trying to say it properly and knows what it means. So exciting.
Jun
4
More Teeth
Filed Under Developmental Milestones
Ash is currently getting FOUR teeth. The day before yesterday I noticed the tooth on his left bottom side (beside his two exisiting front teeth) had popped through the gums overnight. Now he’s getting both front top teeth, an eye tooth on his left top side and the bottom side tooth all at once. And really? Hardly a complaint. He moans a bit more, but that’s about it. I feel very fortunate.
Knock on wood.
May
23
New Tooth!
Filed Under Daily
Ash got his first two bottom teeth at the exact same time exactly four months ago. We knew Ash was teething again but nothing was popping through until! Yesterday! Clive finally found the tooth. We’d been looking in the wrong spot! I really thought he was getting his front teeth, but this one is a side tooth.
He’s totally going for the jack-o-lantern look.
keep looking »