The Big Move

No, we aren't moving or anything but Asher did move from his bassinet to his crib. With Jaxson he slept in his crib from day one and was/is such a great sleeper but took him awhile to sleep through the night. Once he did he would sleep 12 hours. It was great.

Asher is a little different. He slept through the night at 5 weeks in his bassinet next to our bed. With Asher we found a bassinet that folds completely flat and is very lightweight. It has a small incline and also rocks. It is awesome. One big benefit for a paranoid mother is that it didn't have enough space for him to roll over and sleep on his stomach so I slept knowing his face wasn't buried in a mattress or blankets. But he is a very strong boy rolling back and forth and being able to lift his head and chest off the floor easily. The risk of SIDS is very low at this point but it still is comforting knowing he is on his back.

Last night I put a blanket under his mattress to put a small incline to be more like his bassinet. The trick worked! I put him down in bed and fell right to sleep. The best part it is each time we checked on him he was still laying on his back just like in his bassinet. At nap times he rolls right over on his tummy in his crib. I had the baby monitor set and never needed to use it. Jaxson woke me up this morning and I went to check on Asher who was laying there awake just smiling. He wasn't talking or if he was not loud enough to hear on the baby monitor. He had a successful first night in his crib. I was a little sad because he felt like he was so far away from me but we had to make the move eventually I guess.

Pool Day

The boys and I have really enjoyed Elaine being home and have been spending alot of time at her house this last week. Wednesday was her birthday so we brought dinner over with Dan and Anne. Thursday we went swimming, Friday lunch and swimming that turned into rainy movie day, and Saturday swimming again! Jaxson was in heaven spending that much time at Grandma's house. And it was nice being in the pool! We haven't been swimming in a 'real' pool all year. I consider a real pool one that is big enough for adults too. Dave joined us after work and all day on Saturday.

Thursday was Asher's first time in the big pool and he really liked it. He floated around on his boat smiling and enjoying the new sights. Then he quickly became lulled by the rocking and layed his head and chewed on his chew toy. It didn't take long before I put him in his stroller and he was out for the count. Luckily since he was all wet he stayed cool through his nap time.

And I am very proud of Jaxson who floated on his own (with adults nearby always!) with just his ring or floaties on his arm. He was being so brave. I wasn't expecting it at all! We will maybe get in another swim day this summer and then will have to look forward to next year.

Belated Fair 2011

It is still August so it is still ok to post about the fair.. right?? I have been such a slacker with my blog lately. ugh.. I need to stop it right away! So I am finally getting to my Fair 2011 post! I nearly forgot all about it, then I thought that it would be too late to post it but I figure it's my blog so really I can do whatever I would like. :)

Asher played with Grandma while Dave and I took Jaxson to the fair to make it easier and more fun for Jax. We didn't really have a plan of attack so we just wandered around to find the things to check out. Somehow we wandered to the fried butter stand. Eeewww!!! I only photographed Dave eating this heart attack on a stick and from multiple feet away the smell of butter filled the air. It didn't smell appetizing, unless you like to eat butter of course. It was butter slices coated in cinnamon and sugar then dipped in a batter similar to a funnel cake or donut, and then fried. Dave tried to get me to take a bite but I politely refused with my most realistic gagging reflex sound. Dave said he was glad he tried it and that it was better than he expected. He said it tasted a lot like a buttery cinnamon roll but he wouldn't get it again.

Jaxson got a corndog and several other snacks along the way. We toured the animals and the Paul Knapp Animal Learning Center or course. We made our way through the midway where Jaxson got to pick out three different rides to go on. He was being shy most of the day since our friends Ennen and Colin were touring the fair along with us but I know he had fun when he was trying really hard NOT to smile. Next year we will have two little boys to tote around the fair as both will be excited to see the animals and other fun stuff the fair offers. I know that it will be here before we know it.

My Fish!!

We were on our way home from a great day today at the pool and dinner.  Jaxson had taken with him a little carton of goldfish crackers from Elaine's to the car that he refused to leave at Grandma's. When I tried to get him to leave them he started to tear up. I try to pick my battles and this wasn't a good one to pick, so they came along with us. So we were all buckled and Dave (who drove seperate and met us for dinner) walked down to his car. Jaxson started to get frantic that Dave had his fish. So we drove down to his car and asked. He said he didn't have them. I figured Jaxson had them in the backseat but had dropped them so we would find them when we got home.

We get to the end of Elaine's street and Jaxson is crying and really upset about his goldfish. He keep saying they are in the back. I told him in the backseat and we will find them when we get home. Then he pointed behind him and said no mommy, in the back! Then I asked him why did you throw your goldfish in the back of the car next to the stroller?!?!? Then he got really upset and frusturated. He was sobbing at this point and he finally said, No mommy, OUTSIDE on the back of the car!!

Then I understood. He had set his goldfish on the bumper of the car! I tried to calm him and tell him we could get more but he was so scared they would fall. I told him that they probably had already fallen and we would have to get new. Then he just started to sob. Like the can't breath sobbing, I felt so bad. So I called Dave who was driving behind me. I told him he drive close to my car and see if there were goldfish on my bumper. As he drove up behind me I explained the situation. At this point we were half way down 22nd street (a very busy street with many lights etc) I really didn't think there was a chance but he was so sad I had to at least try.





Dave then excitedly says Yes! I see the goldfish!! There still there!! So I very carefully pulled into a parking lot and Dave right behind me as I asked ten times "are they still there?" and "did they fall off??" Dave got to be the hero as he jumped out of his car and grabbed the goldfish and handed them to Jaxson.

As we made the rest of our way home Jaxson was content and fell asleep almost immediately as he held his goldfish in his lap the whole way home.

Absent

I feel like lately I have neglected the blog along with many other things for one reason. Words with Friends. It's simply addicting. Dave had the app on the Ipod touch awhile ago and when he was playing against someone we both would play moves. Then the game was available through Facebook and you can play with any of your facebook friends. Then all the sudden I had close to 10 Scrabble games going. Some would make only a few moves a day and the game would take a week to end. I am still playing but I am trying to only play a few times a day rather than checking on the game to see if it was my turn yet. It is fun though to play a scrabble game (a game I like anyway) with friends from all over and can play when it's convenient. But I found when I was spending time on the computer I was playing Words rather than posting blogs or editing photos which is usually what my time consists of. So, now that the frenzy is over I will be back to my blog.

Milestone

Asher has been practicing the art of sitting up lately but quickly falls left or right as soon as left on his own. Today we sat on the floor to play with some toys and I sat him up, steadied him, and then let go. And he stayed.. and stayed.. and I grabbed my camera quickly, and he was still sitting up! He sat through pictures. He wobbled a little here and there but is quickly becoming a master at it after only a day of practicing. He seems like he is becoming less baby everyday. But with that comes more personality and I am enjoying getting to know him.

Rolling Around

Asher is still a little ways from crawling but has been getting around rolling over and over. He goes back and forth or sometimes ends up across the room. I wanted to get this new skill on video and after a few tries he did it right when I asked. And I finally got it up just as he masters another first..

Asher Joseph: 5 Months

It is hard to believe that my little baby is five months old. I know I say that EVERY month but I really think that every month! He is rolling all over the place and has made some forward motion recently when practicing his crawling technique. It won't be that long before we have a mover on our hands. We went to the doctor a few weeks ago for some immunizations and our little big is still topping the charts. He is in the 90+ percentile for weight at 20lbs, and he was 27 inches long, which was in the 60th percentile. He is a giggly and smiley ball of baby lately. He likes to play with toys but mostly likes to watch you make silly faces and funny sounds.

And with all this cuteness I had to post a picture of my sweet boy doing somersaults!

3rd Annual Ribbapalooza

Bigger and bigger every year! The ribbapalooza is a growing event to say the least. It was at my aunt Anne's again at her farm in Colfax. Which is where it will have to be from here on because with 100+ people we won't have any other place to fit everyone! This year there were 12 contestants and things got started early. Dave headed out around 8:30am to get his smoker started and ribs on. Everyone started to arrived around 4 with sides in tow. There were side dishes galore on the tables in the barn with everyone's contributions. There were kids running around and applewood smoke filling the air all around.  The party was also a welcome home for Ben who made it safely from Afghanistan after a very long year away. He credits his loss to not being able to practice all year. Excuses.. excuses...

Fitch Farm from the hill above.

Ben looking quite confident before the judging

This is Nancie the trophy. She is a toy of some sort sprayed solid with gold spray paint atop of a 2x4. We do it up really fancy at the Ribbapalooza. :)

Dave researched and practiced time and time again for his winning rub and ribs. We had ribs several times to say the least. We had friends over that were wowed by his tender ribs with sweet and sassy sauces and his homemade barbeque sauces. He wasn't.. not quite yet. He wanted to stand out amongst the 12 smokers. We were brainstorming one night and he threw out the idea of wrapping it in bacon. And the idea stuck. It was last minute so there was a practice run on Friday, talk about cutting it close! He cut each individual rib and layered on his rub and some sauce, threw on some baked beans (yes, you did read that correctly), and wrapped them all tightly in bacon. On the smoker they went for hours to slowly cook. He kept his concoction quiet so the judges didn't know what was coming. He wanted them to be surprised! Once the word got out he was the crowd favorite. Everyone wanted to try one of the bacon wrapped ribs. In the end he didn't get the trophy but everyone was shocked to find out he didn't with his tasty, and very creative, recipe. I would like to add that when we dreamed this up we looked online to see if someone has tried this before and couldn't find one recipe. Not one! So this was Dave's completely unique idea that was really good! There might be a cookbook in his future...

Bacon wrapped topped with baked beans with a baby back rib in the center.

Dave carefully choosing the best 5 ribs to hand into the judges.

This is my dad. And this is the person Asher takes after in the chunky baby category. My dad was a huge baby starting at something like 11 or 12lbs!

Sarah and Asher trying to be twinsies with the glasses..

"Hey there good looking, whatcha got cookin...."

The boys look thrilled for this photo op.. NOT!

My dad and two of his sisters, Carol and Anne.

The final winner this year was Justin Harrison. The best part of this is he is one of the founding 5 smokers that started this event 3 years ago. The third time is a charm for Justin and he was over the top thrilled to be the man on top all year. And let the trash talking commence....

This year to honor Ben coming home and this great event they had a band play. Douglas Acres! 
They had everyone dancing, especially the kids. You can see them play at the state fair that starts tomorrow. I realized I had alot of fun taking pictures of the band playing! I have never done it before and it was so fun. I liked being able to get some pictures from the side or behind the band! Made me feel like I was backstage when I looked at them!

All the kids dancing to the music

Good Morning Sunshine

 Being a morning person apparently isn't a learned behavior. You either have it or you don't. Jaxson definitely doesn't have it. When I go to wake him up he puts his pillow over his head and yells for me to "LEAVE ME ALONE."

Asher, who still sleeps in his bassinet next to our bed, is a totally different story. He usually wakes sometime around 7am. And I am usually not wakened by frantic, starving, cries from our sweet bundle but coos and him making spit bubbles. He just talks and ooh's and ahh's as he looks at the windows. He tries to eat his foot, even with it inside his sleep sack. And when he sees me he lights up with the biggest smile. I can't even remember the last time he woke up in the morning crying. He is happy through his diaper change and will smile regularly through his breakfast. Then when he is all done is ready to play, play, play. And talk and smile and giggle. I love it! I am not a morning person but my little Asher and his great morning moods make getting out of bed so much easier!

I grabbed my camera this morning to take a picture of my happy little wake up call. With each of these pictures as soon as I put the camera down he would giggle. He thought I was playing peak-a-boo and was 'waiting' for me to come back when the camera was up.   :)

He was making his spit bubbles, motorboat sound, in this picture.

Twins Update

 It has been about six weeks since they have arrived and are both home and growing. I am sure some of you were curious as to how they are doing so wanted to give an update. They are both doing great. They are both still on monitors that give information to their doctors weekly. It monitors apnea (stop breathing) and brady's (slowed heart rate) that are very common and expected with preemies. Although they still have them regularly they are not as bad so will be off the monitors in the coming weeks if everything continues as it has been. We are all waiting patiently for their first visit to Iowa.

Oak. August 2nd, 6 1/2 weeks old. 9lbs.

Mabel. August 2nd, 6 1/2 weeks old. 7lbs 2oz.

Mabel on July 6th

Mabel, July 6th

July 9th

July 11th

July 28th