Loving Her Bath..

Check out the crazy, chubby legs.. Ainsley loves bath time - and I manage to get completely soaked every time :)

Father's Day!

We had a great Father's Day at my Aunt Chris and Uncle Barry's pool. It was a nice, hot day, and all the guys got lots of pool time. Here are some pictures from our fun day:

Thinking about diving in

Raft ride

Poppy, Grandpa, Evan, and Daddy

Doug trying out water surfing

The Ross Men

Evan swimming solo

Watching Poppy jump in

Thinking about diving

4th of July

Doug went to his friend Doug's wedding in NYC over 4th of July weekend. It was just me and the kids, along with LOTS of help from my parents. (Thank you!!) We ended up having a fun, busy weekend!

On Friday, we got to play outside with our neighbor Avery in the morning, and then Poppy and I took Evan to Mason's Red, Rhythm, and Boom. (Ainsley stayed home with Nani.) Evan got to jump on bounces, ride a pony, and play games with little prizes. We had a great time. Later that evening, I took both kids by myself to see the fireworks at 10:30pm! (We drove up around 9:45, parked in the back of the parking lot, and Evan got to sit on the trunk of the car while Ainsley snoozed in her carseat.) The fireworks were great, and it was super easy to put Evan to bed.

On Saturday, we went over to my parents house and played. We even got to all stay the night. We decided at the last minute to take Evan to the KI fireworks since he had enjoyed them so much the night before. They weren't quite as good due to all the rain, but it was still a fun time! On Sunday, Evan got to play with all my parent's neighborhood kids. He had a great time and even got to roast a hot dog! Then on Monday, my niece Amber came up to play with the kids. She's a great help! It was a great weekend, but we missed Daddy a bunch!

Watching the Mason fireworks on the trunk of my car.

Hanging out with Poppy

Ainsley looking cute on the 4th!

Watching the fireworks at KI

Evan asking to roast hot dogs with all the kids

Roasting the hot dogs

Ainsley and Nani

Amber and the kids in the backseat with ice cream. She's the only person that I know who is small enough to sit in the backseat between the two carseats.

Ainsley is 3 Months

Our little girl is now 3 months old. It's been absolutely wonderful having her in our lives. I couldn't ask for a sweeter little baby and I am so thankful for how she just fits with our family. We are so blessed!!

Here are some things about our little 3 month old:

- She is still a great sleeper - usually eating around 10:30 and waking up to eat at 5 and then around 8. She still loves to snuggle with me in the morning too. I haven't moved her out of the bassinet yet - mom just isn't ready!!
- Some of our nicknames for her are: Peanut, Sweetpea, Precious, A, Baby Girl, and Beauty
- Evan still loves her so much. He has also picked up on our nicknames and high-pitched voices. It's so sweet to see the two together.
- She now loves her bouncy seat and play gym.
- If she's fussy (especially at night), the trick seems to be to take her outside, especially on a walk. She'll just sit there in her stroller looking around, no need for her pacifier.
- She still loves to talk and look at faces
- She weighs around 12-1/2 pounds - almost exactly the same as Evan at his age.
- For the past few weeks, she's really been working on grabbing for things. She concentrates so hard, and she'll usually be able to reach out and grab a toy that she's looking at.

Here are some pictures from the last month:

Playing in the playgym

After a bath - Ainsley loves her bath!! It makes such a mess because she loves to kick the water everywhere!

Happy 4th of July!

I love her dimples.

My sweet baby girl!

With Great-Grandma Evelyn. Ainsley loves her (and loves to fall asleep in her arms).

Showing off during tummy time.

Daddy and his little princess.

Taking a walk outside.

A bow Evan made for Ainsley.

Ainsley checking out her cousin Mya.

It takes a village...

Doug and I are so thankful to have our families live close by! We are so spoiled by both our parents and so grateful for how much help we receive. Our parents are part of our kid's lives, and it is such a gift for us all. Thank you Nani and Poppy and Grandma and Grandpa!! You are the best!!!

Grandma and her Grandkids

Swimming with Grandpa on Father's Day

Swinging with Nani

Laughing at Poppy's stories

Swimmies

On Monday, Evan, Ainsley, and I visited my Grandparent's house. They have a pool in their neighborhood, so Evan and I got to go swimming. Grandpa Bill and Nani came along to watch. (Ainsley got to stay in the air conditioning and was well taken care of by Grandma Evelyn and Aunt Cathy.) Last year, Evan wasn't so sure about big pools because he needed to be held the whole time. We tried out swimmies this year, not thinking that he would be able to swim by himself. Well, he started off very scared, but slowly realized that he could do it. After about a half hour of practice, he was telling me that he didn't need my help anymore! He was swimming from one end of the pool to the other with no problem at all. He was so proud of himself and smiling and giggling the whole time. He just seems so grown up - swimming without me.

Here's the only picture we took that day, right off the camera phone:

What a wonderful day with my little guy!!

2 Months

I can't believe I'm writing a two months blog post.. here are some more things we've learned about little A..

- She wakes up almost every morning at 7am and wants to snuggle in bed with her mom :) She'll sleep for at least another hour or two. I love the mornings!
- She always gives the biggest smiles in the morning
- Ainsley is very social - her favorite thing to do is look at faces and talk to you. She could study faces all day! Sometimes she'll fuss and then you go over and talk to her and she gets the biggest smile. She will also have a "conversation" with us. She'll coo, we coo back, and she varies all her little sounds. She even tried to talk to the doctor yesterday who was impressed with her verbal skills :)
- She is 11 pounds, 4 ounces and 22 3/4 inches tall. (Right above 50% for all her measurements.) (I checked Evan's 2 month weight and he was 11lb 14oz! Not bad for a guy who started at 5lb 6oz.)
- She keeps getting heat rash :( We are trying to keep her cool!
- She is getting on more of a schedule - eating mostly every three hours during the day and then having alert time and then a nap. At night, I can count on her sleeping from 9pm-3am, but often will go until 4 or 5. She still loves to be swaddled at night.
- We were telling Evan how she was going to get shots, and he decided to give her some band-aids (Scooby and Diego)to make her feel better. He's the best big brother!

Couldn't say it better myself...

Sisterly Love

Evan just loves his sister. He wants to hold her and kiss her all the time. He puts bow in her hair and gives her a bub if she cries. Luckily, she doesn't mind him being all over her. Here are a few shots showing his "sisterly" love: