Busy Boys

Well Asher has been busy as usual. He was excited to go to his first "performance" on Monday to see the middle school kids' orchestra concert. I'm not sure what his favorite instrument was because it changes daily. Today he said the cello, but then he talked about how he liked the boy going "bum, bum, bum, bum" on the stand up bass (showing how the boy plucked at the strings). Many mornings Asher wakes up and immediately starts singing and playing his guitar. Lately, his favorite songs are "Yes, Lord, Yes, Lord, Yes, Yes, Lord, Amen" (also known as "Trading my Sorrows" but he doesn't sing that part), "boy named David," and the song listing the months of the year. Of course, there are always the Asher originals like "wake up daddy, wake up, I want to go downstairs." He and his friends have been busy "working hard" with their tools and tractors too. Asher's surgery (to remove what we thought was a swollen lymph node... ended up being an infected hair follicle) last week went well, and he continues to play doctor. The line up of characters has now expanded to include Dr. Dahlquist, Dr. Amy, Surgeon Dr. Bossard, and Dr. Nurse Tami.

Baby boy, Ezra, continues to roll around quite often and likes to poke at mommy with his knees and feet. Asher seems excited about his impending arrival. He tells me he knows the baby will cry because he needs a bottle, and Asher says he will help "rocky, rocky baby brother." I'm feeling pretty good lately... Hungry a lot though, so I figure baby is growing fast. When my mom asked Al how I was feeling, he appropriately responded "big." Al mentioned that Ezra could be here in 4 weeks, and I started thinking we should really started getting a bit more prepared to have a new baby in the house. Al says he is ready to get some more projects done around the house this weekend. Hopefully, we will have all the electrical stuff finished in the basement by Sunday night and be near the end of the flood renovations. Can't wait!

Happy Valentine's Day!

February Photo Shoot

Well, Asher continues to grow too fast for his mom. His feet used to be so small, but we recently had them measured and realized that he is a size 8 already. We bought him his first pair of shoes... You know, actually went to a retail store and paid full price... yikes! I guess that's pretty good for his being almost 2 1/2 years old. I have to say we have been so lucky to have gotten so many wonderful hand-me-downs, and I think my bargain shopping the last two years (at garage sales and stores' seasonal clearance sales) has really paid off. Thanks to Aunt Holly's heads up about the Old Navy sale, we again have his winter dress and play coats for next year packed away and waiting. Hey, can't beat $5 each for new coats! I don't think he has put on any weight the last few months, but Asher continues to get taller and taller. Once again, we are noticing that some of his shirts and pants are becoming too short for him.

I took a few pictures of Asher this last week. With the nicer weather, I decided I'm ready to start transitioning away from the Christmas and winter decor and get ready for Spring. So, I'm ready to retire the picture of Asher under the Christmas tree and update...



Maybe it's just being his mom or getting used to the idea that Asher is my "big boy" now and having his baby brother's arrival quickly approaching, but Asher seems to be changing every month. Al and I were just looking at some older pictures of Asher and, as much as I think he is changing lately, it was shocking to compare his pictures from the pumpkin patch and Christmas this last year (at 2 years of age) with when he was one year old. Guess I just have to get used to the idea that I have a little boy now who, like a typical two-year-old, has his own ideas and wants to do things all by himself.

Healthy Baby

Went to see my nurse midwife again today. Let's see, I think I'm at 31 weeks now. She says I continue to measure about 1/2 a week over. That makes sense because, when we went to UIHC a week ago, they said baby is almost 4 pounds now. I think at 30-31 weeks babies are usually closer to 3 pounds. Anyway, he has a strong heart beat and the ultrasounds have looked good. Met with the lactation consultant locally and the plastic surgeon and his nurse in UIHC, and we got all our questions answered about feeding, assessment after birth, and repair of the cleft lip. We do plan on delivering at Covenant in Waterloo... EDD is still April 7th. I'll let you know if it looks like he'll be coming early ;)