AK Joins in for the Last Month of Football Season! (Nov)

Well all good things must come to an end right?! What a fun fall season of football it has been and while we thought being in the last trimester of pregnancy and then adding a baby to the family might hinder and slow us down in the attending of football games and tailgating, we managed to be part of them right up until the very end! We will be sad for sure to not have them to look forward to each week, but our girls are the ones that aren't going to understand why we aren't going to see Aubie again tomorrow as they say. Next year should be even more enjoyable once we have a house to host friends and family in! (Lord willing!) So thankful for fun friday nights with family in town and going to pep rallies, dinners out downtown, and dancing to the bands playing in the streets! And sweet Ashton Kate even made her way to two tailgates and two trips to Toomer's Corner in her first three weeks of life. Not too shabby little one! 

 

 

 

 

 

AK's 1st Month of Life!

 1 MONTH STATS:

 (from Dec.2nd appt)

Weight:9 lbs 4 oz. (45%)

Height: 21 inches (37%)

 
Dear Precious Ashton Kate,

You have completely stolen our hearts! And you have since the day the Lord brought you into our world! Truly, we feel so blessed to be your parents and feel like you are God’s grace to our family! We can’t get over how precious and easy you have been so far! You have eaten well and slept well since day 1 (or day 2 =) and we just think you are perfect! We didn’t know what it would be like to add you to our family but already we cannot fathom life without you in it! The Lord has been so gracious to entrust your life to us here on earth and we are already praying for your heart to be inclined to Him. That you would come to know Him as your Savior at an early age and live out your days here on earth for the spread of His name wherever He leads you! You are the perfect addition to our family and we hope you always know how much we love you! We adore you already!

Mommy & Daddy

 
 
 

 
Here are a few milestones for this first month of your life: (from birth-1 month)

-You made your first long car trip to come home from the hospital (Birmingham to Auburn)-and what should have taken 2 hours ended up taking 4 due to traffic but you were a perfect angel!

-Nov. 4^th (4 days old)-Daddy gave you your first sponge bath and of course you screamed the entire time-it appears you are not a fan of being cold =)

-First outing in Auburn was at 1 week old-Mimi was in town helping with the twins and we all went to Hickory Dickory Park-it felt great to get outside on a pretty day and let you get some sunshine!

-Also at 1 week old, you began using your neck muscles to lift up your head-so strong already!

-Such a wonderful baby so far! A great eater and a great sleeper! Such an easy disposition which has been such a blessing!

-Laughs and smiles after eating in your sleep

-Cries A.LOT. during bathtime-not a fan of being undressed and cold at all!

-Using your feet to push up at around 11 days old

-1^st dinner out at 12 days old to celebrate mommy’s birthday at Amsterdam’s Café-you were perfect!

-Day 13-visited your 4^th park-sure are making your rounds at an early age!

-Nov.9^th- went with big sisters to roll Toomer’s Corner for the first after TN game and also on Nov. 16^th after the GA game…2/2 so far! =)

-Day 17- (Nov. 16^th) Your cord finally fell off-yay! One less thing to take care of now…you also went to Toomer’s Corner that night after the GA game to enjoy the win and dined at Acapulco’s with Mimi & Grandpa afterwards!

-2 ½ wks old (Nov. 17^th)-went to church for the first time!

-Also at 2 ½ wks old, you started looking at people or a toy and can make eye contact

-you get the hiccups all the time!

-cry when you get your diaper changed and stop as soon as you are dressed again

-LOVE to be held upright in our chest…best way to get you fast asleep and totally peaceful!

-your first “home” is our 2 bedroom apartment in Auburn where you are currently sharing a room with mommy & daddy =) We are moving soon though, Lord willing!

-LOVE your paci and that’s good because your big sisters love to put it in your mouth gently aka jam it in your mouth =)

-Around 3 wks old you started tracking a toy or object with your eyes from side to side and also respond to us talking to you! You definitely know mommy & daddy’s voice for sure!

-You love being on your tummy so mommy lets you take one nap each morning on your tummy under constant supervision! I guess you could say that’s when you sleep like a baby!

-You took your first bottle on Nov. 26^th-1 day shy of being 4 wks old-it wasn’t a full feeding but we topped you off before bedtime to fill up your tummy and you took an ounce. Your first real bottle was Nov. 27^th-the night before Thanksgiving at Mimi & Grandpa’s and you weren’t as big of a fan-you cried a lot and seemed to get too much air in your tummy causing you pain…we’ll try again soon!

-First smile!!! At mommy on Nov. 27^th-4 wks old!

 
 
 
 
 

Thanksgiving 2013

 
Picture five little ones under the age of two and a half under one roof...now picture that with some sickness mixed in. =) You get the picture. Not the most restful and relaxing holiday, but then again we don't expect them to be at this stage and season of our lives! It was hard enough just to find a time that worked for multiple babies and toddlers schedules just to eat lunch all together! But truly as we sat around the table and laughed at the struggles of toddlerhood and parenting, we were still overcome with thankfulness. Thankfulness for family. We know that in a moment that could be taken away from us, therefore each holiday and day we are fortunate enough to all gather around a table is reason to celebrate and give God praise for the way He has blessed our family. Many laughs were had & the meltdowns were plentiful from the toddlers, but hopefully many memories were once again made for our precious children. Yes, even the "precious" ones who decided not to take a nap or sleep at night while out of town. Even those! =)

 

 

 

Aubie Claus

 

When we heard that there was the opportunity to have your picture taken with "Aubie Claus," we thought we'd press our luck and venture to Samford on a brisk Saturday morning. It was quite the feat to get out the door with our three (even with the help of Mimi!) and make it somewhere "on time!" And while I can't say the pictures are anything to write home about, we created more memories and even managed to laugh through the experience! From Maddie Grace's stoic expressions to Makenzie keeping her two foot distance between her and Aubie, we got in quite a few chuckles! We did it though and it is these things that keep life interesting and exciting! =)

 

And one last picture of this adorable little one!

Sending Mixed Signals for the Correct Use of TP =)

 
The girls love for toilet paper is almost unmatched by any other item in our house. Truly. They LOVE it! Who knows why? I won't even try to understand why, but the reality is between potty training and the endless shredding that takes place on a regular basis, we need a line item in our budget just for toilet paper lately. =) They love to wipe their noses, their bottoms, their babies noses & bottoms and then of course use it as blankets for their baby dolls and then the obvious just for fun shredding. So all of that has led us to "hide" the toilet paper from them and make a big deal about how we don't touch it. AND THEN...we took them to Toomer's Corner for the first time after an Auburn victory! I think they had more fun than had we taken them to Disney World. I'm only half kidding! =0) They ran around, screaming and jumping in it, and throwing it every which way. And then while Makenzie continued to run wild, Maddie Grace sat and meticulously folded hers into a nice little square to put in her pocket and take home. They now are slightly confused as to why they can't continue using toilet paper as freely as they had the opportunity to do so there! Besides some wasted money on TP at home, they sure have enjoyed their two rolling experiences. They are still talking about it days later!