Ryan's 1st Birthday, Road Trips and lots of outings!

Saturday, July 31st-Sunday, August 8th

Happy Birthday sweet Ryan Layne! We attended Ryan's 1st birthday party. It was quite the celebration. I don't think I have ever seen so many kids in one swimming pool! It was pretty warm outside, so we stayed inside most of the time. We had a great time and were happy to celebrate with the Ivie's. Looking forward to seeing these girls grow up together!

The cupcake!

Blowing out the candle

It's hard to hold your tiara and eat your cake

On her way to rinse off

Jessi, Ashley & Ashlyn

That next morning, Ashlyn and I had brunch with 2 of my girlfriends from work and their sons. Jace was born in March and Jaden was born in June.

Me & Ashlyn, Seema & Jaden and Beth & Jace

That evening we took our first trip to Gpa & Gma's house for Sunday dinner. My Godparents, Dave and Pat Estes came by to meet Ashlyn for the first time! They have 10 grandchildren! While we were there, we went and saw Gpa & Gma's new house with a pool! We can't wait to go swimming.

Deno & Ashlyn

Pat & Ashlyn

Ashlyn and Gpa sneaking in an after dinner nap!

Monday evening, 2 of my good friends from college, Ginger and Michelle came by to meet Ashlyn and brought us dinner! YUM! It was very good to see them!

Ginger, Ashlyn and Michelle

On Tuesday, we had a lunch date with Stephanie and Sarah (our NICU roommate). It was so good to catch up with them. The girls are getting so big. Both girls had BLOWOUTS while we at lunch and had to be changed. That was my first public diaper changing experience. My picture from lunch didn't turn out too great, so I am hoping I can get Stephanie's. I will post it when I get it!

On Wednesday we saw Dr. Burns, her hemangioma doctor. We have been to his office many times, but usually see the nurse practitioner. This was our first time to see him since her initial visit. He was VERY pleased with the progress of her birthmark. He feels certain that by the age of 5 we will be asking "now which cheek was that on again?" He said her skin will be like butter and he wants to use her photos for his teaching on this new medication.

On Thursday we packed up and headed on our first road trip to Abilene. Ashlyn slept the entire way in the car. She is a very easy traveler! We celebrated Scott and Kristin's birthdays while we were there. Ashlyn got to spend lots of time snuggling with Neena! It was a wonderful, relaxing long weekend. Here are some pictures from our trip.

Papa & Neena with their girls

Neena and Ashlyn

Jules modeling the teeny bikini

Crew, Chance & Ashlyn

Ashlyn posing in her bikini

Scott working on an awesome dinner one night!

Monday, August 9th-Sunday, August 15th

We headed back home on Sunday. On Monday, Emily came over to see Ashlyn. We hung out for a while and then grabbed some barbecue for lunch. Tuesday, it was back on the road again. Ashlyn and I headed out for our first trip to Emory. Chance joined us after work. We had lunch with PaJ and the Landry's at Chubby's and then a big dinner at Mimi & PaJ's house with Roy, Dana, Gabby and the Landry's. On Wednesday, Ashlyn and I went to the bank so Mimi could show off her newest granddaughter. We had lunch on the square with Mimi and Mindy. Mimi was able to get a little snuggle time in with Ashlyn amidst all of the hustle and bustle!

Mimi and Ashlyn rocking

Dillan holding her newest cousin Ashlyn

Friday morning we had coffee with Cassie and Gwen. Cassie has gone back to work but has Friday's off so we enjoy still getting to meet up with them. Ashlyn and I joined Great Grandma Sally for lunch in her clubhouse. She got to show off her great granddaughter to all of the staff and residents! Ashlyn was quite the hit. Grandma Sally even got to give Ashlyn her bottle. I got some great videos of Ashlyn smiling and laughing with her great grandmother. Unfortunately, I do not know how to upload those to the blog yet! Still working on that!

Great Grandma Sally feeding Ashlyn her bottle

On Saturday, I worked half a day and Chance had to go to a funeral for a co-worker's wife. I was going to cancel, so I could stay home with Ashlyn, but he thought he could manage. And he did! He got her up, fed her, bathed her, dressed her and got himself ready, loaded up the car and made it to the church...and all by 11:00! I was impressed. Say a prayer for Glen and his children. His wife and their mother lost her battle with ovarian cancer. After work and the funeral, we drove to Arlington. Karen, Sarah, Rachel and I went over to meet the newest member of the Baughman family...Brady James! He is looks just like his dad! He is a cutie pie! Went went back to Gma and Gpa's house and had surf & turf for my birthday dinner! Dave & Pat joined us for dinner. It was a lot of fun!

We have been enjoying all of our travels and outings...but I must admit it all takes a lot of organizing, packing and coordination! It is a little exhausting, but I am taking advantage of my free time while I am still off work! We are loving every minute of it! Here are a couple more pictures that I thought were too cute not to post! I hope to be a better blogger and post shorter blurps more often. I have had lots to catch up on!

Dinner at Tony's

Smiling after her bath!

Snuggling with her "Pacimal"

A small stuffed animal that holds her pacifier!

Sip & See and a busy week!

Ashlyn is smiling! In her sleep, while she is awake, at her mom, at her dad...it melts my heart and makes my day! She is also much more alert and spending more time awake. She is finding her voice and is chatting a lot when she is awake. She is tracking with her eyes and focuses on more objects. Her neck muscles are getting stronger and she is enjoying her tummy time. She can hold her head up, but it still isn't too steady. We are still battling acid reflux and she is having a difficult time sleeping, unless she is laying on top of one of us. We had a very busy week and are trying to get back on somewhat of a schedule and get her sleeping again!

Aunt Gayle and our cousins Debi and Michelle hosted a "Sip & See" for Ashlyn. It is a party where everyone comes and gets to meet Ashlyn! It was a lot of fun and good to see so many of our friends who hadn't met Ashlyn yet (and lots who had!). Once again, I am lacking pictures from this event. I brought my camera this time with good intentions of taking pictures. I pulled it out at the party and the battery was dead. So I took a couple with my phone.

Marie and Ashlyn

The hostesses

(Michelle, Debi and Gayle)

Aunt Gayle and Ashlyn

The Cousins!

(Michelle and Whitney, Kristin and Jules, Me and Ashlyn)

Swaim, Deck, Jennifer and Andrew (Baby Snow is due in September!)

The Williams Family

(Baby Williams is due in December...I think?)

The Landry's

(Teresa, Robert, Dillan and Brennan)

The Beckleman's

(Baby Beckleman is due in November)

We had a busy week! Sunday, we had lunch with Kristin and Jules before they left town. Ashlyn pretty much slept the whole time, but did wake up to take a bottle.

Lunch with Kristin and Jules

On Tuesday, we had a lunch date with her Great Grandma Sally. I pulled up to pick her up and she hopped right in the back seat. I chauffered the two of them around. Ashlyn slept the whole time. Sarah stopped by on Wednesday and hung out with us for a bit. We are enjoying having her close again. Thursday morning we met Cassie and Gwen for coffee. Ashlyn slept the whole time. Thursday evening we had dinner with Mimi and some of her co-workers. She was in town for a conference. Ashlyn pretty much slept the whole time except to eat! On Friday I took her up to my work to show her off! Then we surprised Gpa at his office. He got to show off his granddaughter. Then we had lunch with Gpa, Gma and Auntie Sarah. Ashlyn pretty much slept the whole time (are you sensing a theme?). Ashlyn sleeps very well in loud, busy environments. Put her in her crib and she is wide awake!

Saturday was a big day for me. It was my first day back to work in 4 1/2 months! I am going to work some Saturdays until I go back full-time in September. Ashlyn got to stay with her daddy all day! They survived...but I think it was harder on me to be away from her that long. It felt good to be back at work because I really do love my job! I knew she was in good hands.

Standing with Daddy

On Sunday, we had brunch with Grandma Sally and we got to spend the afternoon with her. Ashlyn was wide awake and played for over an hour.

Holding Grandma Sally's finger

Grandma Sally loves her hands and feet

Playing with Grandma Sally

So after a very busy week, we were a little off schedule. We have very few plans this week and we are going to try to get back into a routine. We are looking forward to Ryan's (Jessi's daughter) 1st Birthday party on Saturday. Ashlyn will be wearing her bikini (if her dad will let her).

Katie Baughman had her baby last week. Welcome Brady Baughman. Ashlyn and I were right...it's a boy! Mom and baby are home and doing well. We can't wait to meet him!

Here are a few pictures from this week. I still can't quite figure out how to post a video. I'll keep working on it. Enjoy!

Loves being naked!

So sweet!

My Moby Wrap

(I LOVE this thing and so does Miss Mae)

Future Red Raider

(or kangaroo...the kangaroo sign is just harder to make)

Snuggling with Daddy at lunch

Her clothes are still a little big, but we wear them anyway!

Admiring one of her bathrobes

Bundled up after her bath.

Thanks for my towel Emily!

Pretty girl!

Asleep in her Moby Wrap

4th of July, 2 month check-up and Gpa turns 60!

Gosh...I haven't posted in a while. Lots of catching up to do!

Katie (Estes) Baughman stopped by to meet Ashlyn. She is pregnant with her 2nd child and is scheduled to have "her/him" on the 20th! Ashlyn and I think it is going to be a boy. Either way, it will be neat that they will be so close in age. It is so exciting how many friends Ashlyn will have to grow up with! She brought us the cutest bib and burp cloth, which is the perfect gift considering how much Ashlyn spits up! Katie and one of her friends started their own business making the cutest baby gifts. Check them out online if you need a creative gift!

http://www.mom-creations.com/

We spent the 4th of July at home this year...Ashlyn still hadn't had her shots and we weren't venturing out too much yet. Chance and I grilled out and "listened" to the fireworks. Next year we are going to go to Dublin and spend the 4th with the "T" Doyle's (hopefully)! Ashlyn did get to wear her 4th of July outfit and looked very cute in it! Mimi stopped by, so she got to show it off a little.

Raise your hand if you like fireworks!

"Mom, get this hat off me!"

We had a follow-up appointment with the Plastic Surgeon for the hemangioma. They were very pleased with the progress and are leaving the medicine dosage where it is for the time being. We were able to see the progression of pictures that they have been taking and it really is amazing! Since we dropped the dosage, we haven't noticed much change in the birthmark, but it definitely isn't getting worse.

I can't believe she is 2 months old already. Time sure does fly by! She is still eating 7-8 times a day (only taking 1 bottle a day). She sleeps between each feeding, usually for 1-2 hours. She is much more alert during her wake time. We do a lot of tummy time, she swings in her swing, we read books, take walks, run errands and are having a lot of fun with her. She sleeps in her princess crib during the day but still sleeps in her bassinet next to our bed at night. She sleeps between 4-5 hours at a time during the night, with usually one feeding. That extra sleep is really nice! She takes quite a lot of medicine, her hemangioma medicine 3 times a day and her reflux medicine 1 time a day plus her vitamins. That is a lot of medicine to try and keep down a baby with reflux! Here she is napping in her crib. The beautiful bumpers Nenna made have to come down while she sleeps in it. These are mesh bumpers that are breathable in case she rolls up against them. I don't think it will be long before she is moving all over the place...she is such a wiggle worm! This "outfit" she is wearing is called a SwaddlePod and is the best invention ever! She still likes to be swaddled, but is getting so strong she can get out of the blanket swaddles.

SwaddlePod

Ashlyn had her 2 month check-up with her Pediatrician. She weighed 7 lbs 15 1/2 ounces! Couldn't quite get to 8 lbs (shouldn't have had that blowout that morning!). She is 21 1/4 inches long. Her head measured 36 (not sure what the unit of measure was...cm????). She is still in the lowest percentiles, but that is because they are comparing her to full term 2 month old babies, not preemies. They have a preemie scale, but the Pediatrician is not using it for Ashlyn because 34 weeks is "not that premature". She had a great check-up and is definitely on track developmentally and growth wise. He started her on Prevacid to hopefully help the acid reflux, but we haven't really noticed a lot of improvement. She still spits up A LOT, but hopefully, it doesn't hurt and it isn't causing damage to her esophagus. He is very optimistic about her "flat head" and thinks we are definitely on the right track to getting it back in shape. He doesn't think she will need a helmet! Yay! She also had to get her 1st round of immunizations while we were there. She cried when the nurse gave them to her (I would too...she got 3...in her legs) but settled down very quickly. Daddy got to get a shot too!

Holding daddy's hand while she got her shots

After her shots

Pacifiers make it all better!

Daddy got a shot too.

He whined a lot more than his daughter did!

Chance had Ashlyn all to himself on Saturday for the first time (longer than a quick trip to the grocery store)! I went to Tyler for Grandpa B's memorial service. We thought it might be a little too much for Ashlyn. It was a very nice service at the cemetery. I was able to visit with everyone for a little while before rushing back to check on Chance. He did great! He is really an awesome dad! It is so fun to watch him with her. Makes my heart melt and I can tell she is going to be a daddy's girl! I think she already is!

We celebrated Gpa's 60th Birthday on Sunday. Ashlyn wore a special onesie just for the occasion. We are planning on taking a family portrait a little later in the year for his birthday present!

Chance made an excellent pecan pie for the b-day celebration!

Since she got her shots, we have been venturing out a little more. Our first family outing was to eat dinner. We had a gift card to Macaroni Grill so that was our first dining experience. Of course it started pouring rain as soon as we got in the car! She slept all through dinner and the downpour on the way to and from. I had my first solo outing with Ashlyn...and all of her stuff! She is no problem, but her "gear" is a little challenging to manage. I had a lesson in the living room on how to fold and unfold the stroller. Don't laugh...the thing came with a DVD! It was fitting that my first outing was back to the hospital where she was born. I had to return my pump I am not longer using. I felt like I was on candid camera trying to get her in her stroller. It took me about 10 minutes and it was 100 + degrees out! I was dripping set by the time I got it all together. We walked around and said hi to all of the people who took such good care of us while we were patients.

Dr. Sohn

(the doctor who delivered Ashlyn since my OB was out of town)

Ashlyn and I met my friend Cassie and her daughter Gwen for coffee this morning. Gwen and Ashlyn are less than 2 weeks apart. It was fun hanging out with them.

Gwen and Ashlyn

We had dinner with our old neighbors last night. They moved right after Ashlyn was born and hadn't gotten to meet her yet. It was nice to catching up with them!

Ashlyn and I surprised Chance at work today and took him to lunch. Here are a couple of pictures from that outing.

Well, I think that catches us up! Until next time...love and laughter from The Wimberly's!