Birthday Bash in Emory

We went to Emory this weekend for the annual birthday bash. Ashlyn got to spend some time with Mimi, PaJ, Aunt Bottoms (Teresa) and Uncle Big Bert (Robert) and her cousins Brennan and Dillan. Ashlyn did very well considering all the stimulation. She stayed on her schedule very well and was never lonely! Chance spent some time fishing and shooting guns while we were out there. The girls stayed inside where it was cool. Ashlyn got some very special gifts, a soft blanket that Mimi made for her and her first duck call from PaJ! It was a wonderful weekend.

Yes, her duck call is pink and engraved!

This is the card that came with her quilt. Very cute!

Brennan, Dillan & Ashlyn

Ashlyn is basically the size Brennan was when he was born!

Spending time with Brennan.

Sleeping through the night!

Well, I waited for over a week before I posted because I wanted to make sure it wasn't a fluke...but Ashlyn has been sleeping through the night for over a week now! She has her last feeding around 9 and sleeps until 6 or 7. She usually goes back to sleep after that until 9! It is wonderful! Hopefully I didn't curse it...we'll see after tonite!

60th Birthday Party at Lake Bridgeport

My dad and some of his best friends turn 60 this year. The Estes kids rented a house on Lake Bridgeport for the weekend. We drove over on Saturday to celebrate the birthdays! We had a great time. There were probably over 50 people there including all of the kids. There were boats, jet ski's, a nice pier for swimming, lots of good food and good cold beer! It was pretty hot that day...like 107...so we stayed in the house most of the day with the other babies. It was fun to hang out with everyone and celebrate the 60th birthdays!

The "sexagenarians"

(I had to look that one up)

Dave, Pat, Andy, Linda & Ed

View of the Lake from one of the balconies

Staying cool inside with Auntie Sarah and Gma

She has the most kissable feet in the world!

Brandon and Brady taking a break!

Ashlyn (15 weeks) & Brady (4weeks)

Katie and Brady

We finished off the weekend with a good brunch with Grandma Sally and dinner with The Garrett's. It was a wonderful weekend!

Ashlyn & Kristi with Great Grandma Sally

I have been working a little more and Chance has been working from home and staying with Ashlyn. I get frequent pictures throughout the day. Here are a couple of my favorites!

She smiles and laughs all the time!

She loves this pacifier with the bunny attached

She naps on her tummy during the day

Just hanging out!

My, how times have changed...

I don't have any pictures to accompany this post...but just wanted to share some funny stories. What a difference a year makes! My birthday was last week and we had BIG plans! Well, ok...not big plans...but a fun evening. I met up with some girlfriends for happy hour. Chance and Ashlyn dropped me off and went to run some errands for an hour or so and were going to pick me up for dinner. Well, she had a BLOW OUT in the car requiring lots of clean-up and an outfit change and then needed to eat. So by the time Chance picked me up it was almost 9 o'clock. It was too late to drag her to a restaurant for dinner, so we drove through Taco Bueno. Happy Birthday to me! I did have a "party taco".

Fast forward 3 days to our 5 year anniversary. We went to Ft. Worth to have Ashlyn's pictures taken. It was an all afternoon event. We had planned to have a low key anniversary, but celebrate nonetheless. We were going to go to Central Market and cook dinner and have some good wine and maybe watch a movie or play games. We got home after the very tiring photo shoot and decided to take a family nap. We laid down around 6:30 for a "power" nap. We woke up at 9:00! We weren't sure if we should get up or go back to sleep. Happy 5th Anniversary to us! Oh well...I wouldn't change a thing!

The Dallas World Aquarium

Ashlyn and I were able to take a trip to the aquarium with Auntie Sarah and her good friend Rachel on Monday. I have never been to the aquarium, so it was a first for me. It was really neat and I can't wait to take Ashlyn back when she is a little older and can enjoy it! We met up with Chance afterwards for lunch at Eatzi's. Here are some pictures from our outing.

Sarah, Ashlyn & Rachel

This crocodile creeped me out!

Outside at the penguin exhibit (Ashlyn was getting sleepy)

Crashed out in her stroller!

Very weird shark!

The coolest animal in the aquarium...go figure...a leopard!

3 months old

3 months! I can't believe it. I think I said the same thing about 2 months and I am pretty sure I will continue saying it for the rest of her life! She is growing up so fast! Here is what Ashlyn is doing at 3 months old...

She weighs 10 lbs!!! She wears newborn and 0-3 month clothing and size 1 diapers. She eats 6-7 times a day and we have been switching between bottles and breast feeding trying to find what makes her tummy happy! She still naps several times a day and usually sleeps on her tummy during her naps. She doesn't sleep that well on her back, but is doing better at night. She naps in her pack & play or in her crib (or sometimes on top of me if her tummy is upset). She still sleeps in her bassinet next to our bed at night, but that is going to change soon. She goes anywhere from 2-8 hours at night in between feedings and usually gets up at 9 am. She likes to be swaddled at night, although she fights it a little at first. She is very alert during her wake times and has quite a personality. She still likes her tummy time and we have been working on rolling over...she rolled over once, but I think that was because she was stretching and moved just right! She hasn't done it again without my help. Her neck muscles are getting much stronger and she can hold her head up. She loves to look at mouths and she tries to mimic movements with her mouth. She smiles and laughs and coo's a lot! She likes her baths and usually takes one a day...sometimes 2 a day if she has a blow out!! She loves being in the car and does very well in noisy, social environments. She is an easy traveler, but requires lots of packing! She still takes medicine for her birthmark and her reflux. Other things Ashlyn loves...her daddy's singing, her pacifier, her baby lounger that plays "if you're happy and you know it clap your hands", her sound machine that displays images on the ceiling at night, stretching, cuddling and smiling at her mom! She is a very happy baby...unless she gets hungry, then she will let you know! She is a true blessing. Here are some pictures of her at 3 months!

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