Photo Dump

tummy time and loving to eat her hands

hanging with the doggie

happy baby :)

night time baby

snuggle baby

Daddys who read their daughters bedtime stories are the best

getting the hang of the jumperoo exasaucer

While I was making muffins for the week my "helpers" were not so helpful. Here is helper #1 pooping........

and helper #2 taking a snooze

more hanging in the bumbo and our attempts to make her hold a toy

 

 

 

a terrifying sight I spotted in Costco the other day. Why are dolls and kid toys so creepy these days?

Have a great labor day weekend!!!

xoxo
Ashlea

Babies dont keep....

Yesterday was a tough day. Charlotte's reflux was so bad, I spent all day holding her upright, wearing her, soothing her, cleaning up throw up, and giving her gripe water. Because of that nothing got done around the house. So this morning I knew what was waiting for me.....

Laundry....

Dust bunnies.....

 Dirty dishes....

and a bunch of other household duties. I was up before C and thought about getting started on some of this stuff but then I looked at her and the poem "song for a 5th child" came into my head and so instead I laid in bed and just watched her sleep and pulled her into bed with me and snuggled.

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

It was the perfect way to start my day :)

xoxo
Ashlea

National Dog Day!

In honor of National Dog Day - my first 2 babies......

Bailey

- you have the softest head and ears
- you have the stinkiest breath
- you love a soft bed and a cuddle
- you will do ANYTHING for food
- you love any and all food
- you are the most photogenic and expressive dog ever :)

Penelope
- you are a ball of energy and love, I dont think you could ever run out of either
- everybody comments on how pretty you are
- you love your new little sister
- you LOVE giving kisses
- you still think you are a tiny puppy who can fit on our laps
- your belly keeps my feet warm when we snuggle on the couch and I get a chill :)

 

We love you sweet puppies!!

xoxo
Ashlea

Grams' Tea Cart

  After my funny, one-of-a-kind, beloved Grams passed away last year the family had to go through her things and decide what to do with them. Some things we threw away, others were donated and some things were kept.

I had always loved a tea cart that she had, and my family was sweet enough to let me keep it. It was too big to take back on an airplane so when we drove up for the lake house I knew it was my chance to bring it back home.

Today I cleaned it and played with where to put it and how to decorate it. It came to rest in my dining room with some bottles, a cake stand and candles sitting on it. I love the way it looks and that every time I pass it I think of her. I have several other little things of hers and I love how they keep her around even though she is no longer here.

 

xoxo
Ashlea

3 Months

Little C turned 3 months while we were at the lake this past week. It is true what they say about 3 months being a turning point. She is so much more alert, playful and developing a personality than when we she was a sweet little newborn blob.

This new "happy babyhood" allowed me to get some great 3 month pictures!

  This month you are.....
              *wearing size 3M clothes and size 1 diapers
              * loving to suck on your hands
              * smiling and laughing all the time
              * looking at books during story time
              * discovering your feet
              * still eating and sleeping wonderfully!

xoxo
Ashlea

Rolling Over

  Charlotte has rolled tummy to back a few times before but it always seemed on accident and she would just do it once and then not again for a while. But today she did it probably a dozen times and seemed to know what she was doing! After she would roll over and would tickle her feet and she would laugh and I would roll  her back over and do it all over again :)

I caught one of the roll overs on video, it is so exciting to see her learning how to do new things and hitting milestones.

I will put together a post of our wonderful lake house vacation once I organize all the pictures!

Miss you all already!

xoxo
Ashlea

Playroom

I have been working on Charlotte's playroom for the past few weeks, I am sure that as she grows and starts being able to play in different ways I will change and add to it but for now it's complete and we have been spending a lot of time in there!

Here is the room as you walk in. I made the curtain with a branch and scrap fabric and found the paper lanterns at the dollar section of Target. I didnt want to decorate too much, I think a simple room allows her to focus on what she is playing with without being over stimulated.

Here is the other side of the room. I got a crib mattress and put a door mirror on it so she can sit in her Bobby pillow and look into it or lay on the mattress for tummy time and play with the baby in the mirror :) The pictures are just shapes I printed off and framed in dollar store frames, she loves staring at them! The circle is her favorite. She also loves the flower pinwheels that I found at the dollar store.

These are the crates that hold her toys. I wanted everything to be on the floor or very close to it so it is all on her level and accessible to her. I put a few books, a simple puzzle, a wooden train and some stacking blocks in there for now. She likes watching me take all the blocks off and stack them.

  

These are the sensory boards I made her, they are just dollar store cookie sheets with different textures and colors duck taped on with some black and white checked duck tape. Right now she just enjoys looking at the different colors and we are starting to rub her hands on the different areas so she can feel the different textures.

This is the other corner of the room. I hung some simple dollar store flower streamers and put her play mat that Grandma and Grandpa got for her. After we do the hard work of tummy time and sitting up to look at the pictures and toys its her favorite place to lay down and "talk" while looking up at the lights. Today she was joined by Daddy and Penelope :)


And now for a ridiculous amount of pictures of a baby on a play mat :) enjoy!

AH that hair! that smile! I love her!

Babys best friend :)

xoxo
Ashlea