It's almost 2012!!

Well here I go again going a month + without updating our blog! That should be my New Years resolution, although I wouldn't dare make it official because I would probably fail miserably! Ha ha.

Thanksgiving & Christmas have come and gone since my last update! The Bells drove out to visit us for a nice Chicago Thanksgiving! We took them to see a ton of sights in downtown Chicago, exposed them to true deep dish pizza (not my favorite), did some major shopping, and enjoyed a nice relaxing Thanksgiving day & meal at our house. We were going to go to the Thanksgiving Day parade in the city, but opted against it because it meant a very early & long day for everyone! Olivia had a lot of fun playing with and mothering Connor. She asked to sleep on the floor of his bedroom, and each morning she would get up with him without making a peak, give him breakfast, and change his diaper! Let's just say we've hired her on to come out for a few weeks this summer after the baby is born!

A few short weeks later, Christmas arrived! Connor and I spent about 10 days in PA visiting friends & family. Ryan was able to fly in for a few days over Christmas day and then we all flew back together. We were able to see a ton of friends & family while home, but unfortunately, we took a Chicago cold back with us that ended up being passed around to a few family members. As mad as I was to get sick on our trip home, it was a blessing in disguise because we had tons of eager hands to help so that I could relax and get well! We felt the baby move for the first time while we were in PA!

And now, here we are....New Years Eve!! We don't have any plans because I went and got a stomach bug yesterday and we weren't sure if I would be better or not. I am feeling better, but we are still having a quiet night just the 3 (4) of us!

What's in store for early 2012?? Well, we have our 20 week ultrasound on Monday where we will (hopefully) find out the gender of the baby! After that, we plan to start the nursery! We are on the hunt for another crib and we have plans to have the nursery and spare bedroom painted mid January. That leaves the basement and laundry room left to paint! Both my parents & Ryan's parents are hoping to visit some time in February, I am hoping to make one last trip to PA in March before the baby comes, and then we will be down to about 6 weeks until our due date!

Connor is becoming more of a toddler each day! He is really saying a lot of different words and he mimics a lot of what we say. His 18 month check up is coming up this week and we are excited to see how much he has grown! We think he is going through a growth spurt because he is eating us out of house & home and sleeping more than normal!

Well, that's all for now!

~One month later~

A whole month has flown by since our last update...so here are a few things going on in our lives recently:

~ Projects
The house projects are never ending!! We have a long laundry list of things we want to do around the house; we will probably never complete it. Here a few things we are hoping to have done this winter: blinds & curtains -- we only have a few windows left, but man, blinds & curtains add up quickly and before you know it you are spending a ton of money!!,  the baby nursery - of course this needs to be done before May! We need to paint, put in a ceiling fan/light, and get furniture and a few other small items, the basement - we would love to get the basement painted and carpeted so that Ryan will have an office area at home & Connor can have a new play area for the winter when we become shut-ins (ha ha)!! Furniture for the basement would hopefully come shortly after that!!, painting the guest bedroom & laundry room - once we get those two rooms done then we will have painted the entire house!!!

A few other projects we'd like to do as time and money permit are:
more decorations and a few small pieces of furniture (like a bench when you come in the front door)
changing out the light fixtures - especially in the kitchen & dining room
patio furniture for our deck & screened in porch (probably next summer)

I'm sure the list will continue to grow!! :)


~ Friends!!
Yes, we are making friends!! And, although hard to believe, these are friendships that I have started!! Usually it is the other way around; Ryan makes friends at work and we meet people that way, and so on!

I found a Christian moms group and Connor and I have been attending events during the day. Some friendships have blossomed out of that! I feel so lucky to have found this group. I can only imagine how lonely Connor and I would be at home all day!

~ Babysitters
We've worked really hard over the past week to find a regular date night babysitter. We have been so blessed to have wonderful neighbors who are willing to watch Connor any time we need them to. But, we decided that we should probably have one regular sitter to come for the nights that we are gone over bedtime and out later than usual. We interviewed one sitter this week who Connor adored! She has one son of her own (19 months) and other on the way expected to arrive in April. At one point during her meet up with us, Connor grabbed her hand and walked her to his room to show her his fishies. So cute! Anyhow, we hired her..

Tonight we are meeting with another potential sitter to use as back up. After we hired the first sitter, we got an application (we posted the job on sittercity.com) from a lady that attends the same church that we've been attending. She also has a young child and will probably be a ton of help around the time that our other sitter has her baby. I can also use them for doc appts during the day if a neighbor or friend isn't available to watch Connor.

~ Connor!!
Connor is really growing every single day and I am always seeing him do new things. He is really repeating words right now. He calls every fruit an apple, he says 'hot' every time he sees our space heater..the oven...the microwave...or sometimes even the refrigerator (ha ha), he tries to say happy & pappy (they sound the same), meme, he can say baby!! yay!!, and there are a bunch of others but I can never think of them when I go to write on here! I'll just say that he mimics words when HE wants to. If he doesn't want to, there is no hope of it! Ha ha. If he is in the mood to mimic my words, I can really see the wheels turning in his little head while he tries to figure out how to say it. The changing table is a great place to get him to try new words. He really focuses on my mouth and how I am forming the words.

We are working on age appropriate puzzles! He has one puzzle of trains, cars, and other modes of transportation. He would rather bang them off of other toys right now than fit him in their correct spots on the puzzle, but that will eventually come. I bought him another puzzle for Christmas, so maybe having the new one will spark his interest again.

He's been showing his little temper more and more with fits & tantrums! It's gotten better over the past few weeks because I've been working on not rewarding that behavior and not letting it bother me in public. I don't expect us to be tantrum-free for a long time, but I think we need to figure out one predictable way to handle his fits and hopefully that will reduce the frequency.

We've gotten into more of a schedule over the past few weeks. Most of these moms group events are in the morning, so we've been heading out each day around 8:45, going to whatever event, and coming home for a nap in the afternoon! I've realized that once Connor gets up in the morning, he will stay in his crib for about 20 minutes and play with his stuffed animals. That time allows me to shower in peace, so then when I get out I bring him over to our room with me while I finish getting dressed. I never thought I'd get to this point. My showering was dependent on his nap schedule and some days he doesn't nap (=no shower until Ryan gets home)! Those days usually end in tears, but I haven't figured out way to get him to nap if he doesn't want to.

~ Visitors
 Next week, my sister, brother-in-law, and 2 nieces are coming to visit for Thanksgiving! They will be here for about 4 full days. I'm sure we will make a trip to downtown Chicago, but I'm not sure what else we will do. We are going to let it up to them! We're excited to not have to spend Thanksgiving alone! 


That's all for now...I'll try to post again before this next month is up!

Update on Connor!

After a long hiatus from our blog, I thought I would post a few updates on everything Connor is doing and getting into! :)

- His word list consists of: hot, Ashley, MAMA (finally), Daddy, Meme, ball, shoes, cheese, outside, tree..I'm sure there are some I'm missing.
- He no longer listens to the word 'no'...which has given us a whole new set of challenges. It's hard to give an effective time out to a 1 year old. I don't feel like he comprehends why we are doing it. And, the only thing we can think to do for a time out is to make him sit on our laps. There is no way he's going to sit without us making him sit.
- He still eats any and everything! He eats a ton! He's doing great at communicating when he's hungry. He will go to the refrigerator or to his high chair if he wants a snack.
- I think he weighs around 23 1/2 lbs. He hasn't been at the doc since August, but when I step on the scale with him, he's coming in at around that weight.
- He's slowly but surely growing out of his 12 month pants. I thought he'd be in them forever. He has a tiny heiny (except when wearing a cloth diaper)!
- He wants to be outside and will throw fits if he wants to go out and we cannot take him out at that moment. He will even bring us his shoes, as well as our own! ha ha.
- That brings me to tantrums... he's starting to throw tantrums...ekk!
- He is starting to show some separation anxiety, even when we just walk out of the room in our own house. When Connor and I are alone throughout the week, he's attached to my hip, but on weekends he will not let Ryan out of his sight. I definitely take a backseat. Poor Ryan can barely get anything done on the weekends!
- We finally left Connor with one of our neighbors last week so we could grab dinner. It's always hard to leave him with someone new, but he had a blast. Colleen, our 10 year old neighbor, watched him along with her parents.

We got home from a visit to PA a little over a week ago and it was packed full with seeing friends & family. We had a surprise 60th birthday for my mom the first day we were home and were able to see a bunch of family at once at that get together. Connor got to visit with all of his grandparents; we spent time with my brother, sister, and nieces; we got to visit with two new babies and their parents: babies Hannah & Ella; we spent time with some of Ryan's extended family: Ed, Vickie, Jackie, Lyman, & Ann; and we also got some time in with my good friends Liz, Jenna, & Chrissy! I would say it was a pretty successful trip home!

Connor's Pappy Britt & Great Gram Britt are coming for a visit on Wednesday. We have plans to go to a Penn State game in Evanston, IL this weekend. I know Ryan is excited to take Connor to his first PSU game, but I'm a little nervous about the cooler weather.

Well, that's all for now!

More updated house pics!

A good day....

Today is a good day...

We took Connor apple picking this morning...
I was able to take a nice nap this afternoon... thanks to daddy!
Right now it is a sunny 60s degrees outside with a nice breeze blowing..
Ryan & Connor are in the backyard playing while I'm baking in the kitchen. I have the window open so I can feel the breeze on my face!

I'm loving it!

I love fall and I hope this weather is here to stay!

Connor's 14 month stats...

Weight: 21 lbs 15 1/2 oz

Height: 30 1/2 inches

Head circumference: 19 inches

He got 3 shots today :( -- MMR, Varicella, & the flu shot. He screamed at the time, but got over it pretty quickly and shortly after returned to his normal self!

A busy month!

I can't believe it has been over a month since I've updated our blog! I must admit, I have sat down a few times to write an entry, but just wasn't in the writing mood. I'm not really in the writing mood right now either. I am not sure what has gotten into me. But, I definitely need to just do it!

This month has been very busy...

We had settlement on our house shortly after we returned from PA. We closed on 8/2 and then the movers came on 8/3!! Unpacking was miserable!! I don't want to move again for a very long time! My parents were here during our first week in our house. We did a lot of unpacking and painting. Ryan's family arrived about 4 hours after my parents left and spent the 2nd week with us. We, again, did a lot of painting and housework! We were very fortunate to have all of that help right off the bat because Connor would have kept one of us busy at all times and I don't know how we would have gotten anything done!!

Since our visitors left, we have gotten to work on a few more small things around the house. We are "painted out" and I think we are going to resort to hiring someone to do a majority of the rest. We have a ton of projects on our "to do" list.

Here are some pictures of the work we've done on our house:

Our master bedroom -- before it had purple walls and a floral border!

Master bathroom -- it also had purple walls and a floral border

Connor's bedroom - before 2 walls were dark blue and 2 walls were tan - it had a sports border

Eat in kitchen -- we took down a chair rail and border -- before the bottom half of the wall was maroon.

Kitchen -- before it had a lovely fruit border!

Connor turned 14 months old last weekend! I seriously do not know where the past 2 months...or even 14 months...have gone!! He is growing so fast and is such a silly little boy...

A few of his "new" things:

-He says "Ashley" but not mama!
-He can also say eyes, outside, tree, cheese, and of course daddy!
-His molars are coming in! The poor kid is getting 5 teeth at once (4 of them are molars)!
-When you ask him where is eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and belly are, he knows what to point to!
-He has a special silly face that he always makes at me because he knows he can get me to laugh.
-He LOVES to be outside! When we aren't outside, he will stand at the door and whine and whine until he gets distracted by something else or I take him outside.
-He is going through a whining stage! ekk! I'm working on some signs to hopefully alleviate that!
-He's still eating everything in sight! He can chow down on an entire banana and granola bar for breakfast!
-He's getting pretty good at showing us what he wants. When he is hungry he goes to his high chair and when we wants a drink he goes to the fridge.
-He loves to sit on the couch with us. He thinks he is big stuff!

Tomorrow we go to his 14 month check up! The last time it was a circus trying to get him to sit still during the visit. I'm sure tomorrow will be even more difficult as he continues to grow bigger and stronger! I'm excited to see how much he weighs because he eats sooo much, yet has to burn off a ton of calories because he goes nonstop.


If I have time I will post his "stats"!

PA Visit

Today is our first day home after a 2 and 1/2 week visit to PA! It was a very busy & packed few weeks in PA!

We started our visit out by traveling to Pittsburgh for Craig & Danielle Kaniecki's wedding! Ryan was in the wedding, so I had a lot of R&R time the day of the wedding while Ryan filled his groomsmen duties! Connor stayed with my parents while we were away. It was a beautiful wedding and I know Craig & Danielle are going to be very happy!! The day after their wedding, we hosted a 1st birthday party for Connor at my parent's pool! It was great to see all of our friends & family and to celebrate Connor's first year!

Over the next few days we were able to visit with a bunch of friends ~ Liz & Ravi, Kristen & Ethan, baby Jameson & Jenna. We spent one day at Hershey Park with Kristen & Ethan and the boys had a blast in the pool and in the splash parks!

While I was home, I was able to throw a baby shower for my dear friend Katie who is expecting baby Hannah in September! It went very well and Katie got so many nice things!! It was nice for all of her friends & family to get together and celebrate Hannah before her arrival! I know lots of people are excited to meet her!

The beautiful flowers at the shower provided by my mother-in-law, Jan!

Katie (baby Hannah) and I

Katie's baby shower before the guests arrived!

Time flew and before we knew it, it was time to return back to IL! It feels good to be home and back in our routine, but we are missing everyone!!

We have a week of "downtime" and then things are going to start to get busy & hectic again. We close on our house on 8/2, the movers bring our stuff from storage on 8/3, and then we will be spending many days painting and getting settled into our new home. Luckily, my parents are coming to help the 1st week we are in the house and Ryan's family is coming the 2nd week! It would be near impossible to get things done with Connor and no babysitter because he is so busy these days.

My parents are coming out again in mid-September for my dad to run in a marathon in Chicago and then our next trip to PA is planned for the beginning of Oct!

Now a little on Connor and all the new things he is doing:

~ He gets around with ease. He can stand up on his own without having to go to furniture to stand up.
~ He has a huge appetite and he eats almost anything (if he is in the mood for it)! One day he will refuse a food and the next he will gobble it down.
~ He points to everything and attempts to say "What's that?"!
~ He is starting to try to mimic words we say. He says "daddy" perfectly, but sometimes we also hear "thank you", "tree", "cheese", and I'm told "pap"! No sign of "mommy" yet! :(
~ He mimics our actions too! One of my favorites is that he loves when we smell his feet and say "Ewww stinky"!! Today I saw him walk over to me, smell my foot, and attempt to say "eww"!! Ha ha.
~ While in PA, he got his 7th tooth with little to no fussing!
~ Connor tests my patience!! Ha ha. I find it hard not to laugh at him, but I am working on it! Everyone knows I am a germophobe. Today we were at Target and I forgot wipes to wipe down the cart. Okay, I can live with that. But, Connor decided that he was going to lick every inch of the cart that he could reach (ewwww!!!!). The first time he did it, I said no and he stopped, but he watched me and waited to see my reaction before he did it again! I kept telling him no, but the little stinker kept on going and would pause between each "lick" to see what I was going to do. He definitely has a naughty side!! Wonder where he gets it??:)

Until next time...

Post 17 - Something that makes you cry

Most of the stories in today's news!! The news is depressing nowadays.

** I also posted entry #16 below!

Post 16 - Something that makes you feel better

Too many to list, but I'll name a few:

1. Connor's chuckle/belly laugh & big smile
2. Watching Connor light up when Ryan gets home from work (he RUNS to the door).
3. Watching Ryan be a daddy.
4. Starbucks frappucchino -- ha ha
5. Turkey Hill ice cream -- there is none other like it
6. Connor's pterodactyl impersonation!
7. Sleeping in

Connor turns 1!!!!

I absolutely cannot believe Connor turned 1 this week! In some ways, his birth seems like ages ago, and in other ways it feels like it was just yesterday. It is amazing to look back at photos and see how much he's changed. He's officially a toddler now!

We had Connor's 12 month check up yesterday with a new pediatrician. She was nice, but I do miss our pediatrician in Hershey. Our Hershey ped was much more informative. He would examine Connor, talk to us about where Connor was on the growth charts, tell us what he should be doing, tell us what to expect over the next couple of months, and sympathize with us because he has a little one the same age who also didn't sleep for a majority of his first year of life! Ha ha. Our new pediatrician is very good and nice, but just waits for our questions. His doc appt pretty much turned into a wrestling match the entire time because he wants to get into EVERYTHING, so I didn't have a moment to gather my thoughts and ask questions. Of course, I thought of about 5 questions after we left the office.

Enough about that.... I'm sure we'll grow to love her. If not, there are other pediatricians out there.

Connor's 12 month stats:

1. Connor now weighs in at 20 lbs 10 oz. Which is a weight gain of about 12 1/2 lbs in his first year! He is only in the 25th percentile, but the kid never stops moving, it doesn't surprise me!

2. They measured his length at 29 1/2 inches long (50th percentile), which sounds a little off to me because he measured 29 inches at his 9 month appt. But, in their defense, he wouldn't hold still for them to get an accurate measurement.

3. I have no idea what his head circumference was -- I didn't catch that number.

4. Connor got 2 vaccines yesterday and also got a finger prick to check for anemia (he wasn't anemic). He didn't make one peep for the finger prick, which surprised me because I think that hurts!! But, he did cry quite a bit for the shots. I don't blame him!

What else is Connor doing?

- Walking very well.... all day long! He doesn't want held or cuddled. He just wants to walk, walk, walk. Luckily, he has gotten a lot better and doesn't fall and hit his head as much.

- Babbling like crazy. You would think that he has his own language! The only "word" that he says really well is Dada. Sometimes we think he is trying to say "uh oh", "two", and "hi". But, he only attempts these words when he is mimicking us.

- Connor is still in love with VeggieTales and thanks to Libby, Emily, & Greg, we just received a new DVD in the mail for his birthday!! So, now I can get some of those old songs out of my head!! But, of course, I'm sure I'll learn all the new ones now and have them playing in my head all day long too! ha ha.

- Since becoming much more mobile, Connor has without a doubt learned the meaning of "no"! He listens very well unless he is tired. In our small, small apartment, we have a fireplace, vertical blinds at the balcony door, & a fake plant that are 'hot spots' for him. Throughout the day, as he is making laps around the apartment, I'll see him stop at these temptations and look at them. You can tell he is pondering whether or not to touch them. If I see him do this, I'll say "Connor..no!" and 99 percent of the time he walks away. At night before bedtime, that's another story! But, overall, he does VERY well at listening.

- Sleeping!! He is FINALLY sleeping! He has slept through the night since we've been here in IL. Although, he is an early riser, we can usually get him to sleep an 8 1/2 - 10 hour stretch! Naps are also going well with minimal crying when I put him in his crib. He averages 1-2 naps per day depending on when he gets up in the morning.

Connor's 1st birthday

Connor's 1st birthday was this past Monday! We were very lucky to have Ryan take a day off to spend the day with us! We took Connor to the Brookfield Zoo where he saw zebras, lions, tigers, bears, birds, reptiles, fish, etc. He had a lot of fun! After spending the day at the zoo, he (of course) had a chocolate cake for dessert after dinner. He was a MESS!!! And, let's just say you could tell he had much more sugar than normal! He was WILD!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, we've been in IL for about a month and we are slowly getting settled. We have a house that we are under contract with and hopefully we'll go to settlement in mid/late July. We are ready to be out of this tiny apartment!! We've gotten to do a lot of sightseeing in our short month here. We've gone into the city, to the aquarium, to two zoos, to a waterpark, for many walks, and to the children's museum. We are trying to be "tourists" before we move into a house and get bogged down with moving/painting/etc.

Connor and I are flying back to PA in about a week to spend 2 and 1/2 weeks there! Ryan will fly back twice over those two weeks for a wedding and for another commitment we made prior to moving. I am more than nervous for the flight back to PA with just Connor and myself. Like I said before, he postively does not want to be held, so I have a feeling keeping him on my lap for a 1-2 hr flight will not go well. I hope he proves me wrong!! Ryan will be on the flight home with us, so I am much less nervous about that one!

We are going to have a true birthday party for Connor while we are back in PA! It'll be nice to see all of our friends & family!

Well, that's all for now! Hope to post again soon!:)

Post 15 - Something that upsets you

Okay... so after a couple months hiatus...I am going to try to continue with our blog challenge without Ryan. We are just too busy in the evenings when he gets home from work to bother him with it. So, I will try to finish it myself!:)

~Something that upsets you ~

I have a few small pet peeves that I just happened to be exposed to yesterday, so I'll write about them..

1. We were at the pool of the community where our temp housing is, so there is an array of ages spanning age 5-40s. It seems like a younger community and I haven't seen too many people over 40. Anyhow, we were at the pool and there were young kids swimming and these 20-somethings found it appropriate to cuss loudly around these kids. Of course, I don't like them doing it in front of Connor, but he doesn't understand yet. It bothered me more that they found it acceptable to swear in front of these kids.

2. I know we've come a LONG way with laws banning smoking in restaurants, bars, etc. So, I shouldn't complain. But again, we were at the pool last night and I was overwhelmed by cigarette smoke from these 20-somethings! Again, I find it offensive, but it bothers me even more that they are blowing their smoke in the direction of my 1 year old son. I hope some day they ban smoking everywhere except your home/car! I'd rather not die of cancer from 2nd hand smoke..thank you!

3. The drivers in IL!!! It is routine to see drivers run red lights, especially if they are waiting to make a left turn. The light will turn red and you'll see a line of 2-3 cars turn left after the light turns red. I understand if you are in the middle of the intersection because you are waiting for your chance to make a left turn and the light changes, but c'mon....they are definitely pushing the line with this one! But, like I said, it is so common...I wonder if the police officers ignore this one!?

That's all for now!:)

My first few weeks as a SAHM!

I've been an official full-time SAHM (Stay At Home Mom) for a few days short of 3 weeks! Considering we spent 1 of those weeks with family in PA and the other weeks running around house hunting, I don't feel that Connor & I have gotten into a rhythm or routine. I'm guessing we won't find our routine until we are settled into a house. Who knows how long that will be!?

In the 2 weeks that Connor and I have been in IL, we have tried to keep busy. There were a few days where we were stuck indoors due to storms (today being one), but other than that we've had a blast! Let's see...we've done some shopping, explored the downtown area, gone for long walks to explore the area, gone to a children's museum, and gone to the zoo & the pool. We have been able to meet a few new people. I met a mom at the pool, at the children's museum, AND at the zoo. Hopefully I can continue to meet up  with a few of the moms and form friendships. Connor met a little boy at the museum and they "clicked". It was very cute. Connor's form of "loving" someone is by putting his forehead up to your face (my family calls it "eye-eye"). Well, when he met this little boy, he immediately gave him eye-eyes. I had to explain to his mother what he was doing so that she didn't think we were weird! Ha ha.

Connor is taking off in all directions!! He is cruising around our little apartment & making laps nonstop! Of course with walking comes the bumps & bruises. I am really struggling with that because he's starting to collect a few on his face. Ugh. He is also becoming insistant on feeding himself. If I have yogurt or something else REALLY good that he likes in a pureed form, he will let me feed him, but that's the only time. We have learned the hard way that spaghetti makes a big mess when we let him feed himself! :) But, man it is so darn cute!!!

We are getting visitors tomorrow - Meme & Pappy (my parents). My dad does business in Chicago and is coming for a business trip. Of course my mom is tagging along and he extended the trip through the weekend! We are planning to do a lot of fun things. We are hoping to go into the city over the weekend & show them the downtown area. I am hoping the weather is nice because we'd like to take Connor to a splash park & to a few festivals going on here this weekend. Should be fun!

Well, that's it for now.. we have a lot of fun things planned for next week! I'll post an update later in the week!

~ The Windy City ~

Connor and I reunited with Ryan on Saturday! We were so excited and happy to see him at baggage claim after a long day of delayed flights! Connor did well considering the circumstances. We took off from State College at 10:30 am and arrived in Philly shortly after. It was a very short flight. Connor does not want held anymore; he wants to be on the go, go, go!! So, I had to fight him a little bit to stay still on the plane. He fussed and whined for me, so I was glad that it was a short flight. Let's just say that the first flight made me nervous for the next, much longer, flight. We were supposed to take off in Philly at 1:50pm, but as you can guess, we were delayed. First it was 25 minutes, then 50 minutes, then 70 minutes, and then finally 2 hrs and 5 mins later, we took off ! Our time in the airport was challenging...again because Connor doesn't want to stay still and because he was tired and couldn't settle in the busy airport. I guess our struggles in the airport were a blessing in disguise because he slept throught he entire 2nd flight, even with having it extended 35 min because we couldn't land in O'Hare due to storms. I was extremely nervous about nursing him in public over this trip (yes, he's still nursing full-time ~ we are cutting back when he turns 1), but it went really well and he fell asleep within minutes of nursing!

Ryan, Connor, and I are living in a western suburb of Chicago called Naperville. It's amazing. It's beautiful, busy, and family friendly! We doubt we'll settle in Naperville permanently because of the cost of living, so we're looking to buy a house in Plainfield. So far we 've seen about 10-12 houses, some for a 2nd time, and we have agreed of a favorite. Actually, it's perfect minus one small thing...the commute! However, it's move-in ready, we love how the previous owner painted, it's on a cul-de-sac in a community with a lot of kids, it has a finished basement, it has a huge back yard with a fence, the yard backs up to an elementary school (I could walk Connor to school if we are still living here when he starts school). The only downfall is that it'll be about a 45 min commute for Ryan. We've realized that he's going to have a 30-45 min commute regardless of where we settle. We've decided that we are going to put buying a house on hold for a few weeks because Ryan's company (Sara Lee) is considering a move into the city. That would mean an hour + commute for Ryan if we live in Plainfield, and we don't want that. We are hoping the company announces a decision in the next week or two so we can move forward.

The furnished apartment they have us in is nice, but small. Connor has already put teeth marks in the TV stand and pulled down one of the blinds. He keeps me busy in this apartment trying to prevent any further destruction.

We haven't had too much time to be tourists yet. We've eaten at a few restaurants and went to the riverwalk downtown. We are hoping to have time to do more sightseeing this weekend!

Connor has been doing great with the transition here and with the time change. He's been very pleasant and has slept through the night each night so far! He even slept through horrible storms we've had two nights in a row. See the link below...after this storm, the temp dropped from 102 to 57!!!

Chicago Storm ~ 6/9/11

In addition to transitioning so well, Connor has also started walking...he's on the move!! He's walking between furniture, across rooms...anywhere his little heart desires!!

Ryan and I are meeting up with other couples with kids tonight at Central Park in Naperville. We found this group through http://www.meetup.com/! We're hoping to be able to make friends with other couples our age who have little ones. Hopefully the weather holds out!!

That's all for now! I'm hoping to be more diligent about updating the blog now that we are hear and 'kind of' settled!

Long overdue!!

We are long overdue for a blog post!! So much has happened in the past month and 1/2. Where to start?

How about the new things Connor is doing...

Connor is pretty mobile by now. He crawls all over the place, pulls himself up, crawls up the stairs, walks around furniture. He can stand on his own for as long as he wants, but he hasn't mustered up the courage to take multiple steps on his own yet. He's taken 1 or 2 steps at a time, but then falls down. I have a feeling he'll be walking in no time!!

Connor's menu continues to grow! He is tasting a lot of the things we are eating, but he doesn't always make a meal out of it. I try to get him to eat pasta, chicken, pancakes (one of his favorites), mac and cheese, but a lot of the times he only has a few bites and is done. He would rather feed himself than be fed. I usually follow his finger foods with pureed baby food to make sure he gets full!

He just turned 11 months old last Friday which means he'll be one in less than a month!! Where does the time go??

Connor is sleeping MUCH better at night!! Bed time usually takes place around 8-8:30 and he can usually make the stretch until about 4-5am. If I nurse him he'll usually go back to bed until 7:30 am, give or take 30 min.

We think he's working on another tooth! He has had an on again off again fever since Friday and has had the classic runny nose & cough that usually comes along with a new tooth. He has also been pretty fussy. I know it is early, but I really think I see a molar pushing through.

Connor got his first haircut last week and looks much older and very handsome!! I kind of miss his crazy, wacky, long hair, but I am sure it won't take long for it to grow back out! 

Connor keeps us busy. I pretty much have zero time for anything else unless he's napping!! He is curious and doesn't sit still -- but I guess that's a good thing !!

So...onto family news..

I am sure everyone knows we are moving to Chicago (actually a suburb of Chicago). Well, we are half moved by now.

Ryan left for IL on Sunday. He started his new job today!! Connor and I fly out this upcoming Saturday. I am really nervous about the flight with Connor because he has no interest in sitting still these days!!

We had a great holiday weekend with friends & family. We spent our last night in our Hummelstown home on Thursday night and then packed up and drove to Lewistown on Friday. Saturday my parents had a going away party for us, so we got to see a bunch of friends & family. I am spending the rest of my time in Lewistown before we leave for IL on Saturday.

Today we had a fun day with Liz & Ravi. They drove from Hershey to spend the day with us at my parent's pool. Tomorrow we are going to spend time with my dear friend Katie, and then Thurs and Fri I'll be in Hummelstown helping the movers pack up and load our stuff onto trucks to head to IL. This week is flying and will continue to fly by!

I am going to try to start our blog challenge back up once we get to IL and get settled. We are in temporary housing for 60 days, so hopefully we find a house before that. If not, we'll have to rent something for a year.

Wish us luck!:)

Catching up...

Wow... I am long overdue for a post!! I think it's been about a month since I posted something other than our 'blog challenge'.

Connor keeps me busy, especially since he has become mobile in the past month. Right after we got home from Killington, he started army crawling where he doesn't get his belly off the floor. He is pretty good and fast at that; he can get anywhere he wants in no time. I really have to be more aware of where he is when I am trying to get housework done. Mobility has definitely added a new dimension to our day. These days, Connor is doing a combination of army crawling and true crawling. Just this past Saturday, the 3 of us were in his nursery playing and he took a few "steps" on his hands and knees. By the end of the day, he was truly crawling across the room! What a big boy!

He is also standing along furniture & at his exersaucer. He can maneuver around a little bit, but hasn't gotten very good at walking around the furniture. We didn't realize it at the time but, we started a bad game with him. When he first starting standing at the furniture, one of us would always be there with him. He would let go of the furniture and fall straight back knowing that we were there to catch him. He finds this to be hilarious! Anyhow, now that we trust him enough to walk away while he's standing up at the furniture, he tries to do this and doesn't realize we aren't right there. Well, I'm sure you can guess what happens. He falls back on the carpet and hits his head. He cries, but I think it is more because of shock and surprise than being hurt.

Let's see...what else is new? He has pulled himself up a few times. He is eating quite a few new foods, especially finger foods. He loves pancakes, chicken, bananas, avocado, and blueberries. Another one of his favorite foods right now is broccoli (pureed). We had him at the doc at 9 months for a check up and he weighed 18 lbs 11 oz and was 29 inches long! He dropped on the growth charts for his weight, but a lactation consultant reminded me that those growth charts are for formula fed babies. Yes, I am still nursing Connor. I am hoping to cut back drastically at 1 year (which is only about 2 months away...crazy!!). I am thinking that we will keep the bedtime and nighttime feedings until he's ready to give them up because some times that is the only way we can get him to go to bed and sleep well at night.

That brings me to sleep.... *sigh*. We definitely have more good nights than bad nights these days. I really thought we'd all be getting more sleep by this time. We only have really bad nights (up every 2 hrs, screaming) whenever he is getting a new tooth. He's up to 6 teeth now and we are thinking he is on the verge of another one. We have gotten pretty good at recognizing all the signs by now.

Connor and I have been going to swim lessons on Wednesday mornings and he LOVES the water! It is a group of about 8 babies & moms (and one dad), and Connor is by far the youngest. However, I would probably say that out of all of them, he loves the water the most! Some of the babies twice his age scream and cling to their mom or dad. He just splashes the entire time. We haven't made any friends because everyone keeps about a 3 foot radius distance from us so that they don't get wet from his splashing. Ha ha. The water is cold...

He stills says da-da like there is no tomorrow. I haven't heard a true ma-ma yet, but every now and then we get a ba-ba which I think is his attempt at saying ma-ma. When he says it, it seems like he's trying to mimic me saying ma-ma. He'll figure it out

Well, that's all for now!!

Post 12 - What you ate today

Going back to post #12 that we skipped a few weeks ago...

Ashley:
Breakfast: a piece of chocolate pie that my Nana sent for Ryan and I...Yummm...and a Starbucks frappuccino

Lunch: corn pudding.... yes, corn pudding..(kind of like baked corn, but more the consistency of pudding...hence the name) YUM. And, another starbucks (yes I had 2 today... we had a long night last night and got very little sleep... booooo teething!!)

Snack: crackers


Dinner: Ryan made my favorite = chicken cacciatore with bread (Connor got his first taste of Daddy's cooking -- I gave him small bites of chicken & rice)

Snack: well, ice cream... of course!!:)


Ryan:

Breakfast: 3 cups of coffee (see Ashley's comment above)

Lunch: a turkey sandwich, an apple, and a bag of chips

Dinner: chicken cacciatore & bread

Bedtime snack: a beer!  ha ha.

Post 14 - Your favorite birthday

This is our 2nd post today, so make sure you catch post #13 too!

Ashley:

This is a tough one because.... on my 16th birthday, I got a car.... on my 20th birthday, I went on a fun trip to Niagara Falls.... on my 21st birthday, Ryan and I got engaged in Acapulco....but I think I am going to pick my most recent birthday...

I turned 26 about 2 weeks ago while we were in Killington, Vermont on a ski trip. This is one of my best birthdays because I was able to spend it with my Ryan, Connor, and some of my other family members on vacation! Ryan let me sleep in, which is very much appreciated these days!!! We spent some time with Connor in the morning and then went out skiing for the day. Ryan & I decided to take on the challenge of skiing (he snowboarded) on the steepest mogul slope in New England (Outer Limits). It was tough and exhausting, but we did it! Ryan teases me because I bring it up all the time and bought myself a pin to show off what we did! (ha ha...nerdy, I know!!). Anyhow, I was proud of us! After a long day of skiing, we had a great homemade dinner and birthday cake for dessert! I think we were in bed by 9pm at the latest, which to some of you may sound lame, but like I said earlier, sleep is a great birthday gift this year!:)

Ryan:

My favorite birthday was the 21st birthday party that we had at my parents camp.  Somehow, everyone came out unscathed but there were multiple musicians, multiple kegs, and tons of people.  I cannot give further details due to the fact that I need to protect the innocent, but it was tons of fun!

Post 13 - A moment

We are going to skip post #12 for now and come back to it (What you ate today). I cannot remember what all I ate today! Ha ha.

Ashley:

This is a moment that I can experience multiple times a day for now, but it will be coming to an end within the next 3 months or so...

One of my favorite moments of the day is when I'm nursing Connor and he stares at me and rubs my arm, touches my face, plays with his feet. It is so darn cute. Sometimes I get a little laugh or smile out of him if I am doing something that he finds funny. I am going to miss that!
Ryan:

My moment doesn't happen every day, but when it does I always pause to take it in.  It starts while I am going through my morning routine and getting ready for work.  Connor usually wakes up at some point during the process and wants to go snuggle in bed with Mommy.  Once he gets into bed, they snuggle up together and he usually falls asleep nestled up against her.  As I'm preparing for another day at the office, just seeing them sleeping so innocently together gives me all the motivation that I need!

Post 11- A picture of somewhere you have been

Ashley:

Cruise to the Bahamas with my mom and nieces, Mariah & Kaitlin. August 2009

Ryan:

Akaka Falls, Hilo, Hawai'i

Post 10 - Something you are proud of in the last few days

Ashley:

I have two things...

My hubby.... for finishing up and getting an A in his first MBA class and doing that while working full-time and being a full-time, super devoted daddy!!

Skiing down a double black diamond (Outer Limits) in Killington last week without falling!

Ryan:

I also have 2 things:

Connor....for doing such a great job traveling to and from Vermont.  He made the 7 hour car ride each way as pleasant as anyone could hope for.

Ashley....for turning 26 and being the being the best wife, mother, and friend anyone could ask for! 

Catching up on our blog challenge...

Post 9 - Songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, excited, mad...

Ashley:

I am going to change this one. I don't really associate songs/music with my moods.

My new post #9 = something I am excited about today..

I have multiple things to be excited about today.

-Connor slept well last night and has taken 2 great naps today! I got to sleep until 8am!
-Connor is getting soooo close to crawling!!
-I made dinner, which is a big deal for me!
-Our tulips are popping up!
-Connor is saying "Ba-Ba" which means he's getting closer to "Ma-Ma"!!
-Ryan is home from work!

I am sure there is more that isn't coming to mind at the moment.

Ryan -
What I'm happy about today:

My wife made dinner.
Connor is sleeping well

Killington Ski Trip

We had such a wonderful, fun ski trip this past week in Killington, VT. I was ready to come home to my bed, bathroom, and house, but I wasn't ready for the trip to end! After approx. a 10 year hiatus from skiing, my family and I decided to head back to Killington to hit the slopes. I am so glad we did!! I was extremely nervous to get back on skiis, but it was just like riding a bike -- like I never stopped.

Ryan, Connor, and I drove to VT last Sunday at midnight! We decided to drive overnight to minimize any disruptions in Connor's sleep schedule. Everyone knows that he doesn't sleep well, so we didn't want to mess things up any more!! We made the trip in about 6 1/2 hours and Connor did great!! We had minimal crying and only needed one stop to feed him and change his diaper.

We arrived at the condo on Sunday and were later met by the rest of the group: my mom & dad; my uncle Dennis who came along to cook and babysit for us; and my 3 nieces, Mariah, Kaitlin, & Olivia. The girls had very little experience on skiis, but by the end of the week they were all pros! Olivia, the youngest of the girls, surprised us all by asking to attend ski school all day, every day and by not wanting to leave the slopes at the end of the day. She did great!! She says that she wants to try snowboarding next! Mariah & Kaitlin did great too -- they were able to spend a good chunk of their time with the rest of us on the slopes after their lessons in the morning. Mariah & Kaitlin are two totally different skiers. Mariah is daring & likes to go fast, while Kaitlin is cautious. We had fun with the girls in the terrain park where we all hit some jumps, while probably only getting about a foot off the ground when it really felt like we were flying! ha ha. We also went tree skiing, which was quite challenging, even on the easy slopes.

Ryan & I spent a lot of time skiing with my dad while my mom stuck with the girls for most of the time. The girls were more comfortable on the easy/medium difficultly level slopes (green circles/blue squares is how they rate them). Ryan, my dad, and I wanted a little more challenge since we had a lot more experience on skiis than the girls. The first two days we played it easy -- just blue & green slopes. By the third day, we were feeling up for a challenge, so we tested our skills out on a single black diamond (the next level of difficulty).

In order to get to access the other mountains, we had to take a lift up Bear Mountain each day. Bear Mountain lives up to it's name -- all single blacks & double back diamond slopes with the exception of one blue square slope. As you ride up the lift on Bear Mountain, you get a front row seat and view of Outer Limits -- a double black slope that boasts the title of the steepest mogel slope in New England. By the way, mogels are big "bumps" on the slope. Each day I would say "Do you really think it looks that hard?? Do you think I could do it?" My dad, who was only looking out for my safetly, I suppose :), told me that it was beyond my skill level. Well, that was it -- by the fourth day, I was ready to try it. Ryan and I went down Outer Limits and the conditions couldn't have been better. We had just had a significant amount of snow which meant little to no ice on the slope. I hate skiing with ice, especially on difficult slopes. We decided that my mom and dad would meet us at the bottom and take pictures. That's right -- my dad chickened out!!! ha ha. We took the slope slow & steady and made it to the bottom in about 15 minutes. It was incredibly exhausting, but neither of us fell and I was proud of Ryan and I for taking on the challenge. Now I can say that I skied on the steepest mogel slope in New England on my 26th birthday -- guess I'm not so old and boring as I thought!:) Too bad Connor isn't old enough to see how cool his parents are. Ha ha.

While we were in VT we got about 2 feet of snow!! We had two absolutely perfect days of skiing -- sunny and beautiful. We had two days of snow, but if you bundled up, it wasn't so bad. The last day was all rain, which again, if you bundled up it wasn't so bad. We wore ponchos.

Connor stayed back with his great uncle, Dennis, each day to help cook meals for us!! Dennis was a great babysitter and he and Connor had a blast. Connor was able to get out on his sled in the parking lot one day when it was sunny outside. Dennis pulled him around until he fell asleep in the sled! ha ha. Ryan and I also took him to the recreation center to swim. He LOVES the water. I am really excited for his upcoming swim lessons at the end of the month. Anyhow, he splashed & splashed and since he was loving it so much, I thought I would test the waters (no pun intended..ha ha) by putting his head under. He did great!! He was a little surprised by it, but no tears or crying! We have a little fish on our hands

Overall, the trip was very exhausting yet fun! Between skiing all day and being up with Connor at night, we were pooped. I think we were in bed between 8-9 each night, but up between 4:30-6:30 each morning. I cannot wait until next year to get back out on the slopes. Hopefully Connor is sleeping through the night by then!! I can't imagine another year of no sleep.

On a different note, Connor is doing a few new things...

- He is getting closer and closer to crawling. He scoots around on his tummy in every direction now, however he really struggles and gets frustrated going forward. He can only move a few inches forward at a time. It won't be long until he is scooting without troubles. He gets up on his hands and knees, but doesn't know what to do from there.
- We can see another tooth coming through, which may explain the fever he had a week ago and his lack of sleeping at night!! *sigh* Will we ever get to the point where he sleeps all night?
- He reaches for us now! And, he clings to us if he doesn't want to go to someone or doesn't want to be put down. We also think he is going through a stage of separation anxiety! The past 2 times that he's gone to the nursery in church, he hasn't made it more than 20-30 minutes until we were called back to get him because he was so upset.
- His menu continues to grow!! We've started yogurt, mangoes, apricots, and next is corn! We are making a pear, carrot, & squash recipe and a corn & sweet potatoe recipes for him this week to try.

Well, that's about it for now. St. Patrick's Day pics will be up later this week! Ryan and I are going to try to get back on the bandwagon for our 30 day post challenge. We've been slacking!!!  I'll leave with a few pictures from our trip.

Connor "buckled in" on his sled!

Ryan and I before we hit the slopes one morning

Outer Limits
The two black dots are Ryan & I!

Just an update...

I thought I would take a quick break from our 30 post challenge! It's been fun, but it has also been hard to keep up with it every day. Hopefully Ryan and I can catch up tonight; the past 2 days have been busy!!

This week is packed full of Ryan trying to finish up his first class towards his MBA and us getting ready for our Vermont trip next week!! Busy, busy, busy!! We leave for Vermont on Sunday @ 12am. We are going to drive overnight to minimize the affects of our travels on Connor's schedule. Hopefully the trip will take about 8-9 hours, but probably more because I'm sure we'll make plenty of stops to give him a break from the carseat and to eat/change his diaper. We cannot get into the condo until 4pm on Sunday, so we have a lot of time to kill once we are there. Ryan found a few things for us to do including visiting a kid friendly farm & a place where they make maple syrup -- YUM!

Once we get there and are settled, we will have 5 straight days of skiing! We are going to be so tired, but it'll be a lot of fun! Connor is going to spend the days with my uncle, Dennis, who is going along to cook and babysit! I'm sure we will be in and out of the condo all day long to take breaks from skiing. Ryan and I are hoping to get him out in the snow on his sled each day and also into the indoor pool! I'm super excited to be celebrating my 26th birthday over our trip! What a great way to spend my birthday! We come home the following Saturday. If the overnight trip to VT goes well, we will probably drive back overnight as well.

Speaking of swimming, I signed Connor and I up for swim lessons starting March 30th! They run for 5 weeks. I am very excited to get him in the pool!

Connor is continuing to become more and more mobile. He still is not crawling, but he can get anywhere he wants by rolling and doing a little bit of scooting. He is becoming more curious; I caught him opening the cabinets of our entertainment center this week! ha ha. Ryan and I have gone into babyproofing mode!

He has gotten a few new foods over the past few weeks: squash, yogurt, butternut squash, mangoes. His menu is growing!!!

We've been taking him out shopping lately when we run to the grocery store or to target. He loves, loves, loves sitting in the cart!! He also loves it in the high chair when we go out to eat. He will sit there the entire time as long as I keep giving him his finger food snacks to eat. He has developed some pretty good motor skills to be able to feed himself. He can pick food out of my hand and get it into his mouth most of the time! He's growing so fast!!

I'm going to try to take some St. Patrick's Day pictures later today after his nap. Since Connor has some Irish blood in him, I thought St. Paddy's Day pictures should be mandatory!!

Well, that's all for now!!

Post 8 - A picture of something that makes you happy

We are behind a post, so here is our 2nd one for today...

Ashley:

EASY!!!!

Ryan: (aka copycat) ha ha!



Post 7 - What I would find in your bag

Ashley:
1. Keys
2. Pen
3. Work badge holder that I am not using
4. Lotion
5. Pen drive
6. Change
7. Mail that I need to put stamp on and drop in the mailbox
8. Claritin
9. Excedrin
10. Hand sanitizer
11. Gum
12. Inhaler
13. Vaccination schedule for Connor
14. Sunglasses
15. 3 more things of hand lotion
16. Another pen and a marker
17. Wallet with all of the regular things you put in your wallet: credit/debit cards, pictures, ID, and so on.
18. Work badge
19. Chapstick

Ryan:

Ryan opted out of this one! ha ha.

Post 6 - A picture of you a year ago and a picture of you now. Explain how you've changed.




About a year ago...

   
 Ashley:


Now!



Well, I'll state the obvious. I am about 30 lbs lighter than I was a year ago! ha ha. I was pregnant with Mr. Connor at the time, so therefore I have become a mommy, duh!! I think my views on everything have changed in the past year since becoming a parent. It really isn't something I can explain other than I look at things differently. 

Oh...and my definition of a "good night's sleep" has changed considerably!:)

Ryan:

My outlook on life has definitely changed!  Seems like everything I do now is to try to make a better future for our family, no more living day to day!  Oh, and the 30 lbs that Ashley lost through child birth....I found them over the past year! (Ashley interjects -- no he has not!!!)


Now!



Post 5 - Nicknames you have and why you have them

Ashley:

I have not been called this one for years, but growing up I had the nickname 'Pooh Bear'. I am told it came from my cousin's mother, and I guess it stuck for awhile when I was a baby & toddler!

I sometimes also get Ash, but not very often. Some other nicknames in middle and high school were Schell (maiden name) and Frosty (because I got my hair highlighted).

I guess I don't have a nickname that has stuck for my entire (almost) 26 years!

Ryan:

Britty

Post 4 - Someone you wish to switch lives with for a day and why

Ashley:

This was a hard one for me!! But, after much pondering and asking Ryan for ideas, I've decided that I would want to switch lives with my Pop when he was in his teens/early 20s! I love to hear stories about how things were "back then" and about the prices of things compared to present day. I think it would be neat to see how much things have changed in the past 80 years.

Ryan:

This is easy!  I'd love to switch places with Connor for a day.....so that I could experience what it is like to be carefree and without stress.  Except, of course, when you have to worry about who will change your diaper.  We always wonder what he's thinking and it would be cool to actually know for once.  Maybe the vacuum cleaner really is his arch enemy?? Maybe eating the carpet really does satisfy some taste that he's craving??

Post 3 - Short term goals for this month and why

Ashley:

1. As the weather starts to warm up (hopefully), take Connor outside for more walks and fresh air. We've been spending too much time indoors because of the cold, windy weather.

2. Sign Connor up for swim lessons. He LOVES bath time and I want to get him in the pool before this summer when we take him to Meme's pool.

3. Try to not be so negative at work. This is going to be tough because it is easy to fall into a rut. Being negative is not going to change the circumstances at work, but maybe being positive will make them more tolerable.

4. Make more crockpot meals on the days that I am home so that Ryan doesn't have to cook as much (I hate to cook).

5. Cut back on my ice cream consumption (see prior post) by (not to) one bowl per week. :)

Ryan:

1. Have a safe and fun trip to Vermont with Connor and Ashley!

2. Finish my first MBA Class - this 20 page final paper is going to be killer.

3. Eat healthier.....when work and school create stress I tend to eat more or eat the wrong things.

4. Help Ashley cut back on her ice cream consumption.

Post 2 - A habit you wish you didn't have

Ashley:

This one is easy for me .... my love affair with ice cream! I am in the bad, bad habit of eating a fairly large bowl of ice cream every night right after Connor goes to bed. And, not the low fat kind..oh no... the full fat Turkey Hill brand. YUM! Lucky for me, I am still nursing Connor and I can afford those extra calories, but as soon as I stop nursing, I am going to have to be more careful. For those of you that are confused and don't know what I am talking about, nursing burns an extra 500 calories per day! Woo hoo! Although I don't have to worry about calories right now, I should probably worry about all of the fat that is in that ice cream!

Ryan:

All too often I take a pessimistic viewpoint on situations before I have the chance to evaluate the big picture. I have a tendency to jump to these pessimistic conclusions and stick with them…no matter what others say or do. Luckily, Ashley keeps me on track and always has an optimistic view to counter mine! She’s the yin to my yang! haha

Post 1 - Introducing ourselves...

I thought it would be fun for both of us to write in this post and compare our different viewpoints.

From Ashley's point of view:

I am not really sure where to start...but here it goes..

I have lived in PA my entire life...I was born in Myerstown, spent most of my childhood in Lewistown, went to school in Huntingdon & State College, and have now settled with my family in Hummelstown, PA. Do I like it here?? Most of the time... Other times I feel like we need to experience other places in the world. This is all we know. Don't get me wrong... I like living close to family and having the support, but I still feel a pull to try something new...Maybe some day?

When I think about my childhood, I remember how painfully shy I was (Ryan has brought me out of my shell)!! I grew up dancing... oh, how I loved ballet, and oh, how I miss it now. Cheerleading competitions also took up a big chunk of my life growing up. I also remember the fun memories I shared with my good friends Jenna, Chrissy, Heather, and there were/are many more. I remember how much I just wanted to graduate high school and start my adult life...not realizing how simple and easy things were! I would never go back, but life was easy!

Ryan and I started dating when we were freshmen in high school. I know it sounds silly, especially back then, but I just knew he was the one. If one of my nieces were to tell me that they met "the one" now at the ages they are at (17 and 18), I would chuckle and think they were crazy. But, I really knew that he was the one. He is my best friend, and I would be 100 percent lost without him. We dated throughout high school and college. He proposed to me on my 21st birthday and we were married when we were 23 years old. We just celebrated our 11th Valentine's Day together and our first Valentine's Day as parents.

Connor Thomas entered our world and turned it upside down on 6/27/10 which makes him 8 months old right now. He is the absolute best thing that Ryan and I have ever done. He is such a sweetie pie and he melts our hearts every single day. He absolutely LOVES his daddy and looks just like him.

We want more babies, but we don't know exactly when. I guess we will know when the time is right.

I went to school to become an ultrasound tech and that is how we ended up here in Hummelstown. I work at Hershey Med part-time. Ryan followed and got a job with The Hershey Company as a Supply Planner which means lots and lots of sweet treats for me.

Right now I am enjoying messing around with photography. My only subject has really been my son, Connor. I am loving it and hoping it is something I could possibly make money off of in the future.

Well, I guess that is us in a nutshell!

From Ryan's point of view:

Our small (but growing!) family consists of Ashley, Connor, and Ryan. Connor is our 8 month old son who, at 18.5 lbs, seems to fill up every room he is in with smiles and laughter. He is quite possibly the most curious little boy in the world and now that he is becoming mobile we are surely in for some chasing around the house. Since June of last year Connor has been the center of our world and he’s made every day and everything we do more enjoyable!

Ashley is the calm, cool, and collected mommy who could win mother-of-the-year hands down. She has embraced motherhood with open arms and always sees the best in each new thing that parenting brings. Her devotion to her family makes life much easier for both Daddy and Connor! But, she is more than just a mommy….she is a wife, a daughter, and a friend. Everyone who knows her would tell you that she is someone that they trust and confide in. She’s the best friend anyone could hope for!

Ryan is the logical and practical daddy who keeps everyone on schedule and within budget! He is looking forward to teaching Connor everything that little boys need to know (and maybe some things they shouldn’t, too!).


..Post 2 coming soon!

Approaching 8 months!

It's been awhile since my last post; we have been busy as usual! I don't want to jinx myself, but Connor has had a great run of night time sleep!! It has been about a week and 1/2 where he has slept from 8:30-4ish, gotten up to eat, and then gone back to sleep until around 7am! We feel like a whole new family!! We did have one night where he had a bunch of wakings, but it wasn't so bad, especially since we were rested! He has been a little "off" today and I am wondering if yet another tooth is in the midst. He also hasn't been napping as much during the day, so I am thinking maybe that is helping him sleep better at night. Despite not getting much sleep throughout the day, he is still a pretty pleasant baby!

We had a run of great weather this week! Friday we hit temps in the 60s! We were able to go on a bunch of walks with daddy, Liz & Ravi, and Libby & Emily. Connor's great uncle, Dennis, also took him for a stroll or two while he babysat for us last night so that Ryan and I could help Liz celebrate her birthday!

We are getting extremely excited for our upcoming ski trip to Killington, VT. We leave for VT in two weeks! I think we are most nervous about the 8+ hr drive with an 8 month old! We are thinking about making the drive over night. I am sure we will have a lot of pictures to post from that trip!

I have been simply amazed at how much Connor has been getting around on the floor the past week or so. He has been rolling for about a month, but now he can scoot around a little bit and move in a circle to reach a toy if he needs to. He isn't crawling yet, but I am sure that is not too far off. I am actually hoping that crawling waits until after our VT trip because I am sure the condo where we are staying is not baby proofed! Speaking of baby proofing, we need to do that.

I mentioned in my last post about how Connor grabs the blinds when he is on his changing table. Well, no amount of no-nos were getting him to stop so we decided to rearrange his nursery! ha ha. He now claws at the wall!

Another milestone Connor has recently met is feeding himself! I gave him a "puff" the other day while he was in his highchair to try to keep him content so I could clean up the kitchen. A "puff" looks like a cheerio but dissolves much faster than a cheerio. I really didn't think he would pick it up and put it in his mouth, but he did! The last time we gave him one he couldn't even pick it up off the tray! He only gets the "puff" in his mouth about 1/2 of the time, but that is great! I am amazed by how fast he is growing. Ryan and I have noticed that he has been grabbing the puffs with his left hand; maybe we have a lefty? He has also gotten the hang of using a sippy cup and understands that he needs to tip it up in order to get anything out of it.

New foods Connor has had since my last post: bananas, blueberries, squash... next on the list is broccoli (nervous about this one and that it may cause some tummy aches) and some pear flavored yogurt.

Foods Connor is protesting: any and all things green!!

I am absolutely over my anxiety with Connor sleeping on his tummy -- there is no stopping him from doing it!

One of my friends and fellow bloggers is doing a 30 day blog challenge. I loved the idea so much that I think I am going to try it too! I am going to try my best to do it every day, but that may be impossible the days that I work. So, instead of a 30 day blog challenge, I am going to call it a 30 post blog challenge! Starting tomorrow...

Post 1 - Introduce our family

Post 2 - A habit that you wish you didn't have

Post 3 - Short term goals for this month and why

Post 4 - Someone you want to switch lives with for a day and why

Post 5 - Nicknames you have and why you have them

Post 6 - A picture of you now and of last year and how you have changed

Post 7 - What I would find in your bag

Post 8 - A picture of something that makes you happy

Post 9 - Songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, excited, mad...

Post 10 - Something you are proud of in the last few days

Post 11 - A picture of somewhere you have been

Post 12 - What you ate today

Post 13 - A moment

Post 14 - Your favorite birthday

Post 15 - Something that upsets you

Post 16 - Something that makes you feel better

Post 17 - Something that makes you cry

Post 18 - Your fears

Post 19 - Your favorite place

Post 20 - Something that you miss

Post 21 - Where you see yourself in 10 years

Post 22 - Favorite vacation memories

Post 23 - A song to match your mood

Post 24 - A TV show you are currently addicted to

Post 25 - Something you don't leave the house without

Post 26 - 15 facts about yourself

Post 27 - Something you could never get tired of doing

Post 28 - Your day in great detail

Post 29 - Hopes, dreams, and plans for the next 365 days

Post 30 - One last moment

So there it is.... could be fun! Hopefully Ryan can do it with me, although he's a pretty busy guy with taking classes for his MBA right now.

Until next time!!...

7 months old...and yet another tooth!

Have I mentioned that I really, really dislike the whole teething process??? Connor got tooth #4 this week! He does great during the day (minus the cold symptoms he gets with his teeth), but his night time sleep is greatly interrupted! Last night, he was in bed around 8:30 pm and then was up screaming at 10:30 pm. He also had wakings at 11:30 pm, 1:30 am, and a few others that I cannot remember. The night is a blur. Ryan and I are longing for the night when he starts sleeping better. One or two nights a week, he will have a good stretch of sleep...around 6 hours. On top of the bad nights, he is also an early riser and not the best napper during the day!! He baffles me!! ha ha. We are super happy and lucky that he is so pleasant during the day!

Connor's "thing" this week is clicking his tongue. He does it nonstop! As I write this, I am listening to him over the monitoring clicking away! He just woke up from his nap and is playing by himself in his crib. Every now and then I hear him say da-da and blow raspberries (two more of his favorite things to do right now). He has also decided that he is going to become a tummy sleeper which has given me a little bit of anxiety. The "experts" now say that back sleeping is best for babies. But, I cannot control his rolling. He has become quite mobile lately and has mastered rolling from his back to his belly and from his belly to his back (both left and right ways)!! He can pretty much get wherever he wants. I think crawling is probably right around the corner. I just mentioned he likes to blow raspberries...the kid is phenomenal at it!! He can really blow some good raspberries!! :) In addition to all of that, Connor has also found his hair and learned how to splash with his arms and legs in the bath tub! The past few days he has been pulling his hair and wincing when he does it, yet he continues to do it again and again!

Connor turned 7 months old last Thursday -- where has the time gone?? He is really growing. I swear every day he does something different and new!

Connor is beginning to learn the word 'no'. I know he really doesn't understand right from wrong just yet, and I really don't want one of his first words to be no, but there are a few things he does that definitely warrants a stern no, no, no!!  For instance, with the delightful teething process that we are going through, he likes to bite everything, including my shoulder!! He can bite very hard, and it hurts!! When he does it, I'll tell him no. Sometimes I get a smile back, and other times he'll start to cry like I just broke his heart! He also likes to pull on the blinds while we change his diaper. We naively placed the changing table next to the window!! I try to tell him no when he does it because he really pulls on them hard! I am sure there are many more no, nos to come as he starts to explore a little more.

We have discovered a new place for Connor to play! He loves, loves, loves to sit in the laundry basket with a bunch of toys. He'll sit there for hours!

Connor also went to his first Hershey Bears game!! As you can see below, he was really excited!:)

Well, since this is Valentine's Day month, I guess I'll share the Valentine's Day pictures that I took of Connor a few weeks ago.

That's all for now!