Christmas Day!

We woke up Christmas morning to a beautiful layer of snow. It kept snowing the next three days, not enough to make things too dangerous outside but just enough to make the world glisten and feel cheery. How lucky to have Ainsley's first Christmas a white one!! She of course could not have cared less as long as there were presents and paper to cram in her mouth. Here she is below after I removed a particularly wet piece of wrapping paper and kept it from completely dissolving in her mouth.


Ainsley had to wait for her sleepy uncles to wake up before the present opening began, so she had time to put on this sweet outfit from Grandpa Bailey and Yaya, George's dad and step-mom. Thanks for sending this in time for Christmas Bailey and Amy! She looked super cute and festive!


Once everyone was awake, Ainsley got to really go to town! As mentioned before she was easily distracted by all the paper, which was of course all-natural and organic with no harmful dyes, right?!


But after a bit, she started getting the hang of it, even sitting up on her own part of the time. I guess present and fun paper are pretty good motivation to practice her sitting skills!


My parents got Ainsley her first baby doll, a Corolle doll, perfect for sucking on and loving. This gift is super sentimental to me because when I was a little girl, I fell in love with a Corolle doll at FAO Swartz during a trip to Chicago. I spent hours in the store holding the doll but because of its high sticker price, it didn't become mine until months later when we saw another one at the FAO Swartz in St. Louis. It was the last one and after much pleading and promising to do extra chores, I got to bring the doll home. Throughout my childhood my Corolle doll was MUCH loved and it is so special and surreal that now my daughter has her own Corolle doll to love - crazy! Thanks so much Mom and Dad!




Then, much to my surprise, my incredibly talented artistic brother, James, painted Ainsley a whimsical baby fairy to hang in her nursery. It is entitled Ugly Fairy and I just love it and was so touched by his sweetness! The oil paint was still wet so sadly we had to leave it in Missouri to dry and be framed, but I can't wait to get to bring it home. Thank you James!!





Here are some pictures of Ainsley with my parents. Notice that Dad is wearing his new, "This is what a really cool Grandpa looks like" shirt that Ainsley gave him earlier that morning.







Merry Christmas!! Love you all!!

Christmas Eve

We headed over to Bellflower, Missouri to celebrate Christmas Eve with my sweet grandpa and Tina. They are avid blog readers and have been keeping up with all of Ainsley's adventures so it was so nice to have them finally meet their great-granddaughter. Ainsley was so fascinated with all these new faces!



Below is a generational picture of Ainsley with her mommy, grandmother, and great-grandfather!


It was a great day, only missing (1) Rick and Alice, my uncle and aunt, who had sicknesses that kept them away, and (2) the delicious layered salad that they bring every year! :( We missed you guys (and your salad!) and hope you feel better and that we get to see you soon!! Ainsley sends a big slobbery open mouth your way!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone! Hope your presents taste as good as Ainsley's! Stay warm!!

Headed to Missouri....

...with my warm hat for Christmas!

Play Group Christmas

Friday night our church playgroup got together and instead of sitting on the floor cooing over our kiddos, we enjoyed an adult evening of good food and laughs. After bath time we loaded Ainsley up and headed over to Michelle's house where Ainsley fairly promptly went to sleep in a pack-n-play in an upstairs bedroom. In fact, with the exception of sweet Hadley who kept us all entertained, all the wee ones miraculously slept in bedrooms, bathrooms, and closets upstairs until 10ish when we all started trickling home!! All the moms are above, minus Ellie who wasn't able to make it but who was dearly missed. Left to right: Laura, Elisabeth, Sarah, me, Kim, Leslie, and our host, Michelle.

Below is a group shot of all the couples. After getting to know these girls throughout the fall, it was nice to have an evening to get to know their hubbies better. This is probably the first time in my life where I'm meeting great women solo and so it was neat to see their "better half". :) Left to right: Mike and Michelle, Ben and Sarah, Mark and Kim, Patrick and Laura, George and me, Jeremy and Elisabeth, Oliver and Leslie.


And what Christmas party would be complete with a white elephant gift exchange. Each couple brought one real gift and one gag gift which made for some hilarious moments! George and I were lucky enough to walk away with a fun block toy set for Ainsley and a book of Porn for New Moms! The book isn't real porn of course, but has pictures of hunky men with babies saying things like, "I'll be right there, hon. I'm just finishing the last of the baby shower thank you cards." and "Let me get rid of this junk [referring to sports equipment, ie. skis, basketball] so we'll have room for the jogging stroller in the garage." and "I found someone to take my tee time again this weekend so I can spend more time with you and the baby." and my personal favorite, "No, no! Sit down! I'll do the dishes. After nine and a half months of pregnancy, 26 hours of labor, and 18 stitches, you don't have to do a damn thing around here!" :)

Needless to say it was a great evening with new friends and I look forward to more events like these in the future!

Daddy Duty

This is how I found my daughter after returning from a morning where George was on duty. Her onesie was on the outside of her pants.... her socks don't match.... she has prune juice spit stains all over (attempting to solve a backup issue with this one).... and she somehow got a teething ring stuck on her arm. Good thing I was only gone for an hour and a half! :) But she sure does love her Daddy!

4 years and counting....

Today is mine and George's 4 year anniversary! Last night we left Lou for the first time and went out to dinner to celebrate at a nice restaurant. Although admittedly I was pretty nervous leaving Ainsley and yes, I left a full page of typed "instructions" complete with a diagram (dork!) for our sweet friend Michelle who agreed to come over for the evening, things were of course fine. And honestly, it was pretty nice to just have it be the two of us for a few hours. It provided a sweet time of reflection about all that has happened in the past 4 years... we've moved from TX to CA and back.... we've both applied and been accepted into grad schools, George just completed his program and I'm about to start mine.... we've traveled to the Dominican Republic, Italy, London, Ireland, the Bahamas... we've had a baby.... George has started his own company.... and all the while we've fallen more and more in love. It all makes me excited and curious about what the next 4 years will bring! Love you George!

Fifth Month Snapshot

Estimated Weight: ~14 lbs

Yay - Happy 5th Month Ainsley! I can't even believe that she is this old already! A friend and I were talking a few days ago about how time just goes by quicker once you're a parent and although I'm not sure how that happens, it is so true! We didn't have a doctor appointment this month so her weight is just from our home scale and I was too lazy to try to measure her height.

Developments: Ainsley's big development this month has been rolling from her tummy to her back. She first rolled around 2ish months but this month I think it clicked for her and she now knows she can roll.... and does so when we put her down for bed and she isn't ready yet. This caused some long days early this month as she learned how to fall asleep on her back without a swaddle. But she got it and now we only swaddle her after her dreamfeed at night. She is so close to rolling from her back to her tummy especially when she is reaching for toys so I'm sure that will be soon.

Another big update is that she can now take her pacifier in and out of her mouth with ease. This has probably been one of my favorite developmental steps so far! Other news is that she is finally starting to take longer naps, usually at least one 1.5 to 2 hour nap a day which is long awaited and wonderful for mom!! And as posted on before, after much practice she can now stretch her feet up to her mouth and happily does so all the time!

Ainsley still suffers from silent acid reflux (similar to bad adult heartburn) and this month we switched her to a stronger medicine because we were at the top cap of the allowed dosage for her weight on the other medicine. And again, after a few tough days of adjustment, this medicine seems to be working much better and even though it is thick and cold Ainsley has again learned to slurp it down like a champ!


Likes: Ainsley loves her toys and is pretty independent with her play. If I throw her down on the floor on a blanket and scatter toys around, she is perfectly content to amuse herself for quite a while. Although we have noticed she seems to have a particular preference for her orange and yellow toys.... favorite color already? She has started to become attached to her lovey, clutching it and putting it over her face when she sleeps. It is pretty cute, but already makes me a little nervous that we only have one. Ainsley also loves to read. She has learned to "turn" and/or lick each page and is usually pretty fascinated by the process. Singing to Ainsley is the best way to turn her frown upside down, sneezing more than once in a row makes her coo, peek-a-boo makes her squeal, the flash of the camera usually brings on a smile, listening to Christmas music with her dad makes her chatty, and multiple kisses on her check/neck makes her giggle.

We haven't started solids yet but I can tell Ainsley is definitely interested. She is completely enthralled anytime George or I eat in front of her. I had planned on waiting to start food at 6 months, but because of her interest will probably start slowly introducing things after the holidays.

Dislikes: Ainsley has turned into such a happy little gal - so much different than her first months - but she still grumps about a few things, for instance, when I try to rub lotion on her face she just pouts and squirms and trys to lick me. I wouldn't bother but with the colder weather (Ha! Like 40's! So spoiled!) her lil checks get so dry. She also hates our electric toothbrushes. The sound makes her anxious and wide-eyed. And still, she seems to hate her carseat for any trip longer than 30 minutes. She apparently was never told that she was just supposed to fall asleep in the car because we still have such a difficult time with this.


This month Ainsley seemed to grow up and fill out more than she has before and George and I are both amazed, excited, and saddened by how much of a little person she seems like already! In fact, this month along with several outfits, she outgrew the little quilt that she was given while she was in the NICU (shown above and below). It was made by a northern Californian Girl Scout troop and donated to the hospital to be given to sick babies and preemies. It was in her isolette covering her up the morning after she was born when I went to visit her. It isn't very cute and it's sewen with crooked lines, but it's warm and it was the perfect size and has been on her since the beginning.... and this month, for the first time it no longer covered her toes. I have to admit, when I realized this, it made me cry. It is so funny to me that I can look at this little girl and she can seem so big and so small at the same time.... I guess this is just part of being a mom.

Ainsley's Baptism

This Sunday Ainsley was baptised! It was such a special day of celebration and we were so excited to be able to share the day with Gammy Pam, George's mom, and Harold and Uncle Ray, George's brother, and Aunt Fema. We believe that baptizing Ainsley is a symbol of hope whereby the promises of God extend to the children of believers. As parents, it is our humble prayer that she will grow up never remembering a day that she didn't know the Lord as her savior, companion, and friend. With that sentiment we feel so blessed to be entrusted with this child who we just absolutely adore.

Thanks to Ray and our good friend Michelle, we got these great pictures of the actual event. Here we are outside beforehand with Ainsley in her sweet baptism gown.


Here we are during the service. Ainsley just sat on my lap like such a big girl. She was so fascinated with the trumpets playing Christmas hymns. (Sidenote, our church is new and doesn't have a home yet so we meet in the gym of a local Catholic school, hence the basketball goal in the background.)



Here we are taking our vows that as parents we will, with the help of the Lord, raise her according to His word.




Here's Tim, our assistant pastor, placing water on Ainsley's head giving her the sign and seal of Christ. This part naturally got me all choked up.



Ainsley was such a little trooper and stayed awake the whole service but then just tuckered out at the end. It's a lot of work to be baptised! :)



But after a little snooze on her daddy, Ainsley was ready for some more pictures! Here she is with Ray and Fema....


And Pam and Harold....


Gosh, we love this baby!


Here's her baptism gown and bonnet.... We didn't have a family heirloom so we ordered this precious handmade outfit from Etsy.com and started our own heirloom.



Also, my mom knitted a gorgeous cream baptism blanket - Ainsley is laying on it in the first picture and I'm holding it in her baptism pictures. The picture of it below doesn't even begin to do it justice, but at least it gives you an idea of the intricate pattern. Thanks Mom!


Again, it was such a sweet day and it meant a lot to be able to share it with those, both near and far, who love this little girl as much as we do. Thank you to everyone who made it so special!

Feet for Breakfast

Last week Ainsley realized that if she stretched hard enough, she could get her feet in her mouth and now it is her favorite past time. Toys don't have anything on how much fun it is to munch on her toes, socks, tights, or in this case, her new boots. I guess it is feet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner....

Snow!?

We were so surprised and excited when we heard that snow was in the forecast yesterday. Snow!? In Austin!? This doesn't sound like Texas... and I wouldn't have believed it except that some friends of ours in Fort Worth recently had a little sprinkling of white so I was holding out hope. And then, much to my delight it actually snowed yesterday afternoon!!! I whipped Ainsley up from where she was playing on the floor, bundled her up in all things warm, grabbed my camera, and then dashed outside excited to snap her first pictures in snow. But naturally, by then it had stopped. Yep, that sounds like Texas. Just enough white to get your hopes up, but not enough to deliver. So we went on a walk instead. Maybe Missouri will deliver a white Christmas...

Texas-Sized Thanksgiving x2

After Thanksgiving in Dallas, we came back to Austin to have Thanksgiving with George's mom and Harold who were in town for the week. We just caught the tail end of their visit, but we had a great time with them and George's brother and sister-in-law, Ray and Fema. Ray's always behind the camera so again, we failed to get a pic of him but here are all his pics from the day. Thanks for always being our master photographer, Ray!! Above is George and his mom, Gammy Pam, with Ainsley.


Aunt Fema....


It was a gorgeous day so we all took a stroll around our neighborhood.... and yes, this view is from the neighborhood walk! How lucky are we!! Below is Pam and Harold and then George and I on our walk...





Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope your turkey days were as blessed as ours!!