My Lil Beauty

Ainsley Chats

Here's a video of some of Ainsley's chats. Sorry it's so dark.... we had just woken her up from a nap.

Ainsley Giggles

Here's a cute video of Ainsley giggling at her daddy. Moments like these are the best!

1st playgroup

Here are some pictures from Ainsley's first playgroup from this past week. It's a group of all new moms and their little ones and it has been so fun to begin getting to know them and to be able to connect with other moms in the area! The kiddos are lined up by age, with Claire, the oldest on the left, then Finley, Cannon, Emma, Annie, and little Hadley and Ainsley, the youngest and 4 days apart, on the right. Poor Ainsley was so tired and not sure what to make of all these other little people. With the exception of these pictures, she just slept on me the whole time.

My Best Friend

There are several things that Ainsley loves but there is nothing that she loves more than the ceiling fan in our living room. Sure, she likes her mom and dad, but not in comparison to the magical wonder of that glorious fan's revolving blades. It is hilarious to watch her smile, coo, and laugh all while straining her neck to look up. Maybe it's time for a mobile...

Spoiled

While we were in Canadian we celebrated my 27th birthday and oh, I got so spoiled!! I started the day fresh and alert after Ainsley slept 8 straight hours!! Then George surprised me with breakfast, flowers and a massage scheduled for later that day. But the best part was that he planned a romantic dinner of all my favorite foods to be made by a personal chef. This would have been incredible under any circumstances but it was an especially sweet gift considering that since the arrival of Ainsley we haven't been able to go out to eat and rarely have had the chance to sit down to dinner at the same time. So being catered to for a night was absolutely fantastic!! Casey, the chef, came over and prepared, served, and cleaned up everything. I felt like I was living someone else's life! And Ainsley was so sweet and only interrupted us between the first 2 courses when she was ready for her dinner. Other than that she slept like an angel while George and I enjoyed each other and an amazing dinner.

Here's our little one right before we put her down for bed.

Here's George and I being spoiled. By the way, George wanted me to point out that the stain on his shirt in the first picture and the one below are from Ainsley Lou spitting up on him earlier that night. It only showed up because of the flash on the camera.... he looked very dapper in real life! :)

Canadian Visit

After we left Dallas, we went up to Canadian for the week to introduce Ainsley to a few of her adoring fans on George's side of the family.

Here she is with her Grandpa and Yaya (George's dad and stepmom... this picture is actually taken a few weeks ago when Bailey and Amy graciously helped us relocate to Austin).

Here she is with her Gammy (George's Mom).

And here she is with Aunt Leslie and Uncle Russell (George's sister and brother-in-law).

Ainsley seemed particularly aware and sensitive to her environment during this trip which made things a bit more challenging... still it was so nice to get to show her off to everyone, especially since they were so excited to meet her! :)

Uncle James

This weekend we went to Dallas for a wedding shower for Jared, one of George's best friends from high school. Our first party with Ainsley tagging along didn't go as smoothly as we would have liked.... but it was still nice to see everyone however brief.

During our weekend, Ainsley also got to meet Uncle James for the first time. It was sweet to see her so enamored with all his goofy faces and to watch my younger brother be so natural with her.

And just for laughs... this is how much stuff we brought for the a 2 night stay. I thought I was a heavier packer before, but this is a whole new ballgame!

Post-Bath Shivers

Month Two Snapshot

Weight: 10 lbs, 2 oz (25th - 50th percentile)

Height: 23 in (75th - 90th percentile)

Head Circumference: 38.5 cm (50th percentile)

Development: For the past few weeks Ainsley has been talking up a storm. She goos and coos using both vowel and consonant sounds (ie. baa, ah-goo, ah-gah, hi, ooh, kaa). She really gets chatty when we imitate her baby talk in a sort of incomprehensible conversation. Just recently she has also started to make loud squeals. The first one at uncle James. She also has begun to stare at George and I with intent recognition that she knows who we are. This, of course, is the most precious affirming thing when she is oohing, ahhing, and smiling. But the flip side is that it is also incredibly heartbreaking when she's bawling and staring at you as if to say, "why are you doing this to me." Another recent developmental gift she has given us is, on occasion, sleeping through the night. Most nights she wakes up once around 3 or 4 am to eat but a handful of times the past two week she has slept until 6 or 7 am. We're keeping our fingers crossed that this trend continues.

Loves: Ainsley loves her daddy! She is honestly her happiest when George is singing his made-up songs to her. They always get her so tickled that she brings both of her hands up to her face with the biggest smile you've ever seen. She makes little squeals and it is just like she's so in love that she doesn't know what to do with herself. It's adorable, but it is also proof that if our family was a house, I would be the kitchen and the bathroom while George is the TV/game room! Oh, the joys of motherhood! :) However, another one of her other favorite things (along with mine) is falling asleep on my chest after her morning feeding. She sleeps so soundly and sweetly and it is a perfect way to delay the start of the day. And two things that she loves and we couldn't live without are (1) her noise machine, which calms her when she's fussy and helps her sleep and (2) her vibrating baby seat, which is perfect when mom and dad need both their hands (thanks Grandpa and Yaya!).

Dislikes: With the good, comes the bad.... and Ainsley is sadly not fond of her car seat. Unless the car or stroller are in constant motion, and some times not even then, she is typically not happy. Needless to say, this has made for some interesting car rides. :) Ainsley is also not a big fan of tummy time, although we're working on this too. She loves to be held upright on our chests, but if you put her on her belly on the floor she grunts and squirms like she's being tortured. And, not surprisingly, she still hates her medicine although now she is getting smart enough to let it pool in the middle of her mouth and then shovel it out with her tongue.

This has been a busy 2nd month of life for our little girl saying goodbye to California, taking her first plane ride, feeling her first 100 degree day and saying hello to Austin. And aside from a few meltdowns she has taken it all in stride, proving to be a great daughter.

Vaccines

On Tuesday Ainsley Lou had her two month vaccines. After all the poking and prodding she endured at the hospital, she handled it like a champ with an easily consolable quick cry. I, on the other hand, not so much. My stomach was upset the entire morning and my eyes welled up with tears at the site of the needles and the blood. But thankfully when it was all over George took me to get ice cream.

Labor Day

We spent Labor Day with George's brother Ray and his wife Fema. It was so much fun to push the remaining boxes aside and relax and bbq with them at our new place. Having them in Austin has made it feel like home here already. Ray, who loves taking pictures, captured these precious moments, including our first family picture since leaving the hospital. Thanks guys, but next time we'll need to get a few pictures with you in them! :) We love you!

Echo Report

Last Friday, Ainsley had her followup echo-cardiogram to help determine the cause of the heart murmur they detected in the hospital. The echo showed that she still has a patent foramen ovale, which is a small hole between the upper chambers of her heart. This is normal in newborns as this hole is present when they are in utero and typically closes within a week or so after birth. Ainsley's hole hasn't closed yet and is the cause of the murmur, however the technician felt confident the hole will probably close within her first year or remain indefinitely without having any lasting impacts on her ability to run and play like a normal kiddo. Although we would have liked to hear that the hole had closed, this is the second best news and we are thankful. Thank you for all your prayers.

Big World

Lil Buddies

Flashback to earlier this year when two of my best friends and college roommates and I were all pregnant together.... now we each have these beautiful, fun little people. Ainsley and I have been lucky enough to meet both of these two little guys.

Before we left California we got to see and hang out with Kelli and her little boy, Riley, who is exactly a month older than Ainsley. It was crazy to me to see how much difference a month can make! We are so sad to no longer be living close to Kelli and her adorable family.

But moving back to Texas means that we get to be closer to Rachael and her little guy, Trip, who is now almost six months old. They came over this past weekend and it was exciting to see how much he has changed since we last saw him.

It is a wonderful blessing to have such good friends with children so close to the same age as Ainsley, not only because they are incredible sources of information and advice, but because I can't wait to watch them all grow up together. I love you girls and your little guys!