Take Me Out to the Ball Game

 

Yesterday George took us girls out to the University of Texas vs Stanford baseball game... and yes, even though I'm now a UT student, we all wore our cardinal red and supported Stanford.  It was an absolutely gorgeous sunny day (Was it really just snowing earlier this week!?! Crazy weather!) and although our cheers were seriously out numbered and Stanford lost, we had great time.  I will admit however that falling into the "unprepared/obvious new mom" category, I didn't even think to bring sunscreen for Ainsley and all she had was this barely-fitting, too small hat to provide shade.  We did the best we could keeping her out of the sun with a little improvisation, see below, and although I felt like an awful mom, we managed the whole game without getting even a hint of pink!

  

   

Ainsley is clearly an avid baseball fan already!  Ha!  She's like "couldn't we just do this at home?".

 

Our best self-attempt at a family picture...

Happy First Baseball Game Ainsley!

New Spoon

 

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for my shinny new spoon!  Not sure how to use it yet but it tastes great!

Confused flakes

 

Yesterday it snowed.  In February.  In Austin.  The sky was full of big, fat, confused flakes and literally almost everything shut down even though it was gone in a matter of hours.  Silly flakes... don't they know it doesn't snow in this part of Texas.  Since this is probably the only time we'll see this, I of course had to document.  Above Ainsley and I are on our back porch and below is the snow falling on our street.

Pretty in Pink

This pink dress was mine when I was little and sadly it hasn't been the right season for Ainsley to ever wear it for real so I had to at least snap a few pictures of her in it before it was too late.  So here's a few highlights from our make-shift photo shoot.  I'm not quite sure what this funny face is below but it has been cropping up in more and more of my pictures of her.  I guess it means she's excited!

And here she's wearing one of the sweet sweaters my mom knitted for her when she was still in my belly. I brought this to the hospital to be part of her going home outfit.  Ha!  Who was I kidding, it is still big on her.

 

 

Oops... toppling over and done with pictures.

Mohawk

Baths with Dad mean mohawks!  But no one seems to mind!

 

 

Seventh Month Snapshot

Seven months!  Gosh - I just can't believe how big our little girl has gotten.  She now bangs the high chair tray when I'm not feeding her fast enough, smiles or giggles when she toots, plays with the shadow her hands make, leans over to watch our feet when we're carrying her, gets startled by the wind, sings when she's happy, grunts or whines when she's not, and just brings so much joy to us everyday.

 
Milestones -  After many weeks of cold chewy rings and drool-soaked everything (!) Ainsley's first tooth has finally emerged.... or sort of.  We can't really see it yet, but I can just barely feel its little bumps.  Honestly, I'm a little surprised that there is only one with as much pain as it seems like she has been in lately, but I'll take what we can get.  At least there is something to show for all our hard work!  :)  Ainsley's still loving food and pretty much gobbles down anything we shovel her way.  So far she's had sweet potatoes, bananas, carrots, peas, pears, apples, avocado, oatmeal, prunes, green beans, mango, and butternut squash.  We have also recently started giving her puffs (similar to cheerios) which she loves.

Likes: Ainsley loves to jump, play with anything that plays music, snuggle with her lovey and pacifier, grab George's beard, be read to, go on walks, squeal and babble, and suck/chew on anything she can get her hands on. But her all-time favorite thing is when we go in to "wake" her up from her naps.  She is always already awake but we like to let her play in her crib for a bit before we go in and get her.  When she hears us open the door, turn on the light, and start singing her wake-up song, she goes crazy with excitement, squealing and thumping her feet on the bed.  I wish I could say her excitement was because she knew her mom or dad where coming to get her but she does the same thing, no matter who wakes her up.  I guess she's just glad that she hasn't been forgotten!  :)  Still, I love it!

Dislikes:  Ainsley is pretty easy going these days and there isn't too much she doesn't like, although she certainly lets us know when she gets bored.  We have also started to notice that sometimes it seems like she gets frustrated sitting in one spot and not being able to move.  In moments like this, she scrunches up her face, throws her whole body backwards, and squirms down.  It is kinda funny to watch these little fits and I just know she'll be on the go in no time.

Favorite Moments:  At times it feels like Ainsley is actually playing or hanging out with us rather than us playing or hanging out with her.  It is sweet and crazy and gives me gooey "we are actually a real family" feelings.  My favorite warm fuzzy family moments are in the mornings after she's nursed when George and I are still waking up, we all snuggle in our bed and entertain her in the dark as long as possible.  She babbles and shrieks and plays with the blankets, our faces, her toes, and watches the shadows on the walls.  Even though in the moment when I just want to still be asleep, I cherish these times and recognize them as precious and fleeting.

Mes Deux Amour

Happy Valentines Day Everyone!  Hope you're all spending the day with your own loves!

Playgroup

This month the craziness that playgroup has become was at our house.  I used to call this time together, Moms-group because it was so much more about us connecting than the kids really playing with each other.  And although every other Tuesday is still very much about us connecting, the focus is definitely more on the kiddos now that they are all either sitting, rolling, crawling, or walking.  It makes for a crazy, fun-filled time and all the entertainment this week thankfully kept Ainsley's mind off the teething pain that has been bothering her lately.  Above are the little ones, Claire, Annabelle, Hadley, Annie, Ainsley, Avery, Finley, and Emma.  We're just missing Cannon.  :(

Here's the gang closer up.  Such fun!

 

  

 

February Christmas

 

Yesterday Uncle Ray and Aunt Fema came over for a much belated Christmas!  Who says you can't still be exchanging Christmas gifts in February!!  We had a great time catching up over the squawks, shrieks, gibberish, and drools of our little dinosaur, as Ray affectionately named her.  She was quite the chatterbox!

 

And Ainsley really scored with February Christmas because her aunt and uncle gave her the coolest baby karaoke toy!  She wasn't sure what to think about all the lights and sounds at first, but after exploring it a bit, she became entranced.  I know it is going to be a big hit!  Thanks Ray and Fema!!!

Prune Face

 

It never ceases to amaze me how messy this little girl can get when she eats!  And she likes to eat!  I can't imagine the mess with babies who don't like eating!!  Although it looks like not much actually made it into her belly, I know for a fact it did.  Prunes can be quite effective on her little system. :)

Rain, Rain Go Away

 

 These past few days have been rainy and dreary and we've had the being-stuck-inside-grumbles.  Although yesterday briefly perked up for both of us when Ainsley realized that the rain is actually quite fascinating to watch.  She sat here sweetly watching the rain drip onto our porch for almost 20 minutes... but then she caught me snapping pictures of her and the moment was gone.

 

 

Play Buddies

As many of you have asked, I am able to go to school because of the loving support of my sweet husband and our good friend Michelle who comes over with her son Finley (who is almost 11 months old) to care for our little girl.  Michelle miraculously juggles both these kiddos two days a week, Mondays, while I'm in class and Wednesdays, when I'm studying.  Michelle is amazing and Ainsley has so much fun playing with her buddy Finley that I barely get a second glance when I come home!  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you Michelle and Finley!

Curious Monkey

Super cute, right!  That's what we thought too, until....

... someone found the cords for the light/fan.... and until...

... someone realized that when you pull the furry stuff on Daddy's head it makes him holler!!  That's our curious little monkey!

Uncle James

 

This weekend we were blessed with a visit from my younger brother James.  He's currently living outside of Dallas and although we wined and dined him and begged him to move to Austin, he's moving in a few weeks to San Jose, CA instead.  I guess I can't blame him... perfect weather, beautiful mountains and beaches... ahhh, paradise... still, Lou put on all her charm to try to persuade him that Austin was the better place!  :) 

We packed the weekend as full as Ainsley and the weather would allow us and even though it was quite frigid we ventured out to the downtown farmer's market where we all gobbled up an Ethiopian
lunch.  Here are James and I and then Ainsley staying warm in her stroller!

George and James looking "manly" as they enjoy cups of coffee and sweets at Mozart's, a local coffee house that overlooks Lady Bird Johnston Lake.  And while Ainsley was napping they also visited Austin's Modern Art Museum and Mount Bonnell.

James and Ainsley playing with their toys....

.... and playing music together on Ainsley's music cube.

Ainsley LOVES her uncle James!  Thanks for coming for a visit James!!  We love you too!