Asher at 10 Months

Asher is quite his own little person. At this age he continues to charm us and we love our little social butterfly.

He's learned a few new tricks this month. He can now go from laying to sitting. Something that was causing us a grief due to the fact that he would get from a sitting position to his tummy and then cry out when he couldn't get back to sitting up. I spent a lot of time helping him out in that department.

He's not quite crawling but don't be fooled. He is mobile. He can scoot, roll, slither and squirm to wherever he wants to get.He can get to all fours. And will rock back and forth but doesn't go anywhere yet.

And now he is even pulling up. He's pretty sturdy too. He has yet to fall. When he gets tired of standing he lets us know we have to help him back down.

He loves to share. He will offer you a bite of his food and even tries to put his paci in your mouth.

He mimics a lot now too. Here are some of my favorite things he is doing. And I love it because it is all because he sees us do it.

Singing - this cracks me up. I sing to him ALL the time. He LOVES it. Last month we traveled to Nashville to meet up with my family for a mini birthday celebration. It was interesting traveling by myself with a 10 month old. He slept about half way there and then woke up and wasn't happy to find himself locked into his carseat. So in order to appease him, I sang for the next 1.5 hours. I was hoarse and pretty tired of hearing myself sing Old McDonald, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly and 5 Little Monkeys by the time we arrived at the hotel. But little man had a blast.

Anyway, all that to say - I sing to him all the time. It always works to cheer him up and now he has started singing himself. He does it in the car a lot. Always the entertainer. Even when he has no audience.

Waves Bye Bye - he's still perfecting this one. But it is adorable. A lot of times he will wave with the hand you can't see.

Reading - okay, he's not technically reading but he does try to. I try to read to him as much as I can. Ben and I both love to read and I really want Asher to appreciate the hobby as well. He will entertain himself for a long time by holding a book in front of himself and loudly yelling in jibberish whatever it is he thinks is on the page. It's adorable. He even turns the pages. Funny little man.

He has so much personality. And while he has found his opinionated side he still manages to be an easy baby. We just adore him and watching him develop into a his own little person.

My Son is NOT a Girl

I know he's pretty. And I really don't take offense to it anymore. Your skin seems to get toughened after hearing it on a daily basis. But last night took the cake (or the birthday cake, as the case may be).

While at my birthday dinner, Asher charmed the waiters and surrounding customers. As always. He makes a game of getting people to smile at him. Several waiters fell prey to his cunning little game of I-just-droppped-my-bear-on-the-ground-can-you-get-it-for-me ploy. One particular waitress walked by and Asher caught her eye. And of course she obliged as well. And thennnn.....

She spent the next five minutes telling us how Asher was the most beautiful little girl she had ever seen. And how she "has two girls and wouldn't trade them for anything! Aren't little girls the best??? Mine only wear dresses. I bet she (meaning Asher) will do the same! You might want to trade her in at about 13 or so. hahaha" yada yada yada...girls, girls girls...

Awkward smile from Ben and I.

Wait.

"Is this a girl or a boy? I am just now noticing that he is dressed in all blue."

As sweetly as I can, "Haha, yeah...I'm sorry. He's a boy."

I assured her we get that all the time. Because we do. ALL. THE. TIME.

I know my child is pretty. His eyes and curls make him look like a doll. But a BOY doll, people. A BOY DOLL!

29

Today I am 29 years old. Except for a small panic attack last night when Ben whispered in my ear as I was falling asleep that this was my last year in my twenties, I am handling it pretty well. I honestly am.

I have never had such a deep rooted joy in my life. Jehovah Jireh (God Our Provider) has blessed me. Blessed my beyond anything I deserve. I'm not talking about worldly blessings. But a joy that can only come from the Father. He has blessed me in ways I didn't even know I needed.  He is Good. He knows me better than anyone. And loves me anyway. I am so thankful for that.

I am so thankful that he is active in my life. And not just mine. The life of my family. I am thankful that I have a husband that loves God and tries daily to follow Him while leading his family closer to Him as well.

As I contemplate the goodness of my life, I am sad for the people that do not experience this kind of joy. Either because they have decided to turn away from it or because they do not know how to access it. I want to share His Love.

We have recently made a decision to follow Him somewhere that I honestly don't think I ever believed He would take us. I will reveal more about this as things develop. But in the meantime, I am basking in the glory of my Father. And content to my core in knowing that HE is paving our path.

This next year holds so much promise. A promise of the Lord's goodness. Happy Birthday, to me!

"God has been gracious to me and I have all I need." -Genesis 33:11 

Asher's 9 Month Photos

Just a few of my favorites. It was so hard to choose. Kristin did a great job as always!

Busy Weekend

This weekend...

• We took family portraits and Asher's 9 month pictures. Still waiting for all the mosquito bites that I got during our shoot to go away.
• Ate at CPK. I HAVE to figure out their ranch dressing recipe.
• Swept, vacuumed and steam mopped all the floors in my house.
• Cleaned two bathrooms and half of the other one.
• Dusted.
• Cleaned the kitchen, including the inside and outside of the fridge.
• Completed FIVE Paper Nest orders.
• Took care of my sick/teething baby.
• Got excited when Ben spotted Asher's new tooth. Top right tooth arrived on Sunday.
• Organized Asher's toys and books.
• Watched Ben kill a Black Widow spider.
• Also watched him take up all the rubber mulch and replace it with pine mulch so our friggin' HOA will get off our back. I strongly dislike those guys.
• Watched The Dilemma (two thumbs down) and The King's Speech (two thumbs up).
• Roasted summer squash. SO YUMMY!
• Taught Asher to hold his bottle. FINALLY.
• Fed him squash and wheat Club crackers. He is starting to eat more and more on his own.
• Put up Asher's baby stuff (sniff sniff). No more floor gym, bouncy seat, boppy, bumbo, or baby bath tub.
• Read Deceptively Delicious and Double Delicious by Jessica Seinfield.  I am about to completely change the way this family eats. Excited about learning to cook with better ingredients and eat less processed foods.