Video Catch up

For a little while now, we've been intending to upload a couple of older videos that are fun.  I'm finally getting around to it, so enjoy.

Asher's babbling has taken a fun turn.  He now repeats consonants, mainly the letter D, in strings.  As you can well imagine, this brings me quite a bit of joy :)  

He's also taken quite well to his little jumper, and is just the cutest thing to see.

It's just fun to see him progress.  Still not crawling yet, but he sits like a champ, and is eating his mushy foods really well. Each thing in its own time.

#Eric

7 months!

What to say about Asher today? Hmm....

Friday we celebrated 7 months!  I'm starting to get sentimental already about his babyhood flying by.  He's not teeny anymore.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he was 20 lbs already.

Nap time used to involve watching for a couple yawns, giving him his pacifier and snuggling a couple minutes and he was out!  Now we attempt to give him the pacifier and snuggle, but first he has to wiggle to stretch in every direction to see if there's anything he can reach to pick up and play with, and if not, he then has to explore the chair I'm sitting in. Stroke the back of it. Pat the arm of the chair.  Pull his pacifier out his mouth a few times. Play with it. Squirm and fuss a little, and then finally after climbing on me and sitting in about 10 different positions he'll finally wind down and fall asleep.  Daddy's much better at getting him to sleep these days 'cause Daddy is willing to walk around.  Asher's just getting too heavy for me to do that every single time I put him to sleep!  :)  So we talk and we sing and we read books to help him wind down, and then I often browse the internet while he drifts off.  We're getting a lot closer at night time to Asher being able to put himself to sleep... maybe we'll get there for naps sometime soon, cause it's getting kind of ridiculous.  :)

I just love him soooo much, though.  Every day I think I love him more.  It's hard to believe how strongly you can feel for a tiny little being that can't talk.  He gives lots of hugs and slobbery kisses and is sooo excited to see Eric and I when we return from going anywhere, he just melts our hearts!

#Meagan

Crazy Hair

I feel like I wrote a lot yesterday, so today, there are just three things I want to say.

1. I love love love when Asher laughs, and he's been giving us a LOT of good long belly laughs these days!

2.  Asher started talking yesterday... okay, well, babbling with consonants more coherently.  We heard da da da several times, making Eric pretty pleased.  I feel like I heard his little "voice" for the first time! :) 

3. We are entering the days of crazy hair.   Check out that extra long tuft that will not lay down on the right side of the pic!

Love my happy boy!

#Meagan

Life is good!

I feel like it's been FOREVER since I blogged and maybe it has been since Eric's been doing the weekly pictures for me the past couple of weeks.  Anyway, it's nice to have a minute to sit down and write.  Asher's really been blessing me with sleep lately!  Last night I got up to feed him only once at 1:30 and then he continued sleeping without interruption until 8:45.  He also slept through the night one night this weekend!

Oh, and as of this past week, he'll finally nap in his crib!  Thankfully, just in time, because we're returning his borrowed swing to my sister in July and he's just about getting too big for his bouncer  (the two places he used to nap). 

We've been up to all kinds of fun in the Dobbs household.  Asher's just a blast right now.  So much thought behind his eyes and increased movement and more intentional action all the time.

Case in point...  when I went to wash my hands after changing him, he rolled on his tummy grabbed the mat and then rolled back onto his back taking it with him... (course then he cried cause he couldn't figure out how to get it off his head.)

He's almost wriggled out my arms several times now, gotta hold on tight to him these days. He decides he needs to lunge for everything! But that's a good thing as he continues to develop I guess!  Eric shared with you that he's rolling both ways now (finally) and he also attempts to scoot, though without success at this point.  Looks more like swimming on the floor. :)

Speaking of swimming we made another visit to the pool yesterday.  It was a little too cold for him to be happy anywhere but snuggled up tight in my arms, but we had fun, as short of a trip as it was.

Here's Asher lounging poolside. :)

Here's a few more pics of all the fun we've been up to!

(He actually's eating really well, but still scruches his face every time I introduce something new.)

And all the fun leaves him plum tuckered out!

                                    (This was on our way to Rapid City... he sleeps so great in the car for us!)

So yeah, we recently returned from spending a week in Rapid City for an extended stay with Eric's parents surrounding the weekend of Eric's 10 year class reunion.  It was a ton of fun, as it always is, to head out to what I refer to as "the gateway to vacation land."  There's just something about driving out there that is reminiscent to me of my many childhood vacations to the Rockies and surrounding western region.  The closer you get to Rapid, the more the land starts changing from flat Iowa farmland to hills and dramatic rock formations.  It's the leaping off point to many wonderful destinations of exploration and adventure deeply ingrained in my childhood memories. :)  Hence, "the gateway to vacation land!"

We got old time pictures taken again (at Professor Samuel's in Keystone), but this time with Asher!!! We love stopping there! :) Isn't our little cowboy adorable?!!

(Sorry for the fuzziness, it's tough to take a picture of a framed photograph with glass!)

....and we just had fun hanging out with family!

Asher's doing his best to keep up with his grandparents...

- shopping at the commisary with Grandma Dobbs

- helping Grandpa Dobbs way up at the top of the air traffic control tower... 

(Sorry he's not looking at the camera... he's too busy landing this...) 

                                             Just kidding! We understand the serious ramifications of that and know better! :)

-He's also been learning how to read so he can keep up with Grandpa and Grandma Anderson on their business trip/vacation in Australia... yeah, we're jealous too! 

      Here he is reading his postcard from them of a joey.

I've also been hanging out with my little sister as she prepares for her upcoming wedding in July!  :) 
We're looking forward to the big day, though I can't believe my baby sister is old enough to be getting married! We're so happy for her, though!

Anyway that's it for our long overdue update. We'll be back tomorrow with the weekly pic!  And then Eric and I will be celebrating our 3rd year of marriage on Wednesday... the fun times just never cease!  Life is good!

#Meagan

Feet

Today's picture features Asher and his love of his feet!

And he's flexible in a funny way :)



In other news, yesterday when we got home he rolled from his tummy to his back for the first time!  He had done it from his back to tummy, but not the other way around.  This is especially great because he's not a big fan of being on his tummy :)

#Eric

A (not entirely) True Story

So Asher was showing me a thing or two with the AR-15 (you know, one inch groups at 200 yards)

when he was like "ok dad, enough for today.  let's hit the movies!".  As a reward I let him drive, but his legs are just too short to reach the pedals.  We found a workable solution and were on our way. 

We hit the drive-in at about 6:45 to stake out our spot, where we hung out until the movie started (the Avengers). 

I'd tell you about how much he ranted and raved bout the film on the way back, but to be honest he didn't really even make it through the opening credits.  Ahh, next time I guess.

#Eric

Guest Chair

We're in Rapid City for a visit with family and for my 10 year high school reunion.  It has been Asher's longest car trip and farthest distance from home, and he did great.  Grandma and Grandpa are loving having him (and us) here for the visit.  I had intended to get the weekly picture done before leaving, but sadly we forgot.  So we have a stand in chair courtesy of my parents.  Enjoy!

We'll post more of our visit with granma and grandpa and aunt Lyndsey and uncle Brandon soon.

Woooooo Vacation!

#Eric