Show and Tell with the Takalas

Friday, November 15, 2013

Three Months!

Our little Ashlynn is three months old and we are loving life! This month was a great one with just a few moments of roughness here and there. She is just getting sweeter and sweeter by the day although she is still quite the mommy's girl. Ashlynn doesn't fuss much at all...as long as she is with me. If someone else gets ahold of her, it's a different story! We had an exciting month and did all kinds of fun things. I started back to Jazzercise this month which has helped us begin to establish a schedule. I get the girls up every morning at around 7:00, get Emily dressed and ready for the day and then get breakfast for Emily and feed Ashlynn. On MWF, we go to Jazzercise and on TR, we head to pre-school. Throughout the rest of the day each day, we run errands, visit family, play with friends, nap, and get dinner ready for when Daddy comes home. It's a fun little life we're living and I am so thankful to be with my girls each and every day. We still haven't begun a nap schedule, but that will be happening soon. Here are a few highlights of our month:

Sleeping: This month Ashlynn started sleeping through the night without waking up to feed. She also got to a point where she was being disturbed when Lucas and I woke up in the morning to get ready, so we decided it was time to make a move to her...
Big girl bed: We moved Ashlynn out of our room and into her crib this month. It was a terrible experience with Emily, so we made sure to do it earlier with Ashlynn. So far, it has been smooth sailing. She has been a wonderful sleeper from day one, but since she's been in her crib, she's been even better. I've heard rumors of a four month wakeful period, but we're praying against that. :) She sleeps swaddled, on her back, with no pacifier. I put her down around 10:00 and she is up around 7:00.
First babysitter: Ashlynn got to go with big sister to Mimi and Papa's for the evening so Mommy and Daddy could go celebrate Mommy's birthday.
First State Fair visit: This month Ashlynn got to go to the great State Fair of Texas and meet Big Tex! We had a FUN time!
First pumpkin patch: The Sunday before Halloween we went to Hall's Pumpkin Patch to take some pictures, pet some farm animals, eat some kettle corn, and just enjoy the lovely Texas Fall.
First road trip: Ashlynn took her first road trip this month to east Texas for our friend Carrigan's birthday party. She also got to meet Carrigan's little brother, Caleb, born exactly one week after little miss.

Ashy Kate,
It's hard to believe you could love a little person as much as we love you, but somehow, you can. You are so precious to us, more than we could have ever asked for. I love being your mommy and I love that I am your very favorite! I pray every night that the Lord would capture your heart at a young age and that you would cling to him all the days of your life. You are a precious gift from him and he is going to use you in mighty ways. We love you, sweetheart!

Nakie baby

Blue Steel

Riding in style at the great State Fair of Texas

Just working on her modeling portfolio

Snuggle bunny

Say cheese!

Waving to her adoring fans

Who needs a paci when you've got a thumb?

Hanging out at the "Ice Cream Place"

Plum tuckered out

Baby blues

Her sister adores her...what's not to love?

Butterfly baby

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Ashlynn Two Months

It's hard to believe that two months have flown by since our little Ashlynn came to join us! This month has had it's ups and downs for sure, but overall, things just keep getting better. Our girl is so sweet and beautiful. At times she can be a bit high maintenance, but I'd still say she is an easy baby. One thing is for sure...she is a Mama's girl! It's sweet and difficult at the same time. It will only last a short time, though, so I'm soaking it all up while I can! Right around four to five weeks, Ashlynn got super fussy for a few days. We aren't sure if it was tummy related or what, but we're over it now. It was fairly short lived and during that time we discovered pure magic in a bottle. It's called gripe water. I had heard of it with Emily, but we never used it. Ashlynn loves it, though. When she is fussy it is an instant calmer. We've used it quite a bit this month! Our days are looking pretty similar. She usually goes to bed around 10:30 or 11:00 and gets up around 4:30 or 5:00 to eat, then I put her back down for a couple hours while I get ready and get Emily up and ready. She eats again around 8:00 and then catnaps off and on throughout the day. No real schedule yet, although I'm ready for one! On Tuesdays and Thursdays we take Emily to school and run errands. On MWF, we usually find something to do, whether it is visiting family or going on playdates. Soon we will be starting back up with Jazzercise, so we'll be pretty scheduled throughout the week. Saturday will be our only (much needed) "off day."

A few firsts:

Smiling: Ashlynn started smiling consistently right around six weeks. It's just about the most precious thing ever! (9/19)
Cooing: The cooing came right along with the talking. One of our favorite things to do is for Ashlynn to lay in my lap, propped up with the Boppy and we just talk and smile at each other. (9/19)
First bottle: Ashlynn finally got a bottle from her daddy this month! She did great with it as well as the few bottles she has had since then.

We went to the doctor and Ashlynn is finally putting on some good weight! She is 10 lbs, 5 oz (20th percentile,) 23.6 inches (90th percentile,) and her head is15.47 inches (70th percentile.) She's up almost two pounds in three weeks, which is wonderful! She's still a skinny one, but her legs are getting a bit chunky!

Ashy Kate,
I never thought there would be another girl as sweet as your sister until I met you! You are precious as can be and I LOVE being your mommy! We are all smitten with you...especially Emily! She can't wait for you to get bigger so she can play with you! You are our precious angel baby and we love you more than life!

with cousin Julie

first smiles

"Whatchoo talkin' 'bout?"

Sweet, happy girl

Sissy love

Precious little fingers

Sleeping angel

Say cheese!

Preshie

making eyes at Mommy

doing tricks

peekaboo

"There were never such devoted sisters!"

the girls

love

Surprise!

sweet angel baby

first bottle

snuggles

incognito

"Timberrrrr!"

Monday, September 16, 2013

Emily: 22, 23, 24 months

I can't believe it has taken me so long to get this post done. Those are a lot of months to put together! Oh well, it is what it is. I'll just be noting here everything she can do at the end of month 24. During these three months, Emily really turned from tiny toddler into little girl. She is just amazing, precious, and pretty much perfect...as well as a perfect terror when she wants to be! I love how strong-willed she is, but it can be a challenge! The fact that she is so sweet, smart, and funny 95% of the time makes up for the 5% when she is being a toot! Looking at the last monthly post I did, I really see how much she has changed during these three months. Her speech has absolutely blown up. She still mispronounces some words (upisdown for upside down, knock knock for nap mat, nank you boats for thank you notes) but her speech is very clear. The child can carry on adult conversations in complete sentences, which probably makes me expect a little too much from her. Sometimes I would forget she wasn't even two yet and wanted her to be acting more mature than she was. I've really been trying to watch that and be more patient with her. I know every parent thinks their child is smart, but really, she is! We haven't worked on much with her, but she just picks everything up so easily. She knows all of her colors, can count 1-10, can do one-to-one correspondence up to 10 (can touch each item as she counts them, not just memorize how to say the numbers in order,) can sing tons and tons of songs (Jesus Loves Me, Twinkle Twinkle, Old MacDonald, Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, How Much is that Doggie in the Window, Itsy Bitsy Spider, The B-I-B-L-E, Head and Shoulders, and many more.) She runs everywhere and has recently begun skipping and hopping quite a bit as well. She LOVES going to church "to read the Bible." Her favorite books are her Bible, Brown Bear Brown Bear, Panda Bear Panda Bear, and the Very Hungry Caterpillar. She can recite the last three and often reads them to us. She loves playing with her toys and her water table. Her favorite show is Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, which I give credit to for much of what she has learned recently. It's a GREAT show. Emily went to Mother's Day Out/Pre-school this summer and it was great for her. She has become even more independent and has lost most of her separation anxiety. She has finally started eating meat this summer and loves it! Her favorite is chicken. She has recently learned how to drink from a regular cup, but still regularly spills it when she gets too excited. Emily moved to her big girl bed on July 4th and did great with it from the start. On August 9th, she welcomed her little sister to the world with open arms and she never missed a beat. It is amazing how big she has become! We love this girl with all of our heart!

Emily,
You are the most precious little girl there is. You are always excited about everything and keep us smiling all the time. Your zest for life is contagious! You are so far beyond anything I could have ever imagined when I pictured having a child. I love you forever!