The Armstrong 5

To me, it shows his little personality. He's got quite the attitude and he is just so curious! He's been wandering around the house more and more and getting faster and faster! Today we were actually going to take him to get his hair cut but the wait was too long... 50 minutes! Yikes! Asher is really afraid of loud noises... the vacuum, my blowdryer... he even cries when I just pull out the curling iron! It's so sad, it's a really fearful cry, but kind of sweet and cute at the same time. Anyway, just thought I'd add another photo to our collection on here! Hopefully we'll be getting his hair cut soon and we'll be posting some before and after photos too! Enjoy :-)

Anyway, I had bible study this morning which was great. I always talk a lot... I don't think I babble really... I just have a lot of thoughts running through my head all the time! And usually people seem to enjoy it, even though I was a cry-baby this morning! Not over anything bad, just anything deep or really meaningful I got totally choked up. We got to talking about God not letting us down but how people will and I told a story from when I was little. I think I was in the 1st grade (maybe 2nd or 3rd now that I think about it) and I was going to be in the talent show but the girl I was going to dance with totally bailed and I had nothing I could do! I was crying in my room when my dad came in and told me that people will let you down but we have to trust in God because He would never fail us. What a great lesson early in life! Although I don't always act like I believe it (stressing and worrying all the time) I'm glad I can look back and remember hearing that as a child. Thanks dad!

Well, Asher doesn't want to sleep so I better go check on him :-) I cannot tell you how pleased I will be when those molars make their appearance! The top two are so close!!! Have a great night everyone!

We had a small party, just family and couple friends but it was so much fun! Asher hadn't taken a good nap all day but it worked out well considering he had a bit of a sugar high after the cake for a while. He loved his gifts (and the boxes of course) and I'm really excited to see what this next year brings for him and us. Even though he has bad and difficult days, he's learning so much and making lots of progress to becoming a good man! 

He has several "tricks" he likes to display... the cutest and newest of the bunch is when we say "Are you gonna wash?" he puts his hands up and rubs his head! So adorable! He also claps and drums on cue, throws a ball and hands stuff over to mama and papa... what else... oh yeah, when he's holding something like a towel, shirt or anything like that and you say "where's the baby?" he'll put it up over his face (even if it only covers his eyes) and then pull it down. Then we say "there he is!" and he laughs and smiles like crazy. Plus, he wanders around the downstairs pretty freely and is starting to bend over and pick up toys without falling over :-) Maybe soon he'll be able to get to standing without a table, basket or my leg!

Well, I hope you enjoy these birthday photos... hopefully I'll have more cute photos to post soon!

Anyway, I've finished the Dobson book in under a week, which is quite impressive b/c I haven't even finished one book in who knows how long! It's been a while... I think some other parenting books when Asher was only a few months old... crazy. Well, I'm trying to discern Asher and his intentions (which is HARD) and I'm finding that he's maybe just a bit strong-willed, not a ton, but enough to see it daily in certain things. But mainly, he's an energetic boy who loves company. And not just company, but constant entertainment and physical contact! Multiple times today I seriously had to sit with him and entertain him every 5 minutes for about an hour! Yeah, after eating breakfast, after lunch and after snack. So there's no way he's lacking that mother-son companionship thing! I didn't realize until today how much time I actually spend playing with him and trying to keep him either happy or out of drawers... no wonder I don't have personal time!

It's fun most of the time, but around 3:30 (after 2nd nap) the crankiness increases and the attention span decreases and my energy level is almost zero! I'm so grateful for our playroom. It's COMPLETELY kid-safe and he can get into ANYTHING in there... so I can sit and knit while being close to him and but I don't often have to get up and re-direct all that energy. Don't misunderstand me - I chat with him and will throw a ball, read a book with him and just be there watching him, but it's less involved than the rest of the day and he gets less cranky with me thus creating a more pleasant atmosphere for everyone in the family! I'm almost shocked when I hear of other parents who don't have to follow their kid around as much as Asher... his whimpering is being dealt with daily but at a certain point I've learned that I need to avoid situations that cause the whimpering and save the training for parts of the day where everyone is happier and more open to learning :-)

Today was a tough day but it ended on a good note so I'm still feeling pretty good. In a few weeks I'll probably start to feel the new baby kicking around in there... I'll be a little nervous if it feels the same as Asher... knowing that I'll have 2 children with ridiculous amounts on energy :-) Still, I'm once again thinking that this milestone will help this feel more real... I keep looking at the ultrasound photo thinking "Yep, there's a baby growing" and feeling glad that I'm not just getting fat b/c of my sugar addiction! Hope you all have a great week!

His molars are still making him a bit fussy through the night, but not as badly as last week. He's skipping his morning nap every few days and I'm learning better how to cope with that! Asher is actually saying a couple things now too! When he sees our phones, hears them ring or beep or if he sees and plays with his toy phone from Grandma and Grandpa B. he'll say "Lo-oe!" It's so cute! Plus he'll say papa, Cu-cook (cookie), da (like yeah but with a d) and that's pretty much it. But his babble sounds so much like he's trying to communicate... finally! It's crazy to think that from here on out he'll just be saying more and more until I won't be able to stand it. But really, we're enjoying it.

I have so much else to say, mostly about what I've been doing... but I have so much to do that I need to get that done 1st! We'll share more soon!

Lately, Asher has been growing teeth like crazy. He has 7... that bottom 2nd Left tooth has been taking it's time... plus I can feel his 2 bottom molars starting to push up. Last night was the 1 night in about a week that I got more than 2 hours of sleep in a row and the 1st night in a while where I didn't have to get up about 5-7 times to try and sooth him. He will moan and cry in his sleep but nothing we do helps... tylenol, teething tablets, binky... sigh. But, yesterday I found the orajel which seems to help better, since it's more of an instant relief. I'm not sure if the orajel was the trick or if it's just getting closer to when they'll break through, but I'll take the sleep! 

I finally found a good bible yesterday too! I'd been looking for either a NKJV or an ESV but nothing I found was "cool" enough for my taste... I know, kind of vain huh? My last bible is falling apart. Plus, it was so small and fat that you couldn't lay it open and have it stay open! I would have to hold it open the whole time which gets really frustrating during a bible study or in church. Anyway, I'm also learning lessons about those conveniences that I get so upset about. God has just been showing me how to deal with difficult situations with more patience and understanding. It's been helpful to read some blogs from a few of my friends who either have been or are out of the US right now. We are so spoiled, it's ridiculous. Plus, my sister in law Jenn has a very busy and crazy life. Many of you know about her husband Mark. To sum it up, he has a currently irreversible heart condition that lands him in the hospital often and Dr's just don't know how to help him. So it's a constant up and down regarding his health and his life. Their situation really reminds me that God provides strength alone and that if he's helping Jenn endure what she's been enduring for almost what, 15 years now?, that He can help me have a bit more patience with a cranky kid. 

We had a late Valentine's dinner with our friends the Barnharts, Lacines and Marrs and it was a blast! I hadn't had so many people over for dinner in probably 3-4 years! But we're loving having a bigger home where people can hang out for a bit. So Saturday was spent in preparation for the evening and it was just fun to hang out with so many of my best friends at once. Tracy and Tyler (Steele) spent most of Sunday with us being entertained by Asher and playing games and it was so refreshing. Both Mark and I felt like we were more ready for Monday than usual. I feel really blessed even though I've been and will continue to be busy. Some great things in my photography have been happening so I'm trying to brainstorm how I can earn an extra $1300 in the next 3-4 months to purchase studio equipment... haha! I know it's a lot, but I REALLY want to make it happen! If you have any ideas, feel free to share! I'm up for doing events, sports teams or whatever!

So, all in all, I've been learning to go with the flow better and adjusting to the continual fatigue of being prego! Oh yeah, Sean and Teal Lewis had their baby boy Eamon! On 2/22!!!! He was over 10lbs and is so cute! We got to see them yesterday... I thought seeing a newborn would help make this pregnancy feel more real but no. Maybe it's because he actually looks and feels more like a 2 month old! Either way, I'm waiting for reality to sink in... maybe it's a good thing that it hasn't yet! I'm 13 weeks and counting... by spring I'll  be nice and round :-) Love you all!