Aislinn l 6 months

Wow, half a year has already flown by since Aislinn came into our lives. Half a year! I'm loving this age and looking forward to all the fun milestone we get to experience in the next 6 months. At the same time, she's so small and snuggly still and I just love that.

At the 6 month appointment, Aislinn weighed in at 13 lbs 1 oz (5%) and 24 1/2" (25%).  Teeny tiny little girl!  She is still in 3-6 month clothes very comfortably (which is great because she has a great wardrobe in this size!).  She had another round of shots and did AMAZING! I was so thankful for the timing of her appt. because was just getting over a cold. She was so stuffed up and had such a nasty cold, I felt so bad for her. (I felt a little sorry for myself too due to some pretty rough nights!). Luckily she checked out great at the dr. Yay for good health!

We started Ais on solid foods right at 6 months and so far so good! We're hoping this will help her crawl up the charts a little bit.

I think I've mentioned it before, but Aislinn LOVES music. She gets so excited when we sing or snap or clap, especially when it's directed at her. She starts to wiggle and shake her head - we have another dancer for sure! She loves dance parties.

I'm not sure why it's clicking now, but Ronan is has started getting more jealous of Aislinn. Almost every time Patrick holds her, Ronan declares "my daddy!" and if I'm doing anything that looks remotely fun with Aislinn he says "my turn!".  I think he sees her as more of a person and therefore and threat than just a baby doll. But he still loves her to pieces and likes to make sure she's taken care of. He's such a big help!

These photos are a little late. I couldn't beat to make her suffer through photos while she wasn't feeling good, and even the first couple tries after she started feeling better did NOT work out. Nonetheless, she was so cranky, tired and still a little sick when I finally went for it. I was going with a Christmas theme and had grand plans, but I feel lucky to get the few shots that I did.  It's pretty obvious she was tired in the last few photos. :) I especially love the last one of our sweet binky-loving-still-loves-a-good-swaddle-girl.

A classic Ais look

Still not a big tummy fan

An early Christmas present :) I thought I got some great head shots of her in the seat but they  didn't turn out :( This is the only semi-non-blurry one I got:

See what I mean about cranky? :)

Snow bunny and a Bumbo

I've been wanting to share these photos with you, they are from a few weeks ago. First up is Aislinn's first trip out in the snow. It was SO much work getting the kiddos, myself and the dog ready for an outing in the snow. A short outing. But fun nonetheless. :)

Plus she looked so stinkin' cute in her snow gear. :)

Aislinn gets to be the first at something - sitting in a Bumbo! :) We borrowed it from a friend, thinking it would be the perfect way to have her interact with us during dinner, cooking, crafting, etc. The only problem is, she doesn't really like it. She looks happy here but big brother is entertaining her. She'll only last a few minutes before she arches her back and tries to get out. Maybe she'll get used to it??? I think Aislinn would much rather hang out on her play mat.

Real Food

Aislinn ate her first bites of real food today! She did so well, just a little bit of funny tongue thrusting, but she is quickly getting the hang of it.  At 6 months, we're getting a later start than with Ronan (experts say 4-6 months is when you should start). I just wasn't ready to accept that our baby girl was old enough for solids already, but she was giving us all of the signs (grabbing for our food, opening her mouth when we ate) so we knew it was time. I'm so thankful she likes solid food so far, I hope she's a great eater!

Not so sure about that first bite

loving it now though!

Ronan l Two Years

Our sweet, fun, spunky, crazy Ronan is two. Ok, so he's been two for a couple weeks now. :) Two. TWO! I'm glad Ronan is two because it's one of his favorite words. :)

Little Man, you are a true blessing. You keep our lives full of laughter and joy. You love life and you love people. You care about other people when they are hurting and are quick to give a kiss to make them feel better. Right now, you're favorite bible story is the good Samaritan because in the picture he is hurt and needs help. You try to help him by giving him a kiss. I pray God continues to give you a softened heart for people and for serving them.

You are the sweetest big brother any sister could hope for. You have always been incredibly gentle with Aislinn. She is lucky to have you and we pray you two will always remain close.

Your love for people extends to social settings. You light up around people. Dancing, jumping, shouting, laughing. You cannot contain your excitement. You are such an entertainer!

Airplanes, cars, trains, bicycles, motorcycles, tractors, buses, boats. Anyone of these will get you excitedly naming them as we drive down the road. And you love to share the things you love, so if we don't acknowledge you, you just get louder. :)

You love to explore new things, especially outside. And you are constantly on the go. We wouldn't expect anything less from a two year old boy and we love it. It is so much fun to show you the world. Every cool and exciting thing, we get to show you, and it helps us to see the world new again. Like the mud puddles in our alley. I never think about them, but you love them. So we gear up and get muddy. :) You tend to be very serious and contemplative the first time you try anything. This usually surprises us, due to your normal level of exuberance. 

You are mastering the art of throwing a tantrum. You are getting so good at them that you have different ones for different types of tantrums. I haven't decoded them yet, but my favorite one is one I'll call "The Galloping Pony." It seems to have evolved out of one of your new dance moves. Sometimes you take it up a notch to "The Side-Step Galloping Pony." Yes, even in your tantrums you can still make us laugh.

Your language skills are bursting each day. At least 5 times a day you whip out a new word I haven't heard you say yet. One of your latest favorite game is "What Does _____ Say? Family Edition". What does Daddy say? "Hey bud!" (you always follow up with a giggle). What does Mommy say? "I wuv you" (in the sweetest voice ever. What does Aislinn say? "Aaaaagh!" (accompanied with flailing arms-not sure where you came up with that one). Luckily for me, Roney (your name for yourself) says the same thing as Mommy. Melts my heart every.single.time.

Your favorite partners in crime are your thumb and your blankie. Someday you won't need them, but for now they help you cope with frustrating or upsetting situations. And we're ok with that. It's better than turning to chocolate like mommy does. :)

You are very much a daddy's boy and would spend every waking second with him if you could. You picked a good role model for sure.  You have learned many things from daddy already, including fixing things. Now much of our house has been fixed, multiple times. :)

You have the facial expression vocabulary of your father. Just another facet of your ability to entertain. (Though not fully captured in these photos because you were so tired)

We love every ounce of you and thank God every day that He has blessed our lives with yours! Love, Mommy and Daddy

Snow Day!

Holy cow, I can't believe I was doing yard work two days ago in 50+ degree weather and now we have snow! Ronan was so excited last night as it was was falling. He kept saying "fall down!".  I was excited it stuck around through the night. I think Ro was too. He babbled on and on this morning about the "tone" (snow) falling from the "ty" (sky). I love how excited he was! I declared it a snow day, so we hung out in our pj's all morning, played outside while Aislinn was sleeping and then had graham crackers and milk when we came in. :) Love love love these fun days!

Aislinn loves her Minnie Mouse that Hammie brought back from Disneyland. Minnie has a perfect nose for gnawing on. :)

Back to the snow...

Playing in a leaf pile I raked up Wednesday (the green can is full!)

He made a slide out of our chairs and had GREAT fun!

Oh hi little sis! You just mastered rolling from your tummy to your back today. And then back to your tummy. And you're trying to scootch a bit. Perhaps it's time to re-evaluate our baby-proofing techniques? You're going to be on the move in no time!