Ranger Baby

We went camping this weekend up in Big Bear at the Pineknot campground spot 17 to be exact. We all had a great time. The baby was amazing as usual. She was smiles and laughs the whole time.


We left Burbank around 10 am on Saturday morning after stopping for gas, ice, and of course breakfast from McDonald's. It took us about 2 1/2 hours to get up to Big Bear. We were a little worried about the car ride, but of course Ais took it in stride as usual. A few fusses here and there, but nothing too bad. We did stop at a turnout on the mountain road to give her s quick feed and a little break.


We got to our site a little after noon and as soon as Ais got out of the car she was all smiles and giggles. She was so happy and was fascinated by all the new things. She couldn't stop looking around.


We unpacked the car which was full to the top. It was pretty comical how much we brought for just one night. We used pretty much everything too.


We borrowed this ridiculously big tent from our friend at work and Aisling loved being in it. She would just laugh and laugh and kick her little legs like crazy.




We hung up a hammock for more camping fun. Brian and I took turns with her swinging and resting in the hammock, she even had a couple naps in it too. There was a road close to our site where the mountain bikers would ride and she would just stare at them as they passed by.




She loved the campfire too. She was mesmerized by it. We bundled her up and relaxed by it for several hours. Eventually she fell asleep in my arms. I was worried that she would have trouble at night sleeping, but she did amazingly well. She slept better than Brian and I combined. Our air mattress sprung a leak and we all ended up on the ground. It was pretty cold too so I was constantly worried about her being too cold or the blankets covering her face. She really only woke up when I moved her from one side to another in attempt for me to find a comfy spot. She didn't even wake up when the coyotes started to howl.


In the morning we woke up, and played in the tent for a while. She just loved being in the tent. She would sit up and try and eat her Whinnie the Pooh bear slippers and then try to grab the plaid pattern on the sleeping bag. She even tried to crawl. She managed to scoot herself backwards quite a ways, but never got the momentum to move forward.


We had another fire in the morning, a bit of hammock fun and then packed up, Aisling sat in the stroller and watched us tear down the tent. She slept the entire way home too, all 3 hours of it. It was amazing. We all had such a good time. Aisling was so excited the whole trip, she would hardly even eat. She'd start to nurse and then after 2 sips had to look around to make sure we were still in the forest. I can't wait till we get to go again.

Look What I Can Do

Aisling is 19 weeks old today and boy has she learned some new tricks. She has really gotten good at rolling over both directions. She has fun at tummy time, especially when her mirror toy is in front of her. She is also grabbing her toys really well and everything is going straight into the mouth. She can sit in her stroller without the infant seat now. And she can now use her high chair without it being fully tilted back.


She has started to sit up now too. She still has an occasional topple over and there have been a few total collapses, but she is really learning how to keep her balance quick. Of course, now that she is sitting up she doesn't want to be cradled or lay down anymore. It has made feeding and putting her to sleep a bit interesting.



She also had her first real food on Saturday. I mixed in about a Tablespoon of rice cereal with a few ounces of milk and fed it to her. She really liked it. She did pretty good with the spoon, but the mixture was pretty watery so we figured it would be easier to feed the rest of it to her in a bottle, which she held by herself. Another new trick. I was hoping that the cereal would help her sleep better at night, she was doing the every hour and a half feeding thing Thursday and Friday. The jury is still out on that one, but I am still hopeful.

She is also sleeping in her crib for the first part of the night before her first nightly feeding where I wisk her into bed and get ready to endure a night of waking up every several hours. She goes down around 7:30 and Brian and I have free time and can watch TV or work on the computer till she wakes up or we go to bed around 10. I even took a nap completely baby free on Saturday. She's growing up so fast.

Friends 4ever

Last night Aisling and Arianwen met for the first time on the outside. It was so cute to see them together. Arianwen is so cute and looks just like her daddy. She has the longest fingers I have ever seen on a baby, I think she is going to be a tall one too. But for now she is so itty bitty next to my Amazon baby. I can't even remember what it was like to have such a little baby. Time sure flies doesn't it? It's amazing how much Ais has grown and changed in just 18 weeks. Rhiannon looked great too. She was only in labor for 3 hours, how lucky is that? Arianwen was delivered by Susan as well. She is the midwife that delivered Aisling. We brought over the CPK this time and we had such a nice visit. It is going to be wonderful watching these two lovely girls grow up together. I am so happy.


Daddy had to go back to work after our visit. Wilbur is in crunch mode right now. He may have to work tomorrow too. Hopefully, it won't be this busy for much longer. After the visit, Ais and I headed home and she was asleep in 10 seconds. She woke up and wanted to play when we got home though. We found a new game she loves. I mimic her talking and she thinks it is so funny. Eventually she fell back asleep and I went to bed along side her. It was probably a good thing because she woke up almost every 1 1/2 hours last night. I think she may be teething or going through another growth spurt. I hope the sleeping thing gets better soon cause I am just zonked at work half the time.

Ice Ice Baby

This weekend I got back out on the ice and so did Aisling, minus the skates and only for two seconds. My old team the Chill had a hockey practice and, since it was at a good time and I have had a hankering to play again, I went. The practice was really fun. I was nervous I would be falling all over the place, but after a few wobbly laps around the ice, I felt fine. I was a slower version of my former hockey self. I have definitely lost my speed and my feet and ankles were killing me not being used to the confines of skates anymore, but I had so much fun. I got to see a lot of my old friends and introduce Aisling to them. She finally met Amy my D partner from the past. We had been trying to get together for ages, but finally met up for the first time this weekend.


Aisling was great as usual. We bundled her up in her little Canadian track suit that Grammy and Grandpa brought back for her from Vancouver, a Kings hat and a big blanket. Aisling was really interested in watching every one skate around until she fell asleep. After she woke up, she and Daddy were great cheerleaders for dear old Mom. It was so fun to look to the sidelines and see them both on the other side of the glass. At the end of practice we let Aisling step on the ice. She thought it was great fun (as seen at the top of this post). And on the way home she fell asleep holding her Tigger, dressed in hockey gear, stuffed animal. That's my girl!!!!!

On Sunday we went to Grammy and Grandpa's for some pool time fun. She was in the pool for a very long time and really liked it. She laid on the pool float and almost fell asleep too. It was so cute. She is getting so good at using her hands too. She grabbed my empty water cup and put it straight to her mouth and pretended to drink from it. I guess she has been watching and learning, it was amazing to see her do it though. Grammy Sue bought her a sippy cup and she was really good at getting it into her mouth. She's rolling over easily now and is on the verge of sitting up. She is growing and changing so fast these days.

I survived

Well it is Thursday and I am still alive. I survived my first few days back at work. Sunday night was pretty miserable and emotional and Monday was pretty much gut wrenching, but it is getting a little easier. I think about Aisling all day long and have a million pictures scattered around my office so no matter which direction I look I can see her cute little face. I start watching the clock around 1:00 pm and I get more and more anxious as it gets closer to 4.

Everyone at work has been great too. Although I kind of wish people would stop asking me if it's hard. I want to say well Duh!!!! It has been nice to see Brian more too. He got me the new Nintendo game boy complete with Nintendogs for my first day back. It is a fun distraction when my shots are loading. We have also gone to the lot a few times for lunch. They are shooting Pirates again and there are all sorts of characters walking around, still no Jack Sparrow though.

I miss the baby terribly, but I think will be OK in the long run. She just loves Norma and is really happy so I know she is well cared for. I still wish it were me home with her though. I sometimes get jealous of the nanny, but I know it's for the best for now at least.


On a happier note, Aisling has a new friend. Arianwen Nia Wilhelmi was born on Monday. 17 weeks after Aisling and at the same hospital with the midwives. Mom and baby are doing well. I can't wait to meet the newest little baby in the pack. I know they will be great friends.



Also, Aisling had her first turn at playing guitar hero on Sunday. I thought the pictures were so cute I had to share them. She liked rocking out with dear old Mom and Dad. It was so fun to play with her, I remember when she used to kick the guitar through my belly about 4 1/2 months ago.


Also here is proof that Aunt Joan succeeded in teaching Aisling they joys of the soda cup. At Porto's on Sunday she kept grabbing Brian's coke.

What a Week

This week was crazy. All sorts of drama and emotional stress, but in the end everything turned out alright.


Let's start with Monday. I packed up the baby drove to Whittier to pick up my Mom, who is still not feeling well and hasn't been herself since Mother's day, to head to Riverside to see Dr. Bob. I have been dying to see him since my jaw hasn't been the same since Aisling's birth and I was hoping he could help my Mom out as well. After another hour in the car we got to his office and surprise he wasn't there. His receptionist screwed up and scheduled us on a day he was still on vacation. I was pretty annoyed and disappointed. At least we made some good out of the trip since Aunt Joan lives a few blocks from his office so we had lunch. Aunt Joan is already teaching Aisling new tricks, like how to drink out of a cup. Next she will be teaching her how to eat french fries with hot fudge.



Tuesday we were back out to Whittier to pick up my Mom, but this time we headed to the beauty salon to get our hair done. We both got spiffied up and Aisling laughed hysterically at the baby in the mirror. She was the star of the salon.


Wednesday was Norma's first day. It went really well. Aisling really likes her a lot and laughs and laughs with her. I think they will be great friends. She had some big fits when it came to nap time and feeding. She really wanted nothing to do with the bottle or the crib. It was better if I left the room so I went down to the office and cleaned. I was too emotionally frazzled to do any computer work on the wedding, but the office is totally organized now. By the end of the day she was doing really well and getting along with Norma perfectly. Norma is awesome by the way. She is from El Salvador, speaks great English has three kids and a granddaughter. She is warm and fuzzy and energetic and fun. Also, my toaster oven has never been so clean and my plants have never looked so alive. I think we got really lucky and got a great nanny.

Thursday, Aisling's official 4 month old birthday, I went out to run some errands. After I finished getting some keys made I got back in my car and it wouldn't turn over. I ended up having to call AAA and getting my car towed to the Honda dealership in Glendale. Turns out I needed a new battery. It was a real pain and I was super emotional because it was my first time out leaving the baby with someone other than Brian or a family member. Also there was the cutest little blonde baby at Target and I had to really work to compose myself. This is sooooooo hard.


Friday, I picked up the car in the morning and then came home and spent the rest of the morning with Norma and the baby. We chatted and played. Again I say how lucky we are to have Norma. We all get along great. Becca and Grandma Kettle came over in the afternoon and we went for an early dinner at BJ's. It was fun to go out with the girls and even though Grandma ate Anchovies on her pizza everything was a blast. Then it was home to wait for Brian to come home. He has been working late every night this week.

Saturday we went to Maria's for lunch and to the pottery barn to try and find her a little blanket. They didn't have quite what we were looking for but it was a fun trip anyway. Brian played with Aisling while I did some more work. She is rolling over both ways really good now. Aunt Lea sent some of Delianna's old toys over as well and she really loved playing with them. One of them plays this little song called down by the bay. I have had it stuck in my head since Friday.

Today we are just going to enjoy the day as a family. We may go swimming and have some BBQ. I am going to savor this day as tomorrow I have to go back to work and I am just heart broken about it. I don't know how I am going to be able to leave Aisling in the morning. I knew this would be hard, heck I have been dreading this day since I found out I was pregnant, but man is it really painful. I hope it gets easier as the time goes by. Right now it is a beast though. I can't sleep, I am weepy all the time and am just a bit depressed. Not like me at all. I guess I just have to rip off the band aid and adjust to a new routine. At least I know she will be well cared for during the day.