a mean trick

i came home from running some errands this afternoon and had a scary surprise waiting for me. all the bedroom doors in the house were open. i was scared to death.
the back bedroom doors were open - we never go in those rooms - and even the closet doors were wide open. i hurried and called duben to see if maybe he had left them open for some strange reason. nope. so i made him stay on the phone while i checked each room and waited for a scary burglar to jump out at me.
nothing.
then i saw him.








oscar.
oscar has taught himself to open doors. that was a mean trick oscar.

forever. forever ever. forever ever.

duben and i went out to dinner today to celebrate his promotion.
way to go duben.

little miss 'a' decided that she wanted to talk...and it wasn't her church voice. we figured it was probably because she's teething. (she has her two bottom teeth in, and we think the top two will soon be arriving.) she was content in her car seat until dinner arrived....of course. so i held her while duben ate for a bit and then we switched so i could eat.
we were finishing up when this older couple across from us finished and the wife came over to look at ainsley. she left to go to the restroom and the husband told us about how they went to dinner a week ago and saw a couple in a similar situation as us with a little fussy baby. except the wife held the baby the whole time and got her food to go. he told us that when he saw duben take ainsley he told his wife, "that couple is gonna last." (people are so nice here)

i always knew i had a great marriage, but it is always nice to know that other people see it too. thanks duben for being a great husband.

sit ainsley sit

who would have thought that seeing a baby sit would be so cute? ainsley hit another milestone today, she's found her balance and can sit on her own now. i must say she just looks so cute sitting there all by herself. thank goodness for cell phones, i was able to catch it and send it to dad at work. we're both so proud.

she loved trying to sit by mom and dad but hadn't had much luck in staying up without a little help. she knows she's able to do it by herself and gets a big smile when she sits....so adorable.

'i love this stage.'

she's growing up so fast!

keep rollin rollin rollin

another exciting milestone for ainsley. she's mastered the art of rolling over, both ways! over christmas she rolled from her belly to back a few times, which was awesome. and now she's finally got it down. its so fun seeing the look in her eyes when she pops up on her belly, she's so proud! its the cutest thing ever.

since its march she's also sporting her irish threads. daddy is so proud. my favorite irish pair!

food glorious food

i was pretty excited when the doctor told me to start giving ainsley food....though my mom warned me just to be patient. you can't be in a hurry when its time to feed babies. they eat on their own time.

so true.

we started with rice cereal, then in a week or so it's on to the good stuff. well, as good as pureed peas can be. she did so well though...it took her a bit to get used to the consistency, but she's learned quickly. so fun!

again, 'i love this stage.'

a tooth!

i love each little milestone that comes with having a baby. i never knew i'd get excited over the littlest things, but i definitely do.
today i noticed ainsley is getting her first tooth in already! she's been drooling a lot lately, but i figured it couldn't be teeth since she's only 3 1/2 months! her bottom tooth is already cutting through and i think the next one should soon follow.
so cool!

goodbye corporate america

i've always had a job. since i graduated high school and entered the world of adulthood i've worked and/or have been in school. (okay, there was one summer i didn't, but i had just gotten married).
i enjoyed working at walmart. i learned so much and loved being part of a great company. when ainsley came i knew that i wanted to stay home and be with her. there were things about working i'd miss, but i can say that being a mom is better than anything i expected. i love waiting for ainsley to wake up and smile at me. i love watching her figure out the world around her. i love that i'm there every day to see her grow.
at the end of walmarts fiscal year they give us a nice bonus. to ensure i got mine i had to be an employee as of feb 1st. my maternity leave was up january 11th. i had to go back to work. it broke my heart. if it had been any longer i couldn't have done it. luckily we have an amazing ward and ainsley was with some great families while i worked.

and now i am done.
i can say i did it. i got the job i went to college for. and now i can leave it behind without hesitation. my meeting planners are now playdates and nap times.
thank you duben for working so hard to support our little family.
i couldn't be happier.