7 Months

I nearly missed it!  Spence is halfway to 8 months now.  He's still growing like a weed.  He's so tall compared to other kids his age, and he's finally starting to fill out a bit.  He's been eating solid food for several months now and just loves it.  When he particularly likes something he says "mmmm" every few bites.  It's cute.  He's got pretty strong opinions about some foods.  Green beans are not his friend.  Neither are carrots or peas.  He'll eat any fruit though as fast as I can get it in his mouth.  The other day I fed him some avocado and black beans from what we were having for dinner and he was in heaven.  He's also learned to feed himself cereal.  At first he could get it in his hand but couldn't figure out how to get it to his mouth, but lately he's learned how to pick things up with his thumb and pointer finger.

He's still army crawling like crazy.  He gets up on his hands and knees and rocks a bit, but then is off like a rocket army crawling.  He doesn't care to take the time to learn to crawl normally since he can move everywhere he wants on his stomach.  His clothes are showing a bit worse for wear, but it's all good.  He just learned on Wednesday how to pull himself up on things, and he thinks that's the bees knees.  He loves being in the middle of things.  If we leave him on the floor playing too long, he comes and head butts our legs until we pick him up.  He really is fantastic about playing on his own though.  It's great for me because I can get lots of things done.  As long as he can come find me every now and then, he is good to go.  Well, unless he's tired.  But that's understandable.

Sleeping has been quite the interesting issue the last few months.  He has struggled a bit, but he's doing better now.  He take two or three good naps a day and if I get him totally full before he goes to bed he'll sleep until about 5 or 6AM.  He still wakes up a lot in the middle of the night though.  We're working on that. 

He's talking up a storm.  He keeps trying out new syllables.  So far he says 'g', 'b', 'w', 'm', and lots of 'ahs'.  So cute.  He'll talk to us or his toys or just to himself.  I just love my little guy! 

Painting

Painting.  Yup.  That pretty much sums up my last month.  See, my parents hired Bill and I to redo their deck.  This is not just any deck.  It's one of those decks with a slatted roof over the top. Read lots of details, so lots of sitting on the hot roof painting 2x2s.  We have been working on it since the first of August and just about finished the first coat on Wednesday.  Now we've got to do it all again for the second coat.  Thank goodness that should go way faster.  The wood was so dry that i just soaked up the first coat like crazy and took a long time to paint.  Oh, and 6 cans of paint.  Wow.  I'll have to post a picture when we finish, because it looks fantastic now. 

So since we're doing all this painting at my parent's house, what did I decide to do in the rest of my time?  Build a pantry and paint it too!  Genius. 

Actually, I really love how it turned out.  We have lots of cabinets in our kitchen but no pantry, and I've never been a fan of putting my food in cupboards.  The kitchen cabinets are that old '70s pale oak wood color that matches nothing, so Bill and I decided to go a little crazy on the color we painted the pantry.  Nothing was going to match, so we picked a fun color: yellow!  It's definitely a conversation piece. So fun. I got green covers for the shelves, so this is definitely an eye catcher.

Some vids of army crawling

Spencington is getting so good at army crawling.  He's starting to get up on his knees too, and even toes sometimes, though he doesn't move at all yet when he does that except to push off.  He's also starting to get more independent.  He and Bill do this cute thing where they go on an adventure together.  Here's a couple videos of them doing it.  Sometimes Bill leads, and now Spencer is starting to lead, or just head off on his own completely.  It's cute.  Of course I think everything he does is cute, except for throwing temper tantrums when it's time to go to bed, but nobody is cute when they do that. :)

Finally a minute to breathe

The last few weeks have flown by.  We have been so busy I haven't been able to stop and document any of it.  See, first we went to Island Park, ID for a family reunion.  That was fantastic.

We spent two days in Yellowstone while we were there and it was incredible.

 Then we came back home late Saturday night of that week and moved into our new house the following Monday morning.  Since then we have been unpacking, I've been teaching a class, Bill has been going to his summer class, and Spencer has been growing a couple teeth.  Oh, and then yesterday we took a quick trip down to southern Utah for a family baptism.  It's been insane, but I finally have a moment to breathe and relax.  It feels nice.

To sum it all up, the family reunion was tons of fun and Yellowstone was amazing.  I would love to go back there again but this time camp and hike. 

I love our new house except for the mosquitoes that got in while we were moving.  At least that's what I am hoping. We killed about 15 of them before we went to bed last night.  We're still renting, but having a yard and a washer/dryer, and a bigger place than our old apartment is wonderful.  I love the class I'm teaching.  I would love to keep teaching college classes.  Here's hoping I can make it happen.  Spencer is as cute as can be with his new teeth, though I refuse to get my fingers anywhere near his mouth now because that child bites hard!

 He has started pulling all sorts of funny faces and cheesy smiles.  They are adorable.

 He's moving now too, everyone beware!  So that's the last three weeks in fast forward. :)

He's on the move

Watch out, Spencer will soon be coming to your neighborhood.  He has figured out he can move.  Nothing will be safe in our house ever again.

6 Months

When did my little Spencer get this big?!  It blows me away how fast time goes by.  He is six months old yesterday and just so much fun.  He's doing lots of new things all the time.  He's trying all kinds of new foods and has yet to encounter anything he won't eat.  I don't think he's in love with the turkey baby food I gave him, but he totally ate it today on the third try.  Bill and I were a bit worried that he wasn't really an Ashman if he didn't like meat, but he calmed our fears this evening. lol.  He has decided recently that he wants to help with the feeding process, so his face is usually covered with food by the time we're done.

He's scooting along like crazy.  He puts his head into the floor and pushes with all his might and actually can move pretty far.  He's a pretty content kid though.  While he can roll and scoot now, he only does it to get to something that interests him, then he's content to hang out there for a while.  He loves his high chair.  Thanks Aunt Debbie!  I can stick him in it with a few toys and he's good for quite a while.  

He's starting to express opinions about things and not just reacting.  He is teething and he has had a bit of a hard time going to sleep lately and he will straight up refuse his pacifier if we try to give it to him.  He clamps his mouth shut, starts kicking his legs into the bed and throws a little temper tantrum.  It's pretty hilarious.  He also will dissolve into tears if he thinks we took away his spoon when he's eating and will refuse to eat anything else.  Also somewhat amusing, but I'd rather he just ate. 

He's started to discover his deep voice.  He is starting to kind of growl at us.  He's also kind of hoarse from the bedtime temper tantrums, so mix that in and he sounds a bit like a smoker.  Pretty much he just makes us laugh all the time with his talking.

He is still a cuddle bug.  I'm a huge fan of that.  He does everything he can to get my hair.  He's about to push his first tooth through and is subsequently chewing on everything from his dad's big toe to my shoulder to anything else he can find. 

That's about it for the update.  This adorable little guy has pretty much changed our lives.  I never realized how smitten I could be by such a little person.  Cliche I know, but it's pretty awesome.

Where has the month gone?

I can't believe it's halfway through July already.  This month has flown by.  We've just been doing so many fun things, I haven't had time to document them.  Here's a few of them:

We went to Stadium of Fire.  It's my first time even though I've lived in Provo for the better part of 10 years.  Brad Paisley came and it was totally worth the wait.  He is a fantastic performer.  He ended the night by jumping into a lighted pool going across the back of the stage.  Yeah, that's just cool.

We left the very next morning for a family reunion on Bill's side on the Oregon coast, a mere three miles from where my family had one four years ago.  It was fantastic to go back there.  Good food, good times with family, lots of Spencer-loving done by grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Grandma Suzanne got to feed Spencer. 

We took family pictures. 

We went running on the beach in the biggest headwind I've ever run in.  Bill's comment, screamed at me over the wind so I could hear, was classic, "I've never had to lean so far forward to run so slow!" 

Speaking of running, I got Bill a pair of Five Fingers minimalist running shoes for his birthday and a pair for me to match. 

We haven't been too many times, but they are fantastic!  I was skeptical of them, since it's kind of the in thing right now to run barefoot and I'm not a huge fan of following trends like that, but this one might be legit.  I'm still getting used to running more on my toes.  It makes my calves and shines super achy, but it feels so good to have so little on my feet.  Bill loves them too.  We went running together for the first time in like a year with Spencer in the jogger a few weeks ago and have gone several times since.  We looked like a cute little jogger family.  It kind of made me laugh. 

I think I've said before that Bill and I celebrate both his and my birthday in July for his since we have so many events in January when mine is, and just added another with Spencer sharing my birthday.  So Bill gave me my birthday gift too.  He got me tools!  A jigsaw and a Kreg jig to make pocket holes in wood. 

Plus a children's songbook.  He knows the way to my heart. :)  Since we're moving to a new house that is bigger than our apartment in a couple weeks, I'll actually be able to build a few more things and I'm so excited!  The tools will allow me to do that.  I'm going to build a pantry, since the house doesn't have one, an entertainment center tailored to the projector we have, a toy box for Spencer, and maybe some boxes for all the blankets we have.  This will be over time of course.  Oh, and some sawhorses so I can not kill my back doing all this. 

On the Spencer front, as that's who I spend most of my time with, he will be six months old next Thursday.  When did that happen?!  He decided this week to do a bunch of new things.  He's still eating like a champ and eats anything we give him.   He is getting his first tooth finally!  Bill found a little tooth nub yesterday. 

He's been somewhat unhappy today, and it's pretty obvious his gums are sore, so hopefully it will come through soon and be done.  He has started to move too.  Here's a video showing a bit of it.  (or I can't get it to load no matter how many times I try, so that will just have to wait.)  He started that two days ago and now is either moving or rolling all over whenever we put him on the floor.  I swear he is going to get rug burn because he doesn't know yet that he should lift his head up when he pushes with his legs.  But he's moving and he's enjoying it.  And that's our month for the moment.  Super busy, lots of fun, and more good things to come. :)

Prunes anyone?

We fed Spencer real food for the first time yesterday and then again today.  It was awesome.  He has been diving after anything we're eating for weeks now, so I thought it was about time he tried some of his own.  All I had to mix the baby cereal with was prune juice that he utterly refused to drink when we bought it a while ago.  Turns out if you mix it in cereal, it's a complete winner.  What fun!  I didn't get any pics today but here's a few from yesterday's first foray into the world of solid food. Oh, and it is very important to stick out your tongue while feeding a baby.  It makes it go better. :)

Hi, my name is Spencer and I have food all over my face

This eating is a serious matter!

I told Bill to smile.  This was what he did

First time in 10 months

I kept my promise to myself and went running tonight!  I've put it off for two weeks, but it turned out that it felt great!  Well, my lungs kind of burned and I felt like all my body was stretching and getting used to all the bouncing around that goes with running, but it felt so good to be going somewhere fast.  I ran about 2.5 miles I'd guess in somewhere between 20 and 24 minutes.  So that's either a really good mile pace for the first time back out, or a not bad one with plenty of room to improve.  I need to actually look at my watch and remember what it says the next time I go.  Or use my stop watch on my iPod or watch.  You know, all that technology I love?  I should actually use it. :)  Ah well. 

I didn't stop either, except to cross a street that had a bunch of traffic.  That's one of the things I love about running.  I felt far from great out there, but I was able to push through and tell myself I'd run the whole thing.  It always gives me a feeling of accomplishment when I push through like that when I won.  Simple little pleasures.  I think Spencer is teething right now, and feeding him is quite the trial for the both of us at the moment, so it felt really good to run away from those feelings for a few minutes.  I completely agree with my friend Rachael when she commented on the good feelings running brings.  Here's to many more good runs and hopefully a little less pain in the lungs. :)

This and That

 We went on our first hike not on a paved trail last night.  It was just up Rock Canyon, but we've got to start Spencer on something so he can get ready for the big mountains, right? :)  It was beautiful.  The river was running higher than I've ever seen it.  Spencer fell asleep almost immediately.  This is what he looked like most of the hike:

We were about down when Bill said to me that my water bottle was dripping on his foot.  I went to tighten it but it was already tight.  My sister looked at him and was like, "um, is that something yellow running down Spencer's leg?"  That's right, look close.  Spencer peed out the side of his diaper and onto his dad's foot.  It was hilarious!  He was so proud of himself. 

I've decided it's high time I stop putting off running, so tomorrow is the day people!  First run in about 10 months.  Should be fun.  I've officially experienced all the benefits of losing baby weight and nursing and my body is now telling me I have to actually work out to be in good shape. Rats!  jkjk, it will be fun.

We're gearing up for our 14-hour road trip to Oregon next week.  Yay for family reunions on the Oregon coast!  Here's hoping Spencer travels well for that long.  It's going to be a long day if he doesn't. 

Speaking of Spencer, he's finally decided he knows how to roll and doesn't cry anymore because he can't get over his arm.  Watch out world, this baby is moving!  He's ever so interested in our food these days.  I'm about ready to start him on solid foods, as he's trying to swipe ours any chance he gets.  Don't worry, the camera will be ready.

Running

I used to be a runner.  I think I was a pretty good one.  I ran a lot of races and started to do pretty well in them.  I got a lot faster over time.  I want to be one again.  My more recent running experiences have been more painful than enjoyable, so now that I've had Spencer, taken a racquetball and tennis class during Spring term to help me get back in shape, and am now getting ready to start again, I'm a little nervous.

I went to cheer on my friend Lizzie of theMotherRunner in the Utah Valley Marathon this morning.  She qualified for Boston!   Yay, Lizzie!  It reminded me of the goal I made a few years ago back when I ran Boston that I wanted to qualify and run it again, but this time knowing the course.  I want to feel like I owned the course instead of being owned by it like last time.  Don't get me wrong.  It was an amazing experience, but that was a rough race at the end.  The thing is, training to run a marathon doesn't sound good right now.  I don't have enough energy.  A half marathon sounds like I goal I could get my head around, though.  I think I'll start with that and work on getting my speed up again.  Right now I feel pretty heavy on my feet, and that's not going to get me to Boston. 

Just going to the race to cheer Lizzie on gave me a rush.  How fun is that.  I love competing and I forget about that sometimes, until I'm reminded at an event like that.  Not even kidding, I was just a tad emotional when I saw all the women runners coming in who finished fast enough to qualify for Boston.  Call me crazy, but it's a really good feeling to cross the finish line.  All the pain feels really worth it. 

Here's the question though.  What are some things I can do to enjoy running again?  I'm not getting nearly enough sleep, though it's getting  better.  Last night was the first night since Spencer was born that I didn't have to get up with him in the middle of the night.  Bill got up I think once, and I woke up, but was able to go back to sleep.  Hopefully that trend will continue and Spence will actually sleep all the way through and skip the wake up crying routine at 2AM.  He's getting way better every day, which is fantastic.  What are good ways to have enough energy?  Food tips?  Training tips?

4-Month Stats

Weight: 14.7 lbs 26th percentile
Height: 26 inches 74th percentile
Head size 43.82 79th percentile
Conclusion: We love our long string bean bobblehead baby!

We love him and he loves his goon!

Cute Photo of the Day

Out on a Drive/Walk at Diamond Fork in Spanish Fork Canyon.  The blue eyes kill me every time.  I love them!

Drumroll please!

We did our new and improved bedtime routine for the third night in a row last night and rather than crying for an hour and a half like he did the previous two nights, Spencer went right to sleep without a peep.  Could be an anomaly.  He might scream tonight again.  But I don't even care.  It was so awesome! 

He also is rolling both ways these days.  What a rockstar.  He's growing so fast.  He weighs well over 15 pounds now and we measured him today and he is 25 inches long or tall or whatever you call it.  Somehow we got a tall kid.  At least for the moment.  I'm not sure how we pulled that off, but I'll take it. :)

Spencer's first ride in the backpack.  He LOVED it.  He couldn't stop looking all around at the mountains and trees.  It was awesome.

He loved it so much he fell asleep in it.

4-Month picture

Poor little blog, so neglected

My blog hasn't really been feeling the love lately.  Maybe it's because not a ton of interesting things are happening at the moment.  Life is great, though not hugely noteworthy just now.  We've just been going to class, working some, looking for a summer job, and oohing and ahing over all of Spencer's new exploits.  He's finally big enough for the baby backpack, so we should get to go hiking this summer.  We just picked up a family-sized tent at Target the other day so camping should be happening too.  Bill hasn't found a summer job yet, which could be stressful, but mostly I'm just really enjoying that we get to spend a lot of time together.  He's so busy during the school year, so that has been really nice.  A bit of money would be nice too, so hopefully something will work out on the job front soon, but I've decided I might as well enjoy the moment instead of getting buried under stress.  That's totally not worth it.

I played the organ in church today.  It went well, but I got last minute notice last night that I would need to play since all of my organists were out of town or I couldn't reach them.  I didn't have time to practice on the organ, so I couldn't play the pedal part, but I just played without it and it went fine.  I taught Young Womens too and I actually felt like the lesson went pretty well.  The girls are pretty hard to get to comment, but they got involved a bit today and that was nice. 

We took naps tonight and they were wonderful!  Of course now it's super late and we need to go to bed, but oh well. :)  Anyway, here's  a couple fun pictures from recent days.

Spencer fell asleep after enjoying a little light reading :)

We are ready for some hiking!

Spencer is a big fan of playing airplane

Enjoying our new tent.  Spencer thinks it's fantastic :)

Spence likes to play with our faces.  It's cute.

Good News

I babysat for a friend in my ward yesterday.  I played in the yard with her kids for a couple hours.  Bill even came along after a while to enjoy the sun.  Just a simple little thing, but we came away with more than we expected.  See, we have this cute apartment we live in, but it's not really that big and it doesn't have a washer/dryer.  We are going to be around Prove at least 2 or 3 more years and we love our ward, so even without the washer/dryer we expected to stay in our apartment until Bill finished school.  That is, unless we found a better place still in our ward.  It's only 3 blocks by 2 blocks big, so the chances didn't seem high that would happen.  Except that after the little babysitting trip yesterday, it looks like it has!  See, it turns out this family is going to be moving and their house will be available.  That's right, I said house. Not apartment.  It's a 3-bedroom house with a yard and a washer/dryer in it so we don't even have to buy one.  Oh, and did I mention that it costs less for rent and utilities than our current rent alone?  Yeah, that's right.  Bill and I are pretty much ecstatic.  We'd really love to be able to buy a house, but that's not going to happen for several years, but this is a definite step up in the right direction for us.  Yay! 

Oh, and in other news, Spencer's hair is officially long enough for him to have woken up this morning with bed hair.  I tried to take a picture, but it didn't really show.  Just think mini faux-hawk.  It's so cute. Here's a few pictures of his favorite things to do these days.

1. Hold things

 2. suck on his fingers

 3. Sit up

 4. Drool

And a four generation shot from Easter(s) :)

Clothes Shopping

Bill was so nice and spent the afternoon yesterday with me clothes shopping.  He gave me money for Christmas and I've gotten some graduation money that I am using to get myself a new wardrobe.  I looked in my closet the other day and realized I have three short-sleeved shirts.  Summer is going to be a problem if I don't do something about that.  So we went shopping and I picked up several shirts and a couple sweaters that were on huge sale at the moment.  The shirts I got were cute, but they were seriously the only ones we found.  We went to pretty much every store in the mall and the clothes at the moment are just not calling to me.  Why is it that whenever I actually have money to spend, I don't find anything I want to buy?  I'm trying to branch out for t-shirts and jeans.  I'm pretty tired of that look.  Where are good places to get cute clothes?