A Little Slice of Heaven

The other afternoon you woke up early from your nap – because you rolled over and smacked yourself in the head (see, I told you) and then immediately started screaming. When I went in to see what all the ruckus was about, it was apparent you had also crapped your pants. So, I dried your tears and wiped your butt and then decided I was going to attempt what had never been attempted before: try to put you down for your nap again. I bundled you up, sat you on my lap and rocked in the chair. The beautiful thing is that it worked. You were still sleepy and you sat and sucked your thumb and then you fell fast asleep. I sat there pondering whether I should put you back in your crib or just continue to hold you and let you sleep in my lap. I chose the later.

It had been a long time since you slept in my lap. I thought back to when you were only a few months old and I would spend hours carrying you around the house in your sling, with a blanket over your head. I would answer emails or we would take a long stroll around the neighborhood. I got to know your breathing patterns like the back of my hand. And as I sat there with you the other day, I was so glad I had made the decision to let the looming deadlines wait and the phone calls go unanswered for just that little moment in time. I was able to experience your familiar breathing patterns again and when you woke up about 45 minutes later, my feet had fallen asleep, but it didn’t matter. You looked up at me with from the puddle of drool you left on my chest, rubbed your eyes and smiled. I filed that memory under “H” for Heaven.

A Letter from Mommy and Daddy, Month 7

As we were discussing what to write this month, we thought about the reasons we started this site. One being that this gives us something to look back on when our memories fail… like, next week when we can’t remember, we can just hop online and figure out what your name is.

In all seriousness, although we’d love to remember every moment of your life, we won’t. This month’s letter is our efforts of documenting the little things we want to remember about you at 7 months of age. And, hopefully, all of the things you will want to know about yourself if you read this when you grow up.

A Letter from Mommy
So what do I know about Mr. Asher Quinn? I spend all day with you, so there’s probably so much about you that I know, that I don’t know that I know… that’s deep, dude. You are such a mellow little guy; so content with almost every situation we put you through. It’s a very rare occurrence that you cry uncontrollably for any given amount of time – and, without fail, every time I come to your crib, you are there waiting for me with a beautiful smile and a bounce of your feet. The other day, you went with me to the vet’s office and you sat in your car seat for almost an entire hour without complaint. You sat watching the vet and the lights and chewed on your toys without one peep. But, those are little anectdotes, what do I know about you…

• You like the colors red and yellow.
• You like books with rhymes.
• You like to play with cups.
• You are completely and totally enthralled with the puppy and the kitty.
• “The Wheels on the Bus” song always produces a huge grin.
• When you hear music, you stop in your tracks to listen.
• You absolutely love to bounce and jump and you are in motion almost constantly.
• Sometimes, to settle yourself, you scratch your sheets while sucking your thumb.
• You like to pull the blankets over your face (this freaks us out, by the way).
• Your favorite toy is still your rings.
• Everytime we go upstairs, you instinctively start sucking your thumb as if we’re going up for a nap, even when we aren’t.
• You love to watch Daddy and I talk and you will start to smile and laugh if we’re laughing.
• You sometimes seem very serious as you’re taking in a new situation.
• You don’t like to sleep in the car, but you now like to ride and watch the world go by.
• When Mommy and Daddy let Igloo lick you, you try to grab his tongue.
• When I sit you up on the changing table you love the wipey dispenser, but won’t play with the one we gave you as a toy.
• When you’re taking a bath, you like to dip your fingers into the water and then suck on them.
• Sometimes, it’s not the toys that are fun, but the tags on the toys that are fun.
• You like toys that spin and have little colored beads inside.
• You love your jumperoo.
• You like to play with the keyboard and type email messages to your daddy at work.
• Your toes are like 10 new friends.

These are just a few things that make you who you are now. One of the most wonderous things about being a parent is watching you grow into the person you are to become. It’s such a mystery and I find myself watching you and wondering which of your current behaviors I will recognize when you’re older. I know I will recognize one thing: your smile. In my daydreams, I envision picking you up from the airport and when you see me, you’ll flash a smile and say “Hi Mom, good to see you.” And underneath your facial hair and adult features, I’ll see a hint of this little toothless boy that sits on my family room floor today. This toothless little boy that warms me to my core when I enter the room and he flashes me a perfect little smile, as if to say “Hi Mom, good to see you.”

Love you,
Mommy

A Letter from Papa
Asher’s in the Mist.

I frequently ask myself what I know about you and I rarely have a satisfying answer. It all becomes a philosophical muddle when I try to assign dominant personality traits based on which colored ring you try to swallow whole. I played with puppets and longed for the troubadour life of the frivolous but artful Shields and Yarnell. Mimes, son. That Grandpa O didn’t ship me off to some juvie military camp I count as one of my luckier moments. He gave me room to breath. It was a small, cramped, room and I couldn’t come out until I promised to burn the puppet theater, but that’s how you grow. All this is to say that essence is a tricky beast, and when you’re only seven months old, that beast is wobbly. Anyway, most of the time I’m just watching you like some halfwit all giddy at seeing a smurf. Your mother has even commented on the respect she’s lost for me. She means it in the best way possible, I think.

So, philosophy aside, I want you to know of the simple daily gestures that are all Asher, all bliss.

·As I hold you in my lap before you drift off to sleep, you rub your feet together to relax.

·You scratch your face right before any planned photo shoot.

·You do not like me putting on your shirts and onesies. You’d think I was dunking you under water the way you struggle and purse your lips. You’ve only gotten stuck a few times, but I think those were defining moments I’ll never get back. Ask your Uncle Scott about Baskin-Robbins.

·You like rhythm and percussion. If this keeps up, I’ve got some great band names for us.

 I’m enjoying every minute.

Love,

Papa

And in other breaking news…

You have finally rolled over from your back to your tummy for us. Without prodding. As usual, you did it almost effortlessly… with the exception of that silly little arm on the bottom. Whew, that thing is hard to get on top of!

UPDATE [Sunday morning]: We obviously need to set some ground rules on the whole “rolling over” thing. This is a daytime only activity and should not be practiced in your crib at, say, 5am.

Same rules apply for crawling and pulling yourself up.

UPDATE [Monday morning]: Just to be clear, 5:30am is still not considered daytime. Let’s just agree that we won’t practice rolling over in our crib, okay? Daddy and I would prefer that you only sleep and suck your thumb in the crib.

UPDATE [Tuesday morning]: We. Get. It. You can roll over. Yea, Asher! We’re so proud of you, little squishy! There. Now when you accomplish this feat at 3:30am, 4:30am, 5:30am and 6:30am, it’s really not necessary to announce it with a sleep- skull-piercing screech. What would really be impressive at this point is if you learn to sleep on your stomach.

UPDATE [Wednesday morning]: Yaaaawn. You’re parents are too old for this. I should clarify the sounds that come from the baby monitor - it’s not always a skull-piercing squeal, more often than not, there’s a lot of grunting. Like there’s a struggle taking place in your crib… perhaps a strange early morning WWE grudge match? Your daddy said it started at 3:30am again, but somehow I didn’t wake up for it. Although there was a struggle taking place in my dreams. At this point, we have two words for you: duct tape.

UPDATE [Thursday morning]: Well, as your Grandpa G can attest, duct tape can be so useful in so many situations. After your daddy “took care of things” at 11:30pm, we didn’t hear a peep from you until about 5:15am. Don’t worry, sweetie, you’ll soon grow out of this phase…

Num Num Num

Finally! Some real food around here…

This morning was the morning. The morning you were able to smear oatmeal all over your face. And you enjoyed it, for the most part. I think you enjoyed chewing on the spoon more than anything else, but once you understood that this was a new texture, you were intrigued.

Does He Float?

This morning was your first swimming lesson. You did so well and we had such a great time, I can hardly wait to do it again next week. You were, by far, the youngest and most brave of all the kids in the pool. You were smiling and completely relaxed, while all the other little kids were screaming and crying and carrying on.

One of the lessons we had to learn was the “scoop”. Mommy had to lift you up, out of the water and way out in front of her. As I brought you toward me the first time, the water was at your chin. And as I did this over and over again, I was supposed to drop you further and further under water until it was up over your head. My darling son, I don’t think I can ever fully explain the paralyzing fear that ran through my body when the time came that I was to drop your head under the water. Inutitively, I knew you would be okay. But, I knew you would be scared and I had to have a big smile on my face and a big “wheeee!” so that you wouldn’t think that this new experience was scary. You went under the water a couple of times, but I don’t think you ever truly enjoyed that part of your swimming lesson… something we have in common.

The first dunk:

And, follow the link below for a low-quality video of our little adventure!

In The Pool from Gregory Olivet on Vimeo.

Beanie Baby

The three of us (you, Igloo and I) ran a quick errand to the bank this afternoon. Igloo was thrilled to get a dog treat from the drive-up canister. I was thrilled to have checks to send through the drive-up canister. And you? You were thrilled to have this little beanie hat on your head. As soon as I pulled it over your ears, a giant grin spread across your face and I had to find the camera:

Sightings

Some new skills you fully embrace and display like a peacock. Display and display and display. (I’m sure some parental oversight is at the root of these repetitive behaviors; I’ll wait to hear all about it from your high-school counselor). Other skills you learn and keep under wraps; they are as elusive as Yeti or Sasquatch, and a sighting is rare. We still have no proof of the cuddly beast that rolls from its back to its belly. This weekend, though, we have two confirmed accounts of a small, plump, and wiggly creature that sucks on its big toe as if it were a thumb, and flicks this fleshy digit on it’s upper gum like some obscene Italian gesture. It’s name is Toemunch and it makes frequent stops on the changing table in your room.

Pssst…

Whatever you do, don’t look behind you.

L.I.O.N…..

It’s a Glamorous Job…

Did you know that “spit up” is just a polite term for “the contents of your stomach have just landed in my lap”?

The Mighty Jumperoo

So, this is a toy that we knew you’d enjoy and have been wanting to get for a long time. But, like all good things, it costs an arm and a leg. But, Mommy found a coupon and headed over to Paychecks Babies R’ Us to pick one up!

Let’s just say that not only were you panting when we removed you from The Mighty Jumperoo, you were also flushed, tickled and tuckered. The three things everyone looks for in a good toy.

(click on the image to see it in action!)