December 27, 2009

Christmas Cheer

This past week has been filled with lots of family activities and Christmas spirit. Even though Aspen won't remember this Christmas, I think all in all she had a great time.
We started our holiday off with an earlier dinner with Aspen's Poppy the weekend before Christmas. We were headed off to Midland and wanted to have a dinner with my dad before we left town. Jason made an amazing roast duck with potatoes, fig apple sauce (yum!) and carrots. It was a great meal and wonderful company. We set up the tripod to capture the moment and this was the best shot...I guess Layla really wanted to be part of the memory.



We headed off to Midland on Wednesday morning once Aspen woke up and finished eating. She did great on the drive, although Jason and I didn't have high expectations, so it wasn't hard to please us. Actually Aspen did amazing the whole trip. She is really starting to warm up to people more (other than her mom and dad), which has been nice to give us a break every once and awhile.

Our nephew Cameron wasn't so sure about sharing his Nanny's attention with his cousin Aspen at first.



I had to document as much of Aspen's first Christmas as possible. She woke up early that morning (of course!) and was in such a happy mood. I guess she was ready to open some of her presents.



Of course she didn't really know what was going on, but Aspen did enjoy the wrapping paper. We probably could have just wrapped boxes with paper and she would have been has happy as can be :)



We had to set up a photo shoot of the three cousins. For those of you that don't know, my two sister-in-laws both had children in the past two months--Jessica in October and Trevor in November. The three of them had matching "Xmas" pj's provided by their Aunt Sarah.

We started the shoot out with all four cousins and Papa.



Then we had to get some shots of the three little ones. This continued on for a while and in the second shot (which we slipped Cameron in) Trevor and Aspen had just about had enough. I couldn't resist posting the second picture. It's the perfect example of a bunch of parents wanting one thing from their kiddos, but ultimately the kiddos are the ones running the show.





I was a little worried with all the excitement, pictures taking, etc. that Aspen would burn out at some point, but she kept high spirits all day. I got this great shot of her wiggling around in her "Santa's Helper" outfit.



Aspen has been eating her rice cereal now for about a week and a half and has continued to love it. After all the excitement of Christmas morning she sat in the high chair and ate a nice large serving of cereal. She seemed content in the high chair so we left her in it for a while and all of sudden we looked over and she was passed out. To adorable for words...



We had a great first Christmas as a family this year. The whole experience also gave me more confidence as a parent traveling with Aspen. She exceeded both of our expectations. We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday this year!

December 22, 2009

Dance Party

The other day Jason, Aspen, and I had a little dance party in her room. Lately I have been doing this with her because she gets the biggest smile on her face when I wiggle her around; you can even here some giggles.

The first video is Jason recording and I'm dancing with Aspen. We were trying to get her mostly in the video, however Jason didn't always know where I was taking her so it's a little bumpy at times.



The second video we took Jason wanted to take a stab at being the dancer, so I videoed it. Listen carefully to Mom's reaction when Dad decides to incorporate some "dangerous" moves. I guess I'm pretty over protective of my little girl :)



I'm sure there will be many, many more dance parties to come in this girl's future. We are off to Midland tomorrow for Aspen's first trip away from home. Fingers crossed she does well in the 5 1/2 hour car drive!

December 18, 2009

Mmmmm.....That Was Yummy!

Yesterday Aspen embarked on a new phase in her short lived life....eating food! Well I'm not sure if most of us would call it "food"; it was whole grain rice cereal mixed with breast milk. However, it was a big step and eventually she will get to the good stuff (all in good time).



I started out by breastfeeding her a little bit (what I like to call an appetizer), so that she wouldn't be completely famished while trying this new activity. I thought this would keep her from being overly cranky about the whole thing and it worked great.

As you can see majority of the food ended up on her face or on the bib.



At first Aspen wasn't sure what was going on--did she like this--what's this thing going into my mouth--it taste pretty good, I think? But then she really got into it and when I would bring the spoon close to her mouth she would open wide. I was so proud of her.



She even started to grab for the spoon and was sucking on it herself. Although a couple times she missed her mouth. I love her expression in this picture, she looks so peaceful.



After the meal, Bella was trying to get some leftovers. Unfortunately for her, Aspen ate most of it--but I couldn't resist taking a snap shoot of this. I think Bella is going to start enjoying Aspen eating food as much as we do!



Here is some video footage I took of the whole event. I realized after watching it that it wasn't the best angle, but you get the idea.



We have a had a great week with Aspen. The past three nights she has slept from about 8pm til 6:30am. It's been amazing for me to actually get a good chunk of sleep without having to get up at all. She also started falling asleep on her on at night. For the past month we would put her in her crib when she was about half asleep and let her fall asleep on her own. The past three nights she was tired, but still wide awake. So, we just put her in the crib and she fell asleep after minimal noise--I was really surprised! Also, last night I heard her wake up around 2am, but instead of going to her right away, I waited to see if she would actually start crying (she was just making little grunts/coos) and after about 10 minutes I didn't hear anything. I'm so happy that she is learning to self-soothe at night.

December 13, 2009

O Christmas Tree...

On Saturday the Dzubinski's hit the road and drove out to Elgin to the Christmas tree farm to cut down our very first family Christmas tree.

When I was younger, one year, my brother, dad, and I went to a Christmas tree farm and I remembered it being a fun holiday event. Someone Jason works with suggested it to him and we decided to check it out.

The whole drive to Elgin it was raining and cold. When we got to the farm the rain stopped thank goodness, however it was cold, damp, and kind of miserable weather. But, we made the best of it! When we got there we loaded onto the tractor/hall ride which took us out to the fields of trees.



Jason and Bella on the tractor ride.



Aspen stayed in her stroller the whole time, although she really loved the bumpy tractor ride.



We strolled around the farm awhile, until there it was....our Christmas tree!



I was pretty happy once we found it--it was pretty cold. Isn't she a beauty??



Jason did a great job chopping her down and dragging her home...or at least to the main area where you had to pay.





We both thought this was a fun way to get our Christmas tree and would recommend it to anyone. Hopefully next year when we go the weather is a little better!

December 10, 2009

Black and White Photoshoot

I have always loved black and white photos...as I'm sure many people do. Sometimes I think color photos can take away from the simple beauty of a picture; in this case that beauty is of course our daughter.

I was able to get some good shots of her while she was showing off her rolling over skills.






The two of us have had a great day so far. We were off this afternoon doing some Christmas shopping, met up with Dad for lunch, and now we are home taking it easy. I love these days I get to spend with her; I know there will be a day that I will wish I could have them back.

December 8, 2009

Look how I've Grown

**I forgot to include Aspen's 4 month picture. Check out how she has grown.

1 and 2 months old



3 months old



4 months old

December 7, 2009

Doctor's Appointment

Today we had Aspen's 4 month check-up. She was due for two shots and one oral vaccination. This time Jason and I approached it with less nerves and I think it helped because she barely cried during the shots. She has been a little more sleepy than usual all day and has been running a low grade fever all day, but for the most part is doing awesome.

Getting ready for the appointment this morning; I think Bella was wishing her well.



Getting weighted and measured.



Her stats...



After it all she still had a smile on her face, what a big girl!

December 5, 2009

Turning 4 months old

Today marks Aspen's 4 month birthday. We had a very full day for the little girl and she did great.



Some of the things that have been going on this past month are:

- She rolls over from her tummy to her back and has a couple of times has gone from back to tummy
- She loves to grab onto things now...especially Mommy's hair and Daddy's ears.
- She continues to add more sounds and noises to her "vocabulary". She is quite the talker already.
- She can sit up (not on her own yet) with full neck control.
- She loves to put any and every toy straight into her mouth.
- She eats about 6 times a day.
- She laughs, but only at her Daddy--apparently Mom hasn't mastered the jokes yet. Although she will throw a smile your way and it breaks your heart.
- She is growing rapidly and the other day I had to pack away a lot of her clothes. It was so sweet packing away her little outfits that we first put her in and her beanie that she wore at the hospital and when she first came home.
- She loves spending time with her best bud Bella. Although sometimes Bella isn't interested in sharing the attention.



My brother and his girlfriend came for the Thanksgiving holiday and we got to spend lots of time with them, which was a blast. My dad cooked Thanksgiving dinner for everyone and it was delicious. Unfortunately Aspen didn't have the best day and we had to call the day shorter than planned, but the food was amazing and in the end we all got to spend some great time together. After having a rough day Aspen woke up the next day well rested in her 1st Thanksgiving pj's.



Today we started off the morning heading off to Georgetown, TX to see a Christmas Show. The dance studio that I teach at put on their annual "Breakfast with Santa".



Aspen did great the whole time. For a while she was pretty interested in the noise and music, but eventually she just relaxed and was dosing off during most of the show. I was happy because I wasn't sure if all the noise was going to bother her. I suppose she just feels totally comfortable surrounded by dance and music!



Part of the "Breakfast with Santa" was the fact that Aspen got to meet Santa Claus for the first time. I love this time of year, so I was so excited to get her first picture with Santa.



The rest of our afternoon was spent with family. Jason's parents were in town, so we meet up with them and Jason's sister's family to celebrate Jennifer's 29th birthday. Then I went and met up with my dad to meet his newest member of his family, Layla. Layla is an adorable dog my dad adopted this past week. She is really sweet and did great with Aspen. I think she is a keeper.



We have been having a little cold snap in Texas these past couple of days. Aspen was ready to take on a blizzard.



Monday morning Aspen goes in for her 4 month check-up appointment. I'll be sure to update you on her weight, height, etc. Our prediction is she weighs 14.5lbs...we'll have to see!

November 20, 2009

Napping and Splashing

Aspen is about 15 weeks old now and things are getting easier everyday. The biggest accomplishment of this past week (other than the rolling over) is her napping habits. Ever since we brought her home she has been an amazing sleeper at night (only with a few nights were she wakes up and wants to have play time at 3:30am--an early riser I suppose). However, not unlike her father, she has not been the biggest fan of naps. When she would take one it would be 30 minutes tops and never in her crib--always on mom's lap, in the stroller, or the swing.

Finally we have mastered the scheduled nap of the day. It's usually around lunch time and she does it in her crib! I'm so happy because I can actually get some things done around the house--or sit in front of my computer and blog about it (yes I know...not the most productive way to spend my time, but I have to keep you guys updated!). This is my little one waking up yesterday. What a priceless look on her face.



On top of getting control of her napping, she has also really taken a great turn past the colic. For any of you who have had babies with colic I can now say we are part of a club that no one understands unless they have experienced it. Now reflecting on that time, I realize it was a good thing. It tested Jason and I (and we made it through with flying colors) and we figure when we have another child we will be extra prepared for anything to come; have the hard one first and the rest seem easy is my theory.



Bath time has become a favorite around our house. Last night while Jason was giving the bath I sat back and snapped a few photos. Aspen doesn't really pay attention to the rubber ducks, but Bella goes nuts because they squeak. She actually jumped into the tub after we had taken Aspen out and was trying to fish the ducks out of the water--pretty cute.







Thanksgiving is coming up next week and we have my brother and his girlfriend coming into town. It should be an exciting week for everyone. Unfortunately Aspen won't get to eat turkey, gravy, stuffing, and the works on her first Thanksgiving, but she will at least get to enjoy the smells, festivities, and her mom will make sure to eat more than enough for the two of us.

One last adorable pic.

November 17, 2009

Happy Birthday Mommy--love Aspen

Check out the video below of my baby girl rolling over. She did this for the first time about a week ago, but I've been trying to catch her in the act since then. I know the angle of the camera is awful (I honestly didn't think she was going to do it), but at least you can see her in action.

What a great birthday present :)

November 15, 2009

Mastering the Swing

This weekend Jason's parents came into town to visit their grandchildren. It also worked out nicely that they could babysit Aspen while Jason and I attended Jason's office's holiday party.



Saturday we had a busy day hanging out with the grandparents and getting some good playtime in with Aspen. She was in such a happy mood all day long, which made for some great pictures.



On the days that I have to go to work Jason always takes Aspen and Bella for a walk up to the park near our house. This past week Jason decided to see if Aspen would enjoy the baby swings--and she did! So we decided to walk up Saturday morning and bring the cameras to get some great shots of her swinging. Doesn't she look like a dancer already striking her poses??




Of course Jason didn't want Bella to feel left out, so he put her in the swing too. I think his daughter and Bella are thinking "My dad sure is silly."



Aspen also has really taken a liking to her Bumbo chair. She enjoys wiggling her head around and building up those abdominal muscles.



Aspen also got a new toy this weekend. She is still a little small for it (she can't quite touch her feet to the bottom), but she still loved hanging out looking at all the fun toys and gadgets.




Thankfully Aspen was good for her Papa and Nanny on Saturday and all in all we had a great weekend. Earlier this week she rolled over twice for me from her belly. Unfortunately I haven't been able to catch the act on film--stay tuned!