Splishy Splashy

Ayson is so much fun during bath time.  He LOVES to splash around...we literally can't get him to stop long enough to wash him!  I think he would stay in there all night if we let him.  We can't wait to get this kiddo into a pool...if he has this much fun in the tub, he should be a little fishy in the pool.

Since he is getting so great at sitting, we let him sit up for a little while tonite in the tub, and he loved it too.  He was all smiles!

He splashed around the whole time.  Here's wild man in action :)

Little Bear, Big Bear

We have a big bear in Ayson's room that was given to me a long time ago :)  He's been hanging out in the corner next to Ayson's crib...but I decided to pull him out in the middle of the floor the other to see what Ays thought of him!  He was kind of scared at first (can you blame him!)...

 but then they became fast friends.

Ayson's night time protector!  He'll surely keep the boogey monster away:)

Papa Doug came down for a visit this weekend.  Ayson had a blast with him, and papa even took him on a walk.  Walks are magic calmers!  Most of the time, we can stick Ayson in the stroller and he will either fall asleep or just sit quietly and look around. 

March for Babies~Tulsa

We participated in our first March of Dimes March for Babies walk this weekend! It was so much fun, and great to see so many babies that were preemies, that are now doing so great! It was amazing to see everyone show up to support these tiny little miracles!


We walked with our friends Mike and Sheri, and Ayson's friend Braeden :) Braeden was born at 30 weeks just like Ayson and is now almost 6 months old...and doing great too!



The walk kicked off with the "Preemie Parade" with all the preemies leading the way for everyone else:) It was a little cool, but the rain held off and it ended up being a great morning for a "march."
The guys pushed the strollers the whole way!!!! We also ran into a few of the NICU nurses who took care of Ayson. They really enjoyed seeing him again...Ayson even flashed them a smile or two even though they were the ones doing all the poking and sticking while he was in the NICU :)



Ayson's team will be walking in the March for Babies walk in Bartlesville on May 22nd. Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated and who has signed up to walk with us. We are a little less than a month away from the walk and we have already reached our team goal of $750...so we are upping it to $1000...we can do it! If you haven't donated yet and would like to sponsor us, just click on the March of Dimes badge to the right.
Also, please let me know if you are planning to walk with us because we will be ordering shirts (get excited) within the next couple of days, so I will need your size, if you want one :) Ayson is ready, and very excited to be the ambassador for the Bartlesville walk!!!

Look...no hands!

Ayson is becoming quite a good little sitter. He still likes to roll around on the floor, but he is a lot more interested in sitting now that he ever has been. He can sit for a really long time now without falling over and will even reach for and pick up toys. It's pretty amazing how much better he has gotten at it, just in the past few days! Way to go buddy! Here are some of our favorite pictures of him sitting like a big boy :)

Sillly face!

Another silly face...we get to see this one often because he LOVES to scream.

We went to Woodward Park this afternoon while the bug man was spraying the house. The park is full of azaleas of every color and they are so beautiful!

He loves to be outside and put his feet in the grass :)

Sitting in the shopping cart at Target. He looked so tiny in that basket, but he sat up all by himself the whole time.

Grammy came down yesterday and spent the day with Ayson so I could finish my end of the semester projects. They had a great time playing and reading books. He even ate all of his sweet potatoes and green beans for Grammy! You never know how that little stinker is going to eat...half of the time his little mouth is wide open and ready, and the other half he clamps it shut. He definitely knows what he wants already!

When he's not sitting or rolling around, he loves to stand. His LeapFrog table has removable legs, so it can either be on the floor when he's sitting or elevated when he wants to stand. He's got strong legs...still very wobbly though, we can't be too far away because they still give out on him A LOT!

Playing with his "Who Loves Baby" book. We are putting pictures of everyone who loves our little guy in the book, so he can see their pretty faces all the time :)

And finally, more video of him sitting and chatting away :)

Busy Bear

Ayson has been a little busy bear the past week. On Friday he got to go to his first picnic at the park :) We met some of my former co-workers...it was great to see everyone! Ayson has a lot of adoptive family members :)

Love this picture so much! Don, Ayson & Loren

On Friday night, Mimi and Bruce came over for dinner.



He was such a good eater that night...he took a whole container of squash for Mimi.

On Saturday night we went out to eat with the Leigh's and David. Theaden and Ayson got to sit at the head of the table :) Frey was showing Ays how to eat a french fry.

Then Ayson decided it was a great time for a nap, so he slept like this for about 20 minutes. Don't you wish you could sleep anywhere like that?!

Aaron and Ayson playing around...Aaron would lift him up in the air, and he thought it was so fun. He was giggling and laughing the whole time.

Practice, practice, practice :) We still have to stay pretty close to him because he will randomly fall over, but he's getting better every day.

Taking a break from sitting to suck on his favorite taggie blanket. He's obsessed with tags right now, so this little blanket has become a new fav.

And finally, just a little video of him in his jumperoo. He bounces up and down in it now, instead of swinging from side to side. But he has started to do this little kick with his right leg every time he bounces. It's pretty funny :) He has also started shaking his head a lot...it's hilarious when he really gets going! He does it once at the end of the video.

Check it out!

Look who's sittin' tall now :)

Sleepover :)

Ayson had his very first sleepover on Saturday night. He invited one of his besties over to play and stay the night :) The boys had the best time!

Ayson got this crazy rabbit from the Easter Bunny. It sings and hops around, and Ays wasn't really that crazy about it...but, Theaden loved it! In fact, he loved it so much that the batteries are wearing down. Thank you Frey Frey ;)

The two cuties before bedtime, having their bedtime sippy. Sooooo cute!

And this was the next morning. There's nothing sweeter than a little man right after they wake up...and two of them...even better! They were both so good, and it was fun to watch them interact. You can tell they are besties already.

Love love love them!

8 Months Old!

Ayson had his 8 month birthday yesterday :) We can't believe how fast the time has gone! He is such a fun little dude who is developing new skills and sounds every day!


Here is a snapshot of Ayson at 8 months!! Ayson...

• weighs 15.5 lbs
• has outgrown his 3-6 month clothing and is now wearing 6-9 months
• eats fruit & oatmeal in the morning, and veggies & oatmeal for dinner
• is perfecting sitting on his own
• is starting to push up on his hands and knees
• is teething...but no teeth yet!
  
• can finally go out in public :)
• sleeps through the night...every night! We feel so lucky for this!!!!
• rolls everywhere!
• laughs all the time :)
• loves to look at himself in the mirror
• has a new interest in Sophie & Max
• says "Da-da"
• loves to read books and help us turn the pages
• loves to meet new people and explore new places
• is such a happy and healthy baby!

Ayson still loves his jumperoo :)
He plays with all of the toys and loves to bounce!

Ayson checking out Sophie. He recently has "discovered" the dogs and will smile and try to grab them. So far both Ayson and dogs seems to enjoy each other...we'll see how long that lasts :)

Eating carrots! This is the what happens when dada takes control of the spoon :) You're not having fun unless you are wearing it!

We also had another follow-up with his pediatric ophthalmologist this week. We are so excited to say that he doesn't want to see Ayson again until his 3rd or 4th birthday. His eyes looked great! In fact, he said at this point he didn't foresee any vision problems for Ayson at all! We are so lucky. Prematurity poses a number of issues for vision, and glasses at a young age were highly possible, but it doesn't look like he will need any for a long time! Little man continues to defy the odds :)

Eat, Play & Sleep

Now that we have made it through all of our veggies, we are moving on to fruit! So far, Ayson eats peas, green beans, squash (his favorite!), sweet potatoes and carrots. He has one veggie and some oatmeal for dinner each night. Now, we are starting to eat twice a day with fruit and oatmeal in the morning :) We tried applesauce for the first time yesterday...and it was a big hit!




After he eats dinner every night, he helps me cook dinner. He loves to bang his toys on the tray...

and spin this crazy toy. He is so good at entertaining himself while I'm busy in the kitchen :)

Adding to the list of things that Ayson LOVES are straps and tags! He loves to chew on the straps on his changing table, car seat and stroller.






He has a two blankets and sleeper that have tags all over them...he can't get enough of them. Here he is chewing on the tag on his little dog. Of all the sounds this crazy thing makes...he is more interested in the tag :)





Thought this was too funny:) He was using his little gloworm as a pillow this morning!








Taking a little nap with his bootie in the air!

Whoa baby...look how big I am!

Ayson is getting so good at sitting by himself. We practice every day, and each day he gets a little better at it.

Last night he was really showing off his sitting skills while playing with his LeapFrog table.

Ayson got to meet Dr. Beal this morning at my check-up appointment. Dr. Beal is our OB that took such great care of us during the whole pregnancy. He came to see Ayson very often while he was in the NICU, so he was so happy to see him again.
Ayson was just lounging around during the whole appointment. He even kicked back and put his feet up :)

Little man and I before our jog the other day. Yay for spring and warmer weather :) We are putting some miles on our jogging stroller now!

Happy Easter

We had the best time in AC hanging out with family all weekend! We went to church this morning then had Easter dinner before heading back home. Ayson was all dressed up for his first Easter too! He looked so handsome in his little suit! Here are some pics from our weekend.

Kierslynn making silly faces at Ayson. He loved it...he was cracking up!

Playing with papa

Sleepytime with Sharon

Just chillin' before church =)

Ayson being a good boy during church. He was a perfect little man during the service...Me-maw even took him down to the front for the children's sermon :)

Look at these two handsome guys. LOVE them!!!!

Ayson and mommy after church

Showing off his cool suit and sweet shoes!

Handsome little guy

Done with pictures...time to lay down :)

Self portrait...Ayson is even looking at the camera :)

Grammy and Ayson before Easter dinner.