Ainsley's new toy

Ainsley found her feet last week and she thinks they're the greatest toy around.   It makes bath time hard when she won't let go of her foot and thinks she needs to kick her legs constantly.  But, I don't care.  It's so cute to watch her grab a hold of her big toe and hang onto it for dear life while she kicks her leg. 

Last Wednesday was Ainsley/Daddy day.  That morning, Joel dressed her and then brought her into my office to make sure he did okay picking out her outfit.  He had her in a pink onesie and a pink skirt that did not match.  I just laughed and told him he could dress her in whatever he wanted.  He sighed and took her back to the changing table and came back out with her dressed in a onesie and her "skinny" jeans.  Then, he took her into the living room and I could hear him talking to her (which is hilarious half the time).  I hear him say to her:  "Here, watch some tv on the Declaration of Independence among some other things."  He had put her in her bouncer in front of the tv (which was on the history channel) while he finished getting ready.  Joel took her down to Dad's while he got his hair cut, and it was Dad's first real babysitting experience.  She stayed at his house with him for a hour or so.   He said she was fine, and just took a bottle.  We were hoping she'd poop for him so he'd have to deal with that, but it didn't happen!

Mom, Tanner, and Emilee came over Wednesday afternoon and this is what Mom thought of her outfit!

Thursday night started a rough next few days.  Hettick had a pretty bad rain that night around 7 and got anywhere from 3-4 inches of rain.  Dad said he was sitting on the couch when he heard something that sounded like thunder, so he went over to the window by the wood stove to look out and he could only see about half of the trash cans that sit outside that window.  He went down to the basement and the entire south wall of the basement caved in.  All the blocks and tons of dirt had fallen in.  There were two huge holes where there was no longer a wall.  My old bedroom was off that end of the house, so it actually helped that it was there and the entire south wall wasn't completely open to the basement.  We were all sick.  Where do you even begin when something like this happens?  Joel and I headed down to Dad's Friday morning after stopping in Jacksonville to grab some basement joists and dropping Ainsley off at Kathleen's.  Thank goodness Kathleen was able to watch Ainsley for us on such short notice, because there was no way we were taking her with us to Dad's.

Here's a picture Kathleen sent me of Ainsley and Lani.  I think Ainsley was pretty entertained all day between the attention from Lani, Jack, and Kathleen. 


Lani reading to Ainsley

When we got down to Dad's, it looked just as bad as I expected.    Dad, Joel, and Tanner started getting some of the blocks out of the basement while I got on the phone trying to get in touch with someone that could come and look at it to tell us what we needed to do.  Dad had called the insurance company the night before and they said that they didn't think it would be covered.  We still wanted someone to come out to look at it, to make sure it wasn't covered.  The lady from State Farm finally came out on Monday afternoon and confirmed that it wasn't covered because it was caused from hydrostatic water pressure.  It's terrible that it isn't covered, and I'll leave it at that. 


Southwest basement



Southeast basement



Joel and Tanner working to get some mud out so they could get more joists up.

 

I'm sure they were saying:  Now what???

I was able to get in touch with John Hammond Friday morning and he was nice enough to come out and look at it that afternoon, even though he was still off work from surgery.  He was able to find a company from Springfield, and that owner was able to come down about 7 Friday night to look at it and give us an estimate.  He was able to give us an estimate over the phone that afternoon and we didn't know what the best option was after hearing that estimate.  I had started to call to check on manufactured homes because at that point, we were thinking it would be more cost effective to just doze the house and bring something new in.  Thankfully, we went ahead and had the guy from Springfield come down to give us a better estimate and he told us that he would pull his guys off of the other jobs and he could start on Monday morning.  He told us it would only take about a week and he could rebuild the south wall and repair the other walls of the basement.  I know I felt like a ton of weight had been lifted off my shoulders when we found out Jack-A-Slab (the company from Springfield) would be able to do the job.  We're still going to have to tear off my old bedroom from the house after they get the wall rebuilt.  I went down Monday afternoon and they had about half of the dirt/blocks out of the basement and were working hard.  I felt terrible for the guys.  It was so hot with a heat index around 110.

Dad unwinding Friday night around midnight after dealing with the basement all day

They finished the job Friday night, so Dad's house is half way back to normal.  They built the entire south wall and had they shored the other three walls of the basement.  I'm so glad they were able to get to it so quickly.

Last Saturday night we went to the Charlie Daniels Band concert at the Morgan County Fair.  Thomas and Jamie kept Ainsley for us that night, and I think she did pretty good.  They kept Avery the night before, so by Sunday morning I think they were pretty tired. 


Jake and Ainsley

The concert was good, and it was nice to get out and away from Dad's house and forget about things for a night.  I think I was just as excited to get a corndog and funnel cake as I was for the actual concert.  It's been years since I've had fair food.  Of course, Joel was mad because I just wanted a bite or two of each and then he had to eat the rest.  Needless to say, by the time we pulled in the garage, my passenger seat and floor board of my car was covered in powdered sugar (and still is) from Joel eating the funnel cake. 


The guys at the concert

 

Sara, Jennifer, Me, and Brianna at the Charlie Daniels concert



Charlie getting down with the fiddle

I was able to get some work caught up last Sunday, and got play time in with Ainsley.  It seemed like she'd been tossed around with everything going on and it was nice to spend the day with her. 


Ainsley and Daddy napping on Sunday

Ainsley started to get a runny nose Tuesday afternoon and I took her into the doctor Thursday morning so we could rule out an ear infection.  The doctor said she just had a little cold and sent us on our way.  I'm glad that's all it was, and she's feeling much better.  She was 18 pounds 7 ounces on Thursday.  It seems like she's slowing down on gaining weight, but I'm wondering if it's because she's getting longer.  She just doesn't seem as chubby as she did a month ago!  We have her 6 month wellness check on the 1st, so we'll get all her measurements then.

For Father's Day, I got Ainsley a Packer's Fan onesie (since Joel is a huge fan), but I ordered it in a 12 month.  I'm sure she's going to be in a bigger size by football season (if there is one this year), so I needed to get her in it at least once.  I put her in it the other day and took some pictures so I could send to Joel.  We tried our first photo shoot around 1 in the afternoon and the sun was way too bright for the little miss.  She wouldn't open her eyes and by the time I got her back in the house, her eyes were watering.  We had only been outside for a total of 2 minutes at the most, but my baby needed her sunglasses on!  Here's a picture from our try at 1.

C'mon Mom-it's too bright for me!

I took her back out around 5:30 and got a few more pictures.



Sticking out her tongue

Ainsley has been sitting in her bumbo seat while I fix supper.  I was reading the paper while waiting on supper to get done and she was fascinated by the newspaper.  I don't know if it's because it's so big, or the noise it makes, but she loves it.  I gave it to her to play with and she sat there for 10-15 minutes and played with it while I got the rest of supper done.

The one thing Mommy didn't think of was the mess it would leave.  There was black ink all over her and the seat.  I don't think she'll be getting the newspaper any time soon.  She'll have to be happy with a catalog from here on out.

It's kind of hard to see in the picture, but her seat, toes, fingers, etc. were covered in ink!

I had to run some errands yesterday afternoon, so Joel took Ainsley over to Jeremy and Kathleen's.  I was just about to their house when Joel called me and said that Ainsley had pooped all over.  He said they had just put her in the bumbo seat to feed her, and she grunted and then pooped.  They didn't think it was that bad and Kathleen picked her up from the seat and was patting her back and looked at her hand and had poop all over it!  They said it was everywhere...all over the bumbo seat, her back, Kathleen, etc.  I don't get how Joel always gets lucky and never has to deal with it himself.  One of these days he'll get a good one, and I can't wait!  Of course, Jack and Lani thought it was the most disgusting thing ever (which it was pretty gross) and as soon as I pulled in the driveway Lani came running out into the garage yelling:  "Yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck!" 

It seems like Ainsley isn't eating as much as she was a few weeks ago.  She's changing every day and has started to look up to see who is holding her.  It makes my heart melt every time she looks up at me with her big blue eyes to make sure it's still me holding her.  She's so nosey and loves to watch people.  Laughing is becoming a regular occurance, and it's usually when you scare her.  Ignore the camera jumping around and me, but here's a video of her from last week.  She's started playing with her rattles and little toys.  See a video here of her playing with her toy.  I can't get shoes on her, because her feet are too fat.  She fights sleep and will "talk" herself to sleep.  She has figured out how to jump in the jumperoo and can sit in there for an hour or so at a time and play.  Check out how high she can jump here.  She loves to play with her bug toy that hangs on her carseat in the car.  All of those things make me love her more every day!


Ainsley says "Have a good week and stay cool!"

4th of July weekend

Fireworks?  Check.

Time with family and friends?  Check.

Relaxing at home?  Check.

We had a great three day weekend.  I think it may have been the first time since Ainsley's been born that I finally had a chance to relax and get some things caught up around the house.  Not only did Ainsley get to see fireworks for the first time, but we also went to her first parade.  I met Erin and the kids Saturday morning and we went to the parade in South Jacksonville.  Ainsley absolutely loves being outside, so she did really good.  She jumped a few times when the sirens or guns would go off, but never cried.  She ended up falling asleep half way through it.  The only thing that would have made it better is if it would have been a little cooler.  

Preston, Ainsley, Brooke, and Bailey waiting for the parade to start



Saturday night we visited with the Bangert's.  Ollie is still so little compared to Ainsley, but I'm sure that won't be the case in a few months! 


Ainsley wasn't for sure about that crying baby!

Nolan and Joel with their babies


We headed to the Hallock's Sunday night for their "3rd of July party".  It ended up raining and the fireworks were cancelled at Sunset Lake Sunday night, so Thomas ended up lighting some off that he had left over.  They weren't anything special, but enough that the kids were excited and Ainsley was able to see some fireworks.  She would look up at the sky when they went off and would just stare.  It was so cute!  She did really good for being outside in her stroller most of the evening and for not having a nap. 


Freeman family 7/3/11





Me, Ainsley, Alaina, and baby Hadlee



Keatyn and Ainsley...she's going to be a great cousin when Hadlee gets here!

 Ainsley slept all night Thursday through Sunday night.  We couldn't believe how good she was doing and was  hoping it wouldn't end, but unfortunately, it ended last night.  She was up at 2:30 this morning, but she did take her bottle and went right back to bed. 

She has started sitting in her bumbo seat more and more.  We tried to feed her supper in the seat last night.  Her head still bobbles quite a bit when she sits in it, so it didn't work so well.  Joel ended up getting quite a bit of peas up her nose! 



Someone saw her food and was a happy baby!



I'm messy after Daddy feeds me!

Joel hung her swing yesterday afternoon.  We went out and let her swing for a while last night, and she loved it.  I really think she could spend all day outside and be content.  She must get that from her Daddy!

Having a baby in the house in a lot of work, but there is one thing that I absolutely love and could do all day long.  Most people will probably think I'm crazy, but I love doing baby laundry!  I could sit all day and fold/hang up Ainsley's clothes.  I love getting them out of the dryer while they're still warm, the smell, and folding all  her little onesies!  I want to point out that I'm only talking about baby laundry.  I could care less about our laundry, but I could sit there and smell and fold baby clothes all day long!


I love finding new pictures on the camera that Joel takes when I'm not around!

Playing with Mommy

I entered Ainsley in the Gerber Generation Photo Search.  You can vote once a day, every day from now until the end of July.  We would really appreciate your vote!  Click here to vote for Ainsley.  

Happy 4th of July!

5 months

Our baby girl is 5 months old today, and we fall more in love with her every day!


Ainsley-5 months

We've had a busy week.  I took Ainsley to Lisa's on Wednesday.  I won a package at the quarter auction I went to a few months ago and it included an eyebrow wax and eyelash tint.  I went and had that done Wednesday morning.  I'd never heard of an eyelash tint, but they brush some stuff on your lashes and lets it sit for 10 minutes or so.  I'm sure it works better on people with lighter eyelashes, but since mine are dark already, I didn't really notice too much of a difference.  I don't think I'll get it done again, and am glad I didn't have to pay to have it done!  That afternoon I ran to Springfield to get the stitches taken out of my back.  They said that it healed really well, and I'm so glad I don't have to wear huge bandages any more!  I think there's something in the adhesive of the band-aid brand band-aids and made me itch terribly.  I had to get Ainsley new clothes while I was in Springfield.  She's in 12 month stuff and I didn't have much for her in that size for summer.  I'm hoping she doesn't get into 18 month before the summer's over.


Watching Mommy water the flowers Wednesday morning before her doctor's appointment

Tuesday night I noticed a rash on her back and called the doctor Wednesday morning.  They couldn't get her in until Thursday morning, so to the doctor we went that morning!  She weighed 18 pounds 1 ounce.  The doctor said that the rash on her back was eczema, which they said is common in infants.  It seems like everything that Ainsley has wrong with her is what they consider "common".  They described the eczema as extreme dry skin and that there are many things that can cause it to flare up.  We were told not to use baby lotion.  (Sigh....it smells so good)  Instead, we have to use a "good" lotion as they described it.  Yep, that "good" lotion is $14 a bottle.  But, her back is already looking better, so I'm more than willing to pay the extra and miss the baby smell to have her rash gone.  We also have to put hydrocortizone cream on her back . 

Ainsley's neck was getting bad again.  I had taken her to the doctor at the beginning of June and they said she had a fungal infection and gave us powder to put on her neck.  We've been using the powder since, but it didn't ever clear it completely up.  The doctor prescribed two different cremes for her neck instead of the powder.  We now have an anti-fungal and steroid cream to put on her neck 2-3 times a day.   I never imagined having so many cremes/medicines for someone so young! Our routine now is:  mornings-cream on back, then lotion.  Anti-fungal cream on neck, then steroid cream.  Repeat around 1 p.m.  Repeat after her bath at night and then 1/2 tablet of prevacid for her acid-reflux.  Her "instruction" list for anyone that watches her just keeps getting longer and longer!

I don't know if I've mentioned this in the last few weeks, but Lisa noticed it on Wednesday and told me about it.  Ainsley's been doing this quite a few times each day, and it's pretty funny to watch.  She'll get her arm out in front of her and her hand will be in a fist.  She'll catch her hand/fist out of the corner of her eye and then she'll just stare at it while holding it in front of her face.  Her eyes almost go cross-eyed looking at her fist.  It's like it's brand new every time she sees it!

Ainsley started peas tonight, and she loved them.  They have been the worst food yet for me.  The smell was terrible, and they were pretty thick and almost lumpy.  There's no way I could have choked them down!  She's spending more time on her tummy now, and really likes the jumperoos. 



Playing with Daddy during tummy time