So Much for the Paci

We've tried so many different brands of pacifiers for Aspen and she just wouldn't take any. Occasionally she would suck on one for about 2 minutes before spitting it out. But she's been sucking on her fists forever and I told Curt that as soon as she figured out how to undo her fists that her thumb was going to go in her mouth...and it has,
*swoon*

11 Weeks

And just so you know. I do put a shirt on her sometimes, lol.

My First Diaper! Made by ME!!

Last night I went to Curt's mom's so she could walk me through the pattern that I have for diapers. I'm really happy with how it turned out. I will have to tweak it a little for next time, but overall I think it's ok for a first attempt. It's a pocket diaper with a hidden layer of PUL fabric and velour for the inner fabric. VERY soft! I will do the elastic around the legs differently next time. I think I will make a casing (sp?) around the elastic so it goes against her thighs better. And I'll probably do front hook and loop closures instead of side ones. The fit is very trim too.

I can't wait to get started on some more.

Just Like Grandma's

I've been practicing my non-existent sewing skills lately by embellishing some Gerber prefolds. I think they turned out really cute and have just been using them as burp cloths. I dyed the prefold, sewed a piece of cotton fabric down the middle and then covered the entire back with terry-cloth. They make fantastic burp cloths! Yesterday I decided to put one on Aspen to see how it would hold up. It did better than I thought it would actually. I didn't think the gerber ones would hold anything, but I guess with the added fabric it really helped. I don't think I've found the prefold love or anything, but I must admit, they look pretty darn cute Smiley



What they look like flat

Cutest.Diaper.Ever!!

I think this single diaper might have just become the sole reason for me clothe diapering! I mean, seriously, does it get any cuter than this?!
I ordered this from Green Acre Designs and it's so soft and squishy and just absolutely gorgeous! I will definitely be ordering more of this brand in the future.

10 Weeks

This week I decided to get outside and do Aspen's bear pictures. Its been too hot to set her outside for any long period of time, but sometimes in the evening it will cool down enough to enjoy some time outside. I had fun with these. Curt helped a lot and some of the last ones were his ideas. I love it when he tries to make her do funny poses. He's the best!




Now there's a girl who is comfortable with all her chins, lol


Telling her secrets to Miss Pingo


I just LOVE those baby blues! I wish they would stay that color forever, but I know that they will probably change just like Max's did.


Curt thought it would be funny to make it look like she was standing all by herself, (photography disclaimer: for some reason, everytime I upload a vertical picture into blogger it gets all blurry. I promise I didn't take the shot out of focus. If you click on the picture, the good one will pop up. Promise!)





It's so hard being so darn beautiful.

2 Month Appointment

I hate well-check days. I just wake up with a guilty feeling in my stomach because I know that I am taking smiling baby to the doctor so they can make her cry with shots :(

But I know it's worth it. Aspen had her 2 month baby well check this morning. We are a couple weeks late in getting her in to see the pedi, so it's more like 2 1/2 month appointment. She woke up in an especially good mood today too. So it didn't make me feel any better about having to take her. The appointment was fairly quick. We saw Dr. B and he was wonderful. He did a great job going over things with us. He said that Aspen looked fantastic. He mentioned that her hips were a little loose, but didn't feel like they were dislocated or anything, so I don't think that is even a concern. Just something to take note of if needed in the future.
Then he left and the nurse came in and gave the poor girl FOUR shots (two in each leg) and an oral vaccination. She didn't cry as bad as I thought she would, but she still let us know that she wasn't happy about them. But once we picked her up and cuddled her for a minute she was fine and fell asleep as soon as we got to the truck.

As for her stats,
Weight: 11 lbs even (50%) Up from 9lbs 2 oz at one month
Height: 21 1/4" (10%) Up from 20" at birth and her one month. I told Curt that she may take after his grandmother who isn't even 5ft, lol.

She did get to pretty bandaids though. A nice sparkly one :) Too bad she's too young to appreciate the sparkles though, lol.

LOVES and HATES...No in-betweens

1. She LOVES her swing! In fact, every morning when she gets up, I can hold her for a bit and then she gets fussy and wants to go in her swing. If I try to lay her somewhere else or if we have to go somewhere first thing it throws her morning off.

2. LOVES to eat...all the time. I'm anxious to see how much she weighs at her appointment tomorrow.

3. HATES her carseat.

4. LOVES her brother. Max can always get a great big smile from her. He's crazy about her too.

5. LOVES her bath. It always calms her down.

6. LOVES to be carried in the beco carrier. She almost always falls asleep before I can get it all the way on.

7. LOVES to be carried across your arm on her belly. During her "witching hour" in the evenings this is the only way she wants to be held. Oh, and you have to be walking too

8. HATES a dirty diaper. Change her and change her now, lol.

9. HATES all pacifiers. I've tried several different brands and she just won't take them.

10. LOVES to suck on her hands and fingers. As soon as she learns how to uncurl her fist I'm sure her thumb will go in her mouth.

Two Months

Aspen is two months already! I can't believe it! The past two months have been so wonderful though. I know I've said it before, but I still can't believe how much easier have a newborn is this time around. It's completely different and I'm still shocked at how blessed we've been with her.
She hasn't reached any new milestones at her two month birthday. Still always ready to give a big smile when you pick her up and talk to her. She has reached that stage where she is more fussy in the evenings. Max went through the same thing at about this age, but she doesn't cry quite as much. I think for her, she just wants to be held and rocked more during the evening. She certainly wants to eat more in the evening too. Like every 30 minutes to an hour. I think she is eating more because she is gearing up for the long night. She is sleeping mostly through the night. Every few nights or so she will wake up and want to eat at around 2am. But she sleeps right next to me so I never have to get out of bed at all. It's SO nice!
She did roll over the other day while she was laying on the couch (I was right next to her). I think it was a complete accident and it really freaked her out too. She started crying as soon as she rolled.
Um, let's see, what else? Oh yeah, she still hates her carseat, lol. I really hope she learns to like it soon. I find myself wondering if the trip is even worth it because I know she will spend the whole time screaming. We've tried two different seats, so I can't imagine that it is the seat that is making her upset. She doesn't like laying on her back at home, so I'm thinking maybe that has something to do with it. But there isn't anything I can do about that because I can't strap her in on her belly, lol.

Anyways, here are some random pictures from the past week or so.

My friends Jen and Snez came to visit a couple weeks ago. That was fun having them meet her!



My aunt Villie with Max and Aspen. She's the only family I have here in Louisville. Max is crazy about her and she is so good with him!!


Curt's niece Rachel with Aspen,


Bathtime!


The Rare Happy Baby in the carseat




Standing on Mommy's lap

Papaw's Boots

My dad bought Max a pair of moccasin boots when he was an itty bitty baby so long ago. I put them on Aspen today and they are just as cute on her as they were on him, although they are a bit big still. I love them!
Max wearing them when he was a little tyke,


Aspen wearing them today,

9 Weeks

Pictures

I take A LOT of pictures. Like massive amounts of pictures. I didn't think it was humanly possible to take as many pictures as I do on a monthly basis. Ok, well, I'm sure there is someone out there who takes more pictures than I do, but I just know that I take a lot and sometimes I don't always get to share all the pictures I want to because there just isn't enough time or bandwidth here on blogger, lol. So I'm making it easy for you to keep even more up to date on the happenings of the Stucky household. On the left of your screen, you will soon find a link that will take you directly to the monthly galleries of pictures. You can view them if you want or you can just wait for me to post my favorites, which is completely fine too. I'm just letting you know that you have options. And everyone loves having options, right?

Our 4th of July Weekend

I made a post over on Max's blog. I'm too lazy to do a post here too, lol.

Max's Blog

Aspen Videos

Aspen has started "talking" to us more and making noises. It's so cute! I just love this little girl! And with those big ole' beautiful eyes, it's not too hard to fall in love with her!
Please excuse my awful voice, baby talk only sounds good to babies I'm sure, lol.

Win some diapers!

Bumgenius are my favorite cd's! That would be awesome if I won these!
Win a Bum Genius 3.0 Starter Kit from Nature's Child - Wholesome Goods for Mothers and Babies

Couldn't Sleep

Last night we got both kiddos asleep in their OWN beds...Max in his and Aspen in her crib. We thought it would be easier to sleep, but we both had a hard time falling asleep, lol. I guess I'm so used to having a little one next to me all the time. The bed felt so big and empty. Aspen woke up around 2 though, so I brought her in next to me. And then Max came in this morning around 7, so it was nice to have them back. I love sleeping with my babies :)

Why having a baby is so much fun...

Because you can dress them up however you want to and they don't usually complain about it, lol




Now toddlers on the other hand, they are usually solely responsible for whatever they put on, lol,