Baby Names

So we finally picked out the baby's name (I think)...Lol. As of now we have it, but will keep mulling over the names a little more.

We ended up deciding to pull names out of a hat. Whichever name got picked twice first won--but then we didn't stick with it. Haha.
For boys names, we put 4 names in a hat: Jacob, Landon, Jackson, and Cameron.
Jackson was picked twice first. Then Matt decided he really didn't like it that much. So I said I didn't really like Cameron that much, so we took that out too. So then we had Jacob and Landon in the hat, and Jacob was picked twice so we decided to go with that.
For the middle name, Matt didn't like the other middle names I had suggested in the past, so we went with Landon (which I liked more), and Cameron (which he likes more but I can live with). We put both in the hat, and Cameron was chosen twice first.
So...if the baby is a boy, his name will most likely be Jacob Cameron Shohen.

For girls names, we had it narrowed down to 2 names: Emily or Hannah. Hannah was picked twice first, but I (think) I like Emily more so Matt said we can just go with Emily. I'm going to give it a little more thought though.
For a middle name, we both had a special bond and relationship with our grandmothers--Matt wanted to use his grandmother Dena's name. I wanted to use my grandmother, Irene's name. So I suggested using a name that combines the two, so we came up with Denine (I think). The name itself isn't my favorite, but the sentiment behind it is really nice and really the only good combination we could think of.
So...if the baby is a girl, I think her name will be Emily Denine Shohen.

Will keep you posted if anything changes again. Lol.

Summer Fun

So part of summer fun includes swimming. We decided to get Ashley swimming lessons this year. We thought she would enjoy it, and that it would also be fun mommy/daughter time. Yesterday she had her first lesson, and she did GREAT. I'm not surprised though. Ashley clung to me at first. I just let her hold me, and I comforted her and reassured her. Then we laughed and played, and she was fine after that.

There were 3 other babies in her class. We practiced kicking, which she has been doing in other pools. We also practiced floating on their backs, flipping from their backs to their bellies, and even dunking them underwater. At first we started with dunking just their mouths underwater. Ashley kept opening her mouth and even trying to lick the water. Haha. When it was time to do the full dunk, we sang "itsy bitsy spider" which she loves, then you blow in their face so they hold their breath, and dunk them. She did great with that.

She did so well that the instructor kept using her to demonstrate what we were going to do next. Ashley just makes me so proud. One baby cried the whole time, others were a little nervous at times, and then there is my kid--she doesn't just "dive right in carelessly", but she warms up to things quickly and is very resilient. Just makes me feel like we're doing something right :) I think kids also feed off their parents responses--if you laugh, are lighthearted, they tend to follow suit.

I hope she continues to have this approach in life. Again, not careless or reckless, just diving into situations, but not overly-cautious and afraid to try new things either. She's got a great balance which will suit her well in life.

Father's Day and trip

Today is Father's Day. We had a nice day. I made Matt a special breakfast in bed. After he was done eating we joined him and showed him the gifts we made him. I spent a few hours putting together a video of different video clips of he and Ashley, with some cute daddy-daughter songs playing in the background. I also made him a new picture collage for work.

After breakfast we called/skyped with grandpa and grandpop to wish them a Happy Father's Day. After we relaxed a while, and then went to the store to pick up baby/child sized lacrosse and golf toys for Ashley. Daddy and Ashley had some fun playing together. Then daddy went out and had some well-deserved "daddy time" pampering with golf.  He sure is a great daddy. He is always doing fun activities with her on their daddy-daughter date days while I am at work. He is fun, loving, patient, etc. Great dad. Ashley and our baby are very lucky.

Yesterday I came back from a work trip. I left Thursday with some of my coworkers to go to Denver Colorado for a few days. It was my first big trip being away from Ashley. I was away one time before for my cousin Nicole's wedding, but it was only overnight and I was only a half hour away. This time I was miles and miles away. I was feeling a little nervous leaving. I felt guilty because we are leaving in less than two weeks for a whole week when we go to Mexico for a wedding/vacation, so we went from me never being away to twice in one month. Then the "what if she gets really sick or hurt, and I'm hours away (even in a plane)"and the "she's young and doesn't understand things yet, what if she worries I'm not coming back?" thoughts came in.  But I knew she was in great hands with her daddy. Plus the job of parents is to help their children grow to be independent so they can take care of themselves someday, so this was a good step.

And it turns out it was harder on me than it was her. She did great. I'm not surprised, we have raised a happy and well adjusted child. She's always been resilient in different situations, I figured she would be with this too. Plus she and daddy always have such a blast, how could she not?? Daddy really pampered her while I was gone. He took a day off from work, and we had one of her babysitters come the other day. On his day off, he took Ashley to music time at the library, to the Children's Museum, and to her first trip to a water park. Then another day he took her out to breakfast. So much fun! And Ashley even did great when she was with her sitter for the day.

My trip went well. It was very busy and hectic, but good. Thurs our flight was delayed which made us miss our layover, so they had to reroute us. We spent the whole day traveling/in the airport(s). We had gotten up at 4:15 am, and didn't get in until 7pm (which was really 9:00 pm our time). My coworkers went to a dinner that night, but I opted to get room service and go straight to bed. The next day was a full day at the Inpatient Treatment Center getting tours and sitting in lectures/training. That night we went out to eat and then called it a day. We didn't get to do much sight seeing with such long, exhausting days, but I did get to see some of the neighborhoods and areas when we got a tour of the different buildings, and our hotel was downtown in Denver Colorado so I got to see some of the city. It is a really cool area and I would love to visit again. The next morning we left for our journey back, and more airport adventures. Lol. Needless to say I was beat. It was exhausting for everyone, and being pregnant prob even more so for me. I had a nice trip, but was very happy to get back to my family. I missed Matt and Ashley a lot. When we were out to dinner I saw a couple with a baby Ashley's age, and it made me miss them.

I had (half) joked with Matt that for a gift, I'd love to get a hotel room for a night so that I could have some quiet time to myself to relax, have "me time", sleep in and get room service. With our busy schedule I didn't get much me time in the hotel since I came right in to sleep both nights, and didn't get to sleep in either....but I did enjoy the room service pampering and got to stay in a hotel :)  

When I came home Matt surprised me with having the whole house cleaned top to bottom, including mopping, dusting, cleaning bathrooms, the whole 9 yards. That was a VERY nice surprise to come home to!

P.s...yesterday was 17 weeks....I have a 17 month old baby, and am 17 weeks pregnant..haha.

16 Weeks and an Ashley update

Well today I am 16 weeks! Can't believe we are almost 1/2 way there already. When you have another child at home, it definitely makes your pregnancy fly much faster.
Well, although this pregnancy has been very different than with Ashley, there is one thing in common--apparently my skin is very sensitive during this time. I don't remember how far along I was with Ashley at the time, but we had been away on a trip when I broke out all over in hives. Apparently I had had some kind of allergic reaction to something--we're thinking the hotel sheets or towels or something. We were in the middle of nowhere in NH and had to go to the ER in the middle of the night.
This time, luckily I was home. I didn't break out in hives, but I had these incredibly itchy rash-like red spots that developed on my chest. I tried getting in with the doctor on the 2nd day, but they couldn't get me in for a few days. So I went to one of the urgent care places. After waiting over 2 hours with Ashley (who is at the age where she wants to be moving and doing), the doctor finally saw me. She didn't know what it was. Due to the way they are secluded to one part of my body and the shape of them, she thought maybe it was the Shingles, which can be very dangerous and can be passed to the baby. They didn't burn or weren't painful, but she thought maybe that was the case but she really wasn't sure. So not much help. She tried contacting a couple dermatologists but couldn't get through now that it was lunch hour. So Ashley and I went for lunch after, and I got a call saying they were able to get me in at a dermatologists office shortly. I ran home and dropped Ashley off with my friend Beth so she could nap and not endure anymore torture of waiting around, then ran right out. After more waiting, I got in. They ruled out the shingles thankfully, and determined it was just some kind of allergic reaction to something and prescribed me a topical ointment for it. So....it was a LOOOONNGG day of waiting, but I was glad that all was ok with the baby and I.
On a better note, everything else has been great. I have felt the baby kick a few more times. Pretty exciting. I am starting to feel more human, although about a 1/3 of the day I still feel crummy and I still am tired and need naps most days.
Lately I have been craving soup, particularly creamy kinds like potato soup, clam chowder, etc. I am definitely showing now too.

As far as Ashley goes, she has been so much fun. Lately she has been more affectionate. She comes up behind me when I am doing the dishes and gives me a hug. Or she'll hug me when I'm holding her. It's sweet, she rests her head on you, hugs you and pats you and says "aww" or something that sounds like it. Above is a picture of her doing it with Maddie.
Her vocabulary and recognition continues to grow. She is so smart. She loves pointing at lots of different things. She knows more detailed body parts, and loves to point at hers and ours. She cracks up laughing when she tries sticking her finger in our mouth.
Her new thing is trying to climb up on things--furniture, children's chairs. Not only does she like to sit on them, but some she even tries to stand on.
She loves to play peek-a-boo where she goes and hides, then comes out and says "boo".
Speaking of things she says, she says the cutest "bye". It sounds like she has a little southern accent when she says it, it's like "baa".
If I think of more, I will add them as I go. She continues to learn at such a rapid pace that it's hard to keep up with.