Four Months of Ainslee Blake

Miss Ainslee turned four months last week. 

On Monday we took her to the pediatrician for her fourth month checkup and the dreadful shots. Let me just say this: Mondays, during flu/sick season, are THE worst possible time to take your healthy baby in for a check-up. The waiting room was packed. So packed that we had to stand. Lots of coughing, hacking, crying, and kids wearing masks. It looked like a scene from the movie Outbreak. Somehow we have remained healthy, whew!

Anyhow, our little chunky monkey is 14 pounds, 8 ounces now and 25 inches long. She is in the 75th percentile. When her pediatrician saw her legs he said in his Hispanic accent, "Oh, she no chicken leg...she a turkey leg." 

"Oh Carl."

 Ainslee's likes:

• Growling and talking to her lion toy

•  Ainslee is still a big fan of her big sister. Hayden is the most successful in getting her to laugh as well.

•  Ainslee likes exciting OU games. Especially when we beat Alabama!

•  Sucking her thumb. I know I'll hate it one day when she needs braces, but it sure is adorable now.

• Scratching items. She loves to scratch everything around her. She even scratched her pediatrician's lab coat as he examined her the other day. Her favorite item to scratch is her changing table cushion.

• Yapping. Ainslee loves to yap and yap loudly. She has now decided to yap during daddy's sermon at church. Not during the music part or after, just during his sermon.

Ainslee's dislikes:

• I have no pictures of her dislikes, but she does not like her daddy sneezing. If he doesn't muffle his sneeze, she will startle, pout her lips, and then cry hysterically. It's seriously the only time she freaks out. That's how loud the sneezes are. 

• Shots, she does not like shots.

Here are a few more pictures...

She is well fed

Watching TV with Granny Eakle

Hayden's Favorites: 8-Year-Old Edition

My Hayden turned 8 a few days ago. So, it's time for her annual favorites' list.

Here we go!

Color -- Purple
Toy -- Sewing Kit
Fruit -- Strawberry
Veggie -- Fried Squash
Dinner to eat -- Mac-n-cheese (none of that made from scratch crap that mom or dad makes though, it has to be the blue box *sigh*) with smoked sausage.
Outfit -- New shirt and leggings
Board Game -- Candy Land
Snack -- Ice Cream
Animal -- Dog
Song -- Birthday by Selena Gomez
Book -- "Meet Julie" American Girl
Friend -- Annika
Cereal -- Rice Chex
Outside Activity -- Building Forts
Beverage -- Cherry Limeade
Holiday -- Christmas
Breakfast Food -- Pancakes
TV Show -- The Biggest Loser
Candy -- Hershey with Almonds
Movie -- Frozen or Judy Moody
Restaurant -- Charlie's Chicken
Store -- Claire's
Sport -- Baseball
Season -- Summer
Thing to do with Mama -- Get pedicures
Thing to do with Daddy -- Play baseball
Place to go -- The Pool
Favorite thing to play with Deacon -- Build forts
Guy -- Daddy
What do you want to be when you grow up?  Pediatric Nurse

The Tallest Short Person I Know

Hayden and I hadn't had a mother/daughter day since Ainslee's arrival three months ago. So last Saturday I was determined to take her out on the town for a few hours of fun, just the two of us.

We went shopping, found some cute leggings (she was bummed we couldn't find matching ones...me, relieved,) and then headed to a restaurant to eat lunch and chat it up. It's rare that Hayden gets my undivided attention these days, and the girl loves to gab. So I try to provide time for just the two of us when I have the opportunity.

I'm always curious to know what exactly school is like for her. What is it like to be her? What it's like in her classroom? Who did she play with? What is she learning in music class? How was the bus ride home?

As many similarities as Hayden and I have, there are just as many things we do not have in common. It's the things we do not have in common that intrigues me, and makes me admire and respect her.

The thing that fascinates me the most is how she handles conflict and criticism. This is an area, where as a child, we are opposite.

I was terrified of conflict or criticism from my peers as a child. I was super uncomfortable with someone being mad or not liking me. I went out of my way at times to please girls that were mean to me. It definitely ruined my entire day if another girl wasn't nice to me.

While we were eating and conversing, I was staring at Hayden. I am in awe of how beautiful this child is. Hayden has perfectly placed freckles on her cheeks and nose. Those freckles are one of my favorite features on her. I said aloud to her (as I have many times), "Hayden, I love your freckles." She replies with, "Girl in my class looked at me one day and said, 'I'm so glad I don't have freckles.'"

I pause.

I try so hard not to react.

But, I'm fuming inside.

I'm crushed.

How can this girl look at my daughter's freckles, then look her in the face and say, "I'm so glad I don't have freckles?"

It's mean.

You know what I would have done as a young girl? I would've been dying inside, wounded, but I would've said, "I know, I hate my freckles, you are way prettier than me." Then I would've let it bother me for months.

What does Hayden do? She brushes it off, she loves her freckles too. She knows this girl isn't ever going to pay her a compliment because she always insults everything Hayden does. She doesn't let this girl's words dictate how she will feel, or change her mind on how she sees herself. She doesn't try to please this girl...ever.

I asked her, do you play with her on the playground? "No, I play with 'other girl'...she is really nice." Then goes on and on about all the things her and nice girl talk about or play. She doesn't even look back or reflect on the part of the conversation where she told me a girl trashed her gorgeous freckles.

I know in the moment when mean girl says those types of things Hayden isn't a fan of it. But, she doesn't agree with it. She never believes it. She's not going over the top to please this girl to try and make her like her.

No, she does what I always wish I had done in those early years. She tries to remain polite, (she's not perfect, she's snapped back a time or two) and she chooses to instead hang out with the nice girl that likes Hayden for Hayden.

I'm so proud of her.

I admire her.

I respect her.

I look up to her, even though she's a foot shorter than me.

Three Months of Ainslee Blake

Ainslee turned three months on Christmas day. Month three was a whirlwind and by far Ainslee's busiest month to date.

Probably my favorite monthly picture so far.

This was my rocking chair when I was a little girl.

Ainslee's likes:

• Ainslee loves her grandparents. Since we had both Thanksgiving and Christmas in month three, Ainslee got to see all her grandparents quite a bit.

Hanging out with Mimi and Bear

Granny came up for brother and sister's Christmas program

Sitting with Papa on Christmas day

• Ainslee likes using her Daddy as a table.

• Next is a huge favorite of Ainslee's. She loves when her Daddy carries her like so. She becomes totally relaxed, goes limp, and even drools. This little activity isn't so fun for Daddy's arm, but his left bicep should be super ripped before long.

• Ainslee still enjoys time with her big sister.

Ainslee's dislikes:

• Okay, this sounds terrible. I know deep down she loves her brother (deep, deep down).  However, he currently makes her very nervous. Big brother is a tad "Lenny" with her. He just doesn't get the whole "you can't yell in your baby sister's face" or "you need to be gentle when touching or kissing her." Therefore, she actually starts breathing anxiously and often cries when he is near.

Mama still loves you, my rambunctious boy

• Ainslee does not enjoy being woke up on Christmas morning to open presents...maybe next year.

"You guys woke me up for this?!"

• I have no photo for the next dislike, but I wish I did; it's comical and sad all in one. Ainslee does not find the fog-horn noise her daddy imitates amusing at all. In fact, she finds it highly offensive. He did it one day to try and make her laugh...the opposite occurred. She was crying so hard I had to take her and console her. We thought maybe it was just a one time fluke so Kerry attempted it again the next day...it was not a fluke. She hates it.

Now, here are some more photos from month three.

Celebrating mama's birthday

One of the only pics I took on Thanksgiving...whoops 

Okay, so you know how you usually delete all those unflattering pictures of your babies? Well, this one was just too funny.

Ainslee checking out her first snow

Christmas Eve at Mimi and Bear's house

Love this little ham

Not sure if she will keep the color or not, but we are loving the blue eyes