Measurements

Today Asher got weighed and measured.

This wasn't his 4 month check up and it wasnt on the scale he normally gets on and he was fully clothed (normally he is naked)

BUT

he weighed 18 lbs 4 oz and was 26 1/2 inches long.

um yeah

he is huge. but i think he is more proportionate now that he has grown in length

this was a photo I snapped on my cell phone at the dr's office.

how precious is he in his hoodie and cords?

Surprise!

Philip's 30th Birthday weekend kicked off with a special delivery from our neighbors across the street (Have I ever mentioned we have the best neighbors all around us!?) A new cupcake shop opened up the street (SAS Cupcakes) and as you can see the cupcakes are not only gorgeous but mouth watering. They brought Philip a smores cupcake, oreo cupcake, peanut butter cupcake and a traditional vanilla/chocolate. I couldnt resist snapping a photo of their cuteness before we devoured them!

In fear of my sweet husband checking this blog prior to Friday night I didn't let you all in on the fact that I was throwing him a surprise party at my in-laws house....It wasn't big and we only invited a few people but it was a COMPLETE SURPRISE. I mean afterall it was his 30th and he is an amazing husband and father...so he totally deserved it!

You know when you have that feeling that they know.

Yeah, well I had that feeling.

But, he had no clue and it went off without a hitch!

His reaction was priceless... and he had a blast.

Asher got passed around until he was completely exhausted and put to sleep in his nursery at Softa and Papu's

Asher with his Nana and Softa

Asher with Sissy

30 years young!

Sissy

We devoured the following foods...please do not drool on your keyboard.

Price's Fried Chicken ( I wish I had a photo for you to see how much Chicken I bought)

Asian Slaw

CousCous Salad

Katz's Deli Potato Salad

Beer - Corona Light with Limes

Wine

Berries in a Cloud (Mergine's, Chocolate Mousse, Strawberries with a Chocolate Drizzle)

Cake (Yellow with homemade Chocolate Fudge Icing made by Chef Lori)

The above list of foods are ALL of Philip's FAVORITES.

I figured he deserved nothing but the best on his 30th!

The guys played Bocce and Cornhole in the backyard until it got dark.

After the party was over we decided that Asher was sound asleep and better off staying that way...so... WE LEFT HIM FOR HIS FIRST SLEEPOVER at Softa and Papu's.

I was a basketcase. I woke up every hour wondering what he was doing and if he was awake. It was good for me to "let go" and prove to myself everything would be ok, but man was it tough mentally and emotionally for me! Softa was in HEAVEN and even slept upstairs with him in the room next door to his nursery. Asher slept great and loved spending time with his grandparents!

Happy 30th Birthday Honey...We love you dearly!

Excitement

Tomorrow is Philip's 30th Birthday...
Lots of celebrations and lots of golf scheduled.

I could not be more excited about his birthday this year.
A celebration of 30 great years of an amazing man, my dearest hubby.

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I fit into all of my preconception clothes. Jenny Craig will be oh so proud of me for getting back to where I used to be when I did their program 3 years ago.
I can not figure HOW I pulled this off as I have not been able to work out for the past 4 months more than 1-2 days a week (and sometimes nothing)...but I am convinced the chocolate diet and breast feeding are to thank for it. My diet is terrible and my exercise is kaput. Oh how I miss you salad/diary and the gym....see you on the other side.

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My sister and Rich are in town this weekend for their FINAL weekend wedding planning. I can not believe 3 weeks and 1 day from today she is GETTING MARRIED!?!?!? Rich's birthday is next week as well...so again more celebrations. Eliza also hasn't seen Asher in over a month so she is going to be so surprised when she picks him up. THE BOY IS HEAVY - 17 LBS!

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It's been a rough couple of weeks around here but all of this excitement, our health, love and happiness are getting us through. Even if they have caused ridiculous amounts of stress...we made it this far and we will persevere!

Lots of photos and blogging to follow after the weekend.

love love...the wifey

Rosh Hashanah

We celebrated Asher's first Rosh Hashanah this weekend.

It began Friday with a family dinner celebration.

A great excuse to get Asher dressed up and use our fine china.

The table was set and ready for everyone to enjoy the festive meal.

We ate brisket, peace glazedchicken, sweet potato casserole, steamed green beans, matzo ball soup, challah bread, kugel and apples & honey. Apple pie and chocolate chip cookies for dessert!

The food was fantastic and very sweet to the taste

(which is the way it should be for the holiday!)

Asher made it halfway through dinner in his outfit which included his

"Future Shofar Blower" bib...

...then diaper baby prevailed for the blowing of the Shofar

(this was my gift to Philip at our wedding)

Asher loved the sound of the shofar and immediately reached out to grab for it.

Asher fell asleep at the dinner table. Philip, Papu and Paige headed off to services, Asher headed to bed and Nana cleaned up after everyone's mess...how nice of her right?!

You can check out the Friday night sermon given by Rabbi Micah (which got rave reviews!) here: http://www.jewishinternetvideo.com/

(our temple records them for those that do not have access to a temple, live far away or are home bound so that they can enjoy a high holiday service too!)

Saturday was a lazy morning with cousin Paige who was visiting from USC for Rosh Hashanah. We finally got out of bed around 11 after a wonderful morning nap with Asher in our bed.

We got ready for Asher's first Tot Rosh Hashanah Service. Daddy and Softa got to hold the Torah up for all of the kids to see, which is a HUGE honor. Mommy was the pot of honey in the skit for the kids.

Unfortunately Asher actually ended up sleeping through the entire thing! But we got a cute picture of him in his little outfit. His navy cordoury pants have little puppy dogs embrodiered on them with a red belt. So cute I could eat him alive!

(the neck tilt came back for a day this weekend...juts in time for family photos. lovely)

Sunday Asher went to his first wedding shower for Philip's life long friend Brett Elko. Brett and his beautiful bride Sharai are getting married in Novemeber at the only Federally owned Temple in the nation. You have to be an alumnai of the naval academy to get married there and both the bride and groom have to be Jewish. Brett and Sharai will be the 3rd couple EVER to marry in this sacred Temple. Brett is a Pilot in the Navy.

The rest of Sunday was spent watching football and napping. Asher took a 2 1/2 hour nap laying on me and it was the best 2 1/2 hours of the entire weekend. I love my Sunday Snuggle bug.

...what a weekend we had, may this be a happy healthy and sweet new year...

Poppy's Yankee

Poppy is already counting down the days till he can take Asher to see the Yankee's play in person. When I was pregnant he bought him this outfit and gave it to me with a promise to take Asher to his first Yankee's game! It fits a few months earlier than we anticipated, but he sure seemed to like it!

Today was his day with Nana and Poppy and they couldn't resist a photo shoot in his outfit!

Surgery Day

Today is the beginning of Cathy's new life.
Today is her first of many facial reconstructive surgeries to repair the damage from her ATV accident.

I ask that you all please send your prayer's her way during this surgery.

Prayer is powerful and we know that with your help she will make it through this very long 8-12 hour surgery. She is strong and she is going to fight all the way till she is "talking" everyone out of that hospital :)

If you look to the right of this post you will see my mom has started a blog (Cathy's Cimb) on behalf of Cathy's husband to update all of the friends and family about her progress...feel free to check it out as she updates it daily.

L'shana Tova

L'Shana Tova

Happy New Year to all of our Jewish Family and Friends!

May it be sweet and successful!

All our love,

Renee, Philip, Asher & Bella

Spoiled

Asher received a special delivery in the mail today from his cousin Spencer who lives in NYC.

We heard a package was on its way, but we had no idea it was going to be this much.

Words can not express how appreciative and thankful we are!

Asher is set for the next 12+ months.

We received over 50 tops that include Polo t-shirts, Polo button ups (short and long sleeved), Polo sweaters, Polo sweater vests, Polo Rugby shirts.

...and it doesnt stop there...

Over 30 pairs of pants: Jeans, Khaki's, Cordoury's, Wind Pants, Sweat Pants, Gym Shorts.

A Red and White striped (Go PACK!) Warm Up Suit and

25+ pairs of socks, a Polo Rain Jacket, 5 hats and a Pair of Sandals for next Summer.

All for this sweet little boy.

He is going to be the best dressed boy in Charlotte!

Thank you Cousins Spencer, Robin, Seth and Aunt Doris!

We love you so much...and can't wait to see you in a few weeks in Charlotte!

Good Hygenie

Asher is learning early.

Keep your nails short, filed and clean.

Softa took him with her to get her nails done today and Asher got a little manicure...

Too cute for words.

(Din "the manicurist" has been doing my mother in laws nails for YEARS and is like a personal friend so this was a special treat for both of them!)

Invasion

A few weeks ago the ants invaded our kitchen.

They found Bella's dog food bowls.

We were pretty grossed out, called our buddies at HomeTeam Pest Defense.

They came out and sprayed the exterior of the house and set up ant traps in the kitchen.

In a matter of a week.

GONE.

Yippee!

NOT!

Bella's dog food is ridiculously expensive. We buy it in bulk to get a better price.

We just bought a 30 lb bag. We keep it stored in our pantry in the bag.

Philip went to refill the tupperware container we keep in our kitchen cabinet.

THE ENTIRE BAG WAS INFESTED WITH ANTS!!!!!!!

We despise ants and we freaked.

Panic. Ants. Oy.

We have purchased a new 30 lb bag and in the same trip we purchased a sealed plastic container to store the dog food.

Poof...Ants be gone!

Soccer Player?

Asher started going bezerk when he first gets into the bath this past week.

He kicks his feet like a crazy man when he first gets in his bath making lots of splashing and then when you pour water over him he loves to kick his feet and rub his heels together!

Maybe we have a soccer player?

He got a little camera shy but you catch our drift!

Asher is also holding up his head straight vs without the tilt (he had a crick in his neck that was causing us some trouble in the neck department). He is learning to sit up almost unassisted and is pulling everything up to his mouth. He loves to lean forward in a sitting position on your lap and then throw himself back and arch his back. We call it the "buck". This reminds me all to well of the stories my parents told me about my childhood....laying on the floor in department stores arching my back. Please pray our child does not do this. I am not sure what I was thinking back then!

Game Day

Asher was ready to cheer the Carolina Panther's ...

20 minutes after Asher "put on" his game gear he spit up on it

...we think he was disgusted with the way the Carolina Panthers played...

Smart Boy.

Asher could've played better than Jake Delhomme did...

Enough said.

Prayers

My family needs your prayers.

I am not one to usually ask, but I know a handful of people read this blog and the more people on our side the better.

My mom's best friend.

My 2nd mom.

Is in intensive care.

My parents immediately left for Texas to be by her side Saturday when they were contacted by Lisa and Steven, Cathy's children with the news. She was in a terrible ATV accident while vacationing with Lenny (her husband) at their time share in Cabo San Lucas this week.

Her ATV fell on top of her and crushed her face/skull. She was wearing a helmet and goggles.

She had immediate surgery to relieve the swelling on her brain in Cabo and was airlifted on a life flight back to Fort Worth where she lives (where I was born).

She is currently stable and somewhat responsive (can squeeze your hand) at this current time, on a ventilator and they are still draining the fluid off her brain. She has shattered her entire right eye socket and part of her skull in addition to many other fractures and displacements throughout her face and skull.

She has many surgeries ahead of her to reconstruct her face.

She is unrecognizable.

We need your prayers.

Please pray that she will make it through her upcoming surgeries.

Please pray that her temperature will go down and they will be able to take her off her ventilator this week. Please pray that her family and our family will stay strong and be able to support her through what lies ahead. Please pray that each day will bring about new healing. Please pray for her life.

Cathy is family to us and will always be a "mom" to me

People

After 5 wonderful years my FREE subscription to People Magazine is KAPUT.

Cancelled.

Gone without warning.

I am devestated.

This was the ONE magazine that I truly enjoyed reading. I patiently would wait every Friday for it to arrive in my mailbox. I would save it for the elliptical at the gym on Sunday morning (one magazine could get me through my hour of cardio) or a peaceful quite hour to myself to wander off into another world with pages full of thoughtless gossip and a handful of meaningful articles.

After an empty mailbox the past 3 Friday's I finally bit the bullet and called.

"Sorry ma'am, the advertiser cancelled your subscription on August 12th, Please contact them if you are still advertising with them to investigate."

Tear.

I know I have been spoiled and am thankful for the past 5 years...but grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Cold Turkey.

Beach Baby

Hilton Head is by far one of our favorite beaches and we were thrilled when family friends, (The Adelsons) offered up their beach house to us over labor day weekend. They have a gorgeous 3000 sq.ft. home that sleeps 10 and has 2 cribs, an in ground pool, dock and is located in Sea Pines. Their place could not be anymore perfect for Asher's first trip to the beach! We had a great time just the three of us, although next time we will bring the parents so we can actually enjoy the vacation with extra hands to help!

We arrived around lunch time on Saturday and quickly unpacked and got in our swimsuits so we could head to the beach. We decided to eat at the Beach Bar for lunch and enjoy the view of the ocean while getting Asher acquainted to the "breeze".

Classic facial expression. He wasnt so sure about the breeze initially...

...he quickly warmed up to the sun and the wind...

...heaven on earth, at the beach...

Asher enjoyed lots of tickle time and laughs

After a few dips in the ocean with Daddy we changed him into his dry clothes.

He was warning the sharks not to mess with him..."he bites"!

On our way home we stopped at Publix to get some things/food for the few days we would be at the beach. Publix has an amazing Soy / Dairy Free Selection and as I have mentioned I have been dairy free since Asher was born due to his stomach not being able to tolerate dairy. I stocked up on Sour Cream, Smoked Provolone Cheese and Parmesan Cheese. What a treat!

Once we got home we all showered and got ready to go out for a family dinner. Asher was not cooperating for family photo time...no big surprise here. We really don't have very many decent family photos but, one day we will get one!

He had no problem posing with Mommy!

Asher got to bed way too late the first night. So late, I feel like a bad parent admitting the actual time. Dont judge. Sunday morning we slept in. Philip fixed us a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon and challah bread sandwichs. We intended to get to the beach at 10 AM but didnt end up making it out of the house till 11:30.

We were those people with a naked baby or diaper baby on the beach on more than one occassion. Once our lovely umbrella decided to do some fun tricks (this happened at least 3-4 times before we packed up the umbrella and invested in something else) we put Asher in the stroller to give him shade until we got our act together. We ended up dropping a ridiculous amount of money on an umbrella and chairs just for the sake of being able to enjoy the beach with a 3 1/2 month old who required shade. Totally worth it!

As noted...totally worth it! Look how much happier he was once he was settled in!

Asher especially enjoyed napping on the beach in his KidCo Pea Pod. This thing was a lifesaver and he loved his own personal tent!

After nap time we took Asher out to enjoy the surf

he enjoyed rubbing his feet into the sand...

Looks like he has Daddy's feet!

The hat kept falling in his eyes and the sun was behind us so we decided to ditch it for some better photos in the water

Later that night we decided to go out for a nice family dinner at the Boathouse II. Philip ate a whole flounder and I had broiled seafood. This dinner was definitely over priced but then again, It's Hilton Head. We got a local to snap this family photo after dinner when the sun was going down. The weather was gorgeous!

Monday morning Asher was up and ready for the outlet's. We hit up Gymboree, Polo, Carter's and BabyGap. We were able to snag a few decent priced items. He has already outgrown all of his winter clothes so we are in desperate need of larger winter clothes. Thankfully a shipment from his cousin Spencer will be arriving in the next month!

This outfit is from his Cousin Matthew and Ashley and it is 18 months! Granted its a little big but seriously... 18 months?!? Oh and he pooped on it about 45 minutes later!

The outlet's took longer than we expected and the weather was very overcast almost on the verge of raining for most of the day. We decided to head out to the beach around 4. Asher enjoyed the beach with daddy.

He had so much funny with daddy he decided to spit up all over him. Asher doesnt spit up often so this photo was a must have...love it!

After the beach we attempted to visit one of Philip's clients in Hilton Head but she wasnt there. It was worth the trip because I was able to capture this photo with some amazing light. This is the first photo where you can see the actual color of Asher's eyes right now. Blue around the edges, green in the midde and light brown on the inside. I am praying they stay like this because I love them...almost as good as blue!

We finally headed home to prepare Asher for bed and to prepare our big beach dinner. While daddy was on the dock reeling in the crab trap Asher and I decided to do a little photo shoot on the dock. He was all snuggled up in his PJ's from Aunt Diane and we couldnt resist his cuteness.

To get this kind of smile out of Asher all you need to do is sing Old MacDonald or the ABC's. For some reason those are his two favorite songs and he sings and laughs along with you!

What a little flirt!

Whats up ladies? Handsome or what?

Always has his mouth open...

Definitely posing at this point...

Model much?

Uhoh I got busted...

I am a giggle monster...

While mommy was busy taking the millions of photos above Daddy was slaving away for our dinner. We set the crab traps out with chicken necks in them two days prior. Each day we would go out to check how many crabs "fell into our trap". By the last night we ended up with 4 large crabs and 1 baby crab (that we let go). Getting the crabs out of the trap was quite a chore and it took Philip about 45 minutes.

Checking out our dinner in the trap

Throwing the trap back to loosen a crab that was wedged between two wires

One angry crab....ready to be steamed!

Two of the crabs before we steamed them

Once Asher went down to bed we had the best dinner of our entire trip cooked by Chef Philip. Philip is an amazing cook. He has always been an amazing cook but since Asher was born he has really stepped up into this role as I am usually nursing Asher while he is preparing dinner.

The dinner menu: Shrimp Cocktail, Steamed Blue Crab, Flank Steak, Baked Potato, Grilled Corn on the Cob and Fresh Steamed Green Beans.

with a side glass of wine, water and baby monitor :)

It was delicious!

After Dinner we cleaned up from dinner. This was our final night at the beach and we had a lot of "stuff" to pack up. The amount of stuff you need for a 3 month old is insane, but totally worth it. After clean up we decided to play Scrabble. Granted I ALWAYS win. Its a known fact, but Philip is a good sport. We played. I of course won even with Philip trying to cheat. I did not notice he cheated until I took the below photo and realized he had switched out some letters when I went to the bathroom to make a word work. He got busted, but we had a blast!

The beach trip was a very memorable trip. Exhausting but totally worth it.

We are already looking forward to our next trip to the beach when Asher will be eating sand!