First Birthday

Ashton turned one on Wednesday. An entire year has passed since I sheepishly went into the hospital, not really knowing why but feeling off. Those first few days in the hospital had me anxious to get out and get home to be with my family. There were many nights when I didn't sleep enough. There was a lot of frustration over balancing my attention between a newborn, toddler, and husband. Not to mention time to myself. We adjusted though. It wasn't always graceful. In fact, I remember a lot of yelling and tears. I remember so many tender moments too though - countless hours nursing, rocking, cuddling, and kissing that boy. Oh man, the kisses!

The greatest thing about this year has been really getting to know Ashton though. He's our wild child - fearless and curious. He's climbing everything in sight and always ready to go. He claps and smiles. He knows when he's about to do something he shouldn't and laughs or smirks when you tell him to stop. He's saying a ton (but mostly baby babble). Mostly he's asking "whatsat?" or he wants to go "ouside".

I love him fiercely and know it'll just grow as I get to know him more.

Berry Picking

We went berry picking exactly one month before Ashton's arrival and I just never got around to posting it. And OH MAN, look at Cohen! I think this was just before Nathan cut Cohen's hair and got rid of the awesome long part in the front (I was so upset when he did it) and he just looks to different to me here. He looks so young! How could he change so much in just a few months?

Anyway, we found a farm not too far from home and got to picking! I was heavily pregnant, and basically dragged my body along the rows. Cohen would run back and forth between us, having the time of his life. It was a tough day for Nathan, as his ankle was still healing. The day was great though, and Cohen and I both ate a ton :)

Some adorable baby (or so he seems to me) photos of Cohen below!

Eating pizza in the car. Guhh, look at those eyes.

I do really miss that hair!

Notice the colour of the strawberry in his hand. We constantly had to sort through the berries he was putting in our baskets. 

That mess though :)

Baby Boy (again)!

At 3:57 AM on August 2nd a tiny little boy was placed in my arms. As I waited for his cries, I felt the overwhelming fear/joy/love that a parent feels. This time I knew just how much I would love this little guy.

The day before I woke up feeling off, and as the day progressed I felt worse and worse. We had planned to have family over for dinner but I was totally useless and all the prepwork was left to Nathan. After dinner (I had very little) I got up and felt a really intense contraction. Then another. But they weren't consistent, so I tried to brush it off. My sister and law saw me hiding in the bedroom. She convinced me that we should go to the hospital - just to be sure.

Before we left, I went to grab the hospital bag and Nathan asked if we really needed to bring it. Luckily I insisted.

Ashton Quinn was born 6 pounds 1 ounce, measuring 50 cm long. He came six days early and was a little small, but passed all the tests. He's perfect.

Babymoon II

We'd planned to visit family down in Michigan for a couple days before the new baby arrived, but my pregnancy brain kicked in to ruin it. My passport had expired, forcing us to stay in the country.

Since I had already taken time off from work, Nathan and I each spent a few hours searching the internet for other options - Groupons to Niagara Falls, a couple days in Ottawa or Montreal - but finally settled on cabin camping a few hours north of the city.

We drove up Saturday morning, grabbing groceries and other supplies along the way, and arrived in the early afternoon. We took some time to check out the site. There was a fire pit next to our cabin, a little area on the lake for fishing, and a playground that Cohen soon became obsessed with.

It was nice to get away for days, and I am so glad we chose to stay in cabins rather than tents. My pregnant self would have hated sleeping on the ground.

Scroll down for some shots from our trip :)

Eeep, typical family photo -  a little awkward but I'm glad we took it!