We're Walking!

Ashley is officially walking. She can take anywhere from ten to twenty steps now before falling. She is so cute. She gets all excited and laughs while she's taking steps as if to say, "Look at what I'm doing!" Then, of course, she falls. Here are some pics from church yesterday. You can tell that she's walking in a couple of them. Congratulations Ashley, Mommy loves you!!!!

Just a few pictures I took over the weekend:

Four new chompers, exteme mobility and a few steps!

Well, Ashley is cutting all four of her 1-year molars. I can assure you that we are having a BLAST with that! I'm sure everyone can probably sense my frustration. She was good for Jenee on Monday and she was good for Vickie on Tuesday, but today was a different story. She has reverted back to the whiny, screaming, fit-thrower that we've all come to call Ashley. I went and picked her up a little early today because of the weather. From the minute we got home, she was all over me, crying and wanting me to hold her. As I'm sure everyone is aware, it's really hard to hold a child in one hand and manage to do EVERYTHING else with just one. I'm just not sure what to do to remedy this situation. I know that she is a baby and will be a baby, but I'm fearful that I'll lose my babysitter if she doesn't stop this behavior! I know that if it drives me crazy and she is MY child, it would drive anyone else completely bonkers. The only thing that keeps me sane is that when I look at her, she is so dadgum cute that I just want to eat her up :-)

On a different note, it seems as though Ashley has gone from being "semi-mobile" to "full fledged mobile" overnight. She's started doing things and getting into things today that she didn't yesterday. She managed to pull the oven door all the way open (yes, it was on) while I was looking in the pantry. It's about five steps from the pantry to the stove and I never even heard the door open or anything, just her shrill scream. She was fine, no burns or anything, I think it just scared her. Can you imagine how I would have explained that to the ER doc if she had burned herself??? They probably would have put me in jail or something...She has started climbing on everything and I fear that we're going to have a little trapese artist on our hands. She is also about to walk. She took about eight steps for Jenee on Monday and Chet said that she took some steps for him this morning and she took some this evening for me. It looks like the mobility will just keep expanding. It makes me happy, but at the same time, it makes me sad. I think I view walking as the final "step" to being a little girl versus being my little baby.

Separation Anxiety

Apparently, Ashley is at the age (crisis age is 12-18 months) where she is suffering from separation anxiety. Apparently, in brain development, they learn that you exist even when you aren't there long before they learn the concept of time. To them, if you're gone two minutes or two days, it's all the same to them. They don't understand yet that you WILL COME BACK. In combination with cutting teeth, I guess it's pretty safe to say that she's a little miserable. Please pray for her!

More teeth!

Ashley is now cutting 4 molars. I am hoping that this is her major problem. When I picked her up from the babysitter last Friday, Vickie told me that for the past two weeks, Ashley will cry bloody murder whenever she can't physically see Vickie. This makes me scared, to say the least. I don't want to put her in a daycare, but if she doesn't get over whatever this is, I may have no choice. Please pray that whatever is causing this behavior will remedy itself and cause her to act like a good little girl!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!

Love,

Ashley Annabelle

Christmas Pictures