3 Months

Ashlynn is 12 weeks old today, and wow did those 12 weeks fly! Here's what she's been up to lately...

- Growing. I know I always say this, but for real. Kind of out of control. The sleeves on her 3 mo/3-6mo onesies are looking more like 3/4 length sleeves. Taking after her mom in the gangly department.
- Thinks her hands are the coolest things. Ever. I know this is when kids "discover" their hands, and she's certainly found them. She puts them out in front of her face and just stares. Or my favorite...attempts to shove her whole fist in her mouth. Sometimes it's a finger or a thumb, but lately she's stepped it up. We're going after the fist.
- Kicks. The girl must burn like 1,000 calories a day alone with all the kicking. Makes me tired just watching.
- Likes to make her presence known by showing off her vocals...babbles, groans, grunts, coos, blows bubbles, you get the point. We all do, Ashlynn.
- Still not regularly sleeping through the night, but she does tease us with some nice 6-7 hour stretches from time to time. Otherwise it's about every 4 hours. I even bumped her up on ounces before she goes to bed, but I guess the girl gets hungry fast. We'll get there.
- If you smile at her, she smiles right back. It's a pretty fun game.
- Recognizes Jeremy and me, which makes us feel uber important. She starts flailing her arms and kicking her legs, and gets the hugest smile when she sees us. Melts our hearts.

It's been an amazing 12 weeks, to say the least. And there are so many more wonderful moments ahead with this little girl.

Hair on Fire

Yeah, a little dramatic for a blog post title, but you'll soon see why...

My first day back to work last Monday was off to a great start. Got out the door on time, got through a good batch of messages before the Monday morning managers meeting, caught up with a few coworkers and even had a cup of coffee. 10 a.m. rolls around and I sit down with Erin in her office to start transitioning things back. She says, "So I've got this list up on my computer, let's take a look." I'm on the opposite side of her desk facing her, so she tilts the screen towards me and I lean over her desk the rest of the way so we can view the list. Suddenly, Erin starts frantically yelling, "OH MY GOD!" over and over. I looked at her a little confused and startled, having no idea why she was in a panic and running around to my side of the desk.

Then I hear it. A crackling sound right next to my ear. Then I smell it. The most horrible smell ever. My hair was officially on fire. I had leaned over her desk and didn't notice the candle burning and my hair dipped in it. I started patting the side of my shoulder, still a little unsure of what was actually going on, and realized I just put out a flame on the bottom of my hair. I quickly ran to the mirror to make sure I didn't need to spend the rest of the day in a salon. Luckily, it really only singed a few ends (thankfully I don't wear hairspray or we would've been in big, big trouble). And I can't even tell that anything happened to it now, so no big deal really. But apparently Erin said it made a bright flame right away, and apparently burnt hair is the worst smell ever. Doesn't matter that it was only a few strands of hair. It stunk. Bad. I'll take Jeremy's hog barns any day over that.

Once we realized that I didn't go bald or burn down the building, we both laughed until it hurt for about 5 minutes. Keep in mind that I work at an auto dealership, so all the guys passing through our office area were wondering what was going on. Oh no big deal, Anne just lit her hair on fire. Happy first day back at the office.

This confirms that I'm still officially one of the clumsiest, most accident prone people. It also confirms that I'm not supposed to be going back to work yet. Ha, only kidding. Now if only I had a picture of the flame to share...

Success

Daycare and working momma status = success. Though it was tough to officially let go of my weekdays with Ashlynn, all went really well this week. Monday morning, Jeremy and I both gave her tons of kisses and smiles before we headed out the door. It's really hard leaving her in the morning because that's such a happy time for her. She loves just waking up, stretching for a good few minutes and flashing smiles like it's her job.

All set for her first day...thinking, "mom, c'mon, I'll be fiiiiine"

Daycare went wonderful. Jeremy dropped her off, and he called me shortly after to let me know he safely delivered the goods. Then around noon, I got a text from our daycare provider Keri saying that Ashlynn was having an awesome first day...eating well and taking great naps. She also said all her new friends were so excited to have her there. Huge relief for a new mommy. The rest of the afternoon went so fast and before I knew it, it was time to pick up my little girl!

And work for me went well, too. Lots to catch up on, plenty of emails to go through and a good chunk of items to transition back from Erin who was covering for me. But after a day or two I felt like I had never left. Lots of hugs with coworkers and "you're back!" comments, so it made it feel even more "right" to be heading back to work.

This week was part time (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday), but it went fast. And I actually enjoyed our schedule. Hoping we continue to get settled into it with a busy spring ahead...planting season will start soon for Jeremy on top of his workload, and I have about 4 or 5 work events we're either hosting or a part of in April alone. It'll be a good jump back into it all, and this Wolff pack is ready for the challenge.

Back to the Grind

I've been dreading talking about this moment for a while. It always felt like it was so far in the future, but man did it creep up on me. Today is officially my last day of maternity leave and I head back to work on Monday.

My thoughts are pretty scattered right now. A huge part of me is going to miss my days with Ashlynn. Catching all her smiles, cuddling, sleeping and playing whenever we want, soothing her when she cries, taking probably one too many pictures and videos of her, and watching her grow/change right before my eyes. Not that I won't experience these things with her after work, through the night and on the weekends, but it'll definitely be different. It's hard to think of her sharing those moments elsewhere.

At the same time, we have a wonderful daycare provider so I'm certainly not worried about that. And I know she'll love the interaction with other people and meeting new little friends. Going back to work will also be good for me. I need to learn that clothes do exist beyond sweats and t-shirts, and my hair can be worn in other styles besides a ponytail. It's time to get regular adult interaction and use my "big girl voice" again. I'm ready to be back on a true schedule, and I know this will be good for Ashlynn, too.

So in a way, it's a little bittersweet. I had the most amazing 11 weeks with my little girl. I'm thankful it worked out to have this much time off. It's allowed me to soak up every ounce of her. And while she's been growing, I've been growing as a parent, too. I planned it out to head back part time next week to help with the transition, and then full time the following week to finish out my 12 weeks. Jer will bring her to daycare in the mornings and I'll pick her up after work. Thankfully he'll be doing the drop off...I'm sure I'd be a hot mess that first day.

Today I'm getting a lot of extra cuddling and kisses in with Ashlynn. She probably thinks I'm nuts.

Grayson

Ashlynn has a new little buddy she met today...



My good friend Christy and her hubby Bryan welcomed their second boy Grayson Timothy into their family on Tuesday. He's a healthy 9lbs 6oz and 22.5 in! Same length Ashlynn was at birth, and exactly one pound more. I guess we grow them good and big in Southern MN.

The proud mama looking amazing less than 24 hours after delivering

A quick sneak at Grayson's little feet...not so little feet and fingers for this newborn!

Congrats Christy, Bryan and big brother Connor!

Play Mat

Ashlynn's been getting so much more alert and playful these days. It's been fun to watch her kick, take in her surroundings, smile as soon as you look at her and just hang out with us. We got a play mat from my sister-in-law Mandi this past weekend, and Ashlynn absolutely loves it. Loves it so much that she'll be batting her arms at the hanging toys and kicking her legs nonstop, then 20 minutes later we'll find her fast asleep right on the mat. Plays until she tires herself out, I guess! I tried to upload a video so you can get the full effect of her strong leg kicks, but it's not working for some reason. Will try with another one soon...

Mommy's Night Out

It was long overdue. This past Saturday I went to Rachel's place in Bloomington where she, Erin and I had plenty of much needed girl talk, drank a healthy amount of wine and ate a wonderful dinner. I'm so lucky my friends are amazing cooks...Erin made an awesome stuffed red pepper dish that I'll have to share on here once I get the recipe. Then we decided to hit the town for a bit. My brother John picked us up and we went out with some of his friends in Uptown. We danced like it was our job until about midnight, then headed home. We don't quite have the "going out" stamina like we used to, but it was just as fun. If not more. These ladies are my best friends, and no matter what we're doing it's a riot.

I should also point out that this was my first night away from Ashlynn. I missed her like crazy, but my hubby handled it perfectly. He texted a few updates and pictures throughout the evening so I didn't have to wonder how it was going, etc. She was taking the bottle just fine, which was my biggest worry since we had been struggling a little with transitioning her to the bottle while I'm breastfeeding. I still called at one point, but he quickly told me how much fun they were having and that all was good. Then said to get off the phone and enjoy my girls night. And that I did.

My only pictures to capture the night were in the car ride to John's place. Not ideal, but it'll work...

A Real Treat

Though it's cliche, it's true that "you don't realize what you've got til it's gone." I've had a few instances to remind me that this saying holds true. And with each experience, I've developed more appreciation for certain things in life. For example, when I fractured three vertebrae in the spring of 2007 and couldn't do any physical activity for over a month, I gained a much deeper appreciation and love for running. Especially outdoors in the spring. And actually, appreciative for the use of my back. Plain and simple. Or now that my older brother moved to St. Louis, I cherish every second our entire immediate family gets together. The moments are that much more precious.

You get the point. And this post isn't about to get sappy. It's about to get tasteful. After 9 months of having some restrictions in your diet due to a growing baby, you learn to appreciate favorite foods and drinks. Fresh sushi. A few cold beers on a summer afternoon. A great glass of merlot with a steak (done rare/medium rare, might I add). So I'm now appreciating - and enjoying - these items that were MIA for a few months.

My latest real treat...

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc

If you haven't tried it, please do. After not having it for a few months, I'm reminded just how crisp and refreshing it is. I'm no wine connoisseur, but I know what I like. And this is a wine to appreciate.

Cheers to a good week!

Newborn Pics

Nine days after Ashlynn was born, Gina Zeidler, a friend from college and an amazing photographer, came to our house and took her newborn pictures. She also did our maternity pictures back in December - so great to have the last of my pregnancy and the beginning of Ashlynn's life documented so beautifully.




















Thank you, Gina, for spending time with us that day! And thank you to my girlfriends who got us these photo sessions - an amazing gift.

Happy Birthday...

...to Dr. Seuss! My mom informed me that today is his birthday, and Ashlynn just happens to be an avid fan. We'll be reading a few of her Dr. Seuss books tonight before bed!

2 Months

Two months ago today, Jeremy and I were brand spankin new parents in a hospital room. Over joyed, over tired and unsure of how this whole parenting thing would actually go. Fast forward two months and here we are. We've got a healthy, happy, lovable, growing girl. And I'd say we're much more comfortable on the parenting front, too. Amazing what time can do.

Technically yesterday was Ashlynn's two month birthday, but I didn't get a chance to blog between her doctor appointment, our tax appointments and a refreshing run outside. She got 3 shots and a dropper of medicine. I thing she hated drinking the medicine more than the shots, actually. Two sticks in one leg and one in the other - a loud cry right away but as soon as I could pick her up, we cuddled for a minute, I got her dressed and she was out like a light in her car seat. Not too shabby.

And here are her stats...a big girl!
Height: 24 in. - 93rd percentile
Weight: 12 lbs. 7 oz. - 91st percentile

Ashlynn's definitely smiling a lot, cooing, blabbering to us, kicking and batting at things more, and doing great with head strength/control. All on track for a 2 month old! Couldn't be happier with our healthy baby.


Had to sneak a couple in from her nap time with dad the other day