The Three D's.....Daxton + Dogs = Delight!

We grabbed the camera a little late but he was still giggling a little on this clip. Daxton LOVES the dogs. He especially loves it when they bark or make noise (opposite of mommy right now). When the dogs get rowdy Daxton gets excited. They can make him laugh harder than anyone else in the house. I'm glad he is such a dog lover since he will be growing up with two. Right now the dogs don't mind him, but coming up soon I think they will not like it when he can crawl and get his hands on them all the time!

Nakey Baby!!

I'm sure you have noticed Daxton is naked in a lot of posts. In the evenings he likes to play without his clothes on before bath time. If he starts to get cranky we just strip him down to Nakey Baby! Then he is unrestricted to do his favorite thing.....wiggle!

Back to Tummy

So, Daxton accomplished yet another milestone today. He rolled from back to tummy 4 times tonight. Maybe all that nanny training is paying off since my son is once again ahead of schedule. Most babies don't roll from back to tummy until 5 or 6 months. So proud of my little guy. Each milestone he accomplishes makes me tear up a little.......so happy he is developing, yet so sad he is growing so fast!

First Food!!

Daxton Turned 4 Months Old Yesterday!!!

Daddy spent the day running the challenging Tough Mudder. He came in at 2 hours and 40 minutes. We are so proud of him for keeping fit and healthy (and for finishing alive). Mommy and Daxton spent the day hanging out around the house. We wish we could have supported Joe but it was just a little too far away, hopefully the next one. Pictures to come soon.

To celebrate our little on growing up we decided to let him try a little baby rice cereal. Yes....most of it ended up on his bib, but he did seem to enjoy it. He is growing so fast and eating a lot more now so hopefully a little cereal will make his tummy happy. 

Daxton Meets Santa

The Bass Pro Shop in Orlando really knows how to make the holidays festive. We took Daxton to participate in the fun and meet Santa. He played with toy trains, cars, and went on a merry-go-round (No, the old guy on the bear is not related to us...Joe just thought he was funny so wanted him in the video). Our little elf was happy all day and didn't even mind being on the lap of an old dude dressed in red. We were so excited to get some funny and cute photo's of Daxton meeting Santa that he can look back on and get a laugh. Joe and I made some good holiday memories today.

Gobble Gobble!

We took our little turkey to the Kepner Grandparents house for a big feast. Even though Daxton didn't nap much he was still a very happy and festive baby. He had lots of smiles for the whole family. Since Daxton really likes grabbing things with his hands lately, I'm sure he wanted to try the amazing food Grandma Kepner made, but he will have to wait until next year! (And the beer can Joe gave Daxton was empty...highly inappropriate but a little funny). When Joe was asked what he was thankful for he said LEGO's, I said Daxton (which apparently doesn't count since everyone is thankful for Daxton) and for the new Zelda game I'm hoping Santa brings me for Christmas (wink, wink). There really is so much to be thankful for every year and we are so happy to be in such an amazing family.

Coupons....saving money....losing sanity

So in the last week of my pregnancy my mom watched me get up Sunday morning, grab a cup of coffee, mozy to the end of the driveway for the paper, and start the morning event of coupon cutting and planning. She laughed and said, 'You know you can't do this once the baby comes. You will not have an entire morning to dedicate to coupon clipping, enjoy it now.'
Well, mom was right (as usual), and just getting to the grocery store is an amazing feat. I still try to clip coupons but these days the cashier gets crinkled paper because this is how it usually goes......

Halloween

Daxton helped pass out candy on his first Halloween dressed as a Crab/Lobster/Sea Creature (I set out making a crab but everyone had conflicting opinions about which shell fish creature he was). He was nice and tosty in mommies cooking pot. When he wanted out for a swim he was eaten by a shark! But no worries, his good friend Dana was there to rescue him!

Little Giggles!

I was lucky Kirsten was at home to grab a video camera and capture some of Daxton's first giggles. I don't think there has ever been a better sound. I love my happy little boy!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Daxton helped make the amazing mud pie cake for his dad's birthday. Then he braved cold paint to create a 'work of art' gift. His daddy smiled big when he opened the present.

Immunizations!!!!!!!

2 Month Appointment Stats:

12 pounds 4 ounces

24 inches long

50th percentile for weight and head size

85th percentile for length

BIG HEALTHY BOY!

My BFF Raffi

Daxton loves to smile, wiggle, and talk to the giraffe we call Raffi on the wall. It makes changing him more fun to see him get excited to see his friend. We have tried to film it several times but when the camera comes out he gets distracted.

First Month

The first month has been full of sleepless nights, messy diapers, and most of all.... LOVE. We can't believe how fast he is growing. Most of the newborn clothes are too tight and have been packed away. We are trying to cherish every moment as we know it will fly by way too fast.

Rockin' and Rollin'

When Daxton was two days shy of three weeks old (August 22) he decided to roll over. Of course he did it while Briana left the house to run some quick errands. Joe got to witness it twice and we all are very amazed but thought it might be a fluke. What surprised us more is when he continued to do it again and again. Briana finally caught the third roll of the night on video on August 26th. Daxton is a really strong baby who likes to arch his back and kick his legs! He gets cuter and cuter every day!

How To Grow A Daxton

After a little more than nine months our lives were changed forever, and forever for the better. Joe worked on this video throughout the pregnancy capturing the entire journey that brought Daxton into our lives.

Daxton's First Picture Day

Kirsten took some quick pics of baby Daxton when he was a couple days old. The real photographers are going to meet Daxton this week, but we thought we would test out the props we've gathered for the shoot. If you have Facebook, you've probably already seen these, but here they are again!

Artists at Heart

Author: Kirsten Ashton

As Briana's top PR agent, she has asked me to write a simple press release for her on her blog. She is doing well, albeit she has been threatening to drink castor oil today.

The photos below were taken by me; I’m also her photographer. We experimented with Henna last week and had great results (art done by me, also). The midwives loved her belly when they saw it at her last appointment on Thursday. We had some henna left over, so Briana decided to have some friends over the other night to finish it off. Her friends left with hands and feet decorated with intricate designs that would impress even the best of henna artists. It looks as though she has found a new hobby; let’s just hope she doesn’t try this one on Kylie.

Pergola

It's not just the mom-to-be that goes through a nesting stage right before the baby is born. While I've been staying out of the heat and freezing casseroles; Joe has been working hard building a Pergola. It took him a few weeks, a new drill, and a lot of sweat, but it's done and BEAUTIFUL! He put a special outdoor fabric over the top that blocks UV rays and brings the temperature down. No more hot sun coming through our back door. I'm really amazed at Joe's talent for building things. This is what he wanted to give me for our anniversary and I'm sure I'll enjoy the shade when I want to get outside with the baby. In the future I think we will be attaching a baby swing to one of the beams.

We Are Ready!!!

Joe and I had a fun time putting together our dream baby room these last few months. I love painting and decorating so having the time to plan our baby's room has been amazing. We went with a fun and colorful jungle theme. Joe did all the heavy lifting and assembling while I worked on the small details. I'm sure our little guy will enjoy his room when he gets here!

Just One Belly Pic

I've had a few people want to see a picture of my growing belly. Here is the most recent one from this last week. The due date is just about one month away and I'm feeling bigger every day. I know I still look small to many but no matter what you say, I feel HUGE! This last week it has finally caught up with me and I find I can't do as much. I'm working hard on cooking casseroles for the freezer and trying to stay out of the heat. Counting down!

Baby Shower

Joe and I had so much fun at our baby shower! The theme was jungle, just like his room, and the food was amazing. My mom came into town so it was really fun to spend time with her and have her here. We feel so lucky to have such great friends and family. We received many gifts to spoil our little one and feel prepared for him to come!

Week 26

It's still been an easy pregnancy and I'm enjoying as much of it as I can. I've noticed more and more food cravings and I will raid the kitchen many times a day. When I went grocery shopping this last week I just couldn't help myself and bought ice cream bars and then opened them the second I got in the car. There is no more waiting until I get home, if it's there, I'll eat it. So watch out if you have food around me because I will either ask you to share or eat it when you're not looking!

Garage Sales!!! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Doing our part to go GREEN!

I have always loved finding a bargain and this week we found many. Joe and I got up early and went to a neighborhood garage sale extravaganza. We found so many deals and got a lot of baby stuff at amazing prices. I'm pretty sure we saved hundreds and hundreds. One of the best deals was the clothes. I put the newborn and 3 month in the closed and boxed up 6 months to 12 months for later. We will be able to dress him in the cutest outfits that look brand new for the first year of his life! I'm pretty sure he can now wear a new outfit every day. My favorite is the elephant, something I wouldn't normally spend the money on, but it matched our jungle room and he will actually be able to ride it! The max weight is 150 so even I can sit on it. I think it ended up being around 5 bucks. Here are some pics!

Beach Day!

Joe, Kirsten, and I went down to Sarasota to spend the day with my Aunt Jenavie and her family. We were so excited to share in her birthday celebration as well as the engagement of Shelly and Nathan. It was a fun day splashing in the water and soaking up the sun. The last few weeks I can see my belly stretching more and more and the baby is kicking like crazy. I never imagined I would feel him this much and I really enjoy just watching my belly move.

Pickles, Pickles, and more Pickles Please

I know everyone asks a pregnant woman what she craves. Mine falls into the usual category of PICKLES! However, I have always loved pickles. I would ask my mom for a homemade jar of pickles for my birthday...that's how much I love them. We started keeping track of how many jars I've gone through and I stopped counting at 8 (Joe and Kirsten think the number is much higher since I've been asking them to pop the lids off). I also like different varieties. Checking my fridge right now I have 4 different jars of pickles and two back-up ones in the pantry closet. So we thought it appropriate to take this week’s belly pictures featuring my favorite snack. I wonder if our little guy will like them as much as his mommy!

Shade Me With Your Leaves

I wanted to find a way for our little one to be able to see family daily since most of you are far away. I came up with the idea of a famiy tree on the wall in the back hallway leading to the baby's room. This way as we walk by he can start to learn the names and faces of all those that love him.
You will aslo notice Kylie appears many times in this clip. She is my little buddy around the house and seems to be sticking even closer since I got pregnant. She is always interested in what I'm doing unless the sewing machine is involved...then she just shakes.
I hope you enjoy!!!

Baby's First Picture Day

Kirsten came with us to the ultrasound so we could get some video. We really enjoyed watching the little guy move around on the screen. He was very shy and kept covering his face with his hands. We have found he is more active when there is music playing that he can hear. Hope you enjoy the video!

(I was wearing shorts, it just doesn't look like it)

IT'S A BOY!

Today we found out we are having a baby boy!

Turtle in a half shell...Turtle Power!

This is one of the projects I completed for the baby. It's my first quilt and I really enjoyed making it. I'm hoping the baby enjoys it as well, if not....Kylie calls dibs.