Ashley is 8 weeks old now. I can’t believe how fast time has flown by. She has grown so much in the past few weeks. She is starting to “talk” now. It is so cute! She’ll coo at you. And once she figures out how to make a certain sound, she’ll do it again. She also loves her bouncy chair even more. She likes the music so much that she kicks her legs and waves her arms to it. She even moves so much that she bounces it herself! She likes looking up at the animals, too. She’s gone from a tiny baby that slept a lot and didn’t do much, to an infant that is wide awake, alert, moving, making sounds, and responding to our voices. It is really neat to see the changes in her.
And to follow-up on my last post, she is STILL sleeping through the night! It’s been like 2 weeks now, so I guess it’s our routine. I am amazed that she is sleeping through the night so early. I’ve read that most babies don’t do that until they are 6 months old. Ashley started it at 6 weeks old! Her last feeding is usually around 9:00 or 10:00 p.m. and she doesn’t get up until 6:00 or 7:00 a.m. What really makes me happy is the fact that she is exclusively breastfed and still sleeping like that. I’m not doing any of those shortcuts like some people do to get their babies to sleep through the night, like formula or cereal. None of that, just good ole’ fashioned breastmilk. My Nana would be proud 
We also started using the Baby Bjorn this week. That thing is awesome! It allows me to carry her (which makes her happy) and still have my hands to do other things. I’ve been able to vaccuum, empty the dishwasher, sweep and do other chores around the house. She falls asleep in it and enjoys being close to me, so it really works out well for both of us.
We went to the Chrismon Service at church Sunday night. First time taking Ashley to church. Luckily it was only a 30 minute service and then everyone went outside for the angel illumination. I say “luckily” because Ashley tooted during the service! I don’t think anyone else heard it but Van and I could smell it, so I was scared the people around us could smell it. I guess if I had to choose between a toot or a crying baby, I would choose the toot. Other than that, she was quiet despite being awake the entire time. I just get so nervous taking her out in public because everything is still new to her so I never know what to expect. I guess that is the fun of parenthood!
You can make a donation to the church and purchase an angel in honor or in memory of someone. So we got one for Ashley this year. Her angel just happens to be right next to the manger! The angels stay lit at night during the holiday season. There are over a hundred of them. I think she’ll really enjoy it as she gets older and we put her angel up every year.
On a sad note, our dear friends Melanie and Brian lost their bulldog, Snuggles, to cancer recently. Snuggles lived a wonderful, spoiled life in a great home and will surely be missed. But she is now cancer free and romping around in heaven. I hear they have endless rawhides up there! They have gotten a new puppy and named her Sadie. She is so cute! They brought her over this weekend so she could socialize with the big boys. We hope Sadie will help them move forward as they build a new relationship with her.
