Thursday, July 25, 2019

Séamus is ONE!!

OMG!!! how is Séamus ONE?!!! this year has gone by so incredibly fast and I have enjoyed all of it!  We celebrated our boy big today...and can I just say that today was so much more enjoyable than his birthday was last year?! 😂😂😂 Don't get me wrong, finally delivering him and having him in our arms was so amazing but getting to see him walking around, laughing, and doing all the fun things was so much better than being stuck in a hot, sticky hospital recovering from a cesarean delivery...plus we already have this nursing thing down so it was way more fun too 😉





We did our very best to celebrate this day to the fullest!  The weather was absolutely beautiful. We went to the waterfront where they have an awesome splash pad, and it was so fun to see Séamus walking around and having the best time. Then over to the playground, where he mostly just ate all the wood chips 🙈 and then out to lunch.  Back home we did a photo shoot, sang him happy birthday, and ate cake.










My heart is so happy that he is here.  Séamus is everything we could ever imagine.  He filled a void in me and has allowed for so much healing to happen in my life.  






Séamus, you are goofy, a turd, so full of energy and light, you love to laugh, are so easy going, and are obsessed with the boobies.  You have 4 teeth, are walking, and still the tiniest little peanut.  You love to feed yourself, can barely sit (or stand) still...always on the move.  You get into everything and are so brave.  You can climb up into the trampoline all by yourself, can maneuver your way out of the infant swing on our swingset, and try to climb into the hammock.  You are enamored by fire, don't like it when we take things away from you, and are very very vocal.  Your favorite things to do are to suck on charging cords, hold our phones or the remote for the tv (and you know the difference between a fake one), and being around your sisters.  You look up to them so much and now that you're walking, you are trying to keep up with them in all the things.  You are a world traveler, love Mickey Mouse, and have that easy going nature about you 90% of the time.  We are so blessed by you and I am forever grateful that we attempted IVF and were able to bring you into this world.

I love you, Séamus. Happy First Birthday to my boy!



♥ Ashley




Wednesday, July 24, 2019

The Séamus Weekly - week 52

What!! He's basically ONE!! Tomorrow is the big big day!  I remember one year ago, a bunch of Thomas's family was in town from Nebraska and we all got together for dinner at The Spaghetti Factory.  I was so ready to have the baby and while I was so glad to get to spend time with all the Parsonses I was really wishing I wasn't there because I had a baby in my arms...well the next day he decided to make his appearance!  

Séamus's last week as a baby!


Eats: I was so afraid that he wasn't going to want my boobs when I came home from YL Convention this week...but thankfully he was so excited to latch right back on.  While I was gone I did a lot of pumping to keep up my supply - airport pump rooms are the worst, and back home he ate a ton of Mac'n'cheese, pouches, puffs, grapes, and berries, and hotdogs, and any other foods Thomas gave him.  Thomas really tried to stay on top of his food intake and it seemed to work out just fine.  He tried warming up some of my frozen milk but Séamus wanted absolutely nothing to do with it, he was more interested in Whole Milk or Water actually.  Once I got back home we continued to feed him solids but my boobs were is dire need of a baby sucking that I just kept latching him on.  I can hardly believe that we have made it a full year of breastfeeding, of course it was my ultimate goal to make it this long and I am so so grateful that we persisted and are going to go beyond a year!!



Sleeps: while I was at Convention Séamus was a great little sleeper for Thomas.  He slept through the night in his crib, took his naps in the crib, and pretty much gave Thomas the easiest 3 days imaginable.  Then I got home and he was reunited with the boob.  He has come into our bed the past few nights for some nighttime suckling and as I mentioned above, I eagerly welcomed him so that I could have some great release.  He is back to napping in his crib and on the go...as we do.  Still tends to go to bed right around 7:30 which is just grand.

Does: he is actually and really walking!!! He really started to take off once he got home and Thomas said that he went from crawling 70% of the time to 40% of the time over the first 2 days they were home.  Then when I got home he was walking about 85% of the time and now we rarely see him crawling around!! I cannot express how excited I am that he is walking before he turns one!!  He claps his hands, gets the biggest grin when we say "boobies", says daDA!, and all sorts of squeals and giggles.





Goes: the airport to pick me up, several parks, out shopping, grocery stores, and we took the girls to the dentist....it was Finnley's first time, Ellie's third visit, and we were told that we really need to be more diligent with their oral care #liveandlearn.  We went to meet up with my friend at her Busy Toddler meet up on Sunday and it was incredible the turn out she had.  SO freaking proud of her, the kids had such a great time and I loved getting to watch them experience all the new activities.  The water room was a huge hit, as was the toddler room where all three of them had a blast with the baby proof area! Thomas took Ellie to his parents so I took the littles for a visit to WiggleWorks before Séamus turned a year old so that we could enjoy it with him for free one last time and it was our best visit yet!! Finnley finally made it onto the air jumper and went down the big blowup slide...every time before this she has been waaaaay too fearful and afraid to do it.  We went to a park and met up with another one of my besties and went out to lunch together, Séamus was too excited about walking to sit in the high chair (or my arms) so I let him walk around the restaurant, like I swore I'd never do, and had to repeatedly get up from our booth to snatch him up before he walked into the kitchen.  He proceeded to dump an entire glass of water all over us when I did manage to get him to sit in my lap and it was basically a complete cluster...and I cannot wait to go and do it all over again.  Because the more we go out and do these things the more used to it he'll get and *fingers crossed* the better he'll get at it.












Mama: Oh My Word! we have come to the end of an era!! My sweet little boy isn't so much a baby anymore and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Sure Séamus is going to give me a run for my money, I can tell already, but life is going to be so much easier now that he can walk and participate!
I had thee best time at Convention with my people.  I learned so much, was encouraged so much, got to meet so many wonderful and amazing women, got first hand experience with all the Young Living products, and am even more fired up about bringing wellness into the homes of my family and friends.  It was such an amazing experience to finally meet my business partners in person after years and years of following each others blogs and commenting and creating friendships.  Who would have told us that 5.5 years ago that Young Living would bring us together and make such a positive impact on our lives? However it worked out I am so forever thankful for this.


Sisters: they had so much fun with all their one-on-one time with Thomas.  Getting to do all the fun things and soak up every second with him.  They are still obsessed with Séamus and so excited that he is walking, they tell everyone they meet that "Séamus can walk now!"  The bond and love between the three of them is something that just makes my heart so so happy, because it is my biggest desire to raise them to not just be siblings but to be friends.  Every day we focus on nurturing their relationships with each other and I am blown away at how much they all truly love each other.




Wednesday, July 17, 2019

The Séamus Weekly - week 51

Oh my word!! I can't believe that we have just one week to go and sweet Séamus will be a ONE year old!! We finished up our trip in England and back for a day in Dublin before spending hours in lines to get on our plane to head home....my trip doesn't end here as I'm off to Young Living Convention while Thomas gets to wrangle all three kids on his own for a few days.  So today is bittersweet as I am cuddling my babies one last time before I'm off on my trip.  I made sure to nurse Séamus lots on the plane ride home and did my best to not cry as I waved goodbye to them at the airport.  Enough about today! Let's share about this past week!!


Eats: boob, boob, and more boob, with lots of sides of meats and fruits and fries!  Séamus has really been so great at trying all sorts of new foods.  He loves fish and peas, bread and pasta, and he ate lots and lots of grapes.


Sleeps: pretty much the same as he has been this whole trip.  Sleeping with me at night, lovely on the go sleeper in the Ergo and Stroller.  We ditched our car before heading into London so sweet boy is learning to sleep on the Underground!!



Goes: So many places!! We finished up our last day in the Cotswolds, drove to Windsor, and then into London!  We spent 5 days in London and saw so many things: the underground, Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Harrods, Kensington Gardens, the London Eye, Tower of London, to mention a few, and then back to Dublin for some more parks, a book store, and The VatHouse!!






























Does: I really want to say that he started walking!! Which he has because he is taking more than 5 steps at a time so I think we are nearly there!  He is still all about getting into all of the things, crawling lots of places, clapping his hands, shaking his head no, and if I haven't mentioned it on here...he is so good at self feeding it's incredible.  He can go up stairs, balance on bikes and ride-a-longs, and is just the climber of climbers.






Mama: as goofy as it may sound, I just adored getting to carry my kids around London.  It was so fun to experience the Underground and to figure out where to go.  I loved getting to see how my memory served me from my trip 20 years ago.  Ellie and I got to have High Tea with Nanny at Kensington Gardens and it was so nice to have that special time with her.  Getting to be in the big city was just so much fun and my favorite part was getting 5 whole days in London to really take it all in.  Watching Séamus try and try to walk, to play more on the playgrounds and then to see the girls playing so well with each other was the best ever.  I tried to stay in the moment and enjoy all this time with them and not focus on leaving them for a few days.  I did my best to try to take pictures but to also just live in the moment and enjoy it for when we were there.  I also loved being back at The VatHouse.  It was our first Pub in Ireland five years ago and it was so fun to be back, with all our kids.  Just the best!






Sisters: Once again these kiddos were amazing.  We had our share of meltdowns but they love each other something fierce.  Finnley did finally hit her walking break point and just laid down on the sidewalk refusing to move...so we had to force Ellie out of the stroller for Séamus to take up a spot and I threw Finnley onto my back with the Ergo.  Ellie's walking was short lived (as it was the whole trip) and she managed to sneak her way onto riding on the back of the stroller for a majority of the time.  Both girls loved the Underground but were both unsure of walking through the turnstyles.  Finnley fast became obsessed with the "Marches" and wanted one wherever we went!  The kids played so well with each other and that really made our trip so wonderful.