~* In The Spotlight *~ - Ashley Marie

Sys:Spotlight wrote: In The Spotlight For May 26, 2004

	Name:	Ashley Marie
	Birthdate:	September 5, 2002
	Parents:	Dee Dee & Rodney

amynicole21 replied: Ashley is such an angel!!

Has she ever ridden a pony?
Is she afraid of animals? Does she like them or have a favorite?
Has she been swimming?
What was her birth like?

Kirstenmumof3 replied: What are your hopes and dreams for her future?
How is she around other children?
What is the one thing she does that just melts your heart?

MommyToAshley replied:
Thank you!

No, she has never ridden a pony (except a toy one), but that sounds like fun!

She's not really afraid of animals. Whenever she sees or hears a dog, she gets excited and starts yelling"doggie". My MIL has a dog and she loves it.... she chases it everywhere. And, there is a house on the corner on the way to the park that has two dogs.... whenever we go by it, she says "doggies live there". LOL

She hasn't been swimming yet, but I am taking her soon. My Mom has a big pool, I just need to take her over there.

I was induced because they thought she was further past my due date than she really was. (She was just a big baby and actually right on time) I went in at night around 9 pm, and didn't have too much going on until morning around 7am. I was starting to get some hard contractions, but the thing that scared me is that Ashley's heart rate would drop and the nurse would rush in, turn me on my side and put oxegyn on me. (It turns out that she had a long umbilical cord and she was rolling over on it) I wanted to go without any drugs, but when it got close to 10 am, I asked for an epidural because the contractions were coming so hard and so fast. I got an epi at 10:20 and Ashley was born at 10:45. I heard the doctor say "it's a beautiful baby girl" and I waited and waited for the cry which seemed like forever, but it was really only a few seconds. When I saw her, it was the most amazing feeling I have ever experienced. And, I have never seen DH so emotional either. I am not sure I would want to be induced again, but I am glad I did with Ashley since we found out that she had a long umbilical cord.

MommyToAshley replied:
I just want her to be happy, know she is loved, and know she can do and be anything.

She LOVES other kids. She isn't around them too often. She plays with a few neighborhood kids close to her age at the park, but I want to put her in some kind of playgroup or preschool a couple days a week just so she can play with other kids.

She does so many things that melt my heart. But, the other night when I was rocking her to sleep she did something I will never forget. She raised up, looked me right in the eyes and said, "I love you Mommy" then gave me a kiss and snuggle back in and went to sleep. I just teared up right there!

kimberley replied: YAY! princess is in the spotlight! she is so beautiful!!

what is her latest sentence?
what is her room like?
does she have any boy friends?
how did you pick her name? do you think it suits her?
what amazes you the most about her?
can we see more pics? like a timeline of her growing?
(if you are too busy, i understand)

MommyToAshley replied:
Thank you again!

Hmmm, she says new sentences every day. Just now she said, "Mama put shoes on, go bye bye car" Meaning she wanted to go bye-bye in the car. I told her no, we are not going anywhere in the car right now, so she said, "go park!... yeah, go park!" I had to tell her no to that too because it is raining.

Her room was originally a second office. It had brand new hunter green carpet and hunter green wallpaper half way up, so we had to pick something to go with that. So, we ended up going with a ballerina bear theme in a light pink. She loves bears, so it worked out great. MIL had bought her a mobile that had all different animals on it, and when she was younger, she would follow the bear with her eyes.

DH and I had a hard time deciding on a name. We have different tastes when it came to names, so there were only a few that we agreed on. We didn't decide until we were at the hospital. I thought Ashley was so pretty, but Ashley was almost named Paige. But, I couldn't imagine Ashley being called anything else now.

What amazes me most... hmmm, that is tough because so much amazes me. She surprises me everyday with some of the things she says and does, and how fast she learns things, but I have to say what amazes me most is how loving and caring she is and how much joy and love she brings to my life. I never imagined being a Mommy would feel like this!

Of course you can see more pictures! You should know that I never pass up a moment to show pictures of Ashley. I will put a timeline together and post something... thanks for asking!

coasterqueen replied: Is she afraid of anything like planes or trains?
Has she been to the circus yet?
Is she right-handed or left-handed or can you tell yet?
What's her favorite game to play?

MommyToAshley replied:
When she was younger, she was afraid of the laser on our digital camera. But, she is fine with it now. I haven't found anything else that she is afraid of. She thinks planes are neat and always points them out and says "airplane" whenever they fly over.

Nope, she hasn't been to the circus yet but I think it is coming to town soon. I will have to ask Di, she has the inside scoop on the circus! Her dad is a clown.

At the moment, she uses both hands. When she was younder, she used her left hand a lot. Dh and I are both right-handed so I guess we will have to wait and see.

Her favorite game to play is hide 'n seek. She loves that game!

Kaitlin'smom replied: awww beautiful Ashley is in the spotlight....


do you plan on more kids?
how do you think she would be as a big sister?
what are her stats now?
yes more pics!

Kaitlin wants to get together....how about this weekend?

MommyToAshley replied:

More kids? Still on the fence about that one. DH and I are both undecided. Although I do find myself getting bit by the baby bug every now and then. But, for the time being, we are just enjoying Ashley.

I think Ashley would be a great Big Sister! She always puts her babies to sleep for their nap... she lays them down in bed and covers them up. She likes to feed her baby the bottle, and push her in the "baby car" (that's what she calls the stroller). She'll give them hugs and kisses, but most of the time when she is done with them she just throws them on the ground (we'll have to work on that part! ) She LOVES little babies when she sees them too. But, I do think Ashely would get a little jealous because she loves being the center of attention.

I don't know her stats now .. She weighed 26-1/2 pounds and was 34 inches tall at her 18 month check-up. I know she has grown in height since then because she can't wear clothes now that she could then.

I'll post some pics, I promise.
And, this weekend sounds good, just let me check with DH to make sure he doesn't have anything planned that he forgot to tell me about. Ashley and I would both love to see Kaitlin

CantWait replied: Are you caving in on getting Ashley a puppy yet
What do you think she'll be when she grows up?
What is her personality like?
Does she like to get dirty?

Can't wait for more pics

MommyToAshley replied:
Nope, I didn't cave on the puppy. I thought about it for a moment though.

Hmm, what she could be when she grows up, the possibilities are endless! She loves to dance and sing, so maybe an entertainer? She also loves puzzles and does "science experiments" all the time. Just the other day, when she was putting her toys in the bathtub, she was dropping them from different heights and commenting on how big the splash was. Maybe some sort of Scientist? She also LOVES the computer, she's addicted to Elmo's World. Maybe she will be a computer programmer like her Daddy? Oh, and she likes the arts too.... she loves to color. LOL So, I guess time will tell.... until then I support all her interest.

Her personality.... She's very loving, always happy, and energetic, but yet she is independant and stubborn too. (She gets that latter trait from her Daddy )

She doesn't mind getting dirty.... it's the clean up she doesn't like. LOL. She hates it when she has to take time out for me to wash her face and hands. (She doesn't mind the bath though)

I have pictures coming, I promise. I just have to look through the archives for them.

ediep replied: Does Ashley have cousins?
What is her favorite snack food?
When you taek her out to eat, do you bring food from home, or will she eat something off the menu?
What is Ashley's sleep schedule like?

A&A'smommy replied: What is your fav thing to do with her?
What is your fav time of day do something with her?
What is the CUTEST thing you think she does?
What is her favorite food?
When did you start teaching her to count? (she is incredibly smart! )

And I have to say she is SOOOO beautiful!

MommyToAshley replied:
Yes, Ashley has 7 cousins but they are all older. The youngest is 7 and the oldest is 13. She has a second cousin that was born a month before she was born.

Favorite snack food.... hmmm, she loves any food really. But I think her favorite snack is a toss up between cheese, veggie crackers, yogurt or teddy grahms.

When we go out to eat, she eats something off the menu. It's usually chicken and I substitute veggies instead of the fries if I can. She usually finishes her meal and then eats off my plate too.

Ashley has a fairly routine sleep schedule now. She goes to bed around 8:30 and sleeps until about 8:00 am. Then she takes about an hour nap around 12:30. If she gets up earlier in the morning, she may take a longer nap.

MommyToAshley replied:
I have so much fun with Ashley... my favorite thing to do is to cuddle. But, her favorite thing is probably to wrestle, play hide 'n seek, or go to the park. It doesn't matter what we do, she is just sooooo much fun!

I love when she first wakes up, she comes into bed and plays with us. But, soon after that things get hectic with the business, so my next favorite time is after her nap. She's usually in a really good mood then and we usually go outside.

Oh man, she does so many cute things. But, I think she makes some of the cutest faces. If you ask her if she is cold, she will make her lips into like an oval, and scrunch her hands up and shake (like she is shivering)...it's hillarious. If you ask her if she is hot, she will blow and say "ohhh hot!" Then, if you ask her if she is sad, she will pucker up her lip and make an "aweeee" whiney sound. Sometimes she adds in a "poor baby". If you ask her if she is happy, she will smile so big that she squints her eyes and wrinkles up her nose. Daddy also taught her to make fish lips and wink too....LOL

Her favorite food... that's a toughie because she likes all food. But, I think her favorite is cheese. She also loves spaghetti for dinner. (She must have some Italian in her.) Ashley's perfect ending to the dinner would be an apple... she loves apples!

I don't really know... I never really taught her to count. We read all the time. She loves books. Some of her books are about counting, shapes and colors so I guess that is where she picked it up. She has a number puzzle, and we did things like name them off as we put them together. It is all at her pace as she wants to learn, I never pushed anything. I figure that she will get 12 years (hopefully more with college) of formalized education, now is the time to let her be a kid.
Oh, and she also loves Elmo's World on the computer. She likes the "Chicken Elmo" and "Doggies" (as she calls them) Both of them involve counting. (There's a link to Elmo's world in the Entertainment section of this web site, under "For Kid's Only"

Thanks so much for your kind comments!

Kaitlin'smom replied: If possible I would like each of you to answer this question....

what is the one thing you look foward to most with Ashley?
what milestone are you looking foward to sharing with her
what milestone do you dread the most?


just thogut it would be fun for daddy and mommy to answer them....if possible, I understand if he is to busy.

MommyToAshley replied:
Sure, I was hoping DH would answer some too. But, oh you asked some hard ones!

The one thing I look forward to the most with Ashley.... I just love the closeness that we have now, and all the special moments we share. I just hope that as she gets older that we stay close and that she will always feel she can confide in me. I am also looking forward to doing all kinds of girly things with her.

Hmmm, what milestone.... She's reached so many already, I am not sure what is left? Potty Training will be nice once it is complete, but not sure I would enjoy goign through it with her, LOL.

WHat milestone do I dread.... probably the first day of school. I know I will cry my eyes out. I will be so proud of her, but I know I will miss her too. And, when she gets older, I know I will hate the first heartbreak.... not looking forward to that one at all!

Edited to Say: TLCDad will answer some questions later today or tomorrow, thanks for asking for Daddy's input!

MommyToAshley replied: OK, here is the first 8 months. It was really hard picking only 1 picture for each month. The next set of pictures, I will skip a few months in between each photo. This was really fun going through some of her old photos, thanks for asking to see the pictures!

MommyToAshley replied: Ok, here's the rest:

MommyToAshley replied: Since we are taking a walk down memory lane, I thought I would share Ashley's first laugh with you. (she's almost 2 months old here) I am not sure what I did to make this video dark, but the original isn't that dark. However, it is around 5 am in the morning. And, sorry about the shakey video....that's me trying to video tape while I am laughing. TLCDad is the one making the funny noises. heheh.

It is a little long so it might take a few minutes to start playing:
http://www.parentingclub.com/video/AshleyLaughing150Kb.mov


Thanks again, this was really fun!

CantWait replied: WOW I can see why it was so hard to pick a favourite for each month. They're all so cute. I can't believe Ashley is 20 months already, that's only a few months from 2