Sunday, May 1, 2011

Happy May Day!

May has arrived!  We can hardly believe it.  Tomorrow Ainsley will be 10 months old.  As we have mentioned before RSV and cold/flu season ends in May and so we had planned on beginning to live "normally" once May comes.  And now it is here. 

With this month beginning we have a lot of emotions: excitement, anxiety, fear, relief, joy, gratefulness, and hope all rolled into one.  We have started to venture out a bit more and it has been challenging and wonderful at the same time.  Ainsley's first out in public trip (besides walks and visits to family homes) was to the Ikebox.  We were heading out for a walk at Riverfront Park and decided to stop in for a drink beforehand.  As we got out of the car the anxiety hit us a bit, but we took a deep breath and walked on in.  It was really delightful to see a few dear friends and feel somewhat normal out with our girl.  We know that as we continue to enjoy more new things it will get easier and the anxiety will melt away more quickly. 

Reflecting over the past 10 months as we head into this new phase reminds us of how incredibly thankful we are for our friends & family.  All of the amazing support and love we have gotten is really wonderful and it means so much.  Also, we greatly appreciate how understanding everyone has been of Ainsley's needs and our needs as a family.  It is really a gift to have you all in our lives!

Here are some recent pictures:


Enjoying some sunny weather in the backyard


I'm not sure what she saw, but I love the sense of wonder


Looking cute and dorky in her sun hat


More time in the backyard




She's really into texture right now and loved feeling the grass


Loving that Easter basket




Reading one of her new books from the Easter basket


Did you know the Easter Bunny drools?
Thanks for the cute ears Grandpa Bruce, Grandma Kris, & Auntie Kari!


Learning to drink from her sippy cup and doing quite well


Putting the sun hat on for a walk


Napping on our walk at Riverfront Park


Daddy's hat is so cool




At Auntie Cassie's lacrosse game


Taste testing the ribs while we celebrate Grandpopz's birthday




Playing & cuddling with Auntie April


Happy Birthday Grandpopz!




Sporting her Cubs tee to celebrate baseball season
Thanks Uncle Jimmy & Aunt Tami!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Talk about made my day!!! I am in love with our sweet Ainsley...so thankful she is doing so well...

Anonymous said...

Tears of happy joy! Gosh, she is just gorgeous & so expressive. I see SO much of both of you in her (duh!)...but it's fun to see. Sure makes me miss all of you & the chance to experience life with her, but this blog sure makes it a little more bearable, thanks for taking the time, Dear Cousins! I will pray for the all that is coming with this new phase of her life. Love all of you so so much. Healthy kisses to Ainsley, Cousin Noel.