Pee

I am so grateful that Andrew no longer pees in my face. Those of you who have boys, know boys, or have changed a very young boy's diaper, all understand what I mean.

I learned very early in Jackson's life (that's Andrew's cousin) that when you change the diaper of a baby boy - you must have some sort of shield ready. Haha, no really. I don't know how something so small can pack so much pressure.

I thought getting peed on once was terrible. Then, I brought Sweet Andrew home. Holy crap that kid can pee. I got peed on from the changing table, on the couch, on the floor, from the bathtub, while nursing, etc. Boys really can shoot it far. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, thankful...

As I left his little teeter exposed while I prepared his bath(thanks Ang for the term "teeter"), I realized that just two short months ago... An exposed teeter would have meant, at the very least, new cloths for both of us.

So, long story short, I'm very glad that changing his diaper is no longer a race against the ...clock? Thank God for small miracles.

Here's Andrew looking very shocked that I blogged about his teeter and teetee.

:)

~Anne

Baby in hats

Here are some of Andrew's hat moments.

Andrew at an hour old. Conehead much?

A few minutes later... sweet face.

Andrew is all bundled up at 1 week old.












Apparently, Andrew didn't feel the hat vibe in March, so here's an April hat appearance.

This is sweet baby in June when the fisherman hat made another appearance.






He's hat-tastic. This post is dedicated to Aunt Bre. Speaking of... I think my son has 37 "honorary" aunts. That's cool right? They all love him and he loves them, too


:)
~Anne

Happy Birthday, Aunt Martha!

Yay, birthdays! Martha's birthday was this past weekend, and we partied hard at Grandma Mary's house. We swam and ate and drank and swam. We also had bubbles. Nothing gets toddlers going like bubbles... I dig 'em, too. :)

Andrew spent the majority of the afternoon bouncing next to the pool in the shade. We all took turns dowsing him, fanning him, and keeping him the shaded.

Here we are before hitting the pool. To the right: Andrew's wearing swim trunks for the first time, and they were super cute!

Below: Here's Andrew hanging next to the pool and chewing on stuff and rockin' a mohawk.

Throughout the afternoon, Reginald B. Flops made appearances and sniffed stuff. Here his is desperately trying to avoid Macy.

There are videos from the birthday that will be uploaded later. Happy birthday, Martha!

:)

Anne

Not sleepy?

So Andrew has officially outgrown the sleep positioner. As you can see to the right, the thing wrapped around his belly should have held him on his back and in the middle of the bed. It obviously hasn't done its job.

The thing that drew Drew's attention is the electronic music box that plays classical music for him as he falls asleep. Apparently, Andrew's curiosity got the best of him. Chris went to check on Andrew, who was clearly not asleep. Chris came and got me to show me our little explorer. We just stood there watching him attempt to press buttons and either restart or turn off the music.

Maybe he's not a fan of classical? Maybe it's time for him to have his own iPod, so that he can choose the play list that puts him to sleep for naps?

If you would like to contribute to Andrew's Baby iPod fund, please send check or money orders....

:)

Anne

Sleep training

After our fantastic weekend out and about for Liz and Justin's wedding, we learned the power of sleep training and just how fragile it is. We had loads of family take turns babysitting and loving on Andrew for us, which made the weekend marvelous. Thanks to everyone for helping!

However, this extra lovin' and attention confused Andrew to no end. Now, he wants to sleep when it's time to eat, he wants to SCREAM when it's time to sleep... it's nuts. I feel so bad for him. As a mom, I feel like anytime he's upset I should be able to fix it. When I can't (especially when I think it's my fault), I feel terrible. So I spent a lot of time last week, calling Chris, so he could distract me from the crying. Chris just kept reminding me (and I'm sure he will the next time this happens), "There's nothing wrong with him. Just give him a few minutes, and he'll be asleep". When Andrew is crying, ten minutes feels like an eternity. I'm sure every mom has felt this way.

After 4 days of SCREAMING, I got him back on his routine and falling to sleep like the angel he is. Then, we decided to bring him to a dinner party. He was a perfect gentleman at the party... Then, it was bed time. After an hour of screaming, he was worn out and fell asleep. He was face down and still in full tantrum pose.

The upside to having the super-struggle going to sleep... He was so tired by the time he fell asleep at 9:30 pm- he's still asleep now. Yep, it's 8:45 am. He woke up at 5:30 am, ate, and fell right back to sleep. I guess that's why I get to catch up on the blog.

Here are some random recent shots...

We've added the "Excer-Saucer" to our list of "Ways to Keep Andrew from Rolling under Furniture". He digs it big time.

He does get overwhelmed trying to choose which part of the toy to play with.

Later I'll add some pics and quick hits from Martha's birthday party.

~Anne

Happy 60th Birthday, Grandpa!

A few weeks ago, Andrew's Grandpa turned 60. Yay, Grandpa! We all went to Arlington to celebrate. First Walt opened presents, and then everyone took turns playing with Andrew.

Aunt Lisa and Uncle Wayne taking turns with Drew.

The celebration continued...at a brewery. Yes, Andrew took his first trip to the brewery. The brewery had no air conditioning, and only one giant fan. The entire time I could hear Reese Witherspoon's voice in the back of my mind saying "You have a baby... at a bar." Wow. It was a neat place, but Andrew and I just didn't last long.

Here's the birthday boy!

Here are Chris and Anne enjoying the time that Andrew slept. (You can see his foot in the stroller in the bottom left corner.)

Here are the Grandmas testing the fine Rhar's brew.

Lisa and Wayne, who cheers to the fact that we're getting Andrew an early start appreciating microbrews.

Here are the pictures that let me know it was time to go...

After these pictures and 45 minutes of SCREAMING on the way home. He got to sniggle up with Mommy, and order was restored. Then, it was time to roll around with Grandpa, which was probably the best part of the day.

~Anne

Mom & Dad's weekend on the town

This weekend Liz and Justin got married. Yay! Chris and I were both in the wedding, so this meant that we were away much of the time starting Friday afternoon. It was a big test for little Andrew. He did beautifully! Thanks to everyone for chipping in and babysitting... Grandma Mary, Aunt Martha, Macy, Jackson, Grandma Sharon, and Grandpa. You guys are awesome!

On Friday, we had the rehearsal dinner, so Andrew's Aunt Martha and Grandma Mary babysat. Unfortunately for Martha, her husband was sick... So, her two sweet babies, Jack and Macy came with to "help" watch Andrew.

Here are Chris and I at the rehearsal dinner.

Here are the girls: Rachel, Ginger, Liv, and I.

More of the girls: Missy, Liv, Ginger, Liz, Rachel, and I .

The night is winding down, so here are Missy, Liz and I with serious HEB foot. If you'd like to see a picture of that... first of all that's gross. Secondly, I think you can see a great example on Liz's myspace page.

On Saturday, the girls met at the salon to get our hair done and some people got their makeup done as well. Mine didn't turn out so great; however, thanks to Kathryn and a half a can of Aquanet, I looked good for the wedding.

Here are Chris and I before the ceremony.

Left: The old school P-wood crowd: Randy, Russell, Irb, Kathryn, Liz, Amy, Misha, and me.
Middle: Kathryn and me

Right: Missy and Keven... true love

We had so much fun! I am so glad that Chris and I got to be a part of Liz and Justin's big day!

~Anne

Mother of the year... maybe next year

I learn a great deal about being a mommy just about every day. Having said that, I know that I will probably not be winning Mother of the Year... at least not in '08. Here are just a few fun things I have found out:

1. TV addiction starts early (even if the TV's off).2. When watching TV, try to keep an eye on the baby. I have no picture for this, but you can make a good mental image. Chris and I were letting the baby roll around on the rug while we watched TV. At one point, we hear the baby start to cry, and we realize he is no longer on the rug. He's under the couch. Of course. Sadly, it's not the first time and probably not the last.

3. I wanted to take him to Chick-fil-a to celebrate Cow Appreciation Day... to score some free nuggets. He really didn't like that idea.

Yikes. It's times like these that make him tough, right?

~Anne

Skipping class...

I'm setting such a good example, that Andrew has already skipped class. We were supposed to have music class this morning, but poor Andrew (and his guts) had other plans. If he wasn't pooping he was sleeping. Although some may argue that that function makes music of its own, we opted out of sharing it with his "classmates".

I didn't take a picture of his grumpiness this morning, but here's an older shot that sums up his feeling.

~Anne

Being Thankful

I just walked in to check on the baby, and I have to take a moment to be thankful. I have said it before, but Andrew blows my mind. This whole parenting gig blows my mind, and I hope everyone gets to feel this immense love. Sometimes Chris and I stand side-by-side, with our chins resting on the edge of the crib, and we can't help giggling because he's so darn cute.

We are blessed.

He's amazing, beautiful, and all ours. I love him so much, and I am very thankful for him. I don't know what we did to deserve him, but I'm glad we got him. He's a keeper.

We were in love from day one. I guess we loved him before day one...

~Anne

Goals

Andrew already has goals. Are you impressed?

Andrew actually has only one goal: get his left foot into his mouth. He pursues this goal throughout the day. When I see him doing this, he always looks really "caught". He seems to want to explain, but you can't talk with your foot in your mouth. Watch out Porcupine... it looks like there's a new toy in town.

I'm so proud.

~Anne

July 4th

Andrew had his first 4th of July. We decided that fireworks via the television were as close as he should get this year. Next year, we will get close enough to blow his eardrums and let him play with sparklers. (Toddlers playing with firewoorks...Hmmm, maybe he'll just watch.)

For 2008, we just let him play with his cousins in the pool at Diane's house. Here are some highlights from the party!

The food was fabulous! Hotdogs, potato salad, mac 'n cheese, and melting fudge.

The pool was relaxing.

And staring at (and maybe judging) each other is cool, too.

~Anne

Pictures and Porcupine revisited.

I've heard from many of you (well one of the three of you who read this) that Porcupine looks like a giant. Here's what he looks like when he's "playing" with Andrew.

Someone asked me if I just sit around and take pictures of Andrew all the time. Yes. Yes, I do. Just look at him. Wouldn't you? However, I am having some doubts. Of course I think he's super cute, but is that just because I'm super biased? Who knows? Either way, here are some random pictures. Some of them are older, but they are in order of date taken. He seems to look like a different kid in each one... still cute though. :)

~Anne