As Andrew gets older we keep a closer track on what some of the outside influences are with his watching of tv (or ours!) and other things that he sees or experiences.
Andrew and I went to run a few errands yesterday to get a few things done, but more importantly get Andrew out and about since we were in the house a good portion of the weekend with our ice storm.
While driving to a local warehouse club I was talking to Andrew and doing our best animal imitations (he is an excellent snake and does a fantastic elephant!) but in the back ground Daddy had the radio on to NPR while they are talking about the news of the day.
I thought nothing of it until I am taking Andrew out of the truck and he looks at me and says 'Iraq.'
I was trying to figure out what it was that he said, and continued to say for a while since we weren't talking about rocks, dirt, or any other fun toddler boy thing like snow to talk about until I realized that they were talking about Iraq on the news story.
It's interesting to hear what words they pick up and from varying sources. I recall a story about Andrew's cousin picking up a word that was a little advanced for her 3 years on this planet. When Miss E kept asking about what a 'kiosk' was you know she heard it from someone's conversation.
The little things that they pick up.
-Daddy
Monday, December 17, 2007
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Mathew! Laney!
Last night we went over to some friends house for coffee, desert, and a little socializing before the holiday.
Andrew really had a ball playing with their son and daughter Mathew (4) and Delaney (2.5). Mathew is always Andrew's hero when they get together as Mathew shows him all sorts of tricks that Andrew had never thought of before like running and sliding, and all kinds of little boy things that only experience can teach.
But it was fun to see Andrew and Delaney play around together, they danced, hugged, sat and watched a little grinch, and actually started playing together a bit. Mostly along side each other still, but some together.
It was fun seeing them all run around in their footed pj's when it was time for bed. Andrew was up later than normal, so we took him home and got him in bed around 9:30p which is significantly later than normal.
Of course he woke up at the same time, and has been a little more decisive about what he wants this morning, peppered with a few pursed lip 'NO!' here and there. But once you explain that isn't how he should behave, he gives a big Andrew grin and says 'Nice nice Daddy' and gives you a little love pat on your leg or shoulder. He certainly can play both sides. He knows just what you are looking for!
-Daddy
Andrew really had a ball playing with their son and daughter Mathew (4) and Delaney (2.5). Mathew is always Andrew's hero when they get together as Mathew shows him all sorts of tricks that Andrew had never thought of before like running and sliding, and all kinds of little boy things that only experience can teach.
But it was fun to see Andrew and Delaney play around together, they danced, hugged, sat and watched a little grinch, and actually started playing together a bit. Mostly along side each other still, but some together.
It was fun seeing them all run around in their footed pj's when it was time for bed. Andrew was up later than normal, so we took him home and got him in bed around 9:30p which is significantly later than normal.
Of course he woke up at the same time, and has been a little more decisive about what he wants this morning, peppered with a few pursed lip 'NO!' here and there. But once you explain that isn't how he should behave, he gives a big Andrew grin and says 'Nice nice Daddy' and gives you a little love pat on your leg or shoulder. He certainly can play both sides. He knows just what you are looking for!
-Daddy
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Date pictures
While my parents were in town Angela and I were able to head out on our first date since having Andrew. I think that once we got over the initial shock of letting someone watch our precious son that we both had a good time.
We planned it well in advance and Daddy got tickets to a show for the Saturday night after Thanksgiving. We were going to see Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion for one of their live taping while in NYC.
We had seen the show prior to Andrew being born (actually Angela was pregnant with Andrew at the time) and it is a great evening of entertainment.
We decided to head in prior to Andrew's nap to the city and enjoy a full day around the city exploring and having a fun lunch before the show.
We ended up doing what most parents do on their first date without the little one, talking about Andrew, how he was doing, what we miss about him, and doing Andrew imitations throughout the date for things that we thought that he would do or say in that situation.
We went shopping for both Andrew as well as his future sister and went to a few baby boutiques on the upper east side of Manhattan. There were plenty of nice things, and we got a few little chotchkies, but it was surprising to see the sale rack in one boutique which had their sign hung explaining that it was $75 or less for this rack of clothes! I guess when you have a small place, you get fewer things which are nicer!
We made it to a really nice Italian bistro for lunch and both of us really enjoyed it. Having not been out in a while without Andrew we sat and enjoyed the silence while talking about Andrew and what to expect with his little sister on the way.
Here we are on our date after lunch on the upper east side.
We walked south along Lexington for quite a few blocks dipping into stores to check out their wears, apparently we were in line for several baby stores, as I think that in a span of 8 blocks we hit 4 stores!
We walked over and along Central Park East for a few more blocks until we hit the south side of the park and decided that since we hadn't had an opportunity in the past to take one of the carriage rides that we would line up with everyone else from out of town and take a tour around the park.
It was a very chilly day, but with the blanket on and all bundled up in the carriage, it was fun to see the park from a slightly differ ant vantage point.
Once we got closer, we stopped at a coffee shop for a pre-show hot cocoa and some very tasty deserts (Choc mousse and a lemon bar).
We took our seats which were very good this time. It's something to see everyone on stage up close so that during the rest of the year when you listen to the show on public radio it makes it a little more personal.
We had a great time, and on the way home from our show we realized that Andrew was sleeping soundly and we only had a few times to get out, so we stopped at a restaurant and did something we can't do with Andrew, we sat at the bar on bar chairs and had dinner in a fun, and noisy restaurant.
We realized after the evening was over that it was fun, and we will need to do a few more of these before we get back into the baby swing of things. Perhaps while visiting the Grandparents next time!
We planned it well in advance and Daddy got tickets to a show for the Saturday night after Thanksgiving. We were going to see Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion for one of their live taping while in NYC.
We had seen the show prior to Andrew being born (actually Angela was pregnant with Andrew at the time) and it is a great evening of entertainment.
We decided to head in prior to Andrew's nap to the city and enjoy a full day around the city exploring and having a fun lunch before the show.
We ended up doing what most parents do on their first date without the little one, talking about Andrew, how he was doing, what we miss about him, and doing Andrew imitations throughout the date for things that we thought that he would do or say in that situation.
We went shopping for both Andrew as well as his future sister and went to a few baby boutiques on the upper east side of Manhattan. There were plenty of nice things, and we got a few little chotchkies, but it was surprising to see the sale rack in one boutique which had their sign hung explaining that it was $75 or less for this rack of clothes! I guess when you have a small place, you get fewer things which are nicer!
We made it to a really nice Italian bistro for lunch and both of us really enjoyed it. Having not been out in a while without Andrew we sat and enjoyed the silence while talking about Andrew and what to expect with his little sister on the way.
Here we are on our date after lunch on the upper east side.
We walked south along Lexington for quite a few blocks dipping into stores to check out their wears, apparently we were in line for several baby stores, as I think that in a span of 8 blocks we hit 4 stores!
We walked over and along Central Park East for a few more blocks until we hit the south side of the park and decided that since we hadn't had an opportunity in the past to take one of the carriage rides that we would line up with everyone else from out of town and take a tour around the park.
It was a very chilly day, but with the blanket on and all bundled up in the carriage, it was fun to see the park from a slightly differ ant vantage point.
Once we got closer, we stopped at a coffee shop for a pre-show hot cocoa and some very tasty deserts (Choc mousse and a lemon bar).
We took our seats which were very good this time. It's something to see everyone on stage up close so that during the rest of the year when you listen to the show on public radio it makes it a little more personal.
We had a great time, and on the way home from our show we realized that Andrew was sleeping soundly and we only had a few times to get out, so we stopped at a restaurant and did something we can't do with Andrew, we sat at the bar on bar chairs and had dinner in a fun, and noisy restaurant.
We realized after the evening was over that it was fun, and we will need to do a few more of these before we get back into the baby swing of things. Perhaps while visiting the Grandparents next time!
Oatmeal kid...
Andrew has become an oatmeal connoisseur. He now jumps out of bed, runs around to get Daddy's glasses (Glasses! Daddy glasses!). And once Daddy gets his glasses on it is off and running for the kitchen with only a slight delay to close the bedroom door as he runs out.
The next sound we hear is the creek of the pantry door open and Andrew call out what he is looking for in the pantry for breakfast.
Usually it is: Meal! Meal! Which corresponds to oatmeal.
Other times it can be:
bread = toast
seal = cereal
fuit = fruit
nana = banana
he has these next ones down:
apple
pancake
waffle
raisins
But our breakfast wishes are now bleeding over to the other meals and snacks of the day. He usually wants oatmeal at any time of the day, he really enjoys it and in the morning can quaff down two whole instant oatmeal bags (more than Daddy can eat usually!) in conjunction with his milk, other kind of fruit and sometimes another item from the list above.
Daddy remembers eating oatmeal in the morning with his Grandfather when there was no instant oatmeal. I would wait while they heated up the water, cooked the plain oatmeal and then we would get to flavor our own oatmeal with yummy things like butter, raisins, cinnamon, sugar, and other various treats (like choc chips we I was really good!).
I must admit, oatmeal is a lot easier with the creation of the instant variety, but I wonder if Andrew and his sister will ever recall waiting for the oatmeal to cook and the fun of adding whatever we wanted to make our oatmeal our own.
Daddy
The next sound we hear is the creek of the pantry door open and Andrew call out what he is looking for in the pantry for breakfast.
Usually it is: Meal! Meal! Which corresponds to oatmeal.
Other times it can be:
bread = toast
seal = cereal
fuit = fruit
nana = banana
he has these next ones down:
apple
pancake
waffle
raisins
But our breakfast wishes are now bleeding over to the other meals and snacks of the day. He usually wants oatmeal at any time of the day, he really enjoys it and in the morning can quaff down two whole instant oatmeal bags (more than Daddy can eat usually!) in conjunction with his milk, other kind of fruit and sometimes another item from the list above.
Daddy remembers eating oatmeal in the morning with his Grandfather when there was no instant oatmeal. I would wait while they heated up the water, cooked the plain oatmeal and then we would get to flavor our own oatmeal with yummy things like butter, raisins, cinnamon, sugar, and other various treats (like choc chips we I was really good!).
I must admit, oatmeal is a lot easier with the creation of the instant variety, but I wonder if Andrew and his sister will ever recall waiting for the oatmeal to cook and the fun of adding whatever we wanted to make our oatmeal our own.
Daddy
Yea for the Pancake House!
In our quest for some breakfast in a warm restaurant we went to Andrew's favorite (and ours!) the Pancake house.
He is so cute, he calls for "Pancake! pancake! pancake!" and we know just what he wants. But today we changed it up on him and after telling him that the restaurant was called Pancake House he started jumping around and clapping yelling "Pancake House! Pancake house! Yea!!!"
We got there and since it was early we were one of the few tables in the restaurant so Andrew didn't get a lot of play time with the toys before breakfast was served. But he was hungry so no matter.
He quickly ate two and a half whole pancakes along with some of Momma's strawberries and Daddy's potatoes yummy!
Good time, and we were able to call for the delivery and they got there shortly after we were back from breakfast. Andrew and Momma went out to get some groceries, and they came to fill it while they were out.
Brrrr!
Yea Pancake house!
-Daddy
He is so cute, he calls for "Pancake! pancake! pancake!" and we know just what he wants. But today we changed it up on him and after telling him that the restaurant was called Pancake House he started jumping around and clapping yelling "Pancake House! Pancake house! Yea!!!"
We got there and since it was early we were one of the few tables in the restaurant so Andrew didn't get a lot of play time with the toys before breakfast was served. But he was hungry so no matter.
He quickly ate two and a half whole pancakes along with some of Momma's strawberries and Daddy's potatoes yummy!
Good time, and we were able to call for the delivery and they got there shortly after we were back from breakfast. Andrew and Momma went out to get some groceries, and they came to fill it while they were out.
Brrrr!
Yea Pancake house!
-Daddy
Brrrr Good morning!
Brrrrr! Said both Momma and Daddy when we woke up this morning!
Andrew was nestled in the bed between us going back and forth giving each of us morning kisses and "Bear" hugs (where he give a big hug and growls!).
Daddy went into the hall to see what was wrong with the temperature in the house since it was so chilly, and found that it was 59 degrees in the house! Brrrrr!
We had run out of oil! Even though we are NEVER supposed to run out of oil since we are on automatic delivery from our oil provider. They are supposed to base deliveries on temperature, and past usage. This has been an issue in the past as well and we have decided that it is the last straw! Time for a new oil provider!
So we all got dressed quickly and ran out to get some breakfast while we called for an emergency delivery.
-Brrrrr! Daddy
Andrew was nestled in the bed between us going back and forth giving each of us morning kisses and "Bear" hugs (where he give a big hug and growls!).
Daddy went into the hall to see what was wrong with the temperature in the house since it was so chilly, and found that it was 59 degrees in the house! Brrrrr!
We had run out of oil! Even though we are NEVER supposed to run out of oil since we are on automatic delivery from our oil provider. They are supposed to base deliveries on temperature, and past usage. This has been an issue in the past as well and we have decided that it is the last straw! Time for a new oil provider!
So we all got dressed quickly and ran out to get some breakfast while we called for an emergency delivery.
-Brrrrr! Daddy
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Glove!!!
Andrew is not the typical toddler in many ways, but one that has perplexed both Momma and Daddy is his recent fascination with wearing his mittens everywhere.
He calls them gloves, but he really enjoys running around (inside and out) with them on.
For the past few mornings when Momma dropped Andrew off at school he would nearly go into a mini-melt down while she would help him take off his coat because she takes his mittens off first.
Glove! Glove! GGGLLLOOOVVVEEE!!!!
So once the coat is off she hands him his mittens (gloves) and he can put the first one on by himself and then struggles for a bit with the second until he calls for "Hep, hep! Hep!" with the other mitten.
He even ate most of his meal this evening at the restaurant insisting that he needed to wear his gloves. Again, when we tried it without the mittens on, we got very upset, so we were all content with Andrew munching away using his fork; albeit a little awkwardly; to eat his carrots, green beans, and fruit.
Some times, you just need to eat with mittens on.
-Daddy
He calls them gloves, but he really enjoys running around (inside and out) with them on.
For the past few mornings when Momma dropped Andrew off at school he would nearly go into a mini-melt down while she would help him take off his coat because she takes his mittens off first.
Glove! Glove! GGGLLLOOOVVVEEE!!!!
So once the coat is off she hands him his mittens (gloves) and he can put the first one on by himself and then struggles for a bit with the second until he calls for "Hep, hep! Hep!" with the other mitten.
He even ate most of his meal this evening at the restaurant insisting that he needed to wear his gloves. Again, when we tried it without the mittens on, we got very upset, so we were all content with Andrew munching away using his fork; albeit a little awkwardly; to eat his carrots, green beans, and fruit.
Some times, you just need to eat with mittens on.
-Daddy
Irish pub
Tonight the three of us went out for dinner (lately a more rare occurrence on the week nights) at a local Irish pub.
We have been going to the same place for years and have gotten to know the manager quite well. His grandson is about a month younger than Andrew so we have always shared stories with him since his family is all overseas.
Andrew really enjoyed flirting with the other patrons, especially the table of four women across the isle from us! He was all grins and giggles with waves thrown in until they finally noticed that he was looking for a reaction.
He had a whole breadstick for an appetizer and then polished off two fruit cups even before his dinner arrived.
He really enjoyed sharing Momma's soup as well. We all had a good time, and Andrew did really well going out to this restaurant.
-Daddy
We have been going to the same place for years and have gotten to know the manager quite well. His grandson is about a month younger than Andrew so we have always shared stories with him since his family is all overseas.
Andrew really enjoyed flirting with the other patrons, especially the table of four women across the isle from us! He was all grins and giggles with waves thrown in until they finally noticed that he was looking for a reaction.
He had a whole breadstick for an appetizer and then polished off two fruit cups even before his dinner arrived.
He really enjoyed sharing Momma's soup as well. We all had a good time, and Andrew did really well going out to this restaurant.
-Daddy
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Grandmother and Grandaddy
Andrew and Granddaddy out in the yard by the creek.
Grandmother and Andrew reading about Pooh and Tigger!
Grandmother and Andrew reading about Pooh and Tigger!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Thanksgiving pics
My parents came over for Thanksgiving as well as a little longer to visit and help us have a few date nights while they were here.
We really enjoyed seeing them and I know that Andrew really had fun with "Gan-d-dee" and "Gan-mafer."
While Andrew and my Mother had fun singing and learning new stories together at bed time, Andrew soon associated her with the nap queen and sometimes would give her the evil eye when he would get a little tired thinking that she was going to put him in bed!
Andrew quickly took to my father, but then again who wouldn't when he got popcorn, cookies, and other seldom eaten treats. They had a lot of fun reading from a leap pad junior reading system that Andrew's cousin gave to him (along with lots and lots of great new books!).
For Thanksgiving we all enjoyed ourselves and of course ate entirely too much not just the day of, but in subsequent feasts throughout the holiday!
Andrew really enjoyed the jello with fruit! He ate through not only his bowl, but also Daddy's, Grandmother's, and part of Momma's before we knew it!
Momma working away inside with Grandmother trying to time everything perfectly for when the turkey was going to come out of the fryer. This is our 6th year doing the turkey this way and I don't think that we will go back! With skills of an supreme coordinator Angela was only off by 4 minutes from the time predicted to sit down for our massive meal together.
(She was the one who pointed out the 4 minute schedule!)
Grandmother, Grandaddy, and Momma after we had our Thanksgiving day feast.
We really enjoyed seeing them and I know that Andrew really had fun with "Gan-d-dee" and "Gan-mafer."
While Andrew and my Mother had fun singing and learning new stories together at bed time, Andrew soon associated her with the nap queen and sometimes would give her the evil eye when he would get a little tired thinking that she was going to put him in bed!
Andrew quickly took to my father, but then again who wouldn't when he got popcorn, cookies, and other seldom eaten treats. They had a lot of fun reading from a leap pad junior reading system that Andrew's cousin gave to him (along with lots and lots of great new books!).
For Thanksgiving we all enjoyed ourselves and of course ate entirely too much not just the day of, but in subsequent feasts throughout the holiday!
Andrew really enjoyed the jello with fruit! He ate through not only his bowl, but also Daddy's, Grandmother's, and part of Momma's before we knew it!
Momma working away inside with Grandmother trying to time everything perfectly for when the turkey was going to come out of the fryer. This is our 6th year doing the turkey this way and I don't think that we will go back! With skills of an supreme coordinator Angela was only off by 4 minutes from the time predicted to sit down for our massive meal together.
(She was the one who pointed out the 4 minute schedule!)
Grandmother, Grandaddy, and Momma after we had our Thanksgiving day feast.
Pickup switcheroo
This morning was a blur as Momma needed to be at work early and Daddy needed to drop Andrew off at school early enough to make it to his client on time and do two conference calls while on the road to the client.
So it was no surprise that during the flurry of getting ready this morning (including putting the car seat back in Daddy's car prior to dropping Andrew off at school) Momma and Daddy got our signals crossed for the pickup and who was doing what tonight.
During the day we also spoke about changing the schedule of who picks up and drops off for some other mornings and nights this week, so in the changing of plans we both thought that we needed to pick Andrew up at school this evening.
This is obviously a better problem to have than neither thinking that we need to pick him up! But the funny thing is that I got out of my client's site a little early to get home in time and rushed the whole way (nearly hitting a deer crossing the road a little ways from our house, thankfully the near miss and the pounding heart were the only after effects!).
I ran in, picked up Andrew and spoke with his teachers and two other fathers picking up kids for a few minutes before rounding Andrew up to get in the car.
We made it home and pulled in the drive way to see the garage light on and once inside, the laundry was running! Hmmmmm....
Just then the garage door opened and in walks Momma straight from also trying to pick up Andrew from school!
We chuckled a bit at it and Angela noted that it was interesting playing it off with his teachers when she walks in just a minute or two after I picked him up.
I am sure that this type of thing will happen again as we get closer to April when Andrew's little sister is expected, but until then, too many people picking up Andrew is always better than not enough!
-Daddy
So it was no surprise that during the flurry of getting ready this morning (including putting the car seat back in Daddy's car prior to dropping Andrew off at school) Momma and Daddy got our signals crossed for the pickup and who was doing what tonight.
During the day we also spoke about changing the schedule of who picks up and drops off for some other mornings and nights this week, so in the changing of plans we both thought that we needed to pick Andrew up at school this evening.
This is obviously a better problem to have than neither thinking that we need to pick him up! But the funny thing is that I got out of my client's site a little early to get home in time and rushed the whole way (nearly hitting a deer crossing the road a little ways from our house, thankfully the near miss and the pounding heart were the only after effects!).
I ran in, picked up Andrew and spoke with his teachers and two other fathers picking up kids for a few minutes before rounding Andrew up to get in the car.
We made it home and pulled in the drive way to see the garage light on and once inside, the laundry was running! Hmmmmm....
Just then the garage door opened and in walks Momma straight from also trying to pick up Andrew from school!
We chuckled a bit at it and Angela noted that it was interesting playing it off with his teachers when she walks in just a minute or two after I picked him up.
I am sure that this type of thing will happen again as we get closer to April when Andrew's little sister is expected, but until then, too many people picking up Andrew is always better than not enough!
-Daddy
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Yummy corn!
For dinner tonight Andrew was given a few things to eat, but by far the corn made the hit parade.
It's never too difficult at this stage with Andrew to get him to eat some form of vegetable. He loves his carrots and peas, corn from a can or especially on the cob, broccoli is always a favorite and he really really wants to eat raw veggies as well, but it takes him forever to eat them (like today's baby carrot at the b'day party which he chewed and chewed even while running around for nearly 25 minutes!
But this evening Andrew passed by the apple slices, the pieces of pizza (left over from last night's gourmet ordering!), even the offer of some yogurt or other favorites and literally stuffed his face with the corn that Daddy made on the stove top.
He cleared his plate with both hands, one with a fork and the other with fist fulls until he reached the third helping of corn which he apparently didn't need the hand any more and was OK with the pace he could keep with his fork.
Momma and Daddy were going to eat some as well, but Andrew gnawed through nearly a can of corn.
This was after we got home and Andrew ate as much honey dew melon as he could get his hands on while Daddy was slicing up the pieces. He had two whole slices of melon as a 'tide me over' until dinner was in place.
It was rough holding off that long!
-Nathan
It's never too difficult at this stage with Andrew to get him to eat some form of vegetable. He loves his carrots and peas, corn from a can or especially on the cob, broccoli is always a favorite and he really really wants to eat raw veggies as well, but it takes him forever to eat them (like today's baby carrot at the b'day party which he chewed and chewed even while running around for nearly 25 minutes!
But this evening Andrew passed by the apple slices, the pieces of pizza (left over from last night's gourmet ordering!), even the offer of some yogurt or other favorites and literally stuffed his face with the corn that Daddy made on the stove top.
He cleared his plate with both hands, one with a fork and the other with fist fulls until he reached the third helping of corn which he apparently didn't need the hand any more and was OK with the pace he could keep with his fork.
Momma and Daddy were going to eat some as well, but Andrew gnawed through nearly a can of corn.
This was after we got home and Andrew ate as much honey dew melon as he could get his hands on while Daddy was slicing up the pieces. He had two whole slices of melon as a 'tide me over' until dinner was in place.
It was rough holding off that long!
-Nathan
Birthday party
Today we all went to a colleague of Momma's birthday party for her twin sons who turned one today.
It was a lot of fun, and Andrew really enjoyed being around all of the other kids. He played with the balloons, some balls that they had as well as enjoyed the clown that they had for the children.
He really enjoyed dancing to the hokie pokey, who let the dogs out, the mac arena and all of those other heavy beat songs that they were playing.
He even wanted to do the limbo with everyone and enjoyed that until he got side tracked by a hula hoop! What fun!!!
The entertainer had a lot of fun with the kids and had all sorts of activities to run some energy off with them. Andrew was a little small to fully participate in the parachute play, but Momma helped him out and showed him how to raise and lower the parachute with everyone else. He really got a big grin with this one! He wasn't such a big fan of running under it with all the other squealing kids, but that's OK since someone needed to help Momma hold the parachute up.
There were probably close to 20 total children present with the youngest being the twins and perhaps 1-2 other children who were still either cruising or crawling around. Andrew had another set of twins to play with that were only a week older than him and we enjoyed seeing them interact with one another.
The other children ranged in age from 2-7 or 8 and it's neat to see all of the enthusiasm that each one brings to the party.
It was a "small" party by local standards! Andrew won't know what hit him when we have 4 or 5 of Momma and Daddy's friends over and perhaps a few friends for his birthday coming up! We won't be getting a hall and having it catered for a while I don't think! But we shall see.
The party started at 1pm so it was right in the middle of his nap schedule. We knew we would have some problems with that since he fell asleep in the car and woke up with only a 40 minute nap under his belt.
Andrew took his time waking up with Momma and Daddy and fortunately we were some of the fit st to arrive so it wasn't quite pandemonium in there to bring Andrew into when he was just waking up!
Andrew sensed that Daddy was trying to get him to eat something with some modicum of nutritional value with some cheese, olives, and vegetables and instead ate a hand full of crackers, yum!
Momma got to catch up with a lot of co-workers who were there and introduce Andrew to the crowd, he hammed it up and had everyone smiling with his little dimples and waves to meet everyone with.
As the party progressed and Andrew ran and ran with the other kids, learning how to chase after a bigger girl, throw balloons and spin in circles until we get dizzy enough to walk silly he started to show some signs of wearing out. By the time that the pinata was out and all the kids were ready for cake Andrew was fighting off a case of the over extended toddler syndrome, so we decided to say goodbye right after they sang happy birthday and cut the cake.
It was a good thing as Andrew started to show why they call them the terrible two's when Momma and Daddy tried to get him to put on his coat and go outside to the car. Once he settled back down we all headed out and Andrew was in a complete daze most of the way home.
What a fun day at the party! He even got a balloon animal made for him. While the other kids were asking the entertainer to make up horses (for the girls) and spiders (for the boys) as well as fish, elmo hats and other very complicated creations my son wanted what he has been asking about all week...
Side bar -
Every week or so Andrew switches what his animal of the day is. The only constant since he started talking has been puppies, but we have gone through:
1. Puppies
2. Cat
3. Bug... "Ew! Bug!"
4. Tiger
5. Bear
6. Lady Bug
7. Alligator
8. Monkey (the favorite while Grandmother and Grandaddy were in town)
And this week he asked the entertainer for her toughest balloon animal of all, a snake!
I think that even Momma and Daddy could have formed a snake out of one of those long skinny balloons! But she curled it for him and he carried it around triumphantly telling everyone that he had a snake while waving it about!
Fun day for everyone...
-Daddy
It was a lot of fun, and Andrew really enjoyed being around all of the other kids. He played with the balloons, some balls that they had as well as enjoyed the clown that they had for the children.
He really enjoyed dancing to the hokie pokey, who let the dogs out, the mac arena and all of those other heavy beat songs that they were playing.
He even wanted to do the limbo with everyone and enjoyed that until he got side tracked by a hula hoop! What fun!!!
The entertainer had a lot of fun with the kids and had all sorts of activities to run some energy off with them. Andrew was a little small to fully participate in the parachute play, but Momma helped him out and showed him how to raise and lower the parachute with everyone else. He really got a big grin with this one! He wasn't such a big fan of running under it with all the other squealing kids, but that's OK since someone needed to help Momma hold the parachute up.
There were probably close to 20 total children present with the youngest being the twins and perhaps 1-2 other children who were still either cruising or crawling around. Andrew had another set of twins to play with that were only a week older than him and we enjoyed seeing them interact with one another.
The other children ranged in age from 2-7 or 8 and it's neat to see all of the enthusiasm that each one brings to the party.
It was a "small" party by local standards! Andrew won't know what hit him when we have 4 or 5 of Momma and Daddy's friends over and perhaps a few friends for his birthday coming up! We won't be getting a hall and having it catered for a while I don't think! But we shall see.
The party started at 1pm so it was right in the middle of his nap schedule. We knew we would have some problems with that since he fell asleep in the car and woke up with only a 40 minute nap under his belt.
Andrew took his time waking up with Momma and Daddy and fortunately we were some of the fit st to arrive so it wasn't quite pandemonium in there to bring Andrew into when he was just waking up!
Andrew sensed that Daddy was trying to get him to eat something with some modicum of nutritional value with some cheese, olives, and vegetables and instead ate a hand full of crackers, yum!
Momma got to catch up with a lot of co-workers who were there and introduce Andrew to the crowd, he hammed it up and had everyone smiling with his little dimples and waves to meet everyone with.
As the party progressed and Andrew ran and ran with the other kids, learning how to chase after a bigger girl, throw balloons and spin in circles until we get dizzy enough to walk silly he started to show some signs of wearing out. By the time that the pinata was out and all the kids were ready for cake Andrew was fighting off a case of the over extended toddler syndrome, so we decided to say goodbye right after they sang happy birthday and cut the cake.
It was a good thing as Andrew started to show why they call them the terrible two's when Momma and Daddy tried to get him to put on his coat and go outside to the car. Once he settled back down we all headed out and Andrew was in a complete daze most of the way home.
What a fun day at the party! He even got a balloon animal made for him. While the other kids were asking the entertainer to make up horses (for the girls) and spiders (for the boys) as well as fish, elmo hats and other very complicated creations my son wanted what he has been asking about all week...
Side bar -
Every week or so Andrew switches what his animal of the day is. The only constant since he started talking has been puppies, but we have gone through:
1. Puppies
2. Cat
3. Bug... "Ew! Bug!"
4. Tiger
5. Bear
6. Lady Bug
7. Alligator
8. Monkey (the favorite while Grandmother and Grandaddy were in town)
And this week he asked the entertainer for her toughest balloon animal of all, a snake!
I think that even Momma and Daddy could have formed a snake out of one of those long skinny balloons! But she curled it for him and he carried it around triumphantly telling everyone that he had a snake while waving it about!
Fun day for everyone...
-Daddy
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Why always on picture day?
I think that little boys and little girls have internal clocks or at least sense the anticipation within their parents to something coming around the corner.
Take for instance today's school pictures that Andrew has heard Momma and Daddy just mention yesterday and perhaps once last week.
Our little handsome boy is all cute and cuddly, long flowing hair to look like a nerdy rock star, and with a stylish shirt that Momma picked out last night, right before Murphy and his pesky law came butting in.
Andrew has become quite the acrobat, jumping (albeit only 1/2 to 1 inch vertical leap, but he seems to like it!), crawling, rolling, and scaling things he shouldn't. So it was this new set of skills that gave him the confidence that his green chair looked like an excellent step stool to use as he explored the side table by the couch.
Though there were no witnesses that want to talk (one cat had a particularly big smile on last night after the incident), it seems that Andrew was on top of the green chair climbing onto the side table and reaching for a lamp when the chair slid out from under him on the slippery wood floor and down came Andrew right on his upper lip!
Ouch!
Though this was a harrowing experience for our little climber, it was nothing a bite of Momma's cookie couldn't fix! Yummy!
So this morning while getting him ready for school and his class pictures I watched with fascination while he would constantly lick his upper lip where he had a nice red mark left from his plunge to the table surface and then to the floor.
Ah Murphy and that pesky law...
Kids have such inherent timing for things like this.
-Daddy
Take for instance today's school pictures that Andrew has heard Momma and Daddy just mention yesterday and perhaps once last week.
Our little handsome boy is all cute and cuddly, long flowing hair to look like a nerdy rock star, and with a stylish shirt that Momma picked out last night, right before Murphy and his pesky law came butting in.
Andrew has become quite the acrobat, jumping (albeit only 1/2 to 1 inch vertical leap, but he seems to like it!), crawling, rolling, and scaling things he shouldn't. So it was this new set of skills that gave him the confidence that his green chair looked like an excellent step stool to use as he explored the side table by the couch.
Though there were no witnesses that want to talk (one cat had a particularly big smile on last night after the incident), it seems that Andrew was on top of the green chair climbing onto the side table and reaching for a lamp when the chair slid out from under him on the slippery wood floor and down came Andrew right on his upper lip!
Ouch!
Though this was a harrowing experience for our little climber, it was nothing a bite of Momma's cookie couldn't fix! Yummy!
So this morning while getting him ready for school and his class pictures I watched with fascination while he would constantly lick his upper lip where he had a nice red mark left from his plunge to the table surface and then to the floor.
Ah Murphy and that pesky law...
Kids have such inherent timing for things like this.
-Daddy
Monday, November 12, 2007
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
American Academy of Pediatrics
It's my personal opinion that the doctors that make up the American Academy of Pediatrics have never had children.
We try to follow the guidelines that they lay out of zero television watching for any child under the age of 2, but it is really really hard when you are glassy eyed after only a few hours of sleep and you just need that coffee to finish brewing and the first cup to kick in.
So we do pay attention to Baby Center on the guidelines, but sometimes, you just need to use one of the Tivo recordings of Boobah (Andrews new favorite), The Wiggles, Baby Einstein, or Backyardigans.
He is very active, and only gets one of the shows in the morning (unless Momma and Daddy really had a long night) so we call it even, but I still hold firm on my assertion that the AAP does not have any children. Or at least those who made the recommendation...
-Daddy
We try to follow the guidelines that they lay out of zero television watching for any child under the age of 2, but it is really really hard when you are glassy eyed after only a few hours of sleep and you just need that coffee to finish brewing and the first cup to kick in.
So we do pay attention to Baby Center on the guidelines, but sometimes, you just need to use one of the Tivo recordings of Boobah (Andrews new favorite), The Wiggles, Baby Einstein, or Backyardigans.
He is very active, and only gets one of the shows in the morning (unless Momma and Daddy really had a long night) so we call it even, but I still hold firm on my assertion that the AAP does not have any children. Or at least those who made the recommendation...
-Daddy
Morning kisses from Andrew
Lately Andrew has been waking up and we have been bringing him into our bed for him (and more importantly Momma and Daddy) to catch a few more precious minutes of sleep before he gets up for the day usually around 6am.
Andrew is always in his best mood after a nice night of sleep and waking up between Momma and Daddy with a kitty or two at our head or feet. It literally is the 'family bed' as they describe it in magazines.
One of the best experiences is being woken up by Andrew saying your name followed by a big Andrew full body hug with the 'mmmmmmm' that he says when hugging or a sloppy kiss on the cheek or forehead.
It briefly pushes all thoughts of; go back to sleep so that Daddy can close his eyes at least until the sun comes up; out of your head. Then you come back to reality and you need to make sure that on his morning hug rounds that he isn't suffocating a kitty or carrying off your eye glasses or other important shiny bobble!
But for those few brief moments of the "Daddy... Daddy... Daddy!" with a hug and a kiss or two you remember why you get up in the middle of the night to soothe or diaper for so many years.
-Daddy
Andrew is always in his best mood after a nice night of sleep and waking up between Momma and Daddy with a kitty or two at our head or feet. It literally is the 'family bed' as they describe it in magazines.
One of the best experiences is being woken up by Andrew saying your name followed by a big Andrew full body hug with the 'mmmmmmm' that he says when hugging or a sloppy kiss on the cheek or forehead.
It briefly pushes all thoughts of; go back to sleep so that Daddy can close his eyes at least until the sun comes up; out of your head. Then you come back to reality and you need to make sure that on his morning hug rounds that he isn't suffocating a kitty or carrying off your eye glasses or other important shiny bobble!
But for those few brief moments of the "Daddy... Daddy... Daddy!" with a hug and a kiss or two you remember why you get up in the middle of the night to soothe or diaper for so many years.
-Daddy
I voted!
Tonight we took Andrew with us to the polls and he did a great job even though he was tired and hadn't eaten yet.
It was mostly the big gymnasium and differant people that kept him taking it all in, but he watched us go in the booth and cast our vote.
Andrew even got a sticker from a polling assistant that said "I Voted!" which he wore around on his shirt when we went out to dinner after hitting the polls.
It was mostly the big gymnasium and differant people that kept him taking it all in, but he watched us go in the booth and cast our vote.
Andrew even got a sticker from a polling assistant that said "I Voted!" which he wore around on his shirt when we went out to dinner after hitting the polls.
Explaining leaves to Andrew
One thing that we are now starting to do is try to explain things to Andrew as he is much more aware of his surroundings and situations that he has learned from in the past.
One thing that we have noticed is that living right down the road from an farm that has yummy pies as well as some animals that Andrew loves to see (baa baa, meh (goats), duckies, and bunnies) is that he also associates driving by to mean that he will stop every time!
So it is always a challenge to distract him when we drive that way so that he doesn't get all upset when he sees the red barn or animals out the side of the car.
Another concept that we had to try to explain to Andrew this past weekend was how leaves are fun to play with, but you need to take them away once you are finished playing in them.
Saturday was spent blowing all the leaves into a pile and we played and played that evening and Sunday during the day, but when it came time for Daddy to pile the leaves on tarps and take them away it was just too much for the little man.
Momma had to calm him down and assure Andrew that there would be plenty more leaves for him to play with Daddy in the coming weeks. And as his contribution to the discussion Andrew let Momma know that her explanation was not good enough, so put back the leaves RIGHT NOW!
It's fun to see how he associates his surroundings with his experiences. On Monday after playing in the leaves all day Saturday and Sunday Momma and Andrew went outside to play in the afternoon. Normally we take out a few toys to play with or Momma fills up the water table (too cold now!) but this time Andrew grabbed the little rake and bolted out the door only to find the yard devoid of a pile of leaves above his head...
Oh the tragedy! Oh the drama! But Momma managed to explain again about the leaves and he eventually was able to rake up a few leaves and play in the yard with Momma despite his lack of a few cubic yards of leaves in a corner!
It's fun to see how he is interacting with his environment and taking what he knows and applying it to the situation at hand.
For some time now Andrew has been playing with various types of train sets.
His first birthday he got a Little People train set which for several months was used as a 'Baby Godzilla' set piece. But eventually he stoped stomping through it and started playing with the cars and pushing them around the track. This quickly turned into putting the people into the train and pushing it around now with the crossing gate, and some other parts of the toy in the mix.
About 2 months ago we were at Ikea and purchased a classic wooden train set which he loves to put the train parts together and push around the track (with a little help since he can't reach the far side of the track when sitting there). He used to get frustrated when he couldn't figure out how the cars would sometimes stick together and other times they would not (they are magnetized). This quickly turned into a mini science experiment and he figured out that once trying the cars in one direction, he could flip it around and it would work. Just so cool to see his little mind figuring things out how they work and ways to solve the problems when the occur.
Last night, Angela introduced Andrew to a Fisher Price GeoTrax train set as a new toy. He loved it since it has a round track and a familiar theme with the train going around the track. But this time, he was able to associate the fact that he had a circular track to play with. So after playing with Daddy in the hallway with it for some time he got up, ran into the dining room and came running back with the three car train set from his Little People set to go around on the track! I found it fascinating that he made the leap of like toys and tried to use the other train on the track to play with so that both Daddy and Andrew could have their own train to play with.
Maybe I am doing the typical, look what my Son can do thoughts with this, but the ability to tie all of these things together and literally 'see' the gears grinding in there for the first time is so much fun.
I probably won't have the same wonder and amazement as each little milestone comes our way, but then again, I was so proud when he:
One thing that we have noticed is that living right down the road from an farm that has yummy pies as well as some animals that Andrew loves to see (baa baa, meh (goats), duckies, and bunnies) is that he also associates driving by to mean that he will stop every time!
So it is always a challenge to distract him when we drive that way so that he doesn't get all upset when he sees the red barn or animals out the side of the car.
Another concept that we had to try to explain to Andrew this past weekend was how leaves are fun to play with, but you need to take them away once you are finished playing in them.
Saturday was spent blowing all the leaves into a pile and we played and played that evening and Sunday during the day, but when it came time for Daddy to pile the leaves on tarps and take them away it was just too much for the little man.
Momma had to calm him down and assure Andrew that there would be plenty more leaves for him to play with Daddy in the coming weeks. And as his contribution to the discussion Andrew let Momma know that her explanation was not good enough, so put back the leaves RIGHT NOW!
It's fun to see how he associates his surroundings with his experiences. On Monday after playing in the leaves all day Saturday and Sunday Momma and Andrew went outside to play in the afternoon. Normally we take out a few toys to play with or Momma fills up the water table (too cold now!) but this time Andrew grabbed the little rake and bolted out the door only to find the yard devoid of a pile of leaves above his head...
Oh the tragedy! Oh the drama! But Momma managed to explain again about the leaves and he eventually was able to rake up a few leaves and play in the yard with Momma despite his lack of a few cubic yards of leaves in a corner!
It's fun to see how he is interacting with his environment and taking what he knows and applying it to the situation at hand.
For some time now Andrew has been playing with various types of train sets.
His first birthday he got a Little People train set which for several months was used as a 'Baby Godzilla' set piece. But eventually he stoped stomping through it and started playing with the cars and pushing them around the track. This quickly turned into putting the people into the train and pushing it around now with the crossing gate, and some other parts of the toy in the mix.
About 2 months ago we were at Ikea and purchased a classic wooden train set which he loves to put the train parts together and push around the track (with a little help since he can't reach the far side of the track when sitting there). He used to get frustrated when he couldn't figure out how the cars would sometimes stick together and other times they would not (they are magnetized). This quickly turned into a mini science experiment and he figured out that once trying the cars in one direction, he could flip it around and it would work. Just so cool to see his little mind figuring things out how they work and ways to solve the problems when the occur.
Last night, Angela introduced Andrew to a Fisher Price GeoTrax train set as a new toy. He loved it since it has a round track and a familiar theme with the train going around the track. But this time, he was able to associate the fact that he had a circular track to play with. So after playing with Daddy in the hallway with it for some time he got up, ran into the dining room and came running back with the three car train set from his Little People set to go around on the track! I found it fascinating that he made the leap of like toys and tried to use the other train on the track to play with so that both Daddy and Andrew could have their own train to play with.
Maybe I am doing the typical, look what my Son can do thoughts with this, but the ability to tie all of these things together and literally 'see' the gears grinding in there for the first time is so much fun.
I probably won't have the same wonder and amazement as each little milestone comes our way, but then again, I was so proud when he:
- lifted his head
- smiled and laughed
- blew bubbles
- rolled over
- first word
- hugs the kitties
- first steps
- ..................
So I assume that the rest of his life will fill a blog with these new experiences and milestones, no matter if it is a first step, or finally giving a different answer to the question 'What color is this?'
Andrew's answer is always: BLUE! (with a cute grin)
Sorry for going on, but seeing him grow up makes us so proud and reflective about all of the building blocks up until this point in his life.
-Daddy
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Egg seat and a new puzzle
Momma went out a few weeks ago and went to Ikea to get a few things. Last time that we were all at Ikea Andrew had a lot of fun with this chair. We call it the 'egg' but it is a chair!
This video was from when he came home from school that night and saw his new egg chair and a puzzle for the first time.
He has had many many many spins in it since he first got it, but he was surprised to walk in and see one at home!
-Daddy
This video was from when he came home from school that night and saw his new egg chair and a puzzle for the first time.
He has had many many many spins in it since he first got it, but he was surprised to walk in and see one at home!
-Daddy
Toilet paper video
Not sure if I ever published this video. I had uploaded it to Google a long time ago, but I don't think that I published it.
The video was from March of this year when we were playing around and left Andrew to find something to play with. Unfortunately he found an open bathroom door and wanted to see how far the paper would go.
So better late than never!
-Daddy
The video was from March of this year when we were playing around and left Andrew to find something to play with. Unfortunately he found an open bathroom door and wanted to see how far the paper would go.
So better late than never!
-Daddy
Cider, doughnuts, and the farm
Yesterday was a cool and blustery day around here. Andrew and Daddy got up early and made breakfast while Momma caught up on a few extra minutes of sleep.
Andrew eats more for breakfast than any other meal and this was no exception. He started with a whole bowl full of cantalope which quickly was refilled with the urging of a little man asking "Mo...mo... mo melon..." and then his sign language for please.
After two whole servings of the melon Daddy had a little bacon ready so it was off and running with a piece that Daddy intented for Andrew to just take a bite off of.
Once he realized it was bacon he went running for the hills. I could hear his little gears grinding away in there: "Are you kidding me Daddy? I have a whole piece of bacon, why would I just take one bite?!?!"
Then Andrew helped Daddy put some biscuits in the oven while also helping with the button on the coffee maker and grinder. He is a BIG help for making breakfast!
After Momma and Daddy got up and ate some breakfast (Andrew ate one and a half biscuits as well with a little jelly on them). We all got bundled up and went on the road trip for Momma's favorite Cider and doughnuts.
We made a quick run to that farm to pick up a gallon of cider and a dozen doughnuts. Andrew and Daddy stayed outside and went through the fields and picked up pumpkins and chased after a puppy into the corn maze until Momma was finished with getting some yummies.
Another quick ride to the farm with the aminals down the street and some quick bundling up was all that we needed prior to seeing the animals. Andrew really likes the goats, piggies, and chickens at the farm and sometimes wants to pet them. Today was no exception for the goats, but the donkey that wanted to nuzzle his hand was a little too much for today.
We sat on a bench and had straight cider out of a water bottle. Usually it is watered down a bit, but today he got a treat of the cider straight from the jug... Yummy!
It was a fun afternoon at the farm.
After the farm we came back home and all three of us took a little nap together followed by some time in the yard. Daddy blew all the leaves into a pile and then Andrew and Daddy played in them and made a fort to hide out in.
What a perfect Fall day!
Daddy
Andrew wanted a hat like Momma's once we came home from the farm. He was a pirate like his cousin Elizabeth!
Daddy and Andrew watching the chickens. Cluck cluck cluck!
Yummy! Cider for Andrew!
Look Momma, piggies!
Andrew eats more for breakfast than any other meal and this was no exception. He started with a whole bowl full of cantalope which quickly was refilled with the urging of a little man asking "Mo...mo... mo melon..." and then his sign language for please.
After two whole servings of the melon Daddy had a little bacon ready so it was off and running with a piece that Daddy intented for Andrew to just take a bite off of.
Once he realized it was bacon he went running for the hills. I could hear his little gears grinding away in there: "Are you kidding me Daddy? I have a whole piece of bacon, why would I just take one bite?!?!"
Then Andrew helped Daddy put some biscuits in the oven while also helping with the button on the coffee maker and grinder. He is a BIG help for making breakfast!
After Momma and Daddy got up and ate some breakfast (Andrew ate one and a half biscuits as well with a little jelly on them). We all got bundled up and went on the road trip for Momma's favorite Cider and doughnuts.
We made a quick run to that farm to pick up a gallon of cider and a dozen doughnuts. Andrew and Daddy stayed outside and went through the fields and picked up pumpkins and chased after a puppy into the corn maze until Momma was finished with getting some yummies.
Another quick ride to the farm with the aminals down the street and some quick bundling up was all that we needed prior to seeing the animals. Andrew really likes the goats, piggies, and chickens at the farm and sometimes wants to pet them. Today was no exception for the goats, but the donkey that wanted to nuzzle his hand was a little too much for today.
We sat on a bench and had straight cider out of a water bottle. Usually it is watered down a bit, but today he got a treat of the cider straight from the jug... Yummy!
It was a fun afternoon at the farm.
After the farm we came back home and all three of us took a little nap together followed by some time in the yard. Daddy blew all the leaves into a pile and then Andrew and Daddy played in them and made a fort to hide out in.
What a perfect Fall day!
Daddy
Andrew wanted a hat like Momma's once we came home from the farm. He was a pirate like his cousin Elizabeth!
Daddy and Andrew watching the chickens. Cluck cluck cluck!
Yummy! Cider for Andrew!
Look Momma, piggies!
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Karly... Andrew's first crush
Ever since Andrew started going to his school there has been this other girl who is slightly older (by 4 months) who is in his classes.
But now, when I drop off Andrew his teacher always says to Karly that she can give Andrew kisses and hugs now that he is here. They apparently may have a little something for one another since there have been notes home about Andrew feeding Karly her snack or giving each other hugs.
I think we will have to monitor this one for a few more years since they will be in school together for a while!
But I wanted to put a picture of Karly in so that we can tease him when he is older about his first crush!
But now, when I drop off Andrew his teacher always says to Karly that she can give Andrew kisses and hugs now that he is here. They apparently may have a little something for one another since there have been notes home about Andrew feeding Karly her snack or giving each other hugs.
I think we will have to monitor this one for a few more years since they will be in school together for a while!
But I wanted to put a picture of Karly in so that we can tease him when he is older about his first crush!
Confusing Yoda with ET
Having seen neither Star Wars nor ET we let it slide that he was trying to "phone home" in this picture.
(Actually he was admiring the fine handiwork that Tony has been doing on their porch and front door but it was cute anyway)
(Actually he was admiring the fine handiwork that Tony has been doing on their porch and front door but it was cute anyway)
Cif's house and a pile of leaves
Seeing a big pile of leaves with Mathew playing in it can just make you want to run and jump in!
Hugs with mama
Once Andrew saw us he needed to get a few hugs to feel a little better.
Nothing like Momma to make you forget (just for a second) that your hand still has a bee stinger in it!
Nothing like Momma to make you forget (just for a second) that your hand still has a bee stinger in it!
Yoda...
Today for Holloween Andrew was Yoda. Unfortunately we got a call from the school that he had been stung by a bee earlier in the day so he was not a very happy camper for the parade (they woke them up from their naps early to get them ready for the parade). So here is one of a full shot of Andrew in his Yoda outfit.
Here comes Yoda!
Here comes Yoda!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
15-week pregnancy picture
For my curious Mom & sister, here's a picture of me at 15 weeks on October 11.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Family flu shot.
We all decided this year to get a flu shot so that if one of us goes down, theoretically we won't all topple like we have been when we get a cold!
So Friday Andrew got his flu shot and just like they warn you at the doctor's office about children with the flu shot three to four days later he was sick from it.
Tuesday morning was a hectic one for all of us. Andrew got sick during the night and was a pitiful sight when Momma brought him in to bed with us. He had gotten sick all over his bed and all over himself, but was just so miserable we had to bring him in with us.
The problem was that Momma had a class on Tuesday and Wednesday and Daddy had a client site to be at so we were at a loss for what to do. So far we have been able to change one schedule or another for something like this, but it was a little more sticky this time.
So Momma left after we cleaned Andrew up for her class and Daddy hugged and held the little man for a while until he started to shake it off a bit.
So I figured I could at least take him in (he had a really low grade fever, but below the school's line for staying home!) and if I can get a few hours out of it they can call me and I can come pick him up from day care and bring him home.
Fortunately he started feeling better (still not great though) for school and I let the teachers know that he was having a rough morning.
Everything went well and Momma and Daddy both were able to make it through their days without running home for a sick little man. He was still touchy Tuesday evening and out of sorts on Wednesday. But by that time we had realized that it was probably the shot and not something he ate or was coming down with so while we still felt bad for it, we were tempered by that realization that it was just a little symptom or two after his flu shot.
Tough little kid, but you can certainly tell when something is bothering him or if he is not feeling up to snuff. From a total change in body language, to actually laying around in the morning instead of pitter pattering around the house chasing Jaz, running for the refridgerator, or jumping up and down on Daddy you can tell when he is just not right!
Daddy
So Friday Andrew got his flu shot and just like they warn you at the doctor's office about children with the flu shot three to four days later he was sick from it.
Tuesday morning was a hectic one for all of us. Andrew got sick during the night and was a pitiful sight when Momma brought him in to bed with us. He had gotten sick all over his bed and all over himself, but was just so miserable we had to bring him in with us.
The problem was that Momma had a class on Tuesday and Wednesday and Daddy had a client site to be at so we were at a loss for what to do. So far we have been able to change one schedule or another for something like this, but it was a little more sticky this time.
So Momma left after we cleaned Andrew up for her class and Daddy hugged and held the little man for a while until he started to shake it off a bit.
So I figured I could at least take him in (he had a really low grade fever, but below the school's line for staying home!) and if I can get a few hours out of it they can call me and I can come pick him up from day care and bring him home.
Fortunately he started feeling better (still not great though) for school and I let the teachers know that he was having a rough morning.
Everything went well and Momma and Daddy both were able to make it through their days without running home for a sick little man. He was still touchy Tuesday evening and out of sorts on Wednesday. But by that time we had realized that it was probably the shot and not something he ate or was coming down with so while we still felt bad for it, we were tempered by that realization that it was just a little symptom or two after his flu shot.
Tough little kid, but you can certainly tell when something is bothering him or if he is not feeling up to snuff. From a total change in body language, to actually laying around in the morning instead of pitter pattering around the house chasing Jaz, running for the refridgerator, or jumping up and down on Daddy you can tell when he is just not right!
Daddy
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Pics from July
In July, we introduced Andrew to corn on the cob. As you can see, he really wasn't sure what to do with it and it took him many times of eating it before he decided it was for him... Oh wait, that was cauliflower! He took to it like a natural mid-westerner.
He had lots and lots of corn this summer once it was in season. Just like his grandfather he manages to get a little kernel on his chin every time as well! Chip off the old block I guess.
He had lots and lots of corn this summer once it was in season. Just like his grandfather he manages to get a little kernel on his chin every time as well! Chip off the old block I guess.
Some times an artist needs to be one with his art. In this case, I think that Andrew was the canvas! He loves to scribble and sometimes even gets some on the paper if he's lucky.
This one was from the AITG summer BBQ. Andrew and I were swimming around with Tony and Delaney for a bit. It was a lot of fun, but Andrew is still not a big fan of the wet hair trick yet!
Here is a July shower when Momma was home to take Andrew out to splish splash around on the patio and in the yard.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Busy Summer and fall!
Sorry for missing a LOT of updates!
So I will catch up a little with the highlights...
July -
So I will catch up a little with the highlights...
July -
- AccessIT Summer BBQ (think Mexican fiesta in NJ)
- More beach time at the Walsh's!
- July 4th at a local living history museum with pigs, goats, sheep, and chickens... yea!
- More fun in the Sun...
August -
- Andrew has minor surgery to put tubes in his ears and it helps him sleep quite a bit (Double hooray!)
- Andrew discovers how much fun Lego's are
- Wasting away a few hot summer days by Andrew's new toddler pool
- Andrew's first camping experience. In our yard, with 15 of our closest friends (and their children)... Mmmmm s'mores!
- Momma and Andrew with lots of art projects.
- The NJ agriculture fair, lots of fun, junk food, and racing piglets who swim!
- Andrew's first (of many now) corn on the cob...
- Andrew learns the word "Yummy!!!" after eating corn on the cob! (Actually a little before that time, but it sounds better that way)
- Momma and Daddy find out our family is getting a little bigger soon... We are Pregnant!
September -
- Keri's 30th birthday party at our house!
- Fun at the Sheep creamery - Baa baa black sheep!
- Acadia national park here we come! Cabins, hiking, biking, lobster and 2 Cats breakfast (fun restaurant Andrew and Momma really liked)
- Making a frame with Momma in Bar Harbor
- Hanging out at the beach with Momma, Daddy, and my favorite seagull
- More beach time!
- NJ Wine festival with lots of puppies!
- Lots more corn on the cob
October -
- Apple orchards with yummy doughnuts!
- Climbing our first hay bail mountain
- Greek festival with my first taste of Baklava. Yummy!
- Learning about eskimo kisses (seasy and nosey)
That pretty much sums up the gap there. I will post some pictures to go with the highlights above soon.
Love,
Momma, Daddy, Andrew, and peanut
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Trip to Maine #3
Oops, I never got to posting the rest of our trip to Maine (back-posting this in June 2008)... I'll add some more now and hopefully complete the story soon...
On a rainy Tuesday, September 11, we decided to head into town and go to All Fired Up (http://www.acadiaallfiredup.com/), the local pottery/ceramics store on Cottage Street. We thought they opened at 9 am, but alas they had changed their hours from those listed in the flier we had and didn't open until 10 am. A bit of a problem when arriving at around 9:30 am assuming an earlier opening in the pouring rain with a toddler. We were able to hid out under the entrance canopy to their store and the owner took pity on us and let us in a little early. Once into the store we picked a nice 4x6 picture frame to make a mosaic with tiles on. Andrew was quite excited to have free access to putting tiles in the glue and Daddy was on active duty trying to "help" Andrew while Momma quickly worked with the tiles once Andrew placed them onto the frame.
On a rainy Tuesday, September 11, we decided to head into town and go to All Fired Up (http://www.acadiaallfiredup.com/), the local pottery/ceramics store on Cottage Street. We thought they opened at 9 am, but alas they had changed their hours from those listed in the flier we had and didn't open until 10 am. A bit of a problem when arriving at around 9:30 am assuming an earlier opening in the pouring rain with a toddler. We were able to hid out under the entrance canopy to their store and the owner took pity on us and let us in a little early. Once into the store we picked a nice 4x6 picture frame to make a mosaic with tiles on. Andrew was quite excited to have free access to putting tiles in the glue and Daddy was on active duty trying to "help" Andrew while Momma quickly worked with the tiles once Andrew placed them onto the frame.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Jordon Pond House
We'll post the story to go with this picture shortly, but by special request for those having heard the story over the phone... here's our favorite pic from the vacation.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Trip to Maine #2
Saturday, after some donuts on the porch by Andrew while we loaded the car (did I mention, Andrew loves vacation!!), we finished shopping in Freeport with a trip to LLBean's flagship store and listening to some musicians playing for an outdoor art festival (Andrew dancing away, so cute!).
Then we finished the drive to Bar Harbor. For entertainment this trip, Andrew had a large sticker book that was pulled out when just sitting in the car became a little too tedious...
We checked into Cottage #1 at Bar Harbor Cottages & Suites in Salisbury Cove, http://www.barharborcottages.com/
and headed out for dinner at Fish House Grill at Harbor Place on 1 West Street in Bar Harbor.
We had a good meal, and the outdoor dining allows direct access to a large open pier, which is great for "running of the toddler" ! A key and necessary feature to maintain happy Momma/Daddy/Andrew relations during a week of restaurant eating. Also helping keep Andrew entertained was the constant presence of seagulls. Andrew kept wanting to pet the birdies. He just couldn't understand why they would fly away!
Then we finished the drive to Bar Harbor. For entertainment this trip, Andrew had a large sticker book that was pulled out when just sitting in the car became a little too tedious...
We checked into Cottage #1 at Bar Harbor Cottages & Suites in Salisbury Cove, http://www.barharborcottages.com/
and headed out for dinner at Fish House Grill at Harbor Place on 1 West Street in Bar Harbor.
We had a good meal, and the outdoor dining allows direct access to a large open pier, which is great for "running of the toddler" ! A key and necessary feature to maintain happy Momma/Daddy/Andrew relations during a week of restaurant eating. Also helping keep Andrew entertained was the constant presence of seagulls. Andrew kept wanting to pet the birdies. He just couldn't understand why they would fly away!
Trip to Maine #1
We vacationed this year in Bar Harbor, Maine on Mount Desert, http://www.nps.gov/acad/ or http://www.barharborinfo.com/.
On Friday, September 7, we drove partway up to Freeport, Maine and stayed at The Maine Idyll Motor Court, http://www.maineidyll.com/ in Cottage #3.
It was a very nice cottage, and Andrew's first introduction to a screen door. He had so much fun going in and out of the cottage while we unloaded!
They also had a nice playground for Andrew to stretch his legs on after the long drive.
We unpacked, tried (unsuccessfully) to have Andrew nap, and then left for a little shopping (home to LLBean and lots of outlet shopping) in town and dinner. Andrew fell alseep in the truck on the way into town so we were able to tag out for shopping while Andrew slept.
We then had dinner at Gritty's Brew Pub, http://www.grittys.com/fp.html.
It was PERFECT for dinner. They have a large fenced in backyard to the restaurant for the kids to play in and comfortable Adirondack chairs for the parents. Gritty's also brews their own beer, so Nathan was able to try some new brews.
On Friday, September 7, we drove partway up to Freeport, Maine and stayed at The Maine Idyll Motor Court, http://www.maineidyll.com/ in Cottage #3.
It was a very nice cottage, and Andrew's first introduction to a screen door. He had so much fun going in and out of the cottage while we unloaded!
They also had a nice playground for Andrew to stretch his legs on after the long drive.
We unpacked, tried (unsuccessfully) to have Andrew nap, and then left for a little shopping (home to LLBean and lots of outlet shopping) in town and dinner. Andrew fell alseep in the truck on the way into town so we were able to tag out for shopping while Andrew slept.
We then had dinner at Gritty's Brew Pub, http://www.grittys.com/fp.html.
It was PERFECT for dinner. They have a large fenced in backyard to the restaurant for the kids to play in and comfortable Adirondack chairs for the parents. Gritty's also brews their own beer, so Nathan was able to try some new brews.
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