August 22, 2013 (18 Months)

 

Andrew is on the go! He doesn’t slow down for anyone.

Andrew thinks that all animals say “Moo” or “Baa”

Andrew got to wear his first bandaid this month when he smashed his thumb in the toilet seat lid. I think he was equally upset from the pain and the Band-Aid.

Andrew got to visit his Minnesota cousins this month and meet his new baby cousin Jacob. Aside from his difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep in a new environment, he was a great traveler.

Andrew is a mosquito magnet, just like his daddy. At one point he had no less than 8 bites just on his face when no one else that was outside at the same time had even a single bite.

A few of Andrew’s favorite things are puppies, airplanes, dump trucks, his blankey, and bananas.

Andrew has the word “no” down pat. Some days everything is “no”.

We visited the Wisconsin Deer Park in the Dells and Andrew had a blast! Several times his excited running and shrieking scared most of the deer away but when he was able to contain his excitement he was able to pet the deer and give them hugs. We bought some crackers to feed the deer and at first Andrew thought they were for him to eat and he didn’t want to share with the deer. Once we convinced him to share he realized how fun it was to feed the deer and had them eating out of his hands.

Andrew is up to 12 teeth and is working on his top canines.

Andrew thinks it’s funny to put his blankey over his head and walk around bumping into things.

Andrew loves to eat fresh tomatoes, carrots, and green beans straight from the garden. He will walk around and eat an entire heirloom tomato. We are trying to teach him to only pick the red, ripe tomatoes but so far he sees nothing wrong with eating unripe, green tomatoes.

Andrew loves animals. He especially loves to give them hugs.

July 21, 2013 (17 months)

Andrew is a very busy boy! Always getting in to something.

Andrew now insists on holding on to the railing and walking down the stairs by himself.

Andrew can climb up into his high chair  all by himself.

We usually have a difficult time keeping Andrew occupied when we are working at our garden plot. That was until we discovered how much he loves freshly picked carrots! He will happily munch on a carrot for a very long time.

Andrew tries really hard to jump, he squats down and springs back up, but he hasn’t quite figured out how to get off the ground yet.

Andrew ran in his first race at our neighborhood Fourth of July Kids Fun Run. He started off strong but got confused towards the middle once the other kids were all passed him and he didnt' know where to go so he just started playing in the sand. Daddy helped him get back on track and once he saw mommy at the finish line he ran the rest of the way.

Andrew continues to amaze me with how many words he tries to say and how much he tries to communicate. Some new words this month are up, down, out, airplane, TV, night, walk, bath, boat

Andrew doesn’t like getting sprayed with water or running through the sprinkler unless Daddy is running through with him. He does however love to hold the hose and watch the water spray out. He also enjoys a nice cold drink from the hose.

Andrew is fascinated by the buckles in his high chair, car seat, and stroller. He will stand and try and buckle them for pretty long stretches. Most times it ends with him getting frustrated and giving up, but he has buckled them successfully a couple times.

Andrew loves helping mommy vacuum.

 

 

 

 

June 24, 2013 (16 months)

Andrew helped us pick strawberries at the Berry Farm. He had fun running up and down the aisles and didn't trample kept going for the white, unripe berries. He must have ate over 20 berries before we left; his face, hands, and shirt were all stained red.

Andrew’s climbing skills are reaching new heights, literally! He tries to climb on and in everything possible.

Andrew says Peek-A-Boo and covers his ears to play.

Andrew loves to pretend he is talking on a phone. He is very resourceful too, anything can be a phone. Even a rock. Even a toothbrush. Even his own hand.

Andrew went on his first ride in the bike trailer. He didn’t care for the helmet but he loved the ride! He had a smile from ear to ear and did lots of giggling.

 

Andrew has switched to a one nap schedule most days.

Andrew is getting good at feeding himself with a fork or spoon. Speaking of eating, Andrew keeps surprising everyone with just how much he can put away. He is definitely his father’s son!

Andrew’s is very attached to his blankey, he asks for it when he is getting tired, he gets really excited when he sees it, and he gets really upset when it gets taken away. He was really mad when I wouldn’t let him take it in the bathtub with him.

Andrew had his first haircut. Actually it was more of a trim, just cutting the back and sides by his ears. He was distracted by a children’s youtube video about animal sounds so he actually stayed pretty still for dad.

 

Andrew is saying quite a few words now, it is getting harder to keep track. New words include bubbles, puppy, book, and bath.

Andrew loves to dance and has some really good moves.

Andrew is independent. When he sees the opportunity to go and explore, he takes it and doesn't look back. If I don’t want to be chasing him I have to be holding him, once I put him down he immediately takes off . At least I am getting my exercise!

Andrew had two sleepovers last month, one with his Grandma and Papa and the other with one of his Aunties. He had tons of fun and did great being away from mom and dad.

May 22, 2013 (15 Months)

Andrew says “hi” to everyone.

Andrew likes to drop things: food from his high chair, toys from his stroller, groceries from the cart.

Andrew is a daredevil! He climbs on everything including the coffee table, end tables, dining chairs, and even the dining table. Keeping him down is becoming a full time job.

Andrew loves to wear shoes, he often finds one in the drawer under his crib, brings it to me, and wants to put it on. He will then walk around the house happy can be with one bare foot.

Andrew knows that food and milk come from the fridge so he will pull on the handle and whine when he want something to eat or drink. Luckily he isn’t strong enough to pull the door open, yet.

Andrew loves to go down slides at the park and in the backyard. He is no longer a fan of the swings
.

 

Andrew went through another round of teething this month, he is currently working on his top front molars.

Andrew is a talker! Along with a lot of baby talk he is up to about 10 actual words. New words this month include blanket, milk, pretty, and again.

Andrew loves to read and is very persistent. He insists that you stop whatever you are doing so he can sit on your lap and read his chosen book, usually a minimum of three times.

Andrew has his mom’s tendency to bruise easily, which is unfortunate especially because when he gets mad or frustrated he likes to bang his head against the floor, wall, etc. If he is not in a position to bang his head, he sometimes smacks himself in the head.

Andrew thinks that every animal is a “kitty kitty.” His favorite animal at the zoo was by far the turtles.

 

April 22, 2013 (14 months)

Andrew has really enjoyed the warmer spring weather and just loves being outside. We play in the backyard a lot, his sandbox is already a favorite. We also go on runs and walks in the neighborhood and always stop at the park where he gets to swing and go down the slides.

 

Andrew gives big, open mouthed, slobbery kisses! He is also really good at giving hugs.

Andrew had his first professional photo shoot this month, we got a bunch of super cute pictures of him dressed as a lumber jack and playing with an old tricycle.

Andrew is really getting in to reading books. After he hands me a book he will turn around and slowly back up and plop into my lap, it has to be the cutest thing ever. He likes to turn the pages and point out things to me as we read along.

Andrew got to go to an Easter egg hunt at America’s Best Flowers. While he did find a couple eggs, he was more interested in walking up and down all the aisles, I’m not sure he has ever had so much room to roam before this. He also got his picture taken with Grandma Bunny and got to see a real chicken and bunny.

We got a new cat toy which is basically a plastic wand with fuzzy string tied to it. I am pretty sure Andrew has more fun with it than the cats. He loves carrying it around the house and waving it for the cats. Other times he will set the toy on the cats while they are laying on the ground and look at them confused as to why they aren’t chasing it.

Andrew has decided that bath time is fun after all. He now enjoys splishing and splashing and playing in the tub. Andrew also pooped in the bath for the first time so that was fun.

Andrew decided to push back his bedtime to 8pm. He still gets up at 5:30am.

Andrew is getting very vocal. His new favorite phrase is daa doo daa doo daa doo. He has also added hi and kitty to his vocabulary.

Andrew thinks everything is his and likes to yell MY or MINE as we walk down store aisles. We don’t go shopping much.

March 27, 2013 (13 months)

It is hard to believe my baby boy is now a toddler! He is getting really good at walking and is getting in to everything!

When asked, “Where is Andrew’s belly?” Andrew will get a huge grin on his face and lift his shirt to show off his big belly. When asked, “Where is Andrew’s nose?” he will get a huge grin on his face and lift his shirt to show off his big belly. We’re working on it.

Andrew knows how to push doors shut. He thinks it’s really cool until he realizes that he doesn’t know how to open it again and his excitement quickly fades.

Andrew has 7 teeth currently, 4 on top and 3 on bottom.

Andrew thinks it is fun to chase the cats and pull their tails. The cats must be really desperate for attention because they put up with it when they could easily jump out of his reach.

We took Andrew to Olbrich Gardens, he really liked huge leaves and pretty flowers.

 

Standing on the couch and looking outside is easily one of Andrew’s favorite past times. It is especially fun because we still have plastic on the windows for the winter.

Andrew knows lots of words, he can say mama, dada, ba (ball), all done, baby, and of course no, me, and mine. He also says something that sounds a lot like “money” all the time.

Andrew likes to talk on his toy phone. He prefers to talk on our real phones.

Andrew will usually give you something if you ask for it, but he expects you to give it right back to him.

Andrew loves to be naked! He can be in the crabbiest mood ever and if you strip him down his attitude instantly changes and he starts giggling and running around the house happy as can be.

 

Andrew loves watching me vacuum, he gets really excited when he sees me get it out and smiles and giggles the whole time.

We try to take Andrew to the library every weekend. His favorite part is the fish tank, he gets really excited watching the fish swim around. He is still working on his library manners (i.e. keeping his voice down  J ).

Andrew loves his tooth brush. He doesn’t love brushing his teeth, mind you, but chewing on it and carrying it around the house is always a good time.

Andrew hates bath time, he refuses to sit in the tub and spends the entire time trying to climb out.

Andrew has his daddy’s appetite! We haven’t found anything he won’t eat. Even if you can tell he doesn’t like something, he will still eat it. It is hard to even pick out his favorites because he eats everything with just about the same gusto. If I had to pick, I would say pancakes and bananas are at the top of his list.

Welcome to Andrew's Blog!

 

Welcome to Andrew’s blog! This is something I wanted to start sooner but somehow time got away from me and now Andrew is already over a year old! Funny how that happens, isn’t it? Well, better late than never!

Here are a few memories from Andrew’s first year:

Andrew decided to surprise us and come a month before his due date! We were hanging out at home and I was just standing up to take my dinner plate to the sink when suddenly my water broke-just like in the movies! I of course was freaking out; Kyle on the other hand was completely calm. I’m yelling that we need to hurry and get to the hospital and he is feeding the cats telling me we have plenty of time. Luckily we had packed our hospital bag the night before. I ended up delivering via c-section because the little munchkin was turned sideways. At 5lbs, 9oz, and 21 inches, he was a tall, skinny little guy.

 

When Andrew was just a couple months old he developed a diaper rash that turned into raw sore spots that lasted for about 8 weeks. In our desperation to heal it we turned to spray bottles instead of wipes, using a blow dryer to make sure his butt got nice and dry, and having as much “naked butt time” as possible which consisted of him laying on a blanket peeing and pooping everywhere. We were so relieved when we found Triple Paste and it cleared up within a week.

We had record warm temperatures that March so we were lucky and got to go on lots of walks during my maternity leave. Andrew pretty much always fell asleep.

Andrew’s favorite place to sleep was on his daddy’s chest. I don’t think we put him down for a nap during his entire first month.

 

Andrew thought that coughing was hysterical.

Andrew constantly kicked his feet off each other as if he was trying to get a fire started, we couldn’t let him go barefoot because his toenails would cut the opposing foot.

After sending Andrew to daycare for about 4 months I decided so quit my job and start my own in home daycare. This has been the best decision I have ever made, I am loving watching him grow and Andrew loves having his friends come over and play

Andrew was a little monster for Halloween. We went to Halloween at the zoo and got to see all the animals. His favorite part was dancing to the music. Unfortunately we didn't get any trick or treaters until Andrew was already in bed.

 

We celebrated Andrew’s first birthday with a The Very Hungry Caterpillar themed party at home with our family and friends. Andrew had lots of fun playing with all his friends and cousins!