Andrew's 1st Birthday Party

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Andrew, who was turning one year old. Although you might not be able to tell, he was quite excited about all the goings-on. He watched Daddy put decorations up with quite an intensity. He chased balloons around in awe. And, he took "streamer-eating" very seriously.



Grandma & Grandpa and Uncle BJ came and there were lots of cool decorations. And food.



He didn't really care for his hamburger lunch, but he was really quite curious about that stack of cake-looking things.





At first he wasn't quite sure what to do with his very own cupcake...

But then he took a taste...

And then, he got the hang of it...


Then it was time to open presents! He got quite a haul...

His big sister didn't quite understand that Andrew didn't really need help opening his gifts, and, no, there weren't any for her.

Even though she did get a princess skirt from Grandma (which she didn't take off the entire time, and begged to wear to church the next day!).

Mommy & Daddy got him a train with blocks to stack. (And he's very good at stacking things.)



Grandma & Grandpa got him a toy lawn mower-- which may have been one of his faves. He actually walked a few steps holding on to it.

Uncle BJ & Aunt Chela got him a Mega Blox boat for the bath.

Yet at the end of the day, his favorite thing to play with was a broom and dustpan.

What a great time this little one-year-old had! And how blessed he is to have such great family & friends!

Andrew- 1 Year in Pictures

For the records:
Andrew weighs 21 lbs., 1 oz. (25th%) and is 29 1/4 in. tall (40th%). He is nursing now only 3, sometimes 4 times a day. He eats a jar of Stage 2 baby food per meal, plus finger foods (mac & cheese, chicken, veggies, bread, crackers, Goldfish are among his favorites) and 2 snacks. Still no teeth!!

He generally sleeps through the night now, waking up between 5:30 and 6:30 in the morning. He takes a pretty good morning nap, 45 min. to 1 1/2 hours, and afternoon naps are usually short. He gets really tired & grumpy by about 6:30 but usually we keep him up till about 7:30. He hates getting his diaper changed because it requires him to sit still, and he hates sitting still!

He doesn't have many words, but he has actually started saying "Daddy" when the Daddy walks in the room. He is great at fine and large motor skills-- he can stack blocks well, pick up cereal with his pincer fingers, he can climb all the way up the stairs, he can roll a ball around, and he walks well with help (although he's not taking steps on his own yet). The doctor said he's developing perfectly well!

To My Sweet 1-Year-Old Boy

Dear Andrew,


Where has this past year gone so quickly? Are you really no longer my little baby? It's amazing how much you've grown over the past year. And even though I knew it would happen, it's still bittersweet to see how big you are. I still remember the first time I saw your sweet little face. No one could really tell whether you looked more like Mommy or Daddy, but we could tell you were a perfect combination of both of us. And now, your personality is developing in the same way. This first year with you has been quite an adventure-- having a little boy is so different from having a little girl, and having a little Andrew means new experiences every day.

Andrew, I love how even though you really don't like to snuggle at all, you still love to be held and rocked before bedtijme, especially by your Mommy. You tend to be so fussy until someone comes and scoops you up-- you just like to know someone's nearby. You love to be around other people-- everyone at church thinks you never cry. You don't really sit still long enough to have a love of books yet-- you'd much rather be standing up and cruising around. You do love music and dancing and clapping and you love to be outside! You love water (especially in the toilet) and dirt and blocks and any kind of toy you can put "in" something else.

Getting you on a good sleeping schedule has been a challenge from Day 1. Many times you fight sleep or take short naps, but it's probably because you love life so much. You are such a BUSY boy, and so curious. There's barely time to sit down when you're awake-- you're always exploring something or another and I'm always having to get up and chase you around.

Though you haven't a single tooth in your mouth, you love to eat and you'll eat almost anything put in front of you. After our first few weeks of issues with nursing, you've become such a great nurser and now I'm not sure how to get you to stop!

I can tell you absolutely adore your big sister, even if she does hit you and push you around. (I know it won't be long before the tables are turned!) You follow her all around the house and want to be a part of whatever she's doing-- even if that means eating her crayons or beating her Princess figures against the wall or throwing her books all over the floor. There's no doubt you're a little BOY-- fearless in many ways, "stubborn", and full of energy.

Oh how much you are loved, my little boy, my second born. I am so excited to see you grow and become a young man. I pray we will always see the potential you have and remember you are not our own-- you are a child of God and only ours for a little while.

Love, Mommy

Wordless Wednesday

OBX Vacation

What a great time we had spending the whole week at Grandma & Grandpa's in the Outer Banks!



Here's what happened the rest of the week:

Tuesday we took Andrew & Leah to the Children at Play Museum in Kitty Hawk. It is basically a big building full of toys for kids to discover and explore. At first we weren't sure it would be worth $5 per person (incl. adults), since it was pretty small-- but both of them really seemed to enjoy it and we were there about 2 hours. Leah's favorite was the dress-up!! I'm definately going to get this girl some more princess clothes!

We spent a lot of time in the little pool Mom & Dad bought for their porch. Andrew was a FISH! At first we were a little worried about him putting his face in or crawling out of the pool, but within minutes he was able to play on his own and he cried every time he had to get out! It didn't bother him at all when water was splashed in his face.

Thursday Brett worked at the Nags Head branch of his Credit Union in the morning and after that he was off so he was able to join us the rest of the week!

So Friday we went back to the beach with Daddy. Andrew's 3rd trip to the beach and he finally got used to the water. By the end, he was playing on the sand right next to the water, even crawling toward the waves!!

That afternoon we all went to the Aquarium in Manteo. It wasn't as big as I thought (even though we went 2 years ago), but I think Leah still enjoyed it-- as much as she could for a kid without a nap. Her favorites were the sharks and the sea turtles (they had a cool exhibit where you could pretend to be a sea turtle rescuer and get a pretend turtle with an injury to help "heal"-- it was pretty cool). Andrew kept pointing his finger and holding out his hands, saying "ooo" the whole time.

Leah loved hanging out at Grandma & Grandpa's. We played outside a lot-- with seashells or bubbles on the porch, or going for walks to Food Lion. Grandma painted Leah's "poe-nails" (Leah's combo of painted and toenails) "so pretty!" Grandpa read lots of books. We spent lots of time chasing Andrew away from things he shouldn't have been into. We ate lots of good food, and-- when the kids were in bed-- we played the Wii and card games. I'm so grateful we got the chance to get away from our ordinary routine and I'm so grateful my kids get to grow up having a great relationship with their grandparents!

Happy 4th of July

Here's a sneak preview of the first 2 days of our vacation in the Outer Banks for 4th of July. We're still here-- Daddy's coming to join us Thursday. More pictures to come.



Andrew's favorite spot at Grandma & Grandpa's:

Leah playing in the rocks in their driveway:

Andrew on the 4th of July!

Hanging out in the hammock with Grandpa:

Yesterday we spent time at the Sound-- the water was much warmer than the beach and we were able to go out much farther. Andrew still wasn't too excited about the water but he did better. He spent most of his time playing on the blanket on shore.

Last night we tried to go see fireworks for the 4th of July. Andrew fell sound asleep in the car on the way there. Apparently some were going off before the actual show was set to start at 9:30 so when we got there, around 9, some were going. We got all the way out to the beach-- lugging sleeping Andrew in his car seat, sat out our blanket and got all ready. After 5 or 6 minutes of just the "warm-up" fireworks, Leah had had enough. She was genuinely crying and did not want to stay. I didn't want to make her, because no one around her would have enjoyed them either. So we went all the way back and missed the big show. Oh, well, next year I'm sure it will be Andrew doing the same!