Who Crawled Today? YOU Did!

Dearest Andrew,
Drum roll please...YOU CRAWLED TODAY!!! Oh my goodness, I am just beside myself! The best part was that Daddy was home to see it. You really wanted Mommy's computer and decided you were coming one way or another! I could not believe it! I called to Daddy and he came running in and we saw you crawl together for the first time. I knew you were getting close. Well buddy, Mommy is so proud of you! I love you to pieces!

Love,
Mommy

Andrew & Olivia

Dearest Andrew,
The other night we went to visit one of Mommy's very best friends, Chrissy, and her two children Isaiah and Olivia. Isaiah is a lot older than you, but you and Olivia are only 3 1/2 months apart. I am sure once you are older, you will play with Isaiah as well, but I am thinking you and Olivia will be good pals. When we put you together now, Chrissy and I just grin at how cute you two are together. Right now you are 7 1/2 months and Olivia is 4 months. We took this picture of the two of you together (one of many actually)and laughed and laughed. Olivia seemed in awe of you and you of her. You didn't know quite what to do with that tiny little girl...so you decided to whack her in the face! Hehe, you will learn (she was fine by the way, you didn't "whack" very hard!). I am so glad you have Olivia to grow up with. Like I said, I think you will be good pals, hopefully friends for life!

Love,
Mommy

A Boy and His Gramsey

Dearest Andrew,
Well as promised, I will post a picture of you with each of your grandparents. Here is a wonderful picture I took of you and Gramsey. I love how much you can tell your Gramsey loves you in this picture (and she really does!). You can tell you love her too because you always light up when you two are together. This was taken at Christmas time. Gramsey was reading a book to you and I started snapping away. I love the candid photos I get when people aren't looking and just going about their daily lives. You were all cuddly in her arms in your PJs...chewing on the book as she tried to read to you. Haha, you never fail to entertain us! We are so blessed to have Gramsey. She makes the world a better place...and just wait until you try her cooking! Yum!

Love,
Mommy

Sitting Tall

Dearest Andrew,
Yesterday was the very first day that you sat in a high chair in a restaurant. I know this probably doesn't seem like a big deal, but to Mommy, it was such a big deal! It's just one more milestone you have achieved. You really seemed to enjoy yourself! Then tonight we took you to the grocery store and you rode in the front of the cart first time sans car seat. You were so sweet and couldn't quit smiling. Good thing we have that cart cover because you want to put everything in your mouth, including the shopping cart! Yuck! You probably could have transitioned awhile back, but I just don't move very fast when it comes to you. I love watching you discover and learn new things and hit each milestone, but I love you just the way you are. I have said it a million times, but I'll say it again. Don't grow up too fast!

Love,
Mommy

Seven Months and Counting

Dearest Andrew,
I cannot believe my little baby is seven months old today! The funny thing is one day I will look back at this and think, "Look how little he was!" I took these pictures today so I would always know exactly how you looked the day you turned seven months. You started making this really cute face the other day where you wrinkle up your nose and kinda snort a little bit. Daddy and I LOVE it! It is the cutest little face. Well in my attempt to get that on camera, I got these instead. You are so funny! You have a million little faces you make. Well, I love you, in case I haven't told you in the last five minutes! Hehe! You are the best gift Mommy and Daddy have ever received. Before we know it, we will be celebrating your first real birthday. I am looking forward to that for sure, but I am enjoying every minute I have with you now. Please don't grow up too fast little one!

Love,
Mommy

Special Time With Grandpa

Dearest Andrew,
Yesterday morning when Grandpa got to church I gave you to him and then sat back and watched the two of you interact. It was wonderful. You sure love you grandpa and he sure loves you. I snapped a few pictures and I don't think either of you noticed. It was so sweet to watch the two of you together. You have such wonderful grandparents. I'll try to get a picture up of you with each of them. I love you little buddy, and so do all of your awesome grandparents.
Love,
Mommy

Precious Sleeping Boy

Dearest Andrew,
Since you have been sick, Mommy and Daddy have wanted to keep a close eye on you, so you have slept with us for a few nights. On this particular night, Daddy got you to sleep and when I came in a bit later, I saw this. I took this picture in the dark with a bright flash and thankfully neither of you woke up. Anyway, I just thought it was so darling and definitely one of the most precious pictures I have of you! I am so glad I was able to catch such a sweet moment. I love you to pieces!

Love,
Mommy

Yum, Yum, Give Me Some!

Dearest Andrew,
You had your first "real" food (as in baby food) right before Christmas, but today (or yesterday rather) you started a schedule. I am a bit late on this, I know, but you like formula and it's so easy! We are trying to get towards a schedule anyway. So we started off with rice cereal mixed with formula and you really seemed to like that. It was too thick at first, but Mommy got it to the right consistency and you ate it up. Like I said, you have only done this once or twice before, so it was still a bit new, but you did pretty good. I was so proud of how well you ate and I enjoyed every second of it, even though it took a while. We ended with formula, which of course you ate with no problem. The next meal we tried apples. You ate those once before and didn't seem to mind them. You drink apple juice every day to keep you...ahem...regular, hehe, but for some reason you didn't think much of the apples today. Maybe you just didn't want them or you weren't in the mood, and maybe you decided apples weren't your thing. Who knows? Whatever the case, you only took a few bites and pushed it out every time. We will try again tomorrow. :)

Well, I guess that is all for now. Mommy has been blogging away the past couple of days because you and I are both sick...again! I hope I can keep this pace up after we get better, that would be awesome! Anyway, I love you little man!

Love,
Mommy

20 Things You Do On A Daily Basis

Dearest Andrew,
Here is a quick list of 20 things you do all the time. There are more, but these are the things that came to the top of my head. :)

1. You pull Mommy’s hair…all the time.
2. You are getting up on your hands and knees and moving up to the top of the bed by lunging forward. Then you proceed to bang your head on the headboard. Mommy has to move you back down…all the time.
3. Your favorite new toy? Anything Mommy has put out of reach.
4. You talk all the time and are saying, “Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba.” So cute!
5. You laugh at everything, and I love this most of all.
6. You love grabbing for things, especially those things Mommy is trying to put out of reach.
7. Like I mentioned earlier, you are getting up on your hands and knees, but then you don’t quite seem to know what to do. I think you are getting close to crawling.
8. You roll like no one’s business! Who needs crawling when you can roll as fast as you!
9. At this very moment, you have managed to find Mommy’s hair and are pulling it as I type. Ow!
10. You not only suck your pacifier, you chew and suck every single surface of that thing. You must not want any part of it to feel left out.
11. You get on your tummy and want to move forward so badly, but it just looks like you are swimming. Teehee.
12. You push up on your elbows all the time!
13. KICKING! You kick NON-STOP! :)
14. You suck your thumb…through your pacifier.
15. You watch Mommy eat her lunch or whatever and you watch veeerry intensely as to say, “Give me some of that!” Sometimes you even make smacking sounds while watching. Hehe!
16. You suck in your bottom lip and you make the cutest little face ever!
17. You play with toys a lot, but when a cell phone or iPad enter the picture, you are like, “Toys, what toys?” (You see a theme here? Hehe)
18. You constantly steal Mommy’s heart.
19. You make Daddy smile like nothing I have ever seen.
20. You are the biggest joy of our lives!

Love,
Mommy

Andrew and the Two Teeth

Dearest Andrew,
Within the past month, or maybe a bit longer, you have gotten in not one, but two teeth. And I only thought you couldn't get any cuter! You know what your favorite game is now??? Never, ever, ever, ever, ever show Mommy your teeth. Getting a picture of your new chompers? Fugetaboutit! Hehe! Well, that is usually the case anyway. Mommy was super lucky and got a rare glimpse of your two cute lil' teeth and snapped away. It took several tries, but I finally got it. It is not the best picture you have ever taken, but there they are! I see them all the time when you laugh (and you sweet thing, you do that a lot), but when I pull the camera out or actually just try and look, out comes that tongue and hides them away. Oh well, what would life be without challenges, big and small? I love you lil' man. You make Mommy's life the best, even when we are playing hide and seek with your teeth!

Love,
Mommy