Fun Day

My Baby Can Read! Okay, not really, but he sure likes books. Especially the ones that make a crunchy noise.






Y'all, I have a baby who doesn't like to stay home. He gets fussy if he's bored and I guess staying at home with me is boring. But he doesn't sleep if we're out and about. He's not one to fall asleep in his stroller or even his car seat, so I worry that he doesn't get enough sleep. But he seems happy most of the time so I'm just going to go with it.

We had a great fun day today. We had a super lunch with Aunt Kelsey and then we headed to the mall after Andrew's afternoon nap. (I use that term loosely. He slept for 15 minutes in my arms and then another 20 in his crib. Does that count?).

I wanted to put him directly in his stroller rather than attaching the car seat so I unstrapped him from the car and sat him down in the stroller. He started screaming the minute I tried to put the straps around his arms. I picked him up and comforted him and tried it again.

He still wasn't having it, and we were in the parking garage so the screams were echoing throughout the whole place. I was afraid people would think I was stealing him or something!

So I strapped him in the Baby Bjorn on my chest (Looking out of course. Facing mama isn't any fun!) instead and pushed the empty stroller. He was happy as a clam!

Playing in the Evening

Andrew's been enjoying his Jumperoo so much that I've been neglecting tummy time. But I don't know how important it is anymore since he rolls around all the time anyway. This morning, while he was supposed to be napping, I watched him scoot and roll and twist around his crib (on the baby monitor) for 30 minutes.

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A few random thoughts:

-The Hardline, the afternoon drive show on my favorite sports talk radio station, is finally back from vacation and heading to San Antonio for the start of Cowboys training camp. I'm ready for the new T.O. free season!

-I think Jillian and Ed might actually have a chance together. The fact that he put his job in jeopardy to go back to her says a lot, and really I think she was just looking for someone to adore her and tell her how great she is - he seems to fit the bill. She even liked those green shorts - it's gotta be for real.

Rainy Monday

It was rainy all day today. It's the first time we've had a really rainy day in months, and Andrew and I got a little stir crazy. We finally had to brave the rain and go to the grocery store.



Sitting in the Moby wrap is Andrew's new favorite activity. It might even be more fun than his Jumperoo. And then I make silly faces at him in the mirror and he's beside himself with excitement. It's so cute.

New Flip Test

We decided we needed a new video camera to go with my fancy SLR camera to capture all of Andrew's adorable moments. This kid is going to be well documented.

We did go to dinner and I thoroughly enjoyed my margarita, thank you.

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Please check out MckMama's blog (the button on the right). Her little boy Stellan needs all the prayers we can offer right now.

This Week

What have I been up to this week?

-Trying to get Andrew used to sleeping in his crib in his room. And deciding not to worry about weaning off of the swaddle yet; the crib is enough to deal with right now.

-Taking the dog to the groomers so he could get about 8 inches of hair cut off his little body. He now weighs 5 lbs. less than he did last week.

-Signing up for StrollerFit class at NorthPark. How awesome is it that I can now say I've done push ups on the fountain in front of La Madeline?

-Wishing The Ticket's Hardline show would get back from vacation so Cowboys Training Camp can get started. We'll be one step closer to football season!

-Counting down the days until Glynnis gets back from vacation so I can get my hair done. I really shouldn't go this long between appointments.

-Cooking dinner. I made dinner three nights this week! And Brian's going to grill for us tonight.

-Going to our first mom's group meeting at a members house. We got to have wine since we weren't meeting at church!

-Being grateful that it hasn't been over 100 degrees a single day this week.

-Watching our little guy figure out his new Jumperoo. He loves it! He gets to bounce around and work those legs.




Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Handsome Man

I am in love with my new camera! I'd like to take it with me everywhere just in case but I'm trying not to go too crazy. I'm going to fill up my hard drive soon!






Don't you just want to eat him up??

Our church started a new mom's group for first-time moms. There are 10 of us and all the babies are 5 months and younger, but most of them are between 3 and 4 months. And they're all girls! Andrew and a boy named Will are the only guys in our group.

Someday I think he'll appreciate the odds. But with a grin like that he shouldn't need the advantage. :)

Sleeping Habits

It's been an exciting few days around here. Brian and I left Andrew with Mom and Dad Saturday night so we could go on a real date. We went to see the new Harry Potter movie, which was awesome, and then had a nice dinner at Blue Canyon in Rockwall.

We decided to have our date in Rockwall and then just stay the night out there to make it easier for my parents to watch Andrew and it worked out really well. He was asleep in his crib when we got back and slept until he woke up to eat 4AM, so I was happy.

We watched the last round of the British Open Sunday morning and then were planning to hang out in the pool, but a big storm rolled in and we really didn't spend much time in the water. But we did play a bunch of Bocce ball. Turns out, I'm not so good, Brian is okay, and my dad is really, really good. Who knew?

Andrew took two really good naps on Sunday so I was hoping he'd be all ready for his first night in his crib in his nursery that night. He's been sleeping in his bassinet in our room since we brought him home, but I decided four months seemed like a good time to move. We swaddled him up and he went right to sleep. He woke up at midnight and again at 3:30, so not too bad for his first night by himself.

We're still swaddling the baby, and I just don't know how to break this habit. He is so busy that he won't fall asleep unless he's wrapped up. I attempted a no-swaddle nap this morning and he's currently hanging out in his swing kicking his feet, taking to himself and reaching for the little sheep on the mobile. He went to sleep while I was rocking him finally and then woke up about 5 minutes after I put him down - in his swing! I mean, I'm already letting him nap in motion. What more does he need?? Ha!

If I'd swaddled him like usual he would have already been asleep for an hour. I don't know what I'm going to do about this, but he can't stop sleeping! It's just a disaster. Anyone successfully break a swaddling habit? At this rate he's going to be swaddled until he leaves home!

4 Months!

Andrew is 4 months today! We had his monthly photo shoot this morning. I've been using these little stickers to mark each month's birthday.

But today all he really wanted to do was shove his shirt (and the sticker) in his mouth.



But I still managed to get a few smiles out of him.





He needed to lie down and take a break so he could really concentrate on the sticker on his chest.



The photo shoot was over and it was time to play! A little sticker is not very interesting when you have bumble bees and butterflies to reach for.



We went to his 4 month appointment today and he had to get shots again. But he didn't let sore legs keep him down.



A bit about Andrew at 4 months:

-He weighs 13lbs 11 oz (25%) and is 24 inches (25%) long. I was a little worried he’s still so small, but Mom reminded me that I was only 14 pounds at 7 months so he comes by it naturally.

-He easily rolls from back to belly and belly to back. I worry about leaving him alone on the floor for fear he'll roll into a table or the dog. He just doesn't stay still for long. I'm afraid he'll be crawling soon.

-He loves to chew on his feet. He shoves his big toes into his mouth! Strangers are always commenting on him eating his feet when we're out and about.

-He's still eating about every 2 1/2 - 3 hours during the day. Sometimes he'll surprise me and go a little longer, but 3 is really his max unless you want to see a meltdown. It's like he's sure I'm going to decide not to feed him this time.

-He's not sleeping through the night yet. There's not even much of a pattern. Some nights he'll sleep until 1AM some nights 3AM. But he always wakes up hungry. And he always wakes up ready for the day with a big smile, usually around 7AM.

He is just a joy and a delight. My love for him continues to grow every day, and it amazes me.

(I have to add...as I was working on this post Andrew pooped while he was in my lap. Unfortunately, he was wearing a size too small diaper since that was all I had in the diaper bag earlier. Oops...amazingly it was the first time he's pooped on me. And then he peed on me when I went to give him his bath.

It was just that kind of day.)

Andrew the Explorer

We had a great weekend in Houston visiting family. Andrew got to spend lots of time with his Grammy J!


We had an okay drive both there and back. Travelling is certainly not Andrew's favorite thing to do. He just isn't happy being strapped in for a 4 hour drive.

We got back Sunday night and watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. We're going to try to watch the Order of the Phoenix this week so that we can go see the sixth movie this weekend. It's crazy, but I just love Harry Potter! My cousin's 8-year-old boy is starting the series this summer, and I'm so excited for him. He gets to enjoy the story fresh from the beginning- lucky kid!

Andrew is loving his activity mat these days, reaching for everything he can get his hands (and feet!) on.

P.S. Andrew has lots of outfits and most of them are blue. But somehow he's always wearing this cute green onsie during photo shoots. I'll try to mix it up next time.

Wiggle Worm

I've been looking forward to being able to sit Andrew up in his Bumbo seat for 2 months. I thought it would be so nice for him to get to sit up straight and look around. I was sure he'd be thrilled to sit on the kitchen counter and watch me make dinner or empty the dishwasher.

I tried it out a little before his 3 month birthday and he wasn't very interested. He wasn't quite strong enough and he slumped forward. So I tried again a few weeks ago and he seemed to really like it.

But now he's started trying to crawl out of it. He tucks his leg up in the seat and wiggles around to his right, grabs his foot and lunges forward as hard as he can.

He's trying to escape! Every time I put him in it!

Now I'm afraid to put his seat up on the counter. He can't be trusted to stay corralled. There is a specific WARNING printed directly on the seat not to do that anyway. I guess we'll have to follow the rules since I have a little wiggle worm.

But poor Andrew is disappointed that he can't watch me empty the dishwasher up close. Actually now that I think about it, maybe that's why he was trying to make an escape.

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We're off to Houston to visit Brian's family for the weekend. Andrew's going to meet his other great grandmother for the first time! And Brian's mom, Grammy J, hasn't seen Andrew in over a month. I can't wait for her to see how much he's grown!

Here's hoping Andrew sleeps the whole way to Houston.

Have a great weekend!

Made in the Shade(s)

Brian, Andrew and I headed out to my parents' house at the lake to celebrate the long 4th of July weekend.

Mom hosted 18 people plus an infant. I'm so impressed with her hospitality skills. It was an awesome weekend. Andrew was held about 16 hours a day, and I was sure he'd forget how to sit on his own for a bit, but I think he's recovered already.

He also had his first real swimming session. He liked the pool, but I think he liked his outfit best of all.

Oh, he knows he's a cutie!

Baby Exercise

I put Andrew down on a blanket on the floor this afternoon when we got home from the office. He'd been held all weekend long out at the lake, and I was afraid he'd forgotten how to hang out by himself.

I walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water, grabbed my computer and came back in the den. I was out of the room for about two minutes. This is what I found when I got back.

Hmmm...how did he get over there?

He's very proud of his accomplishment!

So he kept going!

And then he tried to do the worm!

Rockin'!

Getting back to business.

He had to take a break to watch some Fox News.

Back to the belly.

On his way!

Back where I found him.

Totally pooped out. All that rolling and going is hard work!

My New Toy

I have never been much of a picture taker. Brian's always trying to get me to take pictures when we're on vacation, but I hate to stop what I'm doing to try to get a good photo.

But now I have this adorable subject. And a fancy new Digital SLR. So watch out. You're going to get to see more pictures of Andrew than you ever knew you wanted.

I'm really excited about my new toy. It's a Canon Rebel XS, very entry level. But since I know next to nothing about photography I figure that is a good place to start. And if I really like it, I may look into taking a class at SMU.

Enjoy my first attempt!