8 Months

OK seriously. Andrew is 8 MONTHS OLD! How is that possible? Luckily today my friend Kristin kept Andrew for a few hours and they just had to do a little photo shoot. Thanks Kristin! These photos are beautiful!

Andrew finally made a new friend his age. Brayden shared his toys and treats :-)

Love for the Holidays

My favorite time of year has already begun! I can't believe it's almost December and Andrew is almost 8 months old. I have already enjoyed my first holiday visitor. Melissa came for a too short weekend and we started the holiday shopping on November 21. Next my mom comes to town for a week December 20-27. I cannot wait!

Since Jeff has been gone, the absolute hardest part has been not having people I love to share Andrew with. It's rough sometimes, but he and I share special moments together and I love that part.

Here are some photos to start the season off right.

Too big for my swing now!

Thankful for Mommy! :-)

We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving at my friend Rachel's house.

It's a little early, but I couldn't wait!

Andrew could have!

Santa's not so scary when mama is there.

The power of a baby...

I have a sad, but sweet story I wanted to share...

I was putting Andrew in the grocery cart outside the store when an older gentleman came up to me and said "My wife has dementia and she's over there in the car just talking to your baby like she's holding him--breaks my heart." I said, "That is so sweet and at least she is happy."

Just shows you the power of a baby.

Baby's First Halloween

Too bad Daddy wasn't here for this because he loves Halloween! Well, those of us here in AZ dressed up and had fun. We had the zookeeper (me), the monkey (Andrew) and the banana (Minnie).

We spent the night having fun at the Howards' house. Their little lobsters were a hoot and their Aunt Jesslyn and cousin Makenzie--Andrew's ex-GF :-)--were there too. Check out this Hallmark Smilebox scrapbook I made of the event...

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Time to Celebrate

I love fall holidays and that means lots of photos! Lots of firsts for Andrew, too. First, our 1st trip to the pumpkin patch. Autumn backdrops can even be pretty in AZ.

I love his Oshkosh overalls!

6 Months!

You may see some duplicate posts from Andrew's site, but I want to keep everyone in the loop :-) ...












Not loving bananas...

Everyone that knows and loves Andrew can't believe he is already halfway to his first birthday. I can't say it enough that he is such a wonderful baby. Every single day he makes me smile, laugh and be in awe of him. These are some of the reasons why Andrew is such a blessing to us and such a genuinely good baby.

• First, the important stuff--he sleeps through the night at least 8-9 hours every night! :-) He is an early riser a lot of the time, but apparently he got that from his dad!
  
• He nurses and takes a bottle like a champ. Andrew is one lucky baby; he gets breastmilk, formula and now some solid foods. He gets the best of both worlds! I absolutely love nursing him and I am grateful for our special bond we've had.
  
• He smiles and laughs constantly! This is the kid who smiled at the nurse who was about to give him his 6-month shots, barely cried after she did and then smiled at her again before she could get to the next leg for his next shot. Oh, and he even smiled at her on the way out the door! Andrew doesn't hold a grudge. Another good trait from daddy.
  
• He is easily amused. I guess most babies are, but I just love that he can be so content singing with me or just playing on the floor or in the exersaucer by himself.
  
• He can go out shopping with me for hours and never get cranky unless he's hungry or tired. I don't know how many times people have commented about what a good boy he is being. Let's hope he keeps it up when he's older ;-) He tags along to the grocery store, Target or to the mall. He just goes with the flow.
  
• He loves people watching and just being outside. Recently we were sitting outside an outdoor shopping area and he would smile at everyone who walked by on the sidewalk behind us. What a little flirt!

You know I could go on, but you get the picture. He's our sweet, smiley "little angel" (as daddy calls him) and he's the best ever.

Andrew's Website

So I started another website. Like I have time to maintain all of this, but I just can't help myself. The internet is just too much fun :-) You can now visit Andrew's own personal website with photos, videos and journal entries...Go to http://www.andrewthomas410.shutterfly.com/. Shutterfly, Blogger, Kodak Gallery, Picasa, Facebook--I'm everywhere, but like I said, I can't help myself!

Ready for fall

I am SO ready for fall weather. I want to exercise outside again (I want to exercise in general!), I want to actually take the dog for a walk at NOT the crack of dawn (not that I do it that much anyway!) and I want to feel chilly in my bed and snuggle under the covers. As long as I've lived in Arizona (5 years this August), it's always like this. Once the weather cools down, we all forget about how awful the summer was and instead talk about how we love living in AZ.

I wasn't even outside much this summer because I was busy being a new mom, not wanting to take my baby out into this massive heat. Yet still I'm ready for fall and winter in AZ. Living alone makes for some boring days and me and the little man need to get out and about as much as possible.

Speaking of our little man, he is doing wonderful and taking better naps lately. (knock on wood!) I see all of these moms online who are giving their 5-month-old babies sippy cups and bragging about them standing or pulling up and I wonder why they are trying to rush things. I want my baby to be a baby while he's supposed to be. I want to savor this time. That is one blessing about Jeff being gone. I can really focus on Andrew and our time together. I get upset about not being able to share him with his family, but the positive side is that I get extra mommy 'n me time. He's gonna be a mama's boy for sure!

Love to the Brim

Time really does fly because it seems like I just blogged last week! Since I’ve checked in last, Andrew has started at his new babysitter, we’ve flown to IL for a visit with the fam and I sent Jeff off to Egypt. Plus, Andrew will be 5 months old this week!

Since nanny Jess can’t watch Andrew at our house anymore, Andrew is going to an in-home daycare in Chandler which is on my way to work. Tracy is Rachel’s friend and someone who I had met several times and trusted. She has two boys, ages 4 and 6 and also watches several other kids from ages 2-6. They are mostly boys, so Andrew has some new buddies. They absolutely LOVE playing with him and entertaining him and I know he enjoys it, too. Today I rang the doorbell and heard the yelling of “Andrew is here!” behind the door. It was so cute. Tracy enjoys having a little baby and I can tell he likes her. It makes me feel good that he is well taken care of and is having fun. So he goes to Tracy’s Monday through Friday until about 1 p.m. and then he is home with me Thursday and Friday while I work from home.

This past week we went to Illinois to see Grandma and Aunt Beth and we had such a great time! Andrew misses his family and they LOVED having him around. I really cherish our time with them because I get to share the love that is Andrew with them. Being here in AZ, I feel like there is no one here that loves Andrew like I do since Jeff is gone. Sharing Andrew with Grandma, Aunt Beth, my Aunt Judy and my Grandma was so wonderful. Everyone had a fun time. I stayed for several days and then I headed off to Ft. Lewis, Washington to see Jeff one last time before he left for Egypt. Beth watched Andrew and realized how exhausting having a baby can be! She is used to being around kids, but not 24/7! She and her new hubby were so great with him. My mom came over and helped with Andrew too since Beth has 3 kids she watches in her in-home daycare. They were busy ladies that week!

Aunt Beth and Grandma May feeding Andrew during our mall outing.

Andrew got to visit with his Aunt Juli and Grandma Burchfield, too!

Jeff and I had a good time seeing Seattle (Space Needle, Pike’s Place Market, etc) and spending some time together. However, the whole trip was emotionally exhausting. The last night, we went bowling and had some fun. It was our first actual real date in a long time. We had fun and I got to enjoy some adult beverages!

However, Andrew was always on our minds (especially since I had to pump my milk!) and Jeff told me several times to make sure to take good care of our boy and kiss him for him. I wish we could have had 10 more days to have fun and talk more, but he had to leave and I have to be strong.

I flew back to IL September 5 to tear Andrew away from Mom and Beth (they had a plan to keep him!) and get ready for one more tearful goodbye. We flew home yesterday and Andrew did great on both of his plane rides. I am so lucky to have such a good baby!

Jeff made it to Egypt yesterday and is doing well. We have to adjust to the 9-hour time difference! I miss him a lot, but try not to think about it. Andrew keeps me busy luckily and at 5 months old, he is growing and developing rapidly everyday. He loves to be sang to, to be tickled and always loves attention. He is kicking his little legs and babbling constantly. He is going to very active like his parents!

Andrew gives everyone in his life so much love and we couldn’t be happier!

Our 4 Month Sweet Smiley

Andrew is so fun lately with lots of smiling and laughing. Pretty much anyone can get him to flash a big gummy grin these days. And with a little singing and dancing with mommy, he gives precious giggles, too! Some of these photos are from my camera phone, so not great as quality. I added some "serious" shots as well.

I have this one as my cell wallpaper. It makes me so happy!

He was checking himself out in the mirror.

This one makes me laugh and I just want to eat him up.

Just what I needed

When I have a bad day, it's usually followed by a good one.

Lonely tonight, but making my way through

I don't know how it's possible to GET lonely with an almost 4-month old in the house, but it happens and I'm left to the sometimes sad thoughts that enter my head.

My fellow blogger friend who just had her 4th baby one day after Andrew recently posted that being a mom has made her so sentimental. I agree COMPLETELY! I am a blubbering mess just thinking of him and the people he makes me daydream about (most recently Daddy who's away or Grandma and Aunt Beth who I wish lived at least only one state away and not four.) Of course I am an emotional person before motherhood and now it's in full force. I don't know how you couldn't be a sentimental wreck having a newborn. Is that possible?

Of course it really all started during pregnancy. I will always remember sitting in Andrew's nursery a few weeks before he was born, folding clothes and diapers. I casually swung a cloth diaper over my shoulder (just to try it out!) and I was in tears thinking about having my baby there on my shoulder.

Oh, it's so wonderful and these are the moments I have to remember when I start to feel lonely or sad. How can you be sad, Lynn? Look at all you have!

Our Little Man - Weeks 13 & 14

Another nickname from Daddy. He sure is growing into a little man already! Just wanted to share some more photos.

Summer days

It’s been busy around here since we’ve been back from Illinois. We had to say goodbye to Jeff for a while on June 30, but he got to visit us last Sunday through Tuesday. I know Andrew loved spending time with his Daddy if even for a short time. Luckily he showed him how he all out giggles now and of course gave him lots of smiles as he always does. Daddy calls him his sweetheart and he sure is. Sometimes my eyes just well up with tears as I look at a nursing, sleeping or even giggling Andrew and think about how lucky I am.

I have to keep reminding myself how these days, weeks and months away from Jeff will go by fast and Andrew will keep me super busy.

I’m back to work part time and nanny Jess is doing well with a sometimes fussy Andrew. He is still dealing with some reflux issues I think, but it’s trial and error trying to figure out how to make him the most comfortable.

Andrew had his first time in the pool on Tuesday and he liked it! I figured he would be OK with the water, because he’s always liked baths. Luckily I found some swim trunks and a matching shirt on clearance at Kohls. They are so cute! He just needs some sunglasses. He wore a blue camouflage hat that was a little big, but did its job. I think Kellyn either bought this or passed it down from Trent.

We went shopping this afternoon…pajamas, mobile, socks and Baby Einstein toy for Andrew and skirt and tank tops for Mom at Kohls. Topped it off with a Strawberry Lime Chiller from Sonic. My favorite drink lately. Good Saturday so far!

My Baby Sister's Wedding

We had such a wonderful time and our time spent in Illinois was bittersweet as Jeff is off to training in Kansas before his overseas deployment. Here are some highlights of the trip...

Jeff and I enjoying the rehearsal dinner at Avanti's (my favorite Italian place in central IL) Jeff had the pleasure of sitting next to the very talkative pastor :-)

Decorations almost complete at the reception hall. Beth loved her chair covers!

Andrew waiting for his big moment as ring bearer!
Daddy was so good with Andrew during the wedding.

Beth and Bryson on the party trolley going to get pictures in Glen Oak Park.

Me and mom enjoying the dance floor.

Our friends from college (Andrew was with Grandma)