Words

This morning we took Andy to his 1 year Dr apt. We discovered he has a double ear infection, bummer. We suspected he was getting one but didn't know he had full blown in both ears! The Dr was really impressed, though, that he is a year old and has never been on antibiotics....until now of course. But lucky for him, he didn't have to get any shots! We also found out he weighs 24 pounds (90th percentile) and is 32 inches tall (90th percentile). He didn't get the full look over because he was not as happy as he normally would be, especially after the Dr stuck the thing in his ears.

But, tonight, he was laying on his changing table as I was changing him. John walked in and helped me hold him down. He looked directly at John, waived and said "Hi Dad" It was clear as day, and very cute!

While we were on a walk later, Julie and I had this conversation...
Julie: "this is a treat!"
Me: "Yes, it is a treat for me!"
Julie: "No, this is my treat!"
Me: "what do I get for a treat?"
Julie: "A corn dog."
Yum.

Happy Dance

There have been very few things in this crazy parenting adventure so far that I truly dislike. I don't mind changing diapers. Yes, I am happy Julie is potty trained, but it wasn't because I couldn't handle the diapers. I don't mind the smell of baby food, the feeling of spit up down my back or even the three million loads of laundry that have to be done every week. I can handle it all. However, there is one thing that I hated from day one.....


Washing bottles!!

Ahhhh! I hated this long process involving scalding hot water and special brushes and if it wasn't done, ya, that was even worse!!!! Then you had to wash one with one hand because you had a screaming baby on your hip!

But, I am incredibly happy to say, the bottles are gone. Andy has not had one for almost 2 weeks. So they went away.




And I did a happy dance, right there in the driveway!

Happy Birthday Andy!

A year ago today, we became a family of 4! So today marks more than just Andy's first birthday, it is the day our family became what it is, awesome!

Andy woke up at 6:30 this morning. After being serenaded multiple times by his big sister, and having a hearty breakfast, he went back to sleep until 11, when we woke him up for his party!

We did a sports theme, it was very fun! He had a baseball cake decorated by his mommy. Justin and Audrey came over to help bake the cupcakes, then came early and along with Memere we set up for the party and decorated cupcakes. They turned out pretty cute!

Memere gave him a cute little car that he loves! He was so proud of himself sitting up on it!

Uncle Justin made a really fun bean bag toss game called Cornhole. Don't let the name fool you, it was really fun, and not at all inappropriate. Everyone enjoyed playing, even the kids who kept stealing the bags!

Andy got so many great toys and a TON of clothes! The clothes are so appreciated because he is outgrowing things before he can wear them twice! Julie, Dawson, Anabelle and Lina were all huge helps with opening gifts, while Andy kept crawling away. But after everyone left, he played with all his toys and was so happy!

The the time came to give him his first cake. To say he was excited would be an understatement. He could not get the cake into his mouth fast enough. He crammed it in. Julie kept trying to stop him, saying "that is not the way we eat Brother!" But it was his birthday, so she had to let him go. And he did!

So Happy Birthday my big man. I love you more each day. I can not wait to see what the next year will bring and all the amazing things you will do!

Just a Few Days Early...

Andy got his first birthday gift a few days early. I am usually very anti this practice, but, seeing as it will help get the house clean for his party, I went with it!!

This trunk was in the closet at my Memere and Peperes. They kept linens in it, and I think it is awesome! It is wood frame with tin outside, and the yellow part has a cool scroll pattern on it. But, it needed a little....ok, a lot of TLC. TLC I can do! We ripped out the old flower contact paper, patched a few holes, put on a child safety hing, added wheels, new paper, and some new paint...

And what did we get, but a treasure chest fit for the sweetest boy in all the land!

Can't you tell he likes it??

Much Better!

Julie has not been sleeping well. Every night, she would get out of her toddler bed and sleep on the floor. We took this as a sign that perhaps her bed was a little too small. We didn't worry about it too much, but then, one night, we walked in on her attempting to drag the mattress off the bed. OK, we get it. Big girl bed, here we come.

She was very excited she got to help Daddy take apart her old bed. We love that her crib turned into a toddler bed, then into a full bed After getting the special pieces to make her crib a big bed, going to Target and letting her pick out her own bedding and rearranging her room, this is what we have.

She is so happy! We have been reading stories on her bed, she and Andy have been jumping on it, we all snuggle as a family before bed. And the most amazing, and unexpected thing, her behavior has been so much better! She still has a mind of her own, no question, but you can tell that she is sleeping so well that she feels better and is much more agreeable.

Andy loves the bed too, they both use a stool that Pop-pop made to get up on it. Excuse the dirty room, we were still moving stuff around.

I was very surprised at how incredibly sturdy this bed is! A huge added bonus is that we have a guest room in the house again! Julie can easily camp out in our room if anyone wants to come visit!! Thank you so much Grandma and Pop-pop for the final pieces of her big girl bed, Memere for helping with the bedding and Christina and Brian for bringing down the pieces this weekend so we didn't have to pay for shipping! She LOVES her bed and we are all much happier when she is sleeping so well!

To Hold You Over

I have a whole bunch of fun stuff to tell about, but none of it is done yet, so here are a few cute shots to hold you ever!