Father's Day Weekend

We had a fun weekend for Father's Day. My parents came in on Saturday so it was nice visiting with them. Andrew keeps changing and growing that I am glad my parents came to visit so they can see him in all of his new phases.

On Sunday we met up with Owen's parents and went to out to eat. It was nice having all of our dads together in one place.



Again, it was a good family weekend - my favorite weekends actually.

Andrew is going to be a big brother

I am so happy to write that we are going to have another little one in our family. This will make us a sweet family of four plus our furry doggie son. This pregnancy is a true blessing and one that is already very different than Andrew. With Andrew, I thought we would never have him. Month after month I prayed for a baby and finally with the perfect timing he was brought into our lives. I feel like this baby knew he wanted to be apart of our family immediately and wasted no time to make an appearance and we couldn't be happier. Just like with Andrew we haven't done any early preparing because we like to wait to know if we are having a boy or a girl. I think we will find out in early August if we will have a son or daughter. Then the planning will begin. :)

We told our families on Mother's Day weekend. I made sure my mom would come visit us (my dad had to work that weekend) and Owen's mom had us over for Mother's Day lunch (actually on Saturday, not on Sunday). Owen's sister surprised her mom and came into town as well that weekend. When we got there Andrew was wearing an outfit he wore to a birthday party. Then we changed him into his big brother shirt. He walked out into the kitchen for the grandmoms to see him. Grandy (Owen's mom) got it immediately and my mom read it but thought it was a shirt we got from Andrew's cousins. It was a fun, memorable moment when both grandmoms figured out that we were going to have another baby. I cried...because I am emotional all the time. It was such a happy moment.

Since then we have kept our news a secret. We had our 3rd doctor's visit last Monday (6/6/11) and all was well so we started telling people last week. Telling people is fun because it has been a hard secret to keep. This baby will be born sometime around Christmas, so I am 11-12 weeks pregnant.

I am feeling good. I am getting bigger faster, which is a little upsetting, but I think some of it has to be with my metabolism slowing down just from being older. I am constantly hungry so I am eating more and gaining weight. Not too much fun. I am going to the gym at least 3 times a week during lunch. I don't know...I hope I am doing something good by going.

Again, we are excited to share our news now and can't wait to write about what the future holds for us as our family grows from three to four!

18 Months Old

Someone turned a year and a half last Friday. As always, I am a little taken a back that my baby boy is now 18 months old. How and when did this happen are questions I frequently ask myself. Good news is, Andrew is healthy, happy and learning new things daily. I could not be more impressed with him.

We had his 18 month doctor visit on Friday and Andrew now realizes that shots hurt and to start screaming the minute the nurse walks in the room. On the way to the doctor he was actually saying "doctor" in a chant. I thought this could go well...but not so much. He started crying when I put him on the standing scale to get weighed in. He was skeptical of the visit from that point on.

Andrew is 27 lbs.
He is 32 5/8 inches tall.
His head circumference is 19 1/4 inches.

All of his statistics are in the 60-70 percentile.

Some fun things about Andrew this month:
* He is walking up and down stairs easier - I can tell his legs are getting longer.
* His vocabulary is increasing. He is not afraid to try new sounds and will sometimes sing along to a song.
* He babbles a lot and tells us the most fascinating stories - too bad we don't understand the babble language.
* He is still a MOMMY's boy - yes, MOMMY is in caps b/c I want to remember how much he needs me around him 100% of the day. Poor daddy gets tears and screams for momma when he interacts with Andrew on simple tasks like eating, bed time, getting dressed, etc...Andrew prefers I do all of that. Which I do love and adore...but I know Daddy wants to help as well.

Here are a couple of stories I want to remember:
* Last Sunday we went to Sonic to get a milk shake treat. When we pulled up to order, I asked Andrew if he wanted strawberry or chocolate. He said banana. I said, you want a banana milk shake. He said yea, yea. So a banana milk shake he got and he drank all of it. I could not believe I just had a conversation with my son about a milk shake.
* Monday morning when we pulled up to day care. He wanted to walk (I always carry him in). So he held my hand and we walked into the school. Then he let go of my hand and went straight to his classroom. Again, I could not believe my baby knew exactly where to go and that he wanted go on his own.
* We are taking swimming lessons this week. Really it is a survival course. Andrew's favorite part is jumping off the side of the pool. I think he would do that for hours if I let him.

Here is a video of him practicing with his spoon. This morning he ate cheerios with a spoon and did really well.

could it be?

I watched Oprah's final show last night. It was good. I liked that she was the only guest. I liked that she talked to us, she said good-bye to us - her viewers. If you know me well, you know that I have enjoyed watching Oprah since I was a teenager. I used to think I would be on her show one day. I tried to get tickets to a show a few years ago with no luck. Well, one of the last things Oprah said in her last show was to email her and that she would actually read these emails and respond. So this morning, I wrote to her. I thought if I didn't make it to a show...maybe I could have a piece of her legacy in the form of an email. And you know what? She emailed me back. It does sound like a form email, but I will take it for now. It actually made my day...

One Lucky Girl

I am 32 years old now. Yep...had the birthday on Friday. I did not take the day off so I worked, but was flooded with birthday messages from facebook that kept the festivities going for me through out the day.

Owen and I went out Thursday for dinner and Friday for lunch. We tried a new hibachi grill for lunch and it was fantastic. Owen brought home a cookies and cream ice cream cake on Friday and we enjoyed that for 3 days.

Saturday we kept the birthday celebration going and went to Gulfport to outlet mall shop. I had a specific item in mind for my birthday present and was lucky enough to find it - A New Purse!! Then we went to eat an Italian restaurant on the coast that was one of the best Italian meals I have had in a long time. Everything we tasted was delicious. Definitely a restaurant that deserves a 2nd visit.

After lunch we came home and my birthday officially ended...but that is ok. I think this is going to be a year of changes and growth for our family. My prayer is for new and exciting things to happen for my family. I am not sad about being 32, I keep hearing your 30's are the best decade and I am going to embrace that train of thought.

I do have one more celebration tonight. I am going out to a birthday dinner with my friend Amanda, which should be a good time.

Love, Erin

Tough Week

What a week! Andrew started a new class this week at his daycare. I did not anticipate this being a hard transition. But, it has been. Monday morning was terrible. He cried like he was being tortured. But Monday afternoon was worse. The moment he saw me he started screaming my name and his face turned red. He was sitting in a high chair and I couldn't get the snaps undone fast enough. He clinched onto my shoulder and cried until he realized I was taking him home. At home, he was just so sad. He did not want me to put him down - so I didn't.

The next morning he woke up happy until it was time to eat breakfast and then the clinging and tantrum began. He only wanted to eat while sitting in my lap. I gave in thinking he may not feel well (he is getting in a lot of teeth, so I know they were hurting him). But the moment he got his way, he was happy again and not acting sick - so I was out smarted. When we pulled up to his daycare and parked, Andrew started crying. This has never happened. When we got to the room, he cried louder. I have been heartbroken these past two days leaving a crying baby. I did call both Monday and Tuesday and they told me he was great and having a good day. When I picked him up yesterday he ran to me and said "mama" in the saddest voice. I actually picked him up early b/c we had his 6 month check for his tubes at the ENT. The moment the doctor walked in the door my baby Andrew started trembling and crying. Just like the title states - it has been a rough week. Luckily his tubes look great! His tonsils and adenoids are huge - potential future surgery. The doctor gave Andrew a sucker and from that point on he was happy. UNTIL, we get home and have to eat dinner. The Oscar winning tantrum resurfaces and he does not want to eat in his high chair. This time I was strong about it and he cried for less than 5 minutes - I know b/c the oven timer was on. After his melt down and realization I was not picking him up, he settled down and ate a great dinner. AND THEN, we had a baby sitter come over b/c Owen and I went to to a realtor's award banquet. Andrew did not like this idea. He clinched on my shoulders and would scream if our babysitter or Owen tried to take him away...so for the 3rd time this week I have left my baby screaming and crying. It's been a tough week for me too.

However, we had success this morning! No crying when he had to sit in his high chair to eat, he actually let Owen feed him breakfast, and he only got upset for a minute when I dropped him off today. No tears...just a little unhappy. Yea for progress!!!

We have the same babysitter coming on Thursday so Owen and I can go to a Art for Heart auction downtown...hopefully since it the same lady he will be ok on Thursday. I know I have said this before, but this week has been hard on me.

Fun Weekend in NOLA

Saturday we decided to make a day trip to New Orleans to visit the aquarium. Andrew seems to be aware of fish so we thought he would enjoy it. He did enjoy it but became fidgety pretty quickly. Never the less it was a fun thing to do. At the end of the aquarium there was a kid zone and he was able to run around and stretch his legs. Here is a picture of Andrew and me in the kid zone.

This picture makes me smile. It was a good day.

No shirt, No Shoes, but Service Please

It has been a week since my last blog post. I haven't felt that talkative this past week so I guess that is why I have taken a short break.

When we come home from work and play school (my new phrase for day care, that I am stealing from a friend) Andrew likes to go out on our patio and help me water the plants. He also loves opening and closing our screen door. Then we go get the mail and walk around the house exploring and looking for cats. He meows at them and one of them actually responds to him. The cats belong to our next door neighbor. She has 2-4 of them.
Yesterday we did all of that and decided to go outside one more time before bed time and eat a cookie. Here is my sweet baby boy (and Ralphie) enjoying life to the fullest!

17 MONTHS

Andrew is 17 months old! As always, I can't believe he is toddler. I took these pictures on my phone yesterday...he is always on the move so it is hard to get a clear picture.

He is learning and doing so much these days that it is hard to write down everything.
* He is going through a mommy only phase right now. I love it, but it is making Owen sad. Even when I drop him off at daycare he clings to my legs and cries. His teachers tell me he gets over it pretty quickly when I leave.
* I pick Andrew up between 4:15 and 4:30 in the afternoons. His teachers tell me that he starts to say mama at 4:00 pm every day and waits by the gate for me to come around the corner.
* His vocabulary is increasing by the day and will try to say anything you say
* He has become interested in trains and likes to say "choo choo" whenever he sees a train.
* When it is time for bath, I say "Andrew it is bath time"...he stops what he is doing and trots to the stairs. Then he starts saying "choo choo" b/c he knows we read a train book before bed time. He is now letting me rock him before bed time. We say our night prayer and I sing to him and then I put him in his crib. This is a new change b/c I used to have to get up and sway with him. I am personally loving the rocking routine. I tend to stay a little longer since we are sitting down.
* He officially has 8 teeth (4 top and 4 bottom) and two top molars have been trying their hardest to fully break through. He has been "growing" those top molars for a month now. I just noticed his bottom two molars peeping through also. I can tell he is in pain but he is a strong boy about it.
* Andrew still adores Ralphie. He gives Ralphie hugs and kisses every day. I like watching the two of them grow up together.
* He loves to be outside. In fact it can sometimes be a battle to get him to come inside.
* He is developing his own opinion and can tell you "no" by shaking his head.
* He started saying "help me" over Easter weekend. He says it in the appropriate context too...it is so funny and I am not sure where he got it from.

We are so in love this little boy. I love getting him up the mornings. He is funny and I enjoy watching him learn, discover and think. He is absolutely a joy!

cousins!

This past weekend my mom's side of the family had a reunion. It was fun seeing people I had not seen in a while. I really was excited to go because Andrew would get to play with his cousins from Memphis. Ella is 4 months older than Andrew so I enjoy seeing them play together. Emma, the big sister is my God daughter so I definitely like spending time with her.


Andrew, Ella and Emma


Emma and Andrew are "pretending" to take a nap

I love making family memories.