Copying is the best form of flattery

My friend McCall was a guest blogger on another blog about picture blogging. Not sure if that is the way she describes it. But I loved the idea and thought I would give it a try.

Signature test

I did it! I figured out how to do a signature. It may not be the sharpest lettering for a signature but I am limited in my programs. So here it is! I am so proud of myself.

Funny Story and Good News

Thank goodness last night was a "normal" night for Andrew. He slept the whole night. I needed that and feel like a new person!

When I picked up Andrew yesterday one of his teachers told me the best story. She said that one of the little girl's mom asked if there was an Andrew in the class. His teacher said we have an Andrew. The mom then told her that her little girl has been saying Andrew's name all weekend. In fact, this is the same little girl that kissed Andrew a couple of months ago. I think someone has a crush on my little man. Of course, I can't blame her...he is adorable.



Love, Erin

Curve Ball

I have been thrown a curve ball and it is really throwing me off. Since last Sunday, Andrew has been waking up in the middle of the night with a drenched diaper and he seems to be starving. I change him and feed him and then all is well. This behavior seemed like a classic growth spurt to me. But growth spurts are only supposed to last a few days. We are on day 7 of this. Last night was the worst night. I fed him a good dinner and then gave him his bottle. He didn't wake up until midnight. He didn't even cry at midnight, just moving around. I thought...well since he is a wake let me go change his diaper. It was soaked but that just woke him up even more. It took me 2 hours to get him to sleep again. I ended up feeding him, which put him to sleep immediately. I am very confused if he is really starving at night or if he is training me for more cuddle time. One book I read said he is training me. But if that is the case, then why the full diaper? I have to take care of that so he doesn't sleep in it all night. But my question then is, does he wake up b/c of the diaper and then realizes he is hungry? Or does he wake up hungry and then realize his diaper is over flowing? This is becoming very bothersome for me. Andrew doesn't nap well at day care so I really depend on his night sleeping to catch up. I also read to put him to bed earlier. Then I read he may be getting ready for a milestone, like walking. He is showing signs of walking so that theory seemed valid. I also read about diaper doubles, but of course they don't sell those in Hattiesburg and I need a quick fix. I don't want to wait for shipping. I am so tired right now. I know waking up once a night is not terrible, in fact I should feel lucky. But I am too tired to feel anything but crankiness.

Not only am I dealing with a change in night time sleep patterns, but I am also dealing with his formula Similac being recalled. The reason we use Similac is b/c he didn't like eating the Enfamil formula when I first transitioned him into formula. Thursday I went to target to look at their off brand formula b/c I heard that was good. But it was compared to Enfamil so I didn't get it. However, I saw Enfamil Bedtime Formula and I got it with the hopes it would solve my night time issues and it could also be my way of transitioning into a new formula brand. Well I am a sucker for labels b/c the bed time formula did nothing for me or Andrew. In fact he woke up earlier that night. Geez...I just can't win. I am going to try to look at Wal-mart's off brand today. I think it maybe compared to Similac. I can still by the liquid formula but it is more expensive and I have to refrigerate it after opening which is a pain for when I give him his morning bottle b/c I have to heat it and I really don't need an extra step in the morning.

We went to the MSU game this past weekend. Andrew did amazing. I made a rookie mommy mistake though and didn't pack an extra change of clothes or enough extra diapers for in the game. We had a blow out and I was out of luck with no spare clothes. Lesson learned! We stayed the night in a hotel and Andrew did well except for the night waking. Even after an extra bottle he didn't go to sleep. Finally he fell asleep on me and I was able to put him down (after 2 hours of trying). But after that saga I couldn't calm down enough to sleep myself. However that was the only hiccup to a good weekend and the Bulldogs won so it was even better.

Well that is enough rambling for a Monday morning. Thanks for reading.

Love Erin

Growth Spurt = Tired Momma

Andrew is going through a growth spurt this week. He has woken up between 10:40 and 11:40 pm since Sunday. His diaper is drenched and so is his bed (not sure why this is any different, trying to figure that out) but he is also starving. He has been having a night time meal this week. Sunday night was a bad night b/c I didn't really understand why he was awake since he is usually a great sleeper. Now that I have figured out he is hungry, we can all go back to sleep pretty quickly. Well as quickly as you can when you have to change a diaper, pj's, sheets, and make a bottle and then drink the bottle. This new routine has me very tired. I did a little internet reading about growth spurts and I learned they should only last a couple of days maybe a week. So hopefully this will pass soon. I love that he is growing so I don't really want to complain. I am just a very tired momma this week.

Love Erin

Hump Day

Hump day is here and it by far my favorite work day :) Andrew and I had a FANTASTIC day today playing at work and playing at Mommy and Me. Today Andrew and his friend Brantley were two of the oldest children in the class. Yes, you read that right...my little one who was the youngest not that long ago was crawling and pulling up on everything. He was exploring and having a blast. I am excited for him to be a big kid in the group, but I do get sentimental. I remember the feeling of first going to mommy and me and Andrew would fall asleep in my arms from all the fun we were having. Now there were other babies falling asleep in their momma's arms and it was sweet.



Big news in my world...I got a hair cut. Not sure it is exactly the style I wanted, but it is close. It was easy to fix this morning. I wanted to go short again b/c Andrew is pulling my hair and I always had in a pony tail. This way Andrew has less to pull and my hair may actually look like I took time to fix it.



Here is a picture of Andrew and me playing at work. I am practicing with my iphone camera. In fact all of these pictures are from my iphone. I have been so happy and impressed with my new phone. We sent this picture to Daddy so he would know we were thinking of him.

Pain

I had to go to the dentist yesterday so they could fill in a small cavity. I have never felt so much pain. I had a reaction to the anesthesia that numbed my gum. I felt light headed and shaky. I still don't feel normal and my gum hurts so badly. I had to take a big ibuprofen that I had left over after having Andrew b/c the pain was so fierce. I just did not anticipate hurting this badly. I don't remember this pain from when I was a child and had to get a filling. I haven't had a cavity since I was 10 years old. Honestly, I can't remember how long ago it was. But this is for the birds. I hope I don't have another cavity - ever. I can't take the pain.

Well...I just needed to get that off my chest b/c all I can think about today is my gum throbbing. Oh and the pain is definitely giving me a headache. What a terrible way to start the week.

Love Erin

Life at the Beach

We went to the beach this weekend with the Munton's. Owen's sister Abby flew in for the weekend as well. It was one of the most relaxing weekends, yet I am exhausted from all of the relaxing.

While we were at the beach I got my iphone activated. I bought it two weeks ago but couldn't activate it until I had Abby's phone. Long story but we used each others upgrades so I needed her phone. Last night my parents and I video called each other b/c my dad has the iphone 4 as well. I still can't believe that really happened. I remember video phones being a futuristic idea and one that would not actually happened. However last night two people in two different states were talking via video on a cell phone! That is still so crazy to me.

Back to the fun we had at the beach. We played in the pool, we napped, we ate delicious food, and we played in the sand. That was just the Saturday fun. :) We repeated all of that on Sunday as well. We did not want to come home.

Enjoy the pictures...

Mommy and Me Returns

Yesterday Andrew and I started Mommy and Me again. It was so fun to see our friends. I think Andrew had forgotten what Mommy and Me was...he seemed very skeptical of the day. He missed his morning nap which made him very sleepy. I am not sure how we can adjust to having a busy morning in order for him to enjoy Mommy and Me. I on the other hand enjoyed it very much. We did our normal routine with the songs and we had time to catch up with the mommies. It is amazing how much can change in a month. We took a group picture of the babies b/c they have all changed. We wanted to remember yesterday to see how much they grow in 6 weeks.


The group picture of Andrew's class


Andrew at Mommy's work

All in all yesterday was a very good day. I am so glad I get to have Wednesday mornings with my little man.

Seafood Festival

I saw an advertisement for Biloxi's Annual Seafood Festival. We like an adventure on the weekends so we packed up the car and headed South. When we got there it started to rain so we decided to stay in the car and feed Andrew. Then we realized we may have a good hour to walk around the festival while the rain held off, so we did. In a recap this day was a lot more fun in my head than in reality. The festival was not big. There were no unique booths. I was hoping to find one of kind Christmas gifts...no such luck. We also did not eat anything because we got to Biloxi at 2 pm. Our plan was to leave at 10 am and get there for lunch, but the little man decided to take a 3 hour nap so we left later than we had hoped. But in hindsight it was good we did not plan a meal around the festival b/c it was your typical festival food (chicken on a stick). All in all it was fun to get out of Hattiesburg and stretch our legs in a different city.

Andrew excited about our adventure


Ok...maybe not...it is hot


Best part of the day...a pina-colada in a coconut


Love Erin

9 months old

I can't believe I haven't written about Andrew turning 9 months old. This week has been an odd week for me. I guess b/c I had Monday off. I am ready for a fall break. Too bad I don't get those anymore. I am taking next Friday off to go to the beach with Owen's family, so I guess that could count as a fall break. I definitely need to be rejuvenated.

Andrew turned 9 months old 9/3/10. He will be a toddler before I know it.



Here are some Andrew facts this month:
* He is crawling now with his belly off the ground however his preferred method is the army crawl.
* He pulls up on anything and everything.
* We got rid of our coffee table so he has more room to crawl in our living room.
* He has said MAMA!!! Yes he has said it. And he does not say it out of the blue like he does with dada. He screams Mama when he wants something. How does he know this tactic at such an early age? He says mama when he is tired, hungry, or just upset.

This is Andrew upset at the game. This expression doesn't happen often. I love how this picture captures his emotions. He was a very sleepy baby at this point.

* He is eating 4 formula bottles (8 oz) a day (every 4 hours).
* He has 3 meals a day (breakfast at 8:30 am, lunch at 12:30 pm, and dinner at 5:00 pm). He also has one juice cup a day. This schedule has really been working for him.
* I still try to feed him grown up food that I puree, but I don't as often as I would like to.
* He had school pictures today. This is his 2nd set of school pictures. I can't wait to see how they turn out.
* He babbles constantly and loves to laugh.
* He likes to play hide and seek. We hide behind our ottoman in the living room and he tries to find us.
* He doesn't sit still long enough to read books. He just wants to eat the book. I still attempt to read to him.
* He goes to sleep at 6:30 pm and sleeps until 5:00 but stays in his bed until 6:00 am.
* He takes 2-3 naps a day. He takes 3 naps on weekends, but at day care he takes 2.
* He has 6 teeth (4 top and 2 bottom)
* He is 20 lbs and 13 oz (55%)
* He is 28 3/8 inches long (50%)
* His head circumference is 18 inches (65%)
* He give the BEST neck hugs
* And he still seems to be a momma's boy (which I absolutely love)


Andrew on the move


Playing with Dad

First Game (Go Dawgs)

We took Andrew to his first MSU football game. This day was a perfect day. The weather was amazing, the family fellowship was long overdo and seeing my little man at a football game gave me such happiness. The game was at 6 pm and we weren't able to get a hotel room so we stayed the day. We left after the first quarter and listened to the game on the way home. Andrew is such a trooper. He amazes us at how adaptable he can be. I can't wait for the next home game (at the end of the month). It does help that MSU opened the season with an amazing win.

Enjoy the pictures!

09.02.10 DAY!!!

Yesterday was 90210 day! I wish I had known this sooner. I would have taken the day off from work and watched a marathon of Beverly Hills 90210. Luckily I still get to watch it on the Soap network for Breakfast in Bed on the weekends. Well, that is before I had Andrew and he doesn't sit still long enough for me to watch it. But I do have 3 or 4 seasons on dvd. Oh what a day...I have so many memories of watching this show as a pre-teen wishing I looked like Kelly Taylor.



My neighborhood friend Erin would tape them and we would watch them while playing uno. Those were the days. My next memory is my friend Melanie and I would watch re-runs in the lobby of Callaway Hall as freshmen. It was a 3:00 ritual and I loved every minute of it. During college I had a professor who swore I looked like Donna Martin.



I didn't really take that as a compliment at the time, however in a recent facebook doppleganger week I choose Tori Spelling as the famous person that looks like me. Sometimes I see it and sometimes I don't.

Oh! I had the biggest crush on Dylan McKay...in fact I watched the movie "8 seconds" just because Luke Perry (Dylan) was in it. The funny thing is now when I watch 90210, I don't even think he is cute.



I can't get into the new generation of 90201 that is on now. It doesn't compare to the original. This show truly sums up apart of my adolescents. Maybe that is why I love watching it today. Who knows...but what I do know is I still love this show like I did before reruns!

So happy late 90201 day everyone!!!

Love Erin

It's Here

Friday that is...Yippee is all I can say about that. This week has felt like an eternity. Why? Because I am anxiously awaiting two things. First one is Andrew is 9 months old today which means a doctor's visit. I can't wait to see how my little boy is doing and get a clean bill of health (hopefully). Second reason I am excited today is Friday is b/c tomorrow is game day at State! I can't wait to take Andrew to his first game. He has a cute outfit and I am ready to take pictures and show him the real bulldog. He has a play bulldog that we have been playing with and I keep telling him that on Saturday he will get to meet the real bulldog.

I have a feeling this will be a very good weekend.

Love Erin