Our Growing Garden

It is so much fun watching our garden grow. And now we are getting to eat the fruits of our labor. Our romaine lettuce is ready, and we have enjoyed eating some of it. And our raspberries are starting to be ready as well. Yum, yum! Andrew really likes eating the berries. Last week I took him with me to pick some of them. He was taking them out of the bowl and eating them as fast as I was putting them in the bowl. At least they are good for him. :) I can't wait until we get to eat more things from our garden.

Splish Splash

For Andrew's birthday my parents' good friends Pam and Dean gave us a little kiddie pool. It is a little turtle, and it even has a sunshade and it sprays from the top of his head. Andrew had lots of fun splashing in the water. I don't know what he thought of the spraying water. He kept his head down and was trying to "catch" the water as it went down the side of the pool. We had fun splishing and splashing and beating the heat.

Happy 1st Birthday Andrew!!!

Wow! Where has this year gone? It is hard to believe that our precious baby is one year old now! He is leaving the baby stage and entering toddler-dom. We have been so blessed with Andrew. He is a wonderful baby, and so easy going. The only struggle we have had is over his sleeping, but that is mostly behind us now. He is so much fun. He loves to laugh, and we love to laugh with him. We are looking forward to many more years with our sweet little boy, and can't wait to see how God molds and shapes him.
Yesterday we took this shot of Andrew since Micah took a similar one on the day we brought him home from the hospital. It really shows how much he has grown!
For his birthday present we gave him a Harley Davidson motorcycle wooden rocker. We hope he has lots of fun with it. (And Mommy hopes this is the closest he gets to owning a motorcycle.)

1st Birthday BBQ

On Sunday we celebrated Andrew's 1st birthday. His actual birthday is June 26th, but my mom and dad were leaving to go to Brazil on a mission trip, and we wanted them to be able to be here for his party.
We had lots of fun with family and friends, and Andrew did really well with all the people and excitement. I was a little nervous that he would get overwhelmed, but he didn't. My mom made him this awesome cake with cute animals on it.
Andrew didn't know what to think of the cake at first, but once he got a taste of the frosting he dug in and enjoyed eating his cake.

Fixing the Deck

Last week Micah and our friend Steve worked on fixing our deck. A couple of months ago we noticed that some of the parts were rotted or rusted and needed to be replaced. They spent three days taking out the old crossbeams under the deck and replacing them, as well as replacing the concrete footings that held up the posts. Andrew had lots of fun watching the action. He also liked the power tools and enjoyed touching them (when they were off, of course). It is nice to know our deck is safe, and not have to worry it is going to fall to pieces. Micah and Steve did a fabulous job!

Fun in the Sun

Last week when it was so hot I wanted to let Andrew go for a little swim to cool off. He loves the bath, so I figured he would love to go for a dip. But we don't have a kiddie pool, so I had to improvise. I store the clothes he has grown out of in plastic storage tubs, and thought that one of them would be a perfect pool. Andrew had fun splashing around and playing with his beach toys. It was a great way to cool off on those sweltering days.

When You Give a Baby a Cookie...

Yesterday I made some cookies, and Andrew was in a bad mood after he woke up early from his nap, so I thought I would give him a little piece of a cookie. He LOVED it, of course. And he had fun getting his face all messy from the melting chocolate.

Our Garden

We got some tomato starts and they have already grown so much. I can't wait to taste tomatoes straight from the vine.
Here are some more pictures of our garden. Things have really started growing. I took these pictures almost a week ago, and already I can see that our garden has really taken off since I took these. The lettuce has gotten a lot bigger, as well as the carrots, butternut squash and green beans. Our corn has not fared so well, we only have one lone stalk coming up. Thankfully Micah's uncle is thinning out his garden and offered us his corn that he needs to take out, so we will plant those in our garden. Our cucumbers didn't come up the first go around, so a few days ago I planted some more and they have already started to come up. We have had unusually hot weather here lately, so I think that has helped things grow. Last week we hit the 90s on a couple of the days. I am looking forward to when we can start harvesting and eating our veggies!

A Day at the Beach

The weather has been so nice lately, so some of my friends and I met at the beach for some fun in the sun. Andrew didn't like the sand at first, but once he warmed up to the idea he had fun wiggling his toes in it. We had a nice time of chatting with friends, eating a picnic lunch and watching the kids play. Towards the end of our time Andy and Jack had some fun playing together. They were kind of "throwing" a golf ball back and forth. It was so much fun to watch them together.Andrew munching on his banana. Lyndsay and Jack. Becky, Maddie and Ben. Andrew and Jack playing together.

Bathing in the Sink

For a while now I have been wanting to give Andrew a bath in the sink. It is getting harder and harder to give him a bath in the tub. He likes to turn onto his tummy and squirm around. The other night I noticed the sink was empty, and thought it was a perfect opportunity for a bath in the sink. And I have no idea why I thought it would be easier to give him a bath in the sink, but boy was I wrong. He wanted to climb out of the sink and get the plants that are in our garden window. He also tried to grab everything in his reach that was on the counter. He had a fun time, but I think we will stick to baths in the tub.

Woodland Park Zoo

One of the days we were watching Zach we decided to go to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. We have been wanting to take Andrew and figured it would be fun to go while we were watching Zach. My mom came with us and helped out with the two boys. It was a beautiful day to be at the zoo. We saw lots of animals, and had fun watching them. The otters were a lot of fun to watch. They kept swimming down to try to get a fish they saw at the bottom. And we saw the penguins, which are new to the zoo. Andrew was not too interested in the animals. Sometimes he would look and watch them, but he was more interested in all the people. I can't wait to take him when he gets older and can enjoy the animals.

Babysitting Zach

For the last three days we have been watching Zach, Micah's cousin's son. She is out of town, and we got to watch him during the day. It was kind of fun seeing how it would be having two kids. It actually wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Zach was really good at playing by himself, and even entertaining Andrew at times.
We did find out that it is a tight squeeze to fit 2 kids, 2 car seats, 2 adults, 2 diaper bags and 2 strollers in our car. I ended up having to sit in the back between the car seats, and it was not comfy. We will need to buy a minivan or a bigger car before our second one comes along.

Video of Andrew Walking

As promised, here is a video of Andrew walking. Micah just set him down a few paces away, and Andrew was able to walk to him. My mom's voice is in the background.

Hiding Out

Andrew likes getting under things and hiding. He also likes it when we act like we are going to "get him". We tickle him, and he giggles. It is a game we both like to play.He crawled under the dining room table and used the chairs to pull himself up. An added bonus was he found our kitty, Leo. He now likes to pull out Leo's hair and eat it. This is not a habit I like, and Leo really does not like it.

Ready for Kindergarten?

On Sunday during church I took Andrew to be with the kids so we wouldn't disturb the teaching time. During the story time I put Andrew in a chair to listen. I was surprised that he actually sat and listened for a few minutes before he wanted to get down. Hopefully in a few years he will be ready for Kindergarten, and ready to sit and have a good attention span.

Funny Faces

Andrew has so much fun with our coffee table. It is one that we got from our good friends Michael and Lyndsay. It has a glass top. Andrew sometimes tries to stand up under it, or grab things from underneath. He doesn't realize how glass works, he just thinks he can see through it so he should be able to go through it too. The other day Micah was putting his face up against the glass so Andrew could see him. Then Andrew started pushing his face up against the glass, and he was making the best faces, it was too funny.

Family Bike Ride

It was a beautiful day last Friday so we decided to go for our first ever family bike ride. We went down to the Green River trail down at the bottom of our hill. Andrew had fun riding in his little bike trailer.

Our Little Garden

Last week we worked on putting in a garden. Micah rototilled the garden to get the soil ready. Then he put in the pathways. Later in the week while Andrew took his morning nap we started planting. We are growing carrots, lettuce, broccoli, green beans, butternut squash, pumpkin, corn, zucchini, cucumber and acorn squash.
Andrew had fun getting in the dirt. He even tasted it, and enjoyed putting rocks in his mouth.
We are so excited to grow our own vegetables, and can't wait until they start growing. The other night we went to check on the garden since we have been getting LOTS of rain. Everything looked okay, and the romaine lettuce was even starting to sprout up.

Andrew is Walking...well, almost

Yesterday Andrew took his first steps on his own. He is still a bit unsteady, and has fallen many times. Thankfully he has learned how to fall without hurting himself. He can catch himself with his arms and he rolls to the side. It is too funny. His first step on his own was when he was holding onto the coffee table and let go to walk toward Micah who was sitting on the couch. Then later Micah and I sat on the floor and took turns having Andrew walk to us. He was able to take up to four steps on his own without us touching him.
Later in the evening my mom and dad came over to drop off their van for us to use. Of course we had to show Grandma and Grandpa our new skill. And Andrew was able to take a few steps and walk to Grandma.
No pictures yet, I kept trying to get some video, but every time I tried was when he would fall or he would try to get the camera. I will keep trying. I'm sure he will be getting better each day, which makes me excited and nervous at the same time. When he gets more mobile he will be able to get into more trouble, and be more active. I'm not looking forward to that.

Little Friends

This last week we got to spend some time with other babies who are close to Andrew's age. Jack is only three weeks older than Andy, and Hannah is exactly a week younger. It is always fun to see Andrew with Jack and Hannah since they are so close in age. They are doing a lot of the same things, and yet they are each so different and have their own individual personalities. They are all so adorable!

Mommy's Food

Andrew is getting to the stage where he wants to eat what we are eating, and refusing to eat his pureed baby food. The other morning I had torn up some little pieces of toast and put them on his high chair. I had the other half of the toast on a paper towel on the kitchen table. While I was getting my breakfast ready Andrew had snatched the paper towel and pulled it onto the high chair. He was eating the half of the piece of toast just like he sees mommy eat her toast. It was too funny!
Then this morning I was eating a muffin, and I gave him little pieces. I put the other half on his tray to see what he would do. Of course he picked it right up and started taking bites.

Saturday in Leavenworth

This weekend Micah was in a relay race in Wenatchee, so on our way there we stopped in Leavenworth for lunch. We went there for our honeymoon and haven't had a chance to go back since then. It was fun walking around the streets lined with cute Bavarian style buildings. And Micah was excited about having sausage and sauerkraut for lunch. Then we ended our time there with some gingerbread from the Gingerbread Factory.

Caged In

Our friend Becky gave us their baby gate. We got it at the perfect time because Andrew is starting to explore more and more. And he is so interested in the stairs and wants to go down them. Now we can feel okay about the stairs.

Little Paper Eater

Andrew loves to eat paper. I don't know why, but whenever he sees paper he wants to eat it and chew on it. So I wasn't too surprised this morning when I got out of the shower and found him like this.

Tea Party

Last week we went to tea at the Queen Mary with my mom and aunt Lynette. We had so much fun. Even Andrew had fun, he loved trying the tea too. It was a nice time for us to just chat and enjoy all of the goodies.

Going to the Park

When the weather was nice last weekend we went to the little park that is by my mom and dad's house. Andrew and Grandma had fun exploring and playing.

Happy Easter! He is Risen!!!

We had a wonderful Easter. In the morning we gave Andrew his Easter basket and then headed off to church. The rest of the day was spent over at my parents' house where we had a fabulous meal with my dad's side of the family. It was a great day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and to spend time with family.

Trip to North Dakota

A couple of weeks ago we flew out to Fargo, ND to spend some time with Micah's family. We had a nice, long weekend together. This was the first time we got to see our new niece, Violet. She is now 5 months old. It was fun to try and get Andrew and Violet to play together. I think they will have more fun together when everyone comes to Seattle in July.
It was also neat to be able to spend some time with Micah's grandpa. He is so good with Andrew, and Andrew loves watching him play his harmonica.

First Bike Ride

Last weekend we went to a charity auction for Step by Step (a non-profit that a close friend works for that helps low income moms.) We ended up bidding on some items, and won them! One of the things we got was a jogging stroller/bike cart. We got it at a great price, and Micah was so excited to be able to take Andrew on some bike rides.
He was so excited that he had to try it out. So he hitched it up and took Andrew for a spin (or actually 10) around the block. It was great because Andrew did not take a great nap, so he was able to take a short nap in the little cart while Micah was going around the neighborhood. When it gets to be nicer outside we are going to all go out for a ride together.

Cute Random Pictures

Here are some fun pictures of Andrew from the last couple of weeks.

Fun in the Tub

Andrew is so much fun in the bathtub. He loves to get baths. Now when we have finished getting him all clean we let him play for a couple of minutes. One of my friends gave us some bath toys, and Andrew loves them! Of course he puts everything in his mouth, so the bath toys are no different. He also likes to splash in the water.

First Tooth!

Last week Andrew had his first tooth break through. It is the one on the bottom left. Hopefully you can see it in the picture. We have been waiting and waiting for him to get his first tooth. We have friends that have babies around Andrew's age and they have had some teeth for a little while now. So we were wondering when Andrew would get his. Although, now that he has it we have to be careful if he gets our finger in his mouth. We have had him bite down a little too hard, and with that little tooth it sure can hurt. But now it means it is easier for him to eat solid foods.

My Studly Husband

Yesterday Micah went on the Chilly Hilly bike ride around Bainbridge Island. It was a 33 mile ride that goes up and down A LOT of hills. He had lots of fun, and even said it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. And he said he saw some dads with their kids either on a tandem bike or hauling them behind them. Maybe Andy will get to go on a bike ride with Daddy in a couple of years.

New Foods

Now that Andrew is nearing 8 months he has gotten to try some new and exciting foods. He has had Multigrain Cheerios and mangoes so far, soon he will get to try yogurt, cheese and chicken. On Friday I got together with my friend Lyndsay and we made two chicken dinners (one with peaches and one with applesauce). Andy will get to try some chicken tomorrow, I'm curious to see what he thinks about it. He has loved the Cheerios since he gets to pick them up and feed himself. It is fun to watch since his dexterity isn't all there yet. He ends up getting most of the Cheerios in the highchair rather than in his mouth, but he sure has fun trying.
It was fun to hang out with Lyndsay and the boys. Jack and Andy are getting so big. They even played on the floor together while we were making some of their food. Well, they didn't really play "together", it was more Jack taking things from Andy and Andy watching Jack and smiling at him. But it was fun to watch them interact.

The Lion King

On Thursday we celebrated Christmas and Valentine's Day. Micah got me tickets to the Lion King for Christmas, and it was finally our show date. Before the show we went to a crepe restaurant for lunch. I love crepes, and we finally found a good crepe place in Seattle. It is the Crepe Cafe and Wine Bar, and they have yummy crepes. We had a nice lunch, and then headed to the show. The Lion King is amazing. The costumes are so incredibly fabulous. I kept wishing Andrew was old enough to go, there were lots of kids there. It was a nice day for me and Micah to spend some alone time together and do some fun stuff.

Andrew Update

Andrew has been doing some new things lately, and it is so much fun to watch. Here are some of the things he is doing:
1. When he sees our cat, Leo, he makes a sound and it is the same sound each time, and he only uses it when he sees Leo. It is kind of a little growl.
2. He scoots around on his tummy, but doesn't go forward yet.
3. He loves to walk with us holding on to his hands. We put him in his walker, and he likes it, but he would rather walk with us.
4. Grandma taught him how to "kick" a ball. When he is walking with us we can say "kick" and he will try to kick the ball in front of him. It is so adorable.
5. He is trying out new sounds and likes to say "ba, ba, ba" when he is happily playing. His favorite toy right now is this Fisher Price toy table. He loves to stand.

Great Grandpa Visits

A couple of weeks ago Micah's grandpa from North Dakota came out to Seattle for a visit. We got a call on a Friday night saying he was in town, so the next day we went and picked him up from his brother's house. He came to our house and spent the night. We really enjoyed having him stay with us. On Sunday we went down to Micah's grandparent's house in Auburn to visit with them a little. And of course we had to get a picture of Andrew with three of his great grandparents.

I love my Wife and Son! They are beautiful.

Love,

Micah

Napping Update

A little while ago I posted that we were trying the cry it out method to have Andrew learn how to put himself to sleep. Well, now he is doing much better. We adjusted his schedule a bit and now he is sleeping about 10 hours a night and taking 2 naps a day (usually they are 1 and a half hours each). It has been wonderful! Although we have had some bumps along the way. Whenever we have a few days where he gets off his schedule or if he has taken a nap in the car, then we get thrown off and he will wake up early. But it is so nice that he is sleeping through the night now, and he is napping much better. Praise God!

San Diego in 24 Hours

We celebrated our anniversary this week by going down to San Diego. It is always tough to celebrate on anniversary since it is Dec. 28th so we usually celebrate it sometime later. This year we decided we wanted to go somewhere warm and sunny. We didn't have a whole lot of time so we only went down for one night. It reminded us of the time we went to San Fransisco with some friends for 24 hours, and we had a lot of fun.Andrew enjoying the plane ride (he had just finished his sweet potatoes he had for lunch).
We stayed at a cute hotel called Humphrey's Half Moon Inn. It is Hawaiian style and had lots of tropical plants (which made us think of my brother, Justin) and they even had tiki torches they lit at night. It was a fun place to stay.
We really enjoyed the sunshine, and palm trees. When we got to the hotel we changed into our shorts/capris and went out for the day. First we took a stroll in the park across the street from our hotel. Andrew got to sit up in his stroller for the first time. (He is usually in his car seat that attaches to the stroller.)

Then we headed to a local Mexican restaurant for lunch/dinner. We had yummy chicken enchilades and Andrew had green beans, and he couldn't get enough of them.
Next we hopped on a bus and headed to the beach. We got there just in time to watch the sunset. The beach was so nice, it would be fun to be there when it is warmer. We even saw some surfers trying to catch their last wave.
The next day we took a walk around Shelter Island where we were staying, and then enjoyed lunch at the restaurant at the hotel. We had a great time, and wished we could have stayed longer.

Pillow ribbons

I was trying to entertain Andrew as he was getting tired tonight. I placed him on the couch next to Leo, our cat. They both started playing with, and chewing on the ribbons of a pillow. I thought it was so cute I should try to get video of it. So after turning on the camera, I was lucky enough to catch them playing together. I hope you enjoy Andrew's giggle as much as I did (after about 30 sec).

Yummy, Yummy in Andrew's Tummy

I have been making all of Andrew's baby food. I started doing it to save money and because it is better for him. Now I love it. I actually have fun making it. Usually I get together with my friend Lyndsay and we chat while we chop, steam, puree and put the food in ice cube trays. (And thanks to my friend Becky I now have lots of ice cube trays to fill with yummy food.)
It is also fun to see what Andrew likes, or doesn't like as much. He definitely prefers fruits, and pears are his absolute favorite. Now I am starting to mix fruits and veggies together. He has had sweet potatoes with peaches and pears with avocados, sounds weird but it is really yummy! Soon he will get to try bananas and banana-cado, yummy yums.

Sitting Up

In the last couple of weeks Andrew has been able to sit up longer and longer on his own. It is so much fun to see him playing while sitting up. He looks like such a big boy!
And he is just too cute in his Bum Genius diaper right after a bath!

Napping Woes

For the last couple of months Andrew has had a hard time napping. He would need to be held until he fell asleep, and then we would put him in his crib. But he would only sleep there for about a half an hour. Then we would go in and have to pick him up to get him to go back to sleep. So I ended up holding him for an hour while he finished his nap, I got a lot of reading done in the last few months.
Last week we decided we had had enough. We were going to start to train him to go to sleep on his own. He is able to go to sleep on his own just fine at night, but not at naps. So we have been using the Ferber method where we put him down and then we "progressively wait" until he falls asleep. That means we let him cry for about 3 min, check on him, leave, let him cry for 5 more min, check on him, leave, let him cry for 7 min....
Needless to say, this has been a tough week. But we did find out we were letting him sleep too long at night, so that is probably the reason he won't sleep longer than a half an hour. We are still working on it, but it does seem to be getting better. We can't wait until he can take a full nap all on his own!