Andrew & Leah

Andrew is really starting to following things with his eyes now. He is really interested in the toys on his bouncy chair and will even look at his mobile on his crib. He has quite a grip now. If we put a rattle in his hand, he will grab it and shake it around for a while. He is starting to coo and make sounds. It is so fun to hear his little voice. He is a pretty happy baby and is really getting to be a smiley little guy, too. Andrew is getting to be more independent. Last night he did not want to be held and snuggled, which was very unusual. He wanted to be in his bouncy chair and kick his legs and wave his arms. He seems to want to eat so frequently the last few days. He might be going through a growth spurt. He’s grown out of some of his little clothes and the others are soon to follow.

We are all feeling much better around here. Dad was spared from getting a cold this time. They tested the cyst they removed from under my eye last week -- it came back benign. The doctor thought it would be, but it was good to know for sure.

Great Aunt Marilyn and cousin Meredith stopped to see us this last Thursday since they were shopping in Fargo. On Friday we got more SNOW. It worked out okay for us though since the NDSU baseball games were cancelled for the weekend and Ryan could spend time with our visitors. Great Aunt Sue and Uncle Dave drove up from Grand Rapids on Sunday. How fun to see them!

Good luck to Aunt Allison as she goes back to work. At least you only have a month and then back home for the summer. You teachers got it made!

I can’t believe that I am already half way done with my maternity leave! The time goes too fast. We have had a busy last few days. On Saturday, Ryan was umpiring in Mayville. Grandma Lindsay surprised us with a call in the morning to say she was on her way to shop for some new dress clothes for some upcoming events. I thought it sounded like a good excuse to see her grandson. :) Of course, we met up with her. We had a fun day. Andrew likes to be in his stroller as long as we keep on the move.
On Sunday, we went over to Grandma Teresa's and Papa Pete's for breakfast. We got to meet some more relatives including Great Grandma and Grandpa Spiekermeier.
On Monday, I had an appointment to get a sebaceous cyst near my eye that had developed during my pregnancy checked out. The ophthalmologist ended up taking care of it that day. I have two stitches under my right eye now, but they are barely visible.
Today, I had my 6-week check up, so Andrew and dad had some quality time together again. It feels so strange to go anywhere without Andrew with me.
Andrew is getting over his cold. His breathing is much better. He is changing so much everyday. He really enjoys looking at his toys now and follows them with his eyes. We take stroller rides on the nice days, too. He will stay awake for awhile, and then he usually falls asleep by the end of the ride. He knows our faces now, too, but doesn't smile when he sees us yet. He does have many other facial expressions. His neck is getting stronger. He is able to hold it up for longer periods of time. He still doesn't like to be on his tummy too much unless he is snuggling on mom or dad. He is getting kinda big for the cradle now. It might be time to change over to the crib soon so he can stretch out a bit more.

Our poor little boy has a cold. He started off with a stuffy nose that didn't seem to bother him too much, but last night was just horrible. It felt like he didn't sleep at all last night and nothing seemed to comfort him. Mom started feeling the cold symptoms last evening, too and that didn't help matters for her. Dad hasn't come down with anything yet, so let's hope that the germs stay away from him. This morning consisted of a nap for both Andrew and mom, but not as long as mom would have liked. Our normally happy little guy has been pretty fussy today, so hopefully we are all on the mend soon!

We got more SNOW this past week. It postponed an NDSU baseball game on Friday, but we were happy because it allowed us to go to Ryan's co-worker's annual fish fry. We were just going to stay for a little while, but we were having such a fun time and Andrew was such a good boy, we kept him out late! He's a little night owl anyway going to bed for the night around midnight or 1 a.m. I guess he takes after his parents. I don't know if we can handle those late nights anymore when mom has to go back to work.
By Saturday late afternoon, all of the snow was gone and the NDSU baseball team planned to play a double header. Dad was off to the baseball stadium. Andrew of course had to go and check out the baseball stadium, so we figured we would bring some supper for between games for the guys in the pressbox. We got there in the 9th inning of the first game and it was tied 5-5. Perfect timing to see the end of the game, right? Well, Andrew lasted a few more innings and then it was getting a bit cold and he had to eat, so we took off for home. The game ended up going 17 innings and taking 5 1/2 hours!! It was past 10 o'clock by the time it was over. Luckily, they decided to call off the 2nd game that was supposed to follow! By the way, the Bison ended up losing after all of those scoreless innings. Heartbreaking!
Two more baseball games were on the docket for Sunday for dad. Grandma and Grandpa Lindsay came to visit Andrew and mom. That was nice. We got some things done around the house. We made a trip to Target, too and spent some of the gift cards we had saved up from baby gifts. We picked out a front baby carrier. I wasn’t sure if Andrew would like it, but he snuggled right in and I was able to have two hands free while keeping him close. It lets him face in for now and face outwards later when he can hold his head up. We also were able to get a smaller stroller, too, for those quick trips once he gets a little older.

Andrew is 4 weeks old already! This past weekend, we went to Crookston. It was our first trip to Grandma and Grandpa Lindsay's house. Angela and Allison hosted a shower for Andrew on Sunday. There was a nice turnout. We were planning to come home on Sunday, but the weather had other plans. You wouldn't have known it in Crookston, but there was a blizzard in Fargo and to the south. We had heard that some people were only able to drive 30-40 miles per hour on the interstate around Fargo and it was even worse on the way to the cities. So, Grandma and Grandpa got an extra night with Angela, Jason, Allison, Brian, Reese, Isaac and us. They sure weren't complaining. It was kinda fun to not have to rush off after the baby shower.

Andrew is doing great. We are sorta getting into a routine now. He is increasing the amount of time that he is awake during the day. He sleeps pretty good at night usually a good 4-5 hour chunk and then a shorter period again before we get up for the day. I weighed him today and he is just over 9 lbs now. I put up some pictures from a bath, too. He was a very mellow in the tub. Not much is planned for this week. Ryan will work at some baseball games if all of the snow melts away. Andrew and I hope the temperature gets a little bit warmer so we can take some walks.

Yesterday Andrew was 3 weeks old. The days go by so quickly and it seems like the nights go even faster. Andy is a pretty good sleeper, but he does go through these phases where he likes to be held rather than sleeping in the cradle or crib during the night. Mom and dad have spent quite a few hours sleeping in the rocking chair with him. He does have some good stretches of sleep most nights, so hopefully that will increase as time goes on.
Andrew is an active little guy. He likes to have his arms out of the blankets so he can move them around. We will often find that he has kicked the blankets off entirely by the time he wakes up. He loves to move his arms and legs around when he is awake. The amount of time that he is awake each day is increasing, too. The longest stretch is usually in the evening, which is when he was most active during my pregnancy, too. Funny how he follows that pattern.
Andrew continues to gain weight. He is about 8 lbs 8 oz now. Yeah! He does spit up a lot though. Sometimes I wonder why I feed him at all as it seems to end up on his clothes or my clothes. Grandma Lindsay said that I would spit up when I was a baby, so I guess this is payback time. What a great trait to pass along to my son.
Another new trick is smiling. It doesn’t seem to be in relation to anything just yet though. He will usually crack a smile when he is sleeping. He must have sweet dreams.