Andrew & Leah

It seems like the days and weeks are here and gone faster than before Andrew. Ryan has been busy umpiring in the evenings and weekends. I started selling Discovery Toys, so I have been busy learning about the toys and hosted my first party at our house last week.

We had a nice hot Sunday afternoon a couple of weeks ago, so Andrew finally enjoyed the baby pool in the backyard. It took him quite a while to warm up to the idea of being in the pool. I had to put the slide into the water. He would go down the slide, but really didn’t like to sit in the water. He settled for keeping his feet in the water and sitting on the bottom of the slide. He has enjoyed playing in the sprinkler the last couple of days while dad had it out watering the grass. He loves to follow daddy anywhere. They are pals.

His vocabulary is expanding now, too. He knows what many things are now and can say more words in his own way now. He has his own version of hot, hat, balloon, bubble, and spoon. Ryan and I are able to understand him and he usually points to what he is talking about. He will follow simple directions now, too. For instance, we ask him to throw something in the garbage, pick out a book to read, or sit down, he will do those things. If we ask if he is thirsty and wants a drink, he will go to the refrigerator knowing that is where we would get him a drink or asking if he is hungry, he goes to his high chair.

He has started to climb more. He can get up on the low couch in the sunroom and he is getting better at steps. I would still prefer if he would crawl up and slide down, but he is bound and determined to step up and down like the big people do. He also likes to run now and can trip or lose his balance. He has a few bruises and bumps to prove his new faster pace.

He does have a couple of negative behaviors that have started to pop up. He will hit when he is over tired or frustrated by not being able to do something. His favorite target seems to be mommy’s face. (Ouch). If we get mad or raise our voices, it eggs him on and he thinks it is funny and continues. The other challenge is throwing things. He is very good at throwing balls, but also throws everything else from other toys to food. It is very hard for him to decipher the difference. Hopefully, he grows out these quickly.

We have 3 new teeth to report. Two on the bottom left and one on the bottom left. It seems like we have been waiting for these for a while, so I’m glad they are finally here. It looks like they hurt. I think there are a few more to follow.

Andrew and I are heading down to visit his newest cousin Henrick this weekend. This will be our second time there, but first since he has been walking, so we hope that he doesn’t get too stir crazy. Allison and the kids are joining us on the Twin Cities to Quad Cities leg, so that should be an interesting time with 4 kids under 3 years old. Wish us luck!

The week of July 4th we had Grandma Connie and Grandpa Dave visit for the whole week. Andrew’s daycare was closed for the week, so they got to spend lots of time with him all day, too. They had fun going to the zoo, shopping and playing outside a lot. They brought their dog Bailey, too. He’s a big yellow lab, so Andrew was a little nervous at first, but was comfortable around him by the end of the week. He’s a really nice dog and didn’t bother Andrew too much. He still points out the back window looking for Bailey and says “Woof.”

We ended the week by heading to visit Ryan’s grandparents and aunts and uncles in the Grand Rapids area. We had fun at Great Grandpa and Great Grandma’s farm. There were so many things to check out. We headed to Sue & Dave’s for July 4th on the lake. Andrew wasn’t very excited about the water, but did have fun digging in the sand. We got to see a lot of Ryan's cousins and aunts and uncles, so that was fun.

This week was back to normal with the daycare open and both mom & dad home. Andrew mastered a couple of different slides at NDSU. One is stepping up different platforms to get to the top and the other is freestanding and a little more tricky. I guess once he figured it out, he would go up and down over and over.

We are anxiously awaiting news of a new cousin any day now. (Hang in there Auntie Ang)