Andrew & Leah

We had a very nice Christmas. We were up to Crookston on Christmas Eve and to Fisher on Christmas Day. Andrew sure was spoiled on his first Christmas by all of his Grandparents. What a lucky boy.

You know the song, "All I want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth?" Well, I guess that wish came true for Andrew because he got the front right tooth on Christmas Day. Now he's got 4 on the top and 2 on the bottom.

He is up on hands and knees for crawling now. He pulls himself up on all of the furniture. He thinks he is pretty hot stuff when he does that. He pretty much stands still, but is getting a little bit more daring at letting go or turning around, so we have to be there to spot him.

We are trying new foods, too. He has tried bread, puffs, baked potatoes, Cheerios and graham crackers. He is putting things in his own mouth now. He also likes to drink water. He doesn't get the whole sippy cup thing yet, but we are working on that. He thinks it is a fun toy in the meantime.

We were called to get Andrew early from Daycare today. He had thrown up a few times after lunch. Guess he didn't like what they gave him for lunch or he really wanted to spend the afternoon with his daddy. He was perfectly fine after he got home and ate a full supper of oatmeal and bananas. Merry Christmas everyone!

Merry Christmas! It has come so fast this year. It doesn't help that the weekends have been terrible as far as weather goes. We have gotten so much snow and Ryan was gone during both blizzards. Luckily Grandpa Peter and the Shockmans (next door neighbors) have snow-blowed the driveway for us.

We are heading to Crookston for Christmas, so Ryan, Andrew and I celebrated our Christmas tonight. Andrew was pretty interested in eating the tissue paper, but did like the new toys, too.

Andrew is learning so many new things. He gives kisses now and been doing that for a while. Nice and sloppy. He also has learned how to pull himself up to the standing position next to the coffee table or ottoman. He will take a couple of steps if you hold his hands. He is finally discovering that the mirror is actually a reflection. He was amazed one day that I could be right in front of him and holding him at the same time. Then he really got his arms and legs moving and was really amused. He really hates getting into his carseat. He arches his back and cries while we get him buckled in. Once we are up and moving, he is usually fine. He doesn't like to sit still or be in the laying position to be changed. He even knows when we are on the way to his bedroom. He will crawl after a toy or after us if we leave the room. He has been sleeping well at night lately, so mama is happy to get her sleep, too! We have tried a few new foods besides the baby food. He really likes bread and banana puffs. We are working on drinking from a cup instead of the bottle, too. He thinks it is more of a toy and doesn’t quite get how to work the spout. If we take out the spillproof valve and pour some in his mouth he thinks it’s pretty good.

Andrew had his 9 month appointment yesterday. He weighs 19 lbs 10 oz and is 28 3/4 inches long. He got an A+ from the doctor. No shots this time! Horary!

Andrew will now go up on hands and knees to crawl. He will still do the army crawl when he needs to get somewhere fast. His favorite activity is still digging through a pile of toys. It's so funny to watch him. He finds his favorites buried in there. He’s working on tooth number six. It seems like this teething thing is constant once it starts. Hopefully we will get a little break after this one comes in. He is trying really hard to pull himself up on the ottoman. It’s just a little bit too tall for him yet. If I give him a little head start by sitting on my leg, he can do it.

Today, Andrew and I went to see Santa with my friend Emily and her 5 month old son Owen. We picked them up and headed to the mall. (I must say I love the van and all its room!) Andy wasn’t scared of Santa at all. He just sat nice with him and got his picture taken. Not super smiley, but had a pleasant look on his face.

They say there is a huge blizzard coming our way tonight. It’s already started snowing and blowing. Ryan is with the men's basketball team in Des Moines, so hopefully they make it back as scheduled on Sunday, but we will be okay if they can’t make it. Grandpa Peter and Grandma Teresa are going to come and dig us out if we need help.

We got our Christmas tree earlier this week. Just yesterday, I put the lights on after Andrew was sleeping. I'm going to try and tackle the ornaments tonight. Usually I have all this stuff on Thanksgiving weekend. I guess that’s the life with a child -- the evenings and weekends just fly by now.

We've had a busy week since Thanksgiving. Some exciting news is we got a minivan! It is so much easier with Andrew to get him in and out. I love the sliding doors and the ease to get into the back when we are traveling if he needs something. We broke it in with a return trip to Minneapolis. We were down to the U of M on Friday to see the NDSU volleyball game in the playoffs. Daddy was working and sitting courtside during the game so Auntie Allison and Cousin Isaac came to watch with Andrew and I. Cousin Reese stayed home with her daddy, but she did protest a little about not being about to come.

Andrew has another tooth. This one is the middle upper left. He's been working on it for a long time, so we are glad it finally popped through. The tooth next door is next, so the drooling probably continues for now. I'm sure that must hurt. He does get a little fussy at times, but not too bad.
Poor Andy has had a cold and has took some long naps today which is so unusual for him, so I know he isn't feeling the best. In fact, we are all under the weather. Nothing major -- just coughs, runny noses, sore throats and goopy eyes. Hopefully we can get over it soon and be healthy through the holidays.

Andrew's newest trick is sitting up from laying down. He's only done it in his crib, so he is sitting up when we come into the room. We haven't seen him actually do it yet. He can get around so fast now, too. We got gates for both sets of stairs in the house and some outlet plugs and cabinet locks to baby proof the house.

We still don't have the house all decked out for Christmas yet. Hopefully we will get the tree Tuesday night and get that decorated. Then the trick is to keep Andrew away from it. :) I'm sure he will be attracted to the pretty lights. We did go up to Ryan's office this afternoon and put up his tree and some garland. I love that tree. It's all green and gold with some different Bison and sports ornaments. So fun.

Hello everyone! Happy Thanksgiving! We are truly blessed in the Perreault household and thankful for all we have.

We decided head to Allison & Brian's house at the last minute. So down to the cites we go. Last year, my sisters, mom and I went to the Outlet Mall at Albertville. The ladies might do that again, but I suppose it depends on the kids. We will leave Ryan down there with the NDSU basketball team. They are going to be there to play Minnesota. Andrew and I will head back so we can go to Maura's wedding on Saturday.

As far as Andrew goes, he has a few new tricks. He is getting around with a combination of army crawling and rolling. If we stand him up next to something his height, he will hold himself up for a few minutes. He likes to bang two different toys together now. He likes the noise they make. He's working on the two middle teeth on top. The one is about to poke through.

Thanks to everyone for writing messages in the guestbook and comments on the photos. We love reading them and I like to know that you like the updates to Andrew's website. Keep it up so I have lots of comments to share with Andrew one day when he is older. I'm sure he will love to know what you all think of his crazy hair, cute outfits or his newest tricks. :)

It's all about teeth for us this weekend. Andrew got his 4th tooth today. The two upper middle teeth are not too far behind. I thought it was so strange those weren't first on the top. I guess Andrew has his own way. :)

Ryan has been recovering this weekend from getting all four wisdom teeth out. Ouch! The recovery is going well so far, so I am thankful for that.

Andrew got another tooth this weekend. It's one of the upper teeth, but not in the middle. It's one off to the side. Funny! He has been a little fussy lately, which is not like him at all, so I'm going to blame the tooth. It looks like more are on the way, too, so hopefully they don't hurt too much.

We made this past weekend into a long weekend. We went to visit Auntie Angela and Uncle Jason in Davenport, IA. It is only about 2 hours from Grandma Connie and Grandpa Dave, so they came over to visit, too. It was fun to see everyone and we had a great time. Andrew was a good little traveler for the most part. We stayed at Auntie Allison and Uncle Brian's house on the way down and back so that helped to break it up. Cousin Reese is getting so smart and had a lot of fun "helping" with the two little boys.

Today, we went to the Buffalo River Pumpkin Patch. Andrew is too young to be into it, but he loves being outside, so he was a good sport and let us take some pictures of him posing next to some pumpkins.
Andrew now likes to sleep with his butt up in the air. He has liked his tummy for a while now, but now gets up on his knees, too. Could crawling be just around the corner?
Next weekend, we are heading down to Iowa to visit Auntie Ang and Uncle Jason. We will stay with the Axness family on the way to break up the drive. Cousin Reese knows all of our names now, so we are ready to hear them in person! Plus, Isaac and Andrew are both sitting up now, so it will be interesting to see how they interact.

Andrew is slowly getting over his cold. I think he gave it to me, but I didn't get the usual runny nose, instead I lost my voice entirely for a whole day! I could only whisper. Ryan had a little bit of a sore throat and headache, but that was pretty much it, so we got off pretty easy this round.
Andrew had his first non-family babysitter over to the house last weekend. Luckily, Kimmy knows him well. She goes to NDSU and works at our daycare, so she had lots of time with Andrew this summer and still works there a few hours during school, too. We are so happy to have someone we trust who can help us out in the evenings.
Great Grandma and Grandpa Perreault stopped by last Sunday on their way home from Beulah. We had a nice visit. It's always nice to see them!
Andrew is getting good at sitting up now. He can reach for toys and keep his balance. Auntie Alisa let us use Charlie's jumperoo...and Andrew just loves it. He has such strong little legs and he giggles when he jumps up and down and makes the song go.

Andrew has a cold. Stuffy nose, cough, and his eyes are watery and goopy. Poor baby.

We had a pretty low key Homecoming Weekend. The weather cooperated for gameday. On Saturday, Andrew and I rode over to the football game with Ryan. We were a few minutes early, so we stopped out at tailgating to check out my co-worker Chip's rig. Pretty fancy. I will have to get some pictures next time when we aren't so rushed. The tailgating scene is crazy! So many people going all out with the set up and all the food they make. Andrew sat with Grandpa and Grandma Lindsay at the football game. He did great! Plus, the Bison came back to get the win and made it an exciting game.
Andrew is sitting up fairly well now. He will fall over after a couple minutes, but he is stretching it out more and more. He is all over the place in his crib -- on his back, on his side, on his tummy and then even turns around 180 degrees. He does prefer to sleep on his side. When we put him down, he turns to the side and cuddles with his blanket. He is still working on consistently sleeping through the night. He will do it some nights and not others.

Don't forget to vote for our favorite mascot "Thundar" for Mascot of the Year at www.capitalonebowl.com. You can vote once a day.

I haven’t updated in a while – Andrew is changing everyday. He rolls over constantly. He can go both ways, but usually goes from back to tummy. Sometimes he still gets stuck when trying to go over to his back. Then he scoots around, too. Not crawling, but somehow he ends up in a totally different spot from where he started. He is getting stronger while sitting up with support. He still falls over pretty quickly when he's on his own, but we keep trying each day. He likes to grab his feet now and even gets them into his mouth sometimes. Everything goes into the mouth. There are still just those two bottom teeth, but I think more are coming soon. He loves to hold things and will get mad if you take something away he wants to hold. He loves feeling different textures. He will rub his hand on the leather couch or feel different ribbons on his taggie blanket. Even rubbing the carpet can keep him busy for a while. He loves to "help" when it's time to eat by grabbing the spoon or reaching out for the bowl. Speaking of eating, he loves all the different fruits and veggies. Andrew has a deep voice and babbles quite a bit. He has added some new high pitched squeals as well. He knows mom and dad for sure now. He is friendly and happy with strangers if mom and dad are holding him or close by, but gets nervous if we walk away.

We were to the doctor today for Andrew's 6 month check up. He got another A+ from the doctor. He weighs 17 lbs 13 oz and is 27 inches long. He had 4 shots today because they are already giving flu shots. He has to go back for a second flu shot in a month, but then no more shots until the one year appointment! Hooray! Actually he did quite well -- He cried a little bit right after the shots, but was a happy guy by the time I brought him down to the pharmacy to show off to my co-workers. He got a lot of "I love his hair" comments from the nurses and even the doctor. It is quite cute how it puffs straight out. :) He had a few long strands on the top that I just trimmed off this past weekend, so it stands up even more now.

Andrew went to his first Bison Football game this past Thursday. He was great during the game. He even had a little sleep during the first quarter. He sat with Grandpa Jerry at the game since Ryan and I were both up in the press box.
Andrew is going to take after his dad and be a ref, but it's going to be basketball instead. He uses his hands to make a traveling motion like a referee would do. He seems to think it is so fun. We will sing the wheels on the bus go round and round...then he smiles even more.

Andrew is doing great! He is eating some rice cereal and a variety of veggies and fruits now. So far, he pretty much likes them all. His favorite has been bananas. We always knew he was a little monkey. We think he is about to get some more teeth on the top, but nothing has poked through yet. He is putting everything in his mouth and the drool has increased. He is getting to make some different sounds, too. There’s more mmmm, baaah, goo, and gaa. It's so easy to make him smile and giggle. A baby's giggle is the best sound! He loves to touch mom and dad's faces, too. And watch out if you are wearing glasses -- he will take those right off for you. He recognizes us now. He gets a little scared right away if someone new is holding him and mom and dad are out of sight, but usually will warm up after a few minutes. He continues to do well at daycare, too. The older kids just love him there. They all run over to see "Baby Andy" when we get there and usually have some sort of toy to show him. Of course, Andrew loves all of the attention. We do have a really awesome daycare and are so lucky to have found them. They even had a picnic at Oak Grove Park one evening. It was fun to meet some of the other families that go there.

Congratulations are in order! First, to friends Andrea and Anthony -- He was a little early, but Liam Rhys was born on Friday, August 22. He's a little guy only weighing 4 lbs 2 oz, but healthy. He's gonna spend a little time in the NICU so he can get bigger, but soon he and Andrew will be causing trouble together. We are so thankful Andrea and Liam are both doing well. Also adding to their family were Steph & Corey. They had a little girl Bailey Nicole. She was 6 lbs 14 oz. That’s number 3 for them…they already have Casey and Mollie! She’s going to be a busy mama!

This week on Thursday, Andrew is going to his first Bison Football game! He is going to sit with Grandpa Jerry while mom and dad are in the pressbox. Andrew’s going to all decked out – he got some new Bison Gear to wear to the game.

I forgot to mention in my last update than Andrew rolled over from back to tummy. It took awhile, but he did it!

Andrew had plane trip number 2 this weekend! This time we went to Montana for Cousin Brandon's wedding. Andrew is going to be a pro. He did very well with the traveling again. Grandpa and Grandpa Lindsay, Auntie Angela, Auntie Allison, Cousins Reese and Isaac went, too. It was somewhat of a family reunion, too -- many of the Lindsay cousins, aunts and uncles were there.
The big news with Andrew though isn't the trip, but trying rice cereal tonight. He really liked it and caught on pretty quickly on how to open up and bite down on the spoon. We made it pretty thin tonight, but will keep trying to thicken it up a little more each night.

We had a wonderful gathering at our house today. It seems like we never get together with my aunts and uncles and cousins since we are all getting to have bigger families now. So, a bunch of us got together today. There were about 40 people here at our house! Luckily it was potluck. We had great food and beautiful weather. It was a great time.

We are happy to have Daddy home. He and his dad had a good time seeing the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium and then going to Shea Stadium for a game as well.

Andrew and I are going to Montana for my cousin Brandon's wedding this weekend. We are going with Grandma and Grandpa Lindsay, Auntie Angela, Auntie Allison and cousins Reese and Isaac. We are flying (thank goodness). Andrew did very well last time we traveled, so I'm hoping this time will be just as good.

Andrew is going to be a ticklish little boy. There are more and more spots that make him giggle. He also loves to stand up while we are holding him. He gets a huge grin on his face. He is still drooling like crazy -- could more teeth be on the way?

Andrew had his 4 month appointment today. He got a good report from the doctor. He is weighing in at 15 lbs 3 oz (48 percentile) and his length is 25 1/2 inches (64 percentile).

Daddy and Papa Pete left tonight to head to New York City! They are going to watch two baseball games. On Tuesday, they will go to cheer on the Twins at Yankee Stadium. Then Wednesday night, they will see the Phillies at Shea Stadium. I think it's awesome they could take this trip! They deserve some father-son time together.

I get to have some mother-daughter time while they are gone. Grandma L is staying with us while daddy is gone.

Congratulations to our friends Emily and Will. They were blessed with a baby boy, Owen William on Thursday. We can't wait for the boys to play together.

Andrew has 2 teeth coming in on the bottom! Just the very edges are poking through his gums. I noticed them this evening. He's handled it great! He's still been our happy little guy. He did have a couple of the so-called signs, but I still didn't expect 2 little toothers to be coming through all of the sudden like that without any fussy days/nights.
He has been a good sleeper at night lately, too sleeping through the night 4 of the last 5 nights. It seems to go against the teething rules. What lucky parents we are!

It is so nice when the 4th lands on a Friday -- making a nice 3 day weekend. We were happy to have Ryan/Daddy home. He didn't take any time to rest up from his trip...he went right out into the yard on Friday morning and started trimming up trees in the yard. Three of our trees were hanging really low, so he cut some lower limbs off. It opened up the yard so much and looks great!

Auntie Ang stayed with us this weekend. We had fun shopping on Saturday and hanging out.

Andrew will really giggle now if you get him in the right mood. Daddy does it best -- and found his ticklish spot on his neck. He is really interested in his toys that play music or light up...all the better if they do both. He will also grab onto toys hanging above him now rather than just batting at them. He's got quite the grip. His neck is getting much stronger now and he likes to be held in a sitting position. He is too long for some of his 3-6 month PJ's now. Unofficially, he is weighing in at about 14.5 lbs. We will go to the doctor on July 21 for the offical weigh in.

Daddy is coming home tomorrow! He has been away at a work conference since Saturday. We have missed him that's for sure.

We did have Grandma Lindsay come and stay overnight on Saturday night and our family friend Nicki and her husband Jeremy came to visit on Sunday. We occupied Tuesday night with friend Emily and her baby to be. She is due July 11, so we are anxiously awaiting their news.

Congratulations to friends Heather and Brian (and big sister Addyson) -- they welcomed TWO babies on Saturday! A boy and a girl -- Eli Cooper (5 lbs 14 oz) and Avery Reegan (5 lbs 13 oz). I got to hold little Avery, but Eli was getting his car seat check -- so I got look at him in the nursery. They are doing well!

As far as Andrew goes, he has started to giggle now. It's so cute! He was doing while playing peak-a-boo this weekend and tonight he did it again for me when I was singing him a song I made up. I've found that I make up a lot of songs now about everyday things. I even caught myself doing it at work last week. Uff. Andrew is really interested in his toys now. He will grab for them and hang on to things. He loves this little butterfly that makes a ton of funny little noises. He likes most things that play music. He is also entertained by his hands. He will just look at them or clasp them together or put them in his mouth. What a great toy -- they are always there. He loves to lift his legs up in the air and then bangs them down on the changing table and stretches them out. It is so funny. He will do it over and over and just smiles the whole time. He hasn't been the best sleeper this week getting up 2-3 times per night. I don't know what the deal is -- maybe he just misses daddy!

Happy Birthday to Daddy! We love you!

We had a pretty uneventful week, but our weekend was busy. Grandma and Grandpa Lindsay came for a wedding anniversary party weekend. One party for Great Aunt Carol and Great Uncle Albin and the other for Great Uncle Gordon and Great Aunt Norma. Grandma Lindsay was proud to show off Andrew to some of the extended family at supper on Saturday night. I had a tough night on Saturday night sleep wise -- I was falling asleep after feeding Andrew about 4:00 and the pager goes off. I had to go in to work and make up some pain medicine for a hospice patient, so that was a short night. The pager has been pretty busy this weekend and I've had to go in twice (which is a lot -- since most problems are easily solved by telephone.) I'm on-call all week long, so I hope it simmers down.
Sunday after church we went for pizza at Papa Pete and Grandma Teresa's. Yum! Andrew slept for most of the time. Daddy and Andy had some boy time in the evening and I went to a baby shower for my friend Emily. She's getting close -- July 11th is her due date -- we can't wait for our new playmate to arrive!

Andrew's first week of daycare is in the books. We got good reports everyday. It seems as though we have lucked out and found a wonderful place for Andrew. We are happy that it's the weekend now and we can all hang out in our PJs a while longer and not have to rush out the door so early.

We had Andrew's pictures taken on Thursday. You can check them out in the photos, although they are poor quality and fuzzy you can get the general idea. He fell asleep on the way there, but he warmed up pretty quickly. We got some good ones.

Happy Father's Day to Great Grandpa Leonard, Grandpa Peter, Grandpa Dave and Grandpa Jerry! And of course Happy Dad's Day to Daddy Ryan on his first Father's Day!! Ryan is an awesome dad! Andrew just loves his daddy so much and who wouldn't...he does all sorts of fun things...walks in the backyard to check out the grass, singing silly songs he made up just to get a smile, and snuggling on the couch after a long day at work and daycare. Andy gives him the biggest smiles all of the time....maybe because it's like looking in the mirror! Andrew is going to be a handsome guy if he keeps looking so much like his daddy as he grows up.

It's finally such a nice day out, we are going to do some errands and enjoy the nice weather!

Andrew's first day of daycare was today. We both went to drop him off and pick him up today. There are lots of cute little pre-school aged kids there. A little girl was looking out the window when we came and she was yelling "THE NEW BABY IS HERE!!!" We could hear her across the street. They were all so excited to have Andrew there and all of the kids had to come and get a look at him. It was so cute. I was getting a little choked up as I was saying goodbye, but no tears! It's a good place, so it makes it easier. It’s still hard not to be with him and know every little detail of what he did today, but from all reports, Andrew had a great day.
Last week we had Grandma Connie and Grandpa Dave here from Illinois to meet Andrew. They got some quality time with Andrew as they watched him Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Grandpa Jerry filled out the rest of the week on the daycare duties. It made my transition back to work a little smoother, so that was nice.
This weekend, Frankie and Bob were here visiting, so they stopped over to meet Andrew. Great Aunt Frankie has the touch with babies. We could tell she is an experienced Grandma!
Andrew is really starting to grab and reach out at things now. He is also responding to sounds by turning his head to see where they are coming from. He still likes to suck on his fist and thumb if he can find it. He’s a pretty happy boy except if he has an air bubble in his tummy. Thankfully, we can usually work those out with a good burp. He’s sleeping pretty well, usually getting up once sometime during the night to eat. He sleeps great in his crib, so we are happy about that. He seems to be growing so fast lately. The pile of clothes that doesn’t fit him anymore is getting so big!
Congratulations to our friends Sonya and Troy on the birth of their little girl, Olivia Grace. She is just darling and will surely be one of Andrew’s future Bison Buddies.

Well, I went back to work today. It was for sure strange being away from Andrew for the whole day, but we both survived. It was much easier since Andrew spent the day with Grandpa Jerry. I think they both had fun. This evening Grandma Connie and Grandpa Dave came. They will be here for the next 3 days to spend time with Andrew. We are happy to have them here all the way from Illinois!

Andrew has already been on an airplane! We all went to Colorado over Memorial Day Weekend. Andrew traveled like a champ. I was pleasantly surprised how great it went. We sure did have a lot of stuff to bring. How can someone so little require so much gear? Stroller, car seat, his own suitcase, 2 diaper bags… Luckily the airline is very accommodating to those traveling with children.
We stayed at Ryan’s aunt and uncle’s place in Downtown Denver. It was awesome! They have a beautiful loft and we were so close to so many restaurants. We put Andy in the stroller and off we went to eat. He is such a good boy in his stroller even when we weren’t moving.
On Saturday, we went to meet Andrew’s newest playmate, Olivia. She is about 1 month older than Andrew. Olivia’s mom is my good friend from high school, Maria. They live in Colorado Springs now. Maria got some rolls and juice for breakfast and then we headed to check out the Garden of the Gods. It’s a red rock formation at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. It’s kind out of place there, so that’s why it’s so unusual. They made it into a place with trails and different look out spots. After we checked out the rocks, we headed to the Colorado Springs Zoo. It was a fun zoo with lots of different animals. It is built in a mountain side, so we got a good workout pushing the stollers up the steep paths. The giraffes were the highlight. You could buy some crackers and feed them. We were treated to a nice supper at the Studens before heading back to Denver for the night.
Ryan lived in Denver area for a short time when he was about 9 years old, so we ventured up to the suburb of Westminster to try and find his old house on Sunday. At first, we didn’t have much luck as a lot has changed in 20 years. But then we passed a middle school that he recognized. Then we got into the right area and found his old school. From there we were able to find the neighborhood and his house. He showed me the park where he used to play baseball and cut across to get to school. Pretty neat! We checked out the Cherry Creek Mall for a couple of hours and then hit up the Wazee Supper Club. They had a variety of foods, but the pizza seemed like their specialty, so that’s what we tried. Yum!
We had a morning flight on Monday morning, so we got up early and headed up to the airport and were back home early in the day. Andrew did very well on the flights again.
This weekend, Ryan is umpiring the North Dakota State High School Baseball Tournament. We will be lonely without daddy, so Andrew and I are heading to Grandma and Grandpa Lindsay’s for a few days. This is my last week of maternity leave. I can’t believe that our little man is already going to be 12 weeks old on Monday. He is such a good baby! Ryan and I love being parents. We really feel like a family now that Andrew has joined us. It is so fun to watch him grow and develop, too. There are many more firsts to come.

Andrew's big news is that he was baptized on Sunday at Olivet Lutheran Church. Pastor Kris baptized him. He was also the pastor that married Ryan & I, so that was a neat connection. Andrew also got a guardian angel, Rebekah. It's a neat program at Olivet. She is going to be his special friend at church. She is a cutie. It's a great way for the older kids to see the baptism up close, too! We hope Andrew can be someone's guardian angel when he is older. Andrew was great during the baptism. He was wide awake for the whole thing and didn't cry one bit. Andrew's Great Grandpa & Grandma Perreault were able to come. It was great they could come & meet Andrew on his special day! Others at the baptism were Godmother Allison & Godfather Brian, Cousins Reese & Isaac, Auntie Angela & Uncle Jason, Grandma & Grandpa Lindsay, Grandma & Grandpa Tilock & cousin Charlie. It was a fun group. They all came over to our house for tacos, fruit & dessert after the service.

Auntie Angela and Auntie Allison were a little bit sore on Sunday because they ran in the 1/2 marathon on Saturday morning. They both did great finishing right around 2 hours for the 13.1 mile course. Wow!! It's their 2nd year running it. The course for the marathon, 1/2 marathon and 5K run come right by at the end of our block, so we got to see all of the runners come by. Over 10,000 runners participated. It was just a sea of people running for many blocks -- quite the sight. Reese & Grandma Lindsay made some signs for the twins and friend Gwen to cheer them on.

Andrew also got to meet a couple of friends from college on Saturday...Shelagh and Suzie were in town for the weekend. They both recently moved to the Twin Cities...Shelagh from Chicago and Suzie from Seattle. It was great to see them and catch up! My friend Lisa was there, too. I work with her, but since I'm on maternity leave I haven't seen her for a while. By the way, thanks to Lisa -- she is doing my job while I am gone on leave. I'm not sure, but I think she is counting the days until I am back to work. ;)

Today Andrew had his 2 month check up. He is doing great -- Dr. Tingley gave him an A+ on his health. He is officially weighing in at 12 lbs 9 oz which is the 61 percentile and he is 24 inches long, which is in the 78 percentile. He did have to get the dreaded vaccinations today, too. He got one oral vaccine and 3 shots. After the first shot, he cried pretty loud, but as shots 2 and 3 were given, the screams came out...that made me cry, too! I'm not sure about dad, but he might have had a tear in his eye. Andy cried for a bit, but was easily calmed when he got to eat right afterwards. He fussed a little as we got him buckled into his car seat, but was asleep for a 3 hour nap before we even got to the car. We went for a stroller ride around the mall (it was raining outside) since he sleeps great when stroll along. Speaking of sleep, he had a couple of nights with 5 to 6 hour chunks of sleep. Last night he was awake again about 2 a.m. for a little snack, but then slept through until morning. Yeah!

Tonight Andrew found his thumb and sucked it for a little while. He had done it once before a couple weeks ago, but I thought it was a fluke. This time he really seemed to be trying to do it. I guess we will have to wait and see if he does it again.

Saturday is the big marathon. The runners will come by our block, so we will watch and hopefully get a couple of pictures of the aunties running.

We had a very nice weekend. On Friday night, Dad was umping the Redhawks exhibition game. Andrew and I were lucky enough to get a ticket to the NDSU suite so we could go and watch and not sit outside. Andrew lasted for about 5 innings then it was time to go home and eat. He's been to quite a few baseball games this spring. It would be nice if the weather would get a little nicer so Andrew wouldn't have to be so bundled up. At least he doesn't seem to mind it.
Saturday morning we headed off to Allison & Brian's. Andrew travels great. He just sleeps the whole time. Isaac was baptized on Sunday and we are Godparents. It was a special day and we were happy to be a part of it.
We will have a full house for Andrew's baptism this weekend. Plus aunties Angela and Allison will be running in the half marathon on Saturday. The route comes very close to our house at mile 1 and mile 12 so we will get to cheer them on at the beginning and end.
Andrew is still sleeping great in his crib. He is a little smiler and just melts our hearts with his grin. He is such a good baby. He doesn't cry unless he wants to eat or has a burp. Or if the car stops at a red light. It is so funny. He will be perfectly content and even could be sleeping, but when we stop, he cries. Then we go again and he immediately stops crying.

A Mother's Day Poem

Before I was a Mom -
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom -
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom -
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much...
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Andrew is doing great. The big milestone is he has been sleeping in his own room in his crib for the week! No more cradle in mom and dad's room. He has been doing great with it. Mostly keeping to his normal schedule, so that is wonderful. Plus, mom is sleeping better (light sleeper) since I don’t wake up with all of his little baby noises. He definitely lets us know when he really has to get up to eat...usually around 3 am depending on how late he eats before bedtime. He will be back to sleep until about 6:00-6:30 am. Not too shabby!! During the day, Andrew takes little catnaps, but he is awake for a lot of the day. He likes to be under his play gym and kick around and look at all of the toys hanging above. He likes his bouncy chair, too. I think he likes that a lot because he can see what’s going on. His favorite place is lying on his changing table – especially if we let his little legs out. He just LOVES to kick, smile and coo. He will stay happy there for such a long time. Even in the middle of night, he gives a big smile when he is getting his diaper changed.
This weekend we are heading to the cities for Isaac’s baptism. We are so happy to be part of his special day.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms! It’s the best!

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.