Andrew & Leah

Happy Birthday to Daddy today!

Andrew had his 15 month check up today. He got a good report from the doctor. He got two shots and a finger stick to check his hemoglobin. The shots were not fun, and led to the dreaded silent cry. He did miss his nap this afternoon, so adding that to the pokes, made him sad for some of the evening, but was back to happy after supper.

We went to the fire department last week. Pretty interesting to see the living quarters and the fire trucks up close. We did get some cute pictures with the fire trucks.

Ah yes, I forgot to add this one... thanks Grandma for reminding me... If you ask Andrew where's the puppy, or where's your shoes for example, he will lift his hands up and shrug his shoulders to gesture "I don't know" if he doesn’t see it.

Yesterday he also starting sitting at the "big" little table with the other kids at NDSU when he eats. I sat him down there this morning for breakfast -- makes him look so old.

Last week, we had a "sick" week in the house. Ryan had the stomach flu and Andrew and I had a terrible cold. We made it through and were feeling all better by the end of the week. Ryan umpired baseball in Jamestown over the weekend, so Andrew and I headed to the cities to visit Reese & Isaac. We went to Como Zoo in St. Paul. Andrew liked seeing all of the animals. We also attended Cousin Reese's gymnastics performance.

Andrew has been spending some afternoons with Grandma Teresa & Grandpa Peter now that his daycare closes a little bit earlier. Cousin Charlie has also been there and is excited to show Andrew the ropes.

Andrew loves to dance to his favorite music. He hears a song and starts bopping up and down. He will get his arms into it if he really likes the song. He has also mastered spinning around in a circle.

It's getting easier to understand what he wants, too. He will point to the fridge when he wants a drink and nod yes to something he wants. When we said "Who's Andy" he pointed to himself tonight. Or at least we think he pointed to himself, but it could have also been the alligator on his shirt. Ha!

We are looking forward to a tour of the Fire Department a little later in the month with the other NDSU Center families.

Oh baby, it's been a month since I wrote an update! Time flies. I guess that means there isn't any major news to share either.

We are enjoying the nice weather when we get it. Andrew loves being outside and would stay out all day if he could. They do spend a lot of time outside at daycare. They have a really neat playground, lots of outdoor toys and a huge sandbox. We have gotten a few reports about Andrew loving to shoot the ball in the basketball hoop and going on rides in the bye-bye buggy. He also really likes the music room. They must sing the song “The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round” because if I sing it to him, he does some actions and gets a huge smile on his face.

Andrew is officially obsessed with balls. He will see a ball and say ball over and over. He thinks of balls when he wakes up in the morning and he associates ball with driving into the garage because there are two basketballs on the shelf. He also like dogs and is always pointing to go and look over the neighbor's fence to see if their dog Bell is outside. Neighbor Tom brought Bell over one day and I think she was a little bigger than Andrew thought. He was hanging on to my shirt for dear life when we tried to get him to pet Bell. He makes the same sound every time he sees a dog. It's definitely not "puppy" or "dog." We think it might be his version of "woof."

It was cold last weekend, but we still watched the Fargo Marathon come right by our house. Mile 1 was at the end of the block as it was last year, and miles 12 and 24 came down our street. It is an amazing sight to see.
NDSU baseball season is winding down for Ryan. This is their last weekend of home games for the year. NDSU graduation is this weekend, too, which means our daycare hours are switching to the summer schedule next week. They will be closing at 4:30 pm instead of 5:30 pm which could be challenging at times as Ryan is still planning to umpire quite a few games this summer. Luckily, we can always count on Grandpa Peter and Grandma Teresa to be home. You never know, Andy could be making pizzas by the end of the summer. They say that Ryan was making them at 5 years old, so now the bar is set. I’m still in awe when I watch them whip a pie together – especially how they make those fancy edges on the crust.

We have a pretty good bedtime routine down now. Andrew lays down awake and falls asleep on his own. We are still waiting for him to consistently sleep through the night every night. He will do it one night, but not the next.

We don’t have too much planned for the summer this year. So far we are expecting a visit from Grandma Connie and Grandpa Dave the end of June and July should bring some new cousins to meet.

Today Ryan and I went to a Parent-Teacher Conference for Andrew. It was quite interesting. They keep track of his development and write it all down along with pictures. We kinda knew most of it already, but Andrew's teacher Mary was sure to point out that Andrew is very social and likes to be where the action is. He doesn't get scared away by new faces, either. He likes to be "vocal" and mimic the teachers and other children. She had some cute stories about him and the other children.

He is learning how to eat from a spoon and fork now. He's got the motion down, but the food doesn't always get on the spoon or make it to his mouth.

The weather is finally getting nice and the threat of a 2nd flood is lower here in Fargo. If the weather is nice on Wednesday, we are going to take a walk up to NDSU for the baseball game after we have supper.

Andrew is WALKING!! He figured out how to get up on to his feet from sitting without pulling up on a chair or coffee table too! It was almost as if he just decided tonight it was time to walk, so he did. He had been taking steps for a while, but had always still crawled to get somewhere fast. He's still pretty wobbly, but pretty good at keeping his balance and staying on his feet.

Something else he has learned to do is to pick up a piece of food with a fork and put it into his mouth. He also figured out he can pick up things with his mouth when his hands are full!

Happy Easter everyone!

A lot has been going on here to say the least! First off, we all went to Minneapolis for a few days for the NCAA basketball tournament to cheer on the Bison. They lost to Kansas, but represented NDSU well. There were tons of NDSU fans in the Metrodome. Green and gold were definitely the predominate colors. That was fun to see the support. The basketball season was so much fun.

Last week was a whirlwind. We came back to Fargo & the city was working to get ready for a flood. Predictions were for the river to get to an all time high, which it did on Saturday night at midnight. On Thursday night, they evacuated MeritCare - where I work. About 180 patients were sent to other healthcare facilities in the region. The hospital is only a few blocks from our house, so this all made me a little on edge. Since then, the river has dropped and they have reopened the hospital. The city is still on alert and they think there will be a second crest later in April when all of the snow melts, but all and all, the dikes and levees the city built should hold and prevent any major damage to the city. So we have been busy with all of this going on -- trying to get things moved up from our basement, getting our drains plugged and bags packed just in case. Ryan also helped a bit with the sandbagging in a couple blocks away near the El Zagel golf course. I was super busy at work trying to get all of our patients their IV medicine. Dealing with roads closing, UPS not delivering and whatnot isn't fun!

Congratulations are in order to friends Nicki (Lauf) and Jeremy. They had a little girl on March 28th. Welcome little Zadie Ardona! We can't wait to meet you in person.

In the mist of all of this basketball/flood/blizzard busy time, we are still getting some work done on the house. The kitchen is almost done. It has been so cool to see it go from the studs to what it has become now. It is going to have a great workflow now and plenty of room for kitchen things we once stored downstairs. The only thing left is hooking up the dishwasher, ice maker and putting up some trim. We’re so excited. Our master bathroom is also being redone. No shower, sink or toilet in there yet, but it is all tiled and painted and looks great! We are very happy with the work and can't wait until it's all finished. I’ll have to post some pictures when it’s all completed.

Andrew is doing great! We had him in for his 1 year appointment. He is got an A+ from the doctor and is and right on track. He is on the lighter side for his age, but following the growth curves just fine. He’s in the middle for height. He is going to be home with dad all week since NDSU is closed due to the flood, which includes dad’s office and Andrew’s daycare. He is really into walking around the furniture now. He can cruise pretty fast and barely hangs on at all. It shouldn't be long before he is walking. He already stands on his own for a few minutes at a time and will take a few steps before lunging forward. He really likes to climb up on things now, too. He likes to "share" his food by handing it to one of us, but likes even more if he can put it right into our mouths. In fact, he likes to share his toys and other things, too -- if it is HIS idea. If you try to take something away, he doesn't like that and still gets pretty upset. Andrew points over and over at something he wants to touch (like the microwave) or something that catches his attention like the lights or out the window. He also likes to wave both hi and bye-bye. Throwing balls and other toys is really fun. He will play by himself, but finds this really fun if someone will play catch with him. Andrew had his haircut again. It was getting a little shaggy around the neck and ears. It isn’t sticking up like it once did as he's getting thicker hair. It seems like he is going to have a lot of hair and so far it is staying that sandy blond color. I guess he takes after the grandmas with the lighter hair. Andrew is back to liking baths again, too after about 3-4 weeks of screaming through each bath, so that’s a relief. Bath time was not fun with a crying, wet little boy trying desperately trying to climb out. We are all done with basketball games for the year. Andrew went to many games, and stayed entertained by all of the action. I'm sure we will go to some baseball games this spring if the weather holds up. Hopefully the weather will turn around soon so we can get outside and not have to bundle up so much just to go somewhere.

Thanks for checking in. We are looking forward to getting the house back in order with the remodeling wrapping up in the next week or so and getting Andrew back into more of a routine with his daycare schedule again.

We are dancing in Minneapolis!! Hurray! The Bison won the conference championship and earned the right to go to the NCAA tournament. We found out today that we are going to be playing the Kansas Jayhawks in Minneapolis. Go Bison! The media attention has been wild since Tuesday's win. Ryan has been crazy busy at work. Calls from ESPN, CBS, the New York Times, USA Today, Dan Patrick Show to name a few as well as all of the regular locals. CBS and the New York Times even made trips to Fargo.

We had a blizzard while we were in Sioux Falls. The snow piles around town are huge! Luckily, it's been pretty warm since and they have already melted down quite a bit. We hope that’s it for snowfall and that it melts at a slow pace to minimize flooding.

About 10 days ago, Andrew had a bout with rotavirus. He had the vaccine, so luckily it was a lot milder than it would have been without the vaccine. Thank goodness for the vaccine, I thought that was quite enough messy diapers! Now, Andrew has a nasty cold and hadn’t been himself today. I called the nurse line and she recommended that I take him to the ER. Uff. I opted for the peds walk in clinic instead, which was a good choice. It wasn’t anything more serious. It’s just a virus and some TLC should get him feeling better soon. He had already perked up by this evening, so I hope he recovers quickly. He has his one-year check up tomorrow. Hopefully, we won’t need to see the doctor again for a while after this.

One thing I haven't mentioned is that we are remodeling our kitchen and master bathroom. We are two weeks in. They have removed the wall between in our dining room and kitchen. It's gonna be awesome when it's done, but what a mess for now! We have been spending most of our time in the family room downstairs. We are glad that we are going to be gone for a few days again this week and hope they can make some progress while we are gone.

We had an impromptu pizza/ice cream party on Saturday. Andrew really liked the strawberry ice cream after he got used to the cold taste in his mouth. It was fun!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW! We can hardly believe our little guy is one! I know everyone says it, but I cannot believe how fast that year flew by. What a great year it has been with Andrew in our lives. It is fun to look back at the pictures and see just how much he has grown up. I’m just amazed how fast he learns. It’s so fun to teach him new things and see him hit new milestones.

We have been in Sioux Falls for the Summit League Basketball Tournament. We have been to lots of games and Andrew has been a trouper. The NDSU Men's basketball team is playing for the title and an automatic bid to the Big Dance tonight at 7pm. It's on ESPN2, so tune and look for us on TV. Daddy should be on a few times since he sits right next to the NDSU bench.

We had a little birthday party for Andrew and Cousin Isaac on Sunday morning. Andrew had fun playing with balloons, although he was scare of them at first. When he figured out that he could throw and catch them, they were great. We opened some presents and that was fun for a while. Andrew would very gently rip the paper. Cousin Isaac was a pro at eating cupcakes, but Andrew was more interested in the "1" candle and had fun playing with that.

We hear there is quite the blizzard in Fargo. We aren't sad that we are missing it. I'm sure all of the snow will be waiting when we come back. We even heard that NDSU has closed for tomorrow, so that mean’s Andrew’s Daycare is closed, too. We have had so much snow this year, but haven’t gotten to have Andrew out to play in it. Maybe the weather will turn nice now, so we can take out the sled.

Have a great storm day and GO BISON!

Just had to write a quick note about our beloved NDSU Men's basketball team...they won both of their games this weekend which gave them the regular season championship and the #1 seed in the Summit League Tournament next weekend. Whoo hoo! They have secured a berth in the NIT by being regular season champs. Winning the Summit League Tournament will get them into the Big Dance. We will be there cheering them on!

Andrew is getting pretty good at standing on his own. He will do it for a minute or so. He barely hangs on around the furniture now either. He is getting pretty daring. He says “Dada” directly to Ryan. He says “Momma,” but it can be really random at his toys and it’s usually more of a babbling “Ma Ma Mama.” I do get many more kisses than daddy though, and it must because of those scratchy whiskers that daddy has. He gives lots of love with hugs and by resting his forehead against both mom and dad’s forehead. He will do “SOOOO BIG!” on cue now when we say, “How big is Andy?”

Some of Andrew’s favorites now include: books of any kind, balls to throw and chase, cruising around the furniture in the living room, crawling, his taggie blanket, mornings, bopping to music, and using his voice. In fact, he finds his favorite time to “talk” is during church. It’s so hard to keep him quite. At least we usually have very nice people sitting around us and they don’t seem to mind too much and are actually entertained. He loves to feed himself and some favorite finger foods are American cheese, bread, bananas, graham crackers, Gerber puffs, Cheerios and Mandarin Oranges.

We had a super busy week of Bison basketball games. Andrew is so good at the games. He sits so nice and enjoys all of the action. He usually ends up clapping for the opposing team after all of the Bison fans have stopped clapping. Monkey see, monkey do. We are done with men's home games for the year, but we are going to the Summit League Basketball Tournament in Sioux Falls. In fact, we will be there over Andrew’s 1st birthday. That is coming up fast and I cannot believe how fast this past year has gone.

They have this thing at Andrew's daycare center called the sensory table. It's kinda like a square shaped pool on legs. Last week, there was a day when they put sand in it and his report card said he enjoyed watching the other children playing. Well, this week, he must not have wanted to be an innocent bystander anymore. Yesterday, it was filled with water and he joined in. He had to have an outfit change due to all of his splashing. He even got his hair wet. Then today, they had it filled with dirt! His outfit was pretty clean, but we did find some dirt hiding out in his ear and found some by his belly button, too. :) It was definitely a bath night.

Happy Birthday to Grandma Lindsay on Wednesday!

I forgot to mention in my journal update that we got Andrew's haircut on Friday at a place called "Little Whipper Snippers." The place is very brightly painted and geared towards kids with little TVs playing Elmo at each chair. He was a very good boy during the whole thing and sat very still. He liked the blowdryer. I usually blow a little warm air on him when I'm drying my hair in the mornings, so he is used to it. You can see some pictures of his new 'do in the photos.

Our new Daycare at NDSU is a wonderful place and we are so happy with the care there. I thought that Andrew would have no problems adjusting as he is only 10 months. That hasn’t quite been the case. He’s been a finicky eater there (which isn’t the normal) and hasn’t taken many naps (which is nothing new) but it has made him a little crabby in the evenings. He is cutting a tooth, too, so maybe that’s part of the problem. Hopefully the adjustment period will be over in a few days and he will be back to his happy disposition. He has gotten happy faces on his daily report cards, so he hasn’t been too unbearable for them. Thank goodness. We like the little daily report cards. One day it said, Andrew enjoyed exploring the room and all of the toys and another day it said that he like popping the bubbles that the older children blew.

I went to a Baby Signs class, so I am starting to use the signs with Andrew. They said that it might take 2 months for him to do the signs back, but it really helps the children communicate at an earlier age and even helps with spoken language later on.

Andrew has started to clap now. Of course we get all excited when he does it, so he thinks he is pretty cool. Andrew is on the brink of doing “so big.” He kinda gets it now, but sometimes one hand at a time instead of two. Andy likes to copy what he sees (clapping, us raising our arms like soooo big.) He has also really gotten into music. When he hears a song he likes or the band playing at a basketball game, he bobs his head with the beat. Andrew really likes to play with cars (or any toy that rolls for that matter). He likes to push them along. One of his cars was tipped over and it wouldn’t roll. He picked it up, spun the wheels with his finger and figured out that he should put it down on the wheels to roll it. I was impressed. Books are still a favorite. He loves when someone reads to him, but likes to turn the pages and look at them himself, too. This comes in really handy at church. He had a really fun time watching daddy out the window today. Ryan was doing some work outside, and Andrew thought it was fun to watch. It was still -1 degrees, so we couldn’t join him for some fun in the snow. We have a little sled for Andrew, but it has not been nice enough to be out at all this winter. I guess we might have to wait until February or next year to use it.

On Friday, we took a little roadtrip down to South Dakota to watch the NDSU men’s basketball team take on their rival South Dakota State. NDSU won in overtime, so that was fun. Rumor is that Andrew was on TV during the game. Grandma and Grandpa saw him…did anyone else see him?

Happy New Year! The Perreaults have been busy so far this year. Ryan and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary on the 1st. He was gone with the NDSU basketball team to Detroit. At least I got the day off since it was a holiday! My parents, Allison, Angela, Reese & Isaac helped us ring in the new year. Only my mom and I stayed up until midnight!

Some wonderful news from Auntie Allison & Auntie Angela. They are both expecting a baby in July! I think the due dates are only 3 days apart. We are excited for our new cousins.

A couple of new baby girls are here, too. We want to wish congratulations to Travis and Laura at the birth of Lillie at the end of December & also to Dana and George on the birth of their daughter Cecilia in the beginning of January. Both moms & daughters are doing well.

We were shocked to find out on Friday is that our daycare is going to be closing at the end of the month. We love Flynn’s and all of the teachers there. I must say that we were stressing a bit over the weekend not knowing who would take care of little Andrew. Infant openings are tough to come by in Fargo and especially in north Fargo. They say everything happens for a reason, and it must be true. We lucked out in a big way though because NDSU had an opening starting on January 20. Someone was looking down on us that is for sure! We had Andrew on the waiting list from the very day I found out I was pregnant about 18 months ago. How could the timing be better that an opening came up now? NDSU is known for a great child care program and work with their students in the child development major. We are still sad to say good bye to all of the people at Flynn’s & next Monday will be a tough day. They have taken great care of Andrew & loved him a lot for the past 7 months. We are truly grateful for all they have done.

As far as Andrew goes, he is doing great! He is pulling up on everything. He thinks he is such hot stuff when he stands up. He is a fast crawler now. His absolute favorite toy is this mini volleyball that Grandma caught for him at one of the NDSU games. It’s just the right size for him. He will hold it, roll it & crawl after it. It’s even more fun when mom or dad dribble it or play catch. He certainly likes to be around people and if one of us go to another room, he will crawl after us. Just yesterday he showed us how he is able to climb up steps now. Watch out! He is trying all sorts of new foods. Different things each day. He likes to feed himself the finger foods. He will still eat the pureed baby foods and baby cereals, too. Bananas, pears and peaches are the still the favorites. We found some sippy cups that he can actually get the milk or water to come out when we hold it for him. He really likes to hold that himself too, but doesn’t quite get the notion that he needs to tip it up a little more to get a drink. Tooth number 7 is also through on the bottom left side. Not too much fussing with that one. His wild man hair is starting to lay down a bit some days, but then the next day it will be sticking all up again.

We are going to have a pretty low key weekend. It’s been soooo cold here with temperatures in the –20’s and –30’s overnight! Hopefully it will warm up a little bit and not snow anymore. We have PLENTY of the white stuff.

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!