PJ's & stuff

A few pics of Andrew hanging out in his new pj's....And other randoms! He has on the kneepads Aunt Kerri got for him while she was in Korea & he's banging on the window to get Abby & Oscar's attention. The fireworks are the post-poned July 4th ones that Stillwater rescheduled for Labor Day. We're very excited to know that we can see them from the backyard, now we can have parties & not have to travel to see the show!!

Parkhurst Pumpkin Patch-October 5, 2010

My friend (and hairstylist extraordinaire) Richa invited myself & Andrew for a playdate at the pumpkin patch in Arcadia. I thought we would really be going to a pumpkin patch, eat some lunch & let the kids play.....Instead we had corn & hay mazes, smores, petting zoos, pony rides & hayrides! Andrew did touch some of the pumpkins (thought the lumpy ones were poison!) but he liked the animals the most *his mother's son*. Richa & I got a few pics of him with the goats & on his pony ride, a first! I also saw the breed I would like for our next dog-a Mauzer-it's a cross between a Maltese & min. Schnauzer. Owner said 'cottonball' was hypo-allergenic & didn't shed or bark (much) & had been great with kids! I liked him b/c he was close to Prissy size & had a cute face!

Early anniversary- October 2,2010

So Danny & I celebrated our anniversary a little early this year by staying at the Mayo Hotel in Tulsa. It's been totally rennovated from when Danny was younger & it was a not so nice place to be! Done in the Art Deco style, it was really interesting to see the restoration & homage to a beautiful landmark. We also took Andrew to buy his first pair of shoes at another Tulsa landmark-Trippets has been in business since 1937! The gentleman that helped us had worked there for 36 years & the service was wonderful! Andrew wasn't so sure about the shoes-it was like we put cement blocks on his feet! He's totally adjusted to them now, although he still curls his toes!

Updates

So, it's really been a while since I posted! So much has been happening with the new house & Andrew...he's up to 22 pounds & is standing up on his own-not quite walking unaided, but man can he circle a coffee table! He babbles away-only true words he says are 'Mom' *love* and 'Bob'. He started saying 'Bob' after a saturday with Grandma & Grandpa Chance! At daycare, they moved him up to the toddler class a month or so ago, but that lasted for a week-stopped eating & was throwing fits when we dropped him off in the mornings (totally atypical for him)...So, we went back to 'wobbler' status (he started eating & was happy again) and now we're in the process of slowly transitioning back to 'toddler'. I think it was just too soon to move him since he'd just gotten settled into the new daycare/teachers & now he's more confident. I finally got birthday invitations sent out-looking forward seeing family and friends (and watching Andrew try cake!). I can't believe he'll be 1 in a couple of weeks! We're also looking forward to Halloween-Andrew will be too cute! Hoping to spend the weekend in Wichita Falls so we (I) can watch MSU's Homecoming & then take Andrew around to family for trick or treating!

goofy faces

These are a few of the pics Bob took of Andrew a few weeks ago-they crack me up!

Shingles, skateboards & worms.....

Whew! It's been an interesting couple of weeks-Andrew had his first haircut on the 13th with Richa. He did so well-kept twisting his head around to see the razor, and somehow Richa managed to not cut off an ear & give him a great 1st haircut (still looks the same, just without some of the crazy long hairs;). Danny got out his old skateboard & showed me some of his moves from 'back in the day'....I'm certain it's something Andrew will want to take up *sigh* I forsee lots of scraped knees in our future! And to top everything off, Danny ended up with shingles! His medicine seems to be working-the pain isn't too bad anymore & thankfully the rash we saw on Andrew wasn't chickenpox! I felt like a complete idiot today-we went to Tulsa so that I could shop at the Just Between Friends sale, Danny could meet the guys & Mary Ellen & Bob would watch Andrew.....danny gets me to the Expo Center....and we're the only car! I got the dates right, but the sale is in August! This is what sleep deprivation will do to a person;) At least everyone had a good time & I found some shoes & shorts, so all was not lost! We came home w/a worm for Andrew (not a gross kind) but a rocking worm! Andrew loves it, although his dismount needs some work! Oh! Andrew also started sitting up on his own this week-looked up from the computer on Wednesday & he was sitting in his playpen (he'd fallen over from when I first put him in)....now he acts as if he's been doing it for years!

Ahh....Stillwater

So, once again, Stillwater has ruined my favorite holiday! Fireworks were 'postponed' until Labor Day-this is the 3rd year out of the last 4 this has happened...all because the city won't just tell people they can't park on the grass. I figure that if 20,000 people come in for a football game & everthing works out in the neighborhood streets w/parking, they could do the same thing for fireworks! Anyway, we did have a great time w/everyone coming over (even w/the rain)! Pam & Jerry even made it from Wichita Falls! I got a chance to see "Eclipse" with Andrine on saturday (Momma & Daddy were in town & watched Andrew)....can't wait for "breaking dawn"! Since I took Friday off, I also got a lot of things done at the house-namely hanging some pictures & stuff in the office-put in a few plants in the front flower beds too! Now I at least feel the house is somewhat finished-doesn't look quite so 'we just moved in';) Of course, we also got some pics of Andrew (Bob has the best ones of Andrew's facial gymnastics-have to post when we get the CD) while he was playing today....

Swim Class

Earlier this month, Andrew had swim classes at the city pool-he was the youngest one there (all the other babies in the class could walk)...he had a great time splashing around! He wasn't too keen on floating on his back, but didn't fuss too much. They only let us take pictures one day-and of course it was the day that Danny was in Dallas! Fortunately, Sarah came to the rescue & took tons of pics-I'll only include the couple I've managed to crop myself out of though;)

So this has been the driveway's progression-lots of mud for the last month, but last week everything dried out & they were able to pour the driveway & sidewalk. The best thing? I picked Andrew up from daycare & the guys helped me put his footprints in the concrete before it set up-one man's wife was nice enough to write Andrew's name & the year too!

Our Monster:)

So, we're finally in the new house and slowly getting things unpacked! Andrew has been taking full advantage of the carpets-soldier crawling everywhere! He's also gotten over any camera shyness-he now recognizes our cameras & just smiles (or attempts to pull it out of our hands)! This weekend we took a short break & went to Guthrie (unsuccessfully) hoping to find new treasures for the house at one of the antique malls. It ended up being a little hot out-so Andrew & Danny stayed in the car to cool off for a while-which Andrew thought was fantastic. The car is his new favorite hangout! We've also got good news on the driveway-finally got it poured last week & we can drive on it by Thursday! Part of the sidewalk is finished, but the rest has to wait until the city inspector approves everything-at least most of it will be cleaned up by this weekend for our guests!

Congrats!

Heard some big news recently.....cousin Leah (& Kirk) are expecting their 2nd little one! Baby Horton is due November 24th....so I told Leah to cross her legs, so he (that's just what I've decided they're having;) & I can share a birthday! I'm so excited for them-Holland gets to be the 'big sister' & I have no doubt that she'll make sure her new sibling toes the line...and looks fabulous all the while;)

Fun pics

After giving Andrew a bath the other day....he sort of had a mohawk, ok, maybe I gave him the mohawk...anyway, he went to daycare with it & was super fantastic (my words, he said he was just 'cool' ;))....and on Sunday he fell asleep sitting up w/Danny..strange how similar Andrew looks to certain members of my family (nameless to protect identities) that fall asleep watching football games on Thanksgiving!

Mother's Day

I had a terrific 1st Mother's Day! Danny made pancakes Sunday morning & took care of Andrew for a while so I could sleep in...I also got a locket from Andrew-now I just have to decide on pictures! When I picked Andrew up from daycare friday, he had a flower & card for me:)....We got to see Bob & Mary Ellen Saturday (in Tulsa) for a wonderful late lunch & family pictures!

J-me's Birthday

Since I'm so behind, all of this is out of order...oh well! Kerri fled the ickiness that is Utah to come down to God's country (no, not STW...TEXAS) to celebrate J-me's birthday...however, she flew into OKC so that she could see Andrew before we went down to Dallas. This was the first time they got to meet in person (in the belly doesn't count!). It was great b/c we were all out to dinner that Thursday night (April 22nd) when we discovered that Andrew's 1st tooth came in! She & Andrew hung out while we were at work....well, Andrew hung out while Aunt Kerri catered to his every whim;) I was so happy to see them together!

We got to Dallas on Friday & got to spend time w/J-me & Ethan....after he got over his shyness around 'the ladies'...he was all about the entertainment! He gave us money (and a show;)! We left the boys to their own devices on Saturday & headed for the outlet malls! We had a wonderful time visiting & having girl time...Andrew & Holland got lots of presents! It was a perfect day, even when we discovered J-me's key was MIA! Jason & Ethan came to our rescue (unlike the security guard & police officers J-me ran down...and that's literally ran down!)...much to our delight, while we waited for rescue...who else but Elise walked by! She's a friend of J-me's that Kerri & I met because we were all members of the wedding party (j-me & jason's that is!) We decided the missing key was fate so that we could see old friends! Kerri was happy b/c it meant she got to spend more time in the sun;)

All in all, it was a great weekend (my once a year french toast..yum) and the best friends, ever! I only wish we could live closer together-I'm just going to have to convince Doc to build in TX;)

Back to Andrew

OK, so to the star of our family! Andrew was 6 months yesterday & had his shots/checkup today. He's still skinny at 16 pounds 10 ounces (25th percentile) but fairly long, 27 inches (85th percentile). There's no mistaking what the nurse is doing with the shots anymore, now he cries as soon as the 1st one goes in! It's that weird funny/sad thing-he never cries & his face is so cute, but he is still crying, so I want him to just feel better! The doctor said he's fine to start eating baby food (just one 'meal' a day), so we started tonight with green beans & squash-he loved it! Now that he has 2 teeth (one showed up when Kerri visited and the other a week later-22/29th, both on the bottom!) he loves to chomp on the spoon! I've been unsuccessful in getting pictures, as soon as you pull his lip down, he sticks his tongue over the top of the teeth;) He's laughing all the time & he's very ticklish-all over! As I was picking Andrew up from daycare today, Miss Katy (teacher) got a huge smile & told Andrew "you're such a flirt!"....he really is!

He loves his highchair (Thank you Vicki!!) and the bouncer thing I bought on my way back from Dallas-I'd been wanting one for a while b/c he never wants to get out of the ones at daycare, but STW didn't have any (of course!) The other picture was during our 'packing of the attic' session (14 hours of it, thank you!). Andrew was a trooper, but did tell me how to sort the wrapping paper & associated supplies;)

Contract pending.......

Well, so much has happened to us in the last few weeks! In a bit of craziness (although we had discussed it ad nauseum in the last few months) we put our house up for sale on a Saturday night...and a couple wanted to look at it Sunday, but we were out looking at houses ourselves! The realtor brought them by the next Monday morning (while she was there to take pictures to get our place on the website & keys)...They loved it-I know b/c I got to meet them (and their parents!) & we talked a bit. The realtor called me later that afternoon, b/c the couple wanted to come back by the house before we (realtor & us) went on our house hunt! We looked a few & while Danny was panicking about us finding a place, Beverly told him 'not to terrify you more, but I'm going back to my office tonight to write an offer on your house!'...and sure enough, the only people that looked at the house signed the contract! A few days later, we found our new house! Whew! Now we're dealing with the inspections & last minute hassles (thank you ADT)...and tonight we finally hear from the buyers that they may want to push back our closing date!! It's a STW thing-you can get $5000 for a downpayment if you take a class & are buying a qualifying house, it's what I did to buy the house in the first place. Problem being, the couple has an alternate source for the downpayment, but they want to get the city's money-(it's a forgivable loan) but if you close b/4 being approved, you won't get the money! So add more frustration-house halfway packed & plans already set for moving-parents coming to help, Danny's folks coming to take Andrew for a few days....grrr!

It's fruit cereal....it stinks!

Today I stayed home with Andrew while Danny went into work...we've been (at this point unsuccessfully) attempting to quarantine Danny....now I'm getting the sore throat too! Once he got back home, we gave Andrew his first taste of rice cereal-I guess this one is fruit flavored. While he didn't totally throw a fit, it's definitely something different! We've had crazy weather today-I was supposed to go to Tulsa & meet up w/J-me, but it went from 70 degrees to 32 with probably 5 inches of snow (so far). Needless to say, we've cancelled shopping :( As long as the roads are OK, I do plan on going to OKC tomorrow-meet up w/my folks and go to the OKC Just Between Friends presale & see if I find more goodies for Andrew! This was also a big week at school-we finally got Andrew's pictures back! I'm such a proud momma-the bunny is in one piece and Andrew's smiling...can't ask for anything more!

Randoms....

So last tuesday was Andrew's 4 month checkup-he's a whopping 14 pounds and 25.5 inches. He took his shots like a little tough guy...especially after he got a bottle;) He's still busy rolling over-definitely playing more, he bashes away at his activity mat (until he sees the camera, then it's 'I'm Mr. Shy')and he's started sticking out his tongue & somehow making it super-pointed...weird! Today he brought home his first art project....green shamrock with fingerpaints...I'm pretty sure Michaelangelo's legacy is safe! We'll see how the next few days go, since Andrew started eating 8oz., he's been sleeping longer....as in last night he slept from 8p-5a!!!!! This could be the start of a beautiful thing;)

And so it begins...

So last weekend (Saturday to be precise) was the 1st time Andrew rolled over-we were having dinner at Ken's in Iowa Park. He hadn't done it since then....until thursday, when I walked in for bottle time and found him on his stomach! Now, anytime he's in the crib, he pretty much rolls over...the problem being that (most of the time) he hasn't quite figured out how to get on his back again!

4 months and counting!

Today Andrew is 4 months old! He's been doing well-drooling like crazy, so we think teething has begun-we'll see how long it takes for a tooth to appear! He's grabbing and chewing everything these days-not quite holding a bottle on his own, but reaching for & stuffing it in his mouth-even while sleeping, as footage shows;). Although I was the nice wife (and didn't take time to get pictures....) Last night I was folding clothes, when I hear a bellow from the living room, "I need help in here!"....seems that Andrew threw up all over himself & his Daddy! I'm so very glad that he's not playing favorites when it comes to puke;) At daycare a couple of days ago, I heard the girls talking about 'who gets to take' this one little girl...I hear something that sounds like soft clapping (I'm getting Andrew settled in the carseat, so I'm not really noticing what they're doing) and then the one girl starts changing the little one's diaper....I realize what they were doing was 'rock, paper, scissors' for who had to change the diaper!! I was laughing so hard-I guess it does break up the monotony of poopy diapers! On an adult note: CONGRATULATIONS MOMMA!!! Yesterday was her last day to work for the US government-just a few months shy of 46 YEARS with the USDA. She's earned the right to enjoy herself!

The tidbits I forgot...

My mind has the attention span of a fruit fly...I finally got Andrew's initials painted and put up in his room-decided on that since I couldn't find any artwork that I liked...well, that I liked for Andrew ;)!

This was the fun we had giving him breathing treatments after the RSV diagnosis.
At first, I thought we would have problems because he hated the mask at the doctor's office. Once we got home & did a couple, he acted like it was nothing-I guess that's probably pretty typical for a baby. Throw a fit until you realize it doesn't hurt!

Valentine's Day and other tidbits....

So, we've been staying pretty busy at the Chance house-our NELAC audit is approaching for work, which doesn't leave much time for anything! However, we managed to finish our Italian cooking class last week (a huge thanks to Sarah & Connie for babysitting!!) We had a terrific time & tried several new things...and they weren't bad! Now we're looking forward to having a big day of cooking some weekend w/the Stillwater crowd...and taking another class.

We were also lucky enough to get some Valentine's pictures taken last weekend. Bob let us know that Aperatures Studio was doing a special & the wonderful Miss Natalie came in on her day off to take our pictures! I wasn't sure how a red background would look, but I think the pictures turned out great! Now I can add some new images to my digital frame at work-it's so Harry Potter!

Andrew went back to the doctor for a recheck on his cough...just seems to be a cold (RSV is gone)...and he weighs 13.5 pounds..almost double his birthweight! He's actually laughing out loud these days-not just smiling! He's drinking 6oz. and starting to grab & chew on everything-I wonder if he's teething? I'm constantly amazed & humbled by our son. I think the world would be a better place if we could all capture a small amount of a child's joy.

3 months...and still not sleeping 8 hours!

Today Andrew is 3 months old. He's brought so much joy into our lives (don't get me wrong...he brings a lot of crying too!)-it seems like he's been here forever or only a week-which one probably depends on if he's crying at the time! He's a little over 12 pounds and 24 inches now, but won't go into the doctor until next month. He's more observant every day-grasping at toys, fingers, fabrics...and all the while, looking at everything! It's still impossible to trim his fingernails unless he's sleeping...and we've survived his first 'daycare disease' rather well-he's tolerating the breathing treatments and saline drops like a champ (after screaming bloody murder in the doctor's office), so I feel we've conquered 'RSV' and Andrew's learned a valuable lesson about those 'daycare girls';).....last night as he was sleeping-I looked over & he was having the best dream because he was actually laughing in his sleep! Right now, this is how he's looking-completely exhausted from his rigorous day at school-those bottles take it out of you!

Saying Goodbye

Sunday was a tough day at our house. I finally made the decision to put Romeo to sleep-his renal failure had progressed & he was fighting us on eating and fluid therapy. He was the last of my 'babies'....I still miss each one-always will. At least I know they're all in heaven...lounging....well, Prissy is begging for food...the cats are lounging;)

Andrew's new stuff

So Danny & I were both sick the weekend of the baptism...and while I blamed my initial sickness on Andrew (he did have a snotty nose!)...he's only last weekend developed a nasty cough. After talking with our pediatrician, unless the little bugger develops a fever, there's not really much we can do except make him comfortable. In the mean time, he's starting to reach out for things & the other day I got him on video holding his first toy. Tonight, he was all smiles, even while coughing, so I just had to get a video of that also-clothing furnished by Aunt J-me;)

Andrew's Baptism....1-17-10

We had a wonderful time in Wichita Falls a couple of weeks ago at Andrew's baptism. Not only did we get to see Tracy & her family (Aunt Karen's daughter), but Aunt Nicky & Uncle Joe were suprise attendees as well! It meant a great deal to me that we were able to have Andrew baptized at St. Paul-the church has been a home to my family for generations. Cousins Leah & Kirk honored us by being godparents for Andrew-it's very special that we're godparents for each other's child....& I don't even remember how many fits Holland had;)

We had great food-Daddy & Aunt Janice made tons of chili & cheese potato soup-yum!...and german chocolate cake!

Craft time

I was working on a few things before my parents came up last Thursday and Andrew helped out by offering color advice;)