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;)