It's Potty Time!

Well, maybe...it was potty time this morning. While I was washing my hands, Andrew started showing some interest in the potty. At first I just told him not to touch it. "Potty's are for going potty. We don't play with them. If you want to go peepee or poopoo on the potty fine, then you can sit on the potty, but we don't play with the potty." (Yada-yada.) I went on and explained to Andrew what happens on the potty and if he wants to sit on it then I'll go get his Elmo potty seat. He said more than once, "sit sit" and gestured as if he was trying to sit on the potty. Alright then. I got his Elmo potty seat and his little potty (I prepared myself awhile ago). I told him he can sit on the big potty with his Elmo seat or the little potty. He chose the Elmo seat. I put him on the toilet with his clothes on at first fully expecting him to squirm and have second thoughts, but he sat on it!!! Whoa! That's huge for Andrew! When I tried before, mostly to humor myself (and because Andrew's pediatrician suggested - at 18 months- I start putting him on the potty at night before his bath, which turned out to be a horrible idea), he squirmed and stood up as I was trying to sit him down. One night his Elmo seat ended up in the bathtub as a toy and other times Andrew insisted on putting one or both of his potty seats on his head. My conclusion was he was not ready (you think?) and I wasn't going to push it. I would just wait and see.

So, Andrew sat on the potty today first with his clothes on, and then I took off his diaper. As you can see in the picture, he insisted on putting both his Elmo seat and his seat from the little potty on the toilet. Whatever works! He sat there for several minutes just hanging out playing with a little toilet paper. Nothing happened, and he was on there for awhile, but it was first thing in the morning and he had already peed in his fresh diaper. We had a good talk, though, about peepee and poopoo. My expectations are really low and I am not going to push the potty-training thing. He isn't even 2! The fact that he sat on the potty at all is a huge first step!

I just wanted to cut his hair. Now he wants to sit on the potty. What's next? Driving??

Mr. Big Boy

This wasn't Andrew's first haircut, but it was his first real haircut by someone who knows how to cut hair. He was SUPER in that chair! I had no idea what to expect, but Andrew was on his best behavior during his first real haircut. I couldn't have been more proud of him.




He wears it pretty well, don't you think?

You want what??

Andrew has a lot of words. However, he doesn't say all of his words the way you would expect them to be said. For example:
tata = cracker, pillow = poopoo, pasta = papa.

His latest funny word is chicken, except when Andrew says chicken it comes out titty.


You can imagine how our dinners go when Andrew asks for more chicken...

Future Basketball Player...or Mommy's Little Helper?

Andrew has been known to chuck his sippy, snack cup, dish rags (clean ones!), you name it, into the sink. I suppose it's his way of cleaning up. A few minutes ago while Andrew was playing contentedly by himself with his legos, I decided to take the opportunity to start a load of wash. As soon as I turned on the water, I heard Andrew running towards the laundry room. He threw 2 legos into the washing machine. Okay? He runs back for more, and more. He came back eventually with a big truck ready to throw that in as well, but I had to intercept that one. He then came back with his toy rake! Umm, no. Judging from the look on his face, he knew that was a silly decision as well. I didn't care very much about the legos since they could probably use a cleaning anyway, so right now I'm not only getting a load of clothes washed, but a handful of legos as well. Thank you, Andrew.

Our New Ride

To make a long story short, we said goodbye to the S-10 over the weekend and welcomed the newest member to our family, a 2005 Honda Pilot.

Scary Sesame Street. Scary Sesame Street?!

Andrew loves Sesame Street. When it's time to watch it he prepares by getting a pillow off of the couch and plopping down onto it in the ready position. I swear half the time he sits on the pillow with his back to the tv and turns his head around. Don't ask me. I have no idea. Sometimes he figures out that it would be easier to turn around and other times I have to rotate the pillow (with Andrew still on top) so he can see the tv without getting a neck cramp. Anyway, back to my point. Andrew loves Sesame Street, and quite frankly SO DO I. It makes him happy, it's educational, it's fun, it allows me to get some things done around the house without Andrew at my heels...it makes me happy. This morning Andrew was watching Telly Helps Gordon Play Golf. All was well, until Elmo's World at the end of the show. Andrew loves Elmo! I was minding my own business, paying bills, oblivious to what was on the TV. It's not like I have to closely monitor Sesame Street. All of a sudden Andrew jumps up off of his pillow and runs into the kitchen crying. He looks back, turns the corner towards the bathroom, and continues to run away still crying. All I could think was, "What?"

This is what he saw, (and yes...I later pulled out my camera and recorded the tv with it.)

I can see how it might be scary to an unassuming kid who very simply loves Elmo.

"I Stuck!"

Andrew might be buried in a pile of pillows and he'd holler, "I stuck! I stuck!" or he might lay on the floor after a diaper change and say, "I stuck! I stuck!" Tonight he stood up, walked over to the kitchen floor, layed down, and said, "I stuck! I stuck!"

feeding the ducks

Our duck-feeding adventure...

Andrew's apple

Andrew and I went on a nice slow walk around "the loop" in out neighborhood this morning. Alone, it might have taken me 5 minutes, but with Andrew it took us around 30. It was great. It turned out to be a bit of a nature walk as Andrew stopped to pick up leaves and an apple (yes...an apple), and he pointed out dirt to me every 5 minutes. Andrew grew very fond of his apple, but after he tried to eat it several times, I took it away. I didn't know the history behind this apple and it kind of freaked me out. I traded it for a nice store-bought Red Delicious apple, which Andrew loved. We traded bites back and forth until he was tired of it.

Mommy Survey for Andrew

1. Age?
20 months

2. Name?
Andrew Christopher

3. Birthday?
November 15, 2006

4. Time of birth?
11:44 am

5. How long did labor last?
From when I knew I was in labor…about 13-14 hours.

6. Did you use any drugs during labor?
Yes - epidural, pitocin

7. Who was in the room when baby was born?
Loren

8. How long did you push?
30-45 minutes; I can’t remember exactly.

9. Weight?
7 lb 11 oz

10. Length?
20″

11. Any hair?

a little – medium brown

12. Who did the baby look like?
we couldn’t tell

13. Be honest: How much weight did you gain during pregnancy?
35 pounds

14. Was baby early or late?
8 days early

15. Who drove you home from hospital?
Loren

16. How many baby showers did you have?
none

17. When did baby start sleeping through the night?
About 2 months, but getting him to fall asleep on his own was the hard part

18. Did you breastfeed?
yes, for 6 months, but starting supplementing with formula at 3 months and then went to just formula around 6 months

19. If not, what kind of formula?
Started with hypoallergenic Enfamil and then went to regular Enfamil

20. Who keeps your baby the most?
Me

21. When do you wanna have another?
What day is it?

22. How did you pick the name?
Andrew was an “original” name that Loren and I both agreed on, but we didn’t decide for sure until after Andrew was born. Christopher is after my Dad, whose name was Chris.

23. How did you know when it was time to go to hospital?
I was feeling pain throughout the day (after a Dr. appt), but it wasn’t until after I was in the hospital when I realized I may have been in labor all day without knowing it. At about 10:00 that night I laid on the bed in a lot of pain and when I got up I thought my water may have broken (it wasn’t much; that’s why I wasn’t sure). I called the Dr. and after trying to describe my pain, etc. (this was hard to do over the phone) he told me to go ahead and go in (we were totally expecting to get sent home), but when got there the nurse confirmed my water had broken and we had to stay!

24. Who drove you there?
Loren

25. Did you go home or somewhere else when you left the hospital?
home

(Andrew Christopher- 4 days old)

Ode to Andrew's Socks

Socks, socks you love them dear
Oh, what would you do if they weren’t here?

You hold them in your hands real tight
They help you sleep all through the night

It all began as a little fun
They make you safe and happy, when your day is done

But your socks have become an addiction of which I fear
When you lay down it’s, “Socks? Socks?!?!” I hear

And one or two is not enough
You must have them all which makes it rough

You thought it funny to make it a game
Let’s throw them out of the crib and cry in shame

I thought you overcame your addiction a couple days ago
Until a stash was discovered and your face lit up so

What to do, oh what to do
I guess you’ll have your socks until your twenty-two

grass-cuttin' fool

Tonight I attempted to use the weed wacker to chop down the grass along our fence line. I'll admit, it has gotten out of control. Why? Because we've haven't chopped it down at all this year and the mower doesn't get to it. The last couple of summer's I have gotten down on my bum and pulled the grass along the fenceline just to clean it up a little. I tended to get carried away and I didn't particularly care for the barren look when I was done. So, tonight it was the weed wacker. It took me about 5 minutes (or less) to realize that what I was trying to do wasn't working at all. The grass was being chopped a little, but not nearly enough, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out if it was a horrible weed wacker that we owned or if I was doing something wrong. I have seen many a neighbor use a weed wacker along their fence and it seems to do a pretty good job. I just didn't get it. I thought about pulling the grass, but I didn't really want to and, like I said, I didn't care for that look. I was determined to figure this out. (Loren was out running errands so I couldn't ask him for advice.) Sooooo...I went inside and came back out with a pair of scissors. How else was I going to trim the grass without pulling it? I only did 1/3 of the inside of the fence, because towards the end of the one side I came to 3 realizations: 1) This is incredibly tedious and taking way too long, 2) The grass is going to grow back, and I'm not sure I want to be following Loren around with a pair of scissors once a week when he mows...and 3) I cut so much off of the blades of grass that the remaining grass is probably going to die anyway.

What a waste of time!

Trans Fats

I remember several years ago when someone I worked with at the Y talked about partially hydrogenated oil and trans fats and how this person didn't consume them, avoided them entirely. I kind of smiled and said "good for you" as I continued eating my then trans fat laden Fritos (Fritos have since become trans fat free). I knew they weren't good for me, but didn't really care or wasn't willing to give up some of my favorite snacks. It wasn't over night, but I eventually started to really pay attention to food labels. I think it happened more once I moved to Carmel...maybe because I wasn't working and had more time on my hands, maybe it was because I was pregnant, or maybe it was even once Andrew was born. I don't really remember. All I know is that now when I go shopping I look for partially hydrogenated oil on the food label and if it has it, I don't buy it (99.9% of the time). It's becoming easier to buy foods that don't contain this ingredient. One reason being: after I've read so many labels I know which foods have it and which foods don't and another reason being: food manufacturers are starting to remove it from their products (makes you wonder why, doesn't it?) When asked about why I don't eat it, all I can come up with is "It's bad." That's enough reason for me most of the time, but I wonder sometimes what it is that makes it bad. It's hard finding good articles on the subject or ones that I understand, but I found this one....(click on the title to read the entire article...I stopped short once I got the gist of it; I also highlighted some of the main details in red.)

What's Wrong with Partially Hydrogenated Oils?
By Eric Armstrong

Why Fats are Important
The first thing to understand about fats is that the essential fatty acids they contain are truly essential. They are the "active ingredient" in every bodily process you can name:
brain cell function and nervous system activity
hormones and intra-cellular messengers
glandular function and immune system operation
hemoglobin oxygen-transport system
cell wall function:
passing oxygen into the cell
passing nutrients into the cell
keeping foreign bodies out of the cell
digestive-tract operation
assimilating nutrients
blocking out allergens

In short, the essential fatty acids (contained mostly in polyunsaturated oils) are the most important nutrients there are -- more important than vitamins, minerals, or even proteins. Because, without them, there is no life. They are the substance and foundation of life energy.

What is Hydrogenation?
Hydrogenation is the process of heating an oil and passing hydrogen bubbles through it. The fatty acids in the oil then acquire some of the hydrogen, which makes it more dense. If you fully hydrogenate, you create a solid (a fat) out of the oil. But if you stop part way, you a semi-solid partially hydrogenated oil that has a consistency like butter, only it's a lot cheaper.

Because of that consistency, and because it is cheap, it is a big favorite as a butter-substitute among "food" producers. It gives their products a richer flavor and texture, but doesn't cost near as much as it would to add butter.

Note:
Until the 1970's, food producers used coconut oil to get that buttery flavor and texture. The American obesity epidemic began when it was replaced with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil -- most often soybean oil. For more information, see Coconut Oil and Palm Kernel Oil: Miracle Medicine and Diet Pill.

What's Wrong with Hydrogenation?
Unlike butter or virgin coconut oil, hydrogenated oils contain high levels of trans fats. A trans fat is an otherwise normal fatty acid that has been "transmogrified", by high-heat processing of a free oil. The fatty acids can be double-linked, cross-linked, bond-shifted, twisted, or messed up in a variety of other ways.

The problem with trans fats is that while the "business end" (the chemically active part) is messed up, the "anchor end" (the part that is attached to the cell wall) is unchanged. So they take up their position in the cell wall, like a guard on the fortress wall. But like a bad guard, they don't do their job! They let foreign invaders pass unchallenged, and they stop supplies at the gates instead of letting them in.

In short, trans fats are poisons, just like arsenic or cyanide. They interfere with the metabolic processes of life by taking the place of a natural substance that performs a critical function. And that is the definition of a poison. Your body has no defense against them, because they never even existed in our two billion years of evolution -- so we've never had the need or the opportunity to evolve a defense against them.

But the worst part is that in the last stages of oil processing (or "refining"), the oil is literally steam distilled to remove its odor. So it doesn't smell. But a hydrogenated oil is much worse than rancid butter. So it it did smell, it would smell worse than the most rancid butter you've ever seen. (And that goes for all refined oils, not just the hydrogenated ones. It's just that hydrogenated oils are everywhere in the American diet.) So the next time you see "partially hydrogenated oil" on a label, think "rancid butter".

Partially Hydrogenated Oils Make You Fat!
Partially hydrogenated oils will not only kill you in the long term by producing diseases like multiple sclerosis and allergies that lead to arthritis, but in the meantime they will make you fat!

You Eat More
It's not like you have any choice in the matter. Remember that the essential fatty acids are vital to every metabolic function in your body. You will get the quantity of essential fatty acids that you need to sustain life, no matter what. You will not stop being hungry until you do.
If you are consuming lots of saturated fats, you really have no choice but to become fat, because saturated fats contain only small quantities of the polyunsaturated fats that contain the essential fatty acids you need. The key to being thin, then, is to consume foods containing large amounts of polyunsaturated oils. (Those foods include fish, olives, nuts, and egg yolks.) Over the long term, those foods remove your sense of hunger.

Note:
The difference between a "fat" and an "oil" is temperature. A "fat" is a lipid that is solid at room temperature. An "oil" is one that is liquid at room temperature. Both are lipids (or "oil/fat"). Change the temperature, and you can convert an oil into a fat, or vice versa.

Partially hydrogenated oils make you gain weight the same way that saturated fats do -- by making you consume even more fat to get the the essential fatty acids you need. But partially hydrogenated fats are even worse. Not only do they produce disease over they long term, but they interfere with the body's ability to ingest and utilize the good fats!

Picture it like this. The trans fats are now the guards along the watchtower. The essential fatty acids (the support troops) are waiting outside to get into the fort (the cell), so they can be distributed along the watchtower (the cell wall). But the guards won't let them in! So they have to find someplace to stay in town. Over time, more and more troops are finding lodging in town. So new houses (fat cells) have to built to keep them in. The town grows more and more swelled with troops (fat), and it gets bigger and bigger (fatter). It's not a pretty picture at all, when you realize that the town is your belly, buns, face, and neck.

Your Metabolism Slows
Worse, most partially hydrogenated oil is partially hydrogenated soybean oil. That's a problem, because soybean oil depresses the thyroid--which lowers your energy levels, makes you feel less like exercising, and generally makes you fatter!

Of course, soybeans have been used for centuries in the Orient--but mostly as the basis for soy sauce and tofu. Asians didn't have soy milk, soy burgers, soy this and soy that. Most of all, they never used concentrated essence of soybean, in the form of soybean oil. And they didn't hydrogenate it, and they didn't use it in everything.

Walking down supermarket aisles in America, you find product after product with partially hydrogenated oil--often in products you would never expect. But why not? After all, it's cheaper than butter. And it's not illegal. Yet. When you eat out, restaurant breads and fried foods are loaded with stuff.

As a result, Americans are consuming soybean oil--partially hydrogenated soybean oil--in virtually everything they eat. It's no wonder that America is experiencing epidemic levels of diabetes, obesitiy, heart disease, and cancer. (.....)

Eggless Banana Bread

Andrew is allergic to eggs. Actually I don't know for sure if it is an allergy or an intollerance (apparently there's a difference), but whatever it is...if Andrew eats eggs he will vomit nonstop, beginning a couple hours after consuming the eggs, until it's all out of his system. Not pleasant. I'm not just talking about straight-up scrambled eggs. He can't have anything that is baked with eggs either. Trust me. I found out the hard way! It hasn't been hard to avoid eggs. I don't bake a lot of sweets (although, if Andrew could eat them I'd probably bake more) and I just read the labels before giving him any new foods. Pretty simple. However, I found myself with some extra overripe bananas today and instead of throwing them away, I decided to finally find an eggless banana bread recipe that I could use. I didn't search long, but I found one on some random website...recipezaar.com, I think. I tried it and to my amazement, it turned out pretty well! We'll see if Andrew likes it tomorrow, but I'm pretty pleased...and the batter tasted good, too!

Is it Saturday yet?

Andrew and I have had a good week...we've managed pretty well by ourselves. Except for the hours of 5-7 in the evenings, our week has been pretty similar to every other week. I have to say, though, that I am more than ready to hand bathtime back over to Loren. The past few nights baths have been pretty quick because Andrew wasn't too into them. He spent most of the time standing up and was ready to get out of the tub as soon as he got in. Tonight Andrew also chose to stand up during his bath and fill up his cup over and over again, but unlike every other night he thought it would be fun to throw the water instead of dumping it on himself. Yes, Andrew was throwing full cups of water...a good 12-16 ounces. He started throwing it at the corner of the tub/wall. Then, he started aiming for the floor. So not cool! When it ended up all over the front of me, I was done. I got him out of the tub and I proceeded to mop up the floor with some towels. As I was cleaning up the mess Andrew peed all over the bathroom floor! Loren comes home Saturday night and I will be more than happy when he resumes his bath duties.

independence or negligence?

I accidentally forgot to lock the closet door. Andrew found his way into it and into his art supplies as well as some other miscellaneous things. It was Christmas for Andrew! He was so excited and playing so well by himself that I just let him be. I spread out a tablecloth and gave him some paper and left the room (until I started taking pictures). He huffed some paint (non-toxic of course), ate some paint (the evidence was all over his mouth) and I heard a big thump and an "Uh-oh!" which lead to chairs being knocked over and Andrew landing on the floor in an akward position. I have no idea what happened because I was letting him be independent. No harm done, right?

learning the hard way

Andrew and I were outside this evening and I decided to water some dehydrating plants. Andrew gets out of his sandbox and walks all they way across the yard to get in on the action. Instead of trying to take the hose out of my hands like I thought he would, he decided to start moving rocks. These weren't little rocks. I put them on the edge of our little garden to help with mulch erosion. So, Andrew squats down and picks up a rock...one I didn't think he could lift, but with a lot of grunting and groaning (he was being a little dramatic for added effect) he picked it up and moved it a few inches. I tried telling him to be careful...those are heavy...you're going to drop it on your toes. I was basically talking to myself. He continued doing what he was doing and I continued watering the plants. A few seconds later I heard a clunk...Waaaaaaah! He dropped a rock on his big toe. I rushed over and held my breath (literally) as I did a visual inspection, waiting for him to attempt to move his toe or at least his foot. He eventually did, with a limp. Okay, that's progress. He calmed down and soon started walking around. I could tell where it hit his toe and expected it to swell or bleed or something, but it didn't. He walked around some more, brushed me away, and wouldn't you know it, he went right back to the rock. However, this time he rolled it where he wanted it to go. Lesson learned. I can say that only because there wasn't any swelling, bleeding or a broken toe, but really...sometimes he's just going to have to figure it out on his own.

So sad...

Andrew woke up with a cold today. Not a big deal. I knew he would need a little more TLC, and I had plenty of Kleenexes on hand to wipe his nose every few mintues, or seconds. He was really stuffed up, too, and didn't sound at all like himself when he talked. His cold didn't seem to bother him too much, at least not at the start of the day. We left the house at about 11:30 to take Loren to the airport. Andrew ended up taking a short nap in the car on the way there. Since we wasn't feeling too well I didn't have the heart to keep him awake. I thought he'd surely go to sleep once I put him down for his nap at home. Boy, was I wrong. I thought he fell asleep, but a few minutes later I heard him talking through the monitor and then I heard, "Uh-oh!" That probably meant he accidentally dropped his stuffed animals, blanket and/or his socks out of the crib. Then, I heard this strange noise that I can't really describe, but I was really curious as to what was going on in his room. The noise was so strange that I had visions of Andrew outside of his crib, but when I reached his room I found Andrew standing in his crib (all of his lovies on the floor), holding onto the side of the crib, and jumping up and down with a big grin on his face. What happened to my super sleeper that crashes within minutes of being put down? He sure didn't act like he even had a cold. The little cat-nap in the car must have been a darn good one! Knowing that he wasn't going to sleep, I decided to take us to the Monon Trail for a good walk. I didn't have any expecations of him sleeping in the stroller, but it would at least be a nice relaxing activity. It was nice and relaxing, and by the time we got home Andrew seemed really tired, so I tried once again to lay him down for a nap. I didn't even care that it was 3:00. I think he slept a little, but I can't really say how much. I just know that he was wide awake about 40 minutes later. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing outside until it was time for me to figure out something for dinner. We ate outside since the weather was nice and not too hot. Andrew was miserable during dinner. He picked at his food, didn't eat much, didn't even care if his plate was empty. He spent most of the time picking at his rice and scattering it all over the table. His eyes were red and puffy, his nose was running, his eyes were watering. A tear would run down his cheek every few minutes or so. It was so sad! We piddled through dinner. Andrew ate a little turkey and a few bites of green beans, hated the rice, and drank maybe 2/3 of his milk. He finally threw his arms up in the air after he had had enough. I ended taking Andrew up to his bath right after dinner, at least 30 minutes earlier than normal, thinking he might also go to bed a little early. He wouldn't sit down in the tub. Andrew also has a diaper rash, but I don't think that was the problem. He was just so tired that he didn't seem to care about his bath at all. After bath, etc. we went downstairs like we normally do and read some books, but at about 6:30 I asked Andrew if he was ready for bed. His bedtime is 7:00, but he looked like he was going to fall asleep sitting up! He grabbed his 2 socks that he brought down with him and walked to the foot of the stairs and stood there, waiting for me to take him up. I gladly did, and he fell asleep very quickly. My fingers are crossed he gets a good night's sleep. Poor guy.

One...Two...

Before lunch today Andrew sensed that feeding time was near and climbed up onto the kitchen chair. He then stood up and started to climb onto the table (which he has never done before). Loren caught him in the act and said something like "Andrew, sit down" and then when Andrew ignored him he proceeded to count, "One..." Loren intended to count to three, but before he could continue, Andrew completely and totally out of the blue chimes in with "Two..."

Huh?! I looked at Loren and then back at Andrew (who's back was to me) and then back at Loren...back at Andrew...and then back to Loren and said, "Did that just happen?" Loren started counting again and the same thing happened. Andrew responded with "Two." My baby can count! :)

I'm the next American Idol...

Sometimes it's the little things that matter...

The other day. I don't remember now what day it was (that's why I have to blog about these things...they very quickly escape my mind). Let's just say it was Wednesday. I was pushing Andrew in his bucket swing before lunch and out of boredom I started singing the ABC's outloud to Andrew. He has heard the song before, so it wasn't anything new to him. It was more for my entertainment because he was enjoying sitting in the swing while I pushed him until I thought he was going to fall asleep. After I sang the ABC's the first time and ended with "...and now I know my ABC's, next time won't you sing with me..." Andrew started smiling and clapping his hands together. This of course gave me encouragement and motivation to sing it again...and again! I sang it over and over, but after about 5 or 6 times through Andrew stopped applauding me. I kept going in hopes that he would think my beautiful voice was applause-worthy again, but it never happened. That's okay. I'll hold onto the memory of when I did receive applause and admiration after singing. He's the only person on this earth that will ever applaud my singing, and I have to say it made me feel pretty good!

Summer TV

There is nothing on TV during the summer! I watched both Celebrity Family Feud and America's Got Talent tonight. Yes, I admit it. America's Got Talent isn't bad, but I haven't watched it at all until tonight. Considering I love American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, I suppose it's only fitting that I watch America's Got Talent, right? So You Think You Can Dance is on during the summer, but that is the only show (other than The Real World) that I watch. I did see a preview last night for a new season of Big Brother that begins on Sunday. And yes, I'm excited. I will then find myself with a TV/tivo dilemma.

Andrew can say his name, or maybe he can't

This afternoon I was flipping though some pictures that were still on the camera. I was sitting on the couch and Andrew was hovering over my shoulder while he was standing on the couch (just thought I'd give you a visual). He started pointing at the pictures (that were all of him) and as he was pointing I said, "Andrew" over and over again. He eventually caught on and started saying his name. However, when he said his name it sounded more like "Doo Doo." It's a start. We'll work on it. Funny...when I thought of all the nicknames that Andrew could possibly wind up with I never thought Doo Doo would be one of them. And it never will be!!!!

Cracker-aholic

Andrew's new favorite food: CRACKERS.

Of any kind.

"Tata?"

"Tata?"

"More tata?"

"More tata!!"

good to be home

...and in record time! 10 hours to get back. I have no idea how we did it, but we did it. We weren't even trying. We must have had a good tailwind. :) Andrew had a rougher time on the way back, but he was ecstatic to finally get out of the car. As we pulled into our neighborhood I said, "Andrew...this is our neighborhood!" And he responded with a happy "Hi!" Once Andrew got inside the house he rushed over to the coffee table, grabbed the tivo remote, and said "Ses Ses? Ses Ses?" {translation: Sesame Street} Seriously? He's a funny kid, but I talked him into playing instead. We had a great week in Chester, but we're happy to be back home...mostly we're glad to not be driving!

some good moments on the road...

sound asleep


Mr. Navigator


this bucket of Legos almost didn't make it in the car, but they ended up being a lifesaver!


happy to be free!

Road trippin...

With high hopes of getting on the road Monday morning by 4:00 am to head to Virginia, we made it out of the driveway by 4:40. Not too bad. Andrew didn't mind being pulled from his crib a good 2 1/2 hours early (he normally wakes up around 7). He was actually pretty funny. We piled into the car, backed out of the driveway and then I remembered I had forgotten to grab a bill that I meant to put in the mailbox. Loren ran back in through the garage to grab it. Andrew and I were sitting patiently in the car in the middle of the street. When Andrew saw Loren come back out of the house, Andrew with a squealing high-pitched voice and a huge smile on his face said, Daddy?! Dad-DY!! and then started laughing with excitement. I think he was a little loopy, but it was so funny and cute. I was going to drive us as far as I could and with my good friends (that I got to know really well), Stanley and Maxwell, I drove about 9 1/2 hours of the 10 1/2 hour trip. We made it to Grammie's house by 3:00 pm with a total of 3 stops.

Andrew did remarkably well. I was so impressed with him. I think it helped a lot that he could get out and run around at rest-stops. The last two trips we made to VA he wasn't walking yet which made it difficult for him to stretch out his legs and burn off some pent up energy. He wasn't as easy-going on those trips. I shouldn't speak too soon about this one because we still have to make the long trip back home at the end of the week. Andrew still has time to make a liar out of me!

about 4 hours into the trip...

about 8 hours into the trip...Andrew was trying to find his happy place by shutting out the rest of the world.

Crib recall update

The lovely folks at Jardine are going to give me a voucher to replace Andrew's recalled crib. We lucked out a little in that the voucher is actually going to be for $30 more than what we paid for our crib originally (they went with the highest retail price the crib ever sold for). They (and Babies R Us) are being nice by letting us purchase a crib now and then when we get the voucher we take it, along with the receipt for the new crib, into BRU and they will refund us. We pay the difference if we buy a crib that costs more than the value of the voucher. After going to BRU last night (we have to buy the new crib at Babies R Us or Toys R Us), I was extremely dissapointed because I didn't really like any of the cribs they had and for the most part I'd either be losing money by getting a much less expensive crib or I'd have to shell out some extra cash to buy a really expensive one. I ended up looking on the BRU website last night where I found several options in our price range. I finally made a decision and purchased one for the exact cost of the voucher we will be getting. We will have to eat the shipping costs, but when it's all said and done it will be worth it. Andrew has continued to sleep in his recalled crib, but all of next week we will be in Virginia where he will be sleeping in the pack 'n play. Hopefully it won't be long after we get back before the new one arrives.

This is his old crib, only in cherry. I will be sad to see it go.



This is Andrew's new crib. I decided I wished I hadn't gotten a white one the first time around.

Sometimes I amaze myself...and not in a good way

A couple of days ago I decided to paint my toenails. I propped my foot up on the barstool and went to town. When I finished painting the toes on the first foot, I pulled it off of the barstool and the barstool came with. What came with the barstool? The topless bottle of fingernail polish. I still haven't gotten it all out of the carpet.

This morning I thought it would be a good idea to water the grass before it turned completely brown. I took Andrew out with me to get the sprinkler set up. This is the first time I have watered the grass this Spring/Summer . I made a point to turn the sprinkler to the off position (it's a little tricky finding the exact off spot...don't let the picture fool you) and I turned the nozzle so if I didn't quite hit the off spot, it would spray away from me. Simple enough. I turned the water on and wouldn't you know it...I got a huge shot of water straight to the abdomen. I was so startled I dropped the sprinkler (not without a very girly yelp) and the water sprayed directly towards Andrew only 2 feet away. It's a good thing his back was towards all of the action; otherwise he probably would have taken a good spray to his face.

Also, today after being back inside for a good 30 minutes I noticed the porch door was open about 2 feet, and the a.c. was on.

Man, oh man...I don't really have any excuses.

Crib Recall!

I just found out that Andrew's crib has been recalled!!! Yikes! To those of you with children in cribs or who know people who have children in cribs, check out this website...
http://www3.toysrus.com/safety/prodRecalls/jardine-crib.cfm

and/or this website...
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08312.html

Trader's Point Creamery

Since I haven't posted anything in a while and I coudn't think of anything witty or funny to say, I thought I would post a picture of some cows' rears...

No, really...Andrew and I took a fieldtrip to Trader's Point Creamery with our friends, the Cunninghams, a week ago after a 7:30 a.m. invitation (or was it even earlier than that?). It was a nice outdoor activity, but it wasn't exactly what we had all envisioned. We took the self-guided tour where we managed to get ourselves a little lost, or at least off-track, and trudged our strollers uphill on a gravel path to see a 300+ year-old tree. Woopee! The kids were as impressed as we were.

Andrew enjoyed being set free from the stroller to stare at the chickens...

and eating some organic, made-from-the-cows-in-the-picture (or others on the farm) raspberry icecream. Actually, Andrew didn't take to the icecream too much. He's pushing it away. Seriously?? I'm starting to wonder if he's actually my kid. Naaaa....I know he's mine.

Even though it wasn't what we had in mind, it was still a fun way to spend the morning outdoors experiencing new things. Thanks to the Cunninghams for inviting us! Maybe next time we'll go early (or late) enough to see some cows being milked!!

cleaning up at the garage sales

This past weekend was our neighborhood garage sale. We didn't have a garage sale ourselves, and I initially had no desire to walk around and gawk and other people's stuff. But, then it dawned on me...I have a kid! And kid stuff can be expensive! Maybe I can find some cheap kid stuff at the garage sales! I loaded Andrew up in his wagon and we made our way around the neighborhood. I have to say our neighborhood was a pretty hoppin' place this weekend. Anyway, we ended up with a bucket of legos, a toy golf club set, a toy vacuum cleaner, a toy truck, another toy that's too difficult to explain, and a kid sized tent all for a whopping $13! $7 of that was for the tent. Granted, I later found out that one of the poles was a little broken, but some duck tape and something else (I haven't quite figured out what) should make it a little more sturdy. All in all the neighborhood garage sale was a success!

a bad case of the mondays

This picture pretty much says it all. Yesterday (6/16) was not the best of days. There were some good moments. Andrew and I went for a walk (I walked, he rode in the stroller) on the Monon trail, which was very peaceful and relaxing. He was also an absolute perfect angel when I took him with me to get my hair cut. The rest...well, like I said this picture says it all. I had to snap this picture to force myself to find an ounce of humor in this situation. Andrew is trying to turn on the vacuum cleaner. He's pressing the button (which slides...it's not a push-button) with all of his might. I've never seen his face turn so red. It did me no good to try to show him how to turn it on. This was after I let him vacuum (with it on) for a few minutes. He would have vacuumed the rest of the day if I let him, but he wasn't moving the vacuum cleaner around much and I wasn't sure if after awhile the thing would blow up on us from being on so long (not to mention the waste of electricity.) As soon as the vacuum was turned off and unplugged for good, the meltdown began. Holy moly! Andrew was a little testy yesterday which was exacerbated by a short nap. We had several rough moments, but we got though them and today, Tuesday, was a much much better day. Thank goodness.

What's a girl to do?

At dinner Sunday night I proposed a question to Loren, "What would you think if I shaved my hair?" He gave me his typical standby response, "You are an independent woman; you can do whatever you want." What a nice husband he is. Ha, I don't think he took me very seriously. I quickly noticed a certain look come over his face as if he desperately wished he could retract his statement when he noticed I was being serious. My hair drives me bonkers! It always ends up in a frizzy ponytail because I can't stand having it hang in my face, especially during hot weather. Even though I was being serious about shaving my hair off (at least serious enough to consider it), I don't think I could go that far. Not yet. So, I settled for the closest thing to it. My hair is off of my neck, out of my face, and I hardly even notice it's there at all! Perfect!

BPA-Free Nalgenes!

Have you heard any of the latest talk about BPA (Bisphenol-A) and plastics? Everything we hear about in the news is enough to drive any person crazy, but I thought that when it comes to potentially dangerous chemicals that appear in the plastic bottles and food containers we drink and eat from, why not play it a little safe? I'm not psycho crazy about it, just more conscious about it. I thought one (or a few) steps towards a BPA-free life was better than none. I recently purchased some BPA-free Nalgene bottles for Loren, myself, and even Andrew. They arrived today, hence the excitement. We were in the market for new Nalgenes anyway. I'm not even sure where our old ones are, but the new BPA-free ones are spectacular! Maybe I'm a little biased.

http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/store/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=62

In case you want some reading material on Bisphenol-A or don't know what in the world I'm talking about, here you are...

http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/nahbpa.pdf

(courtesy of my friend, Shanelle)

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(Here's Andrew enjoying his Nalgene)

Spring Projects

Project #1: painting the office (again)
This room was a bright yellow when we moved in, then I painted it a dark (too dark) green, and now it is a light neutral color. I know, not very exciting, but trust me...the mood is very different when you walk into the room now.

Project #2: The porch
This was a big project which involved taking off all of the exterior boards, priming and painting them, ripping off the old screens (several of which had holes in them), replacing the screens, replacing boards that were partially rotten, priming and painting all of the boards (including what is inside the porch), and then putting it all back together again. That's a simple way of describing it. We replaced the screen door as well, which also had to be primed and painted.




Project #3: The Basement!!
Oh, the basement...this has been an ongoing project since, hmmm...we moved in. The basement quickly turned into a large dumping ground for random stuff and it was a great source of frustration for me. The project really started over the winter when we began going through stuff, organizing stuff and getting rid of stuff. Loren built some huge storage shelves in the utility room which helped out tremendously. Evan helped Loren install a "theater." The cleaning and organization has been an ongoing project for months. My goal was to get the basement to a livable state where we could hang out (Andrew included) and not feel overwhelmed with stuff. We have made a whole lot of progress! I started painting last week. The orange looks better in person. :)

I have taught him well...

Generally, when I am loading the dishwasher Andrew comes running, and just as he arrives in front of the dishwasher (if not sooner), I quickly close the door. I usually have to explain to him that we don't play in the dishwasher. Something about the sharp knives and glass make the dishwasher a not-so-friendly toddler environment. Okay, so there have been times where I let him play with plastic cups, etc. in the dishwasher which may be confusing to him, but I do what I can.

When Andrew noticed the dishwasher was open, while I was trying to quickly load it, I heard him say, "ohh, no!" from the other room as he began to run up to the dishwasher. He very quickly and forcefully lifted the door to the dishwasher and pushed it closed. I was surprised dishes weren't broken because the bottom rack was shoved in so quickly. He is such a good helper!

Andrew's Current Vocabulary

ball
baa?! = bath
more
hi/hiee = hi
dada (1) /daddy
dada (2) = water
dat = cat
{meow sound}
wuf (anytime he hears or sees a dog he says, "wuf")
{snort} pig
lala = light (it used to be dight, but I started saying, "la la la light" to emphazie the 'l', but now it has turned into "lala"
bub = bubbles
please
socks
shoes
no
fuf-fuf = swiffer/broom
ha = hat
ses-ses = Sesame Street
mama = mama
mama = also equal Elmo
shoes
juice
cheese
umm
keys
boos (often with spit bubbles involved) = booster
iside = outside

looking back...

***************(months 0-8)****************



***************(months 9-17)***************



*********proud to be 18 months old*********

18 Things I Love About You

Tomorrow is May 15th. Tomorrow Andrew will be turning 18 months old. Tomorrow Andrew will be exactly halfway in between 1 and 2. Today he is closer to one. Friday he will be one day closer to 2. Tomorrow I am going to spend the day in complete denial that Andrew is getting older and more and more toddleresque (yes, I just made up that word). I will sit happily in denial, halfway between the ages of 1 and 2, not wanting to move forward...at least for tomorrow. Since turning 18 months doesn't usually warrant a birthday celebration of any kind...no cake, no presents...I made a list.

18 Things I Love About You, Andrew:
(in no particular order)

1) I love how emptying the wipes container, one wipe at a time, has not gotten old to you.
2) I love that when I kiss your head before your nap, you give your puppy a kiss.
3) I love that you express your frustration by whining, pouting, dropping to your bottom and slowly falling onto your back. Thankfully you have enough sense to hurry to a carpeted area before putting on this demonstration. I especially love that you eventually realize you are being ridiculous and move onto a more sensible activity.
4) I love how you greet people by saying “Hiee!” even if they are 100 yards away.
5) I love how you sort and resort the laundry when I’m trying to fold it and put it away.
6) I love that you show off your belly to people, even strangers, when you begin feeling comfortable around them.
7) I love how you snort every time you find your toy pig and say, “wuf, wuf” every time you see a dog.
8) I love how you talk quietly in your crib when you wake up in the morning. Many times you are still laying down on your belly talking to the Pooh characters on your bumper or if you are sitting up you are talking to your socks that are still a mainstay in your crib (I have a feeling you’d manage just fine without them, but why chance ruining a good thing?)
9) I love how you pick fuzzies and other small objects off of the floor and hand them to me…reminding me that I need to vacuum.
10) I love that you “share” your sippy with me and make sucking sounds as you hand it in my direction, encouraging me to take a sip.
11) I love that when it is time to brush your teeth you run towards the bathroom saying, “AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!”
12) I love how you dance to music by clumsily spinning in a circle or by bopping up and down, completely off beat.
13) I love how you put a blanket over your head and sit and wait...and sit and wait until someone finds you.
14) I love that when you try to drink from a real cup you put your mouth on the wrong side of the cup.
15) I love how you know you are super cool when you are wearing your sunglasses.
16) I love how you reach for my hand every time you get ready to walk down a step.
17) I love that you excitedly run towards the back door when Daddy comes home from work.
18) I love that when your Dad and I laugh out loud you chime in with a big forced belly-shaking laugh of your own so you can join in on the fun.

Of course, there are countless more things I love about you, but for the sake of the list and for the sake of my denial (remember you are staying at 18 months!), we'll just stop at 18.

today at toddler open gym

Toddler Open Gym is an unstructured program at the Monon Center (our local rec center) offered most Wednesdays from 10:30-11:30. I have taken Andrew several times. It costs $5 and it's basically a chance for the youngsters to run around freely for an hour and expend some energy. There are always plenty of balls and usually several tunnels to crawl through, a small trampoline, some tumbling mats, etc. You get the idea. We haven't gone in awhile since we've had nice weather off and on, but since today was wet and rainy it was the perfect day to go.

As soon as we walked into the gym Andrew let out a big happy squealing scream and was wiggling out of my arms, he was so excited. The kid seriously had a smile on his face for a solid hour. He just loves being around other kids, even if he only looks at them and watches what they're doing. When Andrew gets really excited he stands with his arms straight down to his side...he clenches his fists, tenses his arm muscles and squeals with a big smile on his face like he just can't contain himself. He did this many times throughout the hour.

He did his typical throwing balls around (Ball! Ball!), sometimes at me and other times at no one in particular and crawled through the tunnels a bit. He got a big thrill out of doing somersaults (with my assistance) over some tumbling equipment. He spent a great deal of time climbing up and down the bleachers. The bleachers seemed to be a magnet for many kids his age. That's another thing that gets a squeal out of him. As Andrew walks down small steps (and these were small steps in the middle of the bleachers...he wasn't walking from bleacher to bleacher - just thought I would clarify), he gets really excited when he steps down. I think it's that split-second of uncertainty and the feeling of falling. Hmmm...he likes the feeling of falling. Oh, I sure hope he doesn't wind up a bungee-jumper! I have to say even with all of the equipment out on the gym floor, the bleachers were probably Andrew's favorite.

I especially enjoyed watching him try to jump on the trampoline. Andrew watched an older child jumping up and down on the trampoline which made him want to get on there and give it a go. He climbed on, stood in the middle, and proceeded to bend & straighten his knees really fast like he was jumping. Too bad his feet never left the trampoline! Oh, well. At least he knows what to do. He just needs a little more umph. My favorite moment of all was when I lifted Andrew off of the trampoline. I gave him a big squeeze and he laid his head on my shoulder, and after I set him back on the ground he walked around me (I was sitting down) and gave my back a hug. I guess he didn't want my backside to feel left out. :)

It was a good way to spend a rainy and dreary morning!

just some funny moments

*Andrew found a sprayer that wasn't attached to the hose and placed the nozzle right up against the dirt. He then stuck his tongue in between his lips and started spitting. This was his way of watering the plants, or so it seemed.

*While I pulled weeds this evening, Andrew pulled grass.

*During Andrew's bath there were 2 wash rags in the tub. I repeatedly grabbed whichever one was available and wadded it up in my hand and rang it out. Andrew would then take the rag and dip it in the water again and if he didn't give it back to me he would, without wadding it up, squeeze the rag as hard as he could, his face all scrunched up like he was giving it all he had, and nothing other than the expected drips came out. He looked at me like he was a little embarrassed, but it didn't keep him from trying a few more times.

*After reading Goodnight Moon to Andrew at bedtime, I sat him in his crib, said all of the "goodnights" and "I love yous" and as I turned to walk out of his room I glanced back at him...he talked to his stuffed animals very briefly and then he immediately lunged forward and did a face plant (seriously, face down) onto his wadded up blanket.

R.W. Knudsen

Have you ever tried it? Have you ever seen it?

I happened upon it at Costco last weekend. I hardly drink juice anymore, but I decided I needed to try this one. It's Orange Carrot. I know, carrot juice? It also contains orange, pineapple and white grape juice. It's mighty tasty!

I was curious enough to find out more about R.W. Knudsen and thoughtful enough to share...

http://www.knudsenjuices.com/about/default.aspx

Goodbye dirt...

and hello sand!!!!

Not the N-Word!

It literally came out of the blue. I don't remember exactly how it started, it just started. I think it began as early as Andrew's first diaper change this morning. He started saying, Nooooo. (NO!) It's actually very cute the way he says it. It isn't the emphatic NO! that I hear alot of young children say (although, I'm sure it will inevitably turn into that). It's like a long and slow Noooo. It's hard to explain, but it's cute. In all fairness when he was tring to say nose it sounded the same, but too many times when he was asked a question (or Loren and I were asking each other questions), Andrew would respond NOoooo. The thing that I don't understand is we really honestly don't use the NO word much around here (at least I don't think we do). Oh, well. I guess I should be happy he learned a new word...even if it is the N-word. It could be alot worse.

It worked! I uploaded a video of him saying Noooo.

I used to like cottage cheese

Andrew barely ate anything for lunch today. He ate a little of what was on his plate, but once he started in on the cottage cheese (which I think he tried once a long time ago) it was play time. I just had to sit back and enjoy and worry about cleaning up the awful mess later. And it was an awful mess. Andrew has been a little short on sleep the last couple of days and he was so tired during lunch I don't think he was even hungry or even knew what he was doing.



and now he's helping me clean it off the floor

Children's Museum

We took Andrew to the Children's Museum last Sunday (the 27th) for the first time and he had a blast. He was completely worn out afterwards.