Sleeping Update

I realize we'll have more kids, and I realize they might be completely different compared to Drew, but right now we feel like the luckiest parents on earth. I'm knocking on wood while I write this realizing how easy Drew is.

From about 6 months old, we've been putting him down at night after just a small bottle (and getting smaller). He is never asleep when we lay him in his crib, and every night one of two things happens. Either he falls asleep as we exit the room or he whimpers a bit a few minutes later needing one last tummy rub before he's out. Sure we've had to go back in more than once a few times in the past couple months, but it's been extremely limited.

He is currently sleeping 11-12 hours a night with most nights leaning toward the 12 hour mark now. Generally, he starts getting tired around 7 - 7:30 and with our nighttime routine, he's usually down by 7:30-8pm.

We feel so blessed to have such a great little sleeper! Now if we could just put him to bed at 10pm sometimes on a random Friday night and have him sleep til 10am, that would be AMAZING! I'm counting my blessings though and am so thankful for 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep most nights.

Also, the picture to the right was from last week. It was during a nap and it was the very first time Drew fell asleep on his tummy. He has 100% been a back sleeper since birth until now. His dad and I are also back/side sleepers and I absolutely hate sleeping on my tummy. It will be interesting to see what becomes his position of choice!

New playmat

I could write an entire blog post about how I love Drew's new mat. What's not to love about bright numbers and colors that he can roll around on and chew on play with whenever he wants?

It's currently located in the basement but might end up as padding for some of our hardwood floor rooms!

Flashback Friday

I don't generally participate in blog gimmicks like "Flashback Friday", but ran across a few pictures the other day and had fun reminiscing. These pictures are from when Drew was 18 days old and while it obviously is him, I find it amusing how absolutely different he looks to me. At that time, I thought he was the cutest thing I'd ever seen, but looking at him now, and then at these pictures again makes me realize how silly I was. Of course he was cute, but he's just SO cute now! I just can't believe how much he has changed. From the skinny little legs, to barely any hair, to the not-so-chubby cheeks. I have enjoyed watching him change daily and can't believe he's already over 7 months old.

Espresso for a baby?

Not quite, but it was kinda funny watching him hold it and pretend to drink. He definitely has seen us with our fair share of the liquid yumminess for the 'bucks and mimicked how we hold it immediately. For those of you who might be wondering if we decided to caffeinate our son this early in life, the answer is no. It was 100% empty but you would never know it walking around the grocery store.

Just ask the couples who were giving us the stink eye as he walked by with that to his mouth.

Jumping Fishy

I know, I know. Enough already with the swimming posts. I can't hep it! I love how much he smiles when he 'jumps' in from the side. This video honestly isn't even half of the biggest smiles he was making. At one point he was laughing so hard being lifted into the air and dropping down that it was disrupting the class.

I couldn't help post for all to see!

Swimming Lessons Update

Drew has finished 3 weeks now of lessons! Besides being dunked and splashed in the face multiple times, he really enjoys being in the water. His favorite part is when I throw the little ducky and he has to 'kick' towards it to get it. He loves scooping it up and chewing on it. He does so well on the kickboard and on his back in the lifejacket (which other kids scream during). I have offered to let Derek do a class with him but he enjoys watching from the sidelines. Drew definitely knows daddy is up there and looks to him often for support.

I'm so proud of my fishy!

Rub a Dub Dub

Bath time continues to be Drew's evening fun. He knows when we are undressing him on the counter that the warmth of the water is about to hit his feet. He loves splashing and looks up to see our reaction when he realizes that he made some waves. My favorite part is wrapping him up at the end and carrying him upstairs for naked time. Through the middle of my armful of towels, these two little eyes peer out at me. He knows playtime is coming with mommy and daddy.

New Talent

Check out Drew's new talent! Yep, he can officially hold his bottle himself. I couldn't live without the Aden and Anais burp cloths to catch accidental spills, and I honestly think his inchbug orbit label helps him to grip the bottle. Either way, he is doing a fantastic job with holding his own bottles!

Happy 4th Birthday Bailey!

Happy Birthday to my little bear who is always there with a wiggling tail when you need it most.

It was HUGE. And furry.

And it was tormenting my dog. And being the weird, crazy dog that she is, the need to catch it in her mouth just overcame her. Some part of me kinda wanted her to get a little chomp, for she would learn her lesson and probably never go after them again. Too bad I didn't hang around long after snapping this picture.

The thing was 2 inches long. Seriously.

Do you see it?

More Etsy Finds

I've posted here and here about some great finds before, but I must add to the ever-growing list of reasons why this site ROCKS!

First - I compiled a DVD of every video we had taken of Drew since he was born until his 6 month birthday. I didn't have anywhere 'fun' to store it until I found these personalized CD sleeves for a couple bucks on etsy. They are super thick to handle years of wear and tear and I had one made for birth-6 months and another for 6 months-1 year. So cheap, yet practical to ensure his videos are all kept nicely!

Second - I found a gentleman who makes beautiful, non-toxic puzzles personalized to any name with bright, primary colors! I had this puzzle made for my BFF's son who just turned one on Sunday. I most likely will be purchasing one of these for Drew as I think they are a great way to learn your name, while learning colors and figuring out how to work a puzzle at the same time.

I think I've mentioned before that I'm a sucker for anything personalized and etsy is the PERFECT site to give in to those guilty pleasures!

 

7 Months Today

Happy 7 months to my little man. You really are changing daily and we couldn't have asked for a better son. What I would give to read your mind at times as you watch the world around you. You are just like a sponge, soaking everything up.

Stats:

- Weight: 20 lbs 8 oz
- Length: 27.5 inches (ish)

Changes:
- We sprouted our 6th tooth this month.
- Drew is creeping near a solid 12 hours of sleep every night. We couldn't be more thankful.
- At night, we give him a small bottle, read to him and then lay him down awake. He generally falls right asleep, or whimpers a bit. Often a little pat on the tummy or head rub puts him out.
- He doesn't really feel attached to a pacifier or any toys yet, but prefers to constantly have his hands in a clasped position. Whenever we're in a new place or he's not sure what's going on, the hands immediately clasp together.
- He started swimming lessons and is doing great!
- Drew definitely knows his name although we haven't really tried 'Andrew' yet, just 'Drew'.
- As for naps, he generally still naps 2-3 times throughout the day. They still vary quite a bit and can be 20 minute cat naps to near 2 hour long naps.
- Drew has also now tried a variety of solid foods, but seems like pears, bananas and sweet potatoes the best. He is now up to eating pureed foods two times a day.
- He can also sit for a bit without falling. Sometimes we can get a solid couple of minutes, but other times it's 15-20 seconds.
- The 'toy of the month' is his baby Einstein Takealong Tunes toy that plays like 10 different classical songs. He also loves his fisher price drums that light up and play music when you hit the tops!
- He still loves rolling around and playing on his floor mat surrounded by toys.
- Everything is still going straight into his mouth first!
- He has officially switched to the convertible car seat.
- Drew has also been standing more and more assisted and/or while holding on to something. His chunky legs continue to get stronger and stronger. 

Random Pictures

6 Month Pictures

I'm in love.

(click the pictures to make them larger)

It was disgustingly hot and humid and our little man was tired and hungry, yet our photographer caught some great shots!

Weekend Recap

Don't you love those weekends where you accomplish a lot? This past weekend was one of those for us! On top of Drew's swim lessons, loads of laundry and our weekly grocery shopping trip, we got the girls to the park, gave them both baths, cleaned the car, installed Drew's new car seat, fixed our back door and picked up the house. Whew! And yet we still had time to even wander around an Arts Festival and enjoy some amazing pizza and beer with our friends on Saturday!

It was such a joy to have a happy baby throughout all of that 'work' this weekend. He loves being outdoors which comes in quite handy for tasks like giving the girls their baths. He just sits and watches them and sometimes even think it's funny when they shake off the water! We realize that highchair's are supposed to be kitchen items, but if it works outside, who cares right?

This weekend was Drew's first time swinging and it was SUPER cute watching his expressions as he felt the new 'motion'. He would look at us with this face like 'what is happening here guys', but really seemed to enjoy it!

Whether productive like ours, or just plain lazy, I hope you had a great weekend as well!

Convertible Car Seat

It's officially installed.
And I'm a bit sappy at the moment.
My baby is already needing a 'big boy' seat? When did this happen?

Well, actually, it's been coming for a few weeks. The poor little man has been trying to sit up in his infant carrier for a while now, let alone the fact that his weight inside the seat has gotten near impossible to carry. The absolutely ONLY reason we've been putting this off is for those rare occasions when he falls asleep in the car and we can carry him into wherever we are going, letting him continue on with his slumber.

But it's time. After weeks of research and talking to other moms about their experiences, I found 100% satisfaction with this seat. But more importantly is the safety associated with the Britax Boulevard. It ranks among the highest consumer reports and is highly rated with crash testing.

Doesn't it just look comfy also?! It's very padded, secure and would be a nice seat to ride in I think. We used it yesterday for the first time and Drew didn't even seem to notice a change. He got buckled in and went straight to playing with his toys. I guess that's a good thing!

1st Pool Dunk

My little fishy dunked today in swimming lessons, yet I'm the one with a completely tense body!  He whimpered a bit, but took it like a champ. I, on the other hand, was a wreck the few minutes before as I knew this would cause him some distress. When dunking my poor son under the water, I'm pretty sure I flexed every possible muscle in my body to the point that I probably burned a couple hundred calories.

I now understand the overused parental quote "this will hurt us more than you".

Just glad that first dunk is over!

Yummy Lime Chicken Soft Tacos

I have become exceptionally fond of quick dinners where you just toss all of the ingredients in together and cook. With spending 40 minutes picking up Drew, feeding him and cleaning his bottles, there's minimal time left to cook up gourmet meals. Derek and I also try to eat earlier due to the healthier benefits of doing so. This recipe is a new favorite of mine as it adds a yummy, lime flavored twist to traditional soft tacos.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cubed

1/8 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 lime, juiced

1 teaspoon white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 green onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

10 (6 inch) flour tortillas

1 tomato, diced

1/4 cup shredded lettuce

1/4 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

1/4 cup salsa

DIRECTIONS

1.Saute chicken in a medium saucepan with a bit of olive oil until cooked. Add vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onion, garlic and oregano and simmer for an extra 10 minutes.

2.Heat an iron skillet over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the pan, warm, and turn over to heat the other side. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Serve lime chicken mixture in warm tortillas topped with tomato, lettuce, cheese and salsa.

(FYI - We didn't use the extra tomato and I used an entire lime to add extra flavor!)

ENJOY!

Pottery Barn Kids Cutest Kid Contest

Drew needs your vote!

Please take a couple minutes today and go to the "Pottery Barn Kids Cutest Kids Contest" page on facebook -

http://www.facebookpotterybarnkids?v=app_125026127508055

Once there, you’ll “view this month’s entries” and then click ‘baby boys’. Just look for the picture to the right. It also says ‘Andrew 7 months’ under the picture. Then you just click ‘like’ and that’s it!

Currently he is a 'fan favorite' so keep the votes coming!

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!


It might work just going straight to his picture so you can try this also - http://apps.facebook.com/potterybarnbaby/entries/26835

PS - They do this contest monthly in case you'd like to enter your little one next month when this one is over!

Drew's First Baseball Game

Derek's boys, the Royals, were in town this weekend playing the Indians. For the Sunday game, we all geared up in our Royals shirts and headed downtown to catch the game thinking Drew might only last for a couple innings. He surprised us and did amazing, even napping on dad for about 40 minutes through loud cheers and fireworks! We wouldn't have survived, however, had we not found some seats in the shade as it was a SCORCHER. Thankfully, there seems to be a good breeze in the nosebleed section and it wasn't too bad.

We're actually heading to another game in a couple of weeks with Derek's co-workers and hope that Drew enjoys that game just as well! GO ROYALS!