Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to my mom and dad!!

(Can you believe next year is 40 years together?!?!)

Morning at the Zoo

This past Saturday Mimi, Drew and I headed to the zoo for a few hours with Drew's BFF, Jack, and his mom Lauren. It was perfect weather, not too large of crowds and the boys had a blast. The zoo is only about 20 minutes from us and based on how much we already love it, I think we're going to become members next year. Who doesn't love supporting animals anyway?!

This weekend was 'teddy bear' weekend where any kid who brought their teddy bear got in for free. They also had bear informational stands where you could learn about the animal as well as touch some real fur from a bear. Toward the bottom of the pics, you can see how excited Drew was to touch the fur. He absolutely loved it and had a huge grin each time he 'petted' it! He was a bit weary of the bit mascots though and held tight to mommy when we got near them. But the best picture? The very bottom one below. My little angel couldn't handle all the excitement and passed out walking to the car when we were exiting. He didn't want to miss a second in the zoo, but once we were done he was OUT!

On another note, Happy Birthday to my Father-In-Law Cal!

Bailey's "real" sister

Each year all of the 'Fab Labs' get together to celebrate their birthday and we have now missed it the past 2 years by living up here in Cleveland. I LOVED seeing how big the boys from the rescue litter were and also comparing Bailey to the only other girl in the bunch! When we ventured back to KC a few weeks ago, we took the girls to the dog park and met up with Baileys sister, Neko. Their faces are identical and except for the fact that Neko is a few pounds heavier and black, they look almost the same. I like to tell myself that she recognized her 'real' sister, but who really knows. It did look like Bailey sniffed Neko more than other dogs and had her tail up a bit more. But then again, Bailey is just a happy dog 100% of the time so I would expect nothing less!

Drew's Cheeks

So when we were back in KC last, I remembered a picture of my brother and I that I have always loved. When I found it on my mothers bookshelf, I didn't remember how big my brothers cheeks were in the picture! Drew definitely got his cheeks from my side of the family. There are hints of my father in Drew, but check out my brothers matching cheeks below!

Sadly, the cheeks are starting to shrink a bit as our little baby grows into a little man. I'm just glad there's still plenty of surface area to kiss nonstop!

(did you notice the matching hair too?!)

Big Boy Baths

I'm still worried about Drew toppling over and hitting his head when sitting so Derek and I have been taking baths with him in the big bath tub!

Who wouldn't enjoy playing in there with this cutie anywhere?

And seriously... how are we supposed to make a black bathtub look good in the master? What goes through someones mind when selecting the color black?! No, when it's in reference to a bathtub, it will NOT make you look skinnier just because it's black!

3 Generations

Do you see the resemblance? I sure do.

KC Friend

Once we are able to get back to KC, these boys are bound to be buds for life. Born 6 months after our son, Carter is our friends new baby and he is just adorable! I'm so glad we were able to see them while we were back home and snuggle this little guy. Drew loved trying to grab his hand and watching his movements. I honestly couldn't even remember Drew being that little and just laying there like 6 weeks old do. Crazy how time flies!

Congrats again Jenny and Derek.... Carter is adorable!

Baby Pool

A picture story of Drew and his 2nd cousin in the blue baby pool.

I love the progression of Drew's face trying to figure out why Jackson didn't want him in the pool. His curious little face looking at others for clarification was priceless. Once Jackson exited the pool, Drew was confused at first, but then right on playing with his ducky and ball.

Leave it to my little ball of happiness to roll with the punches!

Playdate!

Drew and Jack are known as 'the linebackers' at daycare. They are the two big jocks of the class and have been since day 1. Towering over most classmates, these boys are often mistaken for babies much older than they really are. They are both so mellow and Jack is just the sweetest little boy. They 'talk' to each other in school and love to sit/lay next to each other.

Last weekend we had Jack and his family over for dinner and some playtime. Don't they look like BFF's already?

A Day On The Hill

I think I had waited for this day for a very long time. Definitely before Drew was considered in our future. Possibly even before I met Derek. It was probably as a kid when my parents would take us to KU football games. The sites, sounds, smells in Lawrence are the epitome of the perfect Saturday game day on the hill. I simply have always been so excited to take my own family up to the campus for the first time and it was here. As I dressed Drew in his 'Future Jayhawk' shirt and grabbed his fight-song chanting Jayhawk, this feeling of pure bliss rolled through my body. It ran through my veins like a perfect rainfall on a beautifully sunny day when the air is perfect. I was beyond excited to take Drew up to Lawrence and begin the tradition with him of spending time there with those you love.

Having two Jayhawk families is also a benefit and it was great to snap a picture of both sides in our 'Jayhawk finest'. My mother in the first picture below went to KU also so if Drew decided that the University is in his future, she will be the reason he is a third generation Jayhawk. We will, of course, support wherever he decides to attend, but it gives me chills to think we could be moving him in almost exactly 18 years from now.

And this last picture is of his only aunt and only two uncles all together. They all three attended KU also and we felt so lucky to all be together that day.

ROCK CHALK BABY.

8 Months Old

Happy 8 Months to our little angel!

Stats:
- Weight: 22 lbs 14 oz

Changes:
- We sprouted two more top teeth for a total of 8 now!
- Drew has been holding his own bottle all month now. It's a nice break and he loves to do it himself.
- He became an expert sitter and rarely topples over anymore!
- He has taken some naps and slept overnight a few times now on his stomach instead of his back.
- As for naps, he naps only 2 times a the day now for anywhere from 45 min to an hour each.
- Drew continues to eat pureed fruits/veggies with pears, bananas and butternut squash being his favorites! He now eats two times daily.
- His favorite toys this month were people's watches and his Sophie. He can't get enough of her!
- Everything is still going straight into his mouth first!
- He still needs to suck a pacifier to help him fall asleep but doesn't need one at any other time. He's also still never sucked his thumb or fingers.
- Drew is pivoting on his belly towards toys and we see crawling in the near future! He also likes to stand when leaning on something but can only linger for a few seconds before falling.
- He has become quite the talker/singer and LOVES to hear his own voice.

We still can't believe that we made this beautiful, perfect child and feel so blessed everyday from the joy he brings to our lives.

And on a lighter note, it's rare to actually be sitting with a camera in front of our little man going poo so I had to snap one! It's hard to tell in the pic on the left, but his face was bright red and he was going full force! I also just love the expression in the picture on the right of him seeing his room from a standing perspective.

In other news, Happy 9th Birthday to our old girl, Lacy!

You will always have a special place in our hearts as our 'first born child'.

Happy Grandparents Day

Animal Excursions

Animal Stop #1 was the Deanna Rose Farmstead with my parents. It's probably been 20 years since I've been there and it has expanded tons! There is so much to do, see, pet and learn about. I even got to feed the baby goats some milk. (I heart baby animals) Drew loved watching the animals and sitting on the real saddle in the barn. He intently studied the cows and even enjoyed a meal in a tee pee! Other than being 105 degrees outside, it was a fun place to visit. I'm sure this will be something we visit repeatedly when we move back to KC!

Animal Stop #2 was the Kansas City Zoo with Derek's parents. I must admit that I always have an internal struggle with going to zoo's as it pains me to see the animals with smaller cages. The KC zoo has been renovated over the years and they have done a wonderful expansion job, but there are still those tigers, cheetahs or some other animal with limited space to move in. I know they get taken care of and probably live a good life compared to others, I just worry about their mental health not being able to roam as they would in the wild. The other side of my struggle, however, is the child-like giddy excitement that I experience on the way to the zoo. I absolutely love watching the animals and could stand at some exhibits for hours. Unfortunately it was 105 again that day and we had to continuously find shade and refreshments. Drew absolutely loved watching the sea lions swim around and studied the elephants as they walked in front of him!

Angel Traveler

Derek and I figured that we were in a car, or at a rest stop for a total of 27 hours or so total on the drive to and from KC. We also genuinly think we heard Drew cry probably 30-45 minutes total both ways. I think I said to Derek well over 45 times that week that we have the best traveler in the world. This child loves sitting in his car seat playing with his toys and watching his puppies move around in the back. He slept a ton and we couldn't have asked for a better traveler.

One of the 'games' Drew invented on the trip. We called it 'Make Sophie squeak without hands'! -

I also was excited to get to co-sleep with Drew at the hotels we stayed in since we don't do that at our house. To some degree, I would love to be snuggling my baby every night here at home, but the hotel stays confirmed why I don't co-sleep nightly. My motherly sensitivity to my child caused me to wake up every single time he made even the slightest movement or rustle. I probably woke up 29+ times each hotel stay and really didn't get the best sleep at all. But waking up in the morning and seeing his face 6 inches away was the absolute best way to start any day!

 (And yes, that is Drew playing with a tupperware lid up there ^... he LOVED it!)

The Great Drive to KC

So for the past 11 days we have been on "vacation" spending time in Kansas City with family and friends. I'll be posting pictures and blogging about our fun over the next week or so, but for now I'll leave you with some Instagram pics.

It was a wonderful time and we packed so much into our stay that it became a whirlwind, but seeing family with Drew and being back home felt so good.

Morning iPhone Check In

It's sad, but the first thing I do when I wake up is to actually check my iPhone. Emails, facebook, blogs, instagram, weather, etc, etc. I think it helps me wake up, but more importantly it helps me re-connect with the world. I like knowing what happened after I went to sleep or how much the weather forecast has changed in the last 8 hours since I previously checked the forecast. I heard on the radio last week that the average person checks their smartphone 28 times I day. I can openly admit that I think mine is closer to the double mark. And for what? Sometimes I don't even know myself. I'm caught up on everything there is to be caught up on, yet I'll still find some app or link to check. Unfortunately, I think my generation is beyond addicted to these devices. Do I think it's a bad thing per say? No, not really.

But when my son likes to already grab my phone and he's less than 8 months old, I think about his future and how much electronics will rule the world. In some ways, I think education and schooling can become so much more efficient. But in other ways, I think the real, true connections between people will begin to fade.

Either way, it's still cute.

... but then again, anything with this face is.

Drew and Lacy

Once and a while Lacy likes to join us while playing in Drew's room. Bailey is never far, but Lacy tends to be a loner and hang out by herself in the basement or some random room. She is so extremely good with him letting him pull her ears, pinch her back and squish her nose. I know someday when he grows up, Lacy will be his snuggle dog and Bailey will be the playful dog. Nap times will be reserved for Lacy while playing fetch non-stop will be the bonding game of choice for Bailey and Drew. I love watching my girls interact with Drew and he absolutely adores them beyond anything else. Whenever they come near and sneak a kiss, his world lights up. And although it grosses me out to know their tongue is near his face, I know that it makes him happy. And isn't that what parenting is all about.... Making your babies happy?

And for those observant ones, yes that's a disposable swim diaper as this was taken right after class!

HAVE A WONDERFUL LABOR DAY WEEKEND!

Best. Shirt. Ever.

Look what treasure mama found at Nordstrom Rack the other day. All of you who know me, even in the least bit, will know why this shirt made me so happy.

I think it was one of my favorite finds ever for Drew and wished they had bigger sizes so I could have bought multiple.