Our Life With Drew

Family Pictures

2009-12-15T09:48:00.014-06:00

After Thanksgiving we had our good friend Jill, who is becoming quite the photographer, take our family pictures. Jill was wonderful and so easy to work with. We loved how she combined posed pictures and ones where we were just interacting with Drew. Drew had a long day on this particular day so he wasn't all smiles, but those big blue eyes make up for that!

There's a smile!

Gotta get those sugars in!

He did NOT want to be in this pile of leaves! LOL

We appreciate her capturing what Drew was like at 6 months old and we can't wait to have her take more as he grows! (She also took the picture of him at the top on the bench.) Here is her website if you would like to contact her. http://jillbrannonphotography.blogspot.com/

Marathon Blogging

2009-12-09T21:43:00.014-06:00

I'm back. A month later, but I'm back.

So.... picture me telling you all about the month of November in the voice of a fast Chipmunk. :) (Catch up Post 1)

The week before Thanksgiving we went to OK to visit my family for a long weekend. I love that I don't have to bring any toys to my parents' house. They have an entire closet dedicated to the kids. All three of them loved playing with this toy.

My sister, Emily, got to babysit Drew for a little while so we could run a few errands. She's great, she had all 3 kids asleep at the same time! I know Drew enjoyed some one on one time with his Aunt Emily. Here she is trying to keep the babies happy while bouncing.
Brody was putting on a show for us one afternoon and this hat was one of his props. Drew "asked" Marmee and Pops if he could try being a cowboy for awhile.
We got to visit my grandparents and they enjoyed seeing Drew again.
What is this face? And where is that cowboy hat?
Brody is so good with Drew. Here he is keeping Drew entertained.
Thanksgiving.....

We spent Thanksgiving with Eric's family. We had a huge feast over at his parents' house. So good. Then they all came to our house on Saturday for something to eat besides turkey. ;) Here he is with Arbi (Eric's mom). I promise there were other people there, but somehow I didn't get them in a good picture.

She played the piano for him and it was so sweet. He just stared at her hands.
When she was finished it was his turn!
Drew had fun eating his dinner with Uncle David.
Then we put up Christmas. It's been fun decorating for Christmas in the new house. I put up two trees this year. The regular traditional one, and then a frog tree. It has frog ornaments that I collected from my students over the teaching years and bright green, blue, pink, etc.... ornaments. It's fun doing something different.
Family pictures coming next....

6 months old!!!

2009-11-06T21:17:00.003-06:00

Gosh, it was this time last year that we had just told our families we were having a baby. Now he's here and growing so fast!! We keep telling ourselves, don't blink, because we'll miss it. It's so true. Here is what Drew is up to...

* Started baby food... sweet potatoes and on to green beans! He enjoys them!
* FINALLY rolling over! That boy sat up before he rolled over. Now he can!
* Is getting more blonde hair. It looks fuzzy and is sticking up. It makes Eric and I laugh.
* Can move toys from one hand to the other. (I gave a HUGE silent cheer when I witnessed him doing this. Silly I know, but it's a milestone people.)
* Reaching and grabbing for anything and everything: Toys, remote, phone, jewerly, glasses, hair, face (gotta keep those nails trimmed for our faces' sake), our food/plate, Laney. It's neat how they suddenly do this.
* He can reach into a box or bowl and pull things out.
* He can push things down, like those toys that pop up, he can now push them back down.
* Recognizes the sign for eat and milk. He lets out a squeel and moves around when we sign these things.
* LOVES LANEY! I mean LOVES HER! He will lay on his stomach and watch Eric play with her for forever. Course they play pretty rough, who wouldn't be interested. He wants to reach out and pet her a lot and gets really excited when she's around.
* Has almost outgrown his 9 month PJ's! HE'S SO TALL! I had to buy 12 month PJ's for him. They are extra long, but that's better than him about to pop out of them.
* He feels every page of a book, even if it's not a touchy feely one. Cute. ;)
* He takes 2 medium/long and 1 short nap a day. Goes to bed at 8:00-8:30 and wakes up at 7:00.
* Notices everything around him, very observant.
* We are teaching him to throw his paci into his crib when we get him up from sleeping. Teaching him that it's only for sleeping. My sister did this with Brody and it worked. Maybe in the next few months he will be able to do it on his own.

It's so much fun watching your child learn new things. You're like his little personal cheerleader! There's just nothing like seeing your baby get excited to see you in the mornings or whatever. Makes your day! I went to check on him last night before going to bed and I just stood there looking at him thinking, "I have a baby! This is my son! That's just crazy. He's perfect! Thank you God!" You know it's something you've thought about your whole life. "What will my children be like?" And now, I have one that I adore! LOVE IT!

Drew's First Halloween

2009-11-03T21:02:00.009-06:00

Our Little "Wild Thing" had a fun Halloween. We started off "Trick-or-treating" on Skype with my family. It was neat seeing Brody (UPS man) and Kaylee (Fairy) all dressed up. They enjoyed seeing and talking to Drew as well. Then we were off to Eric's parents' house for a Halloween/Eric's 31st birthday celebration.

Drew didn't mind his costume at all and I loved it!!!

Eric's parents took Drew to their church's Fall Fest to introduce him to their friends. They said he watched the big humpy blow up thing the entire time. Very aware of things around him.

"What is it I'm supposed to say again? Rarrrrrr?"

Laney front and center. Pretty much describes her whole life. :)

"Rain, rain go away..." How many times have you all sung that to your kids in the past 3 months? I told Drew we might need to go build ourselves an ark! ;) Here he is sitting up on his own enjoying playing and watching it rain. I love this stage of his life right now!

6 month post soon to come!

Halloween Bunko

2009-10-28T20:38:00.008-05:00

Last night I held Halloween Bunko at my house. Everyone came in costume and we all had a good laugh at what we were wearing! Makes for an entertaining evening. I'm so glad to have such a great group of friends who enjoy spending time together and being stilly every one and awhile. :)

Top Left: Amber (Austin Powers), Nitzia (Tired Mom), Tara (Nun), Jill (3-Hole Punch Piece of Paper), Dayle (60's "Flapper"), Alisa (Michelle Duggar SHE WON BEST DRESSED!)

Middle Row: Begina (Santa's Helper), Kristen (Thing 1), Alicen (Nesting cause she's pregnant), Candice (Pink Bunny)

Bottom Row: Me (1800's Judge, yes those are toilet paper rolls, stop laughing), Sara (Hospital Patient), Ashley and Jake (Thing 1 and Thing 2)

I love decorating for parties! I painted these pumpkins (my mom painted one too) for the table decorations. For the placemats I used scrapbook paper. Great idea from The Hostess With the Mostess blog. Makes for a fun table I think.

Dining Room, I got these apothecary jars for my birthday from my parents. LOVE THEM! They will be fun to fill for all occasions.

The food... well, part of it.

THE BEST PART! Cake Balls!!

After being in our house for 4 months now I still don't have a clue as to what to do over the mantle! So, for this shin dig I decorated with the Bunko Prizes (chalk board candy jars) and hung paper for the girls to tape pictures of themselves as a child dressed up on Halloween. We voted for the best dressed in the pasttoo. Candice won, dressed up as a wall outlet.

I love Bunkos!

Good times...

2009-10-20T20:43:00.016-05:00

5 1/2 months. A true picture, the hand is always in the mouth! Drool usually following. ;) I don't know about you all, but I got excited when the weather changed, mainly to dress Drew in some different clothes. lol

Drew is sitting up on his own!!!! YAY! He just started last week. We still put a pillow, or the boppy behind him for those sudden jerks backwards, but he's sitting up! It's so neat how his play has changed once he realized he could sit up on his own.

Sunday was Parent/Baby Dedication at our church. We committed to be actively involved in all areas of Drew's life, to teach him about God, and pray for him daily.

He was perfect for the dedication. He is very observant and was interested in what was going on around him. Our associate pastor held him for a moment and Drew was totally drooling on his hand! LOL Poor guy! He was a good sport about it though. I am sure Drew wasn't the only one sharing his drool. HA

Eric's parents came and then came over to the house afterwards. We are thankful they were able to be a part of this day.

Monday we headed to the pumpkin patch with Jill, Eli, Sophie, Sara, Noah, and Eden. The kids had so much fun with all of the activities.

Eli: "Did your mom make you sit in there?"

Drew: "You know it. Wanna hitch a ride?"

"What is this and can I eat it?"

New Experiences!

2009-10-09T20:42:00.005-05:00

Introducing the sippy cup at 5 months....

"I'm sorry, you want me to do what now?"

"LOL, you're crazy mama! I just want to bite it, but thanks."

"Ohhhhh, I see. Why didn't you tell me I would like it?!"

Loved these series of pictures. Drew has been using his sippy cup for a week now and grasped onto the idea of it really quickly. He drinks water and milk out of it. Only while eating cereal at breakfast and dinner and for a refreshing drink after a nap or something. He still takes his bottle, but I wanted to start the sippy cup so he wouldn't have trouble transitioning. He really grabs onto those handles. I am constantly saying, "Tilt it back." and helping him do that. So, it's a start! Something new.

Turning 30 and Family Visiting

2009-10-06T09:54:00.011-05:00

Goodbye 20's and hello 30's. Not sure if I am saying that with enthusiasm or not. ;) Kind of strange to think that I'm 30 now. Even so, I had a great birthday. Eric's family took me out to eat, my friends made me lunch, Eric had his mom babysit and we went out, and then my family came! Don't you just love stretching out the celebration!? PLUS, the best part, it's my first birthday to celebrate with my sweet little man!
I love it when my family comes to visit! We headed to a nearby park and enjoyed the nice weather.
Pops gave Drew his first swinging experience! He seemed to enjoy it. They look like they are catching some air here.
Kaylee and Emily swinging away.
Pops showing Drew the little creek. Drew loves being outside! If he ever gets upset (mainly if he's tired) and we can't calm him down, we head outside. Such a boy!
When we came back home we painted pumpkins. Brody really was excited about this, I know you can't tell by the picture, but he was. lol He had a marbled pumpkin!
The whole weekend Drew was very captivated watching Brody and Kaylee. It was so cute to watch Brody talk to Drew and entertain him.
Marmee reading a new book they got Drew. Yes, those are camping chairs in our living room. We sold our old couch and chair and now we are without furniture at the moment. It's been real fun! So my family had to bring their own chairs when they came. lol They were real troopers.
When you have kids you tend to spend a lot of time on the floor. So I guess not having furniture really didn't matter.
Jason playing with Kaylee.
It's always fun to have my family here. I know Drew enjoyed being with all of them.

Rice Cereal and Perfume

2009-09-30T13:54:00.002-05:00

Doesn't rice cereal bring about a whole new world to your day? It totally changes things. And that is what happens with kids as I am learning. Once you get the hang of something, it changes. :) It is neat though. Nevertheless, Drew is on his 2nd week of rice cereal for breakfast. This week he just started opening his mouth for us, actually wanting it. Instead of us sticking the spoon in his mouth. Basically forcing it inside. Now he's learning what to do. It's so neat to see them discover stuff like that. Seriously, his eyes are this wide the entire time he's eating. LOL

On another note...
Something that really bothers me. Maybe you've noticed it with your babies too. When we pick up Drew from the nursery he will almost always smell like perfume or cologne. Ahhhhh SOOOOO STRONG that I have to give him a bath when we get home or I just can't stand it. Then today when I picked him up at bible study, the lady in the nursery KISSED HIM ON THE CHEEK! Sweet I know, but all I could think of was... "I don't know YOU. Germs, germs, germs. I appreciate you taking care of my son, but now I have to wash his face so I can feel good about kissing him myself." Better if I didn't see it. Am I so paranoid or what? lol
So, Drew just got finished taking a bath! ;)

4 months + some!!!

2009-09-21T17:07:00.013-05:00

Where has the time gone? Before Drew turns 5 months NEXT WEEKEND, I'd better post about 4 months! :)
Sportin' one of Eric's favorite shirts... The Michael Jordan onsie (Thanks Dayle and Tony!). This time when I was trying to take these pictures he could hardly sit still. You can tell he is kicking his legs laughing at me.
Such a little charmer and looking so big sitting up in his bumbo chair.

I guess I'm hilarious. ;) My Cutie!

Some of Drew's favorites at 4 months:

"flying" on our legs. He will just laugh and smile at you. He loves the song, sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot",- "I'm a little airplane I can fly. Here is my throttle, give me a try. When I get all reved up, then I fly, off the runway into the sky." With hand motions of course. ;)

He enjoys playing in his bumbo chair, but for only a limited amount of time.

Oh bless the person who came up with the Jumperoo! He has just learned to jump up and down in this and LOVES IT! It's always nice to have something new to play with.

This little firetruck is one of his very favorite tummy time toys. (Thanks Brody!) It drives across the floor with sirens blaring, lights flashing, and dog barking! He watches it's every move.

So, the Laney Dog has become his "lovey". He hugs it to sleep at naps and at night. It's so cute! Just the perfect size. (We move it out of range when he falls to sleep.)

Things I want to remember about 4 months:

* He weighs 15 lbs 14 oz

* He is 26 3/4 inches long

* He has moved to eating every 4 hours and taking only 3 naps. The second nap is 2 hours long!!! Huge difference from his regular 40 min. naps.

* He can stay awake happily for 2 hours. Sometimes even that is pushing it.

* We started him on cereal for breakfast. He's not that into it yet, but it's only been a week. He laughs at me when I show him how to open his mouth, then "chew".

* He drinks 5 bottles a day, 5-7 oz each.

* He can sit up really well with a little help. He prefers to sit up or stand.

* When he's laying down we can say, "Grab my hands, let's get up." and he will. Goes from laying down, to pulling himself up to a sitting position, and can then push his legs up and stand. (while holding our hands)

* He goes to bed between 8:00-8:30.

* Still waking up around 4:30am, but going right back to sleep until 7 ish.

* He always has something in his mouth, his hands, a toy, whatever. Tis the age. Not a paci though, he only likes that when he sleeps.

* He had his first runny nose and fever. Makes you feel so sorry for them when they don't feel good. I think he hates that bulb syringe with a passion now. lol

* When he's in the car and he's sleepy, he will make these noises, softly, over and over until he falls asleep. Every time, but only in the car. It's so funny. He does them in a pattern which is even funnier. We need to video tape it for our memory.

* He anticipates when you are going to kiss his tummy, or his neck. He grins, screeches, and braces himself. Especially when we say, "I'm going to get you." etc...

* He is starting to be ticklish on his sides which brings out a new laugh.

* We are doing sign language with him and we can tell he is thinking hard when we sign and say, "Do you want more?" or "Are you all done?" He will turn and look at us when he hears it. We do other signs, but these are the ones he seems to be recognizing. Love seeing that little brain at work!

We love you Drew and can't believe how fast you are growing. We are trying to soak up every minute of it!

2009-09-15T20:30:00.006-05:00

Drew was asked to come over and visit Arbi and Grand Pops Saturday night while Eric and I ran a few errands and went out to eat. I know he was glad to be able to spend some alone time with them and be out of our house! Plus, they have different toys! :)

Gotta love a new teether!

"I'm just not sure what to think of that..."
"I love sitting up and I love to watch people's faces!"
"Now that's a toy I'd like to take home with me!"
We are very fortunate to have them living close to us.

Labor Day Weekend Getaway

2009-09-07T21:19:00.009-05:00

For Labor Day weekend Drew took his first trip to see our family in Dallas. He is such a trooper when it comes to traveling. He got to meet my grandparents and Uncle John and Jerry (which I somehow didn't manage to snap a picture of them with Drew). We took over Mimi and Micaw's house with all of our kid stuff and had a great time!

Drew with Mimi and Micaw. (Notice his IPhone shirt from Uncle David and Aunt Gracen, Eric loves this!)

While we were there Micaw took us to ride the newly expanded train in Dallas called The Dart. We rode it for awhile and it was pretty fun! We got off, walked around down town and then rode back. Drew slept the entire time!

My nephew, Brody, LOVES trains! He totally enjoyed this.

Drew and Kaylee enjoyed each other's company. They really watched each other closely. It won't be long before they are running around playing together. I am so glad they are close in age. They have got the same big, bright, blue eyes.

I know this picture is blurry (and I am upset about it because it is so cute), but I had to put it on here. Drew and Pops looking at something that they think is amusing.

Out of order, but oh well.... having fun entertaining each other AND the rest of us!

We had a great time together and are ready for Crazy Christmas '09! ;)

Getting Bigger

2009-09-01T14:46:00.002-05:00

Hasn't this cooler weather been wonderful? We have enjoyed being outside more. Yesterday I tried putting Drew in his stroller facing the front. He has been in the carseat part facing us and always, I mean always, falls asleep on walks or when we are out. Now you think, why are you complaining? Well, when he takes a nap in the stroller no matter how short, he thinks that qualifies as his nap and won't take one when it's time. So after talking to my sister I decided to try facing front to maybe help keep him awake. The boy needs to see what's going on around him.

Today, he was much happier facing the front. Obviously, judging from the picture. Yesterday, he looked at me like "are you seriously putting me in here this way?" So far this is working! He can look around, provided that the sun is not in his face, and enjoy our walks. The test will be for longer periods of time and if he WILL fall asleep in it when I want him to. We shall see. For now, it's great! And, I've got to find him a cool hat to wear for that darn sun!

Birthdays

2009-08-17T20:58:00.007-05:00

Drew has been busy helping his Aunt Gracen and Uncle David celebrate their birthdays this summer. He's glad he gets to spend time with them. Not only on their birthdays, but when they babysit for us while we shop for a new car! Thank you both for being such a fun Aunt and Uncle!

A little tummy time on the changing table led to some pretty cute pictures! I can't tell if his hair is going to stay brown or turn blonde. It looks blonde in this picture, but it's still brown in back and some on top. Looks different in different light. We love those big blue eyes! (Thank you Daddy!)

3 months old

2009-08-04T20:55:00.014-05:00

On August 3rd Drew turned 3 months old!

It's funny what you will do to get your child to smile. Seriously, we were worn out after taking these pictures. lol Who knows what Drew thought of our silly attempts to get a smile out of him.
Drew loves playing with his Cheetah from Marmee and Pops, and his Monkey from Aunt Emily and Uncle Jason. Here he is on his changing table getting a kick out of feeling how soft his Cheetah is. These stuffed animals will put him in the best mood.
He is really spending a LOT of time on his tummy to help strengthen those muscles. Sometimes he likes to be propped up on his boppy while doing tummy time. However, this day I was playing with him, talking about shapes etc... and ran over to the oven to pull some cookies out of the oven. Then I turned around to see this! LOL Sweet boy. Drew probably thought, "Finally, she left me alone for a moment's rest." :) He went down for a nap right after this.
So here he is at a more awake tummy time. He has this pop up toy. It scares him every time we play with it. He jumps and his eyes get REALLY big. One day he will know what to expect, and that will be the day I know his little brain is getting it.
He has rolled over onto his back 3 times now while on his tummy. Totally by accident I'm sure, but I guess that's how they start to learn.
"Here we go up, up, up. Here we go down, down, down." is a little song we sing all day long. He has learned to pull himself up when we grab his hands and sing the song or just say "up". Like he knows what's coming, which is so neat to see his brain working. He is doing so well holding up his little head. See Laney waiting for Eric's attention in the background. (pardon the laundry on the chair)
Laney helping Drew out. Or.... we should say she is reminding Eric that she is there. ;)
What Drew is doing at 3 months:

* Holding his head up more and more for longer and longer.

* He can sit up when propped up against something without falling over.

* He's able to stand with our help and bounce a little. Those legs are getting stronger.

* Making all kinds of sounds. When we mimmic those sounds back to him he will keep "talking" back to us. It's really cute. Almost wanting to laugh too.

* He's teething. He chews on his hands and the drool is starting to come. He's had some pretty cranky days where the Tylenol has helped him. Other days are just fine.

* His bed time is 8:30. We wake him up to eat at 10:00. Then he sleeps until 6:30. He's sleeping in his room all the time now. AND he's sleeping through the night! He may wake up once or twice or not at all. We just go pat him and he goes back to sleep.

* So that means we dropped the middle of the night feeding as well. YEA!!

* Naps are a different story. He will sleep 45 minutes at the most! And we know he's still tired. So we are doing the 'cry it out' method at nap time when he wakes up after only 30 minutes. With us going in to pat him etc... at times. Sometimes he will go back to sleep, sometimes not. So hopefully this will improve. (saying this while it's happening right now) Any suggestions?

* He's trying to control his arm/hand to reach and grab for things. I was laughing yesterday watching him concentrate on trying to grab his giraffe toy hanging in front of him. He had this funny frown on his face and he kept trying to grab it. He can hit it, just not open his hand and grab it yet... on purpose.

* He has outgrown his 0-3 month shirts length wise. So I have packed those away. He still wears 0-3 month shorts, or the 3-6 month shorts my mom has had to make tucks in.

* He LOVES toys with music and lights. He also likes this spinning frog rattle that he can spin on his own when he hits it.

* His favorite book is a pop up book my parents gave him. (seen in the tummy time picture above) It always makes him smile and talk.

It's amazing how fast they learn. He just makes us smile and laugh all the time! I am so thankful that I can stay home with him!

Off to Church We Go

2009-07-27T11:22:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was Drew's first day in church. Finally, after having him, moving, and lots of summer company, we were able to make it to church. We only went to the service and he did really well. We knew God had his hand on him the entire time because he was on the verge of breaking down several times. They had guest musicians who were very loud. Something he's not used to, but he made it and was exhausted afterwards since he didn't get in a good nap.

Taking pictures of a baby who wants to be sleeping is sort of difficult. He's not happy with me, but he looks so cute in his church clothes!

Drew's First Trip

2009-07-23T20:55:00.016-05:00

This last weekend we took Drew on his first road trip to Oklahoma to visit my family. He does really well in the car. (keeping my fingers crossed) It took us longer to get there since we had to stop to feed him, but we made it.
Drew loved being around all of my family. He was so worn out each day with everyone playing with him, watching his cousins, and playing with Marmee and Pops' different toys. He took the best naps EVER!

Here he is smiling at my sister. He is smiling so much now and making lots of baby noises.

I know he is thinking, "Aunt Emily is so much fun!"
Lovin' hanging out with Marmee and Pops. I think it was fun for him being around other people and in a different environment. A nice change.

We had water day in my parents' backyard on Saturday. We had water guns, water balloons, and a fun sprinkler going. Brody wasn't the only one playing either! We all managed to get wet playing. Here Uncle Eric surprised Brody popping his water balloon. I love that my camera can capture this shot!
I know Drew is going to have such a blast with Brody when he gets older. Brody is anxiously waiting on that too. Brody was already teaching Drew about trains and how to make the train whistle.

Brody loves playing on Pops' "tractor". Playing, not riding. :)
Kaylee is almost to the point of sitting up on her own. We are practicing together. This girl has the best clothes! We went to a craft show on Saturday and my sister had so much fun buying all kinds of girl things for her. Drew and Brody got nothing. lol It was a craft show, not much for boys there.

My grandparents came over for dinner one evening. I am so glad they got to meet Drew.
My Aunt Cindy was also able to be there.
Drew, hanging out with my Uncle Ken. We were glad they got to come over and visit with all of us.
We also had our family friend and photographer, Betsy, take some family pictures. I will post those when we get them.

2009-07-15T13:53:00.003-05:00

Has your child ever been so dead asleep on your shoulder? I mean, dead to the world asleep?! Mouth fallen' open, breathing deeply, arms limp... you know. Then you put them down ever so slowly in the bed thinking, "man, he's gonna sleep really good, for forever, sweet" only to see your child shoot his eyes open the minute he hits the mattress. Like a mattress alarm went off. Wide awake, and then smile at you like he's saying, "Ha, got ya, ...sucker!" Do you know that feeling? Then you think, "now what?". And you pick them up and plant a big kiss on them, eventhough you are a bit disappointed it didn't work out like you had thought, cause they are so stinkin' cute!

2 Months Old

2009-07-12T20:52:00.008-05:00

Drew turned 2 months old on July 3rd. We can't believe it! He has already changed so much. We just love this boy to death! I took a few pictures of him with his new stuffed monkey from Aunt Emily, Uncle Jason, Brody and Kaylee. (Thanks guys!) He kept grinnin' at me while I snapped a ton of pictures trying to capture the right one. I think he thought it was funny that he kept gradually leaning over. :)

We went for his 2 month shots and well check last week. He now weighs 12 1/2 pounds, and is 24 inches long. He did really well with his shots. He turned as red as a strawberry and screamed for less than 30 seconds. Thankfully my sister told me to bring a bottle to help distract him afterwards. It worked!

Drew is really a good baby. He has settled down more since we've gotten into our new house. Or maybe it's because WE'VE settled down more... rubbing off on him.
* He is on a nice schedule. Waking up at 6:30 for his first meal, then we play, then he naps, and it starts all over again (every 3 hours). His last feeding is at 10:00pm and he wakes up between 2:00-3:00 for a middle of the night meal.
* He's not the most consistent napper at the time. Some days he will take long naps, other days just short ones. Go figure. However, he sleeps really well at night! He doesn't like to be swaddled anymore. He always manages to get out of it. Sometimes we swaddle to calm him down, but his arms are out not 5 minutes later. His lack of sleep sometimes may be from his jerking arms. Just not used to them quite yet. He takes naps in his room in his crib, and still sleeps in the bassinet in our room at night.
* He is very alert! His big blue eyes are always watching whatever is going on. So cute and makes us smile every time.
* He gets a kick out of anything black and white. Pictures etc... That really grabs his attention and makes him smile.
* He loves taking baths. I am guessing that he will be one to want to stay in the bath and play for forever.
* He likes playing with all his toys, or watching us play with his toys. :)
* He responds well to any type of music that we have playing.
* He is instantly happy when he is on his changing table. We take advantage of it and sing songs, even read books while he is on his table.
* He loves any song or chant with motions. He finds it amusing that you are moving his arms or legs around.

We are so thankful for such a happy and healthy baby! We love you bunches Drew Manning!

Moving in, visitors, and growing up!

2009-07-07T20:34:00.024-05:00

Well, things have been pretty crazy around here. Moving with a newborn is not exactly a piece of cake. :) Thankfully both of our families helped us out tremendously and we are settled in!!! YEA! I can't tell you how good it feels to finally be home!
Happy Father's Day Eric!

This is Eric's grandma 'Gran Ann'. She got to come with Eric's Aunt Jan and cousin Noah to help us move in.
Noah was a huge help. Here is is power washing the deck. Aunt Jan was busy painting, lining cabinets, helping me arrange the kitchen, and unpacking boxes. We also had Eric's immediate family helping along with our friend Kyle. They worked so hard to get us settled in. It was a LONG weekend. Thanks so much everyone!
Exhausted!
Eric's Aunt Emma Kay and Uncle Bill came from OK to meet Drew.
The week after we moved in my parents came back for 5 days to help us get things unpacked and projects finished. Dad helped us put together Drew's room (more to come later on that). We seriously had a list of things for him to help us with. He was so good about getting it done for us. While they were here my dad painted our bathroom, helped Eric install a new faucet in the kitchen, loaded the attic, put furniture together, arranged furniture, finished power washing the deck, hung things on the wall, helped with meals and Drew! Just to name a few. Then collapsed at night. Thanks Dad! XOXO Couldn't have done all this without ya!
My mom wasn't just sitting around either. She really took care of Drew (not like I had to pull her leg to get her to do that) while I got things unpacked etc... Drew got really spoiled with Marmee here. I know he had withdraws when she left. As did I! She also planted flowers in our beds, helped make meals, did TONS of laundry, and helped keep me sane!
Our boy is sure growing fast! Having some tummy time together.
We have a thumb sucker! NOOOOOO I don't like this at all. You can't throw a thumb away in the trash like you can with a paci. :) He will always spit the paci out and find his thumb. It is funny to watch, but I am not liking the idea of it. We will take his thumb out and replace it with the paci. Somehow I think that isn't going to change his mind.
For the 4th of July weekend my sister, Emily came to visit with her family. We had so much fun with all the kids. This was the first time they had seen Drew since he was born. Drew was facinated with having his cousins around to watch.
Sweet Girl, Kaylee! Gotta love those eyes she gets from her Mamma. She is just a smilin' all of the time and "talking" up a storm! I am glad her and Drew are close in age.
My nephew, Brody is SO into trains! Everything is about trains! So I drew a "Train Town" for him to run his trains on and play with. He is 2 1/2 and is lots of fun. He talks all the time and is very entertaining.
Hanging out with Uncle Jason, Aunt Emily, and Kaylee.
Brody spent a lot of time in our backyard on the playground... aka... the Train. :) He has such a creative imagination.
There was a 4th of July festival here in town and we took advantage of it. Brody got to ride a train, jump on the blow up games, and we all ate fair food! Good times.
Uncle Eric and Brody coloring.
Happy 4th of July! This was picture number 15 I believe! :) So hard to get the perfect one with two babies. Thanks Marmee and Pops for our outfits.
We had fun teaching Brody how to use sparklers.
Cute! We love those two! What a sweet big brother.
Crackin' a smile. Why is it that when you pull out the camera they won't smile for you? Is is a boy thing? I caught a glimpse of one here.
A happy, settled in, family!

Painting

2009-06-14T21:03:00.011-05:00

This was a weekend we have waited 7 months for!!! MOVING INTO A HOUSE!!! YEA! We have been looking for the perfect house for us for such a long time. God brought it to us at just the right time. So this weekend we recruited our families to help us paint THE ENTIRE HOUSE! What a job! Still working on this job too. :)

Choosing just the right color is very hard to do! As you can see we can't decide on what color to paint the kitchen. Green, red, brownish red, tan??? We really want some color in there. So I will have to let you know, and our new paint mixer friend at Lowes, what color we decided upon. ;)

Eric and Barbi painting. We are so glad Eric's mom helped and is STILL helping us paint. Eric's dad helped paint as well and he worked in the yard trimming trees.

My dad painting Drew's room. I had fun painting and spending time with my dad! We couldn't have gotten far without him and Barbi.

While we were painting my mom was home taking care of Drew. She also cooked, cleaned, and packed! WHAT A WOMAN! Drew is busy looking at her while she is giving him his bath. Drew is almost smiling for real smiles, not gas smiles. :) And he is discovering that he has a voice, making little noises.

Gotta love that eye contact. Drew is wondering what Pops is telling him. I LOVE this picture! It is so neat to see Drew recognizing when you are talking to him. Makes your heart melt!

We had a successful weekend and we are very thankful to our parents for their help. Now this week we shall continue painting and moving in. YEA!!!

2009-06-06T21:32:00.004-05:00

You know you're a mom when...
your baby stops crying when you pick him up. (initally) :)
you hear every little sound your baby makes when you are "sleeping".
you use the word "sleeping" lightly. lol
you cringe when you have to drive over a speed bump when your baby is asleep.
you've been pooped on!
you use your hand to block a peeing "hose" and it doesn't even phase you!
you shed a tear when you realize your baby has spit up on himself in the middle of the night and you didn't catch it.
you can take a shower in a matter of seconds!
you say a prayer for a long nap every time you put your baby to sleep.
you're the one carrying the carseat or pushing the stroller that people are taking a sneak peak at.
you can breast feed and put on your make-up at the same time! Oh yes!
you realize you need an entire new wardrobe of tops just to fit your "TWO NEW FRIENDS"!
you know that Family Matters comes on at 4:30am and that's your only option.
your baby has been crying because he needs to either poop or burp and you cheer when he finally does!
you've sung Patty Cake, The Itsy Bitsy Spider etc... for the fifth time in a day.
your heart melts when your baby makes eye contact with you.
your baby snuggles on your shoulder and loves it there!

I LOVE BEING DREW'S MOM! Thank you God.

1 Month Old

2009-05-31T19:12:00.005-05:00

It is so hard to take time to post new pictures of Drew. It is so hard to even take a shower much less worry about a blog. :) Many of you can relate. But if I don't continue to post pictures I think my family will hunt me down! So.....

Drew has been a busy man lately. Uncle David and Aunt Gracen came over to spend time with him. Uncle David calls Drew "Lil E" and is already preparing him for basketball drills.

Drew had his first big outing Thursday night when we went over to Eric's parents' house for dinner. He was the life of the party. We are quickly learning that we have to plan way ahead on getting ready to leave for somewhere. Lovin' this outfit! Notice his little habit of sucking on his bottom lip.

He is now taking an interest in the play gym. He really likes to look at his handsome self in the mirror too.

Again with the bottom lip.

What I want to remember at this point, what we've learned:
* We started introducing the bottle off and on at 3 weeks. He didn't really like it. We had to buy different bottles and even now he is drinking a little from it when it is offered.
* Still wearing his newborn shorts. His little waist is too small for the 0-3 month shorts. He can wear some 0-3 month tops.
* He has got his eating schedule down to every 3 hours and NO MORE! At least he is predictable. He can go longer when he is in the car/carseat.
* Loves riding in the car and stroller. Sleeps through it all.
* Weighs 9 lbs 13 oz. at 4 weeks.
* We are learning the differences in his cries.
* He is giving us more eye contact now. LOVE IT!
* He doesn't mind having a dirty diaper. So we always have to check it. I am going to miss the colored line down the Pampers Newborn diapers that tells you when they are wet.
* Still wearing newborn diapers.
* Doesn't respond well when I eat dairy (milk and cheese). This is very hard for me since I LOVE cereal, all kinds of cheese any time of day, and ice cream. Of course you crave what you can't (shouldn't) have.
* He enjoys his bath AFTER he has eaten!
* Gripe Water works wonders!

Gosh this first month has been so busy getting used to a new schedule and learning all we can about Drew. We love this boy!

What I've Been Up To

2009-05-22T12:58:00.012-05:00

Well I seem to be keeping my mom busy so I guess it's up to me to tell you what's been goin' on around here! :)

I enjoy my tummy time! I can already move my head from side to side, like I am doing in this picture. I have to move it if I want to see the cool picture on my other side. I can also lay on my back and follow these pictures while my Mom moves them! I am so smart!!!!

I am so glad my parents made these black and white pictures for me. I can easily see the contrasting colors. Plus I am already learning so much about what these pictures are. I really like to focus on them. The dump truck is my favorite!

I have the same awake time every day. I like to be awake in the mornings for an hour to two hours while Mom reads to me, makes me feel different textures in books, and while we lay on the floor and do tummy time. I also swing or bounce if I am in the mood. I also like to be awake around 9:30 at night. My parents will give me a bath, or Dad plays with me or reads to me before bed.

To swaddle or not to swaddle, that is the question! I LOVE having my left arm up by my face. My parents noticed that in my 3D ultrasound pictures. So, I can get a little upset if they swaddle me without my arm out, but I usually manage to get it out myself. That is if Mom swaddles me. There's NO WAY my arm is getting out if Dad swaddles me!

I tend to sleep better with some type of noise. The humidifier noise is nice and so is the Heart Beat Bear noise my Great Aunt Cindy gave me. Thankfully I sleep right through Laney's barking. And I do enjoy wearning my sweet Michael Jordan hat at night, thanks to Dayle and Tony!

So far life is good. I have a clogged tear duct and a stuffy nose. Those are annoying!

I have met a lot of new people. A lot of my parents' friends have been coming over to meet me and to bring them dinner. They are really thankful to have great friends... and yummy dinners.

I hear we are going to be moving into a new house next month! My parents can't stop telling me all about it. I am excited! My grandparents came to babysit me for an hour last night while Mom and Dad went to Lowes to look at paint colors. I am ready for my very own room!

The other big talk around here is that Daddy broke his thumb playing basketball. My mom wasn't surprised. As I understand it, it was this time last year that he broke another finger playing basketball as well. I am not sure if I am too crazy about learning how to play basketball now.

It's time for me to eat.

My Poor Baby

2009-05-15T15:29:00.008-05:00

A few days after Drew was born we started noticing how "tan" he was looking. Not natural. My mom and I sat with him outside hoping that would get rid of the jaundice. We went to the doctor for his follow up visit at 5 days old and they tested his blood only to find he had very high levels of jaundice. We were told to go to the hospital immediately. So we were back up there Friday night to put Drew under the lights. And man my emotions were running high. Thank goodness for my calm husband and parents!

Drew had to wear these protective "glasses" that VELCROED to his head! Looking back at it now he looks like Mr. Hollywood! For the first 12 hours we couldn't take him out from under the lights. So he basically screamed for 12 hours straight unless we were feeding him. (We did take him out illegally a few times to comfort him, how could you not?)

His levels went down Saturday and we were able to take him out every 3 hours for 30 minutes of feeding time and lovin' time. I pumped and we syringe fed him because we had to monitor how much he was eating. He sucked on my finger while Eric pushed the syringe. Very interesting! He sure did eat faster that way. :)

Tannin'. You can imagine how shocking this would be for a baby. No clothes, no one holding him, just awkard. The second day he got better and slept while he was in there. Shoot, the second day I got better. :) You can see the circle doors where you could stick your hands in.

Saturday night he was able to sleep in the basinet with the Billy Blanket (a lighted blanket) under his PJ's. He looked like a Glow Worm. (remember those?)

What an eventful weekend. It's amazing how protective you immediately become of your child. You would rather take their place. Thank you God that he is okay now and doing great! What a memorable experience.