Stacking and Other New Skills

Drew is doing something new. He loves to stack his toys and books and then move them into another stack. He does this like it's his job. He is so focused and deliberate. He will place something, then look at it, take a few steps away, peer back and make sure everything is up to par. It is very funny to watch and it keeps him busy for quite some time. "See Dad, first you put the books in, then the trucks and the train goes on top"

"Now, phase II of the operation: you take the books and place them on the chair..it is very technical."

Drew had his first dentist appointment yesterday. He had some grey spots on his teeth and the pediatrician said to go. When I called, I was surprised to hear that they like to see children for their first dental visit at age 1 anyhow. He did very good and played quietly while the dentist and I spoke. When it was time for him to look in his mouth, Drew was not thrilled, but I was surprised to see that the grey was on every tooth. He said it was from iron (probably formula) and it wasn't hurting him, but that he could clean it if I wanted. So here I am with a moral dilema - do it subject Drew to having his teeth cleaned (which he said would be quick and painless), or do I let him walk around with grey teeth? - Well, call me vain, but I chose the cleaning. It took him about 30 seconds to buff off the teeth and apply some flouride. Drew was fine afterwards and went right back to playing.

I thought I should document all of Drews words before I forget - his vocabulary is growing daily. There is *Dada and *Mama, *No, *Dat (that), *dis (this), *duck, ducka and guck (all 3 mean duck), *dog, goggie, gog (dog), *tuck, tucka, guck (truck), *cah, cah-cah (car), *hi, hiee (hi), *uh oh

He has attempted some words - cat, apple (aaeww) -at least he is working on his "a" sound, Auntie Laura (La), boat ("goat"), bread ("dead" - we stoped trying to teach him this one after we heard how it came out). Most of the new words we try and teach him come out starting with a "g" or "ga-ga".

Drew is also waving pretty consistently now (hello and bye-bye) and using his "more" sign while eating. He loves the reaction that he gets from using it and after I praise him, he usually continues to sign even after he has already been given more. We are starting a signing class next week, so hopefully we will get much better at this. Hugs and kisses are given out pretty liberally (which makes us sooo happy!) and he has started doing a "shy face" where he smiles and presses his cheek to his shoulder (so cute!).When Drew brings me a book to read, I ask him to sit down and I pat the floor - he usually responds by sitting down and listening intently (for a minute) to the book - sometimes he will sit and then pat the floor too (also adorable!) I think that is all of the new things, but everyday brings some more so I will try and get better about posting them when they happen.

Yeah..photos!

Andy was able to insert the memory card into our video camera and download the photos from our trip. Here they are:

After waving goodbye to all of the "cah cah's" (cars) on the ground, Drew quietly watched as we took off.

Happily running down the beach. I have to admit, this outfit is just wrong - his hat doesn't go with the trunks and they are so long they almost hit his ankle. Most of the clothes on this trip were a little too big b/c evertything he owns for spring is meant to fit him in the spring.

Chasing his shadow down the beach.
priceless

eating pb&j by the pool...what could be better?Drew got the hang of shoveling sand into the bucket pretty quickly"Don't let go or I may decide to go for a dip"

I was able to take a few more photos that night before the camera died. I think that was the problem, I should have let it dry out more before trying to use it again.

Sophie and Tessa making Drew laugh.

No Pictures to Post

A photo of the pool and beach at the Ocean Reef Club

We got back from Key Largo last night. We had such a good time. The weather was beautiful and both Andy and I came back with sunburns...Drew on the other hand is still white as a ghost. The flight there was great, we had to sit on the plane for 40 minutes for de-icing, but luckily we got off early enough that the snow didn't really affect us. We did a lot of entertaining Drew and feeding him and he only got a little restless when he wanted to take a nap. He slept for about an hour on the flight.
Once there, we went to the beach and the pool and had so much fun chasing him around in the sand. But, the reason I have no pictures to post is because the "other camera" had a little catastrophie. Poppy and Daddy were walking with Drew and I was taking pictures. We were at the edge of the water and cousin Sam was in the water kayacking with a new friend. Sam and his friend flipped their kayack and we were all watching to make sure they were ok when Drew decided to RUN and dive into the water. I screamed and ran in after him camera and all. He was fine, but the camera didn't fare so well. I think I can save the photos already taken, but we only got a few.
We stayed in a hotel and Drew did pretty good sleeping in the pack-n-play. We had to bring him into our bed a few times, but for most of the trip he napped and slept in the crib. Poor Andy was pushed out of bed twice by Drew rolling over in his sleep. Drew had so much fun watching his cousins, they really did a great job entertaining him. We went out for ice cream one night after dinner and it was way past his bedtime, but the combination of raspberry sorbet and his cousins running around and making him laugh caused Drew to laugh harder than I have ever seen.
I have to admit, I never thought that I could have so much fun on vacation chasing a baby around. I always thought that I would miss lounging on the beach, reading magazines, going to the spa or out for drinks. Don't get me wrong, I still find those things enjoyable but watching Drew have so much fun was better than any of that.
The flight home was a little different. Drew was exhausted and couldn't settle in for a nap. Luckily we were in the last row and didn't disturb too many people. He finally slept for the last 1/2 hour of the flight, but he wasn't happy when he had to get back into his carseat and into the car. We left for the airport at 10AM for a 2PM flight (2 hour drive to the airport) and then 3 hours on the plane and then 1 hour home - I really don't blame him for being upset. When we got home and saw Lucy and all of his toys he was sooo happy. He hugged Lucy tons and pulled out all of his toys to play with. Finally at 8:00 we got him to bed. I think we are going to have to make up lots of sleep over the next few days.
We are so glad that we went even if it was only a few days we really had a blast. Hopefully, I will get the pictures downloaded and will be able to post some soon.

More Drew

Ok, I know that I said the next post would be from Florida, but Andy is away and television is just awful lately. I could probably stand to do some packing, but I was poking through some recent pictures (mostly all last week) and I thought I would share.

In other news, Drew went for his 1 year checkup today and he is doing fantastic. He weighed it at 23lbs 8oz and 31". He is in 75-90 percentile for both. His weight jumped back up from his last visit where he had dropped down to the 50th percentile. He put on quite a show for his doctor and showed him all of the new things he can do. Every time we go, his doctor always says "I'm sorry" when he sees how active he is...it is pretty funny...at least someone pities me for all of the running around that I do - I swear I am going to wind up with a hunch back after chasing this kid around all day. Drew got 1 shot and a finger prick and he was not happy about it. He didn't really like being weighed either, but he looks so cute naked and sitting up on the scale with a big frown. After the finger prick, they put a shiny silver band-aid on him and said to take it off before getting in the car (obviously, it is a choking hazard) but I just laughed to myself because I knew that it would only be a few more seconds until it was ripped off..and I was right. As Drew always does when he finds something new, he handed it to me. He is usually pretty good, he picks up dust bunnies, dog hair, and random tiny object and hands them over to me throughout the day.

Anyway, here are the pictures I promised...I chose some silly ones:Saturday - just up from a serious nap and the hairdo tells the whole story

Time to burn off some of that post-nap energy. I must admit he looks a little menacing here, but I think it is funny.

Sunday - Drew loves toast with jam for breakfast. I think I overindulged him in the Welches grape this morning. After the meal, a bath ensued.

I wish I could post the pictures we took after the bath...I let him run around in his birthday suit. His little tush was so cute running down the hallway. But I don't think I should post those on the internet for fear of either being arrested or that he will hate me when he is older. I guess those will have to stay in the "when I want to embarrass you in front of your girlfriend" pile.

I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Certified...Finally

Today Drew, Grandma and I took a trip into Boston City Hall to obtain a copy of Drew's birth certificate. A copy was never sent to our town hall, so we had to battle the rough city streets and go get it. The last time I was in City Hall was when I was paying for several outstanding parking tickets I racked up in college...they caught up with me 3 years later. Oops

I made a huge faux pas when going through security. The security guard took Drew in his stroller around the metal detector while I put my bag through X-Ray. When I got over to them he goes..."how much?" I assumed he was joking and asking me how much for the adorable baby....to which I responded "oh, you couldn't afford it". Well, apparently he was asking me how much for the stroller and was incredibly offended. I managed to sort of explain myself, but I just booked it in the other direction. Well, who really asks those kinds of questions anyway?

We went to the Birth Certificate window (#218) where I filled out a form and waited behind about 10 people. She took the form and said go to the next window (#219)....ok, "Andrew"..."yes that is me"....she hands me a slip..."gopayatthenextwindowandcomeback"...ok, go to window #220...ring the bell for service...."$24 cash only"...."mom, do you have $12?"......"ANDREW"....obtain copy of certificate. (But, I had a question)...."how do I get it on file in my town"....."um, let me talk to my supervisor".......wait, wait wait...."DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM?"(directed at me to which I just looked back at this women with no response)....."DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR SOMETHING?".......well, um, yeah someone was going to go check something for me.....

I finally got it straightened out and a copy will be sent to my town, but man oh man I hate that place. I guess if I were stuck in a dark concrete dungeon all day I would be just as miserable.

Drew and his birth certificate....he looks about as happy as I was at this point

What prompted me to get my butt in there and finally do this was that we decided to go to Florida and visit Granny and Poppy in Key Largo, FL this weekend. I know it is not international, but the airline suggested that we have a copy so I figured that I would get it. If not, I probably wouldn't sleep at night thinking they wouldn't let us on the plane.

So we are off to the beach...I can't wait for some sun! As soon as I booked the flight I had the same feeling that I had after mailing out over 50 invitations to Drew's birthday party....gulp! "What did I just do to myself?" But just like the party, I am sure that everything will turn out great....even the 3 hours on a plane with a child who won't sit still for 30 seconds.

Wish us luck and the next time you see us, it will be pictures from FLA!

Birthday Adventures

We began Drew's birthday with our usual morning routine, except this morning we brought his gifts in with us when we got him out of bed. We have never seen his eyes bug out so much looking at those gifts. I swear he was 3 inches taller when I got him out of bed.We put on a pot of coffee, got Drew some milk and headed back to bed to open up the presents. This morning in leiu of Channel 5 News, we put on PBS and let Drew watch Big World.

When we brought him downstairs for blueberry pancake breakfast, there was a big Valentines gift waiting for him on his high chair. He ate the entire pancake plus half of another one. He started doing something new at breakfast (perhaps it was the maple syrup), after taking a bite he would lick off his fingers and make a mmmbup sound when pulling them out of his mouth...too adorable. Our laughing encouraged much more of this.

After breakfast and a nap, we headed into Boston to go to the Children's Museum. We all had so much fun. There are definetly more things we can go back for once Drew is older, but he found plenty of things to play with.

This was the FIRST thing that Drew found to play with...a Duck of course!

"Hey kid, wait your turn...this is my car"

Running...Drew's new favorite thing to do.

After the Museum (and a little nap on the ride home) we went and bought Drew a little cake to have after dinner...but not until we stopped at McDonalds for his first taste of fast food - he ate a few french fries and a couple bites of a burger bun. We then went home and had tofu and spinach and potatoes for dinner #2 (healthy dinner). Then the cake....

I also had 2 dozen long stem roses waiting for me from Drew when we got home! They are so beautiful!

What a perfect day. Drew was an angel all day long and we were so happy to see him have so much fun.

A Year in the Life

February 2007- Just BornMarch-1 Month

April - 2 Months


May - 3 Months

June - 4 Months

July - 5 Months

August - 6 Months

September - 7 Months

October - 8 Months

November - 9 Months

December - 10 Months

January - 11 Months

February - 12 Months!

Wow, has it been a year already? I can't even begin to express how much our lives have changed (all for the better) over the last year. I know I have changed as a person becoming a mom. I would do anything for this child. I have never been a very emotional person...never really crying at all of the big moments (engagement, wedding day, even Drew's birth). Sure, I shed a few tears and of course all of those events meant the world to me...but nothing really sparked my emotions like the day of Drew's first birthday party. I lit the candle on his cake, turned around and looked at him sitting in that high chair and the last year flashed before my eyes. I burst into (almost uncontrolable) tears. I can't believe what has happened in this year -from coming home from the hospital just a cute little bundle, to running around the house laughing and talking. I don't like to look at it as times I can never get back, but rather seeing it as excitement for all of the new things to come. I can't wait to see where we will be in 2009.

We love you Drew! We hope and pray that you continue to be happy and healthy as you grow! We can't wait to see what you come up with next....
Happy Birthday!

One Year Ago Today....

One year ago today, I was in labor! Yes, I had almost a full 24 hours of labor before our sweet Drew came into our lives. I promise to spare him this story every year..but I figured that I would reminisce just this once.
I was due on February 8th and was now 5 days past my due date. I had false labor constantly..almost every night. We even had one night that we went to the hospital for the false alarm. I was very frustrated. On the morning of the 13th I woke up with labor pains. I ignored them because I didn't want to get my hopes up...but this was different..they were in the morning. Andy was already at work when I woke up, so I never bothered to tell him about it. I was scheduled to be induced on the 15th and figured it would just happen then. I went about my day and started to feel some more. I thought, hey maybe I can jumpstart this with a litttle light vaccuming (like the stairs). Oh boy, once I finished the stairs they were really coming strong. I called Andy and told him that I think this is it, but wait for me to call you before you leave. I got in a warm tub and waited a little longer before calling back and saying "get home..now!"
Andy arrived at home and I was still in the bath tub. I am not sure how long I stayed in there, but it was pretty long. I labored at home for a few hours, but we had a snowstorm approaching so I was a little nervous about getting into Boston. When I called the nurse she said come on in! Yeah, finally! I frantically checked my bags and added things I needed (way too much).
We arrived at the hospital around 4:00 PM. I was put in a room right away and although I was in active labor, I hadn't progressed all that much. I spent a few hours or so in the shower before asking for drugs. I think I got the drugs around 8:00 - I remember because I was semi pain free for watching Gilmore Girls.
The epidural was not working too well - it would keep losing strength from my belly button up and they kept upping the dose which made my legs completely paralized (a very weird feeling).
Most of the rest was pretty foggy, but I remember a lot of nausea, vomiting, shivering (so bad that my neck and upper back were aching from being curled up). I think we did manage to get a little sleep and Andy even got some breakfast in the morning - Even though I had not eaten in about 20 hours, I was not jealous at all!
Finally at about 10:30AM on Wednesday it was pushing time! Because I was so numb, the doctors still had doubts that I could do; it so a C-Section was not out of the question yet. Well, their doubts gave me enough strength to get that little guy out.
An hour and a half (and one minute) later at 12:01PM Drew was here - 8lbs, 1oz and 20.5". The most amazing moment of our lives!
They told me before he arrived that he would have to go to the NICU for a bit shortly after birth because my temperature was high and his heart rate had jumped a few times. They needed to give him and IV and some meds. Although I knew it in advance and I knew he was fine, it is still very scary to have your newborn taken to the NICU. I got to spend time with him before they took him up so I could feed him and hold him and take plenty of pictures. Andy went with him and stood right with him the whole time (only about an hour and half). The put a tiny little IV in his hand that stayed there for our whole stay in the hospital. We didn't want to call anyone while he was in the NICU, so we made all of our announcement phone calls once daddy and baby were back in the room with me.
Finally, our Drew was here and we were over the moon! One year later I am chasing him around the house.
Check back tomorrow for the birthday post..I promise lots of pictures!

Blooper

Since you have now seen the banner I made for Drew's party, I thought I would share what I went through to put it together. In traditional Sarah fashion, I had to do it the hard way.

Birthday Party

We had Drew's birthday party yesterday. He doesn't turn one until the 14th, but doing it this weekend would ensure that everyone could be there...and they were; all 50 of them! We had quite a crowd and Drew was so happy to see everyone. He was especially happy when he saw someone who would take him over to touch the balloons! He was such a good boy for his birthday party despite the cold that all of us had. He was up at 3:50AM and only had a half hour nap in the morning, so I wasn't sure that he would make it to the cake. I don't think he knew what to make of the fire and the singing and the silly hat he had to wear, but once he had a nice big slice of cake to eat nothing else seemed to matter.

"I am supposed to eat this?"
"mmm, ok I guess I'll eat it."

"Thanks for taking me to touch the balloons Grannie!"

After cake, Drew took a nap. I was amazed that he slept an hour! He is usually such a light sleeper, but he was wiped out! So he didn't get to open presents with everyone, but later at night he did...and boy was he spoiled! He got this cool new wagon from his Grampy. It was beautiful out today so we took him to the school for a test drive (I would post those pictures, but guess what? They are on the other camera). He got so many other wonderful gifts!
We are so happy that everyone could join us for this special occasion. I wanted to make his party special, and having all of his family and friends together made that happen. I can't believe my baby is about to turn one. I didn't realize how hard it would be to look back at the past year and see how fast he has grown up. We love you Drew!