February 12

Andrew has to have surgery on February 12. It's a simple surgery, but since he's so little, he has to go under general anethesia, meaning a breathing tube, putting him totally under, etc. I know it'll all be ok, but I am having a tough time. The thought of him lying there knocked out.... it's just too much. I hate thinking of him in any pain. I'm sure everything is going to be fine, but it's still no fun for anyone.

One cute thing though was that at the hospital yesterday, Andrew was getting so angry at us for not letting him crawl around. He would get fussy and upset, but as soon as the door opened and a doctor or nurse would come in, he'd instantly be all smiles and start charming the pants off of them. It was too cute. He's such a little ham.

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends...

Or just friend. Singular. :) Tomorrow I have to take Andrew to the hospital to see if he needs surgery for his hernia and probably get some tests done. I don't really like this. Soooo, my friend Natalie (I think if you've been reading this blog you know who she is.....) is off tomorrow, so she's going to spend the day with me. I am so grateful for the moral support and that she's spending her day off of the hospital with me and the Jellybean at the hospital. Then we're going to play Halo and watch The Bachelor. Because...why not.

A Real Page Turner

This is a book I read for the first time a couple of years ago, but Michael grew up reading. I would say it's probably about right for an 11-12 year old, but is fun no matter how old you are.
And also, Andrew can turn pages when we read to him. He's been doing that for about a month now and it's freaking adorable. Of course, he has to be in the mood for it, but he'll do it. Sooo cute.

In a funk

Kind of feeling in a funk lately. Not sure why or what I can do to pull myself out of it, but there ya go. Not bad, not depressed, just kinda...bleh. In a funk.

Avocado

The kid hates it. He made this face for a REALLY long time before raking it out of his mouth.

"Mom. Seriously?"

He then refused any food I tried to offer him by shaking his head 'no' and pushing the spoon away. And making the above face. I guess he feels pretty seriously about it...

Adventure Boy

Eating the letters from the fridge. He's actually not allowed to, because he shoves them all the way in his mouth.

Climbing the stairs! He's definitely not allowed to do this....And no worries. He wasn't in danger of falling. And HE WAS ON THE FIFTH STEP. I was following close behind thinking, " Holy cow. This kid is too fast forn me!"

His first injury. It looked even sadder than this picture portrays, but it healed really quickly. His biggest problem was when he was tired, he would rub his eyes and nose and scream! Poor little guy...

And he's sweet as could be!

Invalid

We were watching old videos I had taken on my phone of Andrew. There was one from when he was about 4 1/2 or 5 months and almost crawling. He was laying there like a lump, getting frustrated and yelling, kicking his feet. Michael said, "I don't like it! It's like he's crippled or something. I can't watch this." It was kind of funny, but I understood because he looked almost the same as he does now and he is currently crawling like a maniac, shaking his head no, pulling all the books and DVDs off the shelf, standing up on his own, climbing onto things, and eating everything he can get his little mitts on. Oh, and the other day while he was standing unsupported, he took a step forward (and promptly fell on his face of course). Boy that kid likes to move. I wonder what new things he will do today? :)

I sure love both my guys.

Like Father Like Son

Apparently in Michael's family, "the hair" is kind of notorious every couple of generations or so. Apparently it didn't skip any generation here. It gets increasingly crazy after bed or in this case, naps. Both of my guys had a nap yesterday. Therefore behold....

The Hair...

It has begun....

Sing it with me now. "It's only just begun......"
Guess who can stand without support now? Andrew spent all day yesterday pulling himself up on things, steadying himself, pushing himself back so he's unsupported, and laughing like a wildman any time he stays upright. When he feels himself start to fall, he either leans back on what he was supported on before, or lowers himself slowly to the ground (or occasionally falls). Seriously, 7 months old. What is it with this Teeny Little Super Guy? In any case, we're proud of our little explorer. (And increasingly terrified that he's going to learn to walk any day now.....)

Sheesh.

Driving Mr. Baby

We drove a lot over the holidays and stopping to stretch was always exciting for Andrew. We had a little too much fun pretending he was driving.

Carefully manuevering a tight turn.

10 o'clock and 2 o'clock...

Please don't distract the driver.

"Get outta the road, buster!"

"Is that a handicapped spot, or can I park there?"

Putting it in reverse.

Is it normal to have this much fun with a 7 month old?? And yes, I'm caught up now. Only 4 posts to catch up. Whew.

All About Andrew

A typical mischievous look from Drew.

Fun with Daddy.

Times 2.

He tipped this over, grabbed two socks, and crawled inside and ate the socks. It was adorable. I love that kid.

I love him in hats.

His newest favorite - sticking out his tongue.

Admit it. He's cute.

Not About Andrew

For extending my service agreement, I got a new phone for free. Cute, huh?

And here's a birthday card I made for Mike's grandpa that I thought turned out really cute.

That is all.

Christmas!

We had a very fun, very hectic time this Christmas. We traveled to Salem, then to St. Louis, then back to Salem, then to Arkansas, then back to Salem, and then home. I never want to see a car again as long as I live. Andrew and Michael agree with me. :)

Here's the baby opening/eating his present.

Andrew putting up his stocking. He got a baby spoon and a jar of baby food. :)

Michael hanging up his stocking. He got nothing.

Me hanging up my stocking. Again, Ol' Santy didn't visit the adults in the house.

Drew with his cousin Kaitlin at her house in Arkansas. So cute!

Twins

I turned 28 on December 17th. We celebrated on the 17th here at home by opening presents and organizing the house (hence the mess behind me).We took this one with forced perspective, so my carmel brownie look humongous. Hilarious.

My friend Natalie and I share a birthday. It was kind of fun to find out I had a younger twin. On the 18th, we celebrated by eating out at the 68 Diner, eating carmel brownies and ColdStone cupcakes, playing Guitar Hero with Natalie's parents, going to see the Magic Tree (www.magic-tree.org), and going to the mall to play Glow-in-the-Dark mini-golf. It was a lot of fun. :)

This is hands-down the best group shot we've gotten so far. (taken at the Mini-Golf course)

Happy really, really, really LATE birthday, Natalie! :)

Reading

I love to read. Here's a list of the books I read last year. Some of them I had already read before, some I hadn't. Some were just for fun, some for inspiration, some because they were easy to read. I hope to get more reading done this year.





1. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott


2. Little Men - Louisa May Alcott


3. Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery


4. The Ordinary Princess - M.M. Kaye


5. The Princess Test - Gail Carson Levine


6. The Fairy's Return - Gail Carson Levine


7. The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch


8. Anne of Avonlea - L.M. Montgomery


9. Fairest - Gail Carson Levine


10. To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee


11. Tuesdays with Morrie- Mitch Albom


12. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince- J.K. Rowling


13. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows - J.K. Rowling


14. The Princess Bride - William Goldman


15. Priceless Memories - Bob Barker


16. Abraham Lincoln- James M. McPherson


17. The Word Snoop- Ursula Dubosarsky


18. Marley and Me- John Grogan


19. Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great- Judy Blume


20. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe- C.S. Lewis


21. Prince Caspian- C.S. Lewis


22. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader- C.S. Lewis


23. The Silver Chair- C.S. Lewis


24. The Horse and His Boy- C.S. Lewis


25. The Magician's Nephew- C.S. Lewis


26. The Last Battle- C.S. Lewis


27. All Things Bright and Beautiful- James Herriot


28. All Creatures Great and Small- James Herriot


29. The Fire of the Covenant- Gerald N. Lund


30. Little House in the Big Woods- Laura Ingalls Wilder


31. Little House on the Prarie- Laura Ingalls Wilder


32. On the Banks of Plum Creek- Laura Ingalls Wilder


33. Dave Barry is from Mars and Venus- Dave Barry


34. A Christmas Carol- Charles Dickens





What did you read this year?