Andrew: 9 Months

You cut your two bottom teeth this month. Andrew, you are the most ridiculous teether I have ever met. A few days before your first tooth cut through you woke up screaming. You wouldn't nurse, take a bottle, sit still, or calm down. You were pulling at your ears, spinning in circles, and you would randomly stop crying and go completely limp on my shoulder. I had a major freak out because of your erratic behavior. My mind was racing as I contemplated brain tumors, double ear infections, and the possibility of you not waking up after going limp. I raced to the doctor and Chelsea Boet saw us within seconds. She agreed that your behavior was atypical. Everything looked normal so we gave you motrin and monitored you as you finally drifted off to sleep in my arms. After your nap you woke up as happy as a clam. The verdict? You are a drama king when it comes to cutting teeth!

You pulled yourself up for the first time the day before you turned 9 months old. Why are you growing so fast?

Nursing seems to be coming to a close. You don't seem satisfied after nursing and I don't want to compromise your growth by underfeeding you. I've been dreaming of having freedom from our multiple nursing sessions, but now that it's actually here I feel I will miss that special time with you.

You learned that you can reach up and play the piano. Vince loves to jam with you.

Water is your favorite! We went to Millennium Beach and you had a blast splashing and kicking in the water. You even threw your body forward to get your face in the water a few times. It didn't take too long for you to get the shivers. I enjoyed wrapping you up and cuddling you in a towel just like I did with Vincent when he was a tyke.

In the morning you wake up goofy and giggly.

Thank you for all of the smiles, Drewbie Doobie!

Andrew: 8 months old

You started shaking your head "no" when you're done eating or nursing. And then you laugh about it.

You started barrel rolling around 6 months but now you do it quickly and actually get to where you want to go. Usually, you roll over to the curtains and play underneath them. You can sit but we don't give you much practice since we're frequently chasing after your big siblings.

We're trying to teach you to wave "bye bye" and so far your just smack your arm around and hit your holder's chest.

Vince and Kate continue to adore you. Along with that adoration they are getting increasingly rough with you. Vince rolls you up and over onto his legs and Kate pushes you off your tummy so she can tickle you.

Recently, you have taken a liking to books. You smack the pages, try to chew on them, and enjoy moving the pages around.

Nicknames: Drew, Crazy Legs, Bebe, Drewbie

Dad and I always look at each other and say, "I love this baby!" You bring us so much joy with your smiles, coos, and innocence.

Nap time is either really good, or really bad. Occasionally you take 2+ hour naps!! But then you have days where you roll around and cry after taking the worst 30 minute nap. Your nighttime sleep is improving too. Dad used to go in throughout the night to find your paci but you keep getting better and putting it in yourself.

At 6 months you could grab your paci and occasionally get it in your mouth, at 7 months it your were more successful  but still slow. Now at 8 months you find and pop that paci right in your mouth. It's when you choose to play with it by tapping it on the crib slats that we get into trouble.

You are our first belly sleeper (That we know of)! We love watching you on the baby monitor with your face smashed into the mattress. Andrew, you are adorable!

Andrew: 7 months

On March 29 you rolled from you back to your tummy! It took you 6.5 months to do it, but the next day you started doing consecutive rolls all the way across the floor to get to your toys. Way to work it, Buddy!

You are king of fake coughs.

When I catch your eye from across the room you give me the biggest gummy grin.

You are really trying to put things in your mouth now days. Not just sucking on your fingers but putting every toy you can snatch right into that cute gob of yours.

After you eat solids we put you in the swing to reduce colored spit up all over the carpet.

When we change your diaper you stretch your legs out straight and flex your feet. Then you stick your feet in your mouth so we can't finish.

We just started giving you squeeze pouch food when we're out and about. It's super convenient but you're pretty messy at keeping it in your mouth.

I'm slowly allowing Vince to play with you more. Generally I keep you pretty safe. But as you get a bit more sturdy and mobile I realize I can't always protect you. Vince's favorite thing is laying on the ground next to you and snuggling you under a blanket. He pushes you onto your back when you try to roll. So far you don't seem to mind. In fact, you love the added attention from your big brother.

When we read books your scratch, grab, and slap the pages like a crazy. When you get a good hold of the book you inevitably try to eat it.

We love you more and more each day, Sweet Babes.

Andrew: 6 months old

Half a year. Wow. Each time one of my babes hits six months it blows my mind and I cannot believe it. Half a year means you're basically one and that is not okay!

At the start of this month you began rolling onto your side.

I love watching you as you figure out how your hands work. It's like they're going crazy opening and closing as you feel new textures and manipulate your toys. The flip side of this is how you yank your paci out during nap time but haven't figured out how to get it back in your mouth. Usually we keep your hands busy with Kanga so you leave your paci alone.

Your favorite person is you. Like, seriously. Some of your biggest smiles are elicited when you find your reflection in the mirror. It's obvious that you, just like the rest of us, recognize how cute you are!

Andrew: 5 months old

Um, I'm not sure how you manage it but somehow you got even cuter this month. Did you know that Dad is totally wrapped around your little finger? He adores you. He tells me how he forgets how cute you are and falls in love all over again each time he comes home from work. Daddy changes all of your diapers when he's home and he's even been known to feed you nasty green beans so I don't have to!

Our biggest focus this month was your weight. The doctor recommended a 5 month weight check to ensure you don't continue to drop on the growth charts. I spent a lot of time pumping, taking fenurgreek, and adding solids to your diet. Three weeks into our increased efforts you had only gained 6 oz! I had a mini freakout. After consulting with your Aunt Stephanie and scouring the internet I decided the best thing for you was to add a nightly bottle of formula. In one week you gained another 5 oz which put you at 13 lbs 6 oz.

Thankfully, you are healthy and happy. I love your enormous smiles and the way you kick your legs with excitement. You still don't love tummy time but you're improving. Sometimes your arm gets stuck and you can't roll which makes you incredibly grumpy. You're SO close to hitting my favorite stage-- legs straight up in the air! I've noticed you beginning to lift your legs as high as they go and then they drop back down. Pretty soon those bad boys will stick right up the moment I lay you down. I can hardly wait! 

You despise sitting in the bumbo unless someone is feeding you. If we take even the shortest of breaks you begin to fuss and try to buck out of the chair. Alternately, you quite enjoy sitting up when we balance you between our legs. You try to reach and grab for toys which makes you topple over. You only last a few seconds trying to sit unsupported.

Feeding you solids has gone well. You eat baby oatmeal mixed with milk every afternoon. Each evening we give you a fruit or veggie to try. Since we wait a few days between new foods you've only tried a few: peas, avocado, sweet potatoes, banana, carrot, apples, and your least favorite of all... green beans! Adding solids has helped you nap better. You began to wake up happy and you finally dropped that 4th nap for good this month (Your current schedule is listed beneath the pictures)! And I'm proud to say that you're our best in-arms sleeper. You don't make it easy on us because you like it quiet when we hold you, but you actually take decent naps at church. We probably seem antisocial because when we hold you we try our best to avoid eye contact and conversations. The things we do for you, Andrew!

We've started to lay you on a blanket because you've mastered grabbing toys on your play mat. Having no toys overhead has encouraged you to look around and reach across mid-line to grab toys. It's cute to watch you crane your neck up and over as far as you can. It doesn't seem like you'll roll soon, but you're making baby steps (haha) toward getting there. 

By the end of the month you became a distracted nurser. You can tell where sounds are coming from now! You're constantly turning your head to find Vince & Kate because you can hear them when you should be eating. I can't even watch a nightly show when I nurse you because you try to watch the TV too. Good thing flirting with you is way more fun than watching When Calls the Heart or This Is Us.

Your typical schedule is as follows:

8 :00: Wake up, nurse, kick around on the play mat
9:30: Nap
11:30: Wake around 11 but play happily in bed til I get you to nurse at 11:30. Play on blanket, read books.
1:00: Nap-- This is your worst nap. I frequently have to give you a paci x3 around 2:00.
3:00: Nurse, baby oatmeal mixed w/milk, play outside, go for walk, chill in swing.
4:30/5:00: Nap -- we want you to sleep at 4:30 but your wake time seems to be increasing so you take a while to fall asleep
6:00: Nurse, veggie/fruit mixed w/cereal. Family time, reading, bath, snuggles.
7:30: Nurse again, supplement with 2-4 oz bottle of formula (started at 4 mo 3 wks)
7:45/8:00: Bedtime!
11:00: Dream feed

When you sleep you love to have your kangaroo to nuzzle. You're addicted to pacifiers for sleep and we definitely baby you compared to your older siblings when it comes to Baby Wise/CIO. 

4 Months Old

Andrew William, you are just the cutest little thing. Whenever I catch your eye you give me the biggest, gummy grins. Your hands are constantly finding their way to your mouth so those smiles only last a short while before you start sucking on your fingers.

I cannot brag enough about how well you sleep at night. You go to bed around 8, dream feed at 11 and then sleep til 8 am. If you happen to wake in the middle of the night you put yourself back to sleep. I couldn't be prouder! But let's have a chat about your naps... what's going on!? You used to sleep 1.5 to 2 hours during nap time. Now days you're king of the 45 minute nap club. Instead of 3 naps you frequently need 4 to make up for the short naps.  Not cool, Little Guy. If I had to guess why you've become a short napper I'd point to a growth spurt or the fact that we stopped swaddling you. At least you fall asleep without any help. For now we need to keep working on extending those naps.

You really are my little guy. At 4 months old you weigh a whopping 12 lbs 11 oz and are just shy of 2 feet tall (1' 11.5" to be precise). That has you in the 4th percentile for weight and 2nd percentile for height! That almost has me hoping that your crap naps are because you're cluster feeding and preparing to grow.

You spend most of your time grabbing toys dangling from the play mat or chilling in my left arm. Your neck is strong enough that we even let Vince pick you up for a few brief moments. Whenever you cry, which is rare, your siblings come running to make you happy with a song or a pacifier.

I feel so happy when I see you. When I scoop you up I have to remind myself not to squeeze too hard. It stresses me out when you don't nap but I secretly love cuddling you to sleep. Your squawking cracks me up and your cooing melts my heart. You bring so much joy to our family.

Angels Among Us

When I straighten my hair I often recall a special, touching moment from my Sophomore year of college. It was the end of a long day of studying for my nursing classes and working at the library. I showered and was preparing to straighten my hair when I became so overwhelmed with stress, anxiety, and exhaustion that I began to cry. At the time, I was waiting for a missionary serving in the SLC mission. That particular weekend was General Conference and there was a chance that I would see him. I wanted to see him so desperately and the weight of life's demands plus the emotions that came with the potential of seeing him was too much.

While crying in a heap in front of the mirror, my dear friend Ashley came over. She didn't ask what she should do. Instead, she picked up my straightener and silently began doing my hair for me. Slowly, I was able to calm down and feel of her peace and goodness.

The next day came and I didn't see my missionary. I was sad and that's all I focused on at the time. As I look back on the experience the sadness has faded and the sacred nature of Ashley's actions are what remains. She was my angel that day. An action as simple as straightening my hair was exactly what I needed in that moment of emotional chaos. She didn't hesitate or shrug off her thought to help me. She came and filled up my cup.  

To her it might seem like nothing, but to me it was everything. Never think your act of service is too small, too silly, or insignificant. As you act on promptings to help those in need you are making a greater impact than you realize.

 Read the rest of the talk here.