Andrew: 10 months

You are crawling like a maniac! Cruising along furniture and occasionally letting go. Instead of plopping down to the ground you slowly squat down and place yourself on the ground. As you crawl you've begun a slight bear crawl to get your feet on the ground. With two big siblings you've got your work cut out for you! They constantly pull at your arms, shove you, and test your balance. It's clear you're noticing the pattern because your squawks of dismay sound faster than ever before. Occasionally you allow Vince to carry you around, but you, Mr. Andrew, are an independent little boy.

When you see the bathroom/laundry door open you BOOK it and try to explore the unchartered territory. As you crawl toward those rooms I can see a look of pure excitement spread across your face. The sweet face is accompanied by an excited panting as you push yourself a fast as you can muster.

We're letting you explore more food and it's obvious that you're loving it. PB&J, pasta salad, spaghetti, pancakes... oh how fun it is to see you slurp up a mango smoothie through a straw with hands clenched tightly on the cup.

I can't get enough of your social personality. During scripture study and prayer you laugh hysterically at Kate and Vince. It doesn't make for a reverent evening... but certainly a joyous one.

Dad is teaching you about your tongue. You stick it out and bunch it up to make the silliest of faces. Daddy can't get enough of smacking his lips at you either. You look at each other and talk back in forth through lip smacking.

My favorite trick you've learned is giving hugs. You lean your little head in and rest it on my chest. It only lasts but a few moments, but it is as sweet as can be.

When I thought about having a third child I was beyond scared of how hard it would be. You have put that fear to rest, Andrew. Instead of making life harder you have been a beacon of light. You are the peacemaker in our family. Everyone comes together to love you and the worries and troubles of the day fade away. You make our home a better place. I am so thankful you chose to come to our family.

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!