Rainy Days

It seems like it's been a rainy mess for weeks on end.  Andrew and I have both been going a little stir crazy from being stuck inside all day.  We go to the baby gym several times a week and try to go out to the aquarium for a change of scenery, but I'm counting down until spring and warmer weather!  Sam is out of town for another week, but then he'll be home for a long time.  I think Andrew is looking forward to that more than I am!

Why play with the toys when you can climb inside
your toy bin instead?  Andrew has been climbing
all over the place.  

Playing at the baby gym.

Going to the aquarium to play with the fishes. 

The sun finally came out long enough to
go play with bubbles outside!

We are almost walking!

Andrew has been standing for a while, while holding on to things.  More and more, he's standing on his own while playing.  And now, he's started taking a few small steps.  We haven't been able to get any actual walking on video yet, but a couple of times, he has taken 4-5 steps.  Here are two videos of him standing for a while, and trying to take a step before deciding he wasn't quite ready for that.

Mid-February Update

It's been a while since a good update, so for your viewing pleasure...

Andrew has been having a great month.  He's started playing at the baby gym a couple of times a week, which he absolutely loves (and they seem to love him, too!).  He's mostly helmet-free now, except when sleeping.  He's now standing not only while lightly holding onto things, but we've also caught him a few times free standing for as long as 30 seconds (hard to get a picture, though).  He's even managed to take a couple of steps, although it's considered more "moving feet while falling" than "walking".  But, he's certainly trying.  We wouldn't be surprised at all if he's waddling around by the 11-month update.  He's also climbing stairs like a champ.  He can make it up the 9-foot flight of stairs in our house in about a minute and a half.

But, enough about that...how about some pics?

It's quite rare, but sometimes Andrew will fall asleep on
one of us.  Sam loves this.

All dressed up in his winter-wear.

Having fun in  the ball pit at the gym.

After finding out how much Andrew likes the
ball pit at the gym, we bought a small thing of
plastic balls, dumped them in the pack n' play
we keep in the living room, and created his
own ball pit at home!

Who is it?

Andrew's first haircut!!  We're not really counting it as his official first full haircut.  However, because of the way the helmet affected his hair growth, he had some weird long patches which hung over his ears.  We decided to take him to the kiddie barber, and get a few strands cut off.  He had a pretty good time.  I mean, wouldn't you if you got to drive a taxi, a firetruck, or fly a plane when getting your hair cut?

And, the requisite laughing movie.  We weren't doing anything.  Andrew was amusing himself with the nipple of his bottle in this one.

10 Month Photos

Ten months already.  And, as you can see from these pictures, this kid is just oozing personality.

Sick and a Helmet Update

If there's one thing you can say about our family, it's that we like to share.  Andrew is no exception to the rule, so when he got a nasty cold, he decided to give it to Sam and me too.  He's a little more whiney and clingy, but is handling it like a champ.  It has, however, made for some very boring days.  Normally, we try to go out every day.  Sometimes we go to play dates and sometimes it's just running errands, but we both do MUCH better when we get out of the house frequently.  Well, aside from his helmet appointment yesterday, Andrew and I haven't left the house since Sunday.  I think it's safe to say that we're both suffering from cabin fever, but I think the worst is over.  Hopefully he'll be feeling well enough to go to his gym class tomorrow!

Andrew had a helmet appointment yesterday.  Much like his last scan, there wasn't much difference.  It's common around this age to have progress stall.  They just don't grow as fast as they do when they're little.  That being said, the doctors are VERY pleased with his progress.  The asymmetry in his head is within the normal range.  They gave us the option of stopping the helmet altogether, or having him wear it for naps and nighttime.  Sam's in Canada, so I had to make the decision myself, and I decided to keep going with the helmet.  It doesn't bother him at all and there's still a chance his head could get even better.  We'll do this for six more weeks, until March 14th, then we'll be done for good!  I've also grown attached to his helmet, so I think this will make it a little easier for me to transition too!

Because he's been sick, it's been hard to get some good photos of his head without the helmet.

I think our next concern is getting him his first haircut.  The hair over his ears is really long and messy looking.  I'll have to wait until Sam gets home for that though.  I think he'd kill me if Andrew got his first haircut without his dad.

And then here's some proof that Andrew's starting to feel a little better.  It's the first time he's laughed like this in days!

Random Funnies

Just a silly little video of Andrew playing in the living room.  He has this little plastic man that came in a toy from Grandma, and he LOVES knocking it around on the floor.  

The Baby Gym

While Sam was out of town, Emily took Andrew to a baby gym (otherwise known as "awesome place with all kinds of things to climb on and through, bounce on, or get lost in").  He loved it so much, they decided to go back when Sam was in town.

That was today.  And Emily wasn't kidding: Andrew LOVES this place.  He had just woken up from a not-long-enough nap when we got there, so we thought it would be short-lived until he became  unhappy.  Well, that never happened...he spent the whole time laughing, giggling, chortling...whatever you want to call it.  He had a blast.

In addition to just playing, many of the setups are made for teaching and learning.  They even get into some of the science behind why a certain obstacle or activity helps the baby develop senses and skills.

They were running some specials for signing up, so we signed him up for the first month of "classes" which also includes some free-play time on other days.  Safe to say, this will probably be a frequent visit.

Below are a few pictures and videos of Andrew playing.