Andrew, the helper

Andrew is getting really good at helping around the house. He tries really hard to help clean up after he's done playing. But, he's one. The results aren't always the best.


One of his books, precariously placed when he realized it wouldn't fit on that particular shelf.


"Putting his laundry away."


Putting his plate in the kitchen after lunch.


This photo has nothing to do with cleaning up. It's from our visit to the aquarium last week. I thought it was too cute not to share.

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Growing up at the table

Andrew has graduated from a high chair to sitting at his own table.

It started with some snacks in a small bowl,
sitting on the floor.

Soon, he was eating his meals while standing
at the coffee table.

Now, Andrew has his own table and small chair
where he sits for most meals.

Now, here is the funniest part.  When Andrew is done eating, he often grabs his plate, gets up from the table, and takes the plate to the kitchen.  Sometimes he sticks it at the sink, and sometimes it's on the stove.  But either way, it seems like he has learned that clean plates go to the kitchen!

New Hampshire Trip

We recently took a trip up to New Hampshire to spend a week with Emily's family in a rented house in North Conway.  17 people under one roof!  It was a really fun week.  We got out and did some new things with Andrew, which was a welcome change.  Now, if he would have just slept past 6:15am on at least one morning!

Andrew in the car on the way to the house
after the plane flight.  He was SO tired.

We went to play in the Saco River one day.  Andrew had a blast playing in the water, and picking up rocks.  He really wanted to go out on his own, but obviously couldn't do so.  This kid is a born explorer.

We spent some time at a large open park, along with a playground.  Andrew loved running through the wide-open grass.  We were hoping to get him in the splash pad they had there, but the water was freezing.

North Conway had a nice little Children's Museum.  We took Andrew there on a quiet day to let him run around.  It was much more fun than expected.  They had costumes as well that kids could put on.

Andrew the ape.

Rawr!  I'm a lion!

Gears!  If there's on thing Andrew loves, it's spinning wheels.
This Gear wall was like a dream for him.

Sam and Andrew took a ride on The
North Conway Scenic Railroad.

Andrew became very fond of the pool table.  As you can see, he's not a bad shot, either!

August Photos

We are getting ready to head to New Hampshire tomorrow, so I thought I'd unload some of the photos from my phone before we left.




Sam and Andrew reading a story.




Making faces at the dolphins at the aquarium.




Sam and Andrew playing with the penguins.




Practicing with headphones for the trip.




Running at the park.
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Andrew "Dancing"

Sorry, the audio on this video is barely audible.  Andrew was watching Sesame Street this morning, and when the music video with Bruno Mars singing with some Muppets came on, Andrew started dancing in his chair.  Well, raising his arms and bobbing around counts as dancing at this time.

I thought it was a fluke, so I kept playing different parts of the episode back, and he kept dancing at this part.

I think it's freaking adorable!

This is the video that Andrew was watching:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWp6kkz-pnQ

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

People always comment on how handsome Andrew is, and as his mother, who am I to disagree? He also tends to be very photogenic. He knows when the camera is on him and just lights up! However, that's not always the case. May I present, for your amusement, some of the less flattering faces of Andrew.











In other news, we're heading up to New Hampshire in a week and a half to see my family. We rented a big cabin in the mountains and there will be 17 of us under one roof. We can't wait to see everybody, but I'm sure the cabin will be hectic and loud. We might need a vacation to recover from our vacation.

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Andrew's Favorite Pasttime

Andrew loves to read.  Well, at least he loves flipping through books.  The photo below is a common sight in the mornings or after a bath when we play in his room.

Andrew has dozens of books, which sit on a bookshelf until he makes the mess seen in the photo above.

But, now here is the interesting part.  Often, Andrew picks a book out and brings it to us so that we can read it to him.  It is almost always one of two books, "Good Night I Love You" or "Moo Baa La La La".

I tried an experiment this evening, and placed "Moo Baa La La La" in the bookshelf above in several different locations. I also mixed it in with the books that were strewn about the floor.  He always found it and brought it back to me.  You can see below him setting it on my lap so that I can read it to him.

I think it's pretty amazing that a 15-month old can repeatedly find the same book.