Andrew's First Ouchie

Yes, I'm doing two postings in less than 24 hours! Told you I was going to catch up! Well...um...actually, I am hoping you will read this one quickly, then your horror will subside when you see the next one with joyous pictures from our first Christmas. Then, by the time you log off, I won't seem like such a bad Mom.
Okay, honestly, it wasn' t that traumatic. But this happened when I was in the room, practically right beside him...and anytime you see blood coming from your child - especially for the first time - even if its only a little tiny bit, well, you might need a glass of wine at the end of the evening - which I did have last night when I first started this post. (I didn't post it last night because I lost my wireless connection - ah, the joys of technology.)
Yesterday I was cleaning the nursery, and I had Andrew in there with me. He's pretty adventurous and really likes to explore right now, so I let him crawl around on the floor and play with his toys - or with the clean laundry, whichever he was happiest with - LOL! The door was closed because I didn't want him to crawl out to the landing and fall down the stairs. (We don't really spend that much time upstairs, so I only have a gate at the bottom of the steps, not the top - at least for now.) Anyway, Andrew thinks closed doors are very funny, so he was standing up at the door, banging on it with the palms of his hands. I had my back turned, putting clothes in the closet or something, when I heard a thump then a wail. I could tell by the way he cried that it must have really hurt, so I look at his face, and sure enough there was what I thought was a blood blister on his right brow bone. I realized in about a second that it was not a blister, but a cut. He had fallen and gashed his eyebrow on the hinge of the closed door. I never would have thought about the door hinges...did I not read all the safety information I could get my hands on? Sheesh. So I cleaned it up, and it looked kinda deep, so I took him down to show Phil. Butterfly bandages were too big, so we ended up putting some of that liquid band-aid stuff on it (after a special trip to Walgreens). we put him to bed bed last night with some Neosporin and a Band-Aid covering it. The bump and bruise are bad enough - we are just hoping it doesn't leave a scar. Anyone have advice on preventing scarring?

Well, as you can see, he is still his normal happy self. He didn't even realize there was a band-aid on his face before he went to bed. More upseting for Mommy than baby...isn't that always the way it goes?

Andrew's Christmas Gallery

Here are more favorites from Andrew's first Christmas!

Learning to share already! (Right?)

GO BUCKS!

Is this one for me?

Taking after Papaw?

(Okay, not a Christmas gift, but stil a favorite toy. He can't make it go, but loves to be pushed around...doesn't he look so big?)

After all that, his favorite thing...a box lid. Go figure.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Andrew's first Christmas gift - a Radio Flyer pony from Grandma and Grandpa Derr!

What a very special holiday it has been for us!

As a music teacher, the madness begins for me pretty early on. Since the end of October I have been teaching and rehearsing with my kids at school. Building sets, making costumes and arranging all the details for my holiday program. Despite the madness, it always turns out great, and this year was no exception! In the in between times, I shop and bake and wrap...it gets very stressful at times - as I'm sure any wife and/or mother can relate to. At one point I was actually crying, because there were 20 people in my house and I just wasn't ready for them...but then we went to church and I remembered that no one cares if the food isn't perfectly presented or if there are still a bath toys in the upstairs bathroom and water on the floor. We celebrate together, because we share the greatest gift of all time. The love of God came down for us at Christmas, and THAT is why it is such a special time. As I look at my baby boy, I have an even better appreciation of what God has done. He sent his only Son - as a baby. No other way would show the wonder - the miracle - of such a precious gift. Andrew's first Christmas has been such a blessing. He is growing so fast and learning new "tricks" every day. He crawls all over the house, and even though he has a pile of new toys under the tree, all he wants to do is pull the brass cups out of the umbrella holder on the base of the coat rack and bang them on the tile in the entryway. He is so curious about everything he sees. This evening he actually climbed up about 6 steps on our stair case! I think he is just a few weeks away from walking - look out world!
If you regularly check this blog - bless you! I am off for three weeks, so I plan to do a little catching up...I'll try not to let you down!
Merry Christmas! My prayer is that all who read this know the wonder and miracle of God's love and see it everywhere you look today!

These are from Christmas morning. I especially love the on with the ball, because you can see his two little teeth if you look closely!

Family Vacation

I am a teacher in one of two year-round elementary schools in Columbus. I love it! One advantage is a three week vacation in the fall - my favorite time of the year. Phil and I are both lovers of nature, so one of our favorite places to visit is the Hocking Hills area. We go two or three time a year, and each time we have found different cabin to stay in. We even got married there! Rain or shine, hot or cold, we always are blessed to be a part of God's beautiful creation. This time was no exception - especially with a new little guy to share it with. With Andrew in our backpack, we hiked through three or four of the many parks and trails in the area. Even though it rained much of the time, we still had a great time. Andrew loved being toted around on our backs, and was so comfy in his Snugli backpack, he even took a nap or two as we were hiking along. Hope you enjoy the photos from our family vacation!

GROWING AND GROWING!

Andrew is 6 months old this week! He is sitting up on his own now, is doing well on cereal and vegetables (he loves squash!), and is starting to rock back and forth on his hands and knees. I am surprised everyday by how content he is to just sit and play with his toys on the floor. Here is a picture of our happy little guys with some of his favorite playthings. We are so blessed!

GO BUCKS!

Introducing, the newest fan of the OHIO STATE BUCKEYES!

Growing, growing, growing...

Yes, yes, another long awaited update to our blog! Someof Andrew's recent milestones:
*rolls over to his belly and then to his back
*eats rice cereal on a spoon (and tries to hold the spoon)
*sits briefly on his own if he has something to hold onto
*blows lots and lots of bubbles!
Andrew will be 5 months old on September 30th. I just can hardly believe it. And I can hardly believe how much our life has changed. I can't imagine - and almost can't remember - being without him. What a sweet blessing!

Back Online

Yes, I know its been quite a while since our last posting. A few weeks ago my laptop was struck by a virus that kept me from even booting up in Windows, and then I think our wireless router was struck by lightening or something, because we can't get any signal at all. Wireless is the only connection we use in our house, so that left us with no Internet until we (and by we I mean Phil) had the time to move the cable modem upstairs and figure out how to hook it to our computer. Here's a quick recap of our recent life:

Me and my sister Jennifer with Andrew and his cousin, Hannah

Andrew and I went to Missouri to visit my sister and her family. We left on a Friday morning and drove with my parents, niece, nephew and step-niece to St. Louis. Yes, that was three adults and four children ages 3 months, 9 months, 9 years, and 11 years all in the same car for 10-12 hours. Whew. Don't know if I'll ever volunteer for THAT again! Anyway, we spent the night in East St. Louis and met my sister and her 3 kids (ages 4, 9, and 10) the next morning at the St. Louis Zoo. It was a little crowded, but the weather was perfect, and all of the little cousins were thrilled to see each other again. Everyone was especially happy to see baby Andrew for the first time! We then drove to Jefferson City, where my sister lives, and stayed there until we headed back home on Tuesday. It was the first time since Andrew was born that my parents had all of their grandchildren together in one place. They enjoyed it thoroughly!Left to right: Cale (4), Collin (10), Cayce (9) holding Andrew (3 months), Kylie (9) holding Hannah (9 months), and Tristan (11)

The day after we got back, Andrew started daycare. Yes, I cried. I wasn't officially back to work, yet, but I drove to school to work on my classroom for a few hours. I was busy enough for the rest of the day, to not think about it, but after we picked him, I cried again for most of the evening. I actually feel really good about the place we are sending him. He is getting excellent care and the beginnings of a Christian education. I just hate that he has to spend his day with someone else. My school is now officially back in session, and part of me is glad to be back. But if I had my choice I'd definitely be home with him.

Say a little prayer for us if you think of it! For our adjustment and for his safety...Thanks!

Mommy Brain?

You know that commercial where the guy is driving all over town with his briefcase on top of his car? I watched that thinking, "That is so something I would do."

WELL. Today I had lunch with some girlfriends, so I brought Andrew's pictures that were taken at Sears a few weeks ago. The package still had all of the pictures in it, because I hadn't framed any of them yet or even decided which we were going to keep and which we would give away. My friend Emily picked me up , we buckled the carseat in securely, and we drove downtown to meet our two other friends for lunch. We visited for a couple of hours. It wasn't until we returned that I remembered the pictures. Wait...I brought them, right? Where are they? I asked Emily, "Didn't I bring that packet of pictures with me? I forgot all about them!" "Yes," she said slowly, "You put them on top of the car while you were buckling in the carseat. I was going to remind you, but I thought you grabbed them!" My heart sank. Even the CD with files of all the poses was still in that envelope. We put the baby in the stroller and retraced our drive to the entrance of our neighborhood. Nothing. I asked my next door neighboors if they saw anything. Nope. We went back in the house. As I was feeding Andrew, trying not to cry, I prayed, "God, I know they are just pictures on paper - but I REALLY want them back. PLEASE, PLEASE?" After he was done eating I went back outside. My neighbor and I had just begun snooping in people's yards, when a man drove by in a red truck. "Are you looking for baby pictures?" he asked. "YES! YES!" I said. Turns out he is the brother of someone on our street, and he found them on the ground and took them to her house. She thought we weren't home, so she was going to bring them over later. Thank you God for nice neighbors! I came right home and copied th CD to my computer.

I am blaming this whole thing on motherhood. My girlfriends all told me that it makes you lose your mind, and now I believe them. That's okay, though. Look at these pictures. He is well worth a few brain cells!

Nature Boys

The weekend before the 4th, we took our first family vacation with Andrew. We left early Saturday morning and drove to Gatlinburg, TN and spent the next few days in the Smokies. Andrew did so well! He only really got fussy during that last 100 miles or so on the way home - that's a long time to be in the carseat! My husband and I are both lovers of nature, and we hope that Andrew will learn that same appreciation for God's creation. We shared a chalet with my sister-in-law and her family. It was pretty high up in the mountains with a terrific view. The photo above was taken the last morning of our stay. Father and son sharing one last look at the beautiful mountain side.


Andrew enjoyed many firsts over the weekend. His first taste of watermelon (just a few little licks, really), his first hike, and his first 4th of July holiday. I had a cute little American Flag onesie on him, but he soiled it before I got to take his picture. Above are pictures of his first dip in a swimming pool!

One of the highlights of our trip - especially for my husband - was an early morning visit from two black bears. Phil is an early riser, and he just happened to be out on the patio early one morning taking a picture of the view when he heard a rustling in the bushes. He looked over and saw a bear snooping around near the grill. As it made its way across the ledge, he quickly realized that the bear was not alone. TWO bears made their way across the patio and down the driveway. They tried opening the trash cans to no avail, and showed off with a sparring match before they went on their way. It all happened so fast, Phil didn't have a chance to wake everyone. Only his niece, Hannah was able to share the moment with him since she was awake and inside just near the door. I know it was a little gift for him from God. This is our third trip to the Smokies and each trip he has hoped to catch a glimpse of a bear. He never expected to be just 10 feet away from two of them!

Grandma Day

My mom and her sisters have devoloped a new tradition known as "Grandma Day." The three of them get together and invite their children and grandchildren for a day of food and fun. This only happens about once month during the summer. Last week, Andrew and I went to our first Grandma Day! Grandmas, Moms, and 18 grandchildren enjoyed the summer sun at my Aunt Cindy's house. Here's the story of Grandma Day:



Andrew arrived dressed and ready, having sweet dreams about splashing in the pool.
But the pool wasn't all it was cracked up to be - oooh, that's cold!






In the end, we were happy to just bask in the sun...away from the cold water!

All the other kids enjoyed the sun, too!

Andrew is Growing!

Boy, the time flies by! Andrew is already 7 weeks old! I took him last week to Sears to get his picture taken. They are so precious! We made it through three outfits and 18 poses before I knew he wasn't going to make it any further. I was a little disappointed because I wanted some shots of him in just his diaper, but there's always next time! If you would like to see the pics, click on "Comments" at the bottom of this post, and I will email you the link.

Andrew is smiling all the time and is beginning to "talk". He says "aahh," and "coo" a lot. He has come close to a laugh a couple of times. He likes to be on his tummy and is really good at holding his head up. He LOVES his swing...he likes to watch the little birds on the mobile fly around. It's his favorite place to nap!

Out with the Old...

That verse in 2 Corinthians has become one of my favorites..."Therefore, anyone in Christ is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Sometimes, though, it becomes a little hard to swallow. That "new" part of being a follower of Christ - it isn't a one time thing. God is continually changing our lives! So many changes are happening in our lives right now. A new baby has been quite an adjustment, yet every sacrifice has been rewarded with joy beyond our wildest dreams! Last night our church elected a new pastor. I am confident that God is in control of this situation, and I believe that the new pastor will be wonderful for our church. But I couldn't hold back the tears as we prayed over him. Two of my best friends in the world - two people who were pivotal in my salvation and growth as a Christian - are leaving us and moving to Florida. I know God has big things for them. I know God has big things for us, too. Joy beyond our wildest dreams! But I will miss them SO much. Scott and Kirsten, I love you!!! On top of that, the principal I have worked with for 10 years in Columbus Public Schools is leaving our school to work at another elementary that really needs her. I know she will do great things for the children and families at Scottwood, but Woodcrest will miss her dearly!

Here is Andrew making a new friend. if he can do it, then I guess I can, too!

Grandma's House Part 2

The best thing about being a teacher is, when you have a baby in the spring, you get extra long maternity leave! I don't have to be back to work until the end of July, so we will be able to make numerous trips to Grandma & Grandpa's house in the next few weeks. That is assuming I'm not disowned for posting this picture on the internet. (My mom, though beautiful, is a little camera shy.) Andrew and I went down Tuesday morning for a two day visit to my mom and dad's farm in Coshocton County. Andrew loved being cuddled by Grandma and was all smiles for her! He didn't mind sleeping in a different house and kept to his regular sleeping patterns. Andrew's cousins, Hannah and Tristan were there, too. Hannah (7 mos.) was facinated with him. She would smile and flap her hands in excitement. Then she would reach out to him, but carefully pull here hand back - she wasn't quite sure if she should touch him. So cute! On Wednesday, Mom and I took Hannah, Tristan, and Andrew shopping. Quite an adventure with two babies and an 11 year old who wants everything! Lots of clothes, a few toys, and two hermit crabs later (we thought the first hermit crab might get lonely), we came home tired and worn out. We were so tired, Andrew and I decided to stay one more night, even though he had an early morning appointment with the pediatrician. We left at 7 a.m. the next morning and made it just in time (Mommy had to stop at McDonalds for a large coffee!) Andrew weighed in at 9lbs. 2oz. and measured 22 inches long. What growing boy! He even tried to roll over when the doc put him on his belly! He smiles a lot, and is beginning to coo as well. I'll try to catch a grin on camera to post here - he is so precious! Here are some more photos of him and some cute shots of Hannah, too!

Grandma's House

Thank you to those of you who check this blog regularly - FINALLY an update! Being a mom sure keeps me busy! Andrew is growing like a weed, and he eats all the time! I am trying to encourage a three hour schedule, but he insists on feeding every two hours. I spend most of my day at the breast pump, trying to give my sore nipples a break. (I hope that's not too much information for you. I lost all modesty when I became a mom. If it is too much , then I won't tell you what I'm doing right now as I type this post. I'll just say I am really learning to multi-task! )
This past weekend was Memorial Day. We drove to the farm (where I grew up) to spend the day with Grandma and Grandpa. My mom was also babysitting my sister's little girl, Hannah, so Andrew got to visit with his cousin AND be spoiled by Grandma! Phil and I always enjoy our visits to the farm. We both have such an appreciation for nature and the outdoors. It was nice to leave the baby with Grandma for a while and have a walk outside together.
Here is a picture my mom took of Shelby looking on as I rocked Andrew to sleep. Many of you have asked how she is doing with him. Shelby seems to be adjusting very well. Her jealousy shows occasionally, but she approaches the baby with caution and respect. The other day Phil held him down at her level and said, "Andrew, say Hi to the puppy!" Shelby started to give him a big kiss, but then thought better of it and licked Phil instead.

Welcome Home

We welcomed our new little angel home on Thursday, May 3. Mommy and Andrew went right to bed and Daddy napped on the couch with Shelby, who was very curious about this newcomer. Shelby (our 3 yr old boxer) seems to recognize my fragile state. She was very excited to see me home again, but hasn't tried once to jump on me or crawl in my lap. We won't let her see the baby (ie: sniff or lick), so she has an attitude of caution when she approaches the bassinet or rocking chair. Our first couple of days at home have been very pleasant. I am feeling better every day and experience only minimal pain. Breastfeeding has been challenging but rewarding - we both are catching on! Grandma Derr has been here since Thursday evening which has been wonderful! Mommy and baby are both enjoying being spoiled! We are working on establishing a routine and just enjoying the miracle of this new life. Thanks to all of you for your prayers, emails, cards, and phone calls! Visitors are welcome, so give us a call if you'd like to stop by and meet our little man. Here are more pictures for you to enjoy!