Andrew's Account

Andrew's Lost Tooth

2012-02-07T07:45:00.004-07:00

Andrew lost his first tooth on Sunday, January 29th. I had been warning him that I would pull it if he didn't wiggle it out himself, so Sunday night rolls around and it is still in his mouth.

I looked at it and it was pretty wiggly and his adult tooth was growing in behind it so I decided that it HAD to come out. It was his bottom, middle right tooth.

So, I got some floss--had Backaw tie a slip know (I didn't know how to do that) and then put it around his tooth.

Then we went to the door between the toy room and the kitchen (that was the only door that would swing quickly and shut), tied the other end to the door knob and told Andrew to back up.

Lala was there to witness everything. I told Andrew that I was going to slam the door and hopefully the tooth would pop out.

I slammed the door and heard a little tinkle and we celebrated that the tooth came out. The tooth had come out and was still tied to the floss.

Andrew's mouth was bloody and he kept saying he could taste the blood. Cesar got him a glass of water and told him to swish with it.

He swished out the blood and was fine. I washed off the tooth and put it in a Ziploc baggie.

We put the tooth under his pillow and the next morning the Tooth Fairy had given him a dollar.

Andrew later told me he would be willing to do that 5 more times.

He has no more loose teeth, but I am ready for any future loose teeth that don't want to come out!

Primary Song

2012-01-23T17:14:00.003-07:00

Andrew: "We believe in God, the eternal Father and in his son, Jesus Christ and in the Holy Gh-oooooooooooowwwwwwwwwoooooooohhhhhh-st!"
Me: It's not THAT kind of ghost!

65 Month Update

2011-11-14T13:15:00.002-07:00

I was re-reading past updates and loved how they captured a moment in time, so I decided to continue on with these monthly updates.

Still loves Curious George
Still sleeps with his Bears, but leaves them at home when he goes to school. Instead, he takes Mr. Domo because he fits better in his backpack.
LOVES kindergarten
He usually sits with his friends Skylar and Alyssa on the busride to school and either with Robbie or Joey on the busride home
He had a playdate with Alyssa (who wrote him a love note)
He understands the concept of girlfriend ("someone you marry")
He finally tried a new sandwich at Subway. Instead of tuna, he now gets a BMT
He still drinks about 32 to 48 oz of 1% milk daily
He LOVES his little sister and can always make her laugh
He is obsesses with the Cars and Cars 2 movies
LOVES The Polar Express movie and will sing all of the songs that are sung
Does not like Spongebob, but likes Spongebob in Spanish
Loves the Busytown Mysteries cartoons
Hates kielbasa and beans
Loves to cook and has become quite good at retrieving ingredients from the fridge and pantry
Will go upstairs and call Backaw for dinner then race downstairs to beat Backaw to the table (he also will quickly get Backaw's diet Coke from the fridge and put it at his place setting)
Can take off his clothes and dress himself (when he wants to), but still likes it when I or Cesar help him get dressed
Brushes his own teeth, but we still help him at night to make sure he gets at least one good cleaning
We have to floss just 2 teeth in the back, otherwise he has great spacing
He grinds his teeth incessantly at night (it makes it difficult when we have to sleep in the same room with him)!
Sleeps with a light on and music
Will not pick his nose and has to be forced to blow his nose. We do put saline drops in his nose to clear out some of those boogers
Goes to the bathroom without help and can wipe himself after pooping mostly without help.
Still does not stand up to pee
Played soccer for the first time this fall and loved it!
Tried hockey for the first time also and hated it (mainly because he does not know how to ice skate)
Wants to play baseball badly
Loves apple juice
He gets his own hot lunch at school
Getting hot lunch was one of the things he was most excited about when going to kindergarten
Has a great sense of humor and always is telling jokes and trying to think up new ones
Loves to go shopping and go on outings
Loves to play games on my Iphone
Writes his name very well and is starting to spell words phonetically
Loves to color and draw pictures
Loves to read
Loves to snuggle
Loves to just talk at the end of the day with me
Loves his Legos and can put together anything by following the little instruction booklet

Andrew's First Love Note

2011-10-06T15:55:00.001-06:00

Andrew's First Girlfriend

2011-10-04T08:08:00.001-06:00

Yesterday Andrew informed me that Alyssa (a girl on the bus) kissed his hand on the way to school and then kissed him again on the way home. She then invited him over to her house.

After he told me that, he said, "I sort of liked it".

Oy Vey! It has only just begun!

Andrewisms

2011-09-28T08:04:00.000-06:00

Andrew and I were doing homework last night and going over letters and their sounds. I asked him, "What sound does the letter 'S' make"? He thought for a minute (he had already answered correctly earlier) and he said, "BOING!" We laughed and laughed for a good 5 minutes.
Yesterday after school I asked Andrew what he had for lunch and he said, "Mom, I had the most delicious sandwich. The bread-part was like a donut--it had a hole in the middle of it!" I told him, "Oh, that's a bagel!" He then said, "I thought a bagel was a muffin". (You can tell we don't eat a lot of bread-products in our house :))

Andrew Answers Some Questions

2011-09-22T08:54:00.000-06:00

Here are some questions that the Primary Presidency asked the kids to answer. Andrew answered the following unprompted by me. Some of his answers surprised me (I didn't realize he knew so much!)

? I know the scriptures are true because or testimony of thescriptures....
Because of Jesus Christ
? Reading the scriptures makes me feel...
Happy
? Reading the scriptures has helped me learn...
Jesus Christ
? When have the scriptures helped tell you what to do?
To read the scriptures
? How does reading the scriptures make you feel?
Good
? Who am I?
A kid
? Where did I come from?
Heaven
? What will happen to me after I die?
Get made again
?How do you follow God’s plan?
Reading the scriptures
? I will follow the living prophet by...
Listening to their plan
? Who presented a plan to everyone in heaven before we came toearth?
Jesus
? How can I follow His example?
By praying
? How does reading the Book of Mormon make you feel?
Happy
?How do you help make someone’s burden lighter? Examples
By helping them
?When or how has the Holy Ghost helped you?
All the time
?Why does God command us to build temples?
So we can learn about the world and how it got made
?What can you do to prepare to go to the temple someday?
Pray, read scriptures
?How do you feel when you visit the temple grounds?
I feel a little nervous
?How can you treat your body like a temple?
Take a bath everyday
?How does listening to good music make you feel? Why?
Happy
?How can you prepare now to go on a mission?
Eating good food and going to sleep
?What can you do now to be a missionary?
Doing good things
?How do we talk to Heavenly Father?
Praying
?How do you feel when you pray?
Good
Share an experience of how Heavenly Father has answered yourprayer.
When I had my lemonade stand, there weren’t manycustomers. Mommy and me prayed for more customers to come and they did!
?How can you show reverence?

Sit quietly and fold my arms

Updates II

2011-09-06T12:05:00.002-06:00

Hopefully this will bring me up-to-date and I will be better at posting things when they happen!

Andrew's Preschool Graduation Party

Playing at the Ice Cream Party.

Arya and Andrew

Waiting for the ice cream sundaes

Andrew's 5th Birthday Party (Pictured from left to right: Tyler, Jaden, Evan, Trinity, JJ, Ethan and Asher)

Evan pulling the pinata strings

Picking up the spoils!

Blowing out the candle on his race car, strawberry cake that Cesar decorated!

Opening his present during the family party.

Waiting patiently to open his present.

Watching the Boom Box Parade 2011

On the plane to Utah!

Andrew with Lulu and Abuelito

Andrew and Cesar (I am not in many of these pictures because Lucy was 7 weeks old and was not too thrilled to be in Vegas. So we mainly stayed in our hotel room and nursed/slept)

Abuelito, Andrew and Lulu

Abuelito, Andrew and Lulu (Andrew wore this hat EVERYWHERE in Utah and Las Vegas! He called himself "Pachuco")

Cesar and Andrew

At one of the many buffets we went to (Lucy is under the brown and green cover-up).

Andrew in a little amusement park on top of a Vegas hotel (I forgot which one).


Darth Vader, Andrew and Cesar

This is a series of family photo shoots the day we left Utah. Pictured with Andrew and Lucy are his cousins Pete, Panzas and Dante.

Lulu, Lucy, Andrew and Abuelito

Lulu and Lucy (Lucy's middle name is in honor of Lulu's mother)

Lulu, Lucy and Abuelito (Lucy is in her blessing dress)

Abuelito and a yawning Lucy

The whole family sans Miguel and Edna :(

Claudia and Lucy

Claudia, Lucy and Andrew

Updates

2011-09-06T10:40:00.000-06:00

Here are some recent (and not so recent. I have not been very good at updating) pictures of Andrew.

Cesar and Andrew shoveling after the big snowstorm(s) of Winter 2011!

Andrew's preschool class from back, left to right: Mya, Andrew, Tyler, Jenelle, Matthew. Front: Corbin, Trinity, Seraphin, JJ, Quin and Arya.

Christmas present from Tio Miguel and Tia Edna.

Andrew in the snow.

Andrew next to the Toyota Camry.

Me and Andrew at the Ashford Easter Egg Hunt 2011

Cesar and Andrew shoveling snow

Playing in the snow.

Relaxing in the snow.

Andrew at his preschool presentation

Andrew and his colored eggs

Andrew hunting for eggs

Andrew hunting for eggs (he made sure to get me a special pink-polka-dotted one!)

Andrew at his preschool presentation

Andrew's first time holding Lucy (pure joy on his face--he had been waiting so long for her to come!)

Doing hand movements to a song

Andrew telling the audience that he would give someone a present in order to "fill up their bucket".

Andrew sleeping with his babies (He only has 2 babies left as the other 2 have been taken out of commission because of leaking filling).

He LOVES his babies!

Opening presents

As a shepherd (with a homemade yarn beard).

The Nativity

Opening presents (with weird wonky eyes)!

Opening presents

Recent Pics

2010-05-05T18:48:00.000-06:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

PICTURES!

2009-11-10T19:19:00.006-07:00

Here are a lot of pictures of the past couple of weeks. The Big E, Salem, MA and Halloween.

Enjoy!

Andrew giving out candy at the ward trunk-or-treat.

Waiting for trunk-r-treaters.

"Dr. Ortinez"

Andrew got glasses a few weeks ago. He has a slight astigmatism and needs to wear them when watching TV and reading. He's been doing really well in keeping them on.

On the tour bus in Salem.

Sitting between our successful jack-o-lanterns.

Bear needed a turn too

Going potty and looking at his magazine

Andrew's first roller coaster ride at the Big E. He loved the rides and wanted to go on the "big kid" rides even though he was too small.

On the ferris wheel at the Big E

He refused to sit in the front with that little girl, so he opted for the back seat with Bear sitting beside him.

The Big E has state houses for the New England states. This is Connecticut's state house--who knew we were famous for Legos?

We are also famous for a dinosaur park.

A live pony ride at the Big E. Next to this, there was an elephant and camel you could ride, but we were a little too scared to try those!

Dad and Andrew

Andrewisms II

2009-09-17T14:33:00.003-06:00

seereeereeree = cereal
"bye Bootsie Bootsie" = whenever we leave the house
Idunno = I don't know
He really, really wants it to be Christmas and asks every morning if it is snowing (since I told him it would be Christmas-time when it snowed...hopefully we will have a late first snowfall this year)
We had to celebrate his birthday on Cesar's birthday because he insisted that it was his birthday also
The two things he wants: a dog and a baby
He really likes to snuggle and will ask to snuggle with me when he is tired
Loves "foovies" (movies)
Really likes "Cinderella" especially the parts where the mice are singing and the fairy godmother comes to help Cinderella
Likes to say "Follow me!"
Always remembers his bears are hungry when it is dinnertime and they sit on the floor next to his chair. Sometimes he will feed them with his pretend food.

Andrew's Faux Hawk aka Tribute to Sanjaya

2009-09-10T13:31:00.007-06:00

So, I decided to give Andrew a new haircut....Voila--the tribute to Sanjaya Malakar while he was on "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Outta Here". I will include a picture of Sanjaya so that you can compare.

Miscellaneous Photos

2009-09-01T13:47:00.005-06:00

The train table Cesar made.

The Essex Steam Train

On the train being silly

Playing in the sandbox that Cesar made.

Pulling the pinata strings with Benny

Getting the spoils of the pinata

Opening presents

Birthday cheese

ROBOT

2009-06-12T16:03:00.003-06:00

"E.T. Phone Home...."

2009-06-12T15:57:00.002-06:00

I've Got Two Kinds of Potty in my Potty Parts....

2009-06-01T10:28:00.002-06:00

THIS

YAY FOR BRIBERY!!!

Pictahs

2009-04-10T19:33:00.006-06:00

Bad milk...

South Boston St. Patty's Day Parade

Cesar and Andrew with a Storm Trooper

Scotland Easter Egg Hunt

With the first daffodil of the season

Andrewisms

2009-04-09T07:09:00.004-06:00

cesard, becky = cesar and becky (he will call us by our first names every once in awhile)
siddy = silly
goudas = caricaturas = cartoons
cerreerree = cereal
apple side = Applebee's
oh my goss = oh my gosh
yog = yogurt
no sanks = no thanks
thank un = thank you
scunse me = excuse me
monkee cheese = macaroni and cheese
lala = grandma derby
backaw = grandpa derby
ham = sam
jamon = ham
fo fo fo = wow wow wubbzy
all aboid = all aboard
que? = que? (but really funny when coming out of an almost 3 year old; he sounds like a 70 year old deaf man when he says this).
white house = for Mr. Whitehouse (everytime we pass his garage he says, "white house fix cars" and then when we pass the ashford dairy bar he says "ice cream cone" and then when we pass the church he says "asher"--he thinks his favorite friend lives at the church because that is the only time we see him).
shhh quiet in a stage whisper
happy boirthday to you
kit kat boots = any cat, not just ours
when he walks in the door he always says, "boooots, home!" and he will say bye to boots when we leave
everytime the phone rings, he thinks it is lala
whenever you ask him who is coming over the next day, he will whisper, "tina".
if something is broken or not working, he will ALWAYS say, "lala fix it", even though lala is all the way in China!
he loves spongebob and says it by name
eats ketchup and mustard with only his finger (would eat bowlfulls of it if allowed)
if he thinks you are sad (or tired) he will say, (mama happy?)

26 Month Update

2008-09-08T08:45:00.003-06:00

Says 2-word combinations, "No, dada", "No, mama", "Mama go", "Dada go", "Ashaw nigh night"
LOVES! Asher from Nursery! Will talk about him all the time and can't wait until Sunday comes to see him. Interestingly though, when they are together, they are usually fighting over toys...
Says "Amon" for jamon, "amey" for amen, "fwy" for fly
Will sing "The Star Song", "The Wheels on the Bus", "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Skeeters and Mahoman", "The Clean Up Song". He does not sing in-tune, but tries hard and with our song at night will sing "sweep" and "fwy" and the "ooooohs".
He threw his first temper tantrum last night. Has a really hard time getting prepared for bed (ie cleaning up toys, brushing teeth, getting pajamas on), but as soon as everything is finished, he settles down enough to pray, read from the Book of Mormon and then rock and sing with me.
He is still sleeping from 8 pm to 8 am the next morning and will take a 2 hour nap around noon.
Loves Toddler Time at the Mansfield Library.
LOVES to play with his Dad.
Loves to pretend fix anything with his tools--his car, my feet...
Still will not tell us when he goes poop.
When he burps, he will put his hand over his mouth and giggle.
He will imitate the sounds of an ambulance, police car and firetruck. When he sees one of these types of vehicles, be it picture, puzzle or real life, he will start saying "We oooh we oooh wee ooh"...
LOVES PARMESAN CHEESE
Loves apples
Will ask for parmesan cheese and apples many times over the course of a day
Loves the "Max and Ruby" cartoon on Noggin
Still loves Curious George
Is still very ticklish...has just started to ask to be tickled or kissed when he points to an area on his body, he wants you to either kiss or tickle him
Loves to bake with his Mama and will still taste-test everything
Loves to play outside and is sad when he has to come back inside
Will pretend talk on any phone...he has a cell phone where he will talk and the following dialogue will happen: "Oh! (babble), (giggle), Nooooo, (babble)" Will then whisper babble to whoever is standing next to him and hand them the phone or he will just say "Buh bye" if nobody is around to pass the phone off to.
Has met with his speech therapist twice so far, will see if things start improving.
Last weekend went off with Brother van den Berg without a moments hesitation. They went and saw the the horses, the pigs, the chickens and the garden. Brother van den Berg tried to feed him a raspberry, but he just sucked on it and then spit it out. They later went on a tractor ride! He loved it! It was the first time he had gone off with a stranger while we were still around.
We've started flossing his teeth with flossers; it is still in the works in how productive this is. He will floss my teeth while I try to floss his. It is truly a sight to behold!
His teeth brushing is going better--he won't bite down on the toothbrush anymore so at least we can get his back teeth brushed.
Still will not say his name, but whenever we say his name, he will point to himself, so he at least recognizes that he is Andrew.
Is very aware of everything. When Cesar and I are talking and something is said in reference to him, he will try to re-enact what we are talking about or will pick up on the words we are saying, especially if chocolate is mentioned.
When he is asked if he wants to do something, like get an ice cream, he will respond with a very loud and enthusiastic, "UH HUH!"
When he sees something or somebody do something wrong or get into an accident, he will say "Oh no".

Picture Update

2008-08-10T18:48:00.005-06:00

Sitting with his cookie temple

Closeup of cookie temple

This is how he sleeps

His faux hawk

On his way to church

Quickie Update

2008-07-21T07:08:00.003-06:00

Sleeps in toddler bed
Gave up his babas so that other babies could enjoy them (he helped pack them in a box and then we put them in the mailbox for the mailman to bring them to the needy babies)
Will lick your face if you ask him for a puppy dog kiss
Is picking up a couple of new words a week. Yesterday he started asking for a "bite" of our food.
Says "mine"
Is in size 2T pants and 3T shirts and size 7 shoe
Has excema? on his knees and thighs, will be seeing a dermatologist in Augsut for a diagnosis
Still loves chocolate. He will eat Cocoa Crispies mixed with a healthy cereal if we tell him he can eat chocolate for breakfast. That is usually the first word out of his mouth in the morning....Goggit?
Is obsessed with cars. In the car, he will say "cao" everytime a car passes us.
Loves to bake with Mama on Sundays. He cracks the egg in one hand and I have to fish out the egg shells.
Will take a taste of EVERYTHING when my back is turned. Tasted the raw egg yesterday from the brownies we were making.
Loves to sing in the nursery and will do all the hand motions and words to "The Wheels on the Bus" and "The Itsy Bitsy Spider"
On Saturday, Sister Sparks looked at Andrew and said, "He looks just like Matt". I have always thought this, especially when he was younger, but I guess it is still true!

Lots 'o Pictures

2008-07-21T06:52:00.010-06:00

Swimming in the pool Grandma Derby bought at BJ's
Swimming in the pool Grandma Derby bought at BJ's
Eating birthday cake
The two bears Sarah got him for his birthday (he sleeps with those two bears along with his regular bears every night!)
Pondering birthday cake
Notice the dipped finger into the frosting (he does that with everything...he always needs "a little taste". In fact, he had to have "a little taste" of the raw eggs we put into the bowl to make brownies yesterday!)
A "BIG" taste!

"Following" the map at Bakerwoods
Loving blowing the bubbles
Bakerwoods
Chasing the ducks at Bakerwoods
Opening presents at the family birthday party

We had to dismantle Andrew's crib because of a recall on this particular model (the slats have a tendency to break, which had never happened to us before, but decided this was as good a time as any to get Andrew a toddler bed...) Andrew looking at all of his bite marks on the edge of his crib
Playing with his toy cars
He calls them "caos"--he still can't prounce his rolled R's
Playing with the pots in the kitchen

Andrew's new toddler bed
His babies taking a nap
Close-up of bite marks
Bite marks again

Opening up presents on his actual birthday
Blowing out candles on the nasty spice cake birthday cake
Posing with his babies
Pretending to sleep

Andrew will now bring toys/books to the table and sit in the chair while we are cooking or cleaning in the kitchen. He will sit there for a long time doing his own thing.
Giving his baby a ride.
Opening up a present from Grandma.
The nastiness of the spic e cake! BLECK!

4th of July sparkler fun!

This looks really dangerous, but he never burned himself--it looks like he is touching the fire!

Favorite Things

2008-06-05T13:06:00.001-06:00

One of my most favorite things that Andrew does is when I ask him for a kiss while he is drinking his baba of milk. He will ponder the question, then pull out his baba and pucker up.

I give him a kiss on very cold, milky lips.

It is good to be loved more than a baba!

23 Month Update

2008-06-04T12:28:00.002-06:00

Well, Andrew is full of vim and vinegar--like any almost 2 year old is :)

He says egg, light, fish, iso (oso), go (car), I? (for every letter and number he sees), wawa (agua), gracias, ya (stop), goggit (chocolate), jo jo (choo choo), bye bye, do (he says this every time he says bye. I don't know who/what do is), hi, cheese, baba, baby (for any child--they could be a newborn up to 6 years old), nigh night, do (george, Curious George)
He likes to be the ring leader at Nursery. He will start to scream or nod his head and the other kids will copy him
He does a really good job at picking up his toys at night
He went to the dentist last week and had a great check-up (a little traumatizing, but he got over it)
He will still fold his arms for prayer
Every time I ask him who should say the prayer, he says "Dada", even when dada is not there
He LOVES playing outside!
He is a great helper at the grocery store. He will put things on the belt and then when you get home he will help you put the groceries away.
He will play with his bead toy and pretend it is a train and say "jo jo"
He still likes Curious George, but gets bored if they keep showing the same episode over and over again
He likes to play cars with his dad and will make sound effects
He still will not tell us when he has gone poop
He loves to play with his magnets--moving them from the fridge to the dishwasher to the recycling cans
He LOVES chocolate!!!
He loves to ride in the car carts at the supermarket
He is still drinking 3 bottles of milk during the day and then 4 ounces of water when he takes a nap or at night
He still loves his babies (his 2 bears)
He will still give all the sounds to a cat, dog, snake, duck, frog, cow, lion, bear
He will laugh out loud to things he sees on the television, even when he is by himself watching TV (much like his father does)
Calls outside "sno"
He is pretty good at Church and has started whispering when you whisper to him
He likes nursery, but not when other kids sit on my lap--he gets very jealous

Brownie Making

2008-06-04T12:26:00.000-06:00

FOTOS!

2008-05-07T10:19:00.007-06:00

Before Nursery....

After Nursery....
A very big door
Cheesy
Favorite Things
Itchy Nose
Easter
Easter
Easter
Easter

Ashford Easter Egg Hunt (finding an egg)
Waiting for it to start
Waiting...
Running for the eggs
""Goggit?"

Goggit!
Really good goggit
Delicious goggit
Andrew's picnic set-up
Putting the egg in the bag

At Kid City
The Matt Derby Cousins
The Herb Derby Cousins
The Herb Derby Cousins

Trying to fit into little spaces....

2008-02-03T18:50:00.001-07:00

18 Month Update

2007-12-29T20:07:00.000-07:00

Says many words and will repeat words when asked to.

mira, oso, trash, cheese, otros, gracias, dada, mama, ouch, yuck, door

Will give you five when asked.
Will hug and kiss you (usually) when asked.
Will say "Hi" to everyone who passes him.
Will wave bye-bye and hello.
Dances to music that he likes.

Spins and wiggles his shoulders--he is constantly making up new dance moves

When he sees something he's not supposed to do/touch he will say, "No, no, no, no, no".
Is still obsessed with all doors.
Took baby Jesus out of the manger scene as soon as we set it up.
Will now keep his arms folded for most of a prayer.
Will turn off the TV periodically during the day and fold his arms and wait for me to say a prayer (there are some days I say 6 or 7 prayers).
Really likes Tom & Jerry cartoons--will laugh out loud when Tom gets hit by Jerry.
Will not sleep without his bear.
Is still drinking his milk in a bottle and taking a bottle of water when he sleeps.
Is sleeping pretty well, but sometimes has a hard time settling down.
Really likes to play with his Legos and his Little People farm.
Likes to eat freeze dried strawberries, cut up apples without skin, mac & cheese, spaghetti, little pizzas, tilapia, tuna fish, all bread, any sweets. Doesn't really like the texture of meat nor vegetables.
LOVES to wash his hands. He will rub his hands together when he wants to wash them.
Will put his hands up in the air when something is finished/empty. Will do this when he is done eating.
Will growl when he sees a bear.
Will bark when he sees a dog.
LOVES Christmas lights and trees. Will say, "Mira", when he sees them or any animal.
Was very gentle with the Christmas tree ornaments. Would just sit and look at them and every so often touch them very softly.
He's having a little bit of a hard time sitting still for 20 minutes for reading time, but hopefully will get better in the future.
Loves to help me put lotion on my legs.
When I say, "Let's go change your diaper", Andrew will walk to his bedroom door and wait for me to open the door.

CHRISTMAS!!!

2007-12-25T11:20:00.001-07:00

Before opening presents.

Andrew and I waiting to open presents!

Andrew, after the Santa spoils.

Andrew looking at what Santa gave him.

Our stockings and tree.

Temple Square Lights

2007-12-25T11:08:00.001-07:00

This year we went up to Salt Lake to look at the lights since it will be the last time for 3 years before we go back to see them. Andrew was absolutely in love with all of the lights. He especially loved the round Tabernacle with doors every 10 feet!

Random Photos

2007-12-25T11:03:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving Eve

Eating an Oreo cookie

Pretending to put powder on his feet just like Daddy.

Santa Picture

2007-12-17T12:59:00.001-07:00

Here is Andrew with Santa--we went to RC Willey and got our free hot dogs and soda and then our free picture with Santa!

Andrew Dancing

2007-12-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

Here is Andrew showing off some off some of his dance moves. He has others and we will try to catch them on film in the future. Otherwise, enjoy!

Happy Halloween 2

2007-10-31T22:11:00.001-06:00

Walking in the mall (he HAD to have his bear!)

Walking in the mall

The family

Carving the pumpkin

Playing in the pumpkin guts

Walking in the mall

The Pumpkin Patch Pictures

2007-10-28T21:13:00.001-06:00

Andrew looking at the geese (He kept using his lion roaring voice to talk to all the animals--goats, rabbits, chickens and geese)

Andrew's creation (Matt, it reminds me of the secret rock stacker in Storrs)

Picking out a pumpkin

Sitting with Mom

Peeking out of the Jack-o-Lantern

Walking in the corn stalk maze

With Dad

Cute

Going into the Pumpkin Patch

Sitting in front of a really big pumpkin

Sitting with Winnie the Pooh

16 Months Update

2007-10-28T21:01:00.000-06:00

Today in church, everytime somebody spoke on the microphone, Andrew would fold his arms thinking that they were going to say a prayer. Needless to say, his arms were folded for most of Sacrament Meeting.
He saw me eat something hot and I waved my hand in front of my mouth. He now does this periodically when he eats.
He will dance to certain music while in the car, moving his body from side to side in his carseat. His favorite dance tune right now is Pink's, "Tell Me Something Good" from the Happy Feet soundtrack.
He loves walking everywhere, but sometimes you have to be firm because he won't hold your hand when there are are cars around.
When you give him something to eat, he will give you this cheesy grin with his eyes all squinty.
He is still obsessed with all cell phones and remote controls.
He really enjoyed the "Peek a Who?" book we checked out of the library.
He makes a roaring sound for all animals.

15 Month Milestones

2007-10-12T19:18:00.000-06:00

Started walking September 30th--has been getting better daily
Will fold his arms on command and keep them folded for most of a prayer
Has 14 teeth--8 on bottom and 6 on top
Eats just about everything

Does not like cow tongue and green beans

Loves having his teeth brushed and his face washed
Really enjoys the Karen Katz "Lift the Flap" books
Still loves his Wallace & Gromit books
Loves to dance to music
Still likes to clean off any surface
Will bring you things if you ask him
Will usually go to sleep at 7 pm and not wake up until 8 am the next morning
Usually will take 1 nap during the day for about 2 hours

VACATIONS PHOTOS!

2007-09-29T20:50:00.001-06:00

Grandpa and Andrew relaxing

Just being silly

Helping Dad open his birthday presents

A big sea otter at the aquarium

Sharks at the aquarium

Knocking at the lighthouse at Mystic Seaport

Being submariners again :)

"GRANDMA! That's NOT nice!!!"

Swinging at the Mansfield Library playground

Dad and Andrew at the beach in Connecticut (the water was too cold)

Dad and Andrew at the Mystic Aquarium

"He looks just like 'Happy Feet'!"

"Howdy, Sailor!"

Mary and Andrew eating a banana on the bed-couch

Being buried in the sand by Dad

Swimming in Guen's Pond

In front of the falls in Mohegan Sun

"Bear Hug" at Mohegan Sun

Dad and Andrew pretending to be submarine drivers at the USS Nautilus

13 Month Update

2007-08-09T08:59:00.000-06:00

He learned how to sip through a straw 2 weeks ago.
Still not walking, but has turned into a mountain goat--he likes to climb the couch and me while sitting down.
In the mornings when I get him out of his crib, he usually hands me his empty bottle. This morning, I went into his room and he handed me just the ring from his bottle. He has learned how to unscrew it. The nipple and the bag were on the floor.

1st BIRTHDAY!

2007-07-15T17:13:00.000-06:00

All the spoils

Sitting with the spoils
Sitting with the spoils 2
Sitting in the spoils 3

Opening presents with Dad.
Running away from the camera Biting that present of Mom's once again

Avoiding the camera
No more pictures!
"Oooh, a book!"

"Please, no more pictures!"
"Okay, maybe one more..."
"Really, this is the last one!"

"YUM!"
"Here, you have a piece."

"Blow out the candle!"
The FOUR gallon ice cream cake!
"Wipe my hand off please..."

Playing "penguin"
Playing "penguin"
Andrew's 1st birthday
Andrew's cake

Randomness...

2007-07-15T16:47:00.000-06:00

Well, here are some pictures that have been taken over the last month or so. Enjoy!

Reading 1

Reading 2

1st swimming lesson.

In the car.
On his first merry-go-round.
At the fair in Payson.

More Pictures

2007-06-06T20:32:00.000-06:00

Resting on Mom andDad's blanket.

Laughing really hard in the clean laundry.
Close-up in the clean laundry.
Sitting on a Lego chair that Dad made.

PICTuRES

2007-04-22T16:50:00.000-06:00

Standing up on his own.
He likes putting things into this little door; like his whole leg.
"Look what I did!"
The ever flattering behind the shoulder shot.
Close-up
Trying to look happy, close-up

With Grandpa in the MTC
Easter. Looking trepidatious
Easter
Wrestling with Dad's Easter Panda
"Dad likes to put me in small places"
Standing up on my own for the first time
""Yummy"
Underneath his Jumperoo
Dad thought it would be funny to put me in my too small bear suit and take pictures of me with another bear fighting for a fish
Fighting for the fish
"Pass me the remote..."
Getting all caught up in his baby gym

BRAVO!

2007-04-22T16:49:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, as I was changing Andrew's diaper, he clapped his hands and said, "Bravo"!

9 Month Checkup

2007-03-30T15:08:00.000-06:00

Andrew is 22 lbs 13 oz and 30.1 inches long. He's in 12-18 month old clothes. He's healthy and loves to eat. We will be feeding him 2 meals instead of just one and start trying to get him to drink from a cup. He just loves his bottle (just like his mama).

He is rolling around and does an army crawl. He will grunt when he wants something. He says "mama", "papa", "nene" (baby in Spanish). He is constantly screeching or blowing raspberries or babbling. He loves all black cords and we have to put them up when he is around. He is intrigued by the laptop and wants to hold it when we pull it out.

He loves his cereal mixed with juice and all vegetables and fruits. It's actually taken awhile for him to embrace fruits. He just really liked vegetables for the first month or so of eating solids. He loves vanilla custard (actually I LOVE vanilla custard!)

He wakes up smiling and will usually go down around 6:30 pm without too much fuss. Lately he has been waking up at 11:00 pm and again around 3 or 4 am. We are hoping it's just teething and he will start sleeping through the night or waking up just once. He actually slept through the night lastnight, but I didn't, I of course thought he was dead and checked him at 4 am. He was sleeping soundly with his bumb in the the air

His favorite thing is just being on the floor with his toys and rolling all over the house to explore new nicks and crannies. He is intrigued by the curtain that covers the stairs--he always rolls there atleast once a day.

Giggling, Swimming and Crawling Videos

2007-03-18T14:56:00.000-06:00

Photo Post

2007-03-18T13:54:00.000-06:00

St. Paddy's Day in SLC
St. Paddy's Day in SLC
Showing how tall he is.

Eating a cookie.
In The Venetian
With Grampa and Grandma

Applauding

2007-03-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

Andrew has learned how to applaud. When he hears applause on TV, he claps his hands and say "YAY". When I get him out of bed he applauds. When I change his diaper, he applauds. Sometimes he will applaud his toys when they do something extra special. Like help him reach things he normally wouldn't be able to get.

He loves to give others' accolades. It's very nice, when your not having such a great day and just a little thing like changing his diaper warrants applause. He's great!

Andrew's Funny Face

2007-02-24T21:55:00.001-07:00

I just had to share this video of Andrew with you guys. He makes this face that looks like an old man sucking his teeth and the sound with it is hysterical. He does the face 3 times in the video. You also get a special treat of his possessed voice in the video. You also get to see his cute teeth.

Enjoy!

Picture Post!

2007-02-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

Andrew looking at the coupons Grandma sent me.
Andrew "devouring" Simon Cowell's book.
Close-up

Showing how Andrew got the coupons in the first place.
Not happy having his picture taken.
Thinking he is all that while looking at coupons.

Taking a bath
Looking cool with his new hair-do.

Having found Daddy's pajamas while he was at work.
"Oh, I miss my Daddy soooo much!"

Pajamas.
Mom trying to get a picture of Andrew's teeth.
Relaxing while playing.

Playing.

Sleeping

2007-02-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

Andrew sleeps with his bumb in the air.

Little Bear

2007-02-10T16:53:00.000-07:00

This is Andrew in his bear snow suit. He would wear this when it was very cold. This is the last time he's wearing it because he is too big for it now!

Shaman

2007-02-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

Shaman Andrew is ready to cure all of your ailments...just don't make him angry!

Philosophy of Andrew

2007-01-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

The other day I was talking with Andrew, and he decided to share with me his philosophy on life. I recorded it, so here it is for everyone else to enjoy! (At the very end he does finally say, "Boo").

Packing Tape

2007-01-14T12:08:00.000-07:00

Cesar was putting the Christmas decorations away and was using packing tape to seal the boxes. Every single time Cesar pulled the packing tape, Andrew would start hysterically laughing. This lasted about an hour, but here is a little taste of Andrew's special sense of humor!

The Problem Was...

2007-01-10T13:54:00.000-07:00

Andrew cut his first tooth yesterday! It is very sharp. We think that is the reason he regressed to an hour and a half of crying it out on Sunday night. Because last night it only took him a half hour before he fell asleep.

He will also say "Boo", when you say boo to him. It is very funny!

In the morning...

2007-01-05T09:46:00.000-07:00

This morning, Andrew was sleeping by himself in our bed and I went back into our room to get a pair of socks. I look over at Andrew and he is wide awake, holding the alarm clock above his head, seemingly looking at the time in order to see if he should be awake at 8:05 am this morning or if he should sleep a little longer. It was very funny.

Miscellaneous Videos

2006-12-31T22:49:00.000-07:00

How quickly laughter turns to anger.

Turning over at 1.5 months old.

In the hospital.

Maria's wedding.

Miscellaneous Pictures

2006-12-31T20:40:00.000-07:00

Sleeping.
The boys sleeping.

Buddies forever.
Cute hands.

Playing with Grandma.
Taking up the whole bed.

Watching TV (when he's not supposed to!)

"Stop taking pictures, I'm trying to read!"
"I'm relaxing here..."

Trying to stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve (it's only 7:00 pm).
"This is a great book!"

Playing soldier with daddy.
Looking like a scared soldier.
Reading with mama.

CHRISTMAS!!!

2006-12-31T20:02:00.000-07:00

Sitting with all the presents!
Andrew sitting in the spoils!
Mom opening a present.
Sitting in front of the tree.
"Mom, stop taking pictures!"

Getting excited about opening his present!
Andrew opening his present with Grandma.

Andrew investigating his new book.
Andrew looking cute with his book.

Helping Grandma open her present.
"I love the Grinch!"
"No more pictures!"

Dad opening his present.
Drool is good!
Family picture using the self-timer.
After the spoils!

It's Uncanny....

2006-12-26T10:50:00.000-07:00

I really could not see any likeness of myself in Andrew. I was a little sad since I had carried him inside of me for 9 months. I then pulled out my baby pictures and it was like I was looking at Andrew, only in bad 70s girl clothes!

Here is the proof!

November 1977 (18 months old)

January 1977 (8 months old)

December 1976 (7 months old)

New Things

2006-12-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Drew did two new things! He now bobbles his head to music. He was especially bobbly in church with all the music. He also blows raspberries in the air, which gets very messy.

He also will spontaneously wake up with a big smile and think that it is time to play at 2:30 in the morning.

If you tell him that you need help while changing his diaper he will hold up his legs for you, but then when you tell him all done (but not really as you still have to fasten it on) he puts his legs down and starts kicking like mad (which really doesn't help when you're trying to fasten it)!

He finally understands the concept of his jumperoo. Not to just sit in it, but to actually jump. There are times that his little legs look like they are doing the Russian dance.

I will upload more pictures and video soon--it's just been a little crazy since coming back to work full time.

Lauging Video

2006-11-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

Going Home

2006-11-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving

2006-11-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

Andrew and I ventured to Seattle to see Auntie Mia and Uncle Eddie. It was a successful trip and fun was had all around. Here are some of the pictures of our trip!

Halloween

2006-11-25T19:25:00.000-07:00

Here are some Halloween pictures. We didn't go out trick-or-treating because Drew can't eat candy yet :(

Andrewisms

2006-11-10T11:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was talking to Andrew about Thanksgiving and started poking him in the tummy to see if he was done (like a turkey). He thought that was the funniest thing and started laughing. I kept poking him and he kept laughing, harder and harder. He has a deep, gruff laugh. I will try to get it recorded so you can all hear it.

We have a set schedule for bedtime, otherwise Andrew gets crazy and won't settle down to sleep. We have to put the humidifier on, the dolphin night light, get a bottle all fixed and put on a Harry Potter cd. Then we lie down, him in the crook of my left arm with the bottle resting on the side of me. He will fall asleep like that and I know when he's asleep when I start to feel a little dribble of milk down the side of me and I take the bottle out of his mouth.

He has just discovered his tongue and will now stick it out at all times and roll it around his lips. He tries to stick everthing in his mouth--my hair, blankets, fingers, etc.

While in the car, the only thing that would calm him down was a specific Mexican rap song, but I have found out that it is really any Mexican music that will calm him down.

He hates to have his view blocked. When it is cold outside we put a blanket over his carseat and he gets so mad that he is not able to see what is going on!

When I change him he will hold his knees up for me--his little hands resting on his knees.

Things Andrew Loves

2006-11-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

Playing with his papa.
Getting tickled during diaper/clothes changes.
Getting kisses on the lips from mama.
Kicking his legs.
Taking baths.
Watching TV when he's not supposed to.
Church.
Harry Potter.
His baba.
Flippy, his baby dolphin.
His lobster teether.
His swing from grandma.
The color red.
The picture of Elmo on the back of the Chex cereal box.
Staying home with Grandma Lulu.
Reading books--The Littlest Cricket, Dr. Suess's ABCs, Green Eggs and Ham, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, The Napping House, Little Bunny Follows His Nose, The Hungry Caterpillar, Goodnight Moon.
Watching his mobile that Aunties Jen and Maria gave him.
Sleeping with mom and dad.
Spitting up in his hair.

The Next Couple of Days

2006-11-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

The next couple of days were probably the most difficult days of my life. And probably the major reason it has taken me so long to write about Andrew's birth.

I had Strep B and was supposed to have antibiotics in my system so many hours before giving birth but it didn't happen and poor Drew had to have an IV taped to his right arm in order to have antibiotics pumped into his body every few hours as a precautionary measure in case he contracted the Strep B (which he didn't, thank heavens!). Then, they found a heart murmur and one of the stupid male nurses told me (a brand new mom) that it was the loudest heart murmur he had ever heard. On top of all that, he had jaundice. We were supposed to go home on Friday, but Andrew had to stay one more day in order to make sure his jaundiced levels were dropping and the strep culture was negative. So we left Saturday at 11:30 am. My sister Shannon brought us home because Cesar was sleeping in order to go to work that night. My mom and Jenny were already in Utah, but had gone to SLC to do some geneology work.

That first week is really a blur, but luckily my mom was here to take care of me and deal with all the doctors. (A picture of my mom and me during the week she was here).

The day after Andrew came home, we had to go back to the hospital to check his billirubin levels. Then that Monday we had to go to Primary Children's to get his heart checked out--we were there for like 6 hours! He had an EKG and also an ultrasound of his heart. Dr. Everett, who is a saint, sat us down and told us that he had a medium sized hole in his left ventricle. These holes are very common and usually close up. If they do not close up, they are very easily correctable. But she thought Andrew's hole would close up because it was in the muscle. So that was a relief. My mom took Cesar and I out to lunch at Ruby River in SLC and it was really the first time I could enjoy being a new mom.

Wednesday (7 days after Andrew was born), I developed a very painful urinary tract infection. My OB-GYN prescribed me pain pills and an antibiotic to get rid of it. The antibiotic was secreted through breast milk and had a side-effect of harming the baby's heart. I called my OB-GYN and told them that Andrew already had a heart problem and I didn't want to take the chance of causing more damage and asked them to prescribe a different antibiotic. They said they could but that I was guaranteed a yeast infection. At that point I broke down with the horrible UTI pain and exhaustion and my mother took over and called the pediatric cardiologist, the pharmacist, the pediatrician, and the OB-GYN in order to find out what medication I could take that would not harm the baby and would not give me a yeast infection. I just took a normal antibiotic and then an hour after taking the antibiotic I would take an acidophilus pill and I ate yogurt. I did not get a yeast infection and was cured in a week.

I had taken a pain pill for the UTI that made my pee a bright orange and Andrew's diaper had bright orange spots in it for a few days. I mentioned this to the pediatrician at our visit on Friday (10 days after Andrew was born), she said, "Oh, he's dehydrated". At that point, we knew he wasn't getting enough milk from me (which in the hospital, he wasn't getting enought either because he hadn't peed or pooped after 24 hours, so we had to supplement with formula and he peed fine and pooped once). He also had not pooped since the hospital, which was concerning so the pediatrician told me to supplement with formula and if he didn't poop by Sunday at noon, that we would have to bring him in to do tests in order to make sure there was not a more serious problem.

Sunday at 11:55 am, he pooped! My mom wanted to take a picture, but I thought it was too gross. He still isn't a very big pooper, he's an every other day kinda guy.

The first 6 weeks were rough. I was slightly crazy with all the hormones and having a brand new baby and figuring out where I fit in our new family. Cesar was very patient and understanding. In fact, I asked him a few weeks ago if he realized that I was crazy and he said he had no idea.

(The reason why Andrew's nickname is "chupa dedo", because 20 minutes after being born, he found great delight in sucking on his fingers!)

Before The Beginning

2006-11-01T11:14:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, June 27, 2006, I didn't go to work. I had had a horrible night with contractions and decided not to go into work. I made an appointment to see my OB-GYN that day to see what was going on since they had been saying I would be giving birth any day for the past 2 weeks. As I was going up to Orem to their office, a huge rock hit our windshield making a pretty good sized pit. I was so mad! That meant I had to go get that darn thing fixed after my appointment and before I could go home to bed!

At my appointment Dr. Gammet checked me out and pulled out my mucous plug (It was nasty!). He said by the end of the week I should have this baby.

I went out looking for a rock chip repair stand that I had seen on State Street in Orem. I found it but nobody was there. I was MAD! I then had to go all the way down to Provo to the glass window fix-it company over by the hospital. I got there, pretty steamed and asked how long it would take them to fix it because the last time I had been there I had to wait like 45 minutes. They told me 10 minutes. I said, "OK, do your business". It was finally fixed and I got to go home to rest.

I got home, laid on the couch for 45 minutes and then decided I wanted to make a ham dinner with mashed potatoes and a pineapple upside down cake (Jenny, my sinster, says that this was my energy burst right before giving birth). That night, Cesar had to work. So we had a lovely dinner and I sent him on his way assuring him nothing was going to happen tonight. Anyway, we had set up a plan that IF something was to happen I was to have his parents take me to the hospital.

Well, I go to bed at 9:00 pm. The contractions start. At first I don't pay attention and try to ignore them so I can go to sleep. But then they become really regular and decide to time them. They are 5 minutes apart. I try to convince myself that I can deal with them and that first babies always take along time to come. At 11:30 pm I am in such pain and in tears. I call Cesar at work. His supervisor answers the phone and I am in tears telling him to have Cesar call me ASAP because I am having a baby. Cesar calls 5 minutes later and asks what is going on. I tell him I don't want his parents to take me to the hospital and that he needs to come home now and take me to the hospital. He says okay and hangs up.

I start getting the last minute stuff packed, but not very quickly as I have to stop doing what I'm doing each time a contraction comes.

Cesar comes home, I'm trying to carry the suitcase up the stairs. He stops me, says that he will do it and asks if he can take a quick shower before we go. I tell him yes, but to make it really quick.

We finally get in the car around12:30 am on the 28th. Cesar drives 100 mph to the hospital. I get freaked out and tell him to slow down.

We get to the hospital and get all settled in and they measure me and I'm just at 3 cm! I could have died. I thought I was going to be able to make it without any medication but I was dying at 3 cm! They said that they would let me stay and would check me in an hour to see if I would progress. If I wasn't progressing, they would send me home.

In an hour I was at 4 cm and dying. Poor Cesar had to push my knees towards my stomach each time a contraction came to make the pain bearable. At that point they admitted me and I said I wanted an epidural. They said it might take a while because the anesthesiologist was with another patient. I said okay but just make sure he gets to me. Not 10 minutes pass by when the anesthesiologist comes by and says, "I hear somebody needs an epidural". I said, "I thought it was gonna be awhile". He says, "The lady wasn't prepped". Or something and therefore he couldn't give it to her. He did his business and it didn't hurt at all--he even had to prick me twice to get it in right. After that, it was great! I felt nothing and was very comfortable. In fact, here is a picture of me drugged up!

After the epidural, I just tried to sleep and watched TV. It's great having cable! I progressed pretty slowly and didn't start actively pushing until about 3:00 that afternoon. They were supposed to give me antibiotics because I had Strep B, but they didn't give it to me soon enough before Andrew was born, so the poor kid had to have an IV of antibiotics taped to his right arm. Andrew's head was turned to the right, so that is why he wasn't coming out. So, Dr. Dayton said that he would try to get him out with forceps, but if he couldn't he would have to do a C-section. At that point I was pushing and praying hard that this little guy would come out of me. Dr. Dayton was able to get him out at 5:28 pm on Wednesday, June 28, 2006 after 20 hours of labor! He was 8 pound 13 ounces and was 20 inches long! With a full head of black hair!

The Beginning

2006-11-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

Since I have not been able to find a suitably cute baby book for Andrew, I've decided to blog about all of his important stuff. I'm about 4 months late, but hopefully I'll be able to remember all that has happened and be able to keep up on all of his current discoveries!