Life with Drew

Wow, it's been a long time!

2011-02-10T20:44:00.000-08:00

Wow, I've really been a blog slacker! No reason, well hundreds, but I'm hoping to get back to recording Drew's life regularly. He has changed so much since last summer. He's grown into a funny, smart and always entertaining little man. He loves puzzles, Play-Doh and all sports-soccer, baseball and basketball are his top three. He's officially entered the "why" stage! "Why, mommy?", "Why?" "Why"? This stage, which was funny for the first 12 hours, but has now become a challenge for me to come up with new answers to his inquiry--another reason I have no time to blog. Anyway, to my one reader, stay tuned for hopefully often Drew updates as we look forward to the spring, starting soccer and several other adventures this year.

No time to chat...big post to come soon!!!!

2010-07-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

Bye to Paw Paw and G-ma

2010-07-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

We had a great visit and are counting the days until we visit again!

Gecko Hunter

2010-07-01T18:31:00.000-07:00

Outside of the cute little talking guy on the Geico commercials, I really didn’t know much about Geckos…until we went to Florida and Drew became fascinated with them.

Geckos are small lizards found in warm climates such as Mike’s folks house. The can get into the screened in porch and they love to eat bugs. However, if they are grabbed or threatened by say, as small child, they can drop their tails as a defense mechanism. When it first drops the tail it will wriggle around on the floor, this is hoped to distract the enemy while the gecko makes their escape or to freak out the small child’s mother as she is already a basket case about the fact that her child can grab and catch these tiny lizards and then wants to keep them.

Drew sent many hours looking for, finding, catching, holding and releasing these tiny little guys…and to be honest, he became very good at it. So much so, that we named him the Gecko Hunter.

Happy 60th Nana!!!

2010-07-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

Happy 60th Birthday Nana (my mom Joyce)!!!!! Hope you have a great day and take some time to enjoy yourself. You mean so much to all of us and we're excited about celebrating your day with you. We hope you know how much you are loved, needed and thought of and we wouldn't be who we are today without you. We love you...now, where's the cake and ice cream!!!!

SeaWorld

2010-07-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

While visiting Mike's folks, we spent a day at SeaWorld. It was a first time for all three of us, so we had a blast and I didn't take as many photos as I would have liked, only because we were so busy looking at the animals, watching the great shows and enjoying the day. We can't wait to go back!

The family that plays together, stays together….

2010-06-30T08:13:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a great visit to see Drew’s grandparents in Orlando. Outside of a great time with them, we were able to do some really fun family stuff, including a day at SeaWorld. And although I’ll post more photos from the trip later, I wanted to mark this moment. This is our 2 and ½ year mark of becoming a family of three, and the last few years have been wonderful. I can’t remember life before Drew. In such a short time this little guy has gone from a tiny premature infant, fighting for his life, to a strong, healthy and incredibly smart toddler. I’m very happy to now be a family of three!

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T13:18:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was Mother’s Day. This was my third actual Mother’s Day since becoming a mom and each one gets better and better, especially when I think about how lucky I am to have him. In addition to spending time with my favorite men (Drew and Mike) and my mom(happy Mother's Day, mom!), I also put my guys to work washing my Jeep!

Sweet Dreams....

2010-05-05T14:11:00.001-07:00

For no reason other than I think he is super cute when he sleeps....and it's about the only time these days that he is still.

The Zoo

2010-05-04T06:03:00.001-07:00

On Sunday our family went to the Zoo. It was Drew’s third visit, we’ve taken him every year since he was born. Granted his first visit he was only 6 months old and slept most of the time, but I must say this year was the best. He’s at that age now that he understands and knows what is going on around him. He recognized the tigers, elephants, monkeys and birds….he even saw a “cow”. He talked the entire time and was so excited to see everything. He would yell out the name of the animals as we approached them. He would wave “hi” to each one of them and then tell them “bye” as we walked away. I would have to say that this visit to the zoo, although I’ve had many in my life, was the best ever. And I’m looking forward to many more great adventures with Drew this summer!

Climbing fences

2010-05-03T06:03:00.000-07:00

Drew has always been the type of boy who likes to run, jump, kick balls and play hard. He started climbing out of his crib early, he climbs all over the furniture and ME. But I really never thought I'd be worried about him getting out of the fenced in yard at the age of two….but it happen on Friday. The kid thinks he’s Spider-Man!

Rain go away....

2010-04-26T08:58:00.000-07:00

It rained all weekend…wasn’t much fun. We are now going on about a week of rainy days…hopefully spring comes back soon!

Go Cards!

2010-04-05T06:37:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of the 2010 baseball season! Go Cards!

Easter Sunday

2010-04-05T06:34:00.001-07:00

Saturday with friends

2010-04-05T06:25:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we attended a church Easter egg hunt and safety fair. We were joined by two other families and their daughters (both families are great friends, thanks for coming with us guys!) After the Easter egg hunt, which by the way, Drew was a pro at, we took part in some face painting, coloring and watching the fire truck. However Drew was mostly entertained by watching the big kids jump in the inflatable bouncy.

Playdate

2010-04-01T06:39:00.000-07:00

Drew had a playdate on Saturday. His new buddy Austin came over, the two colored, played ball, had a snack and a few drinks and became best buddies. Hopefully we'll have many more playdates with our new buddy!

2010-03-22T06:34:00.000-07:00

Today is Mike’s birthday! Happy birthday honey! Hope you have a great day and an even better year! Drew and I love you a ton! Here's a photo of Mike and I from his birthday weekend. A photo of the cake Drew and I made him and then of course, a photo of Drew enjoying his daddy's birthday cake!

choo choo train

2010-03-15T05:58:00.001-07:00

Haircut and twins

2010-03-08T06:04:00.000-08:00

What a great weekend….the weather in St. Louis was great, so it gave us a chance to get out and play….it’s been a long winter. We started off by taking Drew to get his hair cut. He rode his bike outside, met some twin two-year-old girls from down the street who were visiting their grandma, played with them a little, then we broke out the sidewalk chalk (thanks Kris) and the bubbles. We ended the weekend making cupcakes.

Drew updates

2010-02-23T08:55:00.000-08:00

Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve updated to the blog…sorry, we’ve been busy!!! So since I’m using this as my baby book for Drew, I’m going to add a few things on here, just for me. Since December, Drew started a new preschool. He’s doing great and loves it. He still cries when I leave in the morning, but by the time I’m out the door, he’s fine.

We are STILL having issues with sleep. He hates taking naps, fights me the entire time and usually ends up so sleepy that he just falls out around 4 p.m. The same thing happens at night. He fights it. And is usually up until way after 9 p.m., plus he hates sleeping in his toddler bed….I’m out of tricks. So on March 4 I’m going to listen to a sleep expert talk. The lecture is offered through Parents As Teachers and I’m REALLY hoping for a miracle!!!!

Other Drew updates: He now can count to 7, he will repeat his ABCs, he knows the colors red, blue, green, purple and yellow. He has trouble with orange, thinking it’s red, but we are working on it. He loves looking at books. And his favorite thing to watch is hockey.

At his late doctors visit, which was on Feb. 20, he was 26 pounds 8 ounces. He’s still tall and very skinny, but he’s eating well. He still has problems eating most meat, outside of chicken nuggets and hot dogs. He eats plenty of fruits and vegetables. He loves pasta. But his favorite thing at this moment is cupcakes…he really just likes the icing, but he always wants a cupcake.

Sugar, Sugar...

2010-02-23T06:11:00.000-08:00

For Valentine’s Day Drew got a singing bear. The bear plays the song, “Sugar Sugar” by The Archies. He now dances around the house singing, “Sugar….honey…girl” over and over….those are the only words he likes. Sorry the video is so dark, but here’s a little bit of his dancing and singing skills.

Guess who is 2 ????

2010-01-04T07:15:00.000-08:00

Drew turned 2 on Dec. 31 and we had a family birthday party for him on Jan. 2. He's 2already, my baby....is there a pause button? because he's growing way too fast!

X-mas 2009

2010-01-04T07:04:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas, spread out over several days with several family members. My camera batteries kept going out on me so here are random photos, from random days throughout our family celebrations.

Big boy bed

2010-01-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a while and I've been a slacker on posting. My new years resolution is to be a better poster, hopefully. OK so a lot has happened, so I'll do lots of little post. First, Drew is out of the crib and into a toddler bed. We changed his room to the Disney movie Cars. He's doing OK, not great, but OK with the new bed...just has a hard time staying in it all night.

Drew the cowboy!

2009-12-02T08:06:00.001-08:00

Sunday yard work and play

2009-11-02T06:08:00.000-08:00

Superman enjoys Halloween....and cookies!

2009-11-02T06:06:00.001-08:00

A day at Eckert's Orchard

2009-10-27T09:31:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we went to Eckert's Orchard in Belleville, Ill. It was a great day, we picked apples, played in the kids area and fed a few animals in the petting zoo area.

The many faces of Drew...within 30 seconds

2009-10-20T06:25:00.000-07:00

Cupcake

2009-10-20T06:23:00.001-07:00

The Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-13T06:32:00.001-07:00

The gift

2009-09-21T05:58:00.000-07:00

My birthday was Friday. Many people asked me over the weekend what I got for my birthday. I started thinking and although I did get some nice things, the one birthday gift I will cherish forever came 20 months ago.

2009-09-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Drew had a play date with Morgan. Morgan, the son of my friend Casie, is a month younger than Drew. The two boys had a great time and the best part.....no one got hurt!

A day in the life of Drew (in pictures)

2009-09-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

Potty training

2009-08-31T06:08:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago Drew’s daycare moved him up to the 2-year-old room. It’s a few months early but they think he’s ready and he loves it. The good and bad thing about the 2-year-old room is that all in that class must start potty training. At first, I thought this was great and his teachers at school said he was doing wonderfully. He would go at school and I only need to reinforce it at home…no problem, right? So we started, with a potty seat and he was doing OK, but day after day he refused to seat on the seat…I had no idea what was wrong. Then it hit me. The seat we have at home is a freestanding little potty. At school, the have a cushion insert that fits in the real toilet. Drew had decided he was too big to mess with the knockoff little potty and he wanted the real thing…so we got it and so far…SUCCESS!!!!

Shaq vs. Albert

2009-08-14T07:08:00.000-07:00

Last night, Mike, Drew and I went to T. R. Hughes ball park in O’Fallon, Mo. to watch ABC tape a new reality show featuring Shaquille O'Neal. The show, called Shaq Vs., has the NBA star squaring off with other top athletes in their own sports.

So it was only fitting that a trip to St. Louis involved Shaq facing off against Albert Pujols in a home run derby. Shaq needed a handicap, so they created a shorter, homerun fence for him, he had former Cardinal utility man John Mabry pitch to him and current Cardinal outfielder Ryan Ludwick stand at his side coaching….but he was still no match for El Hombre.

The night was a lot of fun. Drew cheered, almost as much as Mike did. There’s a good chance we might be captured on the show, since Mike and Drew clapped and cheered every time the camera was on them---almost like they had just won a trip to Disney or something. So if you’re not doing anything on the evening of Sept. 1, tune in and watch for us!

Pool and Popsicles

2009-08-10T06:16:00.000-07:00

Mike worked in the yard on Sunday so Drew and I decided to join him. It was a fun day between the hose, the pool, the yard toys and sugar-free popsicles! Here are a few photos from our day.

First Cardinal game!

2009-08-03T07:14:00.001-07:00

Saturday Drew attended his first St. Louis Cardinal game and he was great! We had great seats thanks to my aunt, right above the Cardinals bullpen. Drew chatted with the players, watched a little of the game and was amazed by all the lights and people. He made it to the end and we didn't have any major meltdowns...which is a total plus!

Weekend in KC to meet Cooper

2009-07-31T13:43:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago we headed down Interstate 70 to meet the newest member of our family, Cousin Cooper, who is now six weeks old. I was so excited to get some newborn snuggling in.

In the first photo, Drew and Cooper are hanging with their Uncle Jay. The second photo is of baby Cooper sleeping...isn't he adorable!? And the last photo is of my little man eating breakfast.

Sporting a baseball cap

2009-07-20T06:21:00.001-07:00

I just had to post this. Drew never likes to wear hats, but for about three seconds he wore one and let me take a photo.....so cute!

Saturday night at the ballpark

2009-07-20T06:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday we went to the River City Rascals baseball game with our friends Justin and Sarah and their little guy Oliver (picuted to the left). The boys had not seen each other since Oliver, who is now 16 months old, was just a few weeks old. Unlike their first meeting when they both just slept, this time, it was all about running, the slide, looking at the crazy dressed up mascots and food. The boys had fun and it was a nice night out. Thanks for going with us Justin and Sarah, maybe we can get the kids together again soon.

Here are a few photos of Mike and Drew and Oliver and Justin.

Playing around

2009-07-13T06:03:00.000-07:00

Drew fought the concrete…..and the concrete won!

2009-07-13T05:59:00.000-07:00

Drew fell in the driveway on Friday….....here’s a photo of his new face.

4th of July...a little late

2009-07-13T05:53:00.000-07:00

These photos are from the 4th of July and I know it's late, but it took me this long to download the photos. Drew had fun with snap n pops, glow sticks and poppers. He also has a new big blue ball and it's his favorite thing.

18 months...wow!

2009-07-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

On Friday, I took Drew for his 18 month check up and shots. I just can't believe he's 18 months already. Feels like yesterday...blah, blah, blah....OK sorry... Anyway the boy is doing great. He's 24 lbs 4 oz and 35 and 1/4 inches tall, which means he tall and skinny. As far as his development, he's right on track.

I have a ton of photos to post and an update on the 4th, but no time today.....

Welcome baby Coop!

2009-06-17T07:22:00.001-07:00

My cousin Allison and her husband Chris are the proud new parents of a little boy! Cooper David was born at 7:50 a.m. on Tuesday (6-16-09). He's 7.10lbs and 18.6 inches long. Congrats Alli and Chris! Remember to get some rest now, because you’ll never be able to do it again!

Two men and a trophy

2009-06-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

Mike played in a dart tournament this weekend and took first place. Congrats! He won some money and a trophy...which is shared by his team...but he was able to have the first weekend visitation rights. And of course he had to get a photo of him, Drew and the trophy....so dorky, but kind of cute.

Visit to the Magic House

2009-06-01T06:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday we spent the morning at the Magic House in Kirkwood, Mo. Drew had a blast and all I could think about was, "why didn't I think of this sooner?!" He played in the little kitchen, in the balls, on the slide, with the car and he ran all over and behaved very well--which was shocking because he's not been very good at daycare lately, but that's for another blog.

I haven't been to the Magic House in years and Mike's never been, so this day was really fun for all of us. I was very impressed with the amount of exhibits and areas geared toward birth to 24 months. It was perfect. Everything was his size. It was safe, nothing he could get hurt on and there were not bigger kids pushing or knocking him down. We decided not to take the stroller in, which turned out to be good, because he didn't sit still very long. He was everywhere, but he did listen surprisingly well when we told him to stop or not to do something. So my advice, if you have a wild 17 month old boy and you need to burn off some energy, the Magic House is the place to go...now I just have to find a place for next Saturday...any suggestions?

A Saturday at Grant’s Farm

2009-05-26T06:22:00.000-07:00

Saturday we took Drew to Grant’s Farm.

You can eat that!

2009-05-26T06:16:00.000-07:00

This weekend I made edible Play-doh for Drew. Although it didn’t look very appealing, what brown blob does? It really was good and lots of fun. We even added mini marshmallows at the end to make it a little more interesting…and tasty!

Unnecessary cruelty? Or Safety?

2009-05-21T06:15:00.000-07:00

Prior to becoming a mom, I would see parents use what I thought of as “dog leashes” on their kids out in public. I know the parents were doing it to keep the kids safe and out of the danger of running off, but I would always look at them in and think, “how could you put your child on a leash? What a cruel, lazy parents.”

Was that the truth? Or the ignorance of a childless adult? Who knows. I find myself in this dilemma now. Drew is very active and loves to run and when we are out, he fights being in his stroller. He wants to walk on his own, which at time is OK, if I can control the environment he is in, but other times, it’s not that easy.

Over the last several months, I’ve seen parents with these stuff animal backpack harness (see photo to the side). The kids who have them on always see happy and the parents seem relaxed, without the worry of their child running off. So do I break down and get one for Drew, knowing that we have a summer full of outings planned and that he’d be happier out of the stroller? Or do stick to my old way of thinking and not “leash” my child under any circumstances?

Weekend trip to the zoo

2009-05-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took Drew on his second visit to the zoo. We took him for the first time last July, but he was too little to know what as going on.

This time was much better. He notice the animals, pointed at them and wanted to run all over the place. However the best thing in Drew's mind was the train. He almost had a meltdown when we had to get off at our stop.

I didn't take a ton of photos because honestly, I didn't think about it...we were having so much fun. But here are a few of Drew, Mike and some of the animals we liked.

I'm a slacker...

2009-05-11T05:46:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy at work and with Drew, I haven't posted lately, but I will. I have lots of new photos and stories to tell, so stay tune.

Putting on a show

2009-04-30T05:48:00.000-07:00

I work with Drew everyday on words, sounds, colors...everything. I make a game out of feeding time or bath time anything to teach him something, but he just looks at me like I'm a fool. I ask him to repeat a word or point to something and he gets this look of confusion on his face. Well last night Kathy from Parent's As Teachers visited us. She showed him pictures of things, told him what they were and asked him to repeat the word....he did! WHAT!....well at least now I know he can!

new word, please!

2009-04-29T05:49:00.000-07:00

Drew's has been picking up new words faster lately. He can say dog, dad, that, mom, bye, hi and now BALL. This word...BALL! For some reason and the object it refers to, have become obsessions of my little toddler. At 16 months old, he is crazy about BALLS. That's all he wants to play with and all he wants to say!!!! After hearing the word BALL repeated 37 times in an hour, a person can go slightly cRaZy! Drew, it's time for a new word....PLEASE!

Uh-Oh, Spaghetti-O!

2009-04-14T05:46:00.000-07:00

Last night Drew feed himself spaghetti for the first time....he loved it! And although it was very messy and stressed out his OCD-mom, he looked pretty darn cute doing it!

The art of sliding

2009-04-13T11:20:00.000-07:00

Opening Day!

2009-04-07T06:25:00.001-07:00

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-07T06:23:00.000-07:00

Nice to get away

2009-04-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

We are back from a much needed vacation to visit Mike's dad and stepmom in Florida. We had a blast. And you can see from the two entries of photos below. Enjoy!

Big boy hair cut while in Florida

2009-04-01T09:00:00.001-07:00

We're back....

2009-04-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

A much needed vacation.....

2009-03-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

No posting while I'm gone, but will have tons of photos and stories when I return.

Fun in the Sun...or slightly overcast....

2009-03-08T20:17:00.000-07:00

After a long week, with a "biting" incident at daycare and then double ear infections and pink eye, we were all ready to get out of the house and play a little this weekend. Since Drew is still recovering from double ear infections, I made him wear his hat outside, but he didn't seem to mind.

We started out pulling him around in the wagon, but Mr. Independent wanted to control what he did, so then we tried pushing him in his car. He had fun and smiled, but still wanted control, so in true Drew fashion he started pushing the car himself...a side note to this is that we have lovingly renamed Drew "Two Men and a Truck" because over the last several weeks he's been moving everything around in our house. This little bitty thing will push the end table from one end of the living room to the other or push kitchen chairs down the hall, it's pretty funny to watch.

Anyway after pushing his car up and down the driveway for several minutes, his attention was sidetracked by gum balls. Our neighbor has a gum ball tree and they are all along our driveway. To Drew this was the coolest thing. He then spent several minutes picking up gum balls one by one and handing them to me....not my idea of fun, but we were all just happy to be outside...spring can't get here fast enough!

The daycare curse

2009-02-20T05:49:00.000-08:00

Well I knew it would happen once Drew started daycare, but I didn't think it would happen this soon....Drew is sick! Those darn daycare kids gave him germs! Just kidding. He has a slight fever and a really bad runny nose, so today he's at my mother-in-laws so he doesn't infect the other kids, plus he'll get a little extra T-L-C.

Even with the fever and runny nose, Drew is loving daycare so far. He's made a friend named Aiden and he's playing nicely, something I was afraid he wouldn't be good at since he's an only child who has really never been around kids. The teachers at the center are so nice and he really seems to be well taken care of and looked after. So with that said, I guess we can look past this little "germ" incident this one time! Ha.

New layout!

2009-02-19T06:10:00.000-08:00

So I'm playing around with a new layout. What do you think?

Day at the office

2009-02-16T11:55:00.000-08:00

A lack of a sitter on Friday, allowed Drew an unplanned trip to my office....here are photos of his visit...as you can see, he was right at home!

First day of school

2009-02-16T05:51:00.000-08:00

Today Drew started Daycare. He's always been watched by family, but today he's off at daycare, hopefully having fun and making lots of friends. I told myself all weekend I'd be fine, I'd hold it together and it wouldn't be a big deal. So we get to daycare, the teachers are so sweet. Drew goes in, looks around, and gives my neck a death grip as to say "don't leave me!" I spoke with his teacher, while holding him and we were both fine. Then I tried to put him down, he cried. So I picked him put, all while still holding it together on my end. Then the teacher took him, showed him the room, the toys, and put him in a highchair to get ready for breakfast. I kissed him goodbye, he seemed fine and ready to eat, I walked out of the room...and lost it. I didn't stop crying until I got to work.....hopefully tomorrow goes better....for both of us!

What will you eat????

2009-02-04T08:01:00.000-08:00

Drew is off of baby food and formula and for the last few months he's done great on "adult" food and milk. However the last several weeks he's become really picky. He will drink his milk, but when it comes to food...he wants no part of it unless it's snack (animal crackers, Cheerios, that type of thing.) So what do you do? How do you get a toddler to eat veggies and meat and all the other things that are good for him?

Super Sunday!

2009-02-02T06:33:00.001-08:00

13 months old....wow!

2009-02-02T06:21:00.000-08:00

Drew is now 13 months old...were does the time go? He's always had a "little mind" of his own, but now more than ever. By the way, I always hate when people use that expression, but in Drew's case--it really is true!

He's very much a boy-he's mischievous and he'll test you! His new favorite thing is going after cords, any cord. The cords to the TV, alarm clocks, lamps....it doesn't matter. (So does anyone have a baby proofing idea for this?). He also thinks feeding the dog his food is more fun than eating it himself....so frustrating.

But he's also doing some really fun stuff. If you ask him for a kiss, Drew opens his mouth and presses it up to your check....so cute! He gives hugs. He giggles for no reason and he's interested and curious about everything. 13 months is a pretty good age!

we have a walker.....

2009-01-24T18:08:00.000-08:00

It's official! We have a walker. For weeks, actually months now, Drew has been walking around holding on to stuff. He holds on to chairs, table, the wall, and walks along them. Some times he'll let go for a moment only to grab on to something else. But today all that changed. He officially walked on his own, holding on to nothing and he not only did it once, but many, many times, almost to the point that the cheering and encouragement I was giving him became forced. I mean after like the 17 th time saying "good boy," it kind of looses it's appeal. However it's still very exciting!!! I've wanted him to walk on his own for a while now and he's finally doing it....it's both a happy day and a little sad, because it just reminds me again how fast his growing up and how he's now, according to the baby books, a "toddler" and no longer my little baby.

Drew a big brother…….????

2009-01-23T12:07:00.001-08:00

It’s the cycle of life. The day you step onto the dance floor at your wedding the talking starts….when are you going to have kids, then when you have your first baby, the question becomes when are you going to have another? Why are we in such a rush to rush our children, grow them up and make them big brothers and big sisters? Drew is doing pretty good as an only child and with the silliness of his daddy, he’s not lacking in any playmates, so I think I keep him as my baby for now. My only baby!

A week of sickness…a trip to the ER

2009-01-20T07:07:00.001-08:00

Drew has been sick this past week. It started with a small cold and turned into all out vomiting and fussiness. After he couldn’t keep anything down all night Friday and into Saturday, we took him to St. John’s ER. Although I was not happy to be there, they were great, best ER experience ever. Drew has RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). He’ll be ok, it’s just a real bad cold, with serious symptoms for little guys like him and as long as we watch him, give him his breathing treatments and make sure he can keep liquids down, he’ll be just fine.

Reflection

2009-01-13T06:19:00.000-08:00

Then.....and....

NOW!

Last year at this time I was bringing home my little boy from the NICU. He had spent two weeks there, without me, which was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. He was so tiny and helpless, and at the time I had no idea how to care for him or if I’d be good at taking care of him.

Wow, how much a year changes things! Today, this tiny little helpless boy is no longer. He’s now a strong, which I’m reminded of everyday when he pulls my hair, healthy and happy big boy!

What a wonderful combination!

2009 update

2009-01-09T05:39:00.000-08:00

Wow so much has happened this year and even the last few weeks. Drew now has four teeth, he's drinking milk instead of formula and he's on mostly all adult foods....guess that's what happens when you turn 1!

Also when you turn 1, you go from being a little energetic to full on craziness, you never stop. He's all over the place, in to everything and keeps us on our toes....a lot! It's fun, but very busy!

Drew got his first real hair cut last week and he looks like a big boy (I have photos, just can't get to them now but will post soon.) We started spiking his hair last night and he looks pretty cool.

He's now in a front facing car seat, so that's fun to drive and watch him. I got this little mirror that attaches to my windshield so I see everything he does- and believe me he does a lot. Also, I will pay someone big money if they can tell me how to keep socks and shoes on a toddler...all he does is pull them off, and he does it fast!

That's all for now, I'll post more photos this weekend.

Where did the time go?

2008-12-30T13:04:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Drew's birthday. He was born at 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 31. All day today I've been thinking back to last year at this time. I was in the hospital freaking out because my little boy wasn't suppose to be born until Feb. 14. I became sick on Dec. 26 and waiting until Dec. 29 to head to the hospital. After hours and hours of trying to get myself and the baby stable, the doctors finally decided we couldn't wait anymore because it would be too dangerous for the both of us. I remember all day on the 30th, being told I was going to have my baby and it would be OK, but I knew it was too early. I just wanted to go home and wait 7 more weeks. But he came early and after only a few weeks in the NICU, he was home.

This last year has been the best of my life, he has grown so big and everyday he learns more and is becoming a little man. Happy birthday Drew..mommy loves you!

Drew's 1st b-day party!

2008-12-30T12:52:00.001-08:00

Drew's 1st birthday is tomorrow, Dec. 31st, but we held a small family birthday party on Sunday. He had a great time and walked away with tons of stuff including his own mini recliner...just what I need two men in my house watching sports in the recliner all day. He did OK with his cake, but he was more into playing with the icing then eating it.

1st X-mas

2008-12-30T12:27:00.000-08:00

Drew's 1st Christmas was an event. It started with gifts at my aunt's on Saturday the 20th, Christmas eve at Mike's mom's, Christmas day at my house with my mom and then another Christmas at my other aunt's the following Saturday....and the boy walked away with more toys then any kid needs...but he was happy!

And he had train shaped pancakes on Christmas morning, what more could he want!

Drew meets Santa

2008-12-17T06:05:00.001-08:00

Drew's Baptism

2008-12-15T06:10:00.000-08:00

This photos are kind of blurry, but here they are anyway. Drew was baptised on Sunday and he did really good. The day was nice, he only had a few outburst in church. Thanks to everyone who came and shared in his special day!!!!

He's perfect!...for his age.

2008-12-11T06:27:00.000-08:00

Last night Drew had his first visit from his Parents As Teacher representative Kathy. Kathy came over to our house to meet Drew and to evaluate him, how he’s doing, if he’s meeting his “milestones” and what, if anything, we can improve on. Since the day Drew was born, several people, include doctors and nurses in the NICU and his current doctor, have told me countless times that since he was a preemie, he won’t be on target. He won’t be doing things at his age, he’ll be small and he’ll be slow and he’ll be behind. Some of the worst things you can tell a parent who only wants the best for their child, who only wants their child to be the smartest and the fastest learner. Over the last six months I noticed that Drew wasn’t behind. He was right on target with his crawling, standing, pulling up, getting teeth and talking. And last night’s visit by Kathy assured me that Drew is anything but behind and he will have no problem fitting in with other’s his birth age. She said he’s on the small side for his age, but we knew that and he’s still healthy and never misses a meal, so that’s not a problem. However he is right on track and in some cases ahead of his milestones. He is doing everything he needs to and he’s a fast learner. She brought several toys that had buttons in which you pushed and they would do things. Before she even showed him, Drew figured out how to push the button to make one of the toys light up. Then he figured out how to make it play music—almost to the point that mommy got a headache. But in a good way. He’s curious, smart, energetic and excitable about life. He’s a perfect little 11 + month old. But I already knew that!

Test run not so successful.....

2008-12-10T13:50:00.000-08:00

Over the next two weeks Drew has a lot of events coming up that involve gifts. There's his baptism, Christmas and his birthday-all in the month of December. This gift opening could be overwhelming for some, lucky for Drew, it will be broken down a bit. As a test run-kind of- we had our Christmas with Mike's dad, Dave and stepmom, Joyce, who are visiting from Florida. Now it could have been because it was new or because he was sleepy, but he didn't handle opening the gifts well. He cried over the noise. Hopefully this is not a small glipse as to was is to come...because we have many more days of this and well, it might be a long month.

Drew's hat and a reindeer

2008-12-08T08:42:00.000-08:00

Here’s two silly videos. One is from this morning. It’s really dark but when I took Drew to my aunt’s she showed him all her x-mas stuff and most of it lights up and makes noise. This video is with a dancing, singing reindeer. The other video is from a few weeks ago. Drew got a new hat and we had to make him keep it on so we praised him for it…I know, but you do what you have to do!

Girls Night IN!

2008-12-08T06:58:00.000-08:00

Saturday night, my friend Kris hosted a cookie baking party at her house. It was me (I'm the stupid looking one in the red shirt), Debbie (the tall one next to me), Kris (pink shirt) and Amy (gray shirt). We all meet at Kris' with our supplies in hand and started baking. After a few drinks, well lots, the cookies turned out OK....some better than others...I burnt all mine. However it was a great night and a much needed mommy break. (Thanks Grandma Joyce for watching Drew!). We should do this every year!

What? I'm not doing anything wrong.....

2008-12-02T07:12:00.001-08:00

Random photos from last night......

2008-12-02T06:01:00.000-08:00

11 months old!!!

2008-12-01T06:48:00.000-08:00

Drew is 11 months old. Wow, how fast time goes by. I remember being in the hospital last December and being very uncertain of the outcome, thankfully he’s doing great and learning so much. Drew has started eating a lot of adult food lately, which is good, and he hasn’t found anything he does like. He’s still eating a little baby food, but mostly the last week or so, he’s had all adult food, which he loves because he can hold and use his hands to feed himself. He now has three teeth and is working on his fourth. He moves around like a crazy person, crawling and pulling up on everything. He walks holding on to things, but hasn’t been brave enough to let go yet.

On Wednesday I took Drew to see Santa. His first visit with him went OK. No crying, but he still wasn't that excited to sit on the Jolly Old Guy's lap. Santa is coming to his one grandma's house on the 16th, so we'll try it again then. However the photo is pretty cute!

Drew’s first Thanksgiving was great. Thursday we had dinner at our house and with Grandma Joyce, Uncle Chris, Grandpa Norm, Grandma Wally and Grandpa Gene. Drew really liked the turkey, but he was so sleepy he fell asleep after only two bites. Luckily after a little nap he was ready to dig in. On Friday we had Thanksgiving at Mike’s mom’s with several of his family members and he brother’s family from Kentucky. They loved meeting Drew and we even had an early Christmas with them, which Drew enjoy playing with the paper more than anything.

Hypochondriac??? or just a faker.....

2008-11-21T13:55:00.000-08:00

Drew does this fake cough all the time. It's like the kid is either a hypochondriac or a good actor. Either way, I can only imagine how mornings will be once he starts school. How many times will he pull a "Ferris Bueller" on me and skip school only to stay home and run around crazy with his girlfriend and best buddy. Will I start not believing him and then when he really is sick, will I be a mean mom and send him to school anyway??? Hope this is just a stage!

Busy, busy, busy

2008-11-03T09:55:00.000-08:00

Playing around

2008-10-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

nightly playtime

2008-10-30T05:55:00.001-07:00

wiggle, wiggle, wiggle....

2008-10-27T06:55:00.000-07:00

Drew is now on the go 24/7, which is great...most of the time. However, when it comes time to change his clothes or his diaper, the scene reminds me of old WWF matches. He wiggles and rolls and pulls and kicks and everything he can to get away. I tried giving him something to keep him busy, but that doesn't work. I tried singing to him or making him laugh, but that only works for a second....and only wipes me out...by the time I've changed his diaper he's ready to run and I'm ready for a nap. Has anyone else had this problem? Does it get better soon? Any advice???

Biker baby

2008-10-15T05:58:00.000-07:00

During one of my showers, my mom gave me this cute little Harley outfit for Drew. Complete with "do-rag" and boots. I had to put it on him. He looks so cute.....

A day of apple picking

2008-10-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

Today we took Drew to Eckerts. He picked his first apple and even had apple ice cream!

A clothes hamper is just as much fun as any toy...

2008-10-06T05:56:00.000-07:00

Walking...with help.

2008-10-05T14:38:00.001-07:00

Within a matter of days Drew has gone from crawling, to pulling up on everything, to standing and now walking...with help. He can walk while holding on to things. He'll walk in circles around his pack n play, or he'll pull up on his activity table and walk around it...of course, he's still a bit wobbly and he falls on his bottom a bunch, but he's right back up, walking around the coffee table.

Random photos......

2008-10-02T09:36:00.001-07:00

Drew is sick and I'm bored!

2008-10-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

Drew and I are home sick today. He has his first "bug" and things have been coming out both ends!!!! Not a pretty picture. Anyway, he's sleeping....finally. So I've decided to do a little blog redesign....what do you thing?

The many faces of Drew.....

2008-09-27T15:48:00.000-07:00