A birthday party!

On Saturday, Drew was a guest at his first birthday party. We attended a party for the 1st birthday of Kelsey. She's the daughter of a friend and co-worker of mine. The party took place at the Carousel House in West County. Drew had a great time. He flirted with all the women (like always) and he had his first ride on a carousel (see photo-the birthday girl is in the background but her attention is on the horses.) It was a great day, thanks for the invite Kelsey and happy birthday!!!

Cards fan

Drew is now officially a St. Louis Cardinals fan. This week he got his very first and very own Albert Pujols jersey (thanks Nana Dee!!).

Drew's own chair

Over the weekend Drew was upgraded to his highchair. He's finally big enough and strong enough to sit in it on his own. It's wonderful because he not only eats in the chair, but like you can see in the photo, he also likes to play in the chair. This makes dinner making much easier for me.

The only down side is that he's already learned how to make mommy work. If he throws one of his toys off the chair (or his walker for that matter) mommy will pick it up, wash it off and give it back to him. This goes on for several minutes until I finally realize what I'm doing and stop. Then he smiles and I continue to do it....I'm kind of a sucker!

Growing up

Drew had his six month shots on Friday. He's stats are: 15 pounds 1 ounce and 26 and 1/2 inches. He's still on the small side but the big news is he's finally off the preemie formula. He's now on Similac Advance, which is easier to find and much cheaper! He's also allowed to have juice and water and he's been moved up to the Stage 2 baby food which has a ton more options....a little too many options...I spent 20 minutes trying to pick some out on Friday, finally Mike just grabbed some and said let's go. It's a little overwhelming. On Stage 1 he had just a handful of options, but now there are over 30 kinds...and so far so good...he likes them all.

Motherhood

A co-worker recently told me that motherhood has changed me. He meant it in a negative way, meaning I’m not cool, fun or easy-going anymore. I decided to look at how motherhood has changed me and thank Andrew for making me the person I am. The person I believe is a better human being than she was six months ago.

Motherhood has made me laugh…like when I see Drew accidently “flicking me off.” He doesn’t know what finger he’s holding up but it’s still funny.

Motherhood has made me cry…when you see your helpless little baby inside an incubator in the NICU with tubes in his nose and wires attached to his tiny little legs and you know this is the best and worst moment of your life all at once.

Motherhood has made me smile…when Drew smiles or giggles or talks or looks at me…almost anything he does can bring a smile to my face.

Motherhood has made me learn to not sweat the small stuff…like things at work I can’t control or people who seem to want to create drama…no matter what happens during the hours I’m away from Drew, none of that matters when I walk through the door and see him.

Motherhood has made me take time….some of the best moments of my day are in the early morning hours, when it’s just Drew and I awake. Just holding him can make all my troubles go away.

Motherhood has made me strong…things I never thought I’d be able to handle have suddenly become a breeze and things that used to seem like the most important things, now have no meaning.

Motherhood has made me honest…about who I am and who I want to be.

Motherhood has made me caring…at times we’ve all been cruel to those around us. I realize that and I apologize to those I’ve hurt.

But most of all motherhood has taught me how to love. How to love without limits, without restrictions, without expecting anything in return, without boundaries and without knowing what will happen next.

To those who think motherhood has taken anything away from me, I’d like to object. I think it’s given me more than I could have ever imagined and for that I’m so thankful. Thank you, Drew!

On the move....

Drew has been a busy kid lately. He's more on the go now than ever. Between his walker and his activity mat (see photo) he's always moving, grabbing and playing. It's a lot of fun...but also a lot of work. He use to sleep a lot more than he does now and he use to be entertained easier. Now he gets bored fast and when he does you better find something for him to do and fast.

Drew sleeping in his own room in his own crib is going well. He's enjoying the freedom and seems to be sleeping a little longer and better each night. I guess more room and a better mattress helps.

Drew's own crib....really!

On Friday, Drew and I hung out at home waiting for the A/C guy. It's wonderful how they give you a window of say 8 hours. Someone will be there between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m....right like I have nothing to do during that time. Anyway, we took the opportunity to make a serious change...moving Drew into his own room-officially! I took down the pack n play in our room and moved his monitor into his room. He started out by taking naps in the crib on Friday, but the real test was last night. I'm happy to report that both Drew and I made it through the night. In fact, he actually slept a little longer than normal...like an hour and a half longer which is great. I only woke up a few times to check on him and I wasn't as stressed as I thought I would be. Anyway, Drew now has his own space and mom and dad have their room back!

Drew has his first set of wheels

Drew is on the move...he's got his first set of wheels-his walker. He can only go in reverse, he hasn't mastered forward yet, but it still fun to watch. Here's a photo of him in his walker. He's looking into the butterfly mirror for the first time and I guess his reflection is shocking to him....