Our visit with The Mouse - October 2011

On September 31, we surprised the kids that we were taking them to Disney World for a week(really only Addy was surprised because Drew had no idea what was going on - he got really worked up off of Addy's excitement though, Addy was bouncing around the house). On October 1, we got on our plane and headed to Orlando. Unfortunately, we had a late flight and didn't get to Orlando until 8:30 and then didn't get to our hotel until 10:30, so we had to go straight to bed.

Our trip was wonderful. We were a little concerned because Drew is so young and has never travelled, but he did wonderfully. He loved all the people, sights and sounds. He was mesmerized by the characters and in awe of the princesses. We are so blessed to have two kids who love to travel just like we do.

I asked Addy some questions about our trip:

Favorite Ride: Tower of Terror (eeek, who knew she'd be a dare devil)
Favorite Princess: Tiana
Favorite Characters: Jesse and Woody
Favorite Food: Mickey Waffles (she asked for these every morning)
Magic Kingdom or Epcot: Epcot (cause I like Test Track)
Animal Kingdon or Hollywood Studios: Hollywood Studios (cause I like to ride Tower of Terror)

Growing!!

Today we had Drew's 9th month doctor's appointment and Addy's 4 year doctor's appointment. Both kids are doing great and growing good. Addy also passed her hearing and vision tests with flying colors. Drew grew so much that the nurse measured Drew's length and then left the room to chart it and tell the doctor. She came back in a couple minutes later saying she had to re-measure Drew. The doctor came in and said he had to be re-measured because he had grown so much that she wanted to make sure the measurement was correct. Drew is 18 3/4 pounds and 28 1/4 inches long. He went from 17th percentile in length to 50th percentile. Addy is 45 pounds and 42 inches tall. She went from over 100th percentile in both height and weight to 93rd percentile.

Both kids had to have shots today. Drew had just a flu shot, but Addy had to have 4 shots and the flu mist. Addy was so brave she volunteered to get her shots before Drew. Poor girl screamed so hard she burst a bunch of blood vessels around both eyes. Once the shots finished though she stopped crying and acted like a big girl. As a treat for acting so brave she got the Lion King DVD.

All in all it was a good day. Both kids are growing like they are supposed to and they are healthy, which is all I can ask for.

Drew is 9 Months Old!!

I can't believe my baby boy is 9 months old. Time really has flown. Here are some things Drew has been up to:

He is wearing moslyh 6-12 month clothing. Although he can still wear 3-6 month shorts. (He has short little legs:). He is wearing size 3 diapers.

He is really getting to be a fast crawler and has mastered the few stairs we have between our game room and bedrooms upstairs.

He is pulling up and cruising. He would rather be standing than sitting. Although he shows no interest in walking.

He is the friendliest little guy. We were on vacation (more on this later) last week and Drew flirted with and entertained everyone we met.

He still has no teeth, so we are still eating baby food. He is also pretty lazy when it comes to feeding and he refuses to hold his bottle or cup (he can, he just doesn't want to).

He sleeps 11-12 hours at night and then takes a 2-3 hour nap.

He loves bathtime (he really loves it when he is not locked in his bath seat - he is all over the tub) and loves to splash.

He loves his big sister but has started to become the annoying little brother. We have even started having a few fights between the siblings.

He is very independent and spends much of the day playing alone (I am really not used to this as his sister is very co-dependent).

He has started clapping and waves bye-bye. He is also starting to say a few words. On occasion he will say dada or mama while looking at us (dada was his first word).

Addy's Been Busy, Busy, Busy!!

We were playing outside a couple weeks ago and Addy came in looking like this. Because we have had no rain (except one night last week) everything is coated in a layer of dirt, including Addy.



Addy started ballet and tap class last week. She absolutely loves it.



Today is Addy's 1st day of Pre-K. I can't believe how old she is getting. She was so excited to be back at school (and I admit I am excited too).

Drew is 7 Months Old!!

Can't believe how time is flying. We are more than half way to 1 year. I missed his 6 month post, but he hasn't changed all that much between 6 and 7 months.

He weighs 16.8 pounds (hasn't gained any weight since his 6 month appt.)

He is wearing 6-12 month clothes, but can still wear some of his 3-6 month clothes.

He is wearing size 3 diaper.

He is rolling everywhere. He can get himself up on his knees and rock, but so far we onlyh have backward movement. There have been several occasions where I have walked into the room to find him under the couch.

He is sitting up very well.

He loves to play with Addy and loves his toys and jumperoo.

He has the sweetest belly laugh and is extremely ticklish.

He is eating 32-34 ounces of formula a day and eating fruit for breakfast and fruit and veggie for dinner. (He eats lunch some days too).

He is getting to be a much better car rider.

He loves to swim. He kicks his little legs and flaps his arms as fast as he can go.

Addy is 4!!!

We spent the last few days celebrating Addison's 4th birthday. Andrea (Scott's mom) and Susan (Scott's sister) and her boys Rob and Danny came down from Arkansas on Thursday to help us celebrate. Friday we visited the Houston Aquarium to fill the afternoon before picking up Scott from the airport (he was in Honduras all week). I had forgotten how small the aquarium was and how much "stuff" was outside. It was soooooo HOT! Susan and Rob rode a few rides while the rest of us tried to stay cool after getting Icees. After the aquarium we picked up Scott from the airport and enjoyed a dinner at Johnny Carinos (yummy).

Saturday we woke and did last minute party preparation. Addy's party this year was at Cypress Academy of Gymnastics. It was so much fun. Addy and her friends had a blast.

After her friend party we had the family party at my parent's house. Addy got a new bike and a water/sand table and table and chairs for our new patio. Of course, we also swam. It has been so hot here that the pool water really isn't even refreshing (more like bath water).

Sunday we met an old friend and his family in Kemah for dinner. After dinner we rode some of the rides and enjoyed the evening on the boardwalk. This is the third year in a row that we have been in Kemah on or around Addy's birthday. I guess it has become a tradition that we might keep up.

Monday (Addy's actual birthday) Scott stayed home from work and we had donuts for breakfast (Addy was so excited to choose a pink donut with sprinkles - she also mentioned it was her birthday and she got free donut holes). Addy played with her new toys and then she chose to have pizza for dinner. She also tried out her new bike, but only for about 5 minutes - have I mentioned it is HOT!

Overall Addy's birthday weekend was a lot of fun. We were so glad to have Scott's family come celebrate with us.

Yummy Avocado!!

Drew had avocado for the 1st time tonight. So far, he doesn't like oatmeal (plain) but he loves bananas in his oatmeal. So we decided to try avocado as his next food and by the end of the bowl he was leaning forward and grunting because Scott couldn't get it into his mouth fast enough. I think it is safe to assume that Drew loves avocado.

July 4th 2011

We headed to Galveston to spend the weekend with my family for the 4th. On the way, we picked up Scott's mother, Andrea. We rented a condo right on the beach. The resort had a really neat 3 level pool, a lazy river, a water slide and a "clean" beach. We enjoyed spending the days in our cabana, lounging in the pool and having fun on the water slide. We also took Addy to the beach one afternoon. We expected her to not enjoy the beach because it is really dirty and there was tons of seaweed, but she had a blast digging in the wet sand and finding sea shells. We also got out one evening for dinner at Gaidos - yummy seafood.

It was a really great weekend and definately something we will do again - except maybe next time we will go to a cleaner beach.

Drew is really happy to be at the beach

Cool Dude

Sunglasses she made herself

Enjoying the pool

How Drew spent his days in the cabana

Playing in the resort's "clean" sand

The beach

Catching Up - Pictures

Planting our herb garden

Cinco de Mayo

Sitting up



Chilling in the backyard



Slip n Slide

Swingin'

Addy playing "baby doll"

Eating cereal

Splash Pad fun

Crafts

Memorial Day 2011

This was a weekend of first. We spent the weekend with my family and spent a lot of time in the pool (becoming a tradition for Memorial Day I think). Drew "swam" for the first time and also went to his first Astro's game.

Four Months Old!!

Drew turned four months old on Monday. It seems like every day he is changing. There is something new he can do every day. It is amazing. The last few weeks have been wonderful. We finally got his reflux meds adjusted to work properly and the new formula he is on has worked wonders. Now that his tummy doesn't hurt he is a very happy baby. He loves to play and really doesn't like to lay down unless he is sleeping. He wants to sit and/or stand really badly. I think he will be like Addy and sit up and walk early (time will tell if I am right).

Today was Drew's four month check-up. He got two shots (poor baby) and the Rotovirus oral medicine. The doctor was very happy with his growth and he is moving up on the growth chart (considering he started out not even on the chart - he is doing good).

• Drew is 14 pounds 3 ounces (34%) and 24 inches long (17%).
  


• He is wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes, and a few 0-3 outfits. He wears size 1 shoes.



• He is still wearing size 1 diapers, but this is our last box and he will move to size 2 as soon as the 1's are gone.



• He eats 4 ounces every 2-3 hrs during the day and sleeps a 7-8 hour stretch at night.



• We will start him on cereal later this week (stay tuned for video - Addy's was pretty funny). He is starting to show interest in food -- I was eating the other day and he got mad because I wasn't giving any to him.



• He loves to stand up (assisted, of course).



• He has started blowing raspberries, does it all the time and constantly has spit running down his chin because he is blowing bubbles.



• He has started resisting being rocked to sleep at night. I know it's a good thing for him to fall asleep on his own, but I miss that quiet time with him. Instead he has a projector that projects stars onto the ceiling and plays music and he falls asleep to that.



• He is rolling from tummy to back again (he stopped for a while after he put on all the weight, guess he had to relearn how to get that chubby body over :)
  
  
  
  
  
  

What Drew is up to!!

He has gotten so big. We had to weigh him yesterday to get an update on his dosage for his reflux medication and he weighs almost 14 pounds and is 24 inches long. That means he has put on 4 pounds and grown 5-6 inches since his 2 month visit. He is no longer our little preemie. He is also getting real close to sitting up (he sits a lot because of his reflux, so he practices a lot). He has started playing in his exersaucer and he has also joined us at the dinner table (he's not eating yet, but he watches and is starting to get interested in food).

(Yes, my boy is sitting in a pink bumbo)