Sailor Suit

Sewn by Shawn's grandmother in the late 1970s!


Andrew, 12 months, 2010


Shawn, 18 months, 1979

Little Moments

I love the little moments of parenting. The quiet ones that don't get described in the baby milestone books. Like the tiny hand resting on my knee.

Winter Day Fun

Playing music in the fort while the snow comes down outside.

Baa Baa

Somebody's excited about the sheep that just popped out of his toy. REALLY excited.

Today's Menu

He's finally figured out how to use his spoon right-side-up! And for those of you following, he is still a lefty as far as we can tell.

Breakfast-
Half a Banana
Half an Avocado
Wheat Puffs in Milk

Snack - Cheerios

Lunch-
Scrambled Egg
Toast with Jam
Black Beans

Snack - Goldfish

Dinner-
Yogurt with Blueberries
Applesauce
Hummus and Veggies
Cheese

All meals served with a sippy cup of whole milk. We know he's done eating when he starts tossing food to Bosley :)

Dada Lookalike

If I wasn't present for his birth, I'd wonder if this kid was really mine. He looks so little like me! Red Hair v Brown Hair; Brown Eyes v Blue Eyes; Short Nose v Long Nose....he does have my ears and barely-there eyebrows though. That counts for something, right?

Cutie Pie

Confession: Though I loved taking care of newborn Andrew, I'm having so much more fun playing with little toddling and babbling Andrew. Such a cutie pie!

Borrowed from Celeste's Blog

At 13 Months You Could...
Dance to the beat
Say "ball" anytime you see something circular
Charm us with your 8 toothed smile
Show us where your toes are
Command you parents. "Letsgo!" "Eat!"
Say around thirty words, your new one being "blueball" (blueberry).
Run, and squeal with happiness as you do it
Help get yourself dressed

At 13 Months You Would...
Walk to the front door if I told you it was time for us to go to the car
Climb into your Little Tikes truck and close its door behind you
Find stuff on the floor and hold it out for us to come take it away from you.
See cars out the window and point, calling them "rara's"
Bring us books to read to you - your latest favorite "the little red hen."
Be mesmerized by Baby Einstein movies
Play with the goodies in your personal kitchen cabinet while I made you meals
Find our phones (or the remotes) and hold them to your ear and say "hello"

At 13 Months You Loved...
Cows. Pictures of them, Cartoons of them, the moo sounds.
Balls. Big ones, little ones.
your Mama
Nursing
eating fruit
giving Mama open mouth kisses.
Music.
Empty containers.
Walking around the house, thinking Mama isn't watching you.

At 13 Months You Hated...
Getting your face wiped off
Being told that bath time is over
Meat

Copycat

Time for me to start being a little more careful with what I say and do around Andrew! The mimicry phase has commenced. Next thing I know he'll be telling everyone the contents of my phone calls :)

Bookworm

Andrew has become such an active reader- following along, saying the words he remembers, pointing at objects he recognizes, and turning pages. There is some great kid lit out there and I'm so glad Andrew enjoys listening to it. We're spending lots of time at the library these days. What are your favorite children's books?

New Favorite

It seems like each month Andrew has a different new favorite play thing. He's finally gotten past the empty yogurt containers and now loves this leggy creature who has lights, sound, buttons, wheels, shapes and a pull string. And he brings it EVERYWHERE. Thanks to Great-aunt Kelly for the toy!

We're Back

For those wondering the outcome, the doctor couldn't find a thing wrong with him, other than swollen nasal passages. She suggested putting on a humidifier and getting allergy testing done when he's a bit older. The congestion may just disappear as his head/neck grows, or with changes of season. A physical exam showed clear ears (has never had an ear infection thanks to breastfeeding, and yes we're still nursing), sleeps well, eats/drinks alot, is happy and active. She said those are the best indicators that its not serious. We'll just keep an eye on him for any changes. Otherwise, he's healthy as a horse. And quickly growing as large as one too....

Darth Vader

Since Thanksgiving, Andrew has been doing some serious Darth Vader style night-breathing. I'm taking him to the pediatrician tomorrow to figure out what's going on. He has no cold, its not snoring (his mouth is closed). Just something going on with his sinuses or adenoids I presume. He sounds really congested. Maybe allergies? I suppose it could be a deviated septum or other obstruction. Maybe a form of apnea? He breathes perfectly fine when upright and is otherwise a happy, healthy guy. Will keep you posted. I doubt its anything serious.

Playhouse Fun

This playhouse was sewn by my mother in law for little Shawn and Erin. It fits right over a card table. I'm so glad she hung onto it - here's Andrew having a fun time with the playhouse, featuring grown up Aunt Erin.

Shake It

Dancing king, young and sweet, only month thirteen...

4 generations of Gordons

Great Grandparents Sandy and Sol, Grandpa Richie, Mama Susan and Baby Andrew. Photo taken at Aunt Jaclyn's baby shower, we're excited to be welcoming another baby boy into the family in March!

Catch Me If You Can

While in Ohio, Andrew would tease his Pop Pop by poking his head into Bill's office and laughing, as if saying "catch me if you can". Occasionally Bill would take him up on it, and one of those times I caught this video.

Up

Sorry I've been amiss about posting video, I'll try to find some more this week. Here's a chatty Andrew figuring out how to climb our stairs.

Emma the Chocolate Lab

That's one small step for man, but one giant leap for a baby.

Red?!?!?!

We may have a definitive answer to the hair color mystery. Here's a picture of Andrew in the sunlight....sure looks like a redhead to me!

Hair!

Anyone want to guess the color? 13 months old and I still have no idea. Crazy! Thanks again, Meg, for the photo.

Andrew and Grady

The boys at almost 13 and 23 months, respectively. Photos by Meg.

Retro Toys

Shawn's mom saved his childhood toys from the 80s - any of these look familiar to you?

Bathroom Humor

Good thing we had a few extra rolls.

Winter Wonderland

Andrew enjoyed his first sled ride on the Farm.

Happy New Year!

We closed 2010 with a trip to Franklin Park where my friend Meg took another beautiful set of portraits of Little A. I'll share a couple with you here. Today Nana and Pop Pop are watching Andrew while Shawn and I go catch the new Harry Potter movie and we'll have some homemade pizza for dinner. My kind of day! Happy New Year to all, wishing you a healthy one filled with love.

Stanley the Cat

Up until now, Andrew's only had contact with dogs and cows. He LOVED meeting a cat as you can see. He's starting to make connections between photos, cartoons and real life animals of of the same variety. When you think about it, that's pretty crazy because a photo, a caricature and an actual moving cat don't really look alike. His favorite animal by far is the cow, which he calls a "boo". He points out boos on the milk carton, in books, on the tv - you name it. We even have a boo doll.

Gifts Galore!

It was a fun Christmas in Ohio - Andrew cried and slept through Xmas 2009, so I consider this his first holiday celebration. Gifts galore! He seemed more interested in the tree than the boxes. Kept pointing at it, saying "whats this?" (wassis?) Noteworthy: Andrew is wearing a sailor suit that Shawn's grandma sewed for him in the 1970s.

Merry Christmas!

And a Happy New Year! We're busy for the holidays, so don't mind if my posts are a bit infrequent in the next week or two. I'll be back soon enough.

Rockstar Academy Training, Day 2

Rollin' in his 5.0 with his rag-top down so his fuzz can blow.

Rockstar Academy Training, Day 1

To the extreme he rocks a sock like a vandal.

Snack Attack

Thanks to Jenn and Shannon for gifting Andrew with this snack container! Its become a permanent fixture in his hand, and while on the go he's always munching on his O's. A much less messy endeavor than our previous setup :)

Late Night Online Christmas Shopping

At LLBean.com of course, does the vest give it away? Or the insulated coffee cup?

Baby Burrito

12 month stats: 21 lbs 5 oz (28th percentile), 30.25" (67th percentile).

Birthday Party

We had so much fun! Thanks to all who joined us to celebrate Andrew's 1st and our survival of year one: parenthood.

Thanks, Auntie E!

A big thank you goes out to Aunt Erin, who came to help me with Bosley and Andrew while Shawn was overseas for a week. As you can see, Andrew is over the moon for Erin and I think the feeling is mutual :) We'll be seeing her again soon for Christmas, when we go out to Ohio for a couple of weeks to spend time with friends and family out there.

Happy 1st Birthday!

There was never a child so lovely but his mother was glad to get him to sleep. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

We survived! One year later I'm alive, sane, still happily married and mama to an adorable toddler who amazes me with his smarts and sense of humor. What a wondrous time its been, such beautiful moments. I see my Mom in him every day - he has her eyes, they crinkle when he smiles. Happy 1st birthday to my Little A! You are so loved.

Day 364

One year ago today was last day that this little bundle of cuteness was still inside keeping warm at a toasty 98.6 degrees, my life was just about to change in a big wonderful way...

Fire Truck Fun

Since receiving his birthday gift last week, Andrew has figured out how to get into it by himself, as well and open and close its door. Getting out of it is a different story altogether....

Babyproofing

Guess its time to babyproof the kitchen.

no no no

Officially a Toddler

If this isn't toddling, I don't know what is.

We're Back!

We had a great time visiting family over the weekend. Hung around the house, ate good food. The 8 hours each way in the car didn't seem to bother Andrew too much. Pictured here are Aunt Jaclyn - expecting a baby boy in March; and Uncle Adam - who gifted Andrew with his first Little Tikes riding truck. Andrew's sporting a very cute top that Jaclyn bought him on the occasion of his first Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Andrew's first Thanksgiving! We'll be going to my sister's in Maryland to spend it with family. Will post again when we return.

Smart Dude

His new favorite: screwing on and off the tops of bottles. Andrew has actually figured out how to rotate his wrist to get it on and off. Smart dude. I'd also like to take this moment to point out that he has gigantic hands.

Caught in the Act

I'd say he's walking about 50% of the time now and is very proud of himself when he does.

Like Parents, Like Son

Shawn/Susan/Andrew

Walking

Every day Andrew seems to lengthen his string of steps. For now it's at about 5-10 before he takes a tumble. Soft walking shoes may make his Christmas list this year?

Word #20

....no! He uses this all the time - when we read, when he doesn't want to do something, when I give him food he doesn't like...

Word #19

Uh Oh

Playtime

with Nana and Pop Pop

Meal Time

Zzzzzz's

Car ride = instant nap.

Jenn and Laura

Every week since the spring, Andrew and I visit at lunchtime with Jenn and Laura, staff in the RPI Art Department. He ADORES them, as you can see. We read, sing and play....oftentimes drawing people in from the West Hall corridors with our noise :) Andrew is quickly becoming the department mascot.

Back Home

Very tired, great trip, will resume posting tomorrow!