Blogging Goal

I have been pestering my mom and sister to post on there blogs more often so I can see pictures of the family. They kindly reminded me that they do not have husbands who post regularly. Patrick is very good at keeping records, he is the one who fills out the baby book, posts on our blog etc. I just reap the benefits, but I am realizing that I should be more involved in this, especially blogging if for no other reason then to be fair to my mother and sister when I am begging for a updated post. But also to let my voice be heard or found in the blogging world. My goal is to blog once a week...we will see how long that lasts. Your encouragement is welcome.

Confession

Don't let Pat know, but I love diaper changing time. I know it sounds funny. Andy is a typically happy boy, but he is almost always full of smiles and wiggles during a diaper change. Of course a diaper change normally starts out with some "complaining" as Andy lets us know that it is time, but once he is on his changing table he starts to play, smile, and coo. Of course, the actual diaper changing itself is gross (and I am sure it will get grosser as he ages)... but the happiness and joy of my baby boy when it is done makes it all worth it. Who wouldn't be happier with a clean diaper. This does not mean that I am unwilling to share this bonding time with Pat. I am one to promote good father/son relationships. :) Below are some diaper changing moments minus the gross part. Watch out for those lightning fast hands and feet.

Smiles

Andrew has been "socially" smiling for a couple of weeks now (as opposed to his previous "poopy" and "gassy" smiles), but it has been devilishly difficult to capture any of them on film. However, thanks to the mad camera skills of my sister-in-law and my own quick trigger finger, we have been able to catch a few photos of his heart-melting grin. Enjoy!

The Verdict is Still Out ...

The on going debate on who Andrew looks most like will last his life time. I do think he looks like Patrick. Here is a picture of Patrick at about 2 months old and Andrew at 5 weeks old. Same face shape, same nose...I will look to find a picture with his eyes open, because the eyes are the same too, except Andrew's eyes are still grey. They do have specks of brown in them though.

Fourth Folder Fourth Picture

Since Patrick has already done this tag I had to tweak the rule to post. So I used the fourth folder and the fourth picture down instead of across. This picture is of a Canadian goose taken at the Hoogle Zoo in June of 2007. My Parents, my sister and her two kids went with us. Zoos are great places to visit, especially with kids.

I tag Lorri Hansen and David Badger. You are to post the fourth picture from your fourth folder and write an explanation of it.

Like Mother Like Son!

People often ask me whether Andrew looks more like me or Julie. I think he looks more like Julie; she respectfully disagrees and says that he takes after me. I present the following pictures to bolster my case:

On the left is Julie, on the right Andrew. They could be twins!

I took this picture this morning. Look at their mouths; spitting images!

I rest my case. Let me know what you think.

Christmas Adventures

For Christmas this year, Julie and I decided to drive down to my brother's place in Alexandria, Virginia and watch their pets for a week. Andy is still a little small for a cross country trip, but a five hour drive was perfect. He actually travels quite well; he spends the entire time either asleep or quietly feeding. Anyway, I digress. In order to show his appreciation for our pet-sitting services, Phil arranged for us to take a tour of the West Wing of the White House. It was quite the experience! We saw the cafeteria (run by the Navy), the door to the Situation Room, the Roosevelt Room (which is the Theodore Roosevelt Room when a Republican is president and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Room when a Democrat is president), and, of course, the Oval Office. We couldn't take pictures inside the White House, but we did get a couple on the outside and one in the Press Room.

Andy slept through the entire tour, but we now have photographic proof that he visited his future home as an infant!

Christmas itself was alot of fun; we spent the day opening presents and generally being rather lazy. Andy was as cute as ever, and is already growing so fast. Here are some more pictures of the little primate. Enjoy!

Andy with his stocking stuffers. He enjoyed them all very much, especially the bottle brush; he just can't wait to wash his own bottles!

Here the little guy is opening one of his presents. Just look at the sheer excitement on his face!

Julie made Andy and me matching pajama bottoms. It's all the rage. Admit it, you wish you were as cool as Andy and I are!

After opening the presents, we were all pretty exhausted. Andy promptly took a nap. Isn't he just the cutest?

Well, that's it for now. Stay tuned for more pics from New Year's!