Not a baby anymore

Well, I promised more excitement to come and boy can I deliver.

Walking. Andrew wasn't really interested in walking until right about the time his grandparents got here. Then we got out his hippo (thanks Amy used to be Porterfield). He has this blue hippo that he can push and walk behind. He loves it. At first he was content to just go around the living room, but that didn't last for long. Now we spend large parts of the day walking the loop - through the dining room, down the hall, through the living room, and back to the dining room. Sometimes we go crazy and reverse the order. If he's not using the hippo he wants to do this holding on to someone's hands. I say hands, but about two days ago, after a little coaxing, he started using just one hand. Now he even likes to go down to the mailbox with just one hand. This event made the neighbors day. I wasn't in the house for more than three minutes before Doris called to tell me they saw us through the window and thought it was just adorable. So far the only steps he's taken by himself have been unintentional when he's reaching for a toy or wants to go from the couch to the toy chest.

Of course learning to walk has meant that I had to break down and buy him shoes. I was leary because socks were never a big hit and he wasn't used to having anything on his feet. Well, thanks to the fact that he had just learned where his feet were, he was really excited to learn that shoes go on his feet. Sometimes, he won't leave you alone until you put shoes on him, so he'll run around the house in a diaper and shoes - definitely modern chic. There have been a few catches in buying him shoes though. Largely it stems from the fact that my child is a pygmy. Because his feet are so small, I've had a hard time finding shoes that will fit him and bend. Most of the shoes for his size feet are just decorative. They tend to make him clumsy since they aren't flexible. I finally found him a pair to teva like sandals that work really well. Now we all have shoes that look alike. skot lined them all up one night and I must admit its really weird to see those small little shoes next to mine.

Standing which kind of goes hand-in-hand with walking is still a little sketchy. He'll stand by himself, but doesn't really see the benefit to it.

Andrew has two favorite activities right now (besides walking in circles). First is his shape sorter. We still have to help him find the right hole, but he loves to put the shapes in the ball. Since realizing the the shapes are good for more than just chewing on, this toy has become a favorite. If he wants me to play with him, he'll crawl through the house with it. If he just wants attention, then he brings me a book. That's right he loves his books. He'll go into his room and sit for thirty minutes for more just playing with his books. He pulls them all off his bookshelf and then sits in the big pile and flips through pages. He has several favorites, but Jane's Animal Expedition and anything by Eric Carle are the best. These are the types of books that he can lift flaps or are tactile. He's so gentle with them that we can even trust him with paper books and not just board books.

Saturday, August 20th, Andrew's first tooth arrived. He was drinking water out of my glass and I heard a tink-tink noise as he chewed on it. Sure enough, I felt a tooth in there. Most kids love to show off their teeth, but Drew refuses. You hardly ever see it, but I know its there. The second popped out on September 26th. The top gum looks and feels like one will come out at any minute, but so far nothing.

Just to prove how grown up he is, two important things happen in September. Andrew had his first playdate and he started staying in the nursery at church. In early September Ashlyn came over to play one afternoon. Things went well, even if Andrew seemed a little awed by the whirlwind that is Ashlyn. Since she's 2 1/2 months older than Drew and has been walking for a while, he was really interested in just watching her. As for the nursery, after me staying in there with him one Sunday and skot the next he took to it like a duck to water. Of course there are usually more workers than kids when he's in there, so he gets lots of attention and all the holding he wants. The workers all say that he's fine and they don't have any problems with him. Even last week when he was crying when I went to pick him up, they swore he had just started. I'm not sure if they are just trying to be nice or if he really is fine, but I think its good for him regardless. I think leaving him was actually harder for skot than it has been for me. Sunday mornings used to be their time to cuddle and catch up since skot was working such long hours. Now Drew won't nap with him anymore and doesn't have a problem being left for a little while. It was a blow to skot.

My big blow came today. We took Andrew for his first haircut. skot (of all people) had to talk me into it. I kept saying I wasn't ready for him to look like a little boy yet. I still haven't gotten over it. He looks so much older. For his part, Andrew handled it with aplomb. He grinned and smiled and acted perfect. the whole time I was trying not to put him up and run out screaming. He's not my baby anymore, now he's a little boy.

liz