Leavin' on a jet plane...

Well, not quite yet, but in about a month from now we'll be going on our first family vacation to Beaches, Turks and Caicos! Andrew's passport is ready to go, now if we can only figure out how we're going to pack all the crap we need! The passport is too funny not to share:

First Phillies Game

On Sunday July 26th we took Andrew to his first Phillies game! He had a great time looking at all the people, hearing all the new noises and watching the Phillies beat the Cardinals! It was a super hot and humid July day so we watched 3 innings from our seats, did a little walking around the concourse and watched the end of the game from the concourse behind home plate. All the excitement wore out the little guy and he ended up falling asleep in the carrier for the end of the game and the walk back to the car! We hope to take him to many more fun games in the years ahead!

First swimming class

Andrew's first experience with the pool wasn't quite the happy time I hoped it would be! While we were waiting for the class to begin at the YMCA there was a poop incident that cleared the kids pool. Luckily they didn't cancel the class all together but moved us into the adult lap pool which is 10 degreed colder! Duane got in with Andrew and when Duane had issues getting right in, I figured Andrew was going to freak out. Sure enough, he did as soon as his feet hit the water. He spent the rest of the class clinging to Duane, legs pulled up and screaming when he touched the chilly water. We're hoping the next 4 classes are in the warmer pool :)

My Baby and I project - Week 29/52

At Andrew's first GUS Open

8 months old!

Andrew at 8 months:

• Still always a happy boy, full of smiles :)
• Plenty of teething false alarms but nothing has popped through yet
• Sits up like a big boy and can reach in front and side to side without toppling over
• Just started "dancing" to the songs the Body parts puppy or Animal train sing
• Still nursing or drinking bottles of breastmilk plus eating solids 2 times a day. Loves all fruits and tolerates most veggies as long as they come before he tastes the sweet stuff
• Says lots of "da's" and "dadadada's"
• Starts rubbing his eyes around 7, is usually asleep by 7:45 and sleeps until about 6 AM
• Is observant to everything going on around him, never misses the chance to grab something and looks to see what every new noise is coming from
• Is able to pick things up with his feet that his hands can't reach
• Not really trying to get on all fours yet; rolls over to his back after being on his belly only a short while
• Is loved by everyone who knows him

My Baby and I project - Week 28/52

A week ago we got a new 24" iMac and one of the applications on it is "photo booth" which uses the webcam to make photo strips or funny photos. Me and Andrew tried it out today with these results:

My Baby and I project - Week 27/52

Andrew kisses are a little sloppy and feel more like he's sucking on your chin than giving a kiss :)

My Baby and I project - Week 26/52

Holy cow - we're over halfway through the year (and I'm behind on blogging)! Friday July 3rd we walked to downtown Phoenixville to enjoy the First Friday and Fourth of July festivities. We took Andrew in the carrier instead of trying to control the stroller on the hill going downtown and pushing it up the hill on the way home. We had dinner at Baxters, walked around the streets to listen to the music and see the sidewalk sales and walked home to enjoy the fireworks from our deck. Andrew did great in the carrier and even fell fast asleep on the way home as Mommy huffed and puffed up the hills! Here's a pic of us on the way down:

A fun weekend of firsts

The last weekend of June was a big one for Andrew! He had his first overnight stay away from home, first trip to the beach to see the sand and ocean, first time sitting in a restaurant high-chair and booster, first time on a playground swing and first time to the boardwalk. Mommy even had a first - first taste of cheese on Mack-n-Manco pizza since the no-dairy diet started February 1st (and boy was it delicious!).

We left for the Flower's house in Sea Isle, NJ on Friday night after meeting the Roth's for dinner complete with a crazy hail storm at Chic-fil-A. Andrew slept great in his Pack and Play for his first night away from home.

Saturday morning we got up, hung out and decided to go to the beach. Evan didn't want to go so Andrew, Duane, Shannon, Abby and I packed up and hiked over to the beach. We obviously didn't plan the trip out to well because we got there at high noon with high tide and people jammed everywhere, burned our feet on the hot sand, sweated with no breeze, upset Andrew by putting his feet in the cold ocean then left about 20 minutes after arriving when Andrew was melting down and needing a nap. It's pretty comical to think back to it now. After a nap and take out dinner we all took a long walk to the playground and Andrew had his first swing on a playground swing! We walked home, saw a turtle laying eggs and watched the sunset. It was a fun day.

Sunday we went to breakfast on the pier and Andrew sat like a big boy in the resturaunt high chair! Later in the afternoon we attempted the beach again and it went much smoother. Andrew played on a towel in his tent, Abby slept and Evan played ball and with his trucks. After showers we went over to the Ocean City Boardwalk. I couldn't resist my favorite Mack-n-Manco pizza so went against the no-dairy diet and had a few slices while Andrew again sat like a big boy in the booster seat. We were having so much fun we decided to stay over on Sunday night and take off on Monday.

It was a great weekend! Here are some pictures from it:

My Baby and I Project - Week 25/52