Recently (in pictures)

Recently...

Andrew's been standing up to play with his mobile during naptime.

Climbing right out of his mini tub.And sportin' a crazy 'do. Or two.He's been eating like a champ.

Getting into a bit of mischief.

And loving every minute of it.

Serving as a human junk mail compactor.

Making friends at the Air and Space Museum's story hour.And admiring the airplanes. While thematically dressed, of course.

The little guy's been going on jogs with his daddy.

Working hard.

"So, are we gonna do this thing or not?"

Cruising.

And just generally being a pure delight.

This Is His Determined Look

This is his determined look.It's the look he wears when he's on a mission.

It's a little bit in the eyes, but mostly in the mouth.

It's what I see when I head down the hall, turn around, and see him crawling frantically to keep up.

It's the one that takes over when he spots a shoe left out.

It's in place as he pulls up and pops his little head up over the edge of the coffee table.

It's a sure sign that he sees the remote within his reach.

It's there as he rounds the corner into the kitchen.

It's just right for the moments that he tries to escape from being lotioned.

It's all Andrew and it's all determination.

It's a really great look.

Faces

Photographer I am not. Artiste I am not. But I am pretty pleased with this new collection of delectability for my wall.

He's kinda scrumptious.

Andrew at 8 Months

I present Andrew's 8 month blanket picture...
Boy, was that one hard to get! The little guy kept rolling over.Which led to him crawling away. Which led to him pulling up.

Which led to him intently executing that noise.

But we got the pictures.

Whew. I can't imagine what this is going to be like when he's twelve.

Just kidding. I promise.

Andrew's eighth month has been a full one!

He's learned to crawl and to pull up.

He's just barely begun to cruise.

He started taking a bottle and eating baby meats.
And he broke in two bottom teeth.

All in all, he's pretty pleased with himself.

And so are we.

And so are we.

Onesie Couture

My friend Emily has started a little side business called Onesie Couture, featuring be-ribboned onesies, burp cloths, and bibs. She gave Andrew the opportunity to try on a onesie for the camera.

As distinguished from modeling. This most certainly was not modeling. Andrew's father just about died when he once heard it mistakenly referred to as such.

Glad we're all clear on this.

{Thanks for the fun opportunity, Em!}

Didn't See It Coming

I knew it was big when Andrew started crawling. But for some reason, I thought we'd hover in a crawling pattern for a while. Instead, we're at full throttle, barreling down the mobility highway.

As soon as we got back to DC, I started seeing a bit of this. And then a little of this.

And finally, THIS. Oh, yikes!

I just didn't see it coming! At least not yet!

Enjoying the City

We had a mission this weekend to make sure we enjoyed the city. Mission accomplished!

On Saturday, we loaded up and headed to East Potomac Park for a picnic under the trees, where we could watch the boats on the river. It was so nice.

Jacob and I had a spread of cheese and crackers, mixed nuts and mandarin oranges. Yum!

Andrew had whale. Double yum!

Then, on Sunday, we toured our new home.
And its gardens.

I think we should be comfortable there.

Although perhaps a tad warm.

Seriously, the Hillwood Estate and Gardens are now on my list of must see's in DC. Andrew had so much fun that he was only half-conscious on the Metro home.

It was just that great.

Tidbits

Just some tidbits to finish out our time in Birmingham...

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We got in some nice visits with friends and family along the way. A few snaps of some heretofore unmentioned visits...





What a joy it was to catch up with all these wonderful women!

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The little guy started crawling down South.



Pretty soon, he was leading the show.



Not really. But Lily Rose did give him a turn as line leader.

We bought a playpen on our way back from the airport.

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Some naked play was had.



And enjoyed.

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Andrew left Birmingham a completely weaned baby. It's been a week and a day since his last nursing. My body's still fighting it. And so is my heart. But Andrew's doing beautifully. Now to wean him from the Karo syrup we had to put in those bottles...

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I miss this sweet thing.I really,

really,

really

miss her.

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Did you know they sell that dry Ranch dressing mix in a big ol' shaker jar? Well, they do! I found it at the Wal-mart in Birmingham! The grocery stores I frequent in the District don't seem to stock the little packets (sad, but true) and there's no Wal-mart in the immediate vicinity (also sad, but also true), so I nabbed one of those shaker jars and took it along on my interstate travel. Can I tell you how excited I am to have it in my pantry? I love that stuff!

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And, finally, I present perhaps the greatest view in the world.

Having a baby underfoot is a really good thing. Who's with me on this?