Friday, December 18, 2009

Washing Hands

Andrew seems to be learning a lot these days - especially, from watching aspects of mommy and daddy's routine.  For example, he tries to put on his own socks.  He can't quite figure out how to get the sock hole open so he basically just ends up placing them on top of his feet.  His latest trick is washing his hands.  We keep sanitizer on the changing table and noticed that he starting rubbing his hands together at the same time we were.  Here's a video of him practicing his hand washing.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Andrew is 11 Months (+9 Days)


We were a little behind in taking Andrew's 11 month picture since we were out of town and he was under the weather. However, here is the link to the Watch Andrew Grow album where we've uploaded his recent shots.

We can't believe that the little man is going to be 1 year old in 3 weeks. We'll be sure to post some updated pictures from the holidays and from his birthday celebrations later this month. Happy Holidays!

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Andrew's New Playroom



Grandma and Grandpa Martin recently visited and did a makeover of our bonus room. Grandma Martin has been planning this makeover for months and her idea of the horizontal stripes turned out great. She worked so hard and late for nights and the room turned out great. You can see from the pictures here that Andrew is already enjoying his new room and waiting for new things to put in the cabinets and magnetic wall.

Thank you to Grandma Martin for her ideas and hard work. Andrew made a sign for one of the pictures but then he attacked his own sign. Thank you also to Grandpa Martin for his constant trips to Lowe's and painting efforts.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Happy Halloween?


So I just looked at several friends' blogs and all of their kids looked like they enjoyed or at least tolerated Halloween costumes. This was not the case in our house as you will be able to tell via the pictures and video in this post. We tried two different costumes and both caused an Andrew riot. It was actually pretty hilarious, but I simultaneously felt guilty for putting him through the discomfort of the costume.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Andrew is 10 Months Old?!


I can't believe my baby is already 10 months old. I know that people say all the time that they can't believe how fast time flies by, but I just can't believe that it's been 10 months since Andrew was born. He has changed so much and continues to bring me so much joy.

In terms of what he's been up to, you name it - he's getting into it.
* He pulls up to stand on everything - dressers, open dishwashers, cabinets, walls, his crib, my legs, etc.
* He started crawling on his knees (vs. army crawling) on his official 10 month birthday
* He can walk around when holding on to pieces of furniture
* He's been saying dada and mama for awhile, but he doesn't differentiate between the two (the mamama comes out more when he's tired or sick and the dadada comes out when he's excited)
* He made his first trip to the dentist earlier this month (8 teeth in, 3 on the way)
* His favorite toys right now are anything that makes noise
* He has started 'dancing' to his toddler tunes (more like a head bop and wiggle while sitting on his tush)

We are in the process of fixing up his playroom so that he will have more space to roam and burn off some energy. We'll post pictures of the finished product soon. In the meantime, here is a link to a few shots from his 10 month photo shoot - there weren't too many good shots this month since he was a bit cranky from 4 hours in the car.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Our Not-So-Little Pumpkin


Thought we would share pictures from Andrew's first pumpkin patch trip. We went to a nice farm down the street and Andrew helped us pick out some pumpkins for the front door. Happy fall!

Click here for the pictures.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Random October Life and Martin Family Visit



It's been a rainy September and October in Charlotte, which is good for the Martin family.  We recently planted a set of trees and shrubs in our backyard.  Here are some pictures of the old and new backyard.

We had a special visit by Grandma Martin, who came for a week to take care of Andrew.  Grandpa Martin later joined her to give us a night away as a belated birthday present for Jason.  I think the grandparents enjoy teaching Andrew new tricks.  For example, Grandma Dawn taught Andrew how to "climb" stairs and Grandpa Fred put him in a bucket.  Not sure what putting him in a bucket would teach him but he seemed to enjoy it.  Find pictures of a few of our random October adventures, including some playtime with friends Grady Nettles and Jack Rook, here.

We have Andrew's first Halloween coming up and he's excited to dress up and stay at home (don't think he is ready to walk from house to house yet).  We also have a trip to Rocky Mount planned to see Grandma and Grandpa Martin.


Saturday, September 26, 2009

Andrew's 9 Month Birthday

So our monthly "Watch Andrew Grow" photo shoots are becoming increasingly difficult.  The little man just won't sit still.  Click here for our attempt at some 9 month shots.  

Andrew continues to grow big and strong.  We're anxious to see his official stats at his 9 month check-up on Monday.  He's still army crawling, can pull up from the sitting position and we've found him standing in his crib.  He couldn't quite figure out how to get down so he had to cry out for help.  He's starting to 'walk' around our ottoman coffee table while holding on.  He has 8 teeth (yes, that is a LOT for his age) and when he shows his pearly whites he looks like he's 19 months instead of 9.  He's been a bit of a picky eater lately, but we're excited to see how he handles some 'adult' food soon.  Andrew LOVES other little people.  He goes wild when he sees anyone under the age of 2.  

Click here to see some other random shots from the past month.  We can't believe how quickly the past 9 months have gone by!  

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Gibbons Family Visit

Grandma and Pop Gibbons came for a quick visit this weekend since they will be out of town when we make a trip to Atlanta next weekend.

Andrew enjoyed hanging out with them while his dad was running the Blue Ridge Relay. Here are some pictures of the little man and his adoring grandparents.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Say Cheese!


Andrew made his first trip to his dad's home state of Wisconsin last weekend. We had a great time hanging out with our Wisconsin family and introducing Andrew to everyone. Some of the highlights of the trip included:

1) Andrew was an amazing traveler - the only noise he made on the plane was hysterical laughter (playing peekaboo with the lady next to us). He slept through the landing in both Wisconsin and Charlotte (see pic below).

2) We hung out with Andrew's Aunt Melissa and Uncle Shawn and attended their boat party on Lake Geneva.

3) Andrew got to meet his great-Grandparents and several other family members and friends. Four generations of Martin men in the same place made for some great photo opportunities.

It was a great trip and we hope to go back soon. Thanks to Melissa and Shawn for letting us convert their bedroom into a nursery for the weekend! For the full photo album, click here.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Andrew's 8 Month Birthday



Today is Andrew's 8 month birthday and we're going to call his 8th month the 'Adventurous Andrew' month. He's walking around (actually taking real steps) if you hold his hands for balance. He can almost pull himself up on our coffee table ottomans. He's diving forward to reach for things (almost too eagerly). He's a daredevil. However, he's still not that interested in crawling - he prefers an army crawl or pivoting around on his stomach to do a 360 as I move a toy around and out of his reach (yes, this sounds mean, but I'm just trying to help him crawl!).

Check out the additions to the Watch Andrew Grow album here.


We've also posted some pictures from the Gibbons family visit last weekend here. (We really need to do a better job of taking pictures of other people with Andrew, but none of us are as cute as he is.)


We are headed to Wisconsin on Friday, which means Andrew will have his first plane ride. We're hoping that all goes smoothly at the airport and that he does okay on the plane. We're looking forward to seeing our Wisconsin family!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

A Special Video for Aunt Katie

Before Andrew heads to Wisconsin to get his fill of Wisconsin Badgers, we thought we should post this video for Andrew's Aunt Katie to show that he is learning his Georgia Bulldog cheers.  Plus, he was going to outgrow his GA gear before football season.



Saturday, August 8, 2009

Week with Grandma and Jason's 30th











Andrew enjoyed a week with Grandma Martin as his nanny. They went to the library and Mr. Nigel. Grandma Martin and Jason also took Andrew to the subdivision pool for the first time. He liked to splash around and stand (with assistance) in the pool. Finally, Andrew got his first taste of ping-pong but has many years to go before he can beat his dad.

Also, we celebrated Jason's 30th birthday with both sides of the family in-town.

To view pictures of his week with Grandma Martin, click here.

To view pictures of Jason's 30th birthday party, click here.

Friday, July 31, 2009

The Joy of Teething

Last weekend we were able to capture a prime example of Andrew's teething experience on video. He found some relief by chewing on the high chair tray, but he didn't know whether to laugh, cry or scream. It was hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time. Click here to share in the Joy of Teething.



Monday, July 27, 2009

Happy 7 Month Birthday!


Andrew celebrated his 7 month birthday yesterday with a trip to Target, a visit from Grandma and the arrival of a few more teeth (a video that we affectionately call 'The Joy of Teething' will be posted later). He's looking forward to celebrating his daddy's 30th birthday this week and to seeing the rest of his grandparents over the weekend.

We are slowly preparing to child proof our house because we can tell that the little man is going to get into everything. We're also gearing up for Andrew's first plane trip in a few weeks to visit our Wisconsin family. We have lots to look forward to in Andrew's 7th month! We are also hoping that the 7th month comes with better sleeping habits and relief from teething.

Click here for a link to our 7 month photo shoot. Let's just say that he was a bit of a wild child when I was taking his picture, so it was hard to get him to sit still and not try to eat the 7 month sign.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Independence Day


Andrew would like to wish everyone a happy July 4th!

Some pictures of him celebrating (and sitting up like a big boy) can be found here.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Sleeping


Andrew's favorite new sleeping position for the past few weeks has been on his side or his stomach.  Since he's been rolling from front to back and back to front every chance he gets, I guess he just figured that he can reposition himself to a more cozy sleeping position.  Granted, since I started catching him asleep on his stomach, I've been making several trips a night into his room to check on him.  He sometimes wakes up mad when he realizes he's on his tummy since he was never a big fan of tummy time.  However, he's been better lately and is realizing that you can reach for a lot more stuff when you're on your belly as opposed to your back (some pictures of that are also included here).  

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Fun with Food (& Other Random June Shots)


We started feeding Andrew some baby oatmeal a few weeks ago. It took him awhile to warm up to it, but he's doing a much better job with the spoon and has moved on to sweet potatoes. Hopefully he's not a picky eater like his mom.

Check out some of the pictures from his first eating experience along with some other shots from this month here.

Andrew is 6 Months Old!




Andrew Joseph Martin turned 6 months old yesterday. We can hardly believe it - the time has gone by so quickly - I feel like we just brought him home from the hospital. However, when I look at the pictures from back then, I realize how much he's changed and how big he's gotten. His official 6 months stats at the doctor yesterday were as follow:

Height - 26.5 inches (50th percentile)
Weight - 17 pounds 7 ounces (50th percentile)

His latest tricks include rolling from point to point (I'm afraid that he's just going to roll around the house as opposed to crawling), sleeping on his side, sitting and playing with toys with less support and eating some solids without too much of a mess (relatively speaking).

We continue to be completely in love and in awe of everything he does. Check out his 6 month photos under the Watch Andrew Grow link.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Andrew's 5 Month (+3 Days) Birthday


Andrew's 5 month birthday (5/26) was celebrated while we were at the beach, so his 'Watch Me Grow' shot was taken a few days late.  This month has included lots of smiles, laughs, teething frustration, and practice sitting up and holding his bottle on his own (with some support).  He's more fun by the minute and is growing like a weed.

I've posted the entire 5 month photo shoot here (there were several funny pics that at least the grandparents will enjoy - he tried to eat the arm of the chair, body slammed the frog, etc.), but the traditional monthly comparison is still under the Watch Andrew Grow section of the blog.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Andrew at the Beach














We joined my parents in Hilton Head for their annual Memorial Day week visit.  Katie was also able to make the trip this year, so we had a great time spending time with the Gibbons crew and Andrew enjoyed being spoiled with attention.

Andrew experienced several firsts this week - 'walking' on the beach, splashing his feet in the ocean, and taking a dip in the pool.  He spent a lot of time just looking around and taking in the scenery.  Check out some of the pictures from the week here.  Andrew provided the captions.

We were also able to stop in Walterboro, SC on the way home to visit my college roommate and good friend, Ashley.  

It was a great week and we wish we were still on vacation!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Our Very Hungry Caterpillar


Jason's Aunt Jill and Uncle Chuck came to Charlotte for a visit and brought Andrew The Very Hungry Caterpillar book and caterpillar stuffed animal to match.  Andrew loves his new toy and seems to enjoy 'eating' the very hungry caterpillar.

Check out some pictures from the visit and the past few days here.  

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Andrew is teething?!

Somehow we went from no teeth on Monday (4/27) at the pediatrician's office (4 month check-up) to a tooth breaking through and another one on the way by Wednesday (4/29)!  While it's definitely on the early side for teething, it does explain his massive amounts of drool.  The poor little guy is in a lot of pain, but is in good spirits for the most part.  Simultaneously, we're transitioning him to formula, which thankfully, he likes - I think he'd eat anything we put in front of him.  We're also trying to put him to sleep un-swaddled.  I think he'd be fine with this if it weren't for the fact that he keeps waking himself up to try to get his hands in his mouth (probably tied to the teething).

Needless to say, he's got a lot of change to process and we're hoping that he continues to be the happy little man he's been to date.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Andrew is 4 Months Old!



Today marks Andrew's 4 month birthday - we can't believe how much he has changed / grown! The pictures above show him at 4 days old versus 4 months old (for the complete progression, check out the Watch Andrew Grow section of the blog).  We go to the pediatrician tomorrow for his official weigh in / height check.  He's definitely proven to be a good eater and has the belly and cheeks to prove it!  His extra chubs haven't slowed him down - he rolled over from his tummy to his back for the first (and second) time this week.  It was hilarious to watch because he had this stunned look on his face when he ended up on his back and was just happy to be relieved of tummy time.  

We continue to love every minute with Andrew.  Check out a few additional pictures from today in the radom April album (click here).

Thursday, April 23, 2009

April Pictures Update


Just a quick update on the family...we have been very lucky to have grandparents serve as nannies over the past three weeks.  Andrew has really grown to love the time with his grandparents and he was sad to see them go.  



Friday, April 10, 2009

Mr. Giggles

Andrew has been laughing on occasion for a few weeks now, but we haven't been able to catch him on camera until this week.  He laughs most often while getting his diaper changed and I'm sure he will appreciate that I'm not taking video at those times when he's a teenager.  I was finally able to keep him laughing this week while Grandma got it on video.  Check out the video - he laughed so hard he got the hiccups!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Happy 3 Month Birthday Andrew!


I can't believe that it's been 3 months since the love of our lives arrived.  He's getting so big and cuter by the day.  He has been a great baby - we can only hope that we have been half as good at being his parents.  His favorite things at 3 months are talking (sometimes even to himself), trying to get his hands and toys in his mouth, and testing out his Exersaucer.  

Click here to access the Watch Andrew Grow album.

We love you Andrew!

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Andrew's Baptism


We celebrated Andrew's Baptism this weekend with the main event held at St. Matthew's yesterday.  Grandma and Pop Gibbons, Grandma and Grandpa Martin, Aunt Katie, Aunt Melissa and Uncle Shawn, Great Aunt Ellen and Uncle Doug, and "Uncle" Steve and "Aunt" Lindsey were all here to participate in the festivities.  The weekend started with a cook out on Saturday.  The weather was dreary so we didn't get to test out the fire pit on the patio, but we still enjoyed hanging out with our family and friends and ate way too much food.  A pre-Baptism brunch followed on Sunday morning, which also involved lots of yummy food (are you noticing a theme?).  

The Baptism itself was very nice.  Andrew wore a cute white jumper from Aunt Katie and Aunt Ellen (my godmother) and didn't cry at all - even as lukewarm water was poured over his head.  None of the 8 babies that were baptized made a peep during a ceremony - the priest was shocked that everyone was on such good behavior.  

Thanks to all of our family and friends that were here to help us celebrate!  More pictures will be posted to our Picasa album shortly (click here).

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Andrew's Professional Pics

Here are some of the pictures from Andrew's first professional photo shoot.  We were very happy with how they turned out - we may be biased, but he's so cute!

Click here.

My Leprechaun


Happy St. Patrick's Day!  

For additional pictures, check out our March 2009 Picasa album.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Rocky Mount Visit


Andrew made his first trip to Rocky Mount, NC to visit Grandma and Grandpa Martin last weekend.  He got to meet some of Grandma and Grandpa's friends and enjoyed going for stroller walks and hanging out on the patio in the unseasonably warm weather.  Uncle Mark and Aunt Cathy were also able to join us in Rocky Mount to meet the little man.   I've posted a few pictures from our weekend here.  

We're looking forward to celebrating Andrew's baptism this weekend and will have lots of family and friends around for Andrew to play with.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Your Moment of Zen - Andrew Sleeping

Here's something to calm anyone's day...

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Handsome Boy


Lots of pictures were taken of Andrew this weekend since he's more alert everyday and likes to pretend he's a baby model when in front of the camera.  I've added some additional candids taken by Grandma Gibbons to an existing folder on the Picasa page (click here) - professional ones taken today will be posted in about 2 weeks.

Baby Rook Shower


On Saturday, we helped host a shower for Baby Rook (aka Paco - for now).  We are so excited to be sharing this phase in our lives with Steve and Lindsey - they will be great parents and we're sure that Baby Boy Rook and Andrew will be great friends.

Check out some of the pictures on our Picasa web site.

  

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Atlanta Visit & Other Random Pictures




Andrew made his first trip to Atlanta over Valentine's weekend to hang out with Grandma and Pop Gibbons and to meet his Atlanta friends.  I was really bad about taking pictures, but wanted to share what I have plus some other random shots.  The little man is currently recovering from his first cold, which has lasted over a week.  He may not look like me, but he unfortunately inherited my very runny nose.  

We are looking forward to hosting a baby shower for the Rooks this weekend - Drew will have another playmate soon!  We also having our first set of professional pictures taken this weekend and will share them once they are ready.

To view our latest pictures, click here.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day



Andrew would like to wish everyone a happy Valentine's Day.


Carolina Fan



Daddy and Andrew enjoyed the UNC victory over Duke last week and are looking forward to March Madness.  


Saturday, February 7, 2009

Andrew's 6 Week Update


We're a little bit behind on posts, so we thought we would provide a quick update on what we've been up to.  Andrew had his 1 month check-up on 1/28 and is doing well.  He weighed in at 9 pounds and was 21.5 inches long.  He is in the 25th percentile for weight, 50th for height and 10th for head size.  He's long and lean - he'll probably be a runner like his dad.  

Andrew has also hung out with a few friends over the past few weeks.  Meredith and Jennifer stopped by to meet him and Alise and I have been trying to get together regularly with our boys.

Jason has had to travel for work over the past few weeks, so it's just been me and my little man.  It's been good bonding time, but Drew is very excited to see his daddy when he comes home.  His daddy got him geared up for the Super Bowl (even though his favorite team, the Packers, wasn't playing).  He was ready to go with the remote, a bottle and chips on the couch.  

We're looking forward to our visit to Atlanta next week where we will get to meet some of Grandma and Pop Gibbons' friends.  He will be spoiled with attention for sure!

See our latest pictures here.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Andrew's 1 Month Birthday and Aunt Ellen's Visit


Today is Andrew's 1 month birthday - I can't believe our baby is 1 month old already!  Great Aunt Ellen was visiting this weekend and helped us celebrate.  Andrew was very excited to meet her and they spent a lot of time getting to know each other.  Pop and Jason hung out with Andrew while the girls did some shopping.  Grandma and Aunt Ellen made lots of delicious meals, which was great since Jason and I haven't quite gotten a routine down yet in terms of cooking / cleaning since the little one arrived.  This week Andrew has his 1 month check-up and we're looking forward to seeing how much he has grown - check out the Watch Andrew Grow section of the blog for updated pictures of him in his red chair.

Also, for more pictures from this weekend, click here.


Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Our Little Inchworm

So we continue to keep a video diary of some of the cuter Andrew moments.  Check out this video of Andrew attempting to crawl with dad's assistance.  He can sort of launch himself off of dad's hand to inch himself forward.  He also enjoys playing with the inchworm from the Bumgarners.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Andrew's First Bath

We continue to use our new video camera.  Here are some video snippets of Andrew's first bath.  He seemed to like the bath as long as we were pouring water on him and when he wasn't cold.  We received good help from Grandma and Grandpa Martin in his first bath.  

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Andrew Hanging Out

Aunt Melissa and Uncle Shawn got us a great video camera for Christmas. Jason just started to figure it out and came up with this video for the little guy. It's nothing exciting - in fact, it kind've reminds me of watching David Beckham sleep in London's National Portrait Museum - but the grandparents will surely love it.


Friday, January 9, 2009

Andrew's First 2 Weeks


Andrew's first 2 weeks at home have been a wonderful adventure.  We started out a little rocky with extra visits to the doctor to monitor his jaundice, but the jaundice is pretty much gone now and the little man is growing fast - hats that used to swallow his head now fit nicely.  

We've been lucky to have help from both sets of grandparents over the past few weeks as Jason and I continue our on-the-job parenthood training.  We don't know what we would have done without them - thanks Grandma and Pop Gibbons and Grandma "D"  and Grandpa Martin!

Grandma Gibbons and I took Andrew on his first shopping excursion yesterday and he slept through the whole thing.  While shopping seems to put him to sleep, we seem to have a little night owl on our hands.  :-)

Check out some of the pictures from the past two weeks here.