Good Manners

Last night my parents came by to see Andrew's new big boy bed. My mom was sitting with Andrew playing with his cars. He asked her to fix his truck because it was detached from the trailer. After she fixed it we told Andrew to tell Grandma thank you. He turned to Grandma and said, "thank you Pama, amen!" We all burst into laughter. He says the funniest things!

Sunriver

Last weekend we took a family trip to Sunriver for 3 nights and 4 days. It's our annual Bailey family trip for the Sunriver Festival of Cars. I think this is our 3rd year going. Grandma Twyla, Andrew and myself left on Friday afternoon and the boys met us over there that night. They had prior commitments that day. Andrew did great on the way over except for the fact that he didn't nap! We even drove during nap time. We stopped in Bend to do some shopping and stretch our legs. We had an early dinner, got some groceries that we needed and then headed to Sunriver just before the sun went down. The place we stayed at was awesome! 4 bedrooms and a huge great room - plenty of room for Andrew to run around. Saturday we went to the car show in the morning and hung out at our place in the afternoon. At the car show Andrew was totally into the cars. I wanted to get in every car and tried to open all of the doors. It was very difficult trying to keep him away from the cars. At one point he saw a light blue Porsche and he ran over to it and said "Sally!" It cracked me up. He thought it was Sally from the movie "Cars" who is actually a light blue Porsche. Kinda scary how well he knows his cars :) That afternoon the boys watched the Duck game while the rest of us hung out and read or did whatever. It was very relaxing. In the late afternoon we took a walk to the park nearby. Andrew had so much fun running around. He also enjoyed playing with the stick that Grandpa gave him on the way to the park. He was swinging that thing all over the place! That night we made dinner at our place and relaxed some more. The next morning we decided to take Andrew to see the ponies and go for a ride on them. We got him all ready, helmet and all, and he was to scared to ride it. We stayed out there for awhile in hopes that he would warm up to it, but he was just too scared, so we decided to leave. We did get some cute pictures though (see below). Grandpa Bud & Grandma Twyla, Aunt Tiffany and Thomas had to leave that day, but we were able to stay an extra day! We relaxed at the house in the afternoon while Andrew napped and then played in the hot tub when he woke up. Don't worry, we turned down the temperature so it was lukewarm :) He had so much fun playing in his own mini pool! That night we decided to head into Bend for dinner. We walked around downtown, had dinner, and then had ice cream at an old fashioned ice cream parlor called Goody's. It's such a cool place. We had such a fun trip and such beautiful weather!



Playing in the hot tub

Getting ready to go for a pony ride....kinda

At the stables

With the family

Playing at the park

At the Ferrari Car Show with Grandpa Bud & Grandma Twyla
9.18.09-9.21.09 - Andrew 2 years old

Big Boy Bed

Today marked a big milestone in our family....Andrew is now in a big boy bed! Last weekend we were in Sunriver (I'll blog about this soon) and he slept in a twin bed which he's been doing when we go on vacation. We came back on Monday and since then he hasn't been sleeping well. He wakes up several times in the night and hasn't been taking good naps. We would find him with his legs hanging out of his crib and he just seemed to be uncomfortable. I thought it was maybe because he had shots on Wednesday or that he seemed to have a little bit of a cold for a few days, but Nate thought it might have to do with him not wanting to sleep in his crib anymore. I didn't really want to believe him because I wasn't sure if I was ready for Andrew to be in a big boy bed yet. I was afraid that he wouldn't nap as long and that he just wouldn't be my little baby anymore! I wasn't ready for him to grow up so fast yet! But after several nights of interrupted sleep and Andrew asking to go to Mommy's bed every time he woke up early from a nap or early in the morning, I agreed with Nate and said that it was time to try the big boy bed. So I raced out on Thursday to get a comforter and some sheets. We are doing a transportation themed room because Andrew absolutely loves planes, trains and cars. I found the sheets that I wanted, but decided to just do an extra plain navy set while we waited to get all the other accessories. His room now is monkey themed and I wanted to wait and put the new transportation sheets on when we get his room decor changed over. I know he doesn't care about that, but I like everything to match :) As Nate was bringing in the bed Andrew kept saying "big bed, big bed." He was so excited! It took us most of the morning to take apart the crib and set up the new bed. As soon as we had it all set up, Andrew climbed up, told Daddy to sit with him and he looked at some books. He kept saying "big bed" all morning, he was so happy! We had some friends come over to watch the Duck game this afternoon....his honorary Uncle Moose & Aunt Audra. He loves them! He played with them for about an hour and then it was nap time. He climbed right into bed and fell asleep. Problem was, he only slept for an hour! This was what I was afraid of. I went and checked on him, changed his diaper and then tried to put him back to bed. No such luck. He kept asking for Uncle and Daddy. It was just too cute. Eventually we let him get up and play. I'm hoping that in the future he naps longer. I'm going to need more than an hour in my day to get things done around my house! We put him to bed tonight and he fell right to sleep. Hopefully tonight goes smoothly!

Andrew 1st nap in his big boy bed

Andrew reading with Daddy....he's so excited
9.26.09- 2 years old

Last night of sleep in his crib

Getting ready for his last night of sleep in his crib
9.25.09 - 2 years old

2 year appointment

Andrew had his 2 year appointment on Wednesday. The whole way to the doctor he talked about the school bus and "roary" (daddy's car) which we were following. As soon as we got to the doctor he saw the fish tank and started talking about Nemo and turtles. He talked the whole time we waited for the doctor. The people that check you in were laughing at how cute he is and how much he talks. The doctor was on time, thank goodness, so we were able to get in right away. The nurse weighed him and measured him. He's 28.8 oz, 36 3/4 in, and 47cm head. He is average for weight, tall for his age and still has a small head! The doctor came in and once again Andrew talked the whole time. Even the doctor commented on how much he had to say! I filled out the questionnaire that screens for autism and their development while Nate held Andrew while the doctor checked him out. He did great on all his screening and is right where he needs to be in his development. Nate had to run to an appointment so I was on my own during shot time. I feel so bad for him when he has to get shots. Fortunately Andrew only had to get 2, Dtap and Hib #4. Last time we went in they were out of these shots, so we had to wait to get them at this appointment. I try to do no more than 2 shots per visit. The nurse gave him a little dinosaur finger puppet which distracted him and I gave him his pacifier to soothe him. He did great! He cried for about 5 seconds and then he was fine. Such a trooper! Still can't believe that my baby is 2...these 2 years have flown by!

Goodnight Moon

Tonight we were coming home from boating and dinner at my parents house and Andrew started saying "stas, stas" (stars). We have never heard him talk about stars before and there weren't any that we could see yet. He was pointing to the sky and we figured out that he was talking about the moon. So we told him that it was the moon and the rest of the drive home he kept saying "moon, moon" and "goodnight moon." It was so cute! I think he learns a new word everyday!

I want pacie!

These are the words I hear multiple times a day..."I WANT PACIE!" From day 1 Andrew has always loved his pacifier. It helped him sleep at night and he always wanted it when he was scared or super tired. Lately it doesn't matter what is going on, he always wants his pacie. He asks for it all the time. We used to keep one in his crib which he could have during nap time and one in the car for when we were driving around. He would pretty much stick to taking it just during those time and occasionally when he was tired and watching a cartoon. But lately, it's all the time. It's gotten out of control. We always said that by 3 we would be done with the pacifier, but we need to start putting limits on how often he can have it. So this week we started having limits. He is ONLY allowed to have it in his crib and occasionally, if he's tired, in the car. He will go around the house asking for it throughout the day and we will tell him that it's in his crib and that if he wants it he has to go in his crib. So after nap time on Sunday afternoon he kept asking for it. We put him back in his crib so he could have it and he stayed there hanging out for about 45 minutes! I was pretty surprised. That hasn't happened since. Now when we tell him that he has to go to his crib, he's not too thrilled about it so he usually decides that he doesn't really need his pacifier. I'm hoping that this will make him less dependent and gradually wean him from his pacifier. We'll see, but 3 is definitely the cutoff! I do have to mention that when nap time is over I tell Andrew to give Nokey (his monkey- that's what he calls monkeys) his pacifier and that Nokey is going night night. He says "night night Nokey," gives the monkey his pacifier and puts his blanket over the monkey....it's just the cutest thing!

9.12.2009 - 2 years old
Watching the Duck game

Andrew loves Pama

Today Andrew cracked me up! My mom came with me to help me out at Andrew's 2 year old pictures, which turned out awesome :) After the pictures she came back to my house and hung out for a little bit and played with Andrew. He's always called both of his Grandma's "ama" but today he started calling my mom "pama." I have no idea where he got it, but it totally cracks me up! Andrew sure loves his "pama!"

I ♥ him!

Doesn't he just look so cute sitting there?! This picture was taken when we went to the zoo on Friday to see the new lion exhibit. Unfortunately it was very hot that day and all the lions were hiding in the shade. Andrew is sitting on this bench watching a video of lions and I think it's just the cutest thing. Funny thing is, he looks so sweet in this picture, however he was in quite a mood that day! We waited for 30 minutes to find a parking spot and then had to wait in line to see the lions plus it was very hot so he was definitely not in a good mood. Needless to say, we will not go to an opening day of an exhibit at the zoo again :) I still adore this picture though and adore him!

Birthday gifts

Andrew riding his bike that he got from Mommy & Daddy for his birthday. He was so busy with presents on his birthday that we didn't end up giving it to him until the Saturday after his birthday. He loves to ride it around even though he refuses to use the peddles!

Riding in his Jeep that he got from Grandpa Bud & Grandma Twyla. He loves it and is doing a great job driving it around the yard :)
9.12.09 - Andrew 2 yrs old

Mayfield Lake

The day after Andrew's birthday, Labor Day, we left for Mayfield Lake. We rented a house for a few days with my parents. It's only about 2 hours from our house which is nice. The day we got there it was rainy the whole way up. Fortunately Andrew took a 2 hour nap in the car, which is very rare...he usually only sleeps for 45 minutes max. in the car. We got to our house and just hung out for the night. We made dinner, played with Andrew and sat by the fire with our coffee and read. The house was absolutely amazing and had a beautiful view of the lake. It was a pretty big house for just the 5 of us. 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, a huge theater/pool room, a loft and a large great room. It was the perfect place for Andrew to run around. We packed several of his new toys from his birthday and he had so much fun playing and running around the place. Andrew slept great in a twin bed that night and the next day we woke up to clear blue skies! We had a slow morning and then about 10:30 we decided to go out on the boat. It was pretty cold so we bundled up in sweats, brought plenty of blankets and turned the heater on in the boat. We had the lake to ourselves! There was no one else out on the water and it was beautiful! The water was like glass. The boys geared up in their wetsuits and drysuits and ventured into the water. They both skied and wakeboarded and mastered a 180 on the wakeboard. We went back to the house which was only a 2 minute drive from the lake and had lunch and tried to put Andrew down for a nap. No such luck, so he watched a movie. I went back out on the water with my Dad & Nate and my mom stayed with Andrew. By that time it was a lot warmer out. We spent the rest of the day just lounging around, eating and watching a movie. The next day we hung out in the morning and left in the afternoon in hopes that Andrew would sleep on the way home. He did, but only for about 30 minutes. Oh well! It was such a fun little getaway and very relaxing. We all enjoyed spending time together and Andrew really loved playing with his Grandpa & Grandma!



Clear blue skies but cold on the water

The boys in their wetsuit & drysuit

With Grandpa & Grandma Ming

The view from the house...absolutely beautiful
9.7.09-9.9.09 Andrew 2 yrs old

More Birthday Photos

9.6.09- Andrew's 2nd Birthday Party

Andrew's 2nd Birthday

Andrew had such a fun 2nd birthday. That morning we slept in and then took Andrew to Starbucks to get a donut and open one of his presents. Andrew loves going to Starbucks, probably because I go several times a week :) He calls donuts "cookies" and always wants one as well as chocolate milk. We got our coffee, chocolate milk, and "cookies" and then sat down so Andrew could open his present. He didn't get the idea of opening it, but got excited when we ripped part of the paper. He saw that it was the "Cars" train and said "WOW!" and then laughed with excitement. It's a "Cars" train that holds 16 mini cars. We filled it with 5 new mini cars and he was so excited. We sat and played with his cars forever at Starbucks. Probably the longest amount of time that he's actually sat at Starbucks. We finally asked him if he wanted to go home and play and of course he did. So we headed home, he picked up his train by the handle and walked to the car. He was so excited that he had his toy he could carry around with him. We now take that thing with us everywhere! We played at home for the rest of the morning, had lunch and then he went down for his nap. As soon as he got up we had his birthday party with all his family and a couple of his friends. It was such a fun day! I have the best little boy in the world....I love you Andrew!









9.6.09- 2nd Birthday

Andrew's Birthday Party

Playing with his friends Carter & Hudson

Smiling as everyone sang to him

Yummy cake

Checking out his new cars

Driving his new Jeep with Hudson
9.6.09- Andrew's 2nd Birthday Party

Last Sunday was Andrew's 2nd birthday. I can't believe he is already 2. This has been the fastest year, even faster than the first year. I love this age so far, but it definitely is challenging at times too. I love that he talks all the time, but don't love the temper tantrums that happen every day!
For his 2nd birthday we did a "Cars" (the movie) theme. Andrew absolutely loves the movie "Cars" and has tons of them that he plays with all the time. Lightening McQueen, or as he says "Queen" is by far his favorite. We invited both of our families and 2 of his friends. It ended up being a pretty large crowd...about 30 people! I had hoped for a sunny day like last year on his birthday, but no such luck. It was cloudy and rain and windy. I wasn't sure how I was going to fit 30 people in my house and be comfortable. Fortunately my parents had some tent canopies that we decided to put on our patio so that if people wanted to they could still go outside. They were a lifesaver! I was surprised at how many people hung out outside. I knew the kids would, but I was surprised that the adults did too! It rained on and off during the party, but didn't rain too hard, so people still stayed outside under the canopies. We had hot dogs & hamburgers and of course, lots of dessert...cake, cupcakes and rice crispy treats! Each adult went home with a picture magnet of our family at Disneyland with Lightening Mcqueen and each child went home with a goody bag of stickers, note pad and a car. Andrew had such a fun time hanging out with his 2 favorite buddies Carter Leonard and Hudson Giboney. The 3 boys played with cars the whole time and barely stopped to eat anything. They were all so excited to see each other...it was so cute. By far one of the cutest moments of the day is when we sang Happy Birthday to Andrew. If most of you don't know, my family is very musical and always sing Happy Birthday in harmony! It's pretty funny :) Andrew loved the song. (He now randomly starts singing Happy Birthday) He just stood there with a huge grin on his face. Afterward he tried to blow out the candle, but I helped him out with that. I told him to tell every one thank you and in his cute little voice he said "tank oo," it was precious! He loved the cake and I think that was the only thing he ate that night. Unfortunately we paid for it that night. I think he had a stomach ache and didn't sleep all night! He then opened presents which I think overwhelmed him. He clung to me most of the time and I basically opened all the presents for him. He did love his gifts though! He still has one to open from Mommy & Daddy! One of his favorite gifts was his Power Wheels Jeep from Grandpa Bud & Grandma Twyla. By the end of the night he figured out how to push on the gas and make it go. He's been playing with it almost everyday since his birthday. All in all it was a great day. Thank you to all of you who helped us celebrate our amazing little boy's 2nd birthday!

Birthday Eve

I can't believe my baby boy is going to be 2 tomorrow! The last 2 years have flown by, especially the last year. I can't believe how much he's changed and grown in 2 years. Even the last several weeks he's changed a lot. He talks more, sings, counts, plays independently, throws tantrums....he's a full fledged toddler now! I completely adore him and I am so blessed that I get to spend every day playing with him. He is really a mommy's boy and tells me he loves me and hugs and kisses me all the time. It just melts my heart! I thank the Lord daily that he blessed us with a healthy and happy baby/toddler and pray that Andrew will grow to have a relationship with Jesus and follow him daily.

Here are some things Andrew does now or has done in the past few months:

• Sings "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"
• Trys to sings "Happy Birthday" (as of today)
• Trys to sing the "A, B, C's"
• Does motions to "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", "Running Over" & "The Zacheus Song"
• Loves to play with Thomas the Train and all of his cars
• Loves tunnels, trucks, buses, boats and tractors (he says "actor" and "schuck")
• Calls Grandpa & Grandma "ama" and "ampa" or "apa"
• Loves "cream" (ice cream)
• Such a picky eater, doesn't like fruit of veggies except for corn on the cob, raspberries and sometimes bananas
• Can count to 10!
• He used to say "side" when he wanted outside, but now he can say outside
• Always says stuck when he is being held and wants down or is in his high chair and wants out or any other place that he doesn't want to be in
• Loves to buckle things-his car seat, high chair, life vests...anything, and then claps his hands when he's done it and says "yea, I did it!" and then "push" because he wants you to unbuckle it so he can do it all over again!
• Loves "Soey" (Sophie are little dog) and always wants to play with her or boss her around. He'll walk around the house saying "Soey, no!" for no reason at all.
• Has the cutest pout and gets his feelings hurt pretty easy
• Loves to be tickled or as he calls it "gickled" and will put your had on his leg and laugh and say "gickle, gickle"
• Likes laying in "mommy's bed"
• Really loves watching "T" (t.v.)- his favorite shows are Handy Manny and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but also loves the "Cars" movie and "Finding Nemo" (of course we don't let him watch tons of t.v. It is very limited)
• Loves playing with other kids and remembers his friends names like Hudson, Carter, Chloe & Ella....so cute!
• Can find a plane in the sky even if it's barely visible
• Says "stairs" when he wants to go upstairs and play
• Lately he has been interested in baby powder. When I change his diaper he says "power, mommy" and wants me to put powder on him.
• He also likes medicine. When he is sick I ask him if he wants his meds and then he got in the habit of saying "meds mommy" before bed. I, of course, told him that he doesn't need meds anymore because he isn't sick :)
• He's very attached to his pacie and blankie lately. He says "mommy, I want pacie" in a very demanding tone! I try to limit the pacie to only in the car, during nap time or when he's really tired.
• After nap time, he will sometimes take out his pacie and say "night night nokey" and then cover up his monkey with his blanket. (nokey is what he calls his monkey that he always sleeps with)
• He will say "nice" when you show him something that he likes or hears you say nice about something
• Likes to eat "peepa" (pizza), chicken, juice, yogurt and oatmeal
• Says "firsty" when he's thirsty, "hunry" for hungry and "bweafist" when he wants breakfast

I'm sure there are many more adorable things that he does, but they aren't coming to mind right now. If any of you guys think of anything, make sure and comment!

More Fair Pictures

Andrew does not like sitting on anyone's shoulders so I had to capture this moment. He actually stayed up there for a few minutes!


9.4.09 - almost 2 yrs old!

Fun at the Fair

This morning we went to the Oregon State Fair. It's kind of a family tradition that we had on my side of the family. Every year, usually Labor Day weekend, we would go as a family to the Oregon State Fair. I always remember it being a fun time and loved seeing all the animals. We thought Andrew would enjoy seeing animals too, except he was actually kind of scared of the big animals. He clung to me with his head on my shoulder the whole time we were in the cows/horse exhibit. As soon as we got to the goats, he perked up! I think the big animals scared him. They were making a lot of noises. We showed him the baby pigs and he watched them for a bit and then was ready to move on. I think he was trying to find the tractors. We saw the tractors as soon as we got there and he immediately had to climb on one and "drive." Some of his favorite animals were definitely the bunnies and baby chicks. He loved them and kept saying "baby" when he saw the chicks! We stayed in that area for a long time. We then moved on to the family area where they had little tractors for the kids to ride on and little games to play. He liked riding the tractor but was also frustrated because he couldn't reach the peddles. So we moved along to the food. Nathan of course had a corn dog which Andrew would have nothing to do with and I had nachos. Andrew only wanted the chips from the nachos without the toppings. Such a picky eater! Next to the food area was a little circus play put on by kids. The kids were dressed up in animal costumes and they did little tricks. It was so cute and Andrew absolutely loved it. I think it was the highlight of his day :) We of course then had to have an elephant ear before we left for the day! What's a fair without an elephant ear! By that time of day Andrew was getting tired so we decided to call it a day. I'm hoping we can make this a new tradition for our family!

Watching the kid circus play

"Driving" the tractor

Looking at the baby pigs

Clinging to Mommy!

Covering his eyes while looking at the big animals :)

How old are you?

Andrew's birthday is only 3 days away. I can't belive my little baby will be 2! Where has the time gone? I feel like I was just planning his 1st birthday party and now we are getting ready for his 2nd. Since we've been getting prepared for his birthday I've been working with Andrew to tell us how old he is and how old he is going to be on his birthday. He says "birfday" and it's sooo cute. Here's a video of him saying how old he is and how old he will be on his "birfday."

Happy Meal

This post is dedicated to Daddy, Grandpa & Grandma Bailey and Aunt Kayla because they all LOVE McDonalds!

Nathan has been wanting to get Andrew a happy meal from McDonalds for the longest time. I think fast food is gross and kept pushing it off saying that he's too young. Sunday night we were wondering what we should have for dinner after a long day at the Air Show. I didn't have any groceries and we didn't really want to go out so Nate said he wanted to get McDonalds. I said gross, but whatever :) So, I finally gave in and let Andrew have a chicken nugget happy meal. I think Nate was more excited than Andrew. He loved the chicken nuggets which didn't surprise me...he loves chicken. I'm sure this won't be a regular thing, just every once in awhile!



8.30.09 - 23 1/2 months old