Welcome Fall!

  The past four months have easily been the best of our lives. Andrew continues to grow and enrich our lives on a daily basis and we feel so fortunate to have him as our son. Over the past month or so, he really is starting to seem more and more like a "big boy" and not so much a little baby anymore.

  At about 12-13 weeks, Andrew started sleeping through the night which has been amazing! He stopped needing middle of the night feedings, which Todd and I thought would never end, and sleeps soundly in his own room.  Putting him in his own room was hard for me at first because I liked having him in our room. It was so convenient to just peer over the side of the bed and there he was, fast asleep in his rocker. Thanks to our amazing video monitor though, we're able to see him in his crib and it's as if he's still in the bedroom with us. For so long Andrew did not like sleeping flat on his back, but after a while he was able to and we could put him in his crib. He usually falls asleep between 9:00-10:00 each night, and sleeps until around 7:00-8:00 in the morning. We always put him down on his back, but he has turned into quite the roly poly and we always find him in a different position when we go to get him in the morning. Andrew is such a sweet baby when he wakes up. We usually hear him talking to himself and always greets us with a smile. He is such a happy baby, and to see him like this always gets us off to a great start each and every day.

  Andrew will turn 4 months tomorrow and the time certainly has flown by! He is rolling over from front to back and back to front. He loves to move around and I know we need to enjoy the time we have left where he's not completely mobile! I have a feeling we're going to be chasing him everywhere!! He talks and coos all the time. He also loves to laugh and blow bubbles. He's trying to sit up now and it's so funny to watch him do this! He'll lift his head off the ground and then his legs stick straight up and out where he tries to gain momentum to lift himself up. He's not quite strong enough yet, so Todd and I still need to help him sit up. Once he was able to sit up on his own for like 20-30 seconds, but then face planted into the bed. He thought it was hilarious and was ready to try again.  As I'm typing this, Todd is waving a rattle in front of Andrew and he is cracking up over it! There is nothing like hearing the little belly laughs from our little boy :)

  I think that Andrew is in the beginning phases of teething. No teeth or anything yet, but he's constantly drooling and sticking everything and anything in his mouth. He has yet to realize both hands will not fit in his mouth at once! We've also just started adding rice cereal to his bottles. He had no problems with it and continues to eat like he might never eat again in his life! When we feed him, sometimes Andrew will take the reins and hold his own bottle. He's definitely turning into one independent little boy!

  Last month as always we were on the go with Andrew. We had playdates with many of our friends with babies.  Andrew was very excited to meet his buddy Matthew who came a little earlier than planned. Lauren and I are excited to have our little boys and are looking forward to many fun times ahead with them.

  Todd and I also had one of our first night's out recently. We went to the wedding of a good family friend and had a great time! Andrew stayed home with Gram and Pap and did such a great job for them. I of course was a little sad leaving him, but I knew that he was in good hands! It definitely was weird to go out and not have to worry about making sure I had a bottle, diaper, wipes, or anything else Andrew needs, but we certainly enjoyed the night!

  This past week was Halloween and we dressed Andrew up as a skunk. Aunt Kelly came over and helped us pass out candy. Andrew looked SO CUTE in his costume and I'm looking forward to next year when we can take him around trick-or-treating.

  Well the time has finally come for me to now consider myself a "working mom". I was so fortunate to be home with Andrew for 18 weeks and will truly cherish every single day I've spent with him since he was born. In the beginning it was tough having a newborn who wasn't sleeping, and I thought I'd be ready to go back to work. Well, he eventually grew out of that and life got a little bit easier for us. Now the thought of working is absolutely nauseating for me. The thought of being away from Andrew all day and trying to find the balance between being a teacher and a mom is very scary! Luckily our daycare provider, Holly, is amazing and Andrew will be very well taken care of every day. Knowing that makes going back to work a little bit easier, but I'm still dreading it. I look at his little face and see him smiling up at me and it makes it so hard to think of leaving him all day.   I feel very fortunate to have such amazing friends who have gone through this already and have given me really helpful advice for how to make this transition.  It's certainly not going to be easy, but I know Andrew is in good hands and we will eventually get into a routine and this will get easier! I am very thankful though that I am a teacher have a lot of time off.

 As we enter into November we are excited for the upcoming holidays and look forward to introducing Andrew to family traditions, and starting some new ones of our own. This is by far my favorite time of year and having a child makes it that much more special. Being a mom has certainly changed my perspective on life and has given my life a whole new purpose. I feel very blessed to have such an amazing family and the perfect little boy.