Busy Spring!

Wow, it has been such a long time since I've added to our family blog. The past month and a half or so has been so busy it's obvious that the blog has gone lower and lower on our priority list! We finished up our mild and snow-less winter, and welcomed an early and quite warm spring. Andrew turns 9 months tomorrow and has turned into quite the busy little boy.
  Throughout the month of February, Andrew started running these fevers on and off. He of course was acting totally fine and normal, but these fevers of 100+ degrees kept popping up. We were back and forth to the pediatrician countless times, trying to get to the route of this issue, and after many exams and blood tests, luckily it turns out he's perfectly fine. It seems that he might be one of those kids that is prone to having a slightly higher body temperature or just hangs on to viruses a little longer than normal. Other than that he's had a pretty healthy winter. We did start spring break off with an ear infection, but it was nothing a little Amoxicillan couldn't fix!

  Andrew continues to be the absolute light in our lives and is growing into such an energetic and loving little boy. Around 7-8 months he started pulling himself up and now he currently cruises around the living room furniture. He's able to stand up without holding on to anything, and even took a couple steps this past weekend. He's so unbelievably determined to walk and I'm sure it is a feat he will conquer by the end of April.
  Andrew also loves to talk and interact with people. His conversations include topics such as, "Da-da-da-da", or "Ba-ba-ba-ba". He also does a lot of grunting and blowing raspberries, and also makes a bunch of noises that we really can't even describe. Every once and a while we can get him to wave and it sounds like he is saying something similar to "bye-bye". Todd and I have turned into his own personal jungle gym. He has no problem just plowing over top of us if we are in the way of a toy he wants to get to or anything like that. Andrew loves the t.v. remote and is always playing with it, and of course shoving it in his mouth. He really doesn't have a favorite toy that he hangs on to, but will play with all the toys equally, and honestly his favorite things to play with are not your traditional baby toys (i.e. t.v. remote). He loves to crawl up to the wall and walk along side of it. I'm not sure the appeal, but he seems to enjoy doing that.
  I'm still making his baby food, but slowly transitioning to some of the pre-made organic food from the grocery store. Now that he's getting older and can have more of a variety in his diet, it's getting harder for me to keep up with making so many different things for him to eat. He's growing so fast, and weighed in at 18 lbs 2 oz when we were at the doctor the other day. We continue to marvel at how much he changes from day to day, and can't believe our little tiny baby is now turning into a little boy. He still has his bright blue eyes, and his hair is really starting to come in more and more, and it is very blonde!
  February ended with a trip to the Baltimore Aquarium to celebrate Todd's birthday. Kelly and Alex came with us, and we had such a fun day! Andrew was so well behaved and sat through the dolphin show and did great going through all the exhibits. I can't wait to take him back there once he is older and really can understand what he's seeing and what's going on there. It's such a wonderful place to take kids.
  For my birthday this year, we went out for a night in D.C. for dinner and bowling. We left Andrew home with MiMi and Pop Pop and had a great night out on the town. Later in the month, we went out to Arlington to have brunch with Kelly and Alex for Kelly's birthday. It happened to be St.Patrick's Day, so after we ate, we decided to stop at a bar to have a quick drink and then head back home. Well, it ended up being a gorgeous day out, and we found the perfect place to sit outside of this bar to enjoy our afternoon beverages. The first drink went down pretty well, so we decided to have another, and then decided to make a day of it. We had so much fun just sitting around, watching all the crazy, St. Patrick's Day people, and enjoying the beautiful day. Andrew was with us for all of this, and he really enjoyed the nice weather and seeing all the people. It was such a nice day and we were glad we could celebrate Kelly's birthday that way.
 The following weekend we went to visit Todd's family in Pittsburgh. Everyone was so excited to see Andrew and could not get over how much he's grown. Todd and I put Gram and Pap in charge of Andrew that Saturday night so we could go to dinner, then try our luck at the new casinos in Pittsburgh. We had a lot of fun donating money to the city that night, and unfortunately came home empty handed. Oh well, maybe next time!
  We finished out March with a trip down to North Carolina to visit the Sandell's. This was the first trip I had made down there since we moved back, so I was looking forward to seeing the area again. Lauren and I got up super early on Saturday morning and ventured down with my parents driving behind us. All-in-all the kids did well, but with diaper changes and food stops, the trip took a little longer than anticipated. We had a great time visiting with Leigh, Rowan, and the Sandells. It was fun to see Andrew interact with the other kids. He seemed to really enjoy them, and I really love the fact that my friends and I all have kids around the same age. It will be so much fun to watch them grow up together and become friends.
  April looks like it will be another busy month for us. I have recently moved into my brand new school, which is awesome! No more driving all the way out to Chesapeake Bay Middle, but a short drive to Severna Park. I feel so lucky to be in a new school and look forward to using all the new technology being offered there, and more than anything the shorter commute!

  It's been a great start to the month as I am currently on spring break. I love that I've been able to stay home with Andrew and know I will be sad about having to return to work next week. I'm getting used to this stay-at-home mom thing again! It's all good though because summer vacation is just around the corner :)

And he's off!

So far, it's been a very, happy new year and a great start to 2012. Andrew is growing and changing so much it's unreal. He is seven months now and is starting to become a "big boy".   He is constantly on the go and keeps Todd and I on our feet. Around 6-61/2 months he started full-on crawling and has never looked back since. He is such a busy baby and loves to explore, move around, and most recently climb! Andrew will climb on just about anything these days. He will crawl up to the edge of the ottomon or couch and stand there holding on to the edge. We have to stand close by because he's still a little wobbly, but he's starting to get sturdier the more he does this.
   Gone are the days when we go into Andrew's room to get him out a bed and see him lying there smiling back at us. Andrew is still extremely happy in the morning, but he now greets us standing up in the crib and holding on to the edge. I have no doubt in my mind that he will climb out the the crib once he gets a little older. Good times! He is still a pretty good sleeper, and goes down between 8:00 and 8:30 after his bath, bottle, and a book. We'll put him in the crib, and immediately he will pull himself up to standing then kind of just look around. He eventually slumps down, rolls around, pulls up to standing again, then repeats this whole process about three or four times before finally falling asleep. It's so funny to watch him do this. For a while he was sleeping until 8:00-8:30 am, but those days are long gone. He usually wakes up between 5:45-6:00 on most days. That is awesome, especially on the weekends! Definitely not the ideal time to be awake, however when you see his happy, smiling face in the morning, you forget how tired you are and love spending time with him no matter the time of day!
  Andrew is still eating like there's no tomorrow and
never denies a meal. I, for the most part am still making homemade baby food and he still really enjoys it. His menu usually consists of sweet potatoes, squash, or bananas (and of course milk). I'm looking to trying some other foods soon as well.

One of the most exciting things to happen in the past month was the engagement of my sister and Alex. Alex was very sneaky and only let my dad in on the surprise. My dad loved the fact that he was able to finally know something before my mom, Kelly, and I did. Kelly and Alex are so excited and we couldn't be happier for them. They are such a wonderful couple and truly complement each other. I'm so excited to help with the wedding planning and can't wait for the big day! As everyone knows, planning parties is Kelly's forte, so we all can't wait to see what an amazing and beautiful vision she has for this special day. Andrew is especially excited since he gets to be the ring bearer. He will be the cutest ring bearer ever!
  It's been a pretty uneventful winter weather wise. I was totally looking forward to some snow days to stay home and spend time with Andrew, but come June I'll be relieved we didn't use the days and will be able to get out of school a little earlier.
  Todd has kept busy with work, and has been lucky enough to score a couple trips to Las Vegas. As you know we are both still working, so you can see he didn't win big on either of his trips out there. Oh well, there's always next time! Todd did have a rough start to January as the Steelers lost early on in the playoffs. I, of course would love to see nothing more than the Redskins make the post season, however knowing that isn't a reality in the near future I quite enjoy playoff football time. I can enjoy the games and not worry about having worry if my team will move on or not. I told Todd not to worry, you totally get use to the losing. His response is always, "We have six rings, you have three". Point taken!
  We're looking forward to the next couple of weeks as we both turn 31. It's hard to believe we're that old already. I think that each year we get older life gets better and better, so I say bring on the old age! We are fortunate to have our health, a beautiful baby boy, amazing family and friends, good jobs- all I can say if that life is good!

A Very, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

       We are now almost three weeks into the new year and as I reflect back on the recent holiday season I can't help but feel so lucky to have such an amazing family and wonderful friends. Our first Christmas with Andrew was by far the best we've ever had.
    Before Christmas, Andrew came down with his first illness, a double ear infection. We knew that with him going to daycare he would catch some sort of bug eventually, so we were at least glad it came before Christmas! His ear infection came on pretty quick, but it was nothing a good dose of Amoxocillan couldn't handle! He was a great patient throughout this and I loved being able to just cuddle with him and comfort him until he was better.
   We started Christmas a little early by celebrating the week before with Todd's family in Pittsburgh. We had such a nice time spending the weekend with everyone up there and Santa was very generous to Andrew. He was the hit of Christmas and everyone was so amazed with how much he's grown and how he personable he has become. He loved all of his new toys and had such a great time. The Saturday night that we were there was great because Todd and I got his parents to babysit and we had a date night. It was so nice to get out and have a night just us.

   For Christmas, my family from Connecticut came down and we had so much fun! We hosted Christmas Eve at our house and went to church after dinner. Andrew was very well behaved throughout the entire service and didn't fuss at all. He especially liked seeing the candles lit towards the end of the service. I was so excited for Christmas morning and to start our new family tradition with Andrew. Even though he had absolutely no idea what was going on, it was still so exciting to celebrate this special time of year with our little boy. We brought Andrew downstairs and helped him open the presents Santa left for him. He got even more new toys and really enjoyed testing them all out. After we finished up at our house, we made our way to my parents for presents and breakfast. Santa was very generous to everyone and it was such a nice morning. Once the wrapping paper was cleaned up and the breakfast plates put away, we went to Great Falls to the Baker's house. We have spent Christmas day there for many, many years and always have such a wonderful time. Everyone had fun playing with Andrew, but I'd say the highlight of the evening was playing some dance game my cousin Derek got for his XBOX Kinect. Everyone was showing off their dance moves and it turned into quite the dance-off between the cousins. We also had the "Yankee Swap" and everyone received some interesting gifts. The gift of the evening by far was "DAS BOOT"!! Das Boot will have to make an appearance for next year's Christmas.
   For New Year's, we went over to Lauren and Jimmie's as usual and this year had a special treat! Leigh, John, and Rowan came up from North Carolina and it was great to ring in the new year with them as well. This new year's was much different from new year's of the past where we are out partying until the wee hours of the morning and curing the hangover the next day. Now that we all have babies it was a much calmer evening, but we really enjoyed ourselves and loved ringing in 2012 with our little ones. Maybe next year we'll get the grandparents to babysit and we'll go out!

Andrew is 6 months old now and is changing everyday. He is so close to crawling now it's scary! He's mastered the army crawl and is working hard to crawl on his hands and knees. He's able to get himself up and rock back and forth, go a few paces forward, but usually falls. I'm sure in no time he will have this down. He can certainly take off and is now trying to get into everything and anything. We're still working on the teeth. He drools like crazy and sticks everything in his mouth, so I know we'll see that first tooth pop through any day now. Andrew has started sitting up now as well. It's so weird to just see him sitting on the floor playing with his toys, he's turning into such a big boy! Andrew loves to play in his exer-saucer and has taken a liking to eating the tv remote. All these crazy toys this child has and he likes the remote the best! I've start him on solid foods and he's really doing well with them. I've been making my own baby food and have found it to be so simple. So far I've made sweet potatoes, squash, and apples. He has responded well to it all, so I look forward to sticking with the homemade food route. At our 6 month appointment, our pediatrician said that Andrew is meeting all of his developmental milestones and he is between the 25th-30th percentiles in the height, weight, and head circumference categories. He continues to speak so much gibberish and Todd and I are waiting for the day when he can say "Ma-Ma" or "Da-Da'. It's so funny to listen to him talk and we love watching his infectious smile and listening to him laugh. He continues to be such a happy baby and everyday we are more and more thankful that we have him in our lives.
   Andrew continues to do well at daycare. He has his off days every once and a while, but overall he really does well. Being a working mom still has its challenges, however being in a routine is helpful. I just wish there were more hours in the day to get things done!
  As we enter 2012 we are excited to see Andrew grow and are amazed daily at the things he learns and is able to do. One of my resolutions is to keep this blog updated! I figure if I can at least update once a month, that will be considered a success! Happy New Year everyone!

Here Come the Holidays!

 Well, I had completely good intentions of keeping up on this blog when I returned to work, but it hasn't been easy! The past month has been so busy for us as I went back to school and the holiday season has begun.
   I went back to work on Tuesday, November 8th. All-in-all, I have to admit it hasn't been that bad. The days leading up to my first day back were rough, because every time I thought about leaving Andrew all day made me sick and I would just cry and cry. The morning of, I got up extra early so that I would have plenty of time to get myself ready and I was hoping I could get up early enough so that I wouldn't have to see him awake before I left. Andrew decided to wake up about 20 minutes before I left and that made it extra hard for me. He was smiling and happy and I just sat and held him and cried. I was dreading the day ahead, but it was time to hand him back off to Todd and get on the road. I continued to cry the whole way to school but finally was able to pull it together once I got there. As soon as I got in my classroom there was so much for me to do that it took my mind off the fact I was leaving Andrew and I was actually back at school. Everyone at school was so sweet and it made coming back much easier. I caved when I got to school and emailed Holly to see how Andrew was doing at daycare, and everything was going great. There was no question that he would be fine, but still it was good to hear he adjusted well to being with someone new. The school day went by so fast, that before I knew it, it was time to go pick up Andrew, I was so excited to see him! We are now definitely in a routine with me working and Andrew going to daycare and it's really working out great. I am enjoying school as I have a pretty good group of kids and I really like the other teachers I work with.  Andrew is doing fantastic at daycare and Holly is so wonderful with him. Todd and I are so happy with the way everything has fallen into place and love when the work day ends and we can spend the evening playing with Andrew.
  I was only back to school 2 and a half weeks when it was time for Thanksgiving break. We started out the week with the 2nd annual Cook/Bond/Buffington/Lepovsky/Alex and Tim Thanksgiving dinner. We had a great time this year stuffing our faces and having a lot of laughs. It was so much fun having the babies there this year and have the feeling next year we won't be sitting around enjoying ourselves, but chasing after Andrew and Matthew! We went to Pittsburgh the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and had a really nice time with Todd's family. We had Thanksgiving dinner at Todd's Aunt Jodi's and pretty much all of Todd's family was there. Andrew was certainly the center of attention and everyone loved taking turns holding him and getting him to laugh and smile. We had such a delicious dinner and certainly overindulged ourselves.

  I decided I wanted to join the fellow crazies out in the world who participated in Black Friday this year. Todd's parents offered to stay home with Andrew, so we were up at 5:00 a.m. to hit up all the sales and hopefully get some good deals. We actually made out pretty well and got a good jump start to our Christmas shopping. Todd wasn't entirely thrilled about getting up so early to go shopping, but we did have a nice time together and it was a great way to begin the Christmas shopping season.
  We came back home on Saturday, and had my family over for dinner that night. Everyone was still here from Connecticut so we had dinner then enjoyed a fire in our fire pit out back. It was uncharacteristically warm for November so we really enjoyed spending time outside, roasting marshmallows, enjoying a few adult beverages, and listening to Christmas music.

 The next day we drove out to a Christmas tree farm north of Baltimore to cut down our Christmas tree. It was a beautiful day and seemed weird to cut down a tree in such warm weather. Andrew was so good and was perfectly content being held and walking around with us to find the perfect tree.

Andrew will turn 5 months tomorrow and he's getting bigger by the day! He's still eating rice cereal in his milk and we're hopeful to start homemade baby food soon. He has such a personality on him and really seems to be happy all the time. He is starting to do the "swim", where he lays on his stomach and moves his arms and legs around. He wants to crawl so badly and I really thing we'll be seeing that in the very near future. Still no teeth, but I'm sure those are only a matter of time as well.  He loves playing with toys and likes anything with music or blinking lights.

  Now that the Christmas season is here, we are so excited to celebrate this holiday with Andrew. Obviously he has no idea what Christmas, or presents, or anything like that is yet, but it's still fun to shop for him and think about the new traditions our family will start with him. Having a baby gives a whole new meaning to Christmas and I think makes it even that much more special. Andrew by far is the best gift we've received and we look forward to spending this special time of year with him and our families.

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.

Oh how life has changed!

Our new family!

Todd and I were both separately thinking about blogging but this didn't come to fruition until now. Andrew is now 16 weeks old and is the most precious gift we have ever received. Everyday with him is such a blessing and we love being his parents. I was recently talking to a friend about how fast they grow and how you forget what things were like so I want to try and document as much as we can of our family.

Let's go back to before Andrew's arrival.......
I have to say, my pregnancy was a pretty easy one. The beginning was awful and filled with nausea and fatigue, but after that first trimester everything was smooth sailing. Todd was wonderful and came to every doctor's appointment with me. I looked forward to those appointments each month and loved hearing Andrew's heartbeat and knowing that everything looked good (I also didn't mind getting to take a half day from work!).

The month of June started out very HOT! I thought it was going to be such a long month as I was nearing the end of my pregnancy. One day when I got to school the air conditioner was broken and I thought how in the world is a nine month pregnant woman going to survive a 100+ degree day with a bunch of 3rd graders and no AC?? Luckily they decided to close school that day :) Once school ended, I spent the rest of the month relaxing at home and getting everything ready for Andrew's arrival.

35 weeks prego!

We went to the doctor's on Thursday, June 30th for our weekly check-up to see how Andrew was doing and if we were making any progress. I wasn't dilated at all and I started to think he was going to be a late baby. Since I hadn't made any progress yet, Todd and I decided to go ahead with our Fourth of July weekend plans, which we were very excited about. We knew this would probably be our last weekend where we could do what we wanted so we were kind of happy that Andrew wasn't ready to make an early appearance, although at the same time I was kind of over being pregnant. As everyone knows Todd loves his Pittsburgh Pirates, and they were in town that weekend to play the Nationals. That Saturday was dollar day so we decided to go to the doubleheader baseball game. I'd say it was a balmy 95 degrees when we got to the park, so that was super-comfortable for me :) I was a little hesitant to go at first, but I figured I had just been to the doctor two days earlier, no progress yet, so we might as well enjoy a night out. If I went into labor we would just leave and everything would be fine. Luckily our seats were in the shade so at least we weren't in direct sunlight for the game. We enjoyed both games, but only lasted until the 7th inning of the second game.

The next day (July 3rd), we had planned a Fourth of July (yes I know it was a day early) picnic at our house with Kelly, Alex, Lauren, Jimmie, and Kelly and Alex's friends, Mike and Libba. We usually always do something with Lauren and Jimmie for Fourth of July, and since the baby's due date was so close, we thought it would be best to kind of lay low this year. We had crabs, hot dogs and hamburgers and other junk. Throughout the day, I started feeling some cramping, which I figured were some Braxton-Hicks contractions. They weren't happening long enough for me to time them or anything, so I figured it was all just part of the process and I still would have some time before Andrew got here. A few of them did stop me in my tracks, but I still went on with the day. One of the most exciting things about being pregnant was that I was pregnant at the same time as one of my best friends, Lauren. Last year at the Fourth of July, we had a beach front condo where we were spending all day in the sun, wearing bikinis, drinking beer, and living the life. One year later, we were both pregnant, spending the Fourth at home, wearing maternity bathing suits, and enjoying some ice cold water! It certainly was different but we loved every second. No summer picnic is complete without a friendly game of beer pong, and even though we were pregnant it was not going to let Lauren and I from playing. While everyone was having fun and drinking beer, Lauren and I joined in, but filled our cups with water. It was a fun night, and little did we know, it would be the last night at home before our little boy arrived!

The day before I went into labor. Lauren and I  are thoroughly enjoying our water!!

The next day, I went to the pool for a little bit just to get out of the house and cool off. I watched the annual volleyball tournament, caught up with some family friends, but didn't really stay long since I was feeling a little tired and just not really wanting to be out and be social. I went home and it was nap time for Todd and I. Todd stayed upstairs and I went to the basement where it was nice and cool and I could enjoy yet another rerun of The Real Housewives of New York. After Todd finished his nap, he came downstairs to see how I was doing and I got up go to the bathroom. After I finished "going", I still felt something else coming. Hmmmm could it be?? Did my water just break???? I sat in the bathroom and wondered if this was really happening. After a few minutes Todd got up to check and see if everything was alright. I told him I though my water had just broke! I called my mom to tell her and ask her if I should call the doctor. Now those of you who know me, know that I talk to my mom and sister at least three times a day. We always call each other and are always in touch. Well of course, the one phone call I'm sure my mother had been waiting for for the past nine months comes, and she doesn't answer. I call her like three more times, and still, no answer. Are you kidding me?? I figured she was on the other line and was frustrated she wasn't clicking over!! I decided to call the answering service for my doctor and passed along my story.  Dr. Russell called me about 5 minutes later. I told her my symptoms and she told me it sounds like my water did break, and I should pack a bag and head to the hospital. Once I heard that, I didn't go into full panic mode, but had a hard time wrapping my brain around what was really happening! My mother eventually called me back and I shared the exciting news. Todd and I started to get all of our things together so we could leave for the hospital. As we got in the car, I looked at our house thinking that the next time I'd be home my life will have completely changed. I was very excited as we drove to the hospital and was amazed at how surreal this all was. For months and months I'd thought about this day, and couldn't believe it was actually here. Todd was so calm and made me feel very at ease the whole ride there. Once we got there, they admitted me and found that I was three centimeters dilated. I couldn't believe it since I wasn't dilated the last time I was at the doctor's. It took me a little while to start feeling contractions, and so far I was feeling pretty good. After a while though, I did start to feel the contractions and asked for my epidural. For those of you who know, the epidural is the greatest thing ever!! We could see my contractions coming on the monitor one after the next and they were getting pretty strong, however I didn't feel a thing. We watched the fireworks on tv, good thing we didn't plan on going to see fireworks this year! As we sat and waited, Todd's parents arrived from Pittsburgh and Kelly and Alex came from Arlington. Everyone was gearing up for what turned out to be a long night!

I was making progress and kept dilating further and further. I tried to sleep a little bit, but I was so excited it was hard to. We got to about 5:30 a.m., when Dr. Russell came back to check me. She said I was still at 8 cm, and I had made no progress since 3:30 a.m. She was concerned because she said Andrew had a cone head, and that he might not fit! She said we could try for another hour to see if I would make any progress, but at that point there's a chance I wouldn't progress, I could start pushing and have complications, and could possibly need a c-section.  At that point I was also running a fever and throwing up, so I was done and just wanted the baby out. We decided to go with the c-section, and all of a sudden it was go time. They went over everything I needed to know about going into surgery and what it would be like. I wasn't too nervous, I was just ready to meet our little boy. Todd remained calm through everything and was absolutely wonderful. Once we got into the operating room and all the drugs kicked in, all I wanted to do was go to sleep. I was shivering and felt so woozy, that I just wanted it to be over. At first it was a little uncomfortable, and I could feel them tugging at my stomach. I tried not to think about what they were doing because I was definitely afraid I would pass out. After about 10 minutes or so, the most precious and perfect little boy appeared above the blue sheet in front of me. At 6:38 a.m. on Tuesday, July 5, 2011, Andrew Ryan Lepovsky entered the world. The cleaned him up and brought him over to me, and all I could think was that he was perfect. I never imagined in a million years what he would look like and when I saw him couldn't imagine him looking any other way. After I got to see him, they took him back to get all his stats and Todd cut the cord. Andrew was 7 lbs, 14 oz and 20 inches. It took them a little while to put me back together, and I could not wait for that to be over so we could go to the recovery room and I could hold my sweet baby boy.

Welcome Andrew!

So happy and in love with our little boy.

Once they finished up, they moved us to recovery where we got to spend an hour with our new baby. It was the most special hour of my life as Todd and I got to sit with our baby boy. All we could do was stare and smile at him in amazement that he was finally here. We knew that down in the lobby our families were probably going nuts waiting for an update or a picture, but we decided to make them wait it out. We wanted them to see him for the first time in person rather than over a picture message, and we weren't ready to share him with the world yet, we wanted this time to be just us.

They brought us to our regular room, and that's when our families were introduced to Andrew. There were many smiles and tears of joy, as both sets of grandparents, and Aunt Kelly, met their first grandson and nephew. We had many friends and family come to the hospital to see us and meet Andrew. It was so nice to see everyone and we were very grateful for everyone's generosity. I have to say though the best gift I received was the Subway sub that Lauren brought me. I didn't have any lunch meat my entire pregnancy, so eating that Subway sandwich I think was the best meal I ever had. Thanks Lauren! :) We stayed in the hospital until Friday, July 8th. It was nice to have all that time there because the nurses were there to take care of us and we really enjoyed having all the help.

The first night in the hospital, Andrew didn't sleep a wink and cried most of the night. Todd and I thought since he wasn't even a day old, he probably doesn't know what's going on so he was awake and cried, and will sleep at some point. Well the same thing happened the next night, and the night after that, and the night after that, and so on until he was four weeks old! The first four weeks were very, very rough for us! We tried everything to get him to sleep, but he just wasn't having it. I honestly thought we would never be able to sleep at night again. I took Andrew to the pediatrician and voiced all my concerns about his not sleeping and crying all night, and she said he most likely had reflux. She gave us two different medicines to try, and voila!, problem solved. Andrew started sleeping at night and turned into a much happier baby. We were so relieved!! We also were happy we got to the root of the problem, because we could tell that he was in pain.

Andrew has certainly experienced many things since he was born. It was a busy summer for us and we decided even though we have a baby, it's not going to stop us from doing things. In July, we had relatives from Pennsylvania and Connecticut come down to meet him. Andrew met his great-grandmas and great aunts, as well as some cousins. He has been to the Baker's house in Solomon's Island twice, and been to Pittsburgh to Gram and Pap's house a few times. His first trip to Pittsburgh was in early August for Uncle Bob's retirement party. We had a great time there and Andrew got to meet many of Uncle Bob and Aunt Sharon's friends. It was nice for Todd and I because I don't think we had to hold him once! Every once and a while it's nice to have a break :) The following weekend, we left for the Bond Family Vacation to Bethany Beach. We had a great week with perfect weather. I am quite the beach bum and I was nervous that my days of sitting on the beach and reading a book were long gone now that I had entered into Mommyland. Luckily though, Andrew loved the beach, and we had many people there to help us out, so my beach relaxation time wasn't completely shot. While at the beach, Andrew experienced a few "firsts". We enjoyed Happy Hour at Mango's after sunning ourselves all day on the beach, an earthquake on one of our beach days, and we had to cut our trip short due to Hurricane Irene. All in all it was a great trip and we look forward to many more summers in Bethany. Andrew also went to his first triathlon in Dewey Beach. Aunt Kelly and Uncle Fun participated in this for a second year, and it was so much fun to watch. They did a great job.

With the fall came football season, and Andrew has turned into one confused child. Todd and I take turns dressing him in Maryland, Pitt, Steelers, and Redskins gear to represent our favorite sports teams. Ultimately it will be Andrew's decision as to which teams he decides to follow, but for now Todd and I are having fun dressing him up in our respective teams colors.
As Andrew has gotten older, his little personality has come out more and more each day. He is a very happy baby who is always smiling and has now entered the world of rolling over. He loves to talk and make baby sounds, which absolutely melts our hearts. He loves to lay on his "sports mat" which he rolls around on, and sits in his bouncer and bumbo chairs. He now sleeps in his crib through the whole entire night! There is nothing better than waking up in the morning to get him out of his crib. He always greets us with an enormous smile and is so excited to see Mommy and Daddy. That is by far my favorite part of the day. We like taking him out on walk/runs in the jogging stroller around Crofton Parkway in our neighborhood.
Our life is different now, however I don't think either of us could imagine how much love we have for this sweet little boy and what a wonderful experience parenthood really is. We are aware that there will always be challenges, and we have faced some so far (i.e. no sleeping), however we love this new stage we have entered.
Our goal is to keep this blog updated about our family shenanigans as well as life itself. We'll see how things go once I return to work, but my goal is to try and update as much as possible so that we can look back at this blog and the memories we have been able to save.