Aunt Steph is at it again...

My dearest friend, Steph, has taken some more fabulous pictures! Oh, the decisions she causes me to make with her gift!! While we were in NC a few weeks ago, she took Andi's 1-Year pictures, Aubrey's 2-Year pictures, and then pictures of the 3 Clark grandkids! Click HERE to go to the page...the password is 'clark2012'

ENJOY!

Updates complete

Yes, almost a year later, I have FINALLY put Owen's birthday party pictures up! Look back in July 2011 to find the post of his birthday party and also a random picture of all of the Voelp grandkids, post labeled "COUSINS"! Also, I added a post with random pictures from August, so look in the August section for that one!! I am going to try to get myself caught up, but I have said that before, so I am not promising anything!! But, I may try to condense my posts to be one or two...or maybe four...catch-up posts, instead of a bunch of posts. And, then, my goal will be to stay on top of things from here on out!!!

Owen plays Tball!!

Owen has started playing Tball and it is seriously the cutest thing! What a hoot! He is having a blast and is so excited for his next game! Randy is enjoying being out there with him, helping to coach the team! It is so much fun to watch all of the little ones out there...it is so comical to see all of the funny things that the kids do out there! What cracks me up the most is to see how many parents it takes out on the field to keep the kids concentrating on the game! They are all out there splashing in mud puddles, picking the grass, playing in the dirt, and doing anything but watching for the ball! It is so cute!!

These pictures were from the 1st (and only) practice!

First Game...Owen was on the pitcher's mound and did so good fielding the balls! I have to say, I was quite impressed, even if he is my own kid!! I can tell he has watched a ton of baseball with his Daddy because he has all the moves down pat! You can almost tell from some of these pictures what I mean!

The video that you are about to see is just too funny not to share! This is Owen and Coach Christian...the sound you hear is not Owen hitting the ball, but instead, Coach Christian's head...OUCH! He was fine and believe me, I checked on him later in the night because I felt so bad! And, yes, I did ask him if he was OK once I stopped taking the video. I was just in such shock at the moment and I didn't know what to say!

Pittsburgh Marathon/Half Marathon

This past weekend, I ran the Pittsburgh Half Marathon, my 3rd half marathon...13.1 miles! My first, I ran with my Dad in Myrtle Beach when I was 18 weeks pregnant with Owen and I only technically ran about 6 miles of it and walked the rest, due to doctor's orders. My 2nd, I ran shortly after we moved to Pittsburgh, in the 2009 Pittsburgh Marathon/Half Marathon, with a time of 2:10:32. This year, I beat my time and finished in 2:03:20. I was pretty proud of my time this year and I look forward to running more in the future, possibly another this fall! Sunday was a hot day in Pittsburgh for running...75 isn't hot normally, but for long distance running, it is pretty hot! In 2009, it was chilly and raining, which was actually really nice when running long distance. I have to admit I felt like I was struggling at the end of the race on Sunday, much more so than during my previous half in Pittsburgh! Actually, at the end of the one in 2009, I was disappointed that I wasn't running the full. This time, I was happy it was over and wasn't disappointed at all that I wasn't crossing the finish line on the full side! Anyhow, it was still fun! I ran with some great friends, Dorsi and Joslynn! I ran with Joslynn for about 5 miles and then we parted ways. I was so proud of Joslynn! She has only fun one other race, a 5K, so this was her first big race and she did so good!! It was a wonderful day and a great way to start the day and to end the weekend!!

Now, I said I ran with Dorsi...but, she actually ran the full marathon, so we didn't run the whole thing together. I actually only ran about a mile with her somewhere in the middle of my run when we "ran" into each other along the way...pardon the pun! We rode down together and hung out with each other before the start, but she was being paced by someone else, so she had to meet up with him. I can't tell you how excited I was for her after her big finish! 26.2 miles is such a long way and she trained so hard, with lots of pain and worry that she wouldn't finish due to some injuries. She was so nervous and worried for the entire week before, so naturally, I was nervous for her as well! I was getting text messages along Dorsi's run to update where she was and her expected finish time based off of her pace. So, I was waiting at about the 26 mile mark to see her pass! It was so exciting to cheer for her as she passed by me just before she crossed the finish line!! I actually got emotional after snapping a couple of pictures and realizing that she had, in fact, MADE IT!!! After she passed me, I made my way to the park where we were meeting up and I couldn't wait to give her a big hug! I was such a proud friend! She felt great the entire time and is already planning her next marathon! They say, once it gets in your blood, you are hooked! And, I guess that is true! I feel that way about running in general, but they say once you have the marathon itch, you are really sucked in!

Joslynn, me, Dorsi before the race!

There she is...almost done with her first marathon!!! And not even hurting...just truckin' along and makin' it look easy! Love that girl!!

And there she goes...approaching the 26 Mile mark! Amazing!! I am such a proud friend ;-)

Dorsi and I after the race! All smiles! SHE MADE IT!!!

ALV-1 YEAR OLD!!!

So, the time has come to post Andi's 1 Year picture and "stats"! I can't believe it! I am so happy and proud and sad all at the same time. I just wish the past year could have slowed down a little bit. I feel like I blinked and she is already ONE!

Andi has really done some growing over the last few months. At her 1 year well visit, she weighed 19lbs 4ozs and was 28.5in...almost 25th % for weight and right on 25th % for height. That is a long way from the 5th % where she started out and stayed for a long time! She weighs less right now than she did at her last appointment (which was a sick visit towards the end of her 12th month)...there are a few reasons for this...1. she was wearing all of her clothes and a wet diaper at that visit, whereas at her well visit, we stripped her down, 2. she is on the go a ton now and I swear she never stops moving, even in her sleep, and 3. she is apparently in a transition stage with food and still isn't quite as interested in her baby food, but not quite ready to go fully into finger foods either. The doctor wasn't concerned at all, so neither am I! She is a healthy girl!

She is really keeping us on our toes these days. She literally gets into EVERYTHING! There isn't an inch of this house that she hasn't explored! I would venture to say she is going to be my wild child, my dare-devil, my fiesty one (that she already is)! She is a sweetheart, don't get me wrong, but she is a mess!! And, she definitely lets you know exactly what she wants! She always points towards whatever she wants and grunts or "yells" until you acknowledge it! And, just in the last few days, she has started nodding, as if to say, "Yes", when you get what she wants!

Andi and her big brother have become the best of friends in the last few weeks! Not that Owen didn't love her from the get go, but he has really started to have fun with her lately. They play together so nicely, which isn't something I was expecting with their age difference. He is so helpful with her and shows her how all of her toys work. They chase each other all over the place and "wrestle" on the floor, giggling the whole time! It truly is such a joy to see and hear! Last night before bed, after playing like crazy together, Owen told me, as I was closing his door, "Mommy, I love you and I love her!" I knew exactly who he was talking about...his baby sister!! That just melted my heart!

Andi's favorite thing in the world is a ball! She loves nothing more than to throw a ball across the room and then chase after it! I really believe she would do it for hours if she could! Her favorite place to play with them is in the kitchen. It must be the hard floor or something. But, just don't let the ball get stuck under the table or chairs! That really gets my fiesty girl upset!! Don't worry, though, her big brother usually comes to her rescue! Something else that Andi loves to do is open and close doors/cabinets/gates! We always think she is trying to get into whatever she is opening, but really she just wants to open it, close it, then open it again! And, if whatever it is closes completely and she can't get it opened back up, she gets so mad and that temper comes out full force!!

Her tricks are still about the same as last month. But, she has started giving hugs, where she puts her head down on my chest when I ask for a hug (sometimes). She "loves" on her babies and stuffed animals too, which is so sweet! And, she is also "blowing kisses", which means she is putting her hand up to her mouth and pulling it away. She will also make the kissing sound from time to time when we ask for kisses, but it isn't usually associated with blowing kisses. She is still not walking and still doesn't seem close to me, but I guess she could surprise me and take off any day now. Believe me, I hope that is far into the future. She is SO FAST at crawling and I have a hard enough time keeping her bruise-free with that because she gets into everything, so not walking yet is perfectly OK with me! She is starting to be my climber! She climbs onto the dishwasher when I am loading/unloading it, she gets on top of any box that is sitting around, she climbed onto an ottoman with ease at my parent's house, and she has also climbed onto Owen's chair/table several times. I am going to have to watch her closely! Even by 2, Owen wasn't a big climber and could barely get himself onto the couch. If she was bigger and could reach her little legs up easier, I know without a doubt that she would be on the couch in a heartbeat. I honestly just don't think Owen ever had the desire, whereas Andi definitely does!!

Andi is still in size 4 diapers and can still wear some 9 month clothes (only onesies and some of her PJs), but has quickly moved into all 12-18 month size. I have been so used to her being in the size that is a little behind her age, so now that she is right on, it seems strange to me.

We had a blast celebrating Andi's birthday! She had TWO parties...one in NC at G-Ma and Papa's house and one in PA at a local restaurant! I will post pictures at some point...I know, I am so incredibly behind already, so the chances of that happening before her 2nd birthday are pretty slim, but I will try!

Happy 1st Birthday, Sweet Girl! We Love You to the moon and back! And, we can't wait to see what your 2nd year will bring!

Happy 1st Birthday Anderson!!!

One year ago today, my whole world was changed forever in the best possible way! You see, I always thought I would have 3 boys. And, even though we didn't know what we were having and I felt absolutely blessed with another gift from God either way, I just knew that this baby was boy #2 and I think I even secretly hoped it was a boy. In fact, it is safe to say that I was terrified and downright scared to death at the possibility of having a girl...don't ask me why, I can't explain it! But, the moment she was laid on my chest, every worry and fear disappeared and my heart melted for my sweet little teeny tiny baby GIRL!! And this has been the most amazing year with her added to our family! What a wonderful and amazing blessing from God! He sure knows what He is doing! Happy 1st Birthday to our sweet Andi Leigh!!

ALV-11 months old!

(Sorry for the delayed post...I started this post a few weeks ago and forgot to come back and finish it. The picture was taken on the correct day, though!)

Our baby girl is growing so unbelievably quick. It is so hard to believe that she is already 11 months old. It makes me sad and happy all at the same time. I wish I could just slow the clock down a tad.

Andi continues to be such a joy! She keeps us on our toes and keeps us busy! She is a mess and gets into EVERYTHING! And when she gets ahold of something she shouldn't have and we take it from her, she gets so mad! In fact, she has even thrown herself on the floor and had a little bit of a tantrum a few times. That honestly scares me to death...if she is throwing tantrums at 11 months, what is to come at 2 and 3? And 14? Ahhh!!! She is relentless with the stairs and we have had to put a gate at the bottom. I swear she has a radar that tells her just when the gate is open, too, because she goes right for it as soon as she realizes! And, she finds a way to get into whatever she wants! She is a little stinker and we literally cannot take our eyes off of her! She is much more "active" than we ever remember Owen being at this age!

She has a few new tricks, which is always fun. She is now cruising the furniture and can stand for a few seconds without assistance. I don't think she is close to walking yet, but she could always surprise me. She is pushing her little push toy around, but gets really MAD when it runs into the couch and she can't go any further...she hasn't quite figured out how to move it to go in another direction. She LOVES to climb on things, which of course is a bit scary! There is a stool in our kitchen that she is obsessed with climbing on and she has also climbed right up onto Owen's small chair in his playroom a few times. She is definitely waving and saying "Hi" now, although it still comes out "Ahh!" in a shrill voice, which is actually adorable! And, she can also wave bye as well, but she doesn't say anything with that. She is also shaking her head back and forth if we say "no, no, no".

Anderson is doing much better with textured/table foods. She will eat any "snack" that we give her and has started eating some pick up foods, like cut up fruits---bananas, grapes, strawberries (bananas are her favorite, the others she could do without), cheese, peas, cheese quesadilla. She won't really go after much of that after the first few bites, so she still gets mostly baby food, but we are working on it. She is in a strange stage right now where she isn't really ready for full blown table food, but isn't thrilled with her baby food either. So, I am really hoping this won't mean we have a picky eater, but I guess we shall see.

She is now wearing size 4 diapers and size 12 month clothes. There are only a few 9 month clothes and a couple of bigger 6 month onesies that still fit her, which is crazy to me. Not necessarily because she can't fit in them anymore, but more because she seems to have almost completely skipped over the 9 month clothing. She kind of went straight from 6 month clothes to 12 months. Andi weighed 19lbs 7ozs at her last visit. She is now in the 25th percentile...woohoo!! She has recently had a huge jump on the charts, that is for sure! We didn't have her length done because we were there for a sick visit, so I am not sure where she stands with her height.

Speaking of being sick, the tubes are doing their job, but not quite how I had hoped. Andi got an ear infection only 1 month after her tube surgery! I was disappointed to say the least. But, the tubes did their job and the infection drained, which meant that there was very little discomfort for Andi. The only part she seems upset about are the drops that I have to put in her ears. They are antibiotic drops to clear up the infection and lets be real, having drops put into your ears is NOT fun, no matter what your age is! I was hoping for infection-free ears now that she has tubes. Oh well! At least she doesn't have to be on oral antibiotics that upset her tummy and at least she isn't in pain like before the tubes.

Well, I think that sums up our baby girl at 11 months! I can't believe that I will be posting about her 1 year stats soon! Why do they have to grow up so fast? I am not ready for that day to come!

I LOVE this!!

I love this because Owen did this exact same thing when he first started talking! I would say, "say, Mamamamama!" and he would say, "Dadadadada!" So, this is only fitting for Anderson to do it the opposite!

Peek-a-Boo with Andi

ALV-10 months old!

Anderson is now 10 months old! I say NO WAY, but the calendar tells me otherwise! I can't believe she is only 2 months shy of being one! That is not even possible! At any rate, it is in fact true, so I can't stop it!

She continues to delight us each and every day! She is quite the little pistol all of a sudden and into EVERYTHING!!! She keeps us busy, that is for sure! And, she is very feisty and a little squirmy worm. Changing diapers/clothes these days is a workout in and of itself!

Anderson had tube surgery last week for her ears. She did great and everything went very smoothly. We are really praying this will keep those nasty ear infections away!

Andi has a few new tricks up her sleeve. Clapping seems to be her newest favorite thing to do! She is doing it all the time and usually very random! She is pointing at everything these days. It is very cute to see her point and babble as if she is trying to tell you something very important. She is saying "Mama" and "Dada" regularly and sometimes she will say, "Hi", although I think we only know that she is saying that because of when she says it. She is babbling constantly and definitely knows how to express herself. She is clapping all the time and also makes the clicking sound with her tongue, to which she is very proud of herself...mainly because her brother gets so excited every time she does it! I think he is especially proud of her because he has helped to teach her all of these new tricks! She has started pulling up on anything and everything she can! She did this the first time a few weeks ago, but then didn't really do it anymore, but not for lack of trying. She just didn't seem to have good enough balance or coordination to get herself up and then once she was up, she was very unstable. However, ever since she got her tubes, she has been non-stop! I really believe that when they drained out all of the backed up fluid from her ears, her equilibrium is now back in balance and she is able to stand easier. She used to stumble a lot when she was crawling and would fall to her face, but now, she hasn't seemed to have any trouble with that anymore. Along with pulling up, she has also decided that the stairs are a really fun place to be. All of sudden, she discovered them and has pretty much mastered them at this point, which scares me to death! Earlier this week, she was in the kitchen with me when I was washing bottles and then she went into the living room. I heard her playing and then she seemed to get really quiet. I knew that wasn't a good sign, so I went to check on her and she was almost all the way to the top of the stairs!!! That was a wake up call for me...we now put the gate at the bottom to keep her from going up alone!

The cutest thing Anderson is doing right now is playing peek-a-boo! She hears "Do you want to play peek-a-boo?" or "Where's Andi/Anderson?" and she puts the back of her hands over her eyes with the cutest little grin on her face! She loves it! It is so precious! I will post a video!

Eating textured things is getting much better! She still can't stand textured baby food, but she eats puffs and yogurt melts with complete ease now! I don't even have to break them up anymore! She also will eat broken up goldfish and cheerios. I have tried to offer her bread, pancakes, and bananas, but she isn't interested once she picks them up. She seems to be opposed to the way they feel. I will keep trying though! We have definitely turned a corner, so I am sure it will be no time before she is eating everything we are eating! She has also finally mastered the sippy cup...well, just one sippy in particular. After trying several, she just couldn't figure it out. While I was at Walmart one day, I grabbed a cheapo just to see what she would do and she had no problems. I was definitely getting worried about the sippy because I want to be done with the bottle shortly after she turns one. So, getting a sippy mastered was a must!

Although she is still little, Andi is growing like crazy! I really feel like she has gained a lot of length here recently...she just seems much longer! My guess is she weighs close to 18 lbs now. She is still in size 3 diapers, but I will most likely switch her to size 4 when I buy diapers next. She is definitely more in size 9 months or 9-12 months clothes at this point. But, I can still squeeze her into her 6 month clothes. I am really trying to stretch out what we have for the remainder of the cold(er) days versus buying new stuff when spring and summer are right around the corner.

As always, we are enjoying our sweet girl! She is just such a joy and she definitely keeps us on our toes!

ALV-9 months old!

9 months have passed since our baby girl was born! How is that even possible? She is still such a wonderful baby and such a joy to our lives!

Andi was 16 pounds, 4 ounces at her 9 month well visit (still 10th %) and she was 26.5 inches (25th %). Still growing, but still so tiny! She is still in size 3 diapers and wears 6-9 month clothes now!

As you can see from the previous post, she started crawling during her 9th month! And, now, she has taken off! She is quick and gets into EVERYTHING!!! When I say everything, of course, I mean everything she shouldn't get into! She can find it all...including a stink bug! Yep, she attempted to eat a stink bug...nasty! I am not sure if it was crawling around and she picked it up or if it was already dead, but I looked over at her as she was pulling it out of her mouth and setting back on the ground...dead! We have stink bugs everywhere and for the most part, we totally ignore them. They don't cause any harm and they aren't poisoness, just a little strange looking and they only stink if you squish them or if you vacuum them up...let's just say we have learned not to do that if we don't want the whole house to smell like stink bug! Oh, and if you BITE them, of course! Ugh, I can't even explain how nasty it was to imagine that our baby girl stuck that thing in her mouth and bit down! Her hands and her breathe reeked of stink bug until I washed/brushed them! Whew, that is one for the memory bank, huh?

Andi still isn't eating anything more than just plain old baby food, yogurt, and oatmeal. She just can't handle the textures. I do give her puffs from time to time, broken up, and she does fine. But, if I give her a whole one, she gags and chokes. The pediatrician said this doesn't worry her and that it just means she isn't quite ready yet for finger foods. So, we will just try again later and see what happens!

She has gotten another ear infection (her 3rd in a month and a half)...this time a double. Basically, this is the same fluid sitting there, causing the infections, from back in December when she got her first one. It clears up with antibiotics and then comes right back when she is done with the medicine. So, our pediatrician felt like it was time for her to see the ENT. I knew that meant she would be heading for tubes like her brother. To be honest, this is what I hoped for because I know how well they work. As it turns out, she will have to get tubes. The ENT doctor said that she can tell by looking in her ears that the fluid has been there for a while and isn't draining properly. She said that if it sits for a long time, it can cause hearing problems and/or scarring. So, she said that tubes are necessary to get her ears cleared up and to get her comfortable again. Although, you really wouldn't know her ears are bothering her other than the fact that she constantly tugs on them. She doesn't cry, she doesn't have trouble sleeping, she still eats great...she just tugs at her ears! At any rate, her surgery is scheduled for March 7th.

2 big things have happened during this month...Andi said "Mama" for the first time and she cut her 2 top teeth! She still only says "Mmmmaaaa" or "Mmmammma", and it only seems to be when she is upset or tired, but I will take it! Randy says I "won" this time...since Owen said "Dada" first! I didn't know it was a contest ;-) Her 2 top teeth came through much like her bottom 2...no warning and no signs; she just all of sudden had teeth. That is nice, I will say! Both of our kiddos have taken teething very well! I know we are very lucky when it comes to that because I know it can be bad sometimes!

These 9 months have gone by so incredibly fast. I really, really, really want time to slow down! She is just growing too quickly! Her smile and her laugh alone are enough to melt a heart! She is amazing and just gets more and more fun everyday!

Andi is crawling!!!

Andi started crawling on Friday...01/20/2012! She started a full month earlier than Owen did. I was shocked that she got it so quick! And, I was able to catch her very first time on video, just as I did with Owen! I was so excited and as you can see, Owen was just as proud of his baby sister! A little disclaimer...please excuse the fact that both children are half naked! I promise they don't run around like that on a daily basis. Owen spilled his drink on himself in the car and Andi had a blowout diaper. I had just gotten his pants off (he does have undies on, but they are hiked up to the point they are under his shirt) and her all cleaned up when she decided to take off. So, I grabbed the camera, not caring that neither child was fully clothed! Oops ;-)

Blog updating

I am so incredibly behind in updating this blog! I still haven't gone back and done the post on Owen's birthday party, which was 6 MONTHS AGO! I have all intentions of getting around to that and all of the things since then up to the present at some point! But, to be honest, adjusting to 2 kids and working from home has just been slightly tougher than I had imagined! So, I will get to it when I get to it! In the meantime, I promise to at least update Andi's monthly post! I hope to get caught up and then stay caught up after that! But, I am not promising anything....

ALV-8 months old!

Although this post is a little lot late, the picture was taken on the day Andi turned 8 months old ;-)

Andi continues to be the sweetest, happiest, little baby! She is so pleasant all the time and really is the easiest baby! She doesn't give us any trouble and I usually know exactly what she needs if she does get fussy!

Even though she is still tiny, only in the 10th percentile, Andi is growing like crazy! From 6.5 months old to 7.5 months old, she gained an entire pound...15 lbs 13 ozs at her last visit, which was a sick visit in December. We came back from our trip to NC to celebrate Christmas and I just had a feeling something wasn't right...she was still eating fine and sleeping fine and was completely acting normal, but the slight tugging on her right ear throughout the weekend bothered me, so I took her to get her ears checked. Sure enough, her first ear infection :-( Unfortunately, me taking her in to check her ears meant that she and I came in contact with all of the germs at the pediatrician's office and we both came down with a stomach bug. We then "shared the love" with the ENTIRE Voelp clan (well, almost entire...only Tim's kiddos were spared...EVERYONE else!!). It was a nasty, rampant virus that struck us all at the worst time possible, the week of Christmas...but that is for another post...back to Andi! Other than the stomach bug, she seemed to handle the ear infection like a champ...MUCH different than her brother who was, to put it mildly, MISERABLE when he had one! She was a trooper and after a few days of antibiotics, it cleared up!

About a week after I posted her 7 month entry, her bottom 2 teeth popped through! No real issues with the teething...they just all of a sudden were there! She really is such an easy baby...we are so blessed!

Andi is still in 3-6 month or 6 month clothes, but can wear some 6-9 month or 9 month things. She is also still in size 3 diapers...that should hold true for a while! I am hoping the pile of clothes we got for her back in October will last through the winter because I really don't want to have to buy more "warm" clothes when the seasons will change soon!

She is still doing great with solids, but doesn't seem ready at all for finger/table food! If I give her puffs that I have broken up, she does fine. But, if I give her the whole thing, she gags as if it is completely closing off her airway...when it is only on the TIP OF HER TONGUE! And, the "textured" baby food does the same thing to her! I don't know if she will ever progress at this point ;-) But, trust me, we are in no rush!

Andi isn't crawling yet, but she does get up on all 4's and rock back and forth! She almost does a crazy "jump" motion while on all 4's as if she is trying to propel herself forward, which cracks us up! She is definitely trying really hard! She also rolls everywhere and seems to find a way to get into everything! She is going to be a wild one, we can tell already! She is able to push herself, while on her belly, backwards all over the floor, but can't quite get the forward motion yet! She also does a funny scoot thing when she is sitting. She can get all the way across the room while sitting on her bum! It is one of those things where we wondered if she would just never crawl and do the butt-scoot instead, but I think she may be crawling soon! Again, we are in no rush!

Andi LOVES her big brother and we can always rest assured that he will keep her entertained! He is so good with her and loves playing with her as much as she loves having him around! She gives the biggest laughs to him! Her favorite thing seems to be splashing with him in the bathtime, which is so fun to watch! They just splash and splash and splash like crazy people and she is the biggest instigator which makes it even more hilarious! Her other favorite things are her jumper and her exersaucer! She is still quite entertained in those! During Christmas, because of the Christmas tree, we put the jumperoo down in the basement and pulled out the "Johnny Jumper". She really seems to enjoy that more so than the jumperoo, so we may just keep it that way!

Andi hasn't started making any consenant sounds yet. She hasn't said, "Mama" or "Dada" or really much of anything more than just the vowel sounds. She does make a sound when she is really tired or hungry and fussy like "mmmmm" but I am not sure if that really means anything. When I looked back, Owen was already saying "Dada" at this point, as well as a few other consenant sounds. But, we are not really worried...she is taking things at her own pace and once again, we are in no rush!

Andi has started lifting her arm in the air and moving it up and down and making the "Ah" sound when she sees someone walk in a room or when she is trying to get someone's attention! She is clearly attempting to say "Hi!" which is so cute! She and I went to the local bagel shop one day after dropping Owen off at preschool, and she was bound and determined to get this man's attention who was sitting a few tables away! She kept making that sound and moving her arm up and down...and the poor girl just couldn't get his attention...apparently he just wanted to read his paper and drink his coffee and never even realized she was "talking" to him! It was cute either way ;-)

We can't believe our sweet girl is already 8 months! I don't understand why children have to grow up so quickly anyway, but I truly feel like Andi is growing up much quicker than even Owen has! It must be a second child thing?!?! I feel like I blinked and all of a sudden she isn't a newborn anymore! So, all of these milestones that she hasn't reached yet or isn't reaching as fast as Owen did, are perfectly fine with us! The longer she holds off, the longer she just might stay our baby girl!! I wish I could keep her this age forever, but I am so excited to see who she will become too! We truly are enjoying every moment and taking it all in as much as possible!