Go *Elf* Yourself!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Go Elf Yourself! Be sure to buy a stapler or something at Office Max. And then have a Merry Christmas!

Some November Pictures...

Let's Go Mountaineers!

From November 2008

Trip to the Park

From November 2008

From November 2008

From November 2008

Tunnels are the precursor to Forts, and Andrew LOVES them:

From November 2008

He had a BLAST at Gymboree, banging on the drums!

From November 2008

New Camera, with VIDEO!

Thanks to Gramma Rosie, we got a new family camera for Christmas! I know, I know, it's early... but I'm pretty sure this gift is gonna greatly benefit her (and all the others who track Andrew online) and so the earlier the better.

I definitely wanted the new camera to have video with sound and an easy-to-YouTube quality. Our old camera was lacking in those two departments. With Andrew being so mobile and quickly babbling more and more, pictures just wouldn't capture those moments! We are so THANKFUL for the upgrade!

Needless to say, I've been playing with it all day! Here are some samples:



Our YouTube "channel" is: www.YouTube.com/TeamHolt4eva
There are more sample videos there, but the above is my favorite.

The picture quality is also really nice. There are different setting to ensure a Best Shot. Currently, it's programmed to the Children setting which allows a faster shutter speed, and something about enhanced skin tones.

Andrew enjoying his Biter Biscuit:

From November 2008

First Tooth (Almost)

Andrew is working on his first tooth!

He's been pretty happy, without bad symptoms or irritability. We can see the tooth-which is his bottom middle/right- budding up to the surface. I can feel it when I run my fingers over his gum. He hasn't bit me yet... but I'm sure he will eventually!

There's no way I can capture it coming in with a photo. Everytime I push his lower lip down to expose his coming-in tooth, he sticks his little tongue out and over it!

I will be sure to post the picture when the tooth is fully out and visible in his smile.

Little Drummer Boy

I've been driving James nuts with the Christmas music. It's supplied by one of the music channels through the television. A different version of Little Drummer Boy (LDB) is on just about every 4th or 5th song. Who knew it was that popular?

After about the 28th listen, I really listened. I will admit that the LDB was not my favorite... until I heard the David Bowie/Bing Crosby version... but for you that aren't familiar with LDB, he's a poor boy too and can't give little Baby Jesus a gift. So he offers to play his drum (par ump a pum pum), and in the end Baby Jesus smiles at the LDB.

Right now the stores are getting their holiday displays ready. I'm getting nervous. Crayola wants me to give the gift of creativity- not the real creativity, the kind that comes with the new Color Explosion Glow Board. I feel like I can't even afford to buy the huge bow that would go on top of a new Lexus.

Since Team Holt doesn't know where we'll be come Christmas, I was thinking of volunteering at a soup kitchen- or something along those lines- for Thanksgiving here in Pensacola/Milton. Money might be a little tight right now, but I have plenty to be thankful for and plenty of time to give.

Anyway, the point here is that Jesus smiled when LDB did his thing on the drums. I don't know of any story or carol that Jesus smiled at the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The God-given gifts and talents we have to offer others are the ones that are much more important than those gifts we buy.

This is Halloween!

Andrew had a nice Halloween. We went to Virginia where we got a pumpkin costume. Technically, we were given two: one was made of fleece and the other was lightweight and sleeper style. Both were very nice!

We were given so many nice things, that when we were leaving we had to make two piles: Take-Back-to-Florida and Mail-to-Florida. Well, both costumes were in the Mail-to-Florida pile.

That didn't stop Team Holt from dressing up for Halloween!



Andrew even posed for this one:


The pictures don't really do justice to the detail work of my costume. I mean, did you even notice the artistry of the cold sore?

Now that I mention artistry, James carved this Jack-o-Lantern:


This year was the first year that we actually got Trick-or-Treaters! It was also the first Halloween Party we've been to as 'adults.' And, of course, I forgot my camera when we went to the Halloween party. Boo. (That's a poor-planning boo, not a Halloween-festive Boo!)

You might be a Redneck...

Sometimes I'm envious of those people who have screen doors, especially when there's nice weather.

Today was a super nice day in Milton Florida. It was breezy. I even put on a sweatshirt! I made the comment that it was 'cold.' Somewhere between Pensacola FL and Corpus Christi TX, I determined that 68 degrees with a breeze is considered 'cold.'

We went to a garage sale and got 3 baby-gates for $10!

Today I REALLY wanted a screen door...





And, if nothing else, I am creative.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Andrew Holt!

We went to Double D Farms (insert poor-taste joke here) where they have pumpkins and those weird-looking gourds, multi-colored corn, and other fall appropriate things... and the nicest staff ever. They win the title of Pumpkin Patch in this house.

They let us take a bunch of pictures, so we did!

This is the winning shot:

From PUMPKINS!

He wasn't so happy with these pumpkins...

From PUMPKINS!

With Dad...

From PUMPKINS!

With Mom... (and SO over these pumpkins)

From PUMPKINS!

Then we saw The Great Pumpkin!

From PUMPKINS!

He got a little more interested once the pumpkin-size was bigger than him.

From PUMPKINS!

From PUMPKINS!

From PUMPKINS!

We got a medium size pumpkin, and will be carving it soon for Halloween!

**If you haven't gotten one for yourself and/or your family go to Double D Farms- their pumpkins are $0.50 per lbs! And they're nice local farmer folks! Support your local growers!

7 Months "Old"

Andrew is 7 months old!

He's a great baby.

I also think I hear him on the monitor, which means he's awake from his nap.

Yup. Time to get ready for the pumpkin patch!


More on that later.

All Through the Night

Andrew doesn't sleep through the night consistently. Most nights are better than others. On those nights that are painful, I wonder what damage I'm doing and what I'm doing wrong. And that's what I'm frustrated about.

I'm frustrated with the scare tactics that authors, and in some cases, doctors use to guilt you into using their specific method. My eyes were opened early on to the crap that's out there, so I read with a grain of salt. I wonder where their credibility lies. I wonder how useful their sources are. Where is their expertise? Do they even have children of their own? Basically, I look for reason why I should(n't) listen to their argument.

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby (by Marc Weissbluth, M.D.) states: "If your child does not learn to sleep well, he may become an incurable adult insomniac, chronically disabled from sleepiness and dependent on sleeping pills." (p. xix, of the Introduction)

One "popular" opinion is to let your child Cry It Out (CIO). Dr. Weissbluth supports the extinction method, which is pretty clear in his book. But, the more real people, real parents I talk to don't use this method. It's just too dang hard on the heart. Without getting into my own issues, I can't do this. I've tried, and I think I was more exhausted after trying this than I was if I just got up and went to him. But there was a time I was convinced that letting Andrew CIO was 'best for him.'

I read this argument against letting your child CIO which includes that your child will have trust issues, insecurity in the world, form opinions that they are unlovable and unworthy of their parents' attention. Yikes.

The only real conclusion I came up with is to start saving. Hunh? Let me explain. On top of having a college fund, we should start a therapy/rehab fund. Maybe just ONE college-and/or-therapy-and/or-rehab fund. Since he really can't go to college as an insecure, sleeping-pill addicted insomniac now can he?

6 Months: Can you believe it?

Wow! My baby boy is 6 months old! Where has the time gone?

From Coolest Kid You Know

We went to his 6 Month Baby Wellness appointment and we have the following to report:

• Andrew weighs 17 lbs 13 ozs (50%).
  
• He is 28 1/2 inches long (95%!).
  
• His head circumference is 17" (40%, which is up from his previous measurement that put him in the 25th%).

He can sit unsupported for a minute or two. Even more (time) if there's something he can play with in front of him to keep him busy.

He has a primitive crawl that allows him to move forward. It's not really- officially- crawling, but it gets him where he wants to go! And fast!

He is the most wonderful little boy! I am truly blessed by this little human. I hope everyone gets to enjoy their child(ren) as much as I enjoy Andrew. Everyday, everytime he smiles or laughs- it fills my heart with a joy I've never known before. I didn't know these feelings existed before, let alone inside of me.

From Coolest Kid You Know

Andrew's attempt at Crawling!!

Andrew's getting more and more mobile everyday! He finds a new way to scoot around. First his movements resembled a low crawl, then he got up on his hands and knees, and now he thrusts himself forward after several preparatory rocks back-and-forth.

It's not pretty, but it propels him forward. Uncoordinated-ly (is that even a word?) and slowly, he gets to where he wants to go.



Thanks to Aunt Fallan for the use of her video equipment, and also the upload time on her computer!! :)

Sesame Street!

On Saturday we went to see a Sesame Street production! So, yes, I CAN tell you how to get... how to get to Sesame Street.

The USO offers a free Sesame Street tour/performance especially for military bases and military families! So we went!

Andrew is a couple days from being 6 months, so I'll be honest: I wanted to go! I was probably more excited than 80% of the kids there. The other 20% were either sleeping, not paying attention, or just plain scared. Hands down, I was the most excited parent there.

From Sesame Street

Andrew watched most of the show.

From Sesame Street

He REALLY watched it!

From Sesame Street

Although, the real highlight for Andrew was the toy he was given. It spins around and lights up... it's a good time!

From Sesame Street

It seems he got a little annoyed with all the picture taking. He really just wanted to play with that darn toy!

From Sesame Street

The show was a little short, but after all, it was free! It lasted about 30-45 minutes, and featured Rosita, Zoe, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Grover.

From Sesame Street

For the most part, Andrew enjoyed the whole show. At one point he teetered on the brink of terror, but that was short lived. I think it might have been too much stimuli for his brain. I mean, between the lights, the singing and dancing furry monsters, and the kids of all ages- it was almost too much for my adult brain! It was certainly way too much for James. I think he was ready to go after the words "Sunny day."

Overall, it was a great experience! Of course I had the most fun, Andrew had a good time, and James being there made us happy.

Really, the COOLEST Kid. EVER.

Phelps Phan:

Sweetest Thing

Some things are just meant to be shared...







I love it when I see this. Not only because he looks so content and happy, but this also allows for an extra hour in the morning!

Picture Perfect

Last Friday we helped a friend out at Lullabies & Mudpies.

There was a professional photographer (Hartman Photography) there that had a pretty nice deal going... so we took advantage of it!

They were featuring "Antique Photos" and had lots of old-timey props. Since Andrew has never had his picture taken by a true professional, I decided to give it a go. Andrew was super cooperative and now we have to decide which pictures in which pose(s) to order.

To view online: click here!

Please feel free to leave a comment of your favorite picture(s) or pose(s).

Team Holt at the Zoo!

Team Holt visited the Zoo of Northwest Florida to celebrate our 4th Anniversary. In the past, we've visited Kings Island, and Kings Dominion. We were trying to build a tradition of visiting amusement parks, but for the 3rd Anniversary I was pregnant, and for the 4th- well there just aren't any close. Well- there's Disney, but it's a little too far and a little too out of budget.

Anyway, we went to the zoo! I was excited to see Andrew meeting some animals, since there is a petting zoo portion- with different kinds of goats, sheep, a pig, and some cattle. Farm animals, nothing too exotic.

For you city folks, this is a sheep:




There were very large goats with large horns, so we kept Andrew away from those. We did find a friendly smaller Billy Goat, with smaller horns. There were two Billy Goats in that pen, and the other wasn't interested in us- so the threat of head butting was lesser with him.



There were giraffes, and lots of primates- including Orangutans and Siamangs. The Siamangs had a new 3 month-old baby! A few lions and tigers, and 30 acres of free-roaming animals. Deer, Gorillas, lots of birds, a Komodo Dragon, and Alligators. I thought it was strange to have Alligators in a Florida zoo, but whatever. It's kinda like having Pigeons in the Bronx Zoo.

Okay, time for some pictures...

Andrew doesn't care to look at the camera:


Momma and Baby Siamang:


2 1/2 year old Orangutan:


MY baby:


The most beautiful Butterfly:



Tired boys:


And the day wouldn't be complete without a few Team photos.

Beginning of the trip:



Towards the end of the trip:


Oh, and because he's the cutest thing. EVER.

No News

No news is good news!

I called the lab today for the results of the blood/poop test. And they were negative! No follow-up is needed.

Phew. I really have to remember how blessed I am to have a healthy child.

Four Month Baby Wellness

I don't plan on keeping the Two-a-Day postings... but there's been a lot going on around here. This one will be quick and pictureless.

Andrew had his 4 Month Baby Wellness today. He is in his 18th week.

He weighs 15 1/2 lbs. (Putting him in the 75th percentile.)
He is 27" long. (90th percentile. He's tall!!)
His head is 16 1/2" circumference. (25th percentile.)

I asked about the red blood drops in his stool, three times I noticed them since July 1st. The Dr. wasn't concerned, but I have to take samples to send to the lab for Occult Blood testing. And then wait for the Lab not to call since no news is good news. More testing will have to be done if they do call.

I also asked about starting solid foods. The Dr. said to wait until 5 months. Then we added that we gave him rice cereal last night. The Dr. just told us to make sure it was thin and runny. So, we're gonna hold off for a while. More time to research!


***EDITED TO UPDATE: We took the Biohazard (read: poop) samples to the Lab today (7/29). I'll be updating when we DON'T hear anything back and no further testing is needed. Standby.***

Solid Food Diary, Entry 1

The next "big" thing for Andrew is eating Solid Foods.

I'm going to be tracking what he eats, in order, and hopefully capturing some funny faces for likes and dislikes. And sharing it with all 5 people that read this (including you, Dee).

Last night he ate- I use the term loosely- Rice Cereal.

We decided it was time to try. We've been using our dining nook table to eat family meals together. I pull Andrew's high-chair up to the table, and he watches us eat. (Clue #1 he's ready to start.) Sometimes I would catch him following the fork to one of our mouths. (Clue #2) I'd sometimes hear him smacking his own mouth, and making chewing motions. (Clue #3)

Other indicators that he's ready to eat 'solids' include being able to sit supported (check) and being at least 3 months (check).

It went VERY well. He was interested in the dish and its contents, he opened his mouth for the spoon... okay, so he opens his mouth for just about anything... but he started mouth movements (I can't really call them chewing) and he got 80% of it down. The other 20%, of course, was shared between his face and bib. But that's to be expected, the boy has never eaten from a spoon before! Needless to say, we're very proud.

He didn't spit up, or have a rumbly tummy. So, I deem it a success!


Before


Getting ready for the food!





Bowl? Spoon?


Mouth, meet spoon.





I don't have man hands, James was feeding Andrew up until this point!





I'm kind of disappointed that I didn't get an After shot. Oh well. Next time.