Awwwww

You know you want more pictures of this chubster!

Only, according to his 9 month stats, he's not so chubby. At 20 pounds 12 ounces, he's dipped to the 40-something percentile for weight. But the doctor says that's normal with breastfed babies and he's not at all concerned. In fact, he talked to me on and on yesterday about how the high fructose corn syrup in formula, juice and soda is leading to obesity among kids.

Anyhoo, Andrew is also getting taller. He's 29 inches long, according to the squirmy, kicking, rolling over-on-the-table measurement the nurse took of him.

He had his first flu shot, and is feeling better now after that fever-vomiting bug he caught this week (he just wanted to be held all the time, poor boy).

He has four teeth now that he keeps feeling with his tongue and fingers. I mean, how confusing is that? You wake up one morning with something sticking out in your mouth! He meeting his milestones of smiling and clapping and babbling and moving.

Speaking of moving, we love to track this caboose as it explores the house:

Go Mudcats

I'm late posting this picture, but congrats to the 2011 Tuesday night runners up! JB is on the back row. He's the tall blonde drink of water.

Max, Benny, Andrew and I only got to see him play a couple times because of bed time, but we are so proud of him. The basketball rec league he played in is also now done (next year, I swear the championship is OURS!).

Always moving more!

In just a week, Andrew is now zooming around the house on his hands and knees. He's determined, too. He also pulls himself up on stuff, and tried to cruise the furniture yesterday. I tried to stop him: "No, you will not be mobile yet! You will stay my baby!"

Those top two teeth finally popped through over the weekend, and he has been feeling them with his tongue and fingers ever since. He's sad this morning, though, and feverish. Maybe more teeth?

He also bit me again. Vampire baby.

Always moving

I took this video on September 7 of Andrew moving around the floor. He did the backwards thing for a while, but he's even better at forwards moving now. He goes up on his hands and knees and scootches forward, then does some sort of inch-worm thing. He's fast at it, too. Max and Benny will turn around for a second and then wham -- the baby is right there putting their toy or project in his mouth.

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Speaking of his mouth, it's getting full of teeth. His two bottom teeth I call the sharp pearls of terror, after he bit me while nursing 3 days in a row. My mom told me to flick him so I did. He cried and I cried, but he hasn't done it since.

Three teeth on top are just about bursting through. For a week or so now they have just been hovering beneath the surface. He hasn't been too happy about it. But not bad for 9 months old!

Dads and Kids

Max and Benny had a great time with JB at our ward's annual Dads and Kids campout.

The gathered wood:

Played hard:

And got pretty tuckered out waiting for those marshmallows to roast.

When they got home they told me all about seeing the stars and how dark it was, how cozy it was in the tent, and how much fun they had with the other kids. Max even stated, "We had funner than you, Momma."

But I had a fun time, too. I went to Target with the baby (one child is soooo easy at the store!), then met up with some of the other moms for a game night. I laughed so hard as we played "Time's Up" and "Outburst." I may have been accused of trying to cheat...I do have a tendency to blurt out whatever is on my mind at the time.....

Then on Saturday morning before the boys were home, I emceed at the KSL Book Festival at the U of U. I introduced some of Deseret Book's cookbook authors who were doing demonstrations. Andrew joined me on stage in the front pack and got tons of smiles and people tickling under his chin and his cheeks. I tell you, a baby is the best ice-breaker.

Sleepy

Benny is now down to maybe one or two official naps in his bed a week. It's usually on preschool days. The rest of the time he does a "quiet time" while young Drewbers and I are napping. Only it's not so quiet.

"Mommy? MOMMY! Can I play on your iphone?"

Many afternoons on our after-dinner walk (so around 5 PM), this is what happens:




I know, right?

(It reminds me so much of Max and Ben at this age 3 years ago. See for example this post about Max's naptime conversations and this post with a similar picture.)

Benny starts preschool

That's Benny outside the house, getting ready to go to the first day of preschool! Since I'm at work in the mornings, JB got him all dressed. In fact he gets all the boys dressed and fed and ready for the day. I think Ben looks a lot like his daddy in that outfit. But I just know he tried his hardest to get daddy to agree to a number shirt or jersey. He's so obsessed with sports, he sometimes sleeps with his number shirts.


They walked to the school, and here is Benny just outside the playground.

JB says he ran right in and started to play. Apparently he wants to go to school everyday, just like Max. It's only Mondays and Fridays, which we thought was enough for a 3 1/2 year old, but now we wonder -- maybe he would be good going every day!

Mary Poppins

We went to Mary Poppins this weekend! I'm still humming the songs.




Some memories:

• When Bert pops out of the chimney in the beginning, Max hissed, "He looks real!" I whispered, "He IS real." This became the theme of the day, even though I thought I talked about it with them before. They just heard "theater" I guess and thought movie theater.




• Both boys kept holding out their hands for snacks. Constantly.




• The part when the toys came alive I found creepy, but that was Benny's favorite part -- and I hear, his 2-year-old cousin Jane's favorite part: "Look, a big bunny!"




• Benny noticed the stage lights changing colors and was so fascinated he forgot to ask for snacks for about 5 minutes.




• When Bert dances upside down I about jumped up for a standing ovation. Incredible.




• Max was rather mad when I took him and Benny to the bathroom. "This one is for girls," he scolded.




• Near the end, Mary Poppins flies out over the audience and up to the mezzanine. Benny said, rather loudly, "How did she get out of the TV?"

Bees!

Thanks to my work, we were able to go to a couple Bees games this season. Nothing like a nice night at the ballpark, hot dog in hand. We have to leave early because of our early bedtimes, but Max and Ben like that:

1) there's a fire station next door

2) there's often a bouncy house up behind center field

3) a small train runs the length of the outfield.

Also last week, the media was invited to Bees batting practice. JB, Benny and Andrew were able to come for a brief time -- and JB even hit a few! I think I saw a few singles and a double in there.

Benny tried out a bat:

And Andrew showed off his sitting skills in the grass.