Hoppy Birthday Drew!

We celebrated Drew's 1st Birthday one day early - we just couldn't wait any longer, the anticipation was just too much! :)

We (well, Mommy) ran with a frog theme (thanks for the help with the idea Aunt Katrina) since Drew LOVES to jump! It was so fun to plan & decorate - I was just so excited!



We had a great time with family & friends - thanks to all who were able to celebrate with us! Cousin Matthew made some awesome balloon animals for the kids, Luke helped bring presents to Drew, even announcing what he brought & that he LOOOOVES cupcakes, and Harrison danced & played so well! It was so fun to watch the boys play together & with all the awesome new toys! (Though Drew obviously knew that they were HIS toys!)



Drew didn't want much to do with his cake...the day before the party we had 1 year pics taken & he did great initially with the cake smash. So maybe he smashed it all out already, that & later on that evening he ran a fever of 102.9, so he just wasn't top-notch, or he crumbled under pressure! Who knows! We had fun decorating the cakes none the less & here's the video for anyone who wasn't there & wants to watch an anti-climactic cake smash!

Fun with balloons!

With the birthday party planning revving up, we had balloons all over the house - Drew had a blast playing with them....



(By the way, that's Nana & Grandpa in the background - Grandpa had the drill out for hanging something on the wall - just so you know!)

Food Face!

So, here's an example of what I think of when someone mentions a child's messy dinner...Drew was in a mood to refuse just about anything I offered him this night, so the food went everywhere! His 'sign language' for NO to food is to wipe his hands back & forth on his tray, swiping all of the food all over the tray & onto the floor - here are the results of dinner...!

Fun in Florida

We took our first big adventure with Drew this month - we flew to Miami to visit the Glienke family for a week! Drew did great on the plane rides, both there & back, having fun meeting all the people sitting around us, playing with the seat belt & lap tray. He did thankfully take a nap on the way back, but on the way there I guess he was just too excited as was awake from 4:30AM until 2:30PM when he absolutely konked out on the car trip to the Keys.


Drew & Tyler had fun together - as much as 1 year olds can have fun & play together I suppose. The adults probably enjoyed watching them play & interact even more. Tyler is absolutely adorable & so much fun - he makes the BEST noises & sounds - they say he's just like a parrot already! Tyler also does the best 360 turn in sitting ever! Drew picked up on this & some of the sounds by the time we got back home...funny how they learn from each other when they can't even talk to one another! It was funny to see them take toys back & forth from one another - Drew had an upper hand at being the bully from the beginning, taking what he wanted, but Tyler quickly learned to get right back at him!


They both enjoyed the pool & even took a boat trip out to the Playita for the full ocean experience. When Mommy showed Drew the sand, he immediately put it in his mouth...MMMM! The Glienke family really enjoyed seeing Drew's unique crawl in person, even earning himself the nickname "Scooter"! Drew thoroughly enjoyed the Cuban bread - he probably wishes we had it here in Texas like his parents do!


We were able to have a mini-birthday celebration for the 2 boys while we were there since their birthday are only 1 month apart. They both enjoyed their personal smash cake (wonderfully supplied & decorated by cousin Cari-THANK YOU!) as well as some fun gifts. Again, it was mostly for the adults, well, mainly the Moms! :)


It was a wonderful trip seeing everyone & especially meeting Tyler. There are only 2 things we wished could have been different - it would have lasted longer & Drew not having a case of the "Mamitas" (he was a big Momma's Boy almost the whole time we were there!). We look forward to another chance to visit & hope some, if not all the family, will return the favor some day soon & come visit us in the great state of Texas!

Stair Master!

Ok, so we thought this was pretty incredible, especially since this is before Drew has learned to crawl on hands & knees!

The Monthly Picture Adventure

So, I thought this month was a pretty great example of what we go through to get the monkey picture every month...this is truly what happened in 3 minutes!

11 Months!

What fun we are all having this month! It is amazing to continue to see how much Drew learns & develops in just one month! If only we could learn & absorb this much for the rest of our lives...


Ok, so the physical development this month has been pretty incredible. Drew still loves to combat-swim crawl all over the place, so much so that he's developed a callous on his right toe (since that's his pusher)! He likes to scoot things across the floor as he moves - some of his favorites are cars & the tupperware in the kitchen...he turns it over & then moves it back & forth on our concrete floor making this horrendous sound, kind of like nails on a chalkboard, but lower pitched! We've tried to get him to stop by just turning it back over, but he's too smart for that - he flips it right over, knowing that is the correct way to make the worst noise possible! :) He loves to crawl & climb all over objects, especially Mommy & Daddy - using us as a personal jungle gym!

He has FINALLY learned to get himself from tummy to sitting (his Mommy was starting to get worried about that one) and he LOVES pulling up to stand on EVERYTHING! A favorite is his bookshelf, which then leads to pulling ALL of his books down to the floor. Another is the gate on the top of the stairs, which then leads to bouncing up & down & shaking the gate - glad it's a sturdy one! He is taking steps while we hold & coax him, as well as cruising along furniture. Every now & then he lets go with both hands & stands before realizing what he's doing, and then topples over! Thankfully Drew quickly learned how to 'fall' from standing to land on his bottom instead of his face!

All of this moving around makes for some CRAZY diaper changes - he so easily & quickly flips over to his tummy & does a 180 or pulls himself to the edge - it can be so exhausting sometimes! He is also learning about trunk control (here's the PT part) - he has learned to tilt his pelvis back & forth, doing a hilarious tummy wiggle!

Like any good infant, especially those in Texas, Drew seems to love the water! The bath & splash pool are oh so much fun! Often he'll get in & the first thing he does it flip to his belly and then spin around in circles out of pure excitement!


Socially, Drew continues to be so happy & smiley, making friends wherever he goes! He does still love to have Mommy & Daddy nearby, or holding him, but seems to show little fear of new people. In fact, one Sunday I let him down on the floor after the service & he just took off crawling, ending up at the feet of someone he's never met...she kindly picked him up & he just smiled & stared! He is becoming aware of more & more sounds (like the birds that always sit on our window sill) & is wary of new sounds at times (like the construction noises coming from down the street or dogs barking).


He's a pro at putting objects in their containers, and has a pretty good idea of what belongs with what (seems some of Mommy's OCD may be having a bit of an effect!). We are also pretty sure he understands the word 'Jump' - if we hold his hands while standing and the repeat 'Jump' a few times, he starts to bounce on his own! We love it!

Now for some 'little things' that make Drew who he is...he loves to snuggle up in the corner of his crib to sleep, making for some crazy bed head some days. He laughs and smiles when he sees Mommy fixing her hair - we have no idea why! He also on a more than daily basis, while playing, will crawl to Mommy or Daddy, lay his head down on the floor or on us & suck his thumb, just for a few seconds, then just as quickly raise up his head, and off to play again - just needs that little bit of snuggle & comfort every now & then - some of my favorite moments of the day! Another tidbit - the mornings that Daddy gets up to play with Drew while Mommy gets ready, Drew is happy to play upstairs, until he hears the slightest bit of noise from downstairs, instantly remembering that Mommy is missing - he then makes a bee-line for the stairs, pulls up to the gate & whines until Mommy shows up & then he instantly smiles & giggles! And my personal favorite...when he finds something that he's interested in & would like to try, especially those of different textures, he of course tries to put it in his mouth. The funny thing is, he often finds things he'd like to try that are attached, making it impossible to actually put it in his mouth. But he goes ahead and pulls on whatever it is he's found, puts his hand to his mouth & smacks his lips, as if he's really put it in his mouth! He has fooled Mommy, Daddy & his daycare teachers multiple times, thinking he's eating something he shouldn't, but really, it's just imaginary!


Alright, that's it, except for the monthly stats: Height: 30 1/4 in. (80%), Weight: 21 lb. 0 oz. (37%), Head Circumf: 45 1/2 cm. (37%).