A Year in Review...

...in pictures (this was the slideshow I played at the birthday party for a trip down memory lane).

First Birthday Party

Today was Andrew's first birthday party; and what a fun time we had! With Andrew turning only one, we thought it would be nice to have some family and friends over to the house. I decided on a Curious George theme as it seemed appropriate for our little monkey (invite below). We had a great turn out; and it was great seeing some folks we hadn't seen in a while. The birthday boy seemed to have a fun time--he definitely wasn't attention starved.

He didn't understand why we all gathered on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. And neither did he understand the pinata, but with Mommy's help, he took a few swats at it as he does seem to understand the concept of hitting things! He was hilarious with the cake and ice cream getting it all over his face.

All in all, I think it was a great party--no major catastrophes or issues. Mommy did have one issue with the party, but it was all on her. She didn't record us singing "Happy Birthday" to Andrew. :(

But having so many of Andrew's favorite people all here was so incredible. Andrew was definitely loving it. We feel so loved and are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends.

Some special thank yous that we want to send out:

• Thanks to Papa and Ngoai for the food and all the help.
  
• Thanks to Nonna for helping in the kitchen and helping with Drew.
  
• Thanks to Uncle Anh Tuan for helping with various party preparations and watching Andrew during party set up.
  
• Thanks to Aunt Anh Thu for the inflatable bouncer, which seemed to be a big hit with many of the kids (and some of the adults).
• Thanks to Auntie Monica for helping in the kitchen.
• Thanks to Andrew for spending his afternoon taking pictures of our shindig (I will post his pictures when I get them--they will be much better than mine).
  
• Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate our little boy's birthday, especially the out of town guests making the drive into Houston.
  

Enough Room

The Armstrongs got Andrew an inflatable bouncer for his birthday. There was a small debate/discussion on whether there would be enough room in our house. But if not, we could always set it up in our garage. It measures 8 ft x 8 ft; and our living room rug measures 8x10, so I figured we were safe in our living room at least. We also have a fairly big space in our master bedroom too.

When the bouncer was delivered, we decided to open that baby up and give it a trial run. It fit in our living room no problem. The problem though was that Andrew didn't like the fan which inflates the bouncer. It's weird what freaks him out. He likes other fans, but I guess this one was more noisy. He got in with Uncle Anh Tuan, but held onto him for dear life. Oh well, I know that he will get used to it and love it eventually. Then, our problem will be getting him out of it.

I took some pictures to evidence how it fit in our living room especially for Aunt Anh Thu to see. Again, thanks for the present. It's totally awesome!

Doctor's Visit #6 - One Year Checkup

Andrew had his one year appointment with our pediatrician earlier today. Since Daddy has been concerned with Andrew's weight and blows to his noggin, he really wanted to be there to talk with the doctor and met us at the office. This was nice for me since it's easier for two people to entertain Andrew while waiting to be seen.

Here are today's stats with the stats from his nine month check up in parentheses:
- Height: 30 in (28 1/4 in);
- Weight: 18 lbs 1 oz (17 lbs 4 oz); and
- Head Circumference: 18 1/4 in (18 1/4 in).

Dr. Isenhower is very pleased with Andrew's development and commented how active he is. She was slightly concerned about his weight this time as Andrew has dropped from the 25th percentile to below the 5th percentile for weight where his height remains in the 25th percentile. She was not overly concerned because she thinks that the cold and ear infections that he has had recently may have attributed to the lack in weight gain. She again reiterated that he may just have a high metabolism (like Papa and Aunt Anh Thu).

As a matter of caution, Dr. Isenhower wants us to come back in 6 weeks to recheck Andrew and see if there has been any significant weight gain. She suggested that we try to fatten him up, e.g. adding butter, cheese, whipping cream, and whole milk to his diet. Funny how you instinctively try to keep your child's diet healthy and how it's unnatural to try to fatten your child up! Should be interesting. At least I don't have to feel guilty about giving him ice cream and cake!

Andrew had some blood drawn to check for anemia (which he wasn't) and then got 4 shots. Poor baby was not happy with all the poking and prodding, but only cried for a few minutes. Also to his defense, he was pretty tired and ready for a nap. He fell asleep as we were leaving the doctor's office.

Below is Andrew playing with one of his birthday gifts from Daddy and Mommy this evening.

Our 1 Year Old

Our 1 year old is still very happy and active. Andrew is always on the go. His walking is much better, but he still falls. As for his vocabulary, he says "dada" lots more than "mama". Drew will also sometimes says "mo" for "more." If he sees a dog (live or in a book), he will say "ro ro" as in the sound a dog makes. As for his signing, he can sign for milk, more, and eat. We are trying to teach him please, but he really isn't catching on to that one. Andrew does altered (meaning our own skewed versions) signs for water and all done.

Andrew understands what we are saying sometimes. I think he understands "let's go." I will tell him to get pick out a book and sometimes, he will do just that. He definitely does know the word book. He loves for us to read to him. The little rascal will sometimes pick the same book over and over again. He loves the touch and feel books. Andrew also really likes the Curious George Halloween book that Aunt Janine picked out for him as well as other character books with Sesame Street and Thomas the Tank Engine. Some of his other faves include Dr. Seuss, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Goodnight Moon, and Barnyard Dance.

He definitely cries and fusses when he doesn't get his way or wants something. But there are days where he hardly cries or doesn't cry at all. However, we do worry though about when he sometimes bangs himself (which is quite a bit and at times, rather hard), he doesn't cry.

Andrew is much better in the car seat now. Sometimes, he only cries when he is tired. We hypothesize that it's because he can see out the window or he has figured out that being in the car seat means we are going somewhere.

Drew has moved away from baby food and eats table food with us. He loves fruits and vegetables, such as grapes and carrots. He does have a sweet tooth like his mother too! Andrew does pretty good with meat as long as it's not too dry. He's pretty good about eating a variety of stuff. The problem lies more with how much he eats. Sometimes, he eats like a champ, but others, he would rather go play than eat.

As for sleeping, we have begun sleep training him, but only a small bit. We have started with working on him falling asleep by himself in the crib. So, he nurses or gets a bottle; then, we put him in the crib and wait for him to fall asleep. Sometimes, this can take 5 minutes, but other times, we aren't so lucky. Our next step will be for him to stay in the crib all night and put himself back to sleep.

Daddy and Mommy know we have a very good little boy; and we feel fortunate to be his parents. We love his disposition; his smile and laugh makes it all worth while. We are grateful for his health and happiness. It's been one fun year; and we can't wait for more.

Some pictures from his 1 year old photo shoot taken by our friend, Andrew, at Discovery Green, a very cool somewhat new environment-friendly park in Downtown Houston.

Happy 1st Birthday!

Andrew's big day was finally upon us!! We had a fairly normal morning and then headed down to League City to hang with Papa and Ngoai. After lunch, all four of us headed out for errands and shopping. We stopped at Toys R Us; and Andrew immediately took to one of those poppers. That fool must have tugged it around half the store. Next, we headed to Party City for some remaining party supplies. Then, we went to a place called The Painted Potter to commemorate this very special day. Poor Andrew, I don't think he knew what was going on. He was fine the first footprint, but after that, he cried. Luckily, the lady there was fantastic and very patient with us. Later, it was funny (yet a little frustrating) because Andrew started to laugh when I put a clean brush on his feet. Thank you, Ngoai and Papa, for all your help! Without you guys, I don't know what would have happened!!!

After the pottery store, we headed to our last stop, Borders, for some books. Then, we went home where Andrew took a nice nap and played. After dinner, Andrew and I drove home to go see Daddy. After Daddy ate, we gave the birthday boy his birthday cake. I had imagined him going at it, but he was pretty subdued for the most part at first. As he went on, he got a little braver. He then began to grab at the cake more and more. We took away the cake (too much sugar?); and the birthday boy wasn't too happy about that. He kept signing for "eat" and pointing at it. We gave him a tad bit more since it was his birthday after all.

Drew was pretty messy with icing so we took him for a quick bath. Then, he was pretty tired (normally he falls asleep on the drive home, but not this time). So, I put him to bed...he was out pretty fast. I guess all the excitement tired our little boy out.

Happy 1st Birthday, Andrew! And here is to many, many more!

Pictures of the birthday boy's big day...

52 Weeks Later

For Christmas, Daddy got Mommy a docking station for her iPod so she and Andrew can listen to music downstairs. Tonight, Mommy played a playlist that she made specifically for the hospital. Basically, some tunes to help Mommy relax...a little Depeche Mode, some Enya, etc. I will just say the playlist is entitled "Easy Listening"; and we will leave it at that.

Anyhow, it got me to thinking. It was exactly 52 weeks ago tonight that I played this playlist in the hospital. 52 weeks ago tonight, Andrew came into our lives (well, he started to make his way into our lives, but didn't make the grand entrance until several hours later). I, of course, tell Daddy what tonight marked. So, we started talking about that night at hospital--again. It's funny because it doesn't matter that we have talked about so many times over the past year, but we don't seem to mind talking about it one more time. ;) Probably because it was such an amazing night.

James and I talked about how fast the year has gone by and how much Andrew has grown. We talked about how he used to just lay there and sleep and nurse and poop and pee...and my, how those days are over. We have such an active little boy going nonstop anywhere and everywhere. Where did our little baby go?

I now sit here and watch him sleep and am amazed about what the past year has been like and what it has meant to me. I pretty much wanted kids and to be a mom for as long as I can remember. And now that I have a child, it has been everything I imagined and so much more. I always knew that motherhood would be incredible and so fulfilling, but it is beyond my wildest dreams. I am so lucky!!

Andrew, I fell in love with you the moment I laid eyes on you...well, I fell in love with you the moment we found out I was pregnant...and I fell in love all over again hearing your heart beat...and I fell in love all over again seeing you on the ultrasound monitor. But I was completely head over heels in love with you when I held you that fateful day. And 52 weeks later, I love you more than words can ever describe; and my love for you continues to grow more and more each day. You are my and your daddy's world!

This was taken earlier today of our 52 week old (on a side note, you can still see the bruise from the fall):

Matching

Ngoai and Papa came up to hang out with us today. Later, I realized that the three of them were all matching. Looks likes a Christmas card. He he! We all had a good chuckle about it; and I couldn't resisting taking photos!

Accident Report 02/19/09

Date of Accident: Thursday, February 19, 2009

Time of Accident: Lunchtime

Location: Kitchen

Nature and Causation of Accident: Mommy was preparing lunch in the kitchen and allowed Andrew to play with his bowls as normal. Andrew attempted to get a pan out of one of the cabinets and slipped on one of his plastic spoons. Andrew hit the front of his head right into the corner of one of the cabinets. It swelled immediately. Mommy even noticed that there was a red line where he caught the cabinet. Andrew cried for a bit, but not too long. Mommy felt so bad.

Post Event Notes: This was probably the worse boo boo to date. Daddy wanted Mommy to take Andrew to the doctor's office, but Mommy called and spoke to the nurse instead as previously instructed by our pediatrician in cases of falls. The nurse just told us the standard orders...just to monitor him and let them know immediately if anything out of the ordinary occurs.

Exhibit A: See below. He's still smiling...what a trooper!

Confirmation

We took a road trip to San Antonio this weekend for Stephanie's and Thomas's confirmation. It was a very special weekend; and we were so happy to be a part of the sacrament, especially since Daddy is Thomas's godfather and was asked to serve as Thomas's sponsor.

Anyhow, we drove in late Friday night. We actually weren't sure if Andrew and Mommy were going to make the trip at all since Andrew was under the weather (again :( ). But he was a little better on Friday, so we decided to all make the trip to SA. Andrew slept most of the way (such a good boy). Andrew woke up when we got to Janine's house around after 10:30pm. He played for a bit, but fortunately, fell back to sleep not too long afterwards.

Saturday morning, we all got ready to go mass. Daddy went with the Gonzaleses since Stephanie and Thomas and sponsors had to be there early. Nonna came over to their house; and the three of us headed down to Atonement. We got there around 30 minutes before mass started, but the church was already pretty full. Luckily, we found ample seating in the quiet room. Andrew loved looking at the other kids. He tried to go around and check everything out. Later, he fell asleep for an hour. He did pretty good during the two hour mass. I was impressed by my little guy. And thanks, Nonna, for all your help during too!

After mass, we went to Johnny Carino's for a luncheon in honor of the confirmands. It was a very nice time with family and friends. Andrew did great there too and loved the cake! I guess he takes after his mom having a sweet tooth!

Later that afternoon, we went to Nonna's to hang with Uncle John and his family for a bit. Andrew started to get tired so we headed back to Janine's for his nap. After he woke up, we took Thomas out for some shopping. We went to James Avery to see if there was something else he preferred and if not, to size his necklace. We also went to a Christian book store so he could pick out a crucifix. After picking up some Chipotle for dinner, we headed back to the house to chill the rest of the night.

Sunday morning, we headed to mass. This time, Andrew was all over the place. We were seated in the back of the church where a lot of other families with children sit. Andrew just wanted to walk everywhere and go play with the kids. Some of the other parents and children were very friendly. I guess he takes after his mom being an extrovert!

After church, we had a yummy breakfast at Janine's. Later in the afternoon, we went to Brad's house and enjoyed a great visit with him and his family. His little girls were very sweet to Andrew. The little man enjoyed all their toys!! Matt and his wife also stopped by too, which was an added treat. It was their wedding that Daddy attended back in July. It was so nice to meet Jenna.

We then headed back to Janine's house and spent some time with John's family until they had to leave back to Austin. Andrew was dead tired and fell asleep around 6pm. We had planned on leaving SA around 7 so he could sleep in the car. But we didn't want to wake him up and wanted him to sleep since he was so exhausted. He woke up a little after 7pm. So, we hung around with the Gonzaleses until Drew seemed to be getting tired again, which was around 9pm. We packed up and headed out. Andrew fell asleep almost immediately thankfully and slept the whole way pretty much. We got home a little after 1am. Poor Daddy was sooo tired!!!

Well, we had such an amazing weekend! It was a blast. But more importantly, it was a special weekend for the kids and we were so glad we could be there to see it. Janine, Mike, Stephanie, and Thomas, thanks for everything!! We love you lots. And congratulations again to Stephanie and Thomas.

Too many pictures, too little time. So, here's a slideshow. And thanks to Nicci, for helping with the soundtrack!

Art Exhibit

Mommy's cousin, Hung, was selected to show some of his incredible artwork at the University of Houston where he attends school for part of a school wide art exhibit. We decided to go and see some of the work and show support to him. It was a small show, but nice to seem some great art by the college students. I am always in awe of the talents of artists because I can't draw or paint worth a flip. After the exhibit, we all went out to dinner. It is always fun seeing the cousins and catching up with them.

Hung, great job as always and thanks for inviting us!

Below are some pictures of the artist, his artwork, and our own little work of art along with Andrew running around with Thuy.

Hercules

People say that Andrew is strong, but I don't know truly how strong he really is comparatively speaking to other kids. But as Papa was about to cut a cantaloupe today, Andrew wanted to hold it first. Our little Hercules!

Some Dim Sum

Monica, Belinda, Brenda, and I have been using Girls' Night Out to try new restaurants. A while back, it was brought to our attention that Brenda has never had dim sum before. Since Belinda and I are huge fans of the Chinese cuisine, we said we would love to take her for her first dim sum experience. Since it is typically served on Sundays and best during the lunch hours, we decided to take Girls' Night Out to daytime. We also said the men could come to since James and Steven love it too and Brenda's husband, Shail, had never had it before either.

So this morning, we headed to Fung's Kitchen and had a very nice meal. Brenda and Shail seemed to like it. Evan and Andrew both did very well at the restaurant. It was cute because Andrew would scream/talk (not too quietly, but not ridiculously loudly) and then Evan would scream/talk back to him as if replying. Cracked me up!

Here are photos of Evan and Andrew with Daddy.

Our Little Monkey

For Andrew's upcoming first birthday party, we decided on a Curious George theme. For the invites, I wanted to include a picture of Andrew in a monkey costume. So, when we were at Papa's and Ngoai's house today, we got him in the costume and took some photos. I think our little monkey is too cute and that the pictures should be shared.

League City

We spent the day with Ngoai and Papa down in League City. We had also planned to spend the night down in the League City to let Daddy clean and organize the house.

Mommy and Ngoai took Andrew around shopping in the afternoon. Afterwards, we dropped Ngoai at the house and then stopped by Jenny's house to hang with her and Eric for a little bit before dinner. We were also surprised with a treat...seeing Jenny's parents who also dropped by. It is always nice to see them and catch up.

After dinner, Mommy ran to Party City to buy some party supplies for Andrew's upcoming first birthday bash in a few weeks. Ngoai and Papa watched Andrew; and Ngoai put Andrew down to bedtime 10 minutes before Mommy got home.

As I write this, Andrew is still fast asleep; and Mommy isn't quite ready for bed yet. I wonder if Andrew realizes that he hasn't seen Daddy since this morning. When I talked to Daddy earlier this evening, he said he missed us already. Mommy misses him too. It's weird being away from him for the night. I don't think Andrew and I have slept apart from Daddy since July. I take solace in knowing that we are going to see Daddy tomorrow morning!

Anyway, some candids taken from the play date...

This Face

Who couldn't love this face?!?!

The Window Sill

We have these two windows in our bedroom that begin like 6 inches from the floor. Andrew loves to play with them and their blinds. To be honest, I have to admit that I get a little scared thinking that Andrew will manage to somehow break the window and fall out. I don't know if that is a normal person thing or just a mom thing or just a first time mom thing. Either way, we limit how much time he plays near the window. I am even considering buying something to block him out. We have discussed buying a desk later and placing it there to deter the little guy from the windows.

However, I did find it amusing seeing Andrew climb behind the blinds and perch his cute little butt on the window sill. A rascal, but a cute rascal!

Superbowl XLIII

James and I were content with staying at home watching the Superbowl since neither of us have had much time to watch football or really get into this year's season. Of course, James has kept up with is as best he can--especially with his Cowboys!

But Donnie and Aimee were kind enough to invite us to their house to watch the game and for dinner. We had delicious dips, tacos, and an awesome pseudo-cheesecake dessert. Emily is just so cute; and she is such a good girl. It's funny seeing how different the two kids are. Emily plays and doesn't get into things she shouldn't...versus Andrew who is trying to touch everything in sight that he shouldn't!! Emily is more calm, where Andrew is so on-the-go, ridiculously active. But I can't say much since that is all me.

But we had a great time as always. We are so lucky to have such great neighbors! Thanks for such a great night, you guys!

I have to say that I was also happy that the Steelers won seeing how I born in Pennsylvania and the Steelers were one of the first NFL teams that I liked.

Houston Zoo Revisited

This afternoon, we went back to the Houston Zoo, but this time, Daddy was with us! I think Andrew is getting the hang of the zoo as he was even more into looking at the animals. The highlight of the trip today was seeing Miles, a baby giraffe that was born January 30th. Miles is so cute--and was born already taller than Mommy!!

The photo was taken in the aquarium, which Andrew has become a very big fan of lately (especially at restaurants). I think he likes the colors of the fish and how close they seem to get to him in the tanks.