Smiling Drew

Drew's grandparents will not be surprised to hear that he continues to exceeds expectations on all fronts - he is, after all, the most amazing baby ever, except perhaps for their other grandchildren.

Here are his new tricks...
* smiling (this is my favorite!)
* making gurgles and coos
* reaching out for things and sometimes succeeding
* he has rolled over three times now, from his tummy to his back (1 time while screaming his unhappy head off, the other two at his 2 month old check up, showing off in front of the doctor). We have not had a happy replication at home yet.

His most recent stats from 8 weeks old:
weight: 15.5 lbs (that's about a pinkie above the 99% line on the chart)
height: 23.5 inches (about 90% line - in keeping with earlier measurements)

Trip to SC

So, Drew and I went to SC to see my brother John and his family. John is being deployed for a year to Afghanistan. We had a short, but good visit. John assures me that he will be very safe, deployed to a war-zone, because he will work in a building. That's just him - wanting to keep things low-key. He'll be gone for 12 monthes. Prayers directed towards him and his family are greatly appreciated.



Somehow, the only good picture I got of anyone from John's family with Drew was Garrett, helping give him a bath. Before he helped, he gave me his guidelines - if there were any bodily functions that happened before or during the bath, he was out-of-there. The bath went fine.
During our trip, we also got to see my Great Aunt Toonie (and she is great!, her daughter and graddaughter's families (the beautiful brown-haired girls and the little cutie with the golf club with his Papa), two of my best friends from college, as well as church friends and neighbors. Also, I was at church the Sunday Mom was awarded an Honorary Lifetime Membership to the Presbyterian Women. She was totally surprised!



Here are the photos. If you object to the old film version, you can click on the "view all images" button and it will take you to the photobucket file where you can see the real photos - look in the upper right corner of the screen to view the album.

Jackson's Hair

 
So it all started when Jackson saw my brother, John's, hair or rather lack there of. John shaves his head - he is easy to spot in the airport - I just look for the shine coming my way. Well, I bought John this wierd, green, rubbery thing that stretches over his head and gives him crazy, spiked hair. I also got one for Jackson. Well, Jackson's kept slipping and John's stayed put. Hence, Jackson's desire for a shaved head (that and he likes Uncle John). He's asked about it once a week since Christmas. You might notice from the picture that Jackson is lacking in the skin-pigment department. (He is one pastey-white boy.) So, the compromise was the number 2 blade on the trimmers and a promise of wearing a hat anytime he's outside. I have to admit, I do like the haircut - it is really easy to care for and I think it looks cute. Nate took him to get it cut while I was out of town visiting said brother John. Jackson is talking to me on the phone - telling me about his hair. It's for the best - I probably would have cried - I like his little-boy-hair longer and tousled. I can't believe Jackson will start 1st grade this year!

Where have YOU been?

Nate's map looked so fun, I had to make one of my own! I'm a little surprised that I have a bigger percentage than him - I think maybe he forgot some places he's been. If you're reading this and his percentage is bigger - he's gone back and corrected his map. I'd love to see the map of his sister, Tymaree. Customs officials look at her passpport with wonder. It's kind of amazing she's never been detained under suspicion - her passport is crazy busy!

Fun little map tool