21 months update

It has been a while since we blogged what Andrew is up to so I thought I'd better.





Andrew seems to have grown up a lot in the last few months.





While he still doesn't have heaps of understandable words that he says spontaneously, he loves to yabber away, and will copy what you say lots. His comprehension is pretty good most of the time. If he is in the mood he will follow simple instructions like "go and put this in the bathroom". If you say "lets go out" he starts looking for shoes and will bring you a pair if he can find them. Often they are behind closed doors.





He likes to play at his friend Aleesha's house. A few weeks ago I drove down their drive to discover I couldn't park down there so had to turn around and go and park on the road. He got upset that we weren't going to Aleesha's house.





He is better about being left with other people and not so clingy to mummy. Which is a relief for mummy.





We talk lots about we are going to have another baby but I am not sure how much he really understands about that. He does like to lift up mummy's top and poke baby.





He is doing lots more walking and can now walk from our car to the house or vice versa. For those who haven't been to our house. There is a steepish slope down to our car from the steps. This is great on mummy's back.





He still likes his sleep and sleeps about 12-13 hours most nights and 2-3 hours most afternoons. he is a good eater. He has gotten over whatever was causing him to not eat dinner back in November and December. He discovered stone fruit this summer but stills thinks that bananas are essentially for a balance diet.





We get some temper tatrums but he isn't too bad.





This term we are involved in playcentre, Church mum's group, antenatal group and a council run music and movement programme.





Now I'll post this, and send some photos later.

Trip to Auckland

We just enjoyed a lovely week at Orewa, just north of Auckland. Once again we stayed in a holiday home we get access to through Stephen's work.

We all drove up taking two days, stopping overnight in Taumarunui and then Andrew and I flew back from Auckland and Stephen drove back in one day.

We did lots of tripping around to the north and west of Auckland. Some of the places we went to were walking around Orewa Shakespear park at the end of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, Kumeu, the Gannets at Muriwai, Puhoi, up One Tree Hill, Warkworth, Matakana, a reptile park near Leigh, Piha, Whatipu, to name a few.

We also caught up with a friend of Stephen's from uni and some of Stephen's cousins who live in Auckland.

The biggest negative about the trip was that Andrew decided he didn't like the portacot where we were staying, and it was taking all or half the evening to him to sleep most evenings. He has been pretty good since we got home.

Andrew and Stephen at Shakespear Park

Gannets at Muriwai

Kathryn and Andrew at Shelly Beach

Kathyrn and Andrew at Wenderholme Reserve

With the Bonis family

Carolyn (Stephen's sister), her husband and kids Sophie and Ethan came up at new year to Stephen's parents place. Here are some photos are Andrew with the Bonis family.

The three kids on the piano

Playing in the sandpit

Andrew with Carolyn and Sophie

Andrew and his uncle Matt. Matt taught Andrew how to do high 5's. He now is practicing on the wall.

Walking in the bush

While in Whakatane we went for a walk in White Pine bush. Andrew didn't want to walk much so was carried by Granny and Daddy.

Granny, Andrew and Daddy

Mummy, Granny and Andrew

Looking up

It is a long way up that tree.

Whose's presents!!!

Andrew's Christmas present were enjoyed by more than just Andrew.

Here Daddy is playing with his blocks.

Mummy needs some help working out the switches as she keeps crashing the trains into each other. Andrew got the train set from Mummy and Daddy.

Granny did you buy this puzzle for Andrew or for you to play with.

Christmas day 2007

Over Christmas/new year period we spent two weeks in Whakatane at Stephen's parent's place. I really enjoyed being able to put my feet up and let other people take responsibility for looking after Andrew.

Andrew was really in opening his presents. We spread the present opening over Christmas Eve and Christmas day so he could play with them after opening them. We also opened a few before we left Wellington.

Andrew got blocks from Grandma and Grandad Harris. He really enjoys playing with them.

Unwrapping his present from Uncle David. He likes the Concrete Truck , especially the noise it makes. Mummy likes that it isn't too loud.

Giving Granny her present.

Giving Grandpa his present

Visit to Great Grandma Gillard

While we were in Whakatane we went to visit Stephen's grandma in Tauranga. It had been over a year since she had seen Andrew. He had definitely changed.

Four Generations

Is that me on the Granny's camera?

Seventeen months

We're running way behind in publishing monthly updates, but here are photos of when Andrew was seventeen months old, taken on Labour Weekend in Blenheim.

"Daddy! I know how a car exhaust system works now! You'll never guess how I found out!"

Granddad Harris and Andrew plan a joke.

Decorating the Christmas Tree

This year Andrew was able to help decorate the Christmas Tree, which we have decided to place on the fireplace, out of reach behind the fire guard.

We had to rush out the door to get to our Church's End of Year Celebration, so we don't have any photos of the finished tree yet.

Andrew really likes the twinkling lights, and is happy watching them for ages.

Blenheim Photos

Andrew, Uncle Murray and Daddy

Andrew with Aunty Margaret

Tom, Olivia and Andrew on Grandma and Granddad's swing.

Story time with Granddad.

Our trip on the big boat.

Andrew and his Daddy and Mummy went to Blenheim for Labour Weekend. We took our car on the big boat (Ferry).

Here is the big boat backing into the berth. Once all the people and Vehicles are unloaded it will be our turn to go on.

Andrew and Mummy went to a walk while we were waiting. Andrew got to pat the dog in this picture. It was also going on the big boat. It had a special spot in the car.

Here is a nice photo of Andrew and Mummy, with our black car in the background.

The reason for our trip was that St Ninians Church (the church Mummy went to when she was little) was having a 50th Jubilee celebration. The Sandes family came up from Christchurch in their car. More photos to be posted soon.

a very late 16 month update

I realise I have been lax in updating Andrew's blog in recent months. So here are some photos from the last few months and stories of what he has been doing.

The big achievement is that he is now walking. While he took his first steps at the beginning of August it wasn't until into September that he was walking more than a couple of steps at the time, and that walking was the preferred method of movement most of the time. We have decided that Andrew is a reasonably cautious kid. He still likes to hold Mummy's hand if the ground is uneven or sloped.

We have all had colds here. Andrew was copying Daddy thumping his chest when he coughed. Instead of thumping his chest, Andrew clapped. Andrew would also help Daddy out, joining in thumping Daddy on his chest.

We have been trying to teach Andrew some baby sign with limited success however in the last couple of days he has just started to use the sign for thank you. He repeats it several times. It is very cute.

Andrew had fallen over and was upset. Daddy and Mummy went to comfort him. We were asking him to touch where it hurt and he touched Daddy's chest

Andrew and his friend Aleeshia. Andrew and her play together most Monday mornings at either our house or Aleesha's house.

I managed to get a photo of Andrew putting a lid on to one of his stacking cups. We recently put the stacking cups away for week as Andrew was getting frustrated with them. He hasn't quite learnt that the big cup will not go inside the little one. Mummy has shown him that you put the little one inside the big one. He would get so frustrated that he would throw the cups away. Things have been better since we got them out again.

The other day had friends here for lunch. The three year old was dropping toys down the slide we had borrowed from the toy library. After Andrew woke up from his afternoon sleep he was dropping the same toys down the slide.

When Andrew first tried painting at playcentre he thought the purpose was to paint his face not the paper but he has now worked out that you put the paint brush on the paper and then you have a painting you can take home and stick on the fridge.

He is making lots of sounds and tries to copy things we say like counting to three but he isn't saying many words.

I am trying to teach Andrew to come to me when I ask him to or to go to his bedroom when it is time to change his nappy or go to bed. He does do it the majority of the time and when he doesn't come first time he does it with such a lovely smile on his face it is really hard not to laugh.

Granny and Grandpa Denne come to stay

Last week we had Granny and Grandpa Denne stay a couple of nights with us on the way home from the South Island. They were fortunate to be here on a rare fine day. Andrew took them (and Mummy and Daddy) to the park.

Daddy and Grandpa help Andrew to go down the curved slide.

A nice photo with Mummy and Daddy at the park

Granny reads Andrew a story.