4 month fun!

Mommy's lil man is growing so fast! At a lengthy 26 inches long, this lil guy is trying to be taller than mom and dad!

This has been a great month! Kyle and I both agree that out of our time with Andrew thus far, this age is without a doubt our favorite time! While it was great to snuggle with him as a newborn, you can't beat the interactions and animations our lil man presents us with everyday. Never mind the gummy grin that greets us every morning and throughout the day! He is making so many new sounds, wet and drooly sounds too, and best of all, laughing out loud! While he has giggled for awhile, he has the most contagious belly laugh! He seems to love to watch JD run all over the house and finds it quite amusing. He also is rolling over like a mad man and as a result, enjoys tummy time SOOOO much more! 

Andrew has also discovered his feet and finds them to be quite tasty! Next to his hands of course! I can't keep this kid's hands out of his mouth...YAY for teething! We think he is going to try and skip crawling all together because he puts so much weight on his legs when standing and is taking steps. In fact, he prefers to be "walking" than sitting in his bouncer. Even his pediatrician said we are in big trouble! Great! SLOW DOWN TURBO!

Andrew is such a sweetheart and Kyle and I are loving watching his little personality develop and shine through! He certainly has his quirks that we are discovering he has learned from his parents! Cranky like mommy when he is tired and super crabby like daddy when he his hungry! He also has a loss of interest in his toys, just like Daddy! He likes his bouncer one day and wants nothing to do with it the next day! I know, I know, that's typical of all babies! But I had to mention how much Andrew is like father with his "well, on to the next thing!" mentality! Fortunately, he seems to be most content snuggling with mama! It is the most amazing feeling and I love how much he loves his mommy! I love you right back my sweet little boy!

Happy 4 month birthday Peanut...you're not going to be a peanut for much longer!

Going Medieval

One of the great things about my school is that families are encouraged to attend the field trips, including those of the teachers too! So, of course when I was told we were taking our students to Medieval Times, I knew Andrew would love to go Medieval with my middle school students! Even though he slept through the entire show (how he managed to do this with all the fighting and banging from the swords and shields, I don't know!), he very much enjoyed his first field trip.

My students and parents were happy to finally meet the newest addition to the Wallace family! And to top it off, our Green Knight won the battle! Woo hoo!

Andrew enjoyed being King for the day...King of Mommy's heart!

Back to the Grind

So alas, the time had come for me to return to work! I must admit that I was experiencing mixed feelings on my return. I was sad to leave my little man but excited to see my students and engage in adult conversation with my friends and co-workers. I had practiced with "mini-work sessions" to try and prepare myself to what it would be like to go back to work. Andrew was right on schedule, walking up at 6 so that I could feed him before I left for work. I would feed him, pack up last minute things, and I would be on my way. Everything was going EXACTLY according to plan! Of course it would continue to be this way...right? Of course...NOT!!

On my first day back to work, Andrew decided that 4:30am was the perfect wake-up time. Nothing like the early bird gets the worm! But with those sweet blue eyes and gummy grin, how could I possibly be mad that we were up so early! So alas, he had an early morning meal and back to bed he went. So hmmmm, what to do with an extra half hour in the morning! I enjoyed a nice cup of coffee, watched the morning news...this wasn't so bad after all! And then 3:30pm rolled around and man, was this mama tired!!! Ahhh the sacrifices we make for our little loved ones. However, my first day back with my students was AWESOME! My kids were so happy to see me and I was happy to see them! We had a great day and I was so busy being "busy" that I didn't have time to dwell on the fact that I wasn't at home with my lil guy! My students welcomed me back with so much love and gratitude that I couldn't help but be happy to back at work.

I will say this though: Usually, I am the first to arrive and the last to leave! Knowing that I had Andrew at home made me pack the car after school lickety split! I was on the road in no time, by far a personal record for me!

Since my first day back, I have adjusted to the early (I suppose I should say earlier) mornings. But nothing beats seeing my handsome boy and his big smile when I walk in the door at night. It is amazing how a child can melt his Mommy's heart and how eager I am to return home. Don't get me wrong, rushing home to see Kyle was always a must but having a new little man in my life changes EVERYTHING! And Kyle would agree too! For years, I have called him the "King of Diddle!" He would diddle around the fire station, diddle in conversation, diddle, diddle, diddle. I would usually see him around lunch time or later on his first day off. But since Andrew captured his heart too, Kyle seems to be walking through the door much earlier these days!

Parenthood is a blast! Learning to balance work and being a mother is a new challenge for me! Fortunately, I had only 2 weeks to get back into the swing of the things and transition back to work mode and then WINTER BREAK BABY!! Two whole weeks to snuggle with my little man! Amongst the items to complete while on my Winter Break will of course be to indulge in and maximize my snuggle time with Andrew!