Growing....

Here is Andrew at 10 weeks! This is one of my favorite little outfits to put on him...I am sure he loves it too! Isn't it funny, I just can't get enough pictures of this kid. You know, they say by the time you have 3 or 4 kids, your youngest have so few pictures :P We will try not to let that happen, but I haven't experienced life yet with 3 little ones running around. Every day Andrew is getting more and more expressive and cooing at all the different faces joe and I make. He is almost beginning to reach out for toys or objects in front of him, as well! The other day I sang "The Itsy bitsy spider" to him, and he had the biggest smile ever! He was almost singing along with me:)
Family photo time! Last sunday I had us all stay in our nice clothes and take a quite photo together. Andrew has little tennis shoes on, which you can' t see in this shot, but take my word for it....they are too darn cute!!! And his t-shirt reads, "My dad rocks!". Now, to make sure we get minimal spit up on this thing...
Mama and Andrew...two peas in a pod. My little boy is just so amazing. I am trying to savor these days that he is small enough to fit in my arms, and content to just stare at me. *sigh* Yet i am all too excited for each stage to come. Gosh, doesn't he look like his daddy in this picture? So Handsome!

Generations

While we were home for the weekend, Great Grandma & Grandpa Brown came over for lunch. This was the first time they were able to see Andrew...it was great! I loved being able to share him with them. I am going to have to get used to calling them great grandparents, I guess!
Grandma got a chance to hold Andrew and it was so neat to think about how many lives are now in existence because of grandma and grandpa's love and committment to raising a family! We are continuing to build this 4th generation of their family, and it is amazing. Thank you, Grandma & Grandpa!!! We love you!
I love your expression here, Grandma! This says, "Ok, where is his mama?" Funny to think that now I am the woman to whom everyone will pass this babe back to when he starts to fuss! Well, I should consider it a blessing, right!?!

A Visit to Milford...

Grandma was so happy to see you, Andrew! And we even wore your special "Goin' to Grandmas" outfit, just for her. I think you love her sweet kisses and attention, little man.

Finally, Uncle Ben got to meet his first nephew! Andrew smiled at him right away the first time he saw him! Very sweet. We had fun Saturday night at mom&dad's cottage on Dewart Lake....what a NEAT place! Games, pizza and laughter made the evening quite enjoyable. We loved making Andrew smile. I can't wait until this summer, when we will make a few trips out to play on the lake. This little boy will be so big by then! (Andrew, not ben:) hehe)
I think he was lookin' at Aunt Libby in this shot...too cute.

Hawaiian Night!

Last week we had the chance to attend a camping conference for Ohio camps. Andrew made the trip with us, and it went really well!!! We had a blast up at Bulah Beach, a nice camp set on the shores of Lake Erie. Joe was on the planning committee for programming and events, so one night they planned a luau! Luckily our good friends katie & glendon had sent a box of boys clothes to us...and in it was this cute hawaiian shirt that matched daddy's!!! Aren't they so handsome? Needless to say, I had a bit of fun dressing him up for this night:)
I am sure he is wondering if this is going to happen for the rest of his life (mom dressing him up). Hehe...you are just too cute, Drew!

Many faces

How many faces can one little boy have? And just how can I capture all of them?! We are truly enjoying Andrew's personality as it shows itself more and more each day. He is communicating with his whole face now! I snapped these shots as he sat contentedly in his swing, watching a toy, as well as his momma! Sometimes he is just too cute. I praise the Lord for him and what he means to Joe and me.

Little Lamb

Today, Andrew is 2 months old! (counting weeks after his delivery, i guess). My how time flies. I snapped a few photos with some of his little animals that scatter the house. Although he doesn't really "play" with them as of now, he likes to look at them and "talk" to them, I guess you could say. I can't wait for the day that he picks one up and just carries it around the house. We are ready for the warm spring to arrive, so we can have some outdoor playtime! I just noticed yesterday that some of my spring bulbs are starting to poke their little leaves out of the ground. And as I tell Joe this, he informs me that this weekend they are forcasting for snow. Bummer. Oh well...spring will come again. I just know it :) Andrew and I will be ready.

Entertaining and meaningful...

Thanks to my sister Libby who reminded me that I could find Cosby Show episodes on Netflix! Now each day, during one of the times I am feeding Andrew, I turn on an episode and take myself back in time! I absolutely love the early episodes. Thanks Lib for that idea!!! Joe teases me that all I do around here is watch Cosby and eat bon-bons. At which I appropriately respond with a "what did you just say?" haha :) Thankfully he is totally kidding. I have also begun to listen to Family Talk radio productions (www.myfamilytalk.com) once a day, as well. We used to listen to the radio program together in the car each morning on the way to work. Now, Joe listens as he goes in to work, and I get on their website and listen at some point later in the day. What a blessing. Dr. Dobson has so much wisdom, and brings so many different people and topics on to his show. Praise the Lord for technology, allowing me to listen and watch each of these things!!!

Sleep Peacfully, my son

Sunday morning, I couldn't help but slip into Andrew's room as he slept and snap a shot. He was too cute! Dinosaur jammies and all. Why is it that babies are just adorable when they are sleeping? I could just stare at him the whole time he sleeps. *sigh*

Daddy is funny...

Caught daddy and son smiling at each other! Joe must have been pretty funny looking this time :) We can't wait until he starts to giggle, now!!! How sweet this moment was. Many more to come....

My sweet Valentine

Joe surprised me with a beautiful necklace for Valentine's Day this year! It is also celebrating Andrew's birth. The heart was hand crafted at our friend Brittany's dad's shop (whew!), making it all the more special. There is a diamond, as well as garnet stone set in the side of the heart. Garnet, as it is Andrew's birth stone. And the diamond was just for me :) I cried when I saw it and heard all of the thought joe had put into it. He explained that this was a piece of jewelry that I could cherish now, and when Andrew is grown and finds a wife (ahh! he is so little...it is hard to believe that day will come!), it is something we can pass along to him to give to her! I haven't taken it off since he gave it to me (which was last friday, b/c he couldn't wait until valentines day). I love you, Joseph. Your thoughtfulness and love melts my heart. I look forward to many more Valentine's with you!

Just Because

Oh Sam, how you are so interested in this new little boy we have brought home! If only you would stop sleeping in his crib! haha:) Andrew looks a bit bewildered this evening as we used the cat as his pillow. I hope they become good friends some day (and hopefully Andrew doesn't get any ideas like putting tape on his paws, or dressing him up in a cape and taping his ears back. Not that we have any experience in doing those things to a cat...)
My good friend Rosemary lent me her baby sling to try out a bit, and the first time I put Andrew in it, he fell fast asleep, as you can see! It is a nice way to keep him close, yet have my hands free to do a bit of work. It must feel as if he is back in my belly, b/c I was jostling him all over the place that afternoon in the sling, and was certain it would wake him. However, sweet Andrew slept on, probably comforted by the movement and my heartbeat :)

I was trying to get him to smile for the camera here...hmmmm. Oh well, we had fun trying :) He loves to lay on a blanket on the floor and just take in the world around him. This morning I set up a few stuffed animals for him to look at...I wonder if he knows what they are??

5 weeks and changing....

Here is Andrew sportin' his ND wear at a few days old....
And here he is this morning, at 5 weeks old!!! My how he has changed. I figured I ought to put the sweater on him one more time, seeing that he has grown quite a bit and its a good thing i did! It is quite snug now...but he still looks adorable :) Will you love Notre Dame as much as your daddy when you grow older, Andrew?? Will you sit and watch football games with him? And throw the ball in the back yard. Oh, I hope so!!

SMILE

Ta-daaaa!!!! Look at this little man! On saturday, we were all sitting around after breakfast, and Gabe made some silly faces at Andrew...and he blessed us with his first, full-on SMILE! This is what my heart has been waiting for :) Andrew didn't smile for Joe until Sunday, and then for me Monday morning...but thats ok. It just melts my heart to see him do that! He is focusing in on our faces more and more, and wiggling his arms and legs as he gets excited. So fun! One more step towards growing bigger. Here we go!
I just love this peaceful shot of him...I often find him sleeping with his arms up like this. We tried swaddling in the first few weeks, but he eventually let us know that he didn't really prefer to have his hands tied down :) So we semi-swaddle his legs and then just let his upper body kinda do whatever. It seems to work for now, but I know things could change!

Auntie Libby and Uncle Gabe come to visit!

Mr. Intelligent! We had so much fun with Libby and Gabe when they visited us this weekend! We wished that we all lived closer to each other :) They loved on Andrew for 24 hours, and it was wonderful! I think they had a good time, too. We put lib's glasses on Andrew and starting snapping away. Oh boy, this little man is in for a ride with the Brown sisters :)
I don't know if Andrew thinks this is too funny.....
Both libby and gabe did so well with Andrew. Libby helped me change him, dress him, and even give him a bath. She is going to be an amazing mother someday!!! What an amazing thing to watch my sister with my son....she loves him so much already!
Extra attention was not going unnoticed by Andrew...he got to fall asleep in many arms these last few days! Ahh, the life of a baby. So nice :)

Here is Uncle Gabe, calming Andrew like a pro! Any time he held Andrew, he was calm..it was great! He is going to be a great papa someday, too. Thanks for coming to see all of us here in snowy Ohio. We had a blast :)

books and buntings..

One of my favorite books! The illustrations are so cute and the story line is adorable. I found this book a few years ago, and gave it to my niece Johanna. She loved it! So I have begun a collection of several other books by Olivier Dunrea, and hope that Andrew loves them someday, as well. It is so relaxing to sit in the rocking chair in his room and pick up a book from the little book shelf. And I know he can't necessarily understand the exact words, nor focus on the pictures yet. But I hope I am transferring my love of reading through my voice, and expressions. One of my favorite childhood memories is of my mom reading to us kids, snuggled up on the couch. I want to do the same with my kiddos!
Even though the days are chilly, we bundle up and go for walks. I think Andrew might think I am a little crazy :) But it feels so good to get out...and he gets a nice nap in the jogger stroller, so its a win-win situation. This little snowsuit is a bit big for Mr. A yet, but he stays nice and warm in it! Plus I have like 3 blankets on him and over the stroller. Usually I enjoy winter, and do so many things out in the weather. But this winter is a bit different, and I find myself wishing for spring ever so much! Then we can go outside and just sit in the sunshine together, walk around the yard, work in the flowerbeds. Soon, very soon, spring will come. And Andrew will get a taste of fresh air and hear the birds singing!

Bathtime!

We gave Andrew his first bath last Saturday night...what a hoot! Up until now, we had been doing sponge baths, but this was the first time in his baby bath! He did so well, although a bit squirmy at times :) It seems that he likes the water, a good thing! I am trying to give him a bath every couple of days, to begin getting him used to a routine, and just for relaxation and wear him out at night. He can be a bit fussy during the evening hours, so taking a bath can help with that.

Sweet Andrew, you will grow so fast...we try and savor these moments. Wrapped up in your fuzzy towel, warm and clean. Smelling like baby lotion. *sigh* You are so sweet.

Andrew Thomas Hughes is here!!!

Here we are as a happy family, just a few days home from the hospital! Molly looks thrilled :)
What a good babysitter! Right after this shot, molly licked him square in the face! haha :) They are bonding already.
Proud mamma holding her son! He is one amazing little boy and each day with him is an adventure. I am learning so much about how to be a parent, and what it means to trust in the Lord even more!
And here is dad, holding the little peanut man. I love the bear on his bottom! Joe is such a great dad and helps out so much! He is not afraid to change diapers, either. Yessss!
We love you Andrew, and are so excited to have you as a part of our family. We look forward to raising you in God's love, and have so many hopes and dreams for you!

A Charlie Brown Christmas

For our Heartland Christmas party this year, the theme was Charlie Brown, and it was so much fun! We had little christmas trees at each table that looked just like Charlie's tree. And everyone was supposed to wear ugly sweaters...so this is a pic of joe and I in our best ugly sweaters. We picked them up at goodwill a few weeks ago. Isn't Joe's just amazing? haha. He had me accessorize mine with some gaudy jewelry, i felt like i came straight out of the 80's. It was a fun night spent celebrating our Savior's birth and the goofy people we love to work with!

The Crib!

We finally purchased our crib for the nursery, and here is my amazing husband hard at work putting all the pieces together. I helped a little bit, too, because 4 hands are more helpful than just 2 at times!
He just loves it when I take all these pictures...almost done now!
Tadaa!! Here is the finished crib, mattress, bedding and all! We picked a "Woodland Animals" theme from Woolrich bedding. How fitting, right? Now, we just need a little bundle of joy to place in here! Thanks mom and dad for getting us our nursery furniture and bedding...what a blessing! This grandbaby will be well taken care of, we know it!! :)