Deerfield Fair

So we ventured to the fair again this year. It was a lot more packed than I remember in previous years, but it did rain on Friday night so that could explain it. We headed over to the petting zoo first thing in the hopes of tuckering Andrik out and having him sleep the rest of the time while we looked through the buildings. Well, needless to say that plan didn't work at all. He was very well behaved for the most part. Our only meltdown's came in the petting zoo. He loved petting the sheep and goats so much he was totally pissed when I made him get out to let other kids in. He just thought it was the coolest thing. And not just any animal would do. We wanted nothing to do with the small rabbits or ducks. No.... we wanted the big, icky sheep. Thank god for multiple rounds of hand sanitizer :)

Our next adventure will be at the beginning of next week. My brother and his family will be up from Virginia, so Andrik and I will be spending some time with them so the kids can play. Can't wait!!

Apple Picking

This past weekend we spent a lovely fall day at my parents house to go apple picking. It is always a good time to watch Andrik get all excited doing new things. Picking up apples off the ground and banging them together. Or finding just the right one to pick up and hand to you all proud. We also got to take a very short hay ride. Andrik enjoyed throwing the hay off more than the ride I think :) What new adventures are in store for us..... Deerfield Fair this weekend! I think they even have a petting zoo (God help those animals :)).

The Past Month

and here it goes.... The past month hasn't really been anything too exciting. We visited the children's museum in Dover, which he seemed to like. They had plenty of buttons for him to push which he totally loves. There was also a play kitchen that amused him as he stole the food from other kids. It is always amazing to see what catch's the attention of kids. Some of the kids were fighting over the drums, some the trains and others the play food. Have to wonder what goes through their little minds :)




and of course we always have fun at memere & pepere's. From fun tub crayons to playing street hockey with Matt and his boy outside. It is crazy to think that not so long ago we were the ones playing out in the road, yelling 'car' everytime one was coming up the road. And now our kids are the ones playing out there. It is kind of neat to watch everything come full circle :)




This summer sure has been one of growing. We walk and talk, laugh and throw tantrums, wake up in the middle of the night wanting to play and push people at daycare. We now have 7.5 teeth and know how to use them :) We say 'NO' when we don't want to do things and right before we do things we know we shouldn't. I can't wait to see what the future holds and yet don't want it to go by as fast as it is.

A New Beginning

Ok, I know I totally suck at this blogging thing :) But I am going to try to do weekly updates of what is going on in our lives. Granted this will be nothing exciting, but at least you will get some pics of Andrik :)

7 Months

Hey everyone, sorry it as been so long. Not sure who is following anymore because of it :(

Here is an update of what Andrik has been doing. We have started eating our pureed baby foods, of which he hasn't met one he hasn't liked (except yogurt). We also now eats puffs and cheerio's, although we don't quite grasp the concept of pickingthem up and putting in our mouth. Or he is really smart and playing us and making us put them in his mouth....

He can now sit up completely on his own and has taken to rocking back and forth like Kendall does.


He doesn't have any teeth yet, but I swear has been teething since 4 months. No crawling or any of that yet either.

He absolutely loves the bouncer and will bounce until he falls asleep in it.

Here are a couple of the latest pics..








6 Month Pic



















Eating our toes
















Being tortured by mom :)

















Distracted by one of the many leaves falling














Our little monkey

Back to Work

On a very sad note, I had to start work last week (June1). Not only did I not want to go back, but the though of not 'hanging' out with Andy all day is kind of depressing. I never thought 6 weeks would go by so quickly.

We also have the pleasant experience of our first cold. He is completly congested and coughing and sneezing. I feel so bad since there is nothing you can really do. And if his sleeping pattern wasn't bad enough, it is even worse now :( The things he picks up after being at daycare for only 1 week. And the inevitable, Kendall and I are also sick. I thought colds were only for the winter???

On a positive note... When we brought him in for the cold he did weigh in at 9lbs. Our little man is growing :)

Already a Month Old!!

Where does the time go. Andy is already a month old...and I have to go back to work in a week and a half :( At his checkup yesterday he weighed in at 7.6 lbs (gaining almost a pound since last week). He finally isn't swimming in all of his newborn clothes so that is kind of fun. He also got the first of his many shots yesterday and seemed to do fine with it.

He still has his days and nights mixed up, but I dare to say I think it is getting better. We have switched to feeding him formula at night which seems to hold him longer. He does still, however, have really bad gas at night. The docs say it isn't colic because he would be fussing all day long instead of just at night. Apparently this is normal and will last another couple of months, unfortunately.


Here are some updated pics..

Andrik Douglas Stapley

He is here!!! Born at 4/20/09 at 4:50pm after 21 hours of labor.

It all started Sunday at 8pm when my water suddenly broke (thank god not at work!) After that it was off to the hospital. To my dismay, when we got there I was only 1cm, this was going to be a long night. I did end up stalling out at 4cm and had to get pitocin. After that things kept going, but pretty slowly.

I had decided to try to do this all naturally, taking the hypnobirthing classes and everything. All went well until I hit the transition phase. Nothing can really prepare you for that kind of pain. But all is worth it and you end up with a cute little peanut in the end.

Sheri my fantastic birthing coach.

Our first bath

Getting our footprints done

Baby Shower

I just want to say thank you to everyone that put the shower on and attended. I was totally surprised and very grateful. We got so much great stuff it was kind of overwhelming to see it all. And with a trip to Babies R Us on Sunday to get the rest of the odds and ends, we have everything we need to welcome the baby home in 4-5 weeks.

Everything is still going well with the pregnancy. I am at the point where all the aches and pains are starting, along with the swollen feet and ankles. But the doctors say it is all part of the process. My weight gain is still pretty much on track, as long as the baby doesn't decide to be a 10 pounder :) My last 2 week appointment is on the 6th, then I have to go every week. The official sign that things are coming to an end.

Here are some of the pics of the nursery with all the bedding, valance and hamper put together. Shower pics to follow once people email them to me :)

30 weeks and counting....

It is hard to believe that I am already 30 weeks along. It seems like things have gone so fast. Everything is going normal, tested negative for gestational diabetes and whatever other tests they run at that time. My last doctors appointment was on the 20th and everyone is growing on schedule. I have finally 'grown' into my belly and measuring normal. I have so far gained 21 pounds which is on track for 30 weeks. The baby seems to be growing quickly now and instead of kicking he is in the habbit of pushing, which causes my stomach to morph into wierd shapes. While uncomfortable at times, it is still so neat to see. We still haven't decided on names yet, or should I say Kendall hasn't made up his mind yet :). I have a feeling it will be a last minute thing as usual. The nursery is finally complete with the finishing of the shelves for the bookcase yesterday. This makes me feel much better and now is just the waiting game for the big day...

Ultrasound #3

Yes, yet another one. The doc said that I was measuring 'big', so another ultrasound here I come. The only benefit to having all these 'issues' is that I do get to see the baby more. Everything turned out normal again and the baby weighted about 2 lbs, which is on track.