Andrew's Web Hangout

Summer 2010

2010-07-07T10:34:00.008-05:00

Here is Andrew looking at the chickens at Uncle Mike's farm. He liked watching them eat watermelon rinds.
Playing in the new sandbox he got for his birthday. We are in the sandbox any chance we get!

I love watching him pick up a book and read to himself!
My little helper!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T15:24:00.009-06:00

Enjoying the new sled (and snowsuit) inside and outside from Grandma and Grandpa Fasching.

Here we are enjoying the new John Deere dump truck. He has already realized that it is fun to stand in it!

Andrew got a Woody doll from Mary and Phil at daycare. Unfortunately, it didn't have "Andy" etched into the boot like the movie. Oh, well. He loves pulling the string in the back and listening to him!

Opening presents can be hard work. He really got into the opening up thing. He wanted to open up all of the presents! Once one was open, he was ready for the next!

Here he is helping himself to a pile of veggies. If you look closely, you can see half eaten carrots. He loves his veggies!

Here is a picture with Auntie Sara and one with all three of us.

Fall 2009

2009-11-07T18:51:00.005-06:00

Here are a few pictures from the last few months!

More Summer Fun

2009-08-12T20:42:00.014-05:00

Here we are climbing in and out of the stuffed animal basket. He was waving at all the cars going by.

Andrew loves playing with these trucks. They use to be Kevin's when he was younger. When we are outside, Andrew can point to them and wants to play!

Riding on the dino that Uncle Donny made. It is the perfect height to be able to look at, oh yeah, the cars outside!

Swimming with mom at Auntie Sara's pool. If you look closely, you can see dad playing with cousin Ryan.

Here we are at a petting zoo near Uncle Donny and Auntie Susan's house. Andrew was really curious about this goat. In the second picture, the goat is more interested in Andrew!

Summer 2009

2009-07-22T13:50:00.013-05:00

Well, summer is half over and Andrew continues to get bigger all the time. We have been busy playing, playing and more playing.

Here is a picture of Andrew playing in a water table he got for his birthday. He loves splashing around and Murphy really wants a drink! I am sure there are a few tennis balls in there for him!

Having fun riding on a motorized 4-wheeler. He pushes the button and moves in short spurts. Soon he will be tearing up the backyard!

It's so much fun to crawl into little places!

Andrew has learned to throw the ball to Murphy. Andrew gets a kick out of it when Murphy gets close enough with the tail to tickle his face!

Kevin went into the fridge and Andrew followed. We watched him to see what he would do. Apparently, I don't feed him enough! A little hungry for some parmesan cheese and watermelon. He actually reached up and grabbed his mild and some cantelope!

Caught red handed!

Andrew loves looking at books. He will get quiet all of a sudden, and when I check on him, this is what he is doing!

What a cutie!!

We made it to 1!

2009-06-15T14:25:00.007-05:00

We finally made it to a year old! I finally got around to updating the blog. School is out and time for new adventures!

Here are just a few pictures of the party.

He wasn't too sure of the cake, so I had to push his hand into it. Once he realized how fun it was, cake was all over!

Here he is eating a cupcake with Grandpa and Nana Oldenburg. What a great time!

Over Memorial Day, we took a boat ride on Grandma and Grandpa's pontoon. He didn't seem to mind the life jacket, yet!

We took a family tour of New Flyer, where Grandpa Baron and Uncle Donny work. He was learning how to drive a city bus.

2009-03-03T09:26:00.018-06:00

Hello! I know it has been a while. Mom and Dad have been very busy. I told Mom to update the pictures. So, while I nap, she is updating pictures. Here are just a few from the last month. Enjoy!

Andrew just loves hanging out in the jumper. He gets going so fast, that he eventually starts to swing. I put some toy gears on the fridge, so now he starts going after those. It is so funny to watch.

Here we are at Grandma and Grandpa Baron's house. Uncle Donny has such a neat hat. I just know that I will love wearing hats!

Andrew absolutely loved the pinwheel that Grandma and Grandpa has. He got really mad when I took from him to blow on the petals.

His new thing now it to crawl under his farm and play. There must me some interesting things under there. He can actually crawl through!

Oh, and he seems to really like reading. He picks out books and looks at the cover! Yeah!

Hamming it up for the camera!

2009-01-17T20:48:00.013-06:00

Well, it seems that whenever we pull out the camera, Andrew knows. He has the best grin and knows he is cutie. Here are a couple of pictures in an outfit from Aunt Julie.

Andrew has now started rocking back and forth on his hands and knees. Just the other day he got going so fast that his knees propelled forward, but his arms didn't go anywhere. Here he is watching Murphy, who was trying to stay out of the way!

Andrew was playing in his "farm" and when I pulled out the camera, this is the face I got. :)

Playing is such hard work!

My First Christmases

2008-12-30T21:38:00.005-06:00

I feel very lucky to have such a wonderful family. I loved getting together with all of mine. Here is a picture of mom, dad, and me at Great Grandma and Grandpa Oldenburgs for Christmas.

Next, we were off to the Cicha family Christmas. This is my great grandpa John Cicha. (my mom's grandpa).

Here is me with my new red fire truck from Grandma and Grandpa Fasching. (dad's mom and step dad). I think cousin Logan approves of the truck. I am not too sure yet, as I was quite sleepy. I fell asleep shortly afterwards!

Here I am again, oh, I am sleeping. Do you see me wrapped up in the Johnny Tractor blanket in mom's arms? Mom just unwrapped the new dino rocker that Uncle Donny made for me. Cousins Peter and Ryan each got one too. I cannot wait to ride it!

Hey, I am not sleeping for this gift. You can see me in the back opening up my new Little People Farm. Thanks Chris, Lisa, Jessica, and Katelyn!

Here's me enjoying my first time playing outside. I rode in the sled for a few short seconds. It was really wet outside, and I didn't want to sit in my wet snowsuit during the ride home. I think I will love playing outside!

Here are just a couple of fun pictures of me. Mom found this hat at Target. It says "Baby's First Christmas." The other hat is the Como Zoo hat that I got this summer. My head fills it out a bit more that it did this summer, but I still have lots of growing to do to fit into it completely. I think I am going to be a hat person. (Like father, like son!)

Getting Ready for My First Christmas!!!

2008-12-19T23:45:00.010-06:00

Here we are, getting ready for my first Christmas. Oh what fun, it is to be, sitting by the tree! Here is a picture of mom holding me while we try to get a good card picture. Boy, Daddy is really funny!

Here is me with mom. She is the best!!

This was our first try.Murphy just didn't want to sit still. I think he was more interested in a treat, rather than taking a picture with me!

Just looking at the tree with my dad!

This reading thing is really kinda cool! I think I will like it!

Halloween, Some Grandparent Time and So Much More...

2008-11-26T20:06:00.012-06:00

We know you all check this for the pictures, and trust us, we don't blame you. So, in an effort to keep this Andrew centered, I will try and be brief with the prose. Sorry we haven't been incredibly diligent about updating this. We are going to try and do a better job as the breaks in the school year present themselves. Since we last posted, Andrew experienced his first Halloween. He dressed up as a dalmatian.

Andrew also helped out in the yard. He and Murphy supervised as we raked leaves and mowed the yard.

Andrew has also been visited by family and friends quite a bit.

Grandparents are always a favorite with Andrew.

Cousins also make some of the best reading buddies.

We are headed out and about for Thanksgiving this year, so hopefully we will have new pictures to add soon.

We hope everybody has a fun, safe holiday season.

It's been a while

2008-10-25T15:43:00.019-05:00

Yes, it has been a while. School is keeping us busy. Andrew is growing so fast. It is hard to believe that he is 5 months old. He is so cute, rolling over, smiling and giggling all the time. He started cereal about 2 weeks ago. I even gave him some sweet potatoes last night. After one funny expression, he realized that, "Hey, these are good!" and continues to eat them up!

He seems to be growing out of his car seat! I remember when he seemed to small for the seat. He is filling it out nicely. This picture was taken in September when he went to the Minnesota Zoo with the girls. Yes, all of our friends have girls. We went with 7 girls. He enjoyed it all!

Who can resist taking a picture of a sleeping baby???

So, he finally realized that the TV was interesting. I had to get a picture, and then tell him, "No TV!!" He can seem to spot it from anywhere in the room.

He loves this little Hop 'n' Pop. He sits so nicely in it. He can stare out the window, or at Kevin and me. (Just not the tv!)

Learning to stand on his own! Ok, so Kevin was helping a bit!

We love hanging out with dad!

One of my new favorites! Thanks Katri for the pea pod hat! We love it!!

Back to school

2008-09-06T21:01:00.010-05:00

The smiley one is back at it. He's become a huge hit at daycare with all of his peers. Mary (our daycare provider), keeps telling Kelly and I how much fun he is to have around. We keep telling her, "Trust us, we know."

I have no idea how much recollection Andrew will have of this time in his life. If he were only able to recall one or two things I am guessing it would be trips to Target with his parents. All of the teachers reading this will understand. I think before any given school year the average teacher makes a minimum of four trips to Target. Now, couple that with the fact that he has two parents that teach. Our guy has a good chance of remembering the red dot.

A couple of mornings Kelly has found Andrew spun 180 degrees from where he began. She said placed him with his head toward the window and in the morning found his feet in that position. Andrew has also been practicing his time on his tummy. He is trying harder than ever to roll over. If his frustration is any indicator of success, he would have rolled over a couple of days ago.

Drew has also been hanging out with a few of his friends these past couple of weeks. We all went up to the Alexis, Abby and Brianna's place two weekends ago. Andrew had a good time hanging out with the girls.

Hope to post again soon.

It's been a while

2008-08-21T20:54:00.017-05:00

Hey everybody, I know it's been a while. This month has brought with it some great times with family and friends. Our last post informed you of Andrew's baptism and the party that ensued. The following week it was time to tear-down the old shed and build a new one in its place. This was a large job as the building we were replacing had rotted out and was beyond repair. So, what were we to do you ask. We brought in our very own team of professional home improvement do-it-yourselfers. All three grandpa's, uncles Donny and Jimmy, and even some of his cousins lent a hand. It was an all day project and our whole family was very thankful for all of the help everyone was willing to offer. The sideline coaching was also a great deal of help as the day went on.

The next week gave us our first look at daycare. Andrew attended for two days, and by all accounts seemed to enjoy the experience. I can say that drop-off was a bit tough on the first day. Not for Andrew per se, but rather for dad. Mary (our daycare provider) stated that Andrew likes being around the other children and has no problem letting her know when he needs to be fed. She stated that they had a great day and was looking forward to seeing him on a regular basis. I just don't know that mom and dad are ready for that right now.

This month Andrew also hosted his first backyard grill-out. Some of dad's co-workers came up and brought their families with them. We had a good time, and only minor injuries were incurred. Andrew wanted to thank everyone for coming out.

Andrew has also had multiple visits from family and friends that he had not yet met. Mom's dear friend from her childhood met Andrew for the first time a week or two ago. Stefanie has two boys named Ryan and Brandon. Both were happy to be meeting Andrew for the first time.

Andrew also got to meet one of his great uncles and two great aunts this month. Barb, Doug and Lisa were all able to stop in and see Andrew for the first time. Jarrod, Olivia, and Calvin also stopped in to meet him as well. And as usual he took it all in stride...right up to the point where he became hungry. At that point all pleasantries are off, and we need a bottle!

Hopefully the next posting isn't as far between as the last two were, but I say that every time. This time I know I am shooting for the moon because both mom and dad are preparing for the beginning of school, but I will try my best to get one out around the first weekend in September.

Almost Two Weeks of Catch-up

2008-07-27T16:12:00.018-05:00

Hey all! Sorry it's been so long between posts. I know my seven loyal viewers have been itching for more pictures of Andrew. However, as is usual with most of us, life caught up to all three of us this summer and we seemed to have more on our plates than normal. For Andrew, the past few weeks have been filled with visits to and from: aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, doctors (standard two month checkup), friends, and even the occasional contractor bidding a roof for the house. These past few weeks have also brought with them, visits to daycares, church, and a trip to both mom's and dad's school.

Mom and Andrew have also been perfecting the art of bath-time. Andrew loves the bathwater and seems to have a good time while mom sings and talks with him. I used to believe that both Kelly and I were more in love with the duckie bath towel than Andrew, but he seems to be liking it more and more. But as I was saying, bath-time is typically filled with laughter, singing, a little splashing and a healthy dose of good-times.

Andrew has also been hanging out with his cousins. Logan and Andrew get together from time to time allowing aunt Julie a chance to hang on to a baby as compared to chasing after hers. Andrew has also been getting together with Peter, Ryan and Katlyn. Grandma and grandpa Baron's living room seem to be the hot spot for hanging out. Occasionally it looks like a small tornado has passed through when all four cousins have been in, but everyone seems to be having a great time. Andrew even got the chance to be fed by his cousin Katie this weekend.

Andrew also wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to grandma Fasching for taking the time out of her schedule to hang out this week while mom and dad went to work. On day three of the mom and dad going to work experiment, Andrew got to visit both mom and myself at work. We just hope he had as much fun as everybody else did. Rumor has it, he was a bit hit at both schools.

Andrew has also been doing several public service events. Most notably, he has been coaching grandpa Baron through nap time. Now I know this doesn't sound like the most earth shattering of public service endeavors, but we decided to start small and work our way up.

Today Andrew was baptized at St. Michael's. We had a number of family members come and take part in the service. God-parents: Sara, Don, and Julie were all wonderful sponsors. Andrew wanted to take special care to say thank you for all you did to make today special.

We also wanted to take this chance to mention how much we appreciate all of the food, chairs, tables, and refridgerator space given to us to make today's event so successful. Thanks for coming back to celebrate with us.

Sincerely,

Andrew, mom and dad

Smiles and more family.

2008-07-14T16:10:00.010-05:00

Last week began with several daycare interviews. Some candidates were so-so, which means not acceptable, some were downright wrong, and one was just right. We are planning on asking her if she would take care of our most important package while we work. This was not easy, as not just anyone is 'qualified' to take care of our Andrew. We are hoping that this will work out for all of us. If not, it's back to the drawing board.

Beginning late last week and early this week, Andrew has started smiling when prompted. (As a note, not before feeding, or during bath-time.) He has also been heard cooing and briefly giggling. Kelly and I have been found blowing off other responsibilities to spend time with Andrew, just watching and listening.

This past weekend Andrew went on a road trip, again. This time we went to see two of his great-grandparents, and a number of dad's aunts and uncles. Both great-grandma and great-grandpa were very excited to meet Andrew. Upon arriving, grandma and grandpa Fasching handed him off to aunt Diane, aunt Susie, uncle John, and then later aunt Linda and uncle Randy. Everyone took their turn holding Andrew and getting to know him. He really liked all of the attention, and as always being held. Andrew also got to meet dad's cousin Kelli, her fiancé Dusty, and their daughter Peyton. We had lunch, visited for a while and then headed for home. Andrew did a great job with his five plus hours in the car.

Photo ops at a parade (or two)

2008-07-04T16:59:00.019-05:00

This week Andrew did his first professional photo shoot. That is, he had his pictures taken by a professional. Our friend Kristen (the professional photographer) took the pictures. She does a great job, and if you'd like her information just send Kelly or myself an email and we'll hook you up. Andrew seemed to like most of the experience. It was just the multiple outfits that he didn't get into all that much. Otherwise, he liked Kristen and had no objection to having his picture taken, and taken, and taken again. Kristen gave us the CD with all of the pictures on it, and I have been making copies (yeah, makin' copies...all of you SNL fans understand) like they're going out of style.

On Thursday, Andrew, Peter and Ryan all went to the annual Coon Rapids parade. Ryan and Peter were seasoned veterans of this parade business, but Andrew was rather new to all of the sirens going off, girls dancing in the street, and politicians looking for a photo opportunity with a baby. He took it all in stride and even slept through a few of the sirens going off. Peter and Ryan really got into the festivities surrounding the parade. Peter was clapping and dancing, while Ryan was pointing out all of the vehicles that made noise or had dancers near them. In all, everyone had a good time.

After the parade it was time to light off some fireworks, and above all sparklers. Peter and Ryan loved them. Again, Andrew was rather indifferent, but seemed to like everyone's company, especially auntie Sara's. Murphy (the dog) even got into the mix a bit. He and Ryan are good friends and really like playing together. The sparklers did tend to make Murphy a bit more cautious about walking up to Ryan however.

On the fourth it was time to head out to a water skiing show with cousin Katlyn, uncle Don, aunt Susan, grandma, and grandpa Baron. We had a great time listening to the music, watching people wipe out and enjoying the weather. We were able to see some fireworks off in the distance, but Andrew was in dreamland by that time. Andrew really likes hanging out with his cousins, as well as his grandparents.

Zoo Crew...

2008-06-27T14:47:00.015-05:00

This past week marked Andrew's first trip to the zoo. Andrew, mom, aunt Sara, Peter, Ryan, and Grandma all went down to the Como Zoo. They met up with some of aunt Sara's and mom's college friends and their kids. Andrew didn't understand what all the excitement was about, and slept through a great deal of the festivities. So to make up for his lack of enthusiasm, cousins Ryan and Peter tried everything out for him.

It was a warm day, so hanging out in the shade made good sense. Everyone seemed to enjoy the park, the picnic and the company. If this continues to be a family tradition, we might have to conjure up some ways to keep Andrew more entertained. However, much like his cousins, I get the feeling that Andrew may find ways to entertain himself at the zoo.

The next day it was off to hang out with great-grandpa Cicha. Peter and Ryan came over and were excited to play with all of great-grandpa's stuff. Andrew assumed the normal pose of sleeping when meeting somebody new. Great-grandpa was very happy to meet and hold Andrew.

Andrew also received a visit from mom's cousins Katie and Lena. This was their first time getting to meet Andrew.

One of Andrew's favorite pasttimes is reading with mom and dad. He doesn't comment on the goofy voices I make up for the characters, but instead he stares at the pictures. Andrew seems to have about a three book limit right now. At that point it seems like we are asking him to stay quiet for too long, and he lets us know about it. He doesn't have a favorite book as of yet. I know my favorites to read are the Dr. Seuss books. His eyes tend to roam about when I make the noises associated with the reading.

Friends, Family and Mice

2008-06-20T11:59:00.012-05:00

Hey all,

The past week has been yet another blur of activity for Andrew and family. Tuesday we received a visit from Mrs. Robinson and Caleb. They stopped over to meet Andrew and hang out for a few minutes. It was great to have them over and share a few stories. Andrew said to be sure and stop back sometime.

That night we all went over to Peter & Ryan's house. Andrew got the chance to hang out with his cousins while we grilled-out. Everyone had a good time playing with the new swing set, and enjoying the great weather.

Later it was story time. Ryan took the iniative to choose the book that he and Andrew were going to read. Auntie Sara was more than happy to read stories to anyone that would listen. Thanks again for having us over.

Thursday we took another road trip. Andrew, mom and I went up to see grandma and grandpa Fasching. We hung out at the lake and soaked up some rays (okay, mom and I did, not so much Andrew). Grandma made sure that Andrew was well taken care of while the rest of us went for a quick boat ride.

Today Andrew got to meet some new friends while hanging out with the crew. Ryan, Peter and Andrew all got their first chance at meeting Micky and Minnie Mouse. Andrew didn't seem all too impressed with them, but Minny for sure was enamored with Andrew. After meeting the children's icons, we walked around and enjoyed the festivities. Andrew passed on sliding down the zip-line like Peter and Ryan, but seemed to enjoy himself nonetheless.

What does this weekend hold for us? Nobody knows, but rest assured it will definitely be another adventure.

Meeting and Greeting...

2008-06-13T13:28:00.004-05:00

Andrew had the opportunity this week to visit both mom and dad's schools. Everyone was more than excited to meet him. He enjoyed the visits to the best of our knowledge, however, I am pretty sure he slept through the majority of each visit.

Grandma and grandpa Fasching stopped up this week to hang out with Andrew and watch a Twins game while I was at class. A good time was had by all. This game mom the chance to get a couple of things done around the house as well just relax while Andrew soaked up all the attention he could handle.

Friday night we went over to grandma and grandpa Oldenburg's place for some pizza and a visit. Grandma and mom went over some paperwork while grandpa and dad had a good time explaining the finer points of baseball to Andrew.

This week the whole family got to go to the doctor's office...again. Dr. Keiss had good news for us this time. Andrew's weight was up (7 lb. 9 oz.) and his color was much improved over the last couple of check-ups. This was cause for celebration, so after arriving home Andrew had a drink, and we all took a nap...yes this is a celebration in our household.

Much to mom and dad's delight, Andrew's sleep pattern seems to be progressing toward consistent. We can pretty much predict the major events of the day, you know, eating, changing , and sleeping. I am sure that being we have a rhythm now, something is sure to change. Ah well, what cha' gonna do?

Andrew also got the chance to go to Bryon Adams' birthday party this weekend. He was able to hang out with his friends Jamison and Gavin. The food and the company was great. Happy birthday Bryon.

Hope to talk to you all soon.

Weekend Away

2008-06-09T15:16:00.023-05:00

Road Trip! Andrew got to spend his first night away from home in quite a while this weekend. We all went for a relaxing stay at grandma and grandpa Baron's house. This was his, moms and dads chance to roam around and venture out a bit.

We began by attending his friend Brianna's first birthday celebration. There Andrew was passed around like the proverbial football. He was very happy to reacquaint himself with some "old" friends. Alexis, Abby, Brianna and Andrew go way back (all two weeks). There was cake and signing (yes, even dad sang along to Happy Birthday). Andrew passed on the cake but took in some refreshments when the occasion arose.

From there, we headed back to grandma and grandpa's place. Andrew was able to spend some quality time with three of his cousins, grandma, grandpa, and even his aunts and uncles. I am sure Andrew is learning quite a bit from his older cousins. It was nice for everyone to sit back, relax and spend some time together again. Dad took the opportunity to go fishing and even sneak in some golfing with grandpa. We are just counting the days until Andrew and his cousins are able to go along with us to the golf course. FYI, if you see the eight or nine of us coming to a golf course near you, try and get the tee-time ahead of us.

From there it was home again, home again. Lo and behold we drove through yet another set of Sunday rain showers. Make it three in a row for my guy. The good news, no tornadoes reported this time.

Today Andrew got to visit with mom's second graders. I am also somewhat sure that he got to meet a number of her fellow staff members. Mom and Andrew informed me that everyone was very excited to meet Andrew. I am also somewhat sure that the students enjoyed meeting him and talking to their teacher about the past two weeks. I would have posted some cool class picture of the event, but for those of you not in the education world I have two words...media release.

All in all it was an exciting, fun-filled, and tiring four days for all three of us. We look forward to repeating our performance as soon as possible.

Talk to you all soon...

Just Hangin' Out

2008-06-05T22:47:00.013-05:00

It was time to introduce Andrew to Twins baseball. I know this will shock most of you, but he slept through most of the game on Wednesday, but well, so did the Twins. Only after our father/son cheering section awoke, did the Twins pull out their come from behind victory.

Disclaimer: We take no fault for the Tuesday and Thursday losses as we were not watching.

Mom and I also received permission from the doctor to begin placing Andrew on his stomach. He definitely didn't know what to think of this at first, but eventually figured out that he could move his head from side to side. This was big, as he figured out that looking at mom was much better than staring at me.

Tonight brought with it more "severe" weather. As you can tell from the picture here, Andrew almost seems phased. Mom is already convinced because of his history (however brief it may be) with weather, that he has a future as a meteorologist.

We are all doing fine and appreciate the calls of concern. Andrew is bulking up, and his color is constantly improving. We are enjoying both our visits from family and friends, as well as, our time alone as a family. Andrew's social schedule seems to keep him quite busy, but still continues to invite anyone wanting to visit, to drop on by.

The Andrew Update...

2008-06-03T21:23:00.010-05:00

Sorry for not posting for a while. We have had a relatively busy week. The whole family has been to the doctor a number of times since leaving the hospital. The doctor had a couple of concerns. Andrew had dropped a few ounces and his bilirubin numbers climbed to a level that our pediatrician wanted to watch. That being said, we went back to the doctor repeatedly last week and even on Saturday. However, as the new week got underway, we found out that his weight is back to his birth weight (a good thing), and his color was good.

We received visits from all of Andrew's grandparents. Grandma Mary and Grandpa Jerry stayed with us Saturday night (again, more tornado warnings), and helped out a lot around the house. He was very happy to sit and stare with both of them.

Grandma and Grandpa Oldenburg also stopped over and got the chance to talk with and hold him.

Grandma and Grandpa Fasching also stopped by and helped out a lot on Monday. The garden and house look great. Andrew, mom and I all want to say thank you for all you do!

Aunt Julie and cousin Logan also stopped over and dropped off some cute (okay, studly) outfits for Andrew.

Aunt Sara and cousins Peter and Ryan also came over and made sure all of Andrew's toys were play tested. This is a very important job as we don't want Andrew playing with any faulty toys.

This last weekend was about making new friends as well. He was able to spend some quality time with his friends Abby and Brianna.

Andrew also took another shot at getting to know Murphy. Both parties are still curious and not completely sure what the other one does.

We hope to post again soon. Maybe even this time it will be faster than five days so Mr. Adams doesn't have to keep asking, "When's the next post?!?"

Talk to you all soon,

Andrew and Family.

Thanks!

2008-05-29T21:56:00.005-05:00

Hey all, tomorrow is back to the doctor day for Andrew. The picture to the right is his plea to mom asking her not to take him back to the people that stick him and poke him a lot.

Kelly and I wanted to use this venue to thank everybody that has helped us out this week. From people dropping by to let Murphy out while we were in the hospital, to those of you that have been generous enough to make meals for us and drop them off. We even had a family member take the chance to plant flowers in our front planter. Kelly and I would also like to thank people for all of the calls of support and advice. We wish to say thank you to those of you that helped us get Andrew's room ready in such short order. Kelly and I also wanted to thank the teachers at our schools picking up where we left off. We understand how busy the end of the year is at school, and cannot thank you enough for not only educating our children in our absence, but also for taking on our administrative duties as well.

The challenging part of doing thank yous this way is that you tend to forget something or someone. We know how fortunate we are to have great friends and family like yourselves.

Arriving Home

2008-05-27T21:41:00.001-05:00

Home at last. After some more tests, and comments too numerous to count regarding how cute Andrew is from hospital staff, we departed Mercy Hospital for home.

Upon arriving came our first "real world" test for Andrew...Murphy (our golden retriever). The two became acquainted and quickly went about their separate ways. You can tell they went their own ways as I don't even have a picture of the two of them together. So you will have to take my word for the fact that they were in the same room as one another for at least a couple of minutes.

We took a walking tour of Andrew's new home. From what I could tell he was content with the accommodations. Quickly after the tour it was nap time. Mom and dad scrambled around the house making sure everything was where it was supposed to be.

Soon after Andrew had his first visitors, the Hilfers. Chris, Lisa, Jess & Katie came to visit. Murphy even got a visitor as Charlie (the chocolate lab) came to play too.

Well, it's off to bed. Wish us luck.

Some Pictures of Andrew

2008-05-27T08:49:00.000-05:00

Here's our first family photo. If all three of us look tired, it because we are. I would say mom and Andrew worked a lot harder than I did, but in the end we were all relieved that everyone was feeling well.

It seemed like all night (and into the next day) doctors, nurses and anybody in a semi-foul mood took the chance to prod, poke and measure Andrew. He took it all in stride right up until they put him on that ice-cold scale to weigh him. It was at this time that Andrew took it upon himself to display his displeasure with the process.

Andrew still seems to enjoy hanging out with mom and dad...and they love it! We have had a few chances to just talk and get to know one another.

Andrew, Kelly and I wanted to say thank you to everybody that has stopped by or wished us well. Kelly and I feel blessed to have Andrew, he is truly the most incredible thing we have ever laid eyes on. All three of us feel very fortunate to have caring family and friends like yourselves.

We took pictures of nearly everybody that has come in to visit Andrew. I am not omitting your pictures due to quality or content, but rather we will attribute it to permission pending. If you frequent this page and do not object to having your picture up here, just drop me (Kevin) an email telling me that it's ok to have you and yours on the web. I just didn't want to surprise anybody with their pictures on the web.

We hope to post again soon.

- Kevin (a.k.a. Dad)

Announcing Andrew John!

2008-05-26T15:29:00.000-05:00

Andrew John Oldenburg
Born: 5/25/2008
At: 4:53 pm
20.5 inches
6 lbs 12 oz

Andrew arrived with a big bang. There were tornadoes just a few miles away, skies poured inches of rain, and hail fell when Andrew gave us his first cry.

He was greeted by a number of family members brave enough to challenge mother nature. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all had a chance to meet their newest family member.

Andrew and mom are doing quite well. He slept a good deal of the first twenty-four hours, but after his 9 o'clock feeding Monday night, felt the urge to look around and get to know mom and dad a little better.