I'm still working on getting video of Drew onto the blog, so please bear with me as I get the kinks worked out. Below you will find my first attempt. To play the video, I think you can just click on the "play" button on the little video screen and the video will start playing. There is also sound included if you're interested in hearing Drew's noises. Drew has been rolling over all the time for the past week or so, and I think this video fairly accurately captures his usual speed for rolling over. He only goes from his back to his stomach, and then he gets stuck. We usually let him work on getting onto his back again for a while, then we have to help him out before he gets too upset.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Friday, June 30, 2006
back home with Drew
I just returned from a conference in Boston and being away from Drew for a few days gave me some perspective on what it's like to not see him every day. He changes a lot in a few days! While I was gone Drew started rolling over and sat up on his own for a few seconds. Each day it seems like Drew discovers some new talent or adds a new vocalization to his repetoire. It is so exciting to watch. I missed both Drew and Jana a lot, so I was thrilled to see them waiting for me at the airport when I got home.
Last week Jana was holding Drew and he decided to take a quick nap. Drew's so much bigger than he used to be, but we love that he can still fit nicely on our chest for a nap. He's such a warm, comforting weight on you while he's sleeping!
I have a deficiency in my knowledge base (I don't know many nursery rhymes), so Drew and I started to address it last week with some reading. Doesn't it look like Drew is reading along with me? (I think he is!)
Drew has a great attention span for TV, but he's still working on staying engrossed in the book. He sat still for about five minutes and then he started to look around the room and wiggle.
Drew loves to grab anything within reach and put it in his mouth. He's now able to grab almost anything (including the mirror on the gymini) and pull it toward him. Drew's strong enough that when he's grabbing onto the gymini and we pick him up, he picks the whole gymini up with him.
Drew loves his bumblebee and he's gotten quite adept at pulling it down toward him. Here he's using the two-handed method, but he can also pull it down with one hand.
Drew loves going in his swing. While I was gone, he got a little tired and started to snuggle in with the bear toy on the swing. That's a very sleepy smile!
Here you can really see the exhaustion setting in. I think it is time for an N-A-P!
When Drew wakes up in the morning he is very perky and excited to see us (he must get this from Jana). The smile on his face is our normal morning greeting. Can you think of a better way to start your day than with a smile from Drew? He might even turn me into a morning person!
You will notice in these pictures that Drew is sideways in his crib with his feet kicking the wall. We don't put him in his crib that way; he started with his head up by the baby monitor and he has rotated 90 degrees to the left. Also, he was completely bundled when placed in the crib and now our little Houdini has managed to get both his arms out. I think part of the reason for the smile is because he is so proud of his accomplishment. With all that wiggling we're starting to realize that we can't set him down and expect him not to move. He's starting the process of becoming mobile!
Drew's latest trick is that he loves to grab his feet and hold them. He holds his feet and rocks back and forth, usually with one hand on each foot.
Jana did some experimenting with this photo. Drew was sound asleep on our couch in a completely dark room, so Jana tried out the night setting on our camera. It worked pretty well for there being no lights on in the room!
This was the morning after I returned from Boston. Drew was so excited to have me around (he won't sleep right now if I'm in the room because he gets too wound up), and he was chatting away with me and doing his foot trick.
After picking me up from the airport late at night, my two favorite people needed a little nap the next day to recover.
Drew always squints in the sun, so we got him some sunglasses. They're a little big still!
Drew is so strong now that he can keep his head held up like this for a while. Good job Drew!
Last night Jana went to work out at the gym, so Drew and I went outside for a little play time with the gymini. Drew has a foot in one hand and the octopus in the other. There was a lot for him to look at in the backyard, so he kept busy looking around and maintaining his grip on the things on the gymini.
Every once in a while Drew took a break from looking around, so that he could chat with with me and focus on yanking the octopus around.
After the gymini, I got to give Drew a bath! Yeah! Giving Drew a bath was so much fun. He was splashing around, talking with me, and having a great time. Afterward I wrapped him up in his towel and had a photo session. Look at all these cute faces! We had a great time and Drew was nice and clean for Jana when she got home.
Last week Jana was holding Drew and he decided to take a quick nap. Drew's so much bigger than he used to be, but we love that he can still fit nicely on our chest for a nap. He's such a warm, comforting weight on you while he's sleeping!
I have a deficiency in my knowledge base (I don't know many nursery rhymes), so Drew and I started to address it last week with some reading. Doesn't it look like Drew is reading along with me? (I think he is!)
Drew has a great attention span for TV, but he's still working on staying engrossed in the book. He sat still for about five minutes and then he started to look around the room and wiggle.
Drew loves to grab anything within reach and put it in his mouth. He's now able to grab almost anything (including the mirror on the gymini) and pull it toward him. Drew's strong enough that when he's grabbing onto the gymini and we pick him up, he picks the whole gymini up with him.
Drew loves his bumblebee and he's gotten quite adept at pulling it down toward him. Here he's using the two-handed method, but he can also pull it down with one hand.
Drew loves going in his swing. While I was gone, he got a little tired and started to snuggle in with the bear toy on the swing. That's a very sleepy smile!
Here you can really see the exhaustion setting in. I think it is time for an N-A-P!
When Drew wakes up in the morning he is very perky and excited to see us (he must get this from Jana). The smile on his face is our normal morning greeting. Can you think of a better way to start your day than with a smile from Drew? He might even turn me into a morning person!
You will notice in these pictures that Drew is sideways in his crib with his feet kicking the wall. We don't put him in his crib that way; he started with his head up by the baby monitor and he has rotated 90 degrees to the left. Also, he was completely bundled when placed in the crib and now our little Houdini has managed to get both his arms out. I think part of the reason for the smile is because he is so proud of his accomplishment. With all that wiggling we're starting to realize that we can't set him down and expect him not to move. He's starting the process of becoming mobile!
Drew's latest trick is that he loves to grab his feet and hold them. He holds his feet and rocks back and forth, usually with one hand on each foot.
Jana did some experimenting with this photo. Drew was sound asleep on our couch in a completely dark room, so Jana tried out the night setting on our camera. It worked pretty well for there being no lights on in the room!
This was the morning after I returned from Boston. Drew was so excited to have me around (he won't sleep right now if I'm in the room because he gets too wound up), and he was chatting away with me and doing his foot trick. 
After picking me up from the airport late at night, my two favorite people needed a little nap the next day to recover.
Drew always squints in the sun, so we got him some sunglasses. They're a little big still!
Drew is so strong now that he can keep his head held up like this for a while. Good job Drew!
Last night Jana went to work out at the gym, so Drew and I went outside for a little play time with the gymini. Drew has a foot in one hand and the octopus in the other. There was a lot for him to look at in the backyard, so he kept busy looking around and maintaining his grip on the things on the gymini.
Every once in a while Drew took a break from looking around, so that he could chat with with me and focus on yanking the octopus around.
After the gymini, I got to give Drew a bath! Yeah! Giving Drew a bath was so much fun. He was splashing around, talking with me, and having a great time. Afterward I wrapped him up in his towel and had a photo session. Look at all these cute faces! We had a great time and Drew was nice and clean for Jana when she got home.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
the bumblebee buzzes
After a busy week, I'm finally getting around to putting up some new Drew pictures. Drew has been doing really well and he continues to make exciting progress with his talking and coordination. Just the other day we were on our way to work and we heard a buzzing noise in the backseat from Drew grabbing the bumblebee toy on his car seat, pulling the cord on it, and then releasing it! It's so exciting to see him make tremendous progress within a day.
Drew loves to play with Jana and me on our living room floor. Here he is below with Jana:
Drew's got his favorite toy: the cell phone. Drew is a true baby of the 21st century; his cell phone is already something he can't get by without.
Drew loves to play with the gymini. He now uses his arms and legs to kick and pull on things. He can really get the toys moving around once he starts playing!
In the continued preparation for teething Drew absolutely loves to suck on his hands (or someone else's hand). The sucking is usually followed by a nice puddle of drool (hence Drew goes through a lot of bibs!).
Drew continues to practice his standing. If one of us (in this case Jana) lies on our side on the floor, Drew can stand next to us with minimal assistance.
A while ago we took a series of photos with Drew's teddy bear and dog. We decided to try it again to see how much bigger he is (remember that he was the same size or smaller than the teddy bear). Initially, Drew was more interested in putting the bear in his mouth than getting his picture taken.
But eventually we got some pictures where he looked away from the bear and at the camera.
Drew even gave the bear a snuggle! Isn't this cute?!
Drew didn't quite know what to make of the dog.
Last weekend Drew grabbed his feet for the first time! (and we caught it on camera, yeah!) He's been aware of his feet for a while, but this is the first time he's held them with his hand. It might be a while before he puts his feet in his mouth because Drew seems to have inherited my incredible lack of flexibility :)
After a bath Drew was in great spirits in his hooded towel, so we had to take a couple of pictures.
Drew was chatting away with us and gesturing.
This past Sunday we were in Grand Rapids for Father's Day. Here great-grandma Vryhof is taking a turn holding Drew. Drew was a little unhappy about anyone other than Jana and me when we first arrived in Grand Rapids, but he got more used to others as the day went on.
Great-grandpa Vryhof had the magic touch with Drew. Drew loved walking around the house with him.
Drew loves to play with Jana and me on our living room floor. Here he is below with Jana:
Drew's got his favorite toy: the cell phone. Drew is a true baby of the 21st century; his cell phone is already something he can't get by without. Drew loves to play with the gymini. He now uses his arms and legs to kick and pull on things. He can really get the toys moving around once he starts playing!
In the continued preparation for teething Drew absolutely loves to suck on his hands (or someone else's hand). The sucking is usually followed by a nice puddle of drool (hence Drew goes through a lot of bibs!).
Drew continues to practice his standing. If one of us (in this case Jana) lies on our side on the floor, Drew can stand next to us with minimal assistance.
A while ago we took a series of photos with Drew's teddy bear and dog. We decided to try it again to see how much bigger he is (remember that he was the same size or smaller than the teddy bear). Initially, Drew was more interested in putting the bear in his mouth than getting his picture taken.
But eventually we got some pictures where he looked away from the bear and at the camera.
Drew even gave the bear a snuggle! Isn't this cute?!
Drew didn't quite know what to make of the dog.
Last weekend Drew grabbed his feet for the first time! (and we caught it on camera, yeah!) He's been aware of his feet for a while, but this is the first time he's held them with his hand. It might be a while before he puts his feet in his mouth because Drew seems to have inherited my incredible lack of flexibility :)
After a bath Drew was in great spirits in his hooded towel, so we had to take a couple of pictures.
Drew was chatting away with us and gesturing.
This past Sunday we were in Grand Rapids for Father's Day. Here great-grandma Vryhof is taking a turn holding Drew. Drew was a little unhappy about anyone other than Jana and me when we first arrived in Grand Rapids, but he got more used to others as the day went on.
Great-grandpa Vryhof had the magic touch with Drew. Drew loved walking around the house with him.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Father's Day
Jana spent a lot of time going through our digital pictures of Drew and changing selected pictures to black and white images. I was thrilled to celebrate my first Father's Day (yeah!) this past Sunday, so in honor of Father's Day here are some of the black and white photos of Drew that I really enjoy. These go all the way back to right after he was born and take you up to the present.
This first picture was taken a couple minutes after we got Drew home from the hospital. That already seems like so long ago! He was so tiny in my hands!
With Drew's initial struggles to eat, we had to strip him down to his diaper to keep him awake while feeding. When I was home, I got to take Drew's outfit off before handing him over to Jana. He's so much fun to handle without clothes!
Holding Drew always makes me smile!
I have so much fun with Drew's baths. He's looking at Jana here. I love the way Drew lights up when Jana enters the room.
Here I am enjoying a good conversation with Drew prior to putting him in the bath. Whenever I put Drew on his back to change him or to play, he likes to look up at me and chat away.
Drew in his hat!
Here are my two favorite people: Jana and Drew!
Every time Jana and I look at this picture it makes us smile. Drew is so happy and cute in his sweater!
Is there anything better than a sleeping baby lying on your chest?
This is one of our latest family pictures. I have such a great family!
Drew continues to smile and talk more each day. It has been so much fun watching him grow and develop, and I'm excited about many more years of being a dad. I have been blessed!
I will try to do another post with current Drew pictures in the next day or two, so keep posted!
This first picture was taken a couple minutes after we got Drew home from the hospital. That already seems like so long ago! He was so tiny in my hands!
With Drew's initial struggles to eat, we had to strip him down to his diaper to keep him awake while feeding. When I was home, I got to take Drew's outfit off before handing him over to Jana. He's so much fun to handle without clothes!
Holding Drew always makes me smile!
I have so much fun with Drew's baths. He's looking at Jana here. I love the way Drew lights up when Jana enters the room.
Here I am enjoying a good conversation with Drew prior to putting him in the bath. Whenever I put Drew on his back to change him or to play, he likes to look up at me and chat away.
Drew in his hat!
Here are my two favorite people: Jana and Drew!
Every time Jana and I look at this picture it makes us smile. Drew is so happy and cute in his sweater!
Is there anything better than a sleeping baby lying on your chest?
This is one of our latest family pictures. I have such a great family!
Drew continues to smile and talk more each day. It has been so much fun watching him grow and develop, and I'm excited about many more years of being a dad. I have been blessed!
I will try to do another post with current Drew pictures in the next day or two, so keep posted!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
