Anderson is 4 Months Old

      

Anderson has hit the four month mark!

We just had our 4-month doctor's appointment and here are his stats:

• Weight-17 pounds, 6 ounces==>90%
  
• Height-26,75 inches==>95%
  

There is definitely not a "failure to thrive" situation for Anderson.  He is growing and developing and just doing great.  We continue to be amazed by the new and exciting things he is learning and doing.  

Here are the highlights of the month:

• Great Aunt Peggy Babysat! For my birthday, GAP volunteered to babysit Anderson--seriously that is the best gift in the world.  She watched Anderson while Mike and I grabbed a great dinner at Perry's.  Here she is with Anderson eating his dinner before he goes down for the night. 

• Anderson is Beary Cute-We got the cutest bear outfit for Anderson from the babyGap.  In choosing the size of the outfit, we did not properly consider his size and the weather in Houston.  Needless to say, we had a three month bear outfit, and it was about 95 degrees in Houston.  So we just put him in the outfit for the photo opportunity and promptly put the outfit in the give away pile.

• Anderson went swimming! We finally took Anderson for his first swim.  We went over to Peggy & Joe's and took a dip.  We had a crab float for Anderson so he was fully shaded.  To our surprise, he seemed to really like the water.  No screaming or crying at all!  Here are some pics and a video of the big event.

     

• Anderson has started kissing...sort of We call it a kiss, but others may not. It's more of a suction cup on the face, but it sure is cute. 

  

• Pimp My Ride! Huntwick had a killer Fourth of July which included a kid parade.  For the parade, Anderson decked out his stroller with patriotic streamers and flags.  We missed being in the heart of the parade, but this year we carried the rear and walked behind the police cars.  It was incredibly warm and the parade started at noon--not the best time of day--so we only stayed at the clubhouse for a little while, but it was fun!

  

• Anderson's Baptism-On July 14th, Anderson was baptized at John Wesley UMC.  Pam Jackson did the baptism and is was a very special day for us.  Anderson's god parents are our great friends, Stacia & Jason Fontenot.  Here we are celebrating the baptism at Clementine's after the service.

    

Happy Father's Day!

This was Mike's first Father's Day! Anderson and I made his dad a breakfast of blueberry pancakes, bacon and eggs. For Father's Day, Mike got a gift certificate to go hunting at this place in Houston--I know very little about it, but know he liked it. Mike has been such a great dad and helps out so much. He has clearly exceeded any expectations. Anderson is so lucky to have such a hands on papa.

Anderson's 3rd Month

Anderson will turn 3 months old tomorrow! We continue to be amazed at how great parenthood has been and how much we adore this little 15 pound bundle of joy. Anderson seems to surprise us with something new and exciting just about every day. Here is a summary of the highlights of his 3rd month!

• Anderson's First Dinner Date: On May 18th, we had our friends, the Koenigs, over for dinner. Lauren and Rick had a baby girl, Elise, in November. She and Anderson got to know each other and had a car seat date while everyone else chowed on burgers. Who knows, this could be the beginning of a very special relationship.

• Memorial Day: Memorial Day is always a special day for us, given the extent of the participation of the Fitzgerald family in the armed forces (almost all men have served in some capacity in their life--Mike served 4 years active in the First CalvaryDivision, and 4 years inactive in the National Guard). We did not do anything overly exciting to celebrate Memorial Day but spent the day as a family. This included a trip to the new outlet center in Fairfield. Anderson appears to be taking after his daddy and is not a huge shopping junkie...maybe the next Fitzgerald will be my shopping buddy! Here is a picture of Anderson in his patriotic outfit playing with his dad's dog tags.

• First Flight and Trip to San Jose: Anderson, Honey and I went to San Jose last week to visit Katt, Brett and Oakley. Brett was going out of town for a work trip, so the girls and babies had a long weekend together in Cali. This was Anderson's first flying experience, and this kid travels like a rock star. He did great! Before each flight, I think Honey and I each were a bit nervous. For whatever reason, Anderson did not enjoy the waiting area at the airports, but once he was on the plane he was great! He slept for the majority the flights. If he keeps this up, we will be taking him places all the time!
  
Here he is on the plane, just chillin' with his Honey.

Here are Oakley and Anderson kissing--yes, Kissing Counsins--so Texas. It's just like looking at small versions of Brett and Mike kissing.




Here is a picture of Oakley helping Anderson with his binkie...Oakley is going to be a great big brother...some day.





• Gymboree! Last week, Anderson had his first Gymboree class. This is a class for babies under 6 months old, and basically is a singing and tummy time class. Moms go with the babies to the class, and we had a great time! Anderson was a little frustrated with the amount of tummy time, but we have been practicing and are going to impress Miss Joan (the teacher) on Thursday!

Here he is ready to go tumble his little heart out!

• Giggling Anderson: Anderson has started to laugh up a storm lately, and we just can not get enough. Usually, the laugh is encouraged by Mike or me, but we'll take it anyway we can get it. It is the cutest thing in the world.

Here is his clip of the week, just a gigglin' away!







The other thing Anderson loves, which always gets a big smile and some laughs, is the game where you raise Anderson up and down. So far, he has not puked on me, but I may be pushing my luck--I do this with him all the time. He is so cute!









• Rock n' Roll Anderson: Anderson is on the verge of his first full roll...right now he gets half way and gets stuck. I think in the next month, he is going to have the full roll down.
  

Those are the highlights, but here are some other random pictures (and videos) of our little guy from the past month.

Anderson in his Chicco--who knows where we are taking him now! He is such a trooper. We have taken him everywhere, and he never seems to complain.

Anderson still loves his bath time at Spa Fitzgerald! We are up to 2 baths a day--morning and night. This is one clean baby!

Here is Anderson in his most favorite place in the world--his swing! He loves to snooze here for his daytime naps, but only sleeps in his crib for the night.

2-Month Checkup

Anderson had a visit to the doctor for his 2-month checkup and shots. Here are his current numbers:

• Length-24 inches-->80th percentile
• Weight-13 pounds, 4 ounces-->80th percentile

At this visit, Anderson had his first experience with shots. He got five shots! It was not a pleasant experience for anyone involved. I think it was actually more painful for Mike and I than it was for Anderson. I would do almost anything to not have to watch him get shots...it is so sad to see. The next 48 hours were a little rough, but nothing that warm baths and lots of cuddling couldn't fix, and he was back to himself by Wednesday. Thank goodness!

Anderson is 2 months old!

Today is Anderson's 2 Month Birthday! I can not believe that two months have already gone by. It has been an awesome two months.

We are just amazed at how much he has changed in the past month. Seriously, even in the last 3 weeks, Anderson has changed significantly. He is so alert and active now. We are just having a ball hanging out with him. Here are some pictures and highlights from his second month.

Bumbo Time! Anderson is holding his neck up pretty well, which means that he is old enough to hang out in the Bumbo seat. Anyone who doesn't know what this is, it is essentially a styrofoam chair that helps babies learn to sit (these were not around when we were kids!). Anderson is not really great at it just yet, but he will hang out in it for a few minutes and then loses interest fairly quickly. Here are some pictures--First having a pretty good time, and then too tired to hang out in the Bumbo any longer.

Spa Fitzgerald-Bath time has become one of Anderson's favorite parts of the day, largely due to the spa treatments he receives. Mike is the primary bath giver for Anderson. When Anderson is put into his bath, Mike gives him a warm towel for his body and head so that he doesn't get cold while being bathed. As a result, Anderson really digs his bath time and looks really cute in the process. Here is a picture of him getting a facial and body wrap. I do his mani and pedi, which is not nearly as fun.

Jungle Time Anderson has a play mat which is a complete stimulation overload--there is krinkly stuff on the bottom, Mozart music playing, tons of animals dangling down, and a mirror. He just loves all of it! Recently, with the discovery of his arms and legs, he can spend hours a day on this mat kicking and hitting all of his animals and just taking in all of the noises. It is so much fun to see him have such a great time. Here is a video of him chilling on his jungle mat. Thanks for getting it for him Aunt Katie (Chisholm)!

Yum Yum Dreams

So we have noticed that Anderson appears to be having great food dreams. A few times we have seen him sound asleep, nearing a feeding time, and moving his lips as if eating something delicious. It is pretty funny to see. It doesn't happen too often, so we caught a video of it recently. Just look at Anderson's lips...you will see them moving after a few seconds. Here it is!

Happy Mother's Day!

We celebrated our first official Mother's Day this year (in years past, Mike and I celebrated Mother and Father's days as pug parents)! We had a great day of hanging out with my family--Honey, Pop & Uncle Bubs. Anderson must have saved up and went shopping, because he got me a great new purse that I have been eyeing. Anderson has definitely set the bar high for Mother's Days to come.

Here is a picture of us at the end of the day--Anderson is in his Sock Monkey pjs. I can't believe how big he is getting!