So much to say...

It has been a full month!! I am going to try to hit the highlights...

Andrew and I traveled to Sullivan, IL for my Aunt Shary and Uncle Thom's 50th wedding anniversary. It all started with a call from my Aunt Shary to let us know about a cook out they would be having to celebrate. I decided it was way past time for my Mom to make a trip to see her brother and sisters and this was a good reason. So we loaded up my Mom (aka Grandma), (my sister) Mary, (my niece) Elizabeth, Andrew and I into a 2008 Toyota Minivan which we had rented for the occasion...and off we drove! Well actually Mary drove...14 hours later we arrived in Sullivan. Andrew is a great traveler. I had packed a huge bag of toys and snacks. His favorite pass time as he rode though was watching Elizabeth. We had a great time in IL!! Andrew was able to meet my Aunt Sandy, Aunt Penny and Uncle Bob for the first time. We got to visit my Mom's childhood home and see the city where she grew up. I was 9 the last time we visited Decatur so I have very little memory of previous visits. Andrew and I had dinner with Kyle's Aunt Gloria and Uncle Dick one evening. They were very excited to meet Andrew. The cookout was also lots of fun. It was at this really nice park that made me wish Andrew was a little older so he could enjoy more then the swings. It was also a beautiful day. My cousin Toby and his wife Toni did a great job hosting the event.

Andrew also had his 9mo. doctor's appointment. He is 25lbs (95%) and 29.5 in. (90%). His iron was good. He didn't have to have any shots. His flat spot has mostly corrected itself so we won't have to have a helmet. (VERY good news) Andrew is now pulling up, going from a crawling position to a sitting position on his own, has two bottom teeth (working on the top two too) and finally loving to eat. He still isn't crawling forward yet but he can army crawl with his belly on the ground and crawl backwards. Although, his favorite mode of transportation is the log roll. He has such a sweet smile and plays really well on the floor by himself or with his buddies Will, Zane, Micah and Hollis. His favorite toys are a wooden spoon and a curly straw. We do have lots of real toys for him but those are his favorites. He hits things to hear the noise and then just laughs and laughs.

I had the scare of my life yesterday. Andrew was chewing on a Gerber Biter Biscuit. It is a long cookie that gets melty when gummed by babies. He managed to hack of a bite which is normal. He usually is pretty good about chewing before he swallows it or I take it out of his mouth if it is too big. Well yesterday he got a bite and managed to swallow it before I could dig it out. I was sitting right in front of him when it happened. He choked on the bite to the point where he could not breathe, cough or cry. I will see the look on his face in my nightmares for the rest of my life. Luckily, I am a Red Cross CPR instructor and am very familiar with the Conscious Choking Rescue. I yanked poor Andrew from his high chair, flipped him over and gave him four back blows. On the 4th one the cookie came flying out and then he threw up all over me and began to cry. That is the best sound I have EVER heard. I really want to encourage everyone to get trained today. I was sitting less then two feet away from him when this happened. I don't want to even think about what would have happened if I had not been trained to help. You never think it will happen to you...I have taught hundreds of people that skill and in all that time never imagined I would have to use it on someone I loved. This really brought forward to me that God has a master plan for us. He brings people, events and jobs into our lives for a reason. If I had not worked at ARC, I may not have been able to help Andrew. He is fine now and thankfully will not have a memory of it. Although Mommy will never ever forget it...

Andrew and I are on our own this weekend. Kyle is traveling to VT for the wedding of his childhood friend, Andrew Miller. Andrew and I are going to have lots of bonding time while Daddy is away. My mom is going to come and spend Saturday night with us. Then we are going to spend Sunday afternoon with Grandma Deen and Grandpa David (friends of the family) and have a cook out.

In the next couple of weeks Andrew is having a photo shoot since we haven't done a real one in 8 months and Mommy has to start working on Andrew's birthday party preparations. My baby is turning 1 in just two short months!!