Happy 4th Birthday, James!!

It's hard to believe that this little baby...

...is now this big kid!

Today we celebrate our James. He is a kid who has the biggest heart, the biggest smile and the biggest laugh of anyone we know.  This year, he became a big brother and does an AMAZING job with Andrew. He couldn't be more loving and wonderful with his baby brother. We are SO proud of him.

And as part of our tradition, we made a video that highlights the amazing kid that James is.

Happy 4th Birthday, James!  

We love you!!!

Andrew's Monthly Photo Project: Eleven Months Old

It's February 25th which means that we have reached another monthly milestone: 11 MONTHS!  Time has certainly flown by and Andrew is THRIVING!  This kid has SO much energy - it amazes us every day.  He is curious and sweet and just wants to play and have fun.

Andrew had some big milestones this month:

• This kid is ON THE MOVE! And boy is he FAST!  He has mastered crawling and is getting ready for his first steps. As of late, his most favorite mode of movement is on his firetruck with Daddy pushing. And when they are chasing James well...that is the icing on the cake.

• He is eating like a champion these days.  From turkey meatballs and macaroni to bananas and blueberry muffins, there is nothing this kid won't try.  He is full on eating school food and is loving it all.  

• This little man is officially into EVERYTHING!!  He is always on the go which keeps us all on our toes.  His favorites include Lucy's food and water bowls, Mommy's cookbooks in the kitchen island and anything in the bathroom.

Happy 11 Months, Andrew!!

Andrew's Monthly Photo Project: Ten Months

We are buried under 25+ inches of snow, but that doesn't stop this little guy from growing.  Today we celebrate 10 months and Andrew is ready to party!

In honor of the record snow fall we just experienced, we decided to dress him up appropriately for this milestone. And speaking of milestone, here are a few things that Andrew is currently crushing:

• Andrew is ON THE MOVE!  This kid is everywhere and it is never where he is supposed to be.  Not only has he mastered crawling, he is cruising on anything he can reach. The coffee table, the kiddie table, the couch, the dog...it doesn't matter.  First steps are around the corner for sure.

• Nom, Nom.  Andrew is HUNGRY!  And he doesn't want silly purees.  He wants REAL food so we have been experimenting with all kinds of table food.  From macaroni and meatballs, to sweet potatoes and peaches, there is nothing this kid doesn't shovel into his mouth.

• We officially have 2 more teeth bringing the official total to 4 which is very helpful with all the eating I described above.

• Daycare has caught onto his growth and is moving him into the Infant II classroom in a few short weeks.  He has been spending some time each day with the bigger babies and seems to really like it.  I'm sure the little babies in the Infant I class are ready for him to go.  He keeps stealing their pacifiers and tossing them across the room!

Happy 10 Months, Andrew!!

Andrew's Monthly Photo Project: Nine Months

Merry Christmas!!

In addition to this joyous occasion, our little man is celebrating his 9 month birthday.  9 MONTHS!  Time is flying by way to fast for our taste.  He needs to stop growing!  But alas, our Andrew is an active little guy who is eager to explore the world around him and continues to grow and thrive.

Since it is Christmas, we decided to make Andrew's monthly photo a little festive. :)

We once again have a slew of milestones to report:

• This kid has mastered crawling.  He is into everything which means the house is baby proofed as best it can be.  He really loves getting into James' business - whether big brother likes it or not.  If James is playing with his trains or cars or books, Andrew is right there next to him.
• One of his most favorite activities as of late is Gate Dancing.  He loves to grab onto the bars of any baby gate and just boogy woogy. 
• The kid has a good grasp on who he is these days.  When someone calls out "Andrew", he is turning his head.  Lately, he mostly hears, "Andrew - that is not for you!" when getting into something he shouldn't. :)

• Things in the high chair are progressing great.  He loves to snack on puffs and yogurt bites and is a pro at the sippy cup.  He is eating more foods than I can count and is loving most.  Peas still seem to be his nemesis but we keep trying!

• Haircut #2 is in the books and he is as handsome as ever.  The experience at Cartoon Cuts was a lot better than the first - way less tears.

• We have 2 more teeth about to make an appearance, but he seems to be handling them pretty well.    

HAPPY 9 MONTH BIRTHDAY ANDREW!!

Oh...Hello, Santa.

So this happened last night:

Turns out that Santa is the scariest monster out there and the only way to get James to kind of go near him is to physically hold him down and force him to take a family photo. The kicker - exactly 47seconds after this photo was taken, James went and gave Santa a high five.  I feel as though I was played.

Andrew was unfazed.

Merry Christmas!

Andrew's Monthly Photo Project: Eight Months Old

It was eight months ago today that we were at the hospital waiting to hear the cries of the newest Mangiaracina. The minute he popped his little head out, he has been a loveable little bug (Mommy's nickname for him) and brings us smiles every day. 

So here we are, 8 months old and a TON of milestones to report.

• Andrew is officially on the move doing the best army crawl I've seen.  Sometimes it's more of a zombie crawl where he uses his arms and has dead legs behind him.  In any case, he is all over the place exploring every nook and cranny of our main level.  And as per usual, he is into everything that he shouldn't be!

• Life has changed in the way of the food he eats.  He's now down to 4 bottles a day and up to 3 solid meals a day.  Breakfast begins with oatmeal and fruit (favs are pears, peaches, apricots and bananas) followed by a veggie/fruit lunch.  Dinner consists of more oatmeal, veggies and a fruit.  He is a big fan of carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes and corn.  We have started introducing finger foods like Mum Mums and Gerber Puffs, but so far he's not so interested.  When he puts one in his mouth, he typically spits it out, but we are going to keep trying until he gets the hang of it.

• WE HAVE TEETH!  Andrew's first two teeth have finally made an appearance.  It has been a long time coming.  I wish I could say that the pain is gone, but it looks like the top two are about to make an appearance so the fingers are still constantly in his mouth.
• This kid is GROWING!  We don't have an official weight, but he has to be close to 15 pounds.  He is now wearing size 3 diapers so we know that he is putting on the weight - in a good way.

Happy 8 Month Birthday Andrew!!!

Photo Story

I've been quiet. Too quiet. So quiet that I feel guilty. Guilty that I have not been sharing our adventures with friends and family. But even more guilty that I have not been keeping a family record to look back on 10-15-20 years from now. There are excuses (of course there are!!). For one, finding the time has proven to be difficult. But more importantly, finding the energy to put the words together is even harder. Being the mom of two very active little boys is absolutely amazing and absolutely exhausting. And because our almost 8 month old has decided to enter the world of sleep regression, the words are still not here.

So I'm going to let the photos tell the story.

I last left off with Andrew's first meal back in August.  Since then, there have been many more messy moments as he worked through the fruits and vegetable list.  There has also been baseball and clapping and weddings and sitting and pumpkins and crawling and trick or treating and teeth! It certainly has been an exciting Fall and we are looking forward to a fun and busy holiday season.

Family Fun at Burke Lake Park

Frying Pan Park Play Date

Nats Game with Grandpa

Pool Days with Friends

Birthday Party Fun

Happy Birthday, Grandma M.

Port Discovery in Baltimore, MD

Uncle Joe & Aunt LeeAnn Get Hitched!

Cox Farms Play Date

Fairfax Fall Festival with Grandma and Grandpa Q.

Pumpkin Picking at Ticonderoga Farm

Andrew's First Haircut

Lazy Saturday Photo Shoot

Andrew Milestones: Sitting, Jumping, Crawling, Teeth!

Brotherly Love

I'm going to try really, really hard to keep up with things from now on. And Andrew is going to try really, really hard to go to sleep and stay asleep so that my Mommy brain can put the words together to be able to keep up with things. Happy Tuesday!