Happy Halloween?

So I just looked at several friends' blogs and all of their kids looked like they enjoyed or at least tolerated Halloween costumes. This was not the case in our house as you will be able to tell via the pictures and video in this post. We tried two different costumes and both caused an Andrew riot. It was actually pretty hilarious, but I simultaneously felt guilty for putting him through the discomfort of the costume.

Andrew is 10 Months Old?!

I can't believe my baby is already 10 months old. I know that people say all the time that they can't believe how fast time flies by, but I just can't believe that it's been 10 months since Andrew was born. He has changed so much and continues to bring me so much joy.

In terms of what he's been up to, you name it - he's getting into it.
* He pulls up to stand on everything - dressers, open dishwashers, cabinets, walls, his crib, my legs, etc.
* He started crawling on his knees (vs. army crawling) on his official 10 month birthday
* He can walk around when holding on to pieces of furniture
* He's been saying dada and mama for awhile, but he doesn't differentiate between the two (the mamama comes out more when he's tired or sick and the dadada comes out when he's excited)
* He made his first trip to the dentist earlier this month (8 teeth in, 3 on the way)
* His favorite toys right now are anything that makes noise
* He has started 'dancing' to his toddler tunes (more like a head bop and wiggle while sitting on his tush)

We are in the process of fixing up his playroom so that he will have more space to roam and burn off some energy. We'll post pictures of the finished product soon. In the meantime, here is a link to a few shots from his 10 month photo shoot - there weren't too many good shots this month since he was a bit cranky from 4 hours in the car.

Our Not-So-Little Pumpkin

Thought we would share pictures from Andrew's first pumpkin patch trip. We went to a nice farm down the street and Andrew helped us pick out some pumpkins for the front door. Happy fall!

Click here for the pictures.

Random October Life and Martin Family Visit

It's been a rainy September and October in Charlotte, which is good for the Martin family.  We recently planted a set of trees and shrubs in our backyard.  Here are some pictures of the old and new backyard.

We had a special visit by Grandma Martin, who came for a week to take care of Andrew.  Grandpa Martin later joined her to give us a night away as a belated birthday present for Jason.  I think the grandparents enjoy teaching Andrew new tricks.  For example, Grandma Dawn taught Andrew how to "climb" stairs and Grandpa Fred put him in a bucket.  Not sure what putting him in a bucket would teach him but he seemed to enjoy it.  Find pictures of a few of our random October adventures, including some playtime with friends Grady Nettles and Jack Rook, here.

We have Andrew's first Halloween coming up and he's excited to dress up and stay at home (don't think he is ready to walk from house to house yet).  We also have a trip to Rocky Mount planned to see Grandma and Grandpa Martin.

Andrew's 9 Month Birthday

So our monthly "Watch Andrew Grow" photo shoots are becoming increasingly difficult.  The little man just won't sit still.  Click here for our attempt at some 9 month shots.  

Andrew continues to grow big and strong.  We're anxious to see his official stats at his 9 month check-up on Monday.  He's still army crawling, can pull up from the sitting position and we've found him standing in his crib.  He couldn't quite figure out how to get down so he had to cry out for help.  He's starting to 'walk' around our ottoman coffee table while holding on.  He has 8 teeth (yes, that is a LOT for his age) and when he shows his pearly whites he looks like he's 19 months instead of 9.  He's been a bit of a picky eater lately, but we're excited to see how he handles some 'adult' food soon.  Andrew LOVES other little people.  He goes wild when he sees anyone under the age of 2.  

Click here to see some other random shots from the past month.  We can't believe how quickly the past 9 months have gone by!  

Gibbons Family Visit

Grandma and Pop Gibbons came for a quick visit this weekend since they will be out of town when we make a trip to Atlanta next weekend.

Andrew enjoyed hanging out with them while his dad was running the Blue Ridge Relay. Here are some pictures of the little man and his adoring grandparents.

Say Cheese!

Andrew made his first trip to his dad's home state of Wisconsin last weekend. We had a great time hanging out with our Wisconsin family and introducing Andrew to everyone. Some of the highlights of the trip included:

1) Andrew was an amazing traveler - the only noise he made on the plane was hysterical laughter (playing peekaboo with the lady next to us). He slept through the landing in both Wisconsin and Charlotte (see pic below).

2) We hung out with Andrew's Aunt Melissa and Uncle Shawn and attended their boat party on Lake Geneva.

3) Andrew got to meet his great-Grandparents and several other family members and friends. Four generations of Martin men in the same place made for some great photo opportunities.

It was a great trip and we hope to go back soon. Thanks to Melissa and Shawn for letting us convert their bedroom into a nursery for the weekend! For the full photo album, click here.