9.5 months

It is so amazing how quickly kids learn and grow. Ryan and I have been struck by how big our boy is actually getting...and it's only been about 10 months! He is definitely babbling more, saying ba-ba, da-da, goo-goo, etc. He loves to hear his own voice. We have also been having fun watching him play with his toys. He is starting to figure out how some of these toys actually work. He thinks and plays so hard and we wonder what is going on in that head of his :) Finally, he has been scooting around a bit, mostly doing the army crawl backwards. He just started getting up on all fours, but no crawling.


Andrew trying new foods and not necessarily enjoying them














One of his favorite activities: taking a bath





























Waiting for Daddy to get home



















Enjoying his toys

favorite activities

At 9 months, here are a few of Andrew's favorite activities:

Talking! He loves to squeal and babble. Just today, though, he started using consonants. Unfortunately he did not say mama or dada. Instead it was baba. So cute! Now he can't stop saying it. This picture makes me laugh because he was talking while it took it. It looks like he saying "what's up Mom?"














His favorite activity by far is jumping! He has stayed in this thing up to an hour, laughing and squealing the whole time. It sure does come in handy when I'm trying to make dinner :)



















Even though he can not yet pull himself up on furniture, he loves to be placed there. He thinks he is such a big boy! I'm impressed with how long he can actually stand there before he falls. He has always had strong legs, but apparently he doesn't want to use them to crawl or walk...

9 months

Andrew is now 9 months. His current stats are as follows: He is 22 lbs 14 oz which puts him at the 85% in his age range. He is also 28 7/8 inches tall which is the 75% for height. His head size is off the chart. Yes, our baby has a big head. Full of brains, we say :) He is such a good boy! He loves to play paddy cake and can do the motions himself. He is just learning to wave good-bye. Still no signs of teeth, crawling, or saying mama/dada. We have started to give him some table food which has been fun. Last night we gave him some plain yogurt...every bite sent a shiver up his spine but he still ate it! He is good at grabbing everything in his reach, and boy will he reach for something. He gets frustrated when he can't reach something, so we are hoping this will motivate him to crawl. All in all we are having a great time being parents of Andrew. We love him more than we ever thought possible!

Andrew's first Christmas

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the VanderKamp family. We had such a fun time celebrating with Andrew this year. It was very busy, lots of family time and Andrew handled it just great! We did lots of traveling back and forth from Holland, Lowell, and GR. He loved all the activity and celebration. He wasn't so sure about the whole Santa Claus thing and the opening of gifts, but he did enjoy playing in the wrapping paper and chewing on the bows. We are so grateful to God for family and a precious little boy

8 months

At 8 months, our Andrew has become quite a happy baby. We are sure glad to see that! He smiles a lot, plays by himself, has learned to take longer naps & sleep through the night, and more than anything he loves to eat! We thought we would post a few pictures that are evident of this.

Such a strong boy! He can't pull himself up to things yet, but if you stand him next to the couch or a toy he can stand there for a bit.
















Look at those chubby cheeks! They practically hang down to his shoulders!














Front view of his big belly



















Side view of his big belly

Playing with Andrew

Andrew is learning how to use his hands more and more each day. Among his favorite activities is that he has learned how to make 'toot-like' noises with his hands...should we be proud of that?!


Andrew's also gotten to the point where he can pretty much clap on command. We still have to show him sometimes, but once he starts, it's difficult to get him to stop.


Finally, I hope no one is sick of watching Andrew giggle. I know we can't get enough of it!!

Thanksgiving and more

This was Andrew's first Thanksgiving. We spent the weekend with my family which included my parents and my brother, Matthew. Poor guy didn't get to enjoy any of our Thanksgiving feast, but he did heartily eat his cereal and bananas.






























Andrew is enjoying books more and more. He's pretty good at turning the pages himself on the cardboard books. He has also been learning to clap his hands. Fun!














Spending time on his belly is actually something he is enjoying more. Tummy time used to be quite an ordeal...he'd scream and instantly be in a bad mood. Glad that's over. Even though he is spending more time on his stomach, we don't see much evidence of him crawling anytime soon. But who knows? That could change quicker than we think :)














Here is my preppy little guy...along with quite a bit of slobber.



















I will feed him just in his diaper sometimes because of the huge mess he makes (it's just easier!). Obviously this picture is pre-dinner because he's so clean. I thought the pose was funny so I had to share it.