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Andrew in the swing he got for Easter. It was a bit chilly Sunday morning.

Photo taken March 27, 2005.

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Andrew playing with his new Easter toys.

Photo taken March 27, 2005.

No Picture of the Day Today

Scott brought home a new digital camera "toy" from Sony Ericsson, and I'm not sure how to download the pictures yet. We'll have more photos tomorrow. Happy Easter Everyone!!!

Picture of the Day

This way is easier ... here are a bunch of photos from our trip to Fripp Island last week.

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Now that sitting proficiency has been mastered, Andrew hates to sit back, as he clearly demonstrates in this picture. A recliner, a cherished possession for most adult men, is his worst enemy. We often need to physically pry the kid into position.

Photo taken March 19, 2005.

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I promise he's not drunk in this picture.

Photo taken March 19, 2005.

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Ashelyn, Mike and Barbara's daughter, entertained Andrew quite a bit on Fripp.

Photo taken March 19, 2005.

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Should Tiger watch out?

Happy Birthday Andrew! He is six months old today.

Andrew's first experience on the green. Gramm and Papa Ed's vacation cottage on Fripp Island can be seen in the background.

Scott can just picture it in 20 years. Augusta National has remained "old school", with quiet crowds around the greens and no one heard yelling "GET IT IN THE HOLE!". Andrew is at his last putt going for the coveted green jacket. All is quiet except for Andrew's daddy, who can clearly be heard in the background shouting "Cha-CHING!, Cha-CHING!".

Photo taken March 20, 2005.

Back Soon

Once again, we are traveling and taking a pause from posting. When we come back, we should have a good week of pictures from Fripp Island. We return on Tuesday ... or sooner. Andrew is not feeling well at all, so we may come home early.

Picture of the Day

Photo taken March 14, 2005.

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Bath time!

Photo taken March 14, 2005.

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Mr. Vain

Beware the Ides of March. Actually, Caesar took heed on what he thought was the Ides of March, the 13th. However, he was forgetful that March had a different lunar cycle and the Ides was on the 15th. Such is history. But I digress.

From the very beginning, Andrew has loved looking at himself in the mirror. At first he would look and a sly grin would emerge on his face, which eventually led to big smiles and fascination. This grin would even manage to appear, however briefly, while he was in the throws of "colic" ... better known as his acid reflux.

Even in those painful first eight or so weeks while we were working out his medication and it seemed nothing could comfort him, the mirror provided us with a few minutes of reprieve. This eventually spilled over into bath time. Andrew has always loved his baths, but would get very upset when we took him out, which would escalate into fits as we tried to dry him off, put lotion on him, etc. In time, I discovered I could completely alleviate this problem by plopping him on the bathroom counter, so he could gaze at his image while we conducted the uncomfortable "after bath" duties. I can only presume he is staring at what he perceives to be the unadulterated beauty of himself.

I'm not sure why we're paying for daycare, because I often believe we could leave him in front of a mirror all day and he would never get bored. I know a solid self-worth is a good thing, but is it possible Andrew is taking this to the extreme?

Photo taken March 14, 2005

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Andrew getting a bit cranky with Great Uncle Paul.

Photo taken March 5, 2005.

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Sweet potatos.

Photo taken March 3, 2005.

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Grabbing Grandpa Clagett's glasses.

Photo taken March 5, 2005.

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Andrew with his second cousins, Graham and Lisa Rose, at Gramm and Papa Ed's house in Maryland last weekend. Their brother Austin missed this picture. These three kids are the most adorable things you've ever seen.

I don't know what it is about babies taking to other kids. Andrew was very cranky at the party and ready for bed. On my way upstairs, I ran into Lisa Rose and Graham who started holding and playing with Andrew. After being with them for just a few minutes, Andrew was good as new for another hour at the party. Somehow they had a magic touch.

Photo taken March 5, 2005.

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Various pictures from Andrew's christening a few weeks ago. Andrew's godparents are Mark and Amy Snyder, who came all the way from Wisconson to attend the ceremony. Mark and Scott grew up next door to each other.

Photos taken February 20, 2005.

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Bailey giving Andrew some attention.

Photo taken March 1, 2005.

Sign our Guestbook!

We now have a guestbook located on the left under the "Raising Andrew" title. Feel free to leave a note, or continue to leave comments under individual postings.

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Sorry for the delay in pictures. We went to Maryland to visit Andrew's new cousin, Cameron Winston Clagett, and were experiencing technical difficulties.

Photo taken February 23, 2005

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Baby Prison

Photo taken February 28, 2005.

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As you can see from this image sequence, Andrew still needs some practice balancing. Luckily Scott was there to comfort him after a soft landing.

Photo taken February 27, 2005.

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Milestones, Milk and Patriotism

Any parent will tell you one of the greatest milestones is the baby holding their own bottle. We are extremely grateful for this new independence Andrew has gained, which equals more independence for us.

It was, however, the first milestone I missed. Andrew first did it about two weeks ago when he was home sick with Scott and I was at work. Scott did videotape the moment, so I did not miss too much. Now, I'm sure we've missed a few new milestones while Andrew was at daycare, but his handlers are very careful not to mention such things. In those cases, what you don't know won't hurt you.

This holding of the bottle brings me to the subject of milk. Andrew had digestive trouble and severe acid reflux, which seems to have improved dramatically with the introduction of solid food. However, I had to switch Andrew to soy formula when he was about 5 days old because he couldn't tolerate the milk based formulas.

TWO doctors have told me the same thing: "I'm just not convinced he has milk allergies". I've tried to tell them, but they think I'm a paranoid first time mom. So, I tried the milk based formula again this weekend.

Let me tell you. The subsequent explosions are mind boggling. It will knock you flat on the floor. But, there is no time to faint...that would be selfish. Half the time you need to just strip Andrew completely and head for the bathtub.

Donald Rumsfeld has caused quite the uproar by his interrogation techniques and admitting to using torture if deemed necessary. Honestly, he could borrow Andrew and get that intelligence information from Guantanamo Bay in a heartbeat. Just give Andrew some milk based formula and leave him with those stubborn detainees and watch what happens. Maybe this could be a way for Andrew to serve his country. He would be nothing if not patriotic.

Photo taken March 1, 2005.

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Andrew riding on Grandpa Port's shoulders at the reception following his Christening last weekend.

Scott always says I'm too rough with Andrew ... and I argue that Scott is overly protective. I guess we can see where I learned the rough play. Even I think Grandpa Port can be a bit ambitious with the play. But, if Andrew gets the occasional injury, I just distract him and he forgets all about it.

Photo taken February 20, 2005.