Hanging out at the park!

A day at the park...

This past weekend Uncle Nate and his girlfriend Shawn came to visit. We had fun... eating out (always fun when mama doesn't have to cook) and going to the park.

Our Tiger Boy!

Andrew is now 6 months! He is growing like a weed and such a ham! He loves his big sister. He scoots under the coffee table and chairs to hide from her. It is so fun to watch them interact. He loves to roll and chew on anything he can get his hands on. He never stops moving, even in his highchair his legs are just a kicking! Sometimes when he wants to eat he will growl--- so we call him "Tiger Boy". He likes to eat rice cereal, sweet potatoes and avocados! I really think he says "mama" when hungry, then it quickly turns into a scream fest. All the while Lauren is trying to tell him to "Shhhhhh". We are teaching him sign language as well, he doesn't have any signs yet, but when Lauren trys to give him knuckles, he sticks his hand out. Very fun!

Lauren had her Pancake Pajama Party at the Park today! It was alot of fun! All of her friends came out to celebrate with us! Lauren enjoyed pancakes with strawberries on top! Can't believe she will be two next week!

Check it out!

Lauren loves to walk now! She is only taking 6 to 8 steps at a time, but each day brings less wobbling and more excitement. Lauren especially likes it when people cheer for her after a successful attempt. Needless to say, we've been doing a lot of cheering. Andrew enjoys watching the action, and should follow shortly!!!

Lauren eating with a spork!!

Lauren loves eating with a spork! She loves scooping up her "O's (aka Cheerios).

Lauren has been helping with Andrew's feedings. They are becoming big buddies! It is sweet to see their friendship blossom! I can leave them on the floor and they like to play together. Lauren is doing great sharing her toys and demonstrating to Andrew how they work. She also likes to give him "knucks"--he hasn't quite picked up on the concept yet!

Fall Happenings

Yippee for coats! We are so excited it is starting to feel like fall! The Trott clan has had lots of fun adventures lately- here are some of the highlights!

Andrew- Loves to laugh, roll across the room and get fed by his big sister. Wearing 6 months clothes, and sporting a "faux hawk"

Lauren- Still working on walking, and making progress. Lots of new words . It is so fun to see her come alive and be able to communicate. She was able to follow a pattern in a book and read the word "more". SO encouraging! Hopefully going to start horseback lessons with an Equine Therapy program here in The Woodlands.

Aaron- Busy at work. Getting ready for a big fishing trip/bachelor party for Uncle Dave. When he gets a few extra minutes he has several projects going on in the wood shop.

Leanne- Finishing up a Ladie's Bible study at church. Getting ready for Uncle Dave's big wedding- Dec.3rd. Finally getting some much needed sleep during the night!

Two Steps!!!

Today Andrew went for his 4 month check-up. He had a great report! He weighed in at 14 lbs 15 oz. and 25 inches long! He is officially sleeping through the night! 9:30 pm- 6 am- Woohoo!!

The other exciting news is Lauren took two steps today! This is a huge accomplishment! We are having a walking derby this week. Everytime she does a lap around the house pushing her little walker she gets a sticker. She loves this game and is very proud of all her stickers that are hanging on the frig.

Good News!

Lauren went to the cardiologist today for her yearly check-up. Dr. Reddy said her heart looks great. In his words "this is one of the best repairs I have seen ". It looks like everything is growing together nicely and there is no need for another surgery! He said things looked so good on the echo cardiogram we don't need to come back until summer of 2012. We are so thankful for this great report! God is good!

Oh boy! Rice Cereal!

Oh boy! Rice Cereal!!! This is Andrew's new favorite thing! Since we are nearing 4 months I thought it was time to introduce Andrew to rice cereal. He LOVES it! I just mention rice cereal and he stops fussing. When I put on his bib his feet start kicking in excitement. Lauren loves to feed him- we will try to get that on video next! It is too cute!

Our little Mozart!

Lauren loves to play the piano! She gets that from her Nanny! It is exciting to see her blossom in the area of music. We are working on two pieces- "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and "Mary Had a Little Lamb", we are using the Suzuki method of instruction. I am very excited to see all that God has in store for this little musician!!

Andrew is ready for hunting season!

I am ready to go hunting!

What? I can't go?

But Dad I really want to go!

Lovin' Life

My kiddos bless my socks off! Andrew, Lauren and I played "tickle monster" today for at least an half hour- it refreshed my soul.

Times flies when you are having fun!!!

WOW! It is already September. The summer flew by. Andrew Daniel will be 3 months old on September 16th. He is all smiles these days, unless of course he is hungry, and even the neighbors know when it is feeding time around here. He loves to coo and giggle at his big sister. He enjoys watching her play the piano and doesn't mind her trying to stick Cheerios up his nose. Bathtime is the highlight of his day. He is almost 14 lbs, and is still in the 96% percentile in height. He is going to be like his Uncle Nate (6'6") and Uncle Christian (6'4"). He is mostly sleeping through the night (8hrs)! Whoohoo!

Nanny and Grumpy came to visit last weekend. Lauren and Andrew loved playing with them! Mom and Dad loved getting a few extra naps to catch up on much needed sleep!

Lauren loves cooking and playing pretend. Here she is baking up something yummy and sharing it with all her guest. On occasion she gets to do real baking with mommy and licking the beaters is her favorite!

Daddy made Lauren a box fort and a bubble tent last weekend. Who needs toys when you have a diaper box?? Overall we have had a great summer. Now we are ready for fall and cooler weather!

Mr. Smiley

Andrew loves to be outside! It brought his first smile!

BIG SISTER

Here is Andrew chillin'. Waiting for mama to change his diaper. Lauren loves being a big sister. She is very proud to sign "Baby" and point to her new baby brother when we are out. She helps me burp him and pushes the swing trying to keep him from crying. She tries to share her toys with him, and has even attempted to give him a Cherrio or two. Around 5:00 pm they like to form an alliance against their mom and see who can scream the loudest.... we are trying to nip that one in the bud!

His mercies are new every morning...

Andrew loves to go! He is on his best behavior when out and about. He gets bored sitting around the house.

My two favorite guys!

Yes you see a theme with the way Aaron is holding Andrew. He has horrible reflux and the "football" hold seems to keep him calm!

Today I took Lauren to speech therapy, as I am pushing our limosine ( double stroller), Andrew screaming and Lauren waving at everybody in waiting room, I realize my shirt is on inside out! I stop and chuckle, a moment to remember that God has a sense of humor!

Life has been crazy with two under two, but I finally got a few shots of little guy... who isn't so little, almost 11.5 lbs! He LOVES to eat! He gets that from his daddy. Here are a few pics, and more to come.

Happy 4th of July!

Lauren and Andrew enjoyed being in the Shenandoah Parade. We had a fun picnic in the park and a fun evening at the pool.
Lauren LOVES swimming and playing on the splash pad with her Daddy and Uncle Christian.

Lauren walking!

Fun in the garden!

Check out what just showed up in the garden. The sunflower has been alot of fun to watch grow! You can see it from the road.

Just chillin'.... this is Andrew's favorite sleeping position.

The Trott Tribe Adventures

Sleep, Sleep, Sleep, oh how I miss you!!! We are two weeks into being a family of four, and loving every minute of it! Big events- Mom cut her hair off, no time for fixing hair! :) Lauren started walking behind her baby doll stroller. I was just sitting on the couch, feeding Andrew and Lauren comes walking around from the back pushing the stroller. Whatever it takes to get Mom's attention! Boy she got it!
The "Golden Arches" .... here is a pic of the road construction in front of our house. Nothing like waking up to a bull dozer digging in your front yard at six am. Especially after you just fed your baby at 2, 3 and 4 am. :)

Lauren LOVES her baby brother. She washed his face, burps him and makes sure I know when he is crying! She is such a good big sister. I am excited to see the friendship they develop.

Thanks Uncle Dave!

Look what Uncle Dave did while we were at the hospital...... Yes he surprised us with new banisters for our stairs. They look awesome! Unfortunately the ones we had were built in 1970 and not too safe.... thanks to Uncle Dave Lauren can now go crazy up and down the stairs!! Uncle Dave loves to bless the socks off the Trott Tribe in very practical ways- thanks Bubba!

Lauren Meets Andrew

Lauren was very shy at first when we brought Andrew home on Saturday, however she has warmed up to his arrival. She likes to sign "my baby" and touch his feet. She has been helping burp him on occasion, and likes to bring mama his diapers. I know she is going to be a huge help and a great big sister!

Here is Andrew just chillin on his mat. He seems very content and alert to all kinds of sounds and sights!

Home Sweet Home

Here is a pic of Dadddy and Andrew on Father's Day. Little does Andrew know how amazing his daddy is. God gave him a great dad who loves him, prays for him, changes his poopy diapers and even gets up for the 2:00am feeding just to help out! We don't know what we would do without him! We love you Daddy Trott!

Home at Last!

We're home! We've had a lot of big events in the last 24 hours. Andrew was able to join us in Leanne's hospital room last night. We really enjoyed having him there even though it was our first night to get to feed throughout the night.

This morning, we had our first doctor visit -- it was Andrew's doctor. He had a clean bill of health, and we were told that we could take him home. Then we had to wait for Leanne's doctor who had a full case load. By the time her doctor arrived, we were completely packed and itching to head out the door.

Leanne received a clean bill of health, too, and we were released to head home!!! Andrew slept through his first car ride.

Lauren has been practicing her cute looks. I think she still has her touch. Here are a couple of examples from the hospital room. Lauren finally got to meet Andrew at about 1:00 this afternoon. We were really excited to make the introduction. Lauren hasn't completely grasped the concept of having a baby brother, but I think the concept is starting to grow on her.

Gran D has been Super duper helpful during the bed rest and birthing process. She has also been extremely patient since she didn't get to hold Andrew until he arrived at home today. Here she is with her new grandson.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers, encouragement, and support. It means a lot. We especially thank God for His goodness to us.