Adorable Andrew

When I was reading back through this blog I realized that all my posts about Andrew are bad things! I wanted to focus this post on how sweet he really is. He can't help it that he doesn't feel good a lot of the time! But he loves to laugh and smile, especially at his sister! He also loves to cuddle!


Here he is napping with Mom:

and with Dad:

Big smile:

I love playing with Abby!

Weekend

I had a treat this weekend--getting a little grown-up conversation and spiritual inspiration at a ladies' retreat at my church. It was called "Recreation and Re-Creation" and it was all about recognizing the abundance that God has for each of us and how to tap into that. The speaker was Jill Baughan, a Richmond native who actually lives close by. She was a total hoot. We had a lot of fun and learned some valuable lessons. I am a member of the FLO Crew (FLO stands for "For Ladies Only") at my church and we organized the event. I thought it went great. We were disappointed in the turnout, but God knows best and I have no doubt that the women in attendance were touched by the message.

Andrew continues to cry and spit up. We actually took him to the dr on Thursday evening because he screamed (I mean WAY above and beyond his normal fussing) for several hours and I could do nothing to console him. We saw a great doctor who was very thorough and very understanding of my concern, but he couldn't find anything wrong beyond what we already know...severe reflux and possible milk allergy. We are still giving him the "liquid gold" formula and not seeing much of a difference. I am giving him until Thursday, which will be a full week from when we started giving him 100% of the new formula. If we still don't see a difference I will talk to Laura (nurse practitioner) again.

This week we don't have a lot going on. Which is a good thing!

Happenings

It's been a pretty blah week (especially today, since it's rainy). I did get a much-needed haircut on Monday. Abby is still loving preschool. She is so happy to go every morning. She also loves going to choir and mission friends on Wednesday nights. She was thrilled last night because in choir they got to use rhythm sticks!

We are still working with Andrew. Poor baby. He is just not happy. I talked to the dr again on Monday and she thinks its possible that he has a milk allergy or is lactose intolerant. So now we are trying the lactose-free formula. It is ridiculously expensive, about $75 a week. Of course it will be worth it if it helps him. So far I haven't seen a difference, but we're easing him into it because he didn't like it when we gave it to him initially. Now he's getting 5 oz of that and 1 oz of his old formula in each bottle...so we're almost there. In addition to being expensive, it stinks. I mean STINKS. And the spit up is even more stinky. So if he spits up on me I HAVE to change shirts. So the laundry is outrageous.

Did I mention Hippy has a sister now? When I went shopping Saturday I found a purple hippo very similar to Hippy. I told Julie it must be Hippy's long lost sister. Of course I had to buy it for Abby...now she is carrying around both of them. Her name is Polly (as in Wolly Doodle).

You'd laugh if you could see me now. I had two fillings done this morning so one side of my mouth is entirely numb and I'm trying to drink!

Weekend

Julie and I had a great time shopping. I didn't have much to buy since Abby can pretty much wear her clothes from last fall/winter, but I still came home with about 5 bags. I did get her a few things (who can resist little girl clothes?) but mostly I bought sleepers for Andrew. I had plenty in the smaller sizes but needed to buy 9 and 12 months. I got him a few outfits and shoes for Abby as well. I also treated myself to a pair of new shoes! We went to Carrabas to eat. I got calamari and a salad, which was delicious. It is also our rule to always get dessert on these shopping days, so that was a treat too! We always have such fun.

Rick and the kids made out fine. They went down to Emporia to watch the Hokies play with Rick's family. The Hokies pulled out the win, but the bigger football news (to me, anyway) was that JMU upset the first-ranked Appalachian State! Yeah Dukes!

Andrew refuses to eat the new formula, so it's back to square one on that. The teeth are beginning to poke through his gums, so hopefully it won't be long! He is rolling over like a champ now.

Tomorrow I have Bible Study in the morning, then Abby and I have haircuts. I'm also going to bite the bullet and go back to Weight Watchers tomorrow night. I have been putting it off but I just need to do it. I had lost 30 pounds prior to having Andrew. I didn't gain it all back, thank goodness! But it's time to get serious! I'll let you know how it goes!

Pictures and Shopping

Our pictures turned out well. Of course the negative to this is we spent more money than we had anticipated. Oh, well. I always say if you're going to splurge on something, splurge on pictures because they are what you have left when the kids are grown, wedding is over, etc. Andrew has been excellent all day today. I hope this continues into tomorrow because I'm going to be gone all day. My friend Julie and I go shopping in Williamsburg (alone, meaning NO KIDS) twice a year. We have a great time buying the kids clothes and getting to take our time, browse, and eat out without having to feed anyone but ourselves! Can you tell I'm really looking forward to it? I feel a little guilty because Rick is really tired after his trip, but this was the best day for us to go. Have a good Saturday, I know I will!

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!

Today is such a beautiful day here in Richmond....makes me think of the song from Oklahoma.

Anyway, it was a wonderful day for Abby's preschool picnic and we had a great time. We sat with our friends the Sherrill's. Andrew was happy then fell asleep. Can't ask for more! Cross your fingers that the kids cooperate today....we're having our family picture made (we're getting a new directory at church. We are particulary hoping Andrew will be happy and that he won't spit up all over himself or one of us!

Here are a few pics from the picnic:

Andrew's Four Month Check-Up

I took Andrew to Laura (nurse practioner) today for his 4 month checkup. He is 16 pounds, 9 1/2 ounces (75 percentile) and 24 1/2 inches tall (50 percentile). He got four shots--sounds yucky but actually they make him sleep a lot which is good since he is NOT a good napper. She upped his meds for reflux and wants me to try a different formula. Hopefully that will help with some of the fussiness. She also said his teeth were definitely coming on the bottom...I hope it will be sooner rather than later!

Rick is in Denver with a client...he left yesterday afternoon and will be back late tonight. Tomorrow we have a busy day--Abby's preschool picnic and our pictures for the church directory!

Another Wednesday

Abby had a great time once again at church tonight. She talked about it the whole way home! She now has an imaginary dog, which makes conversations quite interesting.
Andrew has been very fussy (fussier than normal, and he's a pretty fussy baby all the time). We can see two little bumps on his gums but no teeth have popped through. I'm hoping that is the reason for the fussing. He screamed most of the night at church. Unfortunately Rick is out of town, so it made for a tiring night. That is life with a four month old! As we always say, "thank goodness he's cute!".

Weekend

This weekend we all went to Emporia to visit the parents/grandparents. Rick went to Blacksburg with his dad to the VT game. Thank goodness the Hokies won....Rick is not so fun to be around when they lose. He's a lot better than he used to be!

Andrew was up in the middle of the night last night, for the first time in quite a while. We think he is teething. Hopefully tonight will be better :)

Shopping for Hippy

When I picked Abby up from school on Friday, she said "Mom, we need to go shopping." I asked for what, and she said "Hippy needs new underwear. He's a big boy now."

Hippy

Did you know Hippy is a dog? And all this time we thought he was a hippo. Maybe he's a "hippog" or a "Doggo". Abby told me on the way home from preschool that today was Hippy's first day of dog school. He's learning tricks.

A Sad Day

9/11 is always a really hard day for all of us, most of whom didn't know anyone personally affected by the attacks on our country 7 years ago. I can't even imagine what it is like for those who lost a loved one. I, like everyone else, remember exactly what I was doing on 9/11/01. I was at school, teaching, without access to TV so I didn't know anything until I went to the teacher's lounge at lunch. Everyone was talking about it, but since I couldn't SEE anything it didn't really hit me then. When all the kids were gone we crowded around a TV and watched in horror. Our principal sent everyone home early. Rick came home early too, and we just sat and watched everything unfold. I'm sending up many prayers today for those who are mourning. Our God IS a God of comfort.

On another note, Abby had a great time at church last night in her new choir and Mission Friends. On the way home she asked if we could come back tonight! Well, she won't be going back to church tonight but I will. I lead a monthly book club for ladies and tonight is the night. I have a feeling we'll have a small group because several regulars saw me last night and told me they couldn't come. It's always a fun time, though, because there are ladies of all ages there. We have a potluck dinner and discuss the Christian fiction book we read each month. This month we read Heavens to Betsy by Beth Pattillo. It's a really fun book.

Back to Wednesday nights at church

Tonight we will be back at church for Wednesday night activities. We really love our church, First Baptist Richmond. Abby is particularly excited to be able to eat dinner with her friends, then go to choir and Misison Friends. I will be keeping the babies in the nursery, something I have done for about 3 years now. It's fun because I'm there with my friend Barbara and we get to chat while we are loving on the little ones. Andrew will be in there with me. Rick teaches 1st and 2nd grade boys in Missions Force.

Is there such a thing as retirement for sports figures anymore? I heard today that Lance Armstrong is going back to "work". First Mark Martin, then Brett Favre.....do they realize how dumb they look when they can't make up their mind?

You may wonder....

why this blog is called "Hippy's Happenings".

Our daughter Abby was given one of the Ty baby stuffed animals when she was born. It is a pink and green hippo. When she got old enough to play with toys in her crib I put it in there. We noticed that she always seemed to sleep with it (or laying on top of it with her rear in the air...isn't it so cute when babies sleep like that!). Then we discovered that if she was fussy and we gave it to her she would calm down. And that was when the hippo became Abby's "lovey" or comfort item or whatever you want to call it. He was named Hippy and has been "part of the family" ever since. As Abby has gotten older we have noticed a vivid imaginiation where Hippy is concerned. For instance, Hippy goes to the doctor...a lot. And he goes to Dr. Wilbanks, who happens to be my Ob-Gyn (she heard a lot about him when her Aunt Becca and I were pregnant). Hippy also has a brother named Kevin and a cousin named Camit. And he got married in Flordia this summer (as did Rick's cousin Danielle, and she heard about the wedding when we were at the bridal shower). I could go on and on about Hippy....and I will in future posts!

Welcome to the Whittington Family blog

Well, I finally did. Started a blog, I mean. Been wanting to for awhile but there was that pesky business of giving birth then caring for a newborn. Andrew is finally ok to sit in a swing or bouncey seat long enough to let me get something done. So here I go!

Abby is 4 now and is going to preschool 5 days a week. She seems to be loving it and has been eager to go every morning. She went 3 days a week last year and had fun. It's a cute little church preschool near our home here in Hanover. So far she is mostly talking about being the "weather helper".

Andrew will be 4 months on Saturday. The time has absolutely flown by, even though he has been a very fussy baby. He has reflux which is uncomfortable for him. Luckily they give babies Zantac these days! It helps but he still has his fussy moments.

Well, I didn't give you a lot of interesting info here but Rick will be home shortly with supper. I have been a bit under the weather (I have lupus) so I'm not cooking tonight.