All About Andrew: Drew's on the move!

We've had a busy couple of weeks in the LaGrone household. Drew is growing like crazy (check out the belly in that picture!) and having all kinds of new experiences.

Last Monday we went to the doctor for his 2 month check-up. He weighed 12 lb 15 oz and was 23.75 inches. That's over 4 pounds and almost 3 inches gained since birth! He also got his first round of shots. He was a real trooper and screamed for just a minute until I picked him up. Then he was like: "OK, what's next?"

Here's a picture of Drew sporting the sticker the nurse gave him for being such a big boy. His first sticker! I know he was proud.

And here he's pointing (I swear I didn't pose him) to the Bugs Bunny band-aids he got when he was given his first shots.

Since Drew is now 2 months old, it was time for my maternity leave to end and for me to return to work. Jim once (only once) called it my "little vacation." It certainly was no vacation! Being back at work is almost less work than staying home full time for the last two months. I've loved being with Drew 24 hours a day, but I was also glad to return to my vocation as a pastor. I've always wanted to be a working mom, and being a pastor and a mom at the same time is like my two greatest dreams come true.

People kept asking if I was anxious about returning to work, and while it was a lot of work to get us ready for the new schedule, the answer is: no. I've felt extremely at peace about the whole thing. The secret to that is that I'm so happy with Drew's childcare arrangements. One day a week my mom (Grammy) stays home with him. One day he's home with Jim and another day I'm home with him on my day off. On two mornings a week he comes with me to the church nursery where they love him and take amazing care of him.

Here's the sign for his room in the nursery. "Bunny Hollow." How cute is that?

This is what the room looks like. Drew's not in the picture because Miss Gladys is changing him off to the side. Most days when I pick him up there are about 5 babies and 3 adults caring for them. They let me know exactly how much he slept and ate and how many diapers he had, and tell me if he was in a good mood (he always is!) I can tell they love him, and when I go to get him they're always holding him and rocking him. And soon I hope he'll notice the other babies and begin making friends!

Here's a photo of the two of us on our way to his first day at the nursery. The first of many "first day of school" photos he'll have to pose for in his lifetime.

And here's Drew at Starbucks while I worked on my sermon for that Sunday. Looking down at my laptop open to my sermon (I love to preach), my baby asleep in his carseat (I love my baby) and my Chai Frappucino (well, you can see where that's going)... I really had the sense of having it all, all at once.