Note: you can now access this site at the easier-to-remember domain name http://www.TheMinnichFamily.com/.
As you’ll see from the volume of pictures we posted this month, July was eventful. We stayed close to home, but enjoyed a nice 4th of July with friends. Andy even met Ben Franklin (see photos and video). We did travel to the Lake of the Ozarks for a weekend to vacation with the Andersen family. Andy had no shortage of playmates as his cousins were all eager to help take care of him.
Andy is still almost-crawling, but prefers to pull himself up and stand. If he really wants to go somewhere, he’ll scoot on his bottom or maybe even his head. He’s also experimenting with table food. So far avocados, cantaloupe, and mangos are his favorites. He grew a couple more teeth to make this easier.
At the six month checkup, Andy was 17.5 pounds and 27 inches long. That’s the 45th percentile for weight and the 90th percentile for height. Not to worry; he slimmed down because he became “mobile” shortly before this check-up. But by Aimee’s unofficial guestimate, he’s beefing up again.
At work, Aimee rejoiced that she was NOT studying for the bar exam like she was this time last year. Instead she got her feet wet in some interesting court appearances as a licensed attorney. Marshall had two more weekend retreats at the Abbey in Maryville this month (if you’re curious what this place looks like, see this month’s photos on the sidebar.) Aimee and Andy joined him for one of the retreats, and Andy put on the charm for all of the monks and the retreatants.
Finally, we leave you with a cute video of Andy, his basket of toys, and an unsuspecting dog (also, see more videos on the sidebar link)....
Happy Half-Birthday, Andersen!
Two teeth, sitting up, almost crawling—June was a month of milestones for Andy. We weren’t expecting the teeth and discovered them by accident (ouch). He seems to think sitting is pretty fun. Plus it puts him in a better position to roll and get up on his hands and knees. He rocks and scoots backwards, but, to his great frustration, hasn’t quite figured out how to move forward. Virginia really wants to participate when he’s down on the ground, which has always been her territory until now.
We’ve spent lots of time in the front yard as a family with Andy in the swing, Virginia on her long leash, and Aimee and Marshall (mostly Marshall) doing some landscaping. You can see the work in progress in this month’s photos. The pond is gone and we’re sad to report we had to give up two members of our family—Jane and Sylvester moved in with the other fish in Mary Lou’s pond.
Also, Marshall went to Seattle at the beginning of the month to be in Greg Larson’s wedding. Greg and his sweetheart Stephanie had numerous events planned besides the wedding itself—all were meticulously planned and executed. Marshall arrived a couple days early hoping to hike to Camp Muir on Mt. Rainier as a ‘finale’ to his foot-surgery recovery, but many factors combined to thwart this achievement, none the least of which was a detour to the local emergency room with severe abdominal pain. The doctors never figured it out, but many tests and hours later the pain remarkably subsided. By then, the hopes of reaching Camp Muir were shot, but as you can see in the photos, lots of snow, fresh precipitation, and poor visibility stopped him anyway. Someone died on the Muir snowfield just four days later in similar conditions. Yikes. Draw your own conclusions, but it sure seems like Marshall was being protected.
We leave you this month with a video of Andy sitting up for the first time. See below.
We’ve spent lots of time in the front yard as a family with Andy in the swing, Virginia on her long leash, and Aimee and Marshall (mostly Marshall) doing some landscaping. You can see the work in progress in this month’s photos. The pond is gone and we’re sad to report we had to give up two members of our family—Jane and Sylvester moved in with the other fish in Mary Lou’s pond.
Also, Marshall went to Seattle at the beginning of the month to be in Greg Larson’s wedding. Greg and his sweetheart Stephanie had numerous events planned besides the wedding itself—all were meticulously planned and executed. Marshall arrived a couple days early hoping to hike to Camp Muir on Mt. Rainier as a ‘finale’ to his foot-surgery recovery, but many factors combined to thwart this achievement, none the least of which was a detour to the local emergency room with severe abdominal pain. The doctors never figured it out, but many tests and hours later the pain remarkably subsided. By then, the hopes of reaching Camp Muir were shot, but as you can see in the photos, lots of snow, fresh precipitation, and poor visibility stopped him anyway. Someone died on the Muir snowfield just four days later in similar conditions. Yikes. Draw your own conclusions, but it sure seems like Marshall was being protected.
We leave you this month with a video of Andy sitting up for the first time. See below.
Warm Weather Arrives
Finally, warm summer weather is here after a long winter and a chilly spring. It has been fun taking Andy on walks more often, and also just letting him explore the new colors outdoors and the smells of lilacs and roses in our backyard.
The month of May was not too eventful for us. Andy had his first solid foods—rice cereal and bananas—and mastered rolling from his back to his belly. He has also discovered Virginia and thinks she’s really funny. Virginia, for her part, pretty much steers clear of Andy’s grasping hands. This month also saw a visit to the pool and Andy’s first night with a non-family babysitter. Thanks, Chris N.
That’s all for now. Hope you all enjoy our May pics and videos, too.
The month of May was not too eventful for us. Andy had his first solid foods—rice cereal and bananas—and mastered rolling from his back to his belly. He has also discovered Virginia and thinks she’s really funny. Virginia, for her part, pretty much steers clear of Andy’s grasping hands. This month also saw a visit to the pool and Andy’s first night with a non-family babysitter. Thanks, Chris N.
That’s all for now. Hope you all enjoy our May pics and videos, too.
Andersen tells own bedtime story
After taking a week and a half of silence to focus on learning to play with his toys and the jumpy chair, Andersen is now chatting up a storm with anyone who will listen. His favorite thing is to tell us bedtime stories before going to sleep.
“I have 5 grandkids and this is the cutest baby I’ve ever seen.”
-- Anonymous woman on airplane commenting on our son.
Speaking of Andy, he’s figured out how to grab his feet and play with, i.e. eat, toys. These new skills came at the cost of a few quiet weeks, where Andy didn’t talk or babble. I guess Andy takes after his Daddy—both can only do ONE thing at a time. Talking was getting in the way of learning about toys, so it had to go away for a bit.
Andy has really started to enjoy books. His favorite seems to be Construction Trucks. He’s basically a happy kid, content to smile at friendly faces and be held by anyone with willing arms. On a trip to Chicago with Nana and Aimee, he charmed everyone at the airport and on the airplane. It was a bit of a whirlwind trip (just over 24 hours), but we enjoyed visiting with Aimee’s sister Laura and her family and attending Cousin Carolyn’s first communion.
Also in April, Aimee learned that she passed the Kansas Bar and so we went to Topeka for her swearing-in. But besides all of this, it was a pretty uneventful month. But we kind of like it that way.
Stats:
26.25 inches – Andy’s length on April 17
14 pounds, 13 ounces – Andy’s weight on April 17
~7,003 – number of deep knee bends it took to make Andy happy during his first cold
2 – days Andy was under the weather
FYI--We (Marshall) have figured out how to post videos on the site. So we’ll periodically post a new offering for your viewing pleasure. This week’s video is Andy in his doorway jumper for the first time. He’s gotten better at making it bounce and spin since then.
Speaking of Andy, he’s figured out how to grab his feet and play with, i.e. eat, toys. These new skills came at the cost of a few quiet weeks, where Andy didn’t talk or babble. I guess Andy takes after his Daddy—both can only do ONE thing at a time. Talking was getting in the way of learning about toys, so it had to go away for a bit.
Andy has really started to enjoy books. His favorite seems to be Construction Trucks. He’s basically a happy kid, content to smile at friendly faces and be held by anyone with willing arms. On a trip to Chicago with Nana and Aimee, he charmed everyone at the airport and on the airplane. It was a bit of a whirlwind trip (just over 24 hours), but we enjoyed visiting with Aimee’s sister Laura and her family and attending Cousin Carolyn’s first communion.
Also in April, Aimee learned that she passed the Kansas Bar and so we went to Topeka for her swearing-in. But besides all of this, it was a pretty uneventful month. But we kind of like it that way.
Stats:
26.25 inches – Andy’s length on April 17
14 pounds, 13 ounces – Andy’s weight on April 17
~7,003 – number of deep knee bends it took to make Andy happy during his first cold
2 – days Andy was under the weather
FYI--We (Marshall) have figured out how to post videos on the site. So we’ll periodically post a new offering for your viewing pleasure. This week’s video is Andy in his doorway jumper for the first time. He’s gotten better at making it bounce and spin since then.
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