Spring has sprung...FINALLY!

Today is such a gorgeous spring day! My tulips are blooming and the sun is shining...something we have not seen much of this last month. I don't think I have ever done this before, but I am anxiously awaiting for Andrew to wake up from his nap. Normally I am praying that he sleeps just one more hour so I can clean the bathrooms, or work on my photobook, or take a much needed nap. Not today. Today we need to be outside!

Thank you Kristi for my beautiful wreath. It's perfect for this spring day!

Piano Man

We have to get a piano! I want to see this everyday. Aunt Kristi and Uncle TJ have a piano and Andrew loves playing it. I love seeing his little hands reaching up to the keys and his face beaming with pride at the music he is making.

Grandma Kathy came and stayed with us for a the last few days and we took him to the Children's Discovery Zone at our museum. He showed no interest in any of the toys, probably because he's just a little to young for most of them. The only thing he wanted to play with was the piano.

I hope our house is filled with lots of music one day.

4 months down, 5 more to go

This was me last Easter...
This is me this Easter...

Pregnant two Easters in a row! Let's see if I'll be able to keep the streak going!

I am now 4 months pregnant, 18 weeks to be exact. At my 4 month check up the doctor said everything is looking great. We heard the heartbeat again and it was loud and clear. Every time we find the heartbeat my doctor gets a big smile on his face and says "Wow, that's good and strong!" I love my doctor, Dr Virbicky. He is so kind and gentle and has a love for life. I switched to him for this pregnancy because he goes to my church and promotes Natural Family Planning. I was tired of getting the contraception talk at all of my visits to the last doctors office.

I have two more weeks until our next ultrasound where we can find out if we are having a boy or a girl. Right now, we have agreed to not find out. Jarod is fine either way and I, although I usually am too excited to wait for anything, would like to find out the old fashioned way this time. This all might change once I see our little baby on that screen, but I'm hoping I can delay my gratification! I can't believe I am almost at the halfway point of this pregnancy. It seems like it is going by fast. I am getting very excited to hold a little baby again.

Alleluia He is Risen!

Happy Easter!

It's nice to finally say that! Easter seemed like it would never come this year. Lent, although it was a good time for me spiritually, dragged on and on. It's time to celebrate! Easter morning found us at the Casadys where Andrew found his first Easter basket. It was very exciting...plastic eggs filled with puffs, a banana, toothbrushes, and a book. I'm sure his cousins were jealous! We all went to mass and then had an Easter feast. It was one of those meals where we had time to enjoy the food and sit around and talk after we were finished. No one was in a hurry to get up and we weren't interrupted by children.

The only bad part about the day was that Andrew was sick. He had a fever, cough, and runny nose a few days before, but we thought he was on the mend. However, his fever spiked Sunday morning at church. It was a good thing I went to the Easter vigil the night before because I spent the majority of Sunday mass in the church basement. The poor guy was crying and coughing, he was just so uncomfortable. He slept the rest of the day and missed out on the Easter egg hunt. I didn't even get a family picture in our Easter outfits. He's feeling better now, just still coughing and going through lots of Kleenex.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW!

How could we possibly be celebrating Andrew's first birthday already? My little baby isn't so little anymore. I can't believe how much he has grown and changed in one year. I keep thinking back to last year and what was going on. I spent all day in the hospital; went in to be induced at 7 am and Andrew was born at 9:06 pm. I remember his little cry, so soft and cute. Oh how that has changed! He is now a 25 pound toddler. I hope time can slow down just a bit so I can enjoy every new accomplishment and stage that he goes through. I want to remember it all, but I know that I won't, especially as we add to our family. For now, I will just enjoy the days as they come.


Oh what a birthday celebration we had! The whole family made the trip to Norfolk; grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins, even great grandma Kastl was here. With his birthday being so close to Easter this year, I of course had to make a bunny cake.

He was not too sure what to do with the cake, which is odd because anytime I put food in front of him he digs in.

Opening presents was fun. I think he was a little overwhelmed by all the people looking at him and the huge mound of gifts. He really enjoyed pulling the tissue paper out and ripping the paper!

In the end, his favorite new gift to play with was the hanger. Go figure!

By the end of the night he was so exhausted. He was extra snugly for story time with dad and slept well. What a blessed little boy to be loved by so many people. Thank you all for making his birthday so special!

Photo shoot

Andrew had his one year pictures taken. Check them out on the website www.lovesandhugsphotography.com if you would like. He's pretty darn cute, but then again, I may be biased!

Wedding Weekend

We discovered that Andrew is a true Kastl...he likes a good party! He had so much fun crawling around the tables and the dance floor. Granny did a great job keeping up with him. She definitely got a good workout!

In true Kastl fashion, we stayed until the end which was about midnight. Luckily, Jarod got him to fall asleep while dancing. But it wasn't too long before he woke up and wanted to party again.

Granny kept him busy with reading and eating ice cubes.

Thanks Kathy for being a wonderful Grandma and giving me a break!

My Precious Little...GIRL???

The first time it happened I didn't think anything of it. We were at the grocery store and the checkout lady called Andrew a "she". I didn't even give it a second thought. Then it happened again and again and again. It's such an awkward situation...what do you say? Continue the conversation and refer to him as a she? Point out that they made a mistake? Or just change the subject? Last night we went out to dinner and someone came over to our table and commented on our "little girl". When he left, Jarod looked at me and said "That's it, we are cutting his hair!" We'll see. I don't now if I'm ready for that yet.

Baby Steps

This is the first time that Andrew has tried taking a step on his own. He was holding on to the ottoman and wanted to get to the couch. He was so mad that he couldn't figure out how to do it and it didn't help that I was just sitting there watching! He was unsuccessful this time but I hope he keeps trying.

Isn't he so cute in his new jammies!