Aug. 24: Maybe I should change the title of
this post to "first steps."  Andrew’s been doing incredible baby
things this month.  He’s gotten really engaged and interested in baby sign
language, and he just started taking faltering first steps.  A little
step, a swing of the hip, and "plop" he goes down.  Or maybe
not.  Perhaps he catches himself and then goes down to his knees as if to
say, "Phew, what was that!"  He can stand up from a squat, and
sometimes I look over and he’s just standing up in the middle of the room. 
Such a darling cutie!  

Andrew is also really getting into signs. 
He’s not saying much verbally (started saying "down" and
"alldone"), but he’s really picking up on signs.  For those of
you not completely immersed in the world of babies, there’s a lot of info out
these days about teaching babies some basic types of sign language to help them
communicate before their verbal skills kick in.  Here’s a website for more
info.  Some of Andrew’s favorite new signs are "elephant" – arm
swinging "hat" – patting his head "airplane"  -
pointing up at the sky and "frog" – sticking his tongue in and
out.  I’m working on getting photos, so check back soon.