Little Rosey's Adventure: May 2012

Well, we've made it through 7 months! I haven't decided if it's the fastest or slowest 7 months of my life, but I'm happy to be right where we are today.

It's been quite a ride the last couple of weeks. Seemingly overnight, Rory changed! He started rolling and rolling and rolling! (This after rolling 4 times and then waiting about 6 weeks to do it again!) He's getting particularly good at rolling over in his bouncy seat, as pictured below. He also began sitting up mostly on his own, though when he falls on his side in slow motion he doesn't seem to mind! He also started enjoying holding onto a stuffed duck when he's sleeping. (This is not part of our plan for Rory to be in love with the monkey blanket thing we bought him, but we'll compromise!)

Realistically, the nights often end like this.

His favorite place to roll over!

Our biggest success as of late was that I left Rory for the night for the first time. Our wonderful nanny Shauna and her daughter Hannah offered to keep Rory overnight last Friday. I was hesitant because I just haven't ever spent the night away from him, but I was EXHAUSTED and needed the sleep. The week prior, Rory had been having night terrors multiple times a night. It is not typical for babies his age to have night terrors, but we're pretty confident that was what was happening. They were horrible - though it seemed more horrible for us than him. Long story short, I needed some sleep. And boy did I sleep! It was the most amazing 10 hours of sleep that I've had in at least 9 months! I woke up almost giddy at how refreshed I felt. And then, I remembered that I used to get that much sleep every night! And then I realized that everyone around me gets that kind of sleep! Totally worth it, but what a loss! Rory did great with Shauna and Hannah. We were so happy to be reunited with him on Saturday at Fin's first birthday party!

Fin's celebration was great, and these expressions really capture Fin's personality. Fin is really growing more and more fond of Rory everyday. He desperately wants Rory to walk so they can play together. In the meantime, Fin just pulls him around...though they are great buddies!

Fin and his mom and dad (Meghan and Anthony)

"C'mon Rory!"

True Love.

To aid in our sleep deprivation, Joe and I just bought a new bed! We've been needing it for awhile now, but finally got around to it. Rory was very excited about it…too excited.

Our other new adventure has been swimming! It has been awesome! Rory doesn't show his excitement in smiles when experiencing new things - he is quite a serious observer…but he loved the pool! We went once on our own with Erin and Eli, and then had his first lesson last Saturday and again this weekend. In case you are wondering, they use the term "lesson" very loosely for 6 month olds, so to my surprise, he hasn't learned the butterfly yet. It is so great though, I love being in the water with him.

Lathering him up with SPF 8000! No tans for this kid.

Swimming with Aunt Erin and Cousin Eli!

Ok, they don't fit yet, but aren't they too cute!

After he saw that cereal video I made him, Rory decided he was over the idea of eating solid food. He now clamps his mouth closed at the site of it. We've tried sweet potatoes, bananas, applesauce, and more cereal...and while a little goes in, most of it goes everywhere else.

And as always, I'll end with a few pictures!

Joe and Derek made their first home brew!

Well, since I last posted…A LOT has happened. Unfortunately, I'm quite sleep deprived and not sure how much of it I'll remember, but I'll give it a go and leave out the boring details.

April 21st was Rory's 1/2 birthday! He had his sixth month doctor's appt where we found he weighed 17 lbs 8 oz and was 26" long! He is growing right on schedule!

Obviously they have mastered the accuracy of measuring babies length!

In late April Rory and I took a much awaited trip to St. Louis to spend a few days hanging out with my Grandma Jean. The weekend there was everything we hoped it would be and more. While we were there the family had a wedding shower for Caitlin and Austin. It was so wonderful to see everyone and Rory enjoyed some great snuggles with his Great Grandma. The flight there being solo with Rory was scarily perfect. He didn't make a peep! He made up for that by screaming for an hour and a half on the flight home. It was so much fun! (Sarcasm.)

"I'm not so sure about this, Mom!"

Great Grandma LOVES her Rory...and the feeling is mutual.

This is one of my favorite pictures. This is Grandma Jean and Papa Bob's special chair.

Rory got LOTS of attention!

We met Rory's newest cousin Eli! Two cousin Elis!

BFFs

Love at its best.

Joe was glad to have us home, but 2 days later things got chaotic. Rory got roseola (which is basically a high fever for several days followed by a rash) and my other Grandma (Grandma Fix-It) didn't awake on Wednesday morning and was in a coma. She was 98, and we knew she'd been waiting for "God to find her door" for awhile, so nature took its course and she passed away on Friday.

This was my last visit with Grandma Fix-It.

This is the beautiful quilt she made for Rory many, many years ago. We cherish it.

Saturday, Joe, Rory, and I were back on the plane to St. Louis to attend my Grandma Fix-It's services. (We've always called her Grandma Fix-It.) While it is very peaceful to know that she is finally where she's wanted to be for many years, it is very sad to have her leave. I will really miss her. She was a very special woman - I've never met another like her.

Obviously it wasn't an ideal reason to be returning to St. Louis for my Grandma's funeral. However, on top of trying to feel at peace with this, Rory was a mess. The plane ride to St. Louis was pretty close to one of the top 20 worst experiences of my life. I can't blame Rory because he definitely was sick, but we were really glad to get off that plane. He felt much better by the time we flew back to Seattle.

Rory earned his wings on the flight home and he was SO excited about it!

My Grandma's funeral was a special experience. There is something very special about having a history in a small town. It felt perfect to celebrate her life at her church, just blocks from her home, and bury her near her husband and son. It felt like she was right where she should be. The flowers reminded me of her, the chicken 'n noodles that the church ladies made reminded me of her…the only thing missing was her.

Since making it back from my second trip to St. Louis, we've been trying to recover. We finally have one set of blinds up in our home…only about 10 more windows to cover! We are all glad to be back into a normal routine, but some deep sleep would really help!

And finally, our biggest development is that Rory is now eating solid foods! Well, so far he's just had rice cereal and avocado. He LOVED the rice cereal and is pretty freaked out by the avocado. We're trying sweet potatoes tonight! Many of you have probably already seen this video, but it's worth posting here:

And here's a few of my favorite food shots so far. (Joe is afraid I'm going to film every meal for the next 15 years. He's probably right.)

"Dad, are you sure it's ok?"

Flying spoons!

Satisfied.

Other than being exhausted, we are all doing well! Rory is growing faster and faster by the week! We can't keep up with him! He's found a new, blood-curdling scream and also the sweetest giggle! It all balances out in the mornings. :)

We hope you all are doing equally well. Here's some more pictures to keep you smiling! Love you!

Robyn