The Little Guy is 10 Months

I feel like every month I journal that 'this was a HUGE month'. Rocco changes so fast! This, indeed, was a big month of growth. Here's a few things he's been up to:

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He loves yanking his socks off. He usually starts with just one and sucks on it for a while.

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He learned to suck from a straw.

He had his first pancake. Actually, he's tried lots of new foods, most of which he didn't care for, but Daddy makes pancakes every Saturday morning, and now Rocco is in on that.
One day while picking up Madison at dance, he started "dancing"to the music. On his hands and knees he bounced around to the beat of the music...very cute!

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He also got his first carousel ride at the mall, thanks to Papa.

He started cruising along the coffee table. Madison was so excited about this! He is nowhere near walking, but he is getting from A to B a little easier. Oh, and just so you know, a shedding Golden Retriever and a crawling baby do not make a good mix.

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Rocco plays really, really well on his own for long stretches of time. Last month, my time-buyer was the high chair or bouncy or walker with 4 or 5 Ritz. This month he prefers to be down and loose. I'll put him in front of some toys and he'll entertain himself for a long time.

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He has begun to make a goofy face.

All my kids have done this when they think they are being particularly cute.

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Rocco's still nursing about 6 times a day. He takes two naps every day, and usually goes down without a fuss. He sleeps til about 6 am, nurses, and goes right back down til about 8:00. It's a great schedule. He makes it very easy to be him mom. He's snuggly and sweet and happy.

To say that we all enjoy him to no end would be an understatement. He is just a joy!

Come See the Show!

I haven't been posting a whole lot due to my busy schedule and work on "The Passion of the King", our church's Easter musical. Myself and the 4 oldest kids are involved. We'd love to have you come! Check out this link to view a trailer. You can order tickets online or contact me.

Performances are:
Friday, March 26th
Palm Sunday, March 28th
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and ending on Good Friday, April 2nd.

You won't be sorry!

Updates

***Madison had her 3rd competition. Both the group numbers scored a high gold, but her duet cleaned house. I can't remember all the specific awards, but it was mentioned 4 or 5 times, including best choreography, 1st place overall, AND $250!!!!!! ***Went on a field trip to the trash museum. Our instructor was PASSIONATE about recycling and I think she had about 4 espressos before our tour. Trevor watching them sort the recyclables. Recycle bingo:

*** Trevor fell down 1/2 a flight of stairs. He's o.k.

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***Nathanael had a check-up. He grew 2.5 inches in a year. He is 55th percentile for weight and 90th for height.

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On the way to the Dr.'s he asked me, "Mom, is it true that me and Madison were adopted?"

I said, "No, Honey. You grew inside my belly. You've seen pictures. Who told you that you were adopted?"

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"Madison said that her and I were adopted. We were twins. My name was Thomas and she was Elizabeth."

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[Laughter] "No, that's not how it went, but however you came to me, I'm just glad you're mine. You grew in my belly. Your birth day was one of the happiest days of my life. You were the most beautiful newborn and my biggest baby. And ever since, you have been so important to our family. You're my special Dooba!"

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Why do kids do that to each other?

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***One night making dinner, I said, "Trevor, you have a nice name. I really like your name."

He said, "Mom, I love your name- MOMMY."

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***Thank you to everyone who shared your maternal battle scars in the comments section of my post, "Poor TJ". They are worth reading if you want to scroll down. It's nice to know I'm not in this boat alone and it's encouraging to hear that God's hand of protection is so big!

In-House Banquet

Nathanael's hockey season is wrapping up. About 40 kids and their families had a banquet for the kids at a very nice banquet hall. Surprisingly, at this age in hockey, it's almost 1/2 boys and 1/2 girls. Forty 5 & 6 year olds running around in their glory.

Colombo was recognized as an on-ice coach. Many parents were gracious to him afterwards, thanking him for his time. One mom gave him a gift card and one mom went on and on about the coaches, even calling them 'miracle workers'. I think that's a bit extreme. We're talking about hockey.

Nathanael had a blast. We took the whole family so that the evening was all about him. The Wolfpack mascot made his rounds...NOT the highlight for Trev and Rocco. They hated him!

The highlight for Nathanael? The trophy.

Poor TJ

Poor TJ had a rough week. Colombo was in Vegas Monday and Tuesday for business. On Monday morning about 9:30 I heard a loud crash and blood-curdling scream in the monitor. I knew right away what happened.

I bolted up the stairs to see Nathanael's dresser on top of Trevor. I tried to lift it off. It's a VERY heavy piece of furniture. With adrenaline pumping, I was able to lift it off of him, but the drawers continued to slide onto him. Now starting to panic, I screamed for C4 to come help me. He gently pulled Trevor out as I lifted.

I could tell he was o.k....you know, breathing and moving. I began looking him over and asking what hurt. There were no obvious injuries. Then he said his head hurt. I lifted his bangs to discover a huge goose egg. I burst into tears. I'm usually pretty controlled and calm in these situations, but I lost it, which worried the kids.

After a lot of cuddling and asking repeatedly what hurt and telling him I was so glad he was o.k., he began to bounce around the house more normally, just with a little limp.

I knew he'd be o.k. I had sent Nathanael and Trevor upstairs to get Trevor dressed and Trevor had opened the drawers on Nathanael's dresser and scaled the front of it. It really is a miracle he was not more seriously injured.

Sometimes I feel like a first time mom with Trevor. Our first 3 kids would have NEVER done something like this. I remembered all the safety magazines about anchoring dressers to the studs in the wall. I always thought, "Give me a break. What kind of parents would allow kids to scale the front of a dresser?"

Well our first three didn't even need to be told not to climb it. They just knew not to climb it. Trevor is the kid who even when told NOT to climb it, still has to try it out and see for himself. When I was relaying the story to Colombo over the phone, he said, "Well unfortunately, Trevor's going to have to learn some lessons the hard way."

I know that's probably true. But it makes me sad to think of all the consequences.

Anyway, that was Monday.

On Tuesday, Trevor took one swing on the door of the built-in book shelf of the family room and completely ripped it off.

On Thursday, a certain older brother was being pestery and teasing him about being small and baby-ish. Said pestery brother said, "You aren't big until you can touch the top of that cross." (referencing a decorative cross hanging in the dining room about 6 feet from the floor)

Trevor dragged a stool over, climbed it, stood on his tippy toes, touched the top of the cross, and came CRASHING down! Pestery brother acted all valiant and helpful getting him off the floor as I walked into the situation. THEN I got to the bottom of what happened. Thankfully Trevor escaped with a decent bonk on his chin and hopefully a little fear of standing on stools. Doubtful, I know.

Then came Friday. Ohh, Friday. Friday, Friday.

About 2:00, Madison, C4, and Trevor went outside to rollerblade, ride bikes, etc. It was a nice, warm afternoon, they were done with school, and I thought a little fresh air would do them some good.

Rocco and I were vacuuming when Nathanael said, "Mom, somebody's at the door."

And there was the lady from around the corner with Trevor. She was 'returning' him. You see, on her way home from work, she spotted Trevor at the corner of our street and the busy connecting street. There he was- just out for a walk.

She asked him if he knew where his house was. He pointed in our direction. She said, "Is this your doggy?" When Trevor answered yes, she knew that Trevor and Gunner belonged here.

She said Gunner was very protective of him and did not leave his hip the whole time.

So there they are at my door. I'm confused...why did he take off and how did Maddy and C not notice? I'm relieved...thank GOD he was not hit by a car or taken. I'm embarrassed...I'm officially the worst mother in the neighborhood.

I thanked her profusely. She was cool about it, but c'mon! She just brought my 3 year old back to me!

I told Trevor over and over that I was glad he was o.k. and that he needs to stay in the circle. I explained to Madison and Colombo that although he is ultimately my responsibility, that they need to watch out for the little guys. I took the chance to explain that he could have been hit, kidnapped, OR if that lady chose, she could call the State and explain that #1 my kids are outside playing in the middle of a school day and #2 I'm not a fit mother if I let toddlers run the streets.

I'm still not over it! Maybe you can tell. Trevor and I delivered cookies and brownies to her later that evening with another "Thank you!"

I'm relearning motherhood with that boy. I know God made him perfectly and I just need to learn how to appreciate his ways and how to best channel his energy in a productive and safe way.

Thank goodness, that was the end of the week and the end of a bad streak for TJ.

He's bruised and battered, but just as full of zest as ever; loud, extremely active, and even naked at times!!! The TJ we love!

This morning we were singing "I Don't Want to be a Jonah" during our song and prayer time. Trevor stopped us all and said, "Do whales poop?"

Me: Yes.

Trevor: Do they pee?

Me: Yes.

Trevor: But whales don't have bums.

That boy will increase my prayer life. We are so thankful for him!

9 Months

Rocco is 9 months, as of February 29th, or in the case of this non-leap year, March 1st. He is still just as sweet as sweet can be. He's super snuggly. He loves to just wrap his arms around my neck and melt into my shoulder.

It's been a big month! He cut his first tooth on February 9th and a second one 5 days later. Aren't they cute?!

He also transitioned from the army crawl to the regular hands and knees deal.


He gets around everywhere and keeps busy getting into things he shouldn't.
Consequently, I've had to work fervently to clear his path of the older kids' legos, money, etc. If you look closely in the middle of this spit up, you can see the dead bug he ate from under my desk.
Thank goodness for his gag reflex. Speaking of which, he's gotten much better about eating 'chunky' things. He loves Ritz crackers and has also mastered cheerios. These snacks keep him quite busy.
He got his first ride in a shopping cart. I was all excited, took a picture, came home and told Colombo. He kinda laughed and said, "Um, that wasn't his first time."
He also got his first little hair trim. He was just getting a little raggedy around the ears.
So I took a little off.
He just started babbling a little. His first sound....Ma-ma!!!! There is a God!

Another 'melt-your-heart milestone'? One morning I went in his room to get him and he was standing in the crib smiling at me.

He's become a pro at pulling himself up. He hasn't figured how to get back down, which he finds frustrating, but he also isn't cruising yet, which is great because he'll stand in one spot playing for a good 15-20 minutes at a time.
a sidenote: All four boys have worn these p.j.'s.

He had a great check-up! He's 90th percentile for height, but he thinned out! He only gained 1 ounce in the last 3 months (putting him at 18 lbs, 5 oz.), dropping to the 20th percentile. I'm not surprised. His activity has sky-rocketed and he's just burning up the calories.

Our completely biased opinion is that he is just PERFECT! We all adore him. The time is passing quickly, but it's so invigorating to have a baby in the house. So many hands and hearts to love him. He's a blessing beyond description!

Madison's 2nd Competition

Madison did SO well at her second competition.

She and her partner receive a high platinum award for their tap duet. They also received 1st place for their division and a special judge's award, "Tip Top Tappers."

Their group tap received a high platinum, second for their division and a special judge's award, "Fabulous Formations."

Madison is on her knees, front and center

Their group jazz received platinum and 3rd for their division.

Madison is the one sitting piggy-back

Definitely a banner day for her!

Cancun Get-A-Way

Ahhhh! After a couple crazy months, Colombo thought it would be sweet to whisk me away for a little R & R. He thought about taking care of everything and surprising me with it, but after about 30 seconds, he decided that he probably needed my help with the logistics.

We decided on an all-inclusive in Cancun. We stayed at the Sun Palace and were not disappointed. But let me back up. Mom and Russ came to the house super early so we could get to the airport. When we checked in, we did not have seat assignments. Colombo was afraid that since we used points to fly that there might be an issue, but when we checked at the gate, the man gave us our boarding passes with a smile. We saw our seats were 3C and 3D...as in first class! Nice way to start vacation. It was my first time flying first class! The flight attendant came and said, "May I offer you orange juice, champagne, or a mimosa?" Indeed, a good start to vacation! We were also served a full breakfast and were very comfortable for our direct flight into Cancun.

From the moment we stepped off the plane, we were treated with superb service. Arriving at the hotel, everyone was greeted with a flower and glass of champagne, and at the front desk, they had cold hand towels for us to wipe the airport off with.

Our room was everything we saw in the pictures. A huge balcony, ocean view, two man jacuzzi in the room. Anything we wanted was just a phone call away. Every employee's mission was to make it a memorable experience. We stayed at a couples only, so there were no kids and no single spring-breakers. No whiny kids in the lobby, no brats near the pool.

We hit the beach every day. I had a good book and a couple magazines-it doesn't get much better. Personally, that's what I define as vacation.

The weather was about 80. One morning was a little overcast, so we went to the local flea market and stopped by to see Senor Frogs.

One night we went to a sister resort to check out the live music and have hibachi.

Our hotel had several infinite pools. There was always 'action'. Volleyball,

fruit carving lessons, a swim up bar, contests...definitely a 'party' scene. We did the pool one day, but usually opted for the quiet of the beach. The water was a beautiful turquoise and the waves were 6-8 feet, depending on the tide.

There were always activities and / or shows going on. Some we participated in, some we did not. One night we saw a Michael Jackson show (some Mexican dude who totally pulled it off, along with 4 back up dancers) and another night we checked out the karaoke. I sang Shania Twain's "I Feel Like a Woman."

On our last day we went on an excursion that was included. We chose zip lining. Not many pictures from that, because I couldn't bring my camera. There were 10 towers, 8 cables, and 2 Fear Factor type bridges to cross. We both thought it was awesome. I got butterflies everytime!

Once back at the hotel, we went for a couple's massage. It was Colombo's first massage experience. We both LOVED it.

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We also got in a couple of great workouts. The hotel's fitness room was the biggest one I've ever seen in a hotel.

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IF we had to complain about something, we were a little disappointed in the food. There was ALWAYS food, always as much as you wanted, but it was more like buffet-ish and not exquisite. But it was good, and the service always impeccable. We ate out side most meals.

Our room:
The view from our room:

Our trip home was interesting. We were delayed for both flights, but in the end, it all worked out. It was just kind of a marathon getting home with mechanical failure, boarding in the area where they fixed the plane, and waiting for airline crew.

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My mom had the kids for 2 days and Colombo's parents kept them for 3. It was the perfect length of time to be away, totally unplugged. We were so grateful for the opportunity to go. So thankful that we had the time and means to do so.