I'm 6 months old

On Monday January 25th, our little man turned 6 months old. I can't believe how fast he is growing. At his last doctor visit, he weighed in at 16 lbs. 9.5 oz. (25-50% percentile) and was 26 3/4 inches in length (50-75% percentile). He is a growing boy! Here is what our little man is doing these days...

Nutrition: Roderick LOVES to eat solids and has been doing so for the last month or so. Every morning we start with rice cereal. I do not have any idea how he could like the taste of it but he does. He also loves peas, carrots, sweet potatoes and pears. What surprises me the most is that he does not like bananas! What? Loves peas and hates bananas? Is this my child?

Sitting up: Well, he is almost there. He is able to sit without leaning over for a couple of minutes. As soon as he reaches for a toy, he is sure to tip over in either direction. We are working on it!

Rolling over: Roderick rolls over and over and over. In fact, he is now officially a stomach sleeper. No matter how many times I turn him over to lay on his back, he always ends up on his tummy. Ugh. I guess he takes after me in this department.

Sleeping: Roderick is still not sleeping through the night. I'm sure I am partly to blame, as he is still sleeping in our bedroom. I just have not been able to put him in his own room yet. Now that he is 6 months old, I'm warming up to the idea. I am shooting for this weekend... lets see how I do!!!

Future goals: I know it sounds crazy but I often wonder what he will be when he grows up. Grandma Chugley and I often make predictions based on his interest of the day. Here are the conclusions we have come to...

Electrician: He LOVES lights! Even as a brand new baby, he would get fixated on the light in the living room. I even took him to Seattle Lights for a field trip one day!

Artist: He is always staring at this one painting in the living room. I think he likes all of the bright colors.

Conductor: He loves to flap his arms up and down and left to right. You might think he was leading an orchestra.

Detective: He is always trying to figure out what I am doing (especially when I am cooking or on the computer). It looks like he is investigating and taking mental notes on what is happening around him. His eyes always seem to tell a story.

I will continue to add to this list over time. I know I have thought of more than the ones listed above. I don't know what he will choose as a profession one day but what I do know is this- he has a bright future ahead of him. I can just feel it!

Playdate with Papa

Every week, my dad comes to see the grandkids for a playdate. This past Tuesday, we met at Sean and Prita's house so he could spend some time with Kennedy and Roderick. During every visit, Papa always mentions how the kids are growing so fast. It is hard to believe that Kennedy is almost 1 year old and that Roderick is creeping up on 6 months. Both kids are just delightful (if I may say so myself). With one finger always pointing outward, Kennedy has much to say. She loves to babble. On top of that, she is just days away from walking. Yes, thats right. She has taken a couple of steps. Roderick on the other hand, is trying to learn how to sit up without my support. He is always leaning more to the right or to the left and within seconds, he is tipping over. Roderick has also discovered he has a voice. He often screams just because he loves to hear himself talk... a trait he must have learned from Papa. :-)

Kennedy trying to take gum out of Papa's mouth (Oh Kennedy, do I have to teach you about germs already?)

Few things are more delightful than grandchildren fighting over your lap. ~Doug Larson
LEE LEE LEE LEE LEW (Kennedy has started her own language. It seems we all speak it now)
My grandkids believe I'm the oldest thing in the world. And after two or three hours with them, I believe it, too. ~Gene Perret

Miss Kennedy Wennedy

Little Roderick John

So happy together

To be continued...

Our weekend in Bellingham

This past weekend we went to Bellingham to visit friends and family. We actually stayed at the Bellwether Hotel which is where we were married in July 2008. In July 2009, we had our son Roderick. We thought it would be fun to show him where it all happened... because he totally cares at 5 1/2 months, we know he does.

On Saturday night, Grandma Laura cooked a wonderful dinner. Uncle Mike, Jim, Lynn, Katie, Dan, Maija and Dave all came over to the house. We had a great time telling stories and catching up. Little Rod, as Jimmy would say, stole the show. He was smiling, laughing, playing, rolling over and scooting... yes, that's right. I'm afraid crawling is just around the corner. I know how much work that is after chasing Kennedy around the house. Looks like I will get to excercise 7 days a week after all.

July 12th 2008 on the Bellwether terrace... we committed our lives to each other.

January 16th 2010 on the Bellwether terrace... we are still committed to each other and our son.

Grandma Laura and Roderick

Uncle Mike and Roderick

Jim and Little Rod

Lynn and Little Rod

Over the river and through the woods...

This past weekend, we took our first overnight road trip. We drove South for a few hours to visit Uncle TR and Aunt Lynn. I can't even believe how long it took me to pack for a two day event. From pack and plays to bouncy seats, the car was completely full! I don't even want to know what it would look like if we were to go somewhere for a whole week!

The river is a beautiful place to visit. The boys had hoped to go fishing but it was much too cold and they do not have a permit yet. They did get the kids all bundled up and took them out to see the river. The girls stayed warm inside the house and watched a movie. The best part about the weekend - good food, good conversations, and good company.

New Years Eve - Welcome 2010

This New Years Eve we went to the Carlsen's house. This was a year like no other- we had babies, pack and plays, and diapers. Boy how times have changed. It was an absolute blast! We rang in the new year with...

Darren, Orser, and Ryan (age 2)
Kirk, Vaux and Sydney (age 1)
Randy, Butts and London (age 8 months)
Brad, Mands and Carter (age 5 months)

My favorite quote of the night was from Ryan, Orser's 2 year old brilliant daughter. "Mom, I have been crying up here. The music is too loud. Turn it down." Gotta love RyRy.

Oh what a night!!!

The Day after Christmas

On December 26th, we celebrated Christmas with my mom's side of the family. This year, Sean and Prita hosted the celebration at their house. We all decided to give my mom a break, as she is usually the one who does it all. It was so much fun spending time with the family. Maybe next year Hunter can join us. We love having all of the kids together. They are just too cute!

Below I have included a couple of pictures from our baking party as well. Mom, Heather, Sarah, Jessica, Rachael, Roderick and I spent an entire day baking for our Christmas party on the 26th. Nothing is better than cookies for dinner!

Christmas Day at the Ranch

Christmas day we went to the Ranch. The house was very festive and the food was delicious. We must not have been on the "naughty list" this year, as Santa was good to all of us. The adults had a good time catching up and all of the cousins had fun playing together. Later that night, we went to my Aunt Kim's house for dessert. It was a great way to end the evening!