6 Months

Roman turned 6 months.
It amazes me how fast the time flies by and I can't believe he has been with us for half a year. My life is better with him and I am a better person because of him. I cherish each day that I get to spend with him and even though there are tough days, I wouldn't want to be doing anything else than being his mom. I love you Roman! You are my everything.

Here are some of my favorites of this month

He laughs and smiles all day long. Even when he gets fired up (which can be frequently), we are still able to get a smile. His chuckle is so cute!

The exersaucer is no longer his enemy, even though he has a love/hate relationship with the starfish. Thank you Paris and Knute for loaning it to us. He only likes it for about 20 minutes, but at least that gives us enough time to eat a quick meal.


His stuffed animals are his favorites. He loves playing with them in his crib.


He loves his Daddy and can't get enough of pulling his beard.


Roman is becoming so much more aware of Marley and everything else around him. We started Occupational Therapy this month to work on strengthening his trunk and helping with gross motor development. We are so thankful to qualify for the extra assistance. We are so proud of our little guy and all that he has accomplished in his 6 months of life. We love you Ro!

Sunday, A Day of Reflection

As today marked the 1st day of Sunday football, I realized that I needed to make a new commitment to my Sundays and that was going to church. I love going, but sometimes don't make it a big enough priority in my life to go every Sunday. I am always so happy when I am there, but have to admit that (especially now with a baby) it is easier to want to lounge around instead of getting ready.

I was feeling stressed this weekend after a long week filled with lots of emotions and by Saturday night I was drained. Going to church this morning gave me just what I needed. The sermon was awesome, the music was uplifting and I left with the energy needed to keep positive.

Today I was humbled as I prayed that God would continue to give me patience and strength to care for Roman. As I finished praying, I looked up and saw a family walk to communion with their son that is in a wheelchair. Whenever I see this family at church they always amaze me with their smiling faces that radiate nothing but happiness. It was that simple moment that gave me the energy to come home and be rejuvenated to shower Roman with the extra love and attention he needs right now. It was one of those moments that I knew God was talking to me saying, "No matter what challenges come your way, ALWAYS remain happy."

AMEN.

Surprise...One Month Later

We threw Jay a surprise 30th Birthday party yesterday, which was about a month after his actual Birthday. AND...I'm excited to say that he was TOTALLY surprised. We did a football theme and my parents were so generous with hosting the festivities. We were so thankful to have friends and kids there to help celebrate. Here are some pics from the night. Thank you to everyone for helping pull off the surprise (especially Vince).


Best Story of the night: Vince and his friend showed up at OUR doorstep (30 minutes before the party) thinking that the party was at our house. They were shocked when Jason answered the door since they knew it was a surprise. They had brought 3 packages of hummus, 4 packages of pita bread, a bouquet of flowers, 2 bottles of Chardonnay and a watermelon to the party, but then had to pretend as though they had just stopped by while in the neighborhood with these gifts. It was hilarious and didn't even throw Jay off at all. Later we found out that Donna (Vince's mom) was hiding in our garage since Vince told her to run when he saw Jay opening the door. We all got a good laugh to hear their version of the story once we got to the actual party at my parents. We laughed for hours.


Here is a picture of their wonderful gifts. Once they left our house, Jay said, "Vince has always been so generous. But it is kinda weird he bought so much hummus. He must have been pretty drunk."


Another one of Walt's famous cakes. Isn't this one amazing. We keep telling him to get into the business. He even made goal posts. Thank you Dad! I know this one wasn't easy and it was delicious.


How cute are they? All the littles wanted to help blow out the candles.


Friends from LL




Roman wasn't in a big party mood. He lasted for just a few minutes before wanting to sleep.


Thank You Family for all the help pulling this one off. I truly couldn't have done it without you. Mom and Dad...thank you hosting this event, for all the food, preparation and the cake. AND Betty and Bob...thanks for the fun decorations, Roman's jersey and all the help.


Happy Birthday Jay! I'm glad that I pulled this one off.

Our Lil Waterbug

Roman has always loved the water. It seems to calm him and we have had so fun hanging out at the pool the last few weeks. We love going to ClubSport and hanging in the Baby Pool area (wow...times have changed for Jason and I. No more sun and tanning, but instead lots of shade and sunscreen). Had to share some pics from our recent adventure in the water.

Cooking Club Season 3

I hosted Cooking Club this past week and we had a great summer BBQ. Made some kabobs, pineapple rice, asparagus and champagne Sangria. It was a beautiful night and we were able to prepare everything outside. We have 2 new members and as always, I'm looking forward to another fun year of dinners with these girls. We even got organized (thank you Paris) and put together a calendar for the entire year. Cheers to Cooking Club, Season 3. One of my favorite days of the month.


We definitely made enough kabobs for everyone. It is hard to estimate how much food is needed for 12 people.


The Kabob Cutters.


I think we finally ate at 9:00.

5 Months

When did my little prince turn into the little man? It feels like overnight. So much has changed in the past few weeks and today marks 5 months for Roman. This past month he gradually began to get a lot happier and I finally feel like this past week he had a major breakthrough. YEAH!!! This whole week he has been smiley and so much fun. He is always moving and making hilarious new noises. This week resembles wild bird calls.

Here are some of his "Firsts" that happened this month.


1st Swim
He started out in my parents backyard baby pool and then graduated to the pool at ClubSport. He really loves the water.


1st Concert
OK...don't know if this really counts. But we went to the Jazz Night in Broadway. Although the music wasn't too memorable, Roman rocked his jazz hat and boogied down. He loves loud music (this he definitely inherited from his Dad).


1st Physical Therapy Appointment
Yes, you heard me right. They actually have therapy for babies (it is pretty cute and luckily only lasts 15 minutes). At his 4 month appointment the doctor noticed he was leaning his head to the right. It is called torticollis and therapy helps to strengthen his neck muscles. They are not sure why this happens (I'm blaming it on the forceps), but we have exercises to do everyday and at our last therapy appointment they had already seen lots of improvement. Roman has a really hard time with tummy time, but we made a big accomplishment in the last 2 weeks when he was able to tolerate it for over a minute. So proud of him!


1st Foods
We started on solids and it is so much fun. I knew he was going to love it since he has always been a BIG eater. Every time I take the spoon away he makes it very clear that he wants more. It is so cute to see their reactions to new tastes.


1st Vacation
Roman did great on his first trip away from home. We had such a good time and can't wait to make it an annual trip up to the mountains.


1st Trick
The feet have found their way into the mouth. This entertains him constantly.

I love this age and I know that it is only going to keep getting better. His smiles, noises and laughter keep me entertained all day. We have realized that we definitely have a little character on our hands. He loves to flirt with the ladies and smile at everyone. He has a bit of a temper, but will win you over everytime with his beautiful blue eyes.


We love you Roman. Happy 5 months! They have been the best 5 months of our lives. At times not always the easiest, but I wouldn't change a thing. You are perfect for us.

Tahoe Wedding

Tahoe could be quite possibly the most beautiful place to get married. We went to Sqauw Valley this past weekend to celebrate the wedding of Christian and Kelly. It was a great destination wedding since lots of our friends were there and everyone was ready to have a good time. Kelly looked absolutely stunning and the ceremony was beautiful with the clouds pearing through the skies.


This was a picture I got as they said their vows.

Here are some pics from the weekend.

Our view from our room in the village. This was Roman's 1st vacation and he did great. We loved bringing him.


Roman and Hunter ready to go out on the town for the Welcome Cocktail Reception. It was unseasonably cold in Tahoe, so we had to bundle them up.


Who could resist the handsome brother of the bride? All the ladies love Corey.
Be sure to check out his blog at Hunanbeef.org for some stories of humor, drama and everyday life. This man can write.


Knute decided to joyride the bike.


Steve and Nishant feeling the love.


Reunited with MeShelle, my BFF.


Roman lasted til midnight. We made it to the wine bar and the Irish pub. This guy loves to sleep through loud music. I think it has to do with getting him used to it during my pregnancy.


H and H


Saturday we had to visit our local fav, Sunnyside. Had lunch with Nate, Heather, Nishant, Erin and Ish.


Jason even got crazy and ordered a Chi Chi.


By the end of the weekend, Jay had mastered holding 2 babies.


The reception was outside and it was beautiful with all the trees around.


Love the Iagulli sistas.


YEAH!!! MeShelle caught the bouquet. Should I look into buying a ticket to Scottsdale any day soon?


I miss Melissa now that she lives in SoCal. Can't wait to plan a girls trip to see her.


Kelly and her Dad. Too sweet!


What a wonderful weekend. Thank you to the McKenzies for throwing such a fun weekend and beautiful wedding. The dancing went all night long and we couldn't have had more fun. Your family is so welcoming and loving and we felt the love.


A Big thank you to Betty and Bob for coming to take care of Roman and Hunter on Saturday night. And Heidi and Danny for helping out. I am sure they got VIP treatment.


On a side note: Jay and Lex competed in the Wedding Olympics. I did not see any of the events taking place, only heard of it. But beware if you invite them to your wedding. Round 2 could take place. Don't say I didn't warn you.