Playgroup Halloween Party

Roman's playgroup had their Halloween party today and nothing is cuter than seeing a bunch of 7 month old babies in their costumes. It has been so fun seeing all these little ones grow older each month and it is adorable to start seeing them interact with each other (even if it is to simply steal a toy or chew on someone else's foot.)


Our little Koala bear. I couldn't resist on this costume, it was just too hilarious (especially the ear hair).


So many great costumes.


Jason loved seeing all the little ones in their costumes.


Dean and Roman.


Jason and his little monkey, Ethan.


Dayna and her little flower, Paige (Ethan's twin sister).


Caden and Roman.


Everyone playing before costumes.

7 Months

7 Months will be classified as the month of Happiness. Now that we have a happy little man, life is good. Here are some highlights from the last month leading up to 7 months.


I finally got some professional photos done and it was very entertaining. Betty and I went to The Picture People and I have to admit they are GREAT! Very professional and they did an awesome job. There were so many good ones that I had a hard time choosing. Roman was a natural, total Ham the entire time. I was proud that I didn't fall for the $500 plan, just settled on a few 8x10's and wallets.


He discovered his tongue and is sitting up on his own. He even finally rolled, but still doesn't love being on his tummy. We have a while to go before any crawling takes place.


Master typer. OK...not yet, but he did get his 1st laptop. They think of everything these days.


1st tooth! And it isn't the typical one. It is on the bottom, but one over from the middle teeth. Everything is going into the mouth, especially JoJo-Raffe.


A love for animals has begun. Roman can't get enough of his Marley. He loves watching her chase balls, eat food and go on walks. This is definitely a love that will be forever.


Loves being with kids. Whether it be friends, playgroup, nephews, Gymboree or Friday Funday he is always happy around other kids and babies and likes to observe.


Lastly, his chuckle is contagious. This video is priceless. We actually have 2 dogs in our house: Marley and The Rocking Marley.

So much has changed in this past month and I know time is just going to fly by faster and faster. This truly has been the best time of our life and we love you so much. You are our little man and nothing beats that smile that you give us every morning.

HAPPY Baby!

We have a happy baby. After Roman's 6 month check-up, the doctor really felt that something had to be affecting his fussiness. She said it just wasn't normal for babies to still be fussy at 6 months. Last week she recommended that I try stopping breastfeeding and only feed formula for a 1 week trial. I am happy to report that within 48 hours of switching over to the special formula he was a happy boy and has been all week. He is no longer wimpering in discomfort and pain throughout the entire day. I am such a happy mama and so excited that my little man has a smile on his face.

I have a new appreciation for parents that have babies with ongoing health issues. When you see your baby is unhappy, it truly breaks your heart that there isn't more you can do to help fix the problem. I was proud of myself that I remained patient, loving and comforting knowing that the fussiness would eventually end. I never thought it would take almost 7 months, but am so thankful to Jay, my family and everyone else that helped me remain positive.

When I brought Roman in for a follow-up and his doctor saw how happy he was, she said to me, "This is your baby. He is supposed to be happy and now he truly is." THANK YOU DR. SMITH.

Weekend In The OC

We just got back from The OC to celebrate Ryan's 30th Birthday. We had a great weekend in Dana Point and Roman loved his 1st trip to the beach. Here are some pics from the weekend.


Loved lunch on the pier in San Clemente.


No vacation with these 2 is complete without trying out some fruity cocktails.


The Boys relaxing with a Pacifico and some college football.


Our little waterbug LOVES going in the pool.


Ryan loved swimming with Roman.


The view from Ryan and Lauren's new house. They signed the paperwork while we were there and close this week. CONGRATS! Can't wait to visit again!


Both mornings we started out the day with an hour long walk by the beach. Can't get much better than that!


Dream Vacation Home. Just give us 5 more years. (Or a winning lotto ticket)


Roman's buddy for the weekend, Miss Hula Pie. He was in love with her.


Roman, Ryan and Hula cheering for Cal. Too bad they didn't win.


Happy Birthday Ryan! Celebrated at the St. Regis with some Strawberry Mules, delish food and amazing view.


Enjoying the beautiful sunset.


Happy Birthday Ryan! I had to include this photo since Ryan is famous for making a crazy face for every photo. We love you guys so much and had such a fun trip. The whole weekend was so much fun and filled with so much laughter. Can't wait for the next roast. Lets just hope it isn't me.

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.