Where does the time go?

It has been two months since I posted last and yet again I ask myself where has the time gone?

October was filled with Rohan's first trip to Minnesota.  Rohan met his girl cousins, Sydney & Chloe, and his Aunt Marnie and Uncle Brock for the first time.  Rohan was happy to see Jude and Jasper again, the first time they met Rohan was 6 weeks old.  We were able to meet up with our good friends Mike & Jeri Lommen (plus bump - due soon!) at Granite City in St. Cloud.  Rohan took a liking to them right away - we wish we lived closer.  We headed to Marnie's house and surprised Sydney and Chloe with our arrival.  It is always fun to be part of a surprise, either end of a surprise fills my heart with happiness. We ended the long day in Moorhead.  Rohan did well on the plane and on the road trip to Moorhead until the last hour - he had enough, and I didn't blame him. 

We spent the next few nights in Moorhead. We spent the days shopping, at a pumpkin patch, Hibachi restaurant, and playing at Gramma Karen and Poppa Lyles house, all of course between naps.  Saturday was Aaron's cousin Mike's wedding and in the morning we took family pictures in Karen & Lyle's backyard.  Rohan was not used to the cold weather, pink little nose was running like a faucet, but was a trooper. We were able to get great shots of the family taken by Aaron's other cousin Nate.  We were all appreciative for him coming to town early to capture the family.  Rohan stayed and played with his cousins while I met up with my girlfriends (wives of Aaron's friends) to get pedicures and hair done for the wedding.  It was a nice relaxing way to spend the day, and I didn't know it but I was going to need those moments of relaxation. 

Rohan's runny nose quickly turned into a cold.  Anyone knows that means crabby, whiny, needs as much sleep as possible baby.  He wouldn't sleep for his aunts before the wedding until they had him in the car seat in the car.  So we had to wake him up for the BIG family picture at the church, but I knew that he needed that nap desperately, so Aaron helped me whisk Rohan away to the car so he'd fall back asleep.  I drove around town and picked up some Tylenol at Karen's house to give to Rohan when he woke up. I originally did not plan on him being at the church because I knew he wouldn't last, but I knew how much it meant for other family members to see him who never do, so we went along with it.  He didn't wake up so I put his car seat on the stroller and wheeled him into the church.  As soon as we made it into the elevator he woke up, I figured he'd fall back asleep like he used to in his car seat.  Wishful thinking, but I wasn't going to take him out of the stroller until absolutely necessary.  So I was the one person in the church with my son and a stroller as my date and we only fit in the handicap pew - which was the last one to fill with guests.  I definitely got the looks like "I don't want to sit at her table at lunch" before people committed to sitting in the pew.  We were doing OK until I exhausted all the toys I had brought - and trust me I had at least 10 toys - you really can't fit many more in a diaper bag.  Rohan would throw the toys on the floor and start crying.  I took him out of the car seat trying to bounce him and that would only last for so long. I hardly got support from the ladies around me - it was evil eyes "keep your child quiet" and then finally a lady behind me started talking to Rohan in a sweet voice and I was thinking - oh thank you so much for helping me distract Rohan - until the words came out of her mouth were  - "Ohhhh...did your mom not bring any toys for you???".... This was a moment in my life where I find myself in SHOCK and wished I had really told her what I felt.  The wedding party has made it up the aisle and the organ starts playing here comes the bride - thank god everyone stood up - I made it my opportunity to walk to opposite direction down the side holding Rohan who is still crying and pushing the stroller with the other hand that is weighed down by my diaper bag.  I couldn't do anything to calm him - and of course he had just had a bottle.  So his crys are echoing through the church corridors and all I can do is join him.  If you can't beat them join them right?  At this point the wedding planner for the church came by and so nicely reminded me that children never do good at this time of day - DING DING - and we are an hour behind!  I decided this was ridiculous - I am all dressed up with my hair done, crying, while missing my cousin-in-laws wedding ceremony (who married an awesome and gorgeous bride), that my husband is a groomsman in because I choose other peoples wishes over what was best for my son.  I walked away with tears in my eyes but another lesson learned in motherhood.  Thankfully Aaron's bestfriend's mom is an angel/baby whisperer and she so graciously agreed to watch Rohan so Aaron and I could enjoy the reception - our first night away from Rohan.  She gave me a pep talk and I was back in check to make it a great night celebrating with our friends and new family!  These times are special to us because we live so far away from our friends and family. When we do travel we never have enough time to see everyone and when we do we cherish it. 

We ended the week with an awesome dinner at Jay & Jenn's house with The Marcottes.  Rohan met his new friends Ethan, Piper & Hunter and Knox & Dax.  Once again it was too short of a visit but I loved every minute of it and every bit of the food!  Jenn is an awesome cook/hostess!  Jenn & Jennifer made me realize that all moms are going through the same thing just in different ways - I can always count on them to be realistic and not sugarcoat life.  

So we left Minnesota with colds and exhausted.

November Rohan started taking steps on his own! We were so excited and every time we'd get loud and say " you can do it.." he'd drop to the floor.  About a week before he turned one he took off walking.  Little ones walking is the cutest thing.  He claps a lot, waves bye bye and waves hi and says hi.  He is still saying dada, mama, nana, baba... and babbling.  He loves the song If you are happy and you know it clap your hands. :)

Rohan's Birthday was on Thanksgiving this year, last year it was the day before, and we were surprised by my brother who flew in from Oklahoma City.  I haven't been surprised in a long time - I usually catch on but I was bummed there wouldn't be family here for  Rohan's birthday and Mike surprised me.  It was a wonderful surprise that touched my heart because he was thinking of me.  Rohan's birthday party was nice - he had little ones here to celebrate - but he didn't really care much for the cake or opening his presents - maybe next year he will be more interested.  It makes you realize that he has a good point - that isn't what it is about - its about the people he can play with and the new adventures he can get himself into - that is life.  He was ready for a nap at the end of the party and so was I.  :)

My mom has joined us in Florida and my dad arrives tomorrow after his first day of retirement!  They will be in a rental for 4 months in a community down the road from us.  It will be nice to have family close and it will be fun to see them on their journey of retirement.  JEALOUS!

December is moving along steadily and the holidays always fill the month with parties and guests.  I turn 30 in a few weeks and I am ready to see what the next year has to offer!

A first for everything....

Aaron and I experienced our first "throw up all over self and carseat" experience.  Along with adding many "feeling like a horrible parent" moments to the list.  The three of us had made it out of the house fully prepared for a day trip to the east coast of Florida to visit a good friend who was in town.  Aaron had put Rohan in a cute outfit including khaki cargo shorts (which ended up being too small and too tight).  Rohan had oatmeal and bananas with a bottle like usual, had his morning poopy diaper, and we were ready to go. While on alligator alley (90 minute ride through the everlgades on I-75 with 2 barrien exits and rest areas filled with picnic tables and trash cans underneath the hot Florida sun along a canal full of alligators) I kept getting a whiff of baby spit up that would come and go. I couldn't justify it because Rohan didn't make any sounds like he had spit up and he had been sleeping for quite some time.  I thought I must be crazy and must be smelling the peels from our bananas we ate.  I finally mentioned something to Aaron (at this point we were about 15-20 minutes from the hotel our friends were staying at).  Aaron said I should take a look at Rohan if I was worried about it.  I could not believe my eyes when I leaned over the front seat to take a look at Rohan in his car seat.  He had dried oatmeal and bananas all over him.  The only comfort (if you can call it comfort) in this was Rohan was sleeping so it must not have bothered him too much???  For heavens sake.  Soon after this Rohan did wake up and we pulled to the nearest roadside stop.  Aaron took Rohan and cleaned him off and I took on the carseat.  Normally I use gloves (at work) for jobs that involve emesis but I did not have a choice (it was do or die, my child had to sit in a cleaner car seat) and it was my child's puke (somehow I tried to tell myself it wasn't as bad??).  So there we were at a reststop on alligator alley (feels like the middle of nowhere) cleaning up throw-up.  I think Aaron and I were more disturbed than Rohan.  He got through it with smiles and giggles.  After debriefing in the car Aaron admited that Rohan's shorts were probably too tight for him (12  months).  As prepared as we thought we were you are never prepared for that.  One outfit less, an empty wet ones container, a cleaner car seat and baby with new outfit we were on our way to meet our friends. 

Thankfully car seat covers come off.  It is ironic (chalk this up to being a bad mother) it takes throw-up for me to figure out how to take the carseat cover off and wash it.  Rohan will be in his big boy (convertible) car seat in a couple weeks (after our MN trip) and his baby carseat now looks brand new all from one trip in the washing machine. 

***Rohan was immediately bathed at the hotel****

Ten months and counting....

Was it really ten months ago Rohan was born into our lives?  It is cliche but it does go fast.  I couldn't imagine the day Rohan would be crawling or babbling while I was sleep deprived feeling like I had lost my identity.  Now he is clapping, saying dada, baba, mama, nana, still drooling at times because now he has 8 teeth (some are just peaking through - but that counts!) and learning more and more everyday.  It is amazing what he remembers and what he picks up on.  Gone gone gone are the days he would eat sleep poop.  We can't get enough of his giggles and love love love when he starts laughing because we are laughing - it's the best. I am coming to terms with always wondering if he should be doing something more or when he will do the "bye bye" wave or blow kisses.  He does everything on his own time.  As soon as we give up on trying to show someone that he claps he will do it right before they say goodbye.  If anything he gets that from me - doesn't like to be told what to do.  I can't wait to see what his stats are at his one year appointment.  We had a play date last week and Rohan was babbling back and forth with his new girl friend Alexandra (8 months) - it was the cutest thing.  It's the first time I've seen him "communicate" with someone his own age.  Adorable.  Holidays are approaching and I'm still trying to figure out where to put our Xmas tree and what to do with it so Rohan doesn't climb it. 

Giggle Butt

The other day Rohan came home from daycare and I kept looking at his shirt thinking that something was different about it.  I finally realized it was on backwards.  Aaron had sent him daycare in a backwards outfit.  ha!  No harm done.  That evening we were feeding him dinner and he got the giggles so we had to capture it on video.  :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cXwHi7hsno

Dancing in September....

Next week Rohan turns 10 months.  2 months from becoming a 1 year old little boy.  I cannot believe it.  As I look back I feel like this past 10 months was almost like pregnancy.  There were parts that seemed in slow-mo and we would never get past and other months just flew by.  A dear friend told me that the first year is a roller coaster ride because of all the different changes a baby goes through.  She was not kidding.  Aaron and I feel like we have finally found a routine, 10 months later, between work, daycare, my schoolwork, and parental life.  Now we just have to add a couple date nights in the mix.  We have found a trusty babysitter and we cannot wait to use her!

Rohan has started eating a few more chunky foods but is not keen on any table foods.  Sometimes I think he could live off puffs. I am trying not to get discouraged and follow his lead.  Our next task is to start weaning him off formula and starting him on whole milk.  He has mastered the sippy cup with handles so we just need to introduce a cup.  Meal time tends to end up on his hands, face and in his eyebrows which can be pretty gross but oh so cute at the same time.  He is getting his incisor teeth in and he will have a total of 6 teeth! I will have to brush up on the anatomy of the teeth pretty soon!

Rohan sleeps through the night with an occasional wake up nothing a diaper change or small bottle before daycare doesn't cure.  Thankfully we haven't experienced the night terrors anymore. We did decide to allow Rohan to cry himself to sleep and soothe himself.  There are some nights the bottle knocks him out and other nights he whimpers for no more than 10 minutes and he's out for the night.  This is what works for Aaron and I.  I know not everyone agrees but we will just have to agree to disagree.  It can be hard to listen to him cry but we never leave him crying for more than 30 minutes.  If he is still crying at the 30 minutes we go in and take him out and comfort him. 

Daycare is going great.  Aaron reported yesterday that Rohan was banging on another babies crib who was sleeping.  The teacher came over to him and said "did you do that?" and she said she swore he said "I did it" back.  Ha! At least he is honest.  He also babbles to himself in the mirror.  :)  Last night Aaron was making dinner and I told Rohan to say "Hi Daddy" and he did! I think he is finally connecting who "dada" is and it is sounding more like "dadee" now.  I'd love to know what is going on in that big brain of his.  He is often cruising around the floor with a book under one hand (sliding) and a toy in the other hand.  We hear "swoosh" "klop" "swoosh" "klop" - it sure is the cutest. 

Rohan is still growing and is now wearing 18 month clothes! Looking forward to seeing his 12 month stats at his checkup.  We had "9 month" pictures taken last night, even though he is closer to 10 months, and he did great.  I think we pushed him to his maximum model capacity because he shut his eyes as soon as we got in the car.  We look forward to seeing the pictures - we took a few family pictures too!

I get asked a lot "are you ready for the next one?".  I find myself instantly saying no.  A part of me cannot imagine going through the baby stage again while taking care of Rohan at the same time - how do people do it?  That is the question I have asked since day one.  How do people do this?  The answer is - they just do it.  The group of people out there that is surrounded by family is quite lucky.  We will get a taste of that when my parents are down here for four  months during the winter.  I would love Rohan to have a sibling. I treasure my relationship with my brother so dearly. Although we fought a lot about stupid things I can't imagine my life without him.  In order for another little Sustad to join us in this world I feel I need to be finished with my Masters.  Not to mention daycare is pricey enough with one! I look forward to what our future brings!

Halloween is just around the corner and we cannot wait for Rohan to have his first Halloween!

I will end this post with saying how thankful I am for Aaron as my husband and Rohan's father.  He does more than enough and I would not be able to get through school without all of his help and love!

Blow-out on the go.

Today I had my first experience with a blowout on the go.  Rohan was laying on his belly and I noticed something brown was on his back. ewwww it's poop!  Of course when I wanted him to stay still he was all over the place.  I stripped him down in the middle of the kitchen just hoping he doesn't lay on his back.  As I pulled off his full diaper and Rohan was off and running full of giggles! I quickly started the bath and wiped off as much poop and now it was bath time!  Everyday is a new experience! His giggles definitely lighten the mood! :)

Michigan Trip

We had the most beautiful Michigan weather we could have imagined.  I think it rained once or twice and it was at night! We spent most of our time up north in Frankfort, Michigan at the MacKenzie family cottage.  We were a day behind due to Rohan getting sick the morning we were to depart. Aaron and I both agreed that it was one of the first vacations that didn't seem to fly by and we enjoyed every moment of it.  This was probably because we are ALWAYS on the go when we are visiting family.  It was nice to stay in one place. 

Saturday morning we flew into Detroit.  Rohan did very considering he wasn't feeling well.  He slept for most of it and was a little whiny on the descent, but we were in the back of the plane with other families so it kept him distracted.  We picked up our rental vehicle, which seemed like eternity, (note to self: always sign up for the fast lane at any of those,its not worth waiting in line) and we headed to East Lansing.  Rohan started crawling and moving his legs at my parents house and was finally starting to look like he was back to normal.  Soon after we headed up north, three hours, to Frankfort and the family cottage.  We celebrated my mom's birthday, my parents anniversary, and my moms retirement at The Manitou.  We celebrated with Rohan's Uncle Mike, Nana Jules, Poppa John, Great Grandma Mary Ann, Great Aunt Mary Ellen, Great Aunt Judy, Great Uncle Larry, and his cousins Colleen, Jeff & little Eleanor.  It was prime witching hour for the little ones but we got through it and had to leave shortly after the Rohan Birthday Song was sung. 

Sunday, Aaron woke up early to play Arcadia Bluffs with Mike.  I headed into town with Rohan to hang out with my parents for breakfast.  Rohan enjoyed playing with "new toys" Nana and Poppa had for him.  He was a crawling maniac.  Aaron, Rohan and I took a walk into town and along the marina - the weather was awesome. We enjoyed the beach and boat rides.  Rohan took his first boat ride and fell asleep.   We finished the day with a dinner at the Cherry Hut.

Monday we headed to Interlochen to meet up with our friends the Kitzmillers.  Rohan met his girlfriends Kasen & Eden - it was just too cute.  We headed into Traverse City and had a great lunch and a wonderful tour of the town narrated by Kyle.  I randomly ran into a friend from high school in the middle of a crosswalk too.  We realized we were holding up traffic and no one even honked at us! What a nice northern Michigan town. :) The whole gang met up at the cottage and the night concluded with more boat rides and Rohan entertaining the crowd.  Rohan wanted to console Eleanor every time she cried it was so cute. I thought he was going to crawl up Colleen's leg to get to her. 

Tuesday we had a relaxing day at the beach.  Aaron and Rohan had fun floating in the motorboat tube.  We headed back to Traverse City for dinner and to pick up Mike who was flying back from a business meeting in Chicago. 

Wednesday we headed back to East Lansing to regroup.  Aaron and I had a dinner date at Noodles and Company (we don't have one in Fort Myers). 

Thursday we headed to see Janies new house near Detroit. Grabbed lunch at Mongolian BBQ (Aaron's favorite) and did some GO BLUE shopping in Ann Arbor.  We stayed the airport hotel that night because we had an early flight home.  Rohan was not happy we were going home and stayed up almost all night.  So we were a tired pair when we got home. 

We cannot wait for my parents to be down in Florida for four months this winter season.  Rohan is going to enjoy having them close.  It will be a new adventure for all of us. 

August Fogust

I'm typing Rohan's August update and I see that it is already August 20th! Once again the month is passing in a blink of an eyes.  August has been filled with highs and lows - but that's what Rohan's Ride is all about, right? 

August started out with Nana Jules coming to visit for a long weekend to visit with Rohan (of course) and to look for a seasonal rental.  We are thrilled and looking forward to my parents staying in Fort Myers for a few months during the winter season.  Rohan will be one when they come down (crazy to think about!) and he will be up for all the new adventures with Poppa John and Nana Jules.  Rohan will continue to go to daycare (he loves it - and it wears him out).  They will just be here to enjoy their retirement and spend time with Rohan (and Aaron and I) as they please.  Don't get me wrong I'm sure there will be times we would love for them to spend alone time with Rohan so Aaron and I can see more of each other or get things done, that's what four extra hands are for, right?

Rohan was just getting over a viral rash (most likely from daycare) when my mom came to stay. But that didn't stop him from having a raspberry war with Nana Jules.  They were both covered in spit but with big smiles on their faces.  Unfortunately he continued to do this after she left especially when he was eating and Aaron and I needed raincoats when feeding him! Rohan showed Nana Jules how he crawls everywhere and pulls himself up on anything he can get his hands on. 

Rohan's started to eat chunkier baby food but if it's too chunky he pockets it in his cheeks and he spits it out.  So we've pulled back from the real chunky food (which really isn't REALLY chunky).  They go at their own pace I hear, and he's showing us that is true.  He is eating puffs like a mad man and got the hang of the cheddar puffs (they look sort of like puffed up Cheetos).  When we first gave him these he was coughing on them but now with his two top teeth and two bottom teeth he can bite down on them.  His facial expressions are priceless when we first starts eating.  It is like you can tell he's thinking about it.  "Do I like this or not?" 

Getting ready for Rohan's second plane ride to Michigan seemed like another great feat.  But I took some tips from other traveling moms and I put all of his outfits in Ziploc bags! I got more than enough travel items for him - I even found disposable bibs! I thought these would be easier than bringing our waterproof/washable bibs for eating meals.  (And it was!) The night before we took off I went to check in and noticed our flight was delayed already.  There was a mechanical problem and Delta was using a new aircraft that was coming in from Detroit.  So we took it as we had longer to sleep!  Rohan slept 10 hours that night.  He usually sleeps a good 8 hours sometimes 8.5-9 hours . We figured wow that's great.  But we found him waking up whining unlike he usually does he was just laying in his crib not moving.  We got him up and gave him a bottle and he just sat there.  Rohan is a wiggle worm and squirms out of almost everything.  As soon as you put him on the floor he's off and crawling and into something.  I thought it was unusual he was SO chill.  Every time we put him on the floor he whined and cried.  We thought he was just waking up - taking forever too.  I told Aaron he wasn't even trying to crawl.  We tried over and over again to get him to crawl and he would either just plop down on the ground or get frustrated.  After multiple tries we both got worried because we knew something was wrong we just didn't know what.  We had taken his temperature when I was feeding him because he felt warm but it was 98.9.  Fever or infection was the last thing on my mind.  We called the nurse line and after her triage she said he needed to be seen within four hours.  We had 45 minutes until the pediatrician office was open and that didn't guarantee he'd be seen.  After talking with my parents they suggested to take him to the ER.  Being a nurse I wouldn't bring him to the ER if I wasn't concerned enough because I know that ER's are usually packed and can be full of people who could go to their doctor if needed. 

We live less than a mile from the children's hospital so we headed that way.  Surprisingly the waiting room was basically empty.  Our ER trip lasted about 1 hour.  Started with vitals taken: 24 lbs, 99.9 temp rectally, 135 pulse (normal), 100% oxygen saturation, and a crying baby.  The nurse in triage looked at me like I was crazy.  (Side note: Children's ER triage wasn't open on Fridays for some reason so the techs weren't used to infants) Rohan's reason to be seen: Weakness.  I felt as though a big explanation needed to come along with it because it is completely out of his normal.  (Our pediatrician always tells us if he isn't acting his normal to call)  We were finally brought back into a room and when the doctor came in he was playing hide and seek with Rohan (of course now Rohan perks up). He listens to his lungs, he puts him on the bed to see if he holds himself up (he did this time but didn't crawl), and the doctor tells me he is fine and we are expecting too much out of him.  He said at his age I shouldn't expect him to be crawling some babies don't crawl till later and Rohan is appropriate for his age and that he knows that because he saw him playing with me before he came into the room (I was singing Old MacDonald to him to keep him distracted and happy) - my fault.  I explained to him this wasn't his normal behavior.  He replied we can't jump on everything, just because he sneezes does not mean he has pneumonia.  I couldn't believe he didn't do any blood work - nothing.  Treated us like we were ridiculous for bringing him in. 

Meanwhile we had made an appointment at the pediatricians office in the afternoon.  Oh and we've missed our flight by this time - rightfully so.  The nurse at the office was shocked the ER didn't do any blood work - and nothing to make us feel OK with his behavior.  Finally the Pediatrician we saw explained that when babies feel so icky and tired from a virus they become so weak.  Just like adults do but we can express that in words.  Babies become floppy.  Blood work was done and results were normal-viral with an O.K. to fly from the doctor.  We kept him hydrated with only bottles all day, he wasn't in the mood for anything else.  Rohan slept, took a bottle and went back to sleep, it felt like we had a newborn that day.  It also felt like we had gone backwards.  Bright spot among all this - at the doctors office Rohan was looking at himself in the mirror and started clapping! I'm thinking you start clapping the day you stop crawling??? How does this work - what a RIDE!

We were not sure what to do about vacation - stay or go - but we decided to go for it and we were happy that we did.  We got out on another flight the next morning.  We had a few rough nights, but by the end of the vacation Rohan was back to his normal happy self.  Rohan was back to crawling Saturday afternoon at Nana Jules house and it was like the first time we saw him crawl all over again.  We would have kicked ourselves for staying in Florida. 

Rohan gave us a scare, thankfully it was not a big deal, but he sure did get our emotions running. 

Vacation post coming soon.....

July Update

Once again I've gotten lost in life with a now 8 month old (omg!), work, school and family time.  I am almost done with my class and I cannot wait for the two weeks off!  It's amazing what can happen in a month!

Rohan's top teeth are FINALLY popping out!  It's seem like a lifetime.  Over the last couple days the left tooth has shown through the skin and the right one is on its way!  We had a rough night but thankfully I didn't have to work the next day so I stayed up with Rohan while he played for two hours before Aaron took him to daycare at 6 am. You have tried more foods and we just bought some baby food that has turkey and chicken in it and you seem to be liking everything so far.  I am thrilled, Aaron doesn't always like what he feeds you but he is still feeding it to you so I have to be grateful for that.  I hope Rohan is not a picky eater! With his top teeth showing came babble (Finally!) I tried not to worry about it but I was worried he wasn't babbling at the right time, but all of a sudden he started babbling. He does make dada sounds now and baba gaga sounds it's super cute.  Can't wait to hear more! :)

I can proudly say Rohan has been sleeping LONGER at night! (I hope I'm not jinxing myself again) Unfortunatley he is falling asleep with a bottle but I am ok with that because he sleeps longer. The one thing I have learned about Rohan is that as soon as we get comfortable with one thing he does a switcharoo on us.  Last night we got home after dinner and grocery shopping a little later than he usually goes down for bed but we hoped it would mean he'd sleep later and he did sleep a little later but Aaron said Rohan was tossing for a good hour before he finally woke up.  Aaron has got Rohan into a routine where once he wakes up he takes a bottle and he will go back to sleep but only if we are lying with him on the couch or in our bed.  I've mentioned before I try not to sleep with Rohan because I can't sleep when I do but so he doesn't get used to it.  I fell into the trap and this morning I brought him into bed as Aaron left for work and Rohan slept for an hour and a half and I slept for 25 minutes.  ha!  With the longer stretches at night I am feeling more put together and I feel like I can think straight these days... at least in the morning. 

Rohan is off and crawling now and is on to pulling himself up on the coffee table, couch, bouncer, anything he can grab on to. And when you come after him while he is crawling he picks up his pace it is too funny. The last couple days he brings toys with him while he crawls so he limps a bit because they get in the way but he's got a tight hold on them.  He is still enjoying daycare.  He got a viral rash from daycare and Aaron had to pick him up to get a doctors note that he wasn't contagious.  Poor little guy didn't even itch it and it was all over his body.  I was at work worrying to death about him and the rash and I come home to a smiley happy boy and that just melted my heart. 

Rohan started swimming lessons last week and it went well.  He loved watching all the other kids splash around.  He is the youngest so he can't do too much yet and thirty minutes definitely wears him out so he sleeps on the way home.  I did get encouragement from other moms in the class that they took their kids when they were his age and they love the water now so I hope that's the case.  The class after us had 2 kids in it and one of them screamed at the top of his lungs in the water while his dad watched.  Aaron said he didn't see the kid on wednesday.  I don't even hope that Rohan becomes a swimmer just that he feels comfortable in the water and knows how to swim. 

We had an early birthday surprise party for Aaron with our friends and his coworkers. It was nice to have people over and hang out.  We probably don't do that enough.  Somehow it worked out almost everyone could get together on the same day.  Amazing! 

We are gearing up for Rohan's second flight (to Michigan)!  I am a little more apprehensive about this flight since Rohan is used to crawling but we've done it and at least have some idea of what all we need and how it will go.  We have a seat for him again and his carseat. We are also starting to plan our trip to Minnesota in the fall.  I'm excited for Rohan to see different parts of the country and our family and friends at such a little age!

Update

I am not sure where the time has gone since I last posted! (May 17th eeek!).  I suppose it's been filled with teething, drool, teething gel, Tylenol, school projects, six month checkup & shots, work, daycare, preparation for first flight with Rohan, Aaron's parents visiting, and maintaining sanity. 

Teeth & EatingWe thought Rohan's top teeth were coming in but they haven't appeared yet! I thought they would just POP down one day, but apparently it's going to be a long drawn out process - why not?  We are used to Rohan have his two little "chicklets", as the pediatrician referenced them, instead of all gums.  We started brushing his two teeth now and he cooperates pretty well with it.  He is still eating cereal and has tried veggies and fruits - he wasn't a fan of pears so much.  We have added a third meal to Rohan's day, and it seems to help make the bottle last longer (duh?) He is a messy eater, but aren't most infants??? It is the one time in your life you can get away with it.  Well I guess there are some adults who still get away with it.  ha!

Sleeping
I felt like we were the only parents in America who have a 7 month old who isn't sleeping through the night, but then I saw postings on some facebook blogs that indicate there are a few others out there.  As our pediatrician told us some grow out of it and some don't.  We can try the cry it out method (I can hear the shrieks and dirty looks already) or the water bottle at night methods.  Of course there are tons more sleep methods that I tried with Rohan earlier on and he still woke up for that 2-3am feeding.  Aaron wakes up with Rohan every night  - he's superman.  It is interesting to see the surprised reactions when people find out Aaron is getting up with Rohan in the middle of the night and not me. Of course I am a horrible mother, but dad's can do this job too.  Unfortunately my job is a little more important in the grand scheme of things as far as other peoples lives in my hand.  I wouldn't want a nurse that was up with a baby and is lacking sleep.  Would you?  Ok enough defense on my part.  But Aaron is just better sleeping less hours, my body is a waste on little sleep. Prior to the grandparents visit, Rohan was falling asleep without the bottle. All of a sudden he was over that and will not fall asleep without the night time bottle.  The last couple nights we have tried to cut out the bottle at 1-2am.  I am off school this week and have 3 days off in a row so I figured it would be good a time to try it out. The first night we tried Rohan slept 8.5 hours - woke up around 130am and I gave him his binky and he went back to sleep.  The second night he woke up, I changed his diaper, and let him whine it out - lasted about 10 minutes and he slept till 530 - took a bottle and slept till 830am.  The third night he woke up around the same time, I changed his diaper, popped in the binky and he turned over to sleep.  Not a minute later as I am snuggled into bed thinking we conquered the night feeding - he starts to cry.  This time it lasted about 20 -30 minutes at which point Aaron was ready to give in and feed him.  Once he was outspoken with his frustration (because we all know 20 min of crying seems like 3 hours of crying), Rohan didn't make a peep and slept until 630am! From what I have read online people have had 2-3 hours of crying so I will take the 20-30 min.  I am a little scared to see what happens tonight.  I was reminded we are almost half way through a week of doing this so we have to be making some headway (I hope!).  In conclusion, we don't have the perfect sleeping baby that all parents long for and I am sure that is part Rohan and part our fault. Life goes on right? 

Play
Rohan is moving more than ever.  He's rolling over and over, getting up on his hands and knees, he does what looks like is going to be a pushup, he turns himself around on his hands and knees, and he rocks back and forth, he just hasn't taken off yet.  But I'm sure it will happen when we aren't looking.  Eeek!  He loves the exersaucer (not sure if this is the correct terminology) where he can stand and bounce - his legs get going and he is all smiles.  It's been so fun to see him hold toys and try to eat them (of course!), he is moving objects back and forth from each hand and picking up toys like a pro.  He loves to pick up books and turn them over and open and close the first page.  We found that he loves to play with tags - the tag on the boppy was the coolest thing to him for a while.  His Aunt Veronica and Uncle Donny got him a stuffed football with tags all over it that he loves.  Last but not least he still loves his Sophie giraffe that Aaron loves to call Geoffery.  ha!  Rohan is loving daycare and loves being around other kids. 

First Flight
Rohan took his first flight with his own seat (in his carseat) while getting his own skymiles! He was really great on the flights.  The flight there he woke up mid flight so we took him out and played with him, I stood up with hiim for a little bit for a change of scenery.  We were in the bulkhead so of course everyone was staring at us - but I was happy they weren't staring at us because he was crying his eyes out.  We gave him a bottle and a binky on the way up and way down.  On the descent he was whining and we started sweating thinking he was going to lose it.  It felt like the plane was never going to land.  But as soon as we landed he was asleep.  The family behind us commented that he did really well - so we were proud parents and fliers! On the way home we were in the last row of the plane amongst other families with kids.  He fell asleep on the way up in the air and slept all the way until we landed!  There was horrible turbulence and he didn't make a peep!  It was pretty amazing.  As we were waiting to deplane another mom with 3 boys commented on how their little ones would scream on the plane and they would sweat through their clothes.  So I am hoping Rohan is a good flier for our next flights this year, I hope that wasn't our only good flight. 

Packing for a flight is a whole other blog.  The space for parental items got smaller and smaller because of the "might need" items! Thankfully we did buy Rohan a ticket so we had more space.  We will never fly without his own seat - I really don't know how people do it.  Well I can if they have easy babes.  

Rohan is now 7 months old and it is crazy to think he is over half way to one year!  eeek!  He continues to make us smile and laugh everyday!

Here are a few shots from his 6 month pictures. 

Show me your teeth

After a few rough nights Rohan's first tooth came through on his bottom gums!  It is so cute!  The only thing we have found to help is Tylenol and all-natural teething tablets (thank god for a friend who gave us some of theirs).  Unfortunately the tooth right next to this one is also coming through so we are in for a couople more rough nights and fussy moments.  Poor guy, it must really hurt -eek!  The pictures below are not fantastic but if you look close you can see a little white speck of tooth!  When we sing to him the lady gaga song "Show me your teeth", he giggles enough so you can see his tooth and a half. :) 

We are so blessed to have a giggly happy baby.  His fussy moments can be extreme, exhausting and frustrating, but when he flashes that smile it changes everything.  So by the text book we do not have an easy baby (got that question a lot when he was first born), but we don't have a difficult baby either.  And in between it all he laughs at our silly songs and silly voices and finds his environment funny.  I told Aaron I think he gets his laughing from me - he agreed.  I now know the love that people try to explain between a parent and a child that fills your heart, it is extraordinary. 

Rohan the food critic :)

Rohan started vegetables a week ago!  Like all other baby advice - everyone says something different.  So I went with the color veggie plan.  Start with orange or yellow veggies first, then green, then fruit.  What veggies are yellow?  Some may start with the everyday carrots, but since this is our first child I decided to start with Roasted Butternut Squash made by Sprout (Tyler Florence's Organic Baby Food Company).  Let me tell you - it smelled good.  And really that should be what babies eat, something we would eat too!  Being a naive parent I got one packet of this squash which was good for two sittings I found.  Well once my brainfart went away and I realized that we need to introduce one veggie at a time for one week and we were already out of it.  It was a Monday evening, Rohan was heading to daycare in the morning and I couldn't fathom giving him a new veggie the next day - what if he had reaction - we wouldn't know what veggie it was from and I would be a horrible mother.  All of us got in the car, because car rides are never a bad thing for a little one, and we headed to Ada's Whole Foods store where I purchased this wide variety of baby food.  Closed.  Shite.  I headed to Target knowing they didn't have the brand but hoping I would find other organic squash, and I did.  Mission accomplished.  I am not a bad mother! Quick recovery.  Rohan has done great with the squash - it is quite a trip to feed him.  I think we had one meal that I could say wasn't messy, even though it was all over his face.  Every time I end up laughing because he is just too cute.  He takes the spoon and tries to feed himself.  We have been giving him a sippy cup after to wash out his mouth, and to get used to the feel of a sippy cup - he's done well and likes to hold it. 

This week on the menu is Carrots!  What I hope for Rohan is that he tries lots of foods and enjoys all different kinds of foods, not just American food.  It is amazing the amount of great food out there that people are missing out on.  Hopefully Rohan will teach his daddy this too!  :)  Speaking of Aaron, he seemed interested in trying to make baby food at home - I told him he could take that on and would be awesome.  Baby Chef Aaron. 

Family Time

Monday we had lunch at Fort Myers Beach with Judy & Larry (my aunt and uncle).  They drove from Ft Lauderdale area.  The last time they saw Rohan he was almost 3 months old.  Besides the fact that he was being a pooper because he is teething now - it was fun to see how he interacts and grabs now.  Judy even got her hair tugged on.  We live so close to the beach but try to stay away during season because of all the traffic and lack of parking.  For a monday in May the beach was busy, but the traffic was not bad. 

Rohan loves seeing Judy & Larry because they have all the time in the world to devote to him (unlike his parents who have chores to do at home).  But Rohan was act shy for once and I could not tell if it was teething, tiredness, or just shy.  As soon as we got home and put him in his crib to chill he started doing raspberries which we all tried to get him to do on the spot at lunch.  Maybe it was overload and he just wanted us out of his faces. haha. 

We live so far away from our families that when we do get to see family down here we cherish it.  Aaron's aunt and uncle, Myrna & Miland, live in Bonita Springs (20 min south of Fort Myers), and we get to see them when they are down during the winter.