So This Is How The Regular Folks Live

Last night we got a little taste of what it must be like for normal parents of infants. Around 1 a.m. I had just fallen asleep and Rooney had just woken up. It's not unusual I would be falling asleep at this time but it was a little unusual that Rooney was waking up. I went into the nursery, gave him back his pacifier & he rolled over & fell back asleep. I got into bed & 5 min later he woke up, I gave him back his pacifier, he rolled over & fell back asleep. 10 minutes later he wakes up again, this time Mike gets up & decides to feed him. We were up and down for a while last night. We changed him next & then he started screaming so we decided his gums must hurt. I tried to give him his frozen teethers, they didn't help and eventually I put Baby Orajel on his gums. This seemed to help temporarily. Mike went back to bed & I ended up rocking him to sleep. I finally got back into bed after 2.a.m.

It got a little hairy there for awhile but I finally got to go back to bed & eventually I fell back to sleep. Then 4 a.m. rolled around & Rooney woke up again. At this point last night is kind of a blur but I seem to remember putting more Orajel on his gums. I know Rooney woke up one more time around 5:30 a.m. & Mike got up this time & apparently never went back to bed. He just couldn't get back to sleep. We haven't had a night like that before. Rooney used to wake up a couple times a night but we just needed to feed him/change his diapers. At times last night he was inconsolable. It's heart wrenching.

I just knew this tooth was going to be trouble.

The Tooth, The Whole Tooth and Nothing but The Tooth

Oh this tooth!!!! Monday night after I posted Rooney seemed OK. He woke up a few times at night but nothing too troubling. I had given him a little Tylenol before he went to sleep & I think that helped. Tuesday, Mike & I had to stop by Dana and Renae's house to pick up our camera and of course everyone wanted to see & feel the tooth. This may have been our fatal flaw.

When we got home Rooney started to get a little fussy, he was tired and I think all the pressing on the tooth made it sore, so we gave him some Tylenol and put him down to go to sleep. Mike & I then put on a movie and proceeded to have to pause it about every 5min while we dealt with Roonster. He started out fussy because his gums hurt (I believe) and he ended up fussing so long that he was fussing because he was hungry. I think the appropriate thing would have been for him to let his Dad & I know he was changing reasons to fuss, but he didn't, and we were still working on the hurt gums when a house finally fell on us & we asked ourselves "When was the last time he ate"?

Anyone that has been around Rooney when he's hungry knows that he is very committed to the "every 2 hour" feeding and if it is 2:01hrs since he's last eaten he will let you know. Unfortunately for us, the two times crossed paths. Anyway, Roonster was fed & finally fell asleep while sucking his gums. It was so sweet & sad at the same time.

Tonight I made a little run to the store to make sure we were stocked up on teething supplies. You wouldn't believe all the stuff they make for teething!

I bought one of each.

The coolest item was a massaging teether which Mike declared was "cooler than anything I own".

Dropping Baby Shoes

I was mulling over ideas for a blog post today. Things have been pretty much humming along and to be honest there just wasn't anything new and exciting to write about. Well, leave it to Rooney to change that.

Tonight Mike and I discovered that Rooney popped his first tooth!!!

Am I surprised? Not really. Rooney has been a bit ahead of schedule on other things. (He is going to sit up anyday, I think.) However, I'm not sure if this tooth is the most exciting news. He sailed through this first tooth pretty smoothly but he's due for a mouthful & I'm not sure I am ready for all that teething moodiness to start. He is an easy baby and maybe we've been a bit spoiled. He's sleeping through the night, fusses when hungry or very tired & that's about it, and in general pretty fun to be around. Could all this be ruined by the teething process?

Of course I hope not but I do wonder have we had it too good for too long? Is the other baby shoe about to drop? I'll not worry. I know Mike and I are prepared for whatever this process holds for us. We appreciate what we've got and know we've had a good ride...while it lasted. And let me tell you, so far, that is the cutest little tooth I've ever seen!

The Best Laugh I Ever Heard

Is that Dad on TV?

Yesterday Rooney turned 15 weeks old. There have been alot of changes recently and I'm not just talking about his size this time. Rooney has started to look for his Momma. That feels so good. I know he recognizes me and he wants to be with me. A little precursor to the feeling for when he finally calls me Momma. I know he recognizes Mike too- at least knows kind of what he looks like. The other night there was a man on TV with short hair & glasses. Rooney saw him, smiled & started laughing. I'm pretty sure he thought this man was Mike.

It's so fun to see him interact and be interested in people (and pets). I love to get him to laugh & sometimes we laugh so much my cheeks hurt. He likes to watch the other babies at the playgroup and he has started to recognize the dogs. Courage, in particular, seems to make him smile...but not when Courage is kissing him. I think it's Courage's coloring more than anything, that's interesting to Rooney, but then again Courage does interact with him more than Rocco.

Not only is Roonster interacting with people/dogs but he is also starting to play with his toys. Dana & Renae gave us an Exersaucer and kicking toy that Felix has outgrown. Rooney seems to have really taken a liking to these toys. That Exersaucer is a parents dream. It's so nice to be able to put him in it and have him entertained while I'm hands free of Rooney. I can pull the toy into the kitchen while I put away dishes or have it in the living room while I'm folding laundry. Our living room is really starting to look like a kid lives here.

Finally, although this is not a change, it is a progression. On 01/09/06 Rooney rolled over again. We were doing tummy time and he rolled from his tummy to his back. I wasn't sure if it really counted because I thought it was supposed to be from his back to his tummy. However, the moms at the Mom's Club assured me it counted. Pretty soon Rooney will be running around, will have friends and playing with toys independently...but for now Mike & I enjoy being his only playmates.

Rooney Stalks His Fist

A major reason I started this blog was to remember certain things Rooney does, says (when he speaks) & moves. I thought I would keep a better record on the computer than if I tried to write it down in a journal. So far I think that plan had been pretty accurate. Then Mike started his R2R section on the blog.

R2R means "Rooneyisms To Remember". I thought it was a great idea. This way Mike could write the little things that he wanted to remember while Rooney grows but would not have to write a whole post about it. He was keeping up on it pretty well but then stopped updating. I would ask him about it every once in awhile and Mike would say he was having a hard time coming up with another one. So every now and then Rooney would do something and I would tell him he should write that as an "R2R".

Well, Mike hasn't updated so I decided to write about something Rooney does, that I love, and want to remember.

Since Rooney was a baby he always wanted to have something in his mouth whether it be his fist, a pacifier, a blanket, whatever. That isn't new. Something that he started doing recently is that he will attack whatever he wants in his mouth. He will pounce & then cram into his mouth. It's really cute because I can imagine a lion stalking and attacking it's prey when he does it. Except for Rooney he's stalking and attacking his dog blanket, or your finger, or his fist. We've tried to capture it on film but he too has cat like reflexes. Here is what we've captured:





As you can see we've only been able to capture the end of the hunt.

Rodney's Curse Continues

We really thought we had beaten the curse. I wrestled with the Social Security Administration then went rounds with the Department of Vital Statistics and beat both of these behemoths. I thought the worst was over.

That was until I went to the Mom's Club of Renton last Friday.

I spent 1-1/2hrs there chatting with other moms. We introduced ourselves and our kids to each other. Now, the name Rooney isn't unheard of. Most people have heard of, albeit as a last name, but it's known. However, since we used it as a first name it is a little different & it would seem to me that it would kind of stick with someone when they heard it. Well I guess not because this is the New Member email I received from the Mom's Club on Friday evening after the playdate...

"Hello Ladies,

I have some great news. We have 3 new members.

Susan Wade Birthday ??/??
My Address
My Phone #
My Email
husband Mike
Children Rodney 10/31/05..."

Can you believe it?

Rooney's New Moccasins Photo Shoot

I wanted to include pictures for my last post, but when I wrote it, I still had not taken the photos. Today Rooney and I had a little photo shoot. Here are a few of the really cute pictures.

Rooney's New Moccasins

Last night Rooney slept over at Annie, Jim & Cuyler's. This gave Mike and I a chance to go out for dinner and a movie. It was just as hard the 2nd time to be without Rooney for the night. From what Annie tells me they had a great time though. She got to cuddle him 1/2 the night & made her pampered pug, Izzy, a bit jealous.

Mike & I looked at the pictures we had of Rooney throughout the night & I felt compelled when we came home, around midnight, and work on his baby book. We had a nice night and we might be ready to do it again in a few months. Rooney's cousin Cuyler is already marking it on the calendar.

Something that is very nice with the all of my siblings having had baby boys, and mine being the youngest, is getting the hand-me-downs. Of course some of the items are a bit outdated, maybe stained & the clasps a little worn. The items are special though because you can reminisce on how cute they were on the previous wearer, remember when they were purchased & it saves you alot of loot. And the really special items are the ones that you gave originally.

A little over 9 years ago I went to Reno. Cuyler was just 6mo. old and my little cuddle bug. When I was in Reno, I was shopping for souvenirs, looking for something special to bring Cuyler back, when I found a really cute pair of moccasins. I had no clue what size he wore, eyeballed the size & decided to purchased them anyway. When I got home, I was excited to put them on him, but we discovered that the moccasins were too small for his little ball-y feet. Annie & I were pretty bummed but she really liked and she held on to them. They've gone unworn this whole time...until today.

When I picked Rooney up from Annie's, he was wearing Cuyler's little, special, unworn, moccasins...and they fit! I knew it was a good purchase 9 years ago, but I don't think I could have realized then, exactly how good of a purchase it was.

I probably saved myself $0.50!

Mom's Club

So Rooney & I did it. We went & joined the Mom's Club of Renton. It was a hard morning to start though. Rooney ended up sleeping about 11 hours straight. Mike & I kept thinking he would wake up before we went to bed, then he didn't & never woke up at night. Both Mike & I did not sleep well & both ended up checking on Roonster between 5-6 a.m.. He was breathing & we were relieved. He finally ended up waking up around 8:30 a.m. & he was dry!! I thought I would have a huge, wet mess to clean up but he was dry and all smiles.

So the morning was good for Rooney but like I said Mike & I didn't sleep well & getting up at 7:30 a.m. was hard- it was worth it though. The nursery where the group meets on Fridays is very close to our house, there were alot of moms there & a lot of babies. I wasn't sure how many kids there would be Rooney's age but the baby age ranged from 3 months to 10 months. Rooney seemed really interested in all the commotion going on (& there was alot) and interestingly enough none of the babies cried. There were a few older kids that screamed but the babies all ate & some (Rooney) fell asleep. The Mom's Club has field trips, Mom's Night Out, smaller private play-dates etc. so I think it will be something fun to do & will be nice to make more friends that live in my area.

I also got to find out some normal times lines for things babies do (i.e. sitting up, teething, etc.). In a previous post I mentioned that Rooney rolled over & that he was trying to sit up in my arms. Seems the normal time for him to sit up on his own will be around 6 months- so he has a ways to go. He may be early but I think he'll continue attempting, as he's been doing, for a while longer. Also he hasn't rolled over again since that last time I wrote about it. He rolls on his side but I think the roll to the belly may have been a fluke. Other than not getting to fully play with all the cool toys he got for Christmas, I'm OK with all this taking a bit longer. No need for him to grow up too fast.

Mommy and Me

I can't believe we didn't post about it but yesterday Rooney was offically 3 months old. Time had just flown by. I've been a little worried for when Rooney becomes more mobile. Rocco still isn't thrilled with the idea of a spazzy little thing roaming the halls. To head off anything unpleasant I decided to start implementing floor time with Rooney so Rocco can get used to the idea of the baby moving around on the floor. Pretty soon no domain will be safe for Rocco. Rocco gets very good treats when he remains relaxed & he is so food motivated I think this will work well. Floor time was fun & successful but I did have to create one crucial rule...turn off the TV!!

Rooney's eyes were glued! I hope I had something educational on at least.

Since he's been born I make sure Jerry Springer or Maury are never on... when he's awake.



I also thought it would be a good idea for Rooney, and myself, to start socializing. Friday we are going to go check out the Mom's Club of Renton. I tried very hard to get Renae and Felix to go with us but unfortunately Renae works on Fridays. I will admit I am not much of a joiner and this is a little outside my comfort zone but I think it's a good idea so we'll check it out. The Friday playdates are a little early for Rooney & I also. The 10:30 a.m. start time really conflicts with his mid-morning nap but we also agreed that maybe getting moving earlier one day a week wouldn't be so horrible.

One More Christmas Post

Being as this was Rooney's 1st Christmas there was alot I wanted to do. I wanted to get Rooney a special "Baby's First Christmas" ornament, I wanted to come up with some sort of tradition we would start now that we have a kid and I really wanted to get his picture taken with Santa. I failed on all fronts. I didn't feel too bad about the picture with Santa because I figure we have a few more good years to get the picture with Santa, before it will start to look awkward.

I should say I was feeling fine...until Dana & Renae show us the picture they had taken on Christmas Eve, of Felix, sitting on Santa's lap. It's a great picture!! The Santa doesn't look cheesy. Felix is smiling. They're both in red suits. I was jealous and I thought it was too late to get Rooney's picture taken.


Thankfully, even though it is a week after Christmas, there seems to have been just enough leftover Christmas magic and Rooney was also able to get his picture taken with ol' Saint Nick (thanks Felix).