March--out like a lion

I really can't believe it's the last day of March today. For my Nebraska friends and family, Ohio weather isn't any better than in Nebraska. It is windy and cold and there is snow on the ground here today. I was hoping for March to go "out like a lamb" as I remember learning about in kindergarten, but it isn't that way this year. The past few weeks we have been transitioning bedrooms. Ethan painted Rory's room "breezy blue" (sorry, I forgot to post a pic but will do so when Rory's furniture is in there). Taya got a new big girl bed and nightstand (dresser coming later). Her bed is an actual twin bed with a trundle underneath so we hope she'll like it for years to come! Rory has outgrown the co-sleeper so we moved the crib into our room so we could set up Taya's new furniture. In another month or so we'll move Rory into his own room but I'm just not ready yet :(. So far Taya is doing really well in her new bed; she usually gets up 1-2 times after we put her down and the first few nights she would wake Ethan up to go potty in the middle of the night. Even though she had freedom in the other bed, I think the change made her want to get up. She has yet to fall out of the new bed though!

With the slightly warmer weather, we still try to get out on our walks. Both kids fell asleep one weekend afternoon.

Rory rolled over for the first time last Thursday 3-24-11. I was so happy to be home that day and can't believe what a growing boy he is! He hasn't rolled over since then but I was a proud mom that day.

Taya's new favorite show is "Angelina Ballerina" on PBS. Last weekend she wanted to wear her tutu. She wore it all day Sunday and has fun doing spins and jumps.

Rory just giving mom some smiles. I get those smiles a lot!!! He actually smiles like that at anyone who will talk to him.

Monday afternoon I let Taya watch one of her shows and set Rory up in the bumbo. At one point Taya was just sitting by him with her arms around him and later she decided to read to him.

Rory had his 4 month check up (complete with 4 shots) on Monday the 28th.

Weight-20 lbs 4 oz

Height-27.5 inches

Head circumference-17.5 inches He was such a good boy and wasn't very fussy, even after all those shots. I just got some extra cuddles and he slept a little extra. He was even a good boy the following days at daycare, no tylenol required!

Fun times

Yay for spring, it's finally here! We have enjoyed a few nicer days which has really improved my mood! The kids have been very fun the past few weeks and are really growing up quickly. It makes me sad because I feel like time is flying by but it's also such a joy to see them develop. I have quite a few pictures so will try to recap our life as I put captions with the pictures.

Miss Nima...poor dog hardly gets any mom attention anymore but she is still a sweet dog and is happy to be able to go on walks again and go to the bathroom without freezing :). Her hair is getting long and her bangs hang in her eyes (she looks like a mini sheep dog) so I tried putting a ponytail in. It was cute but I got it a little tight so it didn't last long.
Ahhhh, Mr. Rory. Where do I start with him? I LOVE HIM!!!!! He is such a joy. He is working on rolling over. None of us can pass by him without talking to him and we get the biggest smiles in return. He has his fingers in his mouth a lot and is drooling a lot so I think teething has begun. I remember saying that about Taya when she was three months old but she didn't get her first tooth until around 6 months. Rory is almost 4 months now so maybe we'll see those teeth soon.

I love those blue eyes!

This is what the girls at daycare suggested for doing Rory's tummy time. They said he does well with it there so I set up a mirror in the living room so he can look at himself. He does enjoy it for short amounts of time. I had lots of fun taking pictures of him in the mirror (as you will see).

A glimpse of that smile!

Now the Bumbo. I have about 5-6 activities that I rotate through the day when we're home...tummy time, floor time on the back, Bumbo, exersaucer, bouncy chair, and high chair.

The flash made this picture kind of strange but I liked it anyway...

Now the high chair. We got it back out this week so Rory could sit with us at the table and for a little different way to sit up. He really likes it and can grab his toys and chew on them easily.

Miss Taya...such a ball of energy. If I could bottle it up, I would makes millions selling it! She had a St. Patrick's Day party at school and she was so excited. I was trying to take a pictures of her in her green shirt but she wouldn't stand still. She was running and singing. She now has a new favorite show "Angenlina Ballerina" on PBS. She does more dancing since watching the show. Ethan and I are happy to have a new show to rotate in with Mickey Mouse ;).

I finally decided just to take a picture of her. She really wanted to wear a skirt to her party but before we left she said her pull-up was "getting" her. I realized her skirt (size 2T) was too tight. She picked out brown pants instead.

We had a playdate at the zoo on Saturday with friends Jackson and Henry. It was Rory's first trip. He slept most of the time but I got a shot with him awake. In this picture he is watching Jackson and Taya run away from us; I wonder if he was wishing he could too?

Jackson and Taya checking out the tiger. Taya really wanted to see a zebra and the monkeys. They don't have a zebra and the monkey's aren't out for the season yet. We ended up seeing an elephant, bears, tiger, and the aquarium.

Taya likes to sing and play with Rory. Rory just watches and smiles; he loves his big sister.

She was singing "Row Row Row Your Boat". Rory had a huge smile on his face.

She is doing a rowing motion during her song.

LOVE my sweet pea...

If you can't tell, I love my kids! I'm starting to feel pretty old sometimes (they really wear me out!) but I wouldn't trade them for anything.

I hope this finds you feeling as blessed as I do. Happy Spring!

Omi and Papa's visit

Hello to all!
We hosted Omi and Papa just over a week ago and we enjoyed their visit. Taya especially enjoyed having guests so she could show off and entertain. This was also Rory's first time meeting his Omi and Papa so that was very special. We didn't really do anything but hopefully they will come back and we can do some sight-seeing.

My pictures are out of order, oops, but here you go...
Dad got some Rory cuddle time last night.

Last Sunday we hosted friends Chris and Sheelah and Ethan's boss, Dan, for dinner and to watch the OSU v. Wisconsin basketball game. I made my first attempt at homemade runzas and they were a hit!

Sheelah works for a publishing company and brought the kids some books, which was so sweet. Unfortunately, Chris suffered an injury by getting a book thrown at his nose. Taya felt really bad so insisted he have a Dora band-aid and ice.

And proof Omi and Papa were here... :)

Rory's first day of daycare was Feb. 28. We visited the Friday before so I could meet the staff in the infant room and see how the day goes there. I didn't think I'd have trouble sending Rory there since I've gone through this with Taya. I was wrong! When we got home, I felt like a terrible mother and shed some tears. Luckily, by Monday I was feeling ok about it again and Rory had a great first day! I'm sure he loves the stimulation and activity because he loves to be talked to. He slept 8 hours that night! He also slept 9 hours after his 3rd day there. He is taking the bottle without problems. So far his favorite "new" toy is the jumparoo. We don't have one of those (we have an exersaucer) so it's fun for him to do something different.

Taya likes having Rory go to school with her. It's much easier to get her out of the house. She is still doing lots of singing and makes up her words to common tunes. She'll sing about baby Rory or mom and dad to the tune of 'Old McDonald' or 'Row Row Row Your Boat'. It's very entertaining. She's also been playing a lot in her kitchen.

That's all from here. We are very anxious for spring!