Dag! No Trip to Bahamas!

What, you ask, could POSSIBLY keep us from a trip to a beautiful Carribean island?

On Wednesday night, Ollie started running a fever.

Even though he was fever-free a good 12 hours before our flight was to leave on Friday at noon-ish, we decided to make the hard call to stay home. We just didn't feel good about putting him in the germy plane if his immune system was down, especially after the whole RSV episode in January.

Thank God for trip insurance. Best $22 I ever spent! :-)

So, long story short, we're here in NC. And to add insult to injury, it is POURING RAIN. Well, we need the rain because of last year's drought, but it isn't helping my spirits at all! I am so disappointed...I haven't seen my dad in a few years and some of my aunts and uncles I haven't seen in six, seven, even 10 years.

And, hello, it was the Bahamas!

Sigh.

But it was the right choice to make--even if it was no fun making it.

The good news is: Ollie bounced right back and didn't get any worse. Today, he's feeling fine. So there's always a silver lining, I suppose.

Bahamas -- Or Bust!

We leave in TWO DAYS for the Bahamas. We're going to spend all day Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday at Treasure Key for a family reunion. My aunt and uncle have a house there and they've generously offered to host this reunion at their home!

Family. Sun. Sand. Palm Trees. Relaxation. Peace and Quiet. Oh My...

My aunt said she's planning a traditional Bahamian dinner one night and possibly a bonfire another night. Other than that, it's going to be real low-key, just time to hang out together and catch up with family and enjoy the weather. What an awesome break! We can't wait.

So I'm busy packing. The idea of traveling with a baby is new--and a little overwhelming. Am I packing the right things? Am I packing enough? What could have I forgotten?

Besides that, we got passports for both kids. Mike was like, "We waited our whole lives to get passports and our FOUR-MONTH-OLD already has one?!" Ha Ha.

It'll be one big adventure, I'm sure!

The Two-Finger Chew

Personally, I think it looks like he's hailing a taxi at a busy NYC intersection...

Hanging Out around the House

Just a glimpse into how we spent today...

4-Month Visit to Pediatrician

We had Ollie's 4-month well-baby check-up yesterday. He is doing just great!

Ollie is continuing to gain weight just fine (he's in the 58th percentile) and is currently 15 pounds, 10 ounces. The doc says that by 6 months, he should have doubled his birth weight, so he's on track to hit that milestone on time.

His height is now 25-1/4", which puts him in the 55th percentile for height.

The doc gave us a checklist of things that Roo should be able to do by six months of age; a lot of the things on this list, he's already mastered!

• balances head well (he's good at this)
  
• sits with support, back rounded (we're getting there, he's still a little floppy)
• begins to support body with legs when held in a standing position (he's good at this)
• rolls from back to front and front to back (still waiting for him to do this again)
• moves object from one hand to the other (have seen this a few times)
• grabs feet and toes when lying on back (constantly!)
• makes "swimming" motions with arms and legs when placed on abdomen (yup)
• begins drooling (roger that)
• naps two to three times a day, for one to three hours each (we're just starting to see a pattern of naptimes developing now)
• begins to sleep longer at night (wrote about that yesterday!)
• has full color vision, able to see longer distances (I don't know about the color part but I can tell that he can see things across the room or across the yard)
• coos and gurgles when talked to, or in response to toys (yes)
• babbles, imitates sounds (babbles incessantly -- like I mind! -- and will occasionally imitate sounds)
• by 6 months, makes single syllable sounds like "da," "ma," "ba" (have heard mostly "ga" so far)
• laughs (oh yeah)
• squeals (this is a big one for Roo)
• blows bubbles or "raspberries" (yup, very cute!)
• recognizes familiar things and people (definitely knows his immediate family; doesn't seem to have any favorite toys though)
• may hold out arms to be picked up (hasn't done this yet)
• begins to learn concept of object permanence, i.e., a partially hidden object under a blanket is still there (haven't seen this yet)
• may show displeasure when object or person goes away (sad, but true)
• may recognize his own name (does "bay-bah-rooooh" count? if so, yes, he knows his name!)
• may begin to understand "no" (can't say that we've had an occasion to say "no" to him yet; aah, what a life!)
  
• begins to understand cause and effect, i.e., the sound a toy makes when it is dropped (not sure about that one)

There's SO MUCH to see and do for this little guy! Life is amazing! Every moment of his day is spent imprinting new experiences, burning new neuronal connections in his developing brain, and discovering things for the first time. It's such a joy to watch him figure things out, furrow his brow with concentration, or light up when he sees Mike, Merrit, or me. He's simply the best!

Roo Sleeps Through the Night

For the first time, Roo slept all the way to 5:00 a.m.! (Hey, in my world that counts as "all night!")

This week, we've been putting him to sleep in his own crib (in the room he shares with Merrit). Typically, he'll wake up at 2:00 or 3:00 a.m., nurse, wake up again at 4:00 or 5:00 a.m., nurse, and then wake up for the day at about 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. So he basically skipped that middle-0f-the-night feeding.

Ah, sleep, my old friend! I've missed you!

The question is: Will he do it again? (oh please, oh please, oh please!)

Lots of Tricks in Roo's Bag

This month, Roo has been doing so much...yes, he rolled over (he has yet to repeat that feat), but he's got a lot of other new tricks in his bag.

• Reaching for toys and rattles
  
• Reaching for (looks like "petting") the cats...he is fascinated by the texture of their fur
  
• Holding up his head when lying on his belly
• Sitting up in the exersaucer for up to 10 minutes (stronger abdominal/back muscles required for this!)
• Mouthing everything, especially his hands...up to four fingers at a time!
• Squealing happily (and loudly)...he really keeps us entertained with this trick
• Grabbing his toes (and trying to put them in his mouth...again, he's mouthing EVERYTHING, even "toesie-woesies," as Merrit says)
  
• Trying to hold things with two hands at the same time

"I Love My Carseat"

Ollie likes hanging out in his carseat so much. Maybe he likes the snug fit of the straps?

Roo Rolls Over...Twice!

As of 10:32 a.m. today, March 10 (Roo's official 4-months-old birthday), our little one rolled over from his stomach to his back...TWICE!

Aw, he's growing up so fast!

Another First: A Wedding

Our niece, Page, married Andrew on March 8, 2008. This was Ollie's first wedding. Big brother Merrit served as the ring bearer. I hung out near the back doors of the sanctuary with a sleeping Roo, but he was as silent as a, well, as a church mouse!


















The bride and groom. Ah, young love...













Before the service started, Merrit and one of the flower girls played video games. Ah, even younger love...












Here are the parents of the bride at the reception: Mike's sister, Kim, and her husband, Gilbert.


















Mike and Merrit both enjoyed dinner!

At the reception, Ollie was passed around quite a bit, but he just ate it up. He's a champ!














Durenda (Mike's other sister, also affectionately known as "Aunt Rita") and Roo.


















Uncle Tom, Durenda's husband, with Ollie.


















Baby Roo and the bride.













Who says a four-month old can't boogie on down?


















I wore Ollie in my sling for the better part of the evening.












It's amazing how a baby can sleep with a DJ and dancefloor just a few feet away! (Maybe we should give the credit to Uncle Rocky's magic touch.)


















Meanwhile, on the dancefloor...


















Merrit means business!!!

Triple Threat

Football, Soccer, Baseball...Look out, here he comes!