Nikki is usually the one to be posting on our little blog, but now that I, Patrick (Man of the House) am done with another quarter of finals (whew!) I get to share a little 3minute video I put together from some of the funny little things Ronan's done over the last few months. We finally figured that our mini-dvd video cam can connect directly to the computer so we can download video we've taken! Small victories, you know...If you watched the last video Nik put on, obviously you know this guy cracks me up, enjoy!

Giggles

Oh my goodness, this video will melt your heart. We just had to share it. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Ronan loves to jump - whether or not he's in his bouncer. Even when he's upset, the tears stop as soon as the jumping begins.  Ronan was jumping on Patrick's lap after his post-shots nap yesterday. As you can see, he was still one happy baby (at least until that night. Nothing that a little infant Tylenol, snuggles and a long night of sleep couldn't cure though). These are the best giggles we've ever had the pleasure of experiencing! Caution: Excessive bouncing and poor camera work/quality may cause nausea ;)

4 Months!

Ronan actually turned 4 months a couple weeks ago and I took these pictures last week, but his dr. appointment was today. Maybe next month we'll get back on track.

He weighed in at 15 lbs, 13 ounces (50%) and is 26 1/2 long (90%). That's 1" each month!  He's pretty much tracking with where he was at at 2 months.  If they had a cute scale, he'd be off the charts :)  He was more upset with the physical exam than he was by the shots. Doctor said he already has a little situational anxiety (I was hoping that would wait a couple more months) but that he is tender hearted. :) AND we discovered the source of crankiness - our little mister is teething.  I had suspected that, but couldn't see or feel them. When the doc shined the little light in his mouth, there was two very swollen bumps where his bottom middle teeth will soon show themselves. Between that and planning to start rice cereal this weekend, Patrick and I are coming to terms with how fast he is growing up. It's so crazy. And so fun. But still, so crazy. 

Now, on to the pictures.

 

Can you say buddha belly?

This picture relaxes my soul. The white linens, sunlight, sweet little babe...aaahhh.

3 little monkeys jumping on the bed...

 

This is my bribe for a good appointment and the perfect study break treat on a rainy day :)



Leprachauns, Coffee, Elk and Bugs

Patrick is in super-study mode for finals coming up this week (keep him in your prayers!) so Ronan and I tromped around town. Our first stop was to meet up with Shane and Crystal for the St. Patrick's Day parade in downtown Spokane.  It was our first parade experience in Spokane - I don't know why we've never been to one before. It was totally random, crazy, loud and fun. Well, fun for awhile until it got too loud and crazy for the little man. It was great to see Shane and Crystal for probably the last time until they have baby Jenkins. She's due today so we hope and pray things start moving along and we get to meet him/her this week!

Later in the afternoon headed to The Shop to hang out with auntie Marissa. She is also due to have a baby in the next couple weeks! It was so nice to catch up in the funky coffee shop and dream about junking and our babies growing up together. We both have a love for shopping and unique finds and we've been collecting stuff for awhile, hoping to be in one of the junk/antique shows this summer. As soon as the weather gets nice, we have a weekly date to go find more treasures! I'll make sure to post our before/after photos.

We met up for a late dinner at the Elk with Patrick and his study group. After a full day of studying, they definitely deserved a beer and some good grub. Unfortunately we don't have any pics of this fun day. All of my efforts went toward passifying and toting around the boy.  He was a trooper, but the pit stops at home weren't quite enough for him to catch up on sleep. If he could his opinion of the day I'm sure he would say "tired" and "cranky." Oh well, it was nice to get out.

We came home from our fun-filled day to a package for Ronan from his (great) Aunt Erin.  What a great surprise! We actually almost bought these awhile back because we love the bright colors, the whimsy and the toy company seems pretty cool too. (Even the packaging is cute and easy to open!)  Ronan is going to love chewing on these little bugs and pretty soon he'll be able to link them like a chain, which is what are meant to do. Aren't they adorable? Thanks Aunt E!

Patrick and I had to test them out and play a little first :)  I decided to try out some depth-of-field pictures so I set up a little bug army. 

This beetle is rockin' the parachute pants.  We call him Hammer.

I love how cute and happy they are

Last week I felt "off" and this week was Ronan's turn. We're pretty sure he's been going through a growth spurt. Last week he ate and napped like crazy and this week was incredibly unpredictable. Just when you get in a groove right... Short naps, weird feedings and lots of crankiness.  He has certainly stepped it up a notch with the crying. Holy smokes. Is it possible he has inherited his dad's short fuse?  That said, he is still a very happy baby and is still sleeping through the night. He is especially happy in his jumperoo. He loves to jump and any time we hold him upright he starts jumping away. I think I'm starting to get those amazing mom arms.  :)  When I can figure it out, I have a great video to share with you.

What else can be said of this week?  Well, Ronan has definitely started sucking his thumb. Before it was just any finger or fist he could fit in his mouth, but now it is the thumb. This has been a long time coming, but luckily it is primarily a calming mechanism at naptime. I also think he has started "singing" along with music. At least I think it is singing because he is using a really high pitched, soft voice, much different from his normal babbling voice. It is about the sweetest thing ever.

Helping mom sew.

His feet were a great finding this week.  They are especially fun to play with while being changed!

Saturday

 I'm glad this week is over. I can't say why really, but it was just blah. I felt blah, the weather was blah.  The cat was even being really weird.  Everyone around seems to be in that late winter slump. Yuck. The sun teased us a bit on Thursday and Friday so the 3 of us (me, Ronan and Kholy) headed out for a walk.  That was nice :)

two more weeks until we have another quarter under our belt. School has required the majority of Patrick's efforts and free time but on the weekends we always have a little extra time to play.  This morning over coffee and waffles we dreamed about going someplace warm for spring break. Cali, Florida, Vegas...ahh, I can almost feel the heat. We love dreaming; sometimes it's almost as good as the real thing. Ok maybe not. But it's still fun to dream. Instead of booking tickets somewhere tropical, we cleaned, studied and headed downtown for a couple of hours.  It was actually a really great day.



I wish Patrick was in this one. We need to break out the little tripod next time.



Say What? (This look made us flash forward about 12 years)

All smiles for daddy. Ronan finds Patrick very entertaining. Well, we all do don't we?  It's really sweet, except for when he's supposed to be eating. Ro might be the next Captain Distractable (my occasional nickname for P.)

Bathtime is grrrreat! Luckily Ronan has always loved his bath. This week he discovered how much fun it can be when he splashes his legs in the water. Bathtimes are so fun we have to make sure Patrick is around for them :)

At the risk of sounding a little pathetic, I'm going to tell you that the highlight of my week so far was going to Ross. By myself. With no time limit. And a gift card. It was SO relaxing and therapeutic. I walked down every aisle twice, tried on load of clothes and came home with this sweater and leggings. I feel like I have crawled out of the pits of postpartum fashion.