Hey IL... You ready for this?

We Dedicate this Baby....

Sunday, was SBR's Dedication at our church. 
Parent/child Dedication is where we, as Parents, make a public commitment to raise our child in a Christian home. 
It's similar to a Christening to some or a Baptism to others.

Our church superceded any expectations we had and we couldn't be more grateful.
Here's the blessing we prepared & read to SBR during the service.

Reid Truman,

What a wonderful little surprise you were, early for our plan, but perfect in God’s.

We are absolutely humbled and honored that He has chosen us to care for someone who is already so amazing.  We are so grateful for all the joy & love you bring to our family & everyone around you. 

We are very excited to share our lives with you, to learn and grow together. 

It is our prayer, that you come to know Jesus early in life.  That you would walk with him, lean on him & reflect him in everything you do.

We promise to do our best to teach you the way of our Lord, to lead by example, so that you may live a life that glorifies Him.

With absolute & unconditional love,

Momma & Daddy

Wrapping Up

In all the hustle & bustle of the season....

I could not find the time or spare change to get our cards out this year.  So we're going... Green.

That and who wants decide which precious picture would adorn your door frames, windows, refrigerators, etc for a mere month.  

From our warm, loving home & in to yours- The Roberson Family Wishes you all the Merriest of Merry Christmas' & a Prosperous New Year! 

Nesting in a Pear Tree

I might have mentioned, over the last 15 mos our house has been under remodel.  

This remodel, obviously, took me through my entire pregnancy.  With my water breaking the night our master bedroom was finished. & the nursery floor being finished the day before we brought home our precious  Larger-than-Bundle of joy. 

 

We are down-to-the-wire kind of folks.  

I never got the chance to ‘nest.’ 

Until now.  About 6 mos late.  Poor timing.   

Add in the fact I’m a horrible at time management, and there is just SO much to do.  

By the time we were able to get our Christmas Tree & decorate for the big holiday, we only had 12 days left.  I didn’t want to drag out all my stuff.  Do you know how long it takes to wrap all those little knick knack & ornaments back up?? Plus we are leaving for a week just 3 days after Christmas.

(with a house sitter, baby stalker robbers, beware!)   

I like the Noble Fir Trees.  Of course I do, they are the expensive ones.  I just couldn’t bring myself to spend $80 on a full size tree for 12 days.  So… we opted for 2 small ones.  One for our front room, about as tall as I, one for Reid’s room.  About a foot taller than he is.  

 

This is Reid's Tree

Decked w/ cute 1^st baby ornaments from Poppa & Gram’s, all of my white & blue ornaments, plus a few Daddy wanted to share.  It’s very sweet & sits in his room. 

 

Ours is cute too.  its funny- like haha, little...  no 'Prescher' for the 15 ft Griswold Family Christmas Tree this year. 

With the last precious ornament, Baby’s First Christmas hung on the perfect little branch right at the top to commemorate what has been one of the greatest years of our life… Here’s to Us, Mr. Husband, good to know We make one awesome baby!

 

M.O.T.Y.

[MOE-tee]  Definition:   Mother of the Year

Like the Darwin Award's Honorable Mentions- for Motherhood.

This past week our Rock Star baby had his 6 mos check up.  He is now in the 75% for height & weight.  Weighing in at 19.5 lbs & 27 1/2" long.  

Could our boy be listening to my requests to slow down? 

I will take it!

He wasn't able to get his immunizations due to an ear infection.

They put him on antibiotics.  

Daddy's administers the a.m.  I, the p.m.

Just call me Moty:   

I read the label: 1 tsp 4 times a days.

On Day 3, I thought, there is no way this is going to last 10 days.  I take a closer look at the label.  1 ML 4 times a day.  OMG... I've been O.D.'ing the tot on Amoxicillin!!  I quickly text our favorite Dr. in CA.  While she's very quick on the texting, it wasn't fast enough.  I call the pharmacist.  I'm informed, he will be fine, just maybe some diarhea. <sigh of relief> Um... gross.

Then, on day 5, Auntie neighbor reads the label... Uh, Momma?  This says 4 MLs twice a day.  uh-huh... Wait.... what?? Great!  still potential for O.D. & just when things were calming down around here.

Okay... So it's 4 ML's (just 1 ML shy of the teaspoon, back up to Not-so-bad, except, it says twice a day, not 4 times, and back down to not-so-great). 

So here we are day 6, boy is still alive, happier than ever, really. Getting the correct dosage of medication.  Let's hope we have enough to get us until Thursday. 

And Yes... The Poo-Nami came... this morning.  Right before I got pee'd all over.  yaaaay....

6 in One, Half Dozen in the Other

26 Weeks

183 Days
4,392 Hours
263,520 Minutes
15,811,200 Seconds

Our baby is 6 mos old. 

Let's take a stroll...a slow, take-your-time-pace-yourself-mosey-on Stroll. 

nothing like SBR's race-you-to-the-finish kind of sprint. 

1 Day

 

4 weeks

2 mos

3 mos

4 mos

5 mos

6 mos

Happy First 1/2 Birthday, Buckaroo! 

it may have only been 6 mos to us, but to you, it's been a lifetime!  

And now, in less than 6 mos, our baby will be one year!!  

um... Yikes!!

Sit. Stay.

Before SBR:  all of my child rearing love & instincts went into our Pups.  We lived in a puppy world.  They went with us where ever they were welcome.  They got groomed regularly, treats frequently, loved on constantly.  These were 2 very happy, very spoiled puppy dogs!

 

First came the Puppy Love of my life- Barley.  I waited 2 long, agonizing years for this boy.   It was the first time I had ever gone to a breeder to pick out my very own pup!  My Boozie bear-face, as I call him.  He’s smart, intuitive, hilarious, loving, well mannered, devoted and loyal…  To me.

He can do every trick in the book & he understands perfect English, He can even roll his eyes at you.  He communicates through series' of huff, puffs, sighs & snorts.  

As the First-born, he got bathed once a week, brushed daily, rub downs and scratches every a.m. by my husband & massaged every day after I got home from work. (for real. Massages.) & walked frequently.

 

After 1.5 years, my husband got jealous of the tight bond Barley & I had forged & decided he wanted the same for himself.  While he really wanted a ‘Real Dog,’ aka- English Mastiff, I politely (he would tell you rudely) told him when we had a bigger house, he can get a bigger dog, until then, he needed to settle on a smaller breed.  We decided to call Barley’s breeder.   I would also tell my husband- there was no way we would get this lucky twice, assuring him his dog would not be nearly as cute OR smart OR loving as our First.

 

So enters Digi (pronounced D.G. as in Daddy’s Girl).  I couldn’t believe it either.  She IS just a cute, maybe cuter.  She’s definitely smaller. She is the blood sister of Barley, exact same parents, they look the exact same.  I love having matching pups.   

  

Digi definitely faces 2^nd fur baby syndrome.  While Barley can do every circus trick imaginable, Digi can sit & kind of shake, most of the time. 

She does not understand English.  Never comes when called.   She has no manners.  She might get a bath once a month.  I can’t even find the dog brushes anymore.   We try to get them groomed every other month. 
You know how most dogs get super jazzed when they see their leashes?  She doesn’t even know what a leash is, that’s how little they go on walks now. 

Everyone was right.  they went from the center of our world… to Those (bleep) dogs!  

Still, they are great family pets.  And they have a warm house,  1/3 of the bed, food (almost) every day.  The occasional car ride.  Love every night after the babe goes to sleep... if they don’t smell too bad. 

Boozie will always hold a special place in my heart.  My precious cookie face.  Digi… I’m nice to her, I am.  And she is sweet & cute.  She has that going for her. 

Since, Barley has become the 'guard dog' over SBR.  If the baby cries, he looks to us for direction, if not immediately running back to the nursery.  If an unfamiliar person is holding SBR, you will not leave Barley's sight.  If he does not like what you're doing or baby becomes unhappy, Barley does too.  

I think Digi & Reid will be BFFE's.  She loves the little chickens.  Loves that they are just the right size for her.  And she LoVeS our boy!  always ready for a good time!  

Barley the protector,  Digi for all the fun.  Gee, you think the dogs picked the right owners??

anyway, speaking of training & tricks.   the boy can now Sit Up!  Momma's been documenting this event each little grasp, grunt & stumble all the way!  He is moving way too fast!! Too bad you can't teach them to Stay, huh?

Sit.  Stay.  Good boy...

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Before Denaya

I have a good friend who constantly blames her daughter for everything.  We've been friends for about 3 years now & her daughter is 4 1/2 to date.

Ever since I've known her, there have been countless sentences that begin with Before Denaya and would be followed up with an array of things:  

Before Denaya, I wasn't always this tired.

Before Denaya, I liked bananas.

Before Denaya, My hair was shinier.

Before Denaya, I could remembered a lot more.

So on. and so on.

The pity I felt for poor Denaya, having to carry around the burden of her mother's pre-life.  

What it must be like for this little tiny girl to know, that if her mother could remember anything, she might remember life without her. 

To which my friend would only laugh & reply.... Someday... you just wait... you'll get it.

Whatevs.

Well folks, that day came.  I'm sure my friend has it marked in her calendar (I really think she does). 

There is much more to the before & after, than just the baby.

So here is my list of Before SBR:

Chocolate:  Before- I could take it or leave it.

                      Now- I want it all the time. 

Same goes for ice cream. 

Coffee:  Before- I could drink triple grande lattes and it  would not effect me.

               Now- I can barely drink a half caff with out getting all jittery and will not sleep if I have any caffeinated coffee after 5p.

Hair Loss:  I was slightly aware of this one, my stylist told me about it & I read about it.  Still, I was not quite prepared for the amounts! I have a ton of hair, so it doesn't matter as much, but DANG! 

Forgetfulness:  Before SBR- I was pretty forgetful, it comes from my Grandma, but eventually it would come back to me...

                            Now, I just let it go. 

Let's talk about Poo!  No, not the bear that loves Hunny.             

       Before- these conversations would put me to a near vomit, strip  my throat from dry heaving.

        Now- it's one of the first things I discuss with my husband when I get home from work. 

Body Shifts- really, I don't want to talk about it.

Before SBR-  I never knew anything about children.  Nothing. I wasn't really around any growing up. I babysat a little, but I was just 11-12 myself, (is that even legal??). 

You want me to hold your newborn?  No thank you. 

SBR's was the first diaper I changed.  Ever.

Even when I'm not holding a baby, as a new mom, when standing up, I sway, back and forth, back and forth in the rocking motion.  

I Love That.

Before SBR- I never knew how fast babies developed.  How smart they are.  I never understood when someone said you can watch them and see them taking in the world & you know they are learning and remembering every moment of it.  They do several 'firsts' in one day.  Now I do. 

When someone would say:  A baby is a Miracle.  I would think yeah, it's a human growing inside a human, that's super gross. The miracle is women keep doing it over & over.

Now-  I know, it is a true miracle.  I look down at my angel & still cannot wrap my head around the fact that he grew that little nose inside of me... those little chubby hands, complete with finger nails and that big beating heart. 

(a human in a human still does freak me out)

Before SBR- I never knew A mother's love. I have so much love in me for this little amazing boy.  It feels like it could be illegal. 

I guess, all I'm saying, my Friend, is... I do get it.

Thankful for Mommy...

We hosted a pretty successful Thanksgiving this year.  There were no mishaps- such as clogged garbage disposals, curtains catching fire... the mashed potatoes were a little lumpy, but all in all it was good.

Poor SBR got ignored the first half of the day, because my middle name is Procrastination. 

But now, belly's full, baby's sleeping, house is cleaned up... we're exhausted!

We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving full of Love, Food & Praise!

First things first

We really are half way through November.  Man time does fly when you're having fun.... with a kid!

The last two weeks have been very busy.  We decided to host Thanksgiving. How do you wrap up a remodel?  Throw a party... or something like that. 

There is a light at the end of our tunnel. But why isn't the light getting any bigger?

In the last two weeks SBR has had many Firsts. 

First cereal: 

This was actually 3 weeks ago.  We've also tried baby apples.  He's not very fond of this 'solids' thing. 

His First Voting Day: 

 

The First time he met Poppa & Grams... and Winnie: 

We had a great time with Poppa & Grams!  only 6 more weeks to the First plane trip!

SBR also had his First cold.  He was very generous with sharing too.  Wrong sharing, Kiddo. 

Even through all the suffering, he rarely lost his happy-go-lucky demeanor. (with a little help from our friend, Tylenol)

He finally got to meet his First Cousin- #3:

  At his First Soccer game: 

Saturday Afternoon

Sunday a.m.

Our First Family Photo (not taken by Daddy's long arms):

Can we talk about that jacket for a minute?  One of his Aunt's sent that to us when he was 4 days old.  I've been dying for him to not only fit into it, but for the weather to be cool enough.  I LoVE it! Puppy dog ears are always cute on babies.

SBR now likes to Razz, but stops the second I pull out the camera. 

And he is so close to sitting up.  He can for about 30 seconds.  He's very good at bending to his feet & pulling himself back up. This babe is Super Strong!

The point is... he won't stop. No matter how much I beg him, he just keeps growing and changing, learning and growing and laughing.  At least he knows who the funny one in the family is. 

And the bouncing. Boy, does he love bouncing.

Reee-diculous

I can't even try to be modest. 

Look at that baby!  Just look at him!  

Beautiful.  

And I'm not even going to pretend I had anything to do with it.   Definitely a God thing.  Definitely.   

(minds.... gutter, stop.)

Trick or Sleep

Our First Halloween with the babe!  Not only do our Neighbors do an amazing haunted house every year,  we live in a grade school area.  You would think we should have THE busiest, hoppin-est street where you can find all your favorite candy! I mean there is a grade school RIGHT. THERE.  

You would think.

Well, kiddos, it seems the Economy has effected even the likes of Halloween.  I'm going to say it was the economy or the fact that it was Sunday.  I refuse to believe my entire street with about 25 houses on it had that much of a Bah-hum-bug spirit. 

Our family? well next year, we will part of the Solution, not the problem! 

A few pose'y' shots before the big day. We decided not to do a costume this year and just keep SBR Comfy. 

This family Loves COmFy!

 Grammy sent Frank to SBR for the special occasion. They really hit it off.

On Halloween, Daddy helped out at the Haunted House.  My good friend came over w/ her BEEEAU-tiful  4 year old daughter- Snow White. We were going to go all over the busiest hoppin-est neighborhood this side of S. Scottsdale, but that was a HUGE disappointment as I mentioned earlier. So we loaded up & headed over to her  G'Parents neighborhood.  We decided that area probably hadn't been effected by the economy as much!  

Please note the scary spider webs decorating SBR's stroller

 

 

By the end of the night I think Snow White was very happy w/ the heaping amounts of candy she received. All for saying 3 Magical little words.  

SBR? Well, being the best baby ever & constantly smiling at strangers, does take its toll.  

That and a very new, unprepared Momma.  I planned for a couple hours around our house, not for 3 1/2 hours & a 25 min drive.  

So the boy cried himself to sleep starving. (the most heart wretching cry). 

Still the next a.m. he just couldn't pull himself out of it.

All & all I say it was a successful & memorable First Halloween!