Hey Squirmy Baby!

The other night I was up late watching David Letterman. When he asked his guest, Michael J Fox, what it was like having a small child, the reply was "It's a bit like being on suicide watch."

About two nights ago, Rocco mastered a rhythmic worm squirm, pushing up on his toes, forward with his arms, and rolling on his stomach. With this little combination he has figured out how to get where he wants. These are the things he is most interested in crawling to: electrical wiring, electrical outlets, anything made of thin crinkly plastic he can put in his mouth or over his head, items he can tip over and have fall on him, longs ribbons or cords of any kind that could get wrapped around his neck, and door stoppers that he can take the small hard rubber tops off of, that are the perfect size for lodging in his throat. The other day he squirmed over to the sliding glass door and repeatedly thrust himself forward, bumping his head on the glass. I guess he thought he was going out for a walk!

The scary part is, he is only moving slowly now. What will happen when this squirm turns into an accomplished crawl?

Here is Rocco trying to escape his Soothing Massage Baby Seat. He is strapped in, otherwise he would be all the way out. Who wants to get a baby massage when you can squirm towards dangerous things?

Rocco had a good time squirming into the underbelly of his Exersaucer, but didn't like it when he got stuck!

Rocco's New Tricks

Rocco has all of a sudden learned to sit up. He is definitely not completely stable and often tips over, but he can sit by himself if put in position. I had been practicing for a little while with him, but he wasn't really getting the hang of it. Then when Joan came to help us move, she set him down and to my surprise he sat up by himself! Grandma Joansies is The Baby Whisperer.

He looks a little surprised himself!

He has finally learned to roll over from his stomach to his back and become more comfortable being on his stomach altogether. He really protested being on his stomach for quite awhile. The other day I looked over from one of my tasks and saw him doing this:

Good work Rocco! Also notice that he is engaged in a mild scream. (see Screamapillar entry)

Now that he is a stronger sitter, I got him a seat for the kitchen table and I think he is really enjoying eating his meals there.

I know he looks really unimpressed (kids these days.......sigh), but I swear he likes it.

Screamapillar

I know I am supposedly an adult now, but yes, I still watch cartoons. One of my favorites is The Simpsons. In one episode from several seasons ago, Homer builds a koi pond in the backyard which attracts an endangered species known as the Screamapillar. It is a caterpillar that screams constantly day and night. The Simpsons try to do everything that they can to stop the screaming, but to no avail. They can't move it because anywhere it decides to live is deemed a protected habitat.

Lately I feel I have my own little Screamapillar at my house. Yes, his name is Rocco. I am hoping that it is merely a stage. He used to never cry. Maybe he has discovered his voice, but whatever the reason, he likes to scream. Sometimes it is an impassioned scream and sometimes it is emotionless. He just likes to scream. He only stops when I try to videotape him screaming, and then when I put the camera away, he starts screaming again.

This is essentially what you would see if I were able to document the screaming. I am thinking of constantly videotaping him so he won't scream anymore. Aaaaaahhh!

The Many Faces of Rocco

Now for all of you bored by the last post because it was all text and no pictures of Rocco, this entry is for you. This past Christmas my fab sis in law / fab photographer Ashley Collins took some pictures of Rocco and being a true mother I am in love with every single one.

Solid Food

Recently, Rocco has been introduced to the world of solid food. We started off with some rice cereal thinned considerably with formula. He didn't resist, close his mouth and turn away, or cry, but he did make some pretty funny faces. He only ate a few spoonfuls before he was ready to quit. We've been eating a little every day and have tried oatmeal too.

So, he's thought about it......


....and now he's decided that he likes solid food (especially oatmeal). When he sees me with the small glass bowl filled with his cereal he becomes very excited. He start breathing hard and loud, he flails his arms and kicks his legs, and he lets out little squeals of delight. When I bring the spoon to his mouth he opens up wide and either tries to grab my hands and pull them to his mouth faster, or get right to the point and grab the spoon. I have to be careful or he also grabs the bowl! Next stop, vegetables!

Lucky Number 8

Today is my deadline to start my blog, January 08, 2009. I have been meaning to get this going for awhile now. I chose this day because it is the first 8 of the new year and, for those of you who don't know, 8 is Rocco's lucky number. He was born on the first day of the eighth month of 2008. He is the eighth grandchild (Bergeson side). He was born 8 years after Nick and I first met. He won 8 gold medals at the 2008 Olympics. (that was Phelps) Anyway, this blog will mainly be devoted to Rocco because since he was born into our lives, we have felt like the luckiest 8 minus 6 people on earth. I will probably post the occasional photo of something else going on in our lives, but have a little patience and the subject will soon turn back to the cutest member of our family. I hope all our family and friends enjoy reading.