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.

Old House, New House

Old House, New House
Red House, Beige House
One Rat or Two Rats, Now We Have NO Rats!

Our First Home.....we love it!

About a week and a half ago we moved into our new house. Yeah! We feel very blessed to have found this house so quickly after our other contract fell apart. We have really been enjoying every detail of our new place and our new neighborhood. It is also fun to look forward to making small changes over time to make it our own, like painting the walls or planting a garden. It's a good feeling to know we can invest money on improving our place instead of living with things as they are in a rental. Don't get me wrong, the last house we lived in we had an extraordinary landlord who kept a very nice property and was very generous to us, but there are some differences I appreciate in our new house. Here they are:

Our new house is about 70 years newer than our old place. This means a loss in some character, no beautiful molding around the windows or funny nooks to put things. This also means closet space!

We have 2 bathrooms now. Hooray! I even have a big soaking tub in the master. Nick is elated about having his own sink because apparently I splash around a lot of water. Rocco gets his own bathroom so I don't have to keep transferring the baby tub in and out.

Our kitchen is open to the family room. It is much easier to watch Rocco and cook dinner. Now I don't have to drag the baby swing into the kitchen.

We get to park our cars in a finished two car garage instead of parking one in a semi scary detached garage and the other under a tree that dropped a lot of gunk of the car.

In the last house, I was like Cinderella. I had little rat friends to help me do laundry in the above mentioned semi scary detached garage. I refused to do laundry at night and was always banging around so the rats would hide before I went in during daylight. Now with an indoor laundry room, there are no rats to help and I can do laundry at all hours! (This sounds like we lived in a terrible place, but I swear we didn't, and our landlord was always sending out exterminators. There were just a lot of neighborhood rats that liked to come hang out because the garage wasn't completely sealed. They didn't have a nest in the garage or anything.)

The old house had creaky wood floors that Rocco was sensitive to while trying to nap. It also had doors that didn't always shut properly or quietly because old houses settle and change the angle of door frames. Now we have very quiet floors and doors.

The old house was very close to Nick's work, only a 5 minute drive. Unfortunately, it was equally close to a high crime rate area and a connecting street between two busy streets. It was not ideal for taking Rocco on walks. Our new neighborhood is gorgeous and clean. It is it's own little oasis with plenty of walkways and an awesome amenities center an easy stroll from our house. I can't wait to take Rocco to the baby pool this summer!

Did I mention that I have lots of closet space?

On our old street, there weren't other neighbors that were in our same life stage, but here I've already noticed four other couples in our cul-de-sac that look to be our age and have babies. I'm looking forward to making new friends!

Can you tell we love our new house? Some of these things seem small and most people probably take them for granted, but after living in an older house for awhile, they are quite luxurious to have and I am grateful.

Our neighborhood has a beautiful entrance complete with waterfalls and a bridge to drive over. Before you get to any homes, there is a pleasant and groomed drive separating the neighborhood from the main street.

We have a great clubhouse in the center of our neighborhood, only a 5 minute walk from our house. There is a gym, tennis courts, racquetball courts, 3 pools, a playground and volleyball courts. There are also large rooms that can be rented for parties or get-togethers.

Here is the main pool with a big slide! There is also a baby pool separated by a gate so Rocco and I won't get run over by the older kids this summer.

And here is the lap pool for swim team captain Nick. Our neighborhood has a kid's competitive swim team called the Barracudas that Rocco might be a part of if we live here long enough!

A Trip Down South

Near the end of February Rocco and I took a little road trip the the southern gulf tip of Florida to see my sister Lisa and her family. They rented a house on Marco Island and it was really beautiful there. Nick and I had visited this region of Florida twice before and we really love the clear calm waters of the Gulf.

It was great to see Lisa, Grant, and their two little ones Allie and Brooke. The last time I had seen them was when I was 6 months pregnant with Rocco and Brooke was a newborn. Now Brooke is one year old and Rocco is of course no longer living in my womb! I also got to visit with Grant's parents. They even babysat for me and let Lisa and I go out to dinner free of children. That was quite the treat and a great time to catch up with my big sis.

Sisters and cousins. Here we are with Lisa and her two cuties, Allie and Brooke.

Brooke and Rocco enjoyed a walk home from the beach. It was funny to see them talking and laughing together in baby language.

I spent about a day and a half with them and then let them enjoy their vacation. On the way home I took a different route home and visited my favorite Fort Lauderdale kids Alex, Sami, and Ryan. I love when I get to see them in my old home town or when they come to visit in Jacksonville. We had a fun time just hanging out and catching up.

Rocco with his Fort Lauderdale Family! The kids were all so nice to Rocco. Melinda is so good with Rocco, I'm thinking of asking her to be my nanny!

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.

Thanks Seller!

Thanks to everyone who voted for the title of my blog! Rocco & Co. got 50% of the votes, hence the new blog header.

Now for a little story about why I have not been blogging lately....

The plan for my next entry was going to be about our new house and all the differences between our rental and our first home. Instead, this entry is about how we are still in our rental.

I have been looking for a house to buy since the summer of 2007. We found a place we loved, but this happened to be about the time the banks were beginning to get nervous about all the crazy loans they gave out. We had gotten pre-qualified for a certain amount, but when it came time for closing the bank suddenly required that we had 6 months of mortgage payments in reserve beyond our down payment and closing costs. We didn't have it and found our current rental instead.

Fast forward to this past summer, June 2008. I began looking at houses again. In August, we found it; it was a great house in a fabulous neighborhood. The reason we could afford it is because it was a short sale. A short sale is when the seller gets permission from his bank lender to sell the house at less than what he owes instead of going into foreclosure. Permission from the bank can take a long time, but we had a lease until the end of October and our landlord was open to extending it month to month, so we decided to go for it. Four months later, at the end of December, we got the approval! We were to close January 23rd, and so all of January I was busy doing the various necessary things to move and close on the house. The evening of January 22nd, I got a call from my realtor telling me that the seller was rethinking the sale. He thought he might be better off if the house went into foreclosure. He wanted to think about it. Never mind the last five months, he wanted to think about it the night before closing. He strung us along until the 29th (the banks deadline for the short sale) and then got an extension and strung us along a few more days before deciding to let the house go into foreclosure. Thanks for that, seller!

Anyway, we found another house in the same great neighborhood and we have a contract on it. Needless to say I am cautiously hopeful. If this house does not become ours, I might cry. I am not going to blog about the differences of the new house and the rental until we actually close, so stay tuned to the saga.

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!

Christmas 2008

This past Christmas we were able to spend two weeks in Salt Lake City. We had a great time enjoying the snow, eating fabulous food, playing with our families, and just hanging out. There were so many pictures to post, I thought I'd just make a slide show instead.

My Dad Is Cool

For most of my life, my dad has been an FBI agent. Whenever people we met or knew heard this, they would often say to me, "Wow, that's cool." I acted casual, probably even rolled my eyes a few times, but secretly inside I was proud of my dad. His job was pretty cool. Mainly he flew small surveillance planes out of Point Mugu, but occasionally he went around the country doing different training that included aerobatics or gliders. I remember one time he flew in a SWAT team on a helicopter. He rarely told us stories about what happened at work (probably thought we weren't interested), but sometimes when we were with other people he would begin to share some of his adventures. It wasn't until I was in college that I discovered the origins of a duffle bag I had used regularly for my sleepover things as a child. It was a money bag belonging to bank robbers that my dad helped apprehend.

A few years ago, my dad retired from being a special agent. He began a job as a helicopter pilot for Life Flight. They would help rescue people lost in the canyons, or transport the injured to the hospitals when the land vehicles simply weren't fast enough. Now he works for the Sheriff's Department. He still flies helicopters, but aside from finding lost hikers, and transporting the injured, he also helps put out fires, and get rid of illegal marijuana fields. He sends us pictures regularly of his adventures now, and I'm old enough to know it's not just his job that's cool, it's my dad.

A recent picture of my dad in his helicopter

My cool dad and his bounty of confiscated weed

P.S. One of the best perks of a cool dad with a cool job?
He lets you visit him at work and take awesome pictures.

My Husband Likes To Smoke.

Behold, Nick's pride and joy. No, this is not just a pile of pots in our neglected backyard. This is a true blue, gen-u-wine, hand built smoker (in our neglected backyard). Since we have moved to Jacksonville, Nick has taken an interest in barbecue. He has made in own dry rubs and sauce. He has bought special charcoal and wood chips. He loves to spend his free evenings stoking coals in his 2 ft high portable grill we bought to use in case of power loss after a hurricane. After watching an episode of "Good Eats" on the Food Network where Alton Brown instructs how to construct your own meat smoker, Nick was inspired.

This last Thanksgiving I was sick with the flu. I felt nauseated, I had a sore throat and headache, and my whole body felt awful. I had already planned Thanksgiving dinner for the two of us, bought the turkey, etc. and had even prepped a few items the day before. I felt obligated with guilt to make dinner. (Back story: One Thanksgiving I was working as a pastry assistant in Miami and had to work. I was working nonstop around the holidays and had no time to cook. We had one car. I later asked Nick what he had done for Thanksgiving dinner. He told me he rode his bike to Wendy's. Hence, Thanksgiving guilt.) Nick was home from work, so clearly he had three options:

A: Help his poor ailing wife by finishing Thanksgiving dinner and sending her to bed.

B: Help his poor ailing wife by caring for their 4 month old baby so she could finish cooking and go to bed.

C: Spend all day building a meat smoker.

I think in Nick's mind there was never more than one option and when he came in at 6 pm boasting of his beautiful smoked pork shoulder and found that I was not quite as thrilled as he was, he couldn't understand why. Needless to say, I haven't had the warmest feelings towards this pile of pots in our neglected backyard. However, Nick smoked another pork shoulder last weekend on a day that I felt fine and did not spend all day making a holiday meal, and I have to admit, it was pretty good.