First Foods

I just had to share Roarke's very first time eating food. Gotta love avocados!


My heart could just explode with love for this little boy!

Week #26


Roarke

Weight: 13lbs 6oz

Length: 25 1/2 inches

I took this picture last week when he turned 6 months, but I have waited to post it because we just had our 6 month appointment this week and I wanted to include all the fun things we learned at the doctor. Unfortunately, this appointment was a little scary and somewhat of a let down.

6 month check up: Dan and I go into every check up making guesses on how much Roarke weighs. We both thought he was going to have a great weight gain, but sadly he hasn't even gained a full pound in the last 2 months. The doctor wasn't thrilled about this, but said not to worry about it just yet and that sometimes when babies start moving around a lot more they burn more calories than they are able to take in. It was still pretty shocking to me though because Roarke is eating baby food now as well as nursing just as much. We have to go back in a month for a weight check instead of in three months like the doctor would normally suggest. Roarke also got shots... lots and lots of them... 4 all together and a flu vaccine. He took them like a champ as usual. Lastly, the doctor told us that she wanted to take Roarke to get x-rays. I can't even tell you how utterly shocked I was with this statement. I guess during her examination of Roarke she felt that his left hip joint was loose and was worried that he might be suffering from subluxation of the hip which means it could pop in and out of socket and cause major problems as he is growing. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach... the thought of something being wrong with my little boy... unthinkable. We rushed over to the St. Francis Imaging Center got x-rays and waited for the results. Thankfully, everything came back looking normal. 

In other news... we have also been to see a Urologist this week for a surgical procedure that Roarke is having done in April. It is a minor surgery, but Dan and I were both pretty nervous about it. However, after meeting with the doctor doing it we both felt much more confident and more informed about what will take place. There is just so much going on in our little boys life. He is finally eating food which is so fun! I decided that I would make my own baby food for him since its good for him plus WAY cheaper! So far we have ate avocados, bananas, carrots, and butternut squash. Roarke is also wanting to crawl. He is pulling himself all over the place. I have to watch him like a hawk because one moment he is playing on his blanket and the next he is tearing Christmas packages apart. Quite the handful that little boy is :)

#52weeksofRoarke

Mileage Monday

Running stats for the week of December 7th - December 13th... I'm alive everyone! Sorry I have gotten so far behind on my blogging lately. There have just been multiple things going on and we have been having a rough time juggling them all I suppose. Different appointments, getting ready for the holidays, daily responsibilities, etc. I truly don't know how some families do it because we struggle and are just a family of three humans and a doggy. Not much to share on the running front. Hoping that once things settle down some I can get back into the running game.


Monday, December 7th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Tuesday, December 8th, 2015 - 1.87 mile run / Stretch

Wednesday, December 9th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Thursday, December 10th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Friday, December 11th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Saturday, December 12th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Sunday, December 13th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Totals for the week : Ran 1.87 miles

Santa Train

So I'm not really one to follow the crowd necessarily, but I guess when you have a kid you find yourself not wanting them to miss out on things. So when I saw that the Santa Train was coming to Bargersville I thought to myself... "Perfect! Small town, small crowd... we won't have to wait in a long line to see Santa!" Oh my my... how wrong I was!

So on Friday Dan and I loaded Roarke up and headed out with grand thoughts of getting our kid's picture with Santa Clause! We even left early to make sure we wouldn't have to stand in line too horribly long. How naive first time parents are....


When we arrived I quickly spotted the line to see Santa Clause... and then my eyes followed it to the end... which was two blocks away! HOLY COW! What did I get us into! We walked down to take our spot, but quickly decided that waiting in line with a 6 month old in 30 degree weather for probably 2 hours wasn't our thing. Especially when your kid doesn't care about Santa or if he even gets presents this year. So instead we took a few pictures and went home where it was warm.


Who needs a picture with Santa when you can get one with a live reindeer instead!


Olaf was pretty cool too!



Mom, Dad, and Roarke in front of the Santa Train!

Even though we didn't see Santa we still had fun and Roarke enjoyed getting outside and breathing in some fresh air! We also learned that Santa is a hot commodity and the earlier you come the better. I'll file that lesson away for next year ;)

Mileage Monday

Running stats for the week of November 30th - December 6th... WOW! Aren't we having amazing weather for the month of December! I cannot believe it! I can't even remember a December when I wanted to get outside to take Remington for a walk. We did so this week and I found out that Remington is NOT a fan of the blow up Christmas decorations! We have a ton of these around our neighborhood and Remi sticks close to my side as we jog past them :)


Monday, November 30th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Tuesday, December 1st, 2015 - 1.87 mile run / Stretch

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2015 - REST DAY!

Thursday, December 3rd, 2015 - REST DAY!

Friday, December 4th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Saturday, December 5th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Sunday, December 6th, 2015 - 1.5 mile walk with Remi

Totals for the week : Ran 1.87 miles / Walked 1.5 miles with Remi

Mileage Monday

Running stats for the week of November 23rd - November 29th... I think our motto for this past week was "when it rains it pours"... seems like every time we turn around there is something else brewing in our lives. I swear events that happened a few days ago seems like months ago. We are just going with the flow in life right now. Thankful for all the blessing and prayers for all the hard times.


Monday, November 23rd, 2015 - REST DAY!

Tuesday, November 24th, 2015 - 2 mile run / Stretch

Wednesday, November 25th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Thursday, November 26th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Friday, November 27th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Saturday, November 28th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Sunday, November 29th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Totals for the week : Ran 2 miles

Mileage Monday x 2

Running stats for the weeks of November 9th - November 22nd... its been a rough couple of weeks for our family. Lots of personal issues going on within the family and Dan was out of town for most of last week. I've gotten behind on blogging since their have been more pressing issues going on. Its been Roarke, Remi and myself which means its impossible for me to go out for a run. I'm craving to get out of the house and get my legs moving again... and I'm sure Remi is too since he has been stuck inside for a quite some time. Hoping once Dan gets home we can get back on schedule with getting some exercise outside.



Monday, November 9th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Tuesday, November 10th, 2015 - 2.3 mile run / 1.87 mile walk with Remi / Stretch

Wednesday, November 11th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Thursday, November 12th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Friday, November 13th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Saturday, November 14th, 2015 -REST DAY!

Sunday, November 15th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Monday, November 16th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Tuesday, November 17th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Wednesday, November 18th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Thursday, November 19th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Friday, November 20th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Saturday, November 21st, 2015 - REST DAY!

Sunday, November 22nd, 2015 - REST DAY!

Totals for the past 2 weeks : Ran 2.3 miles / Walked 1.87 miles with Remi

Week #22


Roarke

The next time we go back to the doctor will be in December so no updated stats for you. However, lots has been going on with the Roarke-a-nator lately. He is growing up way too fast that is for sure. Roarke is such a happy little boy and takes almost every situation he is put into in stride. He LOVES being outside or going new places and is absolutely content when doing so for the most part. There is never a morning when I get up with him that he isn't ALL smiles! He is a roll over monster and seriously could make his way across the room just by doing so. He also has recently really started to enjoy standing up (with help of course) and will stamp his feet like he is determined to go somewhere. He has not started on foods yet, not because he doesn't want to, but more like because I'm not ready to yet. We did recently try out his high chair and he seemed to be a fan. He is still teething and going through growth spurts every now and again which causes some bad nights of sleep for the both of us, but for the most part he is a great sleeper. The newest thing he likes to do is suck on his toes and can be found doing so mostly after bath time. Books and music continue to be one of his favorite things and I can always count on using one of those to calm him down if he is crying. Him and Remington still get along just fine, but I wonder how the dynamic will change once Roarke is mobile. YIKES! Not a day goes by that I'm not thankful for just how blessed we are!

#52weekofRoarke

Family Photo Chaos

I felt like when I told my photographer that I wanted family pictures done this year she was a tad horrified because it would entail photographing a 5 month old baby and a overly excitable dog. But she took on the challenge without any complaints.

Before we went for pictures Roarke took a 3 hour nap and ate a good meal so he was good to go. However, what I should have done to prepare Remington for the shoot is take him on a long walk beforehand to chill him out a bit. He was completely crazy most of the time we were trying for pictures. My photographer also said that I was her biggest problem to take pictures of because I was constantly scolding Remington and looking at Roarke trying to keep his hands out of his mouth... Oops!

I left the session with the thought that if we came away with one good picture of the four of us together I would be happy. However, when I got the pictures I was pleasantly surprised. I was really happy with them, especially the ones that included Remington ;)

Below are some of my favorites!















  Looking forward to printing them our and sharing them with family :)

Salt Dough Ornaments

Dan and I have been married for 6 years... together for 8... and not once in those years have we EVER put up a Christmas tree or any kind of Christmas decorations. You see, when it comes to the holidays I would probably be known as a Scrooge. I just never wanted to take the time to put all that stuff up when Dan and I were never home enough to enjoy it. But this year things are different. This year we have a little boy who I want to build memories with and make sure his life is full of all the warm fuzzy stuff... you know what I mean?

So... we bought a tree, we bought a tree skirt, we bought a star for the top, lights, etc... you know all the things you need to make a good Christmas tree. However, I needed ornaments for my lovely tree and I didn't want to spend a ton of money for them. So what did I do... I decided to make my own.

Eat your heart out folks... salt dough ornaments made by yours truly!


When I decided to make ornaments I was trying to think of something that I could use to teach Roarke with. After racking my brain I decided that I would make them with each of our family members names on them going back to Roarke's great grandparents. This ended up being like 60 some ornaments. PHEW! I figured when Roarke and I looked at the tree we could talk about each family member and the special things about them.

Making these ornaments where super easy and super cheap! It basically takes 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, and a 1/2 cup water. Then you bake them at 250 degrees for 2-3 hours and before you know it you'll have these! Don't forget to use your favorite cookie cutters and a straw to punch holes in them.


After I was finished making all my ornaments I painted them and wrote all the names on them. Then I got some red twine and tied those to them.


I was pretty happy with how they turned out and I can't wait to decorate our tree and get that warm fuzzy feeling going in our house for the first time! HA!

Mileage Monday

Running stats for the week of November 2nd - November 8th... the time change really messed with our schedules this past week. Dan was used to working out right when he woke up for the day and then I would do my runs, walk Remi, or whatever around 7:00 or 8:00 in the evening after Roarke went to bed. Because of the time change its dark by 6:00 or before so I was having a hard time doing much of anything outside in the evening. Dan and I had to rework things so I could get some time to myself while daylight still existed! I was pretty happy with how my week went workout wise. Now when Dan wakes up for the day I do my thing and then he goes to the gym afterward which works out well since we both get to enjoy Roarke's bedtime routine together most of the time. Really my goal right now is to run at least 3 times a week and do some of my own strength work when I can't get out and about.


Monday, November 2nd, 2015 - 1 mile walk with Dan, Roarke, and Remi

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2015 - REST DAY!

Wednesday, November 4th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Thursday, November 5th, 2015 - 2.3 mile run / Stretch

Friday, November 6th, 2015 - 2.5 mile walk with Remi

Saturday, November 7th, 2015 - 3.14 mile run / Stretch / 1 mile walk with Dan, Roarke, Pam, and Bruce

Sunday, November 8th, 2015 - 1.87 mile run / Stretch / 1.87 mile walk with Dan, Roarke, and Remi

Totals for the week : Ran 7.31 miles / Walked 6.37 mile with various people

Mileage Monday

Running stats for the week of October 26th - November 1st... Another month has come and gone. Seriously how does time move so fast. This past week was pretty rainy and cold, but this coming week is looking amazing with temperatures in the 70's! YAY! I'm especially happy that people are predicting a mild winter coming our way so I hope to at least maintain my running. As the weather get colder the more I hate going outside. Got to take advantage of the wonderful weather as long as I can!


Monday, October 26th, 2015 - 2 mile run / 2 mile walk with Remi, Roarke, Mom, and Dad at Hudson Park

Tuesday, October 27th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Wednesday, October 28th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Thursday, October 29th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Friday, October 30th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Saturday, October 31st, 2015 - REST DAY!

Sunday, November 1st, 2015 - REST DAY!

Totals for the week : Ran 2 miles / Walked 2 miles

Mileage Monday

Running stats for the week of October 19th - October 25th... We have been a family on the move lately. I swear we are just never at home anymore these days. Roarke, Remi and I have been in P-town for the past week staying with my parents while Dan attends sniper school (hoping to do a blog post on that for you soon). It has been hard being apart as a family, but I also didn't want to be by myself while Dan was doing 14 hour days. Needless to say we miss him terribly and are looking forward to being reunited.

It has been nice being in P-town though because I have the company of my Mom and Dad during the day and of course someone who wants to help with Roarke more often than not. I also have been able to get outside and run whenever I want for the most part which is not something I'm use to. The road to my parents house is closed down right now as they do repairs so the traffic is super low and I have it all to myself for the most part.

We did have a set back at the beginning of the week. Remington injured himself once again while he was outside playing. He was in pretty bad shape for a few days during the start of the week so I didn't feel comfortable leaving his side. He was in so much pain I spent an entire night sleeping on the floor snuggling him. Luckily it worked itself out and he is back to normal now. I just have to keep in mind that he isn't the young dog he once was which is heartbreaking.


Monday, October 19th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Tuesday, October 20th, 2015  - REST DAY!

Wednesday, October 21st, 2015 - REST DAY!

Thursday, October 22nd, 2015 - 2 mile run / Stretch

Friday, October 23rd, 2015 - REST DAY!

Saturday, October 24th, 2015 -  2.5 mile run / Stretch

Sunday, October 25th, 2015 - REST DAY!

Totals for the week : Ran 4.5 miles

Fall Fun

Every October Dan's older brother Matt, who lives in Arizona, flies into Indiana with his entire family to visit all of us who still reside here. So during that time we all make the effort to get together so everyone can enjoy being with one another. This year was special for me because Roarke got the chance to meet all of his cousins on the Rhoton side. Let's just say it was cuteness overload! 





















It was quite the trip and we enjoyed every minute of it! It will be interesting to see how things are next year when Roarke is roaming around!!!
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