ode to roe.

dearest bebe roe,

you make me smile every, single day. morning arrives around 7am these days and some mornings i just look up at the ceiling, not ready for the day begin. still drowsy, i make my way to your room and then . . . i see you. you recognize your daddy and i now and each morning i am reminded of what an incredible miracle you are in my life. regardless of how much sleep i got the night before every morning is a little treasure i hold dear. you smile so big. we tell you we love you and shower you with kisses and you smile even bigger. while we hold you in bed with us, you eat up the attention from both parents at once and you coo with sublime happiness. i ask you how you slept and daddy asks about your sweet dreams and most of the time you look up at us with your fist in your mouth, but some mornings you tell us all about your previous night. some mornings we will play music for you and you sit captivated and wide-eyed. mornings are blissful.

july 2nd, you laughed for the first time. it was the most incredible experience, proving yet again what an amazing and vibrant little miracle you have become in our lives. we were at the zoo, it was a hot day and you had tolerated well as we dragged you around to see things you still have yet to gain an appreciation for. daddy had already changed two big blow-outs in a patch of grass in the shade by the monkeys and we were preparing to change the third. he gathered the necessities while i held you trying to keep you entertained while you fought sleep with all your might. i started bouncing you up and down and . . . you laughed. of course the world stopped in that moment and both your daddy and i looked on giggling and cooing with you. video documentation was made and has since been shared with everyone we come in contact with because we are just boastful, proud parents like that. you have laughed a handful of times since and you are ticklish on your back ribs right under your armpit {how specific is that?!}. which, if you are tired enough and we tickle in just the right way will trigger laughter as well.

four months means more shots and more milestones, but this month you weighed in at 17lbs. 12oz. i am so glad that my milk is doing you some good!

you have gotten so good at tummy time and your daddy and i could not be prouder. you hold your head up so well {which is really a miracle in and of itself, seeing as your head spans the width of your shoulders and is in the 90%} and your little arms have gained the strength to support your shoulders as well. i lay on my tummy with you and just tell you how well you are doing and how proud i am of your accomplishment. you just smile a shy, toothless grin at me and i can tell you are proud of yourself as well.

we introduced you to the bumbo chair and an exersaucer and you seem to like the independence for a short while and then you realize that either your legs are squished into the bumbo or you feel stuck in the exersaucer and you yelp for assistance. you enjoy yourself most, laying on your back, kicking your legs, flailing your arms, reaching for anything near you and rolling from side to side. gone are the days when we can leave you on the couch and run and grab your diaper supplies. you are squirming constantly and anything that is within your reach subsequently goes to right to your mouth. in fact, you have learned to pull out your binki and return your binki from your mouth. obviously your daddy and i are agreed that you are the smartest baby to ever grace this planet.

more than anything, you enjoy being outside. just yesterday evening you laid on your back on a blanket outside and chatted with the clouds, trees and birds above you about their beauty. you love taking walks in the stroller or attached to the front of your dad or i and you calm down immediately as we step out the front door of our home. grammy visited last week and you sat on her lap and watched with bright eyes while the rain came down heavy on the windows, the thunder rumbled in the mountains and the lightning crackled bright in our living room. you enjoy going to the pool, no so much because you love the water, but because there is so much to take in around you. your head turns when kids scream at the pool and your eyes follow cars and motorcycles as they whiz by while we are on walks.

we got off of your schedule for awhile there, after returning from the oldham houseboat on lake powell, but you are back on track. after a few tortured evenings of allowing you to cry, you have learned to sleep in your crib both for naps during the day and bedtime at night. you have also discovered how you are most comfortable sleeping and you soothe yourself by sleeping on your side. of course i think that is the most darling thing and send your daddy pictures of you sleeping on your side at least twice during the day.

you have acquired quite a few nicknames and go by roe, rodeo, baby roe, son, nugget, buddy and punk, to name a few.

roe, we love you. we are proud to call you ours. there are days that daddy and i turn to each other and question what we did to deserve such a darling and cooperative baby. regardless, we thank our heavenly father daily for sending you to our family and for blessing you with all the smarts and chubby cuteness a baby could posses. you have become our entire world and my full time job and we could not be happier.

muah - mommy & daddy

*knitted afghan, compliments of grammy! <3