Cutest video of Roman EVER!

A little video I threw together for all those Roman Wesley fans!  XOXOXOXOxoxo


All the clips were recorded in August 2011.
Roman babbles, yells, roars, crys, dances, laughs & more!  Get ready to see the cutest video you've ever seen of Roman.  Can you handle it?

He even wishes his aunty Rachel a happy birthday! 

Click here to view the cutest video of Roman EVER!

Romans 1st 4th of July!!

 I'm finally posting this from July!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

July 5th 2011 

    

     4th of July weekend this year was our first family vacation all together.  

Family Road Trip. 

     We were invited up to our friends lakehouse cabin or what they call “Drift Inn” in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin (Door County).  It reminded Eric and I of our lakehouse in Austin that we miss so much.  The backyard of our friend’s lakehouse was the beach to the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan, which looked like the ocean.  I told Roman it was the ocean. ;-)  I figured a sea was close enough to an ocean.

 
 It was his 2nd time on the beach and the 1st time that we took naked baby beach pics!!  

Too much cuteness to handle:

     We loved being in nature with friends and I’m so thankful that we could give Roman a little adventure & change of scenery etc.  Roman was so great.  Of course his schedule got a bit messed up from traveling but he adjusted just fine and slept great and played hard.  He was finally being stimulated by NEW things, instead of the same old stuff at his house.  He loved being around new people and he also got some great beach time.  If he was at the beach everyday, he’d be a toe head like his mama in no time. 
    We had to watch him so closely while on the beach as there was many a thing that could be quite detrimental if swallowed/tasted.  So the short leash made it difficult to enjoy the beach like I usually do but I loved watching the look on little Roman’s face as he was looking out into the waves and exploring the rocks and treasures in the sand.

     One of the couples that was rooming with us at the lakehouse said that they were using Roman’s presence as “birth control” as they have 4 kids between the two of them and after spending the weekend with Roman they said that it had the opposite effect and that they were feeling baby hungry now.  Ooops.      
 To know a baby is to know the state of surrender & there’s nothing wrong with getting more familiar with that state.
    I was super bummed we couldn’t get sparklers for Roman this year.  Eric and I never saw any fireworks stands whilst driving around.  I googled it and only got 2 locations in Chicago.  I don’t know what I’m missing but I couldn’t get my hands on any fireworks this year.  The laws must be pretty tight around here.  Crap.  I still need to check that off my to-do list: research local laws of the land.  However I had to show Roman fireworks & I never like to miss them so I found out about a great fireworks show 2 miles from home in downtown Naperville so we strolled out to a good spot and I watched Roman’s eyeballs see fireworks for the first time ever!!!
It was after his bedtime by the time they started but I had to take him out to see them!  I wish we could have been right underneath them but we’ll have to plan that for sure for next year! 
    I’m excited to get him into some preschool/educational daycare very soon.  He really needs the stimulation and socialness and change of pace.  He gets so bored at home sometimes.  Maybe a dog would help.  Speaking of which, he's obsessed with dogs and it's officially his 2nd spoken word.  Though it usually comes out a bit more like "chog" or "gog".  He's getting the hang of it.  I will miss his baby japanasa when it's gone.  Anyway, preschool will be great because he’ll be better adjusted, more independent, learn more, have more attention and get to play with new things and kids!.  So I’m looking forward to that for him as well as for me!  I can begin to get organized and get working more and creating again.  I wouldn't want to do full time right now, he's still too whittle, but part time would be great!
    Roman acquires new nicknames all the time.  Lately I’ve been calling him my caveman baby or “bam bam”.  Because he just grunts and makes some cave man type of sound when he needs something because he can’t speak yet, although his babbling is getting more english sounding, he’s in the cave man evolutionary stage of development.  Another caveman thing he does that is funny is when he’s happy to see you he will slap/hit you.  It’s his way of showing you his happiness/love.  I have been also teaching him the concept of “soft”.  Humans come into the world innately knowing “roughness” and “destruction” so I’m starting young to teach him about softness and creation. Eric and I have also been considering re-naming him Roman Harley because he produces a funny “revving” sound when he’s trying to get our attention.  Revve it up Roman!

Things he’s beginning to understand:

• He repeated his ABC’c up to the letter D while reading his ABC book!!!
• Sign language for basic things: “All done/all gone”, “ball”, “more”, “milk” etc etc
• He’s learning a lot about animals, colors, music, instruments, numbers, nature, basic house hold words, yes & no, "careful". Basic concepts like hot and cold, big & small, in & out, The concept of “soft” as opposed to rough, etc.  Now he just needs some worldly adventures!

Some fun new things he’s into (and when I say “fun” that term is relative):

• Taking off his diaper
• Knocking the spoon out of my hand as I’m feeding him
• Kick & dribble his soft baby soccer ball, his winne the pooh ball, really any ball, and if you happen to spit a small ball from your mouth he will crack up laughing! :-)
• He still loves to drum everything & play his piano
• Sneezing (it makes him laugh...it used to make him cry...ahh the cycle of life)
• Taking off his bib
• Climbing up stairs and over his barriers 
• Running. Ok not full kid run but he definitely has a baby run he's practicing daily
• He likes to playfully smile at you just before he falls asleep for the night. Too precious!
• He absolutely loves to be outside.  It's a good day for him if he can get some dirt in his mouth. He makes loud happy screaming sounds when he’s outside exploring :-)  He’s very independent when exploring.  He will not let me hold his hand or lead the way.  And when he gets out on his own he will roar will joy, it's hilarious.  Even if he’s tired and you take him outside he gets revved up with some energy reserve and takes flight off into spontaneous directions.  Even when he was so tiny and couldn’t walk yet, I could always take him outside to calm him down if he got into a crying fit.  So I try to give him outside time everyday.  We’ve turned our patio into a big play pen for him.  He LOVES it.  It's too bad it's gonna get cold sooner than later and be that way for 8 months out of the year :-(

• 

Here is a quote about parenting that I came across.  Loved it so much, had to share it:

  

"Be careful of rules for your children. Rules diminish responsibility.

Be careful of rewards for your children. Rewards diminish self-esteem.

Be careful of punishments for your children. Punishments diminish trust.  

Let lessons be imposed by the nature of things, not by your own agendas or your own needs.

Integrity will replace rules. Contentment will replace striving.

Spirituality will replace religion.  

Songs will replace arguments. Dances will replace battles."

-William Martin, The Parent's Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents

 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/101826.The_Parent_s_Tao_Te_Ching

Let us wander in the wonder and be still in the mystery. ;-)

Yes Roman is officially walking

Here is a video montage of our nature walk on mothers day 
~ May 8th 2011 ~

Full documentation of Roman's newest skill: walking.

For a better quality version in HD click: 

1st Mothers Day 2011

This Friday, May 13th is his 10 month old birthday!  And his Grandma Mary is going to be with us this weekend and we are so thrilled to have her!!!  Thanks Jack for giving mama Mary the gift of flight so she could be with us.
I can't believe it, but he has 6 teeth already!?

Roman is officially walking...?

Roman Empire Begins Trailer (above)

It came from within... and changed the world forever...


For a better quality version in HD click:  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtCNLyMpgkI

Roman & I have been wesin' it up

Roman turned 9 months yesterday!  In honor of his bday I edited some videos of us rocking out to "Let it Rock"!  Get pumped up while watching Roman rocks out at 3, 6 & 9 months old.

Roman & I Wesin' it up - Let it Rock!

March 31 -April 13th 2011

     Starting work again on Feb 2011 has made it even more difficult to find the time to do this blog for family and friends but I finished one video (the silly fun montage above) so I figured its time to do an quick update since everyone we know isn’t able to be here and experience all the loveliness of Roman Wesley. 
     Everyday is a new adventure in his little world.  So many firsts everyday.  Recently his firsts have been: watermelon, new vegetable combinations (kale, potato, broccoli etc), corned beef, sauerkraut, pickles, fish, radish, beet, sheep milk, St. Paddy’s Day festivities, standing on his own, taking his first guided (and not guided!! more below, keep reading) walking steps, sticking out his tongue, laughing spontaneously & making other such silly faces (you guys are seriously missing out here!!! But I’m getting some on film and that will be coming soon!!).  Thank you again Karen Dawson for the baby food processor, I'm making delicious babyfood/mush/soup daily for the whole family!

     I really wanted to get him some more toys and educational activities.  Luckily, I found some inexpensive used ones on craigslist!  So brilliant to buy and sell on craigslist baby items that you only use for a short tiempo.  So we got him a baby piano, musical table, xylophone etc. 

    
     We created a huge “safe zone” for him in the living room so he has a lot of room to move around in and a lot of fun things to discover.  (April 11th - He just learned how to break out of the barriers we created out of boxes etc.  So it’s back to square one.  I’m going to start looking for baby gates on craigslist.)  Though I still worry he gets bored being inside so much & me working from home.  This next winter will be more difficult than this one cause I’m betting he’ll be even more rambunctious, curious and playful.  I love to peek over at him from my desk and see him experimenting on his piano and banging on his musical discovery table or jimbo drum.  He also loves the soccer ball and chewing on my yoga mats...haaa what am I saying he loves to chew on everything!

We got him his own chair which is such a lifesaver and also so much fun.  I recently found him asleep on it, so it must be comfy.

   
   
















     Some of his favorite activities are being outside, tickle monster, playing peekabo, playing with Arjuna “Joo Joo” aka the cat, flying, watching Baby Einstein, dancing, making up ditties, playing anything that makes music.  He especially responds with ecstatic obsessive excitement when I take out the guitar & play for him (I need to learn more nursery’s but for now he always smiles big when I play Nothing Else Matters by Metallica & St. Theresa by Joan Osborne. He also loves it when I sing “You are my sunshine”, “Patty Cake” etc etc.)  He is one determined little boy.  He will stop at nothing to try to strum and drum with me on the guitar.  Makes it difficult to play anything for very long but he loves it :-)

On March 19th Roman got his photo taken professionally by Cherry Blossoms Portraits at Whole Foods Market.  Here is what she captured: 

     Has anyone heard of “Your Baby Can Read”?  I’m interested in trying it out.  Children learn more in their first three years of life than at any other time so maybe we can stimulate learning to read young.  Roman craves so much stimulation.  I always worry I’m not stimulating him enough.  But then I remember there’s always so much to discover in every moment.

     One of my sweet Dads (Jack) gave me some of the greatest parenting advice recently, “[your children] did not come here to walk your path.”  Such a seemingly easy concept to understand but in actuality its something--I’ve noticed--that can be difficult to master.

     Roman’s 3rd tooth broke through April 4th and the forth is now breaching through.  So soon he’ll have 4 teefers!  His cute lil bite is going to get even more dangerous.






     April 8th was one of the warmest most lovely first days of Spring thus far this year!  Finally.  Such a welcome relief from the penetrating bitter cold of the winter.  So Roman and I went adventuring outside in his awesome fun stroller.  We stopped by the little lake to check out the birds and Roman was stunned into silence.

     Usually he crawls & cruises all around, babbles & is very active.  But outside today he just sat there silently observing everything.  He had the whole outside to crawl around and explore but he just stayed very close to me.  It must have been a wonderful moment for him, so much space... he must have been drinking it in.  Speaking of which, He tasted his first leaf/grass.  I don’t think it tasted too well (see pics below).

1st time tasting leaf/grass

1st time tasting leaf/grass 2

   

Here are some other pics of spring walking adventures:

Baby flame legs!

   

     I have to come to terms with the fact that he’s not a tiny baby anymore.  He’s practically walking.  He’s been working so hard to get to this point since he was 5 1/2 months old.  During the last 2 wks he’s been practicing with more and more daring every time.  His constant “cruising” has turning into leaping from one area to another to see how many quick steps he can take before his hands find the sturdy furniture again.  And when I lean down to pick him up he takes the opportunity to walk a few steps into my arms.  It’s the most precious, unexplainable thing ever!  I only wish family members and friends could experience it.  He’s going to be walking and talking before I know it.

Here are a few pics I got of him standing on his own in one of his favorite places to play:
(He's gnawing on a potato)

   














     We are going to have to baby proof yet again to a new level since his little curious hands get into everything now.  He can now get into drawers and shelves and really enjoys that he’s figured out how to flush the toilet.  I’m trying to explain the concept of the “potty”.  Since he seems to want to do everything as early as possible I figure we can potty train him early as well.  Though last time I was potty training kids we used “treats” for the reward system of going to the potty.  And I don’t really want to do that with Roman.  Does anyone have any suggestions?  Any good books?  I know every child is different and I’m sure we’ll figure it out but I’m open to all recommendations at this point.

Here are some pics from the day after his first St. Paddy's party:

"See the lipstick stains from all the women kissing me?"

Beth & Annie Padgitt gave Roman his Irish Shamrock onsie with Irish bear!

To conclude I just want to say that I am soo speechlessly honored to know a lil sweet baby so well.  

Everyday I soak in Roman's precious light-your-heart-up smiles.