7 Months Old

Our little guy is 7 months old today! He is growing so fast and the last month we've had some big milestones. Rylin finally started to enjoy eating solid foods. I've been making most of them. He will pretty much eat anything I feed him, but definitely prefers blueberries, yams, pork, and apples. He's also now tried cauliflower, potatoes, plums, peaches, green beans, peas, squash, carrots, avocados, bananas, chicken, turkey, and some gross congealed concoction that O Organics calls beef. Yuck. A couple of weeks ago we moved to a larger car seat since he was pushing the weight limit on the infant carrier. He loves it. He has a better view of the outside world and it is definitely a little more cushy.

He now enjoys riding in the grocery store cart too.

He has started to perfect the scoot and army crawl and we know that crawling is literally days away. It blows my mind how fast he can already get around. Yesterday I went to pull a piece of paper out of his mouth (an everyday occurrence) and felt a sharp little tooth poking out of his bottom gum. That would explain the crankiness and extra sleeping we've had lately. His little personality has really come out. He has a big cheesy grin that he loves to give when he is really excited, and he can squeal at the top of his lungs loud enough to make Duke leave the room.

He LOVES his walker and is quite skilled at getting around the house since almost every room has wood floors. He has learned to make the motor boat sound with his lips and is currently yelling "dadadadada", though I told Jordan that it doesn't quite count as his first word! He loves to roll around on the floor in his room and this is how I found him the other day. Laying in the pile of stuffed animals!

For once we went to a Dr.'s appointment and it wasn't for him! This was he and Duke waiting in the vets office this morning. Not exactly Norman Rockwell, but still pretty cute!

It's finished. I think...

I promised to post pictures when I finally completed the decorating of the nursery, and six months from start date, I think I can say I'm there. Maybe. The last piece I added derived from the theme of the room and my longing for a table something like this, but as always...much less expensive.

My crafty father managed to score me a great piece of oak stump (a better color for the room) and widdled it into quite a unique little table. A coat of lacquer and you'd hardly believe that it was anything but the perfect baby bottle holder!

And here's everything together.

Anybody need a nursery designed anytime soon? I already have more ideas than Jordan will let me have babies!

Little Green Wagon

Rylin's Gramps bought him his very own little green wagon a couple of weeks ago. Since he is sitting up pretty well on his own, he was happy to take a ride! Sometimes when he starts getting fussy, I pull it out from the garage and give him a spin around the house. He loves it and holds on tight for the bumpy ride!

Fun Weekend

We had quite the busy weekend that started with the arrival of my good buddy Nicole. Nicole and I met in college and lived together for several years. She quickly became one of my best friends and was the maid of honor in my wedding. Not long after she herself graduated college and got married, she moved to Boston. Jordan and I got to visit she and her husband Kyle but were happy when they decided to move a little closer to St. Louis. A couple of summers ago, we made a vacation trip to meet them in California, where her parents were living at the time, but other than that we haven't gotten to visit a lot in person over the last several years. Nicole has been following the blog and I follow her's, but it just isn't the same. So we were super excited when she said she was coming to meet Rylin. We had an emotional reunion at the airport and then set off for some Mexican food! Nicole is one of those great easy going friends and Jordan says she has one of the best laughs...and laugh we did! By Saturday I had pretty much lost my voice from all the talking and catching up we did! Her Dad, Rocky came up from Houston and took us to dinner and Rylin entertained us with his new found high pitch squeal and gummy grin! I was sad to see her go on Sunday morning, but so happy that she could come for even a couple of days.





Sunday morning, we dedicated Rylin at church. He did quite well at containing his squeals during the service and even smiled a little. Afterwards we had some family and friends over for lunch to celebrate our finalization and dedication. We are so blessed by everyone who has prayed and supported us through this venture, and we can never express how appreciative we are of the friends and family we have!

Mom's Day

Mother's Day holds new meaning for me this year, but probably not for the reason you may think. It is a special day since it is the first time I will celebrate "in the first person", but I really think the focus for me will still remain the same as who it has been in previous years...but with a clearer appreciation!

I know that a lot of who I am as a mother I owe to my own mom, and as much as I sometimes like to deny it, I am a lot like her. A few things that I've already picked up...

*worrying (a.k.a. praying harder)

*talking in that annoying baby voice with the scrunched up nose

*loving my time in the rocking chair with my baby

*drinking coffee early in the morning in order to engage in a civilized manner with my child and the rest of the world

*giving my child ridiculous nick names (me & my brothers were DK Magilicutti, Ricardo, & Angelita Sopapilla)

*getting weepy when anyone talks about my baby growing up

*peeing with the door open

*singing (no matter how far fetched the song) in an attempt to distract my child from crying

I discover new things every day! Seriously! Rylin is only six months old. Wait until he's in high school...I'll probably be raising one eyebrow at him and wearing a robe. One like my Mom's big, purple, furry robe that me and my brothers referred to her in as "the bear"!

Still, I should be blessed to have inherited even half of my mother's characteristics. As much as I like to joke about the things that drive me batty, there are a million things that ting my heart. I still wish my mother were with me every time I get sick. Only she really understands when I'm too choked up to talk. She always has a listening ear. Sound advice. Calm perspective. I can count on her to share in any disappointment or excitement. Surprise me with something thoughtful. Remember every special occasion. Challenge me to be better. Speak the truth. Encourage me often and love me no matter what I do.

My mother is retiring from teaching in a few weeks after 25 years. I know that she has made an impact on many more lives than just those of her own children. After attending her retirement party last week, it was evident that she will be greatly missed. Except for the "I've never seen Ida mad" comment (refer back to the purple robe and the nickname), I could relate to all of what her fellow teachers remarked. My mom is down to earth, loving, creative, genuine, and smart. She was born to be a teacher, and designed to be a Mom. Today, I remember to thank God that he made her mine. I couldn't have asked for a better example.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I think I get it now:)

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Jordan turned 28 yesterday! We all got dressed up and went to dinner at one of our favorite places in Richardson, Amore. Family dinners are definitely getting a little more exciting these days, but we managed to finish without too much destruction and mayhem. Rylin loves his Daddy (as you can tell) and he always gives him the best grins. Not long after this picture, Rylin spit up all over Jordan's shoe! Happy Birthday!

My Buddies

We LOVE that we have great friends so close to us. This week Rylin got to hang out with a couple of them. On Monday, we ventured to the Farmers Market with Henry and his mom Erin, in search of some fruits and veggies for my picky eater.

They both passed out soon after we left...

Then today, Atticus came by to visit for a couple of hours while his Dad ran some errands. He and Rylin rolled around on the floor, tried to steal each others pacifier, and had a little bounce off. They couldn't have been any cuter!

Final!

We had Rylin's finalization yesterday morning and he is now officially an Everhart! Our day started out with sleeping through the alarm clock and running around like mad trying to get ourselves and Rylin ready. Our families beat us to the courthouse, where we met our lawyer at 8:15 A.M. (yuck), and the actual time in the court room was around 5 minutes. Our lawyer read to us the order of adoption and we had to answer some questions in front of the court acknowledging our role as Rylin's parents. Then our judge was nice enough to take a few pictures with the whole family! It was all very surreal but a big relief to be complete.