September 2009

Alright, well, this doesn't look the way I want it to, but I'll post it so I can get an update out there.  These photos are in reverse chronological order, much to my dismay, because Blogger isn't letting me cut and paste these days.  Ok, rant over.  Ronan has grown like crazy and I'm eager to see how big he is at his 2 month appointment.  He is way into kissing, he opens his mouth to kiss and if you make a big smooch

sound when you kiss him it nearly always makes him smile.  He smiles a lot these days and continues to be very mellow and sweet.  He hasn't laughed yet and I'm excited to see what will prove to tickle his fancy enough.  Mary Lu just adores him and always helps with diaper changes and is always around and ready to play with him or keep him company.  Juan loves playing with Ronan and has been very patient with my divided attention.  He is a huge help every day.  Mary Lu and John have been going to Strong Start about twice a week in Osoyoos.  This year we've switched to the one just across the border and she's still loving it.  Juan is crazy about Kindergarten.  He's made lots of friends, he's excelling, he makes lots of trips to the Cub Den which is a room at the school where kids can go for 15 minutes of fun during the day when they've done well in class.  I love, love his school.  All in all we are very busy and very sleepy and feeling happy and content.  Here are the photos!

Taken when John got home from work at 4:30am.  Thankfully, he only worked graveyard this one night.  Because he was not there to encourage Juan and Mary Lu to stay downstairs when I took Ronan upstairs at 2:30am, we all ended up sleeping on the couch.

A Mary Lu creation.

Ronan enjoys his baths now, as long as they're short.  As you'll see in photos below, he wasn't a fan at first.  Mary Lu always helps with bath, she has her own washcloth to wash his legs and feet.

Mary Lu keeping Ronan company during a diaper change.

With Grandma Ruthy.

His eyes look really green in this photo.  In reality, they're still bluish-grey.  I'm thinking they will stay blue or green, but it's hard to tell of course!

Like Juan and Mary Lu, Ronan lifted his head up early.  Ronan did on his very first day.  They are a strong-necked bunch.

For the first 3 weeks home, Mary Lu ended up sleeping on the couch with Ronan and I nearly every time we came upstairs in the middle of the night.  I was concerned about it, but it was also a very sweet time.  She seems to be sleeping through it now.

Jasper enjoys his movie time with Juan and Mary Lu every afternoon.  When they settle in to watch "Curious George", "Wordgirl", or "Dinosaur Train", he snuggles up next to them and has a nap.

Our peach harvest this year.  If you saw our how neglected our garden was this year, you'd be impressed!

This was an attempt to photograph Ronan's very hairy arms. He was covered in fine, white-blond hairs when he came home.  He still has tufts on his ears.  He has red sideburns.  He looks just like a tiny Nordic warrior.

His warrior face.

Phase one of our play structure, built by John.  It's awesome.  Next summer he gets to build phase two.  It's been a lot of fun to plan with the kids.

Juan loves to play in the yard and is now old enough to go out on his own when he wants.  He spends a lot of time in the garden, looking for things to harvest, and he spends a lot of time building things.  This summer he built a dresser for his stuffed guinea pig.  He is really growing up.  That's what I was thinking, honestly, when I took this photo.  He looked so mature sitting there.    

This loses its impact being out of chronological order, but this photo is of Ronan just after his first bath.  He recovered quickly and seems to be feeling downright cozy here.

The first bath.  We were all there, with Juan and Mary Lu washing his legs and feet and trying to soothe him.