Odds and Ends

She was really laughing!

Thanksgiving (& snow) in Ft. Worth.

(you can see an occasional white dot)

4 GENERATIONS

SWEET!

4 months old

Dad's favorite picture.

Sometimes, in the morning, dad peeks me around

the corner and we surprise mom!

Does this remind you of "Home Alone"?

Royanne and her cat, Blue.

Just like in Goldilocks and The Three Bears..............

one just her size.

Texas in December...............plenty of sun.

One night Royanne's mom woke up when the camera went *FLASH*.

They were waiting for dad to come home from work.

It was after midnight. Royanne usually nods off around

1 A.M., so it was unusual to already be asleep at midnight.

Listening to dad from across the room. In this conversation,

he is telling her whatever she wants, the answer is

"YES!"

This is Ro's FIVE MONTH PICTURE.

Quite a ways from fitting in her dad's hand.

During tummy time, Royanne accidently fell asleep.

Liam, Kay's son, really loves Royanne. He always wants to hold her and he makes silly faces, trying to make her laugh. In this pictutre, she was distracted by Abby.

Everyone deserves a

photo op on fur..............

Reading about kids' stuff.

Reading with Great Grandma.

Our Christmas card stated:
"We have increased our kitchen staff for the holidays"

(Remember, Bruce is the cook in the family)

Amanda, our niece, took many pictures that night...........

It was hard to pick which to use for the Christmas card.

Christmas-time picture, one of many, I am sure!

Some of Ro's Firsts

As you may or may not know, Bruce does the majority of the cooking in this family. Cooking is his hobby. He cooks, I clean up. Royanne got her first lesson recently. When he's rocking her, he is forever telling her all the kitchen adventures they will have.

In November, Royanne discovered her thumb as a soothing tool. At first she was awkward with its placement, but she soon became a pro. Now, in the car, after arching her back in protest, we can hear her in the back sucking her thumb as she travels strapped in like an astronaut.

Evening calls for another first: the sugar fix........ her first Dum-dum.

One day Ro was sucking on her toes and playing with them like 10 new little toys. Her socks only briefly slowed her down. Now she'll suck them until they're wet, and then remove them.

What can be better than the remants of one's first bite of a chocolate ice cream cone from Shake's Ice Cream Shop?

On September 22, she held her own bottle. A convenient accident construed as a new talent? Nope, it continued to happen. And would you believe, now when she reaches the end, she takes it out to see if it is really empty? You gotta see it to believe it!

Bruce l-o-v-e-s tea and tries new blends constantly. Looks like this is something he plans on sharing!!! She is very interested in what is in our cups. That's when the pediatrician said it would almost be time to give her cereal: "When she expresses a desire in what you are eating"...............

And so, we tried cereal! She loves it!

Accommodating the Parents

Wow. "Accommodating the parents." This entry could go on forever! Royanne is such a little trooper. Our friend Kim gave us some little girl clothes her grand daughter had outgrown. Royanne, for the most part, likes to get dressed. Sometimes she even gets silly and giggles and squeals. We thought: how cute would it be to dress her in a pumpkin for Halloween!!? First, we had to go shopping and find one that was wide enough for her to sit in it, and tall enough to support her without her toppling over.

Next, Bruce had to convince her that it was safe, and he had to dry it as much as possible, and explain how it was going to be a really cute picture.

"It is really cold AND wet in here!"

Ta-da!





Mission accomplished!

Remembering the first 100 days

Before Royanne was born, when we didn't want to tell anyone her name, so we said her name was Ella Sue. After she was born, and we announced her name, Mom said she knew it was going to have "Roy" in it somewhere. She had even written down some of her guesses and placed them in a sealed envelope. We struggled with several derivatives of Roy (the first being Roix, like the island St. Croix) but then settled on a spelling that wouldn't give her grief all her life.

After issues with the epidural not working on one side for several hours, here came our sweet darling baby girl. She was so small! So delicate! When she creid, I cried. I cried from overwhelming joy!

Dr. Paul Bushart was the best doctor anyone could ask for. Always attentive, always positive.

He kept my spirits up throughout the pregnancy when we had problems with gestational diabetes, swollen feet, carpal tunnel syndrome, and afterwards, the high blood pressure and excruciating headaches.

Abby and Liam, Kay's younger children, came the day after we got home to check out the baby. Liam used his doctor kit.

Abby was very proud to hold Royanne, and made lists about all that she would teach her in the years to come.

Liam was very taken with Royanne.

Royanne, from the beginning, has displayed her hands and fingers as if she is one of Bob Barker's girls on 'The Price Is Right'.

There are the little feet that I felt kick and dance from within. She has finally grown into them.

Even from the beginning, Royanne has been very alert.

For Royanne's first (month) birthday, we had a little celebration. Abby and Bruce made pink cupcakes. We were doing fine with our little bits of sleep. Of all the people who are strangers that comment on her, about 80% assume we are the grandparents. When we are correctly called the parents, I surely thank them!

I waited for this angel for so long.

This was from a night Ro did not want to go to sleep. She wanted to stay awake. Before she was born, she was most active between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. This is still pretty much true.

Still burning the candle.

Ro at 2 months. This was the day she went to get some of her immunizations.

Royanne loves her Bumbo chair. As soon as she was able to hold her head up, this was my chair of choice for her.

Discovering toes.

Ro at 3 months. I think by then she was getting used to having her picture taken!

This is from another day I spent marveling her. By October, her laughs were intentional.

Royanne discovered her thumb for self-soothing.

Whenever I put a headband on her, Bruce starts singing 'What A Feeling' from the movie

FLASHDANCE.