9 months

Here we are at 9 months! He's been out as long as he was in. Rolin gets more interactive every day; it's been amazing to watch him learn, observe and assess. I think the biggest thing that's changed over this last month is his ability (and willingness) to entertain himself for a good amount of time. Yes, a good amount of time is 10-15ish minutes, but I've learned to get much done within a free 10-minute period. Blogging, for instance.

I'm not a huge fan of lettered shirts, but this was the third outfit change of the day (read: day full of blowout diapers) and I thought he looked extra handsome in this one.

I'm sure enjoying the 10 minute period of him entertaining himself will change in the course of the coming month...Rolin is just about crawling. We have yet to baby proof anything, so I know we'll be in trouble there. I better pre-load as many blogs as I can.

What he's up to:

• Scoots, rolls and stretches to get what he wants
• Started to pull himself to stand
• Still screams like a banshee

• Has two teeth
• Thinks he's Edward Cullen -- he'll lunge toward my arm to take a bite at any given moment. I guess, technically speaking, he'd be more like one of the Volturi, but we won't get in to that now... :)

Enjoying a snack of mum mums and a bottle at the park.

• Babbles da-da (in addition to other things, but da-da is the latest)
• Started taking two naps a day (on average, with the aid of various baby contraptions). It's a springtime miracle!

Checking out the pear blossoms with mom.

• Is a HappyPuffs-aholic
• Sleeps like a champ (most of the time)

Dad's home snuggles! This is Rolin's newest expression - it's coupled with a sort of grunt sound. 

• Eats almost anything, only if some banana is mixed in
• Plays peek-a-boo:

Please, no poking fun at the glimpses of my "French Canadian" nose.

Um, I said no.

Knees

Someone asked me the other day if I played basketball in high school.

"Pahaha. No," I said. "I believe that requires you to both dribble and walk quickly at the same time."

Justin was nearby, chuckling in the background.

"I did a basketball camp in 4th grade. While dribbling, I tripped, fell and got a gym-floor burn on my knee, and that was the end of that," I continued.

Grace, agility and coordination don't come naturally to me. I did play soccer...though I think I made the team because I would generally show up to practice on time...not because I was good. It was probably a benefit to my team my senior year when, during the first game, I collided with No. 10 from Wapato. The impact resulted in a severed ACL. I was out for the remainder of the season.

I also played tennis; I think I did ok there. I did, however, botch my chances of qualifying for state in doubles my senior year because I thought it'd be a good idea to smack the ball as hard as possible, while playing in the forward position, to the other side of the net. Instead, I smacked it into our side of the net. Twice. In a row. Disqualified.

I played singles too, but I was afraid of Becca from Connell. She had a wicked fast serve and backhand. But that's another story for another time.

The point of this post is to tell you I fell earlier this week. While walking. Walking where I walk every day. Ok, walking where I walk when I actually leave the house (which isn't every day).

I had a baby in a car seat on one arm, and a baby diaper bag on the other. I was also clutching in my teeth the registration for the car, which I finally remembered to grab on my way out the door. I walked to the edge of the parking lot, stepped off the path and suddenly found myself on the ground. I had stepped off in the wrong spot where it's steeper and didn't stop my other foot before it was too late.

I landed hard on one knee, yet managed to keep the baby from flying. Thank goodness he was already strapped in the car seat! I popped up as quickly as I fell and pretended like nothing happened. Just in case anyone was watching, you know, because that would be embarrassing...

Ugh, I hate it when I do that.

As soon as I got to the car, I told myself I was a dummy for not just sitting there and making sure Rolin was ok and that I wasn't bleeding out anywhere.

Rolly was fine. It scared him briefly, but I think in the end he laughed at me.

My jeans and knee, on the other hand, were not fine. Both were ripped and blood stained.

It seems all the cool kids wear ripped jeans these days, though, so I should be fine there.

The funny thing is, I did the same thing last year around this time. Just walking where I usually walk. Somehow, pregnant Christine tripped on a step and landed hard on one knee, yet managed to keep her baby bump out of the danger zone. Maternity jeans, as you may know, are made from some pretty hardy denim so I didn't rip those pants; I just ripped my knee.

All this knee-scraping talk reminds me of one of my first double-knee scraping incidents. I was probably 4 years old or so, walking down the sidewalk at Nanny's house -- just walking on a flat surface -- when WHAM!, down falls little Christine. Both knees and palms were [badly] scraped. I was with the Rabe clan that day so Aunt Kathy helped clean me up and get me bandaged before we went back to my parents' house. I remember asking Uncle Lou to drive slowly because going over bumps made my boo-boos hurt worse.

Sad story, huh. ;)

I'm not going to post a picture of my current knee injury. I'll leave you with a previous injury instead:

Getting big

Little man suddenly seems so big! Look at how he is hanging over the top and the bottom of the bouncy.

Yes, this is really the only way to get him to nap in his crib.

Aberdeen Visit

It's been years since both Justin and I were in Aberdeen at the same time. Like four years. Four! Aberdeen is just a long way from everything.

We finally made the trek a few weeks ago as a family of three. The trip was long. As I said, Aberdeen is a long way from everything; with a baby in tow, it's even longer. We could have let him sleep the entire way, and would have made it in about seven hours, but then we would have had a very hungry and very energized 7-month-old baby on our hands. Bedtime would have been ugly. 

via

Yellow dot: Aberdeen. Red dot: Spokane. It's definitely an "over and through the woods" trek to get to grandma's house!

On our last stop, just 45 miles from our destination, things ended up getting ugly anyway. It was rainy, windy and cold (surprised?). We stopped at a gas station to change and feed Rolin. The cold air on baby's bottom triggered a pee storm. When we thought we had things cleaned up, we tried again. Another pee storm ensued. I flew into action, but my actions were too hasty and I knocked a half-prepared bottle (read: lid not screwed on) over and onto the driver's seat. Pretty much the worst seat to dump a bottle onto, right? 

Thankfully, Justin and I just sort of laughed at what had happened. There was nothing we could do about what had transpired besides clean it up, make another bottle, burp the baby and get back on the road. Oh,  memories! 

A few pics from the trip:

Ceiling fan!

Grandpa has waited years to read The Animals of Farmer Jones to a little one again. 

Rolin liked it. 

Karen and I took Kate, my soon-to-be sister-in-law, out on Sunday for brunch and pedicures in Olympia...a mini bridal shower, if you will. I enjoyed the heck out of my child-free pedicure and just about fell asleep on our way to Curtis' house. It was a fun girls' day celebrating Kate. You'll just have to believe me that it happened because I have no photos to prove it. #SILfail!

Here's a pic of the happy couple, for good measure:

They're getting hitched June 1st!

Monday was a day of relaxing around the house and running errands around town as the grandparents took the day off to hang out. The boys had talked their parents into getting a new TV over the weekend (and we gave them our Wii), so of course they convinced their parents they also needed other new gadgets to make their immersion into the world of flat screens complete.

We also had Justin's car detailed (read: had the driver's seat steam cleaned to get the stink out).

Classic Lee.

Watching grandpa mow the lawn. It was also unexpectedly sunny and warm Monday, also known as everybody-mow-your-lawns day.

We went to visit Grandma Karen on Tuesday at her school. She was very excited to introduce Rolin to her co-workers and friends. He was the hit of the lunch room! We almost went to Forks afterward (nerd alert!) because we had nothing better to do, but seeing as though it's at least a two-hour drive away, we decided to do it another time. Instead, we went around the south side of the harbor to have lunch at the Westport Winery -- a surprisingly nice venue with delicious lunch...and wine! We'll be back for sure! It was raining (surprised?) so we took our time at lunch and perused the gift shop before heading to the beach. 

Washington's tallest lighthouse. 

Raining, cold, windy, but I haven't touched the ocean since we left California, so I braved the elements and went out anyway. I scored about eight whole sand dollars too!

You're allowed to drive on the beach in this area of the state. The sand is considered the Pacific Highway. You just have to be smart and not get stuck or sucked into the ocean. 

We left for home Wednesday, but we'll be back in the harbor for Curtis' wedding before we know it. Some 45 or so days from now, if I'm not mistaken! 

Sad man

Easter weekend

Last weekend was intended to be a one-night trip, but it turned into a three-night, fun- and family-filled weekend getaway for Team Thompson.

We decided to leave for Grandview Friday night instead of Saturday morning so as not to disrupt Rolly's sleeping so much. The little bugger is not much of a daytime napper and if he sleeps too much during the day, bedtime turns into an UNadventure. After usual bedtime proceedings, we slipped Rolin into his car seat and took off, arriving in Grandview around 11:15 that night.

While Justin worked a bit Saturday in Yakima, Rolin entertained Grandpa and Gigi with his giggles, claps, disguises and near-crawling revs. My friend Linsley also stopped by (YAY!!) to meet Rolin and catch up.

Creepy? Yes. Hilarious? Absolutely.

Joe and Brianna came later in the afternoon. Justin and I waved hello to them as we passed off Rolin and zoomed by on my parents' new mopeds. Yes...I said moped. My parents got themselves mopeds. They're going to join a moped gang with Gary Rohde.

We scooted all around the back roads near my parents' house and then down to see the Olmsteads to grab some chocolate, a key ingredient for my Easter dinner contribution.

Good news! I didn't crash! I didn't run into the side of an RV! I didn't spook the horses we passed on the road so they didn't buck up and kick me in the head! (I saw the whole scene go down in my head as we approached the trotting horses...an irrational possibility, perhaps, but I'd like to think it's natural for a new mother to assume something awful could happen to her while separated from her child.)

!! !!

We woke Sunday to Easter baskets, butter braids and other delicious breakfast treats. After church, Rolin promptly peed through his Easter outfit, and I quickly dipped strawberries in chocolate. After we cleaned up the respective messes, we headed to the Olmsteads' house for family Easter dinner.

After dinner, we made a Harlem Shake video:

Everyone from 8-month-old Rolin, to nearly 93-year-old Nanny was involved. I LOVE IT!

We ended up staying in Grandview until Monday as Justin had to go back to Yakima for a work to-do before we could head back Spokane. I'm glad we stayed longer than anticipated (even though we planned poorly on the diaper and extra clothes front); the weather was gorgeous, and, as always, there's no place like home!