I'm Whaley Cute!

Theresa, Billy, and Alexander got Rocco the perfect gift - a whaley cute onesie! 

Orange

Today Rocco tried his first puree - sweet potatoes. To celebrate this momentous occasion (and to help disguise potential food stains), we dressed him in an orange onesie and orange bib to match the orange sweet potatoes. He was pretty excited about getting to try some orange puree yummy-ness:

I thought I would spare everyone from seeing the photos of his face all covered in orange looking goo - but he definitely LOVES sweet potatoes!

First Trip to Disney's Magical Kingdom!

Who wants to see more Disney photos? I thought so! First up is Rocco's very first amusement park ride, Dumbo the Flying Elephant!

I believe I can fly....

Next, we took him on the Carousel ride. Believe it or not, he actually fell asleep while riding on his horse!

Getting sleepy...

Completely asleep! I guess the up and down motion was very relaxing.

We of course had to get some photos in front of Cinderella's Castle.

The Mintzes

You can't go to Disney for the first time without getting the signature Mickey Ears hat with your name embroidered on the back!

Now that Rocco had his Mickey Ears, I made Scott take another photo of us in front of Cinderella's castle. Shockingly, while Scott was taking the photo, fireworks went off! I'm not sure why, since it was still daylight outside, but it definitely made for a great photo!

The photo he took right after this one I looked scared out of my mind - I wasn't expecting the noise!

That's where the photos end. But we continued on to ride it's a Small World - where Rocco promptly fell asleep and missed the entire ride. The last ride of the day was the Haunted Mansion - where he of course decided to wake up, making us feel like horrible parents for potentially traumatizing him for life. He wasn't scared though, since he had no clue where he was, per usual. But he did provide great material for other tourists to use to mock their scared loved ones. We overheard this conversation (and several more variations of it) while in line: "Look - that baby isn't scared! Don't be a scaredy cat!". The best retort we overheard was "That baby has no clue what's going on!" So very true, but we still like to think he had a great time visiting the Happiest Place on Earth. We know we did! I'm sure we will back, but probably not in the too near future, despite living only 40 minutes away. After all, Disney is also one of the most expensive places on earth ;-)

Mickey Ears

Today we took Rocco to Disney's Magical Kingdom for the very first time. Of course we had to buy him his own set of Mickey Ears.

More pictures and details coming soon!

Just Me and My Little Man

Just Hanging Around

Today we took Rocco to the playground in our neighborhood for the first time. He had a blast! Hanging on to the the monkey bars was his favorite.

Big Boy Bath

Rocco has basically outgrown his infant bathtub, so we decided to see how he would do taking a bath in the guest bathtub.

He seemed pleased overall, but I think we will try to hold off a little longer on retiring his infant bathtub. Or maybe we'll get him a new in-between bathtub like this.

Gio

Other people people refer to the infamous giraffe-shaped, baby chew toy by his given name, "Sophie", but we prefer the more masculine name, Gio. If you can't tell, Rocco is a big fan of Gio. However, he doesn't chew on him much. Probably because Rocco doesn't have any teeth yet.

Piano Man

"Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight.
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feelin' alright."

My Little Old Man

Rocco looks like such a little old man in his new hat. Thank you Alexander for being such a trendsetter and letting him copy your style ;)

Whispers

"Don't look now, but my mom is trying to take a picture of us. Make sure you don't smile - just stare at her."

TGIF

 Thank goodness it's Friday! Also, today Rocco has decided his eyes will be green.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Shots

Today was Rocco's 6 month Pediatrician appointment. He received two shots, one in each leg, poor guy. But he's happy and healthy!

Grass

This is Rocco's reaction to touching grass for the first time - not a fan. However later he did like reaching over and feeling the grass in his hands from the safety and comfort of his bumbo seat. But sitting in the grass? Not so much.

6 Months Old!

I can't believe Rocco is half a year old already! Time really does fly by quickly. He now weighs 17lbs 7.5oz (50th percentile) and is 28in long (92nd percentile).

In the past month he has:
- gone on his first stroller ride (without being in the bassinet). He loves the new and improved view!
- begun sitting up unassisted, but not for too long - he doesn't like it very much
- celebrated his first St. Patrick's Day and Easter
- been Baptized!
- started to stand a little bit with assistance

Our little baby boy is definitely growing up fast! Time needs to slow down.

Feed Me

Now that Rocco is officially 6 months old, he got his first taste of "real" food this morning - baby cereal. He didn't seem to care for it but he did think the spoon looked like a really fun toy to play with.

Standing On Your Own Two Feet

Rocco still isn't sitting up on his own quite yet, but he has started showing interest in standing. Maybe he will just skip the whole sitting/crawling thing and go straight to walking!

Baptized!

Today Rocco was Baptized. He lived up to the meaning of his name (rest) by sleeping through most of the ceremony and not crying once.

Angelic

Doesn't Rocco look like such a sweet, angelic boy in this photo? I think he knows that he is being baptized tomorrow.

Best Friends

Casey just loves Rocco ;) He's actually just yawning! But the photo was so funny, I had to choose it for the photo of the day.

Free Gas

When Rocco was a newborn, his gas could clear a room - it was BAD. Thankfully that stopped after about a month. But you can still hear the little stinker letting out a little stinker every once in a while ;)

The Sweetest Thing

I don't think there is anything sweeter than a sleeping baby.

Farmer Rocco

Scott jokes that jean overalls make Rocco look like he's a farmer. If so, he's the cutest little farmer ever!

Passed Out On Daddy

Lately Rocco has been fighting falling sleep at night. Tonight though, Scott was sitting on the couch holding him and he just passed out, laying his head against Scott's shoulder. He looked so sweet and peaceful, I just had to take a quick picture of it before Scott put him down in his crib (without waking him up - he's the baby whisperer!)

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Here Comes Peter Cottontail, driving a toy car down the bunny trail! :) Rocco can't wait until he is big enough to play on his cousin Kieran's toys without a helping hand from Dad.

Happy Easter!

Rocco wants to wish all of you a very 'Hoppy' Easter!

This year, we spent Easter at Misty's house with my parents. Easter lunch included roast beef, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, asparagus, and rolls. For desert we had brownies and carrot cake. But to toot my own horn, I think the most festive looking part of the meal was the appetizer I made - deviled eggs.

Aren't they pretty? :)

Happy Easter Everyone!

Orange and Blue

Today was the Orange and Blue game in Gainesville. We didn't go, but we were in Gainesville, so Rocco dressed up for the occasion. He's ready for some football!

Fingers and Toes

When you're five months old, you don't really need toys when your feet are always available.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

We try to read a book to Rocco every night before bed. Rocco is partial to The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I think in part because he is usually very hungry too.

Baby Got Back

Not only is Rocco now a full-time tummy sleeper, he also loves to sleep like this - with his knees tucked in and his butt sticking up. Sorry to post two butt related photos in one week, but I just had to capture his posterior for posterity ;)

Eye Color Update

People pretty regularly ask me what color are Rocco's eyes. I honestly have no clue how to respond. What color would you say this is?

You can still vote on the top right hand side on what you think his final eye color will be. Problem is, if his current color is his permanent one, I can't tell you who wins because I really don't know what color you would call it!

Almost Sitting Up

Rocco has been practicing sitting upright, which is hard work - as noted by his poor form in the first photo and sad face in the second one. 

 Is it just me or is he starting to look more like a little boy and less like a baby in the photo on the right? :(

Charlotte and Rocco: A Tale of Two Onesies

OMG this is so embarrassing. Someone else here is wearing the same outfit as me.

Charlotte: "What brings you here?"

Rocco: "My mommy"

Rocco: "Listen, we obviously share the same great taste in clothing"

Rocco: "So would you like to come back to my crib?"

Charlotte: "Sorry, but my mommy says I'm too young to date."

Whaley Cute Butt

Rocco was being camera shy today (read: he wanted nothing to do with having his photo taken), so here's a cute photo of his butt. I just love baby pants that have things printed on the bootie.

Passed Out with a Pacifier

After a very eventful day that included meeting a new friend, Mason, going shopping at the outlets, and a photo shoot with his girlfriend, Charlotte, Rocco was a bit over tired by the time we got home. A pacifier made it all better and he was passed out in no time at all.