Happy Halloween!

Before we get to what costume Rocco wore for Halloween, I first wanted to show off his outfit that he wore to daycare today:

His onesie says 'Teething Bites', which it does. Literally and figuratively. Ouch for mommy. But anyways - his onesie couldn't be more appropriate since he is finally(!) getting some teeth in. Two to be exact.

Getting back to his costume - last year after Halloween, Scott and I saw a cute cow costume on clearance and bought it for Rocco to wear this year. It turns out the costume is even cuter on him than we thought it would be!

Rocco makes a very cute little cow I must say. However, he wasn't the biggest fan of the hoodie part of the costume at first:

I'm pretty sure he was thinking "Get this THING off me. Now!", but after a couple of minutes he got used to it. To get into the spirit, Scott and I also dressed up as dairy farmers. We had a silver pail/bucket (like a farmer would use to milk a cow - and yes I realize that with Rocco obviously being a boy cow, that doesn't work out, but whatever) to hold candy to give out to the neighborhood kids. It was a really nice night and we enjoyed meeting a lot of neighbors for the first time, some of which have kids near Rocco's age.  Dressing up this year as a family was a lot of fun, so we're already trying to figure out what we're going to be next year!

Happy Halloween!!

Footie Pajamas

It's finally cold enough to warrant putting Rocco back into footie pajamas and these Halloween ones are perfect for Halloween Eve.

My Favorite Fall Photo

It's that time of year - where everyone finds a pumpkin patch, not to buy a pumpkin, but to use it as a fun fall backdrop to take a photo of their child(ren). I had every intention of joining the masses for the very first time this year (Rocco was only a couple of weeks old this time last year), but then we got busy, and all of a sudden it was almost Halloween. Lucky for me, Rocco's daycare had a little fall display set up outside their front door, so I used that!  So here is Rocco's official 'pumpkin patch' photo (minus the patch). It's just about my most favorite photo I have taken. Ever.

Sea World Halloween Spooktacular

We have annual passes to Sea World, so we had to go while they still had their Halloween Spooktacular going on at the park.

That's steam coming out of the shell, not just a blurry photo for the record.

Next year, we need to remember to bring him in his costume! All the other kids were so cute dressed up - I wish I could have taken some photos of them, but I didn't want to look like a creeper.

You Are My Sunshine - Birthday Party!

The past year has had a lot of ups and downs, but through it all, Rocco really has been our "sunshine" when "skies are gray". I also sing him "You are my sunshine" on a rather regular basis, so it was fitting to use that as the theme for his first birthday party. We didn't go all out - just some decorations, ordered food from Sonny's BBQ (sunny, sonny, get it?), and had family and just a few friends come over (thanks Lindsay and Andrew for making the drive!). It was a great time - Rocco loved all his presents. He did not love his smash cake though, for the record. Here's some photos!

Decorations:

Guests:

It's my party...

...and I can cry if I want to!

Watch Rocco Grow- A Year in Review, Video!

Now that all of the monthly calendar photos are over (or ARE THEY?!), it's time for me to share a secret. I have not only been taking photos of Rocco every month. I have also been taking short video clips. So here's a compilation of those photos and videos taken over the past year. My beautiful, beautiful, baby boy:

(P.S. - click on the cog wheel and select 1080 HD)

12 Months Old!

This is a very bittersweet post. This is the last of the calendar photos. But before we get to that, let's review how Rocco has changed in the past month.

He has:
- learned how to express "no", rather vehemently I might add, by shaking his head back and forth. If you are trying to give him food he does not want (which is almost everything), the head shake is also accompanied by an arm waving you off.
- learned to say "cat". Casey is not impressed haha!
- learned to pull to a standing position with our help. We're still working on getting him to do this independently.
- begun to "walk" while we hold his hands, if he's in the mood anyways.
- started to wear shoes. Daycare requires it and he just looks cute wearing them.

I'm just so shocked he's already 1 year old. Rocco is shocked too:

Here's his 1 year stats from the pediatrician:
Weight - 21 pounds 4 ounces (48th percentile)
Height - 31.5 inches (96th percentile)

Happy 1st Birthday!

Well, today is the day. The day my baby boy turns one year old. The saying "time flies" has never been more true. Here are some pictures I took today of the Birthday Boy.

Nichole's Wedding

My cousin Nichole's wedding was held at a private home in Jacksonville Beach. I loved her intimate garden setting for the ceremony, her collection of pies for desert, and of course getting to see all of my Jacksonville family members. Here's two snapshots I took during the ceremony:

Sadly, I was lazy and did not take any photos of the reception or other family members. You will just have to trust me that it was all very lovely :)

Mintz Family Photos 2012

On Oct 13 we had family photos taken by the wonderful Rebecca Jill. Now that our Christmas cards are out, I can finally post them!  I absolutely love them and I'm already looking forward to having her do our photos again in the future.

Poor Casey

Ever since Rocco learned to crawl, Casey has had to put up with this:

As you can tell, Rocco LOVES to "pet" Casey. Poor Casey.

Just You Wait....

I have a couple of friends who are currently pregnant with their first child. I am truly excited for them and can't wait to meet their little ones. However, lately I have seen a disturbing trend. These friends are receiving a lot of negative comments in regards to how their life is going to be once the baby comes. For example, here are some things taken from facebook that just one of my friends has received:

- In response to a photo she posted showing a kick-ass bar she bought her husband for their anniversary: "Enjoy it because once that baby is born you will never leave the house again". (And three people 'liked' it!)

- In response to having a status about how it took her an hour to get to work but it was only 138 days until the baby was due: "138 days to sleep as much as you can" and "You just wait. Approximately 168 days until you will wish you were sitting in traffic :) JK, it's a blessing, but its seriously the hardest, most exhausting work you will ever do in your life."

Now, I don't think people truly mean any harm by these kinds of comments, most of the time it's said in jest, but nonetheless I think comments of this nature are inappropriate and are simply not necessary. Why rain on someone's parade? These "just you wait..." type comments are not funny, are not helpful, and are not something a PREGNANT WOMAN wants to hear (or at least I didn't anyways - I did not consult any pregnant friends before writing this, so others may feel differently).

So, in retaliation against all the people out there who feel the need to (jokingly, or not) throw negative future expectations into the faces of expecting first-time parents, here's instead what I think you have to look forward to (coming from a mom of a very-soon-to-be one year old):

Just you wait.....

...until you get to hold your baby for the first time! It's amazing and even better than you can imagaine. But then, just you wait....

...until they laugh for the very first time! It will be the best sound in the whole wide world. You will immediately repeat whatever funny thing made them laugh at least a dozen times just to get them to laugh again and again. But then, just you wait....

...until they say "Mama" or "Dada" for the first time! Such simple words will have never sounded sweeter. But then, just you wait....

...until the day comes when they will smile from ear to ear and wiggle excitedly with their whole body because you entered the room! Your heart will simply melt. But then, just you wait....

...until they begin to crawl/stand/walk! You will be so proud and excited as if you had accomplished these things yourself for the very first time. You get to re-live everything through your child, and it transforms even the most mundane things you take for granted into the most special thing in the world. But then, just you wait....

...until you are planning their first birthday party and you will wonder how did a year fly by so quickly and yet remark to yourself how you can no longer picture life without your child in it, it's like they were always there!


So expecting first time parents - just you wait until you your baby comes. It's going to be the most amazing, funny, sweet, heart-melting, exciting, and wonderful time of your life. Just you wait!!