Belated Birthday Photos

Oops!  I forgot to follow up with the daycare birthday celebration photos.  On Tripp's actual birthday, I visited his classroom and surprised him with a birthday hat, a balloon, and some cupcakes.  While he is not a huge fan of any hats (or strings under his chin), he was a big fan of the cupcake & his surprise visitor.  His buddies also got to enjoy their fair share of icing and cake.  Enjoy these (belated) birthday photos!

"I Hate Strings!"

"... And I Hate Crowns"

"... but I LOVE my mom"

"... and Chocolate"

Happy Thursday!  One more day 'til the weekend!
Meg

Boxed In

One leg in...

... and an arm...

... Success!

Recently, while perusing the daycare photo albums, I came across this montage of Tripp showing off his flexibility and agility by climbing into the 'box' that is in their classroom.  Nothing if not adventurous!

Have a great week,
Meg

Moving Forward

We recently switched Tripp's carseat around so that he is facing forward.  So far, he seems to enjoy being able to see where he is going!

Happy Weekend!

Meg

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Playing in Pampers

We are loving getting into and out of this Pampers box!

Happy Tuesday!

Meg

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The Long Awaited 1-Year Re-Cap

Here goes... the 1 year re-cap. Much like my 6 month re-cap in December, I wanted to capture some of the milestones that are nearing as we have passed into the 2nd year of Tripp's life.  I figured I should probably write this 1-year recap before June got away from us and we were well into July.  I hope that you don't mind enduring my ramblings about the past 12 months!

• Tripp is not quite yet walking, but is getting braver by the day.  He will take a step or two, but has not quite strung more than 3 together.  Similar to crawling, I would say that we are not encouraging this increased mobility, so I am ok waiting until he naturally gets moving.
• Speaking of Crawling.... Tripp crawls strangely, in what we call the "Pirate" formation, dragging one leg along as if it is a bum/wooden leg.  I have tried to capture it on video, but have thus far been unsuccessful.  Maybe I'll capture it before he starts walking.
• Tripp has 6 teeth - the 2 bottom and 4 top ones are fully developed - and some others aren't far behind.
• The vocabulary is growing, but he now has only a few words.  Most of them are not discernible, but we think that we've heard him say Dog, Ball, Car, DaDa (still no MaMa), and a weak attempt at Shoes.  Our favorite word right now, however, is a Tripp-y version of "Hello" while holding a phone, remote control, shoe, toy, or food behind his head as if he is answering a phone.  'Tis quite cute.
• Tripp is a very friendly guy, and hasn't met many strangers.  He often takes some time to warm up to new folks (what 1 yr old doesn't?) but once he's warmed up, he's got all cylinders firing and won't take long to engage you in a conversation of babble.
• Tripp's teachers at daycare still adore him.  They even send me text message photos of him doing all sorts of crazy things like falling asleep in his lunch or sleeping on the cot in weird positions.  Yes, you read correctly... at daycare, he has graduated to napping on a cot rather than in a crib.  It's most entertaining to see.
• There aren't many foods that Tripp has rejected.  He is currently eating a lot of berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and grapes).  He loves kiwi, bananas, and many other fruits.  He also eats a fair amount of mac n' cheese, turkey dogs, and anything dipped in spaghetti sauce.  Rule of thumb:  If he won't eat it, dip it in spaghetti sauce and try again.   So far, not a big fan of eggs, but we continue to work on that.
• He has also switched entirely to whole milk, which is a relief to both the morning routine (no more mixing!) and the ole' Roughen budget.  Formula is expensive!  We also tossed out the baby bottles around his first birthday, so it is currently all sippy cups for us!
• If allowed to warm up to the idea, Tripp is a fan of swimming in the pool.  We learned the hard way that not allowing him to first sit on the steps and splash will make for a not-so-fun pool experience.  But after he splashes for a few minutes, he is content to float around in his little float.
• Tripp is still a good sleeper.  He usually takes a bath around 7 pm, and is asleep before 8 pm without any fuss (unless he's not in his crib --- not a big fan of the pack n' play).  He wakes up between 5:30 and 6:30 am, which is still a little earlier than I like on the weekends, but fits nicely with our weekday schedule so I cannot complain.
• A typical weekend involves early mornings (during which either Matt or I get up with Tripp --- but usually not both) and possibly a trip to either the Farmer's market or the Flying Biscuit Cafe for breakfast.  We usually go on a stroll before the heat of the day, and have recently been spending time at the pool.  He is down to only 1 nap per day, usually around 12 noon and he'll sleep until 2 or 2:30 pm.  
• In general, Tripp laughs, smiles, and entertains us a lot.  He is quite a joy to have around (do I sound like a mom, or what?) and keeps us on our toes.  His first 12 months haven unlike any other in my life and I am so lucky to have him (and Matt, too!) in my life.

Alright... enough of the sappy stuff.  Hope everyone has a great week!  

Meg

Farmers Market

This weekend we made our first visit to this great farmer's market up the road from our neighborhood.  It was great fun and we ran into so many of our friends who were also up with early rising kiddos!  It is likely going to become the new "happy hour" for the Roughens.

The market featured lots of yummy farmer vendors, a chef demo by our buddy Ron Eyster of Rosebud in the Virginia-Highland area, and plenty of good people/dog watching.  We are looking forward to the next one already!

Happy Weekend!

Meg

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First Word Alert!

Tripp has been soaking up lots of words recently, and it is pretty clear that he can understand a lot of what we are saying... guess it's time to shelve those 4 letter words for a while.

... But his very first word is the one that he repeats the most often and the one that is the most ironic... Dog.  Yep, you heard (read) me.  Dog.  No, we do not have a dog, but yes, that is his first (audible/understandable) word.

It all started when we were at the lake for his first birthday celebration.  Aunt Susu has a new puppy, a Scottish Terrier named Tully.  She is as cute as can be, and is a HUGE fan of Tripp and hangs out around his high chair during all meal times.  She really scores some good eats there, from hot dogs to blackberries, Tully will eat it all.

So, one time, Tully comes in to see what is on the menu for lunch, and out of no where we hear the sweetest voice say, "Dog?"  Not entirely sure that we heard him correctly, I repeated it back to Tripp.  Then he repeated it to me again, while pointing to Tully!

So, it goes on record as his very first word.  Now, Tripp points to anything that appears remotely canine, and says his very favorite word.  Dog.

Have a fabulous weekend!
Meg

Hot Fun in the Summa' Time

Happy Summer Solstice!  Hope you're staying cool wherever you are!

Meg

Resolution #4: Birthday Celebration Among Roughens

2012 Resolution #4 Alert!  We recently celebrated Tripp's first birthday one last time with the Roughen clan in Savannah.  It was a joyous occasion with lots of family around.  Tripp was spoiled.  Between pool time, love from grandparents, and his 3rd cake in as many weeks, it was hard to not catch him smiling over the weekend.  The weather was perfect, and it was some true "old school fun."  We are hoping he doesn't ask for cake every Saturday going forward...  Stay tuned.

Anyhoo --- here are some photos from the big day:

4 Generations of Roughen Men
Matthew Thomas Roughen, Albert Hugh Roughen Sr, Jr, and III

All Caked Up

With Mom & Dad

Swinging with Grammy in Brownie Park

With Papa (AHR, Sr), Granny, and Dad (pre-cake)

Still can't believe he is 1 year old... and I'm working on that 1 year re-cap post, hope to have it drafted this weekend.  We'll see...

Have a great week!
Meg

Another Texan Visits Tripp

Recently, we had a visit from another Texan relative, Aunt Katie Ferguson!  She moved to Austin, TX last summer, and was stopping through on her way to a fabulous vacation with friends in Greece.  She had a long layover in the world's busiest airport (ATL), so we got to spend some time with her on a Saturday morning.  Tripp loved seeing her again and also loved the gifts she brought --- some 'baby paper' and alphabet flash cards.  Leave it to the teacher to get Tripp learning his alphabet!

Aunt Katie, Tripp, and the "baby paper" (which crinkles, and he loves it!)

Great catching up, Katie!  See you later this summer!
Meg