16/52

"A portrait of my younger child, once a week every week, in 2016."

Roan: cruising outside before the mosquitos come out.

In the past few days, he has really taken off.  Making walking his primary mode of travel, except when he's tired, when he reverts back to a sad sobbing baby crawling desperately after me.  He's rounding corners and making 180's and oh so proud of himself.

15/52

"A portrait of my younger child, once a week, every week, in 2016."

Roan:  in his paddle pool.

When we were at Hobby Lobby and finishing up at the register, he waved bye-bye all by himself!

Sunday we visited friends who make an annual trip to Orlando.  This baby loved the water.  He has been targeting the dog's water bowl for a splash ever since!

So yesterday, Grandmama bought him an $8 paddle pool to play in.

14/52

"A portrait of my younger child, once a week, every week, in 2016."

Roan:  enjoying the lovely weather before it takes a turn for the sweltering.  There is this fork of veins right underneath the skin on the bridge of his nose that looks like a perpetual bruise.  It's been that way since his birth.

Roan is getting more and more confident at walking!  He gives kisses on command (sometimes).  This morning during his nappie change, he grabbed his fresh diaper and put it between his legs.  One of his favorite things to do is to dive to an open lap top and wiggle his fingers at full speed over the keys to "type."

I can tell he is going to be a ham.  Groups of people give him energy!  At Mass, he stood in the pew and looked backwards, smiling at the little girls and offering them his plastic book toy.

I can imagine the kind of phone calls I will get from his school in five years.  "Roan stood on the desk and tap danced to cheer up his little classmate who was sad."  It's hard to say, though.  For all that he is cautious and not much for testing boundaries.

Yarn Along:

Practicing this delicate vintage baby pattern with some unlabeled yarn I bought at Big Lots years ago.  It was too piecey to use with the small crochet hook it called for, so I sized up several sizes, and now it is giant.

Oh well.  I didn't have a hat this winter, and I'm just weird enough to wear it in a bind.

I picked up a copy of The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland at the library and am really looking forward to it.  I adored the first in the series, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland, which you can read my review of here.

13/52

"A portrait of my younger child, once a week, every week, in 2016."

Roan: in the suds while Grandmama shampoos the carpet.

Sunday he took seven steps before crashing to the ground and the number has increased since then!  He likes it as a game, going from one person to another and diving into arms as soon as the distance is small enough.  Or he looses his nerve and sort of floats down onto his haunches and then on his bottom and crawls the rest of the way.  He is more than capable of walking, he's just got to work up the confidence.

He is my little cautious boy.

Last night, I was lying in bed watching television, and he lolled around on me, eventually falling asleep between my legs.  He is my little friend and companion!  I want to lap up this babyhood of his!

this doubtful day
Of feast or fast, Christ came and went away
. . . 
This Church, by letting these days join, hath shown
Death and conception in mankind is one

(Upon the Annunciation and Passion Falling upon One Day. 1608
John Donne)

Today, I make my Marian consecration.