2/21

2/19 belly button
laughing
sleeping

9/27

signing more, saying more
MMMMM
bubbles
crawling, bum in air when sleeping
mama
nurse
eat
waving (mirror)
growling at b-day party
imitating

steve's job on website

10/23

add
sleeping through the night
bye to toy
bubbles
ticklish
10/26 heard a duck, paused a few seconds and said "duh"

11/10

pulling to stand this week, plopping down on bottom
book
mmmmmmm

My youngest sister Catherine's birthday is today and that gives me the excuse to publicly reminisce about my baby sis. At age 10, my mom decided it was good for me to understand some things so she told me that if "something" was missing in a few weeks she would know she was pregnant. Immediately I knew she was pregnant. Just knew. And I was so thrilled. That little one was Catherine and she was born when I was 11. I remember the last time I saw my mom pregnant with Catherine. Two of my cousins were sleeping over and my mom came to tell us goodnight. I remember looking at her enormous belly and thinking that she looked so tired. She was draped in an long-sleeved, to-the-floor, ugly 1970's silk nightgown (that so happened to be Taylor's cuddly "silky" for a long time) which was probably the only thing that would fit her at the time. The next morning, we awoke to Grandmother announcing that Momma was in the hospital. Happy day! I got to go to the hospital a few hours later and when I walked in my Papa was walking from the labor and delivery hallway back into the waiting room. Always the man for tact and good sense, he said, "I was just back by Rhonda's room and she was just screaming and yelling!" That terrified me. (Why would he say that in front of her kids?) We knew Catherine's name would be Catherine before she did and I thought that was a beautiful name. I was Catherine's babysitter and ______ and even taught her how to walk. I thought she was so cute and that her toddler laugh was hilarious. In fact, it wasn't really a toddler laugh. It was more of an adult laugh and she still has it. Catherine is now 19 and a student at Utah Valley University studying deaf education and sign language interpretation. I am so proud of her and who she is and so grateful that she's in our family!

Here are a few stories from Catherine's childhood that I love:

Around Age 3: I was babysitting and laying down with her in bed to put her to sleep. She said, "Do you love me?" I thought, "Oh how incredibely sweet!" and said, "Of course I do!" To which she replied, "Then feed my sheep." Then bust up laughing.

Around Age 4: The UPS trucks drives in up to the front of our house. Catherine ran to see who it was and said, "Oh, It's just the PMS man."

Around Age 3: Brother Taylor and Cousin Jeanette overheard Catherine looking up at the sky and saying, "Heavenly Father and Jesus, make all my wishes and dreams come true!" Taylor and Jeanette then put on sheets and fake beards from the costume box, knocked on the front door, and when Catherine opened it said, "We're here to make all your wishes and dreams come true." (The best part: My reverent mother helped them with their costumes.)

Around Age 4: Catherine was watching an Elvis movie on TV. When he came on the screen, she said "ooo-la-la". I said, "What kind of talk is that?" She said, "Love talk."

Around Age 5: (For some reason, Catherine had a grudge against marriage at a very early age while at the same time loving boys at a very early age.) Catherine: "I'm never getting married." Me (ever the all-knowing and happy to share her knowledge big sister): You have to get married to get into the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom, you know." Catherine: "Thanks a lot." And stomps off.

Age 6: For her 1st grade class talent show, Catherine decided to wear and turquoised, squequined adult formal gown with giant shoulder pads. It was knee length for adults and came to floor. My mother got it discounted for her to dress up on. She wore it as she sang along with Celine Dion to To My Heart Will Go On.

Age 6: She frequently serenaded us on the car. She loved to sing with Christine in The Phantom of the Opera and thought for sure she was hitting those extremely high notes as well as she did. She also loved to listen to music from The Wizard of Oz and assisgned characters to all of us. She, of course, was Dorothy.

- McKay walked 4 or 5 steps by himself today!
- McKay tells on himself when he's doing something he's not supposed to. He says "no no no" before we can say anything. Sometimes he'll say it even before he does it so we have a warning. Or sometimes we hear it from another room so we know we need to go check on him.
- He loves to say "uh oh" and then throw something. So because he says it before he throws it, we have a warning and can grab it from him if we need to.

- McKay puts whatever he is holding to his head when I say "brush your hair." He also puts a brush to his head on his own.
- Today, McKay put a washcloth to his face when I said, "Wipe your face."

"Hot" Humidifier

McKay has a cold so the humidifier was going in his bedroom. When he saw the steam coming from it, he said "hot" and blew on it.

Yummy Feet

I had my feet up on the ottoman that McKay was kneeling at. He grabbed my feet and I wiggled them. Then he leaned forward, smelled them, and said "mmmmmmmm!"

- Today (12/17) McKay saw a furred-lined hood in my closet and said "meow". I asked it what it was and he said "cat, cat."
- When we finish our morning jog and walk up to the front door, I hold my hand out and tell McKay, "Good work! We did it! Give me a five!" And so he does. Now, as soon as we walk up to the door, he holds his hand out first so he can give me a five.
- While reading a book this morning, I said "fish" and McKay said "-ish" and moved it hand to try to do the sign for fish before I even did it.
- McKay loves to growl and loves when he gets "scared" by it.
- One of my favorite things McKay does is said "wow" or "oh wow" and sometimes "woe." Sometimes I can tell what he's looking at when he does that and sometimes I can't. He said it when he looks out the window, when he looks a fan or lights, or anything interesting, I guess. This morning when he woke up, I went and got him and brought him to our bed to nurse. He laid down, looked at the fan and said "wow, wow, woe."
- I think he says "nurse" when I tell him it's time to nurse and I think he said it on his own today when he bumped his head and wanted comfort.
- When I'm nursing him and it's time to change to the other side, I say "switch!" and he thinks it's funny and started copying me. Now, when he want to change sides (and usually it's from the right to the left because he likes that side better and can get more milk faster) he says "-itch."
- He tells me "night, night" when I say it to him. Today (12/17) he pulled up to the side of his crib from the floor and said "night, night."
night, night
- When he is hungry, sees something to eat, or I say "eat" he says, "mmmmmm", sometimes
very high-pitched.
- He loves to growl to be funny.

Proud Momma

I'm so proud of my sweet baby! He had gone to bed for the night and I thought I heard him crying from the other room. But it wasn't very loud and I wasn't even sure it was him. A little while later, I went in to check on him and he had the pacifier in his mouth which had fallen out and landed above his shoulder when he fell asleep. So the smart little guy found his own pacifier, put it in his mouth, and calmed himself back to sleep!

first bath 2/25 in kitchen sink, daddy videotaped while mommy bathed

didn't know what to think of it at first but didn't hate it

now seems to like his baths and kicks and waves his arms

ulbilical cord finally fell off on 2/18 (7 weeks) but still a little bit of a stub so waited a little bit for bath

Sleeping

Up until about five days ago, McKay did great at night. He would wake up every three to four hours to eat, go back to sleep in my arms, then let me put him in his bed while he continued to sleep. He now has a difficult time falling and staying asleep by himself. He loves to sleep in our arms and will do that for hours but as soon as we lay him down, he wakes up and won't go back to sleep. He starts off by making noises and eventually wakes himself up completely. Or he if doesn't wake all of the way up, he is so noisy that I can't go back to sleep so I end up picking him up and rocking him some more or putting him in bed with me. In our bed is exactly where he wants to bed and goes right to sleep. I have been trying a variety of things to help him, but the thing that seems to work best is to nurse him laying down in my bed, let him fall asleep there, and then move him to his own bed when he is in deep sleep. However, by the time he falls asleep soundly enough to be moved, I'm sleeping soundly myself and don't wake up until he's ready to eat a few hours later. And then we do the whole thing over again. I don't mind him sleeping with me (Daddy started sleeping in the guest bedroom weeks ago), but I don't want him to get covered by the blankets or roll face-first into the soft bed. And I don't want him to assume he's my permanent bed buddy. I'm visiting Granddaddy and Grandmommie and his bed here is softer and he seems to be sleeping in it better. Maybe it's a coincidence but if goes back to his bad sleep habits at home then I may be getting some padding for his bed. Heaven forbid Your Highness sleeps on a hard bed!

One Month

- We have learned that I've actually given birth to a zoo, not a baby. For the first week of his life, McKay squawked like a bird when he cried. It was often just one squawk and then he was quite for a few seconds, then another. I wish we got in on tape before he grew out of it. McKay now chirps when he is nursing. He is actually just being overly dramatic and sucking in a lot of air but it sound like loud chirping. He also sounds like a baby goat (this is our favorite). When he is waking up from sleeping, he makes a very good goat impression. And he has recently started growling. He growls when he is anxiously trying to find my breast to nurse on and will often growl while he's nursing and shake his head back and forth with my breast in his mouth. Weirdo.
- McKay is starting to make eye contact, following moving objects, looks at colorful objects for a few seconds, and make eye contact while nursing.
- McKay has shown the beginnings of a smile.
- When he's falling asleep, he grins and also rolls his eyes into the back of his head. I think he looks creepy.
- His head control is improving and he can hold his head up (no head lag) when he is pulled into sitting by his hands.
- He has started making a few vowel/cooing sounds here and there.
- He is starting to anticipate when he is going to be picked up when hands are put under his back by tensing up.
- He can go to sleep by himself sometimes expecially when he's in a good mood but it takes him longer than if he was rocked to sleep or held by one of us.
- He likes his pacifier and sometimes uses it to go to sleep and to stay calm in the car (although we try not to automatically pop it in his mouth when he's going to sleep so he doesn't become completely dependant on it).
- He wakes up every three to four hours at night then usually goes right back to sleep.
- He makes noises so we can't sleep.
- He's learned that if he wants to be picked up that all he needs to do is cry.
- He doesn't like passing gas or making dirty diapers and spends a lot of time grunting while doing it, even if neither are a problem;.
- He has hormones raging through his body and has acne and eye goop because of them.
- He likes to look at lights.
- He likes to visually inspect as best as he can new places like outside and the grocery store.
- His umbilical cord still haven't fallen off. :-(
- Some people carry their weight in their stomach, some in their thighs, and others in their backside. McKay carries his weight in his neck.

McKay Steven Orrock was born at 8:38 AM on Decemeber 29, 2009 to Steven Todd Orrock and Amanda Naomi Giddens Orrock. He weighted 7 pounds and 7 ounces and measured 21 inches in length. He was delivered at Baptist Medical Center South in Jacksonville, Florida by Dr. Mitzi Brock via Cesarean section. Daddy was in the room with Mommy and was the first to hold McKay.

Mommy and Daddy geared up and ready for the big moment!


He's here!

Our First Glimpse of Our Sweet Boy

First Family Photo
Mommy heard Dr. Brock say, "Are you trying to cry already?" A few seconds later, Mommy heard McKay's first cry and started crying herself. Dr. Brock held McKay over the curtain separating my head and my stomach and said, "Hello Mommy!" then took him away to be cleaned. Daddy was in the room with Mommy and got to be with the nurses while they cleaned him up. Mommy was listening for McKay's APGAR scores and when she heard the nurse say, "APGAR 8 and 9" she whispered good boy. The anesthesiologist was sitting at Mommy's head and looked at her when she said that. Mommy had tears running down her face and the anesthesiologist wiped them away for her. because she was so happy and relieved. A few minutes later Steve came back with a nurse carrying a cleaned up McKay and we got our first family picture. Then the nurse gave McKay to Stve and they went to the nursery while Mommy was being sewn up. jealous but happy daddy with him he's beautiful look at those eye lashes gave him a kiss not sure what else to do