Roarkes older cousin Mae stopped my to visit this week.

Of course there was a photo shoot that took place while they were together.

Enjoy!

Can you see the love :)

Thanks for coming to visit Mae! Well see you again soon!

(take a look at Remi... he was madly in love with Mae!)

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BOY oh BOY do I have news to share with you!

Yes... here he is, the newest addition to our family!!!

Please welcome... Roarke Michael Rhoton... we have fallen in love all over again!

As you know, I went in on Tuesday morning for a scheduled induction. However, after 28 hours of being in active labor I could not get dilated enough to have a natural delivery. 

I was scheduled for a c-section in the afternoon on Wednesday and our baby boy was born at 1:05 PM on June 10th!

(Dont let me kid you... this pic was taken at the beginning of the induction... I wasnt all smiles later in the game)

Roarke weighted in at 8 lbs 2 oz and measured in at 20 inches long!

The past few days since he has been born has been an adventure and some of the best of our lives. It is shocking how something so small can take up so much of your heart. Dan and I are learning what this "parenting thing" is all about, but I have been pleasantly surprised with how easily we have taken on our new roles.

Speaking of Dan... he has been my rock through this entire thing. Everyday all I can think about is how lucky and thankful I am to have married him and get to live the rest of my life enjoying our family together. He has stepped up as a husband and father so much these past few days... I could never repay him for all he has done for me... I love him so much!

And of course... you are all wondering how the other love of our life is getting along!

When we finally came home with Roarke, Remington really didnt give him much attention. But it didnt take long for him to figure out that this little human was quite interesting and LOUD! Remington enjoys laying close to Roarke and visiting him in his nursery every night before bed. And if Roarke begins crying in the middle of the night, Remington races in there to check in on his baby brother. I have a feeling they will be best friends for a lifetime!

A big THANK YOU to all my friends, family, co-workers, etc. who have shown their love and support to us these past few days. We are very blessed to have you in our lives and are excited to share Roarke with you in the years to come!

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One of my absolute favorite things is watching Roarke wake up from a long nights sleep or nap time. The faces he makes, the exaggerated movements he does, his little squeaks and coos... they all make my heart smile. There is just nothing better. I have found myself really trying to concentrate on taking in all these little moments that I enjoy with him because I know I will blink and they will be gone before I know it.

Boys are so fun!

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At the end of last week Dan and I could both tell something was going on with Remington. For the past few months he just hasnt been himself. It seemed like there was something constantly going on with his legs even though he hadnt done anything out of the ordinary to hurt them. One evening when he came back inside from going potty Dan barely touched him and Remington started screaming in pain, ran away from us, and did not want us to touch him again. After that happened I was convinced it was time to get him to the vet.

We saw a new vet that had just entered the practice we take Remington too. He did a very close exam on Remington since he had never seen him before and this is what we were told. In terms of Remingtons legs... all his joints are fine, but when pressure was applied to his toe bones on each foot Remington displayed an extreme amount of discomfort. The vet said there is no way to know what exactly is causing this without x-rays which we plan to have done in the upcoming weeks to see if we can diagnose the issue. The vet gave us pain medication and told us to keep Remi as quiet as possible until we know more. Im guessing that if the x-rays dont show anything then blood tests will be what is next.

Also, during the check up the vet discovered that the muscle mass in Remingtons jaw bone and temple area is not as developed and strong as it should be. He believes this could be caused by an autoimmune disease which attacks the muscles. This would eventually cause him to no longer be able to open his mouth at all... it isnt to this point yet... but we need to keep an eye on it closely. This disease might also be related to the toe problems.

So basically we just need to have more tests ran to figure out exactly what is going on with our sweet Remi. The pain meds seem to be helping some and make him very tired, but Remington is still showing resistance in wanting to go up and down the stairs, jumping up on the bed, and having his feet touched in general. I posted what was going on in my Goldendoodle Facebook group and several people wondered if Remington might be suffering with Lyme disease? I really dont know and am looking forward to getting answers in the upcoming weeks. I will keep everyone updated as we find out more.

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Roarke is changing daily and picking up new skills before our eyes. This week he started to show interest in different objects and grabbing them! 

My absolute favorite part of this video is when he smokes himself in the head! 

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#52weeksofRoarke

**The holidays have kicked our butts... running behinds on posts, but bear with me as I try to catch up this week**

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Seriously... just over a month old and he learns to do this? Roarke you are growing up too fast already!

Dan and I are loving watching Roarke learn new things and explore the world around him. We are doing our best to present items to him that will help him develop along the way. I was reading that from birth to 3 years old a childs brain is 3 times more active than a normal adults as it soaks up tons of new information about the world around them. Dan and I have been giving Roarke music to listen to, reading books to him, giving him new items to look at and explore, and we talk to him a lot. Hopefully doing some of these things will help him in his future.

Im not gonna lie though, I was a little surprised when he rolled over this week! The doctor said he could learn to do this at any time, but I wasnt expecting it quite yet. Its so fun to watch him grow.

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