Robbie and Me

"If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you." ~Winnie the Pooh

Ready For a Swim

Last weekend Keith, Ryan and I went to Lake Geneva with my parents for some R&R. We were all looking forward to a weekend away, and particularly excited to take Ryan on his first trip. It was a huge success! Ry was great; he was such a good boy and adjusted very well to his pack and play and new rental-condo surroundings. We've put him down in his pack and play on numerous occasions at friends houses, but never down for the night away from home. He slept right next to Keith and I, which of course I loved!!!!

Family photo before Ry's first swim. He is learning how to wave, and this photo captures the cuteness!


Ryan with Mom, Dad and Grandpa in the indoor pool...it rained on Friday...boo!


Ryan sitting pretty, waiting for his second opportunity for a swim


Yeah! Sun on Saturday and an outdoor swim. He never cracked a smile as he looked around and took it all in...


...and decided that swimming really wasn't as enticing as a nap was in the middle of the pool. My mellow little guy!

Our Megan

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next." ~Gilda Radner

Megan will be so missed. I am still having a hard time believing that she is gone. In June, Megan was told that she was no longer a candidate for the bone marrow transplant. The cancer cells came back and she was too weak for the high dose chemo that she would have needed to prepare her body for such a massive undertaking. The goal was to do whatever they could to keep her alive and comfortable for as long as possible. By the end she was very weak, in extreme pain and so vastly different from the Megan that I remember. The last time I saw her was last Saturday, less than 24 hours before she passed away. That afternoon she had a febrile seizure and ended up in the hospital. She died peacefully the next morning, surrounded by her siblings and husband Tony.
Megan was such a character. She is known for her sense of humor and her ability to weave an ordinary story into something hilarious. She was always the life of the party, and the friend that you would call when you wanted validation after doing something indulgent. I met her in college, our first day of college as a matter of fact, and we have been the best of friends ever since. She grew up in Milwaukee and I in Downers Grove, and by the grace of God she married a guy from the western suburbs and ended up living in my hometown. For the past 2 and a half years we have lived just a couple of miles away from eachother, which has been an amazing gift.

Her legacy is her beautiful sons, Mason, 3, and Michael, 1. At the end she spoke of how painful it was to think of her boys growing up without their mother. This was certainly the most difficult part of her illness and at the same time, it was what gave her the incredible strength, courage and determination that she demonstrated every single day. She put up one heroic fight for those boys. They are lucky to have such an amazing father in Tony, who loved Megan unconditionally throughout her illness and never stopped believing in her ability to fight.

Megan and Tony


Megan and I in Lake Geneva


Doing what we did best at Ann's wedding


With our college roommates


Ann, Megan and I

I will never understand why Megan was taken from us so young, when she had such important roles in life as a mother, wife and friend. I can only honor her and her life, and help keep her memory alive for her family. Goodbye, Megan, until we meet again......

In Loving Memory

Megan Kathleen Gentile
March 11,1974~July19,2009

We love you, Megan. You will always be our shining star. May you rest in eternal peace.

Nine Months Old

This is right after his afternoon nap today. I love his messy hair~ he absolutely melts my heart.

He loves his "shapes" from his shapes sorter. They are like little rattles that fit perfectly into his hand. He never tires of them and when I start to sing, "shake, shake, shake"...(as in "Shake your Bootie"), he holds them up and shakes them like crazy while looking so proud of himself.

He is very into his teething biscuits. I think if Earth's Best saw him enjoying their product like this, they would want to use the photo in an ad campaign (but I am not biased). He looks like he is posing!

Classic...

Why is the classic photo of the baby with a beer always good for a few laughs (at least to me)??? Here is Ry with our good friend Tim from Colorado. He will undoubtedly be the one to give Ryan his first taste of beer...if Uncle Jer doesn't beat him to it!
P.S. This photo was taken before the bout of illnesses...Ry is not mixing his antibiotics with alcohol...

Apparently,

Ryan has saved up being sick for his first summer, when we should be out having fun and enjoying the weather. We brought him back to the doctor today because he just didn't seem to be getting better and will not take in enough liquids. The doc's diagnosis makes sense...he has an ear infection!!! The poor little guy. The hand, foot and mouth virus seems to be diminishing, luckily, but now he has an ear infection and 3 new teeth coming in to boot!! I probably wouldn't want to drink anything either, unless it was a frozen margarita!
We will start antibiotics tonight and hope for a speedy recovery!

Sickie

It has been over a week since our last post, and not much has been going on because Ry has been sick all week. :(
He has the "hand foot and mouth" virus. I had never heard of it until last week. It is a virus that is common in babies when they have a low fever and can get blisters on their hands, feet and in their mouth. Yuck! Ry has no blisters on his hands or feet, but does have some on his throat. Consequently he is not eating nearly as much as he usually does, or taking in many fluids. Since it is a virus, it can't be treated with antibiotics, and I guess once you get it you aren't likely to get it again. It lasts 7-10 days and we are on day 7, so hopefully in a few days he will be right again. He is still pretty active, playing and smiling, but just isn't his normal self. He is, however, taking monster naps...there hasn't been a nap less than 2 hours all week! They are averaging between 2-3 hours. :)

Up until now, Ryan has really never been sick. He has had a couple of runny noses but overall, I think he inherited my strong immune system. Considering that he has been in day care 2 days per week since he was 3 months old I am amazed that he didn't catch anything sooner. Hopefully this will be it for the rest of the summer! I am glad he is getting it out of his system in time for our trip to Door County, WI next week!

My First Fourth of July

At the parade, I watched intently as the noisy firetrucks rode by,

Daddy and I stood up when the war veterans marched by and we thought of Grandpa Bob,

I sat with Mommy and cousin Mads and waited for someone to throw candy my way,

Uncle Jer offered me my first Tootsie Roll,

And after a long day, Aunt Teri gave me a night cap.

Such a good day...I am one tuckered out little boy!