"Ready to Roll"

Dawson is now a professional “roller.” He rolls over all the time now. Thankfully he has finally figured out how to roll back over to his back from his tummy, which keeps John and I from constantly having to roll him back over. He’s getting a little more used to being on his tummy and doesn’t cry immediately. I even had time to take a few pictures (below) of him on his stomach before he got upset.
With yesterday being the first football game of the season, John and I were sad not to be in Knoxville at the game, and we missed all of you we normally tailgate with! However, we all wore our Tennessee orange yesterday. There’s a picture below of Dawson in his Tennessee onsie that Stephanie gave him! (Thanks, Steph!) John had to work during the game, but we recorded it and watched it last night excited to see Tennessee win big. Unfortunately, we are probably not going to be able to go up to UT for any games this season, but we are definitely supporting the Vols here in Alabama. We even have our Power T flag out front.
Life continues to be busy between taking care of Dawson and our work schedules, and it’s going by so quickly. I packed away a bunch of clothes Dawson outgrew and remembered how recently it was that those outfits were too big for him.
John’s birthday (the big 2-5!) is coming up at the end of September. We’re planning to have Dawson baptized on John’s birthday (9/27), and so we’re looking forward to all of our families coming into town to celebrate both events.
Enjoy the pictures below!

"Uh, excuse me! I'm trying to take a bath!"

Dawson's first time cheering on the Vols!

His onsie says "Lil Volunteer in Training" (Thanks, Steph!)

I got a little carried away with these picture as you can tell.

Dawson and Bentley looking out the window in his room.

Dawson after church this morning.

Dawson in the full outfit, matching hat and all.

He looks like he should be on the golf course!

Dawson is Three Months!

This week was Dawson's three month check-up, and he's doing great! It's so hard for John and I to believe he's three months already, but at the same time we have trouble remembering life before Dawson! He now weighs a healthy 14 pounds 6 ounces and is 24 inches long. He's grown considerably since his birth at 7lbs 13oz 19.5 inches. Fortunately there were no shots involved at this doctor's appointment, so it went smoothly; next month's appointment, however, does involve shots.
Dawson has started sleeping a 7 or 8 hour stretch during the night which is AMAZING. Also, he has started to have a semi-routine schedule he follows everyday which he did on his own after John and I thought we'd never have a schedule again! Last week he started laughing for the first time, but still only does it if you're doing something really silly. On Wednesday evening he rolled over for the first time from his back to his stomach. After he realized he was on his tummy (which he hates to lay on) he started crying, and since then he's yet to roll over again although he's come close. He has also started to take a lot of interest in Bentley over the past couple of weeks (poor Bentley!). He watches her as she runs across the room and has reached out to touch her a few times. This morning he touched and grabbed her ear, but Bentley was happy for the attention and didn't seem to mind (John and I were holding her, just in case she didn't like it, but she seems to like Dawson).
Overall, Dawson is doing great, and John and I are enjoying every minute of being parents....who knew it could be so much fun!
I'm still working part-time so two days a week Dawson and his Daddy do what John calls "man things" like go to Home Depot and get the oil changed. :)
Last weekend Dawson's Lolly, Pop, and Uncle Logan came down for a visit, and we had a good time. Dawson even laughed a little (one of the first times) for his Lolly!

Enjoy the photos below that were taken this week!

Above: Dawson and I sitting in the living room.

Above: Dawson's first time sitting in his Bumbo Seat!

Above: Dawson fell asleep in his swing holding Sophie the Giraffe.

Dawson Goes to Church

Yesterday I took Dawson to church for the first time, and he did great! He did not make a sound during the entire service. I couldn't believe how well he did. Then he went to the nursery for the first time while I went to Sunday School. At our church all of the children's classes have names. Dawson is the newest member of the class named the "Bugs" which he will stay in until he start to crawl. Our church has a pretty fancy check in/out when you're dropping your children off, and the parents get a pager in case "they have a problem only mommy can fix" as one lady in the nursery put it. He did great, and I did not get paged the entire time. Enjoy the pictures below of Dawson before going to church for the first time with his Precious Moments Bible from his Great Aunt Phyllis.

"Who, me?"

Above & Below: Dawson with his Precious Moment

Bible before going to church for the first time.
"Look at my dimples!"

The Month of July

Life has been busy in the Zorio household over the past month (hence why I haven't been blogging on a regular basis). In the month of July I returned to work part-time. On the days I work John is 'Mr. Mom', and he has really been enjoying spending those days taking care of Dawson.
Dawson is now 2 1/2 months old, and he is growing quickly. He went for his 2 month check up in July and weighed in at a whopping 12 pounds 12 ounces. He has now a lot better about holding up his own head, and he has started reaching for things and actually grasping them. Dawson loves to talk and smile. His favorite phrase is "ah gooh" which can mean I'm hungry, I need to be changed, and/or I want to be held. :)
Also, in the month of July we traveled to Tennessee where John was in the wedding of one of our highschool friends, Kealan. We had a good time seeing people from high school, and Dawson enjoyed his first wedding.
We also attended another baseball game with Dawson in July. It is a mystery to John & I how Dawson can sleep through seven loud innings at a baseball game, but at home he wakes to one bark from Bentley. However, Dawson has slept through the night one time, so we're keeping our fingers crossed that this becomes a regular habit.
Logan came to stay with us for a week in July for the third summer in a row, and we took him to some fun places around Huntsville.
Enjoy the pictures below, and we'll try to update the blog again soon!

Above and Below: Dawson's first day wearing shoes

and actually being able to keep them on his feet.

Above: Dawson loves bath time now!

Above: Dawson with his mom and dad at the Kealan's wedding.

Above: Dawson and mom at the July wedding.

Above: Dawson with his Daddy at the wedding reception.

Above: Bentley had to jump in one of Dawson's pictures.

Above: Go Vols! Dawson in his Tennessee pj's.

Above: Dawson sitting in the chair in his room.

Above: Not only can he already read,

but he can read upside down! :)

Above: Dawson talking and kicking.

John's First Father's Day, A Trip To Tennessee, & A Visit From The White's

We have had a busy past couple of weeks. In June we celebrated John's first Father's Day, and Dawson gave John a gift for his grill.

Also, last month our friends Josh & Cassandra came to visit from Asheville, North Carolina. We hadn't seen them since their wedding in November, so we had a great time catching up with each other. While they were here we grilled out, played with Dawson, went to a sushi restaurant, the guys played Tiger Woods golf on the Wii, and we all played Catch Phrase. We hope to visit them in North Carolina sometime soon, but we had a great time with them while they were in Alabama.

John and I took Dawson to his first baseball game on June 25th. The Huntsville Stars beat the Chattanooga Lookouts. Dawson did great, sleeping through the first 7 innings. He woke up in time for us to take his picture with the field behind him though!

On June 27th two of our good friends Jon & Abbey got married in Cleveland, Tennessee. Lolly & Pop kept Dawson overnight while John and I went to the wedding. Their wedding was beautiful, and we had a great time seeing all of our friends we unfortunately don't get to see too often.

We spent the week after the wedding in Tennesee visiting more friends and family. We met some friends on the strip for dinner, and after we were done we drove Dawson through the UT campus for the first time (and he was wearing his orange and white!). Also, while in Maryville I got to see Cassie, my best friend from high school, who I don't get to see often enough! We had a great time visiting everyone in Tennessee, and hopefully some of the people we saw will get to come visit us in Alabama soon!

Also, while we were in Tennessee, I found out that I get to return to work part-time (which is what I had hoped for) instead of full-time! This will make things at home with Dawson easier for a while. I'm returning to work in one week. It's hard to believe Dawson is already 7 weeks old, and it's time for me to go back to work.

Enjoy the pictures below.

Dawson & Daddy on Father's Day.

Erica, me, Ashlee, Stephanie, & Dawson (left to right) at Mello Mushroom.

Erica holding Dawson.

Jeff's first time holding Dawson (or any baby).

Ashlee with Dawson.

Dawson's first baseball game.

Me & Cassandra during her visit to Alabama.

John & Josh with their Wiimotes during an intense game of Wii golf.

The sign our church put in our yard

when Dawson was born. I've been meaning to put this

one up for a while.

Me with Dawson & Cassie.

Lolly & Dawson.

Pop & Dawson.

Dawson with his grandad.

Dawson at 1 Month!

Dawson is already one month old! John & I have had a lot of fun with Dawson this first month, and it has flown by! Dawson went to the doctor on Friday, and he now weighs 9 pounds 10 ounces. He is growing so fast. John & I also celebrated our two year wedding annviersary last week by going out to dinner at The Melting Pot. It is hard to believe we've already been married two years. We've posted some pictures below of Dawson at one month old.

I'm getting sleepy!

Showing off my muscles!

Dawson falling asleep in his crib.

Dawson's First Trip

This week Dawson turned three weeks old, and he went on his first trip. We decided last minute to take Dawson on a short trip to Tennessee to meet his Uncle Logan, Great Grandmother, Great Aunts, and others for the first time. He did great in the car, sleeping the majority of the ride there and back. On our next trip we hope to be able to see the rest of the family that has not met Dawson yet and a lot of our friends. We'll let everyone know when we're planning our next trip. Below are some pictures John & I have taken over the past week.

Dawson with his Mom, Lolly, and Great Grandmother.

Dawson with his Uncle Logan for the first time.

Dawson with his Grandad.

Dawson with his Great Aunt Phyllis.

Dawson with his Great Aunt Carolyn.

Dawson with Susan.

Dawson hiding in the laundry basket.

Dawson waiting to be fed.

Dawson sleeping in his swing.