Robyn - We Love You!

Robyn Roncelli:
11/20/1955 - 11/20/2010

To be honest, when Robyn first entered my life nine years ago I was crushed. This stranger did not belong. But the pain I felt then, compares little to the devastation felt now as she leaves. Yes, in nine short years Robyn went from someone with whom I was uncomfortable being in the same room – to the only person I was comfortable having in the room when Dominic was born. Robyn’s spunky attitude, pure joy in life, and giving ways were impossible to resist. Whether it was singing and dancing to “It’s Raining Men,” cheering on the Spartans and Tigers, or playing golf – Robyn always had a blast.

Robyn gave love freely and without hesitation. She loved to nurture and care for others. She mothered me while respecting the fact that she could not replace my mother. Robyn indulged my obsessive-ness over bridal gown shopping, house hunting, furniture buying, and nursery decorating. She delighted in all of these things right along with me - which made everything all the more fun. Robyn loved to shop. I don’t think there was ever more than a few days between calls from Kohl’s or COSTCO asking if I needed one thing or another. She became the top fan and super scorekeeper at my softball games. She embraced all of my friends and absolutely loved hearing about what was going on in their lives. Above all, she adored being a grandma.

Robyn faced her impossible stage IV cancer diagnosis 5.5 years ago with strength and determination. She spent much of the last five years comforting those around her, not wanting to be the cause of any pain for those she held dear. I often had friends ask how Robyn was doing… was her cancer in “remission.” No, I would have to remind them, she will not be going into remission, her disease is too advanced, incurable. I don’t believe they forgot this because they were absentminded or uncaring, but rather because Robyn made it so easy to forget. She forged ahead enjoying every day with lots of smiles and laughs.

In nine short years Robyn went from stranger to beloved friend. She taught me that letting new people into your life is not a threat any others. There is no limit on the amount of love you can feel in your heart... Robyn’s heart certainly had no limits.

Memories: http://picasaweb.google.com/kitandkristifamily/RobynWeLoveYou#

August / September 2010

Luckily things settled down for us (compared to the previous two months) in August and September. Well, that is after our harrowing start... which involved Dominic diving head first into Aunt Michelle and Uncle Jeff's pool at the quarterly birthday party. He was being very closely watched by many capable adults, but as we now know first hand - it only takes a split second. Grandpa "Safety First" Ken was the quickest to action. He channeled his inner Steve Yzerman and leapt over the side of the pool as swiftly as The Captain over the boards. Dominic was scooped out within seconds and was no worse for the wear. He didn't even cough or cry. Unfortunately Grandpa's cell phone, camera, and car key fob did not fare as well. But Grandpa says it was definitely worth it!

Dominic enjoyed the "Big Rig Gig" in early August. Lake Orion parks and rec sponsors the event where many "big rigs" are parked at Friendship Park. The kids can explore the fire trucks, tractors, ambulances, and more. G&G Primo and Marie came too, along with Grandpa Ken. Dominic's favorite was the John Deere equipment, and running all over the place. Great-Grandpa Primo and Grandpa Ken most enjoyed reminiscing with the owner of the Twin Pines milk truck... Just like the one that delivered in their neighborhood. In fact, the owner's dad did deliver in the old Zalewski (my mom's) neighborhood at Outer Drive and Van Dyke on the east side of Detroit. Small world.

Dominic had lots of playtime with friends in August and September. His Beaumont friends came to visit in early August with their mommies and daddies. We barbequed and visited and the little tykes chased bubbles. Mariana brought her mommy (Joy) and daddy (John) over for a nice playdate in August. In addition, Dominic was given a lesson in sharing and taking turns from buddy Zach who came to play all the way from Houston with his mommy Lisa. Another out of town traveler, cousin Devin, came to visit from Washington, D.C.. Dominic also got to explore other kiddies' toys when we went to visit Mackenzie and Eric, as well as Braden and Sierra. New toys are always fun!

We thoroughly enjoyed the outdoor summer playtime with lots of trip to the park and the discovery of a great beach at Spencer Park. Dominic also enjoyed cheering on his mommy at many of my softball games. Summertime is the best!

Cousin Lauren turned 11 in September - Happy Birthday to Lauren! And, cousins Joey and Kate celebrated their 1st birthday on September 24th. They both loved their first tastes of cake, yummy.

Dominic has spent many hours showing Grandma Robyn how fast he can run in circles around her bed. He also loves to help Grandma with her meals by holding her pop bottle with straw and "feeding" her the fruit punch.

More Dominic Stats:

18 months - 26 lbs (60ish%-tile) and 33in (95%-tile).

Talking more and more every day, it's crazy! Some favorite words are yeah, yep, mama, dada, papa, Aunt Karen, Donna, nana, car, top, cup, up, ball, baa, meow, ruff, neigh, oink, purple, yellow, bye-bye, hi, hey, stacy (grandma's cat), six, seven, eight, eighteen, ...

He also has become very interested in identifying letters. Of course dad is most proud that Dominic's favorite letter is "M" (for Michigan). He loves to point out M's everywhere and gets especially excited for the big block maize "M".

Picture link at the upper right. Also, I've posted my first video to Utube! See video link. I don't know how to edit yet, so apologies for the 3 minute length. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqQT3AbPWWg)

June/July 2010

What a crazy first two months of summer! We have been busy, busy, busy. Unfortunately much of the craziness was due to way too much work and studying. But, I do have super exciting news. For those of you who have commiserated with me over the last (way too many) years of studying for actuarial exams - I'M DONE, I'M DONE, I'M DONE!!! I can hardly believe it myself. I successfully finished my last requirement on July 30th, thanks in great part to Aunt Karen who spent lots of extra time playing with Dominic on Wednesday's, my "day off", and a few weekends as well. He had tons of fun during his extra Aunt Karen time swimming at swim school, taking walks to the playground, and doing a lot of weeding. Dominic has become completely obsessed with pulling weeds, particuarly all of the tiny unwanted maple trees that seem to pop up everywhere. He is not satisfied unless he gets them out down to the root. I hope this continues for many more years!

In between the work and studying we had a lot of fun. Friends Kelli, Noel, and Ben came to visit from South Carolina. Noel joined Dominic at the Memorial Day parade, while Ben came over a few days later for some playtime. He and Dominic had a blast after they discovered a nice big puddle on the sidewalk to splash through. Holly stopped by to see the gang as well.

Congrats to cousin Paul who graduated from Eisenhower High School in June!

Great-Grandma Mari and Great-Aunt Rosalind came to visit from Ohio at the end of June. By the end of dinner, Dominic was signing "more" thanks to some training from Aunt Rosalind. He now asks for "more" of EVERYTHING!

We ventured downtown to Comerica Park over the 4th of July weekend where Dominic experienced his 1st Tigers game. The Verlander t-shirt that Grandma Robyn purchased for him early in the season was just perfect for cheering on the starter that night. Thank goodness we were lucky enough to utilize my work suite, because Dominic could not be contained. But he had tons of fun running around the suite and concourse.

In addition over the 4th of July weekend, Dominic was excited to be invited over to the neighbors' house for some swimming on a 90+ degree day. He loved the Davenport's pool, so much so that for several days after he ran over to the fence and cried to go back over (a bit embarassing for mom).

Kit enjoyed a whirlwind July weekend in Seattle to celebrate at the wedding of college pal Ryan Parker. Congratulations to Ryan and Amy!

Happy birthday to cousin Tommy who turned 3 in July! We had fun celebrating at his birthday party near the end of the month.

Overall, it has been a lot of fun watching Dominic explore and discover the world this summer. Pictures in the June/July album, top right.

May 2010

We started the month of May with a celebration of Dominic's friend Mackenzie's, 1st Birthday! Dominic enjoyed playing with lots of new friends and new toys at the party.

Kit and I had a rare night out to celebrate the marriage of John and Becky Patouhas (our good friend Joy's brother!). 3-Month old Mariana made a super cute "flower baby" at her Uncle's wedding.

On Memorial Day Dominic was mesmerized by the Sterling Heights Parade. In Roncelli family tradition, the whole gang gathered at Great-Grandma Marie and Great-Grandpa Primo's house for the parade and a post-parade BBQ. Big Thanks to Aunt Linda and Uncle Ronny for all of the hard work pulling the feast together! We also celebrated Grandpa Primo's 89th Birthday! Dominic loved collecting all of the parade candy for the big kids. He also had a blast running through the sprinkler for the first time - it was a very hot Memorial Day.

At 14 Months Dominic loves to "help" with things. Inside he pretty much insists on standing on a chair to help wash the dishes. He is also very good at dragging laundry baskets around the house, whether it is time to do the laundry or not. Outside, throwing weeds, leaves, and pinecones into the yard waste bins is one of his favorite pastimes. Unfortunately he also likes to pull them out of the bin.

Dominic's 1 year pictures were taken in April and are included in our May album along with other May fun!

April 2010

April brought some very nice spring days and lots of fun playtime outside for Dominic! We started the month with an Easter celebration - lunch and a visit with the Easter Bunny at the Sterling Inn banquet center. There was a TON of yummy food and we all loved not having to cook and clean. This may have to become a new tradition. Dominic absolutely loved the Easter Bunny, following him all around the banquet hall.

Mid-month we celebrated the collective 1st birthday's of the babies of our Beaumont Parenting group. All ten of them enjoyed birthday cupcakes at the Cupcake Kitchen at Partridge Creek Mall. It was too cute! In addition, Dominic and Mariana had fun at their very first playdate including a nice walk and playtime outside.

We celebrated Cousin Megan's 7th birthday at the end of the month, as well as Grandpa Ken's. Happy Birthday!

At 13 months Dominic seems to learn something new everyday! He loves music and one of his favorite new toys is a kiddie MP3 player. He carries it around listening to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," "The Wheels on the Bus," "Old MacDonald," and many others.

April pictures in our April album on the top right.

March 2010

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY DOMINIC! Our baby turned one on March 25th. Where did the last year go? We celebrated Dominic's big day with a party at home. He loved visiting with all of his guests and being the center of attention. Although unsure of his cake at first, he really started to enjoy it after a couple of bites. His favorite part of the entire party though, was the balloons.

Earlier in the month we braved our first family vacation. Travel with a baby is certainly different. Unfortunately the weather in Orlando wasn't as warm as we would have liked, but Dominic still was quite excited to swim in the pools. He cried when we made him come out, even though his lips were turning blue! Dominic very much enjoyed meeting Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Mickey at Chef Mickey's buffet dinner. He greeted each of them with a squeeze of the nose. We met up with our friends the Eupizi's at the Magic Kingdom. Dominic took his first turn on a merry-go-round as well as several other rides including "It's a Small World" and "Peter Pan." However, I think he had more fun playing with the straws from our drinks!

Dominic's 1 year Stats: 22 lbs 13 oz, 30.25 in. Loving to run around everywhere and very happy to finally get outside after a long winter.

Birthday, vacation, and other March highlights in our March album on the top right.

Februrary 2010

Big News for the month of February - Dominic started WALKING! As reported previously, he started trying out his skills with two or three steps at the end of January and by mid-February he was all over the place. We now have an expert walker on our hands. I can't believe it! He's growing up too fast!

Cousin Gabriella celebrated her 1st Birthday with a party on the 20th! She enjoyed her party and cake, and looked adorable in her pink bithday dress and princess hat.

We realized this month that we should have gotten Dominic a sled for christmas. He LOVED his first time out in the snow and his ride on the recycling bin lid (in lieu of the sled). We'll have to be better prepared for winter fun next year.

We also have to send out a big CONGRATULATIONS to Joy and John who welcomed their beautiful baby girl Mariana into the world on February 25th!!! We hope to meet her very soon!

In addition to walking, the inner nerd in Dominic emerged in February. He is obsessed with his books and would like us to read to him all day. He especially likes giving kisses to any animals in the books - I must say it is pretty cute!

11 Month Stats: 22lbs 10oz and 29 inches. Highlight pictures in our February Album.

January 2010

What a difference a couple of months make! Dominic now whines for us to stop rocking him and put him in his crib at bedtime. I think this is a good thing? Our little baby is growing up so fast - 10 months on the 25th!

With the holiday madness over, January was a much less busy month. Dominic got to play with his buddies Braden and Sierra when the Przysiecki's came to visit on the 16th. Although I think he did more toy stealing than anything else, we'll have to work on that.

Dominic is getting more and more daring in his walks along all of the furniture, walls, and cabinets - and does let go and balance standing for long stretches. He recently took two steps, but speed crawling remains his primary mode of transportation in open space. He loves to play "so big" and can now also find mommy's nose (but not his own!). We are still working on waving bye-bye with consistency. He has also learned the art of throwing mini-tantrums. These usually involve taking away a cell phone or remote control.

Dominic is very happy that Grandma Robyn has been feeling much better the last few weeks! She had four more tumors successfully "zapped" with gamma-knife radiation brain surgery on the 22nd and will be starting on a new chemothearpy regimen next week. Hopefully this one is not such a butt-kicker.

December 2009

Happy New Year! December was busy, busy, busy. You can see it all in our December Album. Dominic started the month with a trip to "baby boot camp." He learned mom and dad can't hold him all night, and bedtime is becoming much faster.

The weekend of December 12-13 we had three fun events. On Saturday there was lots of fun to be had at Joy and John's baby shower. Dominic is super excited to meet his new little friend due to arrive in mid-February! That same night we hosted Dominic's first Wigilia, the traditional Polish Christmas Eve vigil. He got to meet his extened cousins from the Kupryanowicz family and really enjoyed eating his first meatballs. On Sunday, Dominic's cousins Joey and Kate were baptised. Thank you Nancy and Kevin for the honor of being Joey's godmother!

The following weekend, Dominic met Santa along with cousins Joey and Kate. We have to send a big THANK YOU to Aunt Karen for spending three hours in line at Somerset on Saturday morning to ensure us an afternoon appointment!

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day brought more parties. We had fun hosting Christmas Eve at our house with family and friends. Of course Grandpa Ken led his famous annual name-that-Christmas-Carol-singer game. Dominic enjoyed opening presents over the next several days. Although he did not rip the paper off with as much enthusiasm as he rips our magazines and newspaper. I guess it is more fun to tear up the stuff mom and dad don't want you to rip.

The Stevenson Girls celebrated our 12th annual Christmas Dinner on the 26th. With Amber hosting, things came full circle as she was the first to host in 1998! Wow, we're not really that old are we girls? It was so good to see everyone and catch up on the gossip!

Great-Grandma Mari came to visit from Ohio on New Year's Day. She brought Dominic what is now his favorite new book, "Baby Loves Peekaboo." He loves to lift the flaps and see what is hiding underneath.

9 Month Stats: Still only 1/2 of a tooth. An expert at walking behind his push toy and along the furniture. Loves climbing over things, chasing around a ball, playing "So-Big," and emptying the spices out of the one unlocked kitchen cabinet.