New Tricks!

Rowan has been doing some new things this past week. He can now pull up pretty well on some furniture. This new-found ability has also led to some bumps and falls -- nothing too bad yet, thank goodness!

Yesterday, Kyle and Rowan were playing in the livingroom while I got ready in the bathroom. Rowan started to fuss like he was hungry and actually crawled all the way to the bathroom and found me! When he saw me he just smiled and smiled. So cool!

I'm not sure how to describe this, but Rowan can click (cluck?) his toungue. He'll copy Kyle endlessly with that trick (or is it Kyle who is copying Rowan?).

He changes so fast! Once he learns one new thing, so many other new things follow. I feel so fortunate to be able to watch him change and develop first-hand. So amazing!

At the Park With Mom and Papa(razzi)

Rowan visited the park last week -- the first of many more visits to come this summer! Of course, we took lots and lots of pictures!

Chilling out. Rowan sat with his mama for a bit at first to check out the scene and watch the kids swing and play.

I dig this! Rowan played with his daddy on the digger. It's hard to say who had more fun!

Little swinger. Although he's still a bit small for the swing, Rowan sat up well and even gave a couple of smiles.

Favorite pose. Rowan demonstrated his one-handed pose, which he often shows off while crawling or pulling up on things.

Please, no photos. Tired of the constant stream of picture-taking, Rowan requests some privacy to enjoy the park with his family. A celebrity in the making?

Cool Dude, Cool Do!

Rowan's hair is really filling in. We can actually style it now after his baths!

AvocaNO

Rowan had a reaction to avocado last night and it wasn't fun. He had a rash on his face and he threw up. So, no more avocado for little Rowan! And, from what I've read about avocado reactions, we shouldn't introduce banana either for the time being (they're related in their tendency to produce reactions.) Oh bother... Banana and avocado are so often recommended as first foods. Who knew they'd make my little bud sick?!

I'll ask his ped about it at his next well check, which is coming up soon. In the meantime, he's still enjoying tasting his sweet potato and rice cereal.

Six Months

Rowan had his six-month birthday on April 12 (yes, we're a little late in giving this report). Six months brought his very first illness -- a cold. He actually fared better than I did with it. It figures -- I make all the antibodies and he gets them in my milk! Oh well, I'd rather be the one who gets more sick anyway. Kyle ended up with it too. He's just getting over it now.

Six months also brought one of Rowan's most significant changes -- mobility. He started effectively crawling just a couple of days after he hit six months. He's already becoming quite speedy, so I'm always on the watch! He also tries to pull up on things already (mostly his stationary entertainer and laundry baskets because he's too short to reach much else).

Rowan got his first taste of solid food at six months, and it's been disgusting diapers ever since (seedy mustard poo suddenly doesn't seem so bad:). He's tasted avocado, rice cereal, sweet potato and apple chunks (in a mesh feeder) so far. He doesn't eat much, mainly just tastes and explores. But he must get something because I am changing some raunchy dipes!

His personality has really blossomed over the past month. He has a great sense of humor. Kyle was juggling his blocks the other night and Rowan would just CRACK UP if Kyle dropped the blocks or if the blocks fell on his head. He chuckles as if to say, "My parents are so silly!" when we do dorky things like sing songs and dance.

He plays new games now. Peekaboo is a current favorite! Tonight he's been playing with a rolled up pair of his socks. He'll sort of toss (drop?) them a short distance ahead of himself and then crawl after them.

He's also very affectionate. He loves to nestle into our necks for a "recharge" cuddle before he goes off on his next exploration (melts my heart!).

He's changed so much over the past six months, I can hardly believe it! It's already hard to remember what it was like when he was so new to us. We've really meshed as a family over the past six months and now it's truly difficult to remember what life was like without our little Rowan. We love him so much and can't wait to see what the next six months will bring!

Rowan Tells a Joke

In honor of Grandpa Kevin's last day of work, Rowan has a silly joke about showing up on time.

So this guy walks into a department store and asks the clerk, "Do you sell potato clocks?"

"Potato clocks?!" cried the clerk. "I've never even heard of such a silly thing."

"Hey," replied the guy, "all I know is that my boss said I wouldn't be so late for work if I got a potato clock."

C'mon, get it? Got a potato clock...got up at eight O'clock...

It's hilarious! Ha ha ha ha!

Have a great last day at work Grandpa Kevin! Happy retirement!

Rowan the Wizard

We just had to get a cute picture of Rowan in this warm little outfit. Kyle actually wore it when he was a tiny baby (his late grandma Corrine made it for him before he was born). It's so colorful, with lots of embroidered flowers all along the hood and zipper. Rowan just smiled and smiled when he looked at himself in the mirror wearing it. The pointy hood makes him look like a little wizard -- so cute!

We didn't get to use it much over the winter because every time you take a baby out nowadays, you need to buckle them into a carseat stroller (things they didn't need to worry about back in the day).

A close-up of this picture also shows off Rowan's two teeth. Believe me when I tell you they are sharp!!

Rowan Wrestles the Easter Bunny

More Easter Pics...Angie's Side

Some of the grandkids and greatgrandkids (and significant others) with grandma and grandpa.

More Easter Pics...Kyle's Side

A pretty lady on my left and on my right...what more could I ask for?

What's everyone looking at? What's so funny?

Easter Makes Me Tired

Family events are soooooooo tiring, especially when you have the sniffles. The solution?

Naps

Naps

And more naps!

OK, that last one obviously isn't Rowan, but grownups can get tired too! Right, Great Uncle John?

Trying Some Rice Cereal

Rowan was feeling a little better today, so we gave him some rice cereal around lunch time. He ate it right up!

So Cozy

Thanks for wrapping me up and making me so cozy, daddy! It helps me feel so much better when I'm sick.

Wow! Am I crawling?

Rowan can crawl! He's not very fast or graceful yet, but he's figured out how his arms and legs work together to crawl. He's going after a toy in this picture. He crawled all the way down the hallway.

Yikes! Time for babyproofing pronto!

First Cold

Well, Rowan has a little cold and a little tummy bug. He's sneezing and coughing and throwing up (he's all around very juicy right now!). You can see that his eyes are a little watery in this picture. Despite our general no TV rule, I'm letting him watch a little Bob the Builder right now, hoping he'll stay calm and sit long enough to let his last feeding settle in a bit.

OK, he just threw up again (I won't show a picture of that!). At least his feeding sat for 45 minutes or so (something should have got to him). He doesn't seem too distressed after he throws up, but he looks so upset while he does it (breaks my heart!). I can't imagine how much worse this would be if he were eating a lot of solids, however (milk puke is pretty mild, really).

Anyway, more info than you really wanted, I'm sure. We're hanging in there. I think this might be harder on me than it is on him, actually!

Ready for Summer!

Heidi and Corey and Kyle and I are splitting a community-supported agriculture (CSA) share this summer. It's something I've wanted to do for several summers, but just never got around to actually doing it. We decided on Loon Organics, since they drop off near us.

For those who aren't familiar with CSAs, we've purchased a share of a local farm's crop for the summer. In exchange, we'll get a crate of produce each week beginning in early June and ending sometime in October. Heidi and I are excited to try new things (and excited to get our vegetable-challenged husbands to try new things too). I've finally got Kyle eating broccoli and asparagus (although Kyle says that this is NOT an invitation for everyone to start cooking him green veggies:). I hope Rowan will become a good veggie eater with less fuss than his dad!

Happy spring!

A Little Sick

There will be a little delay in Rowan's six-month picture. He hasn't been feeling well today. No fever or anything, but he's got a runny nose, he's been coughing and he threw up a few times (managing to get it mostly on me every time, of course!). We're bringing him to his pediatrician tomorrow. Between Kyle and I, we called her three times today. I guess our baby's first illness brought out our overprotective sides (wait, could Kyle actually be MORE overprotective?).

We'll do his six-month picture when he's feeling a little better. It just doesn't seem right to make the little guy pose when he's got a runny nose. We're also holding on any more solids until he feels better, so it will be a bit before we have more messy pictures!

Food Fun!

We gave Rowan his first taste of solid foods (mashed ripe avocado) today. He was a little put off by it at first, but he gradually came around. Here's the play by play:

Hmmmm....I'm not so sure about this green stuff.

Whoa! This isn't milk at all!

Maybe it would be better if I tried feeding myself.

Actually, just give me the whole bowl!

Hey, this is actually kinda fun!

Table Manners

Rowan's new favorite toy is his spoon. I think he likes biting on the cool metal while he's teething. We plan on giving him a little solid food next week. Maybe we'll let him try his hand at feeding himself (the mess will make for such cute pictures:).

Gimme Gimme!

Rowan now fusses if you take a toy away from him (or if he drops a toy from his feeding chair). It's actually kind of cute right now (give us a couple weeks...). I'm not sure what kind of developmental milestone this signifies, but it's definitely a change!

Bath Time!

Rowan just loves bath time! He's quite the expert splasher, often sending water flying out onto the bathroom floor. He has absolutely no fear of the water, which makes holding on to him rather tough (he'd dive right under the water if I let him!).

Me and My Little Buddy

Teething Time

Rowan started cutting his first tooth this past weekend! You can see the red area with the whitish spot in photo. Today, we could actually feel the sharp little tooth poking through. Luckily, he hasn't been too fussy during the process.

Up North

Rowan had his first weekend visit to the cabin this past weekend. Unfortunately, I neglected to take pictures of the cabin itself (it's gorgeous!!). I promise to take some next time and post them. Kyle took Rowan on a little hike around the association. He had fun looking around for awhile and then he fell right asleep!

He slept really well at the cabin (we think he's going through his six-month growth spurt) and had lots of fun playing with everyone. He also started to cut his first tooth while we were there (see teething post). We'll have many more fun days to come at the cabin this summer!