So Strong!

Rowan can lift himself up on his forearms now and

he's rolled over (from tummy to back) four times since

Monday evening.

Funny Faces

Seven Weeks!

Our little buddy is seven weeks old today. Taking care of him

is getting more and more fun every day as he rewards us with

smiles and sweet little noises. But he's also learned to make the

most heart-wrenching sad faces when he cries (breaks my heart!).

Good Morning!

Happy after a good night's sleep at home (after his big Thanksgiving outing), Rowan flashed a bright smile at Kyle this morning.

After Thanksgiving

Rowan was soooo ready to be home after his first Thanksgiving (needless to say, there were lots of people passing him around). He slept so soundly in my arms when we got back home!

Six Weeks

Rowan is now six weeks old! He's "waking up" from his newborn days and becoming an interactive little baby. He smiles and makes sweet little noises (only for a short time every day -- he still sleeps a lot!). He has such curiosity in his eyes now!

More Interactive Every Day

Rowan is becoming more interactive every day -- smiling and making cute little noises! So cute!!

Five Weeks - What a Change!

Look how much Rowan has grown in five short weeks!

The top photo was taken when Rowan was just two days old.

First Snow

We broke out Rowan's "Baby's First Snow" outfit today in
celebration of the first snow of the season! Maybe next year
he'll get to experience it first-hand!

Found his thumb...almost!

Rowan was crying in his bassinet earlier today, but by the time

I got to him he had found a way to calm himself. The thumb only

made it as far as the inside of his cheek, but I guess that was enough!

First Bottle

Kyle enjoyed giving Rowan his first bottle

today! Rowan was a little confused by it at

first, but he ate like a champ!

Posing in His Sleep

Rowan strikes a pose in his sleep.

Snuggly Little Bunny

Rowan loves to snuggle in his sling

-- a little reminder of life in the womb.

Baby Faces

Sleeping like an angel

Big yawn

So serious

All smiles

On End

Rowan's hair tends to stick straight up in the back after his baths. We like the messy look!

The "Special" Hold

Could our perfect little baby ever be fussy? YES! He's been very fussy for the past couple of days and this hold has been the best way to calm him. It helps his little gassy tummy. The sling has also been a lifesaver. He'll sleep in that while Angie does a few things around the house.

Four Weeks!

Cute and cuddly in his tiger jammies, Rowan is four weeks old today! I can't believe how much he's changed in such a short amount of time! We look back at his first pictures and marvel at how tiny he was...something we'll keep doing for months and years to come.

Too Cool in Polo

Rowan was way too cool to stay awake for pictures in his little Ralph Lauren sleeper (a present from Grandma Michelle, who had lots of fun at Marshall Field's Field Days).

Staring Contest

Rowan is starting to spend more time looking at our faces. Here, he and Kyle have a little staring contest before bed (well...before Kyle goes to bed...Rowan usually keeps Angie up when Kyle goes to bed).

Three Weeks!

Rowan is three weeks old today and boy is he changing! He's getting stronger every day (holding up his head more and pushing up with his arms). He's also staying awake for longer periods during the day (fun, but it's getting even harder for Angie to get anything -- shower, eat breakfast, etc. -- done!).

Trick or Treat!

Rowan looked so cute in his little Halloween outfit! We visited Auntie Courtney, Uncle Joel and Uncle Jason (Grandma Connie and Grandpa Kevin were in Florida) and Grandma Michelle and Grandpa Rob. Auntie Heidi visited earlier in the day and helped take these pictures.

First Family Walk

We took Rowan on his first walk around the neighborhood on October 29. Our neighbor was nice enough to snap this photo for us.

Sleeping Sweetly!

Rowan looks so sweet when he's sleeping. Kyle snapped this picture while he was sound asleep in my arms. We can spend hours just staring at him!

So Tiny in His Crib!

Kyle put Rowan in his crib for a bit earlier this week. He looked so tiny!

A Little Fussy at Two Weeks

Rowan was having a rather fussy day when we tried taking his two-week pictures on 10-26-05 (tummy troubles, we think). After several pictures like the ones above, we finally got the one below. He still doesn't look super cheery, but at least he's not crying!

First Outing

Rowan had his first outing on 10-19-05! We got him all dolled up in his little blue sweater and took him for his first doctor's visit. Everyone was so excited to see him at the clinic. The nurse who weighed him said, "This is the best part of my job" as she held him in her arms.

Boy, had he grown! The doctor said they like babies to get back to their birth weights (for Rowan, that's 6 pounds, 12.6 ounces) by the first visit. Rowan topped the scales at 7 pounds 8.5 ounces! That didn't surprise us too much, since Rowan's such a good eater. But we're already getting sappy about how much little Rowan has changed in just one week! It's hard work just trying to soak in every moment!!

One Week Old!

Here's little Rowan at one week! He even gave us a little smile for the picture. He's wearing a cute blue sweater that his auntie Heidi gave him.

Too Many Pictures?!

OK, this isn't exactly G-rated, but we found this hilarious picture of Rowan in the mix with his one-week pictures. We had been posing him for quite some time. If you take a look at his right hand (and his expression), you can get a sense of what he thought of all the fuss!

Due Date!

Here's Rowan on his due date (10-18-05). Angie's thankful he came a little early (easier to push a smaller baby!).

Our Family

Here's a photo of our little family on our second full day at home! We just can't get enough of Rowan's sweet little face. Here he is waving with his little Pooh mitten.

Our Birth Story

Sorry this is long! I wanted to include lots of details for my fellow Bradley class attendees.

I had a funny feeling on Tuesday, Oct. 11 that our little baby might be born soon. Even though they didn't hurt, my little practice contractions were getting stronger and coming more frequently. After we got home from work, I asked Kyle to (finally, I know) install our car seat. We also decided to pick up our changing table all the way in Maple Grove (the only place that had it in stock).

I woke up around 3:30 a.m. on Oct. 12 after having crampy contractions on and off. I told Kyle about them and he started getting nervous (was I really in labor?). At 5:30 a.m. I knew something was different about these contractions, so we got up and had some breakfast (if this was really labor, I'd need some strength for the day ahead). I also noticed that I was starting to lose my mucous plug. Still not totally convinced that I was in labor, I called my sister Heidi. Corey answered and said, "Heidi's asleep." I heard Heidi in the background (with her groggy voice) saying "give me that phone!" She obviously knew that an early morning call probably wasn't just about girl talk.

After giving Heidi her "heads up" Kyle and I went back to bed. I was sleeping with my tummy to Kyle's back. At 5:50 a.m., we both felt a "pop," and my belly shook. Kyle said, "what was that?!" I knew that my water had broken (and my contractions started ramping up), so we immediately sprung to action. I called the midwives, and Kyle looked around for all of the things we'd gathered for the hospital. The midwife on the phone told me not to rush (no sign of meconium in the water) but to make our way to the hospital after packing up and getting ready.

I called Heidi and we all got ready to leave for the hospital. Kyle and I arrived at 8:10, and Heidi was already in our room. It felt like the nurses already knew me because Heidi had been chatting with them since she got there. The midwife stopped in and said she wanted to confirm that my water had broken and make sure the fluid didn't contain any meconium. I lay in the bed to let the fluid collect so that she could see it when it came out. They also checked my blood pressure (a little high) and monitored the baby for a while (doing great!). Staying on my side wasn't too uncomfortable (though not ideal) at this point because I was still in early labor (Kyle and Heidi did a great job rubbing my neck and back during the contractions). My contractions came every five or so minutes.

When everything looked good (except my elevated blood pressure), the midwife offered to check my cervix. I declined, not wanting to introduce any bacteria and not wanting to find out that I wasn't very far in labor (my contractions definitely hurt, but I could still talk through them and even joke between contractions). The midwife said that it was just fine to wait and encouraged me to move around or sit on a birthing ball. She also ordered a tray of food and juice for me so that I could keep up my strength.

After eating, I sat on the birthing ball. Kyle needed some food around noon, and I requested some magazines to pass the time between contractions. By the time he got back (and he wasn't gone long), I had been walking around to get things going and was no longer in the mood for magazines. My contractions were stronger, longer, and came about every 3 minutes. I could no longer talk through them. I walked around between contractions and "slow danced" with Heidi or Kyle during contractions. My nurse would stop in periodically to check my blood pressure (still high unless I was on my side) and the baby's heart rate (still great).

I got in the tub and found that running hot water over my belly helped immensely during contractions (with colder water on my belly between contractions). Heidi and Kyle took turns running the shower head and temperature controls. The nurse checked my blood pressure and the baby's heart rate in the tub. My pressure was much better and the baby was still doing great.

Not wanting things to space out too much in the relaxing atmosphere of the tub, Heidi suggested that I get out and return to the birthing ball. This was extremely hard. The tub was working for me and I was hesitant to shake things up (or make my contractions stronger). But I agreed to get out, knowing I had to keep things moving.

At 3:15, I asked to be checked. The midwife said that I was at 4 centimeters and 95 percent effaced. The baby's head was at zero station. The midwife encouraged me by saying that the first four centimeters take the longest to reach. And, at 95 percent effaced, the rest of labor should go quickly.

After a bit on the birthing ball, I asked to go back in the tub. The contractions were really heating up and I was having a very hard time relaxing (and my blood pressure was rising as a result). I could feel the baby pushing on the top of my uterus with his legs and bearing down in my pelvis with its head.

Concerned about my blood pressure, the midwife ordered lab work. By the time the technician arrived at 4:15, I was in the tub. Kyle told the technician that I would not be getting out to have my blood drawn. She improvised and brought her supplies into the bathroom (Kyle held the blood tubes while simultaneously running the shower head and the temperature controls!).

After the blood draw, Heidi took over the showerhead. I looked at her helplessly and said, "I'm not sure about this anymore." She asked what I wasn't sure about. I said, "What if I'm not very far and I just can't do this anymore. If my blood pressure is high, will they tell me to take some pain medicine?" (this, I said with a hint of hope in my voice). She said, "that's not going to happen because your almost there." She reminded me about the point in labor when you begin to doubt yourself (transition!). I worried that I wasn't really there, but she was confident.

When I said I had to go to go to the bathroom around 5:15, Heidi told Kyle to call the nurse. Heidi told the nurse that I was feeling pressure and that it wouldn't be long before I'd be pushing. I got out of the tub and returned to the birthing ball. When I said "I can't not push!," the midwife helped me up and checked my cervix (one of only two checks during my labor). I was complete at 5:30! We all cried and I felt a burst of new energy! The nurses and midwife were setting things up for the birth and I rested while waiting for the next contraction.

I pushed on my side for an hour and 10 minutes. Heidi and Kyle held my legs and coached me through it. Kyle's enthusiasm got me through the pushing. The guy who couldn't stand to watch birth videos during our class was amazed to watch our baby being born. He would say things like, "Oh my God, this is so amazing. You're doing it! I see the head. I see our baby's head!" Heidi shared more specific information about how much of the head was showing so that I would know I was making good progress.

At 6:40 p.m. Rowan Kyle was born. Kyle announced that he was a boy. I cried with joy as they placed him on my chest and said, "This is my baby! This is our baby, Kyle! This is our baby. He's really here!" I looked at little Rowan and said, "We did it!" He had worked just as hard as, if not harder than, I had.

I held him in my arms with his little hospital hat and blanket as the midwife waited for the placenta and then assessed me. I had just a small midline tear that needed two stitches. Kyle and I bonded with Rowan for about an hour and a half before he was weighed and checked out. A lactation specialist helped me with his first nursing. Rowan weighed in at 6 pounds, 12.6 ounces (Kyle had guest 6 pounds, 13 ounces!) and measured 20.25 inches long. We were instantly in love!

My family (who had heard the pushing/birth from the hallway) and Kyle's family (who arrived just after the birth) let us bond with Rowan and recover a bit before coming in for their first visit around 9:30 p.m. Wow, was this boy loved! There were pictures flashing everywhere as he bounced from person to person (and content and alert all the while).

I never believed people when they said that you forget the pain of labor after you see your baby's face, but now I do. It was all so worth it when I saw Rowan's little eyes look up into mine and felt his little body so close to mine. It was the hardest and most amazing experience of my life, and I have a beautiful baby boy to show for it!

Look at my hair!

We had to include this picture to show off Rowan's beautiful blonde hair. After looking at our baby books, we discovered that Kyle also was born with blonde hair (mom was a total baldy). Rowan looks cute in hats, but we're always tempted to take them off and rub his soft little head. We're in love!

Rowan at the Hospital

Rowan was a pretty tired guy during his first full day at the hospital (10-13-05). We had lots of cuddling time, and Kyle and Rowan even took in a baseball game (Angie just wasn't as interested:).

Although Rowan slept great at the hospital, Kyle and Angie did not. Too much adrenaline and too much to learn (and about a million people stopping in to check temperatures and blood pressure). Kyle was great at learning all the newborn basics (bathing, swaddling and temperature-taking) while Angie took care of herself and learned about nursing.

Meet Rowan Kyle!

Our beautiful baby boy -- Rowan Kyle -- was born on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 at 6:40 p.m. He weighed in at 6 pounds, 12.6 ounces, and measured 20.25 inches.

We had a wonderful experience with the nurses and nurse midwives at Hennepin County Medical Center. With coaching support from Kyle and my sister, Heidi Sue, I had the natural birth experience I had hoped for.

Stay tuned for our birth story, tidbits about our first day at home (who knew a baby could be so messy!) and, of course, more pictures! We'll do our best to add updates between feedings (ours and Rowan's) and naps (ditto).

Thank you all for your love, prayers and support!
-Angie