Four Months

Rowan hit the four-month mark on Sunday, February 12. The week before, he started making the most interesting sounds (lots of squeeling, mixed with (happy) screaming, mixed with breathy sighs). He actually got a little hoarse from all of his vocal practice!

Will he take a bottle? Nope! But there's much less pressure now since I'll be staying home with him. Gillette let me switch to "on-call" status (I'll work on projects at home if they have overflow). So, the little guy is stuck with me (not that he minds:).

Now I'm trying to get him back on track with his feeding habits. All the bottle pressure caused him to reverse his days and nights (read: he eats all night and refuses to eat as much during the day). Needless to say, I'm a little exhausted! Hopefully, we can now relax and he'll eat more during the day.

Superbowl Sunday

Here's Corey, Kyle and Rowan watching the Superbowl last Sunday. I couldn't agree more, Rowan! : )

What Should I Play With First?

At the risk of overstimulating little Rowan, we broke out the stationary entertainment center. He loves it! We only put him in it for short periods otherwise he goes a little nuts from all the excitement.

Hat From Heidi

Auntie Heidi's very first knit hat turned out soooooo cute. Rowan looks like a little peapod in it!

Sixteen Weeks!

Open mouth....insert everything! At sixteen weeks, Rowan loves to chew on his hands, his toys, my hands....everything. And, as an added bonus, everything is now covered with drool. The faucet has been on for a little while, but it ramped up significantly in the past few days. These pictures are getting much harder to take too because the little bugger won't sit still! He's constantly trying to roll over, grab the paper and be....well...a baby about the whole thing. : )

Get Up, Stand Up

I'm starting to wonder if Rowan will walk before he crawls. He tolerates tummy time, but he adores standing! He's obviously a long way from crawling OR walking, but his early preference is to be vertical. Auntie Courtney walked at nine months, so who knows (I think I'd prefer the standard 12, but I don't get to choose!).

I love my toys!

Rowan loves to play with his toys! He scoops them up and pushes them right into his mouth. Sometimes he takes a two-fisted approach, catching a taste of a toy in each hand.

Cool Shoes!

Rowan smiled and smiled at the little booties Great Auntie Chris made for him. The red and white definitely catches his attention!

Hi in Dubai!

I can't wait to see you when you get back Grandma Michelle!

Little Monkey!

Ever since Rowan found his hands and feet, he can't stop playing with them. He's like a little monkey rolling around on his blanket. He especially loves playing without pants or socks (all those clothes just get in the way!).

Ready for Spring!

We're so jealous that Grandma Michelle is enjoying 70 degree weather in Dubai! So we put Rowan in his little yellow duckie outfit and imagined it was spring.

In other news, Rowan rolled over from his back to his tummy on Sunday! We were visiting Great Grandma and Grandpa Eggum at the time. He'd been attempting the rollover for some time, but he finally made it all the way! Another step toward mobility! Yikes!!

Class Reunion

Well, after a fun visit from our fellow Bradley birth classmates, Rowan is wide awake! So I thought I'd post this cute picture of the moms and babies (from left: Jeanette and Josiah, me and Rowan, and Dawn and Alex). We had a great time sharing our birth stories and discussing the ins and outs of parenthood (did we talk about poop this much before we had kids?).

Grandma is Where?

Although Rowan doesn't like the idea of Grandma Michelle being all the way over in the United Arab Emirates, he feels better knowing that she's getting first class treatment during her stay. She deserves nothing less, after all!

Wow, I am cute!

Rowan loves to look at himself in the mirror (it makes tummy time so much more fun!).

Fifteen Weeks

Who needs toys? Rowan is fascinated as much by his own hands as he is with any of the toys we give him. He also loves silly faces. His favorite game: mom holds Rowan and bounces up and down while dad makes goofy faces and noises. We look truly ridiculous, but Rowan loves it! He laughs so hard.

Sonic Boom

Here's Rowan in a cool T-shirt all the way from Seattle (courtesy of "Uncle" Paul).

A Lazy Sunday

Rowan got to hang out with Uncle Scott for the first time in a long time. We'll have to visit him at St. Olaf sometime soon!

Rowan can read! Just kidding!! But he does like looking at the pictures in his little cardboard books (and he doesn't mind chewing on them either).

It's amazing how a little baby can entertain a room full of adults!

Hi and Dubai

Grandma Michelle is heading for Dubai (in the United Arab Emirates) on Wednesday. Mayo Clinic is starting a medical facility there, and my mom is helping to coordinate the nursing staff. She'll be gone for a couple of weeks, so we visited yesterday to give her lots of cuddle time with Rowan. Although she'll be in a very safe part of the Middle East, we'll be thinking about her every day!!

Fourteen Weeks

Rowan's favorite activities now include holding his hands, grabbing at his toes and shaking his rattles. When Kyle plays with Rowan, you're guaranteed to find Rowan with a rattle in each hand and one strapped to each limb (if one toy is good, six must be better, right?).

Waking Up Happy

Rowan woke up a happy boy after a nap on auntie Heidi. You can tell how he was sleeping by his red cheek and ear (and the drool marks on Heidi's shirt!).

New Tricks

Here's Rowan doing his favorite activities: holding his hands together and rolling up on his side from his back.

No Biggie

Yeah, I can chill out with my head up. So what?

Future Gopher?

Rowan was decked out in maroon and gold thanks to great auntie Tammy (cousin Erin is a sophomore at the U).

Wearing Daddy's Hat

He's got a loooong way to go before it actually fits!

Flying

Here's Rowan on his way up above Grandpa's head. He loves to fly (my sore arm muscles prove it!).

Thirteen Weeks

We've hit week thirteen and Rowan is loads of fun. He and I have full conversations of Oooooohs, Aaaaaaahs, Eeeeeehs, Gooooos and -- my favorite -- Oooaaaagooooeeehs. He thinks it's hilarious to talk with his mama this way.

Lately, the only way I can calm him down for a nap is dancing with him to a classical piano CD my mom gave me for Christmas. He loves it and it settles him right down (and gives me a workout!). His new favorite activity is being lifted above our heads (see next post). He squeels and even laughs, but it's sooooo tiring (even though he's a little peanut!).

Twelve Weeks

Rowan can laugh! And he makes so many more noises now. He had some kind of leap in his socializing during the holidays. He's just sooooo fun now! But even with the fun it's nice to have a break, so wish us luck getting him to take a bottle!!!

Second Doctor's Visit

Rowan had his second checkup today! He weighed in at 12 pounds, 1.5 ounces. His length measured 24.5 inches and his head measured 16 inches. It's hard to believe how fast he's grown (makes me teary!). But he's becoming such a fun little person. He rolls over and laughs and squeels (though absolutely never when the video camera is running!).

The doctor said he looks great (she asked if we were sure he wasn't four months old based on all of the things she could see him doing!).

Second -- semi-successful -- bottle

Now I understand why you don't wait weeks and weeks after giving a successful bottle to give another one. Yesterday, we gave Rowan his second bottle only to encounter a scream-fest (after only an ounce or so, he feel into a deep sleep). He was a little stressed.

Today, we bought a different style bottle and it seemed to be a bit more successful. He still didn't seem to take a full feeding (as if I know how many ounces that is anyway, since he hasn't had a bottle in so long) but he seemed fairly content. We plan to keep trying once a day for awhile until we're sure it's going OK.

New Outfit!

Rowan was stylin' today in a new outfit from Ben, Molly and Sam.

You can tell by the look on his face that he knows he's cute!

Eleven Weeks

Rowan poses at eleven weeks in auntie Heidi's arms. So sweet!

Rowan’s Paternal Grandparent’s Christmas

Snuggling with Grandma Connie in his cute little overalls.

In an outfit sent by Connie's cousin.

Rowan’s Maternal Great Grandparent’s Christmas

The two youngest great grandchildren (Danielle and Rowan) snuggle on the couch.

With all of the overeating going on around him, Rowan catches a taste of Grandpa's shirt.

Rowan’s Maternal Great Grandparent’s Christmas

Great Grandma got a cute picture of little Rowan for Christmas (as did all of his other grandparents and great grandparents).

Santa visited Great Grandma's after dinner. Rowan slept like an angel through the whole thing!

First Family Christmas

We enjoyed our first Christmas with Rowan. Here we are on Christmas day at Kyle's mom and dad's house. Rowan was decked out like a little lumber Jack thanks to Auntie Heidi!

Ten Weeks

Rowan turned ten weeks on Wednesday, Dec. 21 (yes, it's been a long time since I've had an update). He's growing like crazy, but he seems to be getter longer and not much fatter. That makes it difficult for us to find pants that fit him well (he's just not going to be a butterball baby:). In this picture, he's just had a bath so his hair is all fuzzy and standing on end.

Sink Time!

We had been giving Rowan baths in the big tub with just a little water (we figured we'd get out of buying the bulky infant tub). But Rowan hated those baths. Then we put him in the bathroom sink and he loved it!! So, we'll have to get a little tub (he's already a little too big for the sink) to use until he can sit up.

Nine Weeks

Rowan hit the two-month mark on Monday, December 12 (nine weeks on Wednesday, December 14). We brought him into Heidi's work to weigh and measure him (his next doctor appointment isn't until January 4). He now weighs 10 pounds, 12.7 ounces. He's 23.5 inches long, and his head measures 15.5 inches (the same size Kyle's head was when he was born -- ouch!). He's discovering his hands, rolling over and having howling matches with mommy. We love every minute!

Eight Weeks

Rowan turned eight weeks old on November 7! He rolled over (from tummy to back) for the first time on Monday, November 5. He lifted his head so high that toppled and flipped right over. He looked quite surprised to suddenly be on his back!

He's also started to show more interest in the toys hanging from his bouncy chair and play gym. He smiles and coos at them and bats them with his hands. How it is to see the world through his eyes -- everything so new and exciting!