Sweet Faces

Beautiful Day!

Kyle came home a little early from work so that we could take advantage of the beautiful weather with a family walk outside (Rowan's first since last fall). Rowan had a great time looking at all of the kids and the dogs and the trees. His cheeks looked nice and rosy when returned home and he had that great, "I've been having fun outside in the fresh air," smell.

Sitting Stronger Every Day

Although he still needs the boppy to catch some sideways falls, Rowan is becoming a really good sitter. His balance gets better every day. One of his favorite games now is playing "catch" with his soft dice (it's really more a game of him dropping the dice and me giving it back to him, but catch sounds so much more fun).

Uh...Mom...This Shirt Is Too Small!

What can I say?...time to do laundry. Three-quarter length sleeves are "in" for spring, right?

Silly and Salivating

Why talk when you can just blow spit bubbles all day? Rowan just loves to stick out his tongue and make wet razzing noises with his drool. He started doing it a few weeks ago, but it has suddenly eclipsed all other forms of communication. Get too close to him and you're sure to get sprayed!

Hey Ladies

I'm cute. I'm cuddly. And I only drool a little when I kiss.

Check me out!

Rowan can sit...

...but only for a bit. Take your hands off of him for a few seconds and he'll go tumbling over! But he can hold him self up on his arms for short amounts of time. I feel like his changes are coming so fast in the last few weeks!

It's a bird...it's a plane...it's...

...just Rowan, flying away on his tummy. I love the drool trail leading from his lip to the blanket!

Fun With Dishes!

Rowan has so much fun playing on his tummy! Anything can become an exciting toy, even some basic plastic bowls. He pulls them in, pushes them away, brings them to his mouth and even squirms to get closer to them when they're out of reach.

Flashbacks

Heidi and I after Rowan's birth

Heidi Sue announced to everyone that she's pregnant today, and I'm getting all sappy about how fast things change (I am my mother's daughter, after all). It's hard to believe that just last year I was in her shoes, excitedly and anxiously telling everyone I was going to be a mommy. At the time, I don't think I had any idea how much my life would change. In fact, it's been hard for me to even remember what life was like before Rowan came along (although my gradually decreasing waistline is helping with that a bit:).

Seeing Heidi start out on her own adventure is bringing back a lot of memories. Heidi was, of course, the first person in my family that I told about my pregnancy (I'm pretty sure she would have killed me had that not been the case). I remember waiting anxiously at the airport for Heidi and Corey to arrive back from their honeymoon. Heidi saw me and immediately knew something was up!! Once she knew, it was all she could do to keep the big news a secret (she's not very good with secrets). She kept asking, "Aren't you so impressed that I haven't told anyone?! I haven't even told someone and made them promise to pretend that they don't know!"

As the weeks went on, she became my personal health advisor. I tend to stress out and over-analyze things, so I need a level-headed person to keep me steady ("Heidi, I feel a little pain in my rib cage, do you think I could have pregnancy-induced gall bladder disease? I read about it on the Internet and, apparently, it's more common than you'd think.")

And don't forget about the clothes. She had Rowan decked out for his first three months before I had even purchased my first maternity outfit! She brought me little presents on what I soon termed "morbid milestones." She showed up at twelve weeks with a present because my risk of miscarriage dropped significantly. Then there was another present during the first week my baby would have a chance of surviving outside the womb. I had to keep reminding myself that she's a labor and delivery nurse, not a greeting-card writer.

Then when it came time for the big event -- birth! -- Heidi was with me every step along the way. She helped me believe that if I trusted in my body and my baby, I could get through labor without medications or interventions. Kyle and I have said many times that we would never have been as calm and confident without Heidi guiding us through the process.

After Rowan was born, I never saw someone so excited to be an auntie! She even loved changing Rowan's diapers! We still affectionately refer to her as "Heidi diapy change" because she leaps at the chance to clean his little bum to this day. And Rowan loooooovvves her! His face lights up completely when she sings "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." He giggles wildly when she bounces him in front of a mirror, making goofy noises and faces. And he falls asleep so easily in her arms when she sways back and forth to a lullaby.

She's been there -- supporting us and loving us -- through it all. She hugged me when I started crying after trying on a pair of pants just four weeks after giving birth (why she let me shop for pants that early is another matter entirely). She came over early in the morning on her way home from working a night shift to be with Rowan so that I could sleep in a little. She brought us food and diapers and anything else we needed, but were too busy or exhausted to get for ourselves in those early weeks.

She was, and is, everything an amazing sister should be, and I only hope that I can be as good to her in the months ahead as she has been to me.

I love you Heidi! You will be an awesome mother! You have soooooooo many wonderful things ahead of you!! I can't wait to support you every step along the way.

Rowan, brand new, in Heidi's arms

They're Pregnant!

Yay! Rowan will have a little buddy cousin in October (the best month to be born, right?). We can't wait!!

So Fun!

Rowan is becoming more and more fun every day. Although he still loves to be held much of the time, he also enjoys playing independently. Kyle and I watched him inch-worm his way across a blanket the other day to get to a toy! He also enjoys tummy time more and more now that he can "fly" (balance on his tummy with his hands off the floor), bring toys to his mouth and twist and roll.

Cute Hat!

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).