Ready for the Cabin!

Grandma Michelle bought Rowan a little fishing hat for his summer fun up at the cabin. So cute!!

A Day Out With Mom and Heidi

Last week, Heidi and I took Rowan to Sambol, an Indian restaurant in Eagan. We brought along his little feeding chair and he played with toys happily through our lunch.

After lunch, we went to Barnes and Noble. Rowan fell asleep on Heidi's lap while she read magazines. It was so cute I had to take a picture before venturing off to look at the parenting books.

When I came back, Heidi was asleep too!! That first trimester will get ya!

Five Months!

Sorry for posting this a week late! Rowan had his five-month birthday on March 12. His favorite activities now are rolling (front to back, back to front, ALL THE TIME!). He also loves to double roll, which helps him actually move across the floor. He can do a full push up and even get his whole lower body off the ground. He's getting better at sitting every day and loves to play in his little feeding chair (which we've also brought along to restaurants -- it works great!). He squeels and blows bubbles with his drool.

He had his third doctor appointment recently. He weighs 15 pounds and measures 26.75 inches long. He's in the 35th percentile for weight and the 90th for height (long, lean and very healthy, his pediatrician says). Because he's so long and lean, we have the hardest time finding clothes that fit well. He's too long for his 3-6 month clothes, but too thin for his 6-9 month clothes. Grandma Michelle recently discovered some good finds at Gymboree, though (they have great pants that fit!). And when she told the saleswoman that she has another grandbaby on the way, the saleswoman hooked her up with a Gymboree card and told her about all the upcoming sales (I bet grandmas are their easiest sales:).

Muscle Man

Rowan can almost push himself all the way up on his knees. He can get his entire lower body off the ground! He's getting more and more moble every day (with rolling and twisting and a little scooting). I'm getting scared!

Baby Attack!

Rowan loves to grab my hair and dive into my neck for "kisses." We affectionately refer to these episodes as "baby attacks!"

Play and Rest

Rowan was playing with his head resting on one of his fuzzy dice (so I, of course, broke out the camera). Then, actually put his head down to rest for about 15 seconds. So funny!

Trying a Cup

I've tried giving Rowan a little expressed breastmilk in a cup a couple of times over the past week. I can't keep the valve in (the thing that makes it spill-proof) because he hasn't learned that, when it's in, he needs to suck on the spout to get the milk out. So, it's a bit messy. But he did drink a little (with a lot of help from mom -- he can't handle the cup alone without a total milk mess). We'll keep practicing. He now knows that the milk comes out of the spout, so that's a start!

New Car Seat

We installed Rowan's convertable car seat last weekend. He's been a little too tall for the infant carrier for a couple of weeks now. He likes not being so cooped up. Now when he falls asleep in the car, however, we have to wake him up to get him out of the seat. Gone are the days when we could just carry his little seat with us wherever we went.

Because it can get pretty bright in the car, we tried some infant sunglasses on Rowan. He wasn't really impressed. At first, he refused to open his eyes. I think he might get used to them with some practice, but we might just get our back windows tinted instead!

Cutie Pie

Sitting in My High Chair

We put together Rowan's little feeding chair this past weekend. He won't start solids yet for another month, but he loves to play in the chair! He's learning all about the drop it, pick it up game.

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.