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!

Babble On

Just a quick note to let you know that Rowan can make new noises!! Of course, he's been making noises for a long time, but just last night he added some new ones (I'm constantly amazed by how suddenly he can change!). Kyle and I looked at each other in astonishment when Rowan made a noise that sounded like elbaheeoh (kind of like albino, actually:). Now today he's been going mmmbaaa baa baa and nnnnnngaaa gaaaa. Cool, eh?

We're spending the weekend up at the cabin (our first time there since it was just framed in). I'm so excited to see it! We'll get to see how Rowan does for a whole weekend away from the usual routine of home.

My Sweetie

Getting Ready to Crawl

Rowan is getting better and better at scooting. Now, he can lift his whole lower body off the ground and push himself forward!

His positions are becoming more "crawl like" every day.

Now, we just have to install that gate for our stairs! He might not crawl for awhile, but we better be prepared.

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!