On the Move!

Babygates secure? Check. Furniture rearranged? Check. Trying to deal with the new things that Rowan is getting into? Hmm... that's a daily challenge! Rowan has been officially mobile for almost a month now and is crawling anywhere and everywhere. He crawls up our whole flight of stairs several time a day now, has crawled onto the dishwasher as I was emptying it, and is now trying to crawl through stool and chair legs! I have to say that I really don't mind this mobility! I can now do things on my own and have the little man just cruising around the house, instead of relying on me for transportation. We have had our Christmas tree up since Thanksgiving and he has done really well leaving it alone - with a few redirections.

November was by far the busiest month for Rowan changing. He now has two teeth and his favorite thing to do is to clap! He gets quite a kick out of it. He has also started waving "hi" and "bye." Ryan and I both agree that we LOVE this stage of his life. He continues to be just a happy little boy and is enjoying new experences. He crawled into the snow in November (OK, maybe he didn't like that experience!)We took him to the zoo the other day with our friend, Ryan and his daughter Olivia. He loved looking at all the fish and sea mammals.

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving with Ryan's family! Heidi's cousin, Heather, came up from Portland with her two boys and of course it was great to see Cheryl and Rowan's Great, Great, Grandma Howdy do. Rowan had his first turkey, and loved cruising around visiting with everyone.

For Christmas, we are heading up to Cle Elum to see my side of the family. My sister and her family will be there as well as Rowan's Great Grandparents. It will be fun to see all the kids together on Christmas morning! I can't wait!

Enjoy the new picures!




Row with friend Olivia at the aquarium


Cousin Kate giving Row some kisses

I have a tooth!

The strangest thing happened to me this week. All of a sudden I discovered this hard bump in my mouth. It hasn't gone away so I think it is here for good! Mom was so excited when she saw it and told me it was my first tooth. Now Mom and Dad keep sticking their fingers in my mouth to feel it - so I know it must be pretty cool. That is getting to be a bit annoying, though!

Last week my ear also started to hurt pretty bad. I didn't know how to tell Mommy and she didn't seem to notice so I just started to get cranky. She still didn't put two and two together (because it was right when my tooth was coming through), and finally when my Grammy was babysitting me I couldn't take it anymore. It hurt! Thankfully Grammy knows a lot about babies and she told Mom she thought I had an ear infection. It was the first time that Mom had to take me to the doctor, but boy am I glad because I feel much better after getting some medicine.

Look at this cute picture of me in the sink! I like looking at myself and trying to figure out how the mirror works. :)

Halloween fun and fright!

Happy Halloween! This weekend has definitely been filled with fun and fright! Rowan came down with his first real cold, running a temperature for almost three days and having a severely snotty nose. Yuck. I gave up on wearing anything nice because my shirts all ended up with snotty shoulders. :) Thankfully, temp is down and the little man can breathe again - all which will help with eating and sleeping!

Two weekends ago we went to Fall City Farms to pick pumpkins and spend a fun afternoon, which has now become our tradition. A bunch of friends as well as students from my class all joined us there. We also invited Andy and Rae (who were our wedding photographers) to take a photo shoot of Rowan. I wanted some fun pumpkin pictures! Look how cute this one is!

Row is getting bigger and stronger. He is up on all fours now so who knows when the crawling will begin, but I have started to baby proof the house! Here are some of his favorites:

Brandie or any dog (especially Puka and Olive)
Cheerios
Swinging
Making loud noises
Trying to reach toys when he is on the floor
Scooting backwards
Smiling
Helping Ryan play the guitar

Enjoy the new pics!

Rowan meets the Macs!

It was quite a weekend for our little man. First off, we went to Sunland in Eastern Washington for the Jack Johnson concert. It was Rowan's first time on a boat and in the sand. Without even thinking, I plopped him in the sand to sit by me. What I wasn't thinking about is that EVERYTHING goes in his mouth at first sight. I barely caught his full hands of sand on the way to his mouth! I can see that from here on out he is going to be a handful to watch. :) By the way, he is sitting up so well by himself and even getting up on all fours when he is on his tummy. I can envision the crawling starting already!

We were planning on taking Row to the concert, but graciously, a friend asked if he could watch him while we went. It was SO nice, and Tae was great with him!

The next day, we drove to Crescent Bar to meet up with Uncle Mike and Rowan's Great Grandma (G.G.) and Grandpa Mac!!! They had driven out from Minnesota for an elk hunt with Uncle Mike. Thankfully, it worked out for us to connect with them. We have not seen them since our wedding and it was such a pleasure to see them both and let Rowan meet the other side of his family. It was great to hear stories about Ryan's Dad and to think about the characteristics of him that are a part of Rowan. I wish the Macs were closer so they could see Row more often!




Rowan was particularly curious about Uncle Mike's beard and he even gave Row his first taste of a lemon. That was quite entertaining. :)



Here are some pictures from the sandbar that we went to:

The whirlwind begins!

Happy SIX month birthday to Rowan!

I am sad that it been so long since I have last posted. It has truly been a whirlwind throughout the past month. School is now in full swing for me; Ryan, Rowan, and I are getting adjusted to new routines, schedules, and adventures!

Rowan has been a rock star! He has been such a trooper getting used to the different houses that he is staying at for childcare. He has only had a couple of rough days, but he is so flexible and such a happy boy, that he has done really well! Here are some pictures of him and Will. He is my job share partner’s son that I watch on Tuesdays, and who Rowan spends time with on Thursdays. They are not really interacting with each other yet except for them batting at each other, but I am looking forward to the day that they do!



Rowan is at our favorite age right now, at least thus far! He is such a laid back boy (except when he is hungry or tired). He is so interactive with us and it is always fun to see the mood he is in, which 90% of the time is happy-go-lucky! He is making new noises – some screeches that are quite loud and not always welcomed! He rolls so easily and is now turning his whole body 360 degrees when he is on his tummy. I will lay him down to sleep on his back one way, and when he wakes up he is on his tummy facing the other direction. He is sitting up quite well now, too. We still have to keep an eye on him, but he’s getting there! He is also eating quite a bit! I grew a garden with carrots and zucchini this summer and have made some great purees with them. His current favorite is the carrots mixed with banana. I love this picture with him and the carrots I had just picked!





Rowan has also had a great time visiting with friends and family. He met his Great Aunt Nani and Uncle Gary last month and will meet Great Grandma and Grandpa Mac for the first time next weekend! It is also great to have him visit with his cousin Kate and Miles! Kate just turned two and seems to enjoy the two boys. :) We have been all over and Rowan has come to every place– the zoo, bowling, Costco, the aquarium, friend’s houses, etc. He loves to do new things!





Hopefully it will not be as long until I post next!

New Faces, Rolls, and Sweet Potatoes

Hey, it's me, Rowan again! These past few weeks have been super busy! Life has sure been changing a lot lately. Let me back up a bit and tell you what has been going on the past few weeks.

Mom has been really busy - I have seen her working a lot on school stuff and she has even brought me to her classroom several times. One day I even fell asleep in a crate of pillows! I overheard her say that she is going back to work (I am not sure what that means yet), but I have also met a few new people that Mom says are going to "take care of me." The first person I spent more time with was Grandma Heidi! Mom says she is going to watch me every Friday. This past weekend we even had a super fun Slumber Party with Uncle Drew at their house, so I am comfortable taking naps and playing with her and Grandpa O. :) I love them and can't wait!

The following week, I spent some time with Janna! Her voice is SO familiar, and Mom tells me that it is because I heard it so much when I was in Mom's tummy. :) I like Janna because she makes me smile so much! I am going to her house every Thursday.

The last friend I made was Nanny Kristi! She is a mom of a student at the school Mommy teaches at. (That was a mouthfull!) I spent my first whole day at her house today. I was a little unsure and I just didn't nap like I normally do, but she did so many nice things for me. She even took me for a walk and we saw a mommy and two baby deer!

So, what I am really excited about sharing is that I learned something NEW this week. I can now roll from my back to my tummy with no problem! I think it is funny to roll and see Mommy and Daddy's expression...but they better be careful because I can now move so much more! Watch out! Who knows what is next. :)

Lastly, I have started to eat solid foods! Mom and Dad tried to give me this disgusting rice and oatmeal ceral, but I really hated it. Every time they gave it to me I had a gross look on my face. YUCK! But lately, Mom caught on and gave me something new to try. Sweet Potatoes! I wasn't so sure of them at first, but now I am so excited that I grab for the spoon and try to bring it to my mouth. (Of course, I am not that coordinated and sometimes it ends up on my cheek). Anyway, it is a new milestone for me and I LOVE it!

Again, I know there is more, but I am tired and will write later. :)

~ Baby Rowan (PS- it is my 5 month birthday tomorrow - Cheers to me! )

More Firsts

Last weekend, we took our first family vacation for our anniversary! We cruised up to Victoria on the Clipper and had an absolute blast. :) Rowan was fabulous on the ferry (which is really more like an airplane inside) and made lots of friends. In Victoria, we just spent the weekend walking around and enjoying the sights! Ryan even took Rowan into the pool at the hotel for the first time. He loved it! The markets were fun to walk around, and I found a wooden duck pull toy for Rowan when he is walking. Silly me, however, paid for the duck and walked away without taking it! Thankfully, right before we left we made it back, found the nice old man who made it and caught him just as he was setting up. That duck better be Rowan's favorite toy!

The last evening there, we were laying out on the grass by the Parliament building and more and more people started gathering. It turned out to be the Salute to the Flags ceremony by the cadets! It was great until the 21 gun salute started...I had my hands cupped so tight over the little man's ears, but I ended up having to leave because it was way too loud!

Rowan also found his feet. He is constantly looking at them now and holding them. It makes for some cute pictures! Enjoy!








We also gave the little guy his first taste of rice cereal! Hilarious! He seemed to enjoy it and I can't wait to see how eating goes from here.

We have a BIG boy!

Holy Cow! Yesterday, I took Rowan for his four month well check and he is in the 75-90th% for both height and weight! He's a big kid and we are constantly impressed by his strength. He would much rather stand than sit at all times and has even sat in a tripod position leaning forward!

A few weeks ago we visited my parents and Rowan's Great Grandparents on the Rothfus side! It was so fun for him to meet them for the first time and spend a good weekend at the cabin. We put him in the kiddy pool, the Johnny Jump-up, and the outdoor swing. He even fell asleep sucking his fingers in the swing which he never does! We went to his first Farmers Market, and Grammy and Grandpa even watched the little guy while Ryan and I had a little fishing time. :) Thank you guys!






Visiting with friends is always fun for us. We went to Greenlake with my good friend Tasha and her kids Nash (6 mo. older than Rowan) and Paige (3). It's amazing because Nash is just a cute peanut! Rowan is only a few pounds lighter! We also saw Janna and Will. Janna is going to be my teaching partner next year and Will is only 3 weeks older than Rowan. He is even bigger than Rowan, so it will be quite humorous to see two BIG boys playing with each other. I am watching Will one day while Janna works and she is returning the favor!

Rowan has also been doing more activities! His absolute favorite is his new exersaucer. He loves turning around 360 degrees and looking at all the fun toys! He also helps me garden. Every day, Row helps me water our carrots, zucchini, and basil - yes, it's small, but I can't wait to make some baby food with the fresh carrots. Here is a pic of him testing out one of the early carrots that I pulled. I can't wait until harvest time!

My First Roadtrip - Coeur d'Alene, ID!

Wow! I just had a fun weekend! Friday evening Mom and Dad packed the car, put me in my car seat, and we were on the road. Little did I know that we were going on a roadtrip to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho to visit my Great Uncle Mike! Mom and Dad planned it well, because I ate my last meal and fell asleep for the entire trip. The next thing I knew, I was at Uncle Mike's house...but I just fell right back to sleep.

In the morning I actually got to really meet Uncle Mike. It was SO fun seeing him!!! There were a lot of fun things about his house. My favorite was his two dogs, Rusty and Dazy. Dazy has had two litters of puppies in the past and she treated me just like one of her pups! I got A LOT of doggie kisses, but her tongue is much bigger than Brandie's. :) Look at this funny picture of the dogs all eating together!!


Uncle Mike also had a surprise for us that day and brought us on a lake cruise. It was so much fun crusing all around the lake and feeling the fresh air - I was even splashed by some of the waves and it scared me!




Another fun thing about Uncle Mike's house is his beautiful backyard. We spent a lot of time outside, which I love, and enjoyed the warm weather! That was when I really had fun with Uncle Mike. :) At one point, I even tugged on his mustache. I had never seen one of those before! We went on a drive and Dad and Mike did a little fishing. I just sat in my carseat, but I can't wait until they can teach ME how to fish! After that we went out to lunch and before you knew it, it was time to get back in the car and drive all the way home again. I wish I could have stayed longer!

I overheard all the grownups talking about Great Grandma and Grandpa Mac coming out in September to visit, so I am going to get to meet a lot more people then and see Uncle Mike again! I can't wait!

After we got home, I was so tired that I slept in until 8:30. Can you believe that? I am normally up much earlier than that - must have needed the sleep. :)