Exciting Times

Wow so it has been a while. I guess I can't say I've been super busy, cause I don't really do too much - besides taking care of Rowan, Sean, 2 dogs, and 3 cats, and everything else - but nothing too out of the ordinary. Anyways. Lots of new things have been going on in our world, so maybe that's why? But here I finally get a few moments to sit down with my Ben and Jerry's Peanut Butter Cup and click away for a few about whats up.

We survived the holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas were lots of fun, and Rowan really enjoyed ripping open presents. He got some great new toys from all of his grandparents and aunts/uncles, an awesome hat crocheted by his Aunt, an awesome book from his Grandpa that has the recording of said Grandpa reading, some pretty neat blocks too. We had lots of fun here at our house, getting a Christmas tree and putting perdy blue lights on it. All in all it was great fun, and makes me look forward to next year all the more (especially if Renee and Ryan come out :)).

Rowan Patrick got his first pair of shoes! He has been pulling himself up and standing at the coffee table in the living room lately, and since we don't have carpet his poor little feet were sliding about at times, creating the not so happy baby who was falling down and going boom due to slipping. So we were out at the store the other day, getting something else, and ended up getting him the cutest little shoes.

That little - well big really - thing we happened to be out shopping for was a bed!! We got Rowan a mattress and all the fixin's and he has started to take his naps in his own little bed in his own room! I have been super impressed with how the transition has gone, he has taken it like it was no big deal at all. Which is super cool. I'm just wondering how the transition for night time will be. But that I'm not even thinking about yet, so why worry? I'm not! Its great. He is actually in his room taking a nap right now - hence the blogging. It is super neat though, he is doing great with it, and there have been no changes at all in his napping habits - well except he is actually going to sleep easier now then he had been before, which is great! He is usually down in 5 minutes or less, which is really nice.

Another exciting event hasn't quite happened yet, but it is about to! This Saturday will be Sean and I's first year anniversary - I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. We are going to go to the coast - with Rowan of course - and go to the aquarium, and stay the night. It will be great. A good friend of ours will be staying here at our house with the dogs, so everything is taken care of! It will be our first trip as a family that we are doing just purely for fun. Not to visit anyone - which is fun, but not quite the same - or do anything in particular - except have fun! Rowan has never been to the ocean before, so I am excited! Plus he really likes fish, so I know he is going to dig the aquarium!

And since I am talking about dates, today is actually Rowan's 11 month birthday. Pretty fancy stuff. I can't believe how much he has changed and grown in the past year, it really is astonishing. Lately he has been walking with our help, and he is doing so good with it, getting better every day, I can't imagine my little baby walking sometime in the near future. It is insanity! But super wonderful.

Well that is all for now, sorry there are no pictures, for some reason it isn't letting me load any :/ So I will try back later when I can and put some in! Love you all!

Nikon D5000

So I've been wanting a SLR (single lens reflex) camera for quite some time now, and after some saving, I finally broke down and got one. It is amazing. I am already taking such better pictures, and it is super exciting. I went back and forth about getting a Canon Rebel or the Nikon D5000. I ended up with the Nikon, and couldn't be happier. I got 2 lenses with it, a 18-55 mm and a 55-200 mm. It is so much fun! I just can't wait to go to the pumpkin patch with family this weekend and take lots of pumpkin/kiddo pics! yay!

                                                                          ...Alto...

                                                                ...Rowan Patrick...

                                                                         ...sky...

                                                                       .....water.....

                                                                ...walks with grandma....

                                                            ....sleepy walks for Rowan....

                                                                       .....beauty....

                                                                        ...Rowan...

                                                                  ....Papa and Son...

                                                               ....music with Jampaw....

                                                               ...my handsome husband...

                                                     .....Grandparents with their baby....

                                                                     ...onions...

                                                                .....bath time...

                                                               ...Sean and Fritzy...

                                                               ...Mister Fritz....

So far, lots of fun. Who knows whats to come? All I know is that I am very excited, and am in love with my new camera. Hope you enjoy!

Rowan Patrick update

So I found myself thinking, I often find one thing to write about, and that's what I do - write. I have decided to make a short list of the fun things going on with Rowan, an update list of sorts. So here goes!

• Rowan is eating solids - a lot! He loves them, and has quite a few under his belt. Here is the list of things he is currently eating: sweet potato, pumpkin, green beans, butternut squash, banana, pear, cantaloupe, apple, avocado, rice, and oatmeal! I can't believe it, 11 things! It sure has gone by quick!
• His first tooth has popped through! It is still about level, maybe a bit above the gum line, but it is through his gum's. It is his lower left front tooth, and it is very exciting. I call it his little shark tooth, cause it sure feels sharp - especially when he bites.
• He can sit up on his own! He is still working on the balance thing, gravity is a hard thing to figure out! So I still stay close when he is doing it, but he can sit on his own for longer and longer, and every day his balance seems to be working itself out. It is pretty amazing.
• He wants to crawl. Bad. He isn't quite there yet, but he has been trying, a lot lately. He can turn himself in a complete circle in one spot, and digs his feet and knees in the ground but still is plowing with his head. He just needs to figure out the holding his front and back up at the same time part, and then he will be off. And I will be in trouble! 
• He talks up a storm! Still no solid words, he does say nana when he is eating banana, or eating in general. I'm not quite sure that he connects it, or if its just fun to say, but he does! He also has been saying a lot of dada, baba, mama - usually when he is crying - tata, and a few others. Lots of loud AHHHHHHHHHS as well. Lots of noise - it's lots of fun. He also likes to sing along with music! It is great. 
• His first girlfriend was born on Sunday! 

Those are just a few I can think of off of the top of my head right this second - which is pretty good seeing as it feels like my brain has been on a year long hiatus. All in all Rowan is growing up too fast, but is a lot of fun. We love our little boy to pieces and often find ourselves wishing we could hit the pause button for awhile. But not so likely to happen, so we just try to enjoy it as it comes!

Look out, Here come the teethers

So my sweet little baby Rowan Patrick has popped his first tooth out!! Well, its not out all of the way yet, but it is working on it. Day before yesterday it broke through the skin of his gum's, his bottom left front tooth. How crazy and exciting. I feel a random mash-mix of emotions: excitement, fear, glee and pain. He has already learned how he can make Mama not so happy with that new tooth of his - it's very hard on the nipples. I call it his little shark tooth. It is amazing how sharp it feels! It is also amazing how un-grumpy he has been because of it. I have heard some horror stories when it comes to babies and teething, and all around he has done fantastic! So far, it is still right along the gum line, so sorry - no pictures yet. But trust me, as soon as his first pearly white decides to make the grand appearance on a larger scale, there will be many! I am amazed at how fast the past 7 months of his short life have gone by, and how long it feels at the same time.
Sean and I stopped at a garage sale today, and there was a 15 month old little boy there. I was amazed at how good he talked, and ran around. It is amazing to me to think that my little Rowan Patrick will be doing that before we know it! Ahh I love that baby so much! He is such an amazing little man. Well I will stop ranting now, just had to share about his cute little tooth that has come out - well kind of!

Granny Rags

So since having my sweet little Rowan, I have changed my thinking about many things in life. Using cloth diapers has made me look to other "disposable" items that we use on a daily basis and throw away to sit in our landfills. I was personally lucky to not start my monthly blessing (aka period) for a full 6 1/2 months after little Rowan came. After the first few days, I found myself thinking, how many mothers who use cloth diapers for their babies, use cloth for themselves? Thus began my search for what my Mom calls "Granny Rags." I found during my first experience in 16 months the old conventional ways ("disposable" pads/tampons) to be rather uncomfortable, and started seeking out other solutions. This was where I ran into an amazing product line called New Moon, which has an amazing array of sizes, absorbency, fun facts, and too cute prints. You hear lots of women talking about not being able to wait for their "fluffy" mail (cloth diapers) to arrive, and I found myself not waiting for my Granny Rags to arrive! Well they finally arrived, of course after they were needed, so we must wait a whole month to find out if they work as well as they are said to - and they are said to work as good if not better than the "disposable" option - I am super excited! I know, a rather odd, maybe uncomfortable, topic for some, but what can I say? After having a baby, nursing in public, and just going through everything I have in the past year of my life - well it feels like no subject is out of reach!

Food Fun with Rowan

Since returning home from our great train adventure across the country, Rowan has started eating solids. It truly is amazing how scared I was before he started, and how much fun it is now! All I could think of was how hard I must now try to give him wonderful nutrition, set healthy eating habits, and what if he chokes! Silly ole me didn't think too much about how its just slowly introducing it, and he still nurses all day long, but what can I say, I can't help myself!

We started off with a small hand crank food mill, but I quickly realized that it wasn't going to be creating the smooth, liquidy texture that I was seeking, so we went out and got a Kitchen Aid food processor that I'm in love with. I just wish I could find more reasons to use it! But I'm sure I will.

His first meal was sweet potato's. He was super excited that he got to eat, but wasn't quite too sure about it. He had those for a couple of days before we moved on to carrots. He is definitely getting the hang of this whole eating thing, and today we went and got him a high chair, and that seemed to seal the deal. He ate all of his carrots - excluding what was on his face, hands, shirt, etc. - and seemed rather excited/proud of himself! He sat at the table with us while we were eating dinner, and it really was quite a good time. We are going to be adding banana to his list of foods next, and after that some pureed brown rice.

It is funny to me how I get all worked up about things before we start them, but once we get to them and do it, it really isn't all I was making it out to be. I guess since he is our first, it is to be expected, and should only get better down the road, and maybe, just maybe, I will convince myself with Rowan that I don't need to worry necessarily, but just have fun. I hope I can do it, because so far so good, and he is a healthy, happy little man!

Michigan Trip

So a lot of Sean's family lives in Michigan (his mom, dad, and sister). His other sister, Bridget, lives in New York. None of them except his mom (who came out for Rowan's birth, and during June) had met him before last week. It was quite the adventure. We took the train from Eugene, up to Seattle. Then from Seattle to Chicago. That was a 2 day ride right there. I have never been east of Oregon except the one time I went to visit Renee in Boston, and that was by plane, so it was a great way to see the country! I had never seen country so flat, and so much corn in my whole life! We got to ride along side the Mississippi River for a while, and all in all it was great. Rowan loved all of the people on the train, and going to meals in the dining car was always a hit with him.
We arrived in Michigan on the 3rd day of traveling. We took a train from Chicago to Battle Creek Michigan, and were supposed to take a bus from Battle Creek to Lansing, but due to Rowans amazing skills at making new friends, we got a ride from a wonderful woman and her daughter. Her daughter was getting ready to head off to college and they spend the weekend in Chicago together. It was really rather wonderful, instead of waiting for an hour at the bus station (at 11 pm no less) and then an hour bus ride, we got a ride right away! It was great. Sean's cousin Jess came and picked us up at the train station where we were dropped off, and took us to his aunts house. She is a wonderful lady, and I was very glad to meet her! We got up the next day and headed up north to his moms house.
We rented a car and were off! It was pretty exciting to finally be arriving, and was great to see everyone. The week went by too fast, filled with lots of Rowans cousins (7 kids ranging from 3 to 13), lots of swimming (Rowan loves to swim!) and great times with Sean's family. His sister Rory takes amazing pictures, and took some great family photos for us. All in all it was a wonderful time, and so much to tell but I'm still rather tired, and over all just glad to be home. That is one thing about traveling - it is lots of fun, but always great to get home!