It's been how long?

Seriously, maybe blogging isn't for me? I'm not good at it. You'd think with the link to this blog stamped below my email that I'd feel some accountability to keep up with it but I don't. Here it is, September 1st, and I haven't blogged since May. I do have a good reason or two...or should I say, excuse? This blog is in honor of Sara L...seriously the best blogger I know. Her blogs always flow, I can always relate and best of all, she's a regular.
Have I mentioned how fortunate I am to have my summers off (don't worry, I pay for it between August and May!)? We were able to: travel to San Diego for my cousin's wedding, sleep in, come and go as I pleased, develop a nap regime with Ro, and watch her grow right before my eyes. Rowan has done quite a bit since that last blog. Here's some of the highlights...she cut herself off from breastfeeding and I just now am weaning myself from pumping, she army crawled, pulled herself up, began to cruise, crawled regularly...rough knees now and all, FINALLY broke 2 bottom teeth, is just beginning to stand briefly unsupported AND beginning to hold her own bottle. I can't believe that on Thursday she'll be 11 months old. It seems so strange how much time has passed.
Speaking of time, I've become a little sad about how much time flies by. I can definitely understand now why people intentionally make the decision to have their children so close in age. I used to think it was crazy but I get it now. I was a little depressed when Rowan stopped breastfeeding...then again when I packed up her little, tiny baby clothes...then again at the thought of her transitioning to whole milk (why? so weird, I know)...and then again at the thought of her giving up the bottle and binky. I know there's so many new things that outweigh all the helplessness of having a tiny baby but it's a little sad to leave this behind and really, a little bit of a relief too.
Have I mentioned how thankful I am for other things though? I'm so thankful for our daycare provider, Sandy. Rowan loves her. First thing in the morning, Rowan reaches out for her and when I pick her up in the afternoon, she's excited to see me but then climbs down to crawl back to the other kids and Sandy. I'm so glad she's happy there. It makes leaving her that much easier. I'm also thankful for ear tubes. They've been a blessing...so far...everyone knock on wood, okay? She was healthy all summer and the cold she had recently was fast moving. I'm also thankful for being a working mom. I sometimes want my cake and eat it too. I complain about not being able to stay at home with her and then I realize what a better mother I am for working. I'm able to fulfill my need to interact with other adults and be a productive person...plus, I secretly love middle schoolers. I enjoy my time with her much more when I've worked and get to see her at the end of the day. I'm able to appreciate her (and Sandy).
I'm looking forward to the 3 day weekend coming up. It's really hard to believe that this time last year I was put on bed rest and was anxiously anticipating Rowan's arrival. Now, I'm preparing all the details of a humongous 1st birthday bash. Here are some pictures from over the summer of Miss Ro and Todd and I. Enjoy!

Tubes and other stuff

Here we go again. I'm a bad blogger. I had the intent to blog after Rowan's tubes on the 14th but time got away. It went very well! She screamed like crazy after waking up from anesthesia at St. Luke's. Dr. Reichert said they're always in a delirium. She definitely was! Poor thing. By the time we got to the car, she was asleep. When we arrived home and woke up, she was smiley and bouncing around. It's amazing how resilient kids are.

Now it's Memorial Day. I love 3 day weekends...even if I do only have a day and a half of school left! I have to start thinking about packing for San Diego. There's so much to do for sure! I feel like we're packing the house to take Ro with us. It'll be fun though! More to come...

Another illness and other stuff

So I haven't had time to write...crazy as it seems being that it's my spring break, but Rowan's sick again! This time, we went in Monday to have Dr. Laycob listen to her cough that had developed into something phlegmy and he heard a little wheezing in her chest. He speculates it's RSV but we're waiting for the results of the swab he took. To top all of this off, Ro has another double ear infection so we're treating that with a baby Z-pak and returning on Friday to re-check. Meanwhile, Todd has a little bit of a cold and I've come down again with a full-out sinus infection and cough!! Gees! Dr. Laycob said moms and babies pass things to one another all the time. I'm wondering if I didn't get it from her because mine came around after hers. I cannot wait for the warm weather to stay and these germs to leave!

On another note, Rowan is doing so many new things. She's found her feet and loves to hold them and play with them as she rocks back and forth on her back. We often find her sleeping on her side or awake on her tummy playing when we come in to get her in the morning. She's developing quite a personality too. She loves to screech and sometimes screeches in a sort of frustrated/irritated way when something's not happening quickly or the way she wants it. She smiles all the time at everyone! She's quite a little charmer. Her latest fascination is with Millie, our 70+ German Shepherd. She screeches when Millie plays with a toy and giggles and belly laughs when Millie romps around the living room. She's even been known to reach out and grab at Millie when Millie's close by. Here's a couple of pictures we took this evening of Millie and Ro. Ro's even beginning to sit up by herself for short periods of time!

Ear Infection Cleared

Rowan was cleared of her double ear infection on Thursday. We're off of meds and hopefully we stay away from the Pediatrician for awhile. We're anxious for Spring to arrive, the days to become longer and to be rid of the carseat cover.

On another note, I think Miss Rowan is beginning to cut teeth. We have a lot of drool, a lot of snot, and some fussiness. I pray it's that and that she's not catching a cold or something.

Off to bed! It's only 8:15 but I am whooped!

Rowan's First Ear Infection

Well, my President's Day was spent in the Pediatrician's office with Miss Rowan. I thought something was up when I picked her up from Sandy's and she kept tilting her head to one side. Then came the cough, the congestion and finally the runny nose. I thought oh no! Can it be possible she's sick again??? I ran her in and sure enough, in his words, "she has a raging ear infection" in her right ear. So...on Omnicef she went. We had 5 doses (5 days) worth of Omnicef only to find that her symptoms seemed worse so we went back this morning. Now, the right ear is worse and her left ear is filled with fluid as well. So, she has a double ear infection! We return on Thursday to see if the 3rd antibiotic (Bactra) has taken care of it. Dr. Laycob says that if it doesn't, he's sending us to a specialist, and ENT. Great! I'm sick as well...on a Z-pak. I think I don't have much immunity this year because I didn't start the year with these kiddos! I'm not used to their germs. We definitely can't wait 'til Spring so that we can air out the house and get rid of these germs!

Rowan's First Experience with Cereal

Yesterday Rowan had her 4 month-old appointment with Dr. Laycob. All is well. She had her shots and handled them like a trooper. Was also received the go ahead to start her on Rice cereal. She tried it today for the first time and below is a short video of the momentous event. She's changing so much everyday, we just can't believe it! She's grabbing at things and batting at them too. She can roll from side to side and often, completely over when her arm doesn't get in the way. She's found her hands and I don't think her feet are far behind...they keep inching their way closer to her mouth as well. She's such a little lady! Enjoy the video!

Blowing Bubbles

Rowan's beginning to feel better. How can I tell? Her smile is back, she's awake longer, she's not crying or fussy and she's "talking" or should I say, blowing bubbles? This is her latest thing. She has figured out that if she puts her hand up to her mouth or with her binky in her mouth, she can make some really cool noises off her hand that echo. She also blows bubbles with all of the drooling she's doing lately. I have to say, it's pretty endearing. She's changing so quickly. One week she learned how to screech, another week she learned how to belly laugh, this week it's the bubbles and other cool noises. I guess what people say is true, "enjoy every minute because they grow and change so quickly."

First Illness

Okay, so I've thought before that Rowan had a cold or congestion etc. but there is no comparing those times to what she has now. Yesterday, I came home from work and had the stomach flu. Todd, apparently, didn't want me to outdo him and also began his case of stomach flu yesterday. Rowan has been feeling sick all weekend. You know...fussy, a different cry than her normal (and she doesn't really cry much at all), threw up on Saturday and was running a low grade fever. She got sick again last night and her fever crept up. I thought, "great, I hope she's not getting the stomach flu." How would we manage that. So, with all of us under the weather, good old Grandma (highly allergic to cats and all) came out (did I mention that we had a "bad" snow storm headed this way) and helped take care of Rowan while Todd and I took care of ourselves. Grandma was a trooper and slept in the cold spare bedroom (don't ask) and got up at 1 a.m. when Rowan was crying to feed her. What would we do without her? This morning, Rowan made her true, first official sick visit to the doctor (Todd and I were still sick, of course). Rowan has an upper respiratory infection so she was put on her first round of antibiotics and hopefully, her last for awhile. She hates the medicine (who are they fooling? A 4 month old doesn't know what bubblegum tastes like!). She's on it for 10 days and home from daycare until her fever breaks. She's sleeping a lot today, trying to recover. We're praying she doesn't come down with the stomach flu on top of everything else. What a month this has been!

2nd Cousin and Marine Tyler

Here's our salute to 2nd Cousin Tyler. These pictures were taken the night before he embarked on his endeavor as a Marine. Rowan posed in a few pictures with him. It will be interesting to see the before and after when he returns from boot camp. Interestingly, Rowan has always reminded me a little of Tyler as a baby. They both had a little, perfectly proportionate and round head, dark hair (what they had of it), and dark eyes.

Pasta House Waitress

So Aunt Amanda, Rowan and I ran out to the mall on Saturday night while Daddy and Uncle Craig were at the Blues/Blackhawks game. All of the restaurants at the mall were crowded so we decided to eat at Pasta House in Ellisville. We arrived and were seated...by the way, the boy (and I mean boy) gave us 3 menus and place settings. That gave us a good laugh because he obviously thought Rowan was going to order something for herself. The waitress (also young) arrived and commented on how cute Rowan was but it went something like this, "She is sooo cute for how little she is." Hmmmm...translation: usually little babies are all ugly?? Then, she returned later to say again, "She is so cute and I'm NOT lying!" What??? Does she typically lie to people and wanted to reassure me that she was not lying to me? She made this comment a couple of times and referred to her 2 year old at home. Interesting conversation. Very awkward.

The Big, Big Day

Tomorrow is the big, big day. The day I leave Rowan at the sitter ALL day for the first time. I'm a little weepy, I have to admit. There's no getting out of this one. No more surgeries (thank goodness) or maternity leave. I feel a little better knowing that she's not so little and helpless. She's bigger, older, interacts more, smiles more and her latest, laughs more. She's in good hands and I'm sure I'll be consumed in the daily chaos that comes with teaching middle schoolers. Today I'm just enjoying the last day home with her.

Also today we ran some errands (yes mom and dad, she was bundled up!). We went to the new Target and Whole Foods. I'm in awe of Whole Foods. I love that place! I wish we could afford to shop there for all of our groceries. I could always find something to eat there. Their meat counter is to die for and their pastries always look so good! Rowan, as usual, was a great little shopper.

The Crib

Well, I'm not sure who had a bigger night last night, Rowan or Todd and I. Rowan slept in her crib for the first time last night. She's officially out of our room and it's kind of sad. I noticed I was much more in tune to the monitor last night eventhough it was on Todd's side of the bed. She woke up around 4 for a feeding but then went right back to sleep until about 7:30. Irwin is currently using Rowan's Pack 'n Play as his nap spot. It was time to move her. I return to work on Tuesday of next week. Although a little sad, it was nice to be able to talk, move around, and turn on lights without worrying about disturbing her. Another big step!

Rowan's Baptism

Today Rowan was baptized. I can't believe today has already come and gone. It seems like so long ago that I called Dr. Wilson to set it up. She looked so pretty in the family gown and the holy water didn't bother her a bit. She has lots of people who love her who shared in the day. Hopefully, I'll figure out how to work the new camera and I'll be able to post some pictures soon. She's such a little lady!

Settling In

I'm home for 2 weeks recovering from my ordeal. It's nice to have the extra time with Rowan, I can't lie. She's a lot to take care of during the day as I heal but I needed her and she needed me. Her smile changes everything. I'm able to eat more and more. Every bite I put in my mouth I second guess and wonder if I'll regret it in an hour or so with the onset of pain. So far, so good. My milk supply was low while in the hospital. I'm slowly trying to gain it back. I've been using Reglan (by prescription) and yesterday, added Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle with the hope that I'll regain my abundant supply. That's been the hardest. It's hard to imagine having to stop breastfeeding so early. I enjoy the time with her and know the benefits are incredible. I'm doing what I can do and that's all I can do. Stay positive! On another note, Rowan has found her hands. They go directly into her mouth no matter how hard we try to keep them out. It's hard to tell if she's hungry or just interested in her hands. She's keeping me busy and I love every minute of it!

Pancreatitis and other stuff

Well, it's my 5th night in the hospital, away from my baby for the first, and hopefully, last time in a long time. Friday morning I came in for a scheduled gall bladder removal. I had begun an attack Christmas evening at 11:45 and the pain never subsided. I arrived at the hospital only to find out that I had a blocked bile duct due to a rogue gall stone and had since developed pancreatitis. EXTREMELY, EXCRUCIATINGLY, AGONOZINGLY painful...did I mention it hurts? I hope I never bear this again. I had only hoped I would be here through half the day Friday and possibly overnight, here it is night number 5. I had an elevated white blood cell count yesterday which was cause for concern and needed a CT scan to determine if there was anything else underlying. Nothing other than confirmed pancreatitis. I've had to rest my pancreas with a clear liquid diet. Let me define clear liquid diet...that's jello in every flavor imagineable, decaf tea or coffee, and any type of gross, salty broth you can think of. Gradually, I'll be able to eat more. Tomorrow they'll run more bloodwork and I'll hopefully be able to go home and celebrate New Year's with Todd and Rowan on the couch or in my own bed! Thank goodness for Todd and Grandma, Dad, and Dianne, and Uncle Craig and Aunt Amanda who have helped take care of Rowan, Millie and the cats in my absence. I hate being away from her and know she won't possibly remember this. I'm also thankful that Rowan takes a bottle so well. I hope she'll return to breastfeeding just as well too. I'm awake, with a throbbing back, writing this thinking that I hope and pray 2009 is healthy and happy!

Rowan's Visit with Santa-Take 2

Rowan, Grandma, Daddy and I visited Santa at Chesterfield Mall on Saturday, the 13th. She wore her new dress that Grandma bought for her. This Santa was the real deal and the picture turned out much better than our other visit because it's closer up. Here's a shot I took with my camera. Isn't she sweet? How much longer will she sleep on Santa's lap opposed to cry on Santa's lap??

Rowan and her Opa

We celebrated my dad's 55th birthday on Wednesday, the 17th. Here's a picture of Rowan with Opa. Opa is slowly adjusting to being called Opa since that's what we called his father and that's what my cousin's kids call my Uncle Pete. My dad thinks my Uncle Pete is the only "Opa" in the family. Not true, Dad! Welcome to your new name!

8 1/2 hours

Last night, Rowan slept from 8:30-5! I woke up a little panicked and shocked. I woke her up to change her diaper and feed her. She didn't even really open her eyes to eat. She then slept from 5:20-8:20. I wonder if this will be a regular occurence or if it was just a fluke. We'll see...

Daddy and Rowan

The weekend was nice overall. Rowan had her 2 month vaccinations on Friday. That was NOT pleasant. 4 shots, 2 in each thigh and an oral. She screamed so hard that at one point, nothing came out. A little Tylenol and some TLC and she was fine.

Todd and I attended the Shred-It Christmas Party at the Chase Park Plaza's Tenderloin Room on Saturday night. It was a good time and nice to be out with other adults.

Sunday, Grandma, Rowan and I went shopping. Boy, Rowan is one spoiled little girl already but I guess that's what grandmas are for...mine was. Grandma bought Rowan the cutest little red velvet, long sleeved, empire waist, Ralph Lauren dress. We topped off the cuteness with some little cream knit tights. I think we're going to do another round with Santa this coming weekend in her new dress.
Sunday night Todd was playing with Rowan and I heard him begin to read to her. A new favorite book of ours, maybe not Rowan's yet, Where Is That Cat? I walked in Rowan's nursery to find Rowan and Daddy laying on the floor, head to head, studying the book together. It was so cute that I grabbed my camera. The picture is above.

Today Rowan and I visited Santa at Plaza Frontenac. Look at the cute little grin and don't forget the little dimple on her right. I think she looks like her daddy in this picture. She wore little white tights and her black patent leather shoes. The shoes fit but I'm not sure I'll ever buy size 0-9 tights again. I should've know with a span like that how baggy they'd be on her little ankles. Nonetheless, very cute on her little chubby legs. Santa was very jolly and I think Rowan told him some things on her wish list.