Rowan is 1 Month!

This first month has flown by so quickly!  I'm sure part of that is because of the holidays.  It has been so nice to have Mike home to help out with the kids.  Going from 1 kid to 2 adds a lot of work and often issues when they both need you at one time!  There are many things that Rowan does that reminds me of Liam, but she is definitely her own little person with her own personality!  She still has not taken to the binky which can be very difficult when she is fussy and we can't calm her.  She generally likes to be calmed by being held, which is nice most of the time, but can be difficult when we need to get something done, and also to get some sleep.  She does seem to be getting a little better about sleeping, but that varies night to night.  She does not really like being on her back, and really does not like her bassinet.  Unless she is deep asleep, she will wake up if we put her in her bed.  We have noticed that she is getting a little better about hanging out as her awake time gets longer during the day.  She has enjoyed her swing and bouncers a few times.  After her belly button healed up we were able to give her her first real bath, and we recorded it.  She seemed to like it for the most part.  She seems to be a very efficient eater.  She eats a meal in about 1/2 the recommended time to feed, and even then she sometimes eats too much and ends up spitting up!!  I was a little concerned at first that she wasn't eating enough, but she is gaining weight just fine, so no worries there.  We got her professional pictures, and they turned out so cute.  We are sending out the announcements now.  Rowan also had her first Christmas in her first month of life.  She got some cute gifts from family, thank you!  Sadly, she also has her 2nd cold, and she's just barely a month old!  One of the downsides of having a winter baby, poor thing.  Overall, this last month has been pretty good.  We are definitely sleep deprived, and stressed at times, but then one of them will do something so cute, and it makes it all worth it.

comment by Gaylene on 01/02/2010
Love that picture! She is darling. Time sure is flying by fast.

Rowan (2 week update)

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks already! Rowan is already growing so quickly. She had her 2 week check up this morning, and she has already gained nearly 1 pound, and grew an inch. So now she weighs 7 lbs. 14 oz. and is 20" long. The nurse says that they like to see the baby gain back what they lose after birth, so she is definitely on the right track. She is such a sweet baby, and loves to snuggle. Her favorite place to sleep is right on our chest. I think she likes it because she can hear our heart and perhaps is reminded of being in the womb. We were relieved that she started to nurse right away since it was a bit of a struggle with Liam because he was a preemie. Basically, she is your typical baby, loves to sleep during the day, and is up more at night. Her general waking hours are between 3 am and 5 am. Some nights are better than others, but we seem to be getting better. Sadly, she has had a bit of a cold, so her nose is stuffed up at times and makes it hard for her to breathe and nurse. The Dr. also checked her heart murmur today, and said it was completely gone, which is a huge relief.

Liam was not able to visit us in the hospital because of the H1N1 this year, so the first time Liam saw Rowan was at our house. He opened our bedroom door where I was holding her on the bed, and then immediately closed the door after seeing her. He has been a bit shy of her, but has slowly warmed up to her over the last couple of weeks. After several days he touched her foot. Then one evening he comforted her when she was crying. He stroked her cheek, and offered her the binky (which strangely she doesn't like as of yet). He will say 'Baby Sad' when she is crying, and he is surprisingly understanding when we need to attend to her. Recently I was able to put Rowan on his lap and took a quick picture. He pointed to her eyes, nose, mouth and ears. He really seems quite interested in her, and has been nothing but sweet with her....just wish that would last forever!! Anyway, we are enjoying our new bundle of joy, and still adjusting to little sleep, but it has all been worth it!

Liam is 2 years!

This last month has been quite eventful for the whole family...it started off with Liam's early birthday party in November.  Then shortly after that we had to say goodbye to our dear friend, Sequoia.  He calls her 'Carsi', and he surprised us with how aware he was that she was gone.  When we got back from the vets, he pointed to the car and said 'Carsi gone'. The next several times he was in the car he would say that too.  He recognizes her in her pictures, and we hope that he will always have a good memory of her.  The next big event in November was the arrival of Liam's little sister Rowan Kendall.  She was born on the 26th, Thanksgiving Day.  He's not quite sure what he thinks of her yet, but he has been slowly warming up to her.  His first reaction was kinda funny.  He was not allowed to visit her in the hospital because of the H1N1 flu this year, so the first time he saw her was at our house.  I was sitting on our bed, and he opened the door excited to see me...he saw her, and promptly shut the door.  It took him several days to touch her foot.  After a few weeks, he has comforted her, and pointed and touched her eyes, nose, mouth etc., but overall he really is rather ambivalent about her.  I'm sure with time, and her growing and becoming more playful, he will be more interested in her.  This month he has really decided he is not really interested in Elmo anymore, and he really likes Curious George and Thomas the Tank Engine.  He can't get enough of 'Georgie', and always asks to watch him.  One cute word that he's been saying lately is 'Begeena'.  It is his word for blanket, and we have no idea where the word came from, but we thought it was cute.  He likes to have his 'Begeena' on him in the car.  He has also started to like to be tucked in with his blanket at nap time, and bed time.  A couple of frustrating habits he has acquired as of late has been ignoring us.  It is as if he is completely deaf.  He also has been spitting, which is a habit we'd like to kick real fast. Since I've been on maternity leave, I have been home with him all day, so I have started to give him 'time out'.  I am not sure he quite gets it yet, and I have to 'hold' him in place, but we are hopeful with time and consistency that it will start to work.  We froze some of Liam's birthday cake from his party, so today, his actual birthday he got some cake to enjoy.  He is growing into such a cute and smart little boy, and we hope to enjoy many more birthdays with him!  Happy 2 years 'Little Man'!