Happy Days

We caught a few smiles with the camera- finally!
Do you see that red hair?! I am hoping that it really is red :).

Story time with mama.
Rowen loves this soft book that his Nana gave to him for Easter.

Rowen is filling our days with so much joy. He is the light of our lives! As corny as that may sound it really is so true! I have been thinking quite a bit lately about what it is going to be like going back to work in September (even if it is going to be part time) and I tear up instantly. It is going to break my heart! I think it will be harder on me than it will be on him- at least I hope so for his sake. I am just having so much fun with Rowen.

I love to just watch him- he is learning at such a fast rate that each day he is doing something new. He has pretty good control of his hands now. He is sucking on them and staring at them with such intense interest. He is also allowing me to prop him up in a sitting position for longer periods of time. He is keeping his head up for longer stretches when we put him on his tummy and he is bringing his feet closer and closer to his face when he is on his back. While we eat we often hold him on our lap now. He will sit with one of us for a fairly long period of time and stares at our food and follows the fork with his eyes as we bring it to our mouths. We think he is going to love food just as much as his mama does! This weekend Eric and I heard his first real giggle. He have heard little ones for the past few months like when he is asleep or the occasional accident giggle but this was the real deal! We were on our way home from Eric's parents house and I was sitting in the backseat with Rowen making funny faces at him. He was smiling his big grin at me and then he just let out the sweetest giggle. Eric noticed right away and we both started to laugh because it was so cute. I heard another one today while we were playing. He is still pretty quiet for the most part but I am sure that one day very soon he is going to start jabbering his baby talk and we won't be able to get him to quit!

He is becoming more and more interested in looking at books while he sits on my lap. He will let me read to him for about 15 minutes. I cherish this time... I hope that he enjoys books for many years to come and that he will begin to let me read to him for longer stretches.

We have uploaded many videos that we have taken of Rowen over the past few months. To view them go to our website (volkbaby.com) then go to galleries then go to Other then go to Videos of Rowen. I love all of them but there are a few that are probably more exciting for others to watch- they are...#26 (Rowen getting his daily exercise), #32 (Rowen waking up from a nap), #25 (Rowen rolling over). If you can't hear anything when you play them you probably need to upload the newest version of QuickTime. I sound like a complete idiot in all of them. I didn't realize that I talked so much baby talk! Oh well, I guess that just comes with having a baby :).

3 Months Old!

Playing on the floor with mama.

Tummy time- I have to keep putting Rowen back on
his tummy because he rolls over right away.

Rowen is 3 months old! It seems like just a few weeks ago I was holding my newborn, 6 lb. baby boy and now I am snuggling my 14 lb (probably closer to 15- I haven't weighed him since last Wednesday) little guy. Oh- he is so much fun! Of course he wouldn't smile for me today when I took the above photos. He is mesmerized by the camera- it is pretty funny to watch. We are having such a good time together. Rowen is cooing, smiling and moving those legs and arms like crazy. He is sleeping better and taking more naps througout the day. I'm not going to talk about his sleep any longer because it seems that as soon as I say, "Rowen slept ___ hours last night!", he changes it up on us. Below are a few of my favorite photos taken recently.

I love this shirt because Rowen is such a HUNK but it could also say CHUNK!

Loving bath time! Of course no smile for the camera :).

I remember telling my mom that I thought that Rowen would never wake up happy. He would wake up screaming EVERY time. She told me he would with time and she was right... he now wakes up with a smile for mama (IF I remember to let him stretch first).

Sound alseep... oh how nice it would be to sleep like that again :).

Our "little gentleman". That is what daddy likes to call Rowen.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Mama's Boy

My little man :)

I thought that I better get a photo of Rowen and I up on the blog. My family keeps telling me that I need to take more photos of Rowen and I together but I hate photos of me- I will do it for my little guy though.

Fun with Rowen

It has been too long since I last posted. I can't seem to find the time to sit down and type without Rowen attached to me somehow- not that I mind but it is nice to have both arms free for a little while :). Rowen is taking one of his very rare, longer than 20 minutes naps right now so I thought I would attempt a quick post.

Rowen is now 11 weeks old and 13 lbs. He just keeps growing and changing at such a fast rate. I feel like in a blink of an eye he will be going to Kindergarten!

Rowen and I have been having fun together. We have been going on walks at least a few times a week. I hope this increases as the weather gets warmer. We have also gone to a mommy and me group in Spokane at Sacred Heart Hospital. I have also attempted to make it to a mommy and me yoga class but we just haven't been able to get there- Rowen is either taking a rare nap and I don't want to wake him or something else comes up and we are unable to go.

Rowen is also having lots of fun with his daddy! As soon as Eric gets home I pass Rowen off to him and they play for a few hours before Rowen's bedtime. It seems like Rowen has been waiting for Eric to come home all day so that he can play- Eric just seems to have the right touch in the evenings- walking him around the house, patting his back, and lifting him high into the air. Eric was gone last week for work and Rowen and I really missed him!

While Eric was gone for the week my parents came over each evening to make me dinner and entertain Rowen. We were both very spoiled! Rowen is so fortunate to have such devoted and playful grandparents. Rowen's Nana (Eric's mom) came over one afternoon to watch Rowen while I went to the grocery store. They had a good time together and it was sure nice to get to go grocery shopping without a crying baby. I tried to really take my time and enjoy the time to myself but I still rushed through the shopping- I guess it is just a habit!

Last Thursday afternoon Rowen and I headed to Cheney Middle School for the baby shower that was planned to take place a long time ago but since Rowen came into the world early we had to postpone it until today. It was so nice to get to see my wonderful colleagues again and to introduce Rowen to everyone. We also ran into some of my students past and present. One of my students took photos of Rowen and I to put in the CMS annual. The student who took the photos told me that we would be on the first page of the annual- he thought that I would be pretty impressed with that! I'm sure that won't be the case (thank goodness!) but I thought it was funny that he thought I would really like something like that- that is what I miss about teaching- all the funny stuff kids say, think, and do.

Changing from day to day...

I just can't believe how time has flown by- Rowen is already 2 months old! It really does seem like he was a tiny newborn just days ago and now he is becoming an active infant. It is truly miraculous how quickly babies grow and change and learn. I am amazed at Rowen's development already and like I said it has only been 2 months.

Here are a few of Rowen's accomplishments so far...

• Smiling!

He will smile for us several times a day now. It is the best smile I have ever seen in my entire life!

• Lifting his head up when on his tummy and pulling his knees up under his chest one at a time- almost in a crawling motion.

• Rolling over from tummy to back when on a hard surface!
  

We knew he was close because he has been working really hard to roll over this past week but when we were at the doctor's on Monday for his 2 mos. immunizations he rolled over 3 times on the doctor's table! Our doctor said, "Did you just roll over for the first time at the doctor's office? You're supposed to do that at home when mommy and daddy have the camera ready!" We were so thrilled to see this that we kept putting him back on his tummy to see him roll over again and again while we waited for the nurse to come in with his shots.

• Sleeping more and more at night!

Some nights are better than others but Rowen is starting to sleep 5 hours at a time from about 9 or 10 o'clock, then he sleeps only about 2-3 hours after the 3:00ish feeding but I am feeling much more rested now that I can get a 2.5- 3.5 hour stretch of sleep in! Wow, that feels good :).

Here are a few of Rowen's favorite things...

• Playing on the floor with mom, dad, grandma and/or grandpa.
  

Rowen is really beginning to enjoy playing on the floor now. He lays on his back and kicks his legs and moves his arms around. He is moving at all times! We talk to him and play with him and he smiles up at us with a huge, beautiful smile. He is also playing more on his tummy now. He will lift his head up to look around and pull his knees up under his tummy and then kick them back, almost propelling himself forward. We just watch him in amazement... he is the best entertainment in the world!

• Showers with daddy!
  

Rowen loves to shower with Eric at night. He just hangs out in Eric's arms and seems to enjoy letting the warm water run over him. Then when Eric hands him to me to get wrapped up in a towel he becomes more than just a little unhappy :(.

• Time with his grandma and grandpa
  

Rowen loves to play with grandma and grandpa. They are soooo good with him- I think they are better at making him happy than Eric or I are most of the time. I can tell that he is going to love playing with them for many years to come.

Here are a few of Rowen's least favorite things...

• Naps during the day
  

Rowen is sleeping well at night (at least it is better than it used to be). He is getting pretty good at putting himself to sleep at night but during the day he does not like to nap for very long and he fights going to sleep even when his eye lids are slamming shut on him.

• Being strapped into his carseat
  

Oh my! You would think it was the end of the world the way he cries when we have to tighten the straps on his carseat. He screams so hard that he turns bright red and can't breath for a few seconds... this is the "I'm so mad at you mommy for doing this to me! I was having so much fun moving around and playing!" scream. It is different from all his other cries- I can tell he is just mad because he doesn't want to be confined to that carseat. No, he wants to be able to move at all times.

• Being still for more than just a few minutes

As you can tell from the above paragraph Rowen likes to move! I think we have a very active boy on our hands. If Rowen is awake he must be either eating or moving. If either of these things are not happening then it is as if his world is coming to an end. We spend a great deal of time on the floor with him and walking him around the house. Daddy is best at walking Rowen around the house because there is a very specific way Rowen prefers to do this and Eric has it down pat! Rowen does not like the swing- only occasionally and he doesn't like to sit in his reclinding chair much at all. It will be really intersting to see how active he becomes once he can be more mobile.

I hope you have enjoyed learning a little more about Rowen. I will keep everyone updated on his accomplishments as well as his likes and dislikes as he continues to grow and change. As of Monday, Feburary 18th Rowen weighed 10 lbs. 14 oz. I am sure he is 11 lbs by now. He is officially 2mos. old tomorrow. It is true that time flies when you are having fun and I am... I am having the time of my life!

BIG BOY!

What a sweetie!
Look at those thighs!

A little smile for mommy

We are trying to capture a big smile from Rowen but it seems that everytime we get ready to take a picture he decides to stop smiling for us. Hopefully soon we will capture his big smile.

We are so thrilled with every little thing Rowen does! He is really smiling now and becoming more and more handsome by the minute! He loves to MOVE... if he isn't moving he is not happy. Either we are walking him around so he can observe his surroundings or he is kicking his legs and moving his arms around getting his excersice. I think he is going to be like his Daddy in that staying still won't be an option! My dad says that Rowen is just waiting until he can get up and pace with his Daddy- he is just joking but I think there might be some truth in it. Only time will tell. I am loving being his mom. I really can't think of a better job to have- I just love him so very much. He is now 10 lbs! Above are a few recent pictures.