Raising MONSTERS: A traumatic first + autumnal activities

Most parents would agree that we are really lucky that we have been able to keep Rowan home with one of us his whole life. We make sure he gets out, sees new things, and socializes, but we haven't needed to use daycare. There are plenty of bonuses to avoiding daycare - he is rarely sick (only one major virus ever), we aren't spending money we don't have, he feels safe and secure, and of course extra time for mom and dad to spend with him.

Um, I'm a little worried. Like, all the time.

The downside to not using daycare is our spoiled little babe CANNOT cope without Mom or Dad. We went through "separation anxiety" a few months ago - at least, the doctor said that was why his sleep patterns were nutty for several weeks. Rowan has always been pretty anxious but lately he's been relatively fearless (more on fall adventures below.) I have attributed it to the fact that he can do so much now - walking, running, feeding himself (if he feels like it), and just generally having more playing skills. So we took a bit of a plunge today - we left him at the gym daycare for about 45 minutes while Ben and I had a workout.

This did not go over well.

It started out fine - Rowan was thrilled to see kids! And toys! And stuff to climb on! He was laughing and playing and we slipped away feeling pretty good about this idea. We hung around nearby for a few minutes and watched while he settled in - everything seemed to be going well so we went off to do some cardio.

When we returned a little while later, Rowan was just laying on the floor sobbing. The poor daycare worker looked like she was probably just about to run and get us anyway. Apparently he had been crying for over half an hour - nothing could console him. I was able to get him to stop sobbing fairly quickly, but he has been anxious and touchy all evening.

I realize all is not lost - eventually he will have to cope with life beyond Mom and Dad. But for right now we might take a breather before diving back into this experiment. I approached it rationally at first - he is fine, he will get over it, it will get better. But later this evening I started to feel really depressed about it. Like all parents, I don't want to put my kids through unnecessary stress; I don't want him to feel afraid or lost. But I also don't want to shelter him too much; I want him to be outgoing and adventurous.

Ready to take on the world!!!

So for now we will just keep focusing on the adventures that Rowan DOES like. We have had a very busy fall, but it has been very fun and full of family, friends, and foliage! ;)

Picking Pumpkins at Power's Farm Market

Plucking the last few sungold tomatoes from the vines

We took advantage of my long Columbus Day weekend and went to Ithaca and Syracuse. We enjoyed a leisurely Saturday drive down to Ithaca, stopping at Indian Creek Farms on the way to pick apples and late season raspberries. Rowan was surprisingly patient and independent while we were picking raspberries - and he even grasped the concept of picking only the red ones (I had failed to impart this lesson with tomatoes this summer.) Then we went into the city and had a delicious Viva Taqueria dinner with Aunt Gretchen. We stopped at The Shop before dinner and Rowan was very flirtatious with some ladies. He was feeling less lovable on Sunday and I might have gotten a little especially irritated outside of The Piggery. My anger might have had something to do with the lack of bacon as well. Then I ate some cake with cherries and my anger subsided. So we all survived and on Monday afternoon we traipsed up to Syracuse to hang out with Erin and Avi. The boys don't quite play "together" just yet, but they do seem fond of one another. :)

Hey ladies ......

Surprisingly peaceful Rowan

Contemplating pumpkins. And life.

This past weekend was busy but a lot of fun and full of more visiting. On Saturday we drove down to Nunda for Lauren & Kevin's first anniversary party. Rowan had a great time playing with kids and dogs. He also had a lovely time trying over and over again to throw himself down the enormous hill in the backyard. He was a good sport about checking out the new place and new people - once he figured out that Mom and Dad were staying.
On Sunday we went to Buffalo to see Rachel & William. Rowan basically missed his nap on the way there and he was a little cranky while we were trying to have lunch. However, he really rallied for the zoo and did an excellent job of walking (and running) around to check stuff out. We were really pleased and impressed by both his stamina and his willingness to run everywhere. I'm sure I'll regret this once he is too fast to keep up with ...