9 months old + a crazy April

We have had a really busy month.  Rowan keeps getting stronger and more mobile - pulling himself around, some crawling and scooting, and lots of cruising.  A bunch of my family came to visit including my sister and her kids and Rowan took his first trip to Strong Museum of Play.   Unfortunately, my hands were a little too full to snap any pictures, but he had a pretty good time.  At least, he didn't throw any major fits. :)

Big laughs and little teeth!

Happy, giggly boy loves Daddy!

Rowan has always been pretty musically inclined, but seems especially so nowadays.  We listen to music a lot, he has a few favorite music videos, and we just got him a Baby Einstein music table that he loves to play with.  And he loves to dance:

We have also been going to the eye doctor a lot - Rowan's eye surgery (to attempt to correct his strabismus) is scheduled for next Wednesday (May 2.)  I'm nervous and anxious for it to be over ... but we have been told there is a good chance he will need more than one surgery and even then there are no guarantees.  I don't care if he needs glasses someday, I just want his eyes to be healthy and function as well as possible.

We still think his eyes are beautiful!

We just re-arranged the living room so Rowan has more space to play and maneuver ... I'm guessing the ongoing theme for the next few months will be mobility!  He can pull himself up on lots of things (his crib, his bug, the recliner, etc.) and get himself onto all fours, but doesn't actually crawl.  (UPDATE 4/29: He definitely crawled on all fours tonight. He was kind of whiny while doing so, although we weren't pushing him to do it.  But he definitely moved his hands and knees in unison to cross the living room floor.) He has been pulling himself up and often plays while sitting on his knees.  Sometimes he scoots or pulls himself around on his butt.  He is definitely a happier kid now that he can do more things for himself.  But he still needs to know Mom and/or Dad are there - when he is playing at his music table he will seem so absorbed, but he'll still turn every couple of minutes and grab my leg like, oh good, just checking. :)

Rowan has almost always been a fan of water, but for a long time he wasn't ready to give up his bathing recliner despite not really needing it (he has been able to sit up just fine for a long time now.)  I ended up buying him a little inflatable tub to get him used to sitting in the water while feeling a little more secure - that did the trick, he only used it for a couple of weeks and this weekend he graduated to sitting in the tub.  Video of splashing coming soon!

DUCK FACE! :)

This weekend we are visiting Fredonia and today we celebrated Austin's 7th birthday.  Rowan is quickly becoming more interested in playing and engaging with the other kids.  He definitely favors Ella - of course, she makes sure to spend as much time with Baby Rowan as possible and she is always excited to "help" and play with him as much as possible. :) 

No idea what color his hair will be ... looks red here!

Rowan's Likes: Belly raspberries, riding dad's shoulders, examining objects by turning them over and over, sleeping on his side (new and so cute!), pulling himself to a standing position, cruising, petting the cat, being outside, eating Puffs (he has mastered the pincer grip), jumping, taking a bath, Mom or Dad talking in a funny high voice
Rowan's Dislikes: Getting his diaper changed (usually), being hot, crowded/loud/stuffy places, being on his tummy (for more than a few minutes), being bored

8 months going on 8 years ...

This kid thinks he is a kid.  Our "baby" is almost in toddler sizes (18 months) and although he can army crawl (and roll over, both ways) he prefers that we help him walk or fly.  I say "fly" because although he wants us to carry him everywhere, he's not interested in holding on.  Like a baby.  He twists himself around and launches himself forward as though he will somehow magically hover in front of us so that he is free to examine whatever tickles his fancy.

Loves "walking" around in his crib while holding on

Rowan now has two teeth (the bottom front two) and we are pretty sure he just started cutting a third.  He has continued to deal with the pain reasonably well and he loves those new teeth - one of his absolute favorite things these days is to "chew" on a glass and sip cold water.  He taps his new teeth on the glass, takes a swig of water, then gives me the biggest grin.  Obviously, I help him.   I have to get a really, really tight grip on the glass, though, because he is strong.

Just coolin' my gums ...

I was DYING when he was wearing just this hat ...

Speaking of his strength, it can be painful at times.  He hits, smacks, pulls hair, and grabs for my glasses constantly.  It is tough because he is still a little young to really learn "no" - we are trying, but he just laughs and thinks it's all part of the Fun Motor Skills Game.  I'm trying to teach him "nice touch" - I stroke his cheek and say "nice" or "nice touch" when he gets really riled up and flail-y.  It's actually kind of spooky - it sort of puts him into a trance.  But it relaxes him and occasionally he'll do his own version of "nice touch" back to me.  We also practice on the cats.  (Hey, they need to earn their keep.)

This is my life now.

We got Rowan a jumper a few weeks ago and it has been a hit.  He doesn't always like it, but he usually does and really gets going with his jumping and swinging.  Usually he will be content to jump for 10-15 minutes, but on occasion he'll really get into it and go for a half hour or so.

This only happened once, but SO funny. :)

Rowan still prefers his Bumbo over the high chair.  I think he likes to have relatively unrestricted movement from the waist up.  He likes to be able to look all around - the Bumbo must always be placed in the center of the action. :)  He also likes to "dance" in the Bumbo - he does this cute little wiggle from the waist and it cracks us up.  The best part is if we do it first, he will do it back.  (Video coming soon!)

We don't have a really strict routine with Rowan, but we try to keep his feeding fairly regular.  He still has 4-5 bottles a day (he has been getting up in the night for another bottle - unusual for him), a bowl of cereal mid-morning and mid-afternoon (occasionally with extra fruit), and a protein and vegetable combo around dinnertime.  I have been buying all of his food, but he seemed to like a lentils and rice mix that I got him, so I might try making that from scratch.

LOVE that sweet face!

I'm not sure I like this ...

Rowan is now fluent in sitting up and playing independently.  He sits on the living room floor and enjoys pulling over his toy basket, picking through his toys, playing with them (particularly a pop-up toy), and playing with the basket itself.  We make sure we are still close by though, and position him away from the coffee table just in case he does topple over.  Sometimes I'll watch quietly from the kitchen - if he doesn't know that I'm right there, sometimes he will slide onto his tummy or side and not even complain about it. :)

Is that curly hair??

So sweet.

Rowan's Likes: Food (especially bananas, sweet potatoes, pears, squash, and green beans), jumping, dancing, standing/pretending to walk, being outside (thank you weird warm streak last week!), taking a bath, anything he can chew on

Rowan's Dislikes: Having his diaper changed (mostly just because he is SO mad that he can't quite sit up from laying down yet), long car rides (short ones have gotten mostly manageable), a bottle when he doesn't want one, waking up from a nap to find that we've managed to lay him down in his crib (it's weird - he doesn't wake up in a bad mood in the morning, but if we manage to put him down for a nap rather than just hold him he wakes up inconsolable.)

Yet another first!

All the drooling and chewing and pain is finally starting to pay off - Rowan's first tooth broke through yesterday!  It is in the front lower gums and it's just barely poking out.  He has been more interested in his cold teething ring lately and we just introduced rice rusks (Mum-Mums) for him to chew on.  We try not to give him Tylenol too often, but sometimes he gets really upset when his gums are really sore and distraction just doesn't cut it.

Rowan showed us another fun new "trick" earlier today - he seemed to be intentionally trying to make us laugh.  For some reason he really likes hanging out in the laundry room and today while in there he was cracking us up with his "growling."  He also seemed to find it really funny when Ben was talking about poop.

Almost 7 months old + not slowing down

Our little baby is becoming a little boy so fast!  Big & strong barely begin to describe Rowan - he doubled his birth weight by 6 months old and now weighs in around 22 pounds!  His height has grown less steadily than his weight, but he recently had a growth spurt and now he is almost 29 inches tall.  We're starting to retire some 12 month clothes and getting out 18 months already!

Our happy little guy!

Rowan eats lots of cereal and purees now.  He loves sweet potatoes, apples, pears, and bananas, but he is not super fond of vegetables just yet.  We have tried some green vegetables, but they seem to bug his belly so his doc said to hold off on those for now.  Rowan is also working on his fine motor skills with Puffs and Mum-Mums (new today!)

Rowan sits up as well as a 9 month old, according to his doctor, and his motor skills are great, too.  He is starting to spend a fair amount of time playing with various toys while sitting up unassisted.  He isn't doing everything early, though - we finally hit a slightly overdue milestone when he rolled over all by himself the other night.  I still think he's just not all that interested in being on his stomach ...

We were disappointed to find out Rowan might need eye surgery - his eyes still aren't aligning.  We had hoped he would just outgrow it.  For now we are using an eye patch - 2 hours a day alternating eyes.  It seems like it might be helping - and we get some really fun pictures.

Rocking the eye patch while hanging out at Grandma's

Well, helloooooo!

BEST goofy face!

Rowan is very proud of all the stuff he can do now and seems to respond well to praise.  He is especially proud when he pulls himself into a squat at the end of his changing table.  He's too little to reach and pull himself up in the crib, but the lower bar on the changing table is just right for practice (with mom or dad's arms ready just in case!)

One of Rowan's very favorite places!

We love to snuggle our little boy and play with him, too.  I"m glad he is starting to have a wider range of interests because as much as I love holding him, my arms and back need a rest occasionally!

Rowan's Likes: Cereal (and most solid foods that he is allowed to have), Puffs or Mum-Mums, Peek-a-boo, Changing table time (but not always getting changed), bouncing (most of the time), singing, looking at books, most toys

Rowan's Dislikes: The car (sigh, still),  being tired (but he still sleeps well at night), tummy discomfort

Six months old + baptized

Rowan is just about six months now and he is a little bruiser.  He is basically off the charts for weight, nearly 21 pounds now, and he is pretty tall at 27 1/2 inches.  He wears 12-18 month size clothing.  He is a beast.

A beast? Moi??

We are very fortunate that overall Rowan is a healthy little boy.  He does sneeze a lot - I wonder if he has allergies like me.  We're also managing his baby eczema - a common winter ailment with infants.  We are constantly slathering his forehead with Aquafor and unfortunately he tends to attack his head with his little baby nails when he is agitated.  And we are going to an eye doctor next week - his eyes still tend to cross (as evident in the photo above.)  They don't cross all the time and his vision and hand-eye coordination seem great, so we're hoping it will be an easy fix.  But there may be some baby eye patch photos in the future ...

We call these his "nose ring" toys ...

Rowan continues to find solace in his bedroom.  He still loves to stretch and play on his changing table.  He can put his feet in his mouth and frequently does.  I'm glad we've made his room such a positive place for him - we're currently transitioning to the crib and it has been difficult, but at least he enjoys being in his room and is used to it.

Rowan and his out-of-control eyelashes

Rowan has also become quite the flirt.  He is still quite serious a lot of the time, but we get a lot more grins, giggles, and coy little glances now.  He has a somewhat new move where puts his chin down then turns his head to the side while giving an innocent, wide-eyed stare.  It kills us every time.

Thoughtful Rowan

Rowan is continuing to try different foods.   He has moved on from rice cereal to multigrain and usually loves it.  He has also tried purees of prune, apple, banana, and carrots.  So far apple and banana are his favorites.  He mastered eating with a spoon pretty quickly, but sometimes he makes a mess anyway, especially when he's losing interest.  And sometimes he makes a mess because he's showing us a new trick:

 We had Rowan baptized on January 21 at St. Joseph's, my home parish in Fredonia.  I was nervous about how he would handle the ceremony since he gets bored easily and isn't always a fan about changing clothes.  To our happy surprise, Rowan was a total champ - he didn't have a single meltdown and he did extremely well during the actual ceremony.  Most of Ben's family made the trip to Fredonia and we had a great time packing into my parent's house afterward for dinner.  It was a lot of fun to have an event that got everyone together.

Rowan's Likes: Cereal (usually), peek-a-boo, playing with his feet, being held/walking around, "bicycling" his legs, bath time, bananas, apples
Rowan's Dislikes: Riding in the car (still, but getting a little better), being bored, waiting

The boy wizard

I try really hard not to laugh too loud or talk too much in videos - but Rowan's newest "trick" just cracks me up way too much.  This is now what we do after bath time.

Five months old + holiday times

The holidays always stress me out, though I try to remain calm and cool.  I know it's all about family and friends and relaxing and ultimately that is all that ends up mattering - but I can't seem to help getting wound up as the holidays approach.  So of course I was extra concerned about coping with all the travel and whatnot with a five month old baby.  Then a whole bunch of unforeseen stuff happened resulting in our staying in Rochester until late Christmas day.  It ended up being kind of nice to have a quiet Christmas Eve at home, just the three of us.  I made a fancy dinner with duck cassoulet and we exchanged gifts and watched Christmas specials while Rowan treated it just like any other evening. :)

*grin*

We went to Fredonia first, arriving in time for a late Christmas dinner.  Rowan also attended his first Boxing Day party and was fairly sociable.  We stopped back in Rochester to regroup (and unexpectedly replace our broken thermostat) before heading to Ithaca.  Rowan seemed very content with all of the family love.

Rowan in his favorite sleeping position with Matt.

Rowan actually did pretty well overall considering all the unfamiliar places, sights, and smells.  This kid is really a homebody.  He was visibly excited to get home, looking everywhere with a big smile and talking up a storm (see below for more on "talking.")

This is basically where he was at by the end of the week.

So we made it through the holidays in a rental Hyundai sedan whilst my van remains at a collision shop for going on three weeks now.  This kid does not travel light and it was hard to pack without the roominess of my beloved Caravan.  He just upgraded to a conversion car seat (after outgrowing his super-sized birth-one year infant car seat) and that helped make all the rides a little smoother.  In fact he rode all the way to Rachael's house on New Year's Day without much complaint at all - and then he was super good and social the whole time we were there.  And then he fell asleep on the way home - AND THEN he continued to nap for nearly an hour after I set him in his bed.  I was afraid I had the wrong kid ... :)

But Rowan's passionate hatred of auto travel is old news - in new news, he's eating rice cereal and doing very well with it.  He basically mastered eating from a spoon in one day.  We make it a little on the thick side - it seems to make it easier for him to get it down his gullet - and sometimes we add a little pear juice or prune juice to sweeten it up a bit.  We'll probably start introducing baby food in a week or so - and Aunt Lauren (our close friend, Ben's "best man", soon to be Rowan's godmother, former pastry chef, and current farm dweller) is SO excited to start making him some purees!

Perfunctory messy-baby-trying-to-eat-with-spoon shot

And one more for the road

Rowan started cooing weeks ago, but this month he has gotten MUCH more talkative and expressive.  I remember being kind of disappointed in the second and third months because it seemed like he never smiled.  Now we can get him to smile all the time.  Giggles are still a little rare, but much more common.  It's hard to catch his awesome expressions on camera, though, because he is the most expressive when face-to-face with me or Ben.  As soon as we get the camera out he just stops and stares, as evidenced by this video where I sneak up on him during a lengthy diatribe:

He makes the best faces and Ben and I are constantly cracking up.  His eyebrows are always moving and he frequently arched just one, making an utterly bemused face.  I'm not sure whether he is doing it on purpose.  He seems to be rapidly developing a very wry sense of humor ... [side note: the video looks old-timey because I had accidentally smeared Aquafor ointment on the lens and didn't notice until afterward. Oops.]

Rowan's Likes: Either of us rubbing our head on his belly (but esp. Ben), baths, talking, "raspberries" (on his belly or just seeing us do it), standing with help, being tossed (very gently) in the air, looking at pictures or video of himself or other kids, looking at still pictures of kids, rice cereal, being naked
Rowan's Dislikes: The car (usually), being bored, any kind of discomfort (causing him to scratch violently at his head), waking up from a nap (often), getting dressed

First christmas tree + general cuteness

We have a lot of traditions with friends & family and I am looking forward to Rowan becoming a part of those traditions.  Today is actually Belsnickel Day, a fun and quirky Dankert tradition.  Rowan won't be able to really participate in this one until he is a old enough to know what is going on.  Long (and probably made up) story short, the Belsnickel is a rather maniacal, bell-covered henchman to Santa Claus and he comes around after dark on December 5th, pounding on and slamming doors, shaking his bells and throwing in treats for good kids (coal for bad ones.)  He also picks up your Christmas list from the mailbox and takes it to Santa.  My sister and I always loved Belsnickel Day, probably mostly because we didn't know anyone else who celebrated it (other than relatives and close family friends that caught our weirdness.)

One of our other Christmas traditions is getting our tree at Power's Farm Market with our friends Rachael & Jake the first weekend of December.  Rowan wasn't too impressed by the trees this year, but he did enjoy looking at the lights.  Next year I'm sure he'll have fun running around, checking out the animals, and helping pick our tree.

These trees do not impress me.

Our little family

Simple, beautiful lights display!

I love having the Christmas tree up - it makes the house feel so warm and peaceful.  I have a tendency to leave it up excessively long.  Other than the tree, I don't usually put up much else for decorations.  Of course, once Rowan gets older I might come up with some fun ideas if I can get him psyched about crafting.

This kid is too cute - he can be so expressive (rarely when the camera is out, though.)  I always get a big grin when I come home, even though I'm only gone for about six hours most days.  He gets especially excited when he's on his changing table and I get right in his face - he scrunches up his whole face into the biggest grin and coos really loudly.  So wonderful.  Of course, he can also be very moody - lately he's been snapping from that delirious happiness into crazed unhappiness.  One second he's smiling and giggling, and literally the next he's tearing up and his lip is quivering.  Maybe the teething pain is just coming in waves.  We try to keep our boy happy.

Oh - hey, Mom.

Four months old + counting

It seems like Rowan got super strong and agile overnight!  A few weeks ago he started grabbing things and now he's pretty good at it.  There have been a few times when he got frustrated because he forgot how to let go.  :)  He can also grab his feet and he is clearly very proud of it.

Now how do I get this entire thing in my mouth??

Hey birds! Look what I can do!

Rowan's Likes: Grabbing his cage ball, raspberries on his belly, having his chin or belly tickled, "fighting" with Chewy (the bear), snuggling, chewing on his hands/bibs/burp cloths

Rowan's Dislikes: Going to bed, the car seat, being away from home

Oh, hi.  I'm just busy growing out of my 9 month clothes.

I noticed this week that Rowan's left eye is starting to turn in a lot again - it had seemed like it was getting better.  Oh well, he's still young and his vision seems good.  And he's gotten very good at following moving objects with both eyes.  He also makes good eye contact now.

Teething is probably going to be a challenge.  However, we have found some homeopathic remedies, plus we have baby Tylenol for when he's really in agony.  Rowan is also getting fairly good at self-soothing - he likes to chew on soft things like his hands, his bib, a burp cloth, or one of our hands.  Occasionally he'll go for his cold teething ring.  Distraction is often the best remedy.  Rowan likes to play with Mom & Dad:

Rowan's first Thanksgiving + meeting more friends

Rowan had a rough start to the holiday week.  It would appear he is officially teething - he's drooling a lot and chewing on his hands, bibs, and burp cloths a lot.  He must have been in a lot of pain earlier this week because he was extremely fussy, including pushing away his bottle a lot and basically refusing to eat.  It might have been that his mouth was sore, but I've also heard that teething can cause an upset stomach, too.  I'm sure with all the extra saliva a fair amount ends up in his belly and bugs him.  He was also up all hours of the night - I know lots of new parents have to deal with that continually, but we're not used to it.  The other problem was that he wasn't getting any good naps in either which added to his irritation.

This basically sums up last week.

Finally, and fittingly, the craziness broke on Thanksgiving and he's been doing a lot better the past few days.  He's eating better and catching up on sleep (in fact he's nearly TWO HOURS into napping right now, practically unheard of for him!)  We've also built up a cache of teething antidotes this week, including a cold teething ring, washcloths, our own (clean) fingers,  baby Tylenol, and a homeopathic med called Camilia.  I try to avoid using the Tylenol too often, though, partly because I don't want him to have too much and partly because I don't want him to get used to it.

We went to Dryden for the holiday and Rowan got to spend time with Grandma & Grandpa Gross, Aunt Gretchen, Uncle David, Aunt Liz, Great Uncle Bill, and Great Grandma!  We also went out to Aunt Judy and Uncle Gary's beautiful house in the woods - sadly Rowan is not old enough to try the amazing burrata that Aunt Liz brought. :) Soon enough.

Playing at Grandma's house

I didn't take as many pictures as I should have while we were visiting, but we had a great time.  Making pizza together has become a bit of a tradition when we visit Ben's family.  It won't be long until Rowan can help top the pizzas!

We also got to visit with Ben's friends Lars and Kate and their son Desmond.  I am very sad that they live in Seattle now because they are so awesome and I wish we could hang out all the time.  They are very cool and smart and down to earth.  The boys weren't too into one another this time around, but I'm sure they'll have fun playing when they are both a little older.

Snuggling with Kate

14 month old Desmond & 4 month old Rowan

And if that wasn't enough fun, on Saturday we got a visit from Matt, Evan, and Rachel!  Rowan showed off his moves for everyone and gave away lots of smiles.  Matt and I cooked dinner together, our favorite past time.  We made butternut squash bread pudding, spinach salad with roasted beets and red onion marmalade, and apple almond crisp.  I wish we could visit more often.

Hey!  That's my thing!

Beautiful eyes!

Wrestling bears & telling stories

Rowan is getting quite good at grabbing ... and just this week he has decided to put that skill to use in fighting bears.  Well, one bear.  Of the teddy variety.  Still, he's pretty tough. :)

He also still loves those hands and continues to tell us all sorts of great stories.  Sometimes I play back the video for him - he gets really interested and seems to try to talk back.  Today I tried that when he was upset and he calmed right down - he got very focused, staring and cooing at himself.

Rowan + funny hats

Rowan really doesn't seem to mind wearing hats, but he does like to swivel his head a lot and quickly.  I noted today that he kind of looks like a deranged owl when he really gets going. (I'm going to look here! Now here! Now here!)  So sometimes they fall off.  And sometimes we manage to snap a quick picture:

Strong legs & soft hands

Rowan is getting so strong!  He is learning how to stand - he can just about support his weight, but he is still learning balance.  He likes to practice standing up by pushing with his legs while Ben or I hold his hands or arms.  We usually do this while we are lying down and he is on top of us.  Rowan loves to stand up and he continues to be a pretty good sport about using his stander (most of the time.)

Although Rowan can basically sit up unassisted (though mom or dad need to be there in case he wobbles), he still does not roll over.  He just doesn't seem interested in it yet.  It might also be his size - that's a lot of baby to roll over!

Rowan is still a good night sleeper, but he's been a bit fussy this past week.  He has woken up a few times during the night and often has trouble getting to sleep (and staying asleep.)  Last night I put him to bed and he woke up a few minutes later, whimpering and crying out.  We laughed because it really sounded like he was wailing "Moooooom!"  I took him another warm bottle and fed it to him while he stayed in his (elevated) rocker bed.  He squirmed at first, but then got a hold of my left hand and promptly calmed down.  He dozed back off, still holding my hand.  His soft little hands are so sweet, I just wanted to sit there all night holding hands.

Of course, he woke back up again a few minutes after I pulled away.  Eventually, he went down for the night and this morning awoke with his (now) usual smiles and coos.

What have we here?