Sunday, September 30, 2007

Let's Go, Panthers!

Though they may have lost 20-0 today, the Carolina Panthers are still our families favorite team to cheer on. Lance and I became fans almost immediately upon moving to Charlotte since World T.E.A.M. Sports had season tickets and we were able to get to some games. We were somewhat happy to leave the Detroit Lions behind us. When Rowan was little, she cried a lot--and I mean a lot--especially in the car. The only thing that seemed to lessen these cries were when Lance and I chanted "Let's Go, Panthers" and clapped. How we realized this worked, I have no idea. So, fittingly, Rowan got her first Panthers jersey this weekend and proudly wore it around the house and neighborhood today. She was very excited about the panthers on the sleeves and the little patch in the front. When Lance changed Rowan into her pajamas tonight, she grabbed the jersey and tried to put it on. So, she is sleeping in her Panthers jersey tonight.

Rowan also got some new bows this weekend. Since she normally hates to have anything in her hair, I didn't (and still don't) have high hopes for these bows. But, when we put the bow in her hair, she said "bow, mirror" and had to see herself in the mirror. We would take her to the mirror where she would do a very cheesy smile. She would then point around the house to other mirrors where she wanted, again, to see herself with the bow in. It was quite darling, but the bows still lasted only about 5 minutes before she ripped them from her head.

The weather was gorgeous all weekend. We enjoyed lots of outside time, wagon rides and a nice bike ride through the greenway and around the lake today. Rowan, again, loved looking at her shadow. We did some shadow dancing and went to swing on Mr. White's fun hammock swing while he watered his azaleas. Then we went to Miss Louise's house to see Murphy, the small cocker spaniel. Really, just a nice weekend.

A nice weekend with the exception of the stomach bug that seems to have hit. On Friday night, Rowan cried for a little while after we put her to bed. This isn't very common, but not unheard of, either. After about ten minutes of crying, Rowan fell asleep and slept great all night long. When we went to get her in the morning, though, we saw that she had thrown up everywhere in her crib and slept in it all night. I felt like such a guilty mom all day. Saturday she was doing lots better, though. Then today while we were outside playing, I started to feel pretty sick. I had to have Lance take over all parental duties while I ran upstairs and got sick--several times. I am really hoping it's all done and I can rest and sleep the rest of the night. Not quite sure how I will possibly take care of Rowan tomorrow if I'm still feeling like this!

Friday, September 28, 2007

Giving Into TV?

So, as Rowan is getting older, sleeping less (though is still a great sleeper) and becoming more efficient at eating, I am finding that I am not equipped to come up with fun ideas to keep her entertained all day. This morning, Rowan was up at 7:30. We ate breakfast, kept busy reading and playing with toys until 9:30 and then had a playgroup for 2 hours. All was quite fun. Then, it was lunch and a nice nap.

At about 3:15, Rowan woke up from her nap ready to go. We first played with "peanut butter" playdough made with sunflower seed butter. This was, really, more of a snack than anything. After terorizing Harley for a few minutes, we played with toys for about 5 minutes. Then, I was at a loss. We had played with so many things in the morning that Rowan didn't seem interested this afternoon. And, though totally unlike Rowan, she did not want to go outside. This may have been due to the fact that, with the work we are having done, it is quite loud out there. I finally convinced her that going outside was a good idea, so we were able to stay busy the whole day. However, once we came inside and I was trying to play with Rowan, make mashed potatoes and cut up chicken at the same time, I found myself quite challenged. How in the world I will accomplish anything with two, I have no idea.

When Lance got home, Rowan went into full "Mommy" mode. She hung on my leg, cried for me anytime I was out of sight and wanted me to hold her anytime daddy picked her up. Though it may sound endearing, it's really not. Instead of becoming more independent, she just wants me with her all the time. I love spending time with her, but it makes it really hard to leave and do other things. And again, how I will do this with two, I don't know. So, I think I'm on the hunt for some decent educational programming that might possibly keep Rowan's interest for up to 5 minutes or so. I can't imagine she'll ever sit and watch a whole movie like Lily, but I'll take any amount of calm I can get!

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Sprout's Second Appearance

As the title suggests, we got to see little Sprout for the second time today! Forutnately my friend Beth was able to watch Rowan for us as we spent over 2 hours at the doctor! But, it was all worth it for the wonderful pictures we got of little Sprout! Everything is looking normal and healthy, so we were so happy about that! We don't want to find out what the gender is, which is a good thing because the ultrasound tech couldn't tell. Sprout was in the breech position and was turned in a way that it wasn't possible to know the gender.

This morning Rowan and I signed up for a library class for next month and then we went to Monkey Joe's to play for a while. Rowan wasn't as thrilled as she was the last time we went--probably because she was the only one there. But, she still bounced around a bit, played with the drinking fountains and climbed on the tables and chairs. And, she got to play with Frannie over at Beth's house today which she loved.

Rowan continues to give me a run for my money every day. Playtime is great, but mealtime, diaper changing time and car time are full of kicking, screaming and stiffening up so she cannot be put into any sort of restraint such as a carseat or a highchair. I hate using so much force, but I haven't really found any other way to get her to comply. Lance said "They don't call it the terrible two's for nothing." I reminded him that Rowan is not even one and a half--I can't even imagine the terrible twos!

Monday, September 24, 2007

I Don't Want My Lunch, but This Sand is Delicious!

As today's title indicates, Rowan is still not eating much at lunchtime. Today was better than yesterday as she had a piece of Havarti cheese (so yummy) and some macaroni and cheese ("mac mac"). However, no fruits or veggies. I'm sure, however, that the sand she ate at the playground had some good natural vitamins and minerals!

This morning we spent some time at the library. Rowan loved running around and "playing" with her little friends. As soon as the librarian stood up, Rowan would run to the front and climb into her chair. The other moms were shocked that Rowan could get right up into the chair by herself. They clearly haven't been around when she climbs up onto the table here at home.

After Rowan's nap, we spent some time playing at home and then we decided to go the park. It was around 90 outside again today, so I thought just a little outside time would be great. When we first got to the park, the playground was overrun with teenagers, pushing each other on the toddler swings, smoking. Lovely. Fortunately a dad who had his daughters with him finally asked them to move, so we were all able to play. Rowan had lots of fun on the swings and slides. Then she wanted to run down the hill to the sand/dirt baseball diamond. She found a rock which she carried around until I grabbed it right as she was putting it in her mouth. After that close call, Rowan decided she would lay right on the ground, open her mouth and eat a large mouthful of sand. I tried to wipe it out of her mouth, but she was quite delighted and enjoying loudly crunching the sand. That was my cue that it was time to go home.

After a rushed spaghetti dinner (which Rowan actually ate), I went to tutor and am now home, eating the most delicious brownies ever with Lance. I easily could've eaten the whole pan. Poor Sprout is going to have quite a sweet tooth. I finished my book, Ella Minnow Pea, which was a pretty fun read. Now I'm off to decide on my next one.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Still a Little Off...

Rowan is just not herself yet. She had such a hard time getting to sleep for her nap and for bed tonight. She got sick again yesterday, but it was not nearly the upsetting experience of Thursday. We spent yesterday and this morning trying to relax a bit, but decided to go to the park to run around for a bit this afternoon. Rowan had fun collecting pinecones and rocks, having a snack, then swinging and sliding. She refers to both a swing and a slide as "whee" which I find quite adorable. It was a really nice afternoon.

Rowan's eating habits have, of late, left much to be desired. My child, who once ate anything given to her, is now eating very little of anything at all. Tonight for dinner, she refused peas, carrots, sunbutter and jam sandwich, chili and applesauce. She ended up eating a piece of white bread for dinner. White bread. Full of vitamins and minerals. (Can you sense the sarcasm?) We only have white bread in the house because of the digestive issues of the past few weeks. Whatever will she eat when it's gone?

Today we also bought Rowan a Piglet costume for Halloween. Of course I already have a princess dress for her, but one can never have too many costumes, right? Rowan saw the Piglet costume hanging in our bedroom and seems quite excited. It's a bit big on her and may be a little too warm to actually wear on Halloween, but I'm pretty sure it will provide lots of fun dressing up over the next year or so. One of Rowan's favorite "games" is finding Piglet in the morning. (He is always in a canister or container sitting on the table at her place). She sees the container, gets very excited, looks at me and says "Pig?" and then opens the container and yells "Pig!" She then enjoys putting Pig in the container and pulling him out.

After bath tonight, Rowan went pee-pee in the potty again. I still laugh that I call it "pee-pee" and "potty". I feel I'm probably losing all capability of conversing with adults that don't have children. I found a quite funny blog (quotation-marks.blogspot.com) that is devoted to the ridiculous improper use of quotation marks. I think I should really start my own grammar blog devoted to the lack of use of adverbs. I'm sure I could find countless examples of seemingly intelligent people who have, somehow, never learned the importance of the adverb in the English language. Poor Lance had to learn quite quickly about adverbs when we were dating and I corrected his grammar constantly. Why did he deal with me? I guess that's love for you!

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Sweet, Sick Little Girl

Poor, poor little Rowan. She just can't catch a break. The past few weeks have been pretty rough and today was no exception. Rowan was up quite a bit last night--kind of whining for a bit and then falling back asleep. She then woke up earlier than usual this morning. I was pretty sure she was teething, so we packed up and went to the park to keep her mind off of it. After lots of running around, playing with trucks in the sand and climbing, we headed off to gymnastics--typically one of the highlights of Rowan's week. But today, she was much more interested in being held and whining. She did jump on the trampoline and have some fun, but she was not usual wild self at all. On the way home she fell asleep in the car--completely unheard of. Then, we went home where she took a 15-minute nap.

After the nap, I had to get out of the house with Rowan since she was so, so pathetic. So we did a little Target run and then did some grocery shopping. When we got home, I tried to give Rowan a snack which she was not interested in. So, I gave her a cup of milk and read her books, hoping she'd be up for a little nap. Near the end of the cup, though, she threw up. And I mean, she really threw up. It was everywhere. All over me, all over her, all over the carpet, all over her chair. It was even coming out her nose. She was so hysterical she wouldn't let me put her down. So, after holding her for a while, I had to attempt to clean us off. I stripped us both down and we hopped in the tub. She was shivering from her fever and screaming her little head off. So, we got out, wrapped in a towel and laid in bed together. I called Lance crying and asked him to come home. I just didn't know what to do with the amount of vomit that was everywhere. I have never seen Rowan so upset. We took her temp. tonight--103--and we kind of forced her to take a bath. Then, we put her right to bed.

I'm not looking forward to tonight--I'm afraid none of us will be sleeping much. I am exhausted after spending the day worrying. And I had to cancel our huge playdate that we were hosting tomorrow. My poor little girl.

I can't wait until Rowan is back to normal. I really miss all of her smiles and giggles and silly quirks.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Discovering Her Shadow

This is what Rowan did this morning. I guess living in our very shady, wooded area, Rowan hasn't had a chance to really see her shadow before. We were outside playing and doing the usual--picking up sticks and leaves--when Rowan ventured into the neighbor's driveway. Their driveway is black asphalt and the sun was peeking through the trees at the perfect angle to make nice, big shadows. I showed Rowan how the shadow moved when she moved. She wiggled her little arms and danced and watched her shadow and my shadow. She would point to hers and say "Ro Ro" and point to mine and say "mama". I'm sure any neighbors who were home got a kick or our shadow dancing in the neighbors driveway. Rowan, of course, loved her shadow and had to kiss it twice.

Rowan also discovered the translucent curtains in her playroom. She pulled one out and put it over her face and noticed that she could see through it. Then I would kiss her through the curtain, which, in Rowan's world, was the funniest thing ever. She hasn't laughed like that in a while.

Other than those two new discoveries, Rowan has been a bit moody this week. She threw a complete temper tantrum when I dropped her off for Bible study yesterday. I'm sure running errands this afternoon will prove to be quite difficult. I'm pretty sure I can see little white spots on the top gums where the eye teeth will be coming in. So, I guess I'm going to try to plan a lot of things to keep her busy so she's not thinking about her teeth all the time.

I, personally, am looking very forward to dinner with the girls tonight at Ri-Ra. I haven't had any just girl time since Girls' Weekend and need an hour or so of adult conversation. It will be a quick dinner since some of the girls are heading to the Dave Matthews concert afterward and I am heading to tutor. I think Rowan will be happy to get some much needed Dada time and, hopefully, we'll both be ready for a new day tomorrow.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

How Lucky I Am

It's 2:00 on a Sunday and I am sitting outside in a hammock, playing on my computer. After going to church and then Trader Joe's, we came home, ate lunch, put Rowan to bed and watched a great Panthers touchdown before Lance headed off to his soccer game and I headed to the hammock. Sounds quite dreamy, doesn't it? After this post, I will delve into my book and enjoy until Rowan wakes up. Then, I will probably attempt to have her join me, but I don't imagine a sedentary afternoon in the hammock is really what will be on her agenda.

I often find myself envious of friends' big houses, expensive cars and funds for babysitters and date nights several times a week. But, really, I am so fortunate to have everything that I do. I have a house (albeit one that, I'm afraid, might have some serious foundation issues), a wonderful husband, a hilariously fun little girl, a baby on the way and I'm able to be a stay-at-home mom--at least for the time being. Today in church, one of our pastors reminded us that many children in Asia, Africa and South America have to work for pennies a day to help support their families. It makes me hurt so much for those parents who aren't able to be with their children, to watch them run and play and to send them to school. So, even though I don't have all of the things I might wish I had, I have everything I need and more.

So, teenage Rowan and Sprout, when I won't buy you the designer jeans you're begging for, it's not that I don't understand (in fact, I probably want them, too) or that I don't love you (you'll never know how much I do). But, remember, you have so much more than most kids in the world. We are all so blessed that God has given us so much.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Oh No, It's Monkey Joe!

What a nice day! I am loving the cooler temperatures--high around 80, cooler in the mornings and evenings. Rowan and I went for a nice, long walk this morning while Lance tried to fix the weed wacker and was able to get a little yard work done. We then all played outside, swinging, sliding and kicking a soccer ball. Harley even played a little fetch. Rowan has been saying "beta" (bay-TAH) lately. Neither of us have a clue what that means. While Rowan took a nap, we were able to get a little laundry done and I went to a consignment sale, but didn't find anything too exciting.

After Rowan's nap, we went to the Charlotte Mommies birthday party. There were a few Gymboree toys there to play on. Rowan climbed up and went down the slide once. The bounce houses that were advertised didn't seem to be there. We did get some yummy food. And we found out that Rowan is extremely scared of large characters. Monkey Joe was there. I took Rowan to see Monkey Joe, thinking she would find him funny. He is a large purple character of some kind. You would think he would be a monkey, but I'm not so sure. Anyway, we walked over to say hi and I could feel Rowan shaking in my arms. She then let out the loudest scream and started crying. My little daredevil has never really been scared before. I was shocked! Poor little thing. After that, she didn't want to stray too far from mommy or daddy. When Rowan was a few months old, she was sitting next to Harley, looked over and saw Harley and did the same thing. But, she got used to Harley, so maybe she'll get used to large characters as well. If not, I would imagine Disney World would be like a haunted house to Rowan.

After the party, a little more outside time, a nice snack, and then it was time for bed. Lance is out buying milk, juice, ice cream and muffins (you know, the essentials) while I do today's blog. Then we'll probably enjoy a bit of TV or a movie before I finish the night by reading a little more of Harry Potter 7. I just want to know how it all ends! I'm such a nerdy bookworm. Off to enjoy a few pages before Lance gets home...

Friday, September 14, 2007

Happy Friday

What a nice day! The weather is finally out of the 90's and we had plenty (but not too much) to do. We started out the morning at a fun playdate at Stacy and Madison's house. Lots of food, lots of fun, lots of running around. Rowan had a wonderful time. Out of the 16 babies, there were 15 girls and one boy. Where are all of the boys? I don't even want to imagine high school for Rowan if there are a hundred girls fighting over 6 boys! So, high school Rowan, it's not worth it! You'll find someone wonderful when the time is right. In the meantime, have fun and know that I love you more than you can imagine.

After the playdate, Rowan took a nice long nap and then we just played together--reading books, singing songs and dancing. Lance came home early today! Yeah! I think he was home just after 5:00. I had planned on making salmon crepes for dinner, but we decided instead to go to Greg's for the yummiest BBQ. After getting home, we had a little playtime, a nice long bath and then Rowan went pee-pee in the potty. (I can't believe I say "pee-pee in the potty" now...) Good job, Rowan. She went poo-poo (yes, poo-poo) twice in one day about 2 months ago, but hasn't been interested since. I think the pee-pee was really a fluke, but I'm happy about it nonetheless.

After putting Rowan to bed, Lance and I assumed our usual positions in front of the TV, Lance with the remote, me with the laptop. Today I'm enjoying Harley's head in my lap. Seb is also lounging on the couch with me. I love these sweet pups--even when they bark and wake Rowan up from her naps. We are so fortunate to have two great pets and an amazing, wonderful little girl.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Two Long, But Fun Days

It seems that Lance's busy season has officially started. It's great that things are going well at work, but we are seeing less of him here at home. Yesterday he had a dinner meeting and got home around 8:00, today it was around 7:00. I can tell that Rowan misses her daddy and I really miss having a little downtime in the evenings when we can tag-team a little bit--or when we can do some fun things all together.

Yesterday since Lance was working late, I took Rowan to the park around 5:30. It was nice outside--not too hot, and we were the only people there. We spent about an hour running around, collecting many sticks, leaves and rocks, swinging, climbing and sliding. Rowan just loves to be active. In the morning, we went to the mall play area with Trang and Nathan. The kids had so much fun running and playing and trying to escape. Many parents made comments about Rowan's fearlessness. She saw a bigger girl fall off a climbing toy and thought that looked like a lot of fun, so she did it, too. She was laying on the ground, laughing and laughing. What a little goof. It gave all of the parents quite a laugh.

Today Rowan had gymnastics again. She just loves it. Today she enjoyed walking on the balance beam and holding herself up on the bar. I was pretty impressed that she could hold onto the bar and lift her little legs up. Tonight we took a nice, long walk around the neighborhood. It's finally cooling off enough in the evenings to enjoy some good, quality outside time.

We're looking forward to a playdate tomorrow and, hopefully, a very relaxing weekend.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

We Remember...

On this September 11, we remember how fortunate we are to have simple freedoms, to have friends and family and to live in a country that is full of people who support other people. Of course, things aren't always this way and there are many things I would change about our country, but we are very blessed for everything we have.

We were able to wake up today, go to moms group at church, relax at home and play at Satacy and Madison's house. Rowan's diaper rash seems to be clearing up and she seems to be on the upswing of this yucky stomach bug. We really are a very fortunate family.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Teeny, Tiny Kicks

I've been thinking for a few days now that I'm feeling some movement from little Sprout. I'm pretty sure, in fact, that I am. Since I haven't really felt pregnant up until this point, it's kind of a nice litte reminder that little Sprout is there and will be a part of our family in just over 5 months (or, if he/she has Rowan's timing, just under 5 months). It's making me realize that I need to get moving on getting Rowan's big girl room ready and, really, I feel I have a lot to do before this baby comes!

I did order Rowan's duvet cover from Pottery Barn. Stripes on one side, Hawaiian floral on the other. Girly, but not too babyish, so she shouldn't outgrow it anytime soon. I bought an extra cover to make (hopefully with the help of my mom) Rowan's shams and a window treatment of some sort. When I opened the package, I showed it to Rowan and she seemed rather excited, even though I know she had no idea what it was. I can't imagine my little peanut in a big bed. And, I'll admit, we've allowed her to play and jump on our bed which makes me quite certain that it will take quite a while for her to realize her bed is for sleeping--not playing. I have a feeling Sprout will be sleeping in our room for quite some time while we try to transition Rowan into her big girl bed.

After Rowan woke up with an absolutely disgusting diaper that had, of course, leaked all over her sheet, I talked to the nurse at Dr. Samarel's office. She said these stomach viruses can last up to two weeks. I have to feed Rowan bananas and white bread for the rest of the week and see if things start to improve. And only soy milk. So, after a trip to the dreaded Walmart, Rowan tried soy milk. I was rather nervous that she'd have nothing to do with it, but she loves the stuff! So, I'm quite excited that she should at least be able to get through the week without starving. We also got the go-ahead to go to the first moms group at church tomorrow. Rowan also has a bleeding diaper rash from all of the nasty diarrhea. So, we're having lots of diaper free time and loading up on diaper cream. Poor little thing.

Of course, the upside to this whole thing is that the doctor recommended frequent baking soda baths, so bath-crazy Rowan got to take two baths today and spent a lot of time running around naked. She was loving it. Of course, she will not allow me to change her diaper without essentially pinning her down. Fortunately, through all of this, she is still her wild, happy self and generally quite a bit of fun.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Rowan's Adorable Obsessions

Let me just say that Rowan has two relatively new obsessions, both which make me laugh. The first is kissing. Now, she'll kiss me if I ask her to, but she just loves, lately, to kiss any and all characters in her books. She kisses them and makes the "mwah" sound. Pooh and Piglet? Mwah. A large, hairy pop-out spider? Mwah. Books take at least twice as long to read, which is okay with me since reading is about the only thing she will sit on my lap for. The other obsession is during bathtime. She loves to fill her cup with water, dump it over her head and yell "Whee"! She must have done this at least 50 times in the tub tonight. She especially likes to fill the cup up under the spout--it is not the same to just dip it in the water. When she initially started this, she would try to grab water with her hands out of the flow from the faucet and place it in the cup. I'm not sure what led her to realize this was not the most efficient way to fill the cup, but she has made the leap to putting the cup, instead of her hands, under the faucet.

Rowan has also decided lately that it's very fun to give her snack and drink to her little stuffed Piglet. She holds a piece of food or a cup up to Piglet's mouth and makes a smacking noise. It's just so cute. I think I'll need to splurge and get a little table and chairs and a teaset so we can have fun tea parties soon.

We went to look at a van again today. It was pretty far from our house, so after looking we took Rowan to a mall out that way with a great play area. She was squealing and running all around. She had such a great time. After a very long nap, we attempted to take her to the Greek Festival which we have enjoyed several times since moving here. It started out well. Rowan was happy hanging out in the backpack. We looked around a bit and ordered some yummy lamb, grape leaves, spanikopita, Greek meatballs and a yummy, but strangely sweet noodle and meat dish. Also a yummy Greek salad. This is when things started getting a little crazy. We finally found a place to sit among the thousands (literally) of other people. Lance and I quickly realized that there was no way we could eat at the same time as Rowan just wanted to run around once she found freedom outside of the backpack. About half way through dinner, we decided to cut the festival short and head home. Next year, I think we'll order food and bring it home. In any case, we had lots of yummy food and I think Rowan enjoyed people watching and seeing a bit of Greek dancing before we headed out.

Rowan's diaper rash is getting worse. We gave her some diaper free time after her bath. Of course, she managed to pee all over Lance and the glider in her room. 5 dirty diapers today. I'm pretty sure we'll be making a trip to see Dr. Samarel on Monday.

Friday, September 7, 2007

Time with Friends

After a good night's sleep (finally!) for both Rowan and myself, we decided to have a few friends over. Trang and Nathan came over and then Stacy dropped Madison off while she went to the DMV. Lots of playing, a huge mess, and three sleepy kids. Rowan took a great nap.

After her nap, we went to the pool with Ashley and Olivia Jane. Rowan enjoyed stealing all of the other kids' toys and throwing them in the pool while I retrieved them. While at the pool, we heard the birth story of another neighbor. A nice, quick homebirth to a 9 pound 2 ounce baby. Wow! Not only do I think I could never do that, I also can't imagine Lance calmly catching the baby. And, really, what would Rowan be doing? Fortunately this mom's other child was sleeping at the time. I wish I could be so calm and relaxed, but really, a stable, sterile, hospital environment is my choice.

After dinner tonight Rowan had a nice bath and lots of naked time (peeing on the carpet in her room not once, but twice) before we had to put her in a diaper. Four rounds of diarrhea today and about that many each day this week has given her quite the diaper rash. Fortunately she actually enjoys drinking Pedialyte, but if this continues through the weekend, we'll be off to the doctor on Monday.

Lance and I watched a good soccer movie after Rowan's nap and are looking forward to a nice, busy weekend.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Rowan's First Gymnastics Class

I knew Rowan was awake this morning when I heard her little voice saying "No, nnnnnnno, nnnnnnno" through the baby monitor. I'm not sure why the obsession with the word "no" has come about, but she clearly enjoys saying "no" more than anything else. This morning when I asked Rowan if she wanted more waffle, she said "no" and then promptly signed "More, please." Does Rowan just like the sound of the word "no"? Does it feel funny to say the word "no"? Does she just love to disagree with me? Let's hope for one of the first two.

Rowan woke up again with a disgustingly blown-out diaper, this time the poop was running down one of her legs. After an enjoyable time cleaning that up, we had breakfast and played before heading out to her first gymnastics class. What a riot! We first sat down to sing songs. While the other children were sitting quietly on their mom's laps, Rowan was running headfirst into a large foam platform in the middle of the circle. I found it quite amusing and I'm hoping the other moms did as well. I'm sure some of them were thinking I needed to control my child. I will say, though, that she is one of the youngest in the class, so I have that to my advantage.

After "circle time", it was pretty much a free for all on the equipment. It's a great facility with tons to do. Rowan especially loved the trampoline, the large climbing mats and the slides. She was rather intimidated by the huge foam pit the other children seemed to congregate in. Oh well, maybe I can get her in there before the end of the session. At the end of the class, the kids all earned a stamp on their hand. Rowan was so excited about her stamp that she went back for another. The whole way home (at least the part when she wasan't begging for snacks), she kept pointing at her hands, saying "bee". The stamp was really an angel, but hey, they both have wings. I'll have to remember to get some stamps out to give her if she's feeling sad.

We had a painter come out to do an estimate this afternoon. The dogs, of course, were barking loudly and woke Rowan up almost an hour early. So, we headed to the grocery store for a bit and then came back home. After putting away the groceries, I started feeling sick and spent an hour in and out of the bathroom. It's never fun trying to entertain a toddler while sitting on the toilet. At one point, she just wanted to sit on my lap. When does Rowan ever want to sit on my lap? I called Lance hoping he could come home early, but he was so busy at work he didn't get home until 7. When he got home, I handed over Rowan (who was, I think, quite ready to be rid of me) and moped for a bit.

Tonight is opening night of the football season. Somewhat exciting, though I'm sure every free moment of Lance's will be spent in one of three ways: 1. watching football 2. obsessing over fantasy football scores/talking trash to friends in his leagues 3. "researching" players for his fantasy teams. Ahhh, such a productive fall I'm sure we'll have...

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

And the Stomach Bug Continues

Rowan woke up as happy as could be and ready to play, so we went over to Trang and Nathan's for a playdate. The kids had lots of fun running around and eating lots of snacks. Nathan is quite a talker, so I'm hoping Rowan will decide to start using some words, too.

When we came home, lunch was a fight and Rowan only ate a bit of a cereal bar before heading down for a nice nap. After her nap, we headed out to the grocery store. Since we were just picking up a few things, I put her in the stroller and we walked the aisles. Soon I smelled a rather unfortunate odor, looked down and realized that Rowan had pooped completely through her diaper and her dress. There was poop all over her dress and the stroller. We had to head out of the store and work some magic in the back of the station wagon. Yes, I was the mother with an angry naked child in the back of a car. There was poop everywhere and I was just hoping no one I knew was anywhere around. Rowan sported a diaper the whole way home. When we got home and I picked out some new clothes for Rowan, I went to put them on and realized the dreaded diarrhea struck again. Yes, yet another diaper full. Fortunately it stayed in the diaper this time. Once Rowan was dressed, we headed outside where I cleaned her stroller and she ran around.

Lance picked up some pizza for dinner since I hadn't had a chance to finish my grocery shopping. During dinner, yet again, Rowan had a diaper explosion. Poor thing has quite the raw bottom. I'm really hoping that was the last of it. We're hoping to have Rowan's first gymnastics class tomorrow!

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

A Stomach Bug

After feeling pretty yucky much of yesterday, I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised when Rowan woke up crying around midnight with a rather nasty diaper. After Lance and I both tried cuddling with her, I brought her into bed with us, hoping for some good cuddle time. She rested on my chest for about 5 minutes and then decided it was play time. Some good rolling around, jumping on the bed and laughing. Clearly my hopes of cuddling were out the door. So, I did her whole bedtime routine again--tylenol, sippy of milk, lots of stories, songs, etc. and put her back to bed around 2am. She slept for the rest of the night.

Of course, I was rather tired when Rowan woke up this morning. I was very tempted at the idea of turning on the TV and relaxing while Rowan drank in the sights and sounds, but I refrained. We ate breakfast and headed outside with the hope of getting in a little fresh air before the high of 97 hit. Swinging, sliding and picking up random leaves lasted for about 30 minutes and then we played inside until naptime. After naptime, some more playing inside and lots of reading books and playing with stickers. When I (finally) changed Rowan into some clothes, she said "pit, pit". I think she was trying to say "pretty". And, of course, she did look quite pretty in her little pink outfit. Lance got home early (yeah!), so we decided to have an early dinner and then go to Dairy Queen. A Kit Kat blizzard can make a pretty mundane day seem much more exciting!

Looking forward to our playdate with Nathan tomorrow and gymnastics on Thursday!

Monday, September 3, 2007

The End of the Long Weekends...

Ah, so the lovely summer of Lance's long weekends is at a close. In the summer, he is able to work long days and take Friday off. It's been so nice having 3-day weekends every weekend. And, with labor day this weekend, it was a 4-day weekend! We had great aspirations to have lots of family fun and some relaxation as well. On Friday we went for a nice bike ride in the morning, Rowan grabbing my shirt the whole way. After the ride, Rowan took a nap and then we all went shopping for a (GASP) minivan! We looked at several at CarMax and decided to think about one overnight and make a decision the next day.

We woke up Saturday and went to the Labor Day parade in Matthews. I was so excited for Rowan to see the parade and go to the festival, ride the train and run around. But, alas, we got to the parade, parked and realized not long after the parade started, that Rowan was quite glassy-eyed and sleepy. Upon feeling her forehead, we realized that she was sick. Poor little thing. So, we hopped in the car and headed home. Or, I should say, tried to head home. We had parked at the library and were blocked in by the parade on all sides. Rowan fell asleep in the car, so we just waited by an exit until the parade was over and left.

In between Rowan's two naps (yes, two naps, she really was sick), we decided to buy our minivan. Lance bought it and drove it home. I drove it around and realized that it didn't have the remote sliding doors that I thought it did. And the doors were pretty hard to close. I could get them open okay, but then I had to keep yanking on the doors to close them. I was so frustrated I sent Lance to return the car. He was not happy with me in the least, but I'd rather hold out for the car I want. I can only imagine carrying two small children while trying to yank the door closed.

Sunday Rowan woke up feeling much better. Lance made pancakes and we relaxed in the morning. We took a wagon ride and played outside for a bit. For some reason, Rowan refused to take a nap, maybe since she took two yesterday. So, I packed her up and took her to Matthews Alive while Lance did his first fantasy football draft. She wasn't too thrilled about being in her stroller, but we had fun walking around, riding the train and sharing a frozen banana (so yummy). We ran into a few friends while we were there. Rowan slept very well.

Today we had a relaxing morning and went to Trader Joe's for a few little treats. I'm very excited about their organic fruit spreads for $2. Last week was raspberry, but this week I went for the cherry. Also had to try the dried, sweetened hibicus flowers. Who knew they were edible? During Rowan's nap, I joined her with a nice nap of my own. First I read a little more in the fifth Harry Potter. I think I'm going to go ahead and finish reading them all. I really want to know how the series ends!

Lance took Rowan to the grocery store when she woke up so I could sleep a little longer. They bought lots of fun goodies for a picnic. When I woke up, we headed over to the park and played and ate. Rowan ran around, digging in the sand, playing with bubbles, showing us lots of rocks, and swinging and sliding. She came home sticky, dirty and very happy. In the bathtub, she loves to try to catch water with her hands and put it in her cup. She clearly doesn't quite understand the difference between solids and liquids. It is just the cutest thing. She is also say "mamado" all of the time. Lance and I cannot figure out what she is trying to say. "My turn"? "Mother"? "Tomato"? What is it?

Now Lance is doing another fantasy football draft, so I caught up a bit with my blog and will probably read a little more Harry Potter before watching The Hills (my guilty pleasure) at 10.