On the Road Again...

We had a busy weekend of travelling to get in before the dreaded return to work next week. Ed's grandparents hadn't seen Rowan yet because they aren't able to travel this far easily, so we decided to take the weekend to visit the Farley's and Smith's in IA and IL.

We left before 8am on Saturday and headed to Cedar Rapids IA first to visit Carol and Dick. Carol was on a little field trip home for the day from the nursing home when we arrived. She was very anxious to see Rowan as she has heard many wonderful things about her from Gma Sue. Rowan had a few big smiles for her inbetween her afternoon crabbiness! We even managed to get a group photo with our mini tripod. Carol and Dick got a kick out of Ed running to get in the photo, he even managed to do it without tripping and falling.
When we left the Farley household we headed about 15 minutes to Marion IA to stop and see Graham, Kim and Sydney! We were able to see their new home and visit with the new parents a bit. It was very nice! We are used to Rowan being the smaller baby (usually next to Breyson) but now next to Sydney she is the bigger baby. Although they really are very comparable in size, Rowan's got her by a few pounds!
From Marion, we headed to Moline to visit Papa, Gma Jan and the rest of the family. Most of the family was busy at weddings and birthday parties Saturday night, so after dinner we got to sit and relax and visit with Papa and Gma Jan (this doesn't happen often because usually there are a ton of people around) So that was enjoyable. Then Sunday morning we headed over to Chuck and Meg's house for breakfast and to see the rest of the Smith clan! Cousin Nicki and her boyfriend Larry were in town for the weekend from San Diego, and Tara and Eric and the boys were home from Dubuque, Holly came home from school, and Graham and Kim drove over too for the day. So we got to catch up with most of the Smith's and share Rowan with all of them.

On a side note, if I calculated correctly, Rowan is great-grandchild #12 for Papa and Gma Jan. Then came Sydney (#13), and on Thursday (September 25) Chad and Jessica delivered their 4th little girl (Kate Marie) who is great-grandchild #14. Tara is pregnant with her 3rd, who will make #15 (due in March). There aren't many people that can say they had that many great-grandchildren!
We were on the road home just after noon, Rowan did great in the car. She actually slept the entire ride home. Ed wasn't very happy because we couldn't get the Packer game on the radio (not such a bad thing considering how they played!) We did get to hear the end of the Brewer game which was exciting, Go Brewers!!

Well, this is my last week of maternity leave, back to reality next Monday!

1st Brewers Game...

Last night Rowan attended her very first Brewers Game!

We went early and tailgated beforehand briefly, she did very well. She was awake for about the first 3 or 4 innings, then she fell asleep and woke up on and off throughout the game. We decided to leave at the top of the 9th inning, the game was tied 1-1, but we wanted to beat traffic out of the stadium. We were home in time to watch the end of the game, aka the game winning grand slam that Braun hit. Wish we would have been there to see it in person, but it would have taken us forever to get home along with 40,000 other fans.

Thank you to Gma and Gpa Bremberger for giving us the tickets!

11 Weeks Old...

Here she is at 11 weeks old... What is new this week...

Well, we decided to try what the doctor ordered as of monday for trying to get Miss Rowan to take adequate naps during the day, and to learn to fall asleep on her own...let's just say we haven't been very successful. I'd say another way of putting it is "the cry it out method"...still not working. On Monday she cried for an hour for her first nap (rule is to put her to bed when she is tired...and she is supposed to nap for an hour to an hour and a half...leave her there for at least an hour whether she is sleeping or crying...obviously don't wake her if she is sleeping at an hour...but she should stay there an hour) so I get her out of bed after her hour of crying, and she stops crying the second I pick her up of course, but she is exhausted because she just cried for an hour. So she falls asleep within minutes in my arms...so I put her back in bed...she sleeps for maybe 30 minutes...so then do I get her up? or keep her in bed for her hour total still...essentially this is how everyday has been...she has yet to sleep for an hour straight...she will now sleep for the first 20-40 minutes and then lay there and cry, and is still tired when we get her up after an hour.

In my mind, this isn't working right. I haven't started the night time part. We are supposed to move her bedtime up to start the routine at 7pm and be in bed by 8pm, but depending on what time she eats during the day, that just doesn't work. We don't have a good daytime schedule yet to make the nighttime part work. Plus, again we are supposed to put her to bed when she looks tired and let her fall asleep on her own, only you don't get her up after an hour of crying, she cries until she falls asleep. Let's just say we haven't done that yet. We are used to her bedtime being between 830pm and 10pm depending on what time she eats. And sometimes she sleeps until 6am, but for the most part we have a feeding during the night around 3 or 4 am.

Now this whole process might not be working because he (the pediatrician) told us to do this in a month (so that would be around 3 months old because we discussed this at her 2 month check up) but I was fed up with her not napping during the day, so we started it on monday. So is she just not old enough to realize what she is supposed to do? Or is this process bogus and I am letting her cry for nothing? She clearly isn't learning anything yet (I know it has only been 3-4 days, but he made it seem like she would learn that fast) So I don't know what to do now, I didn't want to be letting her cry it out when I go back to work and am trying to sleep during the day and she is crying right across the hall. I was hoping to have it handled by then. But it isn't looking good. Rowan is managing to make the process harder than it should be, not everything works for every baby and maybe she is an exception to this idea?

My fellow family and friends with little ones at home can give me their recommendations via email, I am ready for them. She just needs to learn to nap longer during the day so that she isn't crabby in the evening because she is so tired. I do believe in the sleep promotes sleep idea, although despite her lack of napping she does pretty good at night. Sure it would be better if she slept through the night, but that will come with time. I think?

So that is our dilemma these days. Otherwise Rowan is getting bigger and cuter every day. She is a smiley little girl with some chubby cheeks! I can't believe I go back to work in a week and a half, not happy about that. Let's just say I might fall off the face of the earth when I am back to work because I will be back to staying up 3 nights a week, and sleeping during the day with a baby in the house. Could be interesting!!

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Grulke...

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to be a bridesmaid in one of my bestest friends weddings! It was a beautiful, funfilled, busy day. Everything seemed to go very smoothly. Everyone was where they were supposed to be on time, no rings were forgotten, no one tripped down the aisle, etc, etc...

The morning started out at the salon and spa where us ladies had our hair and makeup done. We were there from 8am until noon. A coach bus then picked us up and took us to the church. We had a little extra time to relax at the church before we had to get dressed and ready for the ceremony at 2pm.

The ceremony was short and to the point (perfect for those of us standing in front in heels!). They didn't forget to kiss, and they both made it through with minimal tears (not the rest of us of course). It was very nice.

After the ceremony and pictures at church we took the bus to Garrett and Crystals house for some more pictures, then boarded the bus again to make a stop at a local establishment for a few beverages. Then we headed to the dinner and reception location for a few more pictures and then finally cocktail hour, followed by dinner and dancing.

Here are some pictures of our happy little family...

Rowan attended the ceremony with Ed, and then she spent the evening at Papa Ed and Grama Sue's house. Uncle Dusty and Aunt Julie were in town visiting, so she got very spoiled by them all. We picked her up on our way home from the reception. And I survived leaving her for several hours in a row. Doesn't mean it will be any easier the next time!

10 Weeks Old...

10 Weeks and growing strong...

...As you can see we have a smiley adorable little girl on our hands, that still doesn't believe in napping, but does pretty darn good at night.

...We stopped giving her Prevacid as of Monday, so far so good.
She loves to lay on her tummy and play for brief periods, but she has started to roll from her stomach to her back, so we have to pad the sides of her favorite toy so she doesn't hit her head. We will try to get a video of her rolling soon.

...She has definitely found her hands, they are in her mouth a lot! She has started drooling, not a sign of teething according to the Pediatrician, at least not this early.

...Her favorite position for falling asleep is the pseudo-breastfeeding hold.

...She is starting to not mind being in the car seat. We have had several successful trips to the mall and other stores where she has been content and awake, not screaming where she needs to be taken out of the car seat and held.

...I guess those are the big things for now, new things happen just about every day. So I am sure I left somethings out, oh well. We'll get them in the next weekly post.



More pictures in the photo album...

Best Buds...

Enough Said...

Chicago, IL

When Ed was done working on Saturday we headed down to Chicago so that Ed could help Dusty put a kitchen pantry cabinet in Julie's condo. We left home about 10:45am and didn't arrive at Julie's until 2pm. Normally this trip takes about 2 hours, but when I-94 is closed due to flooding in the Chicago area, it takes quite a bit longer. Needless to say, it was a long ride. But we made it.

Ed and Dusty spent the afternoon and evening installing the pantry cabinet while Rowan and I just hung out. Julie was away at a wedding, so we didn't have anyone to hang out with, but we were fine. We could have done the same thing sitting around at home while it rained, so I figured we might as well go along. We ordered some pizza for dinner, watched some football, and that was about it for the day.

Rowan had no problem playing with her favorite toy.

Ed had gone down to Chicago a few months ago to help Dusty install this bathroom vanity and sink.

Sunday morning Dusty took us to a place called Flattop for breakfast, it was great! For lunch and dinner this restaurant is a stir fry joint, where you put what you want in a bowl and someone cooks it for you. But on the weekend they do breakfast too, so we had egg scrambles and pancakes, you can put anything you want in them. It was very tasty, and it is all you can eat for a flat rate too. Very reasonable for Chicago!

After breakfast we decided to head home because we didn't know what the drive was going to be like. Luckily I-94 was open and we made it home in the usual 2 hours. Watched the Packer game, and even took a short nap (that is about all Rowan allows).

My Uncle Brian and Aunt Leslie and cousins Kelsie and Emily came over to visit us and Rowan for the first time after the Packer game. It was nice to visit and catch up and of course they loved Rowan! I must have been too busy chatting and never got the camera out, next time!

Made by...

First time wearing this onesie, had to share with everyone!!

2 Month Check Up and 9 Weeks Old...

We had a rather rough day today, well at least Rowan and I did.

We were at the Pediatrician today for her 2 month check up, this involved the standard weight and measurements, updating the Ped on her changes and progress since our last visit, and the start of the dreaded immunizations. Let's just say, I will have a renewed empathy for parents and babies when I return to work! I give shots to babies all the time at work without even thinking about the concept, but I welled up with tears when Rowan got her shots today. I managed to hide them from the nurse, but not my husband. I never thought I would react that way, perhaps it is still horomones, or just being a mom?

So anyway, here is what we learned at the MD today:

Rowan's Stats:

Weight: 10 pounds 9 1/2 ounces (50th percentile)

Length: 23.75 inches long (90th percentile)

Head: they didn't write it down, but I think it was 38 cm?

We discussed attempting to stop the Prevacid, which I am going to do, but he advised I wait a few days so that we would know if she had issues with the immunizations versus stopping the Prevacid.

We will continue on Similac Isomil (soy) formula until she is 6 months old and go from there as far as weaning to regular formula. I asked him his views on name brand versus generic formula, he said to keep her on what we are using for at least 2 months before trying to change. So we will probably just stick to name brand (so fellow friends and family, keep the coupons and or free samples coming!) We decided to toss the breastmilk I had stored up in the freezer, all that work for nothing!

We discussed her lack of napping during the day. Let's just say when she is 3 months old, it is going to get rough around here! Essentially we will be getting her on a better schedule and using the cry it out method come that time. He gave us many techniques to use to get her to fall asleep on her own, and nap for 1-1 1/2 hours 3 times a day instead of the maybe 30-40 minutes we get here and there currently. Her bedtime will be moving up to between 7 and 8 pm, right now it is anywhere from 9-11pm. Right now she gets up usually once during the night, generally around 4am, yes we had like 4 nights last week that she slept until 6am, but that has come to a halt. When I said it is going to be rough around here that is because not only will I have to let her cry, but I will be going back to work around that time as well. So it should be interesting.

So I think that is the MD visit in a nutshell. Rowan did very well the first couple hours after the visit, she slept while we ran errands, came home and fed her, gave her some Tylenol, took her pictures, she played a bit, took her short nap, and then all hell broke loose. She was absolutely beside herself for at least an hour, nothing made her happy, and it was a cry of pain, soooo.... sad, finally she settled down and fell asleep, I hope this isn't a sign of how our night is going to be!

Here are pictures from this morning and yesterday, don't know how such a sweet baby can be so upset!

Rowan's Favorite Toy...

This is Rowan's favorite form of entertainment by far these days, next to Ed and I anyway. She gets her arms going and hits the animals and smiles up a storm! The music tends to get a bit on the annoying side after several minutes, but it keeps her happy for a short while so we like it just as much as she does! Thanks to Blayne, Molly and Kieran for purchasing a great toy, K has some great taste!

Bumbo...

We pulled out the Bumbo seat today to try it out, wasn't as successful as I thought it would be. For one, Rowan's neck muscles need to get a bit stronger, and you can tell she isn't used to sitting up in that position, she was rather pissed after a few minutes. We'll try again in a few weeks!

Happy Grandparents Day!

Love, Rowan

We all know this is what Rowan does best, pose for pictures! So this is her gift to all her wonderful loving grandparents this year! Plenty of homemade gifts to come in the future years!

Here are a few outtakes:

8 Weeks Old...

Here is Rowan, a very happy smiley little girl!

I have learned to take her picture in the morning because that is when she is the happiest.

New this last week has been her sleeping habits. Sunday night she slept 930pm until 630am, Monday night she slept 10pm until 6am, Tuesday she was asleep at 930pm and awake at 430am but went back to bed for a little bit. Then last night she slept 1030pm until 615am this morning. Then cat napped from 715 until 8, and that is how the rest of the day goes. She eats about every 2-3 hours, plays for about 30 minutes either before or after she eats and then naps for 30min to an hour here and there. I don't know that we can call this a schedule, or if the sleeping at night is going to continue, but it is a start. She has also been sleeping in her crib at night for the last week. So I don't know what to attribute the success to? Soy formula? The crib? Who knows.

We are still giving her Prevacid too, I am going to continue until we see the doctor for her 2 month checkup next week. Which I am dreading, it will be the start of vaccinations! I give babies injections at work all the time, but there is just something about it being your own baby that makes me a bit nervous, we'll see how it goes!

A Wednesday Play Date...

Breyson and Andrea came over for lunch and to visit and play today. It is really fun seeing the two babies together, they are more and more fun every time we get them together. Breyson was 14 weeks this week and Rowan will be 8 weeks tomorrow.

Goodnight Dumbo...

A few reasons for this post....

#1 Rowan slept from 930 pm last night until 630 am this morning!! Another miracle. This was only the second time she has slept through the night, but we take what we can get. She usually only wakes up once during the night around 2 or 3am. But yesterday she ate about every 2 hours during the day and only cat napped here and there. So she was a tired girl.

#2 Rowan has just about outgrown my favorite pair of her pajamas, Dumbo! They have fit her so nicely, and they are cute, but she is getting borderline too long for them. Only a few more nights and they will have to be retired!

#3 Rowan was very happy this morning, and wearing Dumbo, so I had to play with the camera and get some pictures. Even got a few smiling, some talking, and Gizmo managed to get in a few too.

Molly will be proud, I even got most of them on the manual setting!