Rowen's first word!

It's official. Rowen has said his first word! I happened to catch it on video the very first time he said it this past Friday. I replayed it over and over asking "did he really say that? Is that what I think it is?" And yes it was. I replayed the video a few times for Brent when he got home and he couldn't believe it. Since Friday, Rowen has said it numerous times and multiple ears have heard it so it is definitely his first word. We think he is very smart since his first word is indeed a compound word! It's only fitting that this would be his first word. So if you haven't already anxiously skipped to the video, here it is. Rowen's first word :)
(I believe it's around minute 1:33 )

Brent & Rachel

2 new things today

I introduced Row to another new food today...mac and cheese! Yummy! It was homemade of course. I got the recipe out of Baby Love. It's one of my other really good baby cook books. It was a really simple recipe. The sauce was basically a bechamel. I started with butter and flour on the stove then added milk( that part gets really thick ) and when that was bubbly, I added the cheese. Ta-Da! I plan to add broccoli and/or chicken to make it a  balanced meal. He ate that and pears for lunch today.

He really liked it. I love watching his face when he first takes a bite of something new. He has a "what is this" look for a moment followed by a "oh, it's tasty" look! 

The second new things of the day was pretty funny! He has discovered that he can look under our bed to see if our kitty is under there. It's the cutest thing! He saw her run under there earlier today and flopped down and peeked under the bed. While he was laying there on the floor, he was squealing and giggling. I think he was proud that he could see her under there. He did it 3 times and each time he would pop up and just grin and laugh like it was the funniest thing in the world! Phoebe( the kitty ) runs from Row and boy does he get a workout during the day chasing her all around. 

Smart boy!

D is for...

On Friday afternoon, the three of us headed to Centennial Park to go see the ducks! Brent got off work a little early and I am glad he got to go with Rowen and I. I love when the 3 of us get to do activities together. Rowen loves animals....ones in his books and live ones too. So I figured he would like seeing the ducks swim around. I hadn't been to Centennial Park in a while and I just love how nice it is. It's really peaceful and relaxing. And there is a beautiful flower garden. We strolled around the pond and Rowen loved seeing the ducks swimming around. He even liked looking at the trees and grabbing leaves. He's so funny!

Heading out to go visit the ducks on the left and on the right, looking at one of the fountains.

There were quite a few ducks in that pond! I am so glad it has gotten cooler. I really enjoy taking Rowen out and not having to worry if he is getting too hot. Summer was so miserable but this Fall has gotten off to a great start...nice and cool. I can see us making this a weekly trip. We only live about 6 miles away from the park. When he gets a little older, I'll take food and we can feed them. He'll love that! 

Rowen, you are 11 months old!

Rowen, you are the light of our lives. I can not believe you are 11 months old today! You are the most precious baby I have ever laid eyes on. You are full of life every single day and we love watching your personality blossom. I can't believe just how much you have changed this past month. You have changed a lot! You have mastered pulling up and do it all.the.time! You can cruise around the couch while just holding on with one hand. I can see you taking a step or two by yourself in the very near future little mister!! 

You are a TALKER. You jibber jabber all day long and I really wish I knew what you were telling your toys! You love to look outside and point and tell me all about what is out there. You also love watching the wind blow the leaves in the trees and you love birds. "Book" and "bird" are still the 2 words that you are really trying to say. I can't wait to hear one of those words come out clearly. I think I will be wildly excited :) He is still quite a little explorer. He goes around the house and checks out all our rooms. It's a daily thing. And he can usually find something that he is not suppose to play with in all those rooms of course! 

He loves when I read to him throughout the day and I enjoy it too. That little brain of his is sure soaking up a lot everyday the day! He has a few favorite books right now...A Cuddle for Little Duck, My Farm Friends, Red Wagon, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I really like watching him read by himself. He points to pictures on the page and talks away. He even giggles and smiles. I absolutely love his smile. Those little teeth are getting bigger and bigger. Just about everything we do makes him smile...we talk to him, he smiles...I sing to him, he smiles...we give him lots of praises during the day and of course he smiles! When he points to things and we tell him what it is, he smiles :) He is THE happiest baby in the world. I don't know if babies his age typically cry a time or 2 during the day but this boy hardly ever sheds a tear. 

He has really expanded his finger foods these past 2 weeks or so and for that matter has expended his palette. I have enjoyed cooking new things for him to try. As far as finger foods go, he eats well cooked pieces of carrot, shredded cheese, small pieces of banana, puffs, & baby goldfish. He still eats oatmeal cereal for breakfast along with a fruit. This past week he ate blueberry/pear puree. He loves every food he has had except for green beans. I haven't tried mixing them with anything yet. There are so many foods to try that I am really not concerned about trying to feed him green beans again anytime soon. He was eating quite a bit of brown rice mixed with different veggies but since babies shouldn't be eating rice b/c of the arsenic( sheesh! what's next?! ), I cooked him a new dish a few days ago...butternut squash w/star pasta and he gobbles it right up. He also likes sweet potatoes, peaches, and turnips just to name a few foods. We also buy pouches of Chick Chick which has chicken, veggies, & quinoa in it and he enjoys those as well.

I wake up every morning excited to see what the day is going to hold. Our days now a days are filled with new many things...new discoveries, new tastes, new animals to see in person( I will tell about our duck adventure later ), and so much more. I just love seeing Rowen getting excited about so many little things. Daddy and I can't imagine life without you little buddy. You mean the world to us! We can''t wait to watch you grow and thrive in the days to come. Mommy is a bit sad that you will be turning 1 in a month! Can.not.believe.that!!! You have truly changed our lives these past 11 months and in the best way imaginable. We love you Rowen! 

Stars are Tasty!

I made Rowen a new meal for lunch today. I was pretty excited about making it...it was probably just the star pasta I was excited about cooking. I have a couple really good baby food cookbooks. This recipe came out of Wholesome Meals for Babies and Toddlers. We had all the ingredients except the star pasta so I picked that up after my morning iced coffee run! It was super simple and looked great while I was making it.

The recipe called for:

butternut squash

baby pasta...I chose stars

small piece of unsalted butter

olive oil 

& Parmesan cheese

 My granny cans which I have mentioned before and we have jars of her butternut squash and Rowen loves it. I was pretty sure he was going to like this new dish since it has the squash in it. It took no time at all to make...those are my favorite kinds of recipes!

the ingredients

I cooked the stars which took about 8 minutes. I cooked them a little longer than the package said since I needed to get them nice and soft. And while those were cooking, I mashed up the butternut squash. When the stars were done, I put the tiny piece of butter in as well as the tsp of olive oil and tsps of Parmesan cheese. Once the stars were coated, I added the squash and mixed it all up. 

The finished product! It actually tasted super yummy. I always taste the food I make for Row before I give it to him :) He loved it which I thought he would. I can see this being one of his favorite meals for a while!

I also whipped up another one of his favorites...pears & blueberries. It's one of the prettiest baby foods I make. haha.

I enjoy making Rowen's food and also love knowing exactly what goes into his little body. We use lots of my granny's canned fruits and veggies and only buy organic. I love knowing that he is one healthy little baby.

Music is my love

Rowen absolutely positively loves loves loves anything that makes music right now! He loves his cd that I play for him when we ride in the car. He loves all his toys that light up and play songs and I even caught him wiggling and moving his arms up and down earlier when a tune came on tv. It is so fun to watch him now a days! I just love it. He is a happy boy from the beginning of the day all the way to the end....smiling and giggling the whole way through. I caught a few videos yesterday and today to show you how much he loves tunes! 

This is him riding in the car yesterday while listening to his cd. He's just dancing away and singing a note or two also!

He only does it for a second here but he has started to raise his arms and shake them when he hears music he likes. It's pretty cute...and then he proceeds to try to catch the kitty at the end of this video.

Not music related but he enjoyed mommy crashing his train into her leg for a minute today. We have started pushing our cars and trains around the house this past week...it's quite a little workout!

-playtime with a sweet friend-

Angie invited us to come over yesterday so Rowen and Sarah could have some time to play together and it was a nice time for Angie and I to catch up! The babies had such a fun time. Sarah has some toys that Rowen doesn't have so he had a big time exploring and playing with "new things". Sarah had some toys that Row recognized b/c he plays with them in his class at church! They got along great. When we first got there Sarah would just pat and pat on Rowen's leg. It was so sweet. It's like she was saying "Hey, there. Welcome to my house."!  Row loves to play with other babies and yesterday was no different. He just sat beside Sarah and they played with some of his favorite toys for a while...puzzles! 

Sarah had a piano that Rowen thought was so cool. It's one that they could pull up on and then just play away. They are quite the little musicians :) I can see us getting one of those in the near future...

Angie found a little drum that came with other instruments at a consignment sale that was a big hit with Rowen too. Sarah "showed" Row what each instrument did before he joined in and played along. Rowen is very friendly when he plays with other babies and I hope he continues to be a friendly baby. Sarah is friendly too :) They would play and then talk and play and talk. It kills me not know what they are saying! Whatever it was, was funny. They would giggle and squeal. Baby giggles are some of the cutest noises ever! 

Checking out a puzzle piece on the left and making some music on the right.

2 little cuties!!

We stayed for lunch, played a bit longer, and then Row and I headed home so that the babies could take their naps. It was a lot of fun and we will have to get together for a play date again soon! Thanks for having us over Angie & Sarah!

-Rachel-

Our Saturday...

This past Saturday I signed up to work the Encores sale from 10am-4pm. It was a mad house! It didn't open to the public till 1pm so it wasn't as as crazy for the first three hours! The first three hours that I was there was the "new moms" sale. All the new moms that signed up got to shop early. Since I worked a shift I got to shop early too. I was surprised that there were only about 10 other ladies that shopped with me. It was nice! I shopped Friday morning. I didn't need much and I of course found some great deals. I got Row some toys for his birthday and I actually found an outfit for him for his birthday party! Even though I didn't get a lot, I'm glad that I worked a shift and got in early....seeing the madness at 1pm on Saturday will always make me work a shift or two so that I can shop without all that craziness. On my way home I saw this picture that Brent had posted...

Big Vol, Little Vol :)

I got home in time to throw my jersey on and jump on the couch. I enjoy watching football whoever is playing! I just like the game but I DO root for the Vols and the Titans :) Row has a few pieces of Vol clothing that he will be wearing throughout the season. 

We are definitely a VOL family :)

Row is definitely the cutest Vol baby ever!! Love the picture on the left.

So yea, it was a good game the first half. Where did they go the second half??! The QB needs to improve. He's ok but not great. They need to pull it together for next weeks game for sure. Akron will be a tough game again...hopefully we will get the W! 

Sooooo, I remembered that I wore my jersey for a game last September and had to find the picture! And here it is...

I was a little bigger at this time last year! 8 months pregnant to be exact :) I had to put a "then and now" picture together. What a difference a year makes, huh?! Who knows what the jersey will look like next year ;) 

"buurrr"

Rowen sure does love "burs"( birds )! When I went to get him out of his crib after his morning nap this morning. I asked him where the birds were and he immediately pointed with his tiny little finger towards the window while staring outside. He even said "bur"! Love it, love it, LOVE it! I don't know when the "d" will be added to the end of the word but I don't care b/c I know when he says "bur" he knows he is talking about a bird. It is the cutest things and I know I am bias but he is so smart :) He also loves pointing to his books in his room and saying "boog". The "k" kind of sounds like a "g"! He has started pointing at things a lot now and so when he does, Brent and I make sure to tell him what it is several times. He loves pointing outside and pointing at lights. He is so much fun to watch right now. That little brain of his is packing in so much information. 2 days ago we sat out on our balcony for a while so he could hear the birds and look at the trees. A train even came by and blew it's horn while we were out there and he always freezes when he hears the horn and looks at me with big eyes. After I tell him what it is, he gives me the biggest smile. He does this every time he hears the train go by. 

 Love his sweet smile and those little teeth!! He is listening to the birds tweet in the picture on the right.

I asked him if he was a happy boy and this is the reaction I got! haha. Once again, listening and watching the birds in the picture on the right.

I can't wait until it really cools down and we can go for walks around the neighborhood without sweating.  I know I say it all the time but he absolutely loves being outside and I love that about him.

On a side note, he has begun playing under the dining room table a lot. It's like his little spot to take his toys and play for a while. I love watching him under there and so wish that I knew what he was thinking. His favorite thing to do under there right now is take a puzzle piece and lay it on the chair, wait a second or two, and then grab it. He does this over and over. Whatever makes him happy, right?!

His under the table adventures :)

Tacos and a 5k!

This past weekend was packed full of things that I haven't done in a while. Friday night was girls night with the family ladies. Kelli, April, Becky, & myself all met at Cantina Loredo in the Gulch to enjoy some time together while chowing down on a table full of Mexican yummies! We started off with of course chips and salsa and we also got the guacamole. Sorry Cantina but I make better guac than you do! I was a bit disappointed and it wasn't as good as it has been in the past. Kelli and I got tacos and Becky and April split some sort of chicken dish that looked really yummy. We had a nice time hanging out and catching up. 

After dinner we headed across the street to browse through the racks at Urban Outfitters. I always love their sweaters. I have 2 or 3 in my closest that I LOVE and wear every winter :) There are definitely some cute ones there that I have my eye on...
Speaking of Urban Outfitters. I wore a little Urban style to dinner that night. I'm loving colored skinnies & I see them as being a staple in my closet this year for Fall & Winter.

Brent and I went to bed shortly after I got home from dinner because we had an early rising Saturday morning. We woke up around 6am and left our place at 6:45am headed for Lebanon. Last Saturday was the annual Sherry's Run 5k race. Brent and I ran it 2 years ago but missed it last year....I was 8 months pregnant :) So this year I wanted to run it again. It's a pretty easy 5k compared to a Nashville 5k!! Any race around here is usually filled with hills. If you don't normally incorporate hills into your workout, you will never make it through a Nashville race!...running the whole things at least!  

Brent decided to just watch this year so he stayed with Rowen. Becky was running as well as her neice/Brent's cousin, Sarah. We hadn't seen the Baxley crew in a while so it was nice to see them and Rowen had a great time visiting with them! The night before the race I put some new songs on my shuffle and I am glad that I did. They definitely kept me pumped up throughout the 3 miles. I replayed Stronger by Kelly Clarkson a few times :) That's a great running song for sure. The last quarter mile or so of the race is a steady incline to the finish line and I hated that part!! I cranked that song way up and pushed through. I finished in under 30 minutes and felt awful afterwards. haha! I hadn't raced since last February and I could feel it. Later that day I felt great though. I can't wait for the next race! When we got back home I took like a 2 hour nap! I was super tired. The whole afternoon we just hung around the house. Row snacked on cheese while we all waited for the UT game to come on and then found out it was only on Pay-per-view so we watched some of the other games and they were good. I love just laying around on a Saturday afternoon and watching football! 

He loves shredded cheese and is very good at feeding himself! 

Well I'm off to order a few things for Row's B-day party. I can't believe he is almost one!! How do momma's make it through that day? The first birthday party day?! I already know for a fact that I will shed some tears...

Thankful Thursday

On this Thursday I am thankful for a very cute 10 1/2 month old baby boy who loves to clap his hands and talk talk talk! He is the light of our lives and is so fun to watch as he plays and "reads" his books. He has such a wonderful personality all ready and we can't wait to keep watching it develop as the days go by. This video really catches his sweet spirit( a little fussiness b/c I was feeding him while trying to record )....These little things are what really matter and make me feel so proud as a mommy!! 

.:A weekend in the Mountaineer State:..cont..

Saturday morning Rowen woke up around 8:15am. Brent and I woke up when he woke up and when I looked at the clock I thought "wow, he slept a lot longer here than at home"! And then I remembered that they were an hour ahead of us and it was 7:15am back at home and that's around when he usually wakes up. My grandparents wake up around 5:30am :0 That will never be me! It just won't...I don't care what anyone says! After breakfast, homemade sausage and biscuits and coffee :), Brent and my grandpa headed out to go fishing and my Granny, Row, and I headed to Kohl's to do a little shopping. They have great kids clothes...not so much adult clothes but I can always find Row play clothes and pj's there. And I definitely found him some great things...long sleeve t-shirts, pants, sweatshirts, pj's, and even some socks.

They always have the cutest little shirts.

Rowen fell asleep on the way home and he got in a good little nap. The Kohl's was pretty much in Parkersburg which took about 30 minutes to get to. When we got home we all had lunch and hung around the house. We watched Rowen play and crawl around everywhere. And every so often he would crawl over to the glass doors to watch the hummingbirds. And speaking of birds, he is on the verge of his first word! Brent and I just know it is coming at any minute now. We think it is going to be bird OR book. Both words he has kind of said a few times but until he really says the whole thing, we aren't going to say he has said his first word yet! But like I said, it will be any day now!! I wonder how many babies had their first word that started with the baa-buu sound?? It's one of the first sounds that Rowen started making when he started "talking" along with la and ma. He took his afternoon nap around 3pm and Brent and I both fell asleep in front of the tv. Football was on the whole weekend and I loved it. I headed to our room when Row woke up and kept sleeping! I was woken up by loud Row giggles and had to go see what was so funny. Oh my! He was so cute just squealing away while watching my grandmother do something. I got closer and she was swatting bees away from the hummingbird feeder outside with a fly swatter and he thought that fly swatter was THE funniest thing he had ever seen along with my Granny saying "get away bees"! 

He loved that fly swatter was so much that my Granny bought him one when we went to Wal-mart for a few things Sunday afternoon. haha. 

The rest of the day we lounged around. This was truly a relaxing weekend! We had delicious ribs for dinner and Rowen enjoyed sweet potatoes and cereal. While we were finishing up Rowen and the stray cat were having a little high five match on either side of the door. The cat was outside, Rowen was inside, and they were face to face. Row would put his hand up and the cat would put his paw up. It seriously looked like they were giving each other high fives. Rowen loved that game :) Before heading to bed we watched the Alabama game while enjoying large bowls of ice cream again.

Sunday morning we headed to church and then out for lunch. Granny and Papa took us to their favorite Chinese restaurant in town. Someone enjoyed being there...

Row enjoyed playing with his spoon before eating and making silly faces at all of us. He was also very bashful when people would come up and talk to him. He played the bashful card that morning at church too but it didn't last too long. He was smiling and giggling at the members after just a short few minutes. 

When we got back to the house I wanted to get a few pictures of Granny and Papa with Rowen since they didn't have a recent picture with him. I got them to take a few pictures of us too. 

Rowen really enjoyed having Granny and Papa time this past weekend and of course Brent and I enjoyed seeing them as well. Hopefully they will be able to make it to Rowen's birthday party in a little over a month. We headed out Monday morning  and got back home Monday evening safe and sound.