Friday, December 31, 2010

3 Months Old

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Rowan is becoming more and more interactive and fun! He coos all the time now and when he’s really excited he lets out this high pitch squeal and he kicks and flails his arms and legs. He’s really interested in everything going on around him and loves people. AKA..I am holding him ALL day or playing with him, ha!We actually had a 3 month appointment because we switched doctors (he wasn’t supposed to go until he was 4 months..and then 6, and so on..). Russ and I decided to switch to a naturopath doc and I’m so glad we did! The office is in Kirkland and Dr.Evershed spent an entire hour with us for our appointment. Every well check appointment is that long! She was really interested in getting to know us, asking questions and answering ours. I also love their more natural approach with medicine. She can, and will prescribe antibiotics for him if he needs it but won’t be so quick to do that. Man.. I have turned into such a Hippy!

Here are the results from this months weigh-in, ha!

Weight: 13 lb 7.5 oz (60th %)

Height: 24.6 (75th%)

He’s growing bigger (and getting cuter) every day!

Monday, December 27, 2010

The Bumbo

 

We got Rowan a “Bumbo” for Christmas. I love how he is looks like he’s sitting up. So cute and grown up!

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Our First Christmas as a Family of 3!

 

Here are some photos of the festivities. We spent Christmas Eve at my mom’s and even overnight. My mom is always an amazing host and made everything special for us.

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Rowan really cleaned up this year. What a blessed little guy!DSC_0379

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Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas celebrating with family and friends and taking time to remember the birth of our Savior!

Russ Cooks Dinner!!

When Russ and I were dating he made me this amazing salad with fresh feta, pomegranates, mango, etc…  He had spent a couple of months in Australia with his buddy who is a professional chef where he learned a few things. Since then, I’ve done most of the cooking. I don’t really mind since I love to cook but I was impressed when Russ decided to cook me dinner (not spaghetti!) and plan the menu himself. He made lamb chops with red wine and rosemary sauce and mashed potatoes. Lamb is big in New Zealand and something he grew up with.

Here’s some of the prep:

butter (can’t go wrong), shallots (yum!), and fresh sage.

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I tried to get Russ to pose for a picture and this is all I got. Guess he doesn’t expect me to blog about it huh?? Winking smile

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Lamb Chops: Definitely a winner!!!

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Thursday, December 16, 2010

Rowan Loves Grandma!!

 

Grandma got him a shirt that says: “Who needs Santa when I have Grandma?” Isn’t that the truth?!

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It’s so great having my mom live near by. Rowan sees her at least once a week. We usually go over when Russ is in class and it’s so fun to see them together. Look at that smile!!!

Birth Class Reunion

 

During our 6 week birth and newborn care class we planned a reunion so we could see all the babies when they were around 2 months old. I thought this would be the first time we would all get together but the ladies and babies have been getting together on a weekly basis for coffee dates which has been so much fun! There are 8 couples in our group and all but 2 were there last weekend. Can you believe out of 8 babies, we only have 1 girl in the mix??!!

We lined up the little ones on the couch. Here they are from left: Jack, Myles, Rowan, Chloe, Hank & Carter

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Rowan was so content just sitting on the couch looking around. He’s so social! If I tried sitting him down on the couch at home, he wouldn’t have it. As long as there’s a lot going on, he’s happy!

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It will be fun to watch these kiddos grow up together!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Matching

This was Rowan's outfit to see Santa. I love how he and Russ are matching!

We practiced smiling for Santa but then when it came down to it, he fell asleep instead. LOVE all of his smiles though!!!


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Future Snowboarder

Russ went snowboarding today for the first day of the season. I know that as soon as he can, Rowan will be out there with him on the slopes. :)

He was born to snowboard!

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Wednesday, December 8, 2010

First Time Seeing Santa

 

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Last week Russ and I took Rowan to see Santa for the first time. We went to Redmond Town Center and of course they closed the line two families in front of us. We were bummed…partly because we didn’t get to see Santa but mostly because it’s kind of a big deal to dress a baby up, plan everything around feeding and venture out into the cold, haha. I attempted the trip again on my own on Tuesday afternoon. We still waited in line for an hour- the little angel slept the whole time and Rowan got his first picture with Santa. He slept through it but I figured it was better than screaming!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

2 Months Old!

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I’m a few days late but here are the stats from Rowan’s 2 month appointment

Height- 24 inches (95th % !)

Weight- 11 lb 4 oz (50-75 %)

He is so smiley now which is so much fun. He is mostly this way in the morning when he wakes up. He’ll lay on a blanket looking up at us, really focusing on our faces and smile away. He is also starting to coo a little too which is super cute. I’ve been much more confident about taking him places and he loves to be out where there’s a lot of noise. Rowan had his first boat ride on Thanksgiving since Brian treated us to a dinner cruise. He was great and slept for most of it. Can’t believe how much he’s changing!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Snow in November

Looks like we’re in for a crazy winter since it already snowed BEFORE Thanksgiving. It’s been cold but nice to spend some time as a family indoors by the fire with some hot cocoa and good movies. We ventured out for a little walk to show Rowan his first snow fall. He was pretty mesmerized for awhile and then when he got cold, daddy zipped him up inside his coat. I think Russ is looking forward to the two of them hitting the slopes in a few years.

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Monday, November 22, 2010

Such a Seattle Baby

Russ and I went to Starbucks for a coffee date and brought Rowan. He wanted to try a sip of daddy’s peppermint mocha but we told him he was a little too young.

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Never Too Young To Start Reading

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Thanks Todd and Elaine for the sweet book!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

So Strong!


We try to give Rowan a little "Tummy Time" everyday to strengthen his neck muscles. He's getting to be one strong little guy although he doesn't like to stay like that for long!
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Splish Splash


Rowan LOVES the bath. Even if he's fussy and has been crying, we fill up his little tub and as soon as he hits the water he completely relaxes. Russ and I pour a cup of water over him and he smiles and just looks around for the longest time. It definitely takes two to bathe a slippery little newborn. He does not like to get out but after we dry him off he gets a little lotion massage before being wrapped up in soft jammies before bed. Wouldn't life be great being a baby?
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Monday, November 1, 2010

Happy Halloween!

 

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Rowan was a lion and on Friday before Halloween we met with the other ladies and babies from our birth class to show off costumes, chat and see all the babies together! We met at the Starbucks in Madison Park and it was a blast! Looks like it will be a regular thing which is great. Here’s a picture of all of the babies from birth class together on the couch. As you can see, there’s a lot of crying going on! Rowan is on the far right.

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One Month Old!

Our little pumpkin was one month old on the 28th. How did that happen!?? It has been one crazy month and I can’t imagine our lives without him. Rowan is a little spark plug… the only way to keep him calm is for Russ or I to hold him while sitting on our big exercise ball. He likes to bounce!! Right now I have him in the baby Bjorn while typing at the kithchen counter, ha!  We’ve gone on a lot of walks (most of which he has his eyes closed for the entire time) and have ventured out only a few times to the store or to see grandma. We have had a lot of visitors though which has been great! Rowan is starting to smile and has his eyes open a lot more now. They are big, blue, and beautiful! He loves bath time and when we splash warm water over him. He is a very noisy sleeper. He grunts, whines and makes all sorts of funny noises. At his one month appointment he weighed in at 9 lb 3 oz and over 22 inches. He is in the 50th% for weight and 90th% for height! Looks like we might have a tall boy on our hands.

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Monday, October 18, 2010

Bundle of Joy

 

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My Two Favorite Guys

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Can I please just take a minute to brag about my husband?! Before Rowan was born Russ was happy to learn about each stage of pregnancy and patiently sat through 6 Mondays (2 1/2 Hours each) of childbirth class. However, he said he wasn’t sure about the whole newborn thing. Russ had never changed a diaper in his life, but said he would try with our own baby. He also said he was looking forward to Rowan when he was old enough to play with. I think those are pretty common feelings for guys to have but it’s amazing to see Russ as a dad. He is a changed man. From the moment Rowan entered this world, Russ has been a natural. He has helped me tremendously. The nurses in the hospital all asked if they could clone him because of how hands on he is. It didn’t stop at the hospital though; whenever Russ is home and not working he wants to hold him, change his diapers, help with baths, etc… He even reads to him from his work manuals, haha. My favorite is seeing them nap on the couch together. Rowan looks so much like his daddy and he sure is one blessed little boy to have a great role model and example of Christ’s love.

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Sunday, October 10, 2010

Birth Story

Since the moment I took a pregnancy test almost 9 months ago, I’ve been full of excitement, anticipation, questions and a little fear about the the whole labor process. Russ and I took a 6 week childbirth class which was a great way to learn the basics. i also talked with friends and read books, magazines, and internet articles. In my mind, I always figured I would try to go as long as possible without an epidural but that i would eventually get one since that seemed like the thing to do. Also, if you know me, you know I don’t do pain very well. When we took our birthing class, I really started to think about natural childbirth. I always thought that it was for hippies but after some time and thought, I decided that natural childbirth was really what I truly wanted. I believe that God designed our bodies to be able to do it. I didn’t so much go into it with the whole “ I am woman, hear me roar” mentality. It was much more for our precious little baby. I wanted him to be alert and awake when he was born and for me to really have the experience as odd as that might sound. I also wanted to avoid any interventions.I got a lot of different reactions whenever I told anyone that my intention was to try natural childbirth. Girlfriend’s who are already moms looked at me like “uh-huh…wait until you see what it’s like.”  I definitely had a lot of doubts myself and decided that the ultimate desired outcome was healthy baby, healthy mom and if that meant that things didn’t go according to plan, then that was fine too. Russ and I decided to hire a doula (professional labor coach). I’m really glad we did! Jennifer was great- we met twice before the birth to discuss everything and then she was available by phone or email leading up to the big event for all of my questions (and believe me, I had a lot). Russ felt she would be a great support to him as well so he would “remember what to do!” ha! Okay…so now for the actual labor: The few weeks leading up to the big day were getting pretty uncomfortable. I was measuring about 4 weeks ahead and already dilated to 2 cm at about 36 weeks. On Monday, September 27th, I was at the gym on the elliptical and I barely thought I was going to make it home. I was super tired. By that evening I had some mild cramping. Russ was at his union hall for a class and I started to wonder if maybe our little guy would make an early appearance. The thought made me excited but I didn’t want to get my hopes up; especially since these symptoms can go on for days or weeks. at 4:15 AM on Tuesday morning Russ woke up and told me he couldn’t sleep. He said he was going to go sit in the baby room and read. Since I woke up I decided to make one of my many nightly trips to the bathroom. When I started to walk back to our room, I felt kind of funny, like I had to go again. All of a sudden there was a big gush..my water broke!! I wasn’t prepared for this because even though this is usually how it happens in the movies, only about 10% of women have their water break before they’re in active labor. It also went against my “plan” to stay home as long as possible in labor..go out to breakfast, on a walk, etc.. because as soon as your water breaks they want you in the hospital for risk of infection. I screamed out to Russ in surprise and excitement that my water just broke. We called the doctor, the doula, and my mom. The doctor wanted me at the hospital right away but I decided to at least take a little bit of time to take a shower, eat a little toast, and mentally prepare. Sometimes if your water breaks early on like that, contractions might not start for the next 24 hours or so. Mine came on right away…and strong. Two hours after my water broke, we were on our way to the hospital. I could still talk through my contractions but they were already coming anywhere from 1-5 minutes apart (this surprised me since I thought it took a long time to be in this active phase). We arrived at triage where they hooked me up to the monitor. I gave the nurse my birth plan. She took one look at the plan, then at me and gave me the first of many “yeah right” looks about my intent to go natural. She suggested that we go eat breakfast and walk around the hospital. I told her yeah right..that we needed a labor room. We got into the room and my contractions really started to pick up. I didn’t want to have an IV for fluids so I promised to drink as much as possible. My mom arrived shortly after we were in our room, and then Jennifer, our doula did too. At this point I decided to get into the jetted tub where I spent the next few hours. I was amazed at the intensity of the pain and the fact that I never got that so-called “rest” between contractions. I basically felt like I was having one big long contraction with peaks of sharp pain. I got a fever from the pain and was shaking. I kept my eyes closed for much of the time but had non-stop support. I always wondered if I would be annoyed with Russ but he was absolutely perfect. He seemed to know exactly what I needed without me saying so because at some point I couldn’t even answer a question. It was also great to have Jennifer there with her words of encouragement and ‘tricks’ to help me cope. My mom had a great calming presence and used her fingers to massage my scalp- the way only a mom knows how. A few hours in, they decided to check me to see how dilated I was. They hadn’t done so up until that point since my water had broken and they didn’t want to risk infection. I was only at a 4 and felt so discouraged. I tried to stand for awhile, sit on the yoga ball, and rock in the rocking chair. Everytime I changed positions the contractions would get a lot stronger. I felt scared and couldn’t imagine ever feeling okay again. The pain was unbearable and after a couple more hours they checked me again and I was at an 8. This gave me  renewed energy because from everything i’ve read and learned, this stage called “transition” is supposed to be the most painful but should only last for about 20 minutes until you’re ready to push. I was at an 8 for TWO hours and then when I was at a 10, it took me a long time for him to move down enough for me to start pushing. I almost caved and asked for an epidural and probably would have if I would have known how much longer that stage would last.  After two hours of pushing (and me feeling like I was going to die!) he was here! He came out screaming and they placed him on my stomach because his cord was a little short. After the cord stopped pulsing, Russ cut it, and they put him on my chest. I felt amazing. Such relief!! I was overjoyed and felt the natural rush from endorphins, rather than groggy from pain medication. I was also able to get up right away which was great. I”ll never forget seeing his little face for the first time and finally announcing his name. I was too overwhelmed to cry at first. Russ and I  looked at each other and our  new little family and felt so much love. Rowan is such a handsome little man with big blue eyes, blonde (not red! ha) hair, and the sweetest dimple in his chin. I think I had a really great birth experience and feel thankful to God and my amazing support system that I was able to bring him into the world without drugs or interventions. I have to say though…. thinking about doing it again makes me pretty nervous. Ask me in a few months! ;-)

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Tuesday, October 5, 2010

He’s Here!!!!

 

Rowan Isaiah Dray is here! He decided to be a September baby, born on the 28th at 7:14 PM. He came out screaming at  7 lb 4 oz, 19 inches long. He is such a gift from God, more perfect than I thought possible. We all wondered if he might have Russ’ red hair but so far he looks like a little blondie. He has a little dimple in his chin and is such a good baby. Russ calls him his “Little Bubby”…don’t know where he got it from but it’s pretty cute. Here are some photos from the hospital photo shoot (amazing what they do nowadays huh?!).

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Stay posted for my birth story. :)

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Baby Belly Pictures


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Russ and I scheduled a maternity shoot about a month ago and it didn't work out due to his work schedule. I was super bummed but figured we have a lot of pictures from around the past year with engagement photos and our thousands (yes, literally thousands) of wedding photos. Last night my good friend Monika came over to celebrate our birthdays. We're both September 8 babies, we're 8 years apart and I met her the night I met Russ. She has been an amazing friend and I always love our time together. Last night after dinner she offered to take some photos of Russ and I. Not too bad considering we literally don't have one blank wall (or even one white wall) in our place. These are also the first "bare belly" pictures I've taken and we had a great time. 3 weeks til our due date! Thanks Monika!


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