Rowan’s Dedication

Sunday was a special day for our family. It was Rowan’s dedication! For those of you who don’t know the difference between baptism and dedication; we believe that baptism is a choice that should be made when a person is old enough to profess salvation and their own faith. Dedication is a public proclamation that Russ and I, as his parents will raise him up to know Jesus, that we will pray for him and the church takes a stand to make the same commitment. Our church, Mars Hill is full of babies so we were one of 5 families to be on stage. Each family picked a Bible verse to read in front of the church and then our Pastor prayed over us as a group.

Russ and I picked Isaiah 12:2

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Rowan’s middle name is Isaiah and means “God is my Salvation” so it meant a lot to us.

Here are a couple of photos. (the ones in church are a little hard to see because of the light).

Thanks to everyone who came!! xo

6 Months Old!

How did that happen, that’s what I want to know??!! How do I already have a 6 month old??!

Stats:

Weight: 17 lbs 8 oz (50th %)

Length: 68.5 cm (75th %)

I thought Rowan was a wiggly little dude before but he has REALLY started moving. The other day, Russ put him in the middle of the living room floor, left the room for one minute and he rolled over a few times, tore a page out of the Bible and was trying to eat it. Now we can’t take our eyes off of him for a minute and we have to get serious about baby proofing. Not sure when he’ll crawl but wouldn’t be surprised if it’s sooner than later since he’s already getting up on hands and knees. My recent post documented his first time eating solids and he’s been loving it. He’s only had oatmeal cereal and sweet potatoes but tonight I’m making squash. It’s just so fun to watch him explore and discover everything around him. I love his big smile and how he flaps his arms and bounces when he’s excited. He’s full of energy and we just love him to pieces. Happy half birthday little man!

*I had to post a couple more..I just can’t resist!

Blowing Rasberries!

Rowan has been blowing rasberries NON-STOP! It’s usually when he’s really excited. Last night Russ came home and Rowan did this so long his shirt was drenched! We were laughing hysterically. What a ham!

Oatmeal Cereal!

This week we decided to give Rowan his first solid food..oatmeal cereal! There’s a lot of talk about whether or not babies should have solids before 6 months and the recommendation is to wait until right around that time. We knew he was ready and we’re only a few days shy of him being 6 months. HE LOVED IT!!!!!!!!! I was actually pretty surprised. I figured that he would try and spit it out but instead he kept banging on the highchair for more. It’s fun to watch him try new things and I honestly look forward to feeding time. He’s pretty messy though, and kept trying to hold the spoon himself.

Housesitting

We just finished housesitting/dog-sitting for two weeks for my mom and Brian. It was sort of like a mini vacay since they’re right by the lake. I couldn’t believe how much stuff we ended up bringing though now that there is three of us. We had a lot of rainy days but a few gorgeous ones. I tried to get out and take Rowan on a walk or jog almost everyday either way.

The Bob Stroller has been great and Rowan loves to be able to look around now that he’s not confined by his carseat. I am now TWO lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight which makes me feel pretty darn good! I credit working out a ton before I was pregnant, throughout my pregnancy, and now as much as I can. Nursing also helps a lot. Now I just need to work on becoming more toned.

Amber Beads

Okay….I know a lot of you already tease us for being “hippies” and now you probably will even more. Rowan is wearing amber beads around his neck as a natural pain relief remedy for teething.

He’s been drooling less but it’s hard to tell at this point if they “work” since he’s usually a pretty happy camper during the day. We think it makes him look like a little surfer dude. :)

Here’s a blurb if you want to know more about this whole amber thing:

“Baltic amber is not a stone, but a fossilized tree resin.
Historically, Baltic Amber has been used in Europe as a natural and traditional remedy and curative for many ailments for centuries. Long ago it was considered one of the leading ‘medicines’ of its time. Baltic Amber is the most esteemed amber in the world, and the healing qualities of Baltic Amber make it unlike any other type of amber found in the world.

When baltic amber is worn on the skin, the skin’s warmth releases trace amounts of healing oils from the amber. These oils contain succinic acid and are absorbed into the skin.

Baltic Amber has some of the highest concentrations of Succinic Acid found in nature, and this is what makes it so special. Succinic Acid is a natural component of plant and animal tissues, and it's presence in the human body is beneficial in many ways.
How can baltic amber help us?

• Pain Relief -

Baltic amber contains analgesic properties and helps take the edge off of many types of discomfort associated with dental issues, headaches, joint pain, etc.

• Strengthens the body's immune system -

In many different and subtle ways, succinic acid helps boost the body's own natural healing ability and immune system.

• Restoring Energy –

The human body naturally produces succinic acid. The salt of succinic acid (succinate) is one of the most active substances in the processes of cellular respiration and intercellular energy creation. Succinic acid restores oxygen and energy supply to depleted cells and helps the body return to a normal, functioning state.

Succinate is a raw material and a catalyst in the Krebs Cycle which is one of our main sources of energy. During the Krebs Cycle carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are metabolized for energy.

• Maintaining Wellness “

This was taken from the website we ordered his necklace from, Inspired by Finn.

Seattle Aquarium

My step brother Derek and his wife Hillary came into town with their adorable 2 year old, Jocelyn. Hillary and Jocelyn have never been to Seattle before so my mom and I took them downtown Seattle to for a trip to the aquarium, and Pike’s Place. It was Rowan’s first trip too!

Our Little Jellyfish!

Real Jellyfish (so hard to get a good photo through the glass)

Jocelyn measuring up to a shark

Checking out the fish!

Thanks Mom! We really enjoyed our day. :)

I put Rowan in the Bob for the first time, without his carseat. Such a big boy!

All tuckered out

Happy 29th Russ!

Russ turned 29 on February 24th. It’s the last year in his twenties! I like to remind him of this on a weekly basis to remind him what a young cute wife he has, haha. For his actual birthday he requested a home cooked dinner “with meat.” I decided to make him shepherds pie. Nothing too elaborate: beef, potatoes, mashed carrots and peas…what more can a guy want? He also wanted homemade carrot cake (I’ve always made him chocolate in the past which is his usual fav). The cake was delish. Andrea and Justin came by for cake although I forgot to take a picture of them!

My mom and Brian took us out a few days later for another celebration. We ate at The Rock: Wood Fire Pizza in Renton. It isn’t too easy bringing Rowan to restaurants since he’s such a busy little guy but it was a nice treat to go out and really good pizza.

Wish we could get a shot with Rowan looking at the camera.

Love you Russ. Happy Birthday!!!

5 Months Old!

As you can see…Rowan has discovered his toes! We don’t have his weight and height stats this month because he now has appointments every two months and we won’t go again until he’s 6 months old. He’s certainly filled out though; look at those little cheeks! Everything goes in his mouth now and he’s grabbing at everything (toys, our faces, our plates at dinner, etc..). A big milestone this month is rolling both ways. He has also started sitting up by himself for short periods of time. Crazy! He loves a lot of attention and all the noises and games daddy plays with him. We love our sweet boy!

*You can see he has a "5" on his onesie to mark 5 months..wish I had these stickers sooner! I got them for my product review blog: www.withourbest.com I have a giveaway going on with these right now too!