cousins

The cousins, Jacob (6), Samantha (3), and Scarlett (3), joined us for Thanksgiving this year (along with Auntie Meems and Uncle Ryan of course). Jake and Cody were practically inseparable, playing cars and Star Wars and running around like wild animals.

Jacob & Cody

Sammy and Scarlett oohed and aahed over Emma, much to her delight. They wanted to hold her, play with her, and of course "check on her" while she slept. When they weren't with Emma, they could be found either trying desperately to annoy the boys, or putting on "litspick and sparkles" in my bathroom.

Scarlett & Emma

Sam & Emma

the girls

post script - My collection of pictures is extremely sad, because my sister Mary (aka Meems) is a photographer, so I left it all up to her. I'll post some good ones when she sends them to me.

Happy Thanksgiving

I have so much to be thankful for this year...

I am thankful for my husband, Jay. I love that he still makes me laugh, and lets me cry. I love that we still enjoy each others company and have things to talk about. I love that after almost 10 years together, through pregnancy, childbirth, and even morning breath, he still looks at me with "that look" and means it. I am reminded each day of why I chose him, and I have yet to regret that choice.

I am thankful for my son, Cody. I love that I am the first person he wants to see when he wakes up in the morning, and the last one he wants to see before bed at night. I love that he randomly calls out, " I love you Mommy" when the mood strikes him. I love that he makes me mud pies at school, and colors me endless pictures at home. I love that he thinks I'm a good Mommy, even when I doubt myself. I love that he gives his love so freely and openly. But mostly, I love that I am a recipient of that love.

I am thankful for my daughter, Emma. I love that she can light up the room with just a smile. I love the way she holds my face in both hands when I rock her to sleep at night. I love that she has brought out the gentle and sensitive sides in both Jay and Cody. I love the look of wonder and amazement that she often wears while looking at seemingly ordinary things. I love experiencing life's small miracles all over again through her eyes. I love that she is at once a blank canvas and a timeless masterpiece. I love that I get to be her mommy.

My grandmother is always saying to me, "Teresa, you've got it all," and on this Thanksgiving I can honestly say that she's absolutely right.

upside-down baby

We've discovered that when Emma is grumpy that she likes to held so that she is slightly downward facing. This seemingly awkward and uncomfortable position not only makes her cease being angry, but it brings about fits of giggles (for which we are suckers). So, if you should come over and see us dangling our tiny daughter precariously, please don't judge us - she likes it!

Hmmm, I wonder where she learns these things?

Mommy and Daddy go to Preschool

Jay and I got a chance to go hang out with Cody at school today for their annual Thanksgiving feast. When we arrived the kids were doing the "Freeze Dance" in the classroom while they waited for things to be ready.

Once things were set up, all of the kids and parents went outside to sit down and eat. I'm pretty sure that the idea was for our children to sit with us, but alas, they all wanted to sit with their friends instead. (Is this the beginning of the end?)

Overall it was a great day. I love being able to watch Cody interact in different environments and to see how he behaves at school and with his friends - he always makes me so proud.

Love You Forever

One of my favorite stories to read to Cody when he was really little was "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch. It's been a while since he's pulled it off the shelf, but last night, it was his choice for a bedtime story. When we finished reading, my sweet little boy looked at me with much adoration and ...

Cody: " Mommy, when you are really old, you'll still be my mommy right?"
Me: "Yes, Cody, I'll always be your mommy - even when I'm really old."
Cody: "That's good Mommy, because I will still want you to be my mommy when you are very old, because I really love you a lot. You are a good mommy."
Me: (with tears in my eyes) " I really love you a lot too buddy. You are my best guy."

I live for moments like this!!!

Compliment?

Yesterday Cody and I were down on the floor playing trains, when he says, " Mommy, remember when you had Emma in your tummy and you were way too fat to play on the floor with me? I'm glad you're not way too fat any more." I just giggled and thought, um, thanks?

I love carrots!

As you can tell, Emma is thoroughly enjoying her introduction to real food.

Caught!

Today was a rough day, behaviorally, for Cody. I'm not sure if it was because of the change of schedule, being that it is Veteran's Day and school was out, or if it is just a function of him being a 4 year old boy. At one point, after having been sent to his room for yet another time out, he began crying hysterically. When I returned several minutes later to see if he was ready to come out and act appropriately, he looked at me with eyes brimming with tears and said, " I'm sad Mommy."' "Why are you sad Cody?" I asked. His response..."Because I got caught." Not exactly the monumental confession I was hoping for!

On the move - Part 1

Emma rolled over this evening for the first time all by herself. She has been very close for some time but her arm always seemed to get in her way. Of course we have gently "nudged" her into a roll several times, but this was all her!

As you can tell, she was quite pleased with herself.

Mmmm, peas!

Emma tried her first real food today - peas! Unlike her brother at this age, she seemed to really love them.

Emma 2008

Cody 2004

baby signs

I learned about baby signing when Cody was about 5 months old. I had heard about it from a friend and thought it was an interesting idea, certainly worth trying. My hope was that it would provide us with a means to communicate about his needs and would result in less frustration and random acts of crying on both our parts. So, I bought a book and a video, and began teaching Cody some of the more useful signs. He signed his first word at about 8 months - "more." When Emma came along I resolved to begin her baby signing education earlier, in order to hopefully give her the means to express herself before all of the crying and frustration set in. So, I once again got out the book and the video, and began to teach her some signs, Today, while I was feeding her, she signed her first word - "milk." It took me a while to figure out what she was doing, so I kept pulling the bottle out of her mouth, which made her sign frantically until I put it back in. I thought she was sooo clever, so I called Jay and Cody over and proceeded to continue to pull the bottle out of her mouth so that they could see her sign. (Not my best parenting move - but I was just so excited!)

splish splash I was takin' a bath...

My son makes me laugh. Tonight as he was in the bathtub playing, I saw him put the hair washing cup up to his mouth as if he were going to take a drink. So, of course, I yelled, "Cody stop!" He looked at me and said, " Mom, did you think I was going to drink the butt water?" "The bath water, you mean," I replied. "No mom, the butt water. It's touching my butt, and my butt is very dirty. We don't drink butt water. That's disgusting!" I can't argue with that - butt water is definitely disgusting! What a funny kid.

Creature from the Black Lagoon?

No, this is not another Halloween post, and yes, that is my husband. Jay is getting his scuba certification for work, and just got all of his gear. His class starts on Tuesday, so he spent some time in the pool this weekend making sure everything fit and worked correctly. Cody and I thought he looked too ridiculous not to document, so we followed him around giggling and taking pictures.

Emma's 1st Halloween

It's official - Emma is the cutest chili pepper ever!

Trick or Treat

We have been celebrating Halloween for over a week here at Casa Rowan. Last Saturday we went to a pumpkin carving party at a friend's house. The kiddos got all decked out in their costumes, Jay and Cody carved a pumpkin, we ate, laughed, and played. It was great!

Then, throughout the week Jay and Cody continued adding to our Halloween decor resulting in quite an impressive display of eerie spookiness in our yard for trick or treaters to enjoy. On Thursday, the kiddos took their costumes to school, where I joined them for the Fall Festival. By the time Friday rolled around both kids had worn their costumes several times and Cody already had a bag full of treats. On Halloween night Cody and Jay went out trick or treating while Emma and I stayed home to greet all of the little ghosts and goblins that knocked on our door. It was a very busy and exciting week, and we are all now quite exhausted!

My BIGGEST fan...

First graders are hilarious! Lately my kids have been bringing me little tokens of their affection - pictures they've drawn, stories they've written about me, etc. Today, my little Emily took things one step farther when she brought me an ipod, and her mom's wedding ring - because she loves me! Suffice to say I was touched, but shocked by her generosity. And, after a phone call home, so was her mom!

Nana & Papa

Jay's parents came to visit this weekend. These are the first shots of them with Emma where she is smiling, so I thought I'd share.

Watch Me Grow! - 5 months old

Emma is getting so big. She has just started getting those chubby little baby cheeks that just beg to pinched, and I love them! At 5 months she is now eating rice cereal, purposefully playing with toys, "talking" up a storm, waving, and trying hard to stay in a sitting position for longer than 15 seconds. She really has a very sweet disposition, and a personality that is uniquely hers. We are thoroughly enjoying this stage!

Pumpkin Patch

We took our little pumpkins to the pumpkin patch today. We LOVE the pumpkin patch. Cody loves the hay ride. I love the numerous photo ops and the perfectly pleasing fallness of it all. Emma seemed to love pretty much everything, as could be seen by her constant smiling and giggling. And Jay, well he loves hefting all of our picks into the big wheelbarrow of course.

Shannon Rocks!

My friend Shannon put together this new header for me. I have no idea how she did it - I've been trying to do something like this for a while now with no luck. So, Shannon, you rock!!!

Emma's new trick

Emma started waving today. It was too cute not to record. She was so excited by all of our clapping and cheering, that she literally continued waving for about 5 straight minutes. Here's a glimpse...

Rock Star

Cody was entertaining us this evening with some "awesome guitar music." Listen carefully for the title of his song at the end.

Drums, drums, drums? I believe he may be slightly confused.

My husband is SO gross!

Well, it's official...I married a very strange, some might say foul, or disgusting, man. Tonight at dinner we were rehashing the interesting bits and pieces about our day - pretty normal right? Nope! It turns out that after spending a day in Truckee tagging fish, Jay thought it would be a good (and he claims perfectly normal) idea, to bring some fish heads home with him. That's right, reread if you need to, but he brought fish heads HOME with him today. Why, you might be wondering? Well, to boil the flesh off of them, so that he can hang them above his desk at work, of course. Eeeeew! My husband is SO gross!

OMG!

Today Cody told me something that completely shocked me... For some time now, I'd say nearly 2 months or so, Cody has been coming home talking about his friend Lily Marie. "Lily Marie and I played lions today. I was Simba and she was Nala." Lily Marie and I played on the swings." "Lily Marie and I played with the Legos." And so on, and so forth. He has talked about Lily Marie so much, that I began to wonder just which little girl she might be. (I know most of the boys he plays with already.) So, for the last couple of days, when I've picked him up, I've asked him, " Is Lily Marie here today?" His response until today, has always been, "No Mom, she's already gone," or "She didn't come today." Today, when I asked him again if Lily Marie was at school, he said, "Mommy, Lily Marie is just pretend, like my baby deer." OMG!!!! I had NO idea! I am still reeling from that information - it blew me away!

A lesson in logical thinking...

Yesterday I was at Target with the kids looking for a Halloween costume for Emma. It was our third stop of the day, and I'd yet to see anything that matched the fancy frilly pink frock of my imagination, so I threw in the towel and told Cody that he could choose Emma's costume from the vast (wink, wink) selection on the Target shelves. He thought for a moment, then proceeded to choose THE LEAST girly costume available. Very much to my dismay, Emma will be a chili pepper for her first Halloween. When I asked Cody about his choice he told me, "Mommy, a hot pepper is kinda like fire, and fire is kinda like a superpower, and superheroes have superpowers, and superheroes are cool." Though my initial plan was to talk him out of the chili pepper, I ended up standing in the aisle with my mouth agape, and was unable to come up with an argument that was better than his. So, chili pepper, here we come!

Full Circle

I was prompted to start this blog after telling my friend Stephanie this story. Well, today, at an Oktoberfest party at my friend Suzanne's house, Cody nearly got his wish... There he was, minding his own business, eating dinner, when he innocently reached for his drink...oops - that's not it!!! Beer. Cody had his first taste of beer today! (Sealing our fates as parents of the year.) Fortunately he realized quite quickly that he had grabbed the wrong cup, and was not at all interested in continuing to drink "that disgusting stuff." Part of me can't help but now wonder if he'll wake up in the morning looking for hair on his chest? (hee,hee)

Super Cody!

Today I took Cody for his 4 year well-child checkup. They weighed and measured him as well as checked his vision and hearing. Cody is, as I have suspected for some time, way off the charts for height. The doctor gave me a graph that showed that a child Cody's age and weight is, on average, between 3'4" and 3'6" tall. Cody is 3'9" tall!!! I always knew he was tall, but WOW! On a different note, I was also super impressed with Cody's letter recognition on the eye exam. The nurse had asked Cody if he knew his ABC's or if he wanted a chart with pictures - he chose the letters, and got all but one correct. At the very end, she pointed to a v, and he said, " I can see that letter, but I don't know his name - he says /v/, /v/, /v/, like volcano. " She looked at me and we both burst into giggles. What a smartie pants!

PS- It turns out that Cody is not hearing impaired as we have often assumed, he simply is choosing not to listen to us - can you believe that!

Family Tree

Cody has been learning Spanish in preschool, and has already mastered counting to 15, colors, and now family members. Today I was asking him to tell me the people in our family as we were driving home from school. He did. This discussion prompted a further discussion about our family which was quite interesting. In it, I learned that someday Cody would like to have children of his own, one of whom is Emma - because, "she is such a good, sweet baby, when she isn't crying really loud." I also learned that I may speak without thinking a little more than I imagine, as in a side conversation about my sisters, Cody said, "You have two sisters Mommy- Auntie Meems (Mary) and Auntie Chelle (Michelle). Auntie Chelle is your crazy sister though, right?" (He's totally right, but puleeze - I should really use my censor more often, now that he repeats everything I say.)

You are my sunshine...

My favorite song to sing to both of my children at bedtime is "You Are My Sunshine." It always makes Cody smile, and can stop Emma in mid-scream. Recently Cody has taken to singing to Emma, and wouldn't you know, he chose our special song. Here's a glimpse at my sweet boy singing to his sister.



Aw, isn't that too cute!

Getting the hang of it...

Emma is getting much better at the rice cereal eating, but it is still hilarious to watch. We all love to be present for her feeding, so as not to miss any of the action.

I'm a big kid now!

Emma had her 4 months shots yesterday and the doctor gave her the OK to try rice cereal. She didn't appear to swallow any, but she sure liked smearing it all over her face...

...just like her brother!

Sleeping Beauty

I just love to watch Emma sleep. She always looks so peaceful. What a beautiful little girl!

Changing before my eyes...

One of my favorite things about becoming a parent the first time, was watching Jay become a father. Here was this big, gruff, slightly rough around the edges guy, turned to mush each time his son cried, smiled, laughed, or squealed. Right there in my hospital room he transformed into the man I always knew he could be - sweet, gentle, and vulnerable.

(Reading with Cody - all of our hospital pics with Cody are on actual film, not digital, so I can't post.)

Now, the second time around, I am enjoying watching both of my boys change as they adjust to life with our little Emma. I expected her to have Jay wrapped around her tiny fingers, but I admit I am somewhat surprised at how much Cody adores her. He too has become more loving, gentle, and attentive to the needs of others (though he is definitely still a rambunctious boy).




I know they say that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but I bet if their were puppies involved, you could.

The "Baby Deer"

Cody brought his first imaginary friend home from school today. When I picked him up this afternoon, he ran to me, holding out his cupped (empty) hands, and exclaimed, " Mommy, look at my baby deer." For the life of me I did not know how to respond. I just stood there dumbstruck for a few moments while he prattled on about how he and Lily Marie had found the baby deer out on the playground by the swings. He then grabbed my arm, said goodbye to his teacher, and dragged me out to the swings to see where the baby deer came from. At this point I found my tongue and began asking questions about the baby deer and pretending that this whole thing was completely normal. (It is right?) We then left school and walked to the car. Here, Cody politely asked me if I would hold the baby deer while he climbed up into his seat. I did. (It was very strange.) At numerous times throughout the evening I have been given instructions relating to the baby deer - for example: "Mom, my baby deer needs to take a bath too," and "Mom, you have to whisper or you'll wake up my baby deer." Once, I was even reprimanded for sitting on the baby deer. I did not have any imaginary friends growing up, but I know some children do - but again I have to ask - this is normal, right?

Our very opinionated child...

On Friday Jay took Tootsie in to get fixed. She is fine, though a little tired and apparently itchy at the incision sight. Because she kept trying to lick her incision, we had to get her one of those funny lampshade-like cones to wear around her neck. Last night Cody asked why she had to wear the cone and we explained to him that we didn't want her to get an infection. Then he asked why she had to go to the doctor and we explained that we didn't want her to have any puppies, so we had to have her fixed. Fast-forward to this morning... Cody and I are making french toast when he says to me, "Mommy, remember when you said Tootsie has to wear her cone so she won't have any babies? Well, I don't want you to have any more babies either."
I guess it's a good thing that Jay and I have already decided against having more children, but now I keep waiting for Cody to suggest that I need to wear a cone around my head.

4 months old!

Emma is 4 months old today! She is getting sooo big. In the last month she has learned to laugh, and has continued to master the art of manipulating her brother and her parents. She is already a pro at knowing just when those cute little smiles will benefit her most. We are all quite enamored with her and have each been known to do strange things just to see that beautiful smile.

Camping Out

As I write, Jay and Cody are out in the backyard "camping." They set up the big tent (Cody's shark tent just wasn't big enough for Daddy), got sleeping bags, flashlights, and marshmallows, and set off for the "wilderness" at around 7:00 pm.

Though I'm not an official camper, I was invited out to eat smores (made over the BBQ), and to sit in the tent for a while. When I left to come back inside, Cody was soooo excited about camping out that I fear he may not actually sleep tonight. (hee,hee)

A new kind of superhero...

Cody is seriously into superheros right now. He is constantly running around the house, the yard, and the neighborhood fighting crime and catching bad guys. He often will tell us not to call him Cody, but Spiderman, Batman, or Superman instead. This morning the superhero theme took a strange turn... I had asked Cody to go get ready for his shower, while I changed Emma's diaper. As I was walking out of Emma's room I heard Cody in the bathroom. This is what he was saying, " Da,Da, Da, Da! I am Penisman! Penisman the superhero! Penisman will save you!" I tried really hard not to laugh right out loud. Instead, I said simply, "Penisman, are you ready for your shower?" Cody's face turned bright red, and we both burst into laughter. What an imagination!

Watch Me Grow!

My friend Shannon gave me a great idea. She suggested that I take Emma's picture with her baby each month in order to show y'all how she is growing. I loved the idea so here she is in September.

Look how much she's grown just since August. I love that she is growing up right before my eyes and I truly appreciate each small miracle that I am priveleged to witness, but for goodness sake sweet Emma - slow down already - Mommy's not ready!

PS - If anyone can tell me how to link to my own past postings I'd love to hear from you.

The Stall Tactic

Cody is becoming more and more creative in his attempt to push back his bedtime. We are way beyond the usual, "I have to go potty," and "Can I have some water." Tonight, 1 hour after we put him to bed, he came out to tell me, " You forgot to ask me what was for lunch at school today mommy." Admittedly, I did forget to ask this specific question while asking him about his day. But really, he can't sleep until he tells me what was for lunch? - that's really a stretch, even for my kid.

By the way, in case you're dying to know...lunch consisted of "bazogna, fruit and green beans." Bazogna?

This is AWESOME!!!!

"This is awesome." This was the catch phrase at Cody's birthday party yesterday. After each child arrived, after each present was opened, and after each swing of the bat at the pinata, "this is awesome" was what Cody (and some of his little friends) would say. Needless to say, Cody had a blast at his party. The kids decorated visors with stickers, swam, ate hot dogs and cake, broke open a pinata and collected all the goodies, and opened presents. It was a whirlwind of activity. I completely lost control - the 4 year-olds totally won...all of my careful plans and my timeline were thrown out the window about 5 minutes after the party began. Oh well, it didn't go according to my plan, and I didn't really have fun, but it totally went according to Cody's plan and he thought it was "AWESOME!" I guess that is what it is all about!

Four going on...

Today is Cody's 4th birthday. Bright and early this morning (6:00 am) Cody came in to announce that, "I'm 4 today mommy!" After lots of Happy Birthday kisses and cuddles, we got to talking about how exciting it is to be 4. Cody's favorite part..."That means I'm almost 5 mom!" Whoa there cowboy - mommy can barely grasp the fact that you're 4, let's hold off on the countdown to 5 please.

In other birthday news, we are having a few of Cody's friends over this afternoon to celebrate with some swimming, cake eating, and pinata smacking. I hope it lives up to Cody's expectations and brings him lots of smiles.

The Annual Letter

Beginning on the day of his birth, and every year since then on his birthday, I write Cody (and now Emma) a letter. Someday, when he is old enough to appreciate them, I will give him his letters to read and enjoy. In each letter I reminisce about the year that has passed and talk about the changes that have taken place in our family, the fun we've had, and the new tricks he has mastered. I, of course, also spend lots of time telling him how much I love him and how proud I am of his achievements both large and small, and about some of my favorite memories, activities, and moments that we've spent together. So tonight I'm looking through pictures and thinking back on the year in preparation for writing this years' letter.

Here are a few of my favorite memories, in picture form, from this, the 4th year of Cody's life...