Rowan Says

To my mom before she left for a dinner date with my dad and friends

“G-Ma, be careful. Don’t forget your wallet.”

Rowan and I were talking about how all of the Wilson~Miller men have facial hair.

Me: Rowan are you going to have a mustache or a beard when you get older?

Rowan: Yes, and probably a knife. When I am 5.

During a particularly cranky morning

Me: Rowan, did you just hit my leg on purpose?

Rowan: I did! (starts fake-ish crying and leans on my leg)

Me: Oh, are you hugging me because you are sorry?

Rowan: NO! This is NOT a hug and I am NOT sorry. (more fake-ish crying)

At breakfast last weekend we were talking about Little Jack Horner. Rowan likes to shake up the plot lines sometimes.

“I stuck in my thumb and pulled out a cigarette and burned my lips. What’s a cigarette?” – No earthly idea where this came from.

On our drive to school one morning, I took a Nutrigrain bar with me to eat on the way.

Rowan: Hey, where’s that Nutrigrain bar?

Me: I ate it, Bub. That was my breakfast.

R: Mommy, I am upset with you for not sharing that Nutrigrain bar.

Me: Oh dear! I am so sorry. I thought you were full from your breakfast and wouldn’t want any.

R: I did need some.

Me: Sorry. Are you going to be okay?

R: I will.

Rowan Update

Living with a three-year-old has been interesting so far. I don’t know if it’s been the supermoon, spring fever, or something else, but Rowan has been quite saucy these past 2 weeks. Saucy and sensitive. According to him, Jeremy and I have been hurting his feelings a lot. So have my parents. Mostly we hurt his feelings by telling him not to do something dangerous and not doing what he wants. It’s been tiring for everyone. This morning, Rowan woke up perky and in good spirits. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that he is on the way out of his sore-tailed cat phase.

• Height: 37.5 inches
• Weight: 34.9 pounds
• Likes: fire trucks, tractors, Caillou, Curious George, his book about Tinkerbell and other Peter Pan characters, Spiderman, doing things for himself, being outside, going to G-Ma’s house, and “a fresh guy” (his lovey)
• Dislikes: Bedtime, Raleigh getting too much attention, asparagus, interrupting playtime for pesky tasks like eating, bathing, and the potty
• Skills: We have been working on rhyming and letter sounds for the past month. His coloring and drawing skills continue to improve. Smiley faces are his forte. He is a really good story teller and has started to make up more complex scenarios. He also loves to tease and tell jokes.
• So big: Rowan wears a size 9 shoe, size 3T pants, and size 3T-4T shirts.

I've been thinking...

... about you. Shi-pow-pow! You know you were singing that Londonbeat song. Admit it. It’s okay. If it suits you better, you could pretend you were humming Radiohead instead. As an aside, that LB song will forever remind me of Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach and the Labor Day weekend good times had at the Wakulla Inn (now Suites)... which makes me think about those gross catfish at that restaurant on the water that would devour scraps, including cole slaw from others’ heads. Yo!

Here’s some stuff that I’ve been rolling around in my mind the past few days. Thought I would jot them down and free up some noggin space for other musings. As you can see, the topics range from tragedy to the mundane.

• Japan
• Urban Outfitters has a collection of vintage clothing and accessories… from the 90s. Ouch.
• This terrible story from the West Bank. I don’t care about the politics but I can’t stop thinking about that family.
• The Savannah half-marathon and how far behind I am with training for it. I’m a slug.
• The heady scent of orange blossoms rushing in the car window or lurking quietly in the soft breeze that seems only to touch the uppermost leaves of the live oaks; the shocking pinkish-purple Technicolor phlox that decorate ditches and groves; super-juicy fresh-picked strawberries still warm from the sun, pulsing blood red in little green baskets. Can you tell I’m a little homesick for Florida?
• Daniel Woodrell’s writing. I just finished Winter’s Bone and am crazy about this author. It’s been a long time since I have savored a book. It gets me all fired up again about reading. I need another fix from the library.

You know what? I do feel a little freer having shared with y’all. Comments are always welcome.

Raleigh is 11 months old!

Raleigh is now 11 months old. This is the last month of year 1. I’ll just let that sink in for a minute.

Okay, on to the updates!

• Likes: Pancakes – the minis from the frozen food case; taking off her shoes and socks; Rowan; baths
• Dislikes: Diaper changes – they just take too long and I won’t let her crawl around naked or get poo all over the place. I am so callous.; Being left out of the action.
• Skills: She’s cruising a lot more while holding on to the table or other stuff. She likes sitting on the riding toy but is not interested in walking with it. She can sit down on her own but prefers help. Rowan is a pretty good with that. We’ve given her a sippy cup to practice with but mostly she plays with it. We’re working on straw skills, too.
• Communication: Raleigh can say: Da-da, uh-oh, and Bub (that’s Rowan). It also sounds like she says “dis” for this. She has made the noise Mama, but doesn't use it. I have heard from her teacher that she says hola but I have yet to hear her do it. She can wave bye-bye. She points to things that she wants and shakes or turns her head away from and bats at things she doesn’t want.
• Teeth: Tooth #8 is in! Maybe we can get a break from teething for a spell.
• Food: No new food to report. I don’t think she likes lentils, red lentils anyway. Otherwise, she eats just about everything.
• So Big!: She’s moved up to a size 3 shoe. Everything else is the same.

We’re planning a family celebration next month for her 1^st birthday. Check back for the full story and some photos. (There are some new ones up, by the way.)

Happy 11-month birthday to my golden bear cub who is sweeter than honey!

You say it's your birthday?

It's my birthday, too, yeah!

Jeremy took the family on a surprise trip to Ellijay, GA for the weekend. Our cabin was lovely and we had a good time, despite the rain all day on Saturday. The cabin was really nice - all the comforts of home but quieter and with a better view.

So far, I don't feel any different than I did as a 34-year-old. That's not surprising. I didn't feel any different on my 16th birthday, 21st birthday, or 30th birthday. Maybe it will sink in after a few months. Or not. Like Aaliyah sang, "age ain't nothin but a number." Um, I guess her context was a little bit different, but hey, the words still work!

I have to confess that the craziest (white trashiest?) thing I did for my birthday was to drink pink champagne and eat a Little Debbie oatmeal creme pie. Notice the spelling of creme? Klass-y, baby. Yep, that's me. Looks like I will be lunching at my desk since I plan to hit the treadmill during lunch. What a drag it is getting old. Good thing the youth keep us young. I bet the preservatives in Ms. Debbie's snack cakes don't hurt either.