One month to go!

This is Rowan's last month as a 2-year-old. Huzzah! The Man is into all kinds of things, picking up new vocab words all the time... It's a blast. I never even got close to imagining how fun kids are. I heard from a co-worker that three years old is a magic time. I believe her; all the time up until now has been that way.

Here are some funny quotes and stories from the past month for your entertainment. I'm afraid the text doesn't do justice to the real experience.

• My mom, Rowan, Raleigh, and I were at Chick-fil-A for lunch. Rowan looked out the window and saw a boy walking in with his dad. The boy was talking. Rowan says, "That boy is not talking to me. That's strange." After that, we talked about "odd" and "peculiar". He now makes up little stories so he can use his new words.
• I was talking with Rowan about our bedtime plan. Basically, I gave him a 5 minute warning before heading to the bedroom. He replied, "I don't like that option." Always the master negotiator that one.
• He's had a fierce streak of independence these past few weeks. Sometimes I slip up and try to help him get his pants on or something. He'll tell me, "No! I was doing that!," and then he takes off whatever I just helped him with. It was a little shocking at first, but I am learning to give him his space and to give him choices as much as possible.

Happy mirthday to my sweet boy! I can't wait to see what's next.

Basketball music

On our drive home from school the other day Rowan and I were talking about music. I had the radio on a country station and asked him if he liked country music. "No," he said. "I like basketball music." This is an intriguing response that required further investigation.

"What is basketball music?", I asked.

"It's good." was the response.

Hmm. An Alan Jackson song came on the country station and I asked him if that was basketball music. It was not. He called it cowboy music. (A fluke statement or is he that brilliant? We've never talked about country music in that detail before.)

I switched the station to some techno-dance remix of some pop song I have never heard and asked him if that was basketball music. Nope.

I hit the next button on the presets and out blares ZZ Top's Under Pressure. "Hey, Rowan. Is this basketball music?", I called to the back seat. "Yes!"

I've repeated this experiment a couple more times and classic rock is always basketball music. I would love to know what goes on inside his brain. I am awed by his logic.

If you need a little pick-me-up, here's some basketball music for you. As Rowan says, "It'll knock you down."

Snow Day!

It snowed in Atlanta last night. We usually get one snow storm each winter but usually it waits until February. Snow and ice are a big deal here so schools and most businesses in the metro area are closed today. I shoveled about a third of the neighbors' driveway and it was fun! That's probably something only a Floridian would say.

Raleigh is 9 months old!

What a difference a month makes! Raleigh is doing all sorts of new things now that she's a big girl.

• Skills: She can pull up to a standing position and cruise a few steps. She has mastered the pincer grasp. She can help put her shirt on and is very good at taking it off, too. She can clap her hands. The funniest thing is when she plays peek-a-boo with her blanket. You say. "Where's baby?" and she'll pull the blanket over her face. She started doing this a couple months ago here and there.
• Language: "Da-da" is her first purposeful sound. Jeremy is "Da", of course, but so are a few other things. If she gets mad about something she will aim her crooked left pointer finger at you and sternly say "Zuh, zuh, zuh!" She knows what a cat is and will look for one if you ask her where the kitty is.
• Food: I still breastfeed her at night and first thing in the morning. I've stopped pumping at work, though; the squeeze wasn't worth the juice, so to speak. She is eating all kinds of solid foods now, including yogurt, cottage cheese, pancakes, waffle, bits of cornbread, and chicken. For New Year's Day we cooked black eyed peas and collard greens. She ate them with much gusto. So did Rowan.
• Clothes: She's squeezing into a few of her larger 6 month clothes, but has mainly moved on to the 9-12 month sizes. She can wear Rowan's old size 2 shoes - and they look so cute, I might add.
• Miscellaneous: Her seventh tooth has came in at the beginning of December. Tooth 8 is still working its way out. She thinks Rowan is very funny and tries to do everything that he does. At her daycare, she won't play with the boys in her age group. She wants to be with the older babies.

Raleigh has her 9-month check-up this Thursday. I will post her measurements after that.

Happy mirthday, sweet baby Raleigh!

The Holidays

What a fun-filled Christmas and New Year's we have had. We spent both holidays with my parents. Despite taking turns being sick, we had a lot of fun. Some of the highlights...

• Christmas dinner: beef tenderloin with horseradish sauce, scalloped potatoes, salad, green beans
• Singing Christmas songs with Rowan (We'll have to get the lyrics to Frosty the Snowman for next year)
• Seeing Rowan's reaction to his new tractor, fireman gear, and fire truck
• Watching Raleigh watch Rowan go crazy
• Spending time with my favorite people

I love you so much family! Let's do it again next year.