Happy Mirthday Rowan!

Rowan is now officially closer to 4 years old than 3. Oh, the adventures we have had this past month! But, we’ve had a lot of fun, too.

• Likes: big boy Legos, superheroes, Disney shows (Handy Manny, Super Agent Oso, Little Einsteins, Jake and the Pirates)
• Dislikes: Sharing things with Raleigh, bed time
• So big: Shirts and pants, 4T; Shoes, 11T
• Arm status: He is coping really well with his cast. It doesn’t seem to slow him down any. He has maintained a lot of his independence and only requires help with a few things. Bath time has been somewhat challenging but we’ve worked out an okay system.
• Skills: Writing is improving, still having some troubles with N and W. Drawing is getting better, too. He’s adding more details. He’s great at using scissors and coloring within the lines. We’ve been working on some basic addition and subtraction. I think he is getting concept and not just regurgitating information we’ve fed him. He has an amazing memory and will mention events from months ago (e.g., trick-or-treating last year, going off with Jeremy and my dad) with vivid details. I love his mind and the watching the way it works.   

Speaking of his beautiful mind, here are a couple of anecdotes from the past month.

Sweet Dreams

Hey, Mommy. Know what I dreamed about while I was sleeping? Not a witch, not the bad girl on Spiderman, not monsters. It was pancakes and waffles! I dreamed about breakfast! [lots of giggles]

Dr. Rowan

[with gentle authority and a serious tone] G-Ma, sit down. I am going to give you thorough check-up.

Original Jokester

This is a joke Rowan made up all by himself, a clever riff on the classic orange-banana one.

   Knock knock.

   Who’s there?

   George.

   George who?

   George you glad I didn’t say the man in the yellow hat!

Table Talk

This was a completely unscripted and uncoached exchange with the waiter at dinner Saturday.

   Waiter: Can I answer any questions for you about the menu?

   Rowan: [very mature and serious] I have a question. Can I have a grilled cheese with French fries?

Happy, happy birthday to my sweet boy!

Raleigh's 17th Mirthday

Seventeen months! Our little baby is getting to be such a big girl.

• Likes: helping clean up toys, animals, doing big kid things, walks, shoes
• Dislikes: Having things taken away, especially by Rowan
• Skills: She is trying to jump but ends up standing on her toes and lifting her arms. She can sing "Caillou" (It's so sweet!) and likes to sing/hum to other songs. She is also getting to be a pretty fast runner.
• Vocab: buh tee (brush teeth), brocka (broccoli), duh (done), kellkotter (helicopter), eee-beee (airplane), outsigh (outside), cuh-cake (cupcake), puh-cake (pancake), shoes, yuck
• So big! shirts/dresses and pants - 18mos. shoes - size 5; The last tooth in this latest set has come in all the way making the grand total 16. Somehow I got ahead of myself with the tooth counting. We're back on track, though!

Raleigh Stories

Now that Raleigh is communicating in a way that we can better understand, she's starting to have some funny stories like big brother.

We were eating dinner at my parents' house a couple of weeks ago and the topic of conversation got a little disorderly. 

   My mom: Let's talk about something nice. What would that be?

   Raleigh: burp!

Driving to the library we were talking about why it's not a good idea for Rowan to get his cast wet. We were talking about how it would make his skin yucky and would probably start to smell pretty awful.

   Rowan: It would be like stinky cheese! Stinky cheese man!

   Me: You're probably right about that.

   Raleigh: Nas-tay! Ooooh-weeee! 

Happy belated birthday, sweet baby. 

Labor Day 2011: A different kind of break

Yesterday's break from work turned into a different sort. 


Rowan was trying to dismount his bike yesterday morning and took a spill. I thought he had probably scraped his knees or elbow. Then I saw his left arm and the strange bend just above his wrist. My adrenaline took over and I hustled Rowan and my dad into the car so we could get to Children's Healthcare asap. 


He cried when it first happened but was easily soothed. He said his arm did not hurt. He was quiet for the whole ride to the emergency room.


By the time we had checked in at front desk Jeremy had arrived. Rowan was still cool and collected. He talked with the triage nurse and didn't seem too upset by anything until she suggested that he ride in a wheelchair to our room. He started to get a little nervous at that point so Jeremy carried him. The nurse said it was okay; she thought he would think the wheelchair was fun.


We got to Room 24 and within minutes were headed to x-ray. Still no crying from Mr. Brave. He keeps telling us that his arm is okay and that it's not broken. They check his vital signs and everything is great.


The orthopaedist said that there was a hairline fracture in the radius and his ulna was just sort of bent. Kids' bones are rubbery (thank goodness!) so the injury was not as bad as it would have been for an older kid or an adult. The angle of the break was just at the upper limit of normal so the ortho decided to set the bones. He said that they would probably heal just fine on their own but he wanted to be on the safe side.


They had to sedate him for the reduction. Which means they had to insert an IV, hook him up to heart and lung monitors, and have oxygen ready. Rowan was awesome during the prep process. He was fine with the IV and the "robot buttons" (electrodes). The whole time he was talking with us and the medical staff. They were very impressed with his attitude and humor. Several of them remarked how brave he was. 


When they injected the sedative into his IV it burned and he started to cry for the first time since he first fell. After about 5 seconds he was out. The ortho worked fast to set his bones and wrap his arm in a splint. The whole process took maybe 15 minutes.


He woke up shortly after that after some foot tickling and head rubbing. The first thing he said was "Why did that man put that milk in my hand? It was hot." (Propofol, the sedative they used, is white.) We were on our way home about 30 minutes later. 


We will go to see another ortho next week for Rowan's hard cast. He'll have to wear it 2 or 3 weeks.  He may end up with a removable hard cast or the traditional sort. I hope it's the removable kind. I can't begin to imagine how we are going to be able to keep his left hand clean for the next month.


This Labor Day weekend will definitely be one to remember!

Three and a half, man!

Our most favorite boy turns three and a half tomorrow! We've certainly had a lot of fun - and a few dramas - these past six months. Because I know how much you love them, here are some Rowan stories from the past few weeks.

Modesty

Rowan pointed out a passing truck while we were stopped at a red light. He said, "Look at that funny truck! It's little." It was a beverage truck, the kind that look like miniature semis. I told him that the truck had a bunch of drinks inside. Rowan remarked, "Yeah, it's beer." And it was a beer truck! - not one of the big brands, either. Amazed, I asked him how he knew. His response: "Because I am the smartest boy in the world."

Tunage

Jeremy gave Rowan a ukulele for his birthday. Rowan calls it his guitar. We keep it on top of our TV cabinet so that it won't get trashed. Out of the blue last week Rowan said, "Daddy, will get down my guitar? I need to play some tunes."

Storyteller

On the drive home this evening Rowan told Jeremy a story about something that happened at school. The story went on, and on, and on for about three minutes. He barely paused to take a breath. When he was finally done he proclaimed, "Phew! That was a long story."

Raleigh is 16 months old!!!

Today our tiny baby is 16 months old! How did that happen so quickly? We've seen a lot of growth in Raleigh this past month - new skills, new words. It's been really neat to see her developing so rapidly. Here are the details.

• Likes: The usual, plus finding a special little spot to sit, reading books, singing, neckalces, bracelets, and purses
• Dislikes: brushing teeth (sometimes)
• Skills: She can walk backwards and drink from a regular cup without spilling (as long as you put a wee bit in there). She pee-peed in the potty once. She likes to sit on the potty, with and without bottoms on, and is happy to sit down on it when you ask her to try. She also likes to exclaim "pee pee!" if someone else is going.
• Communication: It is getting easier to figure out what she wants/needs but sometimes we all get a little frustrated when I can't decipher her talking and gestures quickly enough. She definitely understands a lot of what we are saying and is very good at yelling "No!" when we guess incorrectly about her requests. She is also great at mimicking noises and repeating words she finds interesting. The words aren't in her working vocabulary but she can say them accurately. I think they will crop up into conversation one day when we least expect it. She likes to tell her own version of knock-knock joke that's pretty funny. Basically she'll say "knock-knock" and wait for the who's there, then she'll crack up. It's a lot more humorous than it sounds.
• New vocab: apple, pee pee, bee-bee (baby), nana (banana), bloon (balloon)
• So big! Three more teeth have erupted for a total of 17. Number 18 lurks just beneath the gums. Shirt size is 18 mos., pants 12 mos., and shoe size 4.