Photo Shoot - 10 months...

The past few months...

Clearly I'm a little behind on updating our family blog. Between family travels, our work schedules and spending time with Rowan we have been a bit busy. So sorry!!!

Anyway, the last few months have been pretty amazing in terms of Rowan's development. About a week after he started crawling, he was cruising around the house and getting into everything. His vocabulary continues to grow and he knows where his ball, cup, car, train, book, bottle, juice, truck, Elmo, remote, straw, top, football, yes, there is a difference between ball and football, all are and will go get them for you when you ask him. And, he says Mama and Dada regularly. I've been teaching him sign language and he knows "no more" and "more" when we are eating. They've actually been really helpful for us because Rowan really loves to eat. :-)

At 10 months, Rowan started transitioning off of baby food and eating people food regularly. He loves fresh fruit, yogurt, waffles, goldfish, green beans, sweet potato, bread and cheese. He's still not a fan of peas and carrots though. He loves apple juice though. During this time we also transitioned from 4 bottles to 3 bottles throughout the day.

He enjoyed his first visit to the pool, watching Daddy's first EFL fantasy football draft (the first of many, I'm sure), trip to Knoxville to see his Aunt Ashley at UT, and photo session on the Vanderbilt campus. And, Mom and Dad got to even travel to Atlanta to watch the Hokies first football game against Alabama. Rowan's Grammy and Papa Lowry drove up from VA stopping in Knoxville to pick up Aunt Ashley to watch him that weekend. We really appreciated it and I know Rowan loved spending time with his grandparents and aunt.





Each day we marvel at what an extraordinary little boy we have in our lives, even on the days when we are tired and the 'to do' list looks like it will never end. We continue to count our blessings because life is so good.

And, I promise to update more regularly.

Our Little Beach Bum

10 months - big month for milestones

July was a big month for us - Rowan started crawling at 9 months 3 weeks. It was perfect timing for our busy month. We enjoyed lots of new travel experiences and very busy work schedules...that's why I'm so behind on our blog.

We traveled to Emerald Isle, NC for our first family beach vacation. It was nice to spend time with the Witherell side of our family. We really cherish that time because we get to enjoy it only a few times a year.







It was fun seeing the boys together. Rowan and his cousins, Quinlin and Calyx, got along really well. He even met little Miss Riley Wisecarver which meant that we got to spend time with our good friends in Charlotte. And we spent an overnight in Greensboro with the Martins. The overall trip varied which was really enjoyable since Rowan is officially on the move and getting faster by the minute. Variety is the spice of life in our family - lots of stroller walks - as much time as we can spend outside the better. Rowan's taste buds are continuing to expand with new experiences in the food department - chicken nuggets, watermelon, yogurt smoothies, blueberries, whole green beans. He is starting to really enjoy our food more than his baby food, so I have a feeling we'll be off baby food in no time.



Weighing in at 23lbs 10oz, Rowan is definitely growing and keeping us on our toes. His personality is really starting to emerge - he's a very focused and all boy! He crawls to show us where his ball, cup, truck and book are around the house. He prefers a ball over any toy though and will seek it out first every time! One of the most exciting experiences for us is watching his language skills develop - making new sounds. We think he's definitely going to have an opinion because he is constantly "talking" to us.

Madison & Baby Row Row

During our recent trip home to VA in June, Rowan got to spend some time with his sweet friend, Madison. Aren't they just the cutest?

9 months

June was a busy month for us. We traveled back to VA twice. Our first visit brought us to Charlottesville for Uncle Brent and Erica's wedding. Ryan and I enjoyed our first weekend alone with our friends from college while my Mom and grandparents spent time with Rowan. It was the perfect weekend. Then, we traveled back to VA a few weeks later for Rowan's cousin Landon's 1st birthday and Uncle Todd's 40th surprise party. It was our first time seeing Todd, Cate, and Quinlin since they left for Taiwan last year. And, it was even more special because we got to meet our nephew Calyx for the first time. Rowan has so many cousins (all boys) right around his age. I can imagine we're going to have our hands full trying to keep up with all of them.





At his 9 month check-up, Rowan weighed in at 22 lbs., 8.5 oz. and 29 1/4 inches long (80th percentile in all areas). He definitely was not thrilled about getting 2 more vaccinations and a blood test to measure his iron levels that day. Truth be told, neither was I. He's in the process of cutting his four top teeth, and it's quite a change from the experience of getting his bottom 2 teeth. He seemed to breeze through those with minor symptoms, but these 4 up top are really making him uncomfortable. We've had a few really difficult moments, lack of sleep and fussiness, but thankfully the tooth grumpiness goes in waves. I keep telling Rowan that he should be grateful he's getting his teeth. This way, he won't have to eat mush his whole life! Speaking of food, Rowan has been trying lots of different "real" foods lately which has been fun to watch and definitely messy. He's still not a fan of peas, like his Dad. We've phased out one of his feedings, so in addition to 3 solid meals a day he now only takes four 6 oz. bottles and we introduced a snack before dinner.



Another huge milestone this month included Rowan's first (and only...we hope) surgery. After many, many ear infections, we opted to get tubes put in his ears. We have been pleasantly surprised with how well he has done. We've noticed him making a lot more sounds since the tubes like bah, wah and oo's which is encouraging. And, he loves making silly noises with his lips and fingers and squeals a lot. Rowan hasn't started crawling in the traditional sense yet, but he definitely knows how to move around by scooting on his bottom. It's actually really funny to watch him bounce up and down while his legs are folded.

Sometimes it's the little things

This seems to be a typical night at our house. Ryan is always the comedian while Rowan is the laughing audience. Daddy can always make Rowan laugh.