Times they are a changin'

Ryan and Rob teaching Riley the ways of the guitar.

Deer in a baby swing...I mean in headlights!

Trying out a new pacifier...I love this picture Kinah took because you can tell she's looking at me :)

On Saturday our friends Rob and Kinah (those of you who attended our wedding, Rob was one of the groomsmen, the one with glasses) came over for dinner with their 6-month-old son, Riley. He's super cute and has a raspy little voice and bright blond hair that sticks straight up. It feels so strange to hang out with people that have babies--especially since most of our friends either don't have babies, or they have had one in the last 6 months. I've gotten so used to Lucy and her independent ways, and her just hanging out with us and our friends, it feels weird to all of a sudden have someone who's way more demanding, to have friends that are experiencing the same things...I just said this to a friend, but it's true; in the words of Bob Dylan, times they are a changin'.

Tooth News

This is the latest exciting news around our house: Lucy has lost her first tooth! I haven't got all the details, but I talked to her on the phone and gathered that she lost the tooth at school, and she got a quarter from the tooth fairy :) Last week when she was home with us (she's at her mom's now--this pic is courtesy of her) I kept asking if she'd like an apple, trying to kind of sneak something in there that I knew would do the trick, and it would work for about 2 seconds then she'd get scared and ask for grapes instead...what can I say, she's a smart kid.

In other news, Rowan attended her first Panda Conspiracy (Ryan's band) show last night at the Northwest Folklife Festival. It was really cool weather and it threatened to rain the whole time, but it was still fun to have the babe there to see her dad drum his pants off.

Today we are just enjoying the warm weather with the cool breeze and getting ready for summer...and my birthday! June 15th, just in case you forgot :)

First Friend!

Five girls on the sofa:

Elliott, Esther, Donnianne, Rowan & Alisa

The mamas and the babies.

We barbecued at TJ&Sarah's house last weekend when the weather was really hot. Our friends Drew and Donnianne (Drew used to play the bass for the band that Ryan plays drums for now) have a baby girl who is 6 months old named Elliott. She is cute as a button and Rowan's first official baby friend! Even though Rowan pretty much slept the whole time, we got a few cute pics of us together...and they gave Rowan a super cute blanket that I have been coveting since I found out I was pregnant--Thanks guys!!

Weekend with my Girls

This last weekend Ryan went to Westport with the band for a show at a surfing competition. I was going to go with Lucy and the baby, but we decided not to, a good choice! We had a fun weekend of playing in the warm weather, playing in the sprinkler at Auntie Deb's, me getting to spend some time without the girls, and to top it off a trip to the donut shop (Lucy's idea) on Sunday morning.

On Saturday Lucy wanted to ride her scooter that she has named "Scooty" to the park. The whole way there she was chattering to Scooty, asking it questions and carrying on a conversation with it as I tried to keep her close to the edge of the trail as to not get pummeled by cyclists who can't seem to slow down because they are all trying to impress each other with how fast they can ride...or something. We had a little picnic at the park; Rowan felt the grass on her feet for the first time which was amusing to us, and Lucy played and fed the ducks--or geese rather--that weren't afraid at all of us and kept getting closer and closer which freaked us out :)

What took the blue ribbon though was the kid who forgot to back pedal (brakes) to keep from riding his bike straight into the slough because he got side tracked by some people launching a canoe into the water. He didn't go ride into the water, his bike fell over before that point into some tall grass and sticker bushes. I helped him out of the mess and lifted his bike off him, and was so so glad he didn't fall into the duck poop infested waters.

Baby and a Beer Bottle

I found this and can't quite figure out if the bottleneck is supposed to be in the shot or not. She's totally giving an evil eye...or a lazy eye :)

Here are a few more pictures from Mother's Day. I can't believe we're a family of four now...I wish I could say that we're having a smooth transition, but alas, we have a six-year-old who is very smart, precocious, and above all else sensitive. She is doing great with the baby, but is clearly feeling that her place in this family is threatened. It makes me sad because I want her to be herself and feel safe and loved. I think deep down she does, but to let us know that would be for her dropping her guard, and she's not there yet.

Cute daddy and baby.

Mother's Day

Yesterday was my first official mother's day. I have kind of faux-celebrated with Lucy over the past three years, always getting projects and stuff from daycare and school, but something struck me so differently yesterday--a combination of our growing family, my close-knit support system of amazing women, and missing my own mom, too.

Lucy came back home to us last night, after being with her mom for a little over a week. She was really clingy the whole time her mom was here, and wouldn't leave her alone, a repercussion of bringing the baby home, I'm sure. We had a heart to heart about it later that night when she was in the bath tub. I told her that I understood how much she missed her mom, and that I too spent some time crying that day like she was because I wanted to see her so bad. I could see the wheels turning in her head as she started to turn her face from a forced pout to concern for my well being. She asked me if the reason I was crying was because I was sad that we couldn't visit my mom, because she lives in heaven. I told her yes, and also because I wished so badly that she could have met Lucy and the new baby. She reassured me that although we can't see her in person, she can still see us, and is watching over our family, like an angel.

Those words, even though I've thought them in my head a hundred times, coming from her mouth melted my heart. She put her worries and sadness about missing her mom aside and was consoling me--the grown-up. I'm not sure what was going through her head, I think it was somewhere along the lines of matter-of-factness and acknowledging the pain that I was feeling, but I felt so happy to know that I'm part of why this kid is who she is; and so proud to have a six-year-old with such a caring, compassionate soul.

Belly

Lucy using Rowan's old home as an elbow rest. I look so thrilled to be pregnant. Wow.

This was about a week before Rowan was born. Lucy loved hugging and talking to the baby.

Milk Face

Rowan is 2 weeks old now. This picture is from last week though, when she was about a week. She and I have been catching up with the gals on the View in the morning, and with Oprah in the afternoon...it's been rough on us :)

Sweet Baby Girl

Wide awake...I love this picture!

Things are starting to settle down, Ryan is back at work, Lucy's been at her mom's all week, and the baby and I are starting to get the swing of a feeding routine, no help from my over-exerting breasts :) I have enough milk to feed all the babies in Bothell, but we're getting down to only one shirt change a night, so that's promising!!

Rowan had her first check up last Friday, where she weighed in at 8lbs, 5.5 oz., only a week old and exceeding her birth weight. She is still super calm for the most part, she really only gets mad if she is hungry and impatient. She's been taking a bottle once a day from Ryan, which has proven to be an easy feat--switching back and forth from me to a bottle. When she's awake she just looks around and observes everything...people, her mobile, the blinds in our bedroom, the dots on her crib...she's so sweet; I can't get enough of her little face and her big blue eyes.

9 days old.