Boy Oh Boyers

I've heard some people say they feel like they wished their child's babyhood away with thoughts like, "if only he could talk", or "if only he could sit up on his own", or "I can't wait until he's potty trained". Then there are others who grieve every step of progress, lamenting the fast pace at which time seems to fly by. These people feel cheated at being left with only the vague memories of how things used to be. Much to my surprise, as a mom I probably lean more toward the latter. I certainly do look forward to Rowan's development, all he'll learn and do, and how Tom and I will get to share the excitement of seeing the world through a child's eyes. But at only four weeks old, it has caught me a little off guard that we're already seeing noticeable changes in his size, demeanor, and behavior. Now, I knew babies change quickly. If you had asked me when I was pregnant whether a four-week old baby has changed noticeably compared to a newborn I would have said of course, yes! But when I see his footed airplane outfit being stretched to its limits when he extends his legs, I can't believe this is the baby who just a couple of weeks ago had significant extra fabric at the end of the same outfit!

I'm really glad that things progress gradually. For instance, Rowan's umbilical cord stump has not fallen off. We're approaching the longish side of normal for it to stay on, but it's certainly no cause for concern as the pediatrician said it is obviously drying up as expected and will fall off in good time. So, today I had to go buy more size newborn diapers to accommodate the umbilical stump, even though technically the size 1 diapers would fit now. I realized while I picked them up off the shelf that they're almost certainly the last newborn diapers I'll buy for him -- so I looked at those diapers differently than all the packs before.

Prior to being a mom, I'd have said I'm about as far toward the un-sappy end of the spectrum as a gal can be. But now, getting emotional over diapers? I'm sure somewhere deep down I look at that umbilical cord stump as a visual reminder that Rowan was, very recently, inside me. And now we've experienced the miracle of birth and have already gotten to nurture this amazing new creature for four weeks. What a beautiful life this is. And will be.

We use Dr. Brown's bottles so Dad (or a visiting and willing victim...er...grandparent) can give Rowan pumped breastmilk at his midnight feeding. Dr. Brown's bottles come in two sizes: the short ones that hold 4 ounces, and the tall ones that hold 8 ounces. All literature I've read says babies Rowan's age take 2-3 ounces in a meal. Everyone I've talked to says you can use the 4 ounce bottles for many months before ever needing an 8 ounce one. Well, wrong here! After several feedings at which Rowan consumed the entire 4 ounces, Meemaw suggested perhaps he would take 5 ounces. Well, the small Dr. Brown's bottles ominously warn not to fill them above the 4 ounce line, so to test this 5 ounce theory we had to break out the big guns. And guess what? He has taken the entire 5 ounces each time we've offered it to him! Would he take 6? 7? I'm a little afraid to find out, but on the chance that a baby who eats more sleeps longer (as I've occasionally been told), I suppose we'll bump it up to 6 ounces soon and see if he takes it!

It's good to know he has a good appetite, I guess. Tom commented once a few weeks ago about a baby we saw who had really chunky thighs, and I warned him that Rowan will almost certainly get those too. Yesterday, I noticed the first fat roll on his little thighs. Welcome to bouncing babyhood!

Tom and I invited our dear friend Tim, (a.k.a. Uncle Tim), to watch our precious bundle while we snuck in a little afternoon nap. The initiation for said babysitting was, of course, the changing of a dirty diaper. Tim handled it like a champ!

After Tom's and my snoozefest, we all had dinner. As I sit here typing, Tom and Tim are downstairs making chocolate chip cookies! Ah, here comes Tim with the bowl for me to lick...

Rowan has developed an interesting morning habit. Ever since he was born, he's basically eaten a meal around 8pm, another around midnight, and another around 4am. Then he'd wake up and want to eat around 7am and stay awake, which worked beautifully. The last couple of nights, things haven't been quite as peachy. The night before last, the 4am-ish feeding fell around 4:30am. Once he was finished eating, Rowan decided it surely must be morning, and he should in fact stay awake and greet the day! I managed to convince him, through rocking, pacifiers, and a little persistence, that he should in fact sleep just a little more. So I got about 45 more minutes out of him. This morning, the 4am feeding fell around 5am (we had an interesting evening which pushed things a touch later than usual...but that's another post altogether). After this 5am feeding, Rowan was *really* sure it was morning, and when I finally did succeed in getting him to doze back off, he only slept for about half an hour.

Overall, I certainly can't complain. My mom is here taking the midnight feeding, so I sleep many consecutive hours before the 4am feeding anyway. I think what burns my buns is sitting here wide awake with sun streaming in the windows, looking at the video baby monitor where Rowan is sleeping like a log. Is there anyone out there who can just shut down your body and go into instant hibernate when your baby does? If so, I'd like to know the trick! I'd be so much better rested if I could sleep when he does. I know my Grampies had the secret to instant snoring anywhere, but I never thought to ask him what it was. He probably would have said, "You'll know when you're my age". Would I be willing to pay the price? It might mean that I, like Grampies, could never stay awake for another movie again. Ever. Hmm...weighing pros and cons, I think I'd take the deal!

Welcome to the world, Kayla! Francois and Yolanda welcomed Kayla Joy on Thursday at 11:52am. She weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces and was 21 inches long.

Even though she's bigger than Rowan was when he was born, holding Kayla felt like holding a feather compared to Rowan's current weight! We feel so blessed to be friends with all three Nels.

We've made it through our first road trip! Rowan, Grandmommy, and I made the 3 hour trek to a conference I'm attending. I actually think we've done really well that Rowan's "stuff" fit in just these bags! We took a gamble on the hotel crib, and it paid off; no need for the pack-n-play this time. Yay for lightening the load!

We're doing great here in the hotel. Rowan and Grandmommy spent the day relaxing while I went to conference sessions. In fact, we're not done yet -- I've got to go to another meeting here in the hotel at 10pm because the darned students didn't get their presentation for tomorrow ready in time...mutter, mutter. Bless their hearts. :-) It's been kind of fun being away, but the constant logistical challenge of pumping milk, feeding Rowan, getting back and forth from the hotel to the conference site, dealing with a hotel fridge that is quite reluctant to get and stay cold, plus washing by hand every single bottle and breastpump part (of which there are shockingly many) has got me ready for home at last! Oh, for a dishwasher. Come tomorrow, we're outta' here. Plus, Daddy is missing Rowan very much.

Oh, yeah: trips to the bathroom scale with Rowan in and out of Daddy's arms suggest that our little bundle is a whopping 11 pounds already! Wow. I mean, we knew he was getting heavier -- but it's no wonder he makes Kayla feel light as a feather! Oh, and for those of you who are following the progress of the umbilical cord stump, you should know it's gradually but surely giving up the ghost. We're seeing much more of what looks like a belly button when we get in there with a q-tip to clean, so it won't be long before we have a baby belly, pure and simple. Stay tuned for breaking news. (By the way, I tried to upload a picture of Rowan in the hotel, but this internet connection isn't cooperating even for a 200k file. I'm giving up now, but I'll make it a picture of the day for next week.)

Rowan has made me aware of the great human capacity to love someone we've never met. Tonight Rowan's great-grandmother and a pair of grandparents fly in from Indiana and Illinois. I'm sitting here thinking: he won't remember it, but what a momentous event! These people already love him so deeply, would give their lives for him even, yet have never met him. He's lying here in my lap right now, eyes open looking up at me. Even though I see him almost constantly, I'm amazed that I haven't lost the sense of awe at just how beautiful and precious he is. This feeling makes me unspeakably excited whenever another loved one will meet him for the first time.

I remember when Karis was first born: we saw her picture projected on the screen at church as part of the announcements, and a feeling gripped me like I can't even describe. I had been eager to meet her since I found out Leah was pregnant. I had wondered, what will this baby look like? What will she act like? What will it be like to meet a new being, eternal and beautiful, who I had looked forward to since I first found out she was on her way? Then, when I saw her picture, all pink and new and tiny, I realized: I LOVED her. She's the daughter of our friends, not even related to us through blood, and I couldn't believe the agonizing sense of love and concern I felt for her right away. How could that be?

I don't know. You could explain it biologically, I'm quite sure. Or spiritually, certainly. But no need. I'm happier to embrace the consequences of it, not its cause. The consequences now, for us? To know when I see my son meet a grandparent for the first time, there's an everlasting connection formed that nobody can quite understand. Good thing we don't need to. We can just embrace.

Rowan hasn't minded one bit being passed around like a hot potato! First was Mamaw, Rowan's great-grandmother. Then Papaw, Rowan's grandfather, got his hands on him. Finally Grammy, Rowan's grandmother, got the chance. Rowan's been showered with more love and kisses in the last few days than a baby knows what to do with! He's certainly no worse for the wear. :-)

Rowan has started smiling. The development charts call it a "social smile", a smile that's clearly in response to an external stimulus of pleasure. The smiles are sporadic and not too predictable yet, but they've occurred in a variety of settings. Yesterday a smile was actually accompanied by a squeal of happiness when Rowan had gotten tired of being on his tummy so I turned him over in his Winnie-the-Pooh play gym. As soon as he got on his back and saw the brightly colored Tigger toy swinging above him, Rowan smiled and let out a yelp of happiness! I absolutely couldn't believe it, and I was so sorry Tom was out walking the dog. I know there are many repeats of the smile yet to come, though! When the smiles become more predictable, and when I can stop being so floored by them so that I actually think to grab the camera, there will be smily Rowan pictures galore here! Stay tuned.

Rowan is 12 pounds 1 3/4 ounces today! Wow. Oh, and about the surgery. It's very minor. Not even surgery, really. But it looks like intervention will be needed to remove Rowan's umbilical cord stump! In this photo, taken today, you can see the persistent little bugger, blocking what will be a beautiful belly button.

After calling the pediatrician about an unrelated issue (that part is a long story with a short answer: clogged tear duct, happens all the time with babies, nothing to worry about), I mentioned in passing that Rowan's umbilical stump was still on. The nurse asked me a series of questions about the nature of this lingering beast, and at the conclusion she said I really needed to come in today or Monday to have it looked at. We were available today, so we siezed the appointment, ever hard to come by, with Dr. Seidel (who happens to be the wife of my obstetrician). Anyway, after examining Rowan, Dr. Seidel said this stump will almost surely not fall off on its own (no way to know why) and she referred us to a surgeon. I'll keep you posted when the beautification procedure has been completed.

Oh, and remember that red mark I thought I made with my ring? Turns out it's just coincidence that I noticed it at the same moment I accidentally drug my jewelry across the same spot. That red mark is a hemangioma, which will apparently grow in height (being raised from the skin), but not in width, until Rowan's about one year old. Then the spot will fade until, as an adult, it will be gone. Weird, huh?

He's wonderfully healthy and thriving, which is why I can sit back and laugh that in just one day he's been diagnosed with a clogged tear duct, a hemangioma, and a delayed cord separation!

On a totally lighter note, we may have to give away the rest of our size 1 diapers as they're getting nearly impossible to fasten! Our bouncing babe is on to size 2.

No doubt about it, what you see here is a genuine, shriek-accompanied Rowan smile! This one simply couldn't wait to become a picture of the day. I'm even working on getting a video clip on here so you can watch the giggling action!

We're taking a tub bath tonight, baby! Why, you ask? Because Rowan's umblilical cord stump has fallen off on its own! Yippee.

I generally temper the content of these blog posts because of the varying belief systems of our loved ones who read. But the way this happened bears my recounting the story in detail, so if you'll be bothered by my attributing a miraculous (albeit small in the scheme of things) work of healing to God, you should stop reading now. Also if you're a colleague, supervisor, or student of mine and believe you may lose professional respect for me because of my belief, you should stop reading now too.

Rowan's umbilical cord has shown only change for the worse over the last few weeks. It had begun oozing blood onto the inside of his clothes, and showed no signs of shriveling up or detaching. The pediatrician just Friday said it does not appear that it will come off on its own, and she advised us to schedule an appointment with the pediatric surgeon (who I intended to call first thing Monday morning). But on Sunday at church, Susan, Yolanda, and I prayed for Rowan's umblilical cord to dry up and fall off. And overnight it went from firmly attached to hanging by a thread. And this morning it fell off completely.

It's easy to forget that even the most simple, physical things have a supernatural component. It's easy to forget that children of God are so deeply cared for by Him that we can bring even a seemingly mundane petition, and sometimes He'll choose to move miraculously even when a different, run-of-the-mill solution would have affected the desired result. I'm really thankful not to have to subject Rowan to a minor surgery to have this over with.

So, look out for pictures of Rowan's first tub bath. They're coming soon to a blog near you!

Scientific fact: Rowan Boyer is incredibly buoyant! I just held my hand under his heavy little cranium, and the rest of his body floated like an innertube. It was hilarious. He'll understand all about this when he turns 10 years old and gets his junior SCUBA certification.

The puzzled look in this picture only lasted for a minute or so, then he reveled in the warm suds. Bathtime is going to be a fun, relaxing routine around here. Eee gads, what will the water bill be this month?!