five month update: making strange and sleeping solo

This was a weekend full of visiting. On Friday evening, Nigel's mom and sister Erica came for a visit. Rowan pulled her now-familiar "strange" routine, complete with crinkly face, big pouty lip, tears(!) and trying to hide her face in my chest. She did this with our friends who were visiting on Sunday, too. I have to try not to laugh because, although Rowan's theatrics are kind of funny, she is clearly upset.

The "strange" hypothesis
It seems to me that Rowan is more likely to act strange when more than one person crowds in close before she has time to process their faces from a distance. She doesn't do it with the ladies at the grocery store - maybe because usually there is only one person at a time? or is it that they don't get as close? I dunno. Perhaps we'll have to do an experiment to see whether more wait time, less people at once, or a bit more face-to-face distance makes a difference. I know *I* would be a bit freaked out if people were excitedly talking to me less than a foot from my face, even if I knew and liked them!

Rowan loves to get carried around. Keep moving, grandma!

Daddy was fooling around with the wide angle lens and took this photo of Rowan. Her eyes always look big, but this photo really shows them off. I have no idea if Rowan is going to keep her blue eyes; my mom says my eyes were blue until I was nine months old (my eyes are green-hazel), so they could change yet. It would be really neat if they stayed the colour they are; they are so intense.

Biggest blue eyes ever

And Rowan enjoyed some tummy time on our bed.
Belly-surfing.

Rowan gets her own room
As of Sunday, Rowan's 5-month birth milestone, we officially moved her into her crib in her own room. The cradle was just getting too small for her. No more sleeping in the closet. Thankfully, Rowan doesn't seem to care about the switch and is sleeping just as soundly as ever, but it made me kind of sad to think how fast she is growing. She will be a toddler before I know it.

It is nice to not have a nightlight on in our bedroom, though.

Almost 5 months old!

I can hardly believe that Rowan is going to be 5 months old this Sunday. Time is going by so fast!

I don't know what exactly I'm going to do when my year of paid mat leave is up. By then, I expect we'll be living in Ottawa again. I guess I'll try to hook myself up with some contract work to do at home to bring in a bit of extra ca$h. I just can't see putting Rowan in somebody else's care full-time. I'd have to be making a LOT of money to justify it (and afford it).

Here's a couple of cute photos I took today:



Tummy time is not such an awful experience anymore! We've been practicing rolling over from back to front and back again (mostly with a bit of assistance). Rowan has actually rolled herself over from her tummy onto her back a couple of times now, though. She's getting so strong.



Another hand-held portrait of Rowan and me.

now for the photos

Here are the promised photos now that Rowan is in bed for the night.


Rowan likes playing with her hands. She also likes trying to stuff both of them into her mouth at the same time.


Tummy-time is getting to be less upsetting for Rowan as she gets stronger. Toys help encourage her.


Rowan gave her grandma big smiles this weekend - farting noises really make Rowan happy!


Rowan's Aunt Erica gave her some really nifty animal books that have skin and fur textures. I really like the lizard skin and the sticky treefrog feet! Can't really say which ones Rowan likes best yet, but she does reach up and touch the textured patches as well as helping to turn the pages.