Absence

I looks like I took a three month hiatus from the blog. Life is proving to be infinitely more complicated with two children...but it's oh so much fun :)

Rowan is nearly 16 months old. She is so  different than Ella was at this age. Rowan seems to have no desire to walk. She pulls herself up to stand on nearly everything and has even been know on to cruise around the coffee table a bit. But walking doesn't interest her at all. She still scoot-crawls everywhere and is very quick.

Rowan seems to be putting all of her effort into her fine motor skills. She loves to feed herself with a spoon and fork and drinks from a cup. Rowan's favorite foods, in no particular order: kale, peas, green beans, blueberries, pickled asparagus, applesauce, and garlic hummus. I have been trying to wean Rowan for a few months, but if she has it her way, she would nurse several times a day. I'm just ready to be done. But it is nice having a few quiet moments with Rowan here and there. I'm sure I'll miss that when she's no longer breastfeeding.

Rowan is very talkative. We still don't understand most of what she says, but occasionally we are surprised to hear a few real words if the context is right :) Mostly, she just says Mama, Dada, Ella, this, these (for nursing) and boo (also for nursing.) She also signs for "more" and "all done." But she's starting to get frustrated that we don't understand more of what she's trying to say. The screeching sound she makes to get our attention is bloodcurdling.

Oh, I could go on... Moving on to Ella. Ella is still doing well in second grade. She's working on multiplication and division, but loves making art projects the best. We just finished reading The BFG by Roald Dahl and are almost done with James and the Giant Peach. It's fun hearing her read to Rowan, too :)

Brady and I are headed to DC in a few weeks for work. I'm looking forward to some time away from Idaho Falls. It still doesn't feel quite like home to me, so it's wonderful to get an opportunity to experience the things I miss the most--good food, culture, diversity... I'm sure I'll have more to report when we return.