Littell Family

a few of my favorite things right now

2010-06-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was telling Chad how much I love these things and wanted to write them down before time goes on and I forget.

1. Rowen's big, open mouth kisses he gives with a huge grin on his face. They may be the wettest kisses, but they sure are the sweetest.

2. The way he tries to save all his bath toys from the drain when the water is going down. As if he is afraid they might disappear with the water. What a good friend.

3. His willingness to always share his food, especially with daddy. He will even share his last bite. I hope his generous spirit continues to grow.

4. How he tries to swim in the bath but it is too shallow.

Happy Birthday Rowen!

2010-05-07T20:03:00.000-07:00

Rowen enjoying his new fire truck :)

Yummy Cupcake!

Soo BIG!!

Showing where his new teeth are!

I cannot believe that my sweet little 7 lb 4 oz baby boy is now a 23 lb one year old! There are no words to express the absolute adoration I have for this precious boy. Just thinking about how much I love him brings tears to my eyes every time. I am so grateful to watch Rowen's sweet personality come to light alittle more each day. He has the brightest smile and a contagious laugh that gets me every time. Lately I have been calling him sunshine (partly due to the fact that he enjoys to wake up when the sun wakes up!) but mostly because that is the best way to describe him. He truly lights up my life. Each day seems to bring new milestones, some of the most recent is waving and saying 'bye bye' in the softest, sweetest voice. One of my favorites is if you ask where Elmo's nose is, he squeezes Elmo's nose...if only everyone had big orange noses he would have that one down!

For his actual birthday, Chad and I gave him his firetruck Cozy Coupe which he LOVES!! He could go for rides in it for hours I am sure. He is so cute that he isn't quite big enough to get in and out himself, so he just climbs right on through the windows. After playing for a bit, he took his nap and then it was off to swim lessons. Poor little guy just started his lessons, so they are still pretty tramatic. I know he will get it though and be a little fishy in no time. His swim was soon forgetten though as he got to go to lunch with Grammie and Papa at Liberty Market; our favorite spot! He took down his pizza, probably the most I have seen this kid eat, which is saying a lot. My personal favorite part of the day was after dinner I gave Rowen a cupcake and sang him happy birthday. He must have remembered the joys of eating a cupcake from his birthday party because he wasted no time and went face first into the frosting. He giggled his way through the cake and was even nice enough to share with me. He was so precious with how he wanted to give me bites that how could I refuse?!? All in all we had such a fun day together and I feel so amazingly blessed to have such a precious boy to spend my days with. Being Rowen's mommy is beyond anything I could have ever hoped or dreamed. I love this little boy and know God will do great things in his life. My prayer for this year is that as he starts to learn how to talk, the stories about Jesus and God's Word will be continually on his lips. I cannot wait to see what this next year holds in store for my Rowen.

What a difference a year makes!

2010-05-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

For mother's day last year Michael gave Rowen a soccer jersey he got on his visit to Turkey. I found this picture of us holding the jersey up on Rowen when he was just 5 days hold. Fast forward 11 months, and here is that same little baby rockin his soccer jersey! What a big boy!

Beach Day!!

2010-03-15T16:55:00.000-07:00

I have been soo excited to take Rowen to the beach thinking how much he would love it...well, not so much. We wrestled him down to get his swimsuit on and lathered up in sunscreen for a whopping 15 minutes down at the beach. He sat in the sand for a minute before it sank in that he genuinely did not like the way the sand felt, dry or wet, and especially not the FREEZING ocean water. At least we got some sweet pictures to document our trip and will try again in June!

Meeting Theo Pete

2010-03-15T16:31:00.001-07:00

Rowen finally got to meet Chad's good buddy Pete this weekend out in Coronado.The guys met in military school Chad's sophomore year of high school and have been super close since. It is not very often Chad and I are spontaneous, but we decided on Thursday to drive out to California for the weekend in hopes of seeing Pete who was in town for a friends wedding. We are so grateful we came; we have had such a nice time seeing Petey and enjoying the warm beach weather, not to mention yummy breakfasts with Pete at our favorite spots...Cafe 1134 and the Del for Sunday Brunch!

Walking...Almost

2010-03-07T17:52:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has seen Chad with Rowen knows he has been pushing walking since we brought Rowen home from the hospital. This kid doesnt need much encouragement to walk though, since he figured out how to crawl all he wants to do is crawl to new locations to pull himself up on and walk around. Tonight he started to get the concept of his little walker which as you can see made his daddy very very proud :)

Crazy Man

2010-03-07T17:39:00.000-08:00

Today was one of the first times we have put Rowen in the nursery at church (normally my parents watch him in the afternoons for us to go). Although Rowen hasn't had colic for some time, I think the anxiety of him screaming his head off for an hour for someone else sticks with you. I was excited to pick him up and hear about how he did. When I went to get him I was relieved to see that he was happily playing. Anyway, the nursery staff said he did great but called him "very curious" so I thought I would post this video to show my crazy man. Here is "Rowen the Tornado" in action!!

Who knew Rowen moonlighted as a woodchuck?

2010-03-03T16:47:00.000-08:00

Oh yes, my ever creative son is always thinking of new ways to get out of napping. His latest had been standing at the end of his crib yelling and throwing his nuks (which to me was very cute). However, today he tried a new technique, chewing the side of his crib. I went in to check on him and found his face covered with wood chips and white paint. His drool apparantly had mixed with the paint chips and got paint stuck all over his sheets too. Awesome. Oh my, this kid will keep me on my toes!

Crawling!

2010-03-01T20:57:00.000-08:00

Since Rowen figured out how to crawl, he has been going non-stop. He loves exploring the world around him and the sound of his little hands pounding on the ground is something I will never forget. You can almost hear how proud he is of himself, I think the best way to describe his crawl is a strut. Once again, I have been blessed by my dad's gift of photography to get these sweet pictures of Rowen in action!

So handsome

2010-02-27T14:35:00.000-08:00

Nothing really I have in mind to post, but this has been my favorite picture I have taken in the last 2 months so I thought I would share. I still cannot get over his big precious eyes, I know he will be a heart breaker with how he is able to look you right in the eye, give a little smile and raise one eyebrow...oh it melts my heart. This boy is going to get away with a lot with that look.

Watch out Lance...here comes RO!

2010-02-25T16:11:00.000-08:00

So my parents are the super amazing kind of grandparents. They love to take Rowen on new adventures (one of the most recent, and I must admit, not my favorite, was letting him play with the toilet bowl wand, yes, you read that correctly, the toilet bowl wand...need I say GROSS!?! They even captured it on video :) One of the sweet, and much more sanitary things they got for him is a cart for their bikes so he can go on rides with them. He has one in Coronado and LOVES it so they got one for here. He just looks like he could go fast, huh? I am sure his daddy and Papa will be teaching him racing strategies in no time!

Fall

2010-02-25T16:04:00.000-08:00

Rowen truly seems to be getting bigger each and every day now. My little man is not so little anymore...he is only 9 months but wears 12-18 month clothing, has 7 teeth (almost 8!) and is crawling and pulling himself up on everything he can...including the wall. One of my favorite things he does is his goofy laugh. Instead of breathing out when he laughs, he breaths in and makes the funniest noise only he can make...trust me we try to copy him and just end up coughing! I love his sweet smile he seems to have on his face all the time now, it is truly such a blessing to have this mini man in our lives!

Christmas Baby

2009-12-25T15:03:00.000-08:00

I wasn't sure how Rowen would react to Christmas this year with his age, but surprisingly he really loved it. This year was special to me to have my family over Christmas morning for breakfast and presents. It was such a sweet and relaxing time together to enjoy each other as a family. One thing my mom did was give us each a gift that was a blessing for someone else. Rowen got a goat for a family in Africa, I got baby supplies for mothers in Africa and Chad got aide for small businesses in Africa. What a great way to remember how blessed we are and get to bless others.

DaDa

2009-12-03T14:11:00.000-08:00

Rowen's favorite thing to say right now is "da da". The only sad thing is he will not say it when Chad is around, but luckily I got it on video :) He is laughing in the beginning because I am splashing water on him. We were practicing drinking out of a straw when I accidentally flicked water in his face which he found hilarious. So I did what any mom would do, I kept doing it until we were both nice and wet!

Quiet Time!

2009-12-03T09:40:00.000-08:00

Since Rowen still is not a fan of nap time in his crib, we have established "quiet time". He loves to sit in his crib surrounded by some toys and play by himself while I get a few things done before he goes down for a nap in my bed. However, it is hard to get anything done when he looks so darn cute!

Halloween!

2009-12-01T22:11:00.000-08:00

We had such a great Halloween this year. We went to my Aunt Carol's "cousins pumpkin carving party" on Friday night and had a great time eating Mexican food and seeing all the kiddies dressed up in their costumes. The sweetest part was how excited Parker was to see Rowen and play with him. I guess he is happy to have another white haired boy to play with! On Halloween we had a low key day around the house and then went over to Dusty and Tina's to get some pictures of the cousins together. Poor Rowen was a caterpillar this year, although I don't think he was a big fan of the costume. Every time we went to take pictures of him on his tummy, he was face down and refused to push up and smile. It was actually pretty funny. We finished the day by having dinner and trick or treating with our great friends the Arnces. Little Donovan was "Super Lion", half lion / half super hero, but somehow no pants :) Very funny and cute to watch him run down the street with his cape flying. All in all, it was a great first Halloween!

Baby Turkey!

2009-11-27T15:09:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me well enough should know that my favorite holiday is most definitely Thanksgiving, and the best part of Thanksgiving is sweet rice (and maybe spending time with family, but mostly sweet rice!) It was such a joy to spend my favorite holiday with my sweet boy. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed at his disapproval of my potatoes, but the squash I made him got major points so I guess I did ok. I cannot wait for next year since my boy has become quite the eater lately :)

A few of my favorite things...

2009-10-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

Rowen has a bundle on energy and since he discovered his exersaucer and jumper he is a very happy camper. He always has a great smile, but when he is playing the way his eyes light up melt my heart.

His second love would be food, particularly butternut squash, sweet peas and the always popular rice cereal. He attacks his food!! Good thing we have trained him not to put his hands in his mouth when he eats, so he dive bombs the spoon with his face instead...it is very cute to see how excited he gets when it is mealtime :)

Lastly, he loves him some bath time. We got him a yellow duck bath which he can splash and play in. We all get wet, but hey, he is clean and happy so no complaining here!

handsome boy!

2009-10-28T17:11:00.000-07:00

This past month has flown by and Rowen is getting bigger everyday. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from this month!

As if we had any doubt...

2009-09-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

Surprise surprise Rowen LOVES to eat! Yesterday was his first adventure with eating rice cereal and it took him a few minutes to figure out how to swallow, but he eagerly opened his mouth and enjoyed his meal very much. I still can't believe my little baby boy is going to be 5 months in a week and starting to eat real food. Where has the time gone??

What a big boy!

2009-09-09T13:02:00.000-07:00

Today was Rowen's 4 month check up and what a big boy he is! My little guy is not so little anymore. He is now 15 lbs 10 oz and 26 inches long! I thought it was pretty funny when the doctor called him "skinny" for his height! I guess he is just all cheeks :)

Today was also another big milestone day, his first big roll over! We have been working on his tummy time and today was pretty typical, he pushes up for a minute or two and then gives up and takes a short nap :) But when my little man woke up all smiles I thought I would grab a few pictures and he was so excited he flipped over. He seemed pretty pleased with himself. Unfortunately, when I rolled him back to his tummy to see if he would do it again he got pretty mad at me...I guess he worked really hard to get off that tummy why the heck would I put him back on it again?! All in all, a pretty exciting morning in the Littell house!

For Uncle Mike...

2009-09-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

New method to calm a teething baby...

2009-09-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we decided to take a drive up to Temecula and visit a few wineries (yes with a baby!) Rowen did absolutely amazing. He slept the whole way down and through our first winery visit which was fantastic. We all split a cheese plate and tasted a wine flight, which was very yummy and relaxing. My parents have a thing for taking pictures of Rowen with things he should not be having, hence the picture of him with the wine and me drinking a glass of wine while breastfeeding (for the record, I was only taking a SIP!) We finished off the day at a spanish winery with tacos, tempernillo and a little spanish guitar. The lead guy liked Rowen so much that during one of his songs he let Rowen play...I think they both got a pretty big kick out of it.

My Son is already a Celebrity!

2009-09-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

Ok this was pretty funny. Yesterday we took Rowen for a ride around the island, which he loved (of course, Chad was pulling him so he went VERY fast!) When we stopped for lunch, this group of about 6 Japanese tourist kept pointing and getting all excited and started taking pictures of Rowen! I think they wanted to hold him but I had to draw the line there. This guy was hilarious, he even took pictures with Chad but unfortunately we didn't get a picture of that. I guess we got a small glimpse of what it would be like to be famous...kinda strange!

Play Time!

2009-09-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

Rowen is getting to such a great age where he is finally finally starting to enjoy all the toys that fill our house. A big milestone for us is he will chill in his swing and on a very lucky day even take a nap in it (I know, I thought I was going to have the only child in history that didn't like the swing!) It has been so nice to be able to put him on his playmat or exersaucer and watch him have fun while I do something around the house.

My last picture doesn't have anything to do with playing, but who could put this little beauty back in his crib in the morning after his first morning feeding when he looks like this??? I just lay there and stare (and yes, usually fall back asleep...that is the joys of having only one right?!)

Way Overdue!

2009-09-02T16:51:00.000-07:00

Well this summer is flying by thanks to our many visits to Coronado. We have been so blessed to have been able to not only beat the heat, but got to spend some very special time with family. Rowen has grown so much and everyday is a new adventure. He has the biggest, sweetest smile and laughs! Oh that is the best sound in the world. His favorite song right now is "Jesus loves Me". I think I sing it at least 20 times a day; it is a guarantee to get him to stop crying and he just coos and smiles. I hope he understands the reality of that song at a young age, especially the second verse.

He is still very anti-nap, but I have found the joys of a monitor with the sound turned down and the door closed...I can see that he is crying, but I can't hear that he is crying so even though it takes him 30 minutes to fall asleep for only 20 minutes, I get a break!

Here are a few pictures of our wonderful summer.

Family Fun

2009-07-20T08:55:00.000-07:00

We decided to take Rowen swimming last night at my parents house. I was a little nervous since it is hit or miss with bath time, but he LOVED it. Chad would get him going around the pool fast and he seemed pretty entertained. He also loved to copy his daddy and splash with his arms, it was very funny to watch. I guess we have a little fish on our hands!

Best milestone yet, SMILES!!

2009-07-17T13:31:00.000-07:00

I am sure every mom would say the same, but there is definitely something magical the first time your little baby looks you in the eye and smiles. And with a colicy baby, Rowen's first smiles were definitely a joyous sight! He has been doing amazing the past few weeks, finally sleeping till 5:00 - 6:30 in the morning and then taking long morning naps...ah to feel like a normal human again with working out and showers! Ah the simple things!

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

I am so blessed to have such a great daddy for Rowen. This Father's Day was so nice to relax and spend the day just the 3 of us. We got to sleep in, well, Rowen sleeping in which was getting up at 5 and then family sleep till about 9 which was great! We went for breakfast and layed low all afternoon. Rowen did great going to his first church service. It was such a treat to be able to be back with the body and worship.

My Big BOY

2009-06-09T16:52:00.000-07:00

My little guy is getting so big! It is crazy to me to look back at pictures from just a week a go and see how he has changed. He is now almost 10 pounds and I was sad this morning realizing he has outgrown some of his sweet little newborn clothes. Some of my favorite things from the past five weeks are:

1. the way he lovingly flips me off as he eats, oh yes, he gives me the bird daily

2. morning naps on my chest, he is already starting to wiggle away, oh this time is going to go fast

3. seeing how excited my parents get everytime they get to see him, it is so precious to know my little man is so loved.

4. SLEEP!! He started sleeping 10:30 to 5 am the past few nights, praying he keeps it up!

5. His funny faces and grunts I don't think any other baby is as noisy of a sleeper as Rowen

The many faces of Rowen

2009-06-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

Here's to my cheap entertainment :) Rowen has been making some funny faces tonight, so here are a few that made us laugh...what a cutie! I love how chunky his cheeks and belly are getting, I can't help but kiss them all day long!

My Men

2009-06-02T20:42:00.001-07:00

I love love love watching Chad love up on Rowen. There is nothing better to me than seeing the bond between the two loves of my life. Chad has been super man to me; the last week or so Rowen has been really gassy and therefore, really fussy. When he is crying from a belly ache in the middle of the night, Chad will take him downstairs and cuddle him so I can get some sleep. This is seriously the greatest blessing to me! Here are a few of my favorite Rowen and Daddy photos.

Happy Day!

2009-05-22T12:24:00.001-07:00

Rowen is being so funny right now, just smiling and looking around...I guess if I just had that big of a poo I would be a happy camper too :) Just thought I would post a few of his pics with his eyes open. We don't see them around here very often!

I Lied...

2009-05-20T13:04:00.000-07:00

On my last post I spoke to soon saying Rowen never cries...oh he has found his lungs and is not afraid to use them! Poor guy had his first experience of crying it out last night...I have to give it to him that he has some stamina; he cried from 5 to 6:30 in the morning, but eventually wore himself out. Praying tonight goes a little better for him. Hear comes those lungs...more to come!

How I spent Cinco De Mayo...

2009-05-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

Our Cinco De Mayo started off with a bang...actually it was more like a pop! At 1:30 am I woke up to a contraction and decided to walk down the hall to make it easier. I went to the bathroom and suprise suprise my water had broken! I walked straight into our room and turned on the shower and shouted to Chad that we are having a baby, my water broke! I dont think he believed me at first :) Since I wasn't having very many contractions, I wanted to take our time getting to the hospital since I wanted to labor naturally anyway. We took showers and started getting our things together and I gave my parents a call at 2:30. More contractions were getting a little closer so we left for the hospital at 2:40. Then my body went from 0 to 60 in no time. In the five minute drive to the hospital my contractions just started rolling in, probably 2-3 minutes apart. Checking in felt like a lifetime and I thought for sure I was having that baby right there in the ER waiting room. By the time the got me into triage, I couldn't tell when the contactions began and ended. I just rolled over and clung to the side of the bed. Chad was my saving grace, he pushed against my back with each contraction and he brought me so much relief and comfort. By the time I got into my labor and delivery room I was just about 10 cm and his head was coming fast. Luckily, my parents were able to get there and my mom was by my side as the nurses said I was just about ready to push, even though the doctor wasn't there yet. Personally, I could care less if I had a doctor or not, I knew his head was coming so fast I couldn't wait for anyone, this boy wanted OUT!! However, my mom was on a mission to get that doctor there now and went into the hall to find out where she was right as the doctor walked up. I can't even describe the pain and intensity of pushing, but with a few solid pushes, the sweetest noise and sight came, little Rowen up in the air crying his sweet cry at 4:36 am. They put him on my chest and it was love at first sight. I just stared at this little perfect boy looking up at me and was head over heels in love. He just layed on my chest and I got to feed him right away which was very sweet to me to get to bond with him so soon. My little burrito weighed 7 lbs, 4 oz and was 19 1/2 inches longAfter we both got cleaned up, we all walked down to my recovery room and got to hang out together as a family all day. It was such a blessing to have so many friends and family come visit us that day.

Rowen has been a total champ, I cannot believe how lucky we have been so far. He LOVES to sleep and has been a great eater when I can get him to wake up :) He is not a fan, at least not yet, of crying so hopefully he will be my content little man.

Rowen's Room...almost done!

2009-05-04T15:47:00.000-07:00

I have gotten a little grief for not getting these pictures up yet, so today I made sure to go buy a new card reader and get these up ASAP! I am loving the way little Rowen's room is turning out. I know I am partial to orange, but I think his bedding rocks! Poor guy might have to sleep in a crib for a LONG time because I will be so sad to have to change it. I also have to give a shout out to my mom for being the most precise taper to get his white stripe in his room absolutely perfect! Chad did the painting, which his maticulous personality came in handy for too! The best part of his room though is the fact that so many people contributed and when I go in there it reminds me of all the people who are going to be such a blessing in Rowen's life.

Rowen's Room!!

2009-04-21T18:47:00.001-07:00

My sweet friend Tricia is making Rowen's baby bedding and sent me a sneak peek...couldn't wait to share it with you all :) It is going to look amazing! I will have to post pictures of his room when it is all done!

Wedding Fevor!

2009-03-30T14:49:00.000-07:00

Mikel and I laughing at Dave's inability to take a normal picture!

After 10 tries, we got a keeper!

Some of Chad's old high school buddies at JP's wedding

My seriously good looking husband and I

Sweating it out waiting for the ceremony to begin...who knew it could be so hot in March?!?

The past 2 weekends we had back to back weddings for some of Chad's old high school buddies. It was such a great time for Chad to catch up with old friends and an excuse to eat some yummy wedding cake :) The first wedding we went to had a candy bar, which apparently is the new hot thing for weddings and was right up my alley! Wish I would have taken a picture of it, I thought it was absolutely adorable! This last wedding we went to I got the dreaded pregnancy comment...it is the first time (at least first time I have heard it) someone said, "Wow! She is about to pop!" Yikes, I guess my belly is definitely growing!

Way to go Rowen!

2009-03-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

Went to the doctor today and found out Rowen is head down!! Now, I know he is going to take after my husband who has a thing for going the wrong way (yes he is that guy in the mall parking lot going against the arrows just because he has to do it his way!) so I am hoping Rowen decides to stay this way, but we will see. Only 7 more precious weeks to go before his due date, which keep going faster and faster. Chad and I are getting so excited. It is fun to watch his room come together and I feel so blessed by my friends and family who are making such special contributions. I love that his bedding will be made by my sweet friend Tricia and the window treatments by Aliesha, who is my superhero with how busy she is taking time to make them and my dad doing all the pictures to decorate with. I cannot wait to see how it all comes together! I will definitely post some pictures once we have everything in!

Baby Shower Time!

2009-03-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

Last saturday was my HUGE baby shower and after an hour of opening presents as fast as I could, Rowen is officially set! My generous Grandma and cousins threw a first class shower and I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family. It is always so humbling and amazing to me to see that many faces who all support Chad and I on this adventure to parenthood. God has been so good to us by providing so many sweet friends in our lives. I had a great time with everyone, although I have to admit, the chocolate covered strawberries were the best part of the day...YUM!

Rowen's First Baby Picture!

2009-02-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

Today was our 3D ultrasound and we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of our little stinker. He loves to be butt up and face down, so I wasn't expecting to see his little face, but he peaked out for a second behind his fist (or flexing his bicep like his daddy) for this shot. I think he looks like a mini Chad, so I can't wait to finally meet him! We were both relieved to hear he is measuring perfectly normal and everything looks healthy. Best news was my due date might get moved back to the original date of May 9th, which sounds good to me :)

The growing belly

2009-02-10T16:35:00.000-08:00

I am not one to enjoy having pictures taken of me alone, but seems like since my dad got into using his camera, I have new found sympathy for celebrities and the paparazzi :) But, I guess I will look back and be grateful for all the pictures he takes since Chad and I literally never take pictures of anything.

Anyway, I can't believe I am officially done with 6 months of pregnancy and as of today only 94 days until my due date (can you tell I am a first time mom keeping track?!) I have honestly loved the last 3 months and each day gets better as I feel Rowen move around inside me. One of my favorite things so far is that everytime we are in church during worship, he seems to tap along to the music. This always makes me smile and I end up spending 1/2 of the worship time praying that he loves to worship as he grows older and comes to know the Lord at a young age.

Best Christmas Gift for a Pregnant Chick!

2009-01-28T17:21:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year Chad knew just what would make me happy...a deep dish pizza from my favorite spot in Chicago :) He had a large pizza overnighted on ice and wrapped it up for Christmas morning!

Precious Feet

2009-01-27T14:21:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite picture from our ultrasound. To feel those little feet all day and then to see them sweetly crossed definitely melted my heart. Can't believe how soon those little feet will be running around our home!