See Diemers Grow: Growin' Rowan

As I sit here and look at the budding Spring trees outside my window, flaunting their white and pink flowers, it's hard to think back on February. Thank goodness for pictures, or I'd have not a single idea what in the world we did to survive what is arguably the worst month of the year...

February.

Of course, raising 3 fast and furious kids while working full time means that you hardly even notice the passage of time. Weeks fly by as if they were single days. And before my eyes, my "new" and "little" baby exploded into a strong, wiggly, chunky toddler-like creature.

(As I write this post in April, I want to make a point of saying that Rowan is only 7 months old, yet is wearing 18 month clothing. The pictures below, taken at 5 months old, offer the first glimpse of the big growth spurt about to take place.)

I have 1, 2, 3 boys.

And 1, 2, 3 thumb suckers.

4 if you count their father.

5 is you count me.

Pacifiers have no place in this house!

"Hey.... did she take this many pictures of you too?"

Rowan is a jumping master. He LIVES for that jumper. If you hold him on your lap, grabbing him around the waist, he will try to jump on your legs. If he is lying on his back, on the floor or in bed, his legs still make the pumping motion - but parallel to the ground.

He loves to bounce!

Paint job by mom.

In February we hired our new nanny.

Amy.

Amy turned out to be a true gem! We set expectations high this time around. (Something we failed to do with the first hire.) And she not only met them, she exceeded them.

We incorporated an official "kid's schedule." Along with a book chart and "highlights from the day" sheet. Amy took great notes and made us laugh several times with her hilarious recounts of the days' events.

In her first week with us, Amy constructed a 3D robot out of paper. And that was just the beginning. Her crafty side would continue to show itself. In fact, as we speak, there are still hand-drawn Star Wars characters taped around the walls of Sage's room.

She took them on many walks and trips to the park.

Such a relief to know that my boys were finally in good care.

The only good thing about February is that sweet little holiday smack in the middle of it. Valentines Day.

We did quite a few crafts to celebrate the day.

My favorite craft was Sage's interpretive representation of his family.

I taught him how to use the glue gun. I helped him with the sequin heart shape. But then I let him take over, and I stepped away. And when I returned to see the 5 little one-eyed caterpillars snuggled up inside the heart, I totally lost it!

I was so proud of him, I gave him a gold medal!!

This year, instead of candy, we went with a shared toy.

We blindfolded the boys and asked them to guess what it was.

The grandparents showered them with thoughtful gifts of all sorts:

colorful cards, money, and candy.

Thighs to nibble. Cheeks to kiss. Giggles that feed the soul.

And. He. Looks. Great. Naked.

The Neighborhood Gang.

Usually we are the ones taking books from the Little Library.

On this trip, we were donating.

Rowan had his first solid food in February!

We started with avocado. But he has since moved on to many other delicious options. Most of them jarred. I made all of Sage's baby food from scratch, freezing individual portion sizes in ice cube trays. How times have changed! I made Rowan one round of steamed sweet potatoes, which he refused. So now, it's store bought jars, or mashed banana. With 3 kids to manage some of those earlier luxuries have been lost. Sorry Rowan!