Laughter is the best medicine.

Bryan and I wanted to share a bit of Rowen's laughter. This video captures his giggle. I was hanging out with him and found out he thought my head in his belly was very funny! Bryan has also discovered that "sneezing" makes Rowen laugh. Unsure why- but it never fails.

Enjoy the video-

My First Mother's Day Weekend

This weekend was my first Mother's Day. We had a wonderful time. The weather was perfect- sunny and in the mid to high 70's most of the weekend. On Saturday, we headed out to meet up with our friends Ivan and Marsha Login for the Corzet Art Fair. We spent the first 1/2 of the day wandering the craft fair taking it all in. I was able to pick out my own Mother's Day gift from the unique and talented artisans. I choose the necklace you see here- which is a bursting sun. I chose this because Rowen has brought so much sunshine to our lives. It will always remind me of my first Mother's Day. Then we had lunch including Southern style Bar-B-Que with slaw. Yummers!!! We made it home in time for a nap. We made taco's for dinner and watched Prison Break- my new addiction.
Sunday morning, I got to sleep in while Rowen and Dad hung out. Then we headed out for shopping and brunch. I had several gift cards for clothing stores- some I have had for 16 months- that I received right before we got pregnant. I never have a chance to shop- so that is what I wanted to do for part of "my day". Off to Chico's and Ann Taylor we went. I was able to find some great things. It is nice to be getting back into my pre-pregnancy sizes. Then we had a delicious brunch at Maya's. I picked this restaurant, because this is where I had my baby shower brunch. I thought it was fitting to spend my first Mother's Day there. I had the eggs Benedict- which was a GREAT!!

We headed home for Sunday bath time and bedtime for Rowen. Then Bryan and I had steaks, mashed potatoes and broccoli for dinner. We are now weighting on the grand finale-- Peanut Butter Cup Brownies!

It was a perfect weekend. Hope you all enjoyed your Mother's Day too!

Here are some pictures.

Milestones for Mommy and Rowen

We have had some big news around here this week. I found out that my grant has been recommended for funding. This is a 5 year Career Development Grant that would be funded by the NIH. This is what I have been working towards since I came to UVA in 2006. This will provide me with salary support and research funding for the next 5 years. Great news!!

Rowen has also been making progress in his milestones. He is now able to hold his bottle by himself. However, he does not yet get the concept of the tilt. He has also begun to reliably roll over. We have captured it on video. Friday night we spent more than 30 minutes tyring to get Rowen to bed. He kept rolling over and getting stuck on his stomach. This was frustrating to him and he would cry out. We would turn him back over and then he would roll again get stuck and call out for help. We would go up and roll him back to his stomach. Five minutes later we whould hear..."Help, I am on my belly and do not like it." Over and over he went...figuratively and literally.

Check out the recent pictures and video!

Love to everyone- Myla, Bryan and Rowen