Hobbies

Every time my parents visit us, Rowan immediately absconds with my mum's walking stick.  He enjoys tapping it on the floor, and waving it threateningly at Tangent.  Sometimes contact is made, but Tangent is learning to be quicker.
This is all lovely and innocent when my mum doesn't actually need the stick to be mobile.  Unfortunately, when she does need to get about, Rowan is reluctant to relent the stick.  A compromise was made on a recent visit, and Rowan generously swapped his hobby horse for his nanny's stick:

My mum relaxing with a sippy cup of milk whilst

Rowan terrorises the household*

This may become quite problematic, since Rowan can't distinguish a walking stick from a toy.  On a recent trip to the doctors, the waiting room was filled with elderly people.  It was hard work distracting him from all those walking sticks.  I am expecting him to swipe a stick right out from under someone one day soon.  I may ensure I am a good distance ahead, and tut at the growing delinquency of today's youth.

*We are currently decorating (The. Whole. House. Sigh) so all those patches on the wall in my photo's are poly filler.  For some reason the camera flash makes them really stand out.

Smilestones

Rowan is now definitely smiling.  For a while I wasn't sure if it was just gas, but the photo below shows there is now no doubt!  I had wondered if he might be a bit delayed with smiling since he spent his first few days on NICU sedated with no social contact, but then it was only a few days, so it probably didn't make a difference.

Happy baby
First smile: 6 weeks old

My parents were finally able to visit.  They hadn't seen Rowan since he was 5 days old, so we were obviously thrilled to be able show Rowan off to them.  My parents would have visited much sooner, but owing to several successive colds they didn't want to come up in case Rowan caught one.
I don't think it will be so long before they drop by again!

Overdue hugs with Grandad and Nanny

 After a difficult few days recently where Rowan decided hourly feeding would be great day and night (I had a cold at the time, so I didn't think it was so great), he is now sleeping 7 hours through the night.  Overall we have been lucky with him as, aside from when he's going through growth spurts, he was sleeping 5 hours a night from 3 weeks old.