Rowena...almost 16 months

So, Rowena is at that age where she is knowing what she wants, but cannot communicate those (wants) to others. We are currently hearing a lot of "eh, eh" from her as well as full-out tantrums. At times she's actually thrown herself on the floor screaming. While it's easy to get annoyed and frustrated, I am trying to think "what is SHE going through in this moment?" I mean, really--she can't tell us what she is feeling or thinking or what she wants. The only way for her to say "I'm frustrated" or "I'm not getting what I want" is to throw a fit. So, usually Peter and I just laugh (not at her, mind you) as it helps us keep our sanity. She really isn't talking yet, and her vocabulary is pretty non-existent. She says "Mom" and "Momom" but that's about it. The past couple days we've realized she's now saying ball, dog, and bath. She'll sign for more and please as well. I asked the doctor, and he said she's fine. She's a third child and probably doesn't need to talk. As soon as he said that, Delaney started talking for Rowena--telling him what she likes, how she eats, etc. Too funny. He just looked at me and said, "If this is standard, she doesn't need to talk." We both laughed. She follows instructions very well, stacks blocks amazingly, and does puzzles. She's on the mark for speech other than the actual talking. She'll catch up. I'm thinking maybe come September when her sisters are no longer around to talk for her.

She's is getting into things she shouldn't, and it's hard to keep things away with two older sisters. We have found Rowe with marker in hand, and a very, VERY purple mouth (thankfully, the markers are "non-toxic"). She really likes to feed Riggs by filling his dish, but in doing so, she makes a huge mess. She even wants to top it off when his bowl is over-flowing. She likes to help out when she can. She gets very excited to open up the microwave after I warm up her milk in the morning, and she squeals in excitment as I pour it into her sippy cup.

She is an AMAZING eater! She likes to eat the majority of our chorizo tacos, and spicy chicken meals. She loves bbq chicken breasts and fruit galore. She will eat almost an entire box of stuffing or a whole pan of mashed potatoes by herself.

Rowena has been a challenge when it comes health. She has some pretty bad (hopefully seasonal) allergies. She hasn't been able to stay healthy for longer than 2 weeks at a time since November (when she was in the hospital with H1N1). The doctor has tried a prevention program, but that has proved to not be strong enough. So after hitting 1/3 of our deductible in less than 6 months, we are starting a new program. It's three months of singular at night and then a nebulizer treatment with a steroid every morning. If this doesn't work, we will see an allergist who specializes in the lungs. We'll also probably have her tested to see if she's allergic to Riggs (I REALLY hope it does not come to this...). So, here's hoping this helps!

Rowe was weighed and measured today:
Weight: 22 lbs, 13 oz (35%)
Height: 30 3/4" (40%)
Head: 49 3/4 cm (97%)

She's looking great and growing well. Her weight and height have come down a bit in the percentile, but her head is still as big as ever! ahahahah

Here are some recent pictures taken of Rowena this past week. Isn't she just a cutie-patootie!?!?!

Helping Daddy garden

Upset after Daddy moved her away from stepping on our peppers

Making her cute face before she tries to give the air a zerbert.

Having a little snack in her chair

Doing homework on Katie's laptop...very serious stuff!