Before we left town, Rowan invited a few friends and their big siblings (Elyse and Donovan, Theo and Bea, Jude and Gracen) to a bowling party. There were arcade games, too, which were a tantalizing discovery for him. Birthday gifts included a Hoberman Sphere, aqua beads, and Legos. On Rowan's actual birthday, we woke up in Sutton, Quebec, and had presents: Legos, a checkers/chess set, and a headlamp (Fiona'd received one from Colleen, which inspired him to want one, too). Earlier in the summer, we'd bought him a scooter with light-up wheels as an early birthday gift.
Rowan continues to be a pretty mellow, glass-half-full kid. The downside to that is that when he's having a bad day (overtired, emotional, sensitive), we don't know what to do with him. We're bewildered; I think he is, too. But generally, one will find Rowan playing and idly singing to himself.
Activities: Rowan likes circuits, puzzles, mazes, connect-the-dots, Legos. He's gotten good at changing out the batteries that so many of his toys require and charging them. He takes gymnastics on Monday after school, and opts to participate in yoga during rest time during school. His coordination is improving, though he still occasionally runs like a newborn foal (adorable but probably best if he outgrows it). He's taking an airplane-building class at school.
Games: Yahtzee, Rush Hour, Jenga
Music: The Captain Underpants theme song by Weird Al definitely ranks high.
Food: Pickles, ramen, yogurt
Over the summer, Rowan made some real swimming strides thanks to a week-long swimming camp he joined with friend Elyse. He loves to go under water now (wearing goggles) and can propel himself a bit. He's still fearful of the deep end. I was hoping to persuade him to get back into lessons, but he flat-out refused.
Rowan is in kindergarten. His teacher is known as "the yeller" of the bunch, but so far he seems unfazed and happy. He laments that the school day is 6-1/2 hours long, and by the end of the week, he's not keen to get up and going, but all in all he enjoys it. On day 2 of the school year, he asked to try the drop-off lane (which he successfully did and does), though some days he still asks me to walk him to his line. Rowan reports that the other kids in his class chit-chat (his phrase) too much, and that he's received praise (and a toy from the prize box) for being a good listener and hard worker---the only kid so far to have earned that privilege. He enjoys these accolades. The aide told him she wished she could have a classroom full of Rowans, which he reported back to me; while this is obviously a nice thing to hear (though maybe not the best thing to tell a kid?), I was glad to hear that she hadn't shared this opinion with the rest of the class.