Last, but not least

Keep scrolling--I added three posts today as there is maximum number of images that can be uploaded per post. The apple one has a fairly big bug in it. Can you find it? By the way, sorry about the sideways photos. I forgot to turn them right-side up. Oops.

More pics

A few more for you... We seem to take many, many photos of this wee one.

October photos

It's actually nice and warm compared to how early November felt last year. Our nights are chilly and afternoons mild. We've had a few freezes, so much of the pretty green is now brown... ahhh, the cycle of colors. I love this time of year and look forward to the winter. It seems that each season is desired in its time.

The Hamners remain healthy and well. Garret's crazy travels have come to an end for this year. The travelling has been a bit hard on each of us, but he seemed to enjoy it for the most part. Fairly wearying but still adventurous. Emma loves her baby and kisses her as often as possible. She's become much more protective and seems to be in every room we are in. I'm enjoying being a mom, simple as it seems. I've been trying to think of all the sweet little things Rowan reminds me of, and the list seems to grow: dandelions, eyelash kisses, rose buds, clementines, sugar plum fairies. She's busy, busy, busy. Just last night she discovered a new sound she can make (sort of a squealing shriek) and made it incessantly. A squealing shriek can mean many things: Emma is fun to watch; I'm hungry; Papa makes silly faces; I like trying to stand; I'm tired. And she's moving, moving, moving, working hard to sit up, standing with a bit of support, stretching, arching, kicking. Another new thing is grabbing. It's amazing to watch awareness developping in her. She sees the blue elephant, sees it's tail, reaches out, grabs ahold, and hangs on for minutes. Hair, necklaces, shirts, neck skin... whatever is in reach. I know that this is not new for babies in general... How many times have I been warned about "the baby" being in a hair-grabbing phase? But, it's new for Rowan, which gives us so much appreciation for how much she's grown in all ways in the last few months.

Here are some recent pics. Some are from our trip to California, one's from Halloween (she's a mummy, but looks a bit like a wooly sheep/wise man in a manger), and a few are just cuties. Hope all are well! We love you lots.

Sarah of the wee Hamner family

Early reader?

A few more fun pics...

Rowan at 9 weeks

Hard to believe she's two months already, that little Rowan. She's become much more active and responsive, smilling at funny noises and faces, laughing when she hears others laugh, kicking and gripping and twisting and pushing. We are having a great time watching her grow.

This coming week, Garret is off to Colorado for a business trip, and Rowan and I will be in California visiting family. Birth announcements (created by Laurie Sawyer, Garret's aunt) are in the mail, so be looking for those! By the way, these photos were all taken in the last two weeks, so they're recent but still a bit outdated, the way she's growing. A few words on one of the pictures... The baby armoire was given to us by Garret's parents and was painted by Garret's aunt Shannon. Isn't it beautiful??! We've been given so many wonderful gifts for Rowan: baby quilts, clothes, bath supplies, gift cards. We definitely feel loved and supported by all of our friends and family. Hope all of you are well! Much love, the wee Hamner family

Seven Weeks

It's amazing to think that Rowan was a big bump in my belly just seven weeks ago. We are totally smitten by this little girl who is changing so much--it's sometimes noticeable day-to-day. She's gained three pounds and two inches, and she's very healthy, cuddly, and full of life. She's begun to smile, and she's very vocal. She'll probably end up being a talker like her mama.

Garret is in Chicago this week, doing admissions work for St. John's. He seems to be enjoying the city very much though the business trips are hard for everyone. Even Emma is different when he's not around. I'm enjoying my role as stay-at-home mom. So far it's very easy going, but I think it must have everything to do with Rowan's easy temperment.

A few words on the new photos--they were taken over the last four weeks, but the most recent (taken today) is the one of her in her Cash onsie. My other favorite is her sweet Saturday Night Fever dance move. Hope you enjoy gazing at her as much as we do!

Rowan Honey Bea

ROWAN

Little Rowan

Rowan Beatrice Hamner

We would like to thank all our friends for their prayers and thoughts over the last few days. We are quite excited to share our new baby girl with you all. Rowan Bea Hamner was born July 31st at 8:35am. Little Rowan weighed 6.11, and 50cm long (tall).

ROWAN-In modern English, Rowan is used as both a feminine and masculine name. The feminine name probably derives from the name of the tree: It has been fashionable at several times in recent centuries to name girls after plants

BEATRICE-(pronounced bee'-a-tris or in Italian bay'-a-tree-chay) is a name derived from the Latin name Beatrix. This occurred in medieval Italy. Beatrice means she who blesses.

HAMNER-Sir name originating in Wales, originally Hanmer. Also known at times by Haminator, Wickershamnner, Hammy, Hamnerito, or Hamnarion.

Eight Days, No Names, and Green Chile

Wee Hamner ought to be arriving soon. These days are spent imagining what life will be like with the baby around (the nickname for the baby throughout the pregnancy has been Ronan--gaelic for "little seal" and in the running for potential boy name). Speaking of names, we haven't been too quiet about our name ideas but feel as undecided as we did six months ago. Giving someone a name is a much more important and difficult task than I would have ever considered. We're still coming up with new ideas, but mostly we joke about names we would never give a child. Probably time to get serious. (Don't worry, Grandparents!)

In anticipation of the baby, we've been making lots of little adjustments and additions to our abode (nesting instinct, anyone?). We love living in the country and are taking full advantage of it. New Mexican summers are pretty incredible, with dry heat in the day and thunderstorms with rainshowers in the evening. Most of the time, the storms have only half passed by sunset, which makes the colors and light incredible. There are evenings when Pojoaque Valley (we're on the north end of it) glows a golden pink. It's totally surreal. Garret and I end up just sitting in the glow and staring at every little thing--dry grass, the mesas in the distance, the Cottonwoods--while Emma runs around chasing grasshoppers, of which there are a bazillion. Sometimes we'll have the deep glow and lightning simultaneously, which is really spectacular. I was sort of afraid of lightning when we first moved here, but I've come to really love it, especially when it comes big and close, streaking across the sky horizontally as well as vertically. Anyway, summer is a great time to be in northern New Mexico. And, it's chile season--the most anticipated time of the year by native New Mexicans. Bigger for some than Christmas, Easter, you name it... Green chiles are almost ready, and when you drive down the streets of Santa Fe during chile season, they fill with the smell of roasting green chiles. There are chile roasting stands all over, and families will buy a few big burlap bags full of green chiles, have them roasted, go home and peel them (chile peeling is a big family affair, I hear--almost like a party), then freeze them for use during the rest of the year. Green chile (a very simple sauce) is eaten alongside of pretty much anything. I hear you can even get it on your McDonald's hamburger at no extra cost.

New Mexican Summer

La Publa, Espanola. An old village church down the street from our house.

Screen Door Entomology

fall 2006 Pre-prego Hamners

and dog

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: The Hamners from winter to summer

You know those friends who you never hear from... From time to time you think, "Whatever happened to the so-and-so's? Well, that's us. From grad school to babies, the Hamners have been very busy and almost forgot they had a blog. It would take a lot of time to fill in all the gaps. We moved during the largest snow stotrm of the last 50 years in Santa Fe. We got snowed into our new house. Our dog, Emma, entered the rebellious teens but enjoys the freedom of country life (dig, run, bark, dig, run, bark, chase cars, dig, bark). Emma is expecting a sibling, or a rival in the family place of attention, Garret just started working for St. John's College as an Admssions Counselor, and we are expecting a baby. Did I mention we are having a B-A-B-Y? El Bambino, that is "the bambino", is due any day, well more like July 22 but you know how these things go. The Hamners' newly installed internet should make connection to the world wide web better, which means more pictures. Much love to all, Garret and Sarah