Holidays with a toddler: A quick Thanksgiving recap

Yep, recapping Thanksgiving WEEKS after it happened. Yep, it is what it is! October-December are my absolute favorite months of the year. The holidays are like magic to me, and now that  Rowan is older, I can't wait to pass on our traditions and see her joy for the holidays.

I also wanted to recap this holiday, because it was worlds different compared to last year. As some of you remember, Rowan got very, very sick and ended up in the ER. She was struggling to breathe, I thought she was going to die, an all around nightmare! This is where we met her best friend, the nebulizer, which we still use to this day. We also learned that day that for the rest of the year, every time she would get a cold it would turn to bronchiolitis, which can turn very scary. All around that Thanksgiving sucked royally!

I was looking forward to a stress and drama free holiday and thankfully I got it! While Rowan did end up getting a cold after, it was still a great holiday! We spent Thanksgiving with my sister and her in law family, and they are like family to us! My sister and brother in law started dating at 15, so we have basically become a huge family because of it! It was fun to celebrate with them!  I was put in charge of stuffing, and thankfully it turned out great! I made it from scratch!

Our morning started off with breakfast with the girl. She then went down for her morning nap. Usually I am scrambling to do chores but instead, we got back into bed, hubby slept while I watched the Thanksgiving parade drinking coffee. IT. WAS. GLORIOUS:

After girl baby woke up, we continued to lounge around and slowly got ourselves ready. I LOVED Rowan's outfit (yes, the vest isn't super practical) and I had to do a mini shoot:

We gathered at my sister's, and ate to our hearts content!

::Quick disclaimer:: I am not including too many pictures of everyone, mainly because my blog is public and I want to respect the other moms and their kids' privacy. Unless you tell me otherwise, I NEVER show other kids' faces on my blog unless you give me permission. It bugs me how many bloggers just upload their friends' kids without permission! Okay disclaimer over::

Anyway, I was stoked for Rowan to try our Thanksgiving feast, and sure enough, she loved it! Especially the cranberry sauce! She also tried pumpkin and pecan pie, and LOVED it. Of course, she is a girl after my own heart!

                                                                                                        Thanksgiving was wonderful and relaxing. So much better than last year, that's for sure! We had/have a lot to be thankful for!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Happy 19 months Rowan!

Haha, this post is well over two weeks late! Like super crazy, embarrassing late! The lazy part of me just wanted to forgo it, EXCEPT I personally LOVE going back and reading through these posts! We don't officially have a physical baby  book for Rowan, but I use this blog as her virtual baby book. It would seem wrong to skip!

We had a HUGE month, as Rowan FINALLY started walking!As many of you know, it was a massive source of worry and stress for me. Nothing was ever medically wrong with her, she just felt like taking her sweet old time! More on this later, maybe a possible post...

Life with a toddler is worlds different than life with a baby. I miss her babyhood quite often, but I am also super loving this stage of her life.

Age:19 months, 17.5 months (adjusted age)

Weight and clothing size: 

Rowan is 29 pounds, but sadly is starting to thin out! I knew this day would come, I'm so sad!!!!! Moving up to size 5 diapers. Wearing size 3 clothing, size 4 in shoes.

Eating:

Rowan now seems to like most foods. However, she is showing her true toddler colors because she may like something one day, then spit it out the next day, sigh. She is absolutely loving honey strawberry Greek yogurt, cuties, ground turkey as long as its seasoned. She absolutely loves her carbs and screams joyfully if she gets something sweet (we try to not give sugar often). Sigh, she is truly her mother's child! We try to stay away from apple products as it makes her have explosive poo :(

Rowan can:

-learned how to sign train and listen. If you ask her where "God is" she throws up her hands in the air, and makes opens her hands (like twinkle twinkle little star). The thing that throws me is that NO ONE in our family has taught her the sign. Its super weird in an awesome way!

-finally mastered walking, thank you Lord Jesus! It is still surreal to see her toddle around. I will admit I have gotten teary eyed a few times!

-Does hand motions to certain songs, for example the song  "Apple tree, Apple Tree". There are parts where the song says "I won't cry" and she pretends to cry. There's another part where it says "I won't shout" and she will throw up her hands and let out a tiny, squeaky yell. I literally die from the cuteness!

-She has a an elephant toy where you are supposed to match the shapes with the color and put them in. She is getting pretty good at matching!

-starting to say auntie  and Ben (my brother in law). Its super funny!

Rowan loves:

-Rowan is straight obsessed with her elephant shape sorter. She loves it so much and is getting good at where the shapes go! It is also a great toy for learning colors!

-Rowan loves any toy that lights up and plays music! She constantly will turn on her music toys, which is fun for her, and kind of repetitive for us! 

-Todd Parr books.
Omg, I might be in love with them too. Todd Parr makes super colorful, bright books for kids with powerful messages. I love them as she clearly does too. Our favorites are The Okay Book and The Feelings Book. Rowan is already such a lover of books, which makes this mama heart so happy!

Rowan doesn't like: 

 Ha, at this point, if you redirect her or take something away, plan on a fit. Luckily they don't last too long  (we distract her) but holy smokes. I truly and sincerely hate tantrums, so I am learning myself to remain calm and patient. I know it only gets more crazy as she gets older :(

 Sleeping schedule:

Sleep has gotten back on track thank GOD! Rowan is still taking 2 naps, but she is slowly starting to drop the afternoon one. I am kinda sad! However, she has been a decent sleeper, so I will not complain!

 New happenings this month:
 We had a fantastic Halloween where Rowan was an Ewok! Her costume was a DIY project and she looked DARLING! I dressed up as Princess Leia in her Endor costume, and Daddy did a very quick makeshift Hans Solo costume. She also super enjoyed trick or treating, believe it or not! For baby gymnastics, she dressed up as Boo! So fun! Besides Halloween it was a quiet month. This  post is obviously so late, so her 20 month post will be a lot more exciting with Thanksgiving and Christmas festivities!

My obligatory Rowan dump:

unstoppable

I like to keep this thing nice and light on this blog. However, I'm struggling with that.
My heart has been heavy with our world. I look at Rowan, and I worry for her future. In my personal life, there are loved ones around me battling cancer (not immediate family) that has broken my heart completely.

I remember hearing of the Paris attacks. I thought it was a joke. I felt a lot of the emotions towards Paris that I felt about 9/11. Like everyone else, my heart was heavy, almost like a weight that I couldn't remove. I felt anger towards those responsible. That anger turned into insane fear of the unknown, and I thought some thoughts towards certain issues that are embarrassing to admit. However, the fear I felt in my heart was plaguing me, almost paralyzing me.

With that being said, I'm about to admit some stuff about me that's embarrassing, so here we go. It will make sense in a minute, as it will explain why I was so scared. I deal with myriad of different issues that cropped up when my father passed 10 years ago.. First of all, I am a germaphobe, so badly that when someone shakes my hand, I am literally sprinting to go wash my hands. Currently my hands are completely raw because I wash them so much. I make everyone who steps in my house remove their shoes, etc. I could go on  and on. Basically, I am  germaphobe to fullest extent. I have OCD about locking doors and turning off things. I have had to work so hard on this, but there was points in my life where it would take me an extra half an hour to leave because I kept checking things around the house. Hubby has made improvements in our home that I have improved ten fold, but it can be a struggle at times. Another thing is that  I also deal with some anxiety and have a TON of irrational fears. I feel super embarrassed to admit this. Being a mom has forced me to deal with these issues head on and force myself to be better, as well as praying for healing.  I am doing better, but this is still a work in progress.Why I shared this raw part of myself is because all of these things I deal with have been heightened times 1,000 thanks to these attacks.

Going back to the attacks, we have seen the terrorists make threat after threat, going after more European and countries and us. Disgusting threats and how they will come after us with no mercy. As we have been seeing in the news, we have dealt with school shootings, movie theater shootings, etc. I was listening to CNN everyday in the car, getting more and more terrified and scared. A few days ago, I came home and told hubby we need to cancel all of our vacations. We have about 5 trips planned between now and March, and I was terrified to go to any of them. All of the news and threats were causing so much anxiety to the point I felt like I couldn't move.  Hubby sat me down and said by letting these fears run my life I was letting the terrorists win , which is what they want. He continued that we had to keep living, and not live in fear.

It wasn't till this weekend, that I fully understood we can't live in fear. I attended the Women of Faith conference with family and friends. We sang Chris Tomlin's fabulous song "Our God is Greater" which is song I have sang a billion times. However, the lyric "And if our God is with us, what can stand against" popped in mind, and spoke to my heart. I bawled my way through the rest of the song, because it felt like at that moment, God spoke to my heart. That he is here, he loves us, and will protect us. The thing that makes us unstoppable is knowing we have Jesus on our side. He will be our protector and our mighty hand. Realizing all that was being exposed to me lifted this weight that was suffocating me. By giving into the fear, I wasn't letting God be the Lord of my life. While I don't understand at all why this is happening, I know that God will never leave us, nor forsake us.
I encourage you to read Romans 8 and bind it to your heart. Pray for our nation, pray for our world.

Happy 18 months Rowan! The year and a half year recap...

We have made it to 18 months! Holy cow! 

 In the last week and a half, I have been reminded to be thankful for this precious child of mine. As I wrote in my previous post, I lost a beautiful, young friend to a horrific cancer over a week ago. While my sweet friend Emily knew Jesus and is in heaven, I can't help but mourn her loss. I often think and pray for her parents, who had to bury their child. That right there makes my heart ache. 

I look at my firecracker of a child, and can't believe what we have been through. The crazy hospital stay, NICU, and now a healthy baby girl is a reminder of what we have overcome. I'll be honest, it sometimes isn't easy to be her mom. Rowan is a sweet and great baby, but she can be a handful sometimes. She can be VERY stubborn, can be fussy about things, and is becoming a professional at throwing fits. I often get frustrated, like most parents. However, Emily's death was a smack in the face. While parts of being a mom isn't always fun, I see Rowan and I reminded that she is my miracle. So many things could have happened and gone wrong, but God always prevails. I look at those beautiful almond eyes, those chubby hands, and hear that precious laugh, and feel thankful for my baby girl. The sometimes fits and sassy personality can be tough, but this time of her life is fleeting. I don't ever want to take her for granted. She truly has changed my life for the better and is my biggest blessing! Okay, I am crying now and this NEEDS to be lightened up, STAT! So here we go....

Age:18 months, 16.5 months (ADJUSTED AGE)

Weight and clothing size: 

Rowan is a sturdy 28 pounds, and still has her yummy rolls. About to bust through size 4 diapers (I'm thinking we maybe have a month before we should move). Depending on the brand she can be between  18/24 months (Gap and Old Navy), or 3T in other brands (Target and Carters, instagram shops). Pants FOR SURE have to be at the very least 3T, she has some very big glutes!

Eating:

Rowan is starting to get more pickier, but for the most part eats decently well and with good portions. She really has been enjoying meatballs, pretzels and fruit pouches.

Rowan can:

-can sign mama, thank you, more, please, mama, deer, wind, rain and milk. It helps her father is fluent in ASL, but she legitimately picks it up quickly!

-If you ask her if she has a "poopy diaper" she will frantically look around and pull up her shirt, LOL!

-knows parts of her body when asked

-trying to say "yes" when you ask her something. It starts off as a "hmm" and then sounds more like an "uh huh"

-is good at climbing things (much to my dismay), but also is good at carefully lowering herself down.Thanks MyGym!

- learning to say "manzana" (apple) which sounds more like "manana". She also is getting better at saying "agua" (water) which sounds like "aaaaaaawaaahhh". She doesn't say a ton of words, which sometimes worries me. However, she babbles CONSTANTLY and says strings of sounds together, which leads me to believe she may be working on some stuff. I know I will regret this worry when she is 3 and won't stop talking, LOL!

-If I am in another room and I call to her, she will come over to where I am.

Rowan loves:

-to color! Seriously, she screams with joy if you give her a crayon or marker. She loves to make long scribbles, doodles, and small lines when given paper. We have to watch that she doesn't eat them!

-loves fruit pouches, but boy, we have to be careful. They cause MAJOR crazy poo, especially anything apple! We learned the hard way while we were driving down to Disneyland.

Rowan doesn't like: 

 -loud, shrill noises

-being dropped off in nursery. However, if there is a male nursery worker, she calms down almost immediately. Oh Rowan.

-doesn't like it when mommy cooks. This is when she magically becomes clingy and whiny. I usually will almost always pick her up, since I love the cuddles. But man, it takes me forever to cook! I am learning how to make my lille carrier into a back pack! Hopefully that helps.

-hates when meal time is over, or when she's done with her favorite foods. She will scream and throw  a fit. 

 Sleeping schedule:

Her sleep got majorly disrupted thanks to Disneyland this month. However, this girl takes her sleep with stride and is pretty flexible. We were so fortunate she easily slipped back into her routine once she was home. I am sure she was glad to, it was tiring! Girl does love her sleep! I know we are so lucky in this department. I am certain if we have another baby someday, it may definitely not be like this! I am savoring it while we can!

 New happenings this month:

-We went to Disneyland!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We went with two friends of ours and with my friend's little son. It was pretty packed, and the heat was horrific. LA was going through a freak of nature heat wave, with VERY HIGH humidity. It was awful. Despite all that, we did our best to have fun anyway. ROwan was much fussier this trip, but mainly because she was so hot. Don't blame her!

-We took our 2nd annual Potter family trip to Fog Willow pumpkin patch! It was so much fun, and they even have animals! Rowan joyfully screamed at those poor animals and was livid when we had to leave.

-To piggy back off the first two, we spent 2 glorious weeks together thanks to our fall break. I loved getting a change to play "stay at home" mama. The working mom guilt is unreal and awful, so I treasure these breaks so much!

Crazy a year and half has gone by! Love you forever Rowan! 

Emily

I met Emily back in late summer of 2001. I was a freshman at Fresno Pacific University. When I first met her I wasn't in the best place. I was struggling to see where I belonged. I wasn't having much fun and at that point, I considered going back home.  Emily was one of those cool girls that was full of life. She was vibrant, hilarious, and definitely outgoing. She was definitely one of the more popular girls. I remember feeling quite intimidated by her, and at first I don't know that she super liked me either. As time went on, Emily and I became fast friends. She loved to call me by my childhood nickname, "Karlita". She was the kind of girl that would cheer you up, encourage you, and make you laugh even when you were at your saddest point. She was an incredibly strong Christian woman and was definitely an inspiration to me in my own faith. Emily was two years older than me so I only had two years with her in college. But in those two short years we had built lots of memories with our incredible group of girlfriends. Dance parties, pranking our favorite group of boys, acting silly, our inside jokes... I could go on and on.

      After she graduated college we lost touch. She went back to Southern California. I saw her a few times after she graduated but we mostly would have some contact on social media. When I was pregnant  with Rowan, I found out that she was fighting a rare form of adrenal cancer. I was stunned. Emily was in her very early 30s, healthy and full of life. How could this happen to her? I felt sort of shame that I had just found out but Emily reassured me that she wasn't making it very known and was slowly starting to tell people. Since I was so far away from her, I felt helpless as to what to do. However the one thing I knew I could do was pray and pray with fervor. 

Every day for over a year, as I would take Rowan to my moms house, we would pray for Emily. I have a list of people that I pray for every single day and she was at the first person we prayed for. 

Throughout her battle with cancer Emily fought the good fight. Her faith in the Lord never wavered and that was what was so amazing to me. She had an incredible group of friends and family that rallied behind her every second of the way. A mantra was adopted in honor of Emily which was "Choose Joy". A Facebook page was dedicated to her and this beautiful saying. Watching people post how they chose joy for Emily was moving. I often think about choosing joy in everything I do. I have often thought about it when I would get upset over the stupidest things or get anxious about minor things. I would think about how Emily would choose joy rather then wallow in her sorrows. Not to say that I'm sure she had her days, but the way that she persevered  can be a great lesson to all of us. 

       On Wednesday, October 14 Emily lost her battle to cancer. We had just gotten back from a long, hot day at Disneyland. I was tired, grumpy, and snippy with my husband. I got on to Facebook and saw the news. It was like a slap in the face. I was stunned and centered me back to reality. While in some ways I was happy she wasn't suffering, I was just stunned that she had left so soon. Memories of us flooded my mind and the tears just flowed. My heart ached for her family, especially her parents. No one should dare have to bury their baby. I held Rowan even closer that night. My heart hurts for them. 

 Emily is truly a hero in my book and she left such a powerful legacy that no one will never, ever forget her. She was an inspiration to many. I know we can all honor Emily by continually "choosing joy". Emily, I know you were at rest and you are in the arms of our heavenly father. I will miss you and your beautiful soul. I'm thankful for the memories that we have, and I'm so grateful that I was able to call you my friend.

Happy 17 months Rowan1

Annnnnddddddd as usual, I am basically so unbelievably late with this post. Along with this post, I have about 3-4 blog posts that need to be finished and published. SIGH...thank God this isn't my regular job. I'd probably be fired  :(

Back to Rowan....17 months. Holy cow. Honestly, I feel like I was just pregnant with her, now we are on the brink of having a 1.5 year old. This month has been another great one for our little babe. I am learning more about her and her very funny personality. I am so thankful she is mine!

Age:17 months, 15.5 months (ADJUSTED AGE)

Weight and clothing size: 
My pretty babe is 27 pounds. I am loving and savoring all those chubby rolls!!! She is wearing 3T but can still wear 18-24 months in Old Navy and Gap clothes, since they ACTUALLY size their clothes to the age that they state, lol.

Eating:
My baby will now eat meat as long as it's tasty, LOL!!! Don't blame her! Now likes pasta, but starting to not love veggies as much, UGH! From time to time we make homemade pizza and calzones, and she SCREAMS for joy as she eats it. Its hilarious!

Rowan can:
-can sign "mama" in sign language, mastering how to say thank you. Also does more, please, all done.

-Has about 12 teeth, holy cow!!!!

-tries to open door knobs....oh boy.

-Starting to put puzzles together, likes to stack blocks on this stick thing she has. Not to be braggy but she is very good at her fine motor skills and picks up on things of that nature pretty quickly.

-does a lot of pretend playing like "cooking", stirring pots and pans, and pretending to taste what she is "making"

-Starting to feed herself with a spoon and fork. She's getting good at it! I think it helps that she does that a lot when she plays in her kitchen.

-likes to help by handing us things we need (like shoes, clothes)

-NO walking as of  now. However, no one Doctor wise is concerned. She does have some low muscle tone, which can make walking harder. I can't help but feel worried, but if they aren't, I suppose I shouldn't be either. She is starting to walk more comfortably only holding one of our hands. I'm feeling she is so close. A lot of the issue is that she is stubborn and doesn't seem very interested. Good grief.

-Can identify cow, sheep, pig, bees, and dogs when asked.

Rowan loves:

-OBSESSED with books. She will sit for chunks at a time going through her books. Of course, we read as much as we possibly can with her.

-loves playing with remotes and pressing every button imaginable.

-loves to hug and kiss her "babies" (aka stuffed toys).
 

Rowan doesn't like: 
 -when I take her away from daddy (like when I need to take her to my mom's). She is SUCH a daddy's girl. I get jealous, LOL!!

-gets angry if you take one of her remotes away 

-Rowan is getting into the lovely stage of toddler tantrums. If you take things from her that she shouldn't have, she loses her mind. 

-Still doesn't like loud, shrill noises. 



 Sleeping schedule:
Sleep is still decent, thank God. From time to time she will cry in her sleep but most of the time she is fine. 


 New happenings this month:
Since school started back up, we haven't had an eventful month. She caught bronchiolitis BAD this month and almost was sent to the hospital. Good GRIEF! Thankfully she bounced back quicker but still, my heart was a hot freaking mess!

We are one day away from a 2 week break! Thank you JESUS! I look forward to cuddles and time with my girl. We are also going to Disneyland in a week and half, YAY!!!! I also am super looking forward to the holidays with the girl. I think now that she's a little older it will be even more fun!

Obligatory Rowan dump:

Happy 16 months Rowan!

 Another month down!! How is this happening so fast?!?! Anyway, this post is late, as usual. I miss Rowan's little baby stage, but right now she is getting to be so fun!


Age:16 months, 14.5 months adjusted age

Weight and clothing size: 
My tanker is 26.8 pounds, and  boy is that deliciously chubby girl  taking a toll on my body! My back and wrists ache with pain from holding her! We try to not overly hold her  (mainly to encourage walking) but holy heck when we do, everything hurts! She is now getting too big for 2T! We are headed in the 3T direction. Still size 4 in diapers though honestly I think we could move up to 5.

Eating:
Rowan is still a pretty decent eater. and eats in big quantities. She is very sensitive to textures and gets easily grossed out. She's starting to eat more meat, which is good! She recently tried popsicles and loves them!

Rowan can:
-sign "please" (in addition to more and all done)learning to say "mama" in sign too.

-Tries to dress herself. It is quite funny, but amazes me that she is trying to do this! She'll try to put shirts over head, pants/shorts on top of her legs.  Knows where to put her shoes and bows (of course can't put them on )


-She is crawling at lightening speed and cruises with such confidence. If she can't reach something, she gets on her tippy toes and tries to reach.

-doing some pretend playing. This is amazing! She recently got a play kitchen and will pull out pots and pans and stir them. She will then put things in the microwave, etc. I am LOVING all of this!

-Can identify where the lights, trees, moon are when asked.

-can now say "yeah", which cracks me up.

-When she wants something, she will point, look at you and say "kneeyah kneeyah?" LOL

-Sometimes in bath she will try and "bathe" herself which consists of rubbing her body wash all over

-can show you how old she is when asked

-If you ask her what the dinosaur says, she will growl at you!

-tries to put puzzles pieces back where they go. She can't put them back perfectly, but the fact she's trying is incredible.


Rowan loves:

-Sofia the first and Doc McStuffins. For my TV Nazis, don't worry, we don't do it all the time. We do it mainly when she needs breathing treatments because that's the only way she sits still. ANYWAY, she absolutely loves those 2 shows! She lights up when she sees the show come on! I have to admit, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Doc McStuffins, its so freaking cute!

-finally enjoying her stuffed animals. For a long time, she didn't really pay too much mind to her stuffed animals. Now she LOVES them! Her "squad" (sorry that word  makes me laugh!) consists of Goldie the sheep, Petunia the hippo, and "Fia" aka her stuffed Sofia.

-loves playing with her play kitchen! Her amazing cousin Abby gave Rowan her old kitchen. Rowan loves it and is thoroughly entertained. It's situated in the kitchen and has been a life saver when I cook!

Rowan doesn't like: 
 -hates when meal time is over. Girl likes to eat! She is truly her mother's daughter!

-STILL doesn't like cake with frosting. I thought we were over that fear, but she had a cupcake for a birthday celebration and she cried like she got a shot. WHO IS SHE!?!?!

-doctors and nurses. Sigh. We have seen the doc twice this month for different things and every time she is terrified. They took her temp under her arm and she dramatically screamed and was shaking. What a drama queen! I heard this can happen around this age. I hope she gets over it, it's going to be a long winter :(.

 Sleeping schedule:
Sleep has greatly improved this month! She sleeps well at night and takes good naps. She will occasionally fight a nap or two. Sleep is horrific if she is teething.


 New happenings this month:

-Holy traveling!! We did a HUGE trip down to So. California last month. I honestly didn't know how babe would do, but my gosh, she was a ROCKSTAR! She did beautifully in the 12 hours drive (f-you LA traffic) and melted down just once because she had poop. It helped we took lots of car breaks.

-Rowan visited the zoo while down south! We met up with hubby's dear friend Shannon and her littles! She and I connected through facebook so it was fun to meet in real life.

-ROWAN VISITED DISNEYLAND! It was so much fun!! You can read it here.

-This mama did her first weekend away! I have never been away from Rowan for more than a night, let alone by myself. The weekend before school was my dear friend's bachelorette. I drove up to San Jose on Friday, ate lunch by myself and had a pedicure! HOLY RELAXATION!!! I forgot what it is like to do things by myself and it was glorious! I met up with one of close friends, Kristen. We had dinner and drinks with another friend,  and went to a movie with some more friends. I embarrassingly slept through some of it :(, but that's #momlife for ya! The next day I went to Santa Cruz to meet up with the girls! Lots of fun, a little too much debauchery, but it was great! I sure missed my tribe though!!!

- Rowan started back up at Mom's preschool, and I started back at teaching at the end of July. She cried the first few days (despite she is in love with my mom) and I did too. I sometimes really HATE being a working mom. Thankfully, we are adjusting. I am so THANKFUL I have an amazing group of only 16 littles! They are a dream!




Here is my obligatory Rowan dump:

How we survived taking a baby to Disneyland

 

This post is SUPER long over due, and I am so excited to post!!

Back in the day when we were baby-less, I scoffed at the idea of taking a baby/toddler to Disneyland. I saw the beleaguered parents, dealing with screaming, angry kids. Wasn't this supposed to be the happiest place on earth?  I vowed that we wouldn't take our future children till they were at the VERY LEAST 7 years old...

2 years after that vow, here  I was preparing my first trip with my then 15 month old, HA! Talk about eating your words!!!

Hubby and I had been planning this trip for months. We were supposed to go in March, but postponed thanks to the stupid, preventable (oops did I say that?) measles outbreak. We decided to rebook our trip for July.

We got a lot of wide eyes, snorts and kinda rude comments when we would tell people we were taking Rowan. A lot would say we were crazy, she's too young, she won't remember, make sure we take an entourage, etc.

On the flip side, my Disney loving friends were beyond encouraging, and all have taken their children young.

I pored over different mommy blogs who wrote about Disneyland with babies and toddlers. I picked my friends' brains over their experiences. I felt prepared.

The one glaring difference between all of these experiences and ours was that we WEREN'T taking an entourage of family. My family wasn't able to go, plus I wasn't about to ask them to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on a trip they didn't plan for. Plus, I wanted to be able to experience Disneyland just us and see if we could do it.

I will admit, I had VERY LOW expectations for our trip. I imagined it would be super stressful, hotter than hades and packed to the gills. Turns out I was right, except for one...

it actually wasn't stressful

Yep you heard me right. So, here are some things and tips I learned...

1. You can do it on your own- 

I was so afraid that we weren't taking family, but honestly, I think this is the easiest it will ever be! It was 2-1 ratio, and plus since she wasn't walking, she wasn't dying to get out and run. It was doable! Having patience and low expectations was key. That was huge!

2. Rider switch pass is your best friend-

Holy best invention! I was certain I wouldn't ride anything big. Um, not true!  Rider switch pass is basically like a fast pass for those waiting behind. You simply jump in the fast pass line and boom you are on! What we did was grab fast passes first thing. Hubby would wait a MAX of 20 minutes and get a rider switch pass. At this time, I would feed Rowan a snack or shop. He and I would trade once he was done! I rode pretty much all the big stuff, and it was great!

3. BRING EXTRA EVERYTHING -

We learned that we went through wipes like no one's business! This is common sense but pack extra everything, ESPECIALLY snacks ( we ran out day 1)! Water bottles especially since its so dang hot! However if you do run out, the baby care center is legit, which brings me to my next point..

4. the baby care center will be your best friend-

I had heard of this magical place, and it was everything! It has every baby supply you can imagine (of course for a price) and it is CLEAN! Every time Rowan pooped, I insisted we go there to change. I am a GERMAPHOBE so the center was my new bestie. If you are nursing/bottle feeding or want a calm place to feed their lunch, this IS the spot!

5. Have low expectations and have PATIENCE. Seriously- 

I have a tendency to be a perfectionist, which isn't a good thing most times. I let go of any notion I had in my head, kept very low expectations of the trip. I told myself to simply go with the flow (sometimes hard for me) and it lended itself well for our trip. We had the best time, and did so many fun things. Also this is obvious, but be patient. I am not a patient person (LOL) and I had to really prep myself that there were be lots of people, lines, and some people who are stupid (i.e. not paying attention, pushy, etc). I only lost my cool once when we were walking through a massive crowd. Someone pushed me while I was wearing Rowan and I may or may not have said "touch me again and I will break your nose". I know, tacky and ridiculous, but don't mess with mama bear. They wisely kept quiet and moved away.

6. Parades and shows are a great distraction-

We didn't see many shows, but managed to catch a tail end of a parade. We also got to see of World of Color, which Rowan loved! They serve as great distractions and good time to take a break.

7. Be prepared for your baby to be loved on!

This is a fun one. Rowan gets complimented (like every other baby) when we are out and about. However, she was a hit at Disneyland! Workers and other people were so sweet and kind over her. My heart wanted to burst!

8. Baby wearing and stroller naps are a life saver

There were times Rowan could hardly stand a single second in the stroller! Cue in my moby (which wasn't that bad)! She enjoyed the closeness while still being able to be out of the stroller! Oh and stroller naps are a lifesaver! Rowan would NEVER nap in the stroller but she did in Disneyland! Holy miracle! 

9. Knowing how your baby is, know when to stop-

 I feel "lucky" that Rowan is a decent traveler. However, I do know my child and her breaking points. One of the days we left early to rest, etc. Don't try to over do it, take breaks! Everyone is much happier and things going even more smoothly.

I was so happy with how our trip turned out. We got annual passes and plan on going multiple times this year! If you are a newbie like me and are hesitant to go, don't be! It will be better than you can imagine!

Some of my favorites:

Happy 15 months Rowan!

Can't believe my baby is 15 months! I swear we just brought her home from NICU! Honestly, this has been the best summer. Rowan is so much fun right now and enjoying all the fun perks of summer. With that brings her sassy toddler side, but she is still such a joy!

Age:15 months, 13.5 months adjusted.

Weight and clothing size: 
Rowan got weighed to day at the doctor's and she is a few ounces away from 26 pounds! My arms and back are already aching, LOL! Size 2t in clothing, size 4 diapers, but size 2 in shoes, LOL!!




Eating:
I'm forever thankful my baby likes to eat. I have heard horror stories of babies and toddlers refusing everything. I know this can change, but praying she keeps the way she's going! Still doesn't like meat. I have to be creative in how I give it to her. She also STILL doesn't like pasta. Who is this girl?!?!?


Rowan can:
-more of a confident climber. Thanks to starting My Gym (a post on that later), she is super curious and loves to climb on anything she can get her hands on!





-crawls even faster and even on her tippy toes, lol!




-a much more confident cruiser on furniture, though she gets  so scared when she falls!




-can sign "all done", along with "more"




-last month she could point out nose and mouth, now she can also point out ears and eyes.
-"pretends" to put on her shoes and head bands. Sounds weird, but she will grab her shoes and tap them on her foot or grab her bows and try to put them on her head! So cute!



Rowan loves:
- the ocean. Holy crap! I didn't think she would like it because its loud and the water is freezing, but it was quite the opposite! She loved getting splashed by the waves, would joyfully shake and scream. She would get angry if the waves didn't hit her, or if we tried to take her away.


-Quesadillas! She is a massive quesadilla fan. She loves them! She also took a huge shine to Greek yogurt and smoothies!


- She loves to bang on everything!


-She loves to scream at the highest pitch level when she gets excited. It can be funny, but now I think I am partially deaf!
-showing off her belly. Sis likes to lift up her shirt or dress and show off that yummy belly! She's a nut!









Rowan doesn't like: 
 -being left alone even for a second. She is going through MAJOR separation anxiety, and will cry real tears. Its so sad! Even if I'm just tossing laundry in the wash, she will melt down. 
-once clicked in her high chair, she doesn't like waiting for her food. She literally loses her mind if she doesn't eat immediately. What a diva.
-hates falling! While pushing her walker, she has taken a few tumbles. She gets so afraid and will often refuse to try again. We keep encouraging her, but she gets so scared.
-when I hold other babies! I work nursery each month, and for the first time she nearly lost her mind when I held another baby! She has become quite jealous, lol!
-eggs. She's decided she's off eggs, which stinks because she already doesn't like meat. Oh Rowan.

 Sleeping schedule:
OMG. This month has been horrific for sleep! Her schedule was completely destroyed because of our vacations. However, the last week and a half she has been in the process of cutting her back molars. Nights have been HORRID and you would think we have a newborn in the house! She will constantly scream off and on, sometimes stand up wide awake and scream! We are beyond exhausted! I do try and remind myself that this is temporary and this will not be our life forever!


 New happenings this month:


-Lots of travels for our babe! It has been so much fun discovering life through our baby! She did her first beach trip, first train ride, first boardwalk experience, first strawberry picking, etc LOL! It has been so fun!
-Rowan is officially a member of My Gym, which is essentially baby gymnastics! I plan on doing a proper post, but I have been so excited about this! She does everything but walk, so I am super hoping this will help with her gross motor skills! She loves it!


This has been such a fun month! I start back at work in 2 weeks and the thought of leaving my babe is making me sick to my stomach! Love being with my baby girl!


My obligatory Rowan dump:

Angels and beaches

This sure has been one crazy summer, filled with lots of fun and memories!


In between play dates, pool time and enjoying Rowan, we have done 2 family vacations and they were wonderful! I am not planning on recapping every minor detail, as I pretty much talked a lot about it here.


Our first trip was to Angel's Camp with my family. In theory, it may not be the fanciest place to visit, but its super relaxing for us and especially for the year we had, we need to relax.


Some fun things that we did was go on a family hike in Big Trees! I hadn't been there in ages, and it is SIMPLY amazing to marvel in God's beauty and these gigantic trees! We carried Rowan in the Kelty backpack. She actually really enjoyed everything and the sights, but mid hike she WIGGED out. She was a hot, hungry mess and this newbie mama left the snacks in the car, d'oh! She calmed down thankfully during lunch and even tried her first homemade cookie! She was HYSTERICAL to watch with that cookie!

The rest of the week consisted of exploring the little town of Angel's Camp, family games, eating, relaxing and LOTS of swimming. Rowan could barely contain herself with swimming and just loved it! Since my mom was with us, we were able to do a double date with my sister and her hubby! Since Angel's Camp isn't a booming metropolis, we ended up seeing a movie which was still super fun!


Some of our pics below (FYI I'm not posting my sister's babies since my blog is public, per her request :) )

After being home for a week and half, we repacked our suitcases to go to Santa Cruz!


Our first stop was a mini reunion with some of my dearest girl friends from college! We met up with  Kristen, Vanessa (with her baby in tow) and their men in Los Gatos. We brunched, the babies enjoyed each other and we did some shopping around town while the boys hit up a pub.
I am very fortunate to have made some pretty amazing friendships with a incredible group of girls! Even though we all graduated college 10 years ago (WHAT!?!?) we still get together as much as we can!

After we went up the hill towards Santa Cruz! We stayed in a beautiful beach house that was so neat! I am SO bummed I didn't take the time to take pictures of it, but it was charming, cozy, and big enough to accommodate 2 families! One of my favorite things was that you could see the boardwalk from our balcony!

 The week consisted of many trips to the boardwalk, strawberry picking in Davenport, lots of beach time, a trip to Roaring Camp, gorging on yummy food and zip lining for the boys! I wasn't sure how Rowan would handle the beach, but she LOVED it! She would shake and joyfully scream at the waves, try to sit in the water, and laugh! She would get angry when the waves wouldn't come to her, lol! I truly believe we have a water baby in our hands! Rowan also enjoyed her first train ride at Roaring Camp! My sister's in law family joined us, which was so fun! Rowan also loved strawberry picking, but would get furious when I wouldn't let her eat every berry, LOL! She had fun squishing some in her hands!

One arrangement my sister and I had was that we would babysit each other's kids so the other could have a date night! That was glorious! We went to a adorable Italian restaurant practically on the beach! The wait was a little long, so we went to wine bar next door. We had a bit too much fun there, LOL! We bought a bottle of barbera (our favorite!) and brought it over for our dinner. It was so nice to getaway, and reconnect with my hubby. After, we went to the boardwalk and went on some rides. It was perfect!

Our fourth of July was low key. We went to brunch, and got the beach early. We stayed nearly the whole day on the beach and it was the most perfect weather for it. After, we came home, ordered in pizzas, and made s'mores. My niece Abby was a little sad we weren't going anywhere to see fireworks (Santa Cruz doesn't actually have a show). However, we saw so MANY illegal fireworks near the board walk that it felt like we had gone to a show! Some people were setting off some pretty big fireworks! It was nice to stay in, because Santa Cruz was a ZOO on the 4th!

I was so sad to see our beach vacay come to an end, I almost cried! However, we had one more stop! The boys and Rowan went home, while my sister, niece and I drove to Palo Alto to visit the American Girl store! My niece Abby brought her doll, as well as me! I know it seems super weird for a 32 year old woman to be carrying a doll, but it was so fun! I got my Samantha doll when I was 8 years old and I knew someday I wanted my daughter to have her! I brought in Samantha mainly to get her cleaned up so I can eventually pass it on to Rowan. My doll got a full "spa treatment" and even got her hair done, LOL! She's all ready for Rowan! That store is no joke! There is SO much to look at! My inner 8 year old was thrilled!

I am truly thankful that we have had these super fun vacations! Not only did we make amazing memories, but it was awesome to see life through Rowan's eyes! Next up, Disneyland!!