Ears, tubies, and other musings...

Well for Pete's sake, this blog needs to be tended to!


It has been a wild few months, and super busy! Right now it's 2:30 am, and I can't sleep. So, here we are! If chunks of this post seems weird or has mistakes, just bear with me, it's late, k?!?!


Well, lil' miss needs an update. Some of you may be wondering about the title! As Rowan was nearing 2, I noticed she wasn't saying the "obligatory" 60 words (or is it 50?) that a 2 year old should be saying. I also noticed if I would call her, she wouldn't turn to me. My sister brought it up, which confirmed to me that something was a bit off. We had a hearing test set up.


We went to her hearing test, and were told that Rowan has a mild hearing loss in both ears. We were told this was due to fluid being in her middle ears. The doctors were shocked she's never technically had an ear infection. The doctor said her hearing was the equivalent of her hearing underwater. It made me feel sad for her! We got another appointment to meet with a surgeon to discuss options, as they thought tubes could be an option.


We met with the surgeon and were given 2 choices. Tubes or have her take antibiotics to clear up the fluid. The latter choice I was told, could possibly not even work. I am a firm believer you shouldn't take antibiotics if you truly don't need them (hello antibiotic resistance!). So after some discussion, we chose to go with tubes. I know this is a beyond common procedure, and I felt this was the best way to go. I was told that if she gets tubes, she may not ever be quiet again! Oh dear....


About a month or so later, we got a referral to be seen by a group  called ALTA, which specializes in speech therapy. Considering 2 months have passed since she turned 2 and her hearing loss, she says quite a bit now. However, I still wanted her to be observed. After a 45 minute observation, we were told Rowan had a vocabulary of an 18 month old, and was on the borderline to be qualified. She did end up being qualified for speech, which was great! The therapists did mention (like the doctor) that these tubes could dramatically change everything!


So... there ya have it. Did I mention tomorrow is when Rowan gets her tubes?!? Even though pretty much 8 out of 10 kids get this done, I am a bit nervous! Any pearls of wisdom?!?

Happy 22 months Rowan!

22 months is well underway! What a month we had! We had some interesting firsts, like hand, foot and mouth, locking ourselves in the bathroom and our first real haircut. Rowan, as usual, keeps us at attention! She is a spitfire but such a joy at the same time!

Age: 22 months, (20.5 months adjusted age). We are almost to the end of adjusting her age! For preemies it stops when they are 2!

Weight and clothing size: 

Rowan is now officially 31 pounds and so solid! She's super heavy and my body is constantly sore!  Wearing all 3T clothing, even 4t depending on the brand. Size 5 diapers, shoe size is inching towards 5.5

Eating:

Mealtime is something I have been dreading at times. She can be so picky! It was becoming such a battle and I know her stubborn sass comes from her sensing my frustration! I have really learned lately to rein it in and be creative! My girl baby still really loves her carbs (who doesn't, tbh?), string cheese and peas to name some. Since I feel she is lacking iron I found a pinterest link that shows you the top vegan foods that provide a great punch of iron and protein. And no, we aren't going vegan lol! She absolutely loves gobbling white beans ( a great iron source) amongst other types of beans. She also likes dried fruit as well as fresh fruit. I am thinking of doing a blog post of some healthy recipes that has worked for us! 

Rowan can:

-locking doors. UGH.

-in addition to her previous words, she now says bus, peekaboo, mickey, daddy, "plis" (aka please), goodnight moon (sounds like "muhmight moo").  She also says "mumbo" for Dumbo. She easily is repeating much of what we are saying, which is awesome but kinda scary!

-Says "whoa" and "woooo" when she is swinging or on a ride, LOL!

-if the stove is on or she sees a steaming bowl of soup or coffee, she says "haaa, haaa" while tapping her mouth

-If you ask her what a dog, pig, sheep, horse, and cow says, she can say their sound.

-learning how to lower herself from our bed. I am nervous about when she will do this with her crib, lol!

-loves to climb up slides (YIKES) among other dare-devily things. Oh boy....

-tries to jump though its more like a hop, LOL

Rowan loves:

- The dumbo ride, all the carousel rides and the spinning teacups at Disneyland
-has discovered she has a LOVE for raisins.
-She has a major obsession with the ball pit at My Gym.
-We bought her a Mickey plush (thanks buy one, get one for $1)  and she screams joyfully at them in the mornings when she gets up.

Rowan doesn't like: 

-This hysterically cute, Frozen short on Disney Junior. It straight up terrifies her! I'm not totally sure why, but here is the scary show if you want to be "scared" LOLOLOL

-Since we are talking about being scared, she doesn't exactly love the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland. She actually wimpered through a few parts of the ride, which made me sad 

-sharing. OH LAWD! This girl can be bratty about sharing with others, and she makes it known. This bothers me tremendously, so we have been working hard for her to be a "nicer friend" about sharing. 

-gets stressed out if she pulls off her "pretties". Rowan has a tendency to pull off her headbands and wraps, which DRIVES ME FREAKING CRAZY. However, it somehow bothers her too because tries to put them back on and when she can't she gets flustered and frustrated LOL!

 Sleeping schedule:

Sleep is still the same. Sleeps usually from 7:30-6:30 on school days, when we are home or on the weekends usually to 7:30 or 8! Takes a midday nap from 11-1:30/2. Forever thankful I get decent amounts of sleep! 

 New happenings this month:

-Rowan had her first real haircut! I was super sad to get it cut, but knew it was time! It was so scraggly and she had such crazy length! She got a cute bob, aka Lady Mary Crawley style from Downton Abbey!

-Rowan got hand, foot, and mouth disease, UGH. Catch up here:

- Rowan locked herself in the bathroom. I feel this deserves a post for memory's sake, LOL! It was super scary and traumatic, mainly for me. She recovered fine, LOLOLOLOL!

-We did a super fast, Disneyland trip during Valentine's weekend! It was a quick trip but OH SO FUN!!! Yes, I am working on a post! One of the best things? Breakfast with Minnie, which is worthy of its very own post! Since we have been to Disneyland 4 times now, I feel it gets easier each time with Rowan! We are planning a week long trip to DL  in March during Easter break!



Obligatory Rowan dump:

Happy 21 months Rowan!

21 months??! Say it ain't so! Time is flying and this girl is blossoming into such a precious little girl! I literally feel so emotional thinking she will be 2 soon! I feel like I was literally JUST pregnant! I miss her baby days at times, though this phase of her life is so wonderful! 2nd birthday plans are already underway!

Age: 21 months, (19.5 months adjusted age)

Weight and clothing size: 

Rowan is almost 31 pounds. Wearing size 5 diapers, size 5 shoes, and 3T in clothing.

Eating:

Rowan now apparently doesn't like meat, sigh. She will eat spaghetti (she likes to talk to it, LOL), fruit all the live long day, most veggies and anything carbs. She sometimes doesn't mind breaded chicken, and recently tried an oreo, which she joyfully freaked out about (who wouldn't?!)

Rowan can:

-open doors. Looks like we need those knob covers!
-in addition to her previous words, she now says amen, boo and buh bye
-color with a slight purpose now instead of the table, LOL! She loves anything art. 
-Likes to "helpful" by trying to sweep
-Rowan is getting pretty good at throwing and kicking!
-Identifies shapes and most colors. In her shape sorter, she is actually matching the shapes and pushing them in!
-can do certain puzzles! She is a smarty!
-does hand motions to songs like "Twinkle Twinkle" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider". So dang freaking cute!
-Starting to dance more when songs come on. She's not a big dancer (weird because I LOVE to dance) but she is getting into it!

Rowan loves:

-The song "Walking On a Dream" by Empire Of The Sun We discovered the song trying to find a Baby Einstein video. The song is SUPER catchy and I totally love it too! I never heard of this band, but they are wonderfully weird and random. Check them out! Rowan LOVES it, watches the video with rapt attention and sways to the beat, LOLOLOL!

- OH MY WERD. This girl loves bubbles! If you want to see her nearly have a brain aneurysm from excitement, just blow bubbles! She loves them so much!!!

-loves anything with shapes and music. 

-loves the card section at Target! She likes to look at every card, and I am teaching her to put it back by herself. While this is cute, tantrums ensue if we have to leave. Le sigh.

-Loves to wave at everyone who will look at her. She also likes to walk right up to people and get in their face. It happens mainly at my gym when parents are sitting or at restaurants when we are walking to our table. I always apologize but people are super great about it and love on her lol.  

Rowan doesn't like: 

-holding hands. Since she hates being tied down to the stroller and cart, we hold hands with her but boy its a fight!!!

-If she is being redirected and doesn't want to go, she will squat and won't move a muscle! I'm pretty sure she has the strongest legs because of this, Oy! This is a concern because she will be in a wedding as the flower girl. I am terrified she won't walk LOL!! 

-throws fits when we have to leave something she's enjoying. A basic, constant main example is leaving the store. We will allow her to explore and for the most part, she is quite behaved. However, if we have to move or go, she screams and gets all crazy. For all the past parents I gave stink eye to, just know karma is now getting me!!!!

-on that note, the fit throwing is in full swing. Luckily it doesn't happen a TON but when it does it sure isn't fun. LORD JESUS take the wheel! 

-she doesn't really enjoy going to nursery. She will cry the minute we leave, but eventually calms down as we never get called back. I feel really bad, I hope she grows out of it!

 Sleeping schedule:

Sleep is still decent. Sleeps usually from 7:30-6:30 on school days, when we are home or on the weekends usually to 7:30 or 8! Takes a midday nap from 11-1:30/2. I am always thankful. I know toddlers who still aren't sleeping! If I am tired, its usually because it's my own dang fault!

 New happenings this month:

-She celebrated her second NYE! We get together with my sister and friend Amy's families. It's very fun! She obviously went to bed before actual midnight but still very fun! 

-We did a wine country trip with Rowan and my mom! We went to Windsor and Healdsburg. If you are California native, please do yourself a favor and go! TEN TIMES better than Napa!!! I am going to post on our trip, but it was sure interesting! We had some bumps in our little trip, but it was still very fun! 

-We started back at teaching (BOO) and our regular routine. I was in tears going back! The working mom guilt is so real!

My obligatory Rowan dump:

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:

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! 

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 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:

traveling with a "toddler"

Ahh, the joys of traveling. Prior to having baby, we enjoyed many little vacays and trips. Our love for travel started with our honeymoon to Ireland. Since then, Shannon and I were constantly going somewhere.  Sure, our vacays weren't sunning in Monte Carlo or traveling all over France, but we had so much fun. We built a lot of memories in our 5 years of just us. We vowed that once we became parents, our little travels would continue. Rowan went on her first trip when she was 3 months old. Honestly, I think we would have gone earlier except I was so paranoid about her getting sick!




Rowan was a champ that trip, and from then on we went on various road trips with her. Each time she did great and adjusted well to her surroundings. Sure it wasn't all sunshine all the time, but I felt mighty proud I had what I called "an easy traveler". I felt like we had it down and I was quite smug.


 I'm sure the good Lord got sick of my cocky attitude, because that all changed once she turned one.


This past summer, we had 3 trips planned, 2 of those trips would be with my awesome family. Our first trip was to Angel's Camp. Rowan once again did decent on the drive, enjoyed discovering our cabin that we were in. However, the night was crazy. Usually on trips she would settle to sleep. Her first few nights she would scream off and on throughout the entire night. She wouldn't settle down, would wake up ready to go at 4:30 am, etc. It was  crazy. I had no idea what the heck she was doing, lol. Naps were even harder. We tried to respect her schedule, but she would take horrible naps those first few days. Thanks to that she would be an ABSOLUTE pill, rightfully so thanks to her lack of sleep. I felt frustrated and I wanted her to enjoy her trip.


After awhile, it got better and she was able to enjoy her vacation. Next trip was to Santa Cruz, and we would be gone a little over a week. I felt a little wiser and made sure to pack a little differently to help her transition better. Sure enough, the first two nights were rough. Her naps got completely messed up, despite our best efforts. However, the trip overall was great, and we created some incredible memories! I have to say a major shout out to my family, who were beyond amazing, flexible and helpful with the baby!


So, what did I learn, as a newbie mama?


1. The first few nights might be rough- In general, when I travel, I often don't sleep great the first night or two. That's the same way with Rowan. These surroundings are so different to her, and she needs time to adjust.


2. Be flexible-I am a stickler to her routine, mainly because she does so well with it. During these trips I have learned that she may not always take a great nap, and every little snooze counts. Sometimes even a half an hour would be enough to perk her right up. With that being said...


3. Sometimes a stroller nap isn't an option-I learned my child WILL NOT sleep in the stroller. Good grief we tried every trick in the book, she wouldn't cave! I did learn that she doesn't mind conking out in the moby wrap. She would sometimes sleep almost an hour in it! Despite that I have a chubby baby, the moby actually provided a lot of support and it wasn't so bad on my body! I love my moby wrap!


4. Keep your expectations low- I have a tendency to build things WAY up in my head. I tried as much as I could to keep an open mind and just simply go with the flow. Things would always end up better that way!


5. If you are traveling with family, consider it a blessing!- We did Angels and Santa Cruz with my family, and they were BEYOND helpful with Rowan! I know it may not always be like that with every family, but I felt so supported on these trips. I was so thankful for their help! Also, we got to have a date night on both of those trips, which is a MAJOR bonus!


So, what's next? Only a 6 hour drive to Southern California, and a trip to Disneyland! This time, there is no family, just us! Precious Lord help us, LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rowan: 13 months

Wow, how is this girl already 13 months?!?!? I have been a little bit of a hot mess since she turned one. I loved the baby stage and I must admit, I am nervous for the toddler stage! I hear its so not easy! I kinda went back and forth about posting these monthly updates. However, I am going ahead with it! I know I will love loook backing on these posts. I have done it with her baby ones and it's so neat! I am doing the format just a little different though...



Age:13 months, 11.5 months adjusted

Weight and clothing size: 
Rowan still weighs about 24 pounds. She still has her delicious rolls Pretty much ONLY wears 2t, and size 4 diapers! Still tiniest feet in the land! She is also SO short! It cracks me up! She is a chubby short person!!

Eating:
Rowan is a great eater! She eats mostly everything but doesn't like when her food is too dry. Her favorites are eggs, waffles, all fruits, veggies and cheese. She is drinking milk and water regularly out of cups. She also has gotten the hang of drinking out of a straw!

Rowan can:
-Crawl much quicker and is more confident in pulling herself up. No signs of walking yet. However, I have a peace about it and still learning NOT TO COMPARE. She is also still within the realm of normal, though some people still think its crazy she isn't running ,LOL. I don't think people realize but the norm for walking can range from 9 months up to 18 months! Every baby is different and God has made her uniquely her!

-Her fine motor skills are quite impressive and she's a great problem solver. For example, she had 2 toys in her hand, but wanted another toy. She bent forward and picked it up with her mouth, LOL! She's crazy!
  I know I am her mom, but I had to take an early intervention quiz about her progress. I obviously answered honestly and she still scored off the charts for fine motor! So proud of my little!

-She points to EVERYTHING and always says "dis?" or "Dat" while pointing. 

-She is getting good at recognizing objects and can tell you "where the cow is" and other objects. It a little bit blows my mind. 

-Rowan has always been saying mama, dada, dis, dat and der. She's still continuing to make long blends and sounds, and has full blown gibberish conversations with us and herself (LOL). I think we are going to have a chatty cathy on our hands! 

-learning more Spanish and seeming to respond!

Rowan loves:
- BOOKS. This makes my heart soar! She will pull out her books, and start "reading" them. What's crazy though is she will gibber jabber her way through each page and point. It is the darn cutest thing! She will also joyfully scream if she gets to a page she likes!

-dogs. She has been noticing more than usual and gets so excited. I wonder if we should get a dog, lol.

-Metal. I know that's weird, but any object made of metal she is immediately drawn to it and wants to bite it. What a crazy head!

Rowan doesn't like: 
 -When things are over. For example, She will scream and throw a fit if we stop her baby Einstein show. Or we pick her up from playing so we can feed her. Good grief! 

-Weird textures. If her food is super dry or has a funny texture, she will gag herself or make a crazy face. 

Sleeping schedule:
So far the same! A good morning nap and another in the afternoon. Sis likes her sleep and makes her a lot more agreeable if she's rested. Nights are still about 7:30-6. I am hoping over the summer she'll adjust her schedule and sleep in a little bit. HA yeah right!

 New happenings this month:
Honestly nothing too terribly new or different. Looking forward to when I am off in the summer, because we have 3 trips planned! 
-We tried Rowan in the nursery! She was fine for 10 minutes and then screamed the rest. Shannon got her midway and held her so I could enjoy the service. The following week she only cried for a little bit but then calmed down. Fingers crossed this keeps happening!

-We had a GLORIOUS play date with my BFF and her babies. This was a huge deal because they live in Texas and we don't get to see them often!
 

My Rowan dump:

Dear weary mama

My blogger pal Gentel (blogger of leopardandgrace.com) had a beautiful idea of penning a letter to herself a year to the day she delivered. I loved the idea, because it gives you a chance to reflect on such an insane, beautiful moment. I have talked to death about Rowan's early birth, labor story and NICU. However, I have never talked about right after. It has been an intense, crazy and wild year. Being a little older and a little wiser, I wish I could go back and tell myself it was going to be okay. I am being honest, the first two or so months were beyond brutal for me. I HUGELY struggled with the baby blues, and honestly wondered if I had some postpartum depression. I didn't feel that magical movie bond with Rowan immediately, and that completely destroyed me.  I never talked too much to anyone about it (besides family) because quite frankly I was embarrassed and ashamed. To be honest, I am nervous posting this because I don't want to get judged. However, there needs to be conversations and support about these very sensitive topics. While I think we have come a long way with being open, I think a lot of mamas are too nervous and ashamed to admit it's not like the movies. I don't think I am alone with how I felt. Here, I am reflecting back and writing a letter to myself that I wish I would have known then. While the newborn season and those emotions were so difficult, I long for those precious newborn days back. Don't get me wrong, Rowan is FUN, but she is changing and growing too fast.

Dear  me,

The date is 5/6/14. You are finally home from NICU, congrats! It has been 2  long days since you have been released.  NICU was an intense experience for you. Right now, you are still reeling over the loss of what you envisioned the end of your pregnancy would be like. You are still stunned about the month you had, and how you finished your pregnancy hooked to a hospital bed. Instead of having skin to skin, your baby was whisked away to NICU. All of it is hurting you, because this isn't what you wanted. I know how angry you are. I see you quietly sobbing at the kitchen sink, washing bottles. You don't understand these intense feelings, and why you can't just feel normal. You know you are supposed to feel utter elation (or at least that what its like in the movies) but instead, you feel overwhelmed and sad. I know you are worried you might have postpartum depression. In the mix of all this, you feel shame and embarrassment. You don't get why you feel this way. Sweet mama, those are the sucky hormones that are making you crazy are those good ol' baby blues that you have read about. Add no sleep and its a disaster. It WILL get better, I promise you. If this brings you hope, your baby will sleep through the night. With the help of your sister, you will get a routine down, you will feel like a human again. I see you looking down at the former shell of a pregnancy belly, and feeling an ache that can't be replaced. You were one of those crazy gals who LOVED being pregnant, so you feel like something was stolen from you.  Right now, you are trying to pump breasts that have practically nothing, be sane for the people who come by and try to be the perfect mama to this beautiful baby born too soon. Please cut yourself some slack and give yourself grace. This is no time to be perfect. Right now, your heart is aching because you don't feel the magical bond that "every mom gets" the second their child is born. I know how much this is ripping your heart out. You have been so excited the minute you knew you were pregnant, and have been dreaming of this beautiful child for months. While you would throw yourself in front of a train for Rowan, you don't feel like she's your best friend. If anything, she seems like a big ol' grump that seems mad all the time.  Mama, please know this normal. You will learn later there are a quite a lot of mamas who have felt this way, most would never dare to admit it.  You are NOT alone. If this is any consolation to you, this girl WILL become your best friend. I know she is just grumpy newborn, but soon she will blossom. She will become the happy, chubby baby you were dreaming of. She will captivate your heart, and you will constantly be on the verge of happy tears simply because she is so precious and perfect to you. It will get better. Precious mama, my advice would be to savor this time. I know you think I am crazy, but trust me. This time goes by too fast. She will grow, become crazy active and a no longer want to curl up under your chin. This IS a hard season.  NO doubt about it. However, babies don't keep, and savor that sweet precious newborn smell. Know that it WILL get easier.



Love,
Me one year later, 5/6/15

if you are still on the fence...

The other day, I was chatting with a sweet coworker/ friend of mine about kids. She was wondering how I do it in the mornings, dropping off a baby at preschool, driving 2 towns to work and still making it before the school bell.





She shared with me her fear of having kids, because quite frankly, her life was pretty decent how it is. Her fear is how life will dramatically change after having kids. She wondered if it was worth giving up her "freedom" so to speak.





As she was describing all this, it hit me hard because she reminds me of myself pre-Rowan. Before kids, we had a whole lot of fun. Brunches, going to the movies every week, weekly date nights, bar hopping/dancing in downtown with friends, wine tasting trips, spontaneous trips were basically our MO before Rowan. As most of y'all know I was extremely resistant to having kids. I had  LOUSY, TERRIBLE attitude about kids.  I am sure I offended some of my friends with kids because of my attitude. A lot of it was because I was so afraid of the massive life change.





A few days after our 4th wedding anniversary, I found out I was pregnant. We had barely tried for a month. I remember sitting in the bathroom laughing and crying at the same time. That's when I fell madly in love with the life that was within me.





Let me be straight. Don't rush having kids. Having kids does change your life. Anyone who says different is a lyin' fool. Your priorities and sleep shift, life is no longer the same. Parenting is hard. The newborn stage can be rough, at least it was for me.




HOWEVER....




That tiny human that you made from scratch will engulf your heart in a way that I can't even explain. Rowan has filled my heart with a joy I can't describe. For someone as selfish as me prior to her, I can't imagine life without her.




 Sure, its not like the movies. I didn't''t anticipate her early birth, the NICU stay was rough. I didn't anticipate I would have a very tough time in the beginning, and I MAJORLY had the baby blues. We have our good days, and our bad days. Her sicknesses have literally have made me almost have brain aneurysms.






HOWEVER...




this chubby, 22 pound human has captivated my heart and I haven't looked back since.






So, to my wonderful friend who is scared, trust me, it's worth it.

A Christmas break recap...

It should come to no surprise I'm blogging this over 3 weeks late. SIGH.

Christmas was amazing! One of the major perks of working at my particular district is we get 2 glorious weeks off!!! Those two weeks were spent cuddling/kissing the crap out of Rowan, sleeping in (yes, more on that later), relaxing, and spending time with family and friends. Best of all, enjoying the wonderful holidays!

Our first week of break we did a overnight trip to the bay area, met up with my best friend and her beautiful family. They were visiting from Texas, so any time we get to see them it is super special! It was the first time our kids finally were able to meet! We were pregnant at the same time and both had girls! It was so awesome the babies could finally meet! SO fun!

The rest of the weekend was awesome, and Rowan was a great traveler!

 We came home and basically relaxed the rest of the week as we geared up for Christmas. One thing that was super awesome was that Rowan let us "sleep in" most of the break! I will admit, her schedule got pushed as she went to bed later than normal (8 rather than 7). Because of that, most mornings she would "sleep in" till 7:30, and few times she didn't get up till 8! IT WAS AMAZING. I never felt so awake and rested, lol!!!

Christmas Eve was amazing and we spent it with my side of the family. Rowan got the most precious, poofiest dress from Target! She looked just exquisite!:

We went to church and had THE MOST delicious feast after. The kids were just precious in their Christmas clothes!  Of course, I had to do a "photo shoot'' with my fancy camera . Since my blog is public, I'm not posting my sister's kids out of respect for their privacy. However, you get the idea.

After, the cousins and Rowan changed into coordinating Christmas jammies! We wanted matching ones, but boy, it was so hard to find! Rowan's jammies were a little snug but good heavens she looked so yummy with her little chubby rolls sticking out:

We all ended up in cozy jammies and opened gifts. Rowan loved it, BUT was clearly more interested in tissue paper and the wrapping paper!

Christmas morning was very low key. My sister, her family and my mom usually drive up to San Jose to spend it with my sister's in laws. My in law family usually goes to their perspective in law families, so usually its just my little family in town! I kind of don't mind, because as our family grows (MAYBE, don't get ideas!) it will be nice to just be home!  We got up around 8ish and opened gifts as a new family of 3. It was super fun and very special. I just can't wait for more Christmases with Rowan!!! She once again had a ton of fun opening gifts!

After gifts, Rowan went down for a nap and we felt tired as well. We all ended up taking a 2 hour nap! After we woke up, we all just snuggled in bed and watched Duck Dynasty. It was quite a hilarious sight! Usually on Christmas Day we go to the movies and get pizza or Chinese. Since we had Rowan, we obviously couldn't go, but we still kept our dinner tradition!

On the 26th, we got to have lunch and spend some quality time with my in law family. They are quite the hoot and super fun to be around. Rowan of course got lots of love, snuggles and gifts! We had a pizza lunch and then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing with the family. The one thing that IRKS me is that I didn't take pictures! I left the fancy camera at home and my phone died! SIGH....
The holidays were super fun! It was seriously magical to see it through Rowan's eyes. Even though she probably didn't get what was going on half the time, it was still so fun!