Two by Two

I feel like a broken record player this year in my constant phrasing of "I can't believe how fast time is going by". Rowan is officially two months old as of today. I really thought I was going to post more this month on topics other than my offspring and then I started laughing at myself thinking I had the time to blog in my"free time". All kidding aside, Rowan is the perfect little man. He is such a talker! He loves to coo and babble back at me and anyone else willing to get up in his face. It is my favorite part about him right now. He is definitely a morning person and throws around his best grins as the sun is coming up. Rowboat is also diligently pursuing his dream of becoming a baby version of King Kong. At the ripe old age of 8 weeks, he is already in 6 month clothing and size three diapers. I swear that he grows a half an inch every night. In fact, he barely fits in his bassinet which is a major bummer considering how convenient and fantastic it has been. At his two month appointment today, he weighed in at 14 pounds and 26 inches long. He is 82% for weight and is completely off the charts for height. The nurse actually measured him three times because she didn't believe he could be as big as he was.

 Other really awesome part of Rowan's personality is how he is whipping me back into shape. I started running the day my doc gave me the go ahead. It helped that Rowan has yet to be upset on a walk and we had been cruising the parks and neighborhood since he was 2 weeks old. I also discovered he will get fussy if I have him next to me on the playmat while I walk on the treadmill, but loves it when I run on the treadmill at a speed anything over 5.8 mph. He's pretty specific about what he wants my fitness level to be. He'll just sit there and stare at my feet. I think he is a bit envious of people who can walk and stand on their own. He has been trying to stand a ton lately which has started to prove difficult when I try and put him in his car seat and he's all, "Nah mom, I'll just walk wherever we are going." 

Even though Rowboat is such a fantastic baby, he has his days just like anyone else. He still is struggling with eating which makes me wonder if he actually belongs to Sel and I.  It's also crazy how one day he will be totally fine nursing and the next, he hates it. I think part of it is he just gets upset that I am not letting him observe the world for twenty torturous minutes. That, or I am somehow producing arsenic. 

This month has been crazy busy and exciting for all three of us. Rowan traveled half across the country (a fourth across the country potentially?) to visit his aunt and uncle in Missouri. The trip was planned on a whim and the drive was kind of miserable. Row really did great all things considered, but road trips with a newborn aren't exactly a breeze. We also were amazingly lucky to get a visit from my grams. It was all too precious to see her and Rowan love all over one another. Also, we have been doing so many fun things with the fantastic friends also workin the mom thing. It's so nice to have multiple activities during the week to keep both Row and I entertained. We are seriously the luckiest to be surrounded by such incredible people.

Finally, I just have to say that I have the best job in the entire world. After some budgeting, saving, and a huge leap of faith, we decided I won't be going back to work. I struggled for a bit deciding, but then I realized I am just not strong enough to leave Rowan with anyone else. Maybe someday when he is getting into everything and asserting his independence, but right now I would just be a hot mess leaving him. I think working mom's are super women for juggling all that they do. Right now I am just trying to soak in every glorious and certainly not glamorous moment being Rowboat's mom. I have been feeling so guilty lately that Sel's job seems way harder than mine. He has spent the last month studying 12 hours or more everyday. That bearded man is going to make a fantastic physician someday and certainly makes a fantastic med student/father/hubby right now. 

Okay, I won't keep boring you and will just flood this post with some pictures from his amazing newborn photo shoot.

 Fair warning about our outfits; I have never been a style star. I used to wear my dad's XL M.I.T sweatshirt with spandex to school and think I was some sort of trend setter. I was also sleep deprived and Sel is absolutely no help when it comes to caring about clothing. Just ignore the fact that I am in polka dots, Sel is in flannel and Row is naked.

Month Número Uno

My Rowboat is officially one month old today (or was when I started this over a week ago)! I can hardly believe this adorable babe has already been with us for a whole month! He continues to be such a good little tyke. Rowboat is growing at what feels like a lightening pace. I never understood why moms would seem so incredibly sad that their babies were growing up and I have finally discovered, at least, my feelings on the matter. I am so deeply in love with Rowan right now and can hardly comprehend him being more perfect. The idea of him changing by growing up is hard for me to grasp because I can't imagine him becoming more perfect than he already is. It isn't a sad thing for me that my sweet baby is growing up, it's just an incomprehensible journey of finding out that my son will continue to be perfect to me at almost every stage of his life. Does that make sense? Probably not. I make almost zero sense lately thanks to the 3rd hour food service shift I have taken on. I only serve one customer every night, but at least he tips me well with heart stopping smiles. The other night he went a whole 6 hours without stoppin by the dairy bar. It was a momentous night worth celebrating.
Rowan has had a few hiccups recently with eating. He will be nursing and then decided to throw his head violently back (ouchhh) and just scream. I think it's because he gets gas bubbles in his poor little tummy, but I have no idea how to help him not rip my cleavage to shreds when it happens. We've started to put him in his carseat and swing/rock him around in it. For some reason, this kid feels like his carseat is the hippest place around to poop.
Sel is the baby whisperer with Rowboat when he gets upset. I have never seen a baby decide this young who is favorite parent is, but it's pretty obvious this kid is all about the Dad factor. Sel continues to melt my heart by loving Rowan so much. The other day he said, "It's crazy how you think you know how much you will love your own kid and then they come and you love them so much more than you ever thought possible".
Dad of the Year Award = Sel.
Husband I Want to Make Out with Hardcore When He Says Things Like That Award = Sel
He is already getting so incredibly big. At his one month appointment last week, the pediatrician said he looked like a three month old baby. This is 100% accurate as Rowan sadly no longer fits in 3 month old clothing. If anyone needs 20+ newborn-3 month old clothes that have never been worn, hit me up.
Rowboat is one of the biggest kids on the block coming in at a robust 12 pounds and measuring 23 inches tall (90% for weight and 95% for height). He also has a gigantic head just like his dad placing him in the 98% for babies his age. Holy huge kiddo. Oh and he has outgrown size 1 diapers which is great because I still have plenty of boxes of size 1. I knew babies grew quickly, but I had no idea Rowan would grow this fast. I feel like I am going to wake up tomorrow and a teenage Rowan will be roaming around our house.
This parenthood thing is hands down the best thing I have ever done. I honestly even love the sometimes not so glamorous parts because it means that this sweet little human belongs to me. I love every single sleepless night and the piles of laundry covered in spit up, poop, or pee. I love settling for a messy bun and glasses everyday. I love when Rowan's whole face will light up when he hears my voice or when he gets a huge gummy grin looking at me or Sel. I love his little coos and his baby patterned baldness.  I love being stupendously hungry or thirsty, but refusing to get out of the rocking chair because I want my sweet baby to keep sleeping peacefully in my arms for a minute longer. I love when he laughs in his sleep.  I honestly love it all and I love this little boy with my whole heart.
I feel so extraordinarily blessed to be Rowboat's mom.
Since I still don't have his newborn photos back, here is a smattering of pics from this month.

Rowan is such happy baby and he is extra happy in the mornings. He will get so smiley and just start babbling away when I peek in his bassinet at the lovely hour of 5am

The moment Rowan first looks at Sel's face

The moment two seconds after seeing Sel's face. Rowan gets so incredibly happy and excited when he sees Sel. He will just start talking to Sel and throwin grins like these that make my heart melt. 

Rowan loves staring at Sel all day long. Around two weeks after he was born, I got a super fun crack on one side and it was so incredibly painful to nurse. As in, I started crying pretty much anytime he latched on that side. We ended up getting a pump so I could give the left gal time to heal and now things are 100% better. 

One day I was trying to do laundry and put him in the basket to carry downstairs and he LOVED it. Now when he gets fussy during the day I just plop him in any laundry basket for a few minutes and he chills out

He looks so much smaller in this than he is now. He also no longer fits in this super hero outfit which is a major bummer

He loves to stretch out like this when we take him out of the car seat or bassinet. It never fails to amuse Sel and I to watch him throw it back like this.  

This was right after another nursing meltdown where Rowan decided he despised being near  me. Sel fed him a bottle and that kid was happy as a clam. I think Rowboat secretly wishes Sel had man boobs so he could be with his dad 24/7. Also, how precious are my two boys? Answer: Bordering on the edge of being too precious in fact. 

And a final one for you here of my grumpy old man baby. This was a failed tactic during one of his nursing episodes where I plopped him in our recliner and rocked it back and forth. You'll even notice I tried to give him the remote to appease him, but alas, he continues to look like my Grandpa King at ever Wandarama.
Rowan really is such a happy baby which is why even a two minute crying episode totally throws me because I am so confused on why Mr. Cheerful has suddenly turned into grumpy cat.