Baby Dating Profile

Name: Rowan
Nicknames: Row, Rowboat, Pumpkin Head


 I am a bit of a foodie. I like to appreciate my food in an almost silent atmosphere to allow a greater appreciation of the subtle flavors found in milk. Sound distracts my fine tuned taste buds. I also believe nothing tastes quite as divine as my own hands and feet.

I enjoy long walks around the neighborhood and know how to drive stroller shift.

I work out everyday and can lift my large head to about 90 degrees. I also try to stand for about 5 hours everyday to strengthen my quads and glutes. My philosophy is if you don't use it, you'll lose it.

If I had to pick an all time favorite acitivity , it would probably be taking a bath. I am still figuring out how to avoid dumping water all over my face when I play with cups while bathing. My least favorite activity, is having to put on clothes. I have actively been seeking a community that allows me to be free from the societal pressure to wear clothing.

Even though some of my friends theorize that I pull out other people's hair from an underlying insecurity that I am bald, it's not entirely true. I think a good strand or two of hair can really spice up a snack of fists.

I still live with my parents, but only because they need so much help. I have even started to sleep way closer to them than before just in case they need something in the middle of the night.

Speaking of sleep, I believe you can accomplish so much more in life if you skip out on sleep. I am a doer and how much can you really get done if you sleep longer than 45 minutes at a time?

I love girls! I have a few close guy friends (my dad, my two grandpas), but I generally prefer to hang out with the opposite sex.

I could play all day if I didn't have so many other responsibilities (eating, napping, being forced to wear clothes). I believe anything can be a toy from a string of Halloween lights to my moms hand. I know every rock and tree and creature has the purpose to be played with by me.

I've been told I am a bit of an extrovert. I enjoy watching people and especially love being around those of my same age group - especially girls. Girls are the best.

 Though my dad is definitely a favorite, I just can't be without my mom. If she leaves the room for just five minutes to use the bathroom, a rabid pack of wolves will probably try to eat me in her absence.  I've heard chicks really dig guys who love their moms so I guess you can really dig me baby chicks.

I Have recently discovered a love for reading and gnawing on books. My current favorites are "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and " Where's Baby's Belly Button". The profound meaning found in "Where's Baby's Belly Button" gets me every time. Every. Single. Time.

I've heard my best feature is my heart melting smile. I actually get compliments pretty much everyday about absolutely every part of myself (mostly from my parents-they are just so grateful I am around to take care of them) . It's almost tiring to hear how cute I am every single second of every single day, but that's what someone with a face like mine has to learn to live with.


Looking for:

My ideal match would be someone who didn't try and distract me while I am eating. I want a free spirit who believes that all things can and should be shared and jointly slobbered on. My perfect match would have plenty of hair who doesn't mind letting me take the occasionally fistful. I also want someone who can accept me for who I am; a person who from time to time will manage to soil themselves all the way down into their socks. If you think we could make this thing called love work, message me ASAP.

Photos:

My sweet vintage ride 

Exercising my legs

Enjoying a well seasoned big toe

Off-roading in the Andes

No Mom Left At Home

Sometimes someone, usually mom, leaves the workplace to stay home with the kids, which then leaves her earning a lower wage for the rest of her life as a result. And that’s not a choice we want Americans to make.“


I know the internet is already booming with clever written retorts to Obama's statement, but I wanted to chime in a bit too. I have actually been giving the stay-at-home life a lot of thought lately so the President's timing couldn't have been better. Thanks Barrack for being so in tune to my inner thoughts. And no, I really don't care if he misspoke or not, he just set up a good stage for me to jot down some thoughts.


I did not want to be a stay-at-home mom most of my life. I have a journal entry from when I was 14 vehemently declaring that I would never settle for "settling down". I was worth so much more than being tied down to a husband and kids. I was going to become somebody that history books wrote about. At 14, I was pretty sure I wanted to be an actress. At 16, I think I was looking at being a world renowned marine biologist. By 18, I was dead set on entering the medical field and would likely be the one to cure cancer. Age 20 brought talk of traveling the world and studying different cultures. Now at the ripe old age of 24, I can't think of a better dream than the one I am already living. I am so grateful that I have not remained a stagnant being for the last ten years. My expectations of greatness at 14 and 24 are complete opposites. The  perception of my self worth at 24 is infinitely greater than at 14 despite the fact that I am tenderly holding a 3-month-old instead of a Nobel Peace Prize. I made a human being! I still can't get over how incredible my body is for pulling off such a miraculous thing.


I worked full-time for a fairly short blip on my life' timeline (assuming I die in 20+ years and not tomorrow...). I started working full-time every summer from the time I was 16 until I graduated. After graduating, I flocked with a good chunk of my peers to a typical 8-5 life. It didn't take me long to acknowledge that my career choice might not be what I wanted to do the rest of my life. I started researching grad programs again hoping for some inspiration. I distinctly remembering staring blankly at all the offered programs and not feeling the least bit interested in anything offered. Or at least not interested enough to sign up for another few years of schooling and student loans. I went through a rough patch for a while trying to figure out my life's purpose. My poor husband could tell you alllll about that fun time I had trying to "find myself". Now that I am in the thick of sleepless nights, piles of dirty laundry, bodily fluids like nobody's business, and a life completely owned by a tiny being, I can honestly say I want to do just this for the rest of my life. This staying at home thing is enough for me. I thought I was going to long for the structure and purpose of working, but I haven't even felt a little bit like I wanted more than this. I have days that I want to high five myself for making it through the last 24 hours with both Rowan and I in one piece and I have days where I feel like  a freaking super hero for having accomplished all my to-dos. My personality perfectly matches this SAHM thing and I count my lucky stars all day (and sleepless night) long that I even have the option to pick between working and staying home.

Both my mother and mother-in-law worked while they had little ones around. I applaud them more than I could ever say. I also applaud my co-workers who had to wade through the difficulties of having kiddos and working full-time.

 I have seen the Dayquil/Nyquil commercial over the past few days and laughed a little thinking about it. If you haven't seen it, a woman knocks on the door asking to take a sick day. The camera pans over to her "boss" who is an adorable little toddler. It's true what they say in the commercial that moms and dads don't get to take sick days. You know what is kind of worse than a stay-at-home mom not being able to take a sick day? A working mom who has to portion the amount of sick days she will take for herself and the sick day she will take to tend her sick kids. The odds are she is probably going to have to tough out the days she would normally call in sick for herself so she will have enough time off for when her kids get sick. Being a working mom is haaarrd. Harder than I could imagine. I have intense bouts of anxiety at the thought of leaving Rowan with anyone for longer than a few minutes. Working moms have to leave their kiddos with someone for hours a day and trust that  those caretakers will love their littles enough to take exceptional care of them. Working moms are amazing! I am so grateful for the women of the world who are able to juggle all that they do.
I honestly don't think one way of life is ultimately better than the other (working moms vs stay-at-home moms) or that one is inherently more difficult.  Both paths are going to be hard and both are going to see their fair share of incredibly joyous moments. If there is one thing I have learned from the last 3 months of being a parent, it's that everyone is unique, everyone's child is unique and everyone is going to have their own way of running the family show.  I wish there was less shaming that seems to come from either side and more support for people who are braving the tremendous task of raising children. Parenting is hard enough all on its lonesome and could certainly do without the worry of criticism from fellow parents. If we tell our kids to play nice, I feel like we should probably do them a solid and show them how.

Anyway, I know that the next ten years will likely bring a few paradigm shifts of their own, I am  100% sure that the center of my world will be forever constant. Rowan and Sel plus any other littles we will throw into the mix are my constant variables in my life equation. I can't imagine a better adventure than the one I am on right now.

 (Ps Sel came up with the title for this post and had a whole bunch of clever things he thought I should address in it. Kid needs to get his own blog so he can dazzle the internet with his charm and intellect)