Half Birthday

My little Rowboat is 6 months! Holy Hannah that went fast. Where does he even get off thinking he can be half a year already.

Rowan has recently mastered sitting up and out-of-water swimming. He will lay on his tummy looking at an object he wants then furiously pump his arms and legs up and down determined to swim to it. This technique hasn't worked quite yet, but he's certain enough for the both of us that it will soon. 

He is seriously such a happy kid. He has a way better personality than I ever have. He smiles at anyone who will look his way and sometimes I catch him just smiling at random objects like they are B.F.F's.  He adores his own reflection and other babies. The other day at Kroger there was a life sized picture of a baby on the wall and he started babbling up a storm and even let out a little laugh while trying to touch the ad. His laugh, by the way, may very well be the best sound that has ever echoed across this universe. His baby blues  and toothy grin tend to get complimented the most when we are out and about. He manages to express so much with those sparkling eyes of his. He so often exudes this complete adoration of life itself. He thinks every person who looks at him is the most spectacular thing he has ever seen. He is such a delightful, delicious little thing that is teaching me how to be a better person everyday. 

He hit a crazy growth spurt last month. He was barely fitting in 12 month clothing one week and seven days later, 18 months was the new norm. It's kind of frustrating to find clothes for him at this stage because he loves the comfy clothes typical for a lad his age, but I have been want to find much. They seriously should make a baby big and tall store for all the babes who missed the memo on being averagely sized. He is now 21 pounds and 28 inches long. The nurse just laughed while taking his height exclaiming all the while how tall he was. Ironically, he wasn't off the charts for height as he has been in previous months and was in the 93% instead. I mostly just wanted someone to tell me I was justified in moaning a bit about how heavy the kid is. I don't exactly have room to complain, however, because there a few kiddos younger than him who are almost the exact same size. Still….shouldn't they start walking by now? Toting his 21 pounds plus an infant carrier around better darn well leave me crazy ripped instead of crippled. 

Row has been loving going to the daycare at the gym for an hour or so everyday. The staff is phenomenal and so incredibly sweet. I was hesitant at first about leaving him with strangers and a room full of other random kids, but then I creepily spied on them the first day and saw how attentive and loving they were with him. He spends most of the time observing the other kids and trying to swim to them on the floor. He also has started to sign milk back to me when I ask him if that's what he wants.

What else? Well this last week has been a pretty crappy one. Rowan came down with a fever on Sunday and has been up and down the health scale since then. The first two days were miserable. He felt horrible and couldn't sleep longer than twenty minutes at a time. One night I alternated between laying on the floor with him to letting him sleep on me in the rocking chair. It was rough stuff, but I definitely felt some divine help chugging me along so I could care for the poor sickie. I also had an awesome friend show up at my door with some much needed and appreciated caffeine. 

Being a parent has given me a lot of time to reflect on my upbringing. I never comprehended the sacrifices my parents had to make to raise me. You don't see the run ragged side of parenting until you are there yourself. Parents, my parents, really are some of the most heroic people I know. 

I also see everyone in a whole different light. Everyone I meet has a mother who once held them the way I hold Rowan. I can't stop myself from imaging every grocery store clerk, crazy Toledo driver, or    even TV characters as the babies they once were. It makes me want to hug way more people than I ever would have wanted to before Row got here. 

Motherhood really is a roller coaster ride. One second I am questioning how I will make it another hour and then the next , I want nothing more than to suspend time and live this same moment over and over. I am so grateful to have scored such an excellent theme park partner. Sel is usually the only reason I have at least a semblance of sanity intact.

Keeping it warm and real in Sel's coat

This is a cropped down picture of the cutest little cousins on the Warden dads shoulders. I cropped it so you could see how chubs Row looks with that double chin for the win

Row adored his first time swimming. He was so wiggly while I tried to get a swim diaper on him because all he wanted was to get in that giant body of water RIGHT now. I seriously don't know how I would survive without all the fun playdates all my mom friends do during the week. We are friends with some fantastic people who always seem game for something to relieve the gloom of Toledo winters. 

He was very intrigued by the giant yellow slide. 

Sometimes I have no idea how he can open that little mouth of his SO big. I think he is always hoping someone will throw a piece of food in there for him

Row is usually always smiling and happy, but this captured how miserable the poor little guy was this whole week. The first three days he barely ate or slept. We bought a little medicine dropper and put expressed drops of milk in his mouth so he wouldn't get dehydrated. He finally started to be his bubbly self for a few hours each day, but is still not fully recovered. Bleh. 

He insisted on clipping his own talons

He LOVED this baby doll. He wanted nothing to do with the light up balls once he saw this little mini me. 

Row has been trying to scuba dive in the tub lately which usually ends with him choking on a mouthful of water and me having a mini panic attack. We found this duck tub that is supposed to help babies transition to the big tub and it has been a raving success.