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| What do they say? The days fly by but the minutes tick on? Don't we all get to the end of a year and say, "where did the time go?" I do not want to sound cliche but I have to say it. The time of Rowan as a baby was so short. I don't know what it was, the feeling that she was our last, the fact that our life has changed drastically, the fact that I HATED my job that made my days away from her so heart wrenching. I wanted to absorb every last minute of her, the baby, the smell, the coos, the snuggles. It felt impossible to be away from her but as every mother feels, while I was with her (and Lily) the only thing I could think about was everything that needed to be done: you know the laundry, the dishes, the meal prep- so I don't have screaming ban-chis at 5 o'clock, the packing and unpacking of diaper bags oh and the pumping. Most of my life over the last year was spent pumping. Rowan did not make this easy on mommy, BUT it was worth every last second to know that she was a breastfed baby until the age of 1. A gift for my baby girl. Needles to say the year was a hard year. A year of adjustment. |
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| However this gift or shall I say THESE gifts are beautiful. Everyday they bring laughter, love and an appreciation for not only the little things in life but also the bigger picture. The awareness that life is bigger than dirty diapers, packing and unpacking and the ins and the outs of a day. (Thank you Elise Hibbard http://elisehibbardphotography.smugmug.com for the beautiful photos) |
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| Over the last year Rowan has surprised us. She is a bit of an introvert. She loves to discover, play independently, use her hands to play and to jump. She LOVES her sister to no end, every morning when she wakes up, she points at the door, asking not to be laid back down. She leaves the room looking for Lily. She is a bruiser, Lily wrestles her, snuggles her tackles her and overall watches out for her. As a result Rowan spares no mercy. She hits, she screams and she pulls hair. She pulls the 'I am the baby in this family card' and I should get what I want. |
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| Lillian is the best big sister ever. We knew she would be. She is empathetic, loving, caring and overall just wants to help Rowan at every corner. There are definitely moments when Lily wants to play alone and does not want Rowan to touch her toys and who can blame her, she is such a big girl she deserve big girl time to herself. But the best part of our day is when Lily and Rowan chase each other around the house, playing hide and seek, giggling, tackling each other or playing ball. The interaction is such a gift. |
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| Rowan is introspective. She is reserved, she does not hand out her smiles for free. She is a happy baby, laughing and smiling frequently for those who know her best. |
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| She took her first steps the week before the age of one and by one week after her birthday she had mastered walking. Including walking up and down the one stair in the house. She is now running - 3 weeks later. She loves jumping on the couch, eating, her shoes, music, dancing, her sister, wearing necklaces and being carried around. |
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| She is not as verbal as Lillian is, she says mama, dada, nana and recently go. She roars like a dinosaur and has the cutest cackle ever. |
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| Chicago! |
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| Birthday girl. |
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| Our baby girl. |
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| One year ago, we had no idea what our family would really be, the dynamics, the needs, the laughter. Now in the blink of an eye, here we are a year later. Our lives, never before so full. Rowan you have taught us about the need for time, space, laughter and reservation. You balance us. You are beautiful. And I can tell already that you will march to your own drum, disregarding the things that do not matter in life and really absorbing those that do. All we can say to that is thank you and we love you for the gift that you have given us, the gift that we - all of us - needed. |
