He's got the joy joy joy joy down in his heart...where?....down in his heart!

Rowdy With Dr. Newman

It even sounds weird for me to say, "I have a 7 month old." It just doesn't seem possible...but looking at my 18 lb smiling, talking, on the move boy, I am shocked into the reality of it.

We have been enjoying the beautiful spring weather that has started to appear here in the NW. It is nice to get a little vitamin D for our deprived bodies. With this wonderful turn to nicer weather we have found ourselves spending more time outside. Rowdy and I made our first appearance at Daddy's first softball tournament of the year. Rowdy in his Daddy's Allstar jersey outfit for support. This year requires a little more work to get to an all day softball event. =) What I loved most is that I got lost on the way to the fields up in Portland so I show up 30 mins late. Then I had to unload the massive stroller from the car and pack it with blankets, toys, food, bags...etc. I got Rowdy unbuckled from the car and all set up in his stroller...oh yea and I guess I forget to mention I had the dog with me too! So in I roll attempting to to steer this loaded stroller and a dog on a leash. We find Lance's field, sit down for 3 outs and then game is OVER! To make it even better, the next game wasn't for 4 more hours! We needed lunch and had hours to kill, so not even 15 mins in, we are headed back out to the car to unload the stoller and baby back into the car. This is a new way of experiencing a day at the ballpark that's for sure!

I have really been enjoying being Rowdy's mommy...he is making it just so darn easy! He is just so joyful. We have a great time playing with the endless amount of fun toys, and read many books. He is highly entertained by a few videos when mamma so desperately needs her showers. I think we have an animal lover on our hands, which I am sure Grandma CiCi will be excited to pass on all of her San Diego Zoo/SeaWorld animal knowledge on. He has two animal DVDs which are his favorite...World Animals, and A Trip to the SanDiego Zoo. We have just started this last week with watching Baby Signing Time. We have been teaching his sign language since he has been home and this video is a great one where he can watch other babies perform the signs too.

Rowdy is quite flirtateous with the super cute baby in the mirror. =) He thinks that baby is just the coolest thing ever! It is pretty funny to see himself get so excited over himself...hee hee. We have a big mirror over our entryway table, where he loves to stand and squeal with delight. He even occasionally leans in for a kiss...well maybe its more that he EVERYTHING in his mouth these days.

We had an appt with Rowdy's GI surgeon, Dr. Barry Newman, in Portland. This was a check-up for his abdominal surgery he had when he was 5 days old for the Duodenal Atresia (blockage in sm intestine.) Dr. Newman cleared Rowdy as 100% healthy as far as his digestive tract working properly was concerned. So YEA!! One less Dr. we will have to keep checking back in with. Although, I really did like him A LOT, so I will be almost sad to not get to see him again...but not too sad because Rowdy is doing so great. I will always remember the first time we spoke to him in the NICU. After he was done explaining what he thought was causing Rowdy's problem and told us what he had planned to fix it, we stood up and shook hands and I said, "Thank you." And he said, "Don't thank me yet...not until he's at home eating again." I instinctually said thank you after every conversation with him during our 16 day stay in the NICU and that was always his repsonse. I love it. As we wrapped up that final appt with him and he stood to shake our hands, I couldn't help but get a little emotional knowing that those hands allowed my baby to survive...Rowdy couldn't have lived without the careful skill of those hands. What an amazing blessing to our family he is!! We left with a "Thank You"...and this time he smiled and threw back a "Your Welcome."

Rowdy is officially on the move!! He has not only figured out how to roll from his stomach to his back, he has learned that if he combines that move with his mastered move of rolling from his back to his tummy he can get across the living room in a hurry! The world has opened up! It is so fun to see him roll and roll until he gets wedged against the couch or something and then roll back and try a different way around the room. =)

Lance and I feel lucky everyday to wake up in a warm bed, walk into Rowdy's room to find him awake and smiling back up at us. He is our world and we are loving every minute of him. Thank you for loving our baby...who is quickly turning into our little boy. =)