Little Fishy!

On Friday Rowen completed his first session of swim lessons. We had so much fun! To celebrate his last swim lesson of this session Rowen's daddy, Nana, Grammy, and Papa came to watch him. Rowen showed off all his new skills, such as jumping in, kicking while relaxing on the kick board, playing with bubbles and toys in the pool, singing lots of fun songs, and going underwater! Rowen seems to enjoy the water. He becomes very relaxed and mostly likes to watch the other babies and kids in the pool :).

Singing songs with the other babies and mommies.

Just coming up from going under water.

Floating around on his back.

Playing with Sara and little Rylan. We are so lucky to have such fun friends to play with!

6 month photoshoot with Uncle T.J.

Thank you Uncle T.J.! We love you.

My little brother is a very talented photographer. He just recently started his own photography business but has already done several photography jobs. We are lucky to have him because he is a wonderful guy but also because he takes gorgeous photos of Rowen! Please visit his website at www.tjmustardphotography.com to view his beautiful work. To see the most recent photos he has taken of Rowen you can look in two different places. We have them on our volkbaby.com website under galleries, titled July Modeling. OR you can go to T.J.'s website and click on proofs then enter rowen as the password.

Time with friends and 5 years of marriage!

The summer seems to be flying by! I am enjoying every single moment with my little man, knowing that the end of August brings the school year back to my daily reality (well, maybe not daily more like 2-3 days a week but still :)). With the summer going by so quickly it seems like we have not spent very much time with our friends but this past week brought about a few fun get togethers.

Last Friday one of my best friends, Maddy, and her little girl Clara were here in Cheney to visit family so we got together and let the little ones play while Maddy, Devri, and I caught up. I am so happy to finally get a chance to announce that Devri is pregnant! I think she is about 20 weeks now with a baby BOY! We all had a great time visiting and talking about babies and mommy stuff.

Clara, Maddy, Devri, me, and Rowen

Rowen is checking Clara out! Clara is about 4 1/2 months old now.

On Thursday evening we got together with Josie, Todd, and Bennett and Tim and Devri (the parents to be in December!). We had a delicious meal and then watched the babies play- they truly are the BEST entertainment in the world. We talked about how next summer we will have two boys walking (or more like running) around and a six month old baby boy to keep us entertained when we get together. What fun!

Rowen was very interested in Bennett and seemed to want

to crawl into Bennett's carseat and go home with him!

Bennett (almost 4 months) and Rowen playing on the floor.

Rowen, showing off how well he can sit up now. He prefers to sit up and play with his toys now. We are seeing a few temper flare ups when he topples over onto his tummy.

Happy Anniversay, Eric!

Yesterday, Eric and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary. The past five years have been very busy and full of life changing moments! I couldn't ask for a better life and much of that is due to my husband. We are going out tonight to celebrate with dinner and a movie.

Rowen's first 4th of July Camping Trip

Rowen's first camping trip was sure fun. Here are a few highlights...



Lounging in a lawn chair

Working on a tan


Hanging out with daddy

Relaxing in the cabana island with mama and daddy

Cooling off in the water with mama

Playing in the sand on the beach

Playing with Grammy

Snuggling with Papa

First bath outside!

Rowen also enjoyed

• meeting lots of family at the annual 4th of July Portch Family Potluck
• his first boat ride in Papa's boat
• playing with his cousins, Liz, Matt, Charlie and Olivia
• hanging out with his friend Kariya
• eating watermelon
• and experiencing the very cool water of Lake Roosevelt for the first time
  

6 Month Well Baby Check

Weight: 18.9 lbs (74%)

Height: 26.8 (63%)

Head: 17.5 (69%)

1/2 Year Old

Rowen is 6 months old today. These past six months have been a roller coaster of emotions. The first few months of Rowen's life were exhausting physically and emotionally due to our struggles with nursing and concerns about weight gain for Rowen (obviously no longer a concern). All three of us had very little sleep for awhile (although that is MUCH better now) and Eric and I both have been through pretty serious illnesses. However, I have to say that these past 6 months have been the best 6 months of my life. I couldn't be happier and I know Eric feels the same way. Even during the hardest times there was always that little sweet boy who could instantly fill me up with pure joy and love. Being a parent really is amazing.

Rowen's 1/2 birthday started with swim lessons. We had such a good time. Rowen was mesmerized by the other babies and the older kids in the pool. His favorite part was when the instructor dumped a bunch of toys out into the pool and the babies got to reach for them. He instantly reached for a train and sucked on it. By the end of the 30 minute lesson Rowen was exhausted. He snuggled up in my arms and was sound asleep by the time we reached the locker room!

Swimming with mommy.

Sound asleep :).

This evening we had some family and friends over for a 6th month celebration. Rowen loved all the attention. We had some yummy snacks and then dessert. Rowen tasted watermelon for the first time and it was a hit! He will definitely be eating more of that this summer. Rowen's Grammy and Papa gave him a blow up swimming pool along with several pool toys so that he can practice his new swimming skills at home all summer long. His Nana and Grandpa gave him an adorable stuffed bug that when squeezed says, "Don't let the bed bugs bite!", then giggles. His Aunt Nina and Uncle Chris gave him a book that Nina made with each of his 2nd cousins photograph in it with their names and other information. They laminated each page so that Rowen can suck on it all he wants :). We read it to him tonight for his bed time story and he loved looking at the photographs of all the kids. Thank you all for making this a special day.

Rowen and his friend Bennett.
I am sure that these two boys will be attending each other's birthdays for years to come!

Some of our family sitting on our patio.

We also have some big Rowen news.... his first tooth has come in! I have tried to get a photo of it but it is so hard to do. Once it really pops up good I will try again. It sure is sharp but he seems to be handling it pretty well.

Getting tickled by daddy.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Yesterday was Eric's 29th Birthday.
Happy Birthday! We love you so much.




I had to post a few pics of Rowen and his Daddy from when Rowen was brand new. It is so amazing to see how much they have both grown... Rowen in size and Eric as a new Daddy.

This photo was taken on one of the first days we were home from the hospital.
Rowen was probably 4 or 5 days old.

Look at how tiny Rowen is in Eric's lap.
Eric walking Rowen to the NICU just minutes after Rowen's birth (Rowen is in Eric's arms).

This photo means a lot to me- I was unable to be with my brand new baby boy but I felt very relaxed and calm because I knew that Eric was with him every step of the way. He never left his side. In a way this photo really shows how important Eric was to Rowen and I during that time. He took very good care of both of us. Ten minutes after this photo was taken, Eric handed Rowen back to me. Finally, my baby was back in my arms.