Well, as a friend says, "it happens." No matter what I do, he just keeps getting bigger. Rowan celebrated his 2nd birthday in typical two-year-old style...lots of friends, cake, ice cream and gifts. In fact, his birthday was actually somewhat of a 4 day extravaganza. I sent cupcakes to daycare on Friday. By the way, the daycare was super impressed that I handmade 40 cupcakes, and decorated each with frosting and a little piping star. They told me that most people just buy cupcakes from the store and bring them in. I'm not sure if this makes me a little sad, or a little jealous that I didn't think of that option first.
Saturday we had Rowan's party, because Saturdays are always good party days. He had several of his little friends over and the kids were surprisingly well behaved. They played nicely, and didn't trash the house, which I thought was nothing short of a miracle for that many little kiddos all hopped up on hot dogs, cake and ice cream. Rowan absolutely loved his cake, which I did have the grocery store make, thank you very much. They did an awesome job. I asked them to make a "truck cake" and they sure did! Rowan's little friends were very generous and he was given several gifts to open. His favorite was his gift from Grammy and "Poppa", a little toy chainsaw that makes a lot of noise. A LOT of noise. He also loved the books, balls, trucks, clothes and stuffed dino. His second favorite gift, a suction cup dart gun, was not enjoyed by the cats and the chihuahuas, however.
Sunday we went to the "Monster Jam" monster truck show in Spokane. Rowan LOVES trucks. He spent much of the show with his arms outstretched, almost willing the trucks to come closer. Both kids got a stuffed monster truck from the show, and when I woke them up the next morning, they were cuddling the trucks in their sleep. Wil and I shared lots of jokes about embracing the true redneck culture, but we all really did enjoy the show.
Monday was Rowan's actual birthday. I had planned on letting him open his big gift from Wil and I that night after work. Unfortunately, Wil, who makes fun of me every time I lock my keys in the car, managed to lock the only set of keys in the Neon. This would not have been such a big deal if he hadn't also locked Rowan's gift in the Neon as well. The locksmith came on Tuesday, and Rowan opened his gift Wednesday morning. We opened the box together, and my heart sank. The awesome train table I had so carefully researched and chosen was not assembled. Wil cheerfully went off to work, leaving me to tackle the awesome task myself. I think the instructions, although written in English, must have been typed by someone who does not speak the language. Just to add a little challenge to the game, Rowan quietly opened a box filled with tiny train parts and proceeded to hide them all over the house. It was like a sinister Easter egg hunt, trying to find all those pieces. I finally offered Lola a candy for every piece she could find. Well, after several hours of sweating and swearing, the train table was complete. The kids love it!
So, this brings me to the conclusion of babyhood for my children. Sometimes I see a little squishy baby and feel sad that Wil and I can't have anymore babies of our own, but then I see the dark circles under the parents' eyes, the overflowing diaper bag, and the remnants of spit-up on the mother's shirt, and I feel a sense of peace in the fact that we made it through all that twice and are done. No matter what I do, my kids will keep growing, and instead of longing for those little baby faces, I try to enjoy every new day and the new adventures and discoveries each day brings. "So we decided to have kids....." - the best decision we ever made.
