Merry Christmas!

Owen learned to clap yesterday and it's his new favorite thing to do. Love it!

Meeting Santa

10 Months

Owen is getting more vocal these days which is lots of fun. I'm pretty sure he said Mommy today! He likes to say "dad" a lot although I don't think he knows what it means. I hear lots of ba, da, ga, ma and I think I heard lalala yesterday. He had a pair of pants on the other day with a bear on them and Pat would point at it and say "bear" and Owen would either say "ba" or just point at it and look at Pat. He's also learned how to remove the battery covers on the remote controls.
Owen likes to "dance" when he hears music. He just sits on the floor bouncing and waves his arms up and down. Super cute.
He's learned to scoot backwards on the hardwood floors. The other day he went from the middle of the living room to the kitchen but complained the entire time. We've been helping him practice standing which he loves. He's gotten pretty good at pulling himself up if I'm holding his arms. I can tell when he's done most of the work because he gets this really proud look on his face.
We're feeding him more table food but he's not quite sure what to think of it. He acts like he wants what we're eating but then looks disappointed when I give him some. He mostly just likes to mush it in his hands or flick it on the floor so it's usually just one meal a day and the rest are pureed foods.
3 nights this week he has slept for 12 hours straight. I'm kind of torn about it though. He had been waking up between 5-6:30, nursing, then sleeping until 8 so in the last week or two I decided to stay up after that first waking and have some quiet time to read or get some housework done. It was working out quite nicely. The disadvantage to him sleeping through the night is that he then wakes up at 7 and the rest of our day just feels off because he wants to nap at 9 and 1 instead of 10 and 2 and is a wreck by 5. This morning he woke up at 6:45 but I put him back in his bed after nursing him even though he acted like he was ready to be up for the day and he stayed there until 8:15. I might give that a try this week and see what happens. Just when you think you have it figured out! I should know by now that I'll never figure it out.
All 4 top teeth are now visible! I'm still having a hard time picturing him with a tooth-filled smile though.
Owen get some new toys that he's having fun playing with. One is a giraffe that when you push on its head it makes little balls pop and spin; another giraffe that has 3 holes to put balls in which he's figured out in the last couple of days; and a pat-a-cake puppet book with Curious George.
We still like to go to the library on Fridays and Owen is learning to share toys. I'm also learning how to deal with kids that crawl up to him and rip toys out of his hands. Owen's favorite time at Book Babies is when they pass out bells and he gets to shake them/chew on them. His least favorite time is when those bells have to be put away. The last 2 weeks he's freaked out when I had to take them away. He just cried and cried and cried. This last time the little boy next to us didn't like having his bells taken away either so he and Owen cried together. I chatted with his mom a while after the program was over and he is a couple of weeks older than Owen. They also live somewhat nearby and her husband is in a Ph.D program as well so I think we're going to get together sometime for a playdate.
I'm excited for Owen's first Christmas! I got all of the Christmas decorations out when we got home after Thanksgiving and Owen likes the lights. I'm thankful that he's not mobile yet and I don't have to worry about him getting into the tree. I put everything out a little earlier than usual this year since there's a possibility that I'll have to take it down early if Owen starts crawling or walking.
We're going to be gone for about 3 1/2 weeks for Christmas so I'm hoping that Owen (and Pat & I!) do okay being away from home and normalcy for that long. I'm really excited to see family though and see Owen play with his cousins!

Owen's newest skill.

I was fake coughing and he thought it was hilarious.

Helping with dishes

Helping with laundry

This is where my pants go?

Owen got to meet Mickey when we were in Kansas! 

More teeth

Owen is getting 4 teeth in right now and it has been brutal the last couple of days. I noticed them on Tuesday and then Wednesday night was awful. Poor baby was up at least every hour so I think I got a combined total of 3 hours of sleep. I ended up giving him some Tylenol around 3am because he'd been whimpering in his bed for 15 minutes straight and I could tell he was in pain. The only reason I waited that long was because I thought he was waking up because he was over tired but not the case. He slept in bed with us the rest of the night but still woke up several times. He ended up sleeping through most of his first Thanksgiving. He was really clingy and whiney all day Thursday and it was so hard to see him in pain. He would cry every time he coughed so I'm not sure if he had a sore throat as well or if it just hurt his mouth. Last night and today were better so I'm hoping we're over the worst of it. He barely ate anything yesterday and had no interest in breakfast this morning. He's nursed a lot though so at least he's getting something. I would've preferred for this to happen while we were at home but I guess the good side is there were other people to take him so I could get some rest. This week has been great but I'm looking forward to getting back to our beds and routine.

Mama!

Owen said "mama" for the first time on Friday and it made my day. He was playing in his jumperoo and I went in the kitchen to do something and he started fussing then I heard "mama!" I was so happy! 

He's been making more consonant sounds in the last couple of days so it's fun to hear something more than just "ahhhh". Lots of "babablabla".

He's rolling a lot and learning how to get to where he wants to go.

9 month stats

Height: 28.8 in (73%)
Weight: 19.06 lbs (38%)
Head: 18.5 (90%)

The pediatrician said his lungs and his ears look fine so nothing to worry about with his cold but his top gums looked swollen so we'll probably have some more teeth soon!

9 Months

How did this happen already?? Time is just cruising by around here, that is for sure.

Owen's been rolling more but still can't really keep his balance when he's on his belly. I'm glad he's making the effort to get to things he wants rather than just crying when something is out of reach.

His cold seems to be improving. I haven't had to use nearly as many tissues in the last two days and he hasn't been coughing much at all. I'm hoping it goes away completely soon.

We've had some great nights of sleep and some average nights this week. Tuesday night I but him down at 6:45 and he didn't wake up until 5:30 and then went back to sleep for another couple of hours. I felt great after getting a long stretch and a late morning. He took good naps on Wednesday as well but then his nights went back to waking up at least twice. It seems that the days he takes short naps he sleeps longer at night. I love that he can sleep 10-11 hours straight but it makes for a long day when I get less than 2 hours during the day while he naps. At least I get one of the two!
A few nights this week I've given him a bottle before bed rather than nursing him. Partly because I had it on hand and partly because that's when he does the most biting. He's showing a little more interest in nursing lately which is great. It's been quite a while since I felt like I wasn't forcing him to nurse.

He still hasn't gotten anymore teeth but I'm okay with that (see aforementioned biting!). I'm pretty sure that once those top teeth come in he will strictly take a bottle.

Owen has his 9 month check up on Monday so we'll find out his stats then. He's still fitting into his 9 month clothes but I'm sure it won't be for much longer.

Owen has started to hate the changing table and cries every time I lay him on it. He doesn't mind having his diaper changed anywhere else so I don't know what that is about.

He started doing all sorts of funny things with his lips lately. Smacking them, sucking on his top lip, chewing on his bottom lip. It's all really funny.

Owen is loving his jumperoo and goes crazy in it now. It's a blast to watch him in it.
He's also loving books more. He's always liked them but would get fidgety or try to grab at the book while I read. Now he just snuggles onto my lap and cries a little when I put them away.
Some of our favorite books right now are:
Chicka chicka boom boom
Owen
Llama Llama Red Pajama
Fidgety Fish
Goodnight Moon

In the last couple of days Owen has started to want to sit on my lap while we play on the floor. He'll start grabbing at my legs and whining until I set him on my lap. Super fun.

In other exciting news I've been successfully eating dairy for the last month! I'm still trying to not overdo it mostly because I don't want to gain back any of the 60 pounds I've lost in the last 9 months. It is exciting that I'll be able to partake in the deliciousness of the holidays! I'll need to start working out soon though to make up for it.

Owen has a little Beavis laugh which cracks me up.

Election Day

I always forget the anticipation that election day brings. That wondering of who will win and will it be the candidate I voted for; how much of what they said they will do will actually happen and what will the next 4 years be like. It's exciting. Someone had a post on Facebook today that was a good reminder:
"Remember that today is the day we elect a president, not a savior. The position of Savior is already filled". It's comforting knowing I serve a sovereign God who has already determined the next president and every president after.

I've been a lazy blogger lately. Owen still has his cold and is waking up several times during the night and I haven't been going to bed as early as I should to make up for that so I've been a little tired lately.
Pat's parents came up last weekend and we were in Fairmont this past weekend so Owen has gotten lots of Grandma and Grandpa time. A friend of mine got married on Saturday in Fairmont so Owen stayed with my parents while Pat and I went to the wedding. I'm sure he had a great time. It was a pretty quick trip but it was great to see them. I didn't get to see any of my siblings which is always a bummer but it was nice to have my parents to myself :)

Owen is starting week 4 of a runny nose and week 2 of coughing. I talked to a nurse at his pediatricians office and she said that unless he spikes a fever or gets really fussy to not worry about it. I no longer think that his cold is what is waking him up at night so it's time to break some habits. Daylight savings ending over the weekend has been a little rough as well. This morning Owen wake up at 4:45 acting like he was ready for the day. Even without the time change that would have been crazy early for him to wake up. I did get him to go back down until 6:45 which was good.

Owen recently started rolling to get what he wants. He has to really want it and already be on his back. He gets really mad when he gets backed up against something and doesn't yet know to just roll the other direction. I love watching him try to get his momentum going to get to his belly.

Owen loved cuddling with Grandpa Jerry

I realized I haven't taken many pictures of him in the last couple of weeks. Whoops!

stuffy noses and naps

Owen came down with cold this week. He's not a fan and is voting against it this year. I told Pat the other night that having a sick baby is kind of bittersweet. Bitter because you hate seeing them so uncomfortable but sweet because they have more cuddles to give.
We've had a couple rough nights but I think we're on our way up. Last night was the first night this week that neither of us had to go back into his room after putting him down. There were 2 nights this week where it took about 2-3 hours for him to actually go down. We propped his mattress up, dug out the humidifier, even tried having him sleep in the chair that he used to. He'd wake up every 20-60 minutes because he couldn't breathe or because he had so much draining into his throat. He just wanted to sit on my lap which was fine with me. We'd get a good chunk of sleep after those awful hours though probably because he was so exhausted.
He no longer finds the nose sucker funny and hates having his nose wiped. His appetite has also decreased this week. He hasn't been as interested in eating solids but is still nursing great which is good.
Each night before I went to bed I planned on not getting much sleep which made it easier to deal with. Wednesday night we ended up giving him some tylenol after trying for 3 hours to get him to sleep. He snuggled on my lap for a bit then slept for 9 hours. That made me wonder if he's maybe getting some more teeth. I haven't seen or felt anything yet though so we'll see. He's also been his usual happy self during the day so I don't know. He is drooling more but that could just be from not being able to breathe through his nose.

Last weekend we made the transition from 3 naps to 2 and so far it's gone quite well. Saturday and Sunday we were at church in the morning so he didn't get his usual morning nap and then dozed on the way home and woke up when we got home so then I just kept him up until about 2 and he took a good nap both afternoons. We've been doing a nap around 10 and 2 and they last about an hour or so. He'll usually talk for 20 minutes or so after he wakes up and if he cries right away I'll turn his mobile on and can get anywhere between 20-45 minutes of crib playtime.
I've learned that schedule changes go very smoothly when he's ready for them. Trying to eliminate the 3rd nap before he was ready was a nightmare but this time it never even phased him. We'll see if that helps with his nighttime sleep. After talking to my sister-in-law last week we added in another meal so now he gets breakfast, lunch and dinner. He's also had cheerios which was a big hit.

Friday night Owen got to hang out with Pat's cousin Camie and her two girls while we went to a marriage conference at church. I had no idea how he would do with someone else putting him to bed but she said he did great and didn't even notice I was gone. Way to go Owen!

Owen has become quite friendly and loves to wave at anyone that says hi to him. Our favorite is when he comes downstairs after sleeping and one of us is sitting in the living room. Whoever is holding him will stop at the bottom of the stairs and the other will say "hi Owen!" and he'll tuck is chin into is chest for a bit acting all shy then his face will light up and he'll start waving his awkward, uncoordinated little wave. It's awesome.

Little football boy.

This is how I keep him entertained during diaper changes.

Have I mentioned he's a total cheeseball?

Peekaboo!

Swinging

I took Owen to a park today and he LOVED the swings. Here's a few photos!

This is Owen's newest and most used expression. The super happy face.

Superhero!

8 Months

It's hard to believe we are 2/3 of the way through Owen's first year! He's already driving!

Haha...we got a van last week so he was testing it out. I think he approves!
Yes, I have joined the minivan mom brigade and no, #2 is not on the way! The extra space is really nice and getting the car seat in and out is a lot easier. Speaking of car seats I have to mention my steal of a deal on a convertible seat for Owen (the seat he'll use when he outgrows his infant carrier which will be soon). I'd been doing quite a bit of research on what to buy. I was trying to find a good, quality seat that wasn't overly expensive. Britax seats were highly recommended but run in the $250-300 range which was outside of our budget. We were up in Cedar Rapids last week and stopped into Toys R Us and found a $290 Britax seat (the one that had been recommended to me) for $95. I was thrilled! We paid less than planned on a great seat. The only thing it was missing was the box it came in. One less thing to throw away! So my tip is to check out the clearance stuff in the aisles at Toy R Us/Babies R Us. You never know what you'll find.
I've been reminded of all the ways God has provided for us so far from "free" diapers to inexpensive car seats. He is good!

Owen is still pretty immobile and I'm not really complaining. I don't have to worry about what he's getting into because he only plays with what is within arms reach. I'm sure it won't be much longer though. He's starting to reach further for things which has ended up with lots of face planting on the floor. Sometimes he's just cries for a second and other times it's like it's the end of the world. Saturday he did get a scratch on his cheek and a little bump on his head but otherwise he has stayed woundless.
Owen has learned how to shake his head in the last couple of days which I think is really funny. His waving is still sporadic but adorable. He usually waves his whole arm up and down rather than just opening and closing his hand.

He still LOVES to eat and we have to distract him when the food is gone or he throws a fit. We've added some pureed meats and pumpkin and he seems to love it all.

Owen has started to wake up at least twice during the night which I'm not fond of. He was doing so well with just waking up once and I was thrilled but then he decided that wasn't enough. Last Sunday night he was up 4-5 times which was rough! I thought maybe it was a growth spurt which is still possible and he's now just in a habit. I guess I'll have to work on that again.

Owen is learning that other babies exist. We are going to the library on Friday's and he's seeing kids there and then the nursery at church. It's fun to see him interact with kids.

We went for a walk the other day and got caught in the rain. Didn't phase Owen though!

Just try to not smile while looking at this kid. 

Help mom! There's a bucket on my head!

This kid cracks me up

Our little family

So we went to an apple orchard on Saturday with our friends Marcus and Alisa but the place apparently doesn't allow you to have fun so we didn't get many pictures. We did get a good family picture though!

waving

W: 18 lbs 5 ozs
H: 27.5 inches
HC: 45.9 cm

I love watching Owen try to figure out what his body can do. He'll stare as his hand and watch it open and close or at his toes as he wiggles them. Pat loves that he'll sit on his lap and give him 5's for several minutes. He's learning how to wave although sometimes he just ends up smacking us or himself in the face. His arms get pretty wild at times and I think it's mostly when he's excited.

We are still on a 3 nap schedule which I'm okay with now. My attempt to move him to 2 naps failed miserably so we went back to 3 and it's working well. This is what our day usually looks like:

7-7:30 - wake up and nurse (that's when I actually hear him. He plays in his crib for a while so I don't know what time he actually wakes up)
8:30-9 - nap
9:45-10:15 - wake up and nurse
11-11:30 - lunch
12:00 - nap
12:45-1 - wake up and nurse
3:00 - nap
4:00 - wake up and nurse
5-5:30 - dinner then play with daddy
6:30 - nurse and bedtime routine
7:15 - in bed
(he wakes up once during the night to eat but goes right back to sleep)

The only time the frequent naps are hard is if we are out somewhere. He'll occasionally fall asleep in his carseat if we're driving somewhere but he definitely prefers to fall asleep in his bed. I know some kids will fall asleep wherever if they are tired but Owen has never been that way. As a newborn he had to be held and now it's the opposite. A couple of times he's fallen asleep in my arms but it's only because he's completely exhausted. I like the frequent naps when we're home because I'm finding it hard to know what to do with him for more than 2 hours. Thankfully it's cooler outside so our walks don't have to happen right away in the morning like they did this summer.

Owen still loves to eat and will often throw a fit when his food is gone. He's usually fine once we say "all done" and clean his face off. I think he knows that when that happens he's not getting anymore. Nursing is more difficult now than it was at the beginning and I'll admit that there have been times that I want to quit but we've made it this far so I might as well finish it out. I think it's been a little better the past few days but still not as fun as before. I mentioned his wild arms earlier so I get hit a lot and he will pinch and grab whatever he can with his hands and grab and pull with his mouth. Not enjoyable in the least. I miss the days when nursing was relaxing!

Here's a glimpse of what meal time is like with Owen.

I gave him prunes the other day because he's been a little constipated. They worked but unfortunately they kicked in while giving him a bath. Not so much fun!

Owen also has a new game he likes to play with us - 

We went to the library this morning for "Book Babies". Owen seemed a little more fidgety than last time but we had a good time. Last time we went in the afternoon and it seemed like there were more more babies closer to Owen's age in the morning so I think we'll shoot for the morning session when we can.

I guess I haven't taken many pictures this week but we're going to an apple orchard tomorrow so I'll probably load up then!

7 months

MILESTONES:
Owen has officially mastered sitting on his own. Last Tuesday was when I felt comfortable saying that. The week before he was doing pretty well but would still topple over and I was telling Pat that by the end of this past week he would have it figured out and he did. It's nice to be able to just set him on a blanket and surround him with toys and not worry about him falling over. He loves to sit forward in the stroller while we take walks and the other day he sat like that for the entire 45 minutes which I was impressed by.

I think he's getting more teeth. The first 2 came in no problem but he seems to be a little fussier and chewing on his fingers more than before if that's even possible.

ACTIVITIES:
He's learning how to beat on things like a drum. I gave him an empty oatmeal container and he likes to hit it. He'll hit the table when he's sitting in his highchair sometimes.

He is liking his jumper more and more. His favorite thing to do is spin the ducks. They are in a clear tube and he'll sit and spin that thing over and over. He's learning that he can jump in it too rather than just sit there.

EATING:
The boy LOVES to eat! We added another meal in so he has lunch and dinner now. I tried breakfast and dinner first but it just didn't work out. I found it easier to feed him at lunch. I'm struggling with how much to feed him at a time. I've been making his baby food and freezing it in ice cubes trays and he'll usually eat 3 cubes at a time. I mix cereal in with it to make it thicker and for some extra nutrition. (His iron as been low so we're trying to bring that up with the cereal before we have to do drops.) I don't want to overfeed him because he throws up and it's not a good habit to start but I don't want him hungry either. He has yet to refuse anything that I've tried to feed him which is good. So far he's been eating avocado, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, pears and apples (I've added a little cinnamon in with the fruit a couple of times) mixed with either rice or oatmeal cereal. I think I'm going to switch the rice cereal for something with a little more fiber in it though. He's nursing about 6 times in a 24 hour period.

SLEEPING:
With the exception of last night Owen is continues to do pretty well with sleeping. Last night he was up about 5 times but usually he'll wake up around 1:00am and go back to sleep after putting the paci back in and then between 4-5 to eat then back to sleep until around 7:30.
He was napping 3 times a day and then started to become really difficult to put down for his 3rd nap so for about a week I tried to work him into 2 naps a day but it didn't go so well since he was still only sleeping 45 minutes at a time. He needs more sleep than that and I need a little more time to get things done.



Last Sunday I met a mom that has a little boy that is 2 days older than Owen and yesterday I talked with a mom of twins that were born the same day as Owen. Pat knows her from his Freshman year at Iowa State. I had met her last year and we found out we had the same due date then later found out our boys were born on the same day. It was fun to talk to moms that are experiencing the same things.

Owen had his first experience in the nursery yesterday and it went as well as I expected it to. We kept him until the sermon started since he likes the music and I knew he wouldn't make it through the entire service. He lasted about 20-25 minutes before I had to go get him which means he was happy for about 10-15 minutes since I told them to get me if he cried for more than 10 minutes. We start MOPS tomorrow and he'll be in the nursery there so I wanted to get him used to it and he's having a hard time sitting through the whole service now that he's more active. It'll be good for him to be around other people and kids since almost all of his time is spent with just me.

Last Friday I took him to the library for "Book Babies". They had a couple of ladies from a local music school sing songs with the kids and Owen mostly just watched everybody (he's much like his mama). It's for 6-18 month old babies and I think they usually have stories but they did music this time. He loves books and being read to so I think we'll try to keep going depending on his naps that day.

Owen is starting to show a very silly side which is hilarious. He screams and squeals when he's happy and has some goofy laughs.

His model pose

This used to be his favorite paci. Now he just chews on it.

Sitting like a big boy!

I found this hat that actually fit him it makes him look like a giant newborn.

This sweatsuit used to be Pat's so it's fun that Owen gets to wear it now.

What a little cheeseball

He's ready to be on Jersey Shore with that hairdo.

He was very unhappy that his peas were gone.

He sleeps!

Owen officially slept through the night last night! Woohoo! He fell asleep around 8:00 and woke up a little after 6:00 this morning. I actually woke up to Pat's alarm at 6:15 and went in to check on Owen and he was awake and saw me so he wasn't going to let me go back to sleep. I was kind of hoping that he would fall back to sleep but he was ready for the day. I'll hope that this is the new trend but won't count on it since he hasn't had any regularity with wake up times for a few weeks. I am excited that it finally happened though!

We discovered over the weekend that Owen is getting his 2nd tooth in. His 1st tooth is the front bottom right and this one is right next to it on the left. They are sharp little things!

He's laughing more often and it's doesn't take nearly as much to make him laugh which I love. He's also getting more talkative and has started squealing again but only when he's happy about something so I'm okay with that.

My favorite thing he's been doing lately is while we're walking down the stairs (usually in the mornings) I'll glance down at him and he's just looking at me with this huge smile on my face. It makes for a good start to the day!

I've had my first act of discipline "training" in the last day or two. He likes to grab whatever he can which is a problem while he's nursing. He'll grab at my shirt or his clothes or my face which I'm okay with but he likes to grab my arm and pinch which is really painful. He only does it when he's nursing on my left side. I just grab his arm and say "no" and hope that he eventually learns. I know he's too young for discipline thus the reason I'm calling it training. I think that with enough repetition he'll learn it's not okay to pinch Mommy.

"what do you mean the avocado is all gone?!?!?"