walking and "talking"

I am doing a terrible job of updating lately. It definitely hasn't been for a lack of thing to write about. I guess it's just what happens when you have a very active toddler.

Owen is walking more and more although his balance still needs some work. He's choosing to walk more on his own and we don't really have to prod him much. One day he impressed me by squatting down when he started to lose his balance then standing right back up as soon as he had steadied himself.

His curiosity has not waned at all so he spends a lot of time opening drawers and cupboard doors, pointing and "uhh!"ing so that I will tell him what something is. His curiosity still gets him into trouble when he wants to look in the garbage can after mommy has said no several times, or just needs to be reminded what those buttons on the dvd player do, and sometimes it's just "I wonder if mom and dad REALLY mean no?"

Owen and I survived 4.5 days without daddy 2 weeks ago. It was not easy and further confirmed that I could not make it as a single parent. Being the sole disciplinarian was the hardest part I think. Pat and I tried to FaceTime once while Owen was up and it did not go well. Owen got very upset about only seeing daddy (as well as not being able to touch the iPad). We didn't try again! Pat's leaving for a few days in July so we might have to figure out a trip somewhere or have an auntie come stay with us ;) I wish I could say I had a good attitude while Pat was gone and tried to make the most of that time but I really was just in survival mode. Maybe next time. We had one morning where Owen would not go down for his nap and just cried every time I left the room so I sat in the rocker with him and he fell asleep in my lap for a while then I managed to put him back in his bed while he stayed asleep. I can't remember the last time I've laid him down asleep. It was fun to have some snuggle time as well as my usual time while he naps.

We turned our basement into Owen's playroom a couple of weeks ago and Pat is moving his "office" to our bedroom. It's nice to have a place for Owen that doesn't have anything in it that he can't touch. Our only issue is that he likes to climb the stairs so I'm going to have to look harder for a gate. The hard part of rearranging is finding a place for all of the stuff that was in the basement that can no longer go there. We've been working on getting rid of as much stuff as possible but it's tough!

We mad a quick trip to KC last weekend to celebrate Grandpa Downes' birthday. Pat and I got to go to a few garage sales on Saturday while Owen stayed with Grandma. We had a great time down there! We're leaving on Friday to go see my family so another few hours in the car for Owen. My sister is having a bridal shower on Saturday so we're looking forward to another weekend with more grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins this time!

Yesterday Owen was super cute while I was holding him. I had him on my hip and was looking in his dresser for some clothes and my hair was kind of in my face since I was looking down. He all of the sudden leaned forward to look at my face, smiled, then straightened back up. (Hopefully that description explains it well enough.) He did it over and over which was so fun.

We still haven't figured out if Owen has said any real words yet. He's been trying more lately it seems and Pat is pretty sure that he said "hawkeye" the other day. He loves to point out Hawkeye and Jayhawk logos. Pat has been teaching him to see "rock chalk" whenever he sees a jayhawk so I'm sure that will happen soon enough.

He is still obsessed with buttons and continues to point and grunt until you let him touch all of them.

Owen went through a growth spurt in the last 6 weeks or so. I had just started putting him in 12 month clothes 2-3 months ago and I'm already pulling out 18 month stuff. He's gotten so tall!

We think Owen had a nightmare the other night because he woke up about 2 hours after going to bed crying a scared cry that escalated really quickly. Pat ran up there to check on him because it was not a cry that we usually hear. He was fine after sitting with daddy for a bit though. I think hearing him cry from being afraid is worse than hearing him cry in pain.

This kid is picking up sign language so fast that it is amazing. It blows me away considering he didn't start signing until right around his birthday. Here are the words he knows although I'll probably forget some:

more
eat
milk
water
drink
all done
thank you
please
banana
apple
chicken
sleep (this one he just started tonight)
car
airplane
cat
dog
bird
duck
bear
leaf
play (this is a maybe)
fan
hot (kind of)
light
star
baby
shoes
toothbrush
ball

And these are some that Owen made up:
music - bops his arm up and down. He does this when he wants me to play music and it's also how he dances.
I want to watch Signing Time - stands in front of the tv and taps his pointers together.

I'm loving being able to communicate with him even when there are times I cannot figure out what he's trying to sign. I figure it would be the same if he was saying words though.

Owen started blowing kisses to people which nobody doesn't like! :)

This post got pretty wordy. Sorry about that. I'll try to find some photos soon!

Little explorer

Owen has started taking his curiosity all of the house. I think he has opened every door and looked in every corner he can get to. He also learned how to climb the steps recently. One day I looked away for a minute and when I looked up again I just saw 1 little foot peaking out from the bottom of the stairs. He slipped on the third step and bumped his face a little bit which stalled him for a few days but he tried again and made it all the way up!
He's been nursing more often and eating less table food and I'm not sure if one is causing the other. I have no intention of weaning him any time soon since that is not a battle I want to deal with. He's nursing usually 4 times a day but usually asks more often than that.
He's been signing a lot lately which is fun but he has about 3 signs that mean 6-7 things.
I counted the other day that he knows about 10 signs but doesn't always use them. He'll properly sign milk, eat, all done, fan and used to say more correctly but now more, please and eat are the same. He'll occasionally sign bird, dog and water. Owen also learned to pray before his meals which we love. We'll put him into his highchair then say "let's pray!" And he'll put his hands together while we pray. We borrowed some Signing Time DVDs from the library several weeks ago and he seems to enjoy them and I think they've helped him learn.
Owen hasn't been feeling well all day. He's been running a fever of around 101-102 which is sad to see but I'm loving the cuddles I'm getting. I think he may be getting molars in because he's been trying to chew on stuff in the back of his mouth. He ran a fever when his top teeth came in too so maybe that's all it is. He slept about 4.5 hours today so I'm hoping he still sleeps tonight and feels better tomorrow. Since we were traveling 2 days in a row he didn't get a real nap in either of those days which probably wore him out as well.

Touch your toes!

I forgot to mention in my last post that Owen figure out his toes. Unless he's really into something else he will grab his toes whenever I ask where they are. Love it!

He's started pulling up on more things, crawling on all fours and on a few separate occasions has stood on his own for a few seconds. His mobility has taken off scary fast in the last week. He also knows how to sign "more" but is very choosy on when he uses it.

Sleeping, standing, and discipline

I can't get over how much Owen has changed in the last couple of weeks. He's becoming more coordinated with walking and crawling. He pretty much only army crawls when he's not on carpet. After watching him I think it's because it's too slippery to stay on his knees so he just sticks to using his arms. He still doesn't really venture out of the living room which is good and bad. It'd be nice if he would just crawl into the kitchen if I'm in there instead of crying for me but at the same time it's nice to know where he is.

Now that he knows how to pull himself up in his crib he does it all of the time. Getting him down for a nap has become more of an ordeal because of this. He hasn't been sleeping as much lately and I'm thinking he maybe needs to go to one nap instead of two. I'm going to start that tomorrow and see what happens. I moved his bedtime from 7 to 7:30 last week for reasons I can't really remember. He's been napping for less time (today was 45 minutes each) so we'll try 1 nap and if that doesn't work we'll move his bedtime back to 7 and see what happens. I'm not thrilled about the prospect of only one nap but I remember saying that about going from 3 to 2 and it ended up being okay.

We've started to discipline Owen for a few things when he's doing something he knows he's not supposed to do. He falls apart when it comes from Pat but when it comes from me it's almost like he's thinking "is that all you got lady?!" He'll stick his bottom lip out when we say no and when the "no" comes from dad it is quickly followed by many tears. All I get is the lip and a straight face which can be hard to not laugh at at times. Pat has learned that he has to be extra loving after the "no" since it seems to affect Owen so deeply. We definitely have our work cut out for us with this guy!

I've become obsessed with watching Owen play lately. Now that he has some mobility he's exploring everything and it is fascinating to see him try and figure things out. Sheesh. I love that kid so much!

Check out my new skill!

He's a pasta with pesto over mac n cheese kind of kid. 

Sitting on his own

Owen learned how to get from lying down to sitting this week which is super exciting for me! So often he'll be on his back or stomach and just whine until I sit him up. I'm super excited about this one. He's also cruising along the couch a little bit more. I'll stand him up on one end and put something that he's interested in on the other side and he'll get to it eventually. He'll take a step then reach as far as he can and if he can't get it he'll take another step and reach again. A lot of the time he tries to reach too far and then falls over.

Today I found him standing in his crib. I had put him down for a nap and he didn't want to sleep so I let him cry for a while and when I went in there he was standing up hanging onto the rail.

I had gotten Owen some baby food that was apple/mango/kiwi and discovered that it's a big no-no. We had the same issue as we did with the pineapple. Fortunately I figured it out sooner so we got his diaper changed sooner which saved a lot of pain for Owen. I think Owen had that same combo of fruit when he had the pineapple so it's quite possible it was the mango or kiwi rather than the pineapple that caused all of the problem.

In other news we've been shopping for flooring this week. Our basement flooded on Sunday which is not fun. We're just thankful that the carpet was the only thing that was ruined. We're hoping that it will be fixed this week so we can get the house put back together before Owen's birthday party on Saturday.

Loves those pancakes!

I made great effort to push Owen's sleeves up while he was eating an avocado to keep his onesie clean but he managed to managed to get it underneath his bib.

Reading Go Dog Go while grocery shopping.

11 months

One more month and Owen will be 1! I did a little reminiscing over the last few days since it was around this time last year that pregnancy got a little more eventful. January 6th was my 34 week appointment and when the blood pressure issues began and I had my first NST. It's so hard to believe that it was that long ago.

Here are a few updates on Owen since I haven't updated in a bit:
Owen has 2 more teeth on the bottom that are almost completely through.
Owen learned how to clap on Christmas Eve and has decided that it is more fun than waving. He's also started this cute little bashful face when people say hi to him. He'll tuck his chin into his chest for a bit then flash a big smile. It's super cute.
Owen loves pointing and especially loves lights and fans. He's learned how to sign fan so wherever we go he immediately locates the fans and tells me. He's pretty good about pointing to the lights when I ask where they are.
Pat taught him about light switches so we have to stop at every one in the house.
He's learning to get around more and more. He'll take steps if I hold his hands while he stands in front of me. He loves standing too and will let you know when he doesn't want to sit. It cracks me up. He'll bend his knees but hold the rest of his body straight and will stay that way until I either stand him up or lay him on his back. I've caught him up on his hands and knees a few times lately. Usually he leans forward and is on one knee and the other turned under him and as soon as he gets that other leg out from underneath him he straightens out. He's learned how to scoot forward in the last couple of days. It takes a lot of effort and is pretty slow going (I would liken his movement and speed to a snail). He's great at spinning in circles on his belly and rolling all over but I am still his preferred mode of transportation.
Owen now has a Flipper laugh when he's being silly. He also started making this silly sound with his mouth. I think he's squishing his spit through his teeth. I just know that I can't replicate it. I've tried!
I've been trying to give Owen more table foods now. Mostly because it gives me a chance to eat at the same time. The other night I made turkey burgers that had green onions and parsley in them and I didn't think he'd like it but he ate half of a burger! I bought some avocado's this week so he's been scarfing those down. He seems to like foods that have a little more flavor.
I learned over Christmas to not give Owen pineapple. He had maybe two or three pieces and then one night before bed he was just crying and crying and he had a terrible rash that was bleeding. I tried to put him in a bath but he just screamed so I had him lay on a towel with no diaper for a while and he seemed better after that.
The not so fun development is the tantrum. We're still trying to figure how to handle them. He's been using the Bumbo during meal times and if he throws a fit he throws his head back and hits the chair which then causes more crying.

Owen did great while we were gone for 3 weeks over Christmas and New Years. He slept in 5 different rooms but was very flexible every time we had to move him. The last couple of nights while we were at my parents were the worst. He was waking up 1-3 times and would be awake for 45 minutes to 2 hours. He would wake up and just want to play and would only be still if I nursed him. Needless to say I was exhausted. I think it was mostly due to being tired of sleeping in a pack 'n' play but I think he was also wanting to practice all of the things he's been learning. The last night we were there he woke up at 4am and was awake until I put him in bed with Grandma at 5:30 so I could get a little more sleep.

Last night I made the mistake of putting Owen on the bed while I went into the bathroom to fill his humidifier. I thought that since I could see him that I could get there quick enough if he started rolling. Well, he started rolling faster than I expected and I made it just in time. It turned into a pretty dramatic event with me banging me knee into the space heater (which was incredibly painful) and then slipping on the floor because I was wearing socks while grabbing him off the bed. The things you go through to protect your child. Sheesh!

I went to my first KU game while Owen stayed with Grandma & Grandpa

We saw Martina McBride with Pat's mom and sister

Pat with Eric Winston - he plays for the Chiefs hence the huge smile on Pat's face

Serious conversation with Grandpa

Who's hiding under this hat?

The cutest sheriff I've ever seen!

I think he was telling someone to slow down

We maybe shouldn't teach him that bears are friendly...

"not the shark mom!"

"hi everyone!"

"Are all of those presents for me, mom??"

Our Christmas bouncer

More interested in snacks than opening gifts

Cheerio free for all with his cousins

Little shepherd boy for the nativity skit at Grandma and Grandpa McFarlands. I grew up doing this at my grandparents with all of my cousins. So happy that the tradition is being carried on!

All five cousins - Emma 2, Max 15 months, Owen 11 months, Ella  3, Weston 18 months.
Family gatherings are just going to get more fun the older they get!

No matter how many games the Chiefs lose they will always be number 1 in our hearts.

Meeting some book characters at a library event

Curious George

Berenstain Bears

Not so sure about Llama Llama at first....

...but he warmed up. We love the Llama Llama books

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!