6 months

This is delayed by a few days due to camping and not having internet. Our little babe turned 6 months old on Thursday and here are a few random things about Mr Owen.

You love being outside
The way you soothe your self to sleep is to shake your head back and forth and rub a blanket on your face
You don't like to be far from mommy
You like to play with daddy's face and take off his glasses
Your belly and ribs are super ticklish
I think you are going to be an introvert like mommy; you like individual attention but get overwhelmed with lots of people
You've become a pro at putting yourself to sleep. Very rarely do I hear you cry after laying you down
You like to hang out in your crib when you first wake up and talk to yourself
You like when Mommy and Daddy sing to you. Daddy made up a song for you and Mommy sings "You Are My Sunshine" when you're not happy and it usually calms you down
At bedtime we read a book then sing "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus", "You Are My Sunshine" and "The Lord Bless You and Keep You"
You love bath time and being in water
So far you've eaten rice cereal, bananas, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes and had a lick of pineapple. Someone also gave you a cheerio which Mommy wasn't happy about
You love to grab your toes, suck on your fingers and are completely fascinated by your hands
Everything goes in your mouth but no teeth yet
You are quite the spitter so we try to always have a burp cloth nearby
You still can't digest dairy but mommy is okay with not eating it now
I love when you're excited and give me your version of hugs and kisses
You have a toy giraffe that you like to play with
You can sit on your own for a few seconds but prefer not to. You'd much rather lie on your back and grab your toes
You've started to look at and reach for things behind you
You are liking you Jumperoo more and are pretty good at turning the pages on it
You love when people clap for you
You take 3 naps everyday that last about 45-60 minutes although you've taken a few 2.5 hour naps recently
You roll wonderfully from you belly to your back but still don't go the other way
You like to grab at Mommy's phone and iPad when they are nearby
You are growing way too fast!

We are loving our little man so much! He's so much fun and learning things all of the time.

We've been traveling a lot lately so Owen's nights have been a little rough. We went to MN for a few days last week while Pat was in Boston for a conference then came home for a night then left for camporama. We don't have any travel plans coming up now which is nice. I'm looking forward to getting back into our routine and having some semblance of normal again. Last night Owen woke up 4 times which was not so fun. Hopefully it was just due to being back in his bed.

Owen got to meet my piano teacher while we were home

Owen's first taste of sweet potatoes

swimming and bananas!

Owen got his first taste of banana today and he loved it. I found this little mesh contraption that he can hold onto and just suck out whatever is in the mesh bag part. He got mad whenever it wasn't in his mouth. Super funny. We took a video of him eating it but I can't get it uploaded on here for some reason. It's on google+ though.

Last night we took Owen to the water park because our church had rented it out for the evening and he had a blast. We just sat in the wading pool and had a lot of fun. I love being in the water and am hoping Owen continues to like it so that next summer we can go to the pool more often.

The last 3 nights Owen has only woken up once which is great! Friday and Saturday he slept 7.5 hours and last night was around 6.5. This morning he took a 2.5 hour nap which was amazing! He didn't get to bed until almost 9 last night due to the swimming outing and woke up at 7:15 so I think he was still worn out from that. I got a lot more done this morning than usual! He still has a hard time being awake for more than 2 hours and I'm trying to decide if I should try to keep him awake longer or just keep following his cues and put him down when he's tired. He's sleeping great at night and has a harder time going down if I keep him awake too long. I'm not sure that it will even help him sleep longer. I'll have to think about it I guess. We've been letting him cry more at bed time which I don't love but it's not every night/nap which makes it a little more tolerable. Yesterday I put him down for a nap and he screamed for probably 15-20 minutes and woke up twice crying. I think he was still upset about it when he got up because he kept crying when I went in his room when usually he's all smiles then we got downstairs and he got a super sad look on his face and stuck his lip out. It took a little while for him to be happy so we just made sure to give him a lot of loving. Poor guy.

This afternoon was full of tantrums so I'm not sure what that was about or how to deal with this. At this age pretty much all I can do is change his situation or environment and hope that remedies it.

He still wants all of my attention at all times which is tricky. I want to give it to him but there are other things that need to get done during the day and sometimes mommy just needs a breath. I love the smiles  I can get out of him just by looking at him though.

5 1/2 month stats

16 lbs 3 ozs
26 3/8 in
44.4 cmhead

whew! (23 1/2 weeks)

We are finally home after being gone for 10 days! We had a great time with family and friends but it is always nice to come home.

Last Friday we drove to Ames to spend time with the Lewicki's before they move to Virginia. Several other friends came as well so we had a little reunion and got to meet all of the new little babies. It was a lot of fun to see everyone. We'll miss our friends Joel and Tori but I'm sure we'll see them over breaks.

We left Ames on Monday and drove to Pat's parents for the week. It was nice to get there early and have a few days for Owen to feel comfortable before everyone came for Jimmy and Jessica's wedding on Saturday. Owen did quite well for being away from home for that long. He still gets pretty overwhelmed around a lot of people so he was a little fussy when everyone wanted to talk to him or hold him. We had a couple of rough nights of sleep but it's hard to say if that was from being overtired, in a different place or all of us being in the same room. At home I don't hear him until he's really crying whereas when we're in the same room I hear every time he fusses and just get up rather than see if he'll go back to sleep on his own.
Friday night was rehearsal and dinner. Dinner was at a great Italian restaurant and they were very accommodating which means that I got to eat. The food was delicious too. Pat and I left a little early to get Owen to bed. Saturday was the wedding and Owen did a great job considering how much was going on. We had located the nursery at the church on Friday night so I was able to nurse him in a rocking chair and put him in a crib for a nap which helped a lot. He sat through the ceremony quite well and sang along with the music. He was so loud as we were walking out afterward while the organ was playing. It was fun though. He fell asleep on me after the ceremony and then woke up when everyone cheered as the bride and groom were leaving. He had a rough time during the reception so we left pretty early. He was getting so tired and every time people clapped or cheered he freaked out. Pat got him to sleep in the car seat by swinging him but it didn't last long. I took him home when every noise scared him. I was a little bummed to have to leave the party early but Owen needed to go to bed and it was kind of nice to have some quiet time back at the house. He went to sleep really fast but then woke up a couple hours later screaming like crazy and wouldn't calm down. I eventually turned a light on and he closed his eyes and went right back to sleep. It was almost like he was having a nightmare.
Sunday morning was the gift opening at Pat's parents house. Owen ended up taking a 2 hour nap through the whole thing. He slept a lot on Sunday which didn't really surprise me since I knew he was worn out from the week. Sunday night grandma and Kelly put him to bed while Pat and I were out to dinner with Pat's great aunt and uncle. They said he was falling asleep while they were feeding him his cereal so they put him down. It was the first night someone else had put him to bed but he slept pretty well!
We decided to leave this morning so that we weren't getting home right when Owen needed to go to bed and it worked out pretty well.

Owen was pretty happy to be home and out of the car. I laid him on the floor in the middle of the living room and he just jabbered away while Pat and I unloaded the car.

Owen has been getting cereal somewhat irregularly the last couple of weeks. I try to do it after his last feeding of the night and he's been eating it pretty well. He seems to do better if it's pretty thick rather than really soupy like was recommended for first feedings. So far it hasn't helped him sleep longer but maybe now that we're home it will. We'll see.
He's doing great at going to sleep on his own. Occasionally I'll have to go in to put the pacifier in after he's cried for a while but it hasn't happened very often.
Everyone asks if he's teething because he's always gnawing on something whether it's his fingers or whatever else he gets his hands on. I haven't seen any signs of teeth yet and he doesn't seem to be in pain. Those teeth can take their time coming in as far as I'm concerned.
Owen has gotten his toes in his mouth a couple of times in the last few days. He can't keep them in though. He LOVES to lay on the floor and just grab his feet. I catch him studying his hands a lot as well. It's nice that his favorite toys are attached to his body!
We've noticed that on car rides he often falls asleep due to boredom. He'll be sitting there staring at his hand with a forlorn look and then a few minutes later he'll be out. I'm glad he travels well.
We got Owen a Jumperoo a couple of weeks ago and he likes it okay. He fusses after about 5-10 minutes just like every other item that requires him to sit. He'd much rather lay on his back or stand. I wouldn't be surprised if he skips crawling and goes straight to walking.
The screeching phase was short lived which makes us happy. He'll squeal when he's happy on occasion but we like that.

I'm having a hard time thinking about Owen being 6 months old in a couple of weeks. It just doesn't seem possible. It doesn't seem like that long ago that I was getting a call from my doctor saying I was going to have a baby that day! Around this time last year we were telling people we were having a baby so it seems unreal that he is almost half a year old.

Here are some pictures from the wedding weekend. There are more from last couple of weeks but I'll have to get them off of Pat's computer and post them later!

21 Weeks

Owen has recently learned how to screech and scream which Pat and I are not all that thrilled about. It is so high pitched and loud!
I forgot to mention in my last post that he discovered his thumb. The first time was when I was putting him down for bed and it landed in his mouth and he went right back to sleep. He hasn't figured out how to clench his fist without the thumb inside though so his hand is just spread over his face. It's cute.
He's rolling from his stomach to his back regularly now so tummy time is even more impossible. At this point I'm not really pushing it though. He still hasn't rolled to his stomach. He gets to his side but that's as far as he goes.
He loves standing and is doing a pretty good job of it. We just got him a jumperoo so we'll see if he likes it.
He can also occasionally sit on his own for a couple of seconds but mostly just topples over.
I think I'm going to try some cereal here soon. I had wanted to wait until he was 6 months old but I think he's ready now. He's showing some interest when he sees Pat and I eating so I think we'll give it a  try pretty soon. Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll sleep a little longer at night. I won't plan on it but will be excited if it does happen.

Last week we went to MN for a few days and Owen got to meet my brothers and his cousins. He was kinda fussy while we were there but that's pretty common around lots of people. He's still too young to really play with the other boys but I'm super excited to get them together in another year. The 3 of them are all 4 months apart so we're going to have a good time at family get togethers.

One of Pat's college friends came with his wife and son and stayed with us on Monday night. They were driving to Chicago from Kansas so we were a good stopping point. We had a great time and got a couple pictures of the boys together.

I changed up his bedtime routine a little bit starting last night. I'm nursing him before lotion/vitamin/diaper/jammies and then we read a book and sing a few songs. Last night he didn't cry until 3am when he woke up. We were both shocked. I don't think he's ever gone down awake without tears. Tonight he cried some but not all that much.

He still loves to have all of my attention most of the day and will sometimes get mad if I'm using the computer or iPad instead of playing with him. He's loads of fun and we just love him so much!

Ella: "He likes me!"

 All the cousins

 The Boys

We had a little photo shoot on Monday

Owen's new friend, Levi.

19 Weeks

We were in Ames last week so I didn't get a post done. We left on Wednesday and stayed with Joel and Tori until Saturday morning. It was so good to hang out with them. It's always so great to be with good friends. They're moving to Virginia Beach at the end of July and we'll miss them a lot! Saturday we went to Des Moines for Pat's cousins wedding reception. We stayed in a hotel on Saturday night with Pat's parents and Owen got to try out the swimming pool. He didn't get as much pleasure out of it as I was hoping but he didn't hate it. He was pretty straight faced the whole time.

I started working on teaching Owen to fall asleep on his own this week and it's been rough. I enjoyed nursing him to sleep at night and would have continued to do it if he'd stay asleep like he used to. Monday night was a nightmare. He didn't go down well and woke up every 2 1/2 hours. He refused to take a late afternoon nap so I think he was overtired. Tuesday and Wednesday were a little bit easier. I hid in the corner and he complained in the crib but never really cried. Tonight it took about 30 minutes and 3-4 trips in to calm him down. Today he needed to see me to fall asleep. I tried having him sleep in his swing for a nap but he cried the whole time I was in the shower and then a while after that but quieted down as soon as he saw me so I just sat in his room until he fell asleep. Tonight after picking him up a couple times I just went in there and stood by his crib while he stared at me and he fell asleep in a couple of minutes. I hope there will be some predictability again soon.

Owen is laughing more frequently now which is so fun. Nothing like at the doctors office but I usually get a few chuckles everyday. His belly and ribs are really ticklish.
He's grabbing his toes every once in a while. He mostly just hangs onto his knees though.
He loves sitting in the Bumbo but not more than 10-15 minutes at a time.
He's much less content to play by himself and usually whines until one of us talks to him.
We've gotten a couple of squeals out of him.

This week has been so hot so we didn't get a walk in until today. Owen sat in the stroller instead of the carseat and he loved it. He just sat and looked at everything and fell asleep about 10 minutes before we got home. It's so fun to see him grow but I sometimes miss the little bitty baby he used to be.

Next week we're heading to Minnesota for a few days. My brother's haven't met Owen yet and I haven't seen them since January so I'm pretty excited. Owen has been handling the traveling pretty well although it's tough to keep a routine. We still have several trips planned this summer so hopefully he continues to do well.

Smiling is more fun than sleeping Mom!

He loves to eat his hands!

This is the face a get to see a lot of!

 Swimming

Helping daddy work

Trying on shoes at the mall

Bathtime

17 Weeks

Owen had his 4 month appointment this afternoon and he decided the nurse was hilarious. He's been pretty stingy with his laughs but as soon as the nurse started talking to him he just busted up laughing. He laughed while she measured him and then laughed again while he was getting weighed. A few other nurses came out and said "is that baby laughing??" He became quite popular. The one nurse said it made her day and put her back in a good mood. I kept telling them that was the most he's ever laughed! I really wish I had recorded it because it was awesome. Our last appointment he cried through the whole thing so this was like a whole new Owen. The doctor said he's right on track with everything so that's good!

25.5 inches (75%)
14.13lbs (50%)
Head: 17 inches (75%)

He cried and cried during and after his shots but they didn't seem to bother him after we got home. He fell asleep in the car and slept a little while after we got home but he wasn't nearly as sleepy as last time. He got really crabby tonight so I gave him some tylenol which didn't go down well so we had to deal with the choking for a while. Never fun.

He decided that tonight he didn't really want to be nursed to sleep. He'd been eating for about 10 minutes and then just kept looking up at me and smiling and how to you try and ignore that? You just can't. He eventually got back to business (kind of...he was on/off, on/off) for a few more minutes and then I laid him in his crib. He did the usual fall asleep for a few minutes then cry for his paci and I think I went in three times. The third time I think he was mostly asleep because the pacifier was still partly in his mouth and he was just saying "aaaaAAAaaAaa" so I let him work that one out himself and I think (I hope) he's out for the night.

Today was the first day of being a stay at home mom! Yesterday morning was bittersweet but I'm so happy to not be going back to work. This job was probably the one I liked the most but was the least sad to leave. Usually when I've quit a job it's to move so it's a pretty emotional event but this time I'll still be able to visit my co-workers and I don't have to think about job hunting. I'm excited to have more time and energy to take care of my house and not have to worry about getting days off to go somewhere.

Saturday we had a picnic with the people in our home association and both Pat and I thought it was going to be a total bust but people actually came and it was good! One of our neighbors is due any day with their first baby and she just resigned from her job so we exchanged numbers and will hopefully get together for walks and such after her baby comes. I'm excited to have a first time mom friend so close. Owen was a little grumpy while we were out there so I eventually brought him inside and figured out he was just tired of being held because as soon as I laid him under his toys he was all smiles.

Tomorrow our house church (aka small group/bible study/faith family) is coming over for dinner. Pat got a new charcoal grill that he's excited to use so we're going to make sliders which should be fun. I'm glad that we're starting to get to know some people in the church as well as outside of it.

Happy boy even after getting 3 shots!

Owen likes to be like one of the guys

Mommy can't get enough of these glasses!