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!
