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