Owen is 18 Months!!

I know I start all of these age milestone posts the same with "Has it really been __ months

already??"  But honestly, has a year and a half really gone by since that tiny little guy surprised

us and changed our lives completely??  It's so hard to believe.  Even harder to believe that

in just 3 short months, this little guy will be a big brother.

 Owen amazes me every single day and I could not possibly love him any more.  He is so 

energetic, genuinely happy and so full of life that it is contagious.  Watching him navigate

through his day always puts a smile on my face.  I always thought that once Owen was born I

would want to go back to work, but after being able to spend so much time with him, I couldn't

picture my life any other way.  I'm so thankful that I am able to be home with him.

Owen has one speed, and that is a full on run.  He lifts his shoulders, pulls both arms to a 90 degree angle, leans his head and upper body forward and takes off.  Ryan has equated it

to a Frankenstein run.  His upper body stays in one position and his little legs run as fast as they

can safely carry him.  It doesn't matter if he is going down the block, or simply from one couch to

the other, his speed of choice is a sprint.  I think he actually gets more tripped up when he

tries to slow down and walk.  It's so foreign to him that he's not quite sure how to get his feet to

move that slowly.  He's so fast I need to speed walk just to keep up with him.  And forget trying

to turn my back for more than 5 seconds.  He'll be three houses down the block in that amount

of time and I'll have to take off running just to catch up with him.  He definitely keeps us on our

toes, but I figure it is good exercise for Ryan and I.  Let's hope baby #2 can keep up with him.  ;)

He is also entirely fearless.  He likes to walk up and down the stairs instead of sliding on his

butt or belly.  He gets so excited when he is on the last stair with nothing left to hold onto.  He

shouts "Go!  Go!" a few times, steps off the last stair, steadies himself and then claps

because he is so proud of himself for stepping down without falling.  And the bottom stair is

just the beginning.  When we're at Peekaboo Playroom, there is a 1.5 foot ledge near the front

of the play space for the parents to sit on.  He runs back and forth across that without a care in 

the world and then goes to step off it, like it is only 6 inches off the ground.  He's not afraid of

water, falling doesn't even phase him anymore, and new kids don't intimidate him in the slightest.  He is a tough little guy and we are super thankful for that.    

Owen is also one of the more vocal toddlers I have spent time with.  He is constantly talking

and narrating what he is doing.  Most of it is in his own special language that we have not quite

been able to translate yet, but he throws out a few key words every now and then.  He has about

8 words that he says consistently.  Then there are the times where he says something that both

Ryan and I look at each other and think, did he really just say what I think he did?  His current favorite word is "Ma-ma," which I always love to hear.  He's started saying it a lot more recently.

Instead of standing up in his crib in the morning yelling gibberish to get our attention, it is now a

clear "Ma-ma, Ma-ma, Ma-ma....."  And when he is upset, or needs something, or just wants to

make sure I am still around, I am serenaded with a chorus of "Ma-ma's."  I'd be lying if I said

it didn't make me totally happy to hear every time he says it. 

Current Words:  Mama, Daddy, Go, no-no, done, 'gain (again), Raar (lion), Moo (cow)

Weight:  24 lbs 6.5 oz (50th percentile)

Height:  32.75 in (50-75th percentile)  He's moving up on the charts.  Woo!

Favorite Foods:  FRUIT, FRUIT, FRUIT!  Especially strawberries, watermelon, oranges and

grapes.  But he also likes pears, blueberries, and bananas.  Vegetables are a little more

difficult, but we do our best to get them in him even if it is in the little food pouches.  All we can

do is keep offering them to him and hopefully he takes a liking to them at some point.  Other

foods he likes are chicken nuggets, fish nuggets, turkey meatballs, spaghetti, yogurt, crackers,

pizza and sour patch kids (yes you read that right).  He may be a spitting image of his dad, 

but that is one thing for certain that he gets from his mom.  

Favorite Toys:  He loves busy work and anything that uses his fine motor skills.  For example,

he loves playing with his duplos and legos, he loves pouring things from one cup to another,

he loves any type of stacking toy (specifically his Melissa and Doug geometric stacker), and he

loves playing with the toy Grandma made him where he threads small sections of a water

noodle onto a rubber hose.

Favorite Things To Do:  LOVES playing chase, especially when he is the one being chased.  

Loves winding down and watching a show before naps and bed (typically Mickey Mouse Club,

Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Sesame Street, Finding Nemo or Lilo and Stitch).  Is a huge

fan of his new "Big Boy Bath" time, which means he is in the full size tub instead of his toddler

tub.  All we need to do is ask him if he wants to go take a "Big Boy Bath" and he hurries

upstairs, grabs his bath toys, throws them in the tub and runs to Daddy to get undressed.  He also LOVES being around other kids.  He lights up when other people are around and gets

so excited when he has company come over to our house. 

Favorite Books:  Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, I love you Stinky Face, Little Pooky, 

But Not the Hippopotamus, Hugs All Day

This list of favorite books changes frequently, but when you go to read him a bedtime story and

you don't choose one of his current favorites, he will definitely let you know it.  He keeps

reaching over towards the book bin until you pick the right one and then he will relax in your lap.

So now I have just resorted to letting him run into his room first and I tell him to pick what 

stories he wants to read.  And sure enough, two to three of his favorites are laid out 

on the chair waiting for us.

Speaking of bedtime, and hopefully I don't jinx myself, Owen is a great sleeper.  He goes down

so easily at night and for naps.  We of course go through our little routine which consists of bath,

brushing teeth, books, and our kissing ritual with Lovey and Monkey.  Then we lay him down,

cover him with his monkey blanket, tell him we love him, and walk out.  This is one of those

times where we are quite certain we have received a "love you" in return, but it's just so hard to 

be certain if that is indeed what he said.  He normally sleeps between 10-11 hours per night,

then takes two naps during the day totaling another 3 hours or so.  I tried to move him to one

nap, but he is just not ready for it yet.  He is very much a creature of habit when it comes to

sleeping, so it is very easy to tell when things are off and he just needs his rest.  For example,

I know without a doubt that if I put him to bed late, he will be up extra early the next morning.  It's

just how his little body works.  So I do my best to keep him happy and rested and so far it is 

working out great.  He is somewhat of an early riser, getting up between 6:00 and 6:30 every

day, but with a bedtime of 7:30 that is to be expected.  And Ryan and I love having our

time together once he goes to bed, so we are reluctant to push it back any later.  Our

sanity and down time is well worth the early wake up call.  :)    

We've come a very long way in 18 months and I'm looking forward to all the new milestones

and discoveries we have in store for us.

Hot Weather Blues

This past week has been ridiculously hot so we've spent most of our time indoors. 

I've tried to get as creative as I can trying to keep him busy with indoor play dates, trips to

Peekaboo Playroom and running any and all errands I can think of.  The problem is that doesn't

leave anything too exciting to blog about.  Today we may have hit a low as we sat in the car dealership for an hour and twenty minutes waiting for our oil to be changed.  

Needless to say, Owen was less than amused.  

Thankfully they have a little playroom and he did really well keeping himself busy.  They had

these little Duplo Lego men and he spent a good 15 minutes sitting in a chair taking the heads

off, and then putting them right back on.  He did it over and over and over.  Looks like he is 

trying to master his fine motor skills.  The problem with activities like that is he doesn't tire

himself out.  So when nap time rolls around, he wants nothing to do with it because he just isn't

tired.  Don't worry little guy.  Tomorrow the cooler weather comes back and I'll let you 

run outside until your little heart is content.    

Time for a Pool

In case I haven't mentioned it before, Owen LOVES the water.

Knowing we would need things to keep us busy this summer, we bought him a water table

for him to play with in the backyard.  He has had so much fun with it and is so content standing

out there and splashing in the water.  Or should I say he WAS so content.  The other day when 

we were playing with it I looked over and saw this...

 I figured this was about as clear of a sign as he could give me to let me know that he was

ready for his very own pool.  So he and I took a trip to Target and next to our water table now

sits Owen's very own inflatable pool complete with a built in sprayer. 

"Yay!!  Thanks for the sweet new pool Mom and Dad!!"

 

 

Say What?

Yesterday Megan, Lauren and I took the kids to Lincoln Park Zoo.  On Wednesdays

the Green City Market is right outside the zoo, so it is a perfect opportunity to visit the zoo

and then have a delicious picnic lunch with the goodies we find at the farmers market.

We started in the farm section of the zoo and I'm quite positive that when we were in the barn

Owen said "moo" when he saw the cow.  What makes it difficult to be 100% sure is Owen does

not like to repeat things on command, other than to repeat "Raar" when asked what a lion says.

You can point at something and say the word, then ask him to say it and he will just babble in his

own little language or give you a blank stare.  But then when you least expect it he will say

something that makes you do a double take and think, did he really just say what I think he

said??  

What's crazy is that Owen is seriously one of the most vocal kids I have

ever heard.  Whether we're driving in the car, out for one of our walks, or just sitting at home, his mouth is constantly moving. He babbles on about anything and everything.  But then when put

on the spot and asked something specific, he chooses to keep his mouth closed.  I'd like to say

that maybe we just have a shy little guy on our hands who gets nervous under pressure, but all of

his other actions point in the complete opposite direction of shy.

A perfect example is when we were at the Green City Market having our picnic lunch.  There

was a man sitting in the picnic area playing a bongo drum and singing.  He had various small

instruments including cow bells, drum sticks, jingle bells, etc for the kids to come up and play

along with him.  Now someone Owen's age might get a little apprehensive at the thought of 

going up there on his own.  And if that man were to talk to him and engage him like he did with

Owen, that might send him running back to the security of his mama.  Not Owen.

He walked right up there, stood 2 feet away from the drum, grabbed some jingle bells from

him and started to play.  He was having such a great time playing with the man and only took 

one quick glance back to make sure I was still somewhat near.

 I'm so proud of how brave and fearless Owen has become.  Sure it's a little unsettling when

we're at the park and he tries to fly head first down the slide, or step out from a ledge that is

3 feet off the ground, but he is such a tough little guy and I am very thankful for that.

A normal day consists of us returning home with a new bump, bruise, or scrape somewhere on

his body from the day's fall, but it never phases him.  He gets right back up and keeps running. 

Now if only I could figure out a way to get him to be as fearless repeating words on command. ;)

Happy 4th of July!!

This weekend we came to Wausau to celebrate not only the 4th of July,

But little Alex's birthday, and Hannah's birthday/baby gender reveal party as well.  It's a GIRL!!

The first girl cousin among this ever expanding group of little boys.  :)

 

With his four cousins around, Owen had plenty to do to keep him busy.  He loves them so much

and they are all so good to him that it makes me wish we all lived closer so he could see

them more often.  He is always so happy when he is around them.  He gets the biggest smiles

watching them and trying to join in on whatever activities they are doing at the time.  Between

their countless laps chasing each other around the house, which seemed to be the activity

of choice, Owen got to play catch with Aiden and Grandpa,

Play kickball with Daddy,

 

Take time out to show us all his belly,

And take a turn on the big hit of the weekend...the Slip n' Slide.

Owen watched as his cousins each took a turn and I did my best to hold him back.

(notice him in the background)

 But once I gave him the green light, there was no stopping him.

 
 

 He loved it so much that Ryan decided to let him take his own belly ride down the slip n' slide.

 

 

 In fact, Ryan spent nearly an hour when it was just the two of them and Grandpa sliding Owen

down the Slip n' Slide, only to have him run back to him after each time asking Ryan to do it

again.  Needless to say, the fear of water has not been a problem for this little guy.  He loves

anything that has to do with being in, around, or playing in the water.

Owen was having so much fun that he didn't want to be held still for even a minute to attempt to

take a family picture.  So we opted for one of the ways we could guarantee a smile.

Sometimes pictures like this end up being more fun anyway.  

Then we figured it was a great time to get some sibling pictures since we were all together.

 Complete with a few Belly Bump pictures.  :)

 We are so lucky to have such a great family and had such a great time celebrating with everyone.  Thank you Mom and Larry for another great visit!!  And thank you Alex for giving

Marley the extra little lovin that she deserves.  Love you all!

Splash Pad Fun

Today we spent part of our 4th of July celebrating at one of Owen's favorite places...

The SPLASH PAD!!

 He has so much fun and honestly does not stop running the entire time we are there.  In fact,

if we didn't carry him out, I'm quite certain he would continue running until he exhausted

himself and fell over.  My favorite part is to see how absolutely fearless he is when it comes to

the water.  He walks up, feels out the water and then runs straight through the middle.

 

It was the perfect day to be outside playing in the water, and if you can't tell from his face,

Owen had a blast! 

 And what better way to end the afternoon, than a nice quiet ride on the Marathon Park train.

Owen wasn't too fond of sitting on the train waiting for it to start moving, but once

we got going he just sat back and relaxed.  A great start to our 4th of July weekend in Wausau.

Morning Routine

One of my favorite daily routines is my new morning walk ritual.  With the new baby on the

way, I've been trying to be good about getting out and exercising.  I realize I chase Owen

around all day, but I feel much better when I set aside a specific time to focus on myself and

the well being of baby #2.  While I was pregnant with Owen, I would walk before work every

day.  I decided that seemed like a good plan this time around too.

 

So every morning after Owen wakes up, we cuddle for a few minutes on the couch and

watch a show to help us ease into the day, we eat breakfast, then it's out the door for our

morning walk.  I walk between 2-3 miles each day before ending at our favorite tot lot

where Owen gets some well deserved play time.

 

It's the BEST in the early morning while it's still quiet and cool out.  We are typically the only

ones there, so I can sit on the bench and relax while Owen runs back and forth across the park,

up the stairs, down the slide, over and over and over again.  He's become very self sufficient

which makes it nice for me.  His favorite is when his friend Lucas joins us for our walk and park

routine.  It gives him someone other than his mama to keep him entertained. 

 

 Especially now that they are getting older and really interacting with each other.  

It makes it fun to watch the two of them talk back and forth and wonder what they are

thinking and if they really understand what the other is saying.

  

And the best part of the routine is that Owen gets himself nice and tired out so by the time we

get home he's ready to go down for a nice long morning nap.  It's a routine you just can't beat.  :)