Daily Owen: 8.31.2012

Spent the day at the new house including de-popcorning (is that even a word?!) the ceilings. Little guy looked like we felt when we made it home.

Daily Owen: 8.30.2013

More help for Mama and Poppy at the new house today!

Daily Owen: 8.29.2013

Today we took possession of our new house including meeting with the carpet guy also and interviewing a potential new nanny. We, of course, had a little helper along the way....

Daily Owen: 8.28.2013

We sat him on the chair for kicks and he started to dance. The kid loves to dance.

Daily Owen: 8.27.2013

Um, hi, when did you become a little boy?! 

Daily Owen: 8.26.2013

Whoops, mealtime turned bad after biting his finger (apparently hard). Yep, those little teeth are sharp dude! 

Daily Owen: 8.25.2013

Today we went to watch poppy play volleyball. He was great and Owen clapped for him every time. Too cute.

Daily Owen: 8.24.2013

Big stud sitting in the truck!

Month 11: Dear Owen,

Remember when you were so small and bunched up and you just cuddled on my chest? That was so awesome. Now you are long and lean and ELEVEN months old (actually, way over a year now (ahem, a week)).  Your mom is WAY behind the times right now. Enter: unexpected weekend of catch up.

Baby parade:

 

Days old: cuddly peanut.

 

1 month.

 

Two months.

 

Three months.

 

Four months.

 

Five months.

 

6 months.

 

7 months.

 

8 months.

 

 

9 months.

 

 

10 months.

Annnnnd.... ELEVEN! Happy to say little turtle, you were much happier about your 11 month shots than your ten month shots. Although, phew, trying to GET a shot was virtually impossible.

And, yep, that's about all we got until you were off. Onto bigger and better things. Hey, at least we got one decent one!

 

This month we celebrated your first fourth of July! We went on several walks around down town Kirkland preceding the holiday and introduced you to all things American.... including: sitting on a big cow decorated with garlands and flags (?!)

 

 

 

The actual day of the 4th, we decided to go on another walk to down town Kirkland to see the Kirkland 4th of July parade. This seemed like a great idea. UNTIL. We heard BOOMS. I thought uh-oh. You are a very sensitive little soul as I've mentioned before (hi, you are ALL.ME- apparently inside and out), and you do NOT like loud noises. You cry if we scold you by saying NO, you cry if there are sirens, you just are a sensitive little guy. We love you for it, but that meant that you were NOT A HAPPY CAMPER with the big pirate float. Not at all. In fact about 2.5 seconds after this picture, they boomed the float and you just lost it. Completely. Parent fail. The rest of our 4th was rather uneventful. Luckily, you slept through all the fireworks that night (we didn't go anywhere but could still hear some from home).

 

Speaking of walking: this is one thing we've also continued to do. Surprisingly, as much as you are on the move, you love to sit in the stroller on walks and suck on your squeeze-y packs. (Related: these things are possibly one of the best inventions EVER). I am not looking forward to the day where you don't like being restricted to a stoller anymore and veto all walks.

 

Oh yeah. And this. WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN? I mean, just two days ago, you were a lump not moving on the floor, right? Now you are climbing stairs? Huh?

 

Not only are you climbing stairs but you are pulling up and into EVERYTHING. We've always commented on how you are a very observant kid and seem to always be watching and trying to figure things out. Now that you are mobile, you are able to put that in to action. You see something, want to understand it  and next thing we know, the toilet paper is entirely off the roll and all over the floor.

...somehow you found my make a wish wand. I think it has been reclaimed as yours.

 

And of course, you love to "help" with laundry.

 

If by help, I mean throwing everything I put in to the basket out of the basket (I quickly learned not to fold in your presence).

 

You've also learned with cabinets are "Owen's cabinets" and you practice pulling things out of them on a daily basis. It is not uncommon to find our kitchen floor entirely covered by "toys" (IE: tupperware, bowls, etc).

 

...or breast pump supplies.

 

 

This month we also went to urgent care two weeks in a ROW. You had gotten what looked like a big bug bite on your leg but it wasn't going away. We thought it might be caused by a spider (which , by the way, damn you google for almost making me puke out of fear after I googled "spider bite on 11 month old"...I should know better).  Turned out you had a staph infection on your leg, possibly caused by some sort of bug bite.  I also had a similar infection but in my armit... a week later after yours (and mine was DISGUSTING). Needless to say you and I were a little worse for wear but you had fun playing with the latex gloves.  

 

It's also been hot, hot, hot this summer in Seattle. Possibly the best summer we've ever had here, or at least the best one I can remember in the 6.5 years I've lived here. I bought you a little pool and we've been spending some time in it. I think you like it. It's not quite Miss Connie's pool that you take swimming lessons in, but you still are quite fond of it.

You've also learned where sunglasses go, after seeing us put them on/off so much lately. Don't worry, it will be less confusing once we don't wear them at all for 9 months...

We continued to hike quite a bit this month. We took your brother on the granite peak hike and almost killed him. Apparently we need to ease him in a little bit better. Whoops.

 

You, however, love hiking. It might be partly due to the fact that you have a pretty sweet ride.

 

 

(Related: your poppy is pretty great).

 

 

We had an evening with your buds this month, Olivia and Griffin. It was so cute to watch all three of you now that you are all alert, mobile and interacting. It was also just slightly nuts with three kiddos running every which direction.

Couch shot with everyone debating which way to lunge off!

At the end of bathtime, you were DONE. It was 2 hours past your bedtime, we left (of course after the mean moms took a picture of all three of you having a meltdown) and you were out. Pretty cute.

 

 

 

We also had a couple of rough days due to two more teeth coming through, #7 and #8. There was one day (above) where you were just inconsolable. After some cuddles, teething tabs, and finally a teething biscuit, you calmed down and just looked at me with those big blues like "thank you for helping me." I felt so bad for your little mouth.

 

You've also continued to play and play and play (shocker there)....

 

 

and of course we still manage to get you to the gym but now we have to cage you! Otherwise, you are all over.

When we do let you out, you go straight for the big weights.

 

 

Ahhh, sleep. It's finally come to where I can (still) say you are sleeping pretty good. After having a non-sleeper for the first part of your life, this is pretty awesome. You sleep from about 6:30pm-5 or 6am and take two naps. Your naps are getting a little shorter (and are down from your previous three) but it's still a decent enough chunk of time. You still wake up 1-2 times a week during the middle of the night. I nurse you and you go right back to bed. I'm not sure that many people agree this is the "right" thing to do because their argument would be that you don't "need" to nurse, but I am of the belief that once you don't "need" to, you won't. It doesn't hurt either of us and if it is the comfort you need once or twice a week right now as you keep growing, it is a-ok with me.

 

It should be noted that in the above pictures, it was about 90 degrees oustide. With no air conditioning, this is HOT, but somehow you were napping with your blankey totally over your head. Funny boy.

 

 

Sometimes after sleeping, you have the cutest bed head. You totally look like your poppy in the above picture. Or at least your little mohawks look alike.

On to food: oh food. You love food. There is nothing that you won't eat. I'm not kidding. That's basically the whole of the story there.

 

You love to eat and you love to play when eating (you look like a drunken sailor, above, but really you are just playing right before we feed you). You're feeding yourself well and you eat great from us. When you're hungry, you hiccup, like you've always done. You eat 3 good meals a day and a few snacks. So far you really haven't had any meat but that's about the only thing that you haven't tried. You are pretty much a bottomless pit. It's incredible. You are still nursing too.

 

Oten times you will eat on something for quite a long time (case in point: the above piece of toast which you ate for the better part of an hour and a half).

 

 

You are such a good little boy. You love your poppy more than anything in this world. He's your best bud and source of endless entertaiment. He's also surprisingly the one who is "less soft" with you. He will not let you get away with as much as your mama.

 

I'm a close second to your favorite person, and I'm happy about that because I don't think it can solely be attributed to the fact that you just love me because I am your food source any more. Only partially.

 

We have lots of fun together too. Maybe your poppy and I are tied for your favorite people in the world.

 

You are communicating so much with us. You sign "all done" when you are done eating and when you want "up," you reach your arms up. You've also started to learn to point when there is something you want. We are working on plesae and thank you but aren't quite there yet. You wave, say "ah-da" (mama), da-da (poppy), and lots of words that I'm sure are perfectly intelligible in your own head. We know what you mean to say, but we might have to work on the pronounciations just a tiny bit to get you up to speed in communicating with the world on a broader level.

 

One of the best things that you've learned this month is the art of cuddling and "giving loves" (which you are doing above with undoubtedly your favorite thing in the world- your blankey). We say "can o-chee-o give kisses?" And you'll pucker up and give a kiss. It's usually a nice big frenchie (thanks, dude), but sometimes, if you're in too big of a hurry to get on to your next thing, you'll just sort of lean your head in and head butt us for a kiss. You'll give cuddles and lean in and even if it's only for .0005 seconds, it's your way of showing us that you know us, you're safe with us, and mostly, you love us. It's pretty much the sweetest thing ever. Whoever told me that I would become a melting pool of loving ooze once you actually SHOWED and exhibited that you understand this emotion- you know, the one where you are voluntarily showing you care for us- they were without a doubt, 110% right. It melts me everytime...and it will never get old. Please don't ever stop giving us loves and kisses (a mama can wish that you'll never become a teenager that says "yuck,mom!", right?)

 

Love,
Mama.