Baby Owen- 12 months!!

This will be my last monthly post!!! I'll probably do an update at 18 months or so.. but this is officially his last "baby" update. Sad.

Growing

-Weighs 21lbs (61%)

-Height 30.5" (77%

-Wears mostly 18 month clothes.. bottoms are still 12 months because he is still a bit on the little side. 

-Has two top and two bottom teeth!

-We measured him on the growth chart and he's well below where Austin was. My little piglet. I love it!

You can see "AJ" at 1 year is bit taller than "OK"

-He is hitting all his growth and development checks just wonderfully! He's pointing, clapping, waving, using a few signs (mostly "more") and giving high fives! He also gives big open-mouthed slobbery kisses which are the best!

-He has really started to "get" things and follows directions really well for how young he is. We say "bring a block to Momma!" and he will go get a block and bring it to me. He loves to bring things to people. He also follows directions to close doors, put his feet out to get shoes on, or leave things be (mostly). 

-He does NOT follow directions well when it comes to leaving Austin alone or being gentle with the animals. Like his brother, he gets over excited and his affection comes out in hitting, slapping, and pulling. We have to really watch him sometimes or he'll hurt Henry or bother Austin to the point of tears. I tell ya.. this one is a pest!!!! 

-He says "Mama" but doesn't have any other words. He makes this "gmmmm!" swallow kind of noise when he points to things. So he's trying to talk or say "what's that?" he just can't quite yet. He will point and go "gmmm?" at something then look at you with his big inquisitive eyes.. and it's the cutest thing. 

-He's a bit wobbly sometimes with his walking, but that hasn't stopped him from starting to run! And he does butt-up headstands, and climbs. Climbs EVERYTHING. And log rolls around. 

Eating

-We got the go-ahead to wean him off formula. So he gets whole milk in a sippy cup now, and bottles of half milk, half formula at school. Some days he drinks all his bottles at school, some days he doesn't touch them. So it's a process but I think we will be off formula completely in the next month. 

-He is still a great eater and is willing to try anything. Fruit is still a big favorite, so is meat, and hummus...beans, rice, crackers, quinoa, peppers... he seriously likes everything. 

-Getting him to sit in his highchair for meals though is tough. He instantly squirms and wants out, and has about a 5 minute tolerance level, even when he is hungry. He'd rather play and wander around while he's eating.. but that makes it hard for everyone else to eat since we usually have to follow him and watch him. 

-He really likes having a utensil when he eats.. and gets the concept of how to do it but isn't very accurate with it yet. He tries though! And he's definitely left-handed like Neal. Even if you hand him something and he grabs it with his right hand, he'll transfer it to his left before using it. 

Sleeping

-Owen has really turned into a great sleeper. He wakes at night just once and awhile... cries for a bit and then goes back down. It's usually because he's lost his pacifier and has to find it. 

-He is kind of transitioning to one nap a day. At home on the weekends, he still takes two naps. He is about to move full time into the Wobbler room at school (he visits some days right now) and there is one all-class naptime a day (after lunch) and then if a kiddo is acting really tired, then they can go down for another nap later. Well of course the new room and new toys and new friends and new adventures (going outside!!) are too exciting so Owen has only slept during the one all-class nap. So bedtime is a bit earlier and he's had a lot of cranky evenings from being so tired. Once he gets used to the new room and routine, hopefully he will either take one longer nap, or stop playing long enough to get an afternoon snooze in too.

-Mornings are my most favorite with him.. his sleepy face and tousled hair... and he's so sweet and wants to be held and cuddled. Then after 2 minutes.. it's GO TIME!! And the kid is off like a rocket. 

Playing

-Like I said.. this kiddo is left-handed I'm sure. He kicks balls around with just his left foot, he throws balls left-handed and he walks around with a little hockey stick trying to whack things.. left-handed. 

-He is the type of kid that needs to be involved. He wants to know what is going on, what's happening.. if Austin is doing something, he's right there trying to touch or grab or be involved somehow (much to Austin's annoyance). One morning Austin was apologizing for being mean to me (a common thing right now) and Owen had to be part of it. 

-He loves to play peek-a-boo and stick things on his head like hats. 

-He loves blocks and putting blocks and toys into things like baskets and buckets. He pushes cars and trucks along the floor (with his left hand) and likes his play piano. He will actually sit quietly for awhile just pounding away and playing us songs! 

-He is still very sensitive, and quick to get mad or upset if he doesn't get his way. The tantrums have begun!! He will lay down and flop his body (like a fish out of water) or log roll across the room while he cries and screams. 

-He also still has that naughty side. Trying to pack up while he was behind us, taking things out of boxes was interesting. He's into all the things he shouldn't be, all the time. We let him into the bathroom to play with the toilet paper on his birthday though! He was thrilled. 

There is our BoBo.. a whole year of cray wrapped up into one of the cutest bundles I ever did see!! 

Life Lately

It's been awhile since I've done a good old phone pictures dump on here.. obviously our summer has been busy and scattered with house selling and buying, but we've had some other fun things going on too.

-My relationship with Austin has been fluctuating lately. Maybe it was the arrival of Owen and how attached Owen is to me, maybe it's because he's a boy, maybe it's his age.. but some days.. well... he can be pretty mean to me. I've been told to go away, that he only wants Daddy, and that he doesn't like me. I try so hard to talk to him, play with him (even when I grit my teeth and play hockey), be affectionate with him, but he still very much prefers Neal over me right now. It's been tough. And I hope it's a phase.

-I've taken just Austin out for some "dates" to hopefully build our bond back.. ice cream for the win!

-We talk in the car everyday on our way to and from school. Play games, make jokes (so seriously.. why doesn't the kid like me????) and Austin likes to go through this book and describe the animals and have me guess what they are. He says every single one has a "long sticky tongue" though.

-And then there is moving... Ugh. You know the saying that things have to get worse before they get better? That's how I feel about moving. You have to pull out every single thing you own. make huge messy piles and then can finally sort it and organize it and make sense of it.

We downsized our mugs. How does a family where only 2 people use mugs.. have this many mugs??

Ugh.

-The day our offer on our new house was accepted... we allowed ourselves to get excited and took some pictures in front our our townhouse as a "goodbye townhouse!' salute.

Attempt #1- oh shoot, Owen is pretty hidden

Attempt #2- Really? that's my smile? Obviously Austin is like "WTF Mom?" about that.. and Owen helped Neal with something stuck in his teeth

Attempt #3- Owen is obsessed with his brother.. and his brother is a bit weird

Attempt #4- Good enough! 

-And we had a few more ice cream outings.. this was actually frozen yogurt but we told him it was ice cream because he "doesn't yike yogurt!!" he had a blast picking out toppings.. other than trying to reach into the toppings bar with his hand!

-The amount Austin has "grown up" this summer is incredible. I swear he is more and more a "kid" everyday. He wants to pour his own milk now, and for the most part does a good job. He's very capable, and independent. Most of our struggles with him are over him thinking he can do something, even if it's dangerous or out of his abilities.. and he won't believe us when we tell him so. This is going to be the kid that grows up to be a man who goes "oh, you don't think I can climb that mountain?? Well, watch me!"

-He is also very into what is "proper" and what is "right" and is a little bit anal in that way. His bedding has to be straight, facing the right way.. things like that. They must also work on this at school too because one Saturday after lunch I look over and he set his silverware out just perfectly.

And if you didn't believe me that WhoZoo the mouse (remember the one from IKEA that was $1??) goes everywhere with him.. well here ya go. He left WhoZoo to clean up the remains of his PB&J

-Along with the challenges we've had with Austin.. we've had some challenges with the whole sibling dynamic. Trying to teach a 3 year old to be kind to a little brother who is getting into his stuff, touching him, pulling his hair, stealing his food.. is tough. I get it.. I wouldn't want to be bothered like that either. So we swing from "Austin, just let Owen check out that car. He just wants to look.. .be kind please" to "Owen! Just leave Austin be. Come over here. Stop touching him." Sigh. But sometimes they get along.... like when Owen is stuck in his highchair and they are both doing the "waffles for breakfast" happy dance.

-Neal has been really awesome this summer with all the house hunting and moving and phone calls and errands involved in this big life change. One day he had to come to my work to get signed papers for our mortgage company and it was a day he had Austin home with him. So Austin got to charm everyone in my office and get some 'work' done!

Project 857- August 8

We had our first of Owen's birthday celebrations on this Saturday!

Since our house is a wreck from the process of moving, we went down to my parent's house and had a party with my side of the family and our dear friends Adam and Valerie and their two boys.

We had a big BBQ lunch and yard games and the pool set up for the boys.

Someone was happy to party!!

Goofing off with Great Gramma on the patio swing

He was instantly interested in his cupcake!

Those handsome boys... 

"Lady, come on! Quit fooling around and gimme the cake!"

Austin was obsessed with the candle because it had frosting on it. "Guys, can I eat dis???"

It didn't take long for Owen to figure out that cake tastes yummy!!!! Child of my heart...

We had to pretty much hose him off after the cake... then it was time for presents!! Austin decided to be the Present Police and hover over Owen... telling him how to open things, to open things faster, to do it better, do it different... he's such a little bossy pants sometimes.

Here is my large white leg. Sorry 'bout that.

Here is Austin going "oh what's this? oh blocks!"

Here is Austin taking Owen's new truck from me because he HAD to check it out

Here is me making a really weird face

Here is Austin scrutinizing how Owen is opening his present

And here is Austin hovering over Owen

And here is Austin bossing Owen around about how to open his presents

And here is Owen delighted with his new block train set!

After presents (I thought Austin was going to start twitching from the strain of controling himself) we went back outside to swim and burn off those cake calories!

The boys did a good job of that, needless to say.

That tree looked mighty dangerous.. good thing our sword-wielding hero was around!

Austin and Bryson were so cute together.. they are only about 8 months apart and the sat and had a little kid conversation with each other.

My Dad demonstrated how we all felt by the end of the party.

Later we left two exhausted little boys to be put to bed by Gramma and Neal and I got to go to a movie!!! Such a rare treat. We saw Jurassic World and it was amazing!