And Baby Makes 3

Yes, I am still alive:)

2011-10-02T17:20:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't blogged in forever!!! So, I thought I would just do a quick update on what's going on with Owen and in our lives.
Oh, my sweet Owen. He will be turning 3 at the end of this month! How is that even possible? I am in the process of planning his birthday party. It is going to be at one of his favorite places, Jump Planet. I am really looking forward to it, and hope that it is a success.
Owen is now potty trained! He still wears a pull up at night, but has not worn a diaper during the day in over 3 weeks. It is awesome! We took our time with the potty training, and it took about 2 months, but we went really slow. And when we finally went full time with it he was more than ready.
He is now in his second year of the toddler program at Marysville Cooperative Preschool. He is doing wonderfully. I am serving on the board this year as a toddler co-chair. It is a lot of extra work, but I like being involved. Owen is also still attending Little Gym classes. He is currently in a Super Beasts class, but will likely go up to the next level after his birthday. When that happens he will be going by himself while I wait in the lobby. Yikes! I am scared, but his teacher thinks that he is ready.
He has changed so much lately. He is seeming so much more like a little boy, and far less babyish. He is roughly 31 lbs, & 36" by my estimate. We will know more when he has his 3 year checkup. And he is talking up a STORM! I knew it would happen eventually, and boy oh boy was I right. The kid never shuts up! He is always singing or telling me some story. I swear he says his abc's a million times a day. But I love it:)
As far as Ramond and I go, things are pretty much the same. We had a crazy summer, with Ramond being home very little due to work. Things are finally starting to settle down a bit now. We are starting to make some decisions regarding our future. We had always planned to make WA a temporary move, and while it still may be, we have decided to start looking at buying a house. We are meeting with a realtor on Wed. We aren't in a huge hurry, but want to see what's out there.
My work is going well. I didn't work much at all this summer, due to Ramond working so much and our census being incredibly low, but am now getting back into it a bit. It's nice to talk to adults, and love on those sweet babies. And I love coming home to my boys, and nothing is better than when Owen runs up to me, hugs and kisses me, and tells me he missed me. Melt. My. Heart.
We have also booked a trip to HAWAII!!! I am so excited. I have wanted to go there forever and I finally talked Ramond into it. We are going for a week in December and I cannot wait.
Really, that's all that is new. Maybe I won't go so long before the next update. Maybe;)

Owen:

2011-03-07T21:41:00.001-08:00

Forward Facing

2011-01-04T15:34:00.000-08:00

So, I finally made the decision to place Owen forward facing in his carseat. What happened was on 12/27 I was getting ready to go run some errands. I put Owen in his carseat, got in my seat, and my battery was dead:( And not by my doing. Ramond had drove my car last. So, if I wanted to run my errands I had to take R's car. I had ordered another carseat for our upcoming trip to NC/FL that we plan to use as a backup seat in R's car. So, I decided to go ahead and install it. And I also decided to do it forward facing. I was so nervous on that first drive! It was so weird! And then today he went ff'ing in my car too. I am happy that we made it to 2 years and 2 months rf. But is makes him seem even that more grown up.

2010 Christmas Card

2010-12-06T21:56:00.001-08:00

Our weekend

2010-12-05T20:44:00.000-08:00

This may be the most boring post ever, because that's just what our weekend was. Boring.

Friday Owen and I met Tracy, Max, Vicky, & Daniel at Bob's Burgers in Everett for dinner. I had never been there before and it was just ok. After that we took the boys to see Tangled. I was pretty nervous about this, because last time I took Owen to a movie, we made it about an hour into it and then had to leave. But he did great! All the boy's did. They sat some, stood up some, traded chairs & laps from time to time, but were wonderful. We were able to watch the whole movie, which I think is a major accomplishment with 3 2 year old boys! Gives me hope:) And the movie was super cute too!

And then Saturday and Sunday Owen and I haven't gone anywhere. That's right. Nowhere. Ramond has been in SC at Fire Safety Training School since last Sunday. He won't be home until the 11th (miss him!). So, O and I just bummed out, watched a lot of movies and relaxed. It has been nice, but I think we are both getting a bit of cabin fever, so we are doing something tomorrow. Not sure what, besides dinner at Vicky's tomorrow night. Maybe some more Christmas shopping:)

On a side note, Ramond had an interview last Friday for a FS position in TN. We both think this could be a very good opportunity for our family. So, if anyone reads this, please put in a prayer for us. We hope to find out about it in the next couple of weeks.

Dentist:(

2010-12-04T20:35:00.000-08:00

Owen had his second dentist appt on November 7th, and boy was it a doosie. He had his first visit at 16 months, and I thought that was bad, but this was way worse. Probably because he has so many more teeth, and it took a little longer. He loves the large train table in their waiting room, which is great. But that made him already mad when it was time to go back, because that meant he had to walk away from it. Then we did the same type of visit as last time. He sat in my lap, leaned back into Dr. Lugo's lap while he examined his teeth. He said they looked great. He did have a tiny amount of plaque built up which was cleaned off. And then a fluoride treatment, and we were done. But seriously, he was screaming the entire time. It felt like we were torturing him. No. Fun. At. All. The dentist said it won't get better for several years, which is exactly what I didn't want to hear. But oh, well. You gotta do, what you gotta do. He'll thank me one day. Right?

Halloween

2010-12-04T20:25:00.000-08:00

Oh, my, goodness. Halloween was so much fun this year! Owen really got into it. Now, he wasn't a huge fan of his costume. Ramond picked it out, and it was a devil. Complete with red outfit with tail, black cape, and red hat with horns. Well, the hat was a no go. We started out about a week before having him wear the costume for short amounts of time to get used to it. But by the time Halloween got here it was about the same. He was willing to wear the main part, but no hat, and no cape. Oh well. Ramond tried to draw on some horns with face paint. They looked like black blobs to me but, he sure was proud of his artistry.

So, then the we took Owen trick or treating. It was pretty chilly that night. We took our wagon so we could pull Owen around between houses. At first we pretty much had to hold his hand, walk him to the door, and do everything. But after several houses, (and learning that this all led to candy), he would jump out of the wagon, run to the house, and knock on the door. SO CUTE! And we had so many people tell us how adorable he was. As if we didn't know;)

We tried to get some pictures, but you know how that goes. This is about as good as we got.

2 year check-up

2010-12-04T20:10:00.000-08:00

Owen's 2 year check-up was on 10/29/10. Ramond was off work that day, which was nice because he was able to go with me. I knew Owen would be getting shots which is no fun. The appointment was pretty rough. Owen hates it there. He cries from the minute we get in the room and he has to take his clothes off. They tried to weigh him on the standing scale but he was having none of it. Kept going limp and hanging so we couldn't weigh him. So, the nurse decided to just weigh and measure him on the baby scale. His new stats are:

Height: 33.75" (32%)

Weight: 26 lbs 6 oz (29%)

Head Circumference: 51 cm (95%)

So, he is growing, slowly but surely. Since his 1 year appt he has grown 4 1/4 inches, and gained 4 lbs 2 oz. Doesn't really sound like much, but he is right on track for him. On the other hand his head has only grown 1.5 cm, so maybe that is slowing down just a bit! Maybe?????

I had some concerns about Owen not talking about, but his dr. reassured me that he is perfect. She asked it he could say at least 20 words and he can say way more than that which made me feel better. Then is was time for shots. Owen is behind on a couple because I had decided to delay them, plus I had decided to get him the flu this year. But, I stuck with my rule of only 2 shots at a time, so this time it was flu #1, and his last DTAP. We have to go back a month later and get flu #2, and Hep A #2, and one month after that I will finally get him his MMR. That's the one that scares me and I have been putting it off.

Anyway, we got him ready to get his 2 shots. I gave him a sucker, but I still had to hold him down. It was terrible. As soon as she was done he saying, "Bye. I go bye." Poor kiddo. We took him to get a milkshake after that. And he did great. Never had any reaction to the shots. He's a trooper.

Owen's actual birthday 10/27/10

2010-12-04T19:51:00.000-08:00

Well, on Owen's actual birthday, which fell on a Wednesday, Ramond was scheduled to be out of town at work and there was no way around it. Since it was only in Wenatchee, WA, a few hours away we decided that I would drive Owen and I down to spend it with him there. After his Little Gym class that morning we came home, I packed us up, we dropped Molly off at her kennel and we headed out. I tried to plan it around naptime, and it worked out great. He slept almost the whole way there. When we got there we met Ramond, got our stuff unloaded in the room, and then went downstairs to the lobby. This hotel had free food and drinks in the evenings (as well as breakfast) This ended up being a lifesaver with Owen, because we were able to get him snacks, milk, yogurt etc. And we had a mini fridge in our room that we would put extra in. And the milk and yogurt were in a small fridge that Owen could get into himself, which just tickled him to death. He loves being independent.

That first night we went to dinner at Applebees. As usual, I thought it was just mediocre at best. Ramond really likes their happy hour, but since I don't drink, and am not really fond of any of their appetizers, it is just ok for me. After that we went back and went in the pool and hot tub which O loved. We thought the hot tub would be too hot for him, but he loved it and we couldn't keep him out of it. He has always liked his baths pretty warm so we shouldn't have been too surprised. After that, it was bedtime.

The next morning was Owen's birthday!!! We woke up and took him to breakfast downstairs. Then we went back up to our room, and opened all his presents that I had brought with us. He got so much stuff. We got him a keyboard, a Thomas shake-n-go, a Mater shake-n-go, some cars books, a take apart car, a remote control car, and waiting at home for him was a train table, but there was no way I was bringing that with us;)

Ramond still had some work to do that day, so while he was gone Owen and I went swimming again. I had brought him float so he was able to sit in it, and float around. And we did some more time in the hot tub. It was nice because we were the only ones at the pool both times we went. After pool time, it was time for nap. After Owen woke up we got dressed and by that time Ramond called and said he was on his way back. We decided to go out to dinner that night with a couple of his co-workers. We went to Red Robin. O got a balloon, a sundae, and the waiters sang to him. It was sweet.

After that we went back to the room, and just relaxed. The next morning after Ramond went to work his last day, I took Owen down to breakfast. We came back and hung out a little while I got our stuff together, and then we hit the road to come home. All in all it was a great little birthday trip for him. I still can't believe he is 2! He is so amazing, and honestly gets better and better everyday!

Here are a few pics of him opening presents in the hotel room:

Better late than never

2010-12-04T19:19:00.000-08:00

Man, I am really getting bad at this huh. I haven't been blogging regularly in forever, and you know what? I want to change that. I was looking on here at all the posts I have made since I started this and while they were not everyday then either, they were much more frequent than now. And I love going back and looking at what was going on at the time, and seeing pics of Owen. So, I am really going to try. I promise:)

So, where do I even begin to catch up? I guess with Owen's second birthday! We had his party on October 24th, the Sunday afternoon before his actually birthday. I had rented the Jennings Park Memorial Barn. It ended up raining that day, but that's ok, we still had fun!

We did a Cars theme because that is one of Owen's favorites. We had streamers, and balloons, and I ordered him a banner again this year. It was all really cute. We invited several of his little friends and their families. I think we had 7 other 2 year old boys show up. I didn't really schedule any activities. We just let them run around, play, and eat. Ramond had thought to bring O's basketball goal and several balls so that was a hit. And one of the other mommy's brought a couple bubble blowers and they enjoyed that.

As far as food goes, we had pizza, veggie tray, fruit tray, meat & cheese tray, chips, dips, soda, juice boxes for the kids, and of course CAKE!!! I went way overboard on the food and ended up having a lot left over. We ate on it for days.

Owen had a great time playing with all his friends. Towards the end of the party they all got to play outside on the playground. It was wet but not raining, but they didn't care a bit. We didn't open presents at the party. I knew it would be next to impossible to get 8 2 year old toddler boys to sit still for that, so we opted to take them home and Owen opened them that night.

All in all it went very well. I try so hard to make these birthdays special for Owen. I really want him to grow up with wonderful memories. And here are some pics of his day:

His invitation

These are just the balloons I took home. I sent a bunch home with the other kids.

eating cake

the actual Cars cake (he loved the toppers)

daddy carrying in the cake

I didn't get near as many pictures as I would have liked. I was SO busy. I have already decided, next year we are having his party somewhere where all I have to d is show up:)

Happy 2nd Birthday Owen!

2010-10-27T16:08:00.001-07:00

I will do a more detailed post with pictures later this week, but I wanted to tell my sweet Owen Happy Birthday! He turned 2 today! Seems so crazy that he is 2 years old! We had a party for him last Sunday with all his little friends. And yesterday he and I drove down to Wenatchee to be with Ramond for his actual birthday today. We have so far spent the day eating, swimming, watching cartoons, opening presents, and napping. About to head out and do some shopping and then dinner later tonight, probably followed by more swimming!

Happy Birthday Owen! You are your our greatest blessing, and we are so thankful for you!

Owen's Birthday Party

2010-09-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

Owen's 2nd birthday party is one month from today and I am getting so excited! I love planning it. We decided on a Disney Cars theme since Lightning McQueen is O's fave. I have got most of the decorations, ordered the cake, booked a location, and got most of the stuff for the goody bags. I have decided we are just going to order pizza. It just seems easiest. I need to place the balloon order, that way they are ready for pickup that morning. But it is all really coming together. I sent out invitations last night. They are so cute! I really hope he likes his party. I can't believe he is almost 2!!!

Swim Lessons

2010-09-18T12:23:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to sign Owen up for swim lessons forever, but it just didn't work with our schedule. Well, we finally had our first lesson this morning. Owen LOVED it. We got there and got changed into our suits, and still had about 10 minutes before our class started. Owen couldn't wait to get in the water. They don't really do a lot of teaching in this class. Just sing songs and play, but that is fine by him. He just wanted to play with all of the toys. The teacher did ask me if he had ever taken classes before. When I told her no, she commented on how comfortable he was in the water. I really credit that to our time at Lake Chelan, where we practically lived in the pool!

New pics

2010-09-17T21:46:00.001-07:00

Preschool

2010-09-16T19:19:00.001-07:00

Today was Owen's first day of toddler preschool. He LOVED it! I put him to bed early last night, and he woke up in a great mood. I tried to get some pictures of him this morning before we left, but they weren't very good. Trying to get a decent picture of that child is next to impossible! The preschool is literally around the corner, but I drove today. We get there and he goes right in, completely comfortable. Today they pretty much let the kids play the whole time we were there. No parent education today. They did do opening & closing circle, which Owen is not into at all. That is going to take some work to get him to sit still for it. They had snack, and it was cheese crackers, apples, and cheese cubes. Owen was in heaven with the cheese. He kept saying, "Cheese? Please? Bowl?":) That was when he wasn't trying to help himself. He did so good. They got to play outside too. When we came home we had lunch, and both took a long nap together:) I think preschool is going to be a really good thing for him.

2010-09-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

Circus Fail:(

2010-08-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

I took Owen to the circus tonight. Or at least I tried. I bought these tickets forever ago. I knew Ramond would be out of town, but I figured the little man and I would have a date night. It was quite a bit of work getting parked, walking into the arena, and finding our seats. They were awesome! 2nd row, right in the middle. And Owen was doing good in the beginning. He saw elephants and was so excited. Kept waving hi to them. But as the show went on he got more and more restless. I tried snacks and toys, but what he really wanted was to get down and walk around, which wasn't an option. He was squirming all over my lap and whining/screaming. We made it about 50 minutes in when I finally gave up. We left, which again was a pain because I was in the middle of the row and had to make everyone get up. As we were walking out Owen is yelling, "Bye! I go!". So, needless to say, no more shows for us for a while:(

22 months

2010-08-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

Owen turned 22 months yesterday. Only 2 more until the big 2 years old!!! And how did we spend his 22 month birthday? At home, because the little guy has been sick as a dog. Tuesday night he came down with a fever and really didn't get any sleep, and neither did I as a result. He seemed to be better by Thursday morning. The fever was gone, and he was happy again. But, when he woke up from nap he was burning up & I could tell he was not feeling well at all. That night there was vomiting, diarrhea, and fevers of 103. Yuck! Of course, Ramond is in NC so I am completely on my own during all of this. But thankfully, he seems better now. No fever, and happy again. I even took him to the park today so he could get some fresh air. And tomorrow we go to the circus!!! I am so excited to see his reaction to it all!

smiling though the sickness:)

I know, I know:(

2010-08-16T14:51:00.000-07:00

So, what in the world has happened to me?!? I used to be so good about blogging (not really, but at least better than I am now). I just looked and saw that it has been almost 3 months since my last post?!? WTH? Really, there are no excuses. I can only promise to try and be better form here on out.

So, what's new in my world? Not much really. Owen is now 21 months old, and still wonderful as ever. He is still pretty small at I am guessing 25.5 lbs, and 32". This is what I measured him at, but he was being less than cooperative. So, he growing, just still slowly. And I would be lying if I said I didn't love it:) He is running around, climbing on everything, and his speech is improving everyday. He is still not a huge talker, but says probably a few dozen words, and can put 2-3 words together. I do worry about his speech being a little behind, but after talking with some of my co-workers about their sons, I am starting to realize he is doing just wonderfully. I think as moms, we just worry.

What else? He is still sleeping with us. Ramond and I have decided to not really push the issue until he is a little older and we can talk to him about it and he understands. And really, it's not bad. We all get good sleep. Thank God for a king sized bed!

I recently decided to switch him to cloth diapers. I know he is almost 2 and may potty train soon, but I am so tired of buying and throwing away diapers. And I have built up a decent stash of cloth that I plan to use with my future children. I started putting them on him on Friday, and I have to say that I love it!!! I was so intimidated by cloth, but it is so much easier than I thought! I still have about 1.5 boxes of Huggies Little Movers, and about 3/4 a box of Huggies overnights, but once those are gone no more for me! Right now we are doing cloth and disposable.

I am in the process of planning Owen's 2nd birthday party. I have a date picked and a place booked, but that is it. Oh, and we are getting our family pictures done in a couple of weeks and plan to use those for his invitation as well.

Ramond, Owen, and I all went to Lake Chelan, WA a few weeks ago for a mini vacay. It was amazing. 4 days of hot weather, relaxing by the pool, just the 3 of us was exactly what we needed. We went to celebrate our 8 year anniversary (7/25) and Ramond's 30th birthday (7/29). We had so much fun! We stayed in a place called the Grandview. Our room opened right our onto a deck overlooking the lake, and we were about 15 feet from the outdoor heated pool. Owen became such a water baby! He would drag his little floatie over to the door to the pool wanting to go in:) We rented a boat and went tubing. It was my first time doing it, but will definitely not be the last. We even let Owen go on the tube with Ramond, while I drove the boat. don't worry, I went slow, and they both had life jackets on.

After seeing how much Owen loved the water I have decided to sign him up for swim lessons. We start next month. He also starts at the toddler co-op preschool too!!! Yep, my baby is going to school. Granted it is only 1 day a week, for 1.5 hours, and I go with him, but it's still school! I am so excited. It is in my neighborhood, so we can walk to it as long as the weather is nice.

He is still attending Little Gym. That place is so great. Owen has been going since he was 7 or 8 months old, and he just loves it. I really think it has been good for him too. I remember when he first started, he was this tiny, chubby baby, who crawled around, and wouldn't leave my side. Now, when they say it is time for class he goes in by himself, and for the next 45 minutes he is a wild man. Just this last week he was hanging from the uneven bars like a little monkey. Love that boy!

I know this has been a completely random post (not that anyone reads it anyway), but I had a lot of catching up to do. And without further ado, here is the little man himself!!!

not a great pic, but on the boat in Chelan

19 months

2010-05-27T17:12:00.001-07:00

Happy 19 months to the sweetest son a mommy could ask for.

18 month pictures

2010-05-26T00:17:00.001-07:00

Fun with my little man

2010-05-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

Owen and I have been having such a good time together this week. The weather has been so beautiful here in WA, and we are taking full advantage of it. Ramond is in NC for his annual May fishing trip. He left Monday and will be back Saturday night. Monday, Owen and I had to get up super early to take Ramond to the airport, so we spent the rest of the day kind of lounging around. Then, Tuesday, we got up and went to Pump it Up for the 9am drop in playtime. It is a place full of large, inflatable bouncy houses, and slides. Owen LOVES it! We tried it once before and went to the 10:30 session and it was pretty crowded. So, I decided to try the earlier time, and I am so glad that I did. There were only 4 kids there, including Owen. He had such a blast.
Today, we met several other mommy's and their kids at the Woodland Park Zoo. We went last year, but Owen was far too young to enjoy it. This year was much better. It was a gorgeous sunny day. I took my stroller for him to ride in, but once he got a taste of Ashton's wagon, he wanted nothing to do with it. He either wanted to ride in the wagon or walk. Needless to say, we will be buying a wagon very soon. He is having quite the independent streak. We are definitely headed towards the terrible 2's. After we had lunch we headed home. Owen fell asleep in the car and continued to sleep once he got home. He had a 3.5 hr nap total! WOW!!!
While we were out his new potty was delivered. I set it up while he was napping, and when he woke up I sat him on it without his diaper. And he peed in it!!! Yay! I think we are far away from even getting really serious about potty training, but it's a step in the right direction.

18 month checkup

2010-04-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

Owen had his 15 month checkup this morning. It was pretty uneventful which is good. He was due for a couple of shots, but I decided to delay them. He has a cold right now, and I want him good & healthy before I put anything in his little body. We'll go back once he is well and get him caught up. His measurements were:

Weight: 23lbs 15oz (24%)

Height: 31.5" (27%)

Head Circumference: 49.5 cm (90%)

So, he dropped a couple of percentage points in all three areas, but not bad at all. He gained 1lb & 1oz, and grew 1 inch since his 15 month appt. He is definitely on the smaller side, but I love it!

Owen is hitting all of his milestones the way he should be. She did a quick physical exam of him too. He did not appreciate it at all. He definitely is at that age where he recognizes the doctors office. He got quite upset, so I broke out my emergency lollipop;) She listened to him and checked out his mouth and ears. Did you know that he has never had 1 ear infection!!! Not even 1!!! Yay for that. Ramond had tubes as a child, so we are very grateful that Owen has good ears.

So, what is Mr. Owen Carter Huffman up to these days???

1. He is into everything. He has now discovered how to climb on everything. I have found him more than once on the dining room table/ computer desk.

2. He has 12 teeth!!! At 15 months he still only had 4. He sprouted the nest 8 in a span on about 6 weeks. It was rough to say the least.

3. He hates having his teeth brushed still. For some reason he is better when Ramond does them, and I am more than happy to hand off that task.

4. He has graduated to a size 4 diaper. Clothing really varies. Everything I am buying now is 18 months, and a little on the big side. He still wears a lot of his 12 month stuff too. His shoe size is 5/6. And he LOVES shoes!

5. Yes, we are still co-sleeping. He sleeps well in his crib for naps, but with us at night.

6. He still eats very well. He loves fruit, yogurt, cheese, & bread.

7. I stopped nursing him a little after he turned 15 months. And we took the pacifier away at about 17 months. He did very well with both.

8. He is learning new words all the time. And even if he doesn't know the word for something he still knows how to get his point across.

Ramond and I both agree that this is a very fun age. Owen is just a great kid, and a joy to be around. He is generally happy all the time. We took him to a cookout last weekend and people were amazed at how well he listened to us. Don't get me wrong. We have our moments, and he definitely pushes limits sometimes, but overall he is pretty easy. I sure love that boy.

Happy 18 months Owen!!!

2010-04-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

Today my sweet baby boy is 18 months old! 1 1/2!!! Unfortunately, he has a touch of a cold so we have spent the day at home. But I did go and get him a blizzard from Dairy Queen as a special treat. This Thursday we have his checkup so I will do an update post then!

March for Babies

2010-04-19T14:39:00.001-07:00

On April 24th Owen and I will be walking in the March for Babies. As as RN in the NICU, I have seen just how far we have come in the care for premature infants, and I know that the March of Dimes plays a huge role in this. If you can give any, no matter how little, rest assured that it is going to a great cause. http://www.marchforbabies.org/melissahuffman Thanks!

Ok... I'm a bad mom

2010-03-08T17:09:00.000-08:00

I am a bad mom in the sense that I have not written on here in FOREVER!!! No real excuses other than pure laziness. We are all doing well. Owen is growing and changing everyday. Not really growing too much as far as physically, but seems to be growing up too fast for my liking. So, what else is going on?...
We have both been working a lot more. Which is good, but means less family time. A couple of weeks ago we decided to head to the Great Wolf Lodge for 2 nights. I think Owen is still a bit young for this place, but we had a good time anyway. We had some trouble with our room door the first day, so ended up having to switch rooms, (which they upgraded). We played at the waterpark, the arcade, watched movies, ate lots of food, etc. I don't really have any good pics though unfortunately. I took a waterproof one in the park with us, but they all turned out really dark.
The weather here had been so nice! Owen and I have been taking advantage of it and going on walks and to the park. Today he has a slight cough though, so I hope we didn't overdo it.
Owen is becoming more and more of a little boy everyday. His vocabulary is growing and growing. He amazes us with how smart he is. He says over 10 words now, but understands everything that I say to him. He is such a talker! He is a great kid, and is rarely upset. I think he is trying to transition to 1 nap a day again. He tried it around his birthday, and it didn't go so well. This time seems to be better.
We finally stopped nursing about a month ago. He was down to just before bed, and really only using it for comfort. I decided to see how it would go if we quit, and he did awesome. He has started liking his paci more though. But I only let him have it in bed.
He has almost 9 teeth now!!! He went from having the front 4 only, to sprouting all these teeth. They are coming in very randomly. He has the front 4, 3 molars, and 2 eye teeth. Many of those are barely poking through though. He went to the dentist for the first time on March 1st. Although he didn't care for his looking in his mouth, it went better than I would have ever thought. He still doesn't like me brushing his teeth, but we are working on it.
I am sure there is a ton more to write about, but I am going to wrap this up. I'll try to not go so long next time!!!

15 month checkup

2010-01-29T15:00:00.000-08:00

We went for our 15 month checkup this morning. It went okay. Owen is perfect, it was just that we saw a Dr I didn't really care for. Our regular Dr (who I also am not a huge fan of, but like better than this lady) was out of town. We got there and after filling out his paperwork, (which included an autism check kind of thing, that he scrord perfect on!) they took us back. First thing was measurements of course. She wanted to weigh and measure Owen on the big kid scale for the first time so I went with it, although I asked her to weigh him on the baby scale as well, since I was kind of concerned about his weight gain. She also measured him at an inch taller than I did at home, but that is neither here nor there. His actual stats are: 22 lbs 14 oz (26%), 30.5" (31%), and his head was 49.5cm (96%). So, he is my living, breathing bobble head doll! He dropped again in both of his weight and height percentiles again, but they assure me that is fine. He grew 1 inch and gained 10 oz in 3 months. Not much, but they assure me that is normal with toddlers. Other than that he is wonderful. She checked him all over, and attempted to look in his mouth which is always a fight. I have to sit him in my lap, hold his arms down with one arm, and hold his head still with my other arm. And the whole time he flipped out and tried to stand up on my lap! She said she got a good look. She reccomended a flouride treatment since Owen hates to have his teeth brushed. I do brush his teeth 1-2 times a day, but it is not easy. So, they brushed this flouride liquid stuff on his teeth (all 4 of them!). He hated it of course. then came the shots. I stuck to my no more than 2 at a time rule. And I asked that they be given in the leg instead of doing the arm like last time. It took him a long time to calm down after the shots. I think he was just exhausted. He fell asleep on the way home and took a 3 hour nap once we got here.

So what is Mr. Owen Carter Huffman up to new since 12 months???

1. He is now running all over, and he is FAST!

2. He still only has 4 teeth, but he looks like he is about to get several more, including his molars soon.

3. He is still in a size 3 diaper. He wears a size 4 at night.

4. He wears mostly 12-18 month clothing. The pants are big in the waist so I am constantly pulling them up, but he needs them for length. he wears a size 5 shoe, but refuses to wear anything with a hard sole. So, he wears a 12-18 month pediped shoe.

5. He still sleeps with me, and I love it;)

6. He eats great. Some of his favorites are pasta, grapes, mandarin oranges, yogurt, and blueberry muffins.

7. He is almost weaned from nursing, but still gets it before bed most nights.

8. He has learned how to spit, and it drives me NUTS! He will take a drink and spit it all out, and all over him.

9. We are entering the land of the tantrum. For the most part he is really good, but he does have moments where he has thrown himself in the floor.

10. He is into everything. My living room is a disaster more often than not. We call him Destruct-O!

Here are a few pics from him at the Dr this morning. Definitely before he got his shots.

In the waiting room

Playing with my chapstick

Checking stuff out

What?!? A Shot?!?

Happy 15 months.... a day late:(

2010-01-28T09:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Owen turned 15 months. I unfortunately had to work all day. So, I am a little late. We have his well child check up in the morning so I will do a longer post, with all his new stats. I am always curious to see his growth. And of course there will be shots:( We are busy busy this morning. Eating breakfast, then off to get ready to go to Little Gym. We missed last week because Owen had a cold. And he needs to run off some energy bad.

Happy New Year 2010!!!

2010-01-01T17:30:00.000-08:00

We had a typical New Year's Eve for us. We have never been big on going out, and last night was no exception. Ramond worked until about 11:30pm, and made it home just in time for midnight. Owen and I just kind of hung out. And there is no one I would rather ring in the new year with than my baby boy. 2009 was a great year for us, and I am hoping that 2010 will be even better. I hope that we finally get to move back closer to home. That would be huge for us. As far as resolutions, for me I would have to say I want to just be the best wife & mother that I can be. I want to get healthier too. I hope that you all had a wonderful New Year's Eve, and may 2010 be all that you wish it to be.

Static

2009-12-26T15:53:00.001-08:00

So, Owen loves sitting in his daddy's recliner, and it makes his hair stand straight up with all of the static. The other morning we got some pictures of it.

Christmas Morning

2009-12-26T15:46:00.000-08:00

helping daddy put together his farm

already loving his chair (always with my cell phone:)

still sleepy

more haircut pictures

2009-12-26T15:41:00.000-08:00

My BIG boy!

Random

2009-12-26T13:47:00.001-08:00

I haven't blogged in a while, so this may be a little all over the place. So, forgive me in advance. We took Owen to see Santa last week. He did great! Not one tear. Not really much of a smile either, but I'll take it! He was more curious about him. Kept wanting to stare at Santa instead of the camera.

I have actually been working quite a bit, so it has been difficult to get everything done. I didn't realize how good I had it! I am still only planning on working part-time hours at the most. But considering you could probably count on one hand the number of days I had worked since I had Owen, that is quite an increase! I am actually enjoying it though. It gives me some adult interaction, and I had almost forgotten just how much I love what I do.
On Christmas eve we took Owen to get his first professional haircut. Now, Ramond has cut his hair since Owen was tiny, and that has been probably about 5 times or so. But, it needed a little tlc. So, I found a place that specializes in children. He got to sit in a car, and hold all kinds of toys. And again my sweet little boy did wonderful. Sat perfectly still, didn't cry, and really enjoyed himself. He didn't even want to leave when we were done! He looks so different to me now. Like such a little boy. And a very cute one if I do say so myself!

Pre Haircut

This Christmas we stayed home. We all slept in, and I actually had to wake Owen up about 9:30 (not unusual). We went downstairs and opened presents. I had kind of gone more educational with Owen, and also got stuff that he needed versus so many toys. He got a monogrammed land of nod chair, a fisher price farm, books, puzzles, sippy cups, bibs, bubbles, clothes, socks, shoes, crayons, etc. It was the first time he was really into tearing wrapping paper too which was fun. I think it is going to get even more exciting as the years go by.

So, not much else is going on. Owen turns 14 months tomorrow, but I think I am going to save a big post until after his 15 month checkup. The picture uploader is not working well right now, so I will put up more later. Owen has a bit of a cold today, so we are just hanging out and cleaning. I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday!

13 months

2009-11-27T19:08:00.000-08:00

So, I have been debating about the monthly Owen updates. o I keep doing them every month, every three, every six??? I will do this one, but I may space them out a little more. Who knows? So, what is my little man doing now?

1. He is full on running. He's not always graceful, and still sometimes loses his balance, but he sure gets around fast now.

2. He is still in the same size 3 diapers. We may be moving up soon though. I have to put him in an extra absorbency diaper at night now to prevent leaks. He is now mainly in size 12 clothing, although he actually still wears some 6-9 months. I guess that's one thing good about his slow growth, he wears his clothes for a long time!

3. He still only has 4 teeth. Ramond and I joke that that's all he is going to get!

4. He eats pretty well. He is still picky about vegetables, loves his fruit and bread, and is getting better about meat. And boy, does he have a sweet tooth! Just like his mommy!

5. Yes, we are still co-sleeping.

6. He has given up his bottle as of this week, but is still nursing before sleep and in the morning. I have considered weaning, but the boy is seriously attached. He will literally pull at my shirt. He also only takes his paci to sleep.

7. He is really expanding his vocabulary. He says mama, dada, bye bye, baba (bottle) , ba (ball), ma (Molly), la (love- we are working on this one), and a ton of other stuff I can't understand.

8. He points at everything. He waves and says bye bye to his dad when he leaves for work in the morning.

9. He is into everything. Our bedroom is usually a complete disaster. He pulls everything out of all the drawers. He likes to throw stuff in the tub while we are taking a shower. He is just so silly.

10. He is definitely all boy. He almost always has a bruise somewhere on his body. He is a climber. He likes to climb onto and into everything.

He is just so FUN!!! I am completely loving this stage. We play games all day. I will say "I'm gonna kiss you!", and he loves to run away from me giggling. He is just a great kid.

Thankful

2009-11-26T16:20:00.000-08:00

Today is Thanksgiving. A day where I am reminded of all I have to be thankful for. I have wonderful family and friends. A job that I love. A roof over my head and food on my table. A husband I absolutely adore, and a son who makes my life worth living. I wish all of you a blessed holiday.

On another note, I am fully aware of how long it has been since I blogged. I am so behind, so I am going to take a moment to catch up....

We took Owen for his 1 year check-up on Oct. 30th. He now weighs 22lbs 4 oz (41%), is 29.5" tall (39%), and his head is 48 cm (I don't have the exact % because they had to remeasure it and put the wrong one on my sheet. But it is still BIG!) His percentiles dropped off a bit again but his Dr doesn't seem to be concerned. I am of course, and I think if he drops again next time it is something to be looked at. He was due to get several shots, but I had already decided that I was going to delay the MMR, and limit what he did get to 2 injections only. I had made his appt with my favorite NP because I knew that she would listen to my concerns about his vaccines, and help me make the best decision, and she did just that. He ended up getting Hep A and varicella. This time they put them in his arm, which was fine at the time. He didn't even cry. But the Hep A left a knot under the skin, and he still has a red mark from the varicella. So, I think we will stick with the thighs for a while longer. But all in all it was a good appt. He is right on track with everything.

We are all doing well. Owen is running around and his vocabulary is getting better and better. He now makes it known when he wants something. He may not know the word, but he is pointing at everything. He hasn't had a bottle in a couple days, and I think we may be done with it. He doesn't seem to mind at all.

He fell last week and had a HUGE bruise on his forehead. He tripped and hit it on a door. Of course we were supposed to take pictures, and I had to cancel that. We did take him to finally have his 1 year and Christmas pictures done yesterday. Here are some:

Tomorrow my Owen will be 13 months. I plan to keep up my monthly updates on his development. I am definitely going to try and not go so long between posts. I feel like I miss too much. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

Happy Halloween....

2009-11-01T21:53:00.001-08:00

from our little monkey!!!

Owen's Birthday Party

2009-10-28T12:02:00.001-07:00

For Owen's 1st birthday party we went down to North Carolina to celebrate with Ramond's family and friends. My family is pretty small, and not very close, so that is why chose NC over FL. We had a monkey theme, and I think it turned out pretty cute. We had tons of balloons and decorations. We grilled burgers and hot dogs, and had all kinds of stuff to go with them. Here are some pics from the day.

He LOVED his cake!!!

Birthday Banner

Before he got ahold of his smash cake
I let Ramond pick out the big cake
We made a banner with a picture of every month of his life

On the way home from the party

Happy Birthday Owen!!!

2009-10-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

Today my sweet baby boy turned 1. And it was very bittersweet. There is the part of me that is so excited at the little boy he is becoming. And I am so looking forward to what this next year will bring, and watching as his little personality develops further. But I am also thinking about how he will only get bigger. And he will grow up, and move out, and have a family of his own. But, I am getting ahead of myself. I am just going to enjoy every minute. Owen had a birthday party in NC last Saturday Oct. 24th. I will make a post about that later.

Owen woke up about 7:00 this morning. We hung out in bed until about 8:00, and then I took him downstairs and made him breakfast. French toast, banana, and milk. Then we opened presents. He got several things, but his favorite seems to be his Little Tikes Cozy Coupe my dad bought him. He loves to get in it and have one of us push him around. He has even learned how to open the door and get in himself.

After Owen took a nap and we later had some lunch, Ramond and I took him to play at Jungle Playland. It is and indoor play center. We took him down slides, and we played in a ball pit. He LOVED it. Whenever we would get ready to go down the slide, he would be sitting on our lap just rocking, trying to get us to go. It was so fun. We also changed him to his big boy car seat. I got him a Britax Boulevard. It seems he likes it because he fell asleep on the way there and back.

When we got home I made spaghetti, which is one of Owen's favorites. Then after we ate we had cake. He had his own smash cake (he had one at his party too). He tore it up! He was a little blue mess. After he was all cleaned up we just some time playing as a family. It was a really good day. My parents are in town visiting for Owen's birthday, so they got to be here as well.

So, now that Owen is 1, what is going on???

1. He is walking so well. I really think he will be running soon.

2. He was 22 lbs at the Dr. when I took him in when he was sick. He has his 1 year checkup this Friday so we will get more accurate measurements.

3. Still in a size 3 diaper. 6-12 month clothes. A lot of his 12 month winter clothes are still too big. I swear he barely seems to be growing at all anymore.

4. Still 4 teeth and no signs of anymore.

5. He is unfortunately turning into a picky eater, but I am hoping it is just a phase. He loves fruit, bread, and cheese, but it is hard to get vegetables and meat into him. I feel like he eats the same things all the time, but I still offer him things, even if he doesn't eat it.

6. He is still sleeping with us, and I love it so much.

7, He still nurses before bedtime, and when he wakes up. I have no plans to wean him. He'll let me know when he is ready.

8. Like I said we switched him to a convertible car seat today. He is still rear facing and I plan to continue that until at least age 2.

9. He has decided he only wants his pacifier to go to sleep. He refuses it during the day. He also is down to only one bottle of formula in the evening. He would probably let this go to, but I don't feel he drinks enough milk yet for me to get rid of it.

He is just such a wonderful child. One year ago today we became a family. And this past year has been the best of my life. I could not have hand picked a better child. I love watching him grow and learn, and am excited to see what this next year will bring. Maybe it will go a little slower though? I can only pray it does.

Wake up mommy

2009-10-12T14:59:00.000-07:00

This morning Owen and I were just waking up and were snuggling in bed. We were both laying on my pillow face to face. I closed my eyes and the next thing I felt were little fingers trying to open my eyelids. Awe...I love him so much!

Bound to happen

2009-10-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

Well, not not only is Owen sick, we all are. Owen was doing better. His fever went down and he seemed to be on the mend. Then, Ramond started coming down with a cold. And Owen and I were soon to follow. He had a low grade fever yesterday which has since subsided, but he is congested and just not feeling well. Last night he kept waking up all stuffy and crying=( It was really sad. I gave him a bath in Johnson's Vapor bath, and rubbed Vick's baby run on his chest and back. I called his pedi and the nurse told me they don't recommend giving any cold medicine to children under 6!!! Can you believe it?!? So, same old thing. Fluids, Motrin, and rest. Oh, yeah, and the dreaded saline and bulb syringe. Which in Owen's mind is the DEVIL! He freaks out anytime i come near him with it.
And not only are they not feeling well, but I have it too. My sinus's are killing me and my throat is raw. I guess it's just that time of year. And since I have been slacking on pictures I took a quick one of what Owen is doing right now...

He is racked out in bed beside me. And I know, I should be napping too. I just can't turn my mind off. I just got done ordering Owen some vitamins and probiotics because I am determined to get this kid well!

PS: Yes, he always sleeps sideways like that. Ramond and I straighten him up about a dozen times a night and this is always the position he returns too. Head on dad, feet on mom. Every time=)

Feeling much better

2009-10-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

As the title suggests, Owen is doing much better. It was really just one really bad day, and a couple more where he was just not himself. We go off our routine with his sickness, so we are trying to get that back to normal. And he hasn't been eating as much, and even pushing away his bottle when I offer it. But all in all,, things are looking up=)

Sick baby=(

2009-09-30T16:57:00.000-07:00

So, Owen has been running a fever since Monday evening. It has steadily averaged about 102. It will go down with Tylenol/Motrin, but go right back up once that wears off. He really seems pretty normal other than that. No teeth coming inthat I can see . I had planned on taking him to the pediatrician tomorrow if he still had a fever, but Ramond though we should take him in today. And boy am I glad we did. When we got there they took his temp and it was 104.9!!! Yikes!!! We got to see our favorite nurse practitioner today. She said he is a little congested and his throat is a little red too. She had us get an x-ray while we were there to rule out pneumonia. That was miserable. By that time we had been there close to 2 hrs, and Owen was done. He was exhausted from missing his nap time. So the screaming began. I was standing there trying to comfort a sick, crying baby, who I might add was wearing nothing but a diaper (we were trying to cool him off), and people were looking at me with that look. You know the one. Like, "Can't she put some clothes on him? Get that crying baby out of here." During the x-ray he had to sit on this little chair thing with a strap around his waist and I had to hold his arms above his head. He was hysterical. Screaming, drool running down his face, big crocodile tears. I was literally fighting back tears myself. After that we went back to the office so she could look at the x-ray. She said it looked fine. So, after all that pretty much Motrin, fluids, and rest. If fever is still over 101 on Friday we have to bring him back. We are back at home, and Owen is crashed beside me. And I don't blame him. It was exhausting.

Happy 11 months Owen!

2009-09-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that the next time I do this it will be Owen's 1st birthday?!? I sure can't. He is growing up so quickly. In the past month he seems so much less babyish. But, he always be my baby=) So, what is new with Owen?

1. He is WALKING!!! He is doing so well with it too. Crawling seems to be part of the past now. He is getting faster and faster.

2. He has 4 teeth. His top 2 and his bottom 2. I don't think he is working on any more, but you never know.

3. He is a great eater, although he is getting a little picky about his vegetables. I am always trying new ways to get him to eat them.

4. He is still in a size 3 diaper, and mostly 12 month clothes. Size 3-4 shoe.

5. He loves to laugh. If we laugh he starts laughing too. And if he figures out that something he does makes us laugh, he does it over and over again.

Owen is just such a sweet little boy. We are so blessed to have him. I am so lucky to be the one he calls mama.

Owen Walking

2009-09-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

I am such a slacker

2009-09-12T16:04:00.000-07:00

I am so behind on my blogging it is not even funny anymore! Oh where, oh where to begin?
Well, last Friday we drove down to Pasco, WA for the wedding of one of Ramond's friends and coworkers. Ramond was a groomsman. Another friend of Ramond's that was also in the wedding flew in Thurs. night and stayed at out house, and we all drove down together Friday morning. Owen did pretty good with the drive. It took us about 5 hours to get there. A lot of that was because we had to make so many stops. He did get a little restless at the end but that was to be expected. We got checked into our hotel about 3:00 and had to hurry and get ready because we were supposed to go to the rehearsal at 4:30. So, we make it in time, only for them to wait around another 45 minutes to start anything! Ugh!!! The rehearsal and rehearsal dinner where held at a local country club. Everything was very nice. At the dinner though, I asked for a highchair and they brought me some 1970's model that looked like it had been dug out of the trash, and I am not exaggerating at all. We wiped it down and made the best of it. Owen loved the food and he did so good. He started falling asleep on my shoulder about 8:00 though, so Ramond took us back to the hotel and then went out with the wedding party.
The next morning I drove Ramond and his friend over to the wedding venue for pictures, and then Owen and I went back to relax at the hotel. Have you ever tried to get a baby to nap in a hotel? It is next to impossible. With all the door slamming, and housekeeping knocking on the door about 10 times, Owen barely got about 30 minutes total in. It made me really nervous for how the wedding would go. But he did great. I got him a cheese stick to eat during the ceremony. That did the trick. He loves his food! He did some dancing with his daddy which unfortunately I did not get pics of. I actually didn't get near enough pics. Especially of Ramond. He looked so HOT in his tux!!! Owen and I left the wedding early and went back to the hotel so he could go to sleep, and Ramond got a ride later that night.
We had to leave about 6:30 the next morning to make it back in time to get his friend to the airport. It was a lot better a drive which I think has everything to do with the fact that I was driving. We got home and it was raining and we were all exhausted. Another thing that happened that night was that Owen took 3 steps! Then a couple days later he was up to about 5-6. Then get this! Last night he walked all the way across the den! About 25+ steps. I still wouldn't say he is a full fledged walker. He still crawls a lot, but it won't be long until that crawling is thing of the past!
Well, that gets me a little caught up. Once I upload some pics I will post them.

Happy 10 Months!!!

2009-08-27T20:30:00.000-07:00

Here we are, another month later. Sweet baby Owen is now 10 months old! Wow, double digits!!! And the big 1 year is just around the corner. We are already making plans for it. We are having his main party in NC, and then on his actual birthday it will just be Owen, Ramond, my dad, and I. So, on to the best part, what's new with Owen!

1. He cut his 3rd tooth on Tuesday. His top left came in and he is working on his top right.

2. He is still sleeping well, although with us. Daddy is more than ready to start weaning to his crib, but I am hesitant. I just can't bear him being upset. And I love those nightly snuggles.

3. He eats 3 full meals a day. He loves his fruit the most, and eats any kind I give him. Dairy is another hit. He has pretty much decided he doesn't want me feeding him anymore and would rather do it himself. He is taking 3 bottles a day, and we are lucky to get about 16 oz of formula in him. He does breastfeed at night and in the morning (more for comfort than nourishment), and I am not sure how much he gets from that, but I doubt it's much. His pediatrician would like him to take a minimum of 24 oz but he is just not interested. So, we just follow his lead, and give him as much as he wants.

4. He walks around the house all the time pushing his walker, and holding on to things. He has taken one step independently one time. I would not be surprised if when I make his 11 months post he is walking. Scary!!!

5. He now is saying mama, dada, baby, and sometimes baba.

6. Clothes and diaper sizes are still the same. He can fit into some 12 months stuff now. It just depends on the brand.
u
7. He now holds his bottle regularly,and is a champ with the sippy cup.

8. He loves to share his food with me. Anytime he has anything he holds it out, and gets such a kick out of me eating it.

1 step forward

2009-08-21T19:08:00.000-07:00

Before I completely forget to blog about this I better get it on here. I use this blog as kind of a scrapbook for Owen. On August 16th he took his first step!!! It was only one, but I was one proud mama!!!

9 month pictures

2009-08-11T14:38:00.001-07:00

I took Owen to get his 9 month pictures done yesterday. It didn't really go well. He wouldn't smile much at all, even with me jumping around and making a fool of myself. And by the end he was in a full blown crying meltdown. Here are some of the pictures, and as you can see they aren't that great. But, what can you do?

Wearing my daddy's hat

2009-08-08T10:51:00.001-07:00

Look mom, 2 hands

2009-08-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

Look who decided that holding his own bottle is not such a terrible idea after all. I have been somewhat trying to get Owen to do this for months with no success. He would just rather me feed it to him. So, the other night Ramond was giving him his nighttime bottle and gave it a try. And what do you know? He did it for his daddy! Little stinker...

And no he doesn't do it everytime, and that is fine by me. I am holding on tight to every second of babytime I can before it's gone forever.

Happy Birthday Ramond

2009-07-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

Today is my hubby's birthday. He is 29 years old. Last twenty something birthday. I love you Ramond!!!

9 months old

2009-07-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's that time again. Another month older. 3/4 of a year! My baby is seeming like so much more of a little boy these days. But he'll always be a baby to me. I took him for his 9 month checkup today. No shots thank God! Just some measurements. He now weighs 20lbs 8oz (50% down from 75%), he is 28 1/4" (52% down from 75%), and his head is 48 cm (98% up from 96%). I was kind of concerned about the lack of growth, (about 1 pound and 1 inch) but his Dr. is not concerned at all. She says it is because he is more mobile, and we will just watch it to make sure he is not still decreasing at his next appt. Other than that he is perfect!

So, now that Owen is 9 months, what's new???

1. He now sleeps through the night regularly!!! I am so happy about this one.

2. He cruises along all the furniture, and has started standing independently.

3. He eats everything in sight, and is almost completely off baby food. He LOVES cheese and yogurt.

4. He learned how to climb up our whole flight of stairs, and yes, we put a gate up. ;)

5. He now dances. When one of his toys makes music and I say "shake your booty", he does and it is adorable!

6. He claps and is starting to wave.

7. He now has 2 teeth! His bottom right came in 3 weeks ago and his bottom left about a week ago.

Playing catch up

2009-07-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

I have not blogged in forever, and don't have a lot of time right now to write. But, I wanted to say Happy Anniversary to my sweet husband. We celebrated 7 wonderful years of marriage yesterday. I will be doing a longer blog tomorrow on Owen's 9 month birthday. 3/4 of a year! Yikes! We are already starting birthday plans which is just crazy to me. So, to tide everyone over until tomorrow, here are some pics of my little sweetpea!

My little daredevil

2009-07-12T14:26:00.001-07:00

So, my little 8 month old baby has learned a new skill. And this time, I am not too pleased with him. Sure, it is skillful and amazing, but also very dangerous. The past couple weeks he has discovered the stairs. We would find him going up them, but at the very most to the third. Well, yesterday I guess he decided, "Why stop there?" He made it all the way to the top!!! I had found him on the 5th and decided to just stay close and watch. The little booger made it all the way up to the second floor. 14 steps!!! I guess it is time to definitely get a couple baby gates.

It's official...teething sucks

2009-07-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

So, we are in full teething mode here in the Huffman household. The past 2 days Owen has been running a fever between 101-102. It goes down with Tylenol and when that wears off it goes right back up. We aren't getting much sleep either. He is so restless at night. He has the right bottom tooth that has already broken through, but now it is the left one that we are working on. Poor guy. I feel so bad for him =(

PS: On a side note last night Owen did a new trick! We were playing in the floor and he was climbing all over me. Then he let go and stood by himself for about 5 seconds! BIG BOY!!!

First tooth

2009-07-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

I think it is safe to say that Owen has finally cut his first tooth. There is a slit across the top, and I can see and feel the corner of the tooth. He hates for me to put my finger in there, and clamps down when I try to open his mouth to look. I know I have thought that it was through before and it went back down, and I guess that may be the case again. But, I really think that this is it! I will sure miss his gummy smile =(

Independence Day

2009-07-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

I hope that everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. We had a pretty good one. Ramond worked during the day but came home about 4. I was supposed to grill, but just wasn't feeling it, so we ordered pizza. Then later that evening we went out front to set off some fireworks. We were kind of worried how Owen would react because he gets upset at loud noises, but he did great. It was pretty late for him and he was tired, but the noise didn't bother him. He even ended up falling asleep on me during them!

watching daddy so intently

tired but still hanging in there

and he's done

Owen's new favorite treat

2009-06-30T19:48:00.000-07:00

Since I decided to start letting Owen have dairy, I bought some of these Gerber yogurt melts. OMG he LOVES them. He can't get them into his mouth fast enough, and I have no doubt would eat the whole bag if I let him. Last night I made him a plate with some pieces of baked potato, biscuit, and broccoli. I put a few of these yogurt melts on there too, and he picked them all out then dumped his plate over. Silly baby!=)

Just a swingin'

2009-06-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Owen and I went to our first playgroup meeting. It was at this cute little park here in town. We had ice cream and met a lot of nice people. Owen is really the only child his age, but we still had fun. Hopefully we will get to do more nice things with them in the future.

So, today Ramond and I decided to go back to the park so he could see Owen on the swings. It was another gorgeous day here. We stopped and got some Mexican food from this little place we had never tried before. It turned out to be yummy! Then we headed over to the park. We ate our food and then put Owen on the swings.

8 months

2009-06-27T18:28:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are again. Another month gone by. Owen is now 8 months old! Only 4 away from the big 1! I can't believe it. Not a lot is different from last month, but here is what he is up to now:

1. He is crawling so fast. He goes all over the house and is starting to figure out the stairs. I have found him on the bottom step more than once.

2. He pulls up on anything now. Even the walls. He is also now cruising the furniture. His pulling up has made bath time a little more challenging because he doesn't want to sit still anymore.

3. He now eats a stage 2 fruit with oatmeal for breakfast and a stage 2 veggie for dinner. He hates the green ones, so we have to mix those with the orange ones to get him to eat it. He is also wanting to eat everything we have. We pretty much let him have anything except meat. I have decided to finally start him on dairy. I have given him little tastes of ice cream, but I think we are going to try letting him have yogurt now.

4. His clothing and diaper sizes are the same. Mostly 6-9 month clothes. A lot of his onesies are 9 months now. And he still wear size 3 diapers.

5. He is working on cutting his bottom two teeth. One day we think we see white and the next day it is gone. I think they are in a race as to which one will come through first.

6. He is pretty much just down to formula now. He only comfort nurses in the early mornings.

So, Ramond was off today which was really nice. We decided to have a picnic at Twin Lakes Park. We went and picked up some Subway first. It was a gorgeous day!

Then, we went to Target to look at convertible car seats for Owen. He still has several lbs to go in his infant carrier but I want to be prepared.

We also bought him a baby pool at Target. Our plan was to let him play in it this afternoon, but he wasn't a big fan. I even put warm water in it, but he kept trying to climb out.

Now we are at home relaxing and grilling out. It has been a wonderful day!

The Little Gym

2009-06-25T17:55:00.000-07:00

So, since we live in an area where we have no family, and no friends with children, I have been looking for things to do with Owen. I know that he needs to socialize. One of the things that I found was the Little Gym. It has classes for children of all ages. They sing, play, and learn new things. Today was our first class. There were about 8 or so children and Owen was one of the younger ones. At first he wasn't too sure about it. Just kept saying mama mama and wanting me to hold him. The teacher said is was not uncommon to have kids be very unsure at the first class or 2. But, by the end he was crawling all over and even pulled up on the teachers legs trying to get her to hold him! He made some friends. A little boy who was 14 months old even kissed him. In my mind I was screaming, "GERMS!!!", but I kept that to myself. We will be going every Thursday morning for the next 9 weeks. I am really hoping this helps!

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

Today is Ramond's first Father's Day! Unfortunately he has to work, but he was able to go in after lunch so we spent the morning together and he will be here tonight. When we got up this morning he came downstairs to work some on his computer, and I took Owen to get his diaper changed and dressed. I put him on a t-shirt that says, "My dad totally rocks!". He gave Ramond some presents that he picked out himself ;) He got him a little photo book full of pictures of them together, a dvd, a t-shirt like the one he was wearing that says "my kid totally rocks!", some candy, and a card. I outlined Owen's hand in the card and held his hand and helped him write his name. Then, I cooked us all lunch. Here are our attempts at a few pictures with a teething baby. He wasn't too into it as you can tell.

Well, it found me

2009-06-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

The stomach sickness that is. First, it was Ramond who spent all last Friday in the bathroom throwing up. Then Wednesday night Owen had it. And yesterday was my turn. I was throwing up all day, and couldn't keep anything down. It was miserable. Ramond had to stay home from work to watch Owen because there was no way that I could do it. Thank God for good husbands, right? I feel a bit better today. Good enough to watch Owen. Just tired and a little weak. I hope now that we have all 3 had it it's over!

First bit of sickness

2009-06-18T14:39:00.000-07:00

Until now, Owen has never really been sick. When he was about 2 months he had a little congestion but that has been about it. Well, that kind of changed last night. Ramond, Owen, and I were laying on our bed watching a movie when all of a sudden, Owen started throwing up everywhere!!! And I am not talking about a little spit up, it was tons, and it just kept coming and coming. All over him, the bed, and Ramond. So, we get everything cleaned up and remake the bed. Owen is acting like nothing is wrong, and is actually in a great mood. So, we go back to finish watching our movie. Then, about 10 minutes later he does it again. I couldn't believe all the stuff that was coming out of him. I didn't know his little body could hold so much. So, again we clean up, make the bed, and this time put in a call to the pediatrician. She calls us back after a while and gives us some instructions. Basically no food for 8 hours after last vomiting, and pedialyte. So, off to the store I went to get some. By the time I got back he was asleep with Ramond in bed, so I just let him be. He woke up this morning at 7 which was already 8 hours later, so I gave him some pedialyte, and when it looked like that would stay down gave him a small bottle. I think his belly is better, but we are still taking it easy and not doing any solids today. Just formula and pedialyte.
On another note, it seems as if Owen finally has a tooth coming in. His bottom right. We have been able to see two bumps where his two bottom teeth were really close, but today I can actually see a speck of white on top. He has been fussy, clingy, and just not really himself. I think between last night and the tooth he is just having a rough day. Hopefully tomorrow will be better:)

Owen and the lemon

2009-06-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday. I turned 28. So, Ramond, Owen, and I went to Outback for dinner. We decided to give Owen a taste of lemon. We had done it before and got a pretty funny response, so we thought we would try to catch it on video. Enjoy!

So excited!

2009-06-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

Ramond comes home today! I am SO happy! He has been gone since May 29th. He went to NC to visit. So, I have been basically a single mom since then, and I am tired! We don't pick him up from the airport until late tonight, but I am ready!

Starting him young

2009-06-05T15:52:00.001-07:00

Owen decided that he would help mommy with his laundry today. Really he just pulled stuff out of the basket, but that's beside the point. At this rate I may have him doing his own laundry before you know it! Now, if only he could change his own diaper.....

Owen's new kicks

2009-06-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

I got Owen some new shoes today and I just have to brag a little bit. I think they are adorable! I can't wait to put them on him.

Teeth?

2009-06-03T18:39:00.000-07:00

If you would have asked me when Owen was 3 months I would have said he was working on getting teeth really soon. Here we are over 4 months later, and he still has a beautiful gummy smile. I think he may be working on getting his bottom teeth in, but he has fooled me before. So, until I see teeth, I still won't be convinced. But I have finally found something that he really likes in his mesh feeder. Frozen pineapple! I can't blame him, I love pineapple too. I have also tried frozen peach slices and he really likes them too. Here he is enjoying his "treat".

Owen saying mama

2009-06-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

I have been trying FOREVER to get Owen to say mama on camera. But every time I would turn it on he would get all quiet and just smile. But finally tonight, he did it! Enjoy! I know I do.

Owen crawling, standing, and other random thoughts

2009-06-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to post a video of Owen crawling so here goes. It is not the best quality and it sounds like the tv is blaring in the background but you get the idea.

Ramond left late Friday night for a trip to NC to visit friends and family. So, it has just been Owen and I. I have so much respect for single moms. Owen is a great baby and usually very good natured, but now that he is crawling all over it is non-stop. And he is pulling to stand on anything he can find, so I have to watch him like a hawk. We don't really have anything he can get hurt on, but we have had a few bumps on the floor. By the end of the day I am exhausted. I am ready for his daddy to be home. He won't be home until alte Sunday night.

Other than that all is well here. It has been pretty hot. High 80's today, which is like boiling for WA. I like to take Owen and Molly on walks in the evening, but I don't like to have them out when it's that warm. I don't want them to overheat. We went on a short one tonight just because Molly kept running to the door wanting to go, so I wanted to take her out. That little dog loves it. She is all of 6 lbs but barks her little head of at any dog we pass.

Owen looking out the back door

Happy 7 months Owen!

2009-05-27T19:04:00.001-07:00

I know I say it every month, but I can't believe how fast the time is going. My little O-baby is 7 months! It sounds so big. Well, my sweet little honey, what are you up to now?

1. You are full on crawling. And you are FAST! You are all over the house and into everything now.

2. You are pulling to stand on everything. And yes, this has meant several falls and bumps on the head, but what can you do?

3. You are now eating solids twice a day in addition to your bottles. You get 2 Tbsp oatmeal with 1/2 a stage 1 fruit in the morning and then a stage 2 veggie for dinner. You definitely like the orange veggies best and hate when I try to give you a green one.

4. You are still sleeping with mommy. Guess we should get on that ;) You are sleeping better though. Usually pretty much all night.

5. You are wearing size 6-9 months clothes and wearing size 3 Pampers cruisers. (just started these last night)

6. We had to lower your crib mattress and take out the bumper due to your wanting to climb out!

My sweet little boy. Your daddy and and I love you very, very much. You mean absolutely everything to us and God truly has blessed us.

We spent Owen's 7 month birthday at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. It was a gorgeous day and we had a really good time. We let Owen sit in his stroller without his carseat for the first time and it was great. I am not sure how much he really saw because halfway though he looked like this:

He was so happy when he was awake though. I think he had a fun day. Maybe one day he'll tell me;)

Happy Memorial Day!

2009-05-25T19:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day! We had another gorgeous day here in Washington. I have to say when it is nice here, it is really nice. Too bad that is rare. We are fully taking advantage of it while we can. So, since Ramond had to work today we decided that Owen and I would drive out to the forest and meet him for a picnic. He picked a spot and left me directions on how to get there. After picking up some food (sandwiches, chips, carrot cake, and Owen had some pineapple in his mesh feeder) we were on our way. We got there about 35 minutes later than what we had planned, but I didn't know Ramond was going to pick such a far place. But, it was so worth it. It was literally right under Big Four Mountain and absolutely beautiful. We had our lunch and took a few pictures. Unfortunately Ramond had to get back to work, I could have spent tons of time there.

On another note, I got Owen a new toy yesterday. Now that he is pulling up to stand more, I wanted to get him a learning table. I found a Leap Frog one at Target. We have had a few falls, but nothing too bad. And he loves it. Well worth it, and I would highly recommend it if you have a child at this age and stage of development.

Tired baby

2009-05-24T12:45:00.001-07:00

While I am in the shower I still put Owen in his bouncy chair. He is really too big for it, and I have to keep an eye on him so he doesn't climb out, but it works for us. Well, yesterday afternoon while I was in the shower I noticed he was not his usual talkative self. I open up the curtain and this is what I see:

No, he is not completely naked, he does have a diaper on. It has been so warm I have let him run around in just a diaper some, and he loves it.

We're in trouble now!

2009-05-22T14:30:00.001-07:00

Look what Owen figured out how to do today! Guess it's time to lower the mattress now huh? Oh boy.

Owen's haircut

2009-05-20T11:41:00.000-07:00

Ramond has been after me forever to let him but Owen's hair. He had trimmed it twice back when Owen was a lot smaller and he had the whole male pattern baldness thing going on. So, I finally gave in last night and let him do it. Owen doesn't seem to mind the clippers at all. And although it is shorter than I would like and I miss his curls, it looks cute. And Ramond is happy and will hopefully get off my back about it for a while. A long while.

California, a wedding, and an earthquake

2009-05-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

Early Saturday morning we flew to California for a wedding. A friend of Ramond's from back in his army days was getting married. Owen was a dream on the plane once again. On almost every flight there was another child crying, and Ramond and I just thanked God for our sweet baby.

We arrived early that afternoon and were greeted by gorgeous blue skies and warm weather. A far cry from WA that's for sure. We got our rental car and went to our hotel. It was the same hotel that they were getting married at which was very convenient with a baby. After getting settled we decided we would take Owen to the pool for his first swim. He LOVED it. He just splashed and laughed the whole time. Check out the expression on his face:

That night we went to TGI Fridays for dinner. Owen is loving sitting at the table like a big boy and getting attention from the waitress's.

The next day was the wedding. Owen and I actually missed the ceremony because it was nap time. We didn't want him to have a meltdown during it. We made it down for cocktail hour and the reception. He did pretty good for a 6 month old. No crying. He did get splashed in the face with ravioli sauce by the guy sitting next to me. Almost choked on a piece of cucumber. (Those toothless gums are powerful!) And while Ramond's friend held him he got poked in the eyebrow with his boutonniere. All in all pretty exciting. Owen and I also left the reception early for his second nap. Ramond brought some wedding cake up to the room so that was nice.

After all the wedding stuff was done we decided to take Owen to the beach for the first time. We just wanted to let him put his feet in. It was cold!!! He didn't seem to mind though.

Earlier while we were in the hotel waiting on Ramond to get done with the wedding, Owen was playing with the remote like he always does. Well, he actually managed to order a movie. Gran Torino. So, when we got in from dinner that night we decided to watch it. Ramond loved it and I thought it was pretty funny too. While watching it we felt the bed move. Like someone was rocking it. I thought it was Ramond and was about to ask him to stop since Owen was asleep, but he thought it was me. His friend texted him and told him that it was an earthquake. So, we all experienced that first together.

Monday morning we didn't have to leave until 12:55 so we were able to sleep in and take our time getting ready. We had a 3 hours layover in Salt Lake City, but other than that it went well. We didn't get home until really late and we were exhausted. But all in all it was a great trip and it was nice to get away.

Blow out in the Walmart parking lot

2009-05-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

So, Owen and I have been doing a lot of shopping lately. We are going to CA this weekend and are just trying to get ready. I was looking for a dress for a wedding. Well, my post baby body does not fit into anything. So depressing. Oh well, that's another point.
Well, before we headed home I wanted to stop by Walmart to get a couple of things. I needed to change Owen's diaper, so I get him out of his carseat and lay him in the driver's seat to change him. Well, as soon as I take off his pants I see poop (sorry if TMI). It is all over his pants, his onesie, him, everywhere. It took me forever to clean him up, put a new diaper on him, and a new outfit. No big deal right? Wrong. He is screaming bloody murder at me the whole time. I am not sure why. As soon as I picked him up he calmed down, and I was able to do my shopping. I have never seen him act like that during a change before. I am sure people thought I was beating my 6 month old. But I guess it was as bad for him as it was for me. Oh, the joys of being a mother.

And here are the pics...

2009-05-09T17:42:00.001-07:00

6 month pics

2009-05-09T17:02:00.000-07:00

I took Owen to JCPenney to take his 6 month pictures today. It was so packed! Babies everywhere! (Note to self: no pictures Mother's Day weekend!) Luckily, Owen was in a good mood so it wasn't too bad. I wasn't as happy with the pictures this time as last time, but there were still a couple of good ones. I will put some on here whenever I get them.
After we left JCPenney we went by Old Navy. I got Owen an adorable swimsuit and rashguard set. He is all set for our trip to California.
So, Owen is officially crawling. He still used mainly his upper body and not his knees, but he is all over the place. He is also pulling to stand. Last night Ramond was sitting on the ottoman in the den and Owen grabbed on and stood up next to him. He is getting so big!

Sleeping through the night? Could it be?

2009-05-02T13:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Owen has slept 8 consecutive hours the last two nights. I am still in a bit of shock myself. And I am almost afraid to type it out for fear of jinxing it, but I had to brag about it a little bit. I NEVER thought this would happen, and it may be a complete fluke, but I'll take it!

Update: yeah, I guess it was a fluke. A very nice one, but a fluke it was. He slept 8 hrs. 3 nights in a row, but the last 2 he has woken up at least once. Well, I hope we can get back there soon!

Happy 1/2 Birthday!

2009-04-27T14:49:00.000-07:00

Owen is 6 months old today! Can you believe it? 1/2 a year old! Wow! Where has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday we were bringing this itty bitty baby home from the hospital, and then we blinked and here we are. So, my sweet Owen, what is new with you this month?

1. You want to crawl SO bad. You get on all fours (sometimes knees, sometimes feet) and rock back and forth. You can also get around by scooting. We have to watch you like a hawk now.

2. Your mommy finally let you have some baby food. Only green beans, peas, an sweet potatoes so far. Peas are definitely not your favorite. We tried sweet potatoes tonight and you seem to like them the best so far.

3. You are still not sleeping through the night. And you still sleep with mommy and daddy. And as much as mommy doesn't want to, it is probably time to start moving towards the crib :(

4. You are still breastfeeding. Yes, you get formula too, but you love your mommy milk.

5. You are starting to pull up on things now. So far you have pulled up in your pack in play and the bathtub.

6. You sit-up on your own great now.

7. You have graduated to the front of the shopping cart and you LOVE it!

8. You finally said what sounded like "hey daddy" the other day. Your daddy was thrilled. You were looking right at him too.

9. You have learned to "fake" cry. Where you learned this who knows? But you do it to get attention. And probably because it works.

It is hard to believe we made it 6 months already. I hope the next 6 are just as great. Now, if only they'll go a little slower I will be really happy.

right before he tried to eat the paper

after our walk today with his new toy monkey

6 month checkup

2009-04-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

We took Owen for his 6 month well child check yesterday. He won't officially be 6 months until Monday the 27th, but Ramond is going out of town that morning, and he wanted to be there for the visit. Well, as expected Owen is a BIG, growing boy. He is now 19lbs 2.5oz (82%), 27" long (76%), and his head circumference is a whopping 46 cm (96%). The doctor said his growth pattern is wonderful. But, I am always amazed at the actual number. We went over solid feeding some because it is confusing me a lot. I had all kinds of questions: How much? How often? How long on stage 1? Juice? Meat? You name it, I asked it. Also, I asked about some spots he has had in his diaper area. There are a couple of red marks, which of course didn't look so red when we were there. I wouldn't say it is really diaper rash, just some irritation of some kind. I have tried every rash cream I can think of and can't get it to clear up. Well, the Dr. wasn't much help, so if any of you other mommy's have some advice I would love it hear it. He had his exam and did great. He even sat up on the exam table for her. She said that he was doing great for such a young age. Then it was that dreaded time again. The shots. He loves that oral one. But of course screamed bloody murder for the other 3. But luckily he doesn't have to get any more shots until a year. And we get to wait 3 months this time before another checkup. Well, gotta go. O is having a hard time with his nap this morning.

A day at the park

2009-04-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

Today is a gorgeous day here in WA. Owen and I are thoroughly enjoying it. We went on a walk around the neighborhood, and made a stop in the park. I took Owen out of his stroller and let him feel the grass for the first time. At first he seemed a little unsure, but once I sat him down he seemed to like it.

I hope everyone is enjoying springtime!!!

Shopping with Owen

2009-04-17T19:58:00.001-07:00

So, today I took Owen on one of our oh so frequent trips to Walmart. What was different this time? He sat in the front of the cart the cart by himself! I had ordered a Boppy shopping cart cover and it finally came in so I decided to try it out. (We used it on a high chair the other night at Red Lobster and it worked great) I was kind of worried about putting it on one handed while holding him, but it wasn't too bad. And, I have to say.... he LOVED it!!! I think he really enjoyed being able to see everything and everybody. Whenever people would talk to him he would just grin ear to ear. Usually he just ignores them and kind of looks to me for reassurance. I wish I would have taken a pic of him in it but I didn't have my camera :( So, here are a couple random pics from this week.

Working off that baby fat

2009-04-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

Owen is so close to crawling is is crazy. And I am so not ready for this! I need to get on that baby proofing asap! His newest thing is this push-up like position where he gets on his toes and hands with his whole body in the air. He is so strong & it is so funny to watch him do it!

Our first family bike ride

2009-04-07T13:22:00.000-07:00

So, we have been enjoying some absolutely gorgeous weather here the last couple of days. I know it won't last long, so we have been fully taking advantage of it. Yesterday, Ramond went and bought a new bike for himself, and a pull behind trailer for Owen to ride in. Here are some pics of our first trip this morning.

Well, Ramond is off to work and Owen and I are going outlet shopping. Hope everyone is enjoying spring!

Look who can sit up now!

2009-03-30T12:21:00.000-07:00

Here's a little video of Owen's newest trick, sitting up on his own! I put the Boppy around him because he still occasionally takes a dive, but he is doing so well! I am still trying to get some of his "talking" on video, but he gets quiet as soon as I turn it on.

Happy 5 Months!

2009-03-27T17:59:00.000-07:00

So, the love of my life, my sweet little Owen, turned 5 months old today. I know I say it every month, but I don't remember time flying by so fast before he was here. It seems like I was just writing up his 4 month post and here we are at 5 months. So, my baby boy, what are you up to now?

1. You are still sleeping with mommy and daddy. And although you do not sleep through the night, you usually only wake us up once to eat and then go right back to sleep. Of course there are bad nights, but it's ok.
2. You babble all day long. You say mamama all the time and mommy loves it. They say you don't know what it means yet, but she likes to pretend you do. :)
3. You have learned to make noises when you breathe in and out of your nose and do it often.
4. You have been rolling over from back to belly since 13 weeks. You have rolled the other way a couple of times but not much.
5. You go out with mommy to the store all the time now and are such a good boy when you do. You have even gone out to eat several times and do so good.
6. You are now taking 5 oz bottles. You also eat rice cereal at night and love it. You are very interested in whatever we are eating and always try to grab our plates.
7. You can sit up unsupported for short amounts of time.
8.You have found your feet and love trying to put them in your mouth!

You are growing and developing right before our very eyes. You have completely captured our hearts. We love you so much!

4 month/ Easter pics

2009-03-23T13:49:00.000-07:00

Nothing really new

2009-03-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a while since I posted. Nothing really new is going on. Ramond is out of town this weekend visiting a friend. Owen and I really miss him and can't wait for him to come home tomorrow. The weather has been really ugly so we have been stuck in the house, and are getting a little cabin fever. Hopefully we will have at least one good day this week. So, since there is really nothing to write about, I guess I will just post pictures!

this is what he looks like when he wakes up from his nap

4 month pics

2009-03-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

I took Owen to get his pictures taken today. I took him to JC Penney. They are pretty cheap so I wanted to give them a shot. I figured if they didn't do a good job I could just go somewhere else next time. He did SO good. He just laughed, smiled, and talked the whole time. They got some really cute ones of him. He looked so cute. I don't have them yet, but will post some when I get them. All in all it went great! Here are a few pics from this week. Happy Monday!

Tummy time is SO much better now!

Waking up after our walk

Before his bath. He loves to be naked!
(If you click on it you can see he was leaving me a little "liquid" present!)

First time eating rice cereal

2009-03-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight we gave Owen rice cereal for the first time. His pediatrician said we didn't need to start it until closer to 5 months but we wanted to give it a try. Ramond has been pushing to do it for a long time, and I held out until now. He really thinks it is going to help him sleep longer. We'll see I guess.
So, we started by going to Babies R Us to get a highchair. And we brought it home and I put it together by myself! Here is a pic of Owen trying it out for the first time. He loved it!

Then, tonight I mixed up a little cereal with breastmilk. Only about a tablespoon and a pretty thin consistency. I fully expected him to spit it out, but he loved it. It took him a few spoonfuls to figure out to open his mouth. But once he did, he just wanted more and more. So, I would say it was a success.

Going bald

2009-03-11T18:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, here I am 4 months after giving birth, and I am losing my hair like crazy. It has been going on for a couple months now. I know that this is supposedly normal, and I even expected some hair loss. But come on! It falls out in handfuls. I dread washing it because I lose so much I keep waiting to see a bald spot in the mirror. When is it going to stop?!?!

Cry it out....You think they mean mommy?

2009-03-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

Since we have had such good results with the day schedule we decided to work on the nights. Last night I gave Owen a bath, a bottle, then put him to bed. He went right to sleep. Again he woke up an hour later. I went up and talked to him for a couple minutes, then left the room. Over the next hour Ramond and I took turns going up there at longer and longer intervals. He would calm down and then start crying again as soon as we left. It was terrible. It was like ripping my heart out. I think I cried nearly as much as him. As I said, we did it for an hour and gave up. Does anyone have any advice on this? I think we are going to keep trying. It's just so hard. We'll see how it goes. I am not sure I can do it again. Daytime is still going great. Yay for that!

Nights....still need some work

2009-03-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

Well, so far the schedule thing is going well. Yesterday he did really good with it. Last night I gave him a bath about 6:00, fed him about 7:00, then put him to bed about 7:30. All was well. He went to sleep on his own with no crying. But then wouldn't you know it, at 8:30 I hear him crying. Not really sure what to do about it, I just brought him downstairs to spend time with us. Probably not the right thing to do. And then once we all went to bed he did not sleep well at all. Waking up constantly, and wanting to nurse. I think we are going to give it another go tonight, and if he wakes up like that again, just try and get him to go back to sleep. We'll see. Today is going even better. As I write this he is napping upstairs after falling asleep on his own!
On another note, I am pretty sure breastfeeding is almost done for us. I have been pumping and putting it in a bottle for him with this new schedule, and nursing at night. And I am getting next to nothing. I really wanted to make it to at least 6 months but it appears my body has other plans. I am pretty sad about this, but what can I do? I have struggled with this since day one, so I guess 4 months is better than nothing.

Working on a schedule

2009-03-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

So...up until now Owen has really been on no type of schedule. We kind of follow the same routine everyday, but it varies. It also has involved him nursing constantly. I think this is probably due to my low supply. He gets what he needs, and is thriving. He just has to eat constantly to get it. So, I have been reading a lot on helping your baby sleep, and schedules and such. I decided today we were going to give it a shot and I have to say it has worked! He has taken 2 good naps so far today (without me needing to nurse him to sleep!), and gone 3.5-4 hours between feedings. (I have been giving him formula/ breastmilk in a bottle) He is still napping in our bed, but he had been napping on me or in his swing, so this is much much better. I just laid beside him and within 5 minutes he was out and slept 1.5-2 hours. We'll see how it goes tonight. Nights are still not going well. I have tried letting him cry at night, but it rips my heart out, and I never follow through. So, we have made a little progress and are going to keep at it. Wish us luck!

Can you believe this guy?!?

2009-03-03T18:39:00.000-08:00

Now, I have not watched the Bachelor all season, so I do not claim to know all that there is to know about it. But last time I worked (my one night since having Owen) another girl there was really into it. So, we waited until 2:00 am, when it was available online, and watched it on the computer. Last night I watched a couple of minutes of the finale before Ramond and I watched the After the Rose. Can you believe this guy? He comes off all sweet and then does that to poor Melissa? I felt really bad for her for being dumped like that. Pretty pathetic if you ask me. And then Molly let him off like it was nothing. I think she should have at least made him work for it a little bit. Or even better said, "Sorry, you had your chance." Maybe they will work it out. But don't you think she will just always be second best. And know that he chose someone else first? What do you think? That this is absolutely ridiculous that I am even watching? Yeah, I know.

Happy Monday

2009-03-02T16:15:00.000-08:00

I hope that everyone had a good weekend. At out house we really consider Tues and Wed our weekend since those are the days that Ramond has off work.
Things are going well here. We are back in the swing of things at home again. For some reason though, Owen has not been sleeping as well since we have been back. Before he would usually wake me up one time during the night and eat. Then close to morning if he woke up I could nurse him a couple minutes and he would go back to sleep (we co-sleep). But the past few night he has been waking up every 1-2 hrs. And when he does he is kicking and squirming like crazy. We have suspected for a while that he is starting to teeth and maybe this is the cause? Would getting him out of our bed help? And how do we do that as easily as possible? It is making nights a lot rougher. He is 4 months now and no where near sleeping through the night. He has a couple times, and even did in NC once, but definitely not regularly.
Other than sleep he is such a good baby. If only we could tackle this issue.

Happy 4 month birthday Owen!

2009-02-27T16:15:00.001-08:00

Today Owen is 4 months and I can't believe how fast the time is flying by. It seems like only yesterday we brought him home. He is becoming such a fun, sweet little boy, who adds so much love and laughter to our daily lives. We truly have been blessed with the perfect child for us, and are so thankful. We just love him so much!