7 Months

I feel like I blinked and Owen turned 7 months. Maybe that is because it took me so long to get his 6 Month post done! Well, It has certainly been a fun month. Owen celebrated his first Thanksgiving at my in-laws, and as my sister-in-law puts nicely, the five days were essentially the Owen show. All the adults just huddled around watching his every move, and Owen enjoyed every moment of it. Now we are gearing up for Owen's first Christmas at home with my family. I will be sure to post some pictures when the festivities are over. For now, here is a list of his latest accomplishments.

Owen is now a whopping 18 lbs 6.5 oz. I was a little surprised that he hadn't gained as much this month, but he has certainly grown in length. I haven't actually had a chance to measure him, but I have noticed that all of his pants are becoming surprising short, and we had to move him into this 12 month pj's a couple weeks ago.

Owen is continuing to try out new sounds much to the delight of his doting parents. My favorite of course is "mamama". I only wish he would say it when he wanted me or when I came in the room. Instead, he mostly says it when he is sad and fussy. Regardless, I love hearing it every time. He is also finding great joy in saying "babababa". He will work really hard to get his lips in just the right position for the sound. Then, when he accomplishes it, he often seeks our approval, which of course is never hard to come by.

Owen is FINALLY rolling both directions. We have turned a major corner here. I had resigned myself to the fact that he would sooner walk before he decided rolling onto his tummy was worth his while. But to my surprise, he just up and rolled onto his tummy two weeks ago! We have come to the conclusion that two major factors played a roll in him reaching this milestone. First, he has discovered that being on his tummy means mobility. He can now roll himself around and also scoot himself in circles (crawling still seems to be a ways off) Second, he loves expensive electronics. I was able to get him to roll like crazy when the laptop was just out of his reach. Why did I not try that sooner! Anyway, when he first rolled onto his tummy, I got so excited he started to cry. Poor little guy! Fortunately, the tears were brief, and now he is an old pro at rolling.

Owen had his first visit to the eye Dr. the day before he turned 7 months. Although it really isn't an accomplishment, it is a first, so I thought I should log it down in his virtual baby book. We have noticed that Owen has one eye that occasionally drifts in. Since it has persisted past his 6 month checkup, our Dr. recommended we see an eye specialist. We made the trip to Bellevue last week and saw a pediatric opthamologist that specializes in eye alignment. We were pleased to find out that Owen's eyes weren't crossing (well at least not at the appointment that is). However, we did find out that Owen's eyes are quite farsighted for a child his age. This farsightedness could lead to further issues down the road, so we are headed back to the Dr. in three months to see if his eyes have gotten stronger on their own. If not, our little guy may have some baby glasses in his future. I can only imagine how difficult it could be keeping glasses on him so we are certainly praying that his eyes will get stronger on their own.

And best of all, here are the pictures. Beware, I went a little crazy this time, but isn't he just so cute!

My Sweet Husband!

As you can tell from my earlier posts this blog has become mostly about Owen, but today it is all about Luke. At 10 this morning the doorbell rang, and much to my surprise, I found a box of flowers waiting for me on the doorstep. I quickly opened the package while Owen played and read the sweetest note from my husband. He had sent me one flower for each year we had been together and one for the future! It was 11 years ago today, when Luke was just 18 and I was 19 (yes I am older), that we started dating. Rarely do we remember this anniversary expect for in casual conversation so this was a huge and unexpected surprise. It was fun to think back over the past 11 years. Oh we were so young when we met! Now 11 years later we have been married 6 and 1/2 years, have been blessed with the cutest little boy, and well we like to think we are still pretty young :). I am so thankful for him everyday. I love watching him be a father to Owen, and as you can tell, he is pretty wonderful husband. I can't wait to see what the future will bring! I love you Luke.

Here we are 11 years ago!

Here we are today!

6 Months!!!

Well, technically Owen is 6 and 1/2 months, but for some reason I have had a harder time starting this post. I think it is because I can't really believe that much time has already passed. Has it really been half a year! It seems like he has always been with us, and at the same time, it feels like we are moving at lightening speed. It is amazing how much he changes every month! Here are his latest accomplishments.

At his 6 Month appointment Owen weighed 17 lbs 11 ounces (55th percentile) and was 27 inches long (75th percentile)

He is now sitting entirely on his own. He loves the independence it offers him as he plays with his toys and looks around the room. The only downside is that he hasn't figured out how to get himself into sitting position from his belly.

He is doing better with his tummy time. I didn't know if I would ever get to say that :) It still isn't his favorite position to be in, but he now tolerates it since he has figured out that he can scoot around in circles and chew on his toys while on his belly. He has occasionally scooted himself backwards, but we still aren't seeing any forward movement from him.

Rather than pushing himself to crawl, he has found a way to scoot himself around on his back. This really hasn't come as much of a surprise since he has always loved being on his back. The movement involves him arching his back up, and then while he is straightening himself out, he pushes himself backwards.

He has expanded his sound vocabulary to include dada. He discovered this sound on our way to Spokane for a quick weekend visit so Luke heard it for the first time over the phone. He doesn't have any association with what the word means, but it sure is cute when he says it around Luke.

Our boy is now eating solids. About a week before he turned six months we started him out on rice cereal, and he has quickly moved up to three solid meals a day. His favorites by far are green beans and apples, although he will pretty much eat anything. He sure does love to eat! A few videos of him eating are on Facebook if you want to check them out.

As mentioned earlier Owen LOVES people. He beams every time we take him to the nursery and we have noticed lately that he really enjoys being in large groups with tons of people oohing and aahing at him. I guess we have a little extrovert on our hands.

Silly sleeper

Luke took Owen upstairs earlier tonight to tuck him into bed. He called my cell phone a little while later and told me I had to come and take a look at Owen. Instead of finding my sweet little boy sleeping snugly in his crib, I came upstairs to the picture above. My adorable little boy had snuggled up near his daddy in our bed and promptly found a way to pull part of my pillow case over his eyes leaving just his mouth and nose out for clear breathing. I had to laugh when I saw him lying there. Oh the moments you enjoy as a parent :)

Pumpkin Patch

Luke and I decided to recruit some family members and head to pumpkin patch on Sunday since Owen and I had missed out on a trip earlier in the week due to his cold. We had heard good things about Spooner Farms and decided to try it out. Little did we know that most of the South Puget Sound would be joining us! The normally 15 minute drive took us almost an hour, but it was worth the wait. Although crowded, we had a great time taking pictures of Owen and enjoying the gorgeous weather. My aunt gave Owen a little pumpkin outfit to wear for Halloween, and since we don't really plan on taking our 5 month old trick-or-treating, I couldn't resist putting him it at the pumpkin patch. We sure thought he was pretty cute so of course we snapped hundreds of pictures. Jennie now calls me his personal paparazzi. Here is the result of our efforts.

<>

5 Months!

For some reason I can't seem to wrap my brain around the fact that Owen is five months old. Where has the time gone! He continues to entertain us daily and is really starting to develop his personality. He is constantly coming up with new sounds and his laughter melts us each time. Oh the joys of parenthood can be so simple. This month has been filled with a few more firsts some of which certainly surprised us.

Here is the latest list:

Owen is now 16 lbs 7 ounces. Not quite sure about his length, but he no longer fits into his 6 month Carter's clothes!

He is really starting to push himself up, and on a few occasions, has tried to get his knees underneath him. I am not ready for him to crawl yet so it is okay if this takes him some to accomplish.

He can sit for a little while by himself now. As a matter of fact, he loves to sit. He can reach his toys, try to eat his feet (still can't get them in his mouth due to his pot-belly tummy), and see us straight on (something he loves). It is truly his new favorite position. Standing though is a close second, laying on his back third, and being on his tummy dead last of course.

He loves his toys. He talks to them, chews on them, throws them, and passes them between his hands. Unfortunately, if he wants one of them that he can't quite reach, it often results in a quick and utter fit. If someone helps him get to his toy, he quickly stops the fit and flashes us one of those cute little grins. We hate to admit it, but this new stage of toy frustration has been quite entertaining. It is fun to watch him figure things out. If only we knew what he was thinking!

Our little guy has become a bit of a flirt. He smiles at any lady who will awe and coo at him, and the nursery workers at church tell me every week how smiley and happy he is. I even caught him giggling at a blonde lady on TV the other day - and no he doesn't regularly watch TV, even though he would like to.

He now has his first and second tooth! Technically the second tooth came in when he was 5 months 3 days old, but before this post, so it is making it onto the update list. This milestone caught us pretty off-guard. He had been a chewing on everything in sight for a while and drooling all over his cloths, but really not that fussy. After a couple nights of unusual sleeping, my mom announced that she could feel his tooth. Within just a couple weeks the second tooth had popped through and we still only suffered through mild fussiness. Now, if he would just stop trying to bite everything with his new teeth, we would be golden : )

He had his first cold last week. I had been dreading this from the time he was born, but surprisingly, it wasn't as difficult as expected. He was quite congested which made for a couple nights of rough sleep, but he was such a trooper! He never stopped smiling, even when the cold caused his clogged tear-duct to go crazy! We are pretty blessed with one content little guy. I hated seeing him all stuffed up and not feeling well, but it also gave me another reason to just sit and snuggle him tight all day long :)

He likes to take his binkie out of his mouth and put it back in. This is a skill he has been working on for quite some time and just recently accomplished. I caught him chatting to himself at the end of his nap the other day and realized it was his binkie he was talking to. For about five minutes he laid there pulling out the binkie, saying a few babbles, and putting the binkie back in to either chew or suck on it. I wish I would have thought to record his private conversation.

The rolling over situation hasn't improved, and as a matter of fact he won't roll either direction right now. The Dr. thinks he may have become a little frightened when he tried to turn once so now we need to help him see that rolling over isn't that scary. That will be quite the task with a little one that doesn't quite like to be on his tummy! Who knows, maybe he will just move straight to crawling and then discover his own motivation. I will keep you posted with a quick remark on Facebook if he finally takes the leap.

And the best part of every post - here are the pics. Hope you like!

It has been one busy month!

Owen is now four months! I have so enjoyed this month because he is becoming more and more interactive. Here are his latest milestones:

• He weighs 15 lbs 2 oz and is 25 1/2 inches long (on the 14th of September at least)
  
• He is a happy little guy that loves to toss around smiles to anyone who will look at him
• His giggles have turned to all out laughter
  
• He loves to stand when we hold his hands, and he is starting to improve his balance while sitting.
  
• He still hates tummy time, but he is starting to hold his head up really well
• He can be stubborn - he will roll onto his side to get a toy, balance himself to play for awhile, and then roll back onto his back - all to avoid being on his tummy. It doesn't seem to matter how much I try to coax him!
• He has been trying out all kinds of new sounds, and in the last couple of days he has found he can screech. Luke calls it his teradactyl sound.
• We still aren't sure what color his eyes are going to be. The Dr.'s vote is green, I still think they will be brown, and Luke says hazel. I guess we will just have to wait and see.
• He has actually started to suck his thumb. I kept hoping he would stay a binkie boy, and most of the time that is what he wants, but over the past few days, he has started sucking his thumb if his binkie isn't around. I am hopeful that this will not become a long lasting habit, but for now, it is pretty cute :)
  

On another note, the start of September brings on birthday mania in my family. In the course of five weeks we celebrate five birthdays! Mine falls right in the middle, and this year I am turning 30. I haven't really given this milestone much thought until this last week. I must say it has been quite the decade. Luke and I have celebrated 6 years of marriage, and almost 11 years as a couple. I can't believe we started dating when I was 19! We have been on several trips together, one of my favorites being Hawaii for our fifth anniversary. We bought a house and are getting ready to sell and buy again. And most exciting of all, Owen was born! This last milestone has certainly brought about the most change in our lives. The biggest change for me being the fact that I am now staying home after 6 years of teaching. At the time I was making that decision, I didn't know how I would feel come fall when everyone else was going back to work. Well, fall is here, and I am so thankful to be home and not in the classroom. I am sure I will find my way back there someday, but for now I have found a new love for silly songs, picture books, and cuddling. I guess having a child is a great way to end the past decade! I hope 30 brings just as many adventurers, and who knows maybe a couple more kids : )

Here is our cute four month old

3 months old!

It is hard to imagine that August is quickly coming to a close. The summer has been incredibly busy, and Owen is certainly growing quickly. He turned 3 months two weeks ago weighing in at 13 lbs 8 ounces. During the past month he discovered how to make some new sounds and enjoys babbling away at his toys and us. He now sits (while assisted by us, pillows, or his bumbo) and plays with his stuffed animals. This mostly consists of him holding them close while he chews on their faces. On our plane ride out to Minnesota earlier this summer he discovered his hands. He now chews on them whenever he can even if it means he has to chew them through his blanket. At first it seemed that he strongly preferred his left hand, but as of last week, his right hand has made a come-back. His giggling has continued, and on his 3 month birthday he giggled for his Grandma and Grandpa Maissen twice! Of course that was during the time that Luke and I were out a run so we missed out. But since then, Luke has been able to get Owen to giggle for him on regular occasions. I always get huge smiles out of him, but seem to still lack the giggling touch.
The past month has also been filled with lots of traveling. During the last two weeks of July, we took a trip out to Minnesota and South Dakota to see some friends from college and introduce Owen to his extended family. We thoroughly enjoyed our time visiting, eating delicious food, and relaxing. It was wonderful introducing Owen to the farm even if he didn't quite realize what was happening. We look forward to taking him back as he gets older when he can really appreciate the wide open space and farm equipment.
Following our trip to the Midwest, we spent 48 hours at home, where we welcomed back Aunt Bekah from Uganda with a quick trip to Coldstone. We then quickly washed all the laundry and repacked for a trip down to Seaside. We spent the rest of that week in a house right on the beach with four little ones under four and 12 adults! Throughout the three week adventure, Owen was quite the trooper traveling well by both car and plane which certainly made the trip easier.
Now that summer is coming to an end the reality that I will not be going back to teach this year is starting to settle in. It is strange to think that this is the week I would have started back! I realize now how thankful I am to have this time with Owen. As one of my coworkers told me, he only has one mommy and I only get one childhood with him. I hope to make the most of it! Here are some pics of our growing boy. You can check my facebook for pics from our trip.

Silly Grandparents

Owen's grandparents are silly when they skype.

Have two months already passed us by!

I can't believe Owen turned 2 months on the 14th. I had meant to post about his latest accomplishments earlier, but his tetanus shot caused our little guy to have a surprise meltdown that evening. All is well now and our little guy has returned to his usual happy self.
In the past month Luke, Owen, and I have fallen into a better routine, and it is taking me a little less time to accomplish the everyday tasks that seemed insurmountable during the first month. Our little guy is still keeping us pretty entertained on a daily basis, and we have a new set accomplishments to add to the tally.

• At his appointment he weighed 11 lbs 5 oz and was 23 and 1/2 inches long. He is certainly growing!
• He smiles regularly now especially when he is playing with Luke.
• He is a bit of a momma's boy when he gets tired, which I must admit kind of melts me every time.
• He has rolled over twice! The first time was at 7 weeks when we were at my parents house, and the second was for the nurse at his Dr's appointment. I would like to believe I have a super strong little boy, but the truth is that I have a little guy that HATES tummy time. He hates is so much that he has figured out how to roll over whenever we prop him on his arms to encourage him to hold up his head. The nurse was quite surprised to watch him do it. We hope to catch him on video soon to share with the blogging/facebook world (well in reality the grandparents).
• One of our favorite accomplishments is his new little giggle. He seems to giggle most in the early mornings with Luke when I need a little extra sleep, but the first time we both heard him together was while driving to Yakima for the weekend. He was in his half-sleep state and when we went over a bump a little giggle popped out of the backseat.

Here are are the latest picture of our little man.