18 Months (We are running a bit late around here)

• Owen is now 32 3/4 inches tall (70th percentile), and 23 lbs 12 oz. (25th percentile).
• Owen is a climbing, jumping, running machine! He loves to do agility drills with his daddy and Grandpa Walker. He also did his first somersault over Thanksgiving break unassisted. I think it was a bit of a one time fluke, but he was so proud of himself when he finally accomplished it! He has been trying to do it on his own for a few weeks now.
• Owen is now in a big boy bed! He started climbing out of his crib shortly after he turned 17 months. Luke and I were shocked and unprepared for the transition. We tried for a few days to keep him in his crib, but our efforts proved futile. So, we finally went out and bought him a toddler bed. He was so proud of his new bed, and the fact that he could crawl into it all by himself! We were surprised at how quickly he adjusted to his new surroundings. It was tough getting him to fall asleep the first few nights, but the transition went rather quickly and now he sleeps in his big bed like a champ. It is a huge reminder that my baby is growing up quickly!
• Now that Owen is in a toddler bed, we are learning more about his sleeping likes and dislikes. For instance, Owen loves to sleep with as many blankets and stuffed animals as possible. During one of his nap times he decided to first walk around the room, find all his stuffed animals, pull down his stash of blankets, and then pile every single item onto his bed. He then found a perfect spot to sleep amid the chaos. He now regularly sleeps with two to three blankets, a couple "babies", and the occasional toy. When he wakes up, EVERY item usually needs come with him downstairs. It is quite the spectacle. One time he had grabbed a clean washcloth from the linen closet and refused to leave the room after his nap until he was holding it as well. Such a silly guy, but we sure do love him!
• Owen's imagination is also really expanding. It is been a joy to watch him start to play make-believe with his toys, placing them on this push toys and giving them a ride, putting them to bed, feeding them food, and occasionally trying to give them a diaper change. He is also much more specific about what he wants to do when he plays. No longer is he easy to distract when he is getting into something he shouldn't.
• In addition to his growing imagination, Owen's vocabulary is also developing. He loves to mimic and it seems that every week he is adding at least a new word and sometimes several to his list.

Pumpkin Patch 2011

Wow, what a contrast to last year! Last year, Owen would sit by the little pumpkins looking all cute, smiling on cue, and obeying every little word. At least that is how I remembered it :) Here is a picture to remind you.

Well, now he is a toddler, and we decided to try out the Pumpkin Patch during nap time. We must be first time parents! Oh wait, we are! Well, he did great for the first half of the day. Actually, he LOVED it. He was outside, in the dirt, going down slides, playing with balls, looking at animals, and oohing an awing at the BIG tractor while we waited our turn for a ride. Things started to turn south when it was time to pick out pumpkins. The whole purpose for the visit! We had waited just a bit to long. Needless to say, very few pictures after that moment captured our cute little guy with his beaming smile. He wanted to do his own thing and that didn't involve posing for his mamma near any pumpkins. We had also hoped to keep on with the tradition of Owen wearing his costume. We only got half of it on and then he refused to pull up the hood. In case you are wondering, he is supposed to be a cow. Although the second half of the trip was a little rough, we did have a great time with family, and we learned a few things. Most importantly, START with the pumpkins so this mamma can get her memories captured in pictures! Well, here is the proof. Enjoy!

Hugs Owen Style

Owen's Party Rock

Lunchtime with Owen & Avery

Dadadadadadadada

Life with our toddler

Oh, how life has changed now that Owen is 15 months. It is amazing how his personality, curiosity, and determination have come alive in the last three months. Luke and I have enjoyed every minute with this little guy. Here is a quick picture of how life is going with our little toddler:

• Owen is now 22 lbs 8 oz. He is still gaining slowly, but since his activity has shot through the roof I am not all that surprised.
• Owen LOVES to climb. He has learned to pull his shorter toys over to the furniture to use as a step stool in order to get to greater heights. He has climbed into our friends high chair all on his own, and he has even grabbed onto the handle of the stove and tried to use his feet to climb to the top. The last one was quite startling and has tested our parenting skills as we try to teach him that the stove is dangerous.
• Owen has really improved his vocabulary both with sign and speaking. He regularly signs milk, please, eat, and all done. He has also signed thank you, but not very often. However, what Owen wants to do most is communicate by speaking. His list of words include: daddy, doggie, bye, hi, mamma, shoe, tree, bush, cheese, ball, this, that, out, book, two, and up. It amazes me how often he tries to mimic what we say. He is close to saying A, B, C, and we have caught him a few times trying to sing the alphabet song in his own baby language. He also tries to count 1, 2, 3, but just like the alphabet song only the number two is very articulate.
• Owen still loves people. He freely gives hugs and is now starting to give kisses. When we are on Skype, he will blow a kiss and wave goodbye at the end of a conversation. It is fun to watch him be social and interact with people around him. He especially loves playing with other kids and wants to be right in the middle of the action whenever people are playing near him.
• He absolutely loves the outdoors. This kid would live outside if we let him! It is not long after he gets up everyday that he starts asking to go outside. If he doesn't like our answer, he often grabs our hand and tries to pull us toward the door. If that doesn't work, he walks behind us and tries pushing our legs. Poor guy probably thinks mommy and daddy aren't very good listeners. He was in heaven when we took him camping earlier this summer, because we spent every waking moment outside of the tent. He had hours of fun playing in dirt, throwing his ball, and marching around in the woods. He also loves to watch for planes whenever we are outside. As soon as he hears the sound of a plane overhead, he point to the sky and looks around rapidly until he finds it. Once he sees it, he wants everyone around him to look and throws his hands to his head in amazement. Needless to say, we have quite a character on our hands.
  
• Owen is becoming rather clever. He is constantly trying to find ways to get what he wants when he knows the answer will be no. For instance, he loves to play with the light on the refrigerator door (he pretty much loves pushing any button), however, he knows I will not sit and hold the door open for him. So whenever he wants to push the button he signs for his milk, and follows me to the refrigerator. When I open the door, he quickly walks in front of me and starts pushing the button. Then, when I try to hand him his milk, he will push it away.
• Owen has his first best friend. He absolutely adores our friend's daughter, Avery. I have been watching her two days a week lately, and he just beams whenever she comes in the door. The play really well together, and Owen frequently showers her with hugs.
• Owen loves spending time with his3 month old cousin, Annorah. He is completely fascinated with her. Whenever we are visiting, he continually checks on with her and gently leans his cheek close to hers. If she starts crying, he feels the need to make sure she is really okay. He hasn't quite figured out that she can't play catch with him or hold his toys, but I am sure those days are coming soon.

I might be biased, but I am pretty sure this little guy is the cutest!

Owen has spotted a plane!

Owen and his pink princess pjs.

Last night, while playing Carcassonne with Josh and Kristen, Owen decided to reach up on to the table and grab a blue plastic cup full of water.  He then proceeded to dump the entire contents of the cup down his face and pajamas.  This led to a look of utter shock and bewilderment.  Since we didn't bring any spare clothes he had to borrow Avery's pink princess pajamas.  I thought to myself, "I should take a picture to embarrass him when he is older". 

Today, when retelling the story to my coworker David Miller, he recalled the time when his older sister put him and his twin brother in 2 piece bathing suits when they were a year and a half and took pictures.  I guess Owen's circumstances are only modestly humiliating in comparison.

Do I hear an echo?

What is that?

Owen at the Zoo

Has it really been 12 Months?

I can't believe we have already spent an entire year with our sweet little boy. It seems like time has moved so quickly, yet at the same time, it is hard to remember what life was like without him. He brings us such joy, and we are so blessed by him! Here are some of his accomplishments and our favorite things about our sweet little man.

• At Owen's 12 month appointment Owen weighed 20 lbs 5 oz (20th percentile) and he was 29 7/8 inches long (60th percentile).
  
• Owen's first two molars have started to come in. He is now up to 10 teeth, and as a result we took him to his first dentist appointment. He did such a great job allowing the dentist to check out all his new teeth, and he really enjoyed the new toothbrush and rubber ducky they gave him after his visit.
  
• Owen is walking! He still chooses to crawl whenever he wants to get somewhere quickly, but he often walks across the room and plays with his toys. He is a pro at doing squats and can easily catch himself when he starts to lose his balance. I can't believe how quickly he is growing!
• Owen has learned how to give hi-fives. He thinks it is great fun when someone asks for one, but be prepared to get about five in a row. He hasn't quite figured out that you only need to hit the other person's hand once.
  
• Owen's vocabulary is also starting to grow. He has added doggie, hi, juice, and cheese to his list of words. It is fun to watch him try to communicate with us and mimic the words we are trying to teach him.
  
• Owen has used his first sign! We started signing to Owen around 6 months, but it has taken him quite a while to pick it up. He didn't seem very interested at first. But just a few weeks ago, Owen signed milk for the first time. We found that whenever we would say the word and hand him his sippy cup he would sign the word for us. Now he will sign it all on his own whenever he wants milk. Just this past week we realized he is also starting to sign all done. We are hoping that his signs will rapidly increase so that he can better communicate with us.
  
• Owen is such a people person. The larger the crowd the happier he is. It is so fun to watch him in a room full of people. He just seems to light up with all the attention. We attended Grandma and Grandpa's church the past two weekends, and Owen stayed in during the praise and worship. He LOVED it. He wanted to be down on the ground dancing with the beat. Needless to say, he entertained everyone near him with his cute dance moves.
• Owen is such a happy boy! He loves to play, and we often find him laughing at himself when he babbles at his toys. Oh how I wish I knew what was going on in that little head of his. He usually only gets upset when he is hungry, tired, or hurt, so it makes fussy times pretty predictable. We have been so blessed to have such a content little one!

Get ready for an onslaught of pictures!

Owen's First Birthday!

What a beautiful Saturday we had to celebrate Owen's first birthday! I am still coming to terms with the fact that an entire year has already passed us by, and my baby is actually 1. What a year it has been! We invited a few friends and family over to celebrate our little guy. Here are the pictures from his party. I will write an "official" 12 month post soon.

Proof that the sun was shining :)

Owen opening his gifts

I made a Cookie Monster cake for Owen and cupcakes for the guests. One of my fondest memories from birthdays growing up were the themed cakes my mom would make for us. I decided it would be fun to continue the tradition with my own kids. I started with this easy design that Bekah found for me here.

The whole dessert spread

Owen's very own "smash" cake

The guest cupcakes

Owen getting ready to blow out his birthday candle (with a little help from mom and dad)

Not so sure about this cake stuff

But with a little help from dad,
He was ready to dig in

Happy Birthday sweet boy! We love you!