Most of this post will be dedicated to pictures instead of words (I know most of you are thinking.. finally!), but here are a few highlights:
- This child LOVES to dance. He'll dance to any kind of music (just like his mama). Mike always gives me a hard time about dancing to the elevator music at the grocery store. Maybe it's good elevator music! Anywho... Owen takes after me. I attribute the new dancing outbreaks to a change in my music taste. We've been listening to a lot of Z 107.7... top 40. It's been a looooooooooong time since I've been in to the top 40 music, but the upbeat music is so fitting for summer time and sunshine. It's been a loooooooooong time since I've had either of those, and perhaps it's time for a break from the melancholy indie rock.
- He calls fire trucks 'Wee News'.... because that is the sound of the siren. 'Wee New, Wee New, Wee New'.
- The child loves anything with a motor. The newest fascination is with daddy's 'mower'.
- All of a sudden he can do every puzzle we have in the house. It's like a light switch turned on over night.
- Thanks to Chelsea's suggestion, I signed Owen up for an 8 week class at 'My Gym'. Mostly it's free play with climbing, slides, ball pits, swings, balance beams, etc.. but there is some structured time too. Turns out Owen isn't good at structured time. He hates to sit on my lap and find his nose, wiggle his fingers, etc. He would rather be DANCING in the middle of the circle while everyone else sings.
We are working on it, and I think it will be very good for him.
- His words are changing. For instance, toodaloo sounding a bit more like turtle. Choo, Choo is now Choo, Choo twain. He's actually attempting to say Livi, and he is now calling himself, "Nonan". It's like Conan with an N. His hair usually looks like Conan's so perhaps this is fitting.
- He can call some of his books by name, and he has memorized some of the key pages. 'No No'... for 'No Pat No, don't sit on that'. Turns out he DOES listen =)
- We've started time outs in the crib for 1 minute. (Rach- it's working!). So far he only gets time outs for hitting me (not ok), or interfering with the dog's eating time (I think it's a safety issue).
So this is part of the reason his hair looks like Conan's. He refuses to eat food out of a bowl/off of a plate & instead chooses to put the serving dish on his head. This leads to a lot of food in the hair. (He also has a terrible cowlick... I really need to figure out what to do with it).
Nap time. He's still taking 2 naps a day & he is easy breezy to put down. Read 2-3 books. Sing Jesus loves me (he still turns around and puts his head on our shoulder), give him his dog, bear, and blanket. Done.
I catch him reading by himself allllllll of the time. I love it!
He loves to read with daddy too.
Learning about magnets. How do they stay on there?
I'm up to something......
In the middle of August, we went down to the Lake to celebrate Livi's 6th birthday. We all boarded on to Randy and Mary Ann Nieders' boat to get to the Jolly Roger- the restaurant that Livi picked.
What a beauty!
Owen's first boat ride. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Mary Ann (a very experienced boater) had the perfect life vest & hat for him to wear.
Carson & Livi. SO excited. (And so cute... in my humble & unbiased opinion).
The head pirate makes the whole restaurant sing to each kiddo, and when they raise the sword everyone says 'Arrrrrr'.
Carson got to hold the parrot, too.
It was all too much for Owen who fell fast asleep on Papa's lap on the way home..
actually it looks like it was too much for Livi, too. She was on my lap, so I didn't see her sleeping.
Part of the reason O was so worn out is that he was coming down with Strep throat & another ear infection. He shared a little something with me as well, and we were both out of commission for several days. I had so little energy that I let him watch a lot (too much) Elmo & Baby Einstein. Now I am trying to break that bad habit without too many tantrums!
We've had a ton of fun once we recovered, however. Papa & MiMa Cooper took us to the Cardinal game on the 18th. I word it that way because it was a total break for me. Owen wanted to sit only on Papa's lap... He LOVES his Papas.
He sat trough 5 full innings (I was impressed), and then we went to Fredbird's field. He had a blast with all of the things to climb on!
The mound.
Hanging out with MiMa.
......but loving his Papa. Two peas in a pod.
We've also had some fun time with uncle Steven who read lots of books to Owen & even came over yesterday with 11 NEW matchbox cars. What a TREAT! He taught Owen the names of each car too... Porsche, Barracuda, etc.
As you can see we still love cars...
We play with them everywhere.
In the car seat reading his truck book ("cuck gook")
We also got to celebrate Daddy's birthday all weekend (it was yesterday). Owen learned about candles & is working on his rendition of Happy Birthday.
I'll write more about Daddy's birthday & our trip to the Magic House this week..but to include in here would make this post way.too.long.
A quick Di Di Ga (Baby Girl) update: I had an ultrasound this a.m. to check for size b/c I am measuring 30 weeks when I should be measuring 34. Turns out she's in the 64% for weight... approx 5lbs 5oz, and my amniotic fluid level is just fine. She's just lying transverse with her head in my right hip & legs in my stomach. She's still VERY high... so high that they had to get her to wiggle a bit to confirm gender. She's got a little bit of hair, and her organs appear to be functioning well! Unfortunately no cutsie pictures as her face was buried deep.
