22 Months: Owen Do It

It's happened. "Owen Do It" has entered his vocabulary. Here are some common 

'Owen Do It' phrases:  

 

Owen teeth

Owen mop

Owen stroller

Owen turn

Owen play

Owen Bath Time

 

This new found independence does lead to some fun, however. Since National Homemade Cookie Day, Owen LOVES to be mommy's special helper. We have a 'special helper' chair that he gets to pull up to the counter, and he helps me with everything now. Making coffee is the most messy, but hey, he can help me 'Owen mop' the grounds up!!

  

He still LOVES trains.. all train birthday party theme ideas are welcome.

All toys/books must be spread allllllll over the floor. But, he's very self entertaining, so who am I to complain?

 



GnOwen. Becca sent this adorable gnome costume. I think it will be one of his outfits for this week.

 



'Owen do it'. He wanted to hold the camera himself!!

Learning to share with his buddy Price (a baby that actually moves). Note the look of concern on his face...

Owen the firefighter. Who says you can't dress up little boys?

 

Cuddle time with daddy. This was the night before Amelia was born.

 

Before baby sister bombarded his life, Owen got to spend Friday mornings at 'MyGym'. Here they are making waves. He loves the balls, of course.

 



I'm so proud of how many new things he is trying. He was actually hanging (just a little bit) on this monkey bar. I'll get him back to class... maybe this week. Ok, maybe next week. The mornings are just hectic around here, and I don't have a grasp on them yet.

Checking out airplanes

 

I bought this little set of train tracks at Ikea before we left Seattle. It was one of his new big brother toys... and boy is it a hit. It will entertain him while I'm feeding Millie and for time even beyond that!!

Another dress up outfit. Who says you can't look like a tiger on a random Friday?

After naps we have to get everything out of the crib and bring it to the couch to cuddle.

Playing at the park with daddy.

Running off some energy.

Too sweetsie..

 

Owen Stroller

Owen Big Swing

Daddy Turn

  

Special Helper Chair & 'Wee new' jammies

 

• Another big theme of this month is that we are now SINGING. I LOVE his singing... I'll have to get a video. We sing Wheels on the Bus, Happy birthday to Ava (and only to Ava), ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle, Jesus loves me.
• He doesn't get every word of course, but usually comes in at the end of a phrase. 'A, B, C, D, E, F, G', etc.
• We've created a monster with the iPad. He is allowed to watch 10-12 minutes of baby Einstein while I shower, and I downloaded a few apps to learn shapes, etc to keep him occupied while I am feeding Millie... and now he thinks it's his personal toy. We have tantrums all of the time over the iPad. I'm working on it....
• He counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
• Can actually count 2-3 objects on a page
• Here is a frequent conversation. Mommy: "Owen, what color is this?"  Owen: "Red" (no matter the color). He can, at least, pick out a green or blue block from a pile. Colors are a hard concept to teach!! 
• He knows all of his basic shapes now, except hexagon =)
• He's now saying airplane instead of 'ck'. At least we still have 'wee new' instead of fire truck.
• He really wants to make sure everyone is included in his activities, frequently asking, 'Mommy comin? Daddy comin?'
• He finally has all of his teeth except the 2 year molars.
• He's been very gentle with the baby, but has started to show a little bit of jealousy in the last 2 days. Yesterday he really wanted her socks, and kept taking them off saying 'Owen sock'. He's also been very cuddly with me anytime my arms are open, so I need to make a more concerted effort to have just Owen time. He still gets more of my energy than Amelia does, but it's still far less time than he is used too...   

It's fitting that Owen should turn 22 months on both Mizzou and Illinois' homecoming celebrations. Owen's wardrobe colors for the day are yet to be determined. On college football days, whoever changes the first poopy diaper gets to pick Owen's outfit. Since I get to dress him in black & gold any day I want, I might just let Mike get to that poopy diaper first.... =)

Bitsy's First Birthday

It's hard to believe our niece Ava is a year old already. Way back when she was brand new like Amelia, Carson started to call her 'Bitsy'. It stuck. It fits. It's perfect for her. We were thrilled to celebrate her birthday... our first outing as a family of 4!

Every blonde haired, blue eyed bitsy needs the perfect layered tutu for her 1st birthday. Gorgeous =)

She really thinks big brother Carson (8) is super special.

He's pretty enthralled with her too. I really love watching Carson with the younger kiddos. He's fantastic and can get them to laugh like no one else.

Owen got to sit and eat at the table with the big kids. A very special day.

Ava had no shortage of helpers when it came to opening presents.

 



No denying those Nieders genes.

Bitsy's new board books.

Carson picked out this toy, and it was a hit with all for kids.. ages 1-8.

Ava did a great job with her cake.. we were a little worried because she doesn't like solid food. Yes, you read that correctly! She's starting to come around and eat pieces of bread and cheese, but she missed the whole 6-9 months of purees and 9-12 months of small finger foods. Poor Lindsey has tried everything (even chocolate pudding!). So, we were unsure of what she would do with the cake.. and she at least put a little bit in to her mouth.

 

So happy 1st birthday dearest,, Ava. We were tickled pink to celebrate with you, and we can't wait to watch you grow.

LOVE, Uncle Mike, Aunt Heather, Owen, and Itsy Bitsy

First 2 Weeks

Since this Cardinals game isn't worth watching, I am channeling my energy in to

capturing Amelia's first 2 weeks!

 

Like most newborns, she eats, sleeps, poops, and looks at you adoringly through her very crossed eyes. What sets her apart (from Owen at least) is that she eats about every 3 hours during the day, and she will give me one 4 (sometimes 5) hour stretch at night. I didn't make this progress with Owen until about 6 months. We're starting off very well, and she is gaining weight. On day 10, she weighed in at 7lb 5.8oz.... above birth weight!!!! In between feeding and pooping she sleeps through almost anything. She caught Owen's cold (poor love), so I need to suction her nose. Well, she sleeps through the saline, suctioning, and sometimes even diaper changes.We've seen her eyes a few times, and they look to be pretty and dark.  

 

Like all newborns, she hated her first bath at home. Thankfully now her cord has fallen off, so we can at least let her sit in the water.

 

She loves to snuggle (much more than O). Here she is snuggling with MiMa Wade at Ava's 1st birthday party. (Separate blog post to follow).

Totally out. Mouth wide open.

Meeting Great Grandma.

0 months old, and as gorgeous as can be.

 

I caught a little milk drunk smile on my phone. It's likely gas, but it's still very very sweet.

I l.o.v.e. newborn stretches and post-feeding faces. I can't get enough of the pursed lips, raised eyebrows, lifted arms, and butt-in-the-air moments. I would honestly have another baby just for these newborn moments. They melt me.

Snuggle time with daddy.

I've been wearing her in the Moby a lot.. this way she is close to me, and I can chase/play with Owen.

 What she does best.

 

First outing to the park today. It's gorgeous outside.

 

Owen checking in. He's pretty attentive and really likes to help put her paci in.

This was the first and last time we put her in the swing. Owen gets toooooo excited about the swing, he changes the setting, pushes her, etc. It's just not safe for right now. ;)

Mike caught me snoozing. Ooh I love this little girl and all of her sweet cuddles.

 

Two things I forgot about taking care of a newborn... their hands NEVER open & they get finger jam. We spend a lot of time cleaning them out. AND, her fingernails grow so quickly. It's hard to keep up.

 

The adjustment to 2 is exhausting of course, but we've had a lot of great meals and support from our extended family. Have I mentioned that I LOVE living in St. Louis? Mike went back to work part time last week, so this will be my first full week of 'normal' life. I'm a little nervous, but I think we'll be ok. I'm ready to feel healed so that I can get Owen out a little bit more. In due time, I'm sure.  

 

Pumpkin Patch

This post is a bit delayed, but it chronicles our last outing as a family of 3. On October 6th (the day before Amelia joined us), we went to the pumpkin patch. We had been wanting to take Owen, and I had a feeling the baby was coming soon.. so we bundled up and headed to Rombach Farms.

 

Pictures of O holding Mike's hand will never get old.

PUMPKINS

BIG Tractor

BIG Pumpkins (these were huge, heavy, and $50)

Fire Truck (Wee new)

He really wanted to go back to the fire truck, and he was NOT interested in a picture with mommy.

Rombachs is close to the Spirit of St. Louis Airport in the Chesterfield Valley, and honestly, Owen was much more interested in the airplanes and helicopters than the pumpkins.

He did enjoy this tunnel, though.

When he found a pumpkin just his size, he wanted to pick it up by 'himself'. 'Myself' is certainly the theme of this last month.

Then he wanted to push this cart by himself, and he hit Mike's hand away when he tried to help.

After getting quite frustrated, he rode in the cart and pouted on the way back to the car. Don't you hate it when Mom & Dad take you to do something fun, and you end up throwing a tantrum and pouting on the way home? =)  

 

This was about 14-15 hours before I delivered. Pumpkin = Size of Belly.

 

I thought this sign was hilarious.

 

Cheers to the fall! I am LOVING the cooler weather.