Owen is 7 months old and picking up on things so quickly! He is sitting up like a big boy and has been for almost a month now. I am excited to say he actually slept for over ten hours last night! We are going to start trying a nap time schedule and see if we can continue to sleep through the night.
On October 23rd, Owen began saying Daaaddaaaa. After his Daddy was off work for a week of vacation and spent a ton of quality time with him while I had parent teacher conferences, owen took ownership of the word. :) As we walked in to Wal Mart that Friday, Josh said, "I really have been working on Owen to say Dada." Literally five minutes later, Owen starts repeating it over and over again. I have never heard a child say something so many times! Although it was very cute, I was slightly jealous that he does not say Momma like that frequently.
On October 24th we had a blast carving pumpkins as a family. It was great to start a tradition that we can carry on over the years. Josh, carved Owen an adorable pumpkin. It was my first time using a template and I did better than I thought I would. After the pumpkins were finished, we roasted the seeds. Yummy!
October was full of excitement! We took Owen to Grant's Farm for the Halloween Fest. It was so much fun and completely free for distributors (Josh's company-Shop N Save). Owen was held by a witch and didn't even cry!
On Halloween, we went to Rich, Heather and the Girls' house. Mamaw, Mimi, the Contestabiles, the Bowens and Tiffany were all there too. Josh and I dressed up as farmers and Owen dressed up as a pumpkin. We caught Owen's first trick or treating experience on video camera and then spent the evening riding around on a golf cart. Ammie and Bell looked incredibly cute dressed up as Little Bo Peep and a sheep!
On November 2nd, he began drinking from a straw.
On November 4th, coming home from work, I was greeted by little man nearly bouncing out of his seat and throwing his arms up to see me. His arms were reached out, his smile was huge and he planted a giant kiss on my lips. It was the best feeling ever.... completely melted my heart.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Owen is 6 Months Old!
It seems like it has been forever since I posted. Things have been so busy lately. The good news is that we are all adjusting to me going back to work. :) I'm even fitting in some time to exercise again. I am doing Zumba with the girls at work. It's a great workout and lots of fun!
Owen is growing up so fast! In the bast two months he has learned many new things. First, he puts the sounds together to say mmmmmommma. Of course, he has no clue what it means. It is still absolutely heart warming!
We started him on baby food fruits and veggies. First, we tried Squash and that didn't go over so well. Owen seemed to be up a lot in the middle of the night. I am not sure if I am daring enough to try it again, or just consider the squash a failure. He has made his way through all the other level 1's with no allergic reactions. I seriously couldn't be happier about that!
We are still waiting for some teeth to come in. Two of the teeth have been bugging him for a couple months now. They are still completely swollen, but nothing seems to be coming out yet. Owen is drooling more than ever. I didn't even think it was possible for him to drool anymore than he has for the past couple of months. He is also chewing on anything he can find. His love for Sophie has grown even more the past couple of weeks! That toy was completely worth the expensive $20 price tag.
Movement is a big thing these days. Monkey wants to move at all times. He is becoming even more curious about the world around him and he is starting to sit up on his own. It is for short amounts of time, but he seems to be getting stronger and stronger each day. Owen is also loving time on his tummy! He shakes back and forth and tries to lunge forward. It is really funny to watch him attempt to crawl and move. He gets a red face because he is working so hard.
This weekend was a busy one. We went to dinner with MaMaw and Papaw at Red Lobster on Saturday night. The boys had endless shrimp, so they were very excited! We stayed out way past Owen's bedtime. My almost always happy child was so cranky that he cried in the restaraunt. It was embarassing!
On Sunday, we went to Eckert's Pumpkin Patch with Rich, Heather, Bell and Ammie. It was so great to see them! With our schedules being so hectic, it doesn't happen nearly enough. Bell definitely had the most fun out of anyone. She rode a camel, and a pony. She also went on the airplane ride and got to feed parakeets and goats! Within minutes of arriving there, it was clear that Owen was allergic to something. His little face turned really red. He looked pittiful, but it didn't seem to effect him . My favorite pictures of the day are of Owen sleeping and holding his baby pumpkin. I can't wait to see what Owen is like next year when we visit the pumpkin patch!
On October 8th, Owen had his 6 month check up. He is weighing in at 15lbs 2oz and he is 25 and 3/4 inches long. This puts him in the 25th percentile for weight and the 10th percentile for height.
Owen is growing up so fast! In the bast two months he has learned many new things. First, he puts the sounds together to say mmmmmommma. Of course, he has no clue what it means. It is still absolutely heart warming!
We started him on baby food fruits and veggies. First, we tried Squash and that didn't go over so well. Owen seemed to be up a lot in the middle of the night. I am not sure if I am daring enough to try it again, or just consider the squash a failure. He has made his way through all the other level 1's with no allergic reactions. I seriously couldn't be happier about that!
We are still waiting for some teeth to come in. Two of the teeth have been bugging him for a couple months now. They are still completely swollen, but nothing seems to be coming out yet. Owen is drooling more than ever. I didn't even think it was possible for him to drool anymore than he has for the past couple of months. He is also chewing on anything he can find. His love for Sophie has grown even more the past couple of weeks! That toy was completely worth the expensive $20 price tag.
Movement is a big thing these days. Monkey wants to move at all times. He is becoming even more curious about the world around him and he is starting to sit up on his own. It is for short amounts of time, but he seems to be getting stronger and stronger each day. Owen is also loving time on his tummy! He shakes back and forth and tries to lunge forward. It is really funny to watch him attempt to crawl and move. He gets a red face because he is working so hard.
This weekend was a busy one. We went to dinner with MaMaw and Papaw at Red Lobster on Saturday night. The boys had endless shrimp, so they were very excited! We stayed out way past Owen's bedtime. My almost always happy child was so cranky that he cried in the restaraunt. It was embarassing!
On Sunday, we went to Eckert's Pumpkin Patch with Rich, Heather, Bell and Ammie. It was so great to see them! With our schedules being so hectic, it doesn't happen nearly enough. Bell definitely had the most fun out of anyone. She rode a camel, and a pony. She also went on the airplane ride and got to feed parakeets and goats! Within minutes of arriving there, it was clear that Owen was allergic to something. His little face turned really red. He looked pittiful, but it didn't seem to effect him . My favorite pictures of the day are of Owen sleeping and holding his baby pumpkin. I can't wait to see what Owen is like next year when we visit the pumpkin patch!
On October 8th, Owen had his 6 month check up. He is weighing in at 15lbs 2oz and he is 25 and 3/4 inches long. This puts him in the 25th percentile for weight and the 10th percentile for height.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
A Rough Start
Going back to work is definitely hard. I obviously miss being with Owen, but this year is much more difficult than the previous years . Let me start by saying that I am almost always stress free and positive. I have always been the teacher that loves the job and makes excuses for the endless amounts of work thrown our way. I always try to cheer others up when they are feeling down and not enjoying the job the way they could.
This school year has already tested me in more ways than I thought possible. We started out the school year with our entire team of five teachers in third grade. A week into school, it was decided to move a teacher to first grade and close the class. I've never experienced anything quite like this. I felt horrible for the students and parents that were directly effected by the move. My team stuck together and tried to make the transition as smooth as possible. Luckily,I recieved 5 wonderful students from the change.
The late classroom close has definitely thrown everyone for a loop. We are now adjusting to life without one of our team members. We were a well oiled machine and a true definition of what it means to be a team. Loosing a member means more work and way less free minutes in the day. Some days we do not have a break until lunchtime at 12:30.
With time being of the essence and a classroom with extremely high needs, I know that I have to figure out how to manage things better. It is a hard adjustment for me. I'm used to giving my job a 150%. I now have all the work responsibilities, less time, more students, and a baby, Husband and house to take care of. I didn't think the pressure could break me, but last week was extremely difficult. For the first time, I found myself questioning my career choice. On Friday, I was so overwhelmed that I came home and stayed in a hot bath crying for 30 minutes. Honestly, it felt wonderful to release some of the stress and pressure.
I know that this blog sounds sad and awful, but it really isn't. I do feel like this year will be a huge challenge, but now I am starting to see that it will get better. Even when things are bad, I ultimately love teaching. There is no better feeling than watching a child's light bulb come on because of something you said or did. I love igniting children with the spark that can only come out when a child sees that learning can be fun and enjoyable. I love spending time with my students and building strong, solid relationships with them. Ultimately that is what my job is all about and I can definitely handle that!
___________________________________________
On to the important stuff, baby talk! My baby boy is getting so big! He is now 21 weeks old. I am happy to say that he is starting to eat more. He usually averaged 20oz per day and now he is up to 24. It seems like whatever he eats is enough because he definitely has some adorable "baby muscles". By no means does he look like he is hurting for food. :) He is growing up so fast and he has quite the personality. A few days ago he grabbed my face with both hands and smothered me in wide open mouth baby kisses. It was truly the most precious thing ever! He also took a bath in the big tub for the first time! We are all so excited that Daddy is almost done with the bathroom and now Owen can always take baths in the big tub! :)
This wouldn't be my blog if I didn't include updated pictures.
This school year has already tested me in more ways than I thought possible. We started out the school year with our entire team of five teachers in third grade. A week into school, it was decided to move a teacher to first grade and close the class. I've never experienced anything quite like this. I felt horrible for the students and parents that were directly effected by the move. My team stuck together and tried to make the transition as smooth as possible. Luckily,I recieved 5 wonderful students from the change.
The late classroom close has definitely thrown everyone for a loop. We are now adjusting to life without one of our team members. We were a well oiled machine and a true definition of what it means to be a team. Loosing a member means more work and way less free minutes in the day. Some days we do not have a break until lunchtime at 12:30.
With time being of the essence and a classroom with extremely high needs, I know that I have to figure out how to manage things better. It is a hard adjustment for me. I'm used to giving my job a 150%. I now have all the work responsibilities, less time, more students, and a baby, Husband and house to take care of. I didn't think the pressure could break me, but last week was extremely difficult. For the first time, I found myself questioning my career choice. On Friday, I was so overwhelmed that I came home and stayed in a hot bath crying for 30 minutes. Honestly, it felt wonderful to release some of the stress and pressure.
It was truly an ugly place to be in, and I am not interested in revisiting it again. I am realizing that there are only so many minutes in the day and one of me. I can only do so much and some things will just have to wait because it isn't fair to my family if I spend endless hours working each night. I'm learning an important life lesson, I can still be a great teacher and put things on the back burner.
I know that this blog sounds sad and awful, but it really isn't. I do feel like this year will be a huge challenge, but now I am starting to see that it will get better. Even when things are bad, I ultimately love teaching. There is no better feeling than watching a child's light bulb come on because of something you said or did. I love igniting children with the spark that can only come out when a child sees that learning can be fun and enjoyable. I love spending time with my students and building strong, solid relationships with them. Ultimately that is what my job is all about and I can definitely handle that!
___________________________________________
On to the important stuff, baby talk! My baby boy is getting so big! He is now 21 weeks old. I am happy to say that he is starting to eat more. He usually averaged 20oz per day and now he is up to 24. It seems like whatever he eats is enough because he definitely has some adorable "baby muscles". By no means does he look like he is hurting for food. :) He is growing up so fast and he has quite the personality. A few days ago he grabbed my face with both hands and smothered me in wide open mouth baby kisses. It was truly the most precious thing ever! He also took a bath in the big tub for the first time! We are all so excited that Daddy is almost done with the bathroom and now Owen can always take baths in the big tub! :)
This wouldn't be my blog if I didn't include updated pictures.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
What A Difference One Year Makes!
Today is August 23rd, 2009. It was exactly one year ago today that Josh and I found out that we were expecting a new bundle of joy. I remember the excitement and overwhelming joy we felt. The two of us were beyond ready to open our homes, lives and hearts to a new baby. It felt completely surreal that we were going to have the chance to actually do it. It was also unbelievable that our timing was exactly perfect. I can still remember my big sisters telling me that it wasn't possible to plan it out. I told them that we could still try. :) Ultimately I remember feeling like everything was too good to be true. I had no clue how much of a miracle the entire process was! Now that I have that life experience behind me, I can still look back in amazement and awe. Josh and I now have a beautiful, healthy, loving, adorable and perfect for us baby boy! I couldn't have dreamt a life better than what we have. Owen has brought us an immense amount of joy and happiness. Through him we experience life's small joys and it is a journey that Josh and I are both thankful for every day!
In honor of this special day, I would like to take a picture walk down memory.
In honor of this special day, I would like to take a picture walk down memory.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Sadly Becoming Reality
This weekend is tax free weekend to purchase school supplies. The stores have been packed with excited children and frantic parents. The shelves are lined with the coolest new bookbags, folders, and pencils. As a teacher, the sight of this only leads me to one conclusion.... summer beak is almost over. Every other year I have been overjoyed to return to school. I absolutely love the anticipation of what my students will be like and I look forward to our journey together.
I consider myself to be career and goal oriented, and I absolutely love my job. Before having Owen I always knew that I would want to be a working mom. I enjoy making a difference in the lives of children and I also love the challange that my job brings.
With that said, I never realized how hard it would be to leave my beautiful, perfect baby in the hands of someone other than me. I can't even explain how fortunate I am to have Josh, my mom and mother in law taking care of Owen while I am at work. I know that he is in amazingly good hands, they just aren't my hands and for me that is just plain awful.
Since the day he was born, I knew that going back to school this year would be painful and challenging, but I didn't know the extent of it. On Friday, I brought Owen up to school and picked up a stack of things to do over the weekend. Before I started getting Owen ready for bed, I got out all my supplies and quickly realized what was soon going to take place.
As I was rocking Owen to sleep the tears started streaming down my face. It seems like yesterday we were coming home fom the hospital. Here we are four months later and soon I am going to have to leave my baby all day long. If I could, part of me would like to run as fast as I can away from school. Knowing that isn't an option is hard, but I hear that it will get easier and I can only pray that is true!
Tomorrow we start our typical school routine and wake up time. I hope that I have the strength to be the best momma, wife, teacher and friend possible because the people that need me and love me deserve nothing short of Super Woman.
I'm still looking forward to this school years journey, it is just through cloudy teared up eyes as the closeness of events is sadly becoming reality.
I consider myself to be career and goal oriented, and I absolutely love my job. Before having Owen I always knew that I would want to be a working mom. I enjoy making a difference in the lives of children and I also love the challange that my job brings.
With that said, I never realized how hard it would be to leave my beautiful, perfect baby in the hands of someone other than me. I can't even explain how fortunate I am to have Josh, my mom and mother in law taking care of Owen while I am at work. I know that he is in amazingly good hands, they just aren't my hands and for me that is just plain awful.
Since the day he was born, I knew that going back to school this year would be painful and challenging, but I didn't know the extent of it. On Friday, I brought Owen up to school and picked up a stack of things to do over the weekend. Before I started getting Owen ready for bed, I got out all my supplies and quickly realized what was soon going to take place.
As I was rocking Owen to sleep the tears started streaming down my face. It seems like yesterday we were coming home fom the hospital. Here we are four months later and soon I am going to have to leave my baby all day long. If I could, part of me would like to run as fast as I can away from school. Knowing that isn't an option is hard, but I hear that it will get easier and I can only pray that is true!
Tomorrow we start our typical school routine and wake up time. I hope that I have the strength to be the best momma, wife, teacher and friend possible because the people that need me and love me deserve nothing short of Super Woman.
I'm still looking forward to this school years journey, it is just through cloudy teared up eyes as the closeness of events is sadly becoming reality.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Owen is 4 Months Old Today!
I can't believe it, my baby boy is officially four months old today! It was a very busy day that started off with an appointment at Dr. Young's office. If you have children you all know what the dreaded 4 month check up means.... shots!
Owen started the doctor's visit as his happy go lucky self. He flashed the nurse some big smiles and giggled at Dr. Young. We found out that he now weighs 13lbs and 6oz and is 24 and a quarter inches long. All of his measurements (weight,length and head) are in the 25th percentile. Considering he was born four weeks early it doesn't sound so bad! Dr. Young said that she is happy with it and as long as he continues to grow at a steady pace, Momma is allowed to stop stressing out over how many ounces he takes each day. Yay! She also gave us a green light to start rice cereal in a bowl. At six months we will take on fruits and veggies at a slow pace because she suspects that Owen may have some other food allergies.
After the checkup was finished it was time for the part of the visit that everyone hates. Owen waited patiently until the nurse arrived. First he enjoyed the tasty drink and then the awful part came. He got two shots, one in each leg. This led to a screaming fit that lasted 5 minutes. After that I left with my very sleepy baby.
The rest of the day Owen was extremely tired and slightly irritable, but he did have some happy moments on his four month day. :) He enjoyed playing with Momma and Daddy.
The smiles apparantly ended shortly after. He managed to have a lengthy tantrum for Daddy while Momma ran to the store. Needless to say, Daddy was very excited for my return home!
Towards the end of the evening I snapped a few four month pictures. Of course, these pictures do not have a smile because O was definitely not in a smiling mood. He was a pouty little guy! After the pictures Owen got to have his first taste of a messy mixture of rice cereal and prune juice..... Boy oh boy, did he love it! When he was placed in the Bumbo he screamed and screamed. As soon as the spoon hit his mouth the screaming stopped and my happy baby returned. More cereal ended up on him and his Bumbo than in his tummy, but he enjoyed every second of the feeding. This leads me to believe that Owen will indeed enjoy being four months old because it gives him an entirely new food option, and the cereal was a hit!
Owen started the doctor's visit as his happy go lucky self. He flashed the nurse some big smiles and giggled at Dr. Young. We found out that he now weighs 13lbs and 6oz and is 24 and a quarter inches long. All of his measurements (weight,length and head) are in the 25th percentile. Considering he was born four weeks early it doesn't sound so bad! Dr. Young said that she is happy with it and as long as he continues to grow at a steady pace, Momma is allowed to stop stressing out over how many ounces he takes each day. Yay! She also gave us a green light to start rice cereal in a bowl. At six months we will take on fruits and veggies at a slow pace because she suspects that Owen may have some other food allergies.
After the checkup was finished it was time for the part of the visit that everyone hates. Owen waited patiently until the nurse arrived. First he enjoyed the tasty drink and then the awful part came. He got two shots, one in each leg. This led to a screaming fit that lasted 5 minutes. After that I left with my very sleepy baby.
The rest of the day Owen was extremely tired and slightly irritable, but he did have some happy moments on his four month day. :) He enjoyed playing with Momma and Daddy.
The smiles apparantly ended shortly after. He managed to have a lengthy tantrum for Daddy while Momma ran to the store. Needless to say, Daddy was very excited for my return home!
Towards the end of the evening I snapped a few four month pictures. Of course, these pictures do not have a smile because O was definitely not in a smiling mood. He was a pouty little guy! After the pictures Owen got to have his first taste of a messy mixture of rice cereal and prune juice..... Boy oh boy, did he love it! When he was placed in the Bumbo he screamed and screamed. As soon as the spoon hit his mouth the screaming stopped and my happy baby returned. More cereal ended up on him and his Bumbo than in his tummy, but he enjoyed every second of the feeding. This leads me to believe that Owen will indeed enjoy being four months old because it gives him an entirely new food option, and the cereal was a hit!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
TT's Baby Party
Owen modeling the tutu that I made for Baby Raegan. This is future blackmail :)
Owen and I went to TT's baby shower today. Mico did a great job decorating, there was a sea of pink and chocolate brown. Of course, Tara looked beautiful as always! Owen loved hanging out with everyone and particularly enjoyed being held by the pretty girls. Him and Kel Bel made became friends immediately! He is completely excited for his soon to be girlfriend Raegan to come! I had a great time visiting with the girls. Each time I see them, I can't help but think how much our lives have changed in the past year! That could be an entire post of it's own! :)
I should also mention that we started our 3 hour feeding routine today. It went pretty well considering we were gone most of the day. Surprisingly he took to it pretty well, but he definitely didn't eat much. He totaled a whopping 16oz for the day. I'm hoping that will get better because he usually eats around 20-23oz(which is still low) when I feed him more frequently. After all the attention and lack of naps, Owen was exhausted when we got home. He was about ready to pass out during bath time. :)
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