Owen is 11 Months Old!

He does NOT want to sit still - typical boy!

It probably makes him more mad that I am laughing at him the whole time!  Haha!

Okay, this is the best I could get!

Sleep:  Owen still sleeps about the same as he has been for awhile now.  He is starting to phase out his later afternoon nap and transition to just one nap a day, but every day is different and sometimes he still needs that nap.  So we go with the flow...  

Size:  I'm going to guess he is about 25 pounds and 30 inches long.  He is wearing all 12 month clothes and some are even a little tight.  He is now in the size 4 diapers too.  I just love dressing him in all the cute summer outfits!  He's got some super cute outfits that make him look like a STUD!

Special Trips/Visits:  About two weeks ago we took Owen to the Leesburg Animal Park.  This place is so adorable!  It has all kinds of animals from different parts of the world that you can pet and feed.  They have giant turtles, monkeys, deer, goats, chickens, ducks, cows, horses, a camel, and many more... Owen was a little weary of all the animals at first, but once he got comfortable he was reaching out to touch each one!  There is a contact area you can go into where you can walk around with the animals.  He loved the baby cows and lambs in the contact area.  They also had the smallest goats I have ever seen, so cute!

Let me in there!

Touching her nose!

He liked the lambs.

For Mother's Day we took my mom to Effe's Frozen Treats which is an adorable little ice cream shop down the road from us.  They have such delicious ice cream and these cute red tables to sit at outside.  A perfect summertime spot!

Enjoying some ice cream with my boy!

Owen knows what ice cream looks like and will not stop grunting and squealing for some when we go out to get some.  We don't really go out for ice cream that often, and I don't eat it in the evenings until he goes to bed, but I guess he has caught on to the delectable sweetness of ice cream!  Just like his Mama!

We also took our first road trip with Owen.  We went down to Virginia Tech (4 hour drive) for my brother, Miles', graduation.  Owen was pretty good in the car, he had his moments and I had to crawl in the back to entertain him a few times.  But, overall it went pretty well.  I was worried about him being irritated by being strapped in the car for so long, but it didn't seem to bother him as much as I thought it would.  We took him with us to the graduation ceremony and he did AWESOME!  He sat on my or Jimmy's lap for over two hours and didn't fuss one time, and the entire ceremony was during his nap time.  He was clapping along with everyone when people's names were called and even drank his bottle just fine.  He was a trooper!  I'm so glad that we could be there to celebrate such a special moment in my brother's life!  We are so proud of you Miles!

Firsts:  Owen has started to really use words in context.  He says Mama, Dada, Doggy, and Uh-Oh... maybe a few more words, but I can't remember right now!  He will come into the room and see Lola or Skyler and say "Doggy!!!"  He also says "Uh-oh" when he drops something on the ground or finds something that he knows shouldn't be there.  He also squeals "DADADADADADA!!!!" when Jimmy comes home, or even walks into the room!  He can understand a lot of what we say as well.  I can tell him to come here, go get it, I'm going to get you, and of course, no!

He is still cruising around furniture and I think walking will be in the very near future.  He will let go of the piece of furniture and stand without holding on, but I don't think he is ready for that first step yet.  It will come soon enough.  :)

He is really getting good at drinking out of his sippy cup, which I am so happy about because next month he will switch from formula to whole milk.  We are excited to not have to wash bottles anymore and buy expensive formula.  He will be fully transitioned to sippy cups before baby 2 comes... I'm NOT going to wash bottles for two babies!  Luckily, I don't anticipate this being an issue for him.

He also got to swing on a swing for the first time at the park in our neighborhood.

He loves it!  So, Jimmy got him a swing for the house and attached it to the underside of our deck.  Now we can just go out back in the evenings.

I told you he is a squealer!

Likes:  Owen loves crawling around and exploring his surroundings.  He loves crawling on top of people when they are sitting on the floor with him.  Everyone is his jungle gym!  He loves getting out of the house and running errands with me, he loves walks, he loves our dogs and other animals, and he loves eating!  We are very lucky that he is not a picky eater and will eat just about anything we give him.  It makes life so much easier.

Yes, he crawled up there himself!

Exploring the cabinets.

Dislikes:  Owen does not like to be fed.  He wants to feed himself.  So, we are over the Gerber squares, cereal, and baby yogurt.  He wants to eat anything he can pick up on his own.  Today he tried pasta with red sauce for the first time!

Every kid needs a messy spaghetti picture!

Do you want some?

He always tries to share his food with us.

We went to Cracker Barrel last weekend and Owen got to eat some apple sauce, green beans, biscuits, and strawberries while we were there.  I absolutely love the high chairs there, they look like normal sized chairs!  I just get a kick out of him in these pictures - I swear he looks like he is 3 years old!

So grown up!

Family Update:  We are doing really well!  I'm counting down the days until this school year is over (15 more days!) and I am really looking forward to a relaxing summer!  I have started planning Owen's birthday party and it will be a Very Hungry Caterpillar theme!  I'm so excited to celebrate him turning ONE!  I can't believe it has been 11 months since he was born... 

I hope everyone is having a fabulous Memorial Day weekend!

Love,

Judi

24 Weeks!

6 months pregnant already... where has the time gone?!

Along:  24 weeks!  Baby 2 will be here before we can even blink.  I swear time goes by SO fast lately.

Size of Baby:  Baby 2 weighs more than a pound and is the size of a standard letter.  He can hear all kinds of noises and recognize voices.  Hopefully he will be used to Owen's squeals when he is born!  (Man that kid can squeal!)  Baby 2 will gain about 6 ounces each week for the next couple of weeks.

Gender:  BOY!!!  We are so excited to have two boys.  The bond between brothers is so special, and I'm sure will be even more special being as they will only be 14 months apart.  Jimmy and I have already started saying 'the boys' and 'our boys.'  I LOVE it!

Sleep:   I sleep like a rock and haven't even had to start getting up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night yet.  

What I Miss:   An occasional alcoholic drink.  We had happy hour last night with some friends and I couldn't indulge... only a few more months though.  :) 

Cravings:  Right now I really want some Chick-Filet nuggets... good thing I convinced Jimmy to go there for lunch while we are out running errands today!  I also crave ice cream, which I did with Owen as well.  Sweets are my weakness.  Thankfully I am doing really well with my weight.  I started a few pounds heavier than I did with Owen and I've not yet reached the weight I was with him at 24 weeks.  I think I've only gained about 10 pounds so far.

Symptoms:  I get tired sooner and easier, but other than that, nothing else bothers me.  This pregnancy is super easy.  Besides the obvious growing belly, I wouldn't even realize I'm pregnant.  

Best Moment this Month:  Jimmy can now feel baby 2 moving around!  It's so special for him.  I also love hearing his heart beat each time I go to the doctor.  They say the same thing each time - very strong heart beat!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers out there!  I'm so excited for my first real Mother's Day.  Jimmy has some special things planned!

Love,

Judi