Happy Halloween!

Most of you know that we had a hurricane earlier this week - Hurricane Sandy.  School was canceled on Monday and Tuesday so Owen and I got to hang out all day!  We had a little Halloween photo shoot!  Enjoy the pictures!

My little punkin!

Happy boy!

What in the world is this?!?

Love those chubby cheeks and thunder thighs!

Playing around! 

(This one is my wallpaper at work!)

I hope everyone had a nice Halloween!

Love,

Judi

Owen is Four Months Old!

Happy Four Month Birthday Baby Boo!

Can't believe how fast time is flying by (I know I say that every time, but I still can't get over it!).  Little man is growing like a weed and is SO much fun!

Sleep:  Owen is now sleeping 10-11 hours a night!  He eats at about 8:30pm and goes right to bed.  He wakes up around 7:00am and is always in a good mood!  He never wakes up in the middle of the night, he is SUCH a good sleeper.  The morning is his favorite time.  He wakes up smiling and chirps, sings, and coos for about two hours!  I always try to get some good pictures in the morning.  He naps off and on throughout the day for about 45 minutes each time.

Size:  Owen went to the doctor on the 25th and weighs 17 pounds!  He is in the 90th percentile for weight.  He is 25.5 inches long, which is the 75th percentile.  He is such a chubber!  Everyone comments on how chubby his little cheeks are!  I just love it! 

He is in the size 2 diapers, but they only go to 18 pounds, so sometime this month we'll have to move him to the 3's.  The 3's start at 16 pounds, so we could move him there now, but we've got some 2's to use up! We cannot stand Pampers diapers... every time he wears them they leak, and I'm not just talking pee (yes, I just went there! hah).  So we only buy Huggies, they never leak.

He is now fitting in 6 month clothes.  Yes, SIX MONTH CLOTHES!  He's a BIG boy!!!  I bought him some long sleeved clothes and pants for the fall/winter.

Special Trips:  We went to Cox's Farm and got some cute pictures in the pumpkin patch a couple weekends ago.  It was pretty cold so he was bundled up good!

Bundled up and ready to go to the Pumpkin Patch!

Momma and baby.  <3

 Father and son.

Nana came too!

Firsts:  This month Owen had his first 11 hour stretch of sleep.  He also had his first full day with Mommy back at work!  Oh, and he also made his first friend!  

Our Nanny has been awesome this week.  She makes/cleans his bottles, she is early every day, she takes care of the dogs for us, and she even unloaded our dishwasher this week.  We LOVE her and feel so blessed to have her!  My favorite thing is her daily pictures she texts me.  She will send me pictures of Owen playing and smiling.  She sent me one this week of Skyler laying on the floor right next to Owen while he played on his mat!  She brings her 17 month old daughter with her, Kenzie, so Kenzie is Owen's first friend!  One afternoon when I came home they were both staring at each other checking each other out and Owen was smiling at her!  Such a love bug!  Kenzie LOVES our dogs too, and they are both just so great with her!  Skyler is excited to have a little buddy.  :)  We are blessed!  Oh, another great thing about Katie, she lives less than a mile from our new house, so she is going to be SUPER close!  Just awesome!!!

Developmental Milestones:  Owen is on target with all of his developmental milestones.  We just had his doctor appointment where they check all of his developmental activities and he is doing great!  He hated tummy time for awhile, but we started using the Boppy pillow to prop him up and he likes it a lot better.

Singing and playing.  :)

Owen also rolled over for the first time!  He's been rolling to his side, but last night he rolled from back to front for the first time.  He woke up on his tummy.  :)

Here is a sweet video of me playing with Owen... I just love baby giggles!!!

Family Update:  We had Owen's four month pictures taken at our house and outside last week.  Here is a little sneak peak photo!

I'm in love with those blue eyes!  I can't wait to see the rest!  I'll post on facebook when she does her blog.  :)

I went back to work this past Monday... it was hard the first day, but I've been SO busy that I don't have much time to stop and think about anything.  Overall, it hasn't been as bad as I thought and I'm really enjoying my class.  I have the sweetest kids this year.  I already have a few boys that are just adorable, kind, caring, sweet children.  Having kids like that makes it so much easier to come back to work!  

Our house is coming along pretty well!  We are so excited to have a garage, a yard, plenty of space in our living room... It's going to be nice to live in a family friendly neighborhood where everyone is new!  We went out to check out the house last weekend and met a couple of our new neighbors.  They seem great and that makes us even more excited to move!

Happy Halloween!

Love,

Judi and Jimmy

New House!

I am so excited to finally share the news of our new house!  We wanted to wait until we sold our house and all the financing was in order before we shared with everyone...  So now that all of those things are in order, here you go!!!

In August, we made the decision to purchase a new house (new construction!) and sell our house.  It was a pretty big decision to make, but we put everything in God's hands and both Jimmy and I felt like it was the right time.  Our offer was accepted on the new house and we put our current house on the market the next week... it sold in SIX DAYS!  We had two offers and accepted the best one.

Our new house is a single family home in Gainesville.  (For those of you in the NOVA area, it's across 29 from Lake Manassas.)  It has four bedrooms upstairs (5th in the basement), 4.5 bathrooms, and it's about 4,000 square feet (including the basement).  It's a corner lot, so we have one neighbor on one side and another behind us, but the side of their house backs to ours (you'll see in the pictures).  The elementary, middle and high schools are all great (Go Battlefield!).  The community is great... and there's a Wegman's a mile away!  Haha!

We are so excited to move into our forever home!  We plan to grow our family here and have this be the home our children come to for Thanksgiving when their grown!  I am so thrilled to have a home that Owen and our future children will grow up in.  All their memories will be in this home and community, and I've always wanted to have that.

Here are several pictures to show you how the construction has progressed since August...

This was right after we signed all the papers.  They are digging for the foundation.

The foundation was just laid...

Putting the walls up!

View from the back/side.

Roof and framing done!

Back/side view again...

Most recent picture... porch is on!

We try to by once a week to check it out and take some pictures.  It's coming along so fast!  We just heard this weekend that it should be done in 30 days and that we should be able to close before Thanksgiving!

I hope you enjoyed hearing about this new exciting time in our lives!  Happy fall to all!

Love,

Judi and Jimmy

Thank God for Miss Katie!

And, yes, I mean that literally... Thank the Lord for sending Miss Katie to us.

I've been dreading the day I have to go back to work.  It's not (at all) having to work that was bothering me, but leaving my little man.  And honestly, it wasn't just leaving him, it was dropping him off at day care and leaving him in the hands of people we don't know.  I was having such a hard time with this, MUCH harder than I even want to admit...  I felt like I was abandoning him.  I also could not fathom how one person could take care of four babies (that's the raio, 1 to 4).  I'm sure someone is going to be left to cry at some point during the day and that just completely breaks my heart.

Jimmy saw how much I was struggling with this and suggested we look for someone to come to our house to watch Owen.  This way he can stay on his schedule and in his own home.  The adjustment would not be as severe as if he were to go to day care.  I thought, let's just look into it and see what happens...  Well, we found Katie.

Katie was the first person we interviewed.  She came over and spent about an hour and a half with us.  We interviewed her and she spent some time with Owen.  It was very organic and natural.  Owen absolutely loved her.  He went right to her smiling and fell asleep on her!  (This is really saying something, as lately he is realizing who strangers are and is not comfortable with just anyone, even family!)  Seeing Owen with her, that's when we knew, she was it!  So Katie will be our 'nanny'!  (I don't even like the word nanny, but it is what it is!)

Katie is going to come to our house when Jimmy is not working from home, so on average 20-35 hours a week.  She has a 16 month old daughter, Kenzie, that she is bringing with her.  I love that she is a mom, I feel like being a mom has made me more patient and understanding.  I also love that Owen will still get some socialization with Kenzie around!  It is going to make our lives so much easier, as she will make bottles/food, wash bottles/food, we won't have to pack a bag for him each day, and he gets to stay in his favorite place, home!  She will also take Owen and Kenzie to the park and on other fun little outings.

I had been asking God to prepare my heart for leaving Owen and returning to work, and I think he answered my prayers in his own way, of course!  For the first time, I can think about going back to work without sobbing!  For the first time, I think about teaching again and get a little excited!

Not only do we need Katie so much, but I believe God put us in her life for a reason too.  It's just one of God's little coincidences.  :)

So thank Katie and thank God!

Love,

Judi and Jimmy

Owen is Three Months Old!

That's right, three months already!  A quarter of a year!

Sleep:  Owen is progressing well with his feeding schedule.  He has his last night time feeding between 8:30 and 9:00 and sleeps until 5 or 6.  So he is now getting a good 8 hours of sleep each night.  When he wakes up between 5 and 6 he eats and goes right back to sleep.  This is so awesome because on the weekends we can feed him and go right back to bed!  We usually have to wake him up between 8 and 9 for his next feeding, or he would sleep even longer.  

He is now sleeping in his crib each night and has grown to love it!  After his night time feeding he goes straight to his crib and falls asleep with no fussing at all.  Once he got used to sleeping in the crib he is a super easy baby to put to bed each night.  He has started to take some of his naps in his crib as well, but awakens more because he doesn't sleep as deep during the day.

Size:  Owen weighs about 15 pounds (or so) now.  I'm guessing he is around 24-25 inches long now.  He goes to the doctor for his four month appointment next month, so then we will have a more accurate weight and length.

He is fitting pretty snugly into his 3/3-6 month outfits right now.  He can also fit into his 6 month outfits, but I'm trying to get more use out of the 3/3-6 month outfits before I pack them away and move onto the 6 month ones!  I'm starting to put him in long sleeves and pants because it's getting cooler outside.  

Special Visits:  Jimmy's brother Phil finally came over to meet the little guy!  It was nice for Owen to meet the last of his 5 uncles!

Special Trips:  Owen goes everywhere with us.  We are very comfortable just packing up his diaper bag and taking him with us wherever we go.  The only place we used to go often and cannot take him is the movie theater.  That we'll need a babysitter for!

We've been enjoying walks in the evening now that the weather is just perfect!  We also take him to Fairfax Corner and walk around, or get something to eat and sit outside.

Firsts:  This month Owen had his first 9 hour stretch of sleep.  One night he slept from 9:30 to 7:00!  Hopefully this length of sleep will become more consistent soon!

Developmental Milestones:  Owen now rolls over to his side consistently.  He LOVES sleeping on his side.  As soon as I put him down in his crib he rolls to his side!

My little snuggle bug!

Owen is now reaching for objects and grasping some of his toys.  He also giggles and smiles on a regular basis.  He loves to play, especially with his Pops!

Playing Around!

Owen is also starting to pull himself up on his own.  When he is sitting in his swing, or someone is holding him at an angle, he will crunch his stomach (like he is doing a sit-up) and try to sit up!

He is very active and loves to kick his legs and move his arms when he is laying on his play mat!

He is now talking consistently.  Lots of goo's and aahhh's.  He will also talk back to you, in his own little language, when you talk to him!  He just LOVES to interact with you!

Family Update:  We are having Owen's 4 month photo shoot in October.  I cannot wait to have these photos taken, as Ali is just amazing!  I will be sure to share her blog on facebook and in my blog.

I'm also returning to work on October 22nd.  I've been so blessed to have 4 months at home with Owen.  I know most women don't get as much time as I did, so I'm definitely thankful for every moment.  I'm also thankful that Jimmy works from home about 20 hours a week.  So we're going to try and have Owen home with him while he is working from home.  It makes me feel a lot better knowing that he will only be in day care for 5-6 hours a day.

The other morning Jimmy was watching Owen while I took a shower and I came into the office to find him playing guitar for Owen!  Owen was just mesmerized.  Of course, I had to snap some photos!

I even caught a picture of Owen singing along!

I swear this boy is going to be musically inclined.  He loved music in my belly, and music always calms him down now.  I couldn't believe he was making noises along with the guitar!

Here are a few more adorable pictures!

Straight Snuggin.

That's right, Ma!

Cracking himself up!

Holding Pops' hand.  :)

Whatcha doin' Mama?

Chatting away!

How you doin'?

Yes, he put himself in this position!

I love that you can see his blond streak in this picture.  :)

I hope everyone is having a great start to their fall!  I love fall in Virginia.  It's such a beautiful time!

Love,

Judi and Jimmy

Who does he look like?

Since Owen's been born we are bombarded with "Oh, he looks JUST like Jimmy!"  Or, "He's got Judi's eyes!"  So, I thought it would be fun to look at some of my and Jimmy's baby pictures and compare them to Owen's!

Here are the newborn pictures...

Jimmy's newborn picture.

Owen's newborn picture.

Judi's newborn picture.

To me he looks more like Jimmy in the newborn pictures, but it could also be because both are pictures of them sleeping.

Here are some infant pictures... I tried to pick pictures where all three of us have the same expression on our faces so you can compare easier.

Jimmy as an infant.

Owen as an infant.

Judi as an infant.

Now, in these pictures, I think he looks more like me!




Here are some more infant ones...

Jimmy

Owen

Judi

He definitely has my hair color!  Owen has light brown hair with a little blonde in the light, just like mine in this picture.  He even has a streak of blonde that goes from the front left to the back, you can't see it in the picture above though.  Jimmy had blonde as a baby!

What will he look like in years to come?

Maybe something like this...?

Or this...?

Or...

GO SKINS!!!

Or...

Or...

Or...

To be completely honest, I think he is a perfect mix of the both of us!  You can definitely tell he belongs to me and Jimmy.  At the end of the day, Owen is not a clone of anyone.  He is his own person and he looks just like Owen should!  He has his own personality that is unique to him.  He is one special little boy.

God made him just perfectly.  :)

Big thanks to Cindy for all the baby pictures of me and Jimmy! xoxo

I can't help but post these adorable pictures of Owen smiling and laughing that I caught the other day!  He just LOVES his play mat!

Doesn't this look like the 'first day of kindergarten' picture?!?  TOO CUTE!

You can kind of see his blonde streak in this picture!

Such a happy boy!!!



Here are some more cute ones...

Daddy and baby

Hanging out watching T.V.
(Don't worry, I have him strapped in!)


Doctor Update:  Owen had his two month appointment on August 28th.  At that time he weighed in at 12 pounds 11 ounces and was 23.5 inches long.  He is in the 75th percentile for both weight and height.  He's a big boy!  He got one vaccine orally, which he loves and sucked down.  Then he got three shots in his little meaty thighs.  He did very well with the shots.  Of course he cried at first, but as soon as I picked him up and cuddled him he stopped and laid his head on my shoulder.  Just about melted my heart!  He was perfectly fine that evening, just slept a little longer than usual.  The doctor said he is looking just perfect!  His next appointment will be at four months.


Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Love,

Judi and Jimmy