Owen is 9 Months Old!

Happy 9 months sweet baby boy!

Sleep:  Owen's sleep patterns haven't changed at all since he was 8 months old.  He still goes to bed between 7:30-8:00 and wakes up between 7:00 and 7:30.  He then takes a nap from about 9:00 - 12:00 and another nap from 3:00 - 5:00.  He sleeps through the night like a champ.

Size:  At his 9 month appointment today he weighed 22 pounds and is 28 inches long.  He has outgrown all of his 9 month clothes and I have packed them all away.  He is now in 12 month clothes!  My boy is a biggin!!!  I had so much fun buying all his 12 month clothes.  The boy summer outfits are just adorable!  I particularly loved picking out his swim suit and rash guard for the pool and beach!  He is still in size 3 diapers, but we are going to try size 4 here pretty soon.

Special Trips/Visits:  No special trips this past month.  He still loves getting out of the house so we try and take him with us on our errands during the weekend.  He is so good out in public, for now (I'm waiting for that meltdown - I know it's coming eventually!)  We are flying to California for my Oma and Opa's (Grandma and Grandpa in German, my Mom's parents) 50th wedding anniversary on Wednesday.  I am so excited for Owen to meet all of his family out there!

Jimmy took him to Tropical Smoothie one afternoon and he would NOT give up the smoothie.  He didn't even eat any of it, I guess he just wanted to be the one to hold it!

We took a trip to the Leeseburg Outlets to get him some 12 month clothes.  He LOVED being in the stroller riding around in the sunshine.  He squealed for the first 15 minutes in his stroller!

Firsts:  Owen has had a lot of little firsts this month!  He has started waving by to people as they are leaving.  When I leave for work in the morning he waves goodbye to me and gives me a huge smile!  It just melts my heart!  He has also started clapping.  This one just started a few days ago.  He loves music, so he has been clapping when his Raffi Pandora station is on, or when Jimmy is playing the guitar.  He has also started to pull himself up on the couch and coffee table.  He loves doing this and squeals when he gets all the way up, then pounds on the couch or coffee table.  Last night he laughed at something that was not initiated by interacting with another person.  We had his Raffi station playing on Pandora through our T.V. and when Raffi starting singing he let out this full on giggle while watching the T.V.  Of course, Jimmy and I both crack up!  He is such a ball of joy!

Watching his Raffi Pandora station.  Nothing really plays on the screen, but he still sits there and watches it!  We try to play music most of the time instead of the T.V. on.

He loves playing guitar with Daddy!

Owen also saw his first real snow this winter, and Mommy had a snow day with him!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We didn't do anything special, but I did dress him in a green outfit and snap some pictures!

His first National's outfit!  Go NATS!
(He looks like Jimmy here to me!)

Likes:  Owen loves eating still.  He loves exploring new flavors and we haven't come across anything he does not like (besides spinach).  He is starting to eat chunks of banana on his own now.  He also loves drinking water from his sippy cup after his meals.  He squeals for it when I bring it to him!

He loves to pull the curtain and peek outside while in his high chair!

Waiting for some grub!

He loves to crawl into the pantry and take out all the sodas and paper towels. 

I love this picture because he looks like he was 'caught'!  

Dislikes:  He has started to HATE having his diaper changed and his clothes changed.  He just wants to move so much that he tries to roll over and crawl all over the dresser.  Sometimes we have to change him on the floor.  Sometimes he will scream while you change him, it sounds like something is wrong, but nope. he just wants to be free!!!

Sometimes you just have to have a break from the fight to change him and let him roam free!

Developmental Milestones:  Owen is doing really well with all his developmental milestones, reaching all of them a little ahead of time.  His speech is really developing.  He now says "Da-da" and Jimmy and I are pretty sure he knows who Da-da is.  When Jimmy walks into the room and says something Owen will look for him and say "Da-da!!"  He has said "Ma-ma" a little bit too, but we're not sure he knows who Ma-ma is at this point.

Some days he looks like Jimmy, other days I think he looks like me.  My Mom sent me this picture of me when I was about Owen's age.  I think he looks a lot like me in this picture!

Family Update:  Things are going well for the Blankenships!  With expecting another little one Jimmy and I were faced with the choice, should I stay home, or should I continue to work?  Unfortunately, because teachers make so little money (I have gotten one raise in 5 years, and a very small raise at that) I would not be taking home very much money after paying for daycare for two children.  Financially, it just is not worth it.  So we have made the choice for me to stay home next year.  If you asked me to stay home in October I would have jumped at the chance, but after being back at work for several months, sometimes I enjoy working and doing something for myself and my family.  So this decision became a little harder for me.  I had to inform my boss of my decision at the beginning of the month (they will hire someone for my position very soon and intention forms are due by the 15th).  It will be bittersweet to leave Centre Ridge.  I have made some great friends there, whom I will continue to be great friends with.  I feel blessed to have worked with really good people.  On the other hand, I am so excited to spend some quality time with my children and to be the one to care for them full time.  I am already planning little units for teaching Owen his letters, numbers, and colors.  I guess it's just the teacher in me!  

June 19th will be my last day at Centre Ridge.  I'm thinking about doing a few part-time things here and there just to have something for myself, but we will see how all of that goes.  I am so lucky to have a husband who supports anything I decide to do!  Thanks babe, I love you!!!  

One last picture... who can resist a sleeping baby?!?

I hope everyone enjoyed the post! 

Love,

Judi

16 Weeks!

Picture coming soon!!!

Along:  16 weeks!  At my last doctor appointment they moved my due date back a week.  So, although it has been three weeks since my 14 week post, I'm only 16 weeks along.  I'm going to do monthly posts from here on out.

Size of Baby:  About 5 inches long and more than 3.5 ounces.  Baby 2 can hear loud noises and is actually startled by them.  This one should be used to Owen crying and the dogs barking by the time he/she is born!  In the next week or so the pads on the baby's fingertips will start to form creases and swirls - fingerprints!

Gender:  Don't know yet...  We have made the appointment for the big 20 week ultrasound (April 14th), but will not find out at that time.  You are worried about so many other (and more important) things during the 20 week ultrasound, so when we do find out, we want to be focused on that and make it special. 

Sleep:  Still sleeping great and feeling comfortable.

What I Miss:   Being able to eat prepackaged salads for lunch and tuna salad.  You can't eat prepackaged food while pregnant because the chance of getting listeria is VERY high for pregnant women... same goes for lunch meats.  Tuna, I can only eat 6 ounces a week.

Cravings:  Root beer floats.  I craved the same thing with Owen!

Symptoms:  Nothing really so far.  I'm comfortable and feeling good.  Nothing is bothering me.  In fact, sometimes I don't even feel pregnant at all.  This pregnancy has been much easier than with Owen (and Owen wasn't hard at all!).

Best Moment this Month:  Hearing the heart beat!  We had our 16 week appointment last Monday.  This little one has a strong heart and is a kicker!  We could hear him/her kicking through the machine.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Love,

Judi   

One more on the way...

Well, it's time to make the announcement...

Owen will be a big brother!!!

Yes, another little Blankenship bun is in the oven!  Baby 2 is due August 24th, 2013.

Jimmy and I are thrilled that God has blessed us with another child! It looks like they will only be about 14 months apart.  

We wanted them close together!

I'm currently 14 weeks pregnant and feeling great!

It's true, you definitely pop out sooner with #2.  I've already started wearing some of my maternity clothes... mostly just the pants.  I do plan to post pregnancy blog updates throughout this pregnancy, but will probably only post them once a month.  I enjoy blogging, but I'd much rather spend my time soaking up my little man's smiles!

So here it goes...

Along:  14 weeks!

Size of Baby:  Baby 2 is the size of a naval orange (about 4.5 inches and weighs only 3 ounces).  Baby 2 is practicing breathing in the womb this week.  He/she is also moving around like crazy, but I can't feel the movements yet.


Gender:  Do not know yet!  We find out in about 6 weeks.  We are actually considering being surprised .. so I'm not sure if we will actually find out the gender or not yet... 

Sleep:  I'm sleeping wonderfully!

What I Miss:   Nothing right now... maybe an alcoholic beverage now and then.

Cravings:  I have been craving some juicy fatty hamburgers.  5 Guys is the best.  I have also been craving Mexican... which is interesting, because with Owen, I could not stomach Mexican the entire pregnancy.

Symptoms:  I was pretty nauseous weeks 5-8, but never actually got sick.  I switched to a natural vitamin and it has made wonders.  I was also a little tired the first trimester, but not nearly like I was with Owen.  I just had to go to bed an hour earlier.  I have had a few food aversions... specifically yogurt.  I cannot even stomach the smell of yogurt.  Jimmy has to eat it in the other room.  I was the same way with Owen.

Best Moment this Month:  The best moment had to be hearing the heartbeat for the first time and seeing little baby 2 moving around on the ultrasounds screen.  He/she was sucking its thumb and had hiccups during the ultrasound, just precious!

Jimmy and I are very excited and we think Owen will make such a wonderful big brother! 

Love to all,

Judi and Jimmy

Owen is 8 Months Old!

Happy 8 months baby boy!!!

Sleep:  Owen sleeps about 11 hours a night.  He goes to bed at 7:30/8:00 and wakes up around 7:00/7:30 each morning.  He never wakes up in the middle of the night.

He is down to two naps a day.  He will nap from 9:30-12:00 and then again for an hour or so anywhere from 3:30-5:30.  I knew his naps would fall into place when he was ready.  :)

Size:  I'm not sure exactly how much he weighs, his next appointment is at 9 months.  I'm sure he weighs over 20 pounds, and my guess would be 23 pounds.  He is getting so much longer too.  He is outgrowing some of his 9 month clothes and I'm going to have to go shopping for some 12 month outfits!  He is still in size 3 diapers, and Huggies are the best.

Special Trips/Visits:  We have not had any special trips or special visits this month.  Owen loves getting out of the house though.  We take him everywhere we go.  He especially loves the grocery store!  His other new favorite place is Sweet Frog.  We took him there last weekend and he loved it!  We are planning on going today since it's going to be warmer!  He is so good out in public... I have not had a single time where he has cried in public or thrown any kind of tantrum - yet!

Daddy's grocery shopper!

(Owen loves Wegmans!)

Owen loves Target!  He smiles and squeals at everyone!

Firsts:  Owen is CRAWLING!  He started crawling shortly after he turned 7 months.  He is all over the place!  He loves crawling on Skyler's dog bed.  He will bury his face in the bed and squeal!  He also loves all of the dog toys... he will see a dog toy across the room and BOOK IT to get the toy.  The dogs are VERY good about sharing with him, even though we obviously don't want them to share!  I have found him chewing on the dog toy basket just wishing he could get all the toys out!

Can I have your bone?!  :)

Owen has also just started to eat more solid foods (like real people food, not the gerber squares of pureed food)... he has had some yogurt bites (freeze dried yogurt that he can pick up and eat), avocado, banana, apple, and orange.  He loves all of it and when it's all gone or I take it away he is not a happy camper!  I have to have a quick distraction handy!

Being silly!

I love his posed smile.  He now knows to 'smile for the camera'!

Owen also made Radford University's Facebook page on Valentine's Day!!!  I sent them this picture saying "When two Radford grads get marries, they make an RU baby!"  They posted his picture on Valentine's day and he got more than 300 likes!!!

Radford Baby!!

Owen also got a Jump Jump (the seat that hangs in the door frame).  He absolutely loves it.  He will spend an hour jumping in it and squealing with excitement!

Dude gets some air!

Owen also had his first Valentine's Day this month.  Jimmy is already teaching him how to be a gentleman.  Owen got me the book Love You Forever, which, of course, made me bawl that morning!  Owen also picked out yellow roses for me (yellow is Owen's favorite color).  Owen treated Momma pretty good, and I felt more blessed than ever to have such a wonderful son, and an amazing husband!

Likes:  Owen still loves fruit, and now loves whole pieces of fruit.  He is still not at the point where he can eat small chunks so we watch him carefully.  He likes to eat when everyone else is eating.  When we take him out to dinner, he needs to have something to eat while we are eating otherwise he whines for some of ours!  He loves everything he is not supposed to have (now that he is crawling).  This morning he threw a little fit because he couldn't have the carpet cleaner!  He loves taking a bath.  We have a blow up bath and tons of bath toys. 

Dislikes:  Owen does not like when you take a toy away from him that he is not supposed to have.  He still doesn't like green vegetables... but, honestly, that is about all I can think of that would make him unhappy... he is such a happy guy!

Developmental Milestones:  The major milestone this month is crawling.  He is also starting to babble and make different sounds "ba ba ba ba" and "da da da da".  He will copy you when you make the sounds to him.  When have a book we read to him and every time we get to the word 'bus' he says "ba ba ba ba"!  He also loves to share... he will take out his passy and try to put it in your mouth.  He will also try to give you his bottle!  He also knows his name now and will turn to look at you when you say Owen!

Family Update:  Things are going very well for us and we have some special news... more to come in the next blog post!

Here are some more cute pictures that I could not resist sharing!

Sup, pretty lady?

Sleeping just like daddy.

Tearing apart my play mat!

We have the same color eyes.  

Playing with the forward facing camera.  He LOVES to look at himself!

Best friends!

I hope everyone enjoyed the post!

Love,

Judi

Owen is 7 Months Old!

Crazy Boy.

Sleep:  Owen is now going to bed a little earlier and waking up a little later.  He now goes to bed between 7:30 and 8 and wakes up about 7:30 in the morning.  He sleeps the entire night without waking up, like a CHAMP!  

Owen takes two to three naps a day now.  He usually takes a mid-morning nap, mid-afternoon nap, and a late afternoon nap.  All of his naps last anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half.  Sometimes if he has one longer nap, he will only take two naps that day.  I have been very flexible about when he naps.  He will go to sleep when he is tired, and the pattern and schedule has fallen into place.  He is taking all his naps in his crib now - no more swing, yay!

He is such a social guy and doesn't want to sleep when we have people over, or when we are at someone else's house.  All he wants to do is be a part of the action!  We went to a friend's house a couple weeks ago and the guys played poker while the girls hung out with the kids.  Owen did not go to sleep until 10:00 that night.  All he did was flirt, flirt, flirt!!!  He was showing off all his skills to the other ladies and squealing and laughing.  He had a blast!  The next morning he slept in late!

Size:  Owen weighs over 20 pounds now.  I haven't weighed him at home and haven't had a doctor appointment, so it's hard to say exactly.  But I'm sure he is at least 20 pounds, maybe more.  He is also getting so long.  I just packed away all his 6 month clothes and moved on to the 9 month clothes a month ago, now some of the 9 month clothes are too small already!  We have some 9 month outfits that barely fit him and will barely snap because he is so long!  He is still a chunky guy and has some adorable thunder thighs!

Special Trips/Visits:  This past month has been very uneventful... which has been really nice.  No special trips anywhere and no special visitors.  I have to be honest, I have really enjoyed the slower pace after the busy holidays.

Owen does love to get out of the house.  Since our nanny comes to the house every day he doesn't get much time out and about.  So on the weekends we try and take him everywhere with us.  He just loves seeing new places and new faces.  

Firsts:  Owen got his first tooth!!!  It is the front bottom left.  It came up about two weeks ago.  Now he has the second tooth coming up right next to it!  Teething has been okay... not really bad, but certainly not a breeze either.  Sometimes the pain will bother him and sometimes not.  When he is bothered by it we give him some tylenol/motrin, and some teething tablets and that does the trick.

Likes:  Owen loves fruit!  He gobbles up fruit like it is dessert.  He loves Lola.  Every time she walks by he smiles at her, squeals, and reaches for her.  He also loves Kenzie!  (Kenzie is our nanny's daughter.)  He smiles at her when he sees her each morning and loves to sit in his highchair while she is eating like he is eating with her.  Kenzie loves Owen too.  She gives him kisses, brings him his toys, and pats his back.  It is SO adorable!

Dislikes:  Owen does not like green vegetables.  That means, peas, green beans, and spring veggie mix.  He will eat the peas and green beans, but makes a face.  The spring veggie mix (which includes spinach) is horrible to him.  He spits it out over and over.  He still is not a fan of being on his tummy, but now he can escape it by rolling over.  We also discovered this week that he is allergic to blueberries.  He's has a bad reaction to them so far... nothing serious, but he won't be eating them again anytime soon!

Developmental Milestones:  Owen is now sitting up completely on his own and loves to scoot across the floor on his booty.  He can also stand up from a sitting position all on his own!  He loves to sit on my lap and stand up.  Of course, he can't stay standing very long and usually holds onto my arm while he is standing, but it's working those muscles!  He is also VERY close to crawling.  He gets on his forearms and puts his back legs in position and rocks back and forth.  He is still not strong enough to put his hands down on the ground and lift the top part of his body up.  I think he will get there very soon!  

Socially he is really developing well.  He loves to be around people and loves to smile at everyone.  When we take him out places people are always stopping to talk to him (who could resist that face?!?) and he is always smiling right back at them!  He squeals and coos and talks up a storm.  He looooves the attention!

Squealing in the diaper box!

On Daddy's shoulders.

Playing on the floor.

Lately he loves to take a nap next to me on the couch while I catch up on my DVR shows!

Wegman's trip with Daddy!

Jimmy took him while I was at work one day and sent me this picture, of course I had to show my students!

Family Update:  Things are going well in the Blankenship household.  I am settled back into work really well now.  I'm taking two classes this semester in order to renew my teaching license this spring.  So I will be BUSY!  Jimmy is doing very well at work and has had a great start to the new year!

I hope everyone is staying warm!  All I want to do is sit on the couch with a blanket when it is this cold outside.  But the best thing about winter is the beautiful Spring that follows, which is my favorite time of year!

Love,

Judi

Owen is 6 Months Old!

Happy Half-Birthday Baby Boy!!!

I cannot believe it has been 6 months since Owen entered our lives.  He has brought so much joy to my and Jimmy's life.  Some people say that your life ends when you have kids, Jimmy and I both feel our life began when Owen was born.  I do not deserve this blessing!  I thank God every day for the wonderful gift of my son!

Sleep:  Owen's sleep habits haven't changed since his 5 month post.  He is still sleeping 10-11 hours a night and taking short cat naps throughout the day.  I've yet to try and schedule his naps... I'm going to work on that (along with Katie) after the holidays are over.  He is not a fan of naps right now... He fights sleep like no other!  We say he has Missing Out Complex, he never wants to miss what is going on!

Size:  We just had his 6 month appointment this morning.  He weights 19.5 pounds and is 27 inches long.  He is in the 90th percentile for weight and height!  Boy is growing good!!!

He is still wearing size 3 diapers.  I think we'll be here for awhile.

I just packed away all of his 6 month clothes and brought out all his 6-9 month and 9 month clothes.  

Special Trips/Visits:  Owen got to meet my Oma and Opa for the first time.  They are my mom's parents and live in California.  It was so incredible of them to fly to Virginia to see him!  I nicknamed them Goma and Gopa (the G is for GREAT!).    I got some cute pictures of everyone...

Goma and Gopa!

Playing with the sweetest Goma ever!

Owen also got to meet some of Jimmy's family for the first time.  Owen met Jimmy's Aunt Debbie and Jimmy's Granny Marian.

Great Granny Marian!

Great Aunt D!

Firsts:  Owen has continued to eat cereal twice a day now, lunch and dinner.  He has now eaten several different kinds of fruits and vegetables.  Bananas are his favorite!  He has dropped a bottle at lunch and now only eats solids.  At dinner he will finish the rest of the bottle that isn't used to make his cereal, which is around 2 ounces.  Just enough to fill him up some more before bed.

I'm in love with this face!

Owen went to see Santa for the first time!  The line was TWO HOURS LONG!  Yes, two hours.  My boy was a trooper the whole time, not a fuss, and smiling at everyone!  Of course, when he sat on Santa's lap he gave us a huge grin.  I just love that boy!  I don't have the Santa picture on the computer yet, but here is a picture of us waiting in line!

Owen had his FIRST Christmas!!!  He actually LOVED opening all the presents!  He liked to pull the paper off and tried to put it in his mouth (of course).  He got REALLY excited for some of his toys!  He especially loved a lantern toy Nana got him, and a few of the light up toys Jimmy and I got him.  I loved seeing his face light up when he opened his presents!  

My playful boy!

This was the most joyous Christmas Jimmy and I have ever had.  To see Owen's face fill with joy and excitement when opening a present filled our hearts with joy.  We didn't get each other presents this year (just bought the house and have had to spend a lot of money on furniture and decor), but we both felt like this was the best Christmas we have ever had and are so excited for all the Christmases to come!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Developmental Milestones:  Owen is on target with all his developmental milestones.  The doctor said he is looking great today!  He rolls over all the time, and now he is sitting up on his own!  Christmas morning we noticed he could finally sit up on his own without our support.  He sat in between my legs and opened his Christmas presents!

Family Update: We are finally all done unpacking and settled into our new house.  It took us awhile, and it took Owen awhile to get used to the new surroundings... but we are so glad we made this move.  We now live in a family friendly community in a house that has plenty of room for our family to grow!  I can't wait to have more kids and raise our family in this house!  I get emotional thinking about all the memories we will create here and our future children who will grow up here!

Happy Holidays!

Love,

Judi