9 month OWEN!!

Sweet Owen David turned 9 months last week!! What a month it has been for this darling boy!

We are learning more and more of his personality. He's spunky (just look at these expressions!), sweet, cuddly, curious, determined, and contented.

 He's always rubber-necking to see where Ian is and what he's up to.

 This month, he has started a new kind of crawling!! He keeps one leg in the sitting position and scoots with his arms and one crawling leg. He's gotten quite fast, when he wants to get somewhere!! I call this the "Phoebe Crawl" because my sister did something similar with her feet.

 Ever since he found Ian's maraca, Owen's been a fan. He loves to shake it or use it to knock other things around. It's also been a teether (like everything else!). It is an appropriate prop for this month, because he is often with it either outside or inside our house.

Owen has also started PULLING up on everything he can! Usually, he wants to pull up on my legs or arms, but he's pulling himself up to standing with our ottomans or even on the dishwasher. That was the first shocker for me and for Ian. We were in the kitchen and Ian started squealing, "Look, Mama! Look, Mama!" I turned around to see Owen standing up and holding the open dishwasher bottom rack. Ian and I were so excited! It was so fun to share in this joy with the big brother. Owen beamed with pride as we gleefully encouraged him in his newest skill. See the picture.

 Owen loves to laugh and smile! He scrunches his nose up, like the photo below, whenever he's happy. I love, love, love this expression. He enjoys squealing and babbling back and forth with whoever will engage him and he'll giggle loudly, needing to take exaggerated breaths to keep up with the laughter. It's pretty awesome.

 He's also a big fan of head-bonking!!! Ian was too. Perhaps it's our signature family thing ;) Jim, Ian, and I like to go up to him and bring our heads just a few inches away from his. Without much wait time, Owen will meet your head with a sweet bonk and a scrunched nose smile or giggle. It brings all of us great joy.

 In MOPS, Owen has made a sweet friend of one of the college girl caregivers. I think she purposefully makes sure to keep her hands empty of another baby because when I come into the room, she's always ready to swoop him away from me. When I return a little over two hours later, he's normally still with her. Who can blame her? This guy is such a charmer.

 Owen blesses me with his open-mouthed, wet kisses and hugs ALL DAY LONG. He's a real sweetheart. And he's a cuddler. The best kind of cuddler. He can be content to sleep in my arms, but he's also thrilled to be placed down on his sheepskin for a good nuzzle and then he's often out like a light.

When he wakes up from his naps, he's quick to snuggle his head into my neck and wrap his arms around my neck for a few moments or minutes. I look forward to it every time he wakes up.

 When he does wake up, he's usually propped himself up into a sitting position and waiting for me to come lift him up. Won't be long, I'm sure, until he is standing there looking at me. Oh, how these milestones continue to fly by...

 Oh, another thing with sleep! He chats to himself as he's falling asleep. Today, I sat with him in the rocking chair for a bit as he fell asleep, which isn't our usual thing, he just needed/wanted some extra snuggles today. But the whole time he was babbling to himself and I kept thinking that perhaps my attempts were futile. It wasn't long before his eyes were closing but his lips were still moving :)

 Owen takes two naps a day now. He takes one at 9:30ish and another around 1:30 or 2 in the afternoon. He goes down for bed around 6-7 PM and gets up between 6-7 AM, after waking multiple times in the night to eat.

 Such a little ham, this one.

 Exploring the world on hands and knees,

 with eyes, ears, nose,

 and, of course, mouth!!!

 And then he's on to the next thing.

 OH! Solids have really taken off this month. Prior to this he hardly enjoyed taking a bite of food off of a spoon and he'd turn up his nose to most offerings. Content to drink breastmilk only (and not from a bottle). No more! Every time we sit down to the table he crawls over or moans, as if to say, "What's for dinner?!?" and "I'm ready to be put in my seat!!"

 Owen has two teeth on the bottom and a few more budding on the bottom, as well.

 This is his, "I'm done/tired/hungry/needy" face.

 His hair continues to be blonde and it's really filling in.

 Sorry Owen, but I am going to talk about your bowel movements now. Ha! Owen is not one to poop every single day. He saves it up and poops a lot on one day.

 It's hard to believe that we are heading into our first ever Thanksgiving with him!! It seems like he's been with us forever. Life without him seems so distant and unimaginable.

 This year I am most grateful for his birth and life. For the way he lights up each member of our family. For his giggles, smiles, and head-bonks. For his trusting and loving eyes that bore straight into my heart and soul. For how he was knit so carefully into our family, that he so seamlessly entered our lives and changed them for the better.

 As the Earth turns to brown, grey, and cold outside, my heart is warm and grateful for the gifts of our sons.

Owen's "Inside-Outside" day was on Saturday, November 12. He's been in our arms as long as in my womb. Forevermore, though, he's in our hearts.

Ian can't wait for you to get bigger, but, little one, I am cherishing every moment while it's here.

We are SO thankful for you, Owen David!!

Happy 9 months and Happy 1st Thanksgiving, sweet chap!

You love: crawling, PULLING UP, head-bonking, cuddling, laughing, the maraca, playing with Ian, swinging, solids!, singing, anything of interest that is on the floor, putting things in your mouth, your sheepskin, kissing and hugging.

9 Month Specs:

• Length: 29.75 inches & in the 88.97%
• Head Circumference: 18.5 inches & in the 91.65%
• Weight: 20.31 lbs. & in the 55.83%