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%

7 & 8 Month OWEN!!

I am so shocked to announce that this sweet baby boy is TWO THIRDS of the way through a YEAR! How could this possibly be? How could he be this old already? And yet, I truly cannot fathom how we survived without him in our lives.

A friend commented that she could not imagine life without Owen and it made my mama heart skip a beat. It's so sweet to have friends who adore and love on my children. It made me breathe a deep sigh of relief and still makes me smile to think of it. The power of another's words never ceases to amaze me.

A LOT has changed in the last two months. Yes, two months!! This mama hasn't even done his seven month post and it's already time to do his eight month one. By seven months he was sitting fairly confidently and had one tooth. "Bababa" and "dadada" were his favorite sounds. He continued to LOVE people who smile or interacted with him-- which is everyone! 

In his eighth month he went on a plane for the first time and did it like a pro! He traveled with me and my friend, Anna (the friend who said the sweet words), to Milwaukee for a conference. He flew like a champ, slept like a champ, nursed like a champ. HE IS A CHAMP. 

 He's cut is second bottom tooth quite recently and therefore had a stuffy nose and been a little fussy, but overall he's a very contented baby.

The biggest news is that he has started army crawling wherever he'd like to go! He's not always wild about having to crawl far, whimpering for someone to come and get him, but if he's determined, he'll get there!! WE'RE MOBILE PEOPLE. And it's all happening just a little too fast ;)

 His little trademark is the way he scrunches up his nose when he's happy. I mean, it's just so adorable!! Gosh, he melts me.

 He's just like the rest of us.... most content when he's outside. It's so fun to watch him explore just the space around him and find so much to hold in his hands and manipulate. I've also been intrigued all over again to watch him taste-test and discover that he doesn't want to swallow or have these items in his mouth. I remember this from Ian, too, but it's incredible to watch it happen all over again, by allowing him to explore the world around him... he's learning what he does and doesn't want to consume by trying for himself, not having me dictate it for him. Although, it is a whole new ballgame when there's an older brother "helping" him learn what not to eat by removing things from his hands and mouth. Life's all about learning, eh? ;)

 For the most part, these pictures truly depict Owen David. Happy, content, calm, observant.... joyful. Today a mom of adult children said that when children are babies you see a pure form of who they truly are. I thought that was so wonderful... Owen, what a beautiful soul you are.

 People keep commenting on how his hair has grown in. That's what happens when you are just so blonde, I suppose!! He's always had hair, but I suppose it's gotten to the length that people can really tell it's there. It's thickening out, perhaps. I just love his little hair-do right now.

 And obviously I cannot decide which pictures to cut, but I know that years from now I will want to see EVERY SINGLE PHOTO. Although I do promise that I already paired them down a lot. Each one will trigger something of his smell, a memory, his touch.

 "What you talkin' 'bout?" He's got so many great expressions. If only we could know what he's really thinking...

 But I'm sure the jokes would be on us ;)

 I will say that this month has also brought on his separation anxiety. If he sees me leave the room or notices that no one is with him, then he gets very upset. If he sees me leave, he always gets upset. If other people are with him and he doesn't see me leave, then he's content for hours. Out of sigh, out of mind. I had forgotten that separation anxiety could start so early and so this came as a bit of a surprise to me.

 It's also a very sweet stage of bonding because it shows how much he understands our connection. When I come into the room or pick him up after one of his realizations, he leans in for a deep hug. If I've left him in the nursery during MOPS or church and he sees me after an hour or two, he turns from content to desperate and whimpering until he's safe in my embrace. I am so grateful that he's happy during the time I am gone, but I am so enamored by his clear bond and need for his mama.

 Isn't he just so cute??!! Dimpled knuckles have me all heart eyes over here.

 In these pictures there's a tint of red in his hair...

 Here he had just gotten a bit upset, so you can see the tears hanging within his eyes. And in his mouth you can see his one protruding tooth, but there's one more to the left of it just starting to jut out that isn't depicted in this photo.

 I don't normally post photos of my kiddos upset, but here is what I was talking about above... in mama's arms, leans in for a hug, and the world quickly returns to alright again.

 THOSE CHEEKS. So kissable.

 Happy boy!

 After taking a meal to a friend, we returned home to find Papa in the yard, so we spent time outside again. And I snapped a few more pictures... couldn't resist this sweater vest and those salmon pants!

 So, so, so much to love in this little boy.

 And his crinkled nose.

 His personality is just starting to explode!

 He loves watching his brother.

 Those blues just keep getting bluer, if that's possible!!

Oh, Owen David, you are such a delight!

Happy 8 Months, Owen!!!

You are so lovable and bring light 

into the lives around you.

You love: ARMY CRAWLING, chatting and bantering with whoever will listen, sitting and playing with leaves and sticks in in the backyard, jumping in the jumper and playing with Ian, sleeping in sleep sacks, when Leif comes to visit you, your sheep toy, giggling, being worn in the carrier, chewing on a raw carrot, and eating sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, eggs, and avocados.

You despise: riding in the stroller and when mama leaves the room.