My Monster!

My little Monster is keeping me busy theses days!  He follows me from room to room and while there, pulls stuff out of drawers, off of shelves and table tops,  and finds things that I haven't seen in ages.  He's into pretty much everything.  And I have done a great job with baby proofing!  But there is only so much baby proofing you can do....We can be in a room for just a few minutes and it looks like a tornado hit.  So I spend a good part of my day cleaning, whipping, and rearrange stuff and saying, No No or No touch.

Owen loves paper!  He loves the mail!  He wants to read it, shred it, and then make a meal out of it! I call him my little Monster or Billy Goat Boy.  Although he's a lot of work right now and makes such messes I really love this stage.  He's really developing his own personality. I love to see him grab his books and sit down and pretend to read to himself.  When he climbs up on the sofa and sits next to me to share a snack.....And I love that when I leave him and return he runs to me with open arms calling out, Dada!  It makes me laugh! I say, Owen can you say Mama and he says, Dada.  I say, Owen can you say Aidan and he says, Aidan.  I say, Owen can you say duck and he says, duck.  Then I start back over from the top.  Each time he calls me Dada. Lol!  I ask him to show me his belly and he pulls his shirt up and grabs his tummy.  He can point to his nose and teeth and even mine. He's really becoming so much more aware.  In the car he points and grunts at trcuks and school buses.  I have to be careful because I catch myself looking back and talking to him.  And I need to focus on the road.

He's a real joy and a whole lot of work!  But I'm very grateful we've had this past year together. And I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I took these pictures of him last week.  Hope you enjoy!

Owen's Cardiology Update

James and I took Owen to the Pediatric Cardiologist on Thursday, to check on the heart murmur that his Pediatrician heard a few weeks back.  I asked a few people if they thought a heart murmur was serious and everyone told me the same things.  (1) they can be (2) most times aren't (3) kids normally outgrow them.  So I felt really good about heading into the office.

When we got there we went back to a room and they turned on Baby Einstein to distract Owen, while the testing was being done.  Boy! That was a huge help for me!  I hate going to the Dr.and I needed a distraction myself!  I had to get up on the hospital bed with Owen and hold him, so it felt like I was the patient again.  Just remembering our stay in the hospital back in December....I knew things would be ok, but my heart was pounding and I was sweating.  What if?

They did a Sono on his heart and he did so well.  He sat so still and we watched the video together, calling out all the cars and trucks that we saw. After about 25 minutes he began to get annoyed with the jelly on his chest and started rolling around.  We had to break out all the tricks to keep him still!  His Daddy's Blackberry did the trick!  Once that was over they did an EKG.  Then we went to another room and waited.  I hate waiting for stuff like this, but Owen was so amped up after missing his afternoon nap and having sat still for 30 min in my arms, that he was getting into everything and keeping us busy.  Finally, the Dr came in.  She said, Owen's heart looks and sounds great, but we did see something that will warrant him coming back once a year.  She told us he has a very small Fistula on his heart (an extra blood vessel) that shouldn't be there.  She said it isn't hurting him, but they will keep and eye on it to make sure it doesn't grow larger over the years and or take blood away from the heart.  I was so shocked!  I did not expect her to say this.  She said this had nothing at all to do with the murmur, which is why we were sent there in the first place. She said  it was a random thing they just happened to find.  She said, you just have a special little boy!  Yes, we do!

So the murmur isn't of any concern to her and won't be looked at further. That was great news!  The Fistula really isn't a concern for her either, but she has to keep an eye on it.  So we will be going back to the Cardiologist for a Sono every February until they release him.  Turns out Bryce, my nephew was diagnosed with the same thing as a baby.  I take great comfort in knowing he has done well and never suffered any heart issues or surgeries from his Fistula.  The Dr. said Owen can have an active childhood without worry.  So that's just what we will do!  I asked her if the Fistulas could be genetic since I knew Bryce had the same thing and she said no, and it would be a very slim chance that another family member could have the same thing.  So this made me wonder if a lot of babies have them and we just don't know because they aren't having a Sono done.... Who knows?  James and I left there feeling good about the report (a little thrown off) but good.  We hope and pray this never goes anywhere.  So long story short, Owen's heart is uniquely healthy!

A day at the Park & Cousins

We took advantage of the warm weather last week and had many stroller rides. We even made it up to the park on Thursday! I didn't think about all the snow melting...so when we got there the ground was very wet and muddy. I should have put Owen in some old shoes and clothes. We got a little dirty! James said that's what boys do. But Owen and I didn't like the mud!  It was his first time really walking around outdoors and on uneven ground, so he took a few falls. When his hands would hit the dirt he'd look up at me like, help me please. It was so cute. We headed for the baby swings first.  I couldn't get a smile.  It was pretty close to nap time so tired eyes is all he could give here.  There were some kids playing on the slide next to him and he was laser focused on them!

 He was getting around very well considering the ground was mushy.  We played for about 30 min then I took him down the slide a few times.  He seemed a little uninterested after a bit, so we loaded up and walked back home. 

 

Later that evening I checked the mail.  I sat down on the couch to go through all the junk.  I was reading something and had placed the junk pile to the side.  Owen was playing in the floor, but the next thing I know he is sitting on the sofa next to me reading the junk adds.  I had to do a double take!  How in the world did you get up here?  And how did I not see you doing it?  Oh boy!  So he's quickly learned to climb up and safely get down from the sofa.  What a big boy!

And later that night he climbed up next to his Daddy and watched something on TV for a few minutes.  

I came in, laughed, and snapped his picture.  It's funny to see him acting like a big person.  Boy, they catch on so fast.

On Saturday we went to Owen's cousins (Samantha's - Sammy's) second birthday party. We were very excited to be there since we missed her turning one.  Owen was so small last year when she turned one and we didn't make it down.  In 2 years there have been 4 babies on James' side of the family and they're all 6 months apart. Owen and Jessica, the youngest, are only 3 months apart.  It's been so much fun to see our whole family grow, but also to watch the children grow together.  All the kids had such a nice time playing and something tells me,  when they're a little bigger there will be many sleepovers.

I'm excited that Owen has cousins so close in age to grow up with!  And for those of you who don't know....  My brother, Shannon is expecting his first baby (a girl!) May 1st.  So we can add another cousin to the list!  We are very excited for a girl on my side of the family and there's no doubt that she'll be spoiled!  This is my first niece!

Sammy turns two!  She's so cute!

Yay for cousins!

from left to right: Jessica 9mo, Owen 12mo, Tyler18mo, Sammy 24mo

Cousin Love!

Hi Aidan!

Last Week

Last week was such a rough one.  I came down with Strep on Monday night and Owen  began cutting more teeth with full force.  We were both grumpy.  I took him in for a check up to make sure he wasn't getting Strep.  The Dr. said he was fine. Said his fever and fussiness was due to teething.  But he did detect a heart murmur when he was checking him out.  So we have to make another appointment with a specialist to get that looked at.  The Dr. said it could be nothing too serious to worry about. So I pray that's the case and that we get answers.

We hardly left the house at all least week and stayed in much of the weekend too.  We did make it out on Sunday for a walk around the block. We even took the dogs with us.  I think it got up to 46 that day.  This week we've had some unusually warm weather for this time of year. So yesterday we got out while it was sunny and took another walk.  I really want to take Owen to the park down the street, but the wind is pretty fierce so we'll just have to wait until it truly warms up.  Come on Spring!  I love DC in the spring!  I've never seen a prettier place and it reminds me why I like living here so much.  So I keep thinking about all the fun days we will have once it gets warm out.


I took these pictures the other day.  And as I look at them I am amazed at what a big boy he's becoming! Looking so grown up lately!  Now that he's walking it's hard to get pictures.  When he sees the camera he runs over to it.  I really wanted to get a shot of him looking out the front door.  It was cute, but when he saw me he took off!

Here I come Mom!

They have the same expression :) 

That's right!  X-Box. Apparently you're never too young!

And here I come again!

He can now reach things on this table

12 Months

Last Monday Owen had his 12 month check up (more shots). No tears!  And then to get fitted for a pair of walking shoes.  I could not believe he was ready for a 5 1/2!  I ordered a 5 online a few weeks ago and he was able to ware them twice before I couldn't fit his foot in (we'll be sending them to Aidan very soon).  Their feet grow so fast!

He had a great check up and he's now drinking Moo Milk.  The Pediatrician told me not to offer him the milk in a bottle.  She said just go full force - no weaning. So far he's doing very well, but I am giving him 1 bottle in the morning just to make sure he gets all his milk in for the day.  I think after a few weeks we will drop it and be 100% on the cup.   So here's a look at what Owen's up to these days.

Weight: 22 1/2 lbs 50%
Height: 31 1/4 inches 90%
Head 18 inches 25-50%
Shoe Size: 5 1/2 wide
Diaper: size 4
Clothes: size 18 months
has 6 teeth (4 on top and 2 on bottom)
Snorts and shows his teeth
is very ticklish
claps and dances
walking
loves to feed the dogs
favorite snacks: animal crackers & pirate's booty (cheddar puffs)
said Mama a few times this week
is saying Dog much more clearly
tries to say bless you (bee who) and again (ah gen)
chattering is sounding more like real words
ask him where things are and he goes and gets them
his car seat is forward facing now (i love this! I can see him now)
is learning to point at objects
waving hello and bye bye
shakes his head NO to most questions you ask (this is funny)
is cutting his bottom molars (taking forever to come in - waking up 2-3 times some nights) 
follows me every step I take
loves to pull things out of drawers, cabinets and closets (now to teach him to put things away)
enjoys story time
and loves to do little tumbling moves

Looks like we covered all the major milestones for 12 months and now I'm looking forward to hearing him talk.  Can't wait to hear the things that will come out of his mouth!

Since the haircut - this is Owen's hair after sleeping.