Saturday, June 30, 2012
First kitchen update
Out with the old dishwasher and in with the new! (Yes, sticker is still on the front - Dave just finished installing it - this blog is hot-off-the-presses, breaking news!)
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
first steps
Yesterday, Owen took what I think counts as his first steps. We were outside in the backyard and had been playing with some water and toys in buckets and then he was holding my hand walking around. We stopped, and I kind of absent-mindedly moved away from him because we were also watering the lawn and I noticed a leak in the hose. When I looked up, he was still standing there solidly and then took four confident steps right towards me into my arms! In the past he has taken a few steps when we let go of his hand while walking (momentum), but this was the first time he truly walked from standing. All I can say is I'm so glad I wasn't in China for work and I guess there was a reason his daycare teacher got sick yesterday and he had to stay home with me!
 |
| Daycare caught this great shot of him walking at school today! |
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Owen's favorite books
Tonight's favorite (meaning I read it to Owen three times in a row tonight before bed)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (such a weird book...)
Other current favorites (meaning we must read them three times a day at least!)
Little Blue Truck and Truck Duck (there is a theme here)
Past favorites (still good, but one read a day will suffice...well, sometimes we need to do the dinosaur book a couple times)
Cowboy Bunnies (Scuba Bunnies, Astro Bunnies)
Anything Dr. Seuss (as long as it's short! - Longer Seuss was good when he was littler, but he gets antsy now.)
Who's In The Forest
Brown Bear, Brown Bear (or any of the Eric Carle Bear Books)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar (of course!)
Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs (or pretty much anything Sandra Boynton)
Mom's current favorites
Symphony City
Over in the Meadow (comes with a music cd!)
Hondo and Fabian
Indestrucible Nursery Rhyme Books
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (such a weird book...)
Other current favorites (meaning we must read them three times a day at least!)
Little Blue Truck and Truck Duck (there is a theme here)
Past favorites (still good, but one read a day will suffice...well, sometimes we need to do the dinosaur book a couple times)
Cowboy Bunnies (Scuba Bunnies, Astro Bunnies)
Anything Dr. Seuss (as long as it's short! - Longer Seuss was good when he was littler, but he gets antsy now.)
Who's In The Forest
Brown Bear, Brown Bear (or any of the Eric Carle Bear Books)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar (of course!)
Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs (or pretty much anything Sandra Boynton)
Mom's current favorites
Symphony City
Over in the Meadow (comes with a music cd!)
Hondo and Fabian
Indestrucible Nursery Rhyme Books
Monday, June 25, 2012
mom moment
You know you're a mom when your son's daycare teacher tells you you pack great lunches and you're so proud it keeps you going for days.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
relaxing
Owen gets so relaxed in his swing that sometimes he falls asleep! And if you know Owen, you know how rare it is for him to fall asleep in the middle of doing something...or be relaxed in general for that matter!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Friday, June 15, 2012
flashback: day trip to Mt. Horeb and Blue Mound State Park
A couple of weekends ago we decided to finally start using our annual state park pass (great gift from Andy and Shari!). Dave heard Blue Mound State Park was great and it was closeby, so we thought that would be good for Owen's sake.
The Blue Mound park is about 45 minutes (if that) from Madison - heading west. On the way there we stopped in Little Norway. It would have been cool to do the tour, but we knew we had limited time with Owen and we really wanted to tour Cave of the Mounds so we just took some fun pictures in the gift shop instead. The gift shop was so cool, by the way - I love a good gift shop!
We got to the park, but the weather was kind of touch and go with off and on thunder and lightening and being as the park is atop the highest hill in southern Wisconsin, we weren't messing around with lightening. So, we had a quick picnic and did a little bit of walking and exploring but eventually got scared off by the weather.
Since it seemed like a storm was coming, we decided to go tour the caves at Cave of the Mounds. Got our tickets, watched the little introductory movie, and then head into the caves to start the tour. Well this is right when Owen decides he does NOT want to sit through a tour, or he's freaked out by being underground, or he's freaked out because the other baby started crying...who knows. But we bailed. It was the first time we have ever truly walked out of anything with Owen. So, I guess there's a first time for everything!
On the way home we drove through Mt. Horeb - a cute little town known for it's troll history and statues and "Trollway." It is, in fact, the troll capital of the world!
The Blue Mound park is about 45 minutes (if that) from Madison - heading west. On the way there we stopped in Little Norway. It would have been cool to do the tour, but we knew we had limited time with Owen and we really wanted to tour Cave of the Mounds so we just took some fun pictures in the gift shop instead. The gift shop was so cool, by the way - I love a good gift shop!
 |
| Our little Viking! |
Since it seemed like a storm was coming, we decided to go tour the caves at Cave of the Mounds. Got our tickets, watched the little introductory movie, and then head into the caves to start the tour. Well this is right when Owen decides he does NOT want to sit through a tour, or he's freaked out by being underground, or he's freaked out because the other baby started crying...who knows. But we bailed. It was the first time we have ever truly walked out of anything with Owen. So, I guess there's a first time for everything!
On the way home we drove through Mt. Horeb - a cute little town known for it's troll history and statues and "Trollway." It is, in fact, the troll capital of the world!
flashback: moving day
We moved into our new house on May 19th.
Nona was here for about a week to help us.
She and Owen had the best time together.
There is no way we could have done it without her! Thank you, Mom!
Nona was here for about a week to help us.
She and Owen had the best time together.
There is no way we could have done it without her! Thank you, Mom!
working mom
Photo of Owen and me last week while he was home sick:
Kidding! Kind of. My office is slightly less chaotic than that.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Thursday, June 7, 2012
the last six days
For the last six days, I've been a single parent with Owen. Dave made a solo trip down to NC to get the rest of our "stuff" that my mom and his parents were storing for us. He was in in NC Saturday through Wednesday and then went to Milwaukee today with some colleagues.
I wasn't really worried about being alone with Owen for that long, (although with his new 5am wake-up time I knew I'd be dragging) but then Dave decided to stay in NC an extra day (and I'm glad he did with all that driving) and Owen got sick so that meant no daycare which means no work (and no breaks) for me.
At the beginning of the week, I was stressing about how behind I was getting at work and now, at the end of the week, I'm honestly so grateful for the time he and I had together! Sure, with the poor kid being sick (and single parenting for almost a week) there were ups and downs; highs and lows, but overall we had a good time.
I keep a hand-written journal I call "The Book of Owen" where I scribble down notes about our days together, his milestones, and funny, cute or sweet things he does (and the ridiculous things we do as new parents - like drive over the diaper bag or misread a scale and throw everyone into a panic thinking O hasn't gained weight for a month). So I've got most of this documented in The Book of Owen but wanted to write it in a (hopefully) more thoughtful way here. So here goes. The highs and the lows of my last six days, just me and Mr. Owen.
SATURDAY: We drive Dave to Milwaukee. Owen coughs once or twice, but otherwise, fine! Nothing exciting to report. We just do our thing, hang out at the Terrace with friends, oblivious to the impending SICKNESS.
SUNDAY: The coughing picks up and it's mucous-y, but no biggie. We go on walks, run errands. Owen doesn't eat much dinner, but that's how he is sometimes. And he's cranky, and he keeps waking up all night long, but maybe he's teething...
MONDAY: Owen is miserable! Wakes up with a fever of 101.2. We go to the doctor to get his ears checked because he is absolutely miserable. LOW POINT: I am heartbroken to hear his ears are clear. No infection. No antibiotics. We've just got to let this illness play out. HIGHLIGHT: Despite being sick, we have some good moments. The highlight was sitting outside on a blanket in the backyard, both of us sipping from our straw cups (with ice cubes!), alternating between blowing bubbles (Owen exclaimed, "oooooohhh") and playing catch.
TUESDAY: Full-on sick day for Owen. Poor kid could not sleep in the crib but could not get comfortable snuggling with me in the glider so he laid across me and put his head in my lap and fell asleep. LOW POINT: Owen tossing his cookies all over both of us and the blue glider. Another low point - O pooped in the bath (it was a little more exciting than that but I will save you the details)! HIGH POINT(S): Between fussy times and naps in the glider while I held him, we played outside in the grass with leaves, and had fun rolling across the living room floor (I had forgotten how fun rolling is. It's awesome. You should really do it if you haven't in a while. You can't help but laugh.) Another high point for me (Mom, you will appreciate this) - a cup of coffee outside on the patio in the sun while Owen napped. I finally had that moment, Mom!
WEDNESDAY: LOW POINT: Owen really didn't drink much and wasn't wetting diapers often either so I was worried and just working to keep him hydrated all day. HIGH POINTS: Oddly enough, sleeping in the glider chair with him from 2-7am. We both slept well and got to sleep in! And I guess this is more a low point because it means he didn't feel well, but it was just so sweet. The lawn and tree guy was here and I was standing in the backyard talking to him and holding Owen. In a totally non-Owen-like way, O just put his head on my shoulder and talked to himself quietly while the man and I discussed the lawn and trees. (Side point - not sure if it's a high or low. In a moment of desperation, I pulled out the iPad and we watched a 10 minute Baby Mozart video. Have you ever seen them? They are so weird! But Owen was enthralled. We also played with some free Fisher Price iPad apps and watched one or two baby music videos - 5 Little Ducks and Tony Chestnut. I figured since he's sick a little bit of screen time is ok.)
THURSDAY: LOW POINT: Owen fighting naps and REALLY fighting diaper changes because he assumes (rightfully so) that I'm going to take his temperature while I'm at it. HIGH POINTS: 1. We have the piano here now (thanks, Dave!) and I played for Owen and he clapped for me! 2. Owen ate falafel! I had falafel on a pita (great Costco find) for lunch and if I'm eating something, then of course Owen wants it. So I shared and he loved it! (No way he would have liked it if I gave it to him at "dinner time" in his high chair.) 3. Sipping cold drinks together after a walk to the library. (I have video that is cute. Will post to YouTube.)
So, I don't feel like I'm describing this all very well, but in general the past few days have been punctuated by lots of cuddles, naps in my arms in the glider, fussiness that turns on and off on a dime, too many baby bodily fluids to count, and lots of communication milestones. I didn't list them all above, but Owen is making great strides in talking and communicating his needs...and wants! He's also able to take steps holding onto only one of our hands now instead if both. I'll write some snippets in another post to make sure I get this all down and don't forget!
I wasn't really worried about being alone with Owen for that long, (although with his new 5am wake-up time I knew I'd be dragging) but then Dave decided to stay in NC an extra day (and I'm glad he did with all that driving) and Owen got sick so that meant no daycare which means no work (and no breaks) for me.
At the beginning of the week, I was stressing about how behind I was getting at work and now, at the end of the week, I'm honestly so grateful for the time he and I had together! Sure, with the poor kid being sick (and single parenting for almost a week) there were ups and downs; highs and lows, but overall we had a good time.
I keep a hand-written journal I call "The Book of Owen" where I scribble down notes about our days together, his milestones, and funny, cute or sweet things he does (and the ridiculous things we do as new parents - like drive over the diaper bag or misread a scale and throw everyone into a panic thinking O hasn't gained weight for a month). So I've got most of this documented in The Book of Owen but wanted to write it in a (hopefully) more thoughtful way here. So here goes. The highs and the lows of my last six days, just me and Mr. Owen.
SATURDAY: We drive Dave to Milwaukee. Owen coughs once or twice, but otherwise, fine! Nothing exciting to report. We just do our thing, hang out at the Terrace with friends, oblivious to the impending SICKNESS.
SUNDAY: The coughing picks up and it's mucous-y, but no biggie. We go on walks, run errands. Owen doesn't eat much dinner, but that's how he is sometimes. And he's cranky, and he keeps waking up all night long, but maybe he's teething...
MONDAY: Owen is miserable! Wakes up with a fever of 101.2. We go to the doctor to get his ears checked because he is absolutely miserable. LOW POINT: I am heartbroken to hear his ears are clear. No infection. No antibiotics. We've just got to let this illness play out. HIGHLIGHT: Despite being sick, we have some good moments. The highlight was sitting outside on a blanket in the backyard, both of us sipping from our straw cups (with ice cubes!), alternating between blowing bubbles (Owen exclaimed, "oooooohhh") and playing catch.
TUESDAY: Full-on sick day for Owen. Poor kid could not sleep in the crib but could not get comfortable snuggling with me in the glider so he laid across me and put his head in my lap and fell asleep. LOW POINT: Owen tossing his cookies all over both of us and the blue glider. Another low point - O pooped in the bath (it was a little more exciting than that but I will save you the details)! HIGH POINT(S): Between fussy times and naps in the glider while I held him, we played outside in the grass with leaves, and had fun rolling across the living room floor (I had forgotten how fun rolling is. It's awesome. You should really do it if you haven't in a while. You can't help but laugh.) Another high point for me (Mom, you will appreciate this) - a cup of coffee outside on the patio in the sun while Owen napped. I finally had that moment, Mom!
WEDNESDAY: LOW POINT: Owen really didn't drink much and wasn't wetting diapers often either so I was worried and just working to keep him hydrated all day. HIGH POINTS: Oddly enough, sleeping in the glider chair with him from 2-7am. We both slept well and got to sleep in! And I guess this is more a low point because it means he didn't feel well, but it was just so sweet. The lawn and tree guy was here and I was standing in the backyard talking to him and holding Owen. In a totally non-Owen-like way, O just put his head on my shoulder and talked to himself quietly while the man and I discussed the lawn and trees. (Side point - not sure if it's a high or low. In a moment of desperation, I pulled out the iPad and we watched a 10 minute Baby Mozart video. Have you ever seen them? They are so weird! But Owen was enthralled. We also played with some free Fisher Price iPad apps and watched one or two baby music videos - 5 Little Ducks and Tony Chestnut. I figured since he's sick a little bit of screen time is ok.)
THURSDAY: LOW POINT: Owen fighting naps and REALLY fighting diaper changes because he assumes (rightfully so) that I'm going to take his temperature while I'm at it. HIGH POINTS: 1. We have the piano here now (thanks, Dave!) and I played for Owen and he clapped for me! 2. Owen ate falafel! I had falafel on a pita (great Costco find) for lunch and if I'm eating something, then of course Owen wants it. So I shared and he loved it! (No way he would have liked it if I gave it to him at "dinner time" in his high chair.) 3. Sipping cold drinks together after a walk to the library. (I have video that is cute. Will post to YouTube.)
So, I don't feel like I'm describing this all very well, but in general the past few days have been punctuated by lots of cuddles, naps in my arms in the glider, fussiness that turns on and off on a dime, too many baby bodily fluids to count, and lots of communication milestones. I didn't list them all above, but Owen is making great strides in talking and communicating his needs...and wants! He's also able to take steps holding onto only one of our hands now instead if both. I'll write some snippets in another post to make sure I get this all down and don't forget!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
youtube
It recently dawned on me that I have all these large videos of Owen that I can't email so I should get them up on youtube! Slowly going back and adding more, but there are some recent ones up there. Here's our channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/jcoxbell
Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)