Cutest. Patient. EVER.

Last Thursday Owen went in to have surgery on his left tear duct to finally get the goop all cleared up.  The poor little guy was born with both tear ducts completely blocked.  After a sinus infection around 7 months the right side cleared up on its own, but this left side has remained pesky.  At his 1 year doctor's appointment they strongly suggested we have it taken care of.  She said that they don't like them to persist after one year of age because it can lead to further issues down the road.  Boo.  The thought of my little baby being put under was a scary one.  But we braved it together and now he is goop free!  Yay!

The surgery itself was crazy fast.  When they were taking him away from me for surgery, the nurse told me to go have a cup of coffee.  By the time I was done, he would be too.  And she was right!  Wow!  They warned me ahead of time that children, especially babies when they come out of anesthesia, they will cry and be pretty hysterical. It is normal and not to worry.  They will calm down as it wears off.  Sure enough when they called me back to see him after surgery a nurse was holding him and he was crying like I never heard him before.  They handed him over to me and I thought to myself- Oh my goodness, what did I do to my baby.  His eye was completely swollen shut.  It looked as though he was hit in the eye with a baseball.  I did NOT expect to see that, and the tears came to my eyes.  But I knew that wouldn't help anything and pulled myself together.  I had a baby that needed me.  So I just held him tight, rocking and singing Jesus Loves Me, You are My Sunshine and Trust in the Lord over and over again in between kisses, just so he knew he wasn't alone.

After a bit, when I noticed he was starting to settle down a bit and I was able to start seeing his eye through the puffiness I remembered I brought my laptop along.  The nurses said it was OK, so I put on his beloved Elmo and all was alright with the world.  He started to giggle more then cry, and his thrashes turned into snuggles.  We were able to get him to nibble on a few graham crackers and he had a few sips of juice.  Pretty soon the nurse told me that I could get him dressed that he was ready to go home.  I was shocked.  The entire thing took less then 2 hours!  The doctor assured me that his swelling would go down and that he would look and act more himself by later in the day if not by tomorrow.  I was a little doubtful, but OK.

Sure enough, by evening the swelling was almost all gone and we had to stop him from wrestling with Jackson.  The following day there was zero swelling, only the under of his eye was a bit red.  It looked as though he may have bumped it on something while playing.  By Saturday, only 2 days after surgery he looked 100% like himself.  No swelling, no redness, no nothing.  Just a runny nose and a cough from all the drainage of fluids they had to pump into his eye and nasal cavity to clear out the blockages.  Amazing.  I am so, so, so happy it went as well as it did.  I seriously had my doubts, especially after seeing him immediately after surgery.  But he is a tough little guy and came right through with no problems.  Thank you Lord.

I just love that cute little diaper butt hanging out the back of the gown :)

Oh how afraid I was.  I felt so helpless and scared that something terrible was going to happen to my baby.  So I decided to hand it over to God and to trust in Him to hold my baby when I couldn't.  I asked all the Prayer Warriors I knew of to keep Owen lifted up (and for a brave mommy too.)  Thank you to everyone who prayed with us that day and the days leading up to his surgery.  I truly felt your comforting prayers! As scared as I was, I knew God was in control.  Oh how Great He Is!

This is the song that played in the car on the way to the hospital. No way was this an accident. 




Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? -Luke 12:25 


 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. -Philippians 4:6

On the day that Owen was born

"On the day that Owen was born

On the day that Owen was born

On the day that Owen was born

the angels sang

and they blew on their horns

and they danced- they danced!

They smiled and raised up their hands 

and they danced, they danced

on the day that Owen was 

being born.

Right now someone somewhere is being born

Somewhere right now someone is being born

Right now someone somewhere is being born

And the angels are singing and their blowin' on their horns

And their dancin', their dancin'

Their smilin' and raisin' up their hands

'Cause right now somewhere someone is being born

Raisin' up their hands...

On the day that each one of us was being born."

~Red and Kathy Grammer

Happy birthday my wonderful, beautiful, incredibly happy baby boy!  Goodness, I can hardly believe that an entire year has come and gone so quickly!  

You are on. the. move!   

A boy full of energy and wonderment- everything is an exciting new discovery just waiting to be understood.  Oh how I love you so.  Each day of my life is brighter because you are in it.  Thank you for all of your sweet, juicy wet kisses, your hugs and wild laughter with each tummy tickle.  And although I am the one to give you presents today, you gave me the sweetest of all- to hear you say "Mommy" perfectly in your little voice melted my heart and made the whole world OK, if just for today.  

Happy first birthday Owen!  Now, let the celebrations begin!

Almost 1 Year

I sit here tonight in a quiet house.  The Little's are all sleeping, Scott is at a friends house tying flies for an upcoming fishing trip and I get to blog in peace and enjoy a glass of wine.  It's kinda nice.  Thoughts have been running around in my head these past few days.  Looking back on this last year, I honestly have no idea where it went.  How on earth is it possible my little Owen is turning 1 in just 11 days?  Life has been fun and exciting and a total whirlwind.  I am sure it is also due to having a 4 year old (almost FIVE, don't even get me started on that one.... Mimi and Papa, where is that brick hat already??!!!) that is 100% boy to help keep me on my toes.  But WOW, is all I can say.  I love seeing all the growth and developments that Owen is making.   It is awesome and simply amazing how much these babies can learn in just a years time.

Even though I haven't been good about blogging here, I still have been keeping track of all of Owen's "First's".  Not sure why I didn't just jot them down here... I guess when I "blog" I want to be able to write something substantial.  But sometimes I just have a little to say and then it never gets said.  So here I am turing over a new leaf.  I will write here more, if even just a small update.   So here is what you missed....

7 Months - 
What a difference a month makes!

• June 12th SO close to crawling! He's got the army-move down pat. And the past few days he gets up to his hands and knees and then doesn't know what to do from there... until he lunges himself forward onto his face.

• Learned how to Crawl on Sunday, June 19th, Father's Day, perfected it the next morning and immediately was On. The. Move.

• First Word (Mama) the following Tuesday, June 21st. We have a 1st word!! During dinner, I just couldn't get Owen's dinner in his mouth fast enough. Impatiently Owen, very clearly says loudly "Ma Ma!" We all were shocked and squealed. About 5 minutes later he said it again! What an amazing week this has been for Little O- crawling, 1st haircut, and 1st word- all within 3 days of each other. So exciting!  

• First Haircut, also on Tuesday, June 21st.  Needless to say this week put me in a tizzy.  I was a wreck.  I lost my "baby" this week.  He went from laying on his back with spiky, crazy black hair- to crawling, "talking" and being completely blond with a crew cut.  He looked so different I admit it, I was super sad and emotional.  It was one of those bittersweet moments as a mommy.  Excited to see your children growing up, but yet not quite ready for so much at one time.  He hasn't had a haircut since.... although he needs it.  

• June 30th can now sit up independantly (meaning he can go from laying or crawling to sitting up on his own without help.  He is also enjoying Cherios, puffs and all that good stuff. He definitely prefers chunkier food then purees. I just can't get over all the milestones he has hit in just the past week!!

8 Months

• Owen is SO BIG!  He loves this game.  You ask him "How big is Owen?" he then proceeds to throw his hands in the air and then claps at himself , so proud.  Absolutely a-d-o-r-e-a-b-l-e.  He also loves to show off by playing peek-a-boo and pat-e-cake.  When he gets on a roll he will go from one trick to the next to the next, laughing and smiling and clapping at his accomplishments. 

9 Months

• August 19th Separation Anxiety has kicked in FULL FORCE. I can not even walk out of the room without Owen screaming and crying until I come back and pick him up. And if he had his way completely, I would never put him down. Once I am holding him, if I set him on the floor the screaming resumes. I don't remember it this bad with Jackson. It is also to the point that he will crawl away from me out of the room, but if he turns back to look at me and I'm not there behind him, he screams.  I've been using my sling a lot, except he is 9 months old and not the lightest little guy anymore (20+ lbs) Even with the sling, my back needs a break from holding him every now and then. The crying is just wearing on my nerves. He was NEVER a crier before. This is all so weird for him.  I sure hope this is a faze.  

• We've got a cruiser!  It didn't seem to take him long to figure out how to cruising furniture.  Once he got the hang of it he is all over the place.  

10 Months

• at 10 months 5 days old he got his first tooth!!  He is crawling everywhere, cruising furniture with a purpose- and fast! He can stand up on his own, and boy is he proud! But not quite walking independently yet. He can say Mama, Dada, Baba (for bottle and he says it for food in general) and More (sounds like Mah) while either clapping or hitting the table if the food isn't coming fast enough! lol. 

• He is definitely not into baby food anymore. Totally preferring table food, his favorites being pasta, brown rice, cheese toast, bananas, beans of any kind- especially baked beans, vegetable stew, Israeli Couscous and his absolute favorite- polenta! This boy likes food with flavor! Not crazy about applesauce, but if I sprinkle a little cinnamon on it he gobbles it right up!

11 Months

• October 6 so little Owen has a crazy rash of some sort. Worrying myself to death thinking it is rebella or measels. So not happy considering I am a mother who regularly vaccinates their children and out of no fault of my own Owen is suffering (he is too young for the vaccination). UPDATE: well it turns out Owen is allergic to the flu shot!! Weird, huh?! He has a really bad case of hives. So nothing too serious but he will probably never be able to get the flu shot ever again. At least it is nothing serious or contagious though!

• October 11 feeling burnt out today. It has just been a long two weeks for us. Me fighting migraines and a chronic sinus infection (which may be a huge cause of my headaches these days). Add to that Owen getting two new teeth, fever and fussiness from shots and an allergic reaction to the flu shot. He is not sleeping well or eating well and fusses almost constantly. It's been a long few days and i just could use a break. Oh how I hate being a downer. Sorry guys.

• October 17 And we have a walker!!!! After two weeks of Owen taking 3-4 steps and then falling on his butt, last night he figured it out and now he can't stop! The proud look on his face is so cute. Love him!

• Now that Owen has learned how to walk, that is his most favorite thing in the whole wide world to do.  He just loves walking from one room to the next, looking at stuff, bending down to pick up a toy and proceeding on his way into the next room of the house needing exploration.  He babbles nonstop and has developed a FULL set of lungs.  No more quiet baby, that's for sure.  Owen has stuff to say and wants to make sure you hear it loud and clear!!  He also seems to have turned into a bit of a screamer.  I think it has to do with the fact that he is learning so much and has so much he wants to communicate with us, but yet doesn't have a whole lot of words to say it all.  He gets frustrated and in turn screams to make himself noticed and heard.  We are all hoping the screaming faze will be on its way out once new words are on their way in.   The separation anxiety isn't as intense as it was.  He still loves to be held and has his times of day when that is all he wants (thank you again Leanne for the sling.  It is getting a work out for sure with this one!!)  But now that he can walk he has more fun being on the loose, so to say.  

• Owen loves to point.  It is his new favorite thing!  You scoop him up in your arms and immediately there is 100 things he wants to show you, pointing from one thing to the next "asking" what it all is.  Everything is exciting and interesting and he wants to learn it all.  

• Owen's Words so far: Mama, Dada, Baba (bottle and food in general), More (sounds like Mah.  He also still bangs his tray when he is ready for more too.  We have a little caveman! haha), A-Da (he says this when he is asking what something is.  He says A-Da and then points at the thing in question.  Be sure you answer him or he will keep asking only it gets louder each time!), he said "kitty" once but hasn't repeated it again, can't really count it yet....

So there you go!   I think I have finally caught you all back up to speed on our Little O.  Next is the Big Man on Campus, Mr. Jackson.... hold tight!

We've got a crawler!!

On Father's Day, after a week of trying and trying, Owen finally figured out how to crawl!! The hand over hand while moving his knees at the same time thing is so tricky to understand. Sunday evening it started to click and he made a few actual forward crawling movements.  But as of Monday morning I plopped him on the floor and he crawled right away from me like he has been doing it for months! Jackson and I erupted into cheers, claps and even some jumping up and down! Such an accomplishement. Now two weeks later and he is all over the house. The baby gate is now a permanent fixture as he will follow anyone (especially the kitties) wherever they go. He is our little explorer.

Owen's Favorite Enticers 

(i.e. things Owen can't keep his hands off of while on the move):

cords- all kinds. He seems them, he will beeline to them and immediately tries to figure out how to get them in his mouth. Really great, huh?! Time to figure out some new cord control...

Stereo and Electronic Equipment- do they make screens to hide stereo buttons? Because that is the first place he heads. If Owen is in the living room, be prepared for the television volume to be turned off, stereo turned on (full blast and usually on AM fuzz- it sounds wonderful, let me tell you...) or all of the sound buttons pushed at the same time so you have no idea how to fix it until hours later....

The Cats!!!!!- Just like when Jackson was a baby, Owen just loves to follow the kitties. Memphis usually lets Owen get just close enough to touch and then he walks out of reach. This continues until one of them gets bored (usually Memphis). Ringo, the stubborn cat that he is, doesn't like to give up his house and has to be the center of everything. The poor cat is going to be hairless soon if he doesn't give in. Owen always has his fingers in his mouth, so they are wet and sticky. wet and sticky fingers + cat hair = gross.

Jackson's Toys- it doesn't matter what it is.  If it is Jackson's, he wants it.  And wants to put it directly into his mouth.  Jackson has actually been surprising good at sharing and making sure nothing too tiny is on the floor where Owen can reach.  I think the only thing Jackson really misses is being able to color in the living room on the floor.  But Owen just wants to eat the crayons, so for at least a little while, coloring will have to be done at the table.  

May Catch Up

ok, so maybe not flooding.... ehhh, whatever. What can you do. Life gets busy and I get bad at blogging. But I can not forget all of the wonderful milestones that my baby is accomplishing- and so fast too!! Every day I am amazed at this little guy. He is growing in leaps and bounds.  Bare with me, I am going to try and play catch up a little bit....

In May, Owen became a supported sitter, which makes life much more fun!  But it also means we have entered the world of head bumps (Owen) and the heart stops (for the rest of us!!)  Because of this, Jackson has become especially concerned that Owen is going to fall backwards and hit his head.  So he has appointed himself the job of making sure the Boppy is safely wrapped around him for support.

Aside from the head bumps, sitting up has proven to be super fun.  I love watching my little men begin to play together!  Jackson is such a good big brother, showing Owen how toys work and gently (usually, anyways) playing with and holding him.

A whole new world is opening up for him, and he is having a blast!

Probably the coolest thing for Jackson this month is that he has learned how to use the computer!  We have been having so much fun learning about dinosaurs, practicing our letters and playing all sorts of games.  He has gotten so good that he hardly needs me to even help him anymore.  Needless to say, he feels like such a big boy.

My boys are growing up so fast!

Owen Rolled Over!

For the last week or two, Owen has been on the verge of rolling over from his back to his tummy.  He will lift his butt, hip and shoulder off the ground and lay completely on his side.  But his arm gets in the way and he can't quite figure out how to get all the way over.

Well yesterday while playing up in Jackson's room, I laid Owen on his belly for some Tummy Time.  His head is getting nice and strong, he lifts it high up and looks all around him, taking in the surrounds from a different angle.

Jackson was entertaining Owen by showing him all the cool toys "he will be able to play with when he is bigger." 

Well while on his tummy, right before our eyes, Owen rolled himself right on over onto his back!  Jackson and I started cheering right away, clapping our hands, and Owen looks at us with these wide eyes like "Holy moly, how did that happen?!"  It was great :)  Awesome job Little O!

7 weeks old and already a heartbreaker

Our little Owen is so much fun these days!  He seems to be growing and changing every single day- it's amazing!  Not only is he getting heavier and taller, but his personality is starting to come out.  He smiles the moment he lays eyes on Scott and I and loves watching Jackson sing and act silly.  This week he has added another new talent- he found his laugh.  Oh it melts me!  I might be a little tired or feeling overwhelmed, all I have to do is lay eyes on this little guy and my entire day is brightened.  I recorded a little bit of my morning for you.  I hope it brightens your day too.