In the Blink of an Eye… We are 9 Months Old!!!

We are on the move now… Owen is officially a crawler as of 2 days ago. He got around before then by moving and scooting around, but now he is on all 4's. The days of sitting him in the middle of the floor and running off to get something upstairs really quick are a distant memory now. Owen's favorite thing to play with is drawers and doors. When I put him on the floor in his room he makes a bee line for  his dresser and wants to open and close the drawers. He giggles when he does it. Who knew the dresser was such a great toy?

We are still settling into the new home. We still have unpacking to do, house projects and furniture to buy. We are just taking things slow and doing them right. I feel like it will be 2 years before we are finally settled.

Owen's Milestones
- You started crawling!!!! The first day I saw you really do it was July 6, 2015.
- You love to watch big kids play. We went to a 4th of July BBQ and you loved watching the big kids run around.
- You started eating solid food… we've had bananas cut up, Gerber puffs and a little bit of scrambled egg.
- You love to say "Ahhhh!" And you throw your arms down when you do it. If we do it you laugh and do it back. We can go back and forth forever doing it.
- I don't know how much you weigh or how tall you are, but we will find out at your 9 month doctor appointment on Friday. I will update this portion of the blog with the facts on Friday.
- Still only 2 teeth (on the bottom)
- You started eating purees out of the squeeze pouches which is nice because you can feed yourself while mommy makes dinner. You have had some store bought ones, but mommy  makes most of your pouches. The pouches are really great for eating out at restaurants because they are less messy than spoon feeding (and they keep you busy for a while). Here is a link to the kit to make pouches at home.
- You love to throw balls and watch where they go. You have a good arm, but your aim needs a little work.
- You can pull yourself up and sit up in the crib. You look so proud of yourself after you do it.

Now for some pictures from this month...

Owen eating solids! Those are bananas and Gerber puffs.

Owen and his daddy watching Wimbledon in the Wimbledon shirts.

Bath time! Owen loves playing with his bath toys. He has his own bathroom in the new house!

Owen and his Godmother Mary. We are so happy she is back in Atlanta!

Owen eating a pouch.

Mr. Personality.

This is how we "roll" to the pool these days.

Good morning! I'm ready to play!

Owen and Rex are best buds.

Rex even lets Owen play with his toys.

What a cutie.

My talented friend Ashley drew this picture of Owen for my birthday (I finally got it framed and put it up in the new house).

Owen in his playroom.

He loves to play! He makes car noises when he plays with his car. He is all BOY.

Owen and Daddy on their first Father's Day.

Owen and Pop Pop on Father's Day.

Owen, his Yia Yia and his shoes.

Sweet Boy

Owen loves to take glasses… when someone with glasses holds him, he immediately pull their glasses off.

Owen and his great grandparents.

That little booty :)

All the men on Father's Day.

Owen and Daddy on Father's Day.

Owen in his Michigan bodysuit.

Go Blue!

Until Next Time…

Tressa

Owen's 8 Months!

We've finally moved into our new home! It's been crazy around here… I feel like I am having some sort of service performed at the house or am getting a furniture delivery just about every day. I feel like we've spent so much time (and $$$) at Home Depot, HomeGoods and Target that we are solely responsible for keeping them in business.

All that said, everything is totally worth it. Things are slowly, but surely coming together. The neighbors have all been really friendly… we are excited to get to know them better. We love the neighborhood we are in. We are really close to the neighborhood playground and have already visited the swings several times. I love all the space we have now and have so many ideas of what I can do with it (some of them more long term than others). Pictures are coming. I just haven't really taken any because there are boxes everywhere right now. 

I think Owen really likes the new house. I made getting his room unpacked a priority because it's really hard to take care of an 8 month old when you don't know where anything is. He has so much stuff and we use all of it every day (i.e. diapers, wipes, rash cream, wash/shampoo, towels, clothes, bibs, burp clothes, sheets, etc.). 

I promise I will post more after I get unpacked and settled… but for now this is all I have time to write. I am exhausted and need to catch up on some sleep.

Owen's milestones:

- We tried blueberries and avocado this month. You LOVE blueberries and STRONGLY DISLIKE avocado. 

- You are still wearing your 9 month clothes, but they are getting kind of snug. We will probably move up to 12 months in the next few weeks.

- We are often told by people on public that you look like the Gerber Baby… maybe we should try to get you a modeling contract and start charging you rent ;)

- We can tell you LOVE Rex. You smile and shriek with delight whenever you see him. Rex thinks you are okay. 

- We went to the beach (Holden Beach, NC) for the first time this month. You loved playing in the sand, sitting down by the waves and sitting in the pool and splashing. 

- You also went on your first boat ride ( at Lake Hartwell) this month. You did not enjoy it because you had to wear a life jacket. 

- You are a rolling machine. It is your way of getting around these days. You are trying to get on your hands and knees, but don't quite have it down yet.

- You make all kinds of sounds but have not said your first word yet. Maybe you will say "Dada" on Fathers Day. That would be a nice present for your Daddy.
- You started sitting in your highchair and love it. I love it too because I can do other things in the kitchen while feeding you.
- You love Curious George on TV.

Now it's picture time….

Beach naps are the best!

First time in a pool (Holden Beach, NC).

New home!

Our first home as a family.

First time in the ocean.

Playtime for all the babies at the beach. Each one is playing alone.

He didn't like that he had to wear a like jacket on the boat.

1st time on a boat (Lake Hartwell)

First time in a lake (Lake Hartwell).

First time having blueberries (mixed with applesauce to cut the tartness). They were a winner!

Until Next Time…
Tressa

Owen Christopher: 7 Months.

Today is a BIG day. Not only is Owen 7 months old, but we are also officially selling our home today. That's right, by the end of the day we will be homeless! Just kidding, we will be renters. I am starting to get a little sentimental about it. Mainly because this was Owen's first home. I packed up a lot of his room today and it made me sad to take his pictures and name off the wall. I am lucky I get to put them back up again in the next house, it's going to be really sad when I have to pack these things up for good.

I guess this was a BIG week. We found a house to buy a few weeks ago and after inspection and negotiating with the sellers, I am happy to say that this house is a keeper. We got all the way through the due diligence period this time without having to terminate the contract! In about 3 weeks, we will be the newest residents of East Cobb. We love the big swim and tennis community we ended up in. So here it is…. our new home…..

Now it's time to start decorating! The first order of business is to get the interior painted, hopefully before we move in. I have an appointment to meet a painter at the house for a quote. I also need to pick paint colors. We are going to have the entire main floor painted, the upstairs hallway, nursery, master bedroom and bathroom. The other rooms I am going to do myself over time.

One of the things I am most excited about about this house is the screened in porch! I can't wait to sit out there and relax with a glass of wine. We've already ordered patio furniture. It was backordered until mid June already, so we didn't want to wait a month to order it.

I plan on blogging about making updates to and decorating the house so stay tuned. Now back to Mr. Owen…..

Owen's Milestones:
- You are sitting up really good now.
- I can tell you want to start moving so badly. Please wait until we move so we only have to baby-proof once.
- We've tried sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, pears, banana, watermelon, yellow squash, apples and raspberries. You like sweet potatoes, yellow squash apples and pears... everything else you don't really care for.
- We stopped nursing... which was very emotional for Mommy. You now get 100% formula. We give you Similac.
- You can wave now. It's so fun to watch you learn new things!
- You graduated level 1 and moved up to level 2 in Gymboree.
- You love when I dance with you! I learned that by doing it at Gymboree and now we do it at home too.
- We still use your bathtub sling (for newborns) to give you a bath. We tried to stick you in the tub without using it and you hated it... I think you may not like being in water.
- You love swinging at the park. When we move I want to get you a swing for the back yard.

I thought it would be fun to add a new section to the blog to document Owen's favorite toys. I think it will be fun to look back and see how he's developed and it might be nice if anyone reads the blog and is looking for a baby gift for a baby of the same age.

1. The baby banana- This is Owen's favorite teether. It's like a little toothbrush. The peels on the side make it easy for him to hold.
2. Gymbo the Clown- We purchased this puppet at Gymboree because Owen giggled so much when he saw it during class. When I get him out, Owen smiles, grabs him and chews on his face :)
3. PipSquigz- These are great during mealtime. They suction to the bumbo tray or table at a restaurant  so they aren't constantly falling on the floor and keep him entertained. They can also be used as a bathtime toy when Owen gets older.
4. Scout- This might be Owen's absolute favorite toy. He talks and sings and is programmed to say Owen's name. Getting Scout out always puts a smile on Owen's face.
5. Oball Rattle- Owen loves balls! He is all boy. We have 2 of these... one for the house and one for when we are out.
6. Baby Einsten Jumperoo- Nicknamed "disneyland" by Owen's grandparents. I think Owen's favorite part about this contraption is that he can bounce to his heart's desire. He gets fired up bouncing and making all kinds of noises.
7. Baby Einsten Take Along Tunes-  Owen loves music and loves phones.... this was a favorite before he got #8. It's a good gateway into more complicated phone toys….
8. V-Tech Touch and Swipe Baby Phone- We just got this toy this week and Owen loves it. Owen always wants our iphones. This toy is great because it looks similar to an iPhone and it has a touch screen like our phones. He knows it's not the real thing... given a choice he would always choose to play with our phones over this, but he will accept this as an alternative if our phones are out of sight.
9. Baby Einsten Roller Pillar Activity Balls- Every ball in this set is different. Some make noise, one lights up… they are very interesting to Owen. His hands just got big enough to pick them up without having to use 2 hands. Lately Owen has been banging them together.
10. Blocks- Right now he likes to chew on them and knock them over when we stack them up. I think this toy will be a favorite for a while as he still needs to learn to stack and build with them.
11. Elephant Activity Pal-  This is our go-to toy when we leave the house. We call him Stevie Elephante and I always have him in my diaper bag. He's easy to hook onto things and Owen loves to chomp on the built in teething rings.
12- Poppity Pop Musical Dino- Owen might be a little young for this toy... but he is fascinated by it. The balls pop up inside it, come out the dino's mouth and roll all over. Right now Owen likes to grab the balls as they come out of the mouth. He doesn't know how to put them back in yet... that is my job.

Now for pictures from this month…

Until Next Time,
Tressa