Movin' On Up

I don't have a photo, but I just wanted to make note that Owen officially moved up to the Toddler Room at Daycare today. This has been a long time coming. He has gotten to spend days in the Toddler Room here and there as space allows. He always seems to be a happier guy when he gets to play with the bigger kids. There were a few weeks a while ago when I was getting phone calls and incident reports that Owen was hitting and biting kids in the Infant Room. I felt awful about it, but the ladies assured me it was common and most likely because he was bored. Daddy tells me that Owen isn't clingy during drop off to the Toddler Room and he hits the ground running! I can't believe our little guy is getting so big!

Trip to PA

We drove to the Poconos in PA to gather with the rest of the Wade Family. Owen got to meet his cousin, Elliot, for the first time. Just look at all that hair he has!

Uncle Matt and Aunt Shannon seem to enjoying parenthood a lot.

I wish I could say that Owen was an angel for this trip...but in all honesty, he was very irritable and clingy. We suspected that he wasn't overjoyed at all the new faces and being in an unfamiliar house. He had his moments of fun and playfulness. But mommy was exhausted by the end of the weekend.

Whenever I got to hold Elliot, Owen seemed to get a bit jealous and wanted in on the action. It was funny because Elliot's reaction was to try and kiss/hug/wrestle with Owen.

Owen was very difficult during this family photo...it's the only one where he isn't screaming or trying to get out of my arms. Oh well, that's what you get with a 15 month old!

Happy Father's Day

First thing, we took Daddy to his favorite breakfast diner...In A Pickle. Thank goodness we are early risers because by the time we left the place was packed.

Owen absolutely loved sharing Daddy's chocolate chip pancakes. They were a bigger hit than Mommy's french toast and strawberries.

Of course, Owen had to help Daddy unwrap his gifts (a Red Sox book and new razor).

Father and Son...so fun!

Morning Ritual

These photos are a little peek at our morning routine. After breakfast I ask Owen if he wants to go brush his teeth with Daddy. It is so cute that he knows to climb upstairs to find Daddy in the bathroom. I will say that Owen has been pretty good about wanting to brush his teeth at this point. Okay, maybe he likes to chew on that toothbrush more than actual bushing, but I'll take what I can get. He has his 1 year molars coming in right now so it seems like a miracle that he wants anything in his mouth at all!

Photo of the Day

I'm so adorable, and I know it!

Saturday Morning Treat

Daddy's idea of "fattening Owen up" is to take him toDuncan Donuts. I don't really think this is what the doctors had in mind, but Owen sure enjoyed it. I guess a couple of donut holes here and there aren't going to kill him. Although if you asked Grandpa Wade, his theory is that each donut you eat takes a day off your life!

Little Drummer Boy

So Daddy has gotten the final instrument for his Wii "Rock Band" and Owen could not be more thrilled about it. What is not to love about banging with two wooden sticks? I wish I could say the only thing that got the drummer treatment were the drums!!!

15 Month Checkup

Owen had his 15 month doctor's checkup. We were complimented on how well Owen behaved during his exam. I guess most kids his age are chased around the room during the checkup. I can't help but be proud of our little guy for taking it all in strides. He even waved bye-bye to the nurse that gave him his shot! So his current stats:

Height: 29 1/4 inches
Weight: 21 lbs. 2 oz.
Head Circumference: 46 cm

So Owen's weight has fallen into the 10th percentile which means we need to be careful that it doesn't drop lower. We need to make sure he gets more protein and the "good" kind of fat. He's a slim kid...the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

15 Months

As Owen turns another month older, I dragged him into his room to get his monthly photo on the red chair. I usually have to elicit Daddy's help to get him to stay on the chair and smile for the camera. That is proving to be harder and harder these days. The little bugger didn't want to corporate this month. I could have gone back and taken new photos, but I actually kind of like how his personality is coming through, so I stuck with these.

I just can't believe my little boy is 15 months old already. He amazes me every single day. His hugs are to die for, his smile catches my breath, and his endless energy and enthusiasm make life so enjoyable. My heart is so full it aches.

15 month milestones:

• Owen is developing quite the arm. He has been throwing balls well along with lots of other things. He threw a tennis ball at a lady on crutches the other day that was a bit funny, but we don't like to encourage that behavior. He seems to love to throw his sippy cup from his high chair. Mommy does not find this very funny!
• I've been working on learning body parts with Owen. He likes the song "If You're Happy and You Know It" and I try to get him to recognize different parts of his body like "pat your head" or "touch your nose". He catches on sometimes...just not very consistent yet.
  
• Owen does a pretty good job of understanding simple commands. "Bring Mommy the book" or some such item that he knows is something that he's capable of doing. I need to get him to fetch his shoes - ah, maybe this month.
• Owen's walking continues to improve. He can now run, which is really the cutest thing to watch. Running usually involves some kind of fun, so I am just tickled to see him do as I chase him around the house or I see him run to me when I pick him up from daycare. I've also seen him walk backs a bit. My Aunt Patty was amazed at seeing him do this and said that most 2 year olds can't walk backwards. I've been on the look out and actually see him doing it occassionally. Go Owen!
• He now can stand up on his own, without needing something to pull himself up. He started doing this out of necessity when playing outside and he'd have to crawl too far for something to help him up. He keeps getting better and better at it now.
• Owen has begun to show frustration when he can not do something. He has these tiny temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way as well. It is definitely a new side to his personality. Right now, it's super easy to divert his attention when he gets upset...but that is sure to change.
• Owen likes to imitate what we are doing. Like using a broom to sweep or holding a spoon to feed.
• He only has a few words that we can understand, but there's an entire babble language that we do not!
• Owen likes to feed himself now with a spoon. I'm not sure if he likes me to be around during meal time other than to continue putting food on his tray! He has taken to putting his finger food inside his bowl of applesauce or yogurt. There's nothing more yummy than apple covered grilled cheese!
• Bottle are totally put away...Owen is a sippy cup only guy.
• Owen loves to play - obviously. He really gets into these stacking cups we have. Loves to put things in, then take things out. Put one cup inside another. Aunt Patty got me all excited when she was impressed that Owen could stack three blocks. "That's advanced?" I asked. Which brings me to an observation where Owen seems to have a lot of expectations to live up to. I don't want to claim to be a genius, but both Brian and I are lucky to have a fair amount of intelligence. But somehow that translates into having a smart kid. The last thing I want to do is put pressure on Owen. But people do seem to assume that he is going to be "wicked smart", as our neighbor likes to say.
  

My Little Clapper

I don't really remember what he's clapping for in this photo, but chances are he's watching the TV. I try my best to keep Owen from watching any TV. He just doesn't need it at this age. Getting Daddy to comply is not the easiest thing. It is really crazy, but Daddy has found that Owen loves "The Price Is Right"...so much so that he records the show so he can play it for Owen every now and then. Owen loves the beginning when they call people's name and they jump and flail around as they "Come On Down". His attention only lasts that 60 seconds and then he's back to whatever. But I will say that it's funny how it always grabs his attention. Grandma Kuder claims that Daddy would shout "Bob Barker, Bob Barker" from his playpin every day at 11 when it came on...so maybe there's some weird Price Is Right gene that got passed down.

Visit to Ohio

This weekend Owen and I flew to Columbus because I was hosting a bridal shower for my cousin, Mary.
My Aunt Patty had us to stay at her house which was great. She has all the right baby gear since she has her grandkids, Hannah and Adam. Owen had a good time trying to keep up with the two of them. Aunt Patty is called Ya-Ya by her grandchildren, so she was getting Owen to call her that as well. I think I understand why she choose that name...because she could turn practically anything Owen babbled into Ya-Ya. Very cute!

I guess I was so wrapped up in getting things ready for the shower that I forgot to take photos. Owen got to be chased around by Aunt Cat all weekend. Grandpa even came from Middletown to babysit during the shower. And I have to give my father a hard time because when I got back and got a hug from Owen I immediately noticed he had a dirty diaper. Way to go, Grandpa!

Self Feeding

Owen does not want to be fed anything...he wants to do it himself. While this is great, it's also very messy! We usually have two spoons going when he eats things like yogurt or applesauce - one for him to dip into the food and another for me to actually get the food in his mouth. He does a pretty decent job on his own, but it's a very slow process.