Puddle Attraction

Is there some primal instinct in little boys that make them run to rain puddles and stomp in them?

Eating Woes

Owen had a good time eating/wearing his yogurt. He usually does such a good job of eating on his own, that I've gotten spoiled. Sometimes if I don't watch him like a hawk, then things can get really messy real fast.

Front Porch Fun

An Owen sized niche on the porch.
Sometimes we like to just hang out on the front porch and listen to the birds chirp and watch people go by.

Brush those Teeth!

Owen gets all into brushing his teeth every morning...only now he loves to climb up on the toilet where all the action is.

Visiting Great-Grandma Wade

Since we were close to New Concord, we had to make a stop to visit Great-Grandma Wade. In the photo Owen looks like a big handful, but honestly he was so good during our visit. He could not have been more charming and well behaved showing Grandma his tummy and running up to her and giving her hugs. It was the cutest thing that I'm sure my Grandma will be talking about for weeks to come.

Happy 60th Birthday, Grandma!

This morning we got up super early to fly to Ohio and surprise Grandma Kuder for her 60th birthday. She was super thrilled to see her little guy! Owen's cousin, Elizabeth, was there checking out his every move.
The family gathering was at Grandpa's property in south eastern Ohio. Owen was super excited to see Grandpa's mower again. It was hard to keep him off of it!
A close second was a Puppy! Owen was thrilled to go and pet Jumbo, Great Uncle Duree and Cousin Ben's dog. It was cool that Owen actually touched Jumbo, because he has been very timid about touching animals.
Then it was back to the tractor for rides. I got a kick out of driving him around. He was in heaven shouting "Wow" and waving to people as we drove around.

Thanks Aunt Leslie for all the great pics from the weekend.

18 Months

Our sweet little boy is no longer a baby, though his sparse hair still gives him a baby look. I haven't thought of him as a baby in a while, but lately it has really struck me how much of a little man he has become. Owen's independence seems to be growing so quickly. His world if filled with boundless energy and curiosity. A lot of time I feel like I'm just trying to keep up.

Owen's 18 Month Milestones:

• Climbing seems to be increasing all the time. Up on chairs, onto the couch, everything. He even manges to figure out how to climb and stand on some of his toys. This seems like such boy behavior to me.
• More words seem to be coming all the time. Loves seeing puppies and saying with exclaimation "Puppy!". He's starting to repeat some words. But what he'll say one day may not come out the next.
• Understands simple directions. My favorite is "Throw the dirty diaper away" and he takes the diaper to the kitchen trash. Of course I caught him putting new diapers in the trash, so I don't think he quite gets that chore is only for the dirties. He is also good about finding his shoes. He'll even bring mommy or daddy's shoes. What a helper!
• Points to some body parts correctly. "Owen, where's your tummy?" results in him lifting up his shirt and pointing to his belly button. It is so cute.
• Shows affection by giving hugs and blowing kisses goodbye.
• Feeds himself, drinks from a cup and uses a spoon and fork without much help.
• His crayon strokes on paper are getting better and better. He used to just tap the crayon and make lots of dots, but he's developing more of a scribble.
• Will sit for a short time and look at pictures in a book and listen a bit to stories. His book attention span isn't very long, but he does best with interactive books or super simple ones with pictures that he can identify.
• Can point to a body part. For example, when you ask "where's your tummy?" your child will point to it.
• Owen is very curious. He likes to grab and move almost anything within reach. Daddy will sometimes let him run around a store which is my worse nightmare because he grabs whatever he can. Yikes.
• Owen loves to build and stack with toys.
• Like to copy what other people do. If mommy is walking down the stairs holding the handrail, he wants to do the same. If Daddy is typing on the computer, he wants to "type" as well.

New do

When wet, Owen looks like he actually has some hair. It is coming in Mohawk-like, so we tried to give it some style.

Big Boy

Owen has been refusing to sit in his highchair lately. When it is a real struggle to get him in there, I end up letting him sit at the table on a phone book. Isn't this what we did when we were kids?

A Lefty?

I keep catching Owen doing things with his left hand...eating, throwing. Maybe we have a lefty?

Priceless

Another weekend, and a new park to explore. This time we were at Hastings School climbing around their playground.

Go Bucks!

The Buckeye football season started today, and Owen and I were there to cheer the Bucks on against Navy. In a rare moment, Owen spent some time chilling on the couch with me. To say that this never happens is not an exaggeration...he's usually jumping and climbing all over the couch!

Lego Blocks

Owen has been all about building with blocks lately. Stacking them as high as he can go is the name of the game. It is so cool to see is coordination skills get sharper.