Owen said “mama” today.
🙂
Happy day.
(he also says, “ba”, “da”, “dada”, and “ya” – he has gotten chatty the last few weeks)
Potty Training {Day 2}
Here is a quick review of day 2 before (before we get going on today – which is day 3)
edit: i was trying to finish writing & post this before Hudson woke up…and i *almost* made it…but not quite…so, here is a late review of yesterday.
* The first night. I was resigned to waking up multiple times to change sheets…We put the boys to bed at 7:00pm. Hudson was still awake playing in his bed at 7:45 (& was dry) so I got him up & took him to the potty, he peed and went back to bed.
* I tried to take him again at 10:00 before we went to bed. Got him up & put him on the potty – he wasn’t really awake and was very confused and screamed and cried and did not pee. Oh the drama. So back to bed he went.
* Owen woke up at 1:30 (seriously? boo.) So since he & I were awake (& Jordan too for that matter) I got Hudson up and put him on the potty. Only I guess Hud was not really awake. Or something. More screaming. No peeing.
Back to bed.
* When we got back into bed a little before 2 I was so sure we’d be up again in an hour to change sheets…
* But we weren’t!! Our alarms went off early as usual (hubby’s much earlier than mine) & I didn’t hear a thing from Hudson (though the early bird, erm, Owen, did rise & shine as usual for some Mama time)Â until he woke up at 7:45am with DRY undies!!!
That is twelve (12) hours folks! Amazing. I’m a believer. One of my biggest hold-ups with potty training was a fear that Hudson would wake up way early (he usually sleeps 12-13 hours) but maybe he’ll keep on sleeping a long time after all!!
* I put him on the potty right after he woke up but he didn’t go.
* He peed on the kitchen floor 5 minutes later…but finished in the potty. That was his ONE pee accident yesterday.
* I have been drinking an extra lot of water lately, so I’ve been making frequent trips to the potty myself, and being that we do everything together Hud usually just goes when I go which has worked out well…there hasn’t really been any protesting and maybe has prevented some accidents/gotten him used to the feeling & routine of potty-ing.
* Poop in undies…again…*sigh* Always the moment that I turn my back for 30 seconds.
* Hudson did not nap (at all) which is VERY strange – so Owen didn’t nap much because Hud was being so loud. Of all the days to not take a nap…let’s just say we all rejoiced when Daddy came home! 😉
* We put the boys to bed almost an hour early (because they didn’t nap) and once again Hudson slept through the night until 7:45 DRY! We tried taking him to the potty again before we went to bed but he didn’t go (but he didn’t scream either…so that is good!)
Potty Training {Day 1}
Well folks…I bit the bullet and started potty training Hudson today!!
I’ve been talking about it for a while & he has been ready…but I haven’t. Mostly because I haven’t had the time to devote to it…but also a little because I haven’t been ready for him to be that grown up!
This is the first (and maybe only for a while) week our calendar has had multiple open days, so I blocked it off quickly and we started really talking up being all done with diapers & going to the potty & wearing big boy undies…and here we are.
Reflections from day one:
* I am using Lora Jensen’s “Potty Training in 3 Days” system. It makes sense to me. It is pretty much what I would do if I just made up my own system, but I find it very helpful & reassuring & confidence boosting to have advice/tips/& a “system” on paper – but that is just the way I am. Obviously I am only one day into it – but so far, so good!
* Today was definitely not as bad as I anticipated. Hudson had way fewer accidents than I expected. Hooray!
* If I had a nickel for every time I said, “Tell Mama if you need to go potty, OK?!” & “Are your undies dry?? YAY!” I would be a wealthy woman
* The worst part (as expected) was the poo accident. Here’s hoping he gets it into the potty tomorrow. Because…ew…worse than diapers for sure.
* Hud slept his usual 2 hours at nap time & made it through totally DRY! AH-mazing! I definitely expected him to have an accident today.
* We shall see how tonight goes…he is usually a really heavy wetter at night…to be continued…
* He can “hold it” much longer than I thought he could
* This is the potty we actually have. It is from IKEA. It is cheap & similar in style to the Bjorn (but WAY cheaper!)
* I found 2T/3T undies at Walmart (I couldn’t find any that small at our Target). Hudson picked out some with “Cars” characters. We have never watched it – but he does love all things “vehicle”. Picking them out was really fun for him.
* He is SO proud of wearing his big boy undies! And his little booty is so cute & pinch-able in them 😉
* I am sure potty training with only one child is easier – but for all you Mama’s out there like me who have babies close together – be encouraged – like everything else we do – it is totally doable & really not so bad! And…it is all I know…which helps 🙂 Naturally, Owen has recently been sick & teething & out of sorts…but such is life. He was pretty happy to just be held while we all played and I ran Hudson back & forth from the bathroom.
* The sweet/hard thing about potty training is that we are joined at the hip 24/7 and ALL of my focus was on him & Owen only. As opposed to the majority of my focus while also multi-tasking around the house/running errands/etc.
It was fun for us (all 3 of us) to have such concentrated time together ALL day 🙂
It was also hard for me to drop all the other things I feel like I “need” to be doing as we play & go about our day and focus on this special time of training. To be extra intentional with the time to better get to know & love on my boys…just being honest.
Sometimes I would rather be doing something besides building another mega-block tower. But…I really, really have been praying the Lord would remind me again that these “little years” are going by so very quickly and soon my big boys will be a grown men and I will long to build one more mega block tower. And He has been oh so faithful to answer that prayer!
So, all in all I say we had a great first day of potty training! Right now it feels a little like “the song that never ends” and I am exhausted just thinking about how tonight and tomorrow could go but I know it WILL end & I’ve got to take it one hour /one trip to the potty/one accident at a time.
His grace is sufficient.
Hudson {2 years old}
Happiest birthday to my big boy who made me a Mama 2 years ago today.
I will do a big long post soon! But for now, I just have to say, I could not be more thankful for you sweet boy!
We love you Hudson Mark!
Owen {8 months}
Owen was 8 months on 8/12/12.
Owen Paul – I cannot convey what a sweet baby you are! You are so relaxed & go-with-the flow as long as you are with us (especially Hudson!). Oh my goodness you LOVE your brother! And he adores you too. It is so fun to watch the two of you {sort of} begin to play together. Hudson brings you toys {& often tried to take them back pretty quickly} and you just light up to be included in whatever he is doing.
Stats: Unknown…we’ll go to the pedi next month and weigh/measure you then.
Developmental: The big news recently is that you started crawling! You were doing lots of rolling around the floor {sometimes purposefully} and a little bit of lunging around right as you turned 7 months. Then at 7.5 months on August 1 we left you two at Grammie’s while we went on a date night & you did a couple of little shuffle crawls and the rest is history. By the time the weekend was over (August 5) you had crawling ALL figured out and moved on to PULLING UP – you can only pull up onto your knees but you are working hard to figure out how to get your feet under you! You will climb over things just for the sake of climbing, even if it is a more roundabout way to get to your destination.
Mind you…a few months prior Mama was a little concerned you had motor issues because you were not sitting at 6 months (silly Mama!)
The crawling has initiated training time – the only things we’ve really had to work on right now are staying still during diaper changes (because you want to roll all around) and not touching the fan in the living room (floor fan, because it is HOT here!).
Sleeping: You have a tendency to wake up at 6am…which is about an hour earlier than Mama would like as it means I have to get up even earlier to have some alone time with the Word. But usually I can sneak into your room when you start chatting & get you and Hudson will stay asleep. And it is SO sweet to have some special alone time with YOU little one…because otherwise we don’t get much of that…so I suppose the earlier wake-up time is worth it 🙂
You take 2 naps most days from 9-11 and 1-3 (sometimes you still need a 3rd little short nap before dinner around 4:30). You go to bed at 7.
You’ve finally gotten used to sleeping in your crib. It was a hard adjustment for a week or two, moving from your pack’n’play to the crib but you love it now. Your crib is just across from Hudson’s bed and you will crawl over to the side of the crib & push your bumper pad down, and sit with your face pressed up against the rails so you can see him! He loves to make you laugh–he does all sorts of crazy things in his bed and you just laugh & laugh!
Eating: You are really enjoying solid food! You get really excited when it is time to eat & start grunting & growling. You’ve eaten all sorts of veggies and fruits and loved them all. You just started to like bananas this past weekend, that was the only thing you had turned down besides avocado and I haven’t tried that again yet. You are starting to want to feed yourself more & more so we are doing mostly purees still and some small bites of soft soft food on your tray for you to pick up (you are just starting to do a pincer grasp). I think you would LOVE baby led weaning type feeding…but I am not really into the MESS…so for now we are sticking with mostly purees until & a few bites as you get more coordinated.
You still nurse 4 times a day (sometimes 5). My milk supply is still on the lower end it seems, but you seem to be getting plenty. We’ve only had to supplement every once in a while so I am thankful for that. I would really like to nurse until you are 11 months and then will probably switch you straight over to raw milk.
I introduced a sippy with water when we started solids and you like to chew on it but haven’t figured out drinking yet.
Other things: You love music & reading. You “pat” everything – the surface in front of you – toys – book pages. You like to read (and chew) books. You enjoy being outside. Your legs and belly are super tickle-ish. You stick out your tongue all the time & blow zerberts or just grin. You are the easiest guy to make smile! You can sit in the shopping cart steadily and love sitting up there next to Hudson (if we can find on with two seats). You try to chew on my toes when at my feet (eew!). When you want to be held you crawl over to me and head butt my legs (or gnaw on them). You are pretty much in full time cloth diapers during the day (more on that transition later) and a disposable at night for now & at church (or w/ grandparents/sitters).
We love you SO very much Owen. I cannot imagine our family without you. You bring such joy into our home!
Owen {7 months}
pictures to come…
Owen turned 7 months on 7/12/12
At 7 months::
* Owen is sleeping from 7pm-7am most nights (occasionally he will wake up a little early still in the morning)
* Naps from 9-11, and 1-3, and sometimes takes a catnap at 5 (for 30-45 minute) it really just depends on the day
* Is enjoying eating big boy food (though he definitely still prefers to nurse) He eats breakfast with Hudson most days and usually lunch too. I have made some of his food and bought some to save time (and sanity) during this hectic season of life & I am learning to be okay with that.
So far he has tried & liked:
Sweet potatoes (favorite), applesauce, pears, spinach (though only with apples, not on its own), squash, green beans, carrots, blueberries, pumpkin, blackberries**(see note at the end), broccoli, brown rice cereal, peas
Dislikes: Avocado & bananas
* The real food has messed up his pooping schedule a little so I am going to get him started on a little bit of flax seed oil (worked wonders for Hudson). Good for the body & the tummy.
* Another note on eating – I totally forgot how messy it is to feed kiddos at the age! And Owen seems to be very tactile. He likes to feel things…food included!
* Is really into blowing zerberts (raspberries)
* Has a fantastic belly laugh. Daddy knows just the right place to tickle his fat little thighs. Thinks playing peak-a-boo with Mama is hilarious & when I kiss all over his chubby little belly. Laughs a LOT at Hudson.
* Speaking of Hudson, these two…I tell you…they surely do love each other!
* Is doing awesome with his sitting! I still put pillows behind him because he will occasionally conk over and our floors are so hard, but for the most part he doesn’t fall down much. He can bend all the way forward to grab a toy and sit back up straight without falling.
* Is really close to crawling. Gets up on his hands and knees and rocks. Does this & baby “planks” all day 🙂 Those little muscles are getting stronger!
* Seems to really enjoy the water – bathtub or pool
* Still loves music. Especially live (Daddy or worship at church)
* Enjoys reading. Wants to feel & touch all the pages.
* I started introducing a few basic signs this past month as he has started eating (“more”, “please”, “milk”) Hudson loves helping to “teach”/show Owen these
* Is about to move from the pack’n’play to the crib because Hudson is going into a big boy bed!! (This happened last night – 7/14 – separate post to come)
* Chews on things constantly. But I doubt we’ll see any teeth for a while. I don’t see any hiding under his little gums. I’m pretty okay with that. I love his little gummy smile!!
* Goodness y’all, Owen has the most chill personality of any baby I have ever known. He is so happy to just be with us and go with the flow. He is all smiles and laughs – rarely cries – though he does let us know what he prefers a little more these days – he is just such a joy. I’m pretty spoiled with these boys of mine.
We love you Owen Paul Stone!! You are such a blessing & joy to our family!
Four…and 5…and 6 months.
Good night y’all…it has been nine weeks since I posted.
Better late than never at all, right?
Apparently this is my modus operandi when it comes to blogging.
Well. My blog may have remained static but life has been hurtling along at what seems to be the speed of sound.
I’m just going to update on Owen in this post. The rest of life can have it’s own post another day.
(Well. Maybe. You know me & blogging, so don’t hold your breath or anything.)
4 months (Owen was 4 months on April 12th)
* Just after he turned 4 months Owen started stretching his sleep from 8-9 hours to 11 hours. Hallelujah. We moved him in to share a room with Hudson between 4 & 5 months and that went super well, we had maybe 2 nights of them waking each other up a little, but it was SO very easy all things considered. I had prepared myself for it to be hard with a capital H and I was so pleased with how easy it was.
* Nurses 5-6 times/day
* Sucks his thumb all. the. time. (side note:: I SWORE I’d never have a thumb sucker…but let me tell you folks…there is no stopping it. Believe me. I tried. Now I think it is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen! And I will maintain that opinion as long as he will stop sucking his thumb before it messes up his teeth. Our pediatrician and our Papa (yes. having a dentist in the family is pretty darn nice) say there is nothing to worry about yet)
* Also loves to suck and chew on his toes 🙂
* Adores Hudson
* Loves music. Especially when it is Daddy playing the guitar or singing.
* Mostly in 3-6 month clothes
* Had a really terrible case of eczema for 2-3 weeks but I switched laundry detergents and baby soap and as of present (June) he hasn’t had any more problems. So maybe it was just atopic dermatitis and not eczema after all. I hope so because his flare up was so sad!!
* Rolls both ways
* Talks & smiles ALL the time
* Loves to snuggle
* Stats at 4 months:: 13lbs 9ounces and 25.3 inches.
I don’t have his growth chart in front of me so I’m not 100% sure where he fell at that point but it was somewhere around 25-30% on weight and 50% on height I think
5 months (Owen was 5 months on May 12th)
* Sleeping 11 hours at night give or take
* Nurses 5 times/day
* Sucks his thumb (and toes too)
* Sleeps un-swaddled (because one night I found him busted out with his swaddle blanket over his face…and we’re done with that!) He has done fine with that transition as it allows him much easier access to his thumb! (He may have still been 4 months when this happened…but it was pretty close to 5 I think)
* Sleeps on his side (I don’t know why I think this is SO sweet)
* Love his brother and puts up with a lot from him. Baby toys got a whole lot more interesting when little brother started doing more playing and less laying around. Hud will be real sweet and give Owen a toy…and then snatch it back 2 seconds later.
* Is finally big enough to be worn in the ERGO instead of the Moby. Which is great…because the Moby is way to much fabric for Texas summer heat!
* Wants to chew on everything (and everyone)
* Loves the doorway jumper thing
* Very social – smiley and talkative
* Is a snuggle bug
At 6 months (Owen was 6 months on June 12th)
* Sleeps 11-12 hours at night (normally our guys would go down at 7 and Owen will get up at 6-7 to eat but we had a crazy 10 days where they were up super later almost every night so right now they are going to bed more like 6:30-6:45 so O is waking up closer to 6 than to 7. Hopefully we’ll be pushing bedtime & wake-up time back a little later this week)
* Eats 5 times/day. His schedule is not as set as Hudson’s was at this age because for one, Owen is so go-with-the-flow that he doesn’t complain when we have to get out and do something during his naptime…and because it is harder for me to guard his schedule with Hudson running around…and because this is a busy season for us right now. But his schedule is usually either 6am-9am-12pm-3pm-6pm or 7am-10am-1pm-4pm-7pm (relatively).
* Takes 2-3 naps (one in the morning-he naps in his carseat or the ERGO if we are out and about in the morning, always one in the afternoon from 1-3 with Hudson, and sometimes a 30-45 minute catnap in the evening)
* As of June 20 he could not sit unassisted…but now…as of this past weekend (so June 22-23) he can sit for about a minute without support. Sometimes a little longer. It is crazy how one day he couldn’t and the next he could!
* He isn’t crawling but he can purposefully roll places. And he is starting to get up on his hands & knees (but only with his head on the floor). So I’m sure he will really be on the move soon.
* I tried a little cereal and applesauce shortly after he turned 6 months and he was completely disgusted with both of them…and I really think that for the most part, “before one is just for fun,” but over the weekend he tried and has loved sweet potatoes and peas and is suddenly very interested in our food. This seemed to come with the unassisted sitting.
* He is chewing on everything (and me) like a crazy man so perhaps some teeth will be appearing soon? I’m not going to hold my breath though, since Hudson did the same thing and didn’t get teeth until he was like 10 months.
* Enjoys being in the water – whether the pool or the bathtub with Hudson
* Is seriously the SWEETEST and most content baby ever. He smiles all the time and is still a little chatter box
* Is mostly wearing 6-9 month rompers (or 6 month onesies)
* Absolutely adores Hudson. Usually (tho not always) even when Hud sits on him. Sometimes Hud will do something and I’ll think Owen would be upset or hurt but he just belly laughs at his brother instead.
* Is much more expressive about his opinion and what he likes/dislikes.
* Is still such a snuggle bug
* Likes to grab peoples faces and kiss them. We’ll call it kissing anyways. Really he just wants to sweetly chew on your chin or your nose or whatever he can get in his mouth 😉 but we’ll go with kissing
* Stats:: At 6 months Owen weighs 14lbs 10 ounces (8%) and is 26 inches tall (50%)
Side note…
Yes, I know, he is a little guy.
But he is a healthy, milestone meeting little guy. I could write a whole post about how I’ve had some milk supply issues lately and how seeing that number {8th%tile} has brought out a TON of anxiety in me this past week…but lets leave it at this for now…
Owen is healthy and wonderful and growing (per his mama and his pediatrician, even if 92% of 6 month olds are fatter than he is)
Growth curves are a little silly and skewed anyways.
God is sovereign. Even over minute things like my milk supply.
And back to Owen…
He is seriously the sweetest little guy in the whole world. He is such a blessing and joy in our home! We can’t imagine life without him! Love you little boogs!
Brothers
these two. my heart is just a big puddle on the floor.
The One With All The Pictures
Here is a little glimpse at what life has looked like for us lately while I’ve been not blogging.
I’d say I’ll do better…but I think we all {the 3 of you who still read this blog & i} know that is most likely a big fat lie!
So here is a mammoth photographical update!
Way back in January while the weather was cold and yucky and we dreamed of the great outdoors we made cinnamon rolls (a yummy special breakfast treat instead of our usual soaked steel-cut oatmeal and applesauce)
“Making cinnamon rolls” quickly turned into: Lick finger. Dip into cinnamon sugar. Lick cinnamon-sugared finger. Dip again.
Hud can wear his backpack for reals. This is a little sad because he looks SO BIG, but very helpful as I just do not have enough hands these days!
Hud learned to climb on the very tall dining chairs. Juuuuust super.
We went to the Dallas Zoo with Nana. They had $5 admission in February (kids 2 and under = free). Too bad it is April now. There is always next year!
The animals are better at the Fort Worth Zoo, but there is an AWESOME kids play area at the DZ.
Hud rode a fat little pony. He was nervous at first, but then did great!
Owen lost all his hair.
The weather got nice and we walk to the park a lot.
We got our tan on and spent 2 days pulling bazillions of weeds from the back yard.
Hud learned to take off his own pants. Not sure why he is making such a terrible face, he was super excited about his new skills…
This punkin was dedicated at Church. The pictures of that are still in my email…I forgot to download them. But this was his outfit.
Hudson is obsessed with “driving”.
Owen grew an extra extra chin.
And has become an expert bubble blower
Baby feet. I can’t get enough of them.
Little man can sort of sit in the Bumbo for brief periods of time
I took his 3 month pictures at 3.5 months…and have yet to add them to the post
Cutie. I don’t think he could be any happier! He is THE sweetest little baby.
We went on an Easter egg hunt with some friends. Hud did so well. I didn’t think he would care or get the idea of it but he totally loved it and had so much fun running around & putting eggs in his basket. He loved it even more when he discovered the eggs held yummy treats!
Our grass turned green and is growing like crazy. Hudson LOVES to mow with Daddy. He is enthralled with all things yard work!
{the stone chronicles} 