7 months old

Like usual....Mommy is one month late, but here you all go.

On July 14th I turned 7 months old!

My mommy says I'm a little stink bug that just couldn't sit still for this month's photo.  I just love to be on my belly, sticking my butt into the air, trying sososo hard to crawl.  Or when I get really excited, I balance on my belly while flailing my arms and legs.

*I got my first tooth on my 7 month birthday!  And my second one followed two weeks later!  It took about a month for the first one to finally stay up, but they're here!

*I love to swing in my swing hanging in the apple tree in the backyard.  Sometimes I fall asleep while playing in it.

*Love bath time!  If I'm every crabby in the evening, a bath will always cheer me up.  Especially now that I can sit up and splash Mommy and chew on my bath toys.

*Belly flailing is Mommy and daddy's favorite activity to watch me do; it always makes them laugh, which then makes me laugh.

*Kind of sort of started talking.  It's "Da da da da da da da:" alllll the time.  And sometimes just "Da da da"  Only when I was wanting Mommy really bad a couple times did "MA ma ma" come out....as much as Mommy chants ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma at me all the time...

*It took me a while to warm up to the idea of food.  Mommy tried purrees and then some Baby Led Weaning but I was just not having any part of it.  So after a few stressful weeks of trying to get me to eat anything at all, Mommy gave me a week off, and wouldn't you know it, just like that I was loving it all.  I'm eating mostly pureed fruit/veggie combos, but also some cut up fruit too.

*Bumped up into size 3 diapers

*Wearing 12 month pajamas, 9 and 9-12 month onsies/tops, and  3-6 month bottoms.

xoxoxox, 

Owen

6 months old

Well, seeing as I'm about to turn 7 months old, it's about time for mommy to get on my six month old post, aye?

6 Month Stats (Dr appt. on 6/18/13)
Height: 27.5 inches long (82%-ile)
Weight: 17 lbs 9 oz (49%-ile)
Head: 44.2 cm (71%-ile)

So, as always tall and skinny with a big head, but the numbers are all evening themselves out more and more each month.

*6 month doctor appointment with 2 shots! :(  I screamed on the top of my lungs, then stared into Mommy's eyes with tears streaming down my face.  Mommy was pretty sad too.  But after some cuddling and a bottle I was just fine.
*Still rolling like a machine.  And I can finally get from my belly to my back!  Mommy and Daddy have yet to witness it...I'll be on my tummy, they'll look away for one second and then I'm on my back.
*Sitting up on my own!  A little wobbly at times, but I'm getting stronger everyday! :)
*Mommy started strapping me into this chair high off the ground and pushing nasty, gooey, stuff into my mouth twice a day.  I usually spit it right back out...I think she's trying to poison me, though it tastes ok sometimes.  Not too sure about this eating food thing yet.
*Went to my first Farmer's Market on the Capital Square in Madison.
*First 4th of July celebration.  We went to the DeForest parade and then the town festival, or so I'm told.  Apparently I fell asleep after the parade.
*Started holding my bottle on my own, but still prefer Mommy to hold it after I pull it to my mouth.
*Mommy and Daddy had their first day away from me/night out and I got to hang out with Grandma Bell all day! (Mommy and Daddy were both in a wedding.)
*Trying so hard to get up on my hands and knees and start crawling.  I can get my butt up in the air, but then I just flail back and forth with my head down.

~M, S, and Big O

Treading water

Sooo, remember last month's post where I promised to keep on top of things with the blog?  Yeah me neither.  What can I say, life got in the way again, in the amazing, yet sometimes stressful way it can.  I've been busy working at work and working at keeping this face alive and well.

*Instagram*

Like the last catching up post, I'm going to give you mainly photos from the last 6 weeks.  Because, well, not a whole lot has happened around here.  A few firsts for the little man, starting a new school, and a bit of this and that.  Here we go.  Consider this your warning...lots of Owen pics to follow.

This month, Owen was rolling up a river like no one's business.  He would do it sporadically in his fourth month, but just like that we couldn't keep him on his back for anything.  Lately I've been up with him several times a night since he'll roll onto his stomach, sleep like that for a bit, but then panic when he wakes up because he can't get back onto his back.  Luckily after I flip him over he goes right back to sleep.

He's also learning to like tummy time more, since he's spending so much time on his belly with all the rolling.

But then that happy face inevitably turns into this...

And then this....

We did some highchair shopping last month at Babies R Us.  After trying out a few at the store and reading many many online reviews (what can I say, I love me some review reading), we decided on this one, approved by Owen himself:

The weather in Madison finally turned nice, so we were able to introduce Owen to the outside world.  Lots of time in the shade and a dorky fisherman's hat were a must.  He especially loves to sit on our laps, with his toes in the grass, watching the puppies play.

And you can't forget some sweet shades...for blocking the sun and looking sexy.

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Bouncing in his JumperRoo continues to be one of Owen's favorite past times.  He goes NUTS in this thing.

Even when he's exhausted, he just can't stop bouncing.  There's a video to go along with this picture, but it would't upload.  I'll try it again another time.

**

And just a few random cute pics.

First lunch at The Old Fashioned

Thanks for the cute onsie Auntie Laura and Uncle Brandon!

Crazy napping positions, now of which includes face down on his belly.

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Grandma Bell suggested letting him gnaw on a cold carrot to help with teething.  Which worked great until Ty Cobb snatched up the carrot.  (No teeth yet, but they're very close to popping through for good!)

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Whenever he's super crabby and fights napping on the weekends, going for a walk is a sure fire way to knock him out.  We got over 2 miles logged in on this outing.  Angry sleeping at its finest.

Snazzy shorts!  They're originally from Baby Gap, but I got them for

$3.50 at Once Upon a Child in La Crosse.  Love that place.

And check out this strong man!  He can stand on his own (holding onto the table) for about 30 seconds now!  Thighs of steel...probably from all the bouncing.  Sorry for the blurred photo, I was afraid he would fall while I took a quick picture.  And he's betting stronger and longer at standing every day. :) 

And Owen also loves to wake up at 5am on Saturdays, because obviously that's the perfect time for some bouncing.  This kid loves bouncing so much, he can't even just stand in our laps, he has to be bouncing/jumping constantly.

We also just started Owen on food, but I'm planning a separate post about how we went about all that, including making all of his baby food from scratch.   Here's a preview though. :)

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Oh, we also started Owen's new daycare/school on May 28th.  And we're loving it.  His teacher, Emily, is so nurturing and sweet.  Though I still 100% hate leaving him every morning, leaving him with her is much easier than it was at the last place.  It's not even that the center we were at was bad, because it wasn't.  But over there Owen was one of 5 babies under the age of one.  Plus 4 or so other kids under 2, all in one room.  And now it's just him, a 9 month old, a 2 year old, 3 year old, and like 3 kids after school.  He gets a lot more one on one time and seems much happier when I pick him up at night now too.

We're working on Owen's sitting skills right now...which thanks to his larger melon is a little tipsy, but he always seems very excited when he sits on his own for about 10 seconds.  Last weekend I looked away for a split second, and then back again just in time to see him tip over and thunk into the floor.  Luckily he seemed surprised more than anything and there weren't any tears.

Ok, I think I've got you all pretty much up to speed around here.  I had a couple videos to add, but they wouldn't upload for some reason.  I'll try again with them another time.  I also have a bunch of post/update ideas brewing away for you all, so don't fret we're here to stay. :)

~M, S, and Big O~

All of the photos above with ** under them are from Instagram.  If you would like to follow me or Matt, request one or both of us for lots of Owen pictures, with a few puppy and randoms also thrown in.

5 months old

On May 14 I turned five months old!  And like Mommy exclaims in every other monthly post, she CANNOT believe I am getting so big and old so fast.

Oh man, check out those thunder thighs. :)  Mommy just loves their chunkiness. :)

*Rolling like a crazy river!  Can't get back onto my back yet, but I'm getting close.
*Learning to like tummy time, since I'm always rolling onto it these days.
*In LOVE with my feet.  Love to pull on them, grab them, chew on them.  Especially love to put them behind my head when my diaper is being changed. Love 'em!
*Started my new school on May 28th.  It's just me, a 9 month old girl, and two "big" kids during the day.  Now I get a lot more one on one time with my teacher, which makes Mommy and Daddy much happier.
*Wearing 9 month pajamas (which barely fit anymore), 6-9 month onsies and 6 month pants.  Still tall and skinny. :)
*Teething has started.  My shirt is rarely drool free and I stick everything I can get my hands on into my mouth.

And Mommy's favorite outtakes from the photo shoot:

Ok, we'll be back soon with a photo bombed post, catching you all up to speed yet again.

~M, S, and O~

Catching up

Yes we are indeed still alive over here.  I'm so sorry for the one month hiatus.  Being back to work was partially to blame.  And then Owen got a really bad cold less than two weeks after starting school, which resulted in two major meltdown days (8 hours of screaming/crying NONSTOP) and a sick day at home with the little bugger nose.  Plus my grandmother passed away, which resulted in a sad, but good trip to Minneapolis.  But anyway, all excuses aside.....we are back and ready to get back to the business of blogging.  This post will be mostly pictures from the last month, with brief explanations/stories with them.  I plan to do some serious blogging from now on.  (Fingers crossed)

Ok, last you heard from us Owen had just turned 3 months old.  And then you heard really quickly that he turned 4 months old this last weekend (4/14).  Here's what you missed.

Owen's new toy!

It's the Fisher-Price Jumperoo.  And he loooves it.  Well for about 10 minutes at a time anyway.  He's feet don't touch the ground yet, so we have to put a pillow underneath him, but after playing in it a few times, he now understands that if he uses his feet, he'll move and bounce around in it.

Mr. Baby Kendall is also rolling with his homies every chance he gets.  He'll only go all the way to his stomach towards the left, but finally started rolling onto his right side a couple weeks ago.

And he loves his Bumbo Chair too.

I don't think he could look more like Matt if he tried. :)  Owen also loooooooves the keys he's holding in the picture above.  Well, love may be an understatement.  God help us if we ever loose them.

We bring them all over the house with us and everywhere we go when we leave the house.  He'll grab them wnen offered, and then shake them up and down, over and over, usually hitting himself in the face, then the belly, and then usually one of us.  But he doesn't seem to mind.

Owen also got his first cold....less than two weeks after starting school.  He was absolutely miserable.  One Saturday he cried/screamed for EIGHT HOURS STRAIGHT.  Nothing would console him except for Matt or I holding him to our chests, and then bouncing on the corner of our bed.  He would fall asleep for about 5 minutes, then wake up screaming.  Over and over.  For eight hours.  Then on Tuesday of that next week, school called me at work to say that the same thing was happening.  So I left work, picked him up, and was able to get him into the doctor that night.  Owen screamed so hard for so long as his doctor tried to look in his ears, that I was almost crying.  But at least he didn't have an ear infection, just a really bad cold.  I stayed home with him the next day, and he got a lot of napping done.  But it took him a good week to get over the cold.

Super sick little guy :(

Owen is laughing all the time lately. :)  His latest thing is watching Suzie bark and hop around on the floor and laughing his butt off at her.  And anytime we do a dance and sing for him, it's the funniest thing he's ever seen.  That's what I'm doing in the background of this video.

We also made a trip up to Minneapolis recently.  My grandma passed away, so though it was a very sad occasion to be up there, it was wonderful to see my family and some of Matt's too.  Including Owen's cousin Arianna.  She is so good with him. :)  She likes to tickle his feet and play peek-a-boo.

Owen also finally got to meet his cutie friend Isabel, my friend Briana's new baby.  They were best buddies right away. :)  He looks like such a giant next to little Izzy, though they're only 8 weeks apart.

Sooo crazy think we're both moms now and responsible for those little stinkers

becoming normal adjusted members of society...or at least members. :)

At school this last week, it was Week of the Young Child.  Dorky name, but Owen got to dress up for theme days with all the other kids.  Monday was hat day.  Unfortunately, besides his stocking hat, this was the only one he had that kind of fit....

And Wednesday was wacky outfit day.  And in our house that apparently means 56 kinds of stripes day.

And I'll leave you with my favorite picture of Owen to date.  Seriously, how can you not love him? :)  That face will never do anything wrong. :)

Love you all and mean it (thanks for not forgetting about us!),

Matt, Steph, and Owen

***Weekly words of wisdom: You know you're a mom when you are at work for a couple hours and notice something smeared all over the shoulder of your black shirt....and realize you've been wearing baby puke as an accessory.  Then you just casually wipe it off and continue on your day.  Ahhh motherhood.***

4 months old

Sososo sorry for the longest delay ever in updating you all.  Stay tuned for a post full of catching up.  But until then, a certain little stinky pants just turned 4 months old last Sunday (4/14). :)  Seriously, how is he possibly that old already?  He had his 4 month doctor appointment on Thursday (4/18) where he got his 4 month shots. :(  Luckily he was so wiped out from not napping that morning, that after one loud shriek and come shaky sobbing into mommy's shoulder, he fell right asleep.

4 month stats:
Height: 25 3/4 inches long (70% ile for his age)
Weight: 15.1 lbs (39%)
Head: 42.2 cm (68%)

So he's starting to even out a bit, but he's still a little tall and skinny with a big head for his age. :)

The doctor also talked to me about starting him on people food.  I went into the appointment with every intention of doing just that, but left not wanting to start it up yet.  I want our little baby to stay a baby for a bit longer.  Maybe next month we'll start on the rice cereal.

4 months old

But again, stay tuned for a post chalked full of photos and info catching you all up on the last month.

Thanks for sticking with us! :)

~Matt, Steph, and Owen~

3 months old

So this last week I went back to work and Owen started going to school (what we call daycare...seems less traumatic that way....for me).  To say Monday was hard would be an understatement.  I was feeling ok Monday morning, starting our new routine.  Tears were being kept at bay....until Matt left for work and said, "I'm proud of you guys, you'll do great."  Ughh stupid jerk being all supportive and nice to me.  And then the tears started a little bit.  Once I got to school with Owen, I took him out of his carseat, handed him over to his teacher, opened my mouth to tell her something and burst into tears.  Owen took one look at my face, his little lip popped out and then he started crying.  I gave him a quick kiss and literally ran out the door.  I knew if I stayed another minute I would have ended up calling in sick.

Matt called about 2 minutes later....and the conversation was pretty one sided, pretty much just him trying to calm me down.  Once I got to work I was a bit better.  It was good to see all my coworkers again and everyone was super nice and seemed happy to see me (aka good distraction).  When I went to pump for the first time, sitting in a handicapped bathroom alone (with no shirt on), thinking about Owen being at school, made the tears return.  The rest of the day was ok.

When I got to school to pick him up, his afternoon teacher was great and brought him right over to me and put his face right in front of mine so he could see me and he just lit up. :)  All smiles and flailing about (that's his happy dance).  Buuuuut then we got home.  And every time I looked at his little face all I could think about was not being with him.  And not seeing him for more than two hours a day, 5 days a week.  So the tears returned.  And didn't stop.  And didn't stop.  And just wouldn't stop.  I cried from the moment I got home until I finally fell asleep around 11:00pm.  I'm pretty sure Matt thought I was either a). Going to quit my job the next morning, or b). I was having a nervous breakdown, or c). Possibly both.  Not gonna lie, option C was buzzing around in my mind.

Tuesday morning I didn't cry at school, but then Matt in all his wonderfulness called to check in again right after I dropped Owen off and the water main broke down.  That night, Owen fell asleep only 90 minutes after we got home...which almost pushed me over the edge again.  When I looked in on him before going to bed, again all I could think about was being away from all day everyday.  And maybe cried for an hour...

The rest of the week was a bit less dramatic, but only made me realize how much I wish working part time was a more viable option.  My department at work is short more than 2 people right now, and will be short even more very soon.  And we were all already overworked before being shorthanded.  Part time is a zero possibility at this point.  And I really like my job and all my coworkers, so hopefully everything smooths out over time.

Anyway....That was the last week for us.  Owen seems to like school.  He's in a room with about 8-10 other kids 18 months and under.  There are two other little babies around his age for him to play with and there is one little girl (about 14 months old I think) who seems to have a crush on him. :)  She always wants to rock his carseat when we're packing up and likes to gently pat his hand goodbye. :)

And to end on a happy note....Owen turned 3 months old on Thursday (3/14/2013)!  Ahhhh I can't believe our little bug is growing up so fast!

He's pretty excited for opening day just around the corner. :)

Seriously, check out those chunky little legs. :)  

Owen and his bear...Bearemy. :) (Thanks Uncle Seth!)

And because we're such responsible, mature, adult parents, Matt and I also thought this was a good idea...

And then this.....

Just a glimpse into his future. :)  He's such a good sport too, he just kept smiling at us laughing at him. :)

~M, S, and Hispter O~

***Weekly words of wisdom:  Everyone I know who has been through bringing their kids to school/daycare claims, "It gets easier."  But I'm pretty sure they're lying to me at this point.  Quit lying to liars.  Gosh.***