Loooong overdue Owen update!

It has been so long since I have updated everyone on what's been going on with the O-man! His second year has been exciting, but has held some challenges. If it tells you anything, we've recently invested in The Strong Willed Child by Dr. Dobson, as well as The No-Cry Discipline Solution. Don't get me wrong, he is thee sweetest, most loving, affectionate child, but he just likes to say No! alot and has very selective hearing. :) I suppose this is common 2-year-old behavior though! Let's see, where to begin? Let's start with his obsessions!

He still loves construction vehicles/trucks, particularly diggers, and can distinguish between front loaders, excavators, cranes, bucket trucks, brush trucks, garbage trucks, recycling trucks- you get the picture! There is a lot of construction going on around here, so he is forever pointing everything out to me.

Owen also continues his unabashed adoration for robots, so thank goodness Wall-E recently came out! We took him to the drive-in movies to see it and he was spellbound! Oh and dinosaurs, he has his little menagerie of dinosaur figures and can distinguish which ones are which- "The one with a frill is a Triceratops, the one with the spikes is a Stegosaurus, the big one is a T-Rex, the one that flies is a Pterodactyl." I think I learn right along with him!

Another activity he absolutely enjoys is putting together puzzles. He has a dinosaur floor puzzle that he has basically memorized where every piece goes and can put it together in record time! We have since moved on to a smaller 24-piece Green Eggs and Ham puzzle, which he mastered in one night!

Owen loves singing, specifically "Jesus Loves the Little Children" (which is SO sweet-sounding coming from his adorable little voice), "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "Ba Ba Black Sheep," "Tomorrow" (I think that's the name...the one from Annie) and, of course, the alphabet song...which he now sings "O O O O P" because he knows everyone gets a kick out of it!

He still has a hard time pronouncing some words, but some are way too cute to correct, like Fuperman, and Fippa Ja Jones (for his Skippy John Jones book), Bump Truck, "pasta" instead of hosta, and for awhile grasshoppers were "ass boppers" :) There are so many more, but I can't recall them all right now. I have started teaching him how to sound things out like "Duh, Duh, dump truck," and he can say it correctly if he really tries. But now when we don't understand something he is saying, he will say Duh, Duh and then the word, whether it begins with a D or not. Hey! At least he is trying! :)

A few other random things, he *loves* to snuggle, and he isn't quite gentle either so he basically rolls all over you and jams his face into yours...so it will be interesting how we will get him to be gentle with Olive, who he can't wait to meet by the way! He talks to her every day and calls her "olve" and says she is a ladybug. He tells her stories and enjoys laying his head on my belly when she has hiccups and thinks it's hilarious that he can feel her move. He is already so generous toward her, always wanting to help get things ready for her, like paint her room, and is excited that she will be using his old crib, swing, toys, etc. Not one ounce of jealousy about her using all his stuff..he even gave up his room for her without a whimper. Hopefully he won't be jealous of her when she arrives, but I am thinking he is just going to be so happy that she is here! So cute!

Owen signs I love you the correct way and tells us all the time, says his name is Owen Isaac Anders Isaac, starts his made up stories by saying "one a time," plays a game where he says, "you are a digger, I am a bucket truck," loves his new big boy twin bed, is very polite and even says, "Excuse me Mama, I would like to say something" if he is interrupting a conversation, loves taking showers, would wear his rain boots every day inside and out if I would let him, and enjoys dancing-even trying to break dance.

And, drumroll please, he is almost fully potty trained! Yippee! I decided to start trying while reinforcements were here and was just so determined to not have two kids in diapers. For awhile he has been using his Elmo Potty before bath time, but just didn't want to proceed any further. I am ALL for bribing...and that's all it took. At first it was a matchbox every time he actually went, if you know what I mean, and then I ran out of cars. So then Roby made a potty sticker chart/grid. Every time equals one sticker. Once he gets 5 stickers he gets some of a Hershey's candy bar, second five it's an ice cream cone, third set it's a dinosaur figure, fourth it's a matchbox, and last five it's a book. This system has worked like a charm! I'm proud to say that today he has finished his whole first chart and hasn't had an accident at all! He will even tell us in public places when he has to go! Now, if only he would stop being lazy about peeing in his pull-ups...we are almost there though!

I realize this was A TON of info on our little guy, but I really haven't written a proper update for him in over a year!