Owen's 18 month update

So our little guy is a year and a half old, and we can't believe how much he is growing and changing. He has always been a delight, but his little personality continues to emerge in big ways. Every month I record his accomplishments and cute/funny things he does, and for his 18th month I have written more than ever before! I'll list some of the things he has been up to recently.

Old Man Owen (who eats bubbles)

* Owen's vocabulary has grown to more than 40 words, and he enjoys pointing at things and naming them, especially the moon, cars, balls, shoes, bubbles, animals and birds. His favorite phrases to say are: thank you, please, help please, bye bye, night night and bless you (and not just when you sneeze, but also if you cough or yawn. One day he had the hiccups and it sounded like this for 10 minutes: "Hiccup. bless you. hiccup. bless you. hiccup. bless you." It was cute how he was blessing himself). Apparently he loves being a polite child, and I am thrilled. These days there are plenty of older children who have no manners whatsoever and don't respect their elders, so we are trying to teach him at an early age...and he seems to enjoy it! (He also has started to sing, repeating "doo, doo, doo" in different variations and saying E-I-E-I MOO MOO in a sing-songy voice for Old Mcdonald.)

Enjoying his first ice cream cone with Daddy

*O's interests right now are birds, butterflies, balls and rocks. He absolutely loves birds and will stand at our windows doing his version of the sign for bird and saying "birdy" and "tweet tweet." Thankfully, many birds, including a red-headed woodpecker, have made our backyard home, and he gets to watch them in action every day. He also enjoys butterflies, which he calls "flies," and likes to visit them at the butterfly atrium at our aquarium. His obsession with balls persists (his first word was ball), and he is proud to own as many as he can get us to buy. Rocks are his newest fascination, and we continue to find them in his pockets and strewn throughout the house after he comes inside from his rock collecting expeditions.

*Our boy is a kissing machine! He always hugs and kisses his stuffed animals, which he takes naps with and drags from room to room. Before bed each night he will give Roby a kiss, then turn and kiss me, and repeat this over and over, saying the "muahh" sound...it is so cute! He also responds to the word "umma," which means "kiss" in Malayalam, and kisses his bruises and scrapes because that is what mama does :)

I actually think he looks like me here (for once)!

*O is becoming very independent and likes to do everything himself. He has mastered the use of adult forks (the baby ones seemed to hinder him) and is pretty good with the spoon. He loves brushing his teeth at night-although we have to do it for him and then he pretends afterwards- as well as brushing his hair and pretending to clean. He has a miniature broom and follows us around sweeping, pretends to dump the dust pan in the trash, and wipes at spots with a paper towel. He certainly is becoming our little helper!

Future graffiti artist?

(notice 3 of his favorite things in this pic taken by my friend Stephanie: rock, ball and chalk)

*Finally, Owen is drinking whole milk. He wouldn't touch it for the longest time, and I was worried that it would hinder brain development (which is why whole milk is good for toddlers). My friend Alyson suggested Carnation Instant Breakfast, which he loves. Then I gradually lessened the amount that is in his milk, and he is nearly weened from the sweetness. He ate really well for awhile, but now he is becoming extremely picky, which i suppose is the nature of toddlers. Sometimes he picks at his food and won't eat much at a meal, and other times he will down several meatballs, veggies, yogurt and fruit! So you never know with him. At his well check-up last week, he weighed 24 pounds and is now 34 inches tall. He is still in the 75th percentile for height and has gone up to 35th percentile for weight. He has always been a long, lean, baby just like I was at this age (believe it or not!) I thought it sweet when Owen's pediatrican said, "He certainly is the type to make you want to have another baby, but I am way too old for that!" He wins her over with his charm every time! (The doc also said, "In my 14 years as a pediatrician, I have never heard a baby answer to his mom asking what a squirrel says!" He clicks his tongue when you ask him that :)

O demonstrating how he "exercises."
He also twirls in circles when asked to dance & stomps when you ask him about his happy feet.

Roby and I got a family pass for the Chattanooga Aquarium and have been taking him downtown on the weekends for a visit with the fish, then a stroll around town and lunch. It has become a sweet little ritual for us lately. We also take him to Coolidge Park by the Tennessee River, where he enjoys running around on the grass chasing every toy, ball and kite that aren't his and going for a whirl on the hand-carved carousel. He still has his reservations about the fountain the children play in at the park, standing at the edge in his little swimming trunks holding on to our hands. I suppose as he gets older it will appeal more to him. We delight in watching him experience new things as he explores the outdoors and his surroundings.

*There is just something so refreshing about viewing the world

around you anew through the eyes of your child!*

Owen and I recently visited Joyce and Tobi in Houston for their baby shower and Owen's Nana and Debby Auntie just stayed with us for a few days, so I will post pictures soon.

Owie Update

This first year of Owen's life really has flown by. I guess the cliche floating around-"they grow up so fast"-really is true. Roby is a touch sad that our little baby isn't a baby anymore, but I am truly loving the phase he is in right now. Owen has been completely mobile for a few months (although running after him to save him from peril and catching him on the stairs 5,000 times a day tends to wear me out) and is able to communicate more with us. He still only signs "all done," but we think he uses the same sign with only one hand for both "more" and "milk." Even if we don't quite get what he is telling us, it is so awesome to see him actively trying to communicate with us. He has done a swell job of mimicking many words we say and has said "all done," "yes," "book," "ball," and a few others. He says "mo" for "more," which I think is so cute, and my favorite thing he utters about 10,000 times a day is "Uh-Oh!" He loves that word and isn't afraid to use it, in context, out of context, you name it.

If you ask Owen what a lion says, he growls this adorable little growl (the same he uses when chasing the kitties.) Anytime he picks up an animal toy or sees one on tv or in a book, he growls, even if it is a goose :) Every time he holds a stuffed animal he kisses it, and he spends every morning taking nearly every book he owns off his shelf and bringing them to me or whoever he wants to share his treasures with...hmmm...could this mean we have a future lover of literature, and possibly writer, on our hands? I squeel in delight at the thought!

I never really noticed how observant O was before. Every day he does something that amazes me. He is forever trying to put Roby's shoes on and brings me his little socks he finds (by the end of the day he may be wearing 3 socks on one foot!) If you mention a phone to him, he will put a toy or his hand up to his ear and say hello and have a pretend conversation in his little baby babble. If you ask him to brush his hair, he will get a tiny brush and run it through his curls before coming to you and brushing your hair. And finally, yes people it has finally happened, Owen has actually expressed interest in eating table food! hooray! For a moment in time there I thought he would be eating pureed food in college! He loves eating meat, so I'm thankful that I am no longer a semi-vegetarian. And his favorite things in life right now are cheerios...a cheerio for our cheery o! :) They have helped me distract him through plane rides and restaurant visits, among other things...thank you inventor of the small round o of wheat goodness, you are a genius and deserve to be commended!
So that is what is up with our little man. I will try to keep you updated with his latest pics (since I am no longer sending out monthly picture of the day updates) and antics! Hopefully soon I will be able to find the time to blog about our recent trip to so cal and our friends' visit to tn for thanksgiving!

(p.s. most of you already know from an e-mail i sent out and a myspace bulletin, but just in case you haven't heard, owen has made his magazine debut in this issue (Dec.) of Parents magazine. His smiley little face is on page 22 in the Cutest Kid in the Universe section! Hope you can check it out.)

Owen's Ninth Month

I thought it was time for an Owen update since he is growing up so quickly and learning something new every day. He is now 9 1/2 months old, weighing in at 18.9 pounds and measuring 28 inches long. Two weeks ago he took his first step while Roby, Hank, Amanda and I cheered him on! He still cruises around the furniture and is able to stand and squat without holding onto anything, but is a bit hesitant. He will be walking in no time!

O is a prolific stair climber (with supervision of course!), loves to pull the toilet paper off the roll, looks out the windows and plays in the curtains, bounces up and down any time music is on, chases his superman ball all over the house, and enjoys playing in a large Pampers box (who knew he could be so easily amused!). He has been babbling a lot and says dada and mama often, although he doesn't realize he is talking about us yet :) One of my favorite quirks of his is how he leans in and rubs his forehead against our foreheads or cheeks while closing his eyes with a big grin...it seems to be his way of showing affection! He also likes to suck on my chin, which is, uh, interesting, but still cute. He rolls his tongue like crazy and crosses the fingers on his right hand, perhaps for good luck? And we are excited that Owen won a monthly contest and will be spotlighted as The Cutest Kid in the Universe in the December issue of Parents magazine! We can't wait to see our little star's face in print! We will remind everyone to check out the issue when it is closer to the date.

We are taking a roadtrip with our cousin Bindu tomorrow to Tampa for a friend's wedding and will visit Judy (I worked with her in CA at The JESUS Film Project) in Orlando before heading back home. It will be a whirlwind trip, and an adventure for sure...I just hope Owen can handle the 7-hour drive!

I still need to post pictures from our Houston trip, our friends' visit last weekend, our landscaping progress and our Tampa visit! Stay tuned!