A big day for Owen

We took Owen for his first dentist appointment today. He was a champ- he wasn't scared at all and didn't complain or fret as the hygienist worked on his mouth. The office is perfectly suited for young children, equipped with child friendly staff, a toy room, animal murals, large stuffed animals coming out of the wall, and two - yes -two screens playing a kid friendly movie viewable from the big chair. He went in smiling and walked out smiling and holding two new prizes. We couldn't have asked for a better first time experience.

We also found out that Owen earned the Student of the Month award today!! He is enrolled in the phonics program at daycare where he works along side two other children and his teacher three times a week for twenty minutes. He learned the alphabet and the corresponding sounds right around his second birthday and these sessions build on that foundation. They practice writing letters and he also will be learning how to identify the first letter of a word by its sound. Although it is far from perfect, he has already started to learn how to write "e", "g", "r", "w", and "b" - and he loves to play his "phonics" games with us. For example, we'll ask him what does "mommy" start with and he will enthusiastically respond back with "m". It's so cute and so much fun. His teacher is full of praise and of course that makes us happy.

Some days are just crappy

Let me just start off by saying that some days are crappier than others and we experiened this truth over the last two days.

After daycare yesterday, I lifted Tucker out of his seat and placed him on my hip and started to go about unloading the car when I noticed that he was not only damp in his shorts, but that an unbelievable amount of poo was oozing out of his short legs and spread all over his legs and clothes. Instantly, I realized I was also covered in poop. I've encountered my share of blowouts but this was far beyond any of my past experiences. I had poo all over my sweater and pants and arms. I rushed Owen inside and made our way to the diaper changing area. It got worse. Tucker started to roll over, cry, touch the poop with his hands, grab the wall and the changer, kick his dirty diaper and spread the gunk everywhere. It took me over twenty minutes to get him and the changing table clean. I left the pile of soiled linens in the bathroom and headed straight for the shower and tried to put the incident out of my head until Kris arrived home. Lucky for me, he was sweet and took care of cleaning the car for me.

After this chaotic diaper change, we had a nice evening, but both boys had a very rough night. Tucker ended up having a choking/coughing attack in the middle of the night that required a steam shower and Owen woke up crying terrible from what must have been night tremors. It took us awhile to soothe both kids back to sleep, not to mention, Tucker still doesn't sleep through the night and I was extra tired after a late night of work.

In the morning, despite the rough night and tired feeling, we felt like we had a nice handle on things. I started the laundry to take care of the soiled linens from yesterday's incident. I started one load for my clothes and decided to soak Tucker's clothes with the hope that we might be able to salvage them. I went on to enjoy a nice, hot breakfast made by Kris and Owen actually told us he had to go poo-poo. Kris rushed him to the potty, and I sat there feeling pretty good about everything watching Tucker play.

As soon as Owen got in to the potty, he said he didn't have to go. This was suspect, but they returned to the table. Kris decided to prompt Owen by pulling out marshmellows to entice Owen to try again (we're bribing). It worked and they headed to the bathroom again. A few minutes later, I walked down the hall, towards them and noticed that the laundry room was flooding. After another second, I realized the faucet was still on and the sink was overflowing. What a mess! The water was under the laundry machines and already making its way into the hall and towards the garage. As if water overflowing isn't already a big problem, it was made so much worse by the fact that the water was poopy! I had been soaking the soiled linens so it was essentially "dirty water" flooding our house. As soon as Kris realized what was happening, he walked across the hall to help me throw towels down to soak up the water and sure enough, Owen took this to mean he could stop trying. We weren't paying close enough attention, and a few minutes went by before Kris checked on Owen. To our dismay, Owen had pooped on the living room floor. Really! We just shook our heads.

It wasn't quite 8AM and we had poopy water flooding throughout the house, a naked 3 year old with poo on him and all over the floor, and a crying baby in seek of some attention, no doubt picking up on the stress of the moment. All I can really say is that it was an utterly crappy moment.

Actually for as insane and difficult as the situation was, we were both grateful we didn't have any pressing needs at work and managed to laugh and make a couple of jokes while we cleaned up.

Horse Tail Falls Hike

Yesterday, we made our way toward Tahoe and spent the morning trekking along a trail up towards Horse Tail Falls. It's been on our dream list for years and we finally decided last week to just go for it. Thank goodness we did. We had a perfect morning. The weather was absolutely lovely, the boys really enjoyed themselves, and we both felt terrific playing outdoors in the fresh, mountain air.

A gracious hiker took this picture of us as we started at the trail head

It's a nice picture for the memory books, but come on what was I thinking when I bought that hat??

our first of many snack breaks

it's all about the journey for us, not the destination

i love this photo and this spot

i spent many minutes of our hike thinking about how wonderful it would be to take an annual family photo here

Kris trying to capture Owen and I at the spot (a few feet over) without the sun-glare

our little hikers

we made it to the first big swimming hole before turning around

Strong Daddy!

I'm sure it's not hard to believe that Owen was asleep before we left the parking lot & that Tucker stayed asleep through the car seat transfer!

Happy 8th Month Birthday Tucker!

Tucker,

In the last month you have really become a mobile baby! You absolutely love to scoot all over the place and boy oh boy, you are one fast kiddo. You also started to pull yourself up on into a standing position and you started to cruise along tables, ottomans, and couches. You have started to wave and we know you have also found your way into a sitting position all on your own at least one time! My favorite new trick of yours is your "ma ma" sound. It's so cute. Technically, it's your second sound as you started off with "ba ba" but most often you say "mmm" and "ma" "ma ma"and most of the time it appears as though you are making the sounds when you want me. Whether you are extra tired, in need of a hug, or are hungry it's usually the sound you make when you are on the hunt for me or once I get you in my arms. I love it!

You also really like food and are now at three servings a day and so far you have enjoyed everything you have tried. Applesauce, pear sauce, peach sauce, green beans, peas, bananas, mangoes, oranges, squash, carrots, and many mixed medleys to name a few. All of your food still comes in the form of a puree - except for smashed bananas which you loved. No doubt, this next month is going to be a great deal of fun as we introduce more and more food!

You are a joy to be around, Tucker, and we love you so much!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Owen

Happy 3rd Birthday Owen. We love you so much!!

Time always flies faster than we can imagine, but this last year has been quicker thank quick! In the past year, Owen's changed from a little toddler to a little boy. He's gone from few word sentences to telling stories and joking around. The amount he comprehends and the stories he tells are often mind-blowing and very entertaining. He's become a big brother and taken on that role gently and proudly. Like most other kids his age, there are rough moments where we bump heads, both figuratively and literally, but most of the time, those moments even bring a giggle or a smile to our face. The kid knows what he wants and usually a tv show is at the top of the list; luckily for us we can still distract him out of a fit or two without too much struggle (most of the time anyway!). Owen continues to be one that needs his daily nap and food at regular intervals, but the signs are clear and there is some degree of flexibility. He loves to play beach ball baseball, memory, read books, lots and lots of books, do the robot dance in the car to Tucker's favorite car song, make Tucker laugh, ride his balance bike, play all types of ball, ride trains, race his cars, build legos, play on swing sets, go to the park, play in water features at the park, eat food, fall asleep hugging mommy after 3 stories, eat more food- especially candy, run, make faces, play tricks, build forts, do the alphabet, negotiate for 3 more, snowboard, jump, or skateboard down the couch cushions if positioned like a mini-slide, play home-living at school, dance, sing songs, play on car toys he can ride and push around, play with his friends and neighbors, and today he found out that boat rides are fun! He doesn't love to have his hair or face washed, though is pretty good about brushing his teeth and usually loves the bath once he's in. He doesn't ever want to get his head wet in the bath or a pool, but will happily frolic in a pool or at the beach up to his knees. He loves the television and most cartoons and movies- Cars, Toy Story, Ice Age, and lately Land Before Time are on definitely his top 10 list. He looks out for his little brother, regularly telling Tucker which toys are dangerous and which ones are good. He's slowly potty-training - and bribing with candy is somewhat effective, note somewhat is being applied very loosely. Generally, he's a very happy and fun little boy who runs like a cartoon character and melts my heart.

Some shots from today

Owen practicing his "are you serious" face

Owen practicing his "pout" face

Owen laughing between his "faces"

the birthday boy enjoying his first boat ride -"this is fun!"

some shots from earlier this year

Tucker's 2 weeks, Owen 2 1/2 (Jan 25 2010)

Owen (February 2010)

Tucker & Owen (Feb 5, 2010)

classic Owen face (Christmas 2009)

Owen working on his first bike (July 2009)

Easter 2009

Owen 12 1/2 months (Sept 14 2008)

Owen on his giraffe (April 2008)

Owen days after birth

Owen's 3rd Birthday is Tomorrow!

My first born turns 3 tomorrow. 3 years ago at this very moment I was in labor, intense labor, and full of excitement and awe. I'm feeling awfully sentimental; maybe it's because a little while ago, while his mommy and daddy were busy putting around, my (big) baby Owen sweetly walked over to my little baby and gave him a big hug and said "I love you Tucker"followed by a big kiss. Or maybe I'm feeling extra sentimental because after he readied himself for bed with fresh PJs and clean teeth, he came up to me and gave me a big hug and said I LOVE YOU MOMMY! It could also be because earlier this afternoon, Owen & I played a very fun game of Memory and almost followed the rules. My talking, walking, running, playing games, helping to cook dinner, entertaining his baby brother, laughing, training to be a big boy with the "potty"baby boy is not so much a baby any more. He's a small kid full of love and a warm personality. He makes me smile on a daily basis and I love him so much it hurts, the good kind of hurt - like belly "pain" after a full blown laugh attack. Maybe this extra sentimental feeling stems from legacy postpartum hormones or maybe it is because it is the first time my little baby really truly understands that his birthday is tomorrow and that with this upcoming milestone he will be turning 3 - which means it will be time to hold up 3 fingers! Whatever the cause of these feelings, I will relish my opportunity tonight to snuggle with my little boy, who much prefers to be called a big boy, as he falls a sleep hugging me. I love you Owen. Happy Birthday.

Owen's 3rd Birthday Party!

Owen's 3rd birthday party was very special and a lot of fun. We tried to keep it small and focused on his good buddies from school, the neighborhood, and a couple of family friends' kids in his age group. We wanted a simple, low-key event that would give Owen the chance to play and give us a chance to just enjoy the festivities. We had perfect weather and a wonderful morning.

the kids played bean bag toss

practiced with the hoola-hoop and played soccer and catch

they also played "adventure"

in fact, one of our neighbors had to chase Owen down because he started to explore up the big hill on his own and out of sight (thank you Cameron)

the kids played on the playground and found a super fun firetruck to entertain them for awhile

and they took turns launching the "safe" rocket

they gathered for the rocket launch demonstration and chanted a countdown and cheered when the rocket successfully launched high into the sky (3 times!)

they sang happy birthday, ate a picnic lunch, and chowed down on a very weirdly decorated birthday cake... does this look a beach ball to anybody???

the babies even cooperated and performed for the camera

could they be any sweeter?

All in all, we had a great time and will forever remember the smile on the birthday boy's face

we love you Owen