12 months - ONE YEAR!

Owen - 

You are ONE! We survived the first year! That, in itself, calls for a party - ha! :) The past year has absolutely flown by & it seems like just yesterday that we were in the hospital about to meet you. On the other hand, I don't remember life without you in it & can't imagine it any other way. 

Oh, the sleep. You have been such a good sleeper the past few months.. up until a week or so ago. A double ear infection + cutting your molars = not the best sleep. You are back to waking up multiple times nightly because you are in pain. Not only that, but you are even waking up at 4-5am sometimes for the day & absolutely refusing to go back to sleep. We have tried to move your bedtime back to try to prevent this, but it doesn't change anything. I, obviously, am not going to let you cry this out since you are crying for other reasons, so me & you have spent many-a-nights rocking in your room. Those long nights & middle-of-the-night snuggles take me back to your newborn days. We both doze on & off.. then momma chugs her coffee in the morning :-) You take 1-3 naps daily, but on average you take 2.. one in the morning & one in the afternoon. Both last anywhere from 30 minutes -1.5 hours. The third nap is sometimes thrown in there in the evening at around 4 just for 30 minutes. I'm hoping once you get over this sickness & cut those molars, you'll get back into the swing of sleeping 8-6. We can hope! 

You seem to learn things at lightning pace! You are standing for 1-2 minutes at a time & have taken up to 4 steps, but you get so nervous & fall when you realize what you're doing. You will walk beside us holding 1 of our hands & love to push your toys around on the floor while walking. I know if you just let go of your toys, you'd walk no problem! Silly little boy! You clap & wave at us & love doing so. One of the funniest new things you have learned are "moooooo" & "ba-ba-ba" when referring to the cows & chickens at Maw-Maw's house. You adore looking at the animals at her house & will gladly tell us what noises those animals make! I wish I could get it on video because it cracks me up every single time! 

Speaking of maw-maw's house, you have officially started daycare. We always said that we would start you in daycare at 1 year.. mostly for social interaction with other kids. Your first official day was on Friday, November 2nd. You went 1/2 day & drop off wasn't horrible. Your daddy & I both dropped you off to see how it would go then went & ran errands, then both came to pick you up. You went right to Ms Kimmy & ate lunch. They said you cried after we left.. but I'm glad I didn't see it! You started going full days the following Tuesday. Momma was working so daddy dropped you off. Drop off wasn't quite as smooth, to say the least. Your poor daddy text me saying that it was SO incredibly difficult to see you cry for him when he left. Ms Kimmy said that she had to rock you the entire day & you wouldn't eat or play. I know you're in excellent hands but it's so tough to hear that you aren't happy there. We're hoping we can put you in an extra day per week to help the transition go a little smoother. Fingers crossed!

(where did my baby go?!)

You eat 3 meals a day plus 1-2 snacks. You still eat pretty much anything we put in front of you, except since you've been sick. We are slowly transitioning you to all sippy cups, so right now you are down to 3 bottles. You get only 2 bottles of formula a day (afternoon & bedtime), otherwise, it's whole milk. You take 6-8 oz of formula/milk per feeding. You have to have your milk heated slightly (I'm guessing since your formula was always room temperature), but you have no problem with the taste of it. We are playing around with types of sippy cups, because you aren't always wanting to drink milk out of them. I'm hoping this transition is easy! 

You had your first Halloween! You were the most adorable Batman, if I do say so myself. You weren't too sure what to think of everything & just wanted to get into all the wrappers. You got quite the array of bibs, sippy cups, suckers, & goldfish. Like I said earlier, you do have a double ear infection (boo!) & were diagnosed with that the day before Halloween. You aren't liking your antibiotic too much & spit it out pretty frequently. I'm hoping that it is enough though for you to get over it though! 

(it's the best I could do with a constant moving 11 month old who just wanted to sleep)

You are in size 4 diapers, 12 month- 2T tops (depending on the brand), & 12-18 month pants/jeans. You still have 8 teeth but I'm hoping that changes over the next week or so. 

(not a fan of "cake smashing")

Height: 32.5 inches (99%)

Weight: 24 pounds, 7 ounces (72%)

Head circumference: 49.7 centimeters (98%)

(to say that you didn't want to do the blanket shot would be a huge understatement!)

Owen, the past year has been the most rewarding, yet the most challenging year of my life. Through all the sleepless nights & worries that come with being a first-time parent, I wouldn't change one thing about it! You have taught me so much about myself & make me such a better person. You are the absolute best thing about me & I cannot imagine my life without you! You will always be my baby boy & I will always be on your side. I'm so blessed to be your momma & watch you grow. I'm excited about what the next days, months, & years bring! I love you to the moon & back!!

Love,

Momma

11 months

Owen-

ELEVEN. ELEVEN. This means one more month until your ONE. Goodness gracious, this throws momma into panic attack. Where did the time go?

Sleep.. it's, for the most part, the same… which is great! Some nights, you wake up at 4:30, but after letting you cry for a minute or so, you fall right back asleep. Nine out of ten nights though, you sleep from 8 to 6 or 6:30. Every night, we do the same thing… bath, pajamas, bottle, bed. We put you down awake but groggy & you go sleep on your own. You are so ready to get into that bed & start pushing off of us to get in it as soon we get into your room. Your naps are still touch & go, but for the most part, you take 2 30 minutes to 1 hour naps/day. You will occasionally take a late afternoon nap if need be, but for the most part, you only take 2 naps. Naps are usually not a problem, but sometimes, you fight it & eventually go to sleep. Your sleeping has changed SO much over the past few months & momma is so thankful! Keep it up buddy!

Your personality is one-of-a-kind & I absolutely adore it. You are lovable, hilarious (you get it from daddy!), sweet, & even feisty at times. You're learning to throw pretty big tantrums, with arching your back & throwing your head back. I'm not going to pretend sometimes we don't laugh at them though. You are starting to act more like a toddler & less like a baby though. You even look bigger! You're starting to stand for up to 10 seconds at a time… you tend to do this when you don't realize you're holding onto something. As soon as you realize you're standing, you lose your balance & fall down. Silly boy! You love your walker & walk-behind toy & I'm guessing you'll be walking before we know it.

(Melaina's Magical Playland photo overload!)

Boy, do you love to make messes & get into everything. We have to shut all the doors & "lock" you in the living room so you don't get into dog food or any other crazy shenanigans that you tend to find. You love to flap your arms & laugh. Your laugh is so contagious & you know that you are funny! You do this cute little cough/laugh/nose crinkling & it cracks us up every single time. You say "dada" & "momma". You will "carry" a conversation with us.. if you say "Ma!" or "Da" & we repeat it back.. you will repeat it back to us. This continues for a few minutes until you start laughing.

You still absolutely adore your bath & it's part of a nighttime routine. You will splash & splash & make a complete mess. Oh well!

You wear a size 4 diaper. You're in 12 month clothing for the most part but can still fit into your 9 month shorts (they may be a little snug though!). You even fit into some 18 month clothing.

(first pair of "big boy" pajamas!)

Your eating habits vary, but for the most part you eat 3 meals + 1-2 snacks/day. You are not picky at all & will eat pretty much anything we put in front of you whether it's purees or table food. Along with the meals, you eat 4-6 ounces of formula every 3 hours, or with meals. If with meals, it's 4 ounces.. if it's in between meals, you eat 6 ounces. I can't believe we're almost to the point of starting whole milk! Where has my baby gone?!

Wt: 22 pounds 10 ounces 

You are growing up right before our eyes. You amaze me each & every day. I am so blessed to be your momma. We love you forever & always, mister!

10 months

Owen-

Ten months. How time flies! 

Let's get right to business:

Sleep! You are sleeping through the night!! 10+ glorious hours of consecutive sleep every single night! Praise the Lord! You go down every night at 8-8:30 & wake up anywhere from 6-7am. We did progressive/modified cry-it-out & it was one of the hardest things I've had to do as a momma. We first started with just bedtime, did that for 2 nights, then added nap times once momma was off work for a few days. It only took 3 nights for you to go down without a problem & start sleeping through the night! At around 7:30 or so, we give you a bath, put lotion on you, PJs, then bottle. Once you finish your bottle, we tell you that we love you & it's night-night time, then lay you in your crib drowsy, but awake. You go to sleep without a problem & basically push off of us to get into your crib. It is such a difference from last month & I regret not doing this sooner! Sometimes, you do still fight nap times, but for the most part, you do okay. You take 2 naps a day.. one in the morning which is anywhere from 30 minutes-2 hours, then you take a 30 minute nap in the afternoon. Oh, how sleep makes such a difference! 

You are a crawling pro! You also have mastered cruising & walking along the couch while holding on. You are slowly learning to let go of toys & stand for a few seconds at a time, but you get scared & fall to your butt. You love pushing your toy that lets you practice walking. I bet you will be walking sooner rather than later. You are constantly into everything & we you do not like to sit still. You are able to say mama & dada & you look at us when we ask where we are. You also know who "sissy/Juno" is. You absolutely adore her & she adores you! You love waving bye-bye to people. You also have this laugh/cough thing that you do when you think something is funny & we all love it. You have one adorable personality, mister!

You eat 3 meals/day along with snacks here & there. You have loved everything we have put in front of you. You are slowly transitioning to more table food then purees. You have eight teeth now (all top & bottom 4) & are gnawing again on everything like you do before you get teeth. I'm wondering if you are working on molars but we shall see! You take 6 oz bottles every 3 hours, but with meals you only take 4 oz. You are starting to get the hang of the sippy cup & would rather have water to drink then juice (which momma is perfectly find with).

You are in size 4 diapers. You wear mostly 12 month outfits, but some 9 & 9-12 month clothing still fits.

Wt: 22 pounds, 9 ounces

We can't wait to see what the next month brings, bubs. Momma & Daddy love you so much!

9 Months

Owen Reid- 

Happy 9 Months Baby Boy! 

The past month you have grown so much & learned more & more every day! 

The mecca: Sleep! By your 10 month post, you WILL be sleeping through the night. This momma is determined! I know if you slept through the night, that you would feel much better (as would mom & dad!). You wake up 1-3 times/night (I feel like I'm just repeating myself each month.. ha!). You go to bed around 8 or 9 & wake up around 5:45-6:45 for the day. You may sleep through the night (yay!) or you may wake up around 1 for a bottle. Other nights, you wake up multiple times, even for just a pacifier. You take 2 or 3 naps daily, with your longer nap in the morning. You stay awake for 2-4 hours in between naps. 

You are crawling like a mad-man & let me tell you, you can get to your destination pretty darn quickly! You are a baby on a mission! You mostly crawl & rarely army crawl now. I love how you crawl & momma needs to get it on video. You are into everything your little hands can reach.. including picture frames, magazines, sissy's food (yes, you have tried dog food) & even sissy's hair & ears! You don't just sit on a play mat & play anymore.. you must be moving around. We really need to baby proof the house! You still adore the walker, outside, swinging & swimming. You say mama (finally!) & dada. I think you correlate it with us, but sometimes it's hard to tell. You said mama for the first time while mommy & daddy were San Diego & I couldn't wait until we got back to hear it. You also wave bye-bye & it's the cutest little thing!

You eat 3 meals a day, some baby food & some finger foods. You are starting to get picky with puree's so we have been gravitating towards finger foods. You love anything you can grab & feed yourself. You have 7 teeth but I'm wondering if you're starting to teeth again because you've been gnawing on everything again, drooling, & acting like you did before you started getting teeth. Poor little guy! We love watching you eat though because you shove the whole palm of your hand in your mouth. So cute!

Like I said, you eat 3 meals a day, with 6 oz bottles of formula every 3 hours. We give you juice or water in a sippy cup with meals, which you aren't too sure about. Momma's been trying different sippy cups but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon enough.

You are in size 4 diapers. You wear 9-12 or 12 month onesies & 9 month shorts. I think your growing has leveled off for just a bit but we shall see! We had a successful 9 month well baby check up with Dr Dodson. Momma about had a meltdown when she realized that the next time you'll be there for your well visit check up will be when you're 1 year old. Slow down, time!

Weight: 22 pounds, 5 ounces

Height: 31 inches

Owen, you bring smiles & joy to us daily. We are so blessed to be able to watch you grow. We love you forever & always, mister! 

8 Months

Owen-

Happy 8 Month Birthday! It's so weird to think that in just 4 short months, we will be celebrating 1 whole year!

This month has brought a lot of good & bad firsts for you. Let's get right to it!

Sleep. Let's just say, it's not much better than last month. You still wake up anywhere from 1-3 times a night, with the first being anywhere from 11pm, to 2am. You go to sleep at 8-9 pm, wake up at (usually) 1 for a bottle, then again at 4 or 5, then sleep until 6. You take 2-3 naps through out the day. One long nap in the morning & afternoon, then a short nap in the evening. Sometimes, you phase out that evening nap. You still stay awake between 2-4 hours in between your naps. Again, next time we have this little sleep chat, maybe you'll be sleeping through the night! Hear that buddy? Ha! 

You are into everything! We really need to baby proof the house, but we just haven't yet & we keep a close eye on you. You are pulling up on the couch, army crawling like a champ, & are so incredibly close to crawling! You can get somewhere/something fast if we let you army crawl. You are quick! You say "dadadadada" but we don't think you correlate it with daddy just yet. We're (well, I'm) working on you saying "mama" but it just hasn't happened yet! Come on, bubby! You sit like a pro & love to sit on your play mat & play with your toys & "watch" Baby Einstein or Mickey Mouse. You absolutely love to go outside in the walker & scoot around! We also have taken you swimming which you adore. I'm pretty sure you just think it's a big bath tub.

(first time swimming at Aunt Angie & Uncle Aaron's house)

(using our little pool at our house)

You have SEVEN, yes, SEVEN teeth! It blows my mind that you have that many. You have your front, top 4 teeth, your bottom 2 middle teeth, & 1 tooth on your bottom left. You have been teething since you've been 4 months, buddy! You love to chomp & chew on things. It's so adorable when you smile because all we see are teeth! 

Since you've been sick on & off, your appetite at the moment isn't the norm. You normally have cereal in the morning & a 4 oz bottle, lunch & dinner both with 4 oz bottles, then 6 oz bottles in between meals (about every 3 hours). Now though, you are just now getting your appetite back (darn virus!) & so you only take cereal in the morning with 6 oz bottles every 3 hours during the day. We'll get back to your normal though! You love crackers, puffs & you even had Cheerios for the first time today!

 

 

We took you to Nanny & Paw-Paw Larry's for the first time this month, which meant 4 hours in the car for the first time ever. You were not a fan but once we got there, you absolutely adored it! 

You are in size 3 diapers & size 4 at night. You wear 9-12 or 12 month onesies & 6-9 month shorts. We bought you little shoes to wear in your walker which are size 3. They are so darn cute & I love seeing you wear them! 

Unfortunately, the bad this month - you currently have rotavirus. You poor baby! You've been battling it for a week or so, so hopefully it's almost ran it's course. We've had our fair share of doctor visits this month, so I hope that we'll just be visiting Dr Dodson for your well baby check ups for a while. 

8 Month Stat:

Weight: 21 pounds, 8 ounces

Owen, thank you for being you. You are the most amazing little person & I can't wait to see what the next month holds! We love you so much, bubs!