We're Moving!

It totally wasn't planned, and the timing probably couldn't be worse, but we're moving!We knew we wanted to move out to Wimberley. We knew we wanted a bigger yard and a one-story house. So we just started looking. And we found a beautiful home. We're so excited! So now our house is on the market. And gosh, we're hoping for a quick sale on it. We had a very successful garage sale (and made enough money to pay the movers and a few other things), getting rid of a bunch of stuff we didn't want to move with us. We're having an open house August 21. And we're hoping that does the trick. Then the following weekend, August 28, we're moving!!! Oh we're so excited. There's a much bigger yard (which will eventually have a playscape for our kids). There are deer all around. The schools are so much better. We're just really looking forward to it.

Oh, and did I mention the baby is due in 7 weeks, six days? So we're moving in a little less than three weeks. And the baby is due in a little more than seven weeks. And we're hoping the little one stays put for at least five more weeks (Owen was a week late, so we're not assuming this one will come early, but you never know). Speaking of the baby, this one's a kicker. At night when we're watching TV, I usually see my pajamas moving. It's so comforting to see all of that movement though. I love it! We're having our 4th and final ultrasound on Thursday. Hoping the baby is head down, preparing for arrival (and maybe find out about how much the baby weighs as well).

We're trying really hard to keep Owen busy this summer. But with all the packing and prepping, we've unfortunately fallen back on a little to much TV. We love to go swimming, and we should do more of it before we leave the neighborhood. We've bene going to library story times, which he's beginning to like more and more. Luckily they have one in Wimberley as well. Today we went to Chuck E Cheese's for the first time (anywhere that's air conditioned for my sake). He had a blast! He was especially fond of riding Clifford the Big Red Dog! We'll definitely have to go back again soon. Next weekend we're going to Sea World for the first time. Owen adored the Aquarium in Houston, so we know he'll have a blast at Sea World. He loves penguins, sharks, and fish. We're going to have so much fun!

For now we're just trying to get the house in tip-top shape to sell (tons of work) and preparing to move to the new house. It's crazy (and poor Erik has to do so much because I can't do much at all). Nineteen days!!!

Potty Training Adventures On Hold

Oh my goodness. I thought he was ready. But I was so completely wrong. And after one day, I've given up... for now. Owen has gone in the potty before. And I thought with undies that he loves, he would go for it (well that and the promise of the beloved sticker). But between 7:30am and 11:30am we had four accidents, four pairs of underwear, and no going in the potty. We put him on the potty every half hour. He would sit for five minutes, stand up, put on the undies again, then pee on the floor right next to the potty. So for now, we're sticking with diapers. The new house (if we get it) has no carpet and is single-story. So I'm thinking it'll be a better place for me to deal with potty training anyway. We'll just wait it out for now. I hear girls are easier to potty train... too bad I'll probably never have one!

Pregnant, Summer, Texas, Toddler

Hmm... what do these four words have to do with each other? The answer: my life at this point. On the 4th of July I begin my third trimester. And it's Texas. And it's hot. And I have an emotional toddler who goes non-stop. Today was all about Owen. Everything we did was tailor-made for him. Tricycle riding. Swimming. Toy Story watching. Lincoln Log playing. And every time he seemed happy, it was only a matter of minutes before he flipped out on us. He hated each of us at varying points today. And by hate, I mean trying to rip the skin off your face and biting and hitting you hating. He's rough. I'm scared. I have this book (had it for four months or so just sitting by my bed) called 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12. I am determined to start and finish it this week. I need help. Serious help. I can feed, clothe, care for and love a child pretty well at this point. But I am no expert on what to do when your kid refuses to go to bed because he wants to keep playing with his frogs. So I cojole him, try to at least, to no avail. Then I tried to pick up the frogs just to get things moving. He lays on the frogs and stuffs them into his pajamas, keeping me from getting to them. He then lashes out and screams at me, trying to attack me for touching his frogs. Seriously. (Did I mention these are plastic frogs?) I'm at a loss. I'd like to try to figure it out before the next one arrives in three months!

Summer... ALMOST!

Summer's almost here! We have a three day week of school this week, then we're off!!! And this time, there will be no going back. I'm excited, nervous, and overwhelmed all at the same time. Will I be able to educate Owen, keep him entertained and occupied, and happy like the do at daycare? Will I have the patience to be with him all day long every single day (he is two, after all)? What will I do in October once #2 arrives? Will two babies be too much for me to handle? How will I get to the grocery store without losing my sanity? Nonetheless, no matter all these doubts, I'm so HAPPY!!! I can't wait until it's just us... no daycare, no job. Just me and my KIDS. Gosh that sounds strange. Two of them. And one of me. They're totally going to overpower me and take control.

Owen is Two!

And I think we overdid it. We've never thrown a birthday party with other kids there, so we weren't sure what exactly needed to be done. We went a little too far, had one black icing mishap, but had a great time watching 8 kids, aged 1-4 playing together all over our house. I will say, our new playroom was definitely a hit!

Owen had a little birthday event at school. We took Elmo cookies up for the kids at daycare. We were complaining to ourselves how the cookies didn't turn out just the way we wanted. But when Owen saw them, he didn't care at all. He just shouted "ELMO!"

On Saturday we had a party from 11-1 with his friends. Little did we know the black food coloring we used for the icing on the cupcakes would stain anything it touched. Yuck! Sadly, we lost a chair pad to our own stupidity. He had a great time playing with his friends. We enjoyed Chick-Fil-A lunch and Elmo cake & cupcakes for dessert. He got some awesome, thoughtful gifts from his friends that he hasn't stopped playing with.

We were able to get a 90 minute nap in there (shockingly). Erik cleaned up while I napped with Owen upstairs. Then we headed out to my parents' house for our family birthday party. Owen's birthday was actually Sunday, but Saturday was our niece, Chelsea's birthday. So we did a combo party with family. Plus, my dad can't leave the house anymore, and we really wanted him to be a part of Owen's big day. We got sandwiches and some super yummy fruit from Jason's Deli and ordered the cake from the Sweet Stuff in Kyle. She did Owen's first birthday cake last year. I was disappointed in the way the design turned out last year, so I was hesitant to order from her again. But her cakes are absolutely delicious. So I chanced it. This time I printed out exactly what I wanted it to look like. And she did a marvelous job! I will definitely use her again. Owen had a great time playing with his cousins (especially wrestling with Vincent). It almost makes me hope we're having a boy this time. He would so have a blast with a little brother. He loves playing rough.

On Sunday we celebrated his second birthday. We gave him a few more presents and had blueberry dinosaur pancakes for breakfast. We just played and relaxed all day (lucking into a wonderful two hour family nap in the afternoon). So he had a great birthday weekend (kind of having four parties). I told Erik, this is a one-time thing. Next year, with two of them, we certainly won't be as extravagant. But he loved everything Elmo and had a blast!

Lessons Learned:

1) Don't bake from scratch. Use a Duncan Hines box (awesome cake) or order from someone you trust. From scratch is just too much work when you've got so much other stuff going on.

2) Handmade invitations and gift bags for the kids are awesome. They were a big hit with felt Elmo faces and googly eyes. But only make enough for those who RSVP, not all those invited. We had six bags left after the party, and they were HARD to make.

3) NEVER use black gel food coloring again. It stains EVERYTHING!

4) Go simple with the decorations. We went crazy with baking and with the bags. But our decor was simple, mostly balloons. It made clean-up easier.

5) I think next time we'll make appetizers & sandwiches, like we did last year. The ordered food was easier and tasted good. But it was a little pricey.

6) Just let kids play. I worried that we didn't have organized events for the little ones. But really, they just wanted to play, so I let them. And they loved it!

7) Sometimes seperate parties for friends and family can be a good thing. I was able to focus on talking to parents without having to worry about whether or not family was happy. Most of them knew each other, so I didn't have to do a lot of introductions. And with the family party, it was pretty much stress-free. I didn't have to worry about impressing them. We just got to have fun.
8) The scheduling was perfect. 11-1. Kids ate pretty soon after the got there. Ran around and burned off energy. And hopefully took a nap after (I know Owen was wiped out).

Owen's Spring Picture

So all these other kids were dressed in their best, cutest little outfits. Perfect hair, little bows for the girls. Dress shirts for the boys. And then there was Owen. He just wore jeans and his Elmo t-shirt. But it's what he wants. And he won't care if he looks back and his preschool picture is him wearing some fancy outfit. He loves Elmo right now. So that's what he gets. It's definitely his cutest school picture yet!

Virginia (Non-Reunion & Sight-Seeing)

So we dared to take Owen on his first plane trip. We went to Virginia for Foxcroft's reunion weekend. It's not my reunion year, but I missed mine because Owen was just a few months old at the time. We decided to go and hang out, but mostly we did stuff in D.C. that we thought Owen would like. The trip out there was miserable. We thought we were so prepared (movies, games, snacks), but Owen was not happy being on our laps for three hours. He wanted to run around. Thankfully we had the nicest woman sitting next to us who let him sit in her lap, look outside, and even read a book to him. But it was still awful. Luckily the ride back was only half full, and he got his own seat. He slept for an hour and a half, and things were just peachy! We had a great time overall and are looking forward to going back for my 20 year reunion in three years (eek... that makes me feel old).

Easter

Wow, I'm behind. Owen had a great Easter. We did an Easter Egg hunt in our neighborhood park that was really just 100 eggs on the ground and a mad dash to get as many as you could. He hunted for eggs at school. And we dyed eggs and hid them around the house (followed by yummy deviled eggs). Saturday night we had a big family Easter dinner at my parents' house. He really enjoyed his Easter basket (which was, of course, Elmo themed). He had a great Easter weekend.

New Baby Pictures

We went today for the first trimester screening (odd since I started my second trimester on Sunday). This is all because I am now 35, which is considered to be of "advanced maternal age." (Yuck!) They examine the fat pad on the back of the baby's neck and do a finger prick blood test (on me) checking for chromosomal abnormalities like Down's Syndrome and Trisomy 18. The doctor said the baby measured within the normal range, and everything looks good. So we're just waiting on the blood test results. But so far, so good. The new pictures actually look like a baby, instead of the blobby bean picture we got at 8 weeks. I started feeling fluttering on Sunday night. And I could see the baby moving as it kicked today. It was pretty cool! This one's pretty active already.

Fun at the San Antonio Zoo

Best Dish Rack Ever

We've been through a lot of them and haven't found anything we love... until this one. It's got great tall sides, so you can stack a lot in it. It's not white, so every little thing doesn't show on it. It's made by SimpleHuman (our kitchen trash can is, too). It was about $30 at Bed, Bath, & Beyond. I highly recommend it!

Funny Sentences

So I've been worried for a while about Owen's speech development and was hoping it would improve after he had his tubes put in. And things have improved. He's started talking in short sentences from time to time. And they're odd, to say the least. Here's a list of some of them.

1. I want cheese (this was his first sentence)

2. I love you, Mommy

3. I have poo

4. I want more

5. I want to sit (he loves chairs)

6. No! No! I said no! (this was today as I asked him to finish his breakfast)

He's a funny kid. We're going to the zoo tomorrow. Owen's recently decided he loves monkeys, and Five Little Monkeys is his favorite song. It's bound to be a fun time!

Tip of the Day

When big ol' molars come in for your two-year old, Children's Motrin is your best friend. After a week of not sleeping through the night, we finally sent Owen to bed with a dose last night (he'd been chewing on his hand all weekend). He woke up at 2am (an hour after the dose had worn off), and we gave him another teaspoon. Back to sleep he went until 6:30. Ah... so this is what sleep feels like.

#2 is on the way...

We had our first OB appointment today and got to see pictures of our new little one. We got a due date from the doctor of October 3. We're very excited, and Owen is constantly pointing to where the baby is and kissing my tummy. I hope his excitement lasts!

SNOW!!!

So according to most people who have lived anywhere other than Texas, it wasn't really snow because it didn't stick. But for those of us here, if the white stuff drops from the sky, and we can see it, it's snow. It snowed for around 30 minutes in Kyle on Tuesday. And lucky us, we took the day off (well Erik worked from home) because of a doctor's appointment. Owen woke up from his nap just in time. He was pretty enamoured of the snow. The last time it snowed here was January 2007 (I'm pretty sure). We got a snow day and built an itty bitty snowman. It doesn't happen often in Kyle (between Austin & San Antonio). So we'll take what we can get. I was just thrilled that Owen got to see it.

Sesame Street Live!

We had an amazing time at Sesame Street Live Saturday night. Owen was totally freaked out when the characters got close to him (hope this changes before our vacation to Jamaica this summer). But he was in LOVE with the show. He pointed and laughed and never stopped watching. We'll definitely have to go again.

Our First Family Stomach Bug

Oh and it was no fun AT all. Owen brought it home on Friday (my birthday) and passed it to Erik Saturday and me Sunday. At first we didn't know what he had. So we went out Saturday (he was feeling better) and left him with our babysitter. Then Sunday we went to my parents' to celebrate my dad's birthday. Needless to say, we spread our yuckiness. We feel terrible (in more ways than one). I stayed home with him Monday (and missed a boring workday for me). He's been keeping food down (and no sickness since Sunday at lunch). So we felt pretty good about sending him to school today (Tuesday). But they told us to come pick him up today because he's still showing signs (you don't want to know) of being sick. Erik's taking the day off tomorrow. But we're convinced they're full of it. He's happy and healthy. He's playing and keeping down food. I only wish I was able to stay home with him now... no daycare! I can't wait until June 4, when I can stay home with him every day (and we don't have to worry about all these bugs and all these rules).

Also, Owen has decided that he will no longer sit in his booster seat at the dinner table. We already had to go from a high chair to a booster seat at seven months or so because he decided he hated the high chair. Now he insists on sitting at the table in a regular chair. He's not even 22 months! Oh he thinks he's so much older than he is. I'm in store for a lot of stress with this one.

Tubes In... Owen Cranky

The surgery went well. It took 10 minutes. Then it was another 15 minutes until we saw Owen again. We were only separated for 25 minutes, but it was tortuous for me and Erik. He was very upset when he was returned to us. But that was probably because we weren't there when he woke up. He had a bunch of liquid in his ear and still a pretty bad infection. So we have antibiotic ear drops twice a day for 5 days. This is no fun... but it's better that two or three times a day of oral antibiotics for 10 days. So I'll take it. The last two times I've taken him to daycare, he's screamed bloody murder and reached for me when it's time for me to leave. It just breaks my heart. I HATE leaving him every day. Knowing it's only for four more months sometimes makes it better. But sometimes it's worse... because I wish it was now!

Sleep Number vs Tempur-Pedic

So we're in the market for a new mattress. And I think I've narrowed it down to the Sleep Number & the Tempur-Pedic. I'm worried about the Sleep Number, that it could take me a while to figure out which number I am. And maybe I'll get it wrong. The Tempur-Pedic seems amazing. But I'm worried it will indent and never pop back up (after a while). So I'm looking for suggestions. It would be awesome to hear from someone who has tried both... but I'll take whatever you've got. Thanks!!!

New Pictures

Well, it's Groundhog Day... again.

Well we're hoping the day won't repeat over and over like it did in the movie. Owen will be having surgery on February 2 to have tubes put in. While there are several good things that will hopefully happen (better hearing, more speaking, less pain, fewer antibiotics), I am concerned about the potential negatives. We go swimming all the time. And I'm not looking forward to having to put plugs in each time. I've also heard you have to put plugs in just for baths. Ick. Owen will not like this. I'll have to get more details from our ENT about that one. I've also heard that when kids with tubes get ear infections (and they will likely still get a few), that puss comes out of the ear tubes. YUCK! I still need lots of information. I'm just hoping for the best. And I hope I don't freak out to much on the day of the surgery. It's never fun to watch your baby suffer in any way. I'm sure I'll be a nervous pacing wreck for the 10-15 minutes it's going to take.

Diapers

Bought diapers today. Spent $84 for 280 diapers. Two things: 1) Why do I have a son who is allergic to diapers that aren't Papmers? (I was never able to wear disposable diapers and had to wear cloth diapers.) and 2) When will Owen potty train? There is no sign of this happening ANY time soon. And this makes me sad.

Sleeping Late

Okay... not like in college sleeping late. But still. Owen has decided 7am is a much more desirable time to wake up (than his previous 5:30 to 6am). I feel like my birthday has come early! Last night we went to bed at 9:30 and woke up at 6:30. That may be more continuous sleep than I have had since I was pregnant (and in the early months). Maybe he's sleeping better because he's feeling better. I hope that's the case. But whatever the reason, I just hope it continues. Although we're going to have to start taking breakfast with him to school because he's too grumpy to eat in the morning (he did not want to wake up any day this week). I've been seeing flashes of my "teenager Owen" all week.

Toy of the Day

Owen had a blast today going around the neighborhood on his new tricycle. Granted, he can't really reach the pedals yet, but he loves ringing the bell!The book of the day: Elmo Loves You. Is anyone surprised by this?

No tubes for now...

We had our appointment in Austin today with Dr. Connolly. I really liked him. He was great with Owen. I didn't even have to hold Owen during the exam. He sat in the big boy chair and let the doc look in his ears, up his nose, and in his mouth. We had a hearing test done... good news is that Owen has no hearing loss. So the doctor isn't keen on tubes right now. This makes us feel pretty good. It's not like we're opposed to tubes, we just don't want a doctor who jumps right into surgery as the first option. (Erik thinks they're all out to make more money.) He's currently on his second round of antibiotics for this ear infection. If they don't clear it up, we'll talk tubes. If it does clear up, but he gets another one within eight weeks, then we'll talk tubes. Even if the end result is tubes, I feel really good about Dr. Connolly and a lot less stressed.

Super Owen!

I can't believe he was entertained for half an hour with a flour sack towel. We love Super Grover... but we love Super Owen even more!

Tubes?

So we're going to see an ENT tomorrow afternoon. After reading a lot today (and talking to many people), I'm starting to think that tubes may be a good idea for Owen. A lot of what I've been reading not only mentions the ear infections (a constant problem around here) but also the potential hearing loss and speech delay. Owen is almost 21 months, and while he says many words, he has yet to string anything together to make a sentence. He's also much more content naming animals by making their sounds than saying their names. I have tried really hard not to overreact or think he's slow to speak... understanding that each child develops at their own pace. But now I'm worried that he's not speaking much (and not speaking well) because of the fluid in his ears. While surgery scares me quite a bit (even though I know it's only 15 minutes or so), I think I'm leaning toward the tubes. Other than the surgery concern, I'm also worried about water in the ears. We bathe three times a week. And in the summer, we swim three or four times a week. I was really looking forward to Owen learning how to swim this summer. How are tubes going to affect that? Will he have to have earplugs in all the time? What if he refuses the earplugs? Will he not be able to swim? I still have many questions...

(The pictures are from a recent trip to the McKenna Children's Museum in New Braunfels. Owen had a wonderful time).

What a Wonderful Christmas!

We had a truly wonderful Christmas this year. We spent Christmas Eve with Allen & his family at our house eating cookies and fudge. Christmas morning we got up and saw what Santa brought Owen and had some awesome gingerbread pancakes. Then we went over to my parents' house with Allen, Bobbie, and the girls. This Christmas was so different for Owen. He was thrilled about opening presents and playing with them (even those that weren't his). He was actually able to open all of his gifts. Last year, I opened everything, and he was more interested in rolling around in the paper and ribbons than anything else. He said "wow" a lot. And he knows who Santa is and can say "Ho ho ho." He was just super cute and super sweet. We went home for some lunch and a nap. Then we headed down to San Antonio to spend time with Erik's family. We don't always get to see all of them at the same time. So it was great to have everyone together. Owen especially loves spending time with his cousin, Vincent. Today we went back over to my parents' to visit with the Schwethelms. We've had a really great Christmas, and we're grateful to be a part of such wonderfully loving families.

Cold Christmas Eve

The cold front blew into Kyle on Christmas Eve. While we had no snow, it did get down to right around 30 Christmas Eve and Christmas night. This provided perfect weather for Owen to sport it new coat. You probably think I'm crazy, but Owen now has two winter coats, one gray and one brown. I just have this issue with him not matching. It's insane, I know. But people sure took notice of how adorable he is in it!