 |
| Picture taken by shelliraephotography www.shelliraephotography.com |
I thought I would give some updates...
Stats-
Owen weighs 24 lbs.
He is 35 inches long.
He wears a size 24 months (sometimes 18 months).
Owen weighs 24 lbs.
He is 35 inches long.
He wears a size 24 months (sometimes 18 months).
When he wears disposable diapers he wears a size 3...sometimes 4.
Owen has the kindest, sweetest heart of any two year old I have ever met. I love that God has blessed him with this trait. He is a compassionate child. He genuinely cares about other people. He is also very tender hearted. This can make discipline easy sometimes, and sometimes it makes it hard. I know that it is my job as Owen's mother to allow him to be the person God created him to be, and not try to change that. I try to always remember how sensitive he is, and not crush his spirit. (or allow anyone else to for that matter) Usually, talking to Owen is enough. One day he dumped a cup of water on the bathroom floor. I told him I was disappointed and two days later, he told me he was sorry and asked if I was "angry" at him. He was still upset that he disappointed me and genuinely sorry. Such a sweet boy....
Owen is very intelligent. I wish I could keep up with the many things he knows...but it is impossible. I love hearing all of his teachers talk about how smart he is. :) He goes to church once a month while I go to Motherhood, and his teacher told me "Now I am an older lady, I've been around children a lot, and this is the smartest little boy I have ever met." I must say I am very proud of him. His vocabulary amazes me every day. He says the biggest words and in the right context. You tell him something once and he remembers it forever. He is very into the "months" right now. He loves to tell you Thanksgiving was in November, Santa comes in December, his birthday is in June, and Abe comes in February. He also loves numbers. He loves counting forward, backwards, and he can count by 2's to 8 (thanks to Umizoomi I take no credit for that one). He says his ABC's and recognizes a few letters. He really is not into letters right now, but I am okay with that. I think children learn more if you take what they are interested in at the time and run with it, and worry about the rest later.
We aren't potty trained. :) Owen completely potty trained himself for about 4 months right before his second birthday. I thought I was getting the easy way out. Nope! He changed his mind. I haven't pushed the issue with Abe coming, because I hear regression typically happens when a new baby comes into the picture. He *says* he wants to start going potty after Christmas. We are going to give it a whirl....if he does he does, and if he doesn't he doesn't...
Owen has reached a few milestones since my last update. He has completely weaned from breastfeeding. Matt and I made the decision to let Owen wean himself. It was something I never thought I would do before I was a mom, but I changed my mind about it once I saw how many benefits it brought to both of us. He weaned right at 28 months. Owen loved nursing. He nursed 5-6 times a day and sometimes at night even after his second birthday, but when he was ready...he slowly stopped. He did get sick for the first time in a year right after he weaned, so I know he was getting those antibodies even at 2 years old. I worried we would both miss it and it would be hard, but surprisingly it came easy to both of us. It was painful for me while I was pregnant, so I am sure that helped me a little bit. I do miss it some days, but it won't be long and I will have a newborn to start over with. :)
Another milestone Owen has reached is taking a nap on his own. I've always rocked him to sleep, and I loved it. I said I would do it until he was ready for the next stage. He reached his next little stage of independence on his own. Recently, he asked me if he could go to sleep in his crib by himself. I said yes, and we have done it ever since that day. We read two books, he lays down, listens to his sound machine and goes to sleep. He always sleeps 2-3 hours. He has also moved into a big bed at night. Sometimes Matt lays with him, and sometimes I do, but we lay with him until he falls asleep and he does great. He transitioned to the big bed really easily!
You probably won't believe me when I say this, since he is only a whopping 24 lbs, but Owen LOVES to eat. He is a very healthy eater. We went through a picky phase. Matt and I decided to cut out grain and processed food from Owen's diet and the picky phase slowly disappeared. Owen loves steak, fish, roasted green beans, brussel sprouts, and Kale. His favorite snack is greek yogurt or a Lara Bar. His favorite meal is breakfast. He sits in his highchair and watches TV (I know, I know) while he eats his breakfast. It is typically a 1-2 hour ordeal. On a normal day, he eats 3 pieces of sausage, an egg, and some fruit. I can't keep enough fruit in our house. On a typical week we go through 3 lbs of bananas, 5 lbs of apples, 3lbs of strawberries, and a few other random fruits I might pick up. Owen loves his fruit!
Owen has great ambitions for his life. When he grows up he wants to work on water towers, be a truck driver, and a baker. He says when Mommy grows up to be a big girl, I am going to drive bulldozers.
We stay busy day to day. We are very active in two groups. We participate in MOMS Club of NE Pensacola and Pensacola Mommy and Me. Typically we do something every day, and the most we ever "take off" is one day.
Owen is still taking gymnastics once a week at kidsnasium. He does very well. Owen loves structure, which is so funny to me because we have never forced structure on him. We let him do it on his own. He gets upset when children take apart obstacle courses, and he loves the structured obstacles, stretching, and singing more than free play. You know how I said Owen was smart? He is...but he was a tiny bit behind in gross motor skills. I truly believe every kid is gifted in their own way. Owen is gifted with his intelligence, vocabulary, and fine motor skills, but his gross motor skills are just a little behind. He has learned so much from gymnastics. He now does forward rolls (with help), hangs from the bar, and walks on the balance beams. He has improved so much. We still can't jump...but hey, it will come with time.
Speaking of structure, Owen LOVES games and art projects. I try to make up games that are developmentally appropriate, because unfortunately there aren't many games like that for two year olds.
Owen's favorite shows are Caillou, Team Umizoomi, and Bubble Guppies.
Owen loves Christmas and Christmas movies. He loves Frosty the "no-man", and his Elf on the Shelf movie. We don't do ANYTHING scary, so Rudolph and Santa Clause is coming to town are no-go's. He is terrified of the "Abominable Snowman". He also loves the Lorax.
Owen loves to sing and make up songs. He loves any kind of music. He loves marching and playing his instruments.
He finds joy in every aspect of life. I love his bubbly personality and zeal for life. He is always happy. (unless he is tired or hungry-but hey I am grouchy when I am tired and hungry too)
Owen loves playing outside, and playing at parks. We spend most of our days outside. I love this Florida weather!
Owen has a slight obsession with his stuffed animals. Some days I wonder how he fits in his crib with all the stuffed animals he *needs* to sleep with.
Owen loves to read. He has started listening to longer stories. He also loves for me to "tell him a story". Sometimes I get the luxury of hearing a story from Owen. It always starts with "Once Upon a Time", and is a mixture of "The Three Bears" and "Goldilocks".
Owen also has several of his books memorized cover to cover, and a few nursery rhymes as well.
Owen loves to make up "jokes".
Owen is all boy. He hates wearing pants. He loves talking about pee pee, poo poo, toots, and boogers. I guess I should get used to it. I am going to be pretty outnumbered.
Owen is slightly obsessed with Nick Saban. Here is a funny story of something that happened to us at Wal-Mart a couple of months ago...
Me: Owen, when we leave Wal-Mart it is going to be time for a nap okay?
Owen: Mommy, I CAN'T take a nap. I am the coach for Alabama. I have to be on TV tomorrow.
*30 minutes later*
Wal-Mart cashier: You sure are cute! What is your name?
Owen: Nick Saban!
Owen is very witty if you can't tell from the conversation above! Not only does he bring us lots of joy, but he also brings us lots of laughter. Here are a few of my favorite things he says...
When introducing himself, he gives a small biography....
"I am Owen Matthew Fall, and I was born on June 1st."
I love the way he says tomorrow...."ah-morrow"
I love when he tells me I am his "best friend" or his "best mommy". Most days I am those, but I have been a "Yucky Mommy" a few times...
"I need a hug" or "I need a kiss"
"No thanks, I'm good."
"How in the world?!?!"
"Oh MY Goodness"
"When I was a kid...."
"Would you like to join me?!?!"
"...because that just makes sense."
"I gotta stay hydrated!"
"I'm just a sweet guy."
"I can handle this."
When you ask him what he wants for Christmas he says one of a few things...
"I have everything I need..."
"I want a real motorcycle...not a kid one"
"A bunch of things"
"I have to eat my protein."
If I tell Owen something he doesn't want to do, he tells me what he wants to do and says "and that's the plan" or "and that's the rule" (the wule)
Owen has a "plan" for everything. He always wants to know what our "plan" is for the day.
Owen loves to tell me "I am his girlfriend". Hopefully, it stays that way until he is 30.
If Owen gets a stain on his shirt, he asks for "Oxyclean".
He loves to put on chapstick and look in the mirror. He usually says he is a "good looking guy" or "beautiful".
Owen is very honest. He isn't afraid to tell me that my belly is getting fatter. One day I hugged him he asked why I hugged him. I said "because I love you, why did you hug me?" His response...."because I want a cookie".
He loves to look in the mirror at his "pretty blue eyes". We aren't lacking in self-confidence!
I know there is so much more, but that is all I can remember right now.
I just love this handsome boy more than he will ever know!
 |
| picture taken by ShelliRaePhotography www.shelliraephotography.com |
