Owen is 8 Weeks Old!

It is hard to believe that Owen is already 8 weeks old!  Time is flying by and I know that before I know it, he will be turning a year old.  Here are some updates on little Owen...

• still doesn't like the pacifier... he will take it sometimes but most of the time gets quite angry that you even had the idea that he would want it
• starting to hold his head up a lot better
• starting to "track" things with his eyes (I first noticed him doing this on Wednesday)
• still likes to be swaddled when it is time to sleep
• the longest he has slept is still 4 and a half hours... and that only happened once - it is on average about an hour and a half (something I'm desperately trying to work on with him!)
• He is starting to like the swing to sleep in
• He still curls up his little legs in fetal position when I burp him after he has eaten
• loves to kick his little legs!
• still really likes the white noise of the blow dryer

We are starting to try and get him more on a schedule/routine to see if that helps him sleep better at night.  (Previously I would feed on-demand).  So far it is getting a little bit better - hopefully it will continue to do so... especially since one night last week he was up every 20 minutes.

Some pictures of Ethan on his 8 week birthday....

Here is a collage of some of my favorite pictures of Owen from 4-8 weeks old:

The top right picture is probably the best one of him during this time that I took... He is wearing the same outfit that Ethan wore when he came home from the hospital in it.   The small one in the top row second from the left always makes me smile when I see it... he's rooting for Ethan's player in Mario Kart, I think:)

Trip to Mount Vernon

Today Dave (my step dad) joined us on our trip to Mount Vernon.  It was a beautiful day (although hot) and Ethan being a little grumpy when we first got there.  I don't think he realized how much walking was involved with Mount Vernon!  It has been awhile since I've been there last, so it was nice to go back and see the sites again.

Afterwards, we went back to Mom and Dave's house to relax and have dinner.  Below is a picture of Dave with his grandsons:)

Harper's Ferry

Ethan has been watching the series "America: The Story of Us" on Netflix and I had mentioned to him that we live close to some of the places that are mentioned in the movie.  He asked if we could go, so today I took him and Owen to Harper's Ferry.  We saw where John Brown and his raiders were captured and where some of the arsonal weapons were kept, etc.  It was pretty neat to see and I think Ethan had fun.  We stopped so Owen could nurse and I asked Ethan what his favorite part was and he said, "Being with you."  Aww!  <3  (I'll have to remember this moment next time he doesn't listen!) 

Us in front of the Lewis and Clark "museum"

Next trip:  Mount Vernon:)

I'm Learning

Over the past 5 weeks I'm learning...

• ... It's OK for the house to not be spotless...  I'm learning to accept the fact that I cannot clean the whole house at once anymore and to accept cleaning it in small "pieces"  (this is really hard for the perfectionist in me)
• ... Housework is not going anywhere.... the laundry will still be there tomorrow waiting to be folded, the dishes in the dishwasher will still be there to be put away, the carpet will still be there waiting to be vacuumed...
• ...how to function on little sleep
• ... various ways of calming a crying baby that is not hungry nor has a dirty diaper
• ...It's OK for Ethan to ride his bike around the neighborhood where I can't see him
• ... enjoy every second when both kids are content, as it can change ina blink of an eye
• ... Dinner will not always be fancy; nor on the table by 6:15 anymore
• ... It's OK to ask Sean to help me with housework
• ... I can do a lot more than I thought possible with one hand holding Owen
• ... Nursing is hard at first, but gets easier
• ... enjoy my time with Owen while I nurse him... it is a time that we have just to ourselves that we will never get back
• ... I really did have a lot of clothes before I was pregnant (and I can't wait to be able to fit into them again!)
• ... at the end of the day focus on everything I was able to accomplish, not on the things I didn't
• ... to hear Ethan tell me something that he feels the need to have to tell me as soon as Owen starts screaming (and that absolutely CANNOT wait until after Owen calms down)
• ... how to cram a travel system sized stroller into the trunk of a Honda Civic (it's harder than it sounds but I think I have finally figured out the exact angle that the stroller needs to go in at and then when I need to turn the stroller so it will fit and the trunk will be able to close)

Ethan Can Ride a Two-Wheeler!!

On Wednesday we were outside and Ethan was riding around on his Razor Scooter with the other kids while I chatted with the parents.  It was then that the parents told us that they have gone on a couple of bike rides in the evenings and saw deer the other night when they went.  Ethan was so excited and asked if he could go, too.  We told him that he would have to ride a bike in order to go. 

Yesterday we went to Target and he picked out a helmet and we came home and I attempted to take the training wheels off of his bike...  I was able to get one off but the other was on really tight!  So Dave came over and took it off and then took Ethan to the school to try and teach him how to ride.  They came home shortly after with the news that Ethan was getting the hang of it, but couldn't quite do it yet.  About an hour later, Ethan asked if he could go to some friends' house and I said ok.  I called the mom shortly later to make sure he made it safely and she said, "Yup, he rode his bike here."  I was so shocked!  He must have gotten his bike and decided to try it by himself before he went over and he did it!  Unfortunately, no one saw him ride it for the first time, but we are all so excited! 

It may sound odd that an (almost) 8 year old is just learning how to ride a two-wheeler, but when we lived in the apartment, we didn't go outside very much because we didn't get home from school/work until 5:30 and then the evenings were busy with dinner, homework, etc.; and the weekends were busy running errands and church.

Owen is 4 Weeks Old!!

It's so crazy how fast time is flying by!  The days all seem to be a blur (guess that's from a lack of sleep), but I am so grateful to have Owen in our family.  He is just as cute as can be and I just love him so much!  It's weird to think of what life was like before he was born...  I know that he was meant to be in our family!  Here is a quick recap on what Owen is up to:

• The longest he has gone between feedings in the middle of the night is 4.5 hours, from the beginning of one feeding to the beginning of the next...  (each feeding takes at least 45 minutes, though)
• LOVES to be held!
• If he's crying, bouncing will almost always make him stop (or at least calm down)
• He snorts:)    (gets this from his Aunt Meg!)
• Still fits into Newborn clothes
• likes to look around at everything
• still curls his little legs up into fetal position... especially if you put him up on your shoulder and he's tired
• Hardly ever takes a pacifier
• Likes to be swaddled

Monday was Sean's last day of paternity leave and he left for North Carolina on Tuesday.  It was my first couple of days taking care of the two boys all by myself.  So far so good!  Ethan has been so great throughout the last couple of weeks.  I know these last couple of days have been hard for him, since he didn't have Sean to take him to do different things, but he has been so good for me.  We have our own little routine and he loves being a big brother!  When we take Josie for a walk, he pushes Owen in his stroller (and talks to him!) and I hold Josie's leash... I hope to get Ethan pushing Owen (and him talking and singing to him) on tape, but I doubt Ethan will let me.  Wednesday we attended the End-of-the-Season Swim Team Party; yesterday we battled the incredible heat and humidity for a little bit and went to the pool; and today it was simply too hot outside so we went to the local rec center and Ethan swam in their indoor pool.  Overall, a good week, albiet not getting very much sleep!

Here is a collage of some of my favorite pictures of Owen during his first 4 weeks:

I edited this picture and thought I would add it:)

16 Days Old

Owen's Birth Announcement

When Owen was just eight days old, I took him to a local professional photographer's home to get his newborn pictures taken.  They turned out so cute!  It was hard to choose only three to buy...  You can't even tell that it took about three and a half hours for the pictures to be taken because he kept waking up!  Above is the birth announcement I made for him and below are the three pictures that we bought from the photographer.  :)    (I made the white hat that he is wearing in the last picture)