15 months

Dear Owen,

You turned 15 months old last week.  I can't believe how quickly the time is flying.  You started walking in earnest right around your birthday.  We took you for your one year well check the next day and you started taking big steps all over the exam room, walking from chairs to your dad and I and back again.  You never looked back after that, and now at 15 months, you are running all over the place.  We moved last month and now you have a dedicated playroom area in our living room and you love to run from one end of the house to the other (approximately a thousand times a day).  You are, as always, full of energy and life.

You are really good at smiling and waving and you make friends just about everywhere you go.  Your face is always animated and you will always tell people "bye-bye" when we're leaving.  Sometimes we prompt you, but more often than not lately you will just say goodbye without us telling you to.

You love the dogs and it's no surprise that you are trying to learn their names.  You call Milo "Mimo", which is probably my most favorite of all of your words.  I think you mostly say "ba-daw" for Higgins, which I think is because I usually call him the big doggie.  At least I hope it is you imitating me saying big doggie instead of bad dog.

You say "mama" and "dada" all of the time and you've even said a clear "Daddy" a couple of times.  You call your Mimzy "NahNah", which I think is hilarious.  You are starting to ask for your "muh" which is for milk.  You are generally a kid that calls things by two syllable names, like a ball is a "bah-bah" and the dogs are "daw-daws".  You also use the same "bah-bah" for bath.  It's fun to watch you learn the English language and try to communicate with us.  When I sit you on your changing table, you love to point at the map above you and say "mah".

Speaking of pointing, your newest hobby is to point at everything above you.  Mostly in the house, you point at ceiling fans and lights.  Outside, you hear every single airplane and helicopter that flies above us.  It's crazy what you hear and notice.

You love to be in the water, whether that means the splash park, the pool or the bathtub.  You are happiest when we are going somewhere and doing something.  On the playground, you are very obsessed with the swings but you have no fear of climbing up the playscapes and going down the big slides.  We have spent a big portion of this relatively mild summer outside and you have a tiny little farmer's tan to show for it.

You've recently taken a big interest in kids older than you.  When you've had the chance, you've loved playing with 5 year old boys.  It makes me laugh because it's almost like you should have been someone's little brother.  You have also recently taken a shine to all of your books.  You especially love anything by Sandra Boynton and you will sit and "read" her books for awhile every day.

You still eat like a champ, recently deciding that you need your own daily green smoothie just like your dad and me.  Sometimes you go through phases where you don't want to eat vegetables or another time it might be meat that you throw off of your tray, but overall, you haven't displayed any picky habits (yet).

You're still a monster in the growth department.  You had a weird wheezing episode around July 4th and you were down 7 oz from your 12 month check up then.  Less than one month later, you were up two pounds- so much for my hopes that maybe your growth had tapered off!  You seem to be destined to be a big boy.

We love you so incredibly much and every milestone you hit just makes you even more fun for us!

Love,
Mommy


15 mo Well Check stats

height:  34 3/4 inches (greater than 97 percentile)
weight:  30 lbs 5 oz (97%)
head:  greater than 97%, big all across the board!

12 Months

Dear Owen,

Twelve months!  One year!  It's amazing to think that one year ago we met you.  On the one hand, it seems like you've been here forever but on the other, it seems impossible that we've hit this year milestone.  More so than any other time, this is the place where I think I'd like to freeze time for a little while if I could.  While last month was so challenging in different ways, it is almost as though you were able to grasp all the things that frustrated you before.  You started to wave hello and good-bye to people when we are out and about.  You will hold your hands high when we ask "How big are you, Owen?" and we'll laugh and say "SOOOO BIG!".

We are considering "buh-buh" (bye-bye) to be your first word for all intents and purposes.  At the end of the month, you will occasionally say it when we get ready to leave and are saying our good-byes.  You still say lots of "ma-ma"s and "da-da"s but never really to us.  You will occasionally say "dau-dau" so maybe you are trying to say "doggie"?  Your ever expanding little vocabulary is very amusing.

You also walk when you want to.  And by walk, I really mean hurl your self from object to object (or person) taking a few independent steps.  You get especially motivated to do this when you're mad.  We're still waiting for you to figure it out and really take off.

Your birthday party was so fantastic that it deserves it's own separate post.  We had people in town all weekend and after they left, we got a last minute wild hair and decided to take you to Babe's Chicken House for a little family dinner.  Your dad and I had been earlier in the week and he happened to see a birthday celebration and thought we should do that with you.  You loved the food, especially the biscuits, and loved watching our young waitress.  She was happy to oblige us and they brought over the Babe's Chicken hat and sang to you over a biscuit with a candle.  When they first came over, you had a little shudder and your eyes got SUPER wide and for a fleeting moment we thought that you were going to scream and be miserable!  The worry was for nothing because you just sat there with your sippy cup and watched all the waitresses until they were done singing to you.  After the song was over, you promptly removed the chicken hat and threw it on the lit candle.  Luckily, Daddy moved fast and saved the hat from catching fire.

My favorite new thing has been your new obsession with your doggie brothers.  When you wake from a nap, I'll look at Higgins and ask him if he wants to go get the baby.  He immediately sprints toward your door and waits for me to open it so he can come in and find you in your crib.  When you wake up and see the dogs for the first time, you laugh and try to get their attention.  You are learning to play with them by giving them their toys for a little game of fetch.  You are still a little too rough at times (especially with poor Milo) but you are starting to learn that they aren't toys and we have to use gentle hands when playing with the dogs.

For your birthday, Gram and Papa gifted us a membership to the Arboretum.  Since the weather is getting warmer, I have a feeling we'll be spending lots of time there in the water.  We went once this month with Natalie and Jack.  You two boys had a great time splashing!

You got to go to your first Rangers game, which was also your very first sporting event ever!  Due to some snafus with the tickets, we ended up sitting in the seats instead of a suite but you had a great time and were on your best behavior.  Some teenage boys sitting next to us gave you a figurine of the Ballpark that they were handing out for the 20th anniversary.  You played with your buddies, Derrick and Nolan, and the three of you entertained all the people around us in our section.

We celebrated Easter and you got to participate in three Easter Egg Hunts.  I'm looking forward to next year because I think you'll understand how to do it a little bit better.  We celebrated two other first birthdays!  Your best friend, Neil, and your sort-of-cousin, Martina, both had awesome parties.  We played with all our playgroup pals at the Mom's Club Easter Party and Daddy got to come to that one too.  They had a little kiddos bounce house and a petting zoo.  You thoroughly enjoyed both.

Beyond just the dogs, there are so many things that you are just "getting" now!  While I sometimes feel small pangs of sadness that you are growing up so fast, each stage in your development has been better than the last and I am looking forward to you telling us what is on your mind.  This transition from baby to toddler is very cool from our perspective.  We had a VERY BIG and EXCITING April.  I think I feel this way after each of your monthly recaps, but this was definitely our best month ever.  You are such a special guy and we're so thankful to share our days with you.

Love,
Mommy


12 month well check stats

height: 32 inches (90th percentile)
weight:  28 lbs 11 oz (90th)
head: over 90th percentile 

Bits of Owen at 13 mo

• You say a few words here and there but my absolute favorite is when you say bye-bye because it comes out VERY Southern (more like buh-baaaah).  It's the best ever and I hope you never figure out how to say it right. 
• You are a walking fool!  You started to get the hang of it right around your first birthday and you are moving and shaking.  
• We spend almost every day outside.  You love going to splash parks.  I used to think those were terrible in comparison to pools but now I realize that they are 100% perfect for the toddler set.  You spend a lot of time with your buddy Neil and you two adore getting in the water.  You, in particular, like the frogs at the Arboretum because you get under the water almost like it's a shower. 
• We are just about finished with swim lessons.  You have done so well! I'm really proud of my big boy who can use his arms and legs to swim to me for 10 seconds underwater.  We're going to take a break for the summer so you can really focus on splash park fun :) 
• You don't drink as much milk as you used to because we fully switched from bottles to sippies.  You are eating like a champ, as always.  
• We are moving to a new house this month and you'll have your own dedicated playspace off of our living room.  It's going to be awesome.  I did a lighter shade of blue in your new room, which I guess isn't really a nursery!  Crazy, you little toddler.  
• You love your backyard swimming pool and water table.  I love the water too and usually don't mind to be splashed a bit so we're having a great time.