Her hair hasn’t been washed in awhile and it had the cutest flyaway curls on either side of her head—which were intensified by the breeze of the ceiling fan. I tried to capture it…
Also, a cute new outfit. 🙂
Year: 2013
That’s a lot of teeth!
I think Katie will have a full mouth of teeth in a few months. Here’s where she was on June 28:
Here’s what’s going on now—FOUR new teeth in the process of coming in:
Holy wah. Thankfully she hasn’t really been a terror (just like Owen—YAY!)—we didn’t have any idea they were coming in until we were changing a diaper and were able to see down her mouth and saw lots of new white points. 🙂
Regaining household real estate
The good thing about our second kid? As soon as she’s done with something, we can GET RID OF IT! Because we sure as hell don’t need to worry about saving it for a possible third child! YIPPEE!
So, within the past week, the jumper has been sold and the bottles and bottle rack have been put away (and will be listed for sale soon). We have now regained some much-needed floor space in the living room and counter space in the kitchen!!
Don’t get me wrong—it is a bit sad that we no longer need that stuff…but the declutterer in me is THRILLED.
Oh, and if you couldn’t gather it from the above statements about the bottles going away…Katie is DONE with bottles! She would probably still take them, but after her 12-month appointment (at which time she was still drinking a few bottles a day) I just decided I’d had enough (and really wanted my counter space back!) so I waited until she was good and hungry…and gave her milk in a straw cup. And she did pretty good with it. I kept a single bottle available for a week in case there was mutiny…but it never happened. YAY KATIE!
Chocolate Goatee
Someone was a little messy with his ice cream.
Making faces
Daddy’s Deployed Book
So, in addition to the Daddy Dolls, I also got Owen a personalized book called Daddy’s Deployed. Of course I had it for two months before I could even bear to read it myself…and then I made Tom read it to Owen the first time because I knew I wouldn’t be able to get through it without crying (I was sitting behind Owen so he couldn’t see me). Owen did pretty well during the story, but did get a little teary and sad. Especially on the page where we’re all saying goodbye to daddy with sad faces. 🙁
But he asked to read it again the next night…and it was up to me. I steeled myself and got through it…even with Owen being sad again.
He’s also been sad on and off throughout the day for a few days now…back to saying how much he misses his daddy. 🙁 Thankfully it’s not as bad as its been in the past…but I’m keeping my fingers crossed anyway.
So then this afternoon Tom overheard Owen playing:
Owen: When daddy is deployed we are going to send him letters and packages and call and Skype and he will love it!
Awwww.
We have a semi-floater!
Tonight’s project was trying to get him to float better. He could do it a little bit during the completion of his jump…but I wanted him to do it longer. It took quite a while—and daddy finally getting in the pool—before it actually happened.
But first, the prerequisite underwater shot…
A cool shot that looks like ice…
And cool new underwater blowing bubbles shots…
Attempting to float but really just jumping at me…
A cool faux-hawk…
Making mama happy…
Floating!
And on video!
When it was almost time to go in:
Me: Daddy, I think it’s time for I-C-E-C-R-E-A-M. Owen, do you know what that spells?
Owen: I got no idea.
Tom: What does I-C-E sound like?
Owen: Ice!
Me: Yes, so ICE-C?
Owen: Cake!
Me & Tom: [Laughing] Nooo.
Me: ICE-C-R?
Owen: Cracker?
Me & Tom: [Laughing] Nooo.
Tom: ICE CREAM! Doesn’t that sound good?
Owen: Ah, no thanks.
🙂
I love how his mind works.
Window Watching
I walked into Owen’s room to see him hiding (?) behind the curtains.
Me: Owen, what are you doing?
He pops out:
Owen: I can hear the ice cream man!
Katie + Outfit + Hat + Charlie
Here are the skorts in another color!
And later that day…
Massaman curry & coconut rice
Katie helped me eat leftover massaman curry and coconut rice for lunch. Owen even tried two bites of rice. Yay!
The Tipping Point
Our pool has reached the tipping point where it’s no longer refreshing—it feels like bath water. I’m actually contemplating emptying and refilling half (before Tom leaves!) to try and cool it down…though water coming straight from the tap is like 75° so it might not help much.
Daddy Dolls
We decided to get the kids Daddy Dolls and this morning was the deployment, so-to-speak. I thought Owen would be THRILLED…but as you can see, he was LESS than thrilled…even asking for another surprise.
However, he eventually did like it…
And even co-opted Katie’s doll…
Throughout the day, he kept going back to his doll, saying he was “going to go get his surprise.” 🙂
Katie, of course, chewed daddy’s face—since everything goes in her mouth (I didn’t get a good picture of it), but she did play with it later in the day.
Could the clothes be any cuter?
New birthday outfit from Aunt Marie, Uncle Doug, Gabby, and Robert. You can’t really tell from the picture, but the skirt is navy blue with tons of ruffles (and it’s actually skorts). I have other colors of the same skorts (also from Schwalms) so you’ll see them again in a better-photographed-color!
She loves the house!
Love that leg!
Breakfast Peek
Her attempt at playing PEEK after breakfast…
Amazon Associates Program Update
So about a month ago I got an email from Amazon Associates and long story short, North Carolina residents are no longer able to participate. Well, crap. I didn’t make a TON of money, but I got maybe $20-40 every quarter so it was a nice chunk of change (I added it up and since I started in 2009 I’ve made about $750). So I begrudgingly went to change my address (to let them know) and…hmmm…my address was actually still listed as Michigan so I obviously didn’t change it when we moved back here. But I looked at my sales records and noticed that I had very few sales from after they announced that NC was a goner. Hmmm. I wasn’t exactly sure how that could be possible—I mean, I’ve been getting a steady amount of orders every quarter—and suddenly NC is disqualified and my orders drop to zero? Even though I had a Michigan address listed and nothing should have changed? I guess it was possible, but for me it was too close to be coincidental.
So I sent them a detailed email and of course got a standard issue response that didn’t help me at all. I ended up calling them and having to talk to an Amazon Associates Specialist. Technically since we’re military and have a Michigan “home of record” address, I can remain in the program—but he assured me nothing should have changed and they don’t correlate my regular purchasing account/shipping address (North Carolina) with the other address on file (Michigan) so he wasn’t exactly sure why my orders dropped way off when the new NC rules came into effect. BUT! He was able to tell me that seven of the eight recent orders placed through my link were flagged as personal…though of course he couldn’t give me specifics as to how they determine who/what should be flagged…but hinted that friends and family really weren’t supposed to use the links because I’m not supposed to use it as a “discount program” (“we want new customers”). Now, while I can understand that to an extent…I am still bringing them BUSINESS they likely wouldn’t otherwise get. I mean, for one, I do get random people visiting my blog that could be shopping and for two, my parents are NOT internet shoppers like I am—so by repeatedly telling them to SHOP AT AMAZON I have increased Amazon’s business. But they don’t see it that way, apparently. They see it as ME getting a discount, even though I’m in no way buying the stuff myself. And of course you can’t argue with them because they can’t tell you how or why they decide to flag people. Apparently it’s kinda like Fight Club.
So…there are likely ways around it but they may or may not work well (depending on if Amazon correlates the shipping addresses with previous flagged orders)…but if you want to try, don’t use my static link to order. Just come here to the blog and use the Amazon search box on the right side column (it may move around as I redesign, but it will always be there somewhere). Or you can always search my store (Shop on the main menu bar) to shop for things I’ve recommended. Of course, if you don’t want to deal with it at all, I understand and don’t worry about it…
Owen is definitely a smart—kid.
So, let’s just say there was a MAJOR poop incident tonight that should NOT have happened because he’s old enough and smart enough to know better. As he was in the bath and we were talking about it and discussing future punishments if it happened again…it went like this:
Me: If this happens again, we will take away your Legos for a week.
Owen: And if you take them away again…it would be…subtraction.
I was stunned into momentarily silence because that was NOT what I was expecting him to say but he WAS technically right. Stinker. I tried to keep from laughing but I did chuckle.
Me: You’re absolutely right. That would be subtraction.
Owen: 🙂
Afghanistan is looming…
Well, the time is drawing near…we’re down to about 2–3 weeks. The original departure date was around August 1–5 but Tom has said that it might be a few days later. As far as I’m concerned, they can just as easily say it will be a few days earlier so I take every piece of news with a grain of salt.
That said, right now, the plan is for Tom to be gone about eight months. I still can’t believe I have two kids this time around. Looking back, 13 months by myself was a piece of cake compared to what I have in front of me this time (believe me, even though I’m glad it’s only eight and not 12 or 13 months…it will still feel like a LOOOONG time). Of course there is a SLIGHT chance he could be home earlier—but he’ll have no idea until after he gets there and things start moving along. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he’ll be home by Owen’s fifth birthday (February 2) but of course (!) I don’t plan on it. There’s that grain of salt thing again. (Also, return dates as early as December have been tossed around but I have ZERO hope of those happening. I take that one with a salt shaker’s worth of salt.)
Owen still seems to be doing okay. Every once in awhile he’ll say he doesn’t want daddy to go away and that he’ll miss him. I tell him I will miss him, too—and that daddy will definitely miss us. I asked if he wanted to see on a map where daddy would be and he said yes—but didn’t really seem that interested (though I’m really thinking he just couldn’t comprehend it). We’ll keep trying. We also have a big calendar to X off each day—since you can’t really expect him to understand MONTHS of time.
I do have Tom’s actual address already and will be emailing it to family but will post it on the Afghanistan Info page (linked in the static menu bar above) once he actually arrives there. There is also a new Goodies page and a USPS Shipping page linked as well.
Katie’s 12-month well-visit
Weight: 21lbs. 11oz. (was 20lbs. 14oz.)—down to the 65th percentile (from 81st)
Height: 30-1/4″ (was 29-3/4″)—down to 80th percentile (from 97th)
Head: 18-1/2″ (was 17-3/4″)—down to 65th percentile (from 79th)
For comparison, Owen’s 12-Month Check-Up was:
Weight: 26# 4oz (95th percentile)
Height: 32″ (95th percentile)
Head:47cm (75th percentile)
I’m REALLY glad she isn’t following in his statistical footsteps anymore!!
Once again, the milestone questionnaire they give you is a joke. I mean, sure I know if she’s walking along the edge of the couch, taking a few steps on her own, or saying a few words…but how on earth would I know if she “reaches for a Cheerio inside a closed clear plastic container”? And I haven’t had her attempting to scribble yet, so that makes me feel like I’m slacking. 😐 And those are the only two things that I remember—I should have taken a picture of the form.
But she passed everything with flying colors. She didn’t even make a peep when they poked her finger for the iron test! (And as usual, she pulled the band-aid off within minutes.) And she only squawked for like 30 seconds when she got her two immunizations.
The doctor was impressed with the foods that she eats and that we’ve already transitioned her to whole milk…and said we need to try to get her off the bottle by her next visit. I know, I know—I wish she already was but she has ZERO desire to give up the bottle.
Calm Cutie
Some mornings she’s a hot mess before she eats. Some mornings she’s nice and calm. Today was a good day so I snapped a pic of her cute outfit. I’ve completely lost track of which grandma got her which outfits…
I wanna see out there!
As soon as you open the blinds, she’s RIGHT THERE trying to climb up and over the couch to see outside. Especially if her brother is out there!
Me, too! Me, too!
And a great picture of her mis-matched jammies. It’s what happens when you have three-piece sets (one top, shorts, and pants)—you end up with odd pieces for a night here and there!
He doesn’t get yesterday.
At dinner, I asked Owen what his favorite part of yesterday was. He tells me when he was in the other room playing with R2D2. No, we tell him, that was just a little while ago before dinner. We tell him yesterday was the party—and ask again what his favorite part of the day was. He stops and thinks.
Owen: The big white slide that goes around to the water.
Us: ??? [Thinking…]
Me: Owen, that was the water slide on vacation two weeks ago.
We explain that yesterday was the big party when Miss Virginia was here and he played with the kids and in the pool and had cake and ice cream.
Me: Owen, what did you like best about yesterday?
Owen: Playing in the pool.
Well, finally there’s the answer.
Deckwarming & Katie’s Third First Birthday
Today was the big day of our Deckwarming party (and Tom’s going away party) as well as a mini celebration of Katie’s first birthday (technically her third first birthday as we already celebrated in Michigan, then she had her actual birthday on the 10th, and then today’s gathering). It was a long, hot, tiring—yet fun—day.
Party-prep is so much work—it never seems like stuff will take that long…but it always does. I was VERY thankful to have hired Virginia to come watch the kids while we did the prep because then I didn’t have to listen to Katie screaming because I wasn’t paying attention to her…and I was actually able to get stuff done! I loved what Virginia posted on Facebook—it’s classic Owen:
As usual, we had too much food (or maybe just not enough people?!) but then, I’m a Len and we apparently don’t know how to cook for less than 40 people (or are paranoid about not having enough food regardless of the number of people). 🙂 But everything was delicious.
The weather actually held out—it was touch and go for awhile with intermittent thunderstorms pretty much all morning and early afternoon—but it cleared up about 4 and was sunny and gorgeous (though the humidity was right at about 99%).
We had a good blend of old (Mitchells and Trimbles) and new friends (from my mommy group) and the kids had a blast in the playroom and in the pool.
Then it was time for the birthday cake. I had wanted to do something special for Katie so she didn’t fall into that “second kid gets squat compared to the first kid” thing PLUS after Owen’s Lego cake debacle I had decided I was never attempting to bake a cake again…so I asked our friend Ursula to make a cake. She has recently started making and decorating cakes and she’s ABSOLUTELY AMAZING (as opposed to my first attempt—see above Lego debacle post). Here’s the picture I sent her (that I found on Pinterest) along with her version on the right (I asked for the 1 on top instead of the ladybug and only two layers):
Amazing, right?
Also a big thanks to mommy-group friend Jacqueline who helped with my last-minute ice cream request (Doh! How could we have forgotten ice cream on our three trips to town?!) and pre-party kitchen cleanup (she arrived during the last 15-minute rush to get everything done, saw I was a bit overwhelmed, and jumped in to wash the sink full of dishes).
Some of the kids playing dress up:
Having a blast in the pool:
Wandering:
She made such a mess that we had to hose off the deck (thanks, Roger!) and give her a quick bath in the sink with Dawn detergent (I hadn’t planned ahead to have baby soap downstairs). Here she is somewhat cleaned up, back with Virginia again.
Since Owen was having so much fun in the pool and with the kids, we let him stay up late. This is about 9:30 right before he finally went to bed.
Thanks to everyone who shared the day with me and Tom!! And you can tell we’re all getting older…everyone had gone home by 10:15!! 🙂
Owen is getting better about trying new foods.
Amazingly Owen has been trying new foods! It’s still been VERY basic stuff…but we’ll take what we can get!
The other night I made a hamburger/tater tot casserole…and he tried both (separately) and liked them! We made hamburgers tonight and he ate maybe 1/3 of one! (We still have to bribe him—he couldn’t have more tater tots until he ate more hamburger.) And he likes things dipped it ketchup…AND yogurt…at the same time. (Barf.)
He tried chicken fingers—but he deemed them too spicy. (And honestly, they are a bit on the spicy side.)
He tried a peach and gave it a no. Even though he loves peach yogurt and eats the peach bits.
He even wanted to try gum (there were gum balls in one of his toys)—so Tom broke off about 1/4 of a piece—and Owen barely touched his tongue to it before saying “No thank you.” We made him actually put it in his mouth and start chewing—which he did…for about three seconds before spitting it out.
What a kid.
Owenisms 21
Me: If you’d like, your milk is in the fridge.
Owen: [Thumbs up.]
Owen: Mama, you watch your TV. I’m going to go play with my Legos.
Owen: Mama, can I have my dessert? I was a good boy sleeping long.
Me: No. You haven’t even had breakfast yet.
Owen: OH DANGIT!
It took me awhile to figure out what he meant because he was up at 7. But then he hopped into bed and cuddled with me while I slept to 7:30. 🙂
Owen: Mama, I need a new B.
Me: Why?
Owen: Because I lost my next one for good.
Owen: Holding up a Lego trident.Mom, what’s this gold thing?
Before I can answer—
Owen: It’s a trident. Who’s the underwater king?
Me: King Neptune.
Owen: Mom, thanks for saying King Neptune.
As I’m lifting Katie up onto the couch…
Owen: I want to hold my sister.
Me: Okay, on your lap?
Owen: NO!
Me: ???
Owen: I’m done [with dinner].
Tom: Let me stick a fork in you.
Owen: No! I don’t want to get little holes because I don’t like it and I’d be sad.
Trying to put his scabbard in his underwear and finding it difficult.
Owen: Mama! I need pants!
Sword Play
Just Owen being Owen.
Before & After
Every month or so we gather all the Legos, put all the correct pieces together, and see what’s missing. (I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before.)
Well, this month it was a net loss. We found four pieces that had been missing, about six of the same pieces were still missing, but then there were about eight new missing pieces. Ugh.
BEFORE
AFTER
DISFIGURED LEGOS
We struck gold twice.
So, when we were home on our recent vacation, we got out some old slides. I wanted to show them to Tom and Owen…but I was also hoping to find pictures of me in some of the outfits of mine that I’ve been putting on Katie. And we struck gold twice.
Green and floral shirt, circa about 1975-76.
And from October 18, 2012 (see original post here).
I’m thinking the shirt HAD to have shrunk, as I was obviously about 2 or 3 years old when I was wearing it…and Katie was 3 months old. I guess I’ll keep it around and try again when Katie is older, just for laughs. 🙂
And no, mom, I don’t think she looks like me. But I’m digging your plaid pants. 🙂
The second outfit is a blue jumper, seen here on me about early 1974 (unless I was sitting at three months by December 1973) with a doll in almost the same outfit.
And on Katie on November 11, 2012 (see original post here).
There is NO way that we look even remotely close in these pictures…in fact, I think I look a little like my older cousin Greg and Katie looks like, well, Katie. 🙂
Stay tuned for more old slides…
Jumping in the pool
At first it was the same old same old…putting his face under water and generally being a ham.
An underwater picture of Spongebob floating face down. It’s confusing because the sky was completely cloudy.
And then daddy came out and joined us once he put Katie to bed.
And then things got a little crazier.
His “Superman” jump!
Katie got bit!
So, Katie loves playing with Charlie. For the most part, Charlie doesn’t mind—but every once in awhile she’ll have enough and give Katie a swat (she has no claws so it’s not dangerous). Sometimes Katie stops…sometimes she doesn’t. Once in awhile Katie gets a quick nip and it shocks her but doesn’t really hurt her.
Until tonight.
She got bit HARD. At first we didn’t think too much about it but she was screaming harder and louder (and longer) than normal…so I took a peek…and saw blood. Yep, Charlie bit her hand so hard it drew blood. Poor kid. ((A day later you can still see the teeth marks and bruising.))