Guess who woke up with a dry diaper and then peed in the potty?!!?! I hope this is the start…
Well, that was quick. (8:12am)
He threw a tantrum when I tried to get him to sit on the potty again. Oh well. Anyone want to do this for me?
Category Archives: Firsts
Owen vs. The Sprinkler
Aunt Rose bought him this cool water toy awhile back, but we left it in the package so it would be a special treat once we moved. Well, he keeps seeing it and getting super excited..so we finally got it out…and it kinda freaked him out. 🙂 He wasn’t too sure what to think of it…and he’s still not sure but he did have some fun with it.
No jumping for Owen!
We took Owen to a bounce arena (a new Jax business with lots of bouncy stuff), thinking he would LOVE it since he loves to jump and bounce on the couches, beds, and chairs. But apparently his love is limited to things he shouldn’t actually be jumping on because he was completely freaked out by the bounce houses and we got a lot of “NO THANK YOU”s. I guess we’ll try again in a few months.
First koi pond!
We went out for sushi so Owen got to see his first koi pond—and of course he loved it! But he was moving around so much this is the best pic I got!
Bite the B
This is something new he’s started recently…
Finger licking good!
I thought he might like the frosting I had just made… His first licking-out-the-bowl experience!
Eating a whole apple!
Owen didn’t want the apple that I cut for his dinner, but after dinner, he saw the remaining whole apple on the counter and grabbed it…and chewed on it for quite some time!
First cereal with a spoon!
Since Owen is getting pretty good using his spoon with his yogurt, we thought we’d try cereal in milk. It took a few minutes of telling him NO when he tried to eat with his fingers and showing him how to scoop with the spoon, but he eventually got it. Of course, he still tries to use his fingers some times…but then the next moment he’ll pick up fallen cereal and put it back in the bowl (instead of in his mouth)! But overall he did really well for his first try!
Lockdown is eminent!
Guess who got out of his room by himself this morning? And came downstairs with his blanket all smiles and happy? At 6am?
It looks like it’s time for lockdown procedures. 🙂
Opening doors–a milestone.
For awhile now, Owen has been able to unlock the sliding screen door and can now push the sliding glass door open if it’s unlocked. (He could probably unlock that door, too, though we’ve never seen it happen.)
However, today we hit a new milestone—he can open a regular door knob. 88|
I know…oh nooooooo!
So far, he’s only displayed his prowess on the downstairs bathroom door (probably the easiest door in the house), but I am sure it’s only a matter of time before he figures out he can open his bedroom door, too.
Ugh.
Of course we knew this day was coming, but as with everything else, we kinda hoped it wouldn’t happen quite yet.
First trip to the zoo!
The first stop? Penguins! He loved them!
Group shot!
There wasn’t much action in the arctic circle…except a tiny seal.
Watching the train pull into the station:
First train ride! We thought he’d love it, but he was fairly 😐 about it.
Owen did an amazing job during the three hours we were there—we had the stroller and gave him rides between stops and he was a perfect little angel. He enjoyed the animals we saw (a lot of them were hiding or sleeping) and said “hi” to and waved to them all (sooo cute!). He never ran off when he was out of the stroller and he would run back to the stroller to ride to the next spot. Such a good kid!
First sandwich!
Owen usually likes taking a bit of whatever papa has (cookie, cake, sandwich), so he’s had a few bites of PB&J along the way…which was surprising, because every time we’ve tried to give him jelly, he’s refused.
But apparently papa was the key, and Owen ate part of a PB&J sandwich while Tom and I were out. Of course, I require photographic proof or it didn’t happen 😛 so I got this video today!
We lost Owen today…for a few minutes!
We got home from dinner and I was messing around in the kitchen and Owen was playing in the living room and Tom was upstairs. Then Tom came back down and asked where Owen was. I said in the living room. But, nope, no Owen. So we started calling for him—which usually brings him running—but nothing. And we didn’t hear his pitter-patter upstairs (which is where he normally is when he disappears). We checked another favorite hiding place—the closet—and nothing. And he still wasn’t showing himself.
CRAP.
We started getting a littler nervous, even though we knew he had to be in the house—but your mind still goes crazy. Tom checked the garage while I ran upstairs…and nothing. He was totally gone.
:??:
The only place left was the basement—the gate was open, but it’s almost always open and he NEVER goes down there. In fact, he’s only been down there once with us. So Tom ran down there, calling him…and guess who was sitting at my computer giggling? :>>
Hopefully this is the first and last time we lose him. 😮
Busy, busy day!
We went to the park with Gramma Jean and showed her how much Owen liked the slide!
Playing with ants!
Then we came home and Owen and Gramma were reading a new book—and Owen was telling us a big story!
Then we went out for pizza—and Owen sat in a booster for the first time! And he did great! And ate two pieces of pizza!
Then, Tom and I went to Costco…to pick up the huge bear I saw earlier and had decided not to get…but Tom wanted to get it.
Owen wasn’t too sure about it at first…but now he loves it!
Owen went potty!!
Owen peed on the potty chair tonight! Totally unexpected! We went to change him into his night diaper and he was dry. So my mom (Gramma Jean!) said “Let’s put him on the potty.”
And we did.
And encouraged him.
And waited.
And after a few minutes we pulled him off since it seemed like nothing was happening…but there was a full potty!! Oh my god—we screamed and clapped and practically threw a party!! He seemed happy, but I’m not sure if he really even knows what he did (other than from us making a fuss over it) because he was watching TV while he was on the chair and he seemed way more concerned with that than with what he was/wasn’t doing on the potty.
Oh, I know it could just be a fluke and nothing else might happen for a long time…but I have to be prepared either way.
What a way to celebrate his 27-month birthday. 🙂
Shoes!
Owen put his own shoes on for the first time today!
They were Crocs, so it was pretty easy…but the second one was a bit of a challenge that required me to lend a helping hand to steady him while he slipped his foot in.
Naptime meltdown!
We just had our first 3-minute naptime meltdown because he wanted more “backgens” (Backyardigans).
Yes, three minutes.
Yes, the first one.
Yes, I know I’m lucky. 😮
Early Easter Fun
Since we will be out of town with family on Easter Sunday, we decided to have our (very first!) egg hunt this weekend when Grandma Marsha and Uncle Rob were here. Of course it was really cold, so the outside hunt turned into the living room hunt. These videos are waaaay long, but it’s mostly for all of the grandparents. 🙂
Easter Egg Hunt in the Living Room (9m04s)
He ended up liking the plastic eggs more than the hunt OR the goodies in the eggs.
Giving Owen His First Bike (6m42s)
He loved looking at and playing with the bike the best…but wasn’t too terribly sure about actually getting on and using it.
New Bike Helmet
We decided we wanted to get Owen a balance bike, but since he was still a little young (and the weather isn’t really outside weather on his birthday), we waited…and lucked into an online sale…so it became an Easter present! Tom put it together last weekend, and then we waited for the helmet to arrive. The first one we ordered didn’t fit (although though the measurements were correct, his head is extra round at the temples so it just didn’t work), so we had to reorder a YOUTH helmet, which came today.
We were worried he might not like it at all—as generally speaking he doesn’t like hats and tries to pull them off—but as soon as he saw it, he grabbed it and tried to put it on his head. 🙂
Then was a little impatient when Tom took it to try and adjust it to better fit him.
Then he was trying to snap the pieces together.
Just hanging out, watching Little Einsteins.
Sitting ever-so-patiently while Tom fiddled with the sizing. No squawking. No wiggling. Nothing. Hopefully it goes that well when it comes time to really wear it.
And hopefully he actually LIKES the bike, as so far we’ve not had too good a record with sit-on-type toys.
The latest new words!
Change
Pie
Acorn
Push
Giraffe => Actually just raff right now.
Waterfall
Look
Castle => He called a church a castle as we were driving by. 🙂
Horse
Ernie
Working
Unicorn => Actually just corn right now.
Spooky
Ham
Table
Soap
Button
Clock
Space
Pet
And he tries REALLY hard to say Sphinx (thanks to a Little Einsteins episode).
So, we’re right around 200 words, if you count the letters of the alphabet. :up:
My morning shocker!
So Tom left for a work trip this morning. He planned to leave at 7:30, which meant he’d be here to get Owen up. In cases where the timing works like this, I get to “sleep in” and then he always wakes me up before he leaves…so when I woke up at 7:30 I assumed he was still home/just getting ready to leave.
So as I walk by Owen’s room I see he’s not there, which fits what should be. The bottom stair gate is closed, which also fits. But as I get to the living room, I see Owen…but no Tom…and the TV isn’t on. I quick checked the garage and yep, Tom was gone.
❗ 88| ❓ 88| ❓ 88| ❗
Yeah, Owen got up on his own, forced his way out of his room (his room was too hot last night so we opened his door and propped a heavy container of change against the screen door thinking he wouldn’t be able to get out OR my mom-hearing would hear it if he was able to move it), made it downstairs, and was sitting on the couch saying “Watch! Watch!”
I had no idea how long he’d been up, so I called Tom who said he left at 6:15 and Owen wasn’t up then… But still, Owen could have been wandering/waiting for an hour!!! But from what I can tell, he didn’t get into anything bad and probably just played and waited for the TV to turn on! (I’m really surprised, too, that he didn’t come down to our room!)
So, that was my shocker. Good morning, indeed!
Owen vs. The Meatloaf
Tonight we had meatloaf and Owen REFUSED to try it. I was 95% sure he’d like it (I mean, he likes other beef and has eaten [and enjoyed] meatballs in the past), so we did what we never do and forced a piece in his mouth, with him wiggling and screeching the whole way.
Then watched as, hmmmmmm, he realized it wasn’t disgusting. And that he might actually like it. Then watched as he shoveled in a HUGE piece almost as fast as his little fingers could move.
The little shit.
I really don’t want to force food on him, but maybe we have to? At least things we’re fairly sure he’ll like?
He didn’t touch the asparagus but I didn’t press our luck. 🙂
Owen sees his bike!
I just hope he’s as excited to TRY it as he is to SEE it in the box.
First bowl of ice cream
Owen has certainly had ice cream before, but today we went to Oberweis Dairy with Papa and Grannie Smith and ordered him his very own bowl (instead of just feeding him bites of ours or letting him lick our cones).
When he got down to the bottom of the cup he was having a hard time, so Tom took over feeding him.
Then the manager came over to check on us, and gave Owen a balloon and some stickers!
Owen’s first night in a big boy bed!
6:30pm
We start tearing apart his room—taking his crib apart, taking out furniture, bringing the double bed in, moving the video monitor. He’s watching it all and is having fun pretend sleeping in the sideways crib, saying “BED!” when he sees the bed coming in, and playing with toys that have been lost under the crib.
8:35pm
Tom takes him up to put him to bed. We watch him put him back into the bed twice before he leaves and shuts the door.
8:37pm
Owen is CRYING, up out of bed, and turning the light on. I beeline upstairs and go in, wordlessly put him back in the bed, and sit on the floor at the end of the bed. He keeps trying to get out, crying and turning on the light. I keep putting him back and sitting at the end of the bed on the floor.
8:45pm
Owen is cuddling on his bear with his B and things seem to be calming down, but every time I slide a bit closer to the door, his head pops up to see what’s going on. I get up to turn out the hall light (since the door was open) and he climbs out again. I put him back.
8:50pm
I am sitting in the middle of the doorway, half in his room and half in the hall. He seems to be okay. I start pulling the door shut a few inches at a time. Again, he looks at me and stirs every time…but stays quiet.
8:56pm
I’m 100% in the hallway and the door is almost closed. Of course the only place in the entire hallway that squeaks is right outside his door.
9:05pm
I shut the door super quietly and listened. Nothing.
9:08pm
I text Tom (who is downstairs and can see the monitor) to see if he’s still in bed. Yes, he is.
9:10pm
I head downstairs and Owen seems perfectly fine.
Thank you, Supernanny. :up:
Our life has changed.
7:15am
I wake up, roll over, and turn on the monitor to see what Owen’s status is. He’s awake, but just laying there like he normally does. So I decided to take a quick shower since I had a morning appointment.
7:25am
I took my normal five minute shower, got dressed, and went to get him. I thought I heard clunking noises coming from his room that didn’t sound like his normal knocking on the wall, momentarily thought that maybe Tom came home for something he forgot, but then figured I was either hearing things or it was coming from outside.
7:27am
I open his door—and immediately notice the light is on. Huh? What? Oh, I figured my dad was probably in there with him, having heard him when I was in the shower. But upon fully opening the door, there was no dad. Heck, there was no Owen! 88| I think my heart actually skipped a beat: OWEN WAS NOT IN THE CRIB!!! I turned and there he was, playing with the closet doors (the strange clunking I had heard)!
Oh.
My.
God.
This meant he could get out of his crib. NOT. GOOD.
He seemed no worse for the wear—so he obviously didn’t hurt himself in any way during his escape. But I was clueless how he’d managed it. Did he get out onto the dresser (which is right next to the crib) then drop onto the floor? Or did he just jump over? And more importantly, was this a freak occurrence or might it happen again (now that he knows he can do it)? What surprised me is that his B (blanket) was still in the crib. I thought if ANYTHING would send him over the edge (no pun intended) it would be when he tosses his B over the side and can’t get it. But the B was safe inside the crib.
Hoo boy.
Of course, just yesterday I was talking with my stepmom (Grammy Lin) about how he loved his crib and never even tried to get out and we’d leave him in there until he was four if we could. 😮 So, I jinxed it. Dammit.
So we took the Pillow Pet out of the crib, thinking maybe he used that as leverage to get out. There is a bumper in there, but it’s covered with the breathable mesh bumper, so I don’t think he can get a good foothold on that.
11:31am
So we decided to just see what happened when we put him down for his nap. It went as expected, just like always, with us putting him in, him wiggling around to try and find his sweet spot, and then…
11:38am
I watched Owen climb out of his crib. Of course I couldn’t see the whole thing because the camera just focuses on his crib—but I could see him throw his leg up over the side (not stepping on anything or using the bumper) and by the time I ran upstairs, he was out. It was near where the dresser is, but I’m not sure if he slid onto the dresser and then down or just straight over the side. Again, he wasn’t hurt, so he didn’t bang into the dresser or anything. He was NOT happy to be put back in the crib, either.
11:41am
I rush to our room to turn the monitor on to watch him again—and it’s pure static, which means somehow the camera came unplugged or the plug (power) got pulled. So I couldn’t see him and had to rely on listening to see if he escaped again. And I was paranoid. I waited a good 10 minutes and didn’t hear another thunk or hear him playing with the closet or crying…so I assume he’s napping.
So, I guess we rearrange the room tonight and start a new chapter. I’m so not ready for this.
I had it planned that we’d transition him when we moved—using the Double bed that we have—figuring we’ll have fewer visitors and won’t need the bed for guests. So now…we have to adjust that. Ugh. We don’t really want to use a toddler bed (because then he’d just have another transition moving to a Twin or bigger) and why buy a Twin since we do already have the Double?? So we’ll probably just use that (even though it will take up most of his room) and Uncle Rob will have to use the air mattress in the guest room. 🙂
Sushi?!!?!?!
At our sushi buffet lunch today with Grandma Marsha and Uncle Rob, Owen was intrigued by the stuff on my plate so I let him grab a piece of sushi…which he proceeded to (of course) dip in yogurt and try to take a bite of!!!!!!!111!1!!
He didn’t get much of a bite—and then the roll basically fell apart—but it’s the first time EVER he has reached for something on our plates that was new to him! He then proceeded to eat a few small bites of tempura sweet potato and Korean beef!!
Knock me over with a feather.
Everyone at the table (well, mom and dad especially!) was cheering madly. The other patrons surely thought we were insane. 🙂
Birthday Party!
I was really excited about decorating Owen’s cake as a baseball—I baked part in a round Pyrex bowl and did a flat bottom layer. That part went fine. The frustrating part came when I tried to decorate it—the tiny tube of “cake decorating gel” I bought was basically useless—it was too sticky and didn’t come out of the tube evenly, making the lines and intricate designs of the stitching impossible. So I was bummed.
Owen noticed the gifts on the table and wanted to sit in the chair, so we put him up there and Gramma Marsha gave him a car from one of the bags so then he played with that and the peeked into a bag and found another car. So he was playing with both of them…and making car noises! (He had never done that before!)
Then I decided to give him one of my gifts—a box of 10 Matchbox cars—and this is him seeing them in the box and signing “more!”
Taking a break from playing with his cars.
He loves having Happy Birthday sung to him!
Enjoying the cake!
Everyone who was at the party!
First Ride
First play group!
We had our first formal daycare-type play group this morning. Owen loved the free play but wanted nothing to do with the circle/singing time or the art project—crying, snotty, the whole nine yards. Of course he was the only one refusing, but I also think he’s the youngest (only one under 2)—most were 2½-3—and I’m pretty sure most of them had been in that class before. The teacher assured me it was okay/normal, and said after a few weeks it might get better.
He did like snack time, though, and had everyone else dunking their crackers in their apple juice. :DD