Owen LOVES guns. He turns anything and everything (from a marker to a staple remover to a fork) into a gun. So that’s what he picked as his special treat when he was out shopping with Tom this morning. Here he is with it…and I have to admit he looks a bit scarier with the gun with his new haircut. 🙂
Finally, some really cute (and good) pictures of his new haircut…
And then showing “GRIMACE” (a recent Sesame Street word of the day) with daddy.
Owen was refusing to eat breakfast.
Me: Owen, you have to eat breakfast.
Owen: No!
Me: Do you want cereal or waffles?
Owen: No.
Me: Owen…come downstairs.
We start heading downstairs.
Owen: Pancakes…with chocolate chips!
Playing Xbox Lego with Tom, and Tom did something good.
Owen: I’m so proud of you.
Owen gave Tom a hug just after he got out of the shower.
Owen: Dad!! You just got water on my back.
Tom fell asleep on the couch so Owen brought his turtle night light out for him. 🙂
Owen desperately needed a haircut so Tom took him this morning so they could both get one. I told Tom to get it SHORT so Owen basically has a military “high and tight.” I think he looks SO much older!
And then him actually checking it out when he got home:
And with his new gun:
Holy crap. We definitely have a threenager. Owen was with Tom this morning getting a haircut and wasting time until Best Buy opened. He. Was. Awesome. The whole time. He even earned a treat at Big Lots. He was the picture perfect child.
Until.
They pulled in the driveway and got out of the car. Instant tantrum.
Seriously?
Nothing had happened.
He didn’t want to take his jacket off. He didn’t want to take his shoes off. He didn’t want to show me his new gun. He didn’t want to play his game (which he had banked a lot of time on for being so good). And on and on.
We were pretty sure he was just hungry so wanted him to eat breakfast.
NOOOOOOO!!!
Okay, a snack, then?
NOOOOOOO!!!
Crackers? Your favorite?
NOOOOOOO!!!
Okay, then you at least have to go sit at the table. (Which usually is a good way to kind of trick him into wanting to eat.)
NOOOOOOO!!!
I started my count: 1…2…3. Wow, I got to three. I rarely get to three. Which means I had to manhandle him to the table. Thankfully Tom was right there so he did it.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh my gawd. The tears and whining and drooling and non-stop screeching.
Owen, eat your breakfast.
NOOOOOOO!!!
Owen, please drink your milk or eat some yogurt.
NOOOOOOO!!!
Owen, what do you want to eat?
/unintelligible whining/
Owen, what do you want to do?
I’M NOT HAPPY!!!!!
/Cutting out about 10 full minutes of back and forth and lots of tantrum-y goodness./
Owen, if you don’t calm down, you’re going to your room.
At which point…he ended up in his room.
Long story short (yes, this is the short version)…about five minutes later we checked on him and he was calmed down enough to leave his room…and then he was happy as a clam and you’d never know he had even been whining.
SERIOUSLY?!
We just laugh when things come out of his mouth that we recognize as things we say to him all the time. The two big ones are “That is NOT an option!” and “That’s enough!”
At least we know he’s hearing us, right? 🙂
So it was Owen’s bath time and he was being his stubborn self whining about everything—whining to come upstairs, whining to get his shirt off, whining to take his underwear off, whining to get in the tub, whining to let me wash his hair—though of course he couldn’t tell me why he was whining other than “Because I’m not happy.” So I matter-of-factly told him I was going to give him his bath whether he was whining or not or whether he was happy or not.
After washing his hair I was just tired of it so asked if he wanted daddy instead…and he said yes. So we switched (he had Katie) and I heard some lightsaber sounds in there and it seemed like things were going better…when Tom came out to tell me what Owen had just said.
Tom: What’s going on in here?
Owen: Mama is very very upset with me and I don’t know why.
Kids.
So for the past week or so, Owen has started whining every night when it’s time to brush his teeth. He never complains about his teeth the rest of the day, so we thought he was just being an obstinate toddler who didn’t want to brush his teeth. For the first few days anyway. Then we got out a flashlight and our dental mirror to look at his mouth…and nothing. I jokingly thought maybe he had a canker sore—and we looked—but didn’t see anything.
And he kept complaining.
And whining.
Every night.
So we looked again tonight…and damn if he didn’t have a huge canker sore (though on his lower lip, not by his tooth)! Poor kid!
So we were watching this…
…and Owen was on the floor playing. He looked up and says “Go. No.”
Wait. What?
Me: Owen, what did you say?
Silence.
Tom rewound it.
Me: Owen, what does that say?
Owen: Go no.
Me: Owen! You just read your first word!
Owen: Can I have 15 minutes?
So…yay! He read his first word. But…boo! He’s switching letters (he also switches numbers).
So, Owen loved opening presents, but usually didn’t seem too thrilled with the actual item. But I knew he’d get to them eventually…so it’s fun to see what he’ll bring out of the toy room next.
Just now, he came out with three new packages of Cars cars that he opened from papa and Grannie Lin last night. 🙂
Walking into the doctors office…
Mama, I’m sorry you don’t feel good.
Awwww. 🙂
And he was REALLY good while we waited…
But the doc said it wasn’t strep or anything needing meds. It’s probably allergies or viral so lozenges, humidity, etc. I’m glad I’m not really sick, but I wish there was a pill to cure it. 😐
Thanks papa and grannie!
He wasn’t terribly interested in it when he opened it…got a little interested when he saw it in action…carried it around but refused to put it on…until bedtime when he HAD to have it! Fast forward 15 minutes and he was out of bed so I went in there and he didn’t want it on anymore and HAD to give it to me (versus just putting it on his dresser).
I’m sure it will get lots of use in the future.
Santa brought Owen Pascal in his stocking…
…so now Owen has to have him while he watches Tangled…which, of course, includes acting out scenes. 🙂
Thanks Aunt Beth and Uncle Jim—this thing is a riot. We all like it!
Well this morning was…not quite what I expected. I thought Owen would wake up and be super excited about Santa…but all he wanted to do was play his Xbox game. 🙁
We excitedly said “Owen, who came to visit last night?” and in the most quiet and bored voice simply said “Santa.” Not quite the response I expected. About 20 minutes later we convinced him it was time to check out what Santa left—and he was a bit more enthusiastic. Here we are coming down the stairs to find the stockings…
And then it was off to see the presents…where he got upset because Santa ate “his” (Owen’s) cookies—even though Owen didn’t want any himself last night or this morning—and then back to happy again remembering there were presents to open.
Of course, he was happy to pose with all the presents:
And smiled with one when I asked him to:
And enjoyed playing with some of the things:
But honestly, he seemed less than thrilled with most of his stuff (though I guess to be fair, it’s hard to get excited about clothes or games when they’re in a box). I mean, he enjoyed opening them (which I guess is good enough, right?) but then they were pretty much immediately tossed aside and it was on to the next present. (Yes, I know he’s three. But it was just such a change from last year when he wanted to play with everything as he opened it). He did like a few things (meaning he expressed some awe over them—like both new Xbox Lego games, his Cars cars, and his Indiana Jones minifigs)…but the biggest hit wasn’t even from us or Santa—it was a bug vacuum and fishing rod (that you put your iPhone in to pretend fish) from Tom’s mom that were both immediately turned into guns. And an activity box that was for Katie.
I guess I was expecting too much from a 3yo, right?
And less than an hour later, he was already done playing with everything new and wanted to play the stupid xbox game I had hoped would be forgotten about with the appearance of two new games. 🙁 I feel bad that I’m a little upset, but I just keep telling myself it’s not a big deal, it’s not a big deal, it’s not a big deal because I know he’ll eventually play with everything and like the games, etc…but it was just a bit disappointing because it wasn’t what I envisioned (and you think by now I’d know better).
There were lots of smiles and fun moments, though. 🙂
We Skyped with Grandma Marsha and Uncle Rob while Owen opened the presents they sent and some from Santa and mom and dad.
We had labeled everything with big name tags because Owen knows his name, so with just about every package he picked up he said “O-W-E-N spells me—Owen” and it was completely adorable. So then it was funny when we caught him opening a package for me and we said “Owen, is that yours?” YES! “Owen, whose name is on the label?” He looks for the label, sees it’s not Owen and immediately says “I’m sorry! So so sorry!” 🙂
Katie enjoyed the tags on one of her gifts:
And Charlie enjoyed a box in the middle of the floor—and watching everything from her perch:
And he was excited about this Captain America figure…
…until Tom pressed the button to make it speak and it freaked Owen out:
And he liked his trampoline…for about 15 seconds. (That was free so it may end up being gifted elsewhere because we don’t really have room for it if he’s not loving it.)
So overall I’d say it was a success, even if it didn’t go quite as we planned.
This is the first year we’ve left treats for Santa!!
Owen got a new pair of jammies tonight! And surprisingly, he even wanted to wear the bottoms (he NEVER wants to wear the bottoms).
I had pita chips and hummus on the table. Owen wanted a chip and he’s never had those, but it’s a chip so he was eager to try it. Then I pushed the hummus toward him and asked if he wanted to try it.
Owen: Is it peanut butter?
Me: It’s like peanut butter.
He dips a chip and eats it.
Me: Do you like it?
Owen: Turning the hummus around to see the label… No, it’s tomato. (It’s Tuscan Herb so the picture shows a tomato and basil.)
But I rewarded him 10 minutes for trying a new food!
Owen: Mom, what are these chips called?
Me: Pita chips.
Owen: Mmmmm. I like pita chips.
He continues eating chips.
A few minutes later he’s eyeing the hummus. I ask if he wants more and he says yes.
Wait, what?
Okay!
He dipped a few and ate them…so I asked if he liked it and his answer was still no. 🙂
Then he took the chips (and his milk) upstairs. About 10 minutes later he comes down—carrying the bag of chips—saying he needs “this” as he grabs the hummus, putts the top on and carries it off.
I texted Tom (who was upstairs with him) asking if he sent Owen down for it and he said no—“He wanted it. Said it is his lunch!”
Amazing!
Now…if only he likes it on another day!
He LOVES putting on Santa’s beard every day!
Out of nowhere Owen picks up an empty gift bag…
Singing Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you mama!
Owen picks up the jar of cat treats…
It’s time to feed the cats! /rattles jar/ Charlie!
Tom: Are you a ninja?
Owen: No, I’m Owen.
Me: Owen, are you a baby?
Owen: No, I’m Owen.
Prompting Owen to write an actual letter to Santa is backfiring, as he now wants stuff he’s not getting.
For the past few weeks we’ve been saying “Owen, would you maybe like ABC for Christmas?” Knowing full well it was already bought and wrapped. And of course he’d say yes because we know he’d like it. Now after a trip to Costco he’s asking for something completely new that he saw (which, on Costco trips before now, he’s NEVER wanted anything!)—and the specific color he asked for I found on ebay for pretty cheap so we added it to his pile.
So today when we’re actually writing the letter, he doesn’t want that color anymore, but a new color. Which he’s definitely not getting because Santa is DONE shopping. Sigh. I think we’re done with the whole “asking for what you want from Santa” thing…Santa will bring what Santa has already planned to bring. 🙂
Owen: I love those crackers…they’re so nummy.
Owen: I need to watch my TV show mom.
Me: No, not right now.
Owen: Mom, please please please? Please please please? Complete with cute cherub face and clasped hands.
Me: No, not right now.
Owen: I’m not happy anymore.
I kissed Owen goodnight on the head.
Owen: Hey! You just kissed my head!
We tried to go to a USMC family-oriented Christmas party tonight on base. We prepped Owen for sitting on Santa’s lap and for telling Santa what he wanted and everything. He was excited! We didn’t have high hopes of him liking the crowds, etc., so kept our fingers crossed it wouldn’t be too big or too loud.
Nope.
We were fine walking in. It hadn’t officially started yet so people were just milling around. He didn’t want to do any of the crafts except decorate a cookie.
I took him over to where Santa would be to get familiar with it…and he refused to even get near the chair.
Then as soon as the pre-party music started over the loudspeakers, he was done. 🙁 He wasn’t as freaked out as he was at Sesame Street Live (I’m guessing because it wasn’t AS loud) but he was covering his ears and asking to go home. So we packed up and left. Before the event even started. Poor kid.
And now I’m pissed we missed the EFMP (exceptional family member program) Christmas with Santa, which would have been super low-key and perfect. Next year…
WARNING: It’s a long video, because its the first ~8 minutes of the movie.
It’s much cuter in person—and when you’re familiar with the movie—but this is what he does EVERY time we watch the movie. Normally he sees me recording and hides but today he let me!
Me: Owen, you’re being really good.
Owen: Really really really really really good?
Me: Owen, do you have to go potty?
Owen: It’s zero, which means there’s no pee in there.
Um. Okay?
We were out on a walk so Owen could drive his car (he likes the street more than the driveway/yard, but obviously can’t go alone)…when what do we see parked in the cul-de-sac?? Owen was SO excited!!
