He doesn’t know what he wants, he just knows its not anything I’m suggesting.
Chip fail.
I tried to make sweet potato chips today…but apparently there is a very thin line between not-quite-done and blackened/smoke alarm going off.
Katie is six months old today!
Grandpa pants.
My most-used word on Facebook?
Why it’s Owen, of course. As determined by Wolfram Alpha analyzing my 3,930 Facebook status updates.
Dramatic Owen
Owen, laying in bed watching TV:
Today is a rough day. /pause/
I lost my dad. /pause/
I’m hot and sick. /pause/
I don’t feel good. /pause/
This is hard work.
Baby steps, right?
And Owen got up last night, too!
At 3am. 😐
And had to come in our room and announce he was going potty. 😐
Then left the bathroom light on when he went back to his room so I had to get up and turn it off (then tuck him back in). 😐
Baby steps, right? 🙂
I don’t want medicine.
This is what happens at the mere mention of having to take medicine. Poor kid.
We eventually snuck it in his juice, telling him that the cold juice cools off his fever.
GREAT JOB, OWEN!
So, I’ve forgotten to mention that Owen has been wearing underwear—not pull-ups—during naps and staying dry (which earns him 15 minutes!). Yay! We also tell him that any time he has to pee, he can get out of bed…though he never has.
So after about a week of that, we asked if he wanted to try underwear at night (instead of pull-ups) and he said yes! And so far…he’s had all dry mornings!! So now we really only use pull-ups if we’re running lots of errands or might be in the car for a long time…but even then, we ask him what he wants to wear and he usually says underwear!
So this is all leading up to today, when—during his nap—he actually woke up, went to the bathroom to pee—then went back to bed!!!! YAY OWEN!!! A FIRST!!
Oh, the whining.
This is what we get ALL. DAY. LONG. Whenever we ask him (or tell him) to do pretty much ANYTHING.
This morning it was me telling him we had to go downstairs, but he could still watch TV.
😐
Executive Decision
Owen is no longer allowed to order any food at restaurants. Or, rather, we are not ordering him anything for the near future.
He has wanted French fries lately so we went to Red Robin and ordered him a cheese pizza (one of the few things he’ll eat) with fries. He saw the picture of a chocolate shake and wanted that, so we figured What the hell, it will be a special treat (he’s never asked for one before, but he’s had some of Tom’s so we know he likes it).
So the meal comes and…he refuses to drink the shake, he refuses to eat the fries, and he refuses to eat the pizza. He didn’t even want the yogurt we brought from home. He just drank two glasses of milk.
Argh.
So from now on? He gets his favorite cheese crackers, a granola bar, or fries (if we get them) off our plate. No more wasting money on food he might or might not eat.
I need my frog!
Owen was playing and cracked his knee on his drawing table. Of course, the tears started. Tom put him on the couch and asked if he needed anything.
“I NEEEED MY FROG!!”
My first thought was Katie’s fluffy frog mat—and I was confused—but Tom was on the way to the fridge…for the cold pack frog! I was surprised Owen had even remembered it, as we’ve only had it out once or twice.
First and last day.
Today is both the first and last day for this new 6-9m onesie. FYI: Babies ‘R Us onesies tend to be on the small end.
The cuddling kidlets.
I took a super cute video of Katie playing with Owen’s face and then accidentally deleted it. So this picture is a screenshot from the video.
Owen is 3 years 11 months old!
I was expecting a tantrum or lots of whining this morning when I asked to take Owen’s picture…but he was REALLY REALLY good for me—all smiles as I had to keep retaking them because his eyes were closed or he had a really funny face.
Unfortuately, I didn’t get a GREAT picture…and I thought I’d take more later in the day…but he didn’t feel well so we went with what we had.
Owen and his gun
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. 🙂
Cute & Grimace
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.
Owenisms 7
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.
Turtle for daddy
Tom fell asleep on the couch so Owen brought his turtle night light out for him. 🙂
New year, new haircut!
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:
From angel to demon in seconds.
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?!
Katie Noises
December photos are online!
Trying bananas
Tonight we tried bananas. Tried being the operative word.
Things we say…that Owen now says.
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? 🙂
What a brilliant mom.
No, not me. 🙂
Mom Has Son Sign 18-point Agreement For iPhone
Dear Gregory
Merry Christmas! You are now the proud owner of an iPhone. Hot Damn! You are a good & responsible 13 year old boy and you deserve this gift. But with the acceptance of this present comes rules and regulations. Please read through the following contract. I hope that you understand it is my job to raise you into a well rounded, healthy young man that can function in the world and coexist with technology, not be ruled by it. Failure to comply with the following list will result in termination of your iPhone ownership.
I love you madly & look forward to sharing several million text messages with you in the days to come.
- It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren’t I the greatest?
- I will always know the password.
- If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads “Mom” or “Dad”. Not ever.
- Hand the phone to one of your parents promptly at 7:30pm every school night & every weekend night at 9:00pm. It will be shut off for the night and turned on again at 7:30am. If you would not make a call to someone’s land line, wherein their parents may answer first, then do not call or text. Listen to those instincts and respect other families like we would like to be respected.
- It does not go to school with you. Have a conversation with the people you text in person. It’s a life skill. *Half days, field trips and after school activities will require special consideration.
- If it falls into the toilet, smashes on the ground, or vanishes into thin air, you are responsible for the replacement costs or repairs. Mow a lawn, babysit, stash some birthday money. It will happen, you should be prepared.
- Do not use this technology to lie, fool, or deceive another human being. Do not involve yourself in conversations that are hurtful to others. Be a good friend first or stay the hell out of the crossfire.
- Do not text, email, or say anything through this device you would not say in person.
- Do not text, email, or say anything to someone that you would not say out loud with their parents in the room. Censor yourself.
- No porn. Search the web for information you would openly share with me. If you have a question about anything, ask a person—preferably me or your father.
- Turn it off, silence it, put it away in public. Especially in a restaurant, at the movies, or while speaking with another human being. You are not a rude person; do not allow the iPhone to change that.
- Do not send or receive pictures of your private parts or anyone else’s private parts. Don’t laugh. Someday you will be tempted to do this despite your high intelligence. It is risky and could ruin your teenage/college/adult life. It is always a bad idea. Cyberspace is vast and more powerful than you. And it is hard to make anything of this magnitude disappear — including a bad reputation.
- Don’t take a zillion pictures and videos. There is no need to document everything. Live your experiences. They will be stored in your memory for eternity.
- Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it. Be bigger and more powerful than FOMO—fear of missing out.
- Download music that is new or classic or different than the millions of your peers that listen to the same exact stuff. Your generation has access to music like never before in history. Take advantage of that gift. Expand your horizons.
- Play a game with words or puzzles or brain teasers every now and then.
- Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you. Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. Wonder without googling.
- You will mess up. I will take away your phone. We will sit down and talk about it. We will start over again. You & I, we are always learning. I am on your team. We are in this together.
It is my hope that you can agree to these terms. Most of the lessons listed here do not just apply to the iPhone, but to life. You are growing up in a fast and ever changing world. It is exciting and enticing. Keep it simple every chance you get. Trust your powerful mind and giant heart above any machine. I love you. I hope you enjoy your awesome new iPhone. Merry Christmas!
xoxoxo
Mom
Bath Switcheroo
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.
How would you like your graphic design?
Poor Owen
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!
Go on!
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).