Owen: 2.5

Two and a half came with the force of a raging rhino. Owen is simultaneously syrupy sweet and deathly spicy. If you don't understand that sentence, you probably don't know him well. Let's just say that Owen is a good 7-10 on the Richter Scale. I remember praying that he would have those qualities, and there is no denying that he does. My prayer these days sounds a little less like "please let him have a strong will" and more like "Lord, help him channel that for good and not for harm." He chooses to obey mooost of the time; I want to be clear that having a strong will is not synonymous with being disobedient, although yes he does choose to disobey often enough. He's also extremely independent. Yes, like a typical toddler, he wants to do things for himself. He is independent in that way, but he is truly an independent person. He plays by himself like a champion. Sometimes I wonder if he even cares that I'm home. He doesn't need anybody to entertain him or be with him or do anything for him. He loves to be around others, but he has fun by himself, too. He explores and figures things out for himself. He will go upstairs by himself and just play and play. He has been this way his whole life! (I do play with him, I promise.)

He is smart. Ridiculously smart. He knows a million words and says them well. I'm blown away by how clearly he speaks; sometimes in the middle of a conversation I have to pause and remind myself that he is only two because it feels like I'm talking to someone much older. It is my favorite thing! I couldn't wait for the day when we could have conversations. We now can, and I am here to report that he never, ever, ever stops talking. Ever. If he runs out of things to say, he'll fill the silence by saying "I am talking!" It's hilarious, sweet, and sometimes annoying. A few things I want to remember... he thinks the verb associated with scissors is "sharp."  Example: "Mama, I don't want you to sharp yourself, okay?" "Don't sharp me!" "Are you sharping that paper?" He also thinks the verb associated with a broom is "brooming." "Mama are you broomin'?" I also love how he says "mines" instead of "mine," every single time. Other things that I think are cute: For some unknown reason, I always ask "Owen, are you crazy pants?" and every single time, his response is "no, Ingy is crazy pants." Ha! He tells on Ryan and me: "Mama, I wanted to ___ and my dad said no!" He always says "my mama" and "my dad." Precious. When we act excited to see him or be around him, he feels like the king of the world. I started writing this post at the end of September since he was turning 2.5 on Oct 1. Today is November 4th, and some things have already changed. He has very recently stared hugging us a lot. He's never been physically affectionate, so this is a big deal, and I love it. He really can be so sweet.

Owen loves being around people, and knows nothing about stranger danger. He's crazy about his whole extended family. He loves socializing. See previous paragraph about talking. ;)  He'll talk to anyone and everyone about anything and everything. That being said, there are a few people with whom he is consistently scared, and instead of disrespecting his feelings or pushing the issue (which can be harmful, in my personal and professional opinion), I respect and trust his feelings. It's my job to take care of my child. It is not my job to make other people happy, nor is it his. Boom.

He is deeply intuitive!  He cares about how I feel. He notices how other people feel ("mama, that lady looks mad/upset/sad/excited/happy/whatever"), but it bothers him when he thinks I'm feeling any negative emotion. When I first started realizing this, I wasn't sure how to handle it. I do not want him to do things just to please others, so I watch my words and reactions very closely in this area. He always says "you is happy!" or "I need you to be happy," or "you is sad?" (Since I started writing this post a couple of months ago, that "is" has changed to "are," but I can't bring myself to change it here. "Mama, are you happy?" "Mama, are you frustrated?" Bittersweet.) If he hurts someone or something, or makes a poor choice, he has started feeling remorseful on his own. A few minutes after whatever it was, he will say "Mama, I'm sad. I'm sad about _____." Example; "I'm sad about throwing the ball at your face."

He pays attention to details and becomes obsessive about things. He listens to every conversation his ears can hear, and stores up what he hears for later use. He corrects us frequently. The other day I said something about a UPS truck, and he said "no mama, it was a Fed Ex truck." He was right. He's usually right about things. (eye roll.) He is freakishly good with directions. He can give you directions to our house, and seems to know how to get just about anywhere. When we go places, he just watches out the window the whole time and pays attention.

This summer I started teaching him some Bible verses. I intended to teach him one per month, thinking that's how long it would take to learn them, but he learns them the first day I try to teach them to him. We've stuck with one or two per month anyway. I know that he understands some parts of them, yet can't fully grasp other parts of them. Still, it's important and I think it's helping to shape his worldview from a Biblical standpoint. Off the top of my head, he knows Genesis 1:1, Psalm 136:1, Colossians 3:20, Psalm 118:24, and Proverbs 3:5. Owen, you teach me every single day not to underestimate your abilities.

He's still sleeping in his crib. He loves his crib. I ask him all the time if he wants a "big boy bed," and he usually responds with "mama I just want to still sleep in my crib." He can sleep in there until he's 5 for all I care. He usually sleeps 8ish-8sh with a 2-3 hour nap around 1:00pm. He is still wearing diapers and we have made no attempt to potty train. We are starting to have those conversations, but I'm in the camp that believes he'll let us know when he's ready. He can count, sing the alphabet, spell his name, and memorize every word you say at any point in time. He is constantly singing, and it's our favorite! He is obsessed with Daniel Tiger. He loves to play outside, and spends most of his time playing with his construction trucks and tractors. He loves playing soccer, and Ryan says he's impressed by Owen's skill. ha. He also enjoys Play-doh, balls, puzzles, giving us check-ups, and all sorts of imaginative play. His current favorite activities include wandering through our neighborhood and checking out the construction sites where new houses are being built, and riding his pony around the house (i.e. Ryan crawls around on all fours and Owen rides on his back. He says "yeehaw" and "whoa Nelly," and gets on and off just like he would a real horse. Hi-larious.) He is the most fun! He watches tv during his breakfast because that is when I get ready for the day. Sometimes it's on all day, but most days we turn it off after breakfast and don't ever turn it on again. I always ask him what he wants to watch, and his answer is always either "Daniel" or The Fox and the Hound. He goes to Kids Day Out once a week, and then his class at church on Sundays. He looks forward to those things and I usually have to remind him to tell me bye. His teachers always talk about how sweet he is. I wish I could spy on him all day long to see what he's like when I'm not there!

I still think Owen is a quality time guy. We go on "special outings" and I can tell it is exciting and meaningful to him. He is in 3T clothes, although I bought him 4T shirts for fall and winter in hopes that he can make it through the whole season without needing to go up a size. He's in size 9 shoes. He weighs 37 pounds and is 3 feet 5 inches tall. He's still off the growth chart! He is a lover of life and easily excitable. He is super serious at times. He's fun, joyful, and ridiculously perceptive and thoughtful. He will concentrate on something for a long period of time. He can read me just as well as I can read him. Seriously, there have been times when I have tried so hard to hide my frustration, etc.  (and felt successful), but he somehow still called me out on it. He likes to do things fully; he likes to do things well. He doesn't like unfinished business. He has a hard time leaving his playroom without cleaning up, or leaving a room without closing a drawer, etc. For a toddler boy, he's actually pretty neat and clean. I love all this about him, but I do hope he learns to be okay with the unfinished and the messy.

Lately we have had some rough days (see paragraph 1 regarding strong will), but overall we do have more good days than bad days. This past week has been so good. Things have been a little rocky since Ingrid came along, but he is (finally) sweet with her and loves her so much. If she isn't in the car with us, he says "wait mama, where's Ingy?" Someone Owen doesn't know was holding her the other day, and Owen straight up panicked and sharply screamed "I want you to get our baby back!" I hope and pray that they become good friends. He's becoming increasingly more interested in her as she is able to smile, babble, kick her legs around, etc.

Owen, as I always say, "I love you so, so, so, SOOOO much." Some days I wonder if we're going to make it, but I know we are. You are handsome, fun, smart, funny, sweet, spicy, thoughtful. I could go on and on for days about who are you and the funny things you say or do, but this post is already longer than I intended. You are a joy--a gift. I am confident that you are going to do great things.

*I want to add some pictures, but if I keep waiting for that, this will never get posted.

Ingrid: 2 months

Ingrid is two months old! She is beautiful. She is smiling and cooing now, which melts me instantaneously. Her smile is ridiculously bright. She still loves taking baths. She also loves soft things touching her face. If she is close to falling asleep but not quite there, she usually closes her eyes the moment a soft blanket touches her face. She is a calm, easy-going baby. She is content in her carseat, in her swing, on her playmat, in my arms, in her crib, on the floor. She's easy peasy! Owen, Ingrid, and I have lots of fun at home, but we do still leave the house every single day just to change it up a little and maintain the sanity of our family. Before she was born I worried that we would never be able to leave the house. I actually ended up getting out of the house with both of them before she was a week old because I was so panicky about it.

She weighs 11 lbs 6 ounces and is 22.5 inches long. She is wearing size 1 diapers (and some newborn that we're trying to use up, but it's a stretch) and 0-3 month clothing. She's been sleeping in her crib for night time and one nap since she was 6 weeks old. The transition from our room to hers was nothing for her. The first night she took short naps for the first couple of hours instead of a solid sleep, but that was the only "rough" part.

I've done the Babywise eat-wake-sleep routine with her, just like we did with Owen. It was the best thing for Owen and me, so I knew I was going to do it with Ingy, too. It helps us know how our days are going to go, and it also helps establish good night time sleep habits. She's eating every 3 hours during the day, usually 7:30, 10:30, 2:30, 5:30, and 745ish for her bed time feed. I am more flexible with it than I was with Owen. For example, sometimes her first feed is at 7, so then we do 7, 10, 1, etc., but sometimes it isn't until 8, so we do 8, 11, 2, etc. It almost always falls somewhere in between, though. She's usually awake an hour or so and then asleep for two or so. I wake her up if she is asleep when it's time for her next feed, again for the sake of night time sleep. If I don't wake her up, she usually wakes up sometime soon after that 3-hour mark anyway. For the past month, she's only been waking once a night to eat... except for the week we got home from the hospital. I think she got used to being woken frequently at night by the nurses, and it took her a while at home to sort that out again. Her night time feed is usually at 3 or 4 am, and then she goes back to sleep until sometime between 7 and 8. I always lay her down awake for naps and bed time, and she puts herself to sleep. We've done it that way since her first week of life, and it is so nice to be able to lay her down and walk away. Sometimes I rock her because I want to, but she won't usually go to sleep that way.

I might write a separate post about this so I will spare most of the details here, but this month we spent four nights at Arkansas Children's Hospital. She had Urosepsis, which is basically a complicated UTI. Look it up and you'll find it's a "life threatening emergency." Her white blood cell count was 49,000. Apparently "normal" is 5-10,000. On the copy I have of her lab results, it actually breaks down her white blood cell count into microliters. A normal range is 0-9. Hers was 132. Terrifying. We are having to also treat her for meningitis due to that insane number and inconclusive spinal tap results. We're home with a Picc line, which she'll have in until October 7th. When we got home from the hospital, her night time sleep was whack for a whole week (i.e. she woke up almost every hour, probably because she was woken up by nurses for a week), but she is now back to normal.

Her first real smile happened while at the hospital, and I teared up. In fact, it happened during her VCUG, which is a very painful test. The significance of that is not lost on me. I'd been waiting for her to smile, and for her to do it at a time when I felt so hopeless is not something I will forget. I think it's a small glimpse into who she is. I know I say this often about both of my babies, but I am so proud to be her mom. She is the loveliest and sweetest little thing. She is already such a bright light in our lives! I pray the Lord uses her in a special way.

Here are some of my favorite pics from the past month:

Ingrid: 1 month

How does time still manage to take me by surprise after all these years? Ingrid is one month old. Wasn't I just dreaming of having a second baby yesterday? Ingrid is the type of baby that makes a mom say "maybe we'll have more" while taking care of a newborn. Can't comprehend that? I couldn't with Owen, either. Ingrid is a DREAM baby. She's six weeks as I write this post, and I have enjoyed her so much. I rarely let her go during her first week of life. I remember one night that week I made myself lay her down in her bouncy seat while we ate dinner, in an attempt to make things "normal" for Owen, and I immediately had to run to my bedroom and cry because it was so hard for me to lay her down. Since that first week, I haven't been able to hold her as much because 1) it's best for Owen that I don't, and 2) I am a freak about good/bad habits, such as holding to sleep. It was fun while it lasted though. :)
 
Ingy loves to eat and sleep. She also loves to take baths; she has never cried during a bath! I remember googling "how to make my baby like the bath" when Owen was younger. ha. She is not a fussy baby at all. She has already changed so much. I swear I'll never forget a single moment, but I also know my present memories will soon fade to make way for new ones, so here I am, documenting her life as backup version of my mind. I don't want to forget the fullness of her cheeks, chins, and necks--my bulldog. I don't want to forget the way she puts her hands by her face when she's nursing. The way she bangs her head on my shoulder when she's wanting to eat. The way she makes a crying face for several seconds before any sound comes out. The way she looks around for Owen every time she hears him (which is basically every second of the day). The way I loved her instantly.

I have her on the eat-wake-sleep routine (Babywise), or the EASY routine (Baby Whisperer) just like I did with Owen. It was my lifeline with him, so I assumed with two kids it would be even more important for my sanity. At this point with Owen, we were on a schedule. His eating and napping times were the same each day. With Ingrid, I haven't done that...yet. I have a note on my phone that I started when she was three days old where I have kept record of her feedings and naps and wake times, all day every day, and it's still going. Yes, I am an insane person. I was intending to track her habits so I could make a schedule, but I haven't done that because what we have going on right now is working really well for all four of us. She typically eats every 3 hours during the day, but sometimes she'll go only 2 hours instead. On the three hour days, she's usually awake for one hour, then asleep for two. I do our bedtime routine and feed her usually between 7:30 and 8:30pm, and then lay her down for the night. I've done this since she was two days old. I'm almost always able to lay her down awake. She has always gone a long stretch at night. The first couple of weeks it varied from 4-6 hours, but now it usually varies between 6 and 9 hours. No, that's not a typo. Refer back to my "DREAM baby" comment. She'll usually wake once in the night to eat for 10 minutes, then go right back to sleep until sometime between 7:30-8:30am. I was scared to tell her doctor at her one month appointment, fearing reprimand or something, but he was impressed and made no mention of needing to do anything differently.

Speaking of the doctor, around week 3, Ingrid broke out all over the place with severe baby acne. It got so bad that I thought for certain it must be something else, but her doctor feels confident it's just acne, and encouraged me to wait it out. Now that she's 6 weeks old (today), it is improving, but still there.  She's starting to outgrow her newborn clothes and diapers. She's wearing a mix of newborn and 0-3 month, as well as a mix of newborn and size 1 diapers. At one month, she weighed 9 lbs 7 oz, and was 21 & 1/4 inches long. She basically grew 3 lbs and 3 inches since we brought her home from the hospital. I'm sure she's added more than that by now, but I will update her stats in her two month post.

Ingrid, you're perfect, darling. I am thankful to be your mama.