Park n' Fly

Steve discovered a park to take Owen to watch airplanes - directly under the flight path, about a mile away from the runway.  I have a feeling we will be spending a LOT of time here this spring/summer. 

Pictures always seem to make the planes look like they are farther away.  I wish I could take a picture that showed how close (and loud) these things really are.  But for now, a quick shot from my cell phone is the best I can do.

(In case you are wondering what O is doing in this pic - he was waving to the airplane.  We like to wave.)

Stick A Fork In It - He's Done

Since I feel like all I do is complain about Owen's recent initiation into the Terrible Twos, I was a little worried about Steve going back to work and leaving us alone to fight it out ‘mano-a-mano.’ But, I had a little chat with myself and decided I needed to be a little more understanding that Owen is going through a normal developmental phase and I needed to take it all a little less personally. And…we had a great Mommy and Me day today!

We made one small trip to Target to buy me some shoes and Owen some plastic plates. Shopping carts are currently one of our major “issues” so it was a daunting task but it turned out ok. Then we just played and played at home (it was pouring rain today.) We played trucks, we played chase, we played tickle-fight, we played on the couch cushions on the floor, we read books, we watched Elmo, we played in the bath and we only had one minor meltdown. But, it was right before dinner and I’m cranky when I’m hungry too. All in all, a great day.

So in the spirit of new development milestones, good and bad, Owen has starting doing two new noteworthy things. One is using “Mama” and “Dada” to call for us when we aren’t there. He’s been saying them for awhile – then he started saying them when he saw pictures of us – but now he’ll be in another room and I’ll hear “Mama!” when he wants me to come in. It’s the best feeling! Yesterday, he woke up from his nap and I heard him calling me over the monitor. So cute.

The other milestone is he’s getting more proficient at using a fork and spoon. He used to get about 10% of what he aimed for on the fork. Now he’s running at about 50/60%. I took a few pictures of him practicing with his Annie’s Bunny & Cheese. Enjoy!

Lunar Lunacy

Owen and I have been going through a rough patch lately.  The days have been more challenging than usual: he is moody, easily frustrated, lots of tantrums and alternates from not wanting anything to do with me to not wanting anything but me.  The most frustrating part is that the majority of his crankiness seems to be directed only at me. 

The first few days, I thought he might be getting sick.  Ok, kind of hoped he was getting sick.  But a few days passed and nothing but a few sneezes here and there.  My next thought was, maybe there is something in the heavens happening that is causing everyone to be a little off?  For me, this week has been filled with little, unusual annoyances.  My drawer in my kitchen broke; my keycard for work fell off halfway through a long lunch break walk and I had to retrace my steps to find it; my dog escaped from the yard twice; I had a horrible headache that wouldn't go away even after lots of drugs; I vacuumed my floor and some kind of crayon shavings were ground into the carpet by the vacuum.  All normal, minor annoyances but when they come in rapid succession you tend to take notice. 

So, I Googled 2010 eclipses and lo and behold...According to NASA, there was a Annular Solar Eclipse on January 15th!  So do I believe that eclipses could be the cause of all these issues?  Well, astrovip.com points out that eclipses cause mood changes and imbalance in people.  And if astrovip.com says so, I believe it.

There is one other possibility for Owen's mood.  It's hard for me to even bring it up as an option because I'm not ready for it.  Not yet.  But it's quite possible that Owen is entering the "terrible twos."  But Owen isn't even a year and a half yet!  How could he be in the terrible twos already?  Because he's gifted.  Just kidding. Here is a good description I found of the terrible twos:

Two-year-olds have long been saddled with a bad reputation. Alternately clingy, whiny, negative, fearful, and loud, their unpredictable behavior is epic, and it's often been written off as the "Terrible Twos." But just what does this dreaded moniker mean?

The Terrible Twos are often characterized by oppositional behavior, mood changes, and temper tantrums. "No" becomes a favorite word. All are considered normal parts of child development, say the authors of "What to Expect: The Toddler Years." This is in part due to the fact that a toddler's ability to communicate hasn't caught up with his desire to communicate, hence his frustration and challenging behavior.

 

Like other childhood phases, the age range is fluid. The Terrible Twos can begin shortly after your child's first birthday or not until they are closer to age 3.

 

*Sigh* Say it ain't true.  I'm still going to stick to my eclipse theory for another week or so.  In the meantime, enjoy this helpful "Terrible Twos Countdown Calculator" I found online.  Never in a million years would I recommend this tool to anyone I know.  How is this helping me in the slightest?!?!

Thou Shalt Not Brag About Your Own Kid

Warning: if you brag about your kid, you pay the price.  The day after I posted Ferber Rocks and bragged about Owen sleeping so well, we had a rough night.  Lesson learned.  Lesson learned.

Ferber Rocks

Ok, this is going to sound like I'm bragging - and I am...but Ferber rocks.  Tonight was the 2nd time I had a friend over during Owen's bedtime and both times I got major props for how easy Owen goes to bed.  Both friends were shocked after I walked downstairs after being up there for 5 minutes.  I  absolutely hated letting him cry it out when he was 10 months old, but it has been the best thing for all of us...and I'm so proud of Owen!  Now if I could just get him to sleep somewhere other than his crib...but that's another story.

Blood, Sweat and Tears (without the blood or the tears)

This morning, my friend Allison invited Owen and me to a playdate at The Bouncy Place.  I was a little nervous because Owen is still fairly young for these kinds of places.  It’s easy to assume he can do the same types of things that 2 and 3 year olds can do because he looks like a 2 year old. But when it comes to confidence, coordination and ‘survival of the fittest’ as is often the case when a bunch of kids are together, he is certainly still a 16 month old. But, I knew that I could go on the bouncy toys with him and I could help as much or as little as needed.

The playdate was at 10am. Owen woke up at 9:45am (and so did I). I momentarily considered not going for 2 reasons: It was so late and I had some major stomach issues happening that I can only assume were from some poor choices I had made for dinner the night before. But, not going would mean that I would have to deal with the mommy guilt later, so we threw on our clothes – foregoing the shower (this will become important later in the story) – had breakfast in the car and got to The Bouncy Place at 10:15am.

**A notable moment happened while I was paying our entrance fee, but is not pertinent to the story…I had my wallet open on the counter and my driver’s license was facing up and Owen pointed to it and said, “MAMA!” Heart melting moment.**

We walked through the big doors into the bounce room. I had pictured this place with a couple trampoline-type bouncy things. This room had about 15 different structures – some just bouncers, some obstacle courses, some slides and some that were combinations of all 3.

My fears of Owen getting pushed around by older kids never really happened. Mainly because this place was so huge, there were never more than 2 or 3 kids on one structure at once, but also because Owen didn’t spend much time on the bouncers. I tried to take him on a couple but he didn’t really get what they were or why they were fun and I think it annoyed him a little to be so off balance when he walked over the air. Owen did love running around the warehouse and screaming his “happy scream.” There was a huge inflated semi-truck (see Transporter picture below) that he loved looking at, but not playing in.

As a last resort, I took him up one of the slides (see Adrenaline slide above.) In order to get to the top of the slide, you have to climb up the “bouncy ladder.” Imagine a cross between a rock wall and a ladder but if they were made of balloons and they shifted under your feet when you stepped on the foot holds AND there are other kids bouncing on the structure so it’s like an earthquake at the same time. Difficult enough if you are climbing alone – extra difficult when you have to carry your 27 pound kid up with you. Luckily they have ropes strung along the side so you can use your one free arm to help pull yourself up.

We slide down together. Owen signs “more.” We climb up and slide down again. Owen signs “more.” Repeat. Repeat. Take a break and watch the semi-truck for awhile. Slide. Slide. Slide. Break. Slide. Slide. Break. Slide. Break. We hear the “closing time!” call. Thank god.

It was about halfway through the sliding sessions that I realized I not only should have taken a shower, I should have applied extra deodorant, taken a whole bottle of Tums and maybe did some stretching prior to this playdate. It wasn’t pretty. All the moms with 2 and 3 year olds were chatting outside the bouncy houses while their children played together alone. I was the only mom being an “active participant.” Although, I looked around and there were quite a few DADS participating. I think next time, this might be a great place for Steve to take Owen!

Twenty-Ten

Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010!

I think it was a Frazier episode I saw once that basically said, "if you have a nice bottle of wine - it's not meant to be saved and never enjoyed, drink it and enjoy it."  My mom gave us this bottle of wine for our 5th wedding anniversary in September.  I had been saving it for a celebratory dinner of some kind, but when you have a small child - those dinners are hard to come by.  I decided that the eve of 2010 was as good of a reason as any to crack it open and enjoy it.

One Papa Murphy pizza and the movie, "The Hangover" later, the bottle was empty and we were ringing in 2010.  Brunellos are....so....good.  A belated thank you to my mom, but thank you!

On to the next obvious question: what is my new year resolution?  I've thought of many, but one weighs heavier on my mind.  And since this is a blog mainly about Owen, it is fitting that it is about him.

To be the person Owen thinks I am.

I probably won't be that person 100% of the time in 2010, but it's a good goal.

Happy New Year, Everyone!