Ahh, A 3 Day Weekend!

Finally, some downtime! It's been a busy week! We've had a very busy week, which is part of the reason for my lack of blog time. But I've also been fighting a serious cold and respiratory infection that Owen gave both Daddy & me.

We've been dealing with a bunch of moving issues, and things around the old house. We also finalized our temporary living situation, which is a huge relief. The old house had it's appraisal, and we've begun the daunting task of packing. Yes, we're packing already. We have too! The next 3 weekends we will be busy and out of town. So, we got a head start, and since we can only really pack when Owen is napping, our time is seriously limited. But we got a great head start and are feeling a bit relieved. After the living room was packed up, Owen discovered the piano. He's never really taken much interest in it before, but now he knows it's there, and he can even climb up on the bench by himself and start playing. It's very cute.

Nothing really exciting happening at the new house this week. The foundation was poured, the lot was leveled, and this upcoming week they will pour the basement and garage floors. Then the excitement begins next week when they start framing.

Owen had a food coach come to have dinner with us last Monday, and we have been following the coach's plan and Owen has been eating SOOOOO much better. One of his new favorite foods is to eat a whole banana. He'll start his breakfast eating banana slices, but then he wants the whole thing. It's very funny to see this little guy chowing down like a big boy... We've cut his milk consumption in half, and now he comes to the table hungrier and more willing to eat. It was a tremendous help, and gave us a lot more confidence that we were on the right track, just needed a little tweaking.

One evening we ventured to the petting zoo and fed the animals. This time Owen was much braver and actually fed the goats.

They were pretty gentle, and took the single corn kernel from him - although they were looking for a handful. He loved the bunnies and the geese, it was great. He had a lot of fun.

We also ventured to Chuck E Cheese again. He loved the rides, and had a great time playing. It's great that he enjoys it now, and $5 goes a long way for entertaining a toddler. It's perfect to go there early Saturday morning, before the slew of birthday parties begin. Then we spent the afternoon just at home, packing, relaxing and playing.

Sunday was much of the same, except we went to the Country Club for brunch, and then came home to pack, relax, and play.

Today was lots of fun. We spent the entire morning playing, riding bikes, and just having fun. Then this afternoon we went to Granny and Pop's bay house for a cookout. Owen was SO good. he as always was shy to warm up to everyone, but he had his snack, and then starting venturing off to explore. The place is so nice, and decorated so pretty.

The view is amazing! Owen had a blast. We took his big tonka trucks, and he had a blast pushing around the stones and dumping out the dump truck. Pop was talking about maybe getting a swing set too. Owen even ate his dinner well, and then sat again in his booster seat when Mommy and Daddy ate dinner.

It was a long day, but well worth every minute of it...

Wow! 17 Months!

With every passing month comes the realization that Owen is becoming more and more a little boy. It's really hard to believe he's already 17 months old, but at the same time, he's so much more interesting, intelligent and fun!

We had a pretty busy weekend. We spent most of Friday getting ready for the big home inspection. We worked so hard making sure the house was super clean and had some carryout for dinner. Owen developed a bit of a cold and a cough, so we just stayed home. It was an exhausting day.

Saturday morning was the home inspection. Daddy and Owen went to play at Chuck E Cheese in the morning, and Mommy stayed home to be part of the inspection. The inspection went very well, and only 1 minor thing was found that we have to fix. Daddy and Owen had a great time a Chuck E Cheese, and Owen had fun riding the rides, playing games and watching the show. (I was jealous not to have been there).

After a nap, Owen, Daddy and I met the Alvarezes at the Boumi Carnival in Rosedale. Owen had a lot of fun. He was very interested in the rides. Owen is a very cautiously curious kid. He was having fun. He loved playing the games with Daddy, and he even won his own goldfish. It was a lot of fun. Sofia also enjoyed herself, but was very upset every time the ride ended, she just started crying - she couldn't imagine why the fun would end so quickly.

I felt like a big goof stuffed into the kiddie rides, but it was for good reason, it was fun to see Owen enjoying himself, and having a good time.

Sunday was pretty laid back, Mommy had a bridal shower to go to in the afternoon, and Daddy and Owen went grocery shopping and stayed home. It was just shocking that he is already 17 months, and how fast time has flown. At the bridal shower, there was a 4 week old baby, it's just stunning to see how rapidly they grow into little opinionated people.

Today was also very good. Owen went off to school very easily, he's transitioned back to barely even making a fuss about me leaving, he gets engaged very easily now, and has so much fun during the time that he's there. This evening we stopped by the new house, and even met our next door neighbors. They seem very nice.

Progress Continues

Progress continued today at the new house. The foundation was poured.
It will now sit for several days as the foundation dries and then the fun will begin when they start framing.

Party Animal

Owen had so much fun at Great Aunt Denise's birthday party on Monday. He is always a little slow to warm up, but he was blowing kisses and dancing and even enjoyed sitting at the table.

He and Daddy ate almost a whole tray of grapes that were on the cheese and veggie platter. I didn't realize how many he had eaten until I looked back at the plate and the grapes were almost gone.

He was such a good boy for a very long dinner. He even ate pretty well. I was so proud of him.

One of his "new" things he likes to do is "cheers" his cup with our beverages. He even says "chees", when they clink. It's really cute.

He loves to dance, although we're not sure who taught him his signature move... :)

Surveying the Scene

We went to the construction site today to check on the progress of the house. Owen seemed to be surveying the scene and inspecting the progress. They finished digging the hole, and poured the footer today. It's been a little delayed because of all the rain, but we're getting back on track now. They should be pouring the foundation any day now... then it'll be several days before they start the framing.

It's all very exciting. We're much more involved this time during the building process. Last time we only saw the house every few weeks when we make it back from Boston. But now, we are so close we can be there almost every day! It's much more exciting now that the old house is under contract and we can focus on the new home!

Owen has been having a tough week, his eye teeth are still wreaking havoc on him, and destroying his personality. Yesterday he cried for nearly 4 hours straight, he was running a temperature, and was very frustrated. Even playing outside and riding his bike didn't calm him. But he was a little better today, he went to school, although I picked him up early, knowing that he was overtired (from a rough night sleep) and was a little cranky this morning. He was happy to see me when I picked him up.

He had his moments today, but overall seems to be getting a little relief. I am very hopeful that in the next few days the teeth will poke through and relieve his pain. These teeth have been a bear! I didn't think they could be worse than the molars but they are!

He did have some fun tonight. He enjoyed walking around the lot. He's also enjoying stacking his blocks (a new capability), he has always love to knock down Mommy/Daddy's towers, but now he's getting into building his own... And tonight at bath time he was especially fun. He just really enjoyed himself!

Tomorrow is going to be busy again - Owen and I are seeing another apartment (hopefully one that has a washer/dryer, and can accommodate our short term lease, and also be reasonably priced), and then we have to do a little shopping, and then we've got to keep getting the house ready for the home inspection - which is Saturday morning. Lots to do in a short period of time...

HAPPY HAPPY Mother's Day!

Well, the weekend certainly went way better than I ever expected! Friday morning started out a bit rough. Daddy found out that Grandma wasn't feeling well and needed to go to the hospital. shortly before that, we heard that we would be getting a contract on our house. Daddy went to spend the day with Grandma hoping that everything would be OK.

The contract came through late Friday, but was incomplete, so we really couldn't do anything until talking to the agent on Saturday morning. Grandma was fine, so we were all able to breathe a sigh of relief. Friday afternoon, we found out that another couple also were going to put a contract in on Saturday. We were very excited!

Owen is still teething, and has been growing increasingly frustrated when I don't understand what he's trying to tell me. So we're moving into temper tantrums mode. We're trying to get him to use his words, because he knows many words, but he's frustrated, as are we. It's tough when someone doesn't understand you.

However, even when he's MADDER than MAD, sometimes the only thing that will calm him is the TV - I know, this is SO bad. But he loves Baby Einstein, and Sesame Street and (ugh) the TeleTubbies.

I'm OK with Owen watching Sesame and Baby Einstein, but I HATE the TeleTubbies. But sometimes, it is the only thing that will distract him and calm him down, so he watches it sparingly, but he does enjoy it.

He is eating a little better, he was more willing to try different things this weekend. He had pancakes which he rarely eats, cinnamon buns on mother's day, and several other new foods. His latest thing is not having it broken into baby pieces. He likes the big chunk of pizza, or toast, or french fry. He prefers to bite it off. And he ends up with it every where, but it's cute, and wonderful to see him eating.

Saturday panned out perfectly. We sat around on pins and needles dealing with both agents, and trying to finalize a contract. One contract was clearly more for our team, so we went with that one, and were ready to celebrate, we were very happy. It was so nice to feel that we're done with showings, and seemed to find someone who will love our house as much as we love it. It's a great feeling, that finally, we're doing the right thing, and we're so excited.

Mother's Day was terrific. It was the first time in 52 days, that we didn't have to talk to agents, get ready for showings or clean up just so we could go out for 2 hours. It was a great day. Daddy picked up Owen from his bed, and brought him to Mommy. He was very snugly, and was just adorable lying in bed with us. Then we had a nice breakfast. Owen gave Mommy his card, and a new shirt and pair of shorts. Then we had plenty of time to relax and get ready for dinner. We had dinner at the Country Club with Mommy's family.

Owen played for a while, sat in the high chair for a while, and then commandeered a Blackberry to get away... It was a great day.

Next step... where will we go between July 1 and our house being complete. We're investigating all our options... yet another daunting process, but finally this is a good problem to have. House is nearly sold, and we're on our way to the OBERLIN!!!! YEAH! So very exciting.

Cutie Pie

Owen has been having a terrific week. Despite some teething pain, he's been eating a little better (grazing more, so eating more often) but a little more willing to try things. Last night we had corn on the cob, he not only tried it, I think he actually liked it!

When I woke him this morning, he seemed like he could have used a little more time. But we need to wake him on school days, because he's so slow to get dressed and eat breakfast that we're always rushing!

He kept putting his blanky over his head so I'd leave him be, but no such luck!

He had a good day at school, then afterwards, scored a new pair of Thomas the Tank Sunglasses. He was very proud of himself, and looked cuter than ever!

After a nice nap, we went back to the lot to explore around the new hole...

We can see where the garage will be, and the basement is starting to take shape (albeit a bit dusty)...

He liked the bulldozer tracks. And did very well walking around such uneven, bumpy terrain.

We're all very excited, but a little guarded about getting too excited. Hopefully soon someone will fall in love with our current house, so we can all move on and really get excited.

Construction Begins

Construction began today on our new home... We had our pre-construction meeting yesterday, and as scheduled the bulldozer started digging today. The next few months are going to be very exciting, and very nerve wracking at the same time. We're very excited about being much closer to the new home this time, we'll be much more involved in the process (last time we lived in Boston). But at the same time, seeing the progress will heighten the stress levels as the days pass without a contract on our current home. But for today, we're just excited to see the beginning of this journey.

Bouncing Play Date

We finally got to have Sofia over tonight for a bouncing play date! Since we didn't have any showing scheduled and the day was so nice, we thought it would be great to have them over for some bouncing fun.

We'd had a pretty relaxed day, didn't do very much at all, ran an errand at Target and Lowe's, Daddy grocery shopped, and washed the car. Mommy listened to Owen talk on the monitor for nearly 3 hours, just refusing to take a nap.

When Owen woke up, Daddy was putting up the bouncer in the back yard. Owen was squealing with delight, and couldn't wait to start bouncing. We had bought a few big playground balls at target to put in the bouncer, and Owen loved that. He was pushing them all around the deck, just waiting to be let down to bounce!

Owen & Sofia enjoyed some good bounce time (I neglected to get any photos of Owen and Sofia in the bouncer, because I was in there too), but they had fun. Apparently Sofia is also teething and had been quite a cranky pants all weekend, but today she was very happy and had a blast! Owen loved Sofia's Barbie sunglasses (scary) guess I should get him a pair of Spider Man, or something more masculine.

It's always nice do these kinds of evenings, the kids have fun, the adults enjoy the company, and we all understand what it means to keep the kids on schedule... in fact, I even had to start Owen in the bathtub before they had a chance to leave, because having missed his nap and done a #2, he needed some cleaning up...

Such a fun day!