Almost Friday...

It's been a long week for us. I'll be very happy to have the weekend to recover. It started out with quite a scare from Owen, and that started off the week with Mommy getting very little sleep. Plus, I've been working every day and longer hours this week since Ms. Sandy is on vacation... so by the time I get back from work, Owen is waking up from his nap and ready to go! But I am happy to report, the week has been uneventful, Owen hasn't had any more incidents of that weird eye movement. So that's been a relief. I'm still very focused on it, and I can't help but watch him like a hawk, but hopefully each day without an event we'll have a little less fear of it, and we'll just get back to normal. I even find myself being more cautious than normal around him, less roughhousing, etc, but we're getting over it (I hope).

Aunt Lizzie watched Owen on Tuesday and today, since Owen didn't have school. It's been a while since she's watched him, so I think she had fun seeing how much he's changed. They were stuck here in the apartment the whole time, but it was so hot out, that was probably best. It's been weird not having my special time with Owen on Tuesday/Thursdays. I love just the two of us not having anything to do, and just having fun at the pool or playing. I look forward to getting that time back next week. But we've made the best of this week anyway, we got a little time in at the pool Tuesday evening, and Owen and I had a picnic at the pool. It was nice.

And there has been so much happening at the new house, it's CRAZY! The back splash was installed in the kitchen, and looks amazing. All the electric and lighting has been completed. The crown and chair moulding was completed. Our hardwood floors and carpet were installed. Lots of little details were also done... shelving in the closets, outlet plates, thermostats, so much to tell! Now that the carpet is in and the AC is working, we're ready to move in! So is Owen, he's been having so much fun walking around the house, exploring, and picking up everything he's not supposed to... today he walked around with a box of carpet nails, like he had just found a brand new train. Too funny...

We're so ready to move out of this apartment, the walls seem to be closing in, but now just 21 days to go, I know we'll make it, and as the new house gets closer and closer, it gets more and more exciting.

Tonight we stopped by and saw the carpet, and the back yard. They are getting ready to seed the back yard and lay the sod so we wanted to check to make sure the yard was what we were expecting. It's close, they still have some work to do but it looks great.

So I didn't mean to make this blog all about the house... We also hit the playground tonight. Owen is so fun, he climbs up the equipment, slides down the slides, and just has such a good time. It was really hot tonight, so we couldn't stay too long, because we also needed to pick up some dinner.

Owen got a surprise today, Great Aunt Denise, Great Mom-Mom and Maggie sent him another one of those funny cards. He instantly opened it up and smiled big. He thought it was quite funny. The video captures a little of his reaction...



He's been having so much fun in the bath tub lately. I think he feels he's in the baby pool, because he just splashes, and swims on his belly, and blows bubbles. It's so funny and cute. But the whole bathroom gets soaked! It's worth it though, because he has so much fun.

This won't be the last time he'll scare us...

After such a great time at Dutch Wonderland, we knew Owen would be a little tired on Sunday, so we tried to lay low, and stay close to home, but ended up having breakfast out, going to the house, and running errands all morning. We got home just in time for Owen's nap. So we decided to skip lunch, and let him sleep, because he was so grumpy and tired! And we'd had a late breakfast, and would be having an early dinner.

After his nap, we went out to dinner with Pop, Aunt Liz and Uncle Alex. When we got there, we were the first to arrive, so Daddy took Owen for a walk outside. When they came back in, Owen got up into the high chair, and started coloring. After just a few minutes, he started acting a little funny. He was rolling his eyes upward, kinda far, and smirking and was a little lethargic. It was a very strange moment. He has done it before but not quite like this, other times it was more deliberate. I really can't explain it. It was as if he might pass out, like hot or dizzy and the wacky lights in the restaurant. I don't know. He did it several times in a row over a period of several minutes. He would look at me in between, and we were all sitting at the table not exactly sure what we were seeing. So scary and strange at the same time. We couldn't tell if he was doing it on purpose or if it was out of his control. He recently learned how to roll his eyes, but this was different.

The good news was that he was responsive the entire time, didn't lose consciousness, but was definitely a bit out of it. Then Daddy got him to start drinking water from his glass, and when that seemed to distract him from doing the eye thing, I gave him his juice cup. He downed the entire cup of juice in just a few seconds. We're really not sure what happened, but after the juice, he was fine. He never did it again, and then continued to eat, and was totally interactive and normal. We had a nice meal, but it was a bit tainted because we were very freaked out by Owen.

We came home and got him into bed, he was fine the rest of the evening, but then the Internet kicked in, the more I surfed the more freaked out I became and we started realizing it might have been a seizure. So I called the pediatrician on call, and described the night, and she didn't seem to think it was a seizure, but that we should follow up with our regular doctor. We called Monday morning, and saw the doctor this morning. We met with him for over 30 minutes (an eternity in doctor visits) and came to the conclusion that it hopefully, probably wasn't a seizure, and while we could go do an EEG, none of us feel it's warranted unless we see it happen again. So hopefully we're done with this, but the scary thing is now we're just not sure if or when it will happen again. I can't stop watching him, or looking at him, and I just hope and pray that it was a one time incident and that it will never happen again, but if it does, we'll be high tailing it to the neurologist to see what's going on. Keep him in your prayers. He was with us all day yesterday and today, and we didn't see anything out of the ordinary, nothing to cause us concern, so please let this be over...

He does have a little bit of a cold/cough, so we took it easy today. He spent the morning with Aunt Lizzie, while Mommy worked, and then took a nice long nap. I know his teeth are killing him, he's got his fingers constantly in his mouth, and you can see the teeth, all 4 of them, but they just won't break through. Poor kid. When it's not one thing it's another.

In other news, when Owen is not scaring the daylights out of us, he's been incredibly fun to be around. He's such a wonderful, delightful little guy, who is coming to be a wonderful little boy. He'll give kisses out that just melt you, plays so hard with his toys, has been unbelievably tolerant of this "apartment" displacement, and still can melt you with his smile.

The photos from today's blog are Owen's discovery of chocolate oreo cookies. Guess he'll never eat another animal cracker. What a cute mess...

Dutch Wonderland Photos

Dutch Wonderland

Oh, what a great time we had today. We got up, had breakfast in the car, and headed out to Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, PA. Owen got a little restless in the car on the way up, mostly because he basically rolled out of bed and right into the car seat without much time to stretch his little legs, but it was well worth it once we got there. He was instantly interested in the park. There were ducks, and boats and a carousel, all within minutes of arriving. He walked to the first ride, but after that, he would hop in and out of the stroller, as if knowing he needed to conserve his energy for all the fun.

We started out just going on rides that we could all get on together, because Owen had been timid to ride alone, but that didn't last long, he rode several rides, all by himself, and had a great time.

We enjoyed 2 boat rides on the "river", and took the train around the park, and also the monorail. It was a great way to spend the day. We didn't go to the water park, because there just wasn't enough time. But that will definitely be something we'll want to do next time we go.

I was so proud of him all day long. I had visions of the day going totally differently, Owen wanting to push the stroller instead of ride in it, us all getting sunburned, Owen having a meltdown after nap time had passed. But it was all put to rest, we had a great day, it couldn't have gone better. He was even patient waiting in line to ride the rides. (He's not a very patient kid, but today was totally different.) And the park was incredible, even though it was packed, we very rarely had to wait more than 1 turn to ride. It made us able to enjoy the entire park, in just a few hours.

I think he knew the day was all about fun for him, and he loved it. Even though he was exhausted, it took him nearly 45 minutes in the car to fall asleep. He finally just put his head down on blankey and just zonked out. We even drove around an extra half hour after we got back, just to let him have a little extra time.

Even this evening, still tired, but he was a trooper, in very good spirits, gobbled up his dinner, and was cute as can be. What a fun day.

After bath, Owen is always so adorable, he and Daddy "sneak" up on me, and Owen is so cute, smiley, and lovable. Boy what a cute kid.

Hot Fun in the Summertime

It's been a very, very hot week, and we've been trying to do activities that are either indoor, or

shaded, or involve water... We also continue to be incredibly busy! But partly because whenever Owen is awake, we try to get out of this apartment. It kind of makes you stir crazy being here, and the longer your here, the more you need to get OUT! So we generally get up play and have breakfast, and then get outta here for the morning, come back have lunch then Owen naps. By the time he gets up, we're all ready to get out again.

Thursday, Owen and I headed to Doctor Deihn for a check up. We had a good visit, and Owen's ears are still clear! That is such good news for us. We also had some errands to run, and get things for Sam Dog, because she's spending a few weeks with Uncle Alex. Mommy met Grandma in the early afternoon and picked up Sam, and then dropped her off at Uncle Alex's condo. It was the first time I'd seen his place, and it was really nice. I know Sam will love relaxing there... Although just a few days with Uncle Alex have been busy - they've been to a street festival, and even to the beach! Sounds like they are having a great time!

Friday, Owen was 19 months! It's so amazing how fast the time is flying, but he's having such a blast and very good tempered.... Yes, he's got his moments when he's frustrated or can't communicate, or doesn't feel like eating, but overall, he is one happy little guy. It was a normal morning for us, Owen had school, Mommy and Daddy worked. Owen took a great nap, and then we headed out to Grandpa's for his company party. The people in his office had never met Owen, and so I know they enjoyed getting to meet him. Owen was very shy at first, but warmed up and had fun, even did a little dancing. He's so cute when he dances. It was especially nice having a nice catered meal, and spending the night out of the apartment.

Saturday was a quick morning, because we spent a little time at the farm, but had to leave shortly after breakfast, to get home for Owen's nap. We then went up to visit Ms. Laura, Mr. Derek & Nina for a swim and a barbecue at their house. They are about to move, and we wanted to make sure we got a chance to spend some good time with them before their move to Atlanta. Owen and Nina got along great. Nina had some great toys, and got a little frustrated with Owen when he wouldn't share. It was tough for her to understand that little kids don't know how to share. She'll have to learn soon with a new sibling on the way... They did have a nice time playing in the pool and with Nina's cool bubble gun. It was nice. We brought Owen home in his PJs and he went straight to bed.

Sunday was a bit more laid back, we spent the morning at the new house checking out the progress from the week... Big things had happened. The fireplace stone was put on. The kitchen is shaping up nicely, with now that the granite was installed. The painters put on the 2nd coat, and additional trim was added. It's crazy how fast it's coming together, but at the same time it's also crazy how long I feel like we've lived in this apartment... just about 1 month to go now...the sooner the better!

Sunday afternoon, we headed to the Bay House - aka WakeZone for a cookout and some relaxing time. We turned on the sprinkler for Owen, but he wasn't quite sure of it, so it was short lived. We had a nice dinner, and Owen gave everyone kisses before leaving. I love that he's finally showing everyone else his adorable personality... We got home just in time for Owen's bedtime.

Last night, right after putting Owen down to bed, our power went out. Probably the culmination of the heat and overusing AC/appliances throughout the complex. It was out for about 90 min, but we tried to make the best of it, playing cards by candle light. Owen didn't even notice, so that was a good thing. Fortunately the AC came back on so we slept a bit better, I'm sure...

Today was so much fun. This morning, Owen and I went to visit Granny & Pop, and then headed to the pool for a swim. Owen's gaining so much confidence in the water, he used to be very timid, but the last few trips to the pool, Owen will go deeper and venture away from me in the baby pool. Today he even imitated swimming and would even reach down and pick something off the bottom (pool is about 20 inches deep), and he's up to his neck! It's very impressive, and for the first time he didn't have any meltdowns. He just was very confident and had a ball. The time flew, over an hour had passed when I realized the time and we had to quickly pack up to get home for lunch.

He had such a blast we decided to go back this evening for a night swim, and Owen got a chance to show Daddy his new pool confidence. We're both so impressed with his new skills, and so relieved that he's back to that little boy that loved the water so much last summer! What's next - a sand castle????

Clark's Elioak Farm

Today Owen and I headed out to Clark's Elioak Farm in Ellicott City. We met up with Ms. Melissa and her little boy Alik. Alik is 15 months, and was recently adopted from Russia. We have been so excited to meet Alik, and since he and Owen are close in age, we're excited to get the boys together to play. So many of Owen's friends are girls, so it's nice to have some boys to play with too! It was very hot and sunny, so we tried to keep the kids in the shade as much as possible.

Clark's Elioak Farm is a working farm, petting zoo, and has some of the old exhibits from the old Enchanted Forest (suffered a fire years ago and have been restored). I had gone to the Enchanted Forest several times when I was a little kid, so it was neat to actually remember them, and to experience it with Owen. He had a blast walking around, checking out the big duck, and playing on the slides. They were supposed to have a story time, but it never happened, so we just checked out the sights, had a picnic lunch, and enjoyed the time with Ms. Melissa and Alik.

Owen had a gift of light up ducks for Alik... He didn't want to give them up, he kept going into my bag and opening them up saying "duck - quak" over and over. I think I have to go to Nordstrom and buy him a new set of the ducks... Hopefully Alik will like them!

We had a nice picnic lunch, and had some time to catch up and chat about the kiddies, and the Giguere's experience with the adoption and their trips to Russia. What an ordeal they had been through, but it was obviously all worth it, because they have a very sweet little boy, who is obviously very well loved.

Owen on the other hand had quite a day of ups and downs, he'd be in good spirits one minute, and fighting me the next. Overall, I think he had a lot of fun, but I don't think he loved the heat. He's usually so pleasant and cooperative, it's always unusual to see him "grumpy" but I think he's a little frustrated with communication (we're working on making him use his words instead of just grunting or pointing or screaming) and he's also just wanting to be very independent. And HATES when I don't allow him to do something. It's probably just the beginning of these toddler tempers and the future terrible two's... But I know the heat, and the fact that he was tired didn't help...

Owen also really like the Ugly Duckling Exhibit. He came back to the ducks even after we left it. I think he thought it was interesting that the duck/swan were so much bigger than him... It was cute.

He was less than thrilled about Willie the Whale, he didn't want to get into it, and definitely didn't want to smile, but I HAD to have the picture, because I remember that same picture when I was a kid.

He walked all over the farm, and especially loved these little mushrooms. He could have played there for a long time, and fortunately it was shaded, so it was cooler, and no worries of sunburn.

Both Owen and Alik had lots of fun on the Mother Goose Slide. They kept going up and down, over and over. Owen is always so proud of himself for climbing up and sliding down with out holding my hands, he's so funny, he claps for himself every time he reaches the bottom. It's nice to let him have the independence he craves!

Alik making his way down the slide.

Owen always goes from the top down... Alik also likes to climb up the slide. Owen looks like he's going to plow Alik over! I had to hold him back! They were both so cute!

I look forward to going back to the farm again later this summer or fall, when we can enjoy it again!

18 Month Checkup & Fun at the Farm

Yet another crazy busy week... Wednesday was Owen's first water day at school. All the other days had been on either Tuesday or Thursday, so it was the first chance he got to play in the sprinklers with the other kids. Apparently he had a blast. We've had major issues with Owen wearing shoes (sandals, crocks, water shoes) basically he won't wear anything that is not a sneaker. The requirement for water day was that he has to wear water shoes. We have tried 3 different pairs, and finally found a winner on Tuesday night at the Children's Place. He wore them no problem for the teachers, which was great, and allowed him to have a ton of fun. After I picked up him from school, he had his 18 month check up. He's now weighing in at 25 pounds and is about 33 1/2 inches tall. He had to get 3 shots, and was more than 1 1/2 hours late getting down for his nap, but was a good sport about the whole thing. He screamed during the examination, but once we left the office he settled down quickly. It's hard to believe how much he has grown and changed in just 18 months!

We've become regulars at a bunch of the local playgrounds --trying to get out of the apartment as much as possible when Owen is awake. Thursday, after a brief rainstorm, we headed to the park by our new house. Everything was soaked, so Owen and I wiped off the slides. Owen just loves to climb up the equipment and slide down the slide. He used to only like to swing, but he really enjoys going down the slide over and over again. He's so proud of himself and claps every time he gets to the bottom!

The house also had some significant transformations over the past week. The first coat of paint was applied, crown moulding, and other trip was installed, the kitchen cabinets were hung (they're gorgeous!!!), as were the laundry cabinets, and the vanities in the bathrooms are in place. It's so exciting to see the progress, especially as we feel more and more claustrophobic in the small apartment. We're on target for settlement around August 18th! I can hardly wait!

Friday, Daddy got some good news, that he got a big promotion at work! Very exciting! We also went out to dinner for Granny's birthday at the country club. Owen was less than thrilled about dining out. We ate a bit later than normal, and it took forever for us to order food, so that coupled with a big group, landed us in temper tantrum mode at the restaurant. He barely ate anything until I finally ordered him a piece of chocolate cake, and he sat in the high chair and devoured it. It was all we could do to eat our own meal, but not exactly the proper parenting to reward him with cake for such awful behavior. But it wasn't all his fault, I got frustrated very quickly by him not wanting to eat and just wanted to fuss, and that didn't help the situation. We made it through the meal, but still ended up leaving early to get him home and in bed. He didn't get into bed until almost 9pm, but he went right to sleep and slept all night, so that was a relief.

Saturday morning, we headed over to the Schantz farm in Cecilton. It was a relief to get out of the apartment for an extended amount of time, and nice to spend time with Grandpa and Grandma Bev. They hadn't seen Owen since the end of March! I know he has changed a ton since then, and they definitely saw all of Owen's personality. From his super happy, lovable laughy self, to tempers flaring, to meltdown, and back to happy kiddo! He didn't hold back any emotion...

Owen was very interested in Brigitte, I wonder if he misses Sam Dog? Or maybe he thought that was Sam Dog... It was funny, Brigitte wanted to play in the water, but Owen just wanted to splash her and chase her. It was cute. Hopefully he'll be excited when Sam comes back to live with us again! They are doing some great renovations to their house, the put on a huge new deck, updated the kitchen, bought lots of new furniture, and also added a new bedroom/bathroom master suite. It's really nice, there was an electrician there all weekend working on the speakers, and lighting, which kept us outside most of the day.

There was plenty of shade, and we set up a baby pool for Owen to play in. He had lots of fun splashing and playing around, he didn't get a great nap, so he was in his "I get frustrated quickly" mood, but still a lot of fun. He ended up going to bed very early, and slept in this morning. Owen and I had a blast today, playing with bubbles (he finally learned how to blow the bubbles), and drawing with sidewalk chalk on their driveway. It was great. We got home a few hours ago, and now Daddy is on his way to Connecticut for a meeting tomorrow morning.

It was a nice and relaxing weekend, one we really needed to recharge our batteries... Hopefully this week won't be too hectic, but I already know we have lots of things planned.

Such a cutie

Aunt Lizzie snapped this adorable shot of Owen and Daddy at our 5th of July BBQ at the bay house...

Getting Back on Schedule

Today was a day to get things back to normal. After more than a week of changes, house sales, vacations, and other schedule upheavals, we spent today just getting back to normal. Daddy and Grandma headed up early to go pick up Sam Dog from the kennel, so she could go back to Hershey with Grandma. Owen ate a huge breakfast and then we headed to Storyville. We were going to go to the park, but had no idea it was raining until we went to get in the car. So Storyville was close (Rosedale Library), and it wasn't crowded at all. We spent about an hour playing, and it was so much fun, since we hadn't been there in months! I think Owen was just starting to walk last time we were there. He had a blast in Toddler Bay, playing with the light boxes, and with a friend he made, as well as fishing...

Then we went to the garden, and played in the kitchen. He really enjoyed it!

We also played with the blocks, big foam stacking blocks, that we'd build huge towers, and then Owen would crack up when he toppled them over.

We had a great time... Owen was thrilled in the phone booth, making so many calls, and just very unwilling to share. It caused a bit of a battle, when I made him give a little girl the phone, but he had been monopolizing it for over 10 min...

So he dressed as a fireman, and played with the trucks and construction vehicles. I was so glad to have thought to go there, such a terrific exhibit for the library, I wish the new Perry Hall Library would get this, because we'll be able to walk there from the new house.

After the library, we came home and met up with Daddy. We had lunch, and then Owen was more than ready for a nap. He slept about 3 1/2 hours, and was really in good spirits when he woke up. We went to the bay house, to meet up with Pop, Aunt Jess, Uncle Tom, Aunt Liz & Ryan and Uncle Alex. Owen had a ball there as usual. He loves to play in the yard, and Uncle Alex lit off some fireworks. Pop cooked a great dinner, and everyone had lots of fun. We really missed that Granny wasn't there, but we'll have to go by and see her one day this week. We got home really late, Owen didn't get to bed until 8:30, but we left before the fireworks (right off of Pop's pier) because we knew it was better for Owen to get home and catch up on sleep...

It was a really fun day, and so exciting that we still have tomorrow to have fun and catch up on sleep!

Ocean City 2008

Fun at the beach... but I don't like sand!

It was a really relaxing and fun week in Ocean City. The time FLEW by, and it was almost as if we didn't have enough time to do everything. Tuesday morning we went to the beach, with Owen donned in shoes and socks. That seemed to help him be a bit more comfortable. We started on the quilt playing with the toys, but Owen got a bit daring and walked around getting things. He never got to the point where he loved the sand though. He was quite a "koala bear" on the beach, hanging on for dear life as if the sand might swallow him up... He enjoyed his trucks and watching the sand spin through the toys we bought... but he was so preoccupied with not wanting it on him that it made it tough to enjoy it fully. The video shows how careful he was when maneuvering along the sand.

We had lunch, and then Daddy stayed in the condo, and Mommy & Grandma went back to the beach. Owen took a nice nap. Grandma had made pot pie for dinner, and it was so enjoyable to relax in the condo and have dinner and not have to go to a restaurant with Owen... (Owen ate so well all week!) We then headed down to the boardwalk to ride the rides. Owen had a blast, he really enjoyed the teacups and balloon rides, he even rode a ride all by himself... It was great. We went back to the condo, got Owen down for bedtime and then Grandma stayed with him, while we made a quick dash to the outlets. My camera has been on the fritz, making so many of my pictures blurry, so I got a new sony camera. I love it!

Wednesday, we tried the beach again. It was much of the same, Owen was nervous at first, then gained some confidence, he even took off his shoes, but wasn't thrilled about the sand. He played from about 8:30-11:30 on the beach, before we went to the pool to cool off. Then he had some lunch and took his nap. Daddy wasn't feeling great so he stayed with Owen again, and Mommy went back to the beach with Grandma. After his nap, we went to Jolly Rogers to ride some rides, and Owen was again in awe, having so much fun, giggling and spinning on the rides with Mommy. We took Owen back to the condo, where he stayed with Grandma, while Mommy & Daddy had dinner with friends at Macky's. It was really nice to sit on the beach by the water and eat a relaxing dinner. It was a bonus, since we rarely have babysitters and get to go out!

Thursday was very windy, so we didn't even attempt the beach with Owen. Daddy got grandma situated on the beach with an umbrella and chair, and we went to the boardwalk and took a nice long walk. Owen was just staring and looking at all the people, we walked for over an hour, before getting some Thrasher's fries, and heading back to take a swim in the pool before nap time. While Owen napped, Mommy made Lasagna for dinner. Then we all headed back to the boardwalk for one last ride on the rides. Owen just loved them, and it really makes me want to take him to Hershey or Dutch Wonderland soon, so he can enjoy it some more.

Friday morning, Grandma went to the beach, and we went to the pool. Owen really enjoyed himself and we swam for about 1 1/2 hours! I thought this would totally wear him out and he'd sleep for the ride home, but he never even shut his eyes. He watched movies and DVDs the whole way home and was very good, but never even considered snoozing. He did eat almost the entire trip... cookies, graham crackers, crackers, twizzlers, cheeseburger, french fries, banana, just about anything he got his hands on! After getting home, we immediately got Owen down for a nap. Mommy and Daddy went up to check on the progress at the new house, and Grandma stayed with Owen.

The new house is really come a long way in just a week! Almost all the drywall is done, the siding is on. Most of the shutters are on the front of the house. It's amazing the transformation in just a few days. I can hardly wait to be living there.

After Owen woke from his nap, he was very grumpy, and still quite tired. We took Grandma up to see the new house, and then we got Owen back for bedtime. He's finally sleeping in a crib again (the one that Grandma had at her house), and he slept very well last night. Over 12 hours, which was nice, because he had been waking up very early (sometimes before 7am) when we were in OC, so it was nice to have the late sleeper back...

It's been a very busy but fun week. It's so nice to still have the weekend to rest and relax before starting the busy school/work week...