Grumpy Baby

Dear Owen,
Yes, finally! Dear Owen. After 2 months, this is your first post. So, welcome!! Mommy is very busy and tired, but I want to try and capture this first year for you. Here is what you should know about yourself.
You are an EASY baby! You are already sleeping well at night, you only wake up once, sometimes twice. You go to sleep on your own-OK, sometimes we use the swing, but if we put you down in your pack and play at night, you go to sleep! You eat well, a little too well, you already weigh 14 pounds and 9 ounces!! And you are wearing 6 month clothing at 2 months old. You don't cry a lot (although you have grumpy periods in the evening and first thing in the morning).
You are an EASY baby, but you are a GRUMPY baby :) You always have this scowl on your face, it's quite adorable. You have been smiling more and more, and if we can manage to make you happy you will laugh with us occasionally, but mostly, you are a grump. Thank goodness you are the second child, because it doesn't bother us at all. We just laugh and try to cheer you up. I wonder if its all the competing for attention that gets you upset.
You do love your brother (I don't know why, he is way too rough with you and wakes you up all the time). You like to watch what he is doing, and are often happier when he is around.

It's so much fun to have you around. Mommy and Daddy are much more relaxed with you, as we have done this before so we aren't new parents. And although you get a little less attention than you might like, as we have to divide our attention between two children now, you get plenty of loving from your big brother.

Things you like: You are just starting to notice things- you love the mobile attached to the swing, and you love to look at yourself in the mirror on your bouncy seat.

~Love you, Mommy

Owen arrives

Ok, well Owen arrived two months ago, but at least I making the effort now!

Dear Thomas,
We went through a rough "terrible two" period right after Owen was born. I assume, being two, having a huge family change, and leaving your daycare all came together to form the perfect storm. You are starting to act more like yourself now, as we all adjust to the new life!
You can carry on complete conversations now. Your speaking is really quite remarkable. We have playdates each week and I hear from other mothers how well you speak.
You are a great big brother! You love "Baby Owen," you hold him and pet him often. You do get a little rough, we have to remind you to be careful. And, when Mommy isn't giving you the attention you want, you will hit him. (I am sure this will be hilarious later in life)
So many other things have changed for you- you started a new day care this month. (You are still crying when we drop you off, but have fun once you are there). Summer is here, so we are outside all the time. Your favorite things to do are: "hit the ball" using your T-ball stand, playing basketball, playing in your water table, and your sandbox. You also love going for walks to see the geese up the street, you love to go see the waterfall at the basin and you are happy when Daddy takes you fishing.
Nothing gets by you these days, you really know everything and love to talk about it. Sometimes, when you are super chatty, mommy asks you to sing to her instead :) I love to hear your voice, but get tired of answering the questions, "What are you doing?", "What's that noise?" and "Where's ______?"


Friends we play with most often: Molly Tardy, Elliot and Olivia Rioux, and Sienna Ruth.
Favorite foods: Toast with PB (still), yogurt, strawberries.

Busy Toddler

Dear Thomas,

You have certainly turned into a busy toddler! I am sitting at the table with you now as you happily paint. So much has changed in the past few months, yet I have not had the chance to come online and write about it. Where to start?

You are working on complete sentences now. You have quite a few that you say often, like "Where did ____ go?", "Love you _____." And some others that I haven't translated yet :) You are starting to learn your colors, your vocabulary is amazing... you know most animals (and their noises) and lots of foods, no surprises there.

You love arts and crafts- especially painting! You come home from daycare with lots of artwork. We paint here a lot too, although I have to admit it's not as enjoyable for Mommy! You love to play with stickers (and you actually put them on paper and not on furniture :) You also love play dough. We use it a lot while Mommy is cooking, you like to stand next to Mommy on the step stool and help me cook. We had one broken egg incident this week that startled you, but otherwise you love it.We had a rough month in January with sicknesses, so we didn't get outside as much as we normally would. We have managed to get out during most big snow storms, and as the weather has been warmer this month, we have been getting outside a lot. You LOVE being outside. I actually have to pick you up kicking and screaming to get you indoors. (That is, of course, when I can't coerce you with a snack) Your favorite outdoor activity is to make snowballs. You just grab a bunch of snow with your hands and throw it- its adorable. You also love the bird feeder. We have been waiting to actually see birds eating from the feeder while we are out there; no luck with that yet. You call the birds, saying "Birdies, where are you?" Probably one of your cutest phrases! You have also enjoyed snowshoeing (riding on Daddy while he snow shoed), sliding down your slide (I can't get you in the sled yet, you don't really like it), and cleaning off the cars- not sure why you love this so much, but you do.
You figure everything out. I know you are a smart kid. Safety locks, doors, pretty much anything you see us do, you can do. It's frightening :)

It will be my goal to write more often, so I don't have to cram it all into one post. I will end this post by talking about the arrival of your brother Owen. We got his bassinet all set up, and since then you have started talking about him again. There was a long stretch where you were saying "No" when we asked you if you were going to have a little brother. You haven't kissed Mommy's belly or said hello to the baby in months. Now, when you see the basinet, you say, "baby sleep," it;s progress :) Soon this blog will be and Owen and Thomas blog... one of many things you should get ready to share with your brother.

Love you

~Mommy

So many changes

Dear Thomas,
A lot has happened since October! Here are some of the highlights.

We moved! We now live at the house in Auburn where you will grow up. You may not remember the condo when you read this, but we lived there for your first 20 months of life. Now, we have our own place on the second floor of Nana and Pepere's house. It is where your mommy grew up and where your Nana grew up! I am so excited that you get to grow up here too.

Halloween was great, you dressed up as a skunk! You didn't do any trick-or-treating this year, we will save that for next year. But, we did spend some time with Grammie and Grandpa; Great Gram came to visit and so did Aunt Non (Aunt Donna).
You had your second trip to the emergency room. You fell off the changing table and hit your head on the radiator. It was awful, and mommy felt so guilty about it! You ended up with 5 stitches on your forehead. We were at the hospital for four hours, you were so scared and cried most of the time we were there. Luckily, after the stitches were put in, you fell asleep, so the rest of the time you were calm. Although you might not remember this ordeal, we will never forget it!
That's all for now, although Christmas is this week so I will post again soon. Daddy and I are so excited to watch you open your gifts this year, we think you are going to love Christmas :)

18 months

Dear Thomas,
Well, tomorrow you will be 18 months old and boy have you changed! Your vocabulary has exploded... you try every word now, and even if it doesn't sound right you still keep trying. You LOVE saying the following words: apple, water (wawa), thank-you (and yes, you use it correctly!), Calliou, and baby.
You are getting very good a your puzzles, you can put them together pretty quickly with little help from Mommy or Daddy. I am shocked to see you put the pieces in every time.
You love the show Calliou, and ask for it every morning. We are trying to not show you it every morning, but it is hard to resist that cute face!

We went apple picking last weekend, which you loved. Mostly, because you have learned the word apple, and so you could point to just about every apple we saw and say, "apple." You do love being outside though, so you have fun with any outside adventures. I have been teaching you how to play in the leaves, you think it is very funny.
Starting tomorrow, you are going to be in a sleeping bag at daycare! No more pack and play :) It seems like you are growing up so fast... I can hardly believe it.
Love you,
Mommy

vocabulary

Dear Thomas,
You have had a vocabulary explosion this month! You repeat words back to us and you have a lot of new words that you like to show us you know. Your favorite words are eyes and nose- as you point to your eyes/nose and shoes. You are amazing us everyday with new "grown up" play. This weekend you started playing with your cars and trucks, driving them around the house. You are getting good at your puzzles, especially the shape puzzle. You are turning into a little boy!

As we get ready to celebrate your 18 month milestone, we will also be getting ready for some other big changes. We are going to have another baby, and you are going to get to be a big brother! Although you are too little for us to explain this to you, you will be old enough when the baby comes in April to notice the new addition to the family! We will be moving into our house in November, so we have room for our new family of four. That will be a big adjustment for you, although you are already used to the house, because Nana and Pepere already live there.

You got your first haircut a few weeks ago. I was afraid that it wouldn't go well, but you sat there nicely and let Becky cut your hair. She was very quick, and that helped. You look so handsome with your new cut.

Today we went to your Great Uncle Brian and Aunt Tammie's house. You played with your cousin Gabe- you won't see him much because he lives in Texas, but you two had fun today :)

Love you,
~Mommy

Back to School

Dear Thomas,
Well, Mommy has returned to school, and things have become pretty busy for us. You had a little trouble adjusting (you actual got the flu the first day I went back :( ) but you seem to be getting into the routine now. You love daycare, so I know you are happy, its just a matter of you settling in!
We have been otherwise busy, busy, busy! We spend a lot of time at Nana and Peperes (the place we will be living soon) because Daddy is working hard to finish the rooms for us. You have fun there and you love to pick tomatoes and eat them fresh from the garden.
Your vocabulary has been getting bigger, you have picked up a few new words and you are working on a few others. Mostly, you are developing your listening skills. Mommy can say, "Thomas go get your green ball in the basket." and you will do it! It surprises me every time.
You are getting a little more daring these days. Although, you have been climbing for a while, you are now interested in jumping too. You love to jump around on the bed and the couch. You tried to jump off the steps at Nana's yesterday... it is a little scary, but I know you will be OK.
Picky eater- you will eat a lot, but you are saying no more and more often to the foods you have always liked. You no longer eat sweet potato, green beans, or regular potatoes. We better start getting creative with what we give you!

Love you,
Mommy

Things you love to do

Here are some of the things you LOVE to do... and the major reason I don't buy you many toys...

Putting all of your books in the hamper... one at a time.



Playing in the sandbox at Nana and Pepere's





Helping Mommy clean the house.








Spending time on the computer.








Sitting in baskets and hampers.



Stacking blocks? Not for this little guy... give him some cans.
Trying on Mommy's shoes.

Summer Fun

Dear Thomas,
We have been having so much fun this summer! Alas, the summer is coming to and end. Yesterday was our last beach day. We have gone to Range Pond almost every week this summer. You have been getting more and more comfortable with the water. This week, you stayed on the beach the whole day (which is good because I get tired of following you to the playground)

You love the garden! I have been working tirelessly to get you to stay away from the green tomatoes, you love to pick them off the vine. You do love to eat cherry tomatoes, though, and I'm surprised you haven't given yourself a bellyache from eating so many.

You are sleeping so good now. You go to bed around 7:30 and sleep straight through to 6:30 or 7:00 am (no more 5:00 am wake up calls :)) Daddy and I are very happy!

We went for a little hike through the bird sanctuary the other day. You slept on the way up, and didn't want to walk much on the way down... we had to push you most of the way in the stroller. You loved the frogs in the pond, we spent a lot of time there chasing them!
We had our 15 month check up last week (even though you are 16 months old today). Everything went well, you are meeting all the milestones for your age. You are 23 pounds (25th percentile) and 33 inches (90th percentile). You are long and lean, as the doctor says.

Love you~
Mommy

Weddings

Dear Thomas,
It has been a busy few weeks! We took a family vacation to the Berkshires for Kate and Geoff's wedding. You were so good all weekend. There was not a lot there for you to do, but you met another boy your age, Cameron, and Daddy tried to keep you busy running around and exploring. You have become quite a social butterfly. After taking a few minutes to get used to your surroundings, you become quite comfortable in new situations. Mommy and Daddy have to chase you down most of the time, as you run around and say hello to everyone.
You are amazing me with your physical development. You walk, run and climb like I would expect a three year old to do... when did you become so comfortable on your feet?
You still only have six teeth, but we are hoping for more soon. You can eat everything now, although you have become a little more picky and chose not to eat some things. (Green beans right now are not your favorite, which is funny because you loved them for so long.) You still have a banana every morning, but have also added blueberries, grapes and oranges to your favorite fruits. You will eat cucumbers, chewing on them happily and carrying them around the house. (I won't even think about what disgusting things you are collecting as you walk around).
Grammie and Grandpa and Nana and Pepere have been able to babysit here and there this summer. You do a great job when left with them, and they really enjoy their time with you. You still cry when Mommy leaves the room (even at home when mommy goes into the bathroom), but after a minutes or two you are fine. What I love, is that you don't want me to leave you, but when we go to a restaurant, you will leave me and walk around to explore without even batting an eye... perhaps you know I will follow...

New words are coming slowly- balloon, and night-night are the only two you have picked up lately.

~Love you,
Mommy

Festivals

Other than the Fryeberg Fair (and the Turner Parade), this was the first time you went to a festival. We went to the Yarmouth Clam Festival with Grammie and Grandpa. It was very hot, but we managed to keep you happy and cool. Your favorite part was seeing all the dogs around, but we also had some fun on the carousel.

You are copying sounds and movements more and more. Yesterday I got you to nod, a nice change from the usual shaking your head no. You have been meeting more and more friends since Mommy is on vacation. We went to the beach with Micah and Mackenzie this week, you played outside with Samara a few times, and Tuesday we will spend the day with Corinne.

You have expanding your climbing capabilities to the office chairs, and have become quite attached the computer mouse. I let you sit up here with me sometimes so you can see pictures of friends and family, but you seem to have a particular love for the red light underneath the mouse.

Love you, Mommy

Fort Popham

Dear Thomas,
Add "bubbles" to the list of words you can say... and the list of things you LOVE. When you find a bottle of bubbles you go crazy! You will follow me around the house carrying the bubbles and repeating "bubble" until I finally give in and make some for you :)
You are feeding yourself now! Actually, it is a great way to get you to eat when you don't want to. You can control the spoon, and almost always get the food in your mouth. You love it.
We had a great time last Friday at Fort Popham; Daddy came with us. We went on the beach, had lunch, and explored the fort (your favorite part). You were a little unsure about the ocean- the waves weren't big, but the water was cold and it was pretty loud. You chased your ball around with Daddy for a while, and only fussed when you went into the water too far.
We are expecting another tooth soon, you have been a little fussy and we are seeing a lot of drool.

We can't get over how smart you are- we have so much fun watching you figure things out.
~Love you, Mommy

Signing

Signs you can do
Hat
Dog
More
All done
Bird

Working on
Banana
Horse
Shoes
Drink

You're so smart! You get so excited when you remember a sign.

Cousins

Dear Thomas,
You met your cousins this week! Cheyenne and Jordan were here for a few days, and they got to spend some time with you. You met them before, last summer, but you were too little to notice. This week, however, was different. You had so much fun with them. You loved playing peek-a-boo with them and showing them your toys, it was great!
The fourth of July was so much fun. We went to the Turner Parade and then to the festivities after. You loved the parade, especially the animals.
You have made a lot of progress with communication. You are signing "more", "dog" and "bird" correctly. You aren't using any new words, but that will come soon :)

~Love you, Mommy

Beach fun

Dear Thomas,
We had so much fun at the beach this week. Mommy was a little braver, and brought you into the water. You were scared, but you loved it! We are going to Bear Pond Sunday so we can show Daddy what a good swimmer you are. This week, you paid a little more attention to Sienna, your beach buddy, and you let AJ and Tiana pick you up. You are becoming more and more comfortable every week.

You love naked time- it has been hot this week and we have let you run around a bit. When I took your diaper off the other day you ran around with your arms over your head just having a great time.

We have been keeping you up a little later now, trying to get you to sleep later too! You have really grown up the past month and do a lot of big boy things. One of these is going to sleep by yourself!

Yesterday, I found out just how much you love strawberries. After picking, I went to get you at daycare. You saw them in the car and went crazy. It was all I could do to get you home, upstairs and give you a bowl of cut and clean strawberries- you couldn't stand the wait. You cried the entire time!

~Love you, Mommy

Mommy's first weekend away

Dear Thomas,
Mommy had her first weekend away from you. It was hard and I was very afraid that you were going to be very upset and miss me. Daddy said that you said mama a few times over the weekend, like you were wondering where I was. In the end, things went fine and when I came home you acted as if I had just stepped out for a few minutes. I think the cat was more excited to see me than you were :)
You had a rough week with a sinus infection, an ear infection, and a bad fall. The fall was not serious other than the big gash it took out of your forehead! We put a band-aid on it, which ended up looking very cute.

We had our first beach day last week- and we will be returning tomorrow. You loved the beach! The water was fun, although you did not like it when you lost your balance and fell in. You didn't play in the sand as much as I thought you would, but I think that will change the more we go there. Sienna and Lily were there, although you were too busy to worry about the girls.

Love you~Mommy

dog + gus = Ga

Dear Thomas,
"Ga" is not the same as "dog." You have meshed Gus with dog to get "Ga," your new word for dog. You are climbing on everything; yesterday, you conquered the couch. Looks like our days of letting you play in the other room are over, we have to keep a constant eye on you again. Was there ever a time when you didn't walk? Walking comes so naturally now, you hardly ever fall. You made a new friend next door, his name is Jack. Every time we go outside you look for him and say "Ga" which is your way of saying that Jack's dog lives there.
You stayed at Grammie and Grandpa's again this weekend. You did well, no vomiting :) They really enjoy your company. Saturday, Daddy took you for a hike at the Bird Sanctuary. It was your first hike ever! Daddy said you did a great job and walked a lot of it. You crashed out pretty hard at the end, and took a two hour nap... I think you had enough :)

Mommy just started summer vacation! I can't wait to spend the summer with you. Tomorrow- the beach!

Favorite food= bananas and oranges

Soccer Star

Dear Thomas,
Maybe it's in the air with the World Cup games approaching, but you have become quite a soccer player! You often kick a ball instead of of throwing it, and can keep the ball underfoot for quite a while before losing it. Today we had an appointment with Dr. Sassiville. She had some Mr. Potato Heads in the office. You thought, of course, that it was a ball and played with it while we were waiting. You even kicked it around the room for a while like a soccer ball- I can't wait to see if you like that sport later in life.

You said "Thank you" today! Daddy handed you a toy in the bathtub that you had dropped, and you looked right at him and said "Thank you". It was great :)

We are working on some behaviors with you... you are being naughty. I think we have the hitting under control- putting you down seems to work. Now we are working on some other behaviors- standing on things like your chair, smashing blocks against the window... it's very hard to discipline you because you are so cute.

~Love you, Mommy

Blondie

Dear Thomas,
Remember when you were only a month old and Daddy and I took hundreds of pictures of you everyday?? No, well I do... sorry those days are done. I wish I had a new picture of you, but alas it is hard to catch you these days.
You hair is the most gorgeous shade of honey blond right now... the sun is really lightening it, it's beautiful.

You are saying and signing "All Done" on a regular basis right now. Picking up a few more words too. You keep climbing on your chair and standing on it!! So dangerous, you think it is hilarious.

Love you,
Mommy

Molars

Dear Thomas,
You have some big teeth coming, and boy does it look painful! I wish there was something I could for you, but you are chewing and drooling, and coping on your own for now :)
You are starting to put words together to form sentences... very simple sentences, but we are proud. Yesterday, you said "Hi Kitty" to Emma and laughed as she ran from you. We are getting the waving on a regular basis and hi and bye, about ten minutes too late.
Everyday you walk yourself from the car to the door of the condo. It takes a long time, you point at the flowers, you point at the neighbors dog, you stop to collect things, it is my favorite time of the day.
You are always so busy. We have a box from a fan in the kitchen. Every night, you fill the box with things and push it around the room. We got you a dust pan and broom which you use to sweep things and help Mommy clean. You love to play your piano, really you love to play with all of your toys now. We find that we have to use "No" less now, as you mostly play with toys instead of getting into things you shouldn't have.
Dinner has changed a lot. The big eater we had a month ago is gone! You are picky now and will toss things you don't want onto the floor. It is frustrating for Mommy who wants you to eat (and has to clean up after you). But, it is also funny in a way and we see the humor in your attitude.

Love you,
Mommy