"Mamma, snack!"

Dear Boys,
  This is the extent of our car ride home.  Owen, "Mamma, snack." Me, "When we get home Owen."  Owen, "Home?" Me, "Yes, Owen we are going home."  wait 30 seconds, repeat conversation.
  When there is a brief pause in Owen's snack requests, Thomas loves to ask Owen questions.  "Owen, do you want a headlight?" Owen, "No." Thomas, "Owen, do you want a tree?", Owen, "No", repeat many time with different things Thomas sees out the window.  :)

Owen is an eater right now- you eat constantly from the second we get home (literally has to be the first thing we do) until bedtime... you eat!  You must be a growing boy.

Fun loving boy doesn't listen to No!

Dear Owen,
  You little rascal... you love to hear No!  Right now, Daddy and I are chasing you around like crazy as you get into everything possible.  When Thomas was your age, we could put the television on and he would be quiet and focused.  You, however, do not care about TV.  Instead, you explore the house fearlessly :)
  Your vocabulary has exploded!  You will repeat any word that Daddy and I say, and you have quite a bank of words you use for communicating with us.  You will even string a few words together, like Mamma's cup and Daddy sleeping.  It has made things so much easier as you communicate with us more!
  Your brother has been a good influence on your playing.  You love to do everything Thomas does, and so you have learned early how to play with toys and pretend.  One of your favorite "big boy" toys to play with is the iPad.  There are a few games we play together before bedtime to help settle you.  You're very good at using it already.
  I don't think I can do this post justice and really describe how awesome you are.  Social- you love a crowd and feel very comfortable in new places; brave- there isn't much that will scare or intimidate you- the smoke detector appears to be the only thing you are afraid of; funny- you love to get a laugh and will perform for your brother, Daddy and I.  Blowing bubbles in the bath, making raspberries, there are many things you will do to entertain us.
  Things you love: your blanket (has to be with a silky edge), Gus (any animal can win your affections, but you have a special place in your heart for Grammie and Grandpa's dog), fig newtons (ha), playdough... much more I'm sure! 

Thomas 3 1/2

Dear Thomas,
   You are three and a half right now (actually 3 years and 8 months) and you are changing everyday.  Mostly, Daddy and I are constantly amazed by your vocabulary and imagination.  You love to talk, and you talk through your playtime.  We hear all about the adventures you are having and we get to enjoy your adventures with you.
  You love Hide and Seek.  We play quite a few times a day, pretty much whenever you can talk us into it.  You are still not comfortable being far away from us, or in a different room. So, your hiding places are very obvious... many times you even tell us where you are hiding!  It also doesn't help that Owen usually hides with you and gives away your spot by talking or laughing (although, you do that too :))
  You have been learning a lot the last few months.  You know how to spell you name and Owen's name.  You don't know all your letters yet, but you can recognize a lot of them.  You do know your numbers and you know A LOT about science.  You seem very interested in science topics, like nature and weather and you remember everything we tell you.  It's pretty incredible.
  We've recently discovered Virginia Burton's books.  Mike Mulligan's Steam Shovel is a big hit, and you ask us to read it many times a day.  We also love Pete the Cat- these books make us laugh a lot and you love to read them yourself.
  You and your brother are having so much fun together.  You run around and play together every night when we get home.  You are very physical with each other, but it seems to make you both happy, so Daddy and I let you two be.  You are especially nice to him at daycare, and always watch out for him there.
 Some favorites are:  TV Show: Jake and the Neverland Pirates, food: PB & J, chicken nuggets and spaghetti are still popular, book: Mike Mulligan's Steam Shovel, music: Yo Gabba Gabba

~Love you, Mommy

Owen is 16 months

Dear Owen,

 Wow! You're doing so much right now. You are a fun-loving and happy boy! You have a dozen words or so- Mamma, Daddy, Babba (brother), kitty, doggy, cup, ball, balloon, bobber (yes bobber- we fish a lot), bubble, and plane- I think a few more I am forgetting. You like the word doggy right now and call everything a doggy :-)  You have four teeth left to come in, and I think they are coming- we have seen a lot of hand chewing this week.  You have a great sense of humor.  One of your favorite games to play is when Mommy tries to get you to say "Mamma", and you say other words instead of Mamma.  You laugh and laugh at this game!  You also love tickling and wrestling games; you and your brother make me very nervous with your wresting!

You love to look at books.  I think we must read "Busy Doggies" about two dozen times a day.  You never get tired of it.  You are a climber, you are in the climb on chairs and up the stairs phase... lots of falls and boo-boos for you!  Your newest adventure is to climb on the train table and then cry until someone helps you down.

Outside is also a fun time for you; you mostly follow your brother around and do exactly what he does :)  Unfortunately, you aren't as good at picking out the ripe tomatoes, so you spit out a lot of green ones... Mommy does not find this funny!

We love you and enjoy you every day.

~Mommy

An Amazing Summer

Dear Boys,
  We have had one amazing summer!  A few things we have done...  Thomas and I have been taking weekly trips to Range Pond to work on swimming.  We meet up with some friends of Mommy's from school.  Owen and I have gone to Bear Pond a few times, you are so brave in the water that Mommy doesn't dare to take you two to the beach alone!

We've made many ocean trips, Pine Point, which was very fun with low tide and hardly any people, and Popham Beach, always a favorite of ours.  We went to Thomas the Train in Boothbay Harbor, something we enjoyed last year too.

We had our first camping trip at the Cathedral Pines Campground in Eustis, Maine.  We were fortunate that this trip was so successful and that both of you enjoyed sleeping in a tent :)  We squeezed in many other fun events, like a trip to the Children's Museum in Portland, the Maine Wildlife Park and the Smiling Hill Farm.

School starts next week, and as you can imagine we are all going to miss the summer fun!

Until next summer,
  ~Mommy

First Steps

Dear Owen,
You took your first steps last night! We are so proud of you. It's really about confidence now, you have been standing up for a week or so, but haven't trusted yourself to walk. Last night you were standing with Mommy and Daddy was just a step or two away, and you walked to him! Tonight you walked a few steps to Nana. It will be no time before you are running after Thomas outside!

You love being outside. We haven't been able to let you crawl around much; the ground is still cold and wet. You are more than willing to get dirty creeping across the driveway as fast as we can walk behind you! You also love wagon rides and stroller rides. We have been walking as much as possible to give you fresh air and keep you clean at the same time!

You love to eat. You only take two bottles a day now, we will be eliminating these soon too. It shouldn't be a problem with your love of food. Some favorites are... actually you love everything. You will eat a whole apple down to its core; you love these oatmeal muffins Mommy makes for you; potatoes, carrots, beef stew, strawberries, peaches, pears, peas... as long as you can chew it, you like it! I can't wait for your one year appointment to see your weight... I think its up there!

We love you so much. You are such an easy going and happy baby! Tooth number 7 came in last week, 8 should be here soon.

Love you,
Mommy

Snails

Dear Thomas,

You have invisible pet snails. It's awesome. Here are some things you have told me about your snails: they are shy. they eat lettuce and fruit. when you take them to the grocery store you let them touch everything and don't say no when they ask for something.

You hold your snails in your hands, especially at bedtime. They tried to make an appearance at daycare this week, but they decided they were not ready for that. (they are very shy) This has to be the most entertaining thing you have done since your birth! We love it!

Walking... almost

Dear Boys,

Owen you want to walk! You have mastered the art of walking behind the fire truck (or any other toy that can roll, slide and hold you weight) We are following you back and forth from one end of the room to the other, keeping you safe. You laugh the entire time! In addition to walking, you have decided to climb the stairs. I have been trying to teach you, "No" by saying it when you try and climb. You pause, look at me, smile your biggest smile and continue climbing... here we go!

Thomas you were so excited this year for Valentine's Day. You remember things now, and you ask about them again and again. We made Jello for your friends at daycare this weekend. You were very excited to bring it in and share it; you remembered that we had to wait until Valentine's Day and on that day you were so proud and excited to share.

Yesterday you said (exact words), "How can you be sure that the money will go in the bank?" When we were waiting for a deposit at the drive up teller. You amaze me sometimes!! Last weekend it was, "Can I have some fresh milk please?" I don't know how you got such a well developed vocabulary but your adjective use is amazing.

We went ice skating for the first time this weekend. You hated it! You cried a lot, asked to get off the ice, but true to your spirit (you did this during swim lessons) you claimed to love it and said you wanted to go again. We will stick to the rink out back now, we just wanted to give the general idea :)

Brother's play

To My Boys,

You are such a pleasure! Although Daddy and I are incredibly busy at night with you two, you make it worth it. Yesterday, we looked over at you, Thomas, and you had sunglasses on and a cell phone about an inch away from your face. You looked like such a goofball! You say the funniest things, like; "I think tonight is a good night for a movie," always buttering us up to try and watch Bugs Life, Toy Story or Nemo :) You talk constantly while you play (a trait you get from Mommy) so we have a nice running commentary about what you are doing. You love to make your brother laugh, and you are always asking to feed him. We moved your seats at the dinner table next to each other and you reach right out and hold Owen's hand. Such a love.

The tubes have made a huge difference for you Owen. You are sleeping well and much happier during the day. Lately, you have started to chase your brother around and sometimes you tackle him- pulling his hair and trying to bite him. You are so playful :) Mommy really has to keep the floor clean now, you love to pick up your brother's dropped snacks and eat them. The cheerios we can let go, but tonight you ate a goldfish cracker... not quite ready for that yet! Boy are you anxious though.

Love you,

~Mommy

Standing strong

Dear Owen,

I should have posted a while ago so that I could have focused on all the great things you are doing! You pull yourself up to standing, climb stairs (yikes) and love to stand and play at tables now (although you still need to hold on for support). Your belly laugh is incredible! You laugh so hard sometimes at the silliest things. Your brother is the best for getting laughs out, but Mommy can too and the bathtub always brings on the laughs as well.

All that is far from our minds now because we are so focused on healing you. You are having a lot of trouble with your ears. Just like Thomas, you are going to have to have tubes. You have pretty much had an ear infection since December. We have tried many rounds of different antibiotics, but none seem to help. We were scheduled to see an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor for February 20th. Luckily, this week while we are at the doctor's again getting antibiotic shots, the doctor made a phone call and moved your surgery up. So, tomorrow is the big day.

Daddy and I aren't too worried. We went through this with Thomas and we know what to expect. It is still going to be hard though, and I am anxious to have it all behind us! I wish I had been keeping this blog when we went through it with Thomas so I could look back and know exactly what to expect!

You are such a happy and good-spirited baby, even wi

th all the ear pain. I can't imagine what a pleasure you will be once you feel better. Maybe you will sleep through the night :)

Sounds you are making: dadada babababa... no mama yet :(

Love you

~Mommy

Merry Christmas Baby

Dear Thomas,

This was the best Christmas with you so far. You finally got it this year; you understood Christmas, Santa, the whole bit. It was so exciting to see you open your gifts and look forward to playing with your new toys. Unfortunately, you seem to like your brother's toys more than your own. You take them from him all the time.

We got to meet Santa three times!! You were so brave every time we met him.

You have really developed quite an imagination. You run and fight the monsters in the house, using whatever utensil you can find. You love to talk as you play, so we always know what is going on. Your narrations are quite funny for Daddy and I to listen to!

Move It!

Dear Owen,

Two weeks ago you finally did it! You finally crawled :) I gave you the motivation you needed by lying on the floor across the room and you crawled to me. You were so happy with yourself you giggled and laughed. Now, there is no stopping you. You just needed that first "step" to get you going. You follow me all around the kitchen and explore the house as if you were waiting for this very opportunity. I am so proud of you!

Your ear infection just cleared, we were doing a second round of anti-biotics. That means, you have been quite grumpy for almost three weeks. I am so glad to have my happy little boy back now that you are feeling better. Your two top-front teeth also came through this week; poor thing.

We had such a nice time tonight in the bath. Your brother helped and you two giggled and splashed, it was so much fun. I love this age, I think its one of my favorites.

Santa Claus is coming to town

Dear Thomas,

I am so proud of you! We went to the annual Christmas party at the American Legion (a party Mommy used to go to when she was a child) and you met Santa. This year, you were so calm, participated in the sing-alongs and sat on Santa's lap! You are growing up so fast!

We went to see Elmo Saturday! Mommy took yo

u to the Portland Civic Center to see Sesame Street Live. You loved it. You were very serious, and watched the whole thing quietly. It was great. While we were there, Daddy and Owen went to the Art Museum. They didn't last long before someone complained that Owen was too loud! How silly!

You favorite movie is A Bug's Life. You liked Toy Story for a while, but now you ask for A Bug's Life whenever we have movie night. We watched The Polar Express with you a few nights ago and you really loved that movie! You are so into trains right now, it was right up your alley.

Love you

~Mommy

My, those are big teeth you have!

Dear Owen.

Four teeth! Although you broke through your first tooth a while ago, you just received your fourth. The top teeth are coming in differently, the outer are coming in before the middle two! I can't wait to get picture of this!

You can get up to sitting position from your belly/back now! Still little progress on the crawling :)

You have your first ear infection :( A trooper, it was only the fever that told us something was wrong, you were behaving as happy as usual! You are on antibiotics now, and we are hoping for a quick turn around.

~Love you

Mommy

Do you have any questions?

Dear Thomas,

You still talk constantly, endlessly :) One of the things you do that we love is ask us if we have any questions. On the way home from daycare with Mommy, or in the morning with Daddy, you ask us to come up with questions for you to answer. It's cute. You are also reading a lot, making up stories or repeating stories you know while perusing through books.

Although you are quite strong willed- a trait you get from Daddy, you are being a good boy and listening... most of the time. We still have to constantly ask you not to jump off chairs and to be careful with Owen. Otherwise, you are doing pretty well for the terrible twos.

This is the first Christmas you have been old enough to understand what is goi

ng on. We have visited Santa once, you had your picture taken with him. You like to watch The Grinch, and seem excited about the Christmas tree. I think you will be pleased when you wake up Christmas morning! You can't think of anything you want for Christmas, I don't think you have developed the ability to want things you don't already have (which is awesome by the way).

You are very smart- you know the colors and shapes (most of the time) and seem to be starting to pick up some letters. Potty training has become a battle of wills now; you completely get it, but have no desire to use the potty anymore. We will try again soon!

Love you,

Mommy

Clap, clap, clap your hands

Dear Owen,

Today was your first time clapping! Although, that was really only one of many things you have done this week. You are generous with kisses now, coating your victim in massive amounts of drool :) You have started biting... something Mommy keeps ending up on the losing end of. You are still so close to crawling, but other than sliding backwards on a slippery floor you haven't moved yet.

You started feeding yourself food! You love to eat puffs, bananas, avocados (although when you would get them in your mouth you were not impressed :)) If you can grab it and taste it you will! You don't seem to have a favorite food yet; you tolerate anything we give you except peas and avocados- they both make you gag. You tried carrots at Thanksgiving (your very first Thanksgiving), however none of them made it in your mouth.

I just can't believe how much you are growing. You now weigh 20 pounds 7 ounces (at last check up) and you are so strong. Sometimes I have a hard time carrying you, and when you try to get out of my grasp forget about it! I can't hold on to you. You have had quite a few accidents- two falls off the bed and a fall off the couch. You are just so busy we can't quite keep up with you.

Love you,

Mommy

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Fall fun

Dear Thomas,

We have been busy this month! It has been a beautiful month and we tried to get out as much as we could. We went to Pumpkin Land, where you enjoyed a carriage ride, pet animals, and picked a pumpkin. We went apple picking with Sienna and Cody- you loved the tractor ride, and played in the sandbox there at the orchard. We have been to two fairs- well you have. Daddy, Mommy, Grammie and Grandpa all took you to the Farmington Fair. Then, Grammie and Grandpa took you to the Freyburg Fair. You had a great time at both fairs and really enjoyed the fair food!

Day care continues to go well. You are learning so much! You know your letters, your colors, the days of the week and so many other things! You love to sing songs and request a lot of music in the car! (Yellow Bus continues to be a favorite)!

Lately, you have been very interested in your trains. You love to watch Thomas the Train and Bob the Builder (the episode where they build a train track is your favorite) Its fun to watch you play now because you stay focused on activities for long periods of time. You are starting to pretend more and make up situations when you play- it's great!

Funny things you say: "That's a funny question Mamma." "What kind of ____ it is?" About your brother Owen- "He likes me." "He's patting me." "I miss him so much." "He's laughing at me." You love your brother!!

One last thing- you read us a book the other day. We have been reading "There is a Monster at the End of This Book" a few times a day for a few weeks. The other day, you started reading it to me! You got the first three pages right then you asked me to take over. So exciting!

Six months old!

Dear Owen,

Happy half-birthday! You are six months old and you can do a lot! You are sitting up (a new development this week), rolling over, laughing, and so much more. You love playing with toys, and reach out to grab anything you think will be fun.

We have tried some fruits and vegetables. You aren't impressed with bananas or apples, but you do like sweet potatoes, carrots and pears. You are up to two meals a day- growing like a weed :)

One of your favorite activities is to watch your brother. He can really get you laughing. I am so happy to have him to entertain you :)

More cereal please

Dear Owen,

Well it took about a week, but you finally like the rice cereal we have been feeding you. You lunge at the spoon and gobble down the whole bowl :) This week will try some fruit, I can't believe we are already feeding you solid food! Time is going so fast with you.

Once again, I have to tell you about what a good baby you are. You have starting sitting in the exer-saucer more and more. You love to look around at what everyone is doing and you are perfectly content as long as you can see your brother or your mother. You are so close to sitting up, it will happen soon. You roll over onto your belly constantly, and you are working on crawling... we hope you are a ways away from that.

Love you,

Mommy