I want an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!

Christmas is over and with a blur. We did get a tree a few days after Chris's birthday. It was put up immediately, but it took a few days to get decorated. Owen really liked the lights once they were put on the tree. Once we went to Greenville, Keith was kind enough to allow Owen to see the lights up close.

Christmas eve, we exchanged gifts with my mom's family. Owen got to unwrap some presents. He really enjoyed the wrapping paper, of course.

Santa was very good to us this year. Owen got a lot of good toys and even a few clothes. There was no staying up late on Christmas eve for Owen. However, I managed to stay up entirely too late with my family playing Scrabble making the next morning feel even earlier. I did wait an hour before I woke up the other snoozers upstairs. I received the response, "8 o'clock, are you serious?" It was great when we did go in the living room and Owen was able to begin playing.

It is definitely nice to be able to relax now that things have begun to calm down. Owen is having to get used to not being held 24/7 like he was when we were in Greenville. We are trying out the exersaucer often and introducing new toys constantly. It seems that he is getting closer to sitting on his own like I mentioned yesterday. It is going to take more practice, but I think that he will become much happier.

Catching up to here and now, oops it has been a while!

It has been a while, yes. I refuse to let Chris be right about whether or not I can keep up with a blog. There are a few others who questioned it as well. Surprise, surprise. I understand, but I will do my best to make all of you wrong, as you well know.

We have been terribly busy the end of this year. I think that all of us have been living in a blur for a few weeks. Things are going well, just busy with the hustle and bustle of this time of year.

We had a great Thanksgiving at both the Lloyds' and the Carrolls' houses. Owen was exhausted at the end of the day and quickly passed out on the ride back to Greenwood.

Owen has made some new discoveries since the last entry I wrote. He is now rolling over both directions and has been for a little while now. He is also able to grab things with one hand and transfer it back and forth. It seems that he is on his way to sitting on his own. It is quite humorous to watch him work.

Another new addition to Owen's world is the introduction of solids on a more regular basis. Owen has been eating various baby foods for the last month or so. We started with vegetables and moved into fruit. I swear, the kid will eat anything put in front of him.

It has been quite fun bundling him up since the weather has cooled off. I have to post some of these pictures, just because...

We have also begun to let the dogs have run of the house some what again rather than banishing them to the back room while Owen is out and about. It has been fun watching the interaction between the dogs and Owen. They are great with each other. It is truly the time that you are guaranteed a belly laugh from Owen. He thinks that the dogs are hilarious. Apparently, Fenway thinks that Owen just tastes good, based on all of the licking that is done. Colby is equally as good, but really does not care most of the time what he is doing. She just cares if there is a blanket on the floor that he is laying on so that she can share it. This is even the case when we go to both grandparents' houses. All animals are intrigued, kind, but protective of this new "creature" that they are not sure about where it came from, just that they like it.

Just before Christmas, we had two visitors that we were very excited about even if it was just for a few hours. Jill and Haley were in Columbia for Christmas so they made the trek up to Greenwood for a little while. We played and did lunch. It was neat to watch the two of them studying what the other was doing. It was great to see them. It is amazing what a difference 6 months can make.

I will have to update Christmas details in another post, since it is late and I should know better than to stay up this late when Owen is asleep. We hope that everyone is doing well and getting some much needed rest and quality time with those you love.

First Clemson Tailgate

Owen went to his first Clemson tailgate on Halloween. It was supposed to rain and then they changed the forecast. Surprise, surprise the forecast returned to rain for a home game. And rain it did. Thank god we had tents to hide under. The Moore's also brought their baby. We had some cute halloween babies. The costumes did not last very long, since I got humid and the were hot.

Owen did really well. He played hard and tuckered out hard.

It is quite cute, if I do say so myself. I know, I know I always said that I would not be that parent that lugged their child to a game. He really seemed to do well and it was great spending the day with him and friends. I doubt that he will make it into a game for quite some time.

Almost 4 months old

Owen has been really fun lately. He is rolling over from his stomach to his back regularly. He also has begun grabbing toys to play with.

He is on more of a schedule and we have much less crying. He is not sleeping through the night yet, but we are trying. Each night we pump him full of food. Two weekends ago we began introducing rice cereal into his night time feeding. He eats like a horse and still wakes up between 2 and 3 each night to eat again. It's okay, but it sure would be wonderful to get a full nights sleep.

He is still exploring with his hands and regularly sucks his thumb and his fist. It is awesome to watch him working.

We are at a point when bath time is a blast. It typically makes a gigantic mess all over the kitchen. Who ever bathms his ends up pretty wet as well. It really is one of our favorite things to do though.

He still loves to be outside. We got a new carrier for him that allows him to face away from us and he really enjoys it. It is a new sensation for him to have more mobility and face the world that way. He also does really well sitting in his Bumbo and leaning up in a chair. It is amazing how strong a little body can be.

Back from Hilton Head

We just got back from Owen's first beach trip. It was pretty successful. He seemed to love to nap on the beach. Every day that we headed to lay out, Owen immediately took a nap in his jogging stroller. He did wake up and "play" in the water twice. He seemed to like it even though it was cooler than his bath water. He also took a chance at the baby pool. Having lifeguarded in high school, I steer clear of the baby pool, but for Owen, Kit Griffy and I got in. Kit Griffy is the name that we are currently calling my mom since we keep switching what she wants to be called and it has become a joke. He liked the pool okay. I guess that is as much as a 2 month old can like a pool.

We also got a new contraption of sorts that has stuffed animals hanging over him. He was all about playing under it, until it was time to nap. Naps are coming more regularly and easily. Score one for the parents. The dogs even liked it when we got home.

We had our two month doctor visit the day before we left for the beach. It went as well as a baby getting shots could go. We are close to doubling our birth weight, which just shows what a pig Owen can be.

8 weeks and counting

We are going back to the doctor next Friday. It will be interesting to see how much Owen weighs at this point. We are leaving for our first beach trip the next day. It will also be interesting to see how much crap I can cram in the car in preparation for Owen's first vacation.

Things have been going pretty well around here. I have stopped drinking milk due to the suggestions from Jill and Annie. It has made a difference for Owen and his tender tummy. I do miss my morning cereal, but if that is the sacrifice that I need to make then it is not too much to ask.
Chris has been great about helping out in the evening. He is very good a jammie time and calming Owen down if there is a blood curdling scream and I cannot do anything else. Thank god bedtime has continued to be consistent. Owen is still fighting naps during the day. He has been taking some good ones the last few days, but it is definitely a struggle.
It is so worth it when he laughs and coos. We only have three more weeks together before I go back to work. I did get a new job as a guidance counselor at Oakland Elementary, which I think will be better when it comes to Owen. The hours are different than middle school and I will not have to get a substitute if Owen is sick. I am looking forward to starting a new job, but I know that these few weeks are going to fly by.

1 month already?

Chris said when I started this blog that I would have to keep up with it and that he doubted me. I have started to prove him right, since it has been so long since I wrote about life.
Owen is 1 month today. Oh my gosh!! It is unreal how fast it truly went. We have figured out quite a bit in a month. I have determined what certain cries mean. I have also found some rhythm some days.
For those of you who do not know, Mylicon is a wonderful friend. I thought that we could try not to use it for a while. It really backfired this weekend. So we have pulled it back out and it is amazing. He is his father's son because he is gaseous and needs some help with it. All of the funny stories we have deal with him pooping and farting. He sounds like a grown man. You cannot help but laugh. I have learned from this weekend how much sleep (or how little) I can have and still function.
We have used the car seat and stroller to our benefit since it is an instant sleep once we get settled in. Friday night Owen actually slept in his car seat, because at 3:30 we still had not slept at all. Chris slept in his khaki shorts so that he could pop the car seat in the car for a ride if needed. We have been going on good walks. Owen seems to like being outside too.
Owen also has learned to like lights. We hung out in the bathroom one morning for a half an hour while he smiled at the lights. The smiles are coming more regularly, not just while sleeping. There is definitely a dimple on his right cheek. I still can't get a picture smiling with his eyes open. I know we have time, but it is quite cute with all his gums showing.
Well, he is stirring! Time to attend to his every need:) I has been fun so far, despite the lack of sleep.

Who's down with OCC, yeah you know me!

Well things have changed in a week. Owen has arrived. He was born on Saturday the 20th at 6:34. We were not even really sure if it was truly labor at first. I thought for sure they were Braxton-Hicks contractions until they did not go away.
It was a long day on Friday though because they would not admit us that morning. We were told to come back when for two solid hours the contractions were so bad that they took your breath away and made you stop what you were doing completely. I totally understand why, but that it cruel to say to someone.
We tried to make the most of the day and not just sit around miserable. I was able to lay down and nap between contractions for an hour. Then mom and I decided to go get our toenails painted. I figured that was what she and I had already planned for the day, so why not go for it. I was not doing anything else except waiting. Chris and I also walked around Haywood Mall for a little while because that was what the nurse had suggested since it was so ridiculously hot outside.
We were able to head back to the hospital at 1 am. They readmitted us and things went very quickly from there. If you want a good laugh, you should sit down with Chris to talk about how truly involved he became despite the conversations that we had before we came to the hospital. At 5:30 it was decided that I was ready for delivery. Owen arrived 45 minutes later. We were all quite exhausted. I do not think that anyone rested at all. I also do not think that you are supposed to.
We were able to come home on Monday. It has been great being back at home. It has been a daily learning experience. We are struggling with diapers. Apparently, Owen's chicken legs are too small for many types of diapers and it has been quite messy. We cannot help but laugh when he pees on one of us.
We also had a hard time with breastfeeding. It has been a struggle, but I think that we may have kicked the problems yesterday. Overall, he has been a joy to be around. He even sleeps fairly well so far. Chris has been off all this week and my mom has hung out here since Tuesday. We are working together on figuring things out.

Still Waiting

Thumper Hoyt Carroll has still not arrived. We have less than 10 days left until the actual due date. Since I have nothing else to do being 9 months pregnant and it being almost 90 degrees outside, I have decided to attempt to keep a blog. We shall see how well I am able to keep it up to date.
We have another doctor appointment on Thursday morning. Hopefully, things will be a little bit further along than last week. I am all for this baby getting what it needs and hanging out, but I would really like for things to get underway close to the due date. I should not complain at all because in a month, we will not have any down time at all. Although anyone who knows me, knows that I have a hard time not being entertained at all times. We will just have to wait and see.