Two Months Old

My sweet baby boy is two months old.  I can honestly say that I have loved every minute of the last two months with him. I frequently think, "wow, what an amazing baby,"  and he is.  He sleeps through the night,  naps when I want/need him to nap, smiles and coos, is rarely fussy and likes to snuggle with me. Amazing.  On Owen's two month "birthday" I did a mini photo shoot with him.

I am not a professional photographer,  nor do I have any desire to be.  I do have a fancy pants camera that takes pretty decent pictures on "auto" and I have no desire to pay someone else a small fortune to take pictures for me. So I give it my best shot, take about 200 pictures to have 3 of them turn out and vow that someday I will take a photography class.  Someday when I'm not driving kids to soccer practices,  soccer games, tumbling classes,  dance classes, & cub scouts, teaching preschool, doing 12 loads of laundry a week and trying to fit in feedings every 2-3 hours for my hungry little growing baby.  It's definitley not the time or the season for photography classes, and I'm okay with that.

Here are the three that turned out:

I love this little chalkboard I picked up at Michaels for a couple of bucks.

Looks so much like his big brothers.

Owen is starting to hold his head up really well.

Just for fun,  here are some of the out takes.  I had a great three year old helper :)

Abbi helping Owen hold up his head.

Abbi giving Owen kisses.

This kid wants to suck on everything in sight.

See what I mean?

And Abbi rushes in to help.... again.

He looks a little bit like an alien in this one.

At two months Owen:

Weighs 13 lbs. 6 oz.

Wears size 1 diapers

Wears size 0 to 3 month clothes

sleeps 7-8 hours at night without waking

Still won't take a binkie

Smiles and Coos when we talk to him.

Likes the bath.

Does not like to be cold.

Horseshoe Bay

In August,  we were able to take a very quick, very impromptu trip down to the Horseshoe Bay Resort on Lake Lindon B. Johnson.  Colby had some last minute surgery cancellations,  and we had a Marriott Rewards certificate that was about to expire.  We made a couple of phone calls and half an hour later we had packed up all the kids, including our six week old baby, and all their stuff (who says our days of being carefree and spontaneous are over?)  After a quick stop at Pizza Hut and the gas station, we were on our way.  We were only gone about 24 hours,  but that was long enough for all of us to recharge and it was the perfect way to end the Summer. 

We spent time exploring the beautiful resort grounds, 

I love these sweet kids!

Carter Ben exploring the trails.

Colby and the kids by the Lilly pads.

This waterfall was one of our favorite parts of the resort grounds.

We took advantage of all of the hotels amenities,  including smores making and a "dive-in movie" by the pool.

We swam in two of the three swimming pools, 

and the "largest hot tub in Texas."

For the kids, the highlight of the trip was playing on the sandy beach by the lake.

Building Sandcastles

Digging trenches

Somehow we all made it home the next day with smiles on our faces.

As with every trip,  the kids LOVED the hotel.  I think we could go to a hotel that was down the street from our house and they would think it was fabulous. Here are some pictures of our kiddos bright and early,  and excited to be waking up in a hotel.  (I might have forgotten to pack a comb for Abbi's hair)

Loving this little brother.

Owen is not so sure about this...

All ready to swim!  

Back to School

Last week,  the boys headed back to school.  I love having them home,  but I think we were all ready for a little more structure and a better routine.  This year they are riding the bus.  The good thing about riding the bus is I don't have to wake up and/or load up Abbi and Owen.  The bad news is the bus comes at 6:45 a.m.!  So far, they are loving school (even the early morning bus ride).  They both have great teachers and lots of friends in their classes.  Seeing how grown up they look in these pictures makes me want to freeze time.  I love this stage that they are at;  pretty independent but not too old to snuggle with me on the couch and watch cartoons. 

Ammon- Fourth Grade

Carter-Second Grade

Carter with Mrs. McGowan

Ammon gets a locker in the hallway this year!

This little peanut is sooo ready to start school,  and still has sooo long to wait!

Two more years until Kindergarten....

If you look closely, you can see where Abbi wrote her name- backwards!

Owen's first month

Owen's first month went by so fast!  I found myself constantly wishing I could freeze time and keep him a tiny newborn for longer.  Owen seemed to get bigger every day and by the time he was a month old, he had chubby little cheeks and a round tummy. 

We have had so much fun having a new little one around.  We have done lots of swimming and playing at splashpads to keep cool.

Owen at two weeks old at the waterpark.

Ammon and Carter thought that Owen needed goggles at the pool.  Owen is so laid back, he didn't even notice these!

 Grandma Frost came to visit and we were so excited to have her here.  Grandma kept the house clean, laundry done and kids entertained and she even made dinners and freezer meals. 

Grandma, Owen and Daddy

I love this picture!  This is about how the first couple of weeks went for Abbi... she had a little bit of an adjustment to no longer being the "baby." 

But Grandma helped make it better. :)

Of course, we had to go to Rudy's for their delicious BBQ and giant smoked stuffed potatoes.

Owen has gotten plenty of attention from his big siblings.

One of whom treats him like a baby doll...

I think these little cheeks get kissed at least 100 times a day.

Owen on his one month "birthday"

At one month old, Owen:

Is still wearing newborn diapers

Rarely spits up

Sleeps 5- 7 hours at night without waking (can you say dream baby?)

Still sleeps in his bouncy seat

Loves to be swaddled

Frequently furrows his brow and/or wrinkles his forehead

Looks a lot like his big brothers

We sure love this little baby!

Bringing home baby O

On Sunday, July 8th, we brought little Owen home from the hospital.  Owen had a sweet little boy nursery waiting for him.  (Or more accurately, we transformed 1/2 of Abbi's bedroom to be "boy friendly.") It turns out he really didn't need to have a cute little crib waiting for him... that first night home from the hospital he only spent 45 minutes actually sleeping. Colby later referred to it as "the worst nights sleep in nine years"  (the night nine years ago being the night we brought Ammon home from the hospital). Ironically enough, we spent the next seven days trying to get the little twirp to wake up and eat so we could stop driving to the hospital every single morning to have his billirubin and weight checked.  When we weren't driving to the hospital,  I was busy taking about 800 pictures of the little guy on 4 different cameras/phones/electronic devices in every outfit I dressed him in (and sometimes in the nude!)  We are so happy to have our little man home with us.

Owen's "nursery"

Leaving the hospital.

Mom and Owen getting ready to go home.

Sleeping in his swing, 

and on Mom and Dad's bed, 

(I love the fetal position!)

and in his bouncy seat. (If you'll notice; in this picture, there is a swing, bouncy seat and pack 'n play... we were pulling out all the stops to try to get this baby to sleep at night.  We discovered that he loves to be swaddled really tight and sleep in his bouncer.  So we put the pack 'n play away, and his crib sits empty:)  A huge thanks to Grandma Stewart for getting this great bouncer for Owen,  and subsequently letting us get a little shut eye)

Owen has also been hanging out with his older siblings.

Carter, Abbi and Owen in Mom's bed.

When he was refusing to wake up and eat,  Owen's doctor recommended that I pump and try to feed him a bottle because it takes less effort for him to eat (HELLO,  lazy little fella).  The kids thought it was great to be able to help feed him,  Owen wasn't quite as thrilled as they were.

Abbi and Owen.

Ammon and Owen

We are all so happy that this baby is home.