#105 - Three Teeth

Owen is cutting three more teeth this week, each of them the eye teeth on the corner, and it looks so painful for him. He's perpetually drooling right now, and you just might lose a finger if you put it anywhere close to his mouth (he's got an uncontrollable urge to bite down and relieve the pressure). But, despite that, he's doing great!

Owen loves playing with Miss Sadie Grace, the grand-daughter of Bobbie. She's exactly a year older than him, and they will play together all day.

Okay - two things on this picture.... First, take a look at that nasty bruise running down the side of his face. On Friday, he ran into a wall (or maybe tripped and fell, not sure), and hit it just so, and ended up with this horrible bruise. It almost looks like a gash. But, it's healing fine, and he doesn't even know it's there. Secondly, this picture makes me laugh because it's what Owen does after he's done eating. He takes the napkin and "cleans" off the table. Isn't that cute??? Also, on Saturday, we were out at dinner, and Owen grabbed his napkin off the table and put it in his lap and then looked up at us with a big smile, obviously quite proud of himself for mimicking Mommy and Daddy. We've never taught him to do that (put his napkin in his lap), but now he wants to do it like we do. Is it really weird that I'm totally proud of him for this! :)

A series of pictures demonstrating his remarkable climbing skills. If we let him, he would sit on the coffee table all the time.

Reading "Eight Little Monkeys" with Daddy.

Owen with his best friend, Cocoa. First, going for a ride, then, giving her a big hug.

Trying on Daddy's shoes. They are just a *little* big on him.....

And, finally, hanging out at the park with his friend Peyton. They had a blast!

#104 - Our Little Valentine

Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day! We had a nice, relaxing three-day weekend in Savannah. Saturday night, Lou and I had date night, and tried a wonderful new restaurant on Wilmington Island, complete with drinks and dessert at the Mansion. It was the perfect Valentine's celebration. On Sunday, we went to church..... ah, what a mess. Due to "poor communication" between Lou and I, we forgot Owen's diaper bag at home. Ever tried sitting through a 1-hour mass with no snacks, drinks, crayons, books, toys, etc? It was a disaster!

Last night, we had a fun Valentine Day dinner - shrimp, lobster, cupcakes, etc. And, I had two handsome Valentines at my table!

Check out our sweet little Valentine...

So, last week, the book of the week was "Where's Spot?". Well, one day this week, Owen found the book, "The Giving Tree". I don't know what it is about this book, but he's absolutely obsessed with it! We've read it no less than 30 times in the last 5 days. He even loves just sitting there and reading it to himself.

Today, we headed to Forsyth Park for some fun at the playground. It was a little cold for Savannah, but nothing that a coat and hat couldn't cure. Owen had an absolute blast! He's gotten so good at climbing up and down things.

He loved riding the little duck. Kept saying "Quack, quack."

My two Valentines

He's no longer a baby, but a little boy now!

Hanging out on the swing.

Sliding down the tube slide. He loved this!

Happy Valentine's Day!

#103 - Bedtime Rituals

We've had a pretty consistent bedtime ritual since Owen was about 6 months old. It starts at 7:00 - bath, lotion, get dressed, brush teeth, dry hair, read 1-2 books, say prayers, sing 1-2 songs, then crib. He's usually in the crib by 7:30, and usually asleep pretty quickly after that. Of course, there are also those random nights where he fights sleep, but most of the time, it's pretty easy.

For months, "Goodnight Moon" was a required reading. It's definitely still in the rotation, but the latest favorite is "Where's Spot?". In this book, each page has a flap for Owen to lift in hopes of finding Spot. Check out how interactive story time is now.....

Sorry for the picture quality - I was filming video on my digital camera with just one hand.

After he's in his crib, we go through a few minutes of "night, night", "blow Mama kisses", "How much does Mama love Owen?", etc., etc. Last night, he wanted to blow me big, wet, sloppy, noisy kisses! He was making both of us laugh!

And a little more sweetness before closing the door....

Sweet dreams everyone!

#102 - 18 Months Old Today!

Happy 18 month birthday to our little boy! But, he's not a little baby anymore. The little guy is running all over the place and is ALL BOY! He loves to climb on everything. He loves to get rough and wrestle on the floor. He loves to play with the football, and the basketball and the soccer ball. It's truly amazing how big he is, and how much he's developed into his own little self. Each day is a miracle around here, and he never ceases to amaze us!

Before we get on to the good stuff, I've got to share a story from church today. During the sign of peace, Owen watched us shake hands with our fellow parishoners. After it was over, he then insisted on shaking everyone's hand on our pew just like we did (even though the priest was well into the communion prep at this point). And, during all of communion, he repeatedly turned around to the folks in the pew behind us to shake their hand over and over. It was pretty darn cute. He's got the church thing down.

Alright, some videos for our friends and family. As I mentioned, Owen loves playing with the basketball and football. Enjoy!

#101 - Taking a Trip to the ATL

I had another work meeting in Atlanta this week, so this time Owen came along with me! We got to see the Flemings and spend time with their three little ones - Andrew, Luke and Lauren. Owen had tons of fun playing with the two boys and the toy wonderland that is the Fleming home! And, of course, I loved, loved getting to see Heather. We talk all the time, but rarely get an opportunity to see each other these days.

The three boys - Owen (18 months), Andrew (almost 6) and Luke (almost 4).

Owen with Mrs. Heather and little Lauren (almost 9 months). Isn't she the sweetest thing ever? She's got the most beautiful eyes!

Then, after spending a few hours with Heather and family, we went over to my Dad and Catherine's which is where we stayed for the next two days. It's been a year since we've been to their house, and I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it was to spend the quality time with them and Owen. It was incredibly heartwarming to watch Dad and Catherine and Johnny (Robby was sick) interact with the little guy.
Catherine (a/k/a Mama - that's Mama with an accent over the second a, but I can't figure out how the heck to do that on Blogger) and Owen.

Johnny is quite an accomplished swimmer in high school (by the way, can you believe he's a senior this year???), and once Owen found his swim goggles he didn't want to take them off.

Uncle Johnny was so sweet with Owen. They horsed around together and Owen especially loved wrestling with him.

I think Dad had a smile on his face the entire time Owen was there. He is such a sweet grandfather..... When I went to work on Monday, Dad and Catherine took Owen for a walk around the neighborhood. Concerned that it might be too cold, Dad dressed Owen in layers, put his jacket on him, put a pair of socks over his hands as mittens, and then put a pair of his own adult socks over Owen's legs to wear as leg warmers. And on top of that had a thick blanket. It was 50 degrees. :) I love them!

In addition to the walk, they played basketball, soccer, read books and played with Owen's school bus. Owen was in heaven!

Uncle Johnny, Mama, Owen and Papa - Thanks for a wonderful time!

#100 - One Hundredth Blog Post

In honor of my 100th blog post, a little trip down memory lane..... Enjoy!

#99 - Lots of videos