Bowen :: 2 Years Old

Bowen :: 2 Years

Stats: 30.5 lbs, 34 inches! Growth spurt! He actually jumped from the 20th percentile growth curve to the 50th. Holla for average height! He’s wearing 2T on top and 18 months on the bottom. 

Eats: Still almost anything, although some occasional bouts of pickiness have shown up. Yesterday I asked him what he wanted for breakfast and he said “Hmmm…how bout…. Chicka lay?” (Chick-Fil-A.) Nice try, buddy! His favorites are yogurt (obsessed), grapes, peanut butter sandwiches, strawberries, turkey meatballs, corn, chicken and ketchup, pita and hummus, watermelon and blackberries. He will not eat cheese. I don’t get it. 

Sleeps: Usually 7:30ish to 7:30ish, with a 30 minute swing in either direction. He’s been up later a little more often, but doesn’t sleep in so I try to stick to earlier bedtime. I switched lunch to before nap which pushed his nap back to about 12:30/1:00-2:30/3:00. It’s usually 90 minutes, but I sometimes get the nice two hour stretch. 

Milestones: Runs and climbs, runs and climbs. He’s a hundred miles an hour. He’s AMAZING at kicking a soccer ball - he can chase it all around the yard. He’s also got a pretty decent throwing arm (and occasionally remembers to “throw to hands” instead of faces. Eek.) He can do the stairs by himself now but he still prefers to hold a hand. He has a million words. Seriously.  He speaks in sentences - “I need help,” “I want a snack,” “I not sleepy.” He sings songs - I’ll catch him singing Twinkle Twinkle or Wheels on the Bus to himself in the car sometimes. He requests his favorite songs - Sweetheart (Ho Hey), Hot Dog and Bamboleo (?!) are top three right now. He tells stories about things that happened in the past and has an amazing memory.  He repeats things I say constantly, like “oh my goodness!” and “how nice!” My favorite is when he’s doing something “naughty” he’ll go “You s’posed to do dat?” to himself. He’s started doing a lot of pretend play - pretending to talk on the phone, holding up fake food and making “chewing” sounds, etc. 

Loves: Trucks, trucks, trucks. Anything with wheels. Particularly construction vehicles. Going to the playground, the Y and the pool. Playing on the porch and in the grass. Zoey and Eli. Reading books - favorites right now are a Curious George book, Happy Baby, the Pookie series, Is Your Mama a Llama and 12 Little Race Cars (memorized this one). Kicking a soccer ball. Throwing balls. Running. Hiding from mommy. Coloring. 

Challenges: Timeout for hitting. He’s a regular visitor. He, fortunately, seems to show remorse and when I go to get him out, he says (and signs) “I’m sorry mommy” and is very loving. He usually only hits when we’re playing around and he gets excited or when he’s overtired, but malicious intent or not, I’m trying to curb that as quickly as possible. So, boom, straight to TO. (Two minutes in a chair facing the wall in the dining room. So far, knock on wood, he’ll stay there.) Generally trying to avoid power struggles: if I can offer him a choice, it’s usually better. Instead of saying “We need to go upstairs and change your diaper,” to which he screams no and runs and hides, I try to say “ We need to go upstairs and change your diaper - would you like to walk or would you like mommy to carry you?” (He usually says walks but keeps standing in there… then I start counting to 3… then he runs to the stairs… it’s a work in progress.) There’s at least one meltdown per day. It’s white noise now. When he does something he knows he was supposed to, he tells me “Good boy, issen ears” which is his version of “Good boy, you used your listening ears” which I must say a hundred times a day. 

Sweet Bo, you’re two! How is that possible? In some ways, I’ve been rounding him up to two when strangers ask or when signing him into the Y nursery that it doesn’t feel weird to say he is two… But on the other hand, when I think about holding that little baby in my arms in the hospital room on the first early morning, watching the sunrise and the morning commute on Silas Creek Parkway, I think to myself “that can’t possibly have been two years ago.” As someone wise said, the days are long but the years are short. I try to remind myself of this when I’m standing on the stairs for what seems like an eternity while someone tests out every railing (“not safe!” for the wobbly one, “this one’s safe!” for the rest) or think I’ll never make it past this stage of having to avoid getting kicked in the chest for every diaper change. Reminding myself that it won’t feel very long before I’m a middle aged woman with teenagers looking back at these years helps me to immediately grasp how precious these days are - how sweet his tiny voice is, how quick his little impish smile is, how snuggly he is when we are reading books, how his tiny hands gets lost in mine still and how his little round belly still pokes out over his diaper after a full meal. As spirited and challenging as he can be, he shines when he’s praised or when I catch him being good - “good boy issening, mommy” and comes running to find me when he’s done something he’s proud of (like stacked up all his trucks in a line) and says “you can show me, mommy! show me!” when he wants me to see it. Love the pronoun swaps! He’s started saying “I love you” unprompted (“I yuv you”) and tells me every night when I’m tucking him in “I need a hug. I need a kiss.” While I was getting dressed for church the other day he came in and told me “Mommy, you look pwetty.” He’s such a sweet, sweet kid. And so social! This boy loves nothing more than having everyone’s attention on him and is quick to figure out ways to make everyone around him laugh. He is definitely not an introvert like his dear mama. It is amazing seeing his personality emerge and getting to imagine the little person he is growing up to become. I wish I could bottle up some of these moments so I knew I would remember them always, but it’s also so fun to see his world get more and more expansive each day. 

Happy Birthday, Bowen boy. We are just so lucky to be your parents and love being with you as you burst through this world with a huge grin on your face, a monster truck in one hand and a handful of ya’ya’s (cheerios) in the other. XOXO

Bo’s First Birthday Party

All morning as we got ready for his party, the rain came down relentlessly. Puddles were forming in the backyard and we had to pull away the furniture from the edges of the porch to keep it from getting wet. But an hour before his party, the sun came out and the birthday boy woke up from his nap smiling and we were ready to celebrate this sweet little guy’s first year.

I thought I might start boo-hooing when we sang him Happy Birthday and he eagerly dug into his cake. One! How has a whole year passed? But later on I came inside to get something and looked out the window on to the porch, and saw a room full of people who have loved my child this last year and supported me and Matt and I just felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. This boy is so loved – not just by us, but by our little village of friends and family.

My friend Megan made him the most beautiful smash cake, a big cake for the grown-ups and the cutest little dinosaur cake pops. We had a huge spread of cookout foods and a dangerously good Sweet Tea Spritzer. The rain put a halt to my plans for backyard fun, but the littles seemed to find ways to stay entertained between loving on Buddy and breaking in Bo’s new toys and helping out with the smash cake. 6 kids under 2.5 in my house! Organized chaos and lots of Goldfish. Such a fun and happy day for our little family.

Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us, and those who sent their wishes from far away!

Eleven Months

Bowen :: Eleven Months Old

Weight: I actually don’t have a height & weight for him this month, so I guess it will be a surprise next month at his 12 month. He’s wearing 12 mo onesies and shirts, 9 month shorts (for the length – still a little shrimp I guess) and a few 18 mo items like shortalls.

Eats: A solid 3 bottles a day, although for the first time in his LIFE he is leaving some formula left in the bottle. I’ve started making his mid-day and night time bottles at 7 oz and he’s been fine with that. (No crying at the end of the bottle anymore.) He eats so many real food now and it feels like all of a sudden we’ve gone from baby food to “real food” – although Cheerios still elicit the greatest joy. Having him be able to feed himself has been life changing – now when we sit down for a meal, I can actually eat at the same time!

Sleep: He’s taking two naps – one mid-morning and one mid-afternoon. They usually last about an hour to hour-fifteen each, although when we were at the beach at the end of the month some of them ticked up around 2 hours. I’m not sure if it was the pitch black room he was sleeping in (aka the closet) or playing hard on the beach, but I wish I could create the same thing at home! A well-rested Bo is a happy Bo. He sleeps from about 7:30-6:30 at night and that’s been pretty consistent all month.

Milestones: He was rolling in earnest throughout most of the month, and getting up on all 4 to just rock back and forth. Then about half way through the month, right before we left for the beach, he took off crawling! He’s still pretty slow so I can keep up with him, but I officially have a mobile baby now. He also absolutely loves being in his walker and cruises around at breakneck speed in that – often pointed straight towards poor Buddy. He blows kisses complete with a “Mu-waaaah” and waves bye-bye with a “buh-buh.” He’ll mimic back things we say to him like thank you and night night, and has started making some animal noises on Peek-a-Boo barn. “Oink oink” is his specialty. He’s had two teeth come in up top – but not the two middle ones. One middle and one side, so that I’ve taken to calling him snaggletooth. He also finally got the hang of using a sippy cup with a straw… just in time for me to start working on weaning the bottle. (Sigh.)

Likes: Cheerios, Greek yogurt, chicken, grilled cheese, Buddy, shrieking, FaceTime, using straws, Peek-A-Boo barn, running around in his walker, his Daddy, throwing all the stacking cups on the floor and then running over them with the walker, the beach, videos of himself

Dislikes: touching slimy foods, waiting for breakfast, missing a nap, being cooped up on an airplane for too long, teeth, being told “no,” short sleeves during nap time

This month was one adventure after another. Bo and I flew up to Rochester at the beginning of the month for a high school friend’s wedding shower and our first visit home. I wouldn’t go so far as to say flying with a 10 month old is enjoyable, but it was a heck of a lot better than the first time. (He’s able to be awake longer and entertained easier and they were shorter flights.) We had a wonderful time in Rochester. We got to have two long, long, long awaited playdates. One with my friend Kristen and her little boy, Ryan. Kristen and I had a baby bump date last May when I was home for my baby shower, and had been waiting for a chance for the two guys to meet. We also had a playdate with Maggie and Christy – Christy is my sister’s best friend from junior high, so she practically feels like a little sister to me too. We were pregnant together and had a due date just two dates apart – but our babies are 3.5 weeks apart. We’ve spent the first year of their life raising the two of them together over weekly text messages so it was great to finally get to meet each other’s babies and let them play!

Back at home, Bo and I had a terrifying experience where we were caught in my car in a storm with over 100 mph winds. We took shelter in a church parking lot (where I still feel indebted to a kind stranger who pulled up next to me to tell me to point my car into the window ((in retrospect: obvious)) and then motioned for me to put my head down right before tree branches started snapping all around us. After the storm, which hit our neighborhood the worst in our whole city, we couldn’t get back home and spent the rest of the evening taking shelter at the Glenn’s, then returned to a house with no power, then finally headed down to Matt’s parents’ house to spend the rest of the weekend.

After all THAT, we headed down to the beach for 10 days where we got a lovely dose of sun, sand, oceans and grandparents. Bo loved scooping up the sand and playing with a shovel, and was tickled to sit at the water’s edge and let the waves lap over his little legs. In fact, he was pretty pissed off when I took it upon myself to go for a swim without taking him with me!

This month definitely put my routine loving baby (and his mama) to the test, but Bo rolled with it pretty well. By the end of the beach week, he was starting to show signs of unraveling at the edges – for example, throwing foods he normally gobbles right up off his tray. But all in all, he was a trooper though I think I heard him breathe an audible sigh of relief when I laid him down in his own crib our first night home.

Everyone who looks at him now says “He’s turning into such a little boy!” and I feel like it’s happening right before my own eyes, too. In many ways, he’s still so much a little baby… and I find myself really savoring those little moments he’ll snuggle into my arms or reach up and pat my cheek while he’s drinking his bottle. Because as soon as he’s done, he’s wiggling out of my arms, on to the ground and taking off after something exciting. Ready to charge into toddlerhood, I guess!

He was not in the mood to do pictures today… and he definitely didn’t want to sit still. But, I feel like these are a pretty good representation of many days of this month!

10 Months

Bowen :: Ten Months Old

Weight: No appointment this month, so I'm not sure of his official stats. Matt and I did an unofficial height check today and clocked him in at 29.5 inches which would be a huge jump from his 9 month appointment. I'm not sure if that's accurate, but it sure would explain why we are rapidly growing out of clothes. He started this month in 9 month onesies, 12 month rompers and 9 month pajamas. As of today, the 12 month rompers are getting packed up and 12 month pajamas are fitting… but without much room to spare. Hello, growth spurt!

Eats: He dropped the small 4th bottle before bed at the beginning of this month. His 3 bottles are now 8 oz though so he's actually getting the same volume, just less frequency. He's eating 3 meals a day, ranging from a sweet potato pancake to homemade mac n cheese to a pretty wide variety of fruits and veggies. He's still not too keen on picking most foods up, except his beloved Puffs and Cheerios, so I still spoon feed him most of his meals. (Fine by me - easier clean up!)

Sleep: 3rd nap officially gone, down to 2 naps a day. The good news is that by pushing the 1st nap back just a little bit, it's extended from 45 minutes to an hour or more The second nap is usually an hour and fifteen minutes, which is nice to feel like he's getting some solid day sleep. His awake time is about 3 hours, so we've been able to get out of the house a little more often. He's still waking up earlier than he used to and I've given up trying to solve the mystery of his early rising. I've tried both putting him to bed earlier and later and it doesn't seem to make an impact. Oh well… just another life lesson that we're on Bo time. 

Milestones: Rolling, rolling, rolling. Bo is rolling EVERYWHERE. He spies something he wants and it's just tummy-back-tummy-back-tummy-back until he gets it. He's also starting sitting up from a lying down position and he is getting up in a push up position and rocking a bit. I'm just waiting for it all to begin… Other fun milestones are him learning to imitate us. He started clapping in earnest this month, and will do it anytime you say "yay!!!" or "paddy cakes?" to him. He will sometimes blow kisses or wave and can imitate a number of different sounds I make, like clicking his tongue or rolling his R's. Last night when we were having dinner with friends, Kate stuck her tongue out at him and he stuck it right back out at her! First time I had seen him do that. Little monkey. 

Likes: Oatmeal, cheerios, Greek yogurt, rolling, shrieking, yelling, shouting, "petting" Buddy, FaceTime, peek-a-boo, his Daddy, the stacking rings and the stacking cup, being outside, swimming, watching videos of himself. 

Dislikes: getting dressed, touching slimy foods, waiting for meals to be prepared, skipping a nap. 

Bo is such a social little boy. If we are out and about, especially playing with other kids, he rarely gets fussy. (As opposed to when we are home, there's only so many rounds of Paddy-cakes he wants to play with momma before he's ready to move on to the next thing.) He loves to be around other people, and has the quickest smile and most joyful laugh. He is content as can be to sit and watch other kids in the Y daycare or church nursery, and is not phased when another kid "borrows" whatever toy he is playing with. His Buddy dog delights him, and he shrieks and shouts and grabs his fur whenever he's close by. Bless little Buddy, we'll have to work on "gentle hands" soon. He started swim class this month, which we attended with 3 other little friends - Jamie and Zoey, Denise and Sam, Holly and Ben - and he's just happy as can be in the water. I see us getting a lot of mileage out of our pool membership this summer. 

I'm savoring these days where he is happily and easily entertained, yet still remains mostly in the same spot I left him. I can, after all, keep up with a baby who can only roll. I know my days are numbered and in a matter of time, I'll have a curious and MOBILE boy to chase after. 

Matt's parents were here for a weekend while we attended a wedding out of town, and then my mom was here for a week just to visit so he has had lots of grandparent love and attention this month. With the weather warming up, we've been taking a lot more runs together in the BOB and I love peeking down through the little window in the top of the stroller to see him shrieking and waving his hands as we run. 

We've had a fun month with our happy and silly boy. There are still so many moments when I see him as my little baby, but those are quickly being replaced more and more with the suggestions of toddlerhood waiting right around the corner. More and more he looks like a little boy, and I can tell there are more times when he is thinking through his behaviors rather than just reacting to what's happening around him. I try to squeeze him and snuggle him as much as I can right now, because I can already feel him squirming to get down and go explore the next thing. Oh sweet Baby Bo, you are so, so loved.

More Stories About Bo. And an Awful Lot of Photos.

April! It just kind of came and went before I had time to blink. I sort of thought April would be kind of slow and relaxed after we got home from the beach, but... joke's on me! And here it is, nearly mid-May. Thoughts of first birthday parties are already starting to swirl in my head… how can it be?

I haven't blogged in awhile because I haven't felt like I had anything in particular to say … or maybe that it's I had too much to say, and didn't know where to start or what to leave out. But I have taken a whole lot of really cute pictures and they need a place to go so I thought I'd just open up a blank post and see what happens. 

Bo has had a bunch of play dates recently… it's amazing to me to see how much in the last month he's changed in the way he interacts with other little kids. He is fascinated to watch big kids play, and loves when they show interest in him. I love watching his friendship with Zoey bloom and hear her sweet voice when she says "Bo! Bo! Bo!" when she spies him. 

About a month ago, he started rolling and now he is unstoppable. It cracks me up to see him spot something across the room that he wants and just roll - roll - roll over to get it. He can also scoot backwards when he's on our hardwood floors, but on the carpet it sort of looks like he's doing the worm. I know I've been pretty lucky he's been a little slow to get moving, but I'm pretty terrified for what awaits me once he really does.

When he's falling asleep, he pulls his arm into his shirt and sucks on the sleeve. I often find him after a nap with his arm totally inside his shirt. Today I learned the hard way how important those long sleeves really are - he went down for a nap in short sleeves and kept grabbing at his wrists for the longest time, confused. When he woke up mid-nap, it became VERY apparent than no sleeves meant no self soothing and NO going back to sleep. Lesson learned. My boy doesn't need a paci, a blankie or a lovey to sleep - just long sleeves. Funny boy.

We started swim classes this week. It is really just a fun excuse to play in the pool at the Y before it's warm enough to go to the pool at the club, but so far, he seems to love it. They have us do things like put them on a kick board and encourage them to kick but Bo's clearly much more in it for the socializing than the skills. He's  content to smile at all the other kids, slap the water and hear his "outside voice" echo in the loud pool room.

He has what my mom refers to as a "healthy curiosity." Kid doesn't miss a beat. He wants to hold everything he sees me holding, eat everything he sees me eating (my new diet: don't eat in front of Bo!), drink everything he sees me drinking. He is endlessly amused by every day household items like empty water bottles, the crinkle of an empty paper bag, straws, spoons and of course, the magical glow of the iPhone. I've made a point to try and put my phone away when I'm around him more - which is probably a good thing to do anyways - because the minute he sees it, he wants nothing more in the world than to hold it. With his gums. 

He's fun, he's busy, he's a little bit dramatic, he's funny, he's sweet. I could fill up pages and pages of blog posts just talking about our days, which is why I sometimes just don't write at all. I feel like I have so much I could say, that just a little bit won't do it justice. But, these are some snapshots of our life right now and they give me a perfect segway for an random, not in any order, not totally related to these stories photo dump.