8 months...and counting!

I have really been a blog slacker these past couple of weeks. I don't know why, but I haven't had much motivation to post anything about my life. Maybe it is because the weather has been so hot and being by the computer just makes me more hot. Anyway, Owen was 8 months last week. I know these posts are probably a little (or a lot) boring to most of you, but I like to keep track of when Owen does things. So without further adieu, here are a few things about Owen at about 8 months.

• His new trick he developed this month was learning to sit up from his scooting position. He loves that he can go after a toy and then when he gets it, sit up and play with it.
• He has started splashing A LOT in the bath tub. It is actually quite frustrating to me, so he now pretty much sits up while taking his bath.
• His has started spitting, especially when he is bored, being fed when he is not hungry or doesn't like the food, and when he is close to my face! Oh the joys of being a mother of an 8 months old.
• He has starting saying "nam." I am pretty sure he means to say, "mama." He just hasn't gotten the m sound quite yet. He likes to say "Dada" whenever he sees Brent. Sometimes he says it when he isn't around, but he says it more when Brent is there.
• He thinks he is such a big kid. Like today, I took him to the grocery store and actually put him in the front of the cart, instead of in his car seat. He LOVED it. I wish I had my camera to show you how big he thought it was.
• He has started pulling up on everything. Today, he pulled up on the couch for the first time, but he has been trying to pull up on everything he can find. The problem is that once he gets up he thinks he can let go and still be standing. He has had a lot of falls because of that, luckily, none that were too bad.
• He still hasn't gotten any teeth.
• His favorite foods now are pears, peaches, squash, sweet potatoes, and bananas. He will eat just about anything, at least in small quantities, except mixed vegetables. I can't really blame him.
• He had bread for the first time the other day and couldn't get enough of it. I started feeding him some when we were out to eat, because he wouldn't stop spitting and being really loud. It worked pretty well to keep him entertained and quiet.
• He has started to throw little tantrums when he doesn't like what's going on or if he doesn't get his way. So much fun.
• He started sleeping for 8 or 9 hours for about 1.5 weeks, but the last couple of days he has woken up two or three times. Maybe someday he will consistently let me get some sleep.
• He loves to laugh and is very ticklish on his sides and on his back.
• Last of all, he has started giving me hugs. Okay...not really...but sort of. Sometimes when I pick him up he will put his little arms around my neck and puts his head down on my shoulder. I love when he does this...definitely my favorite thing he does right now.
  

This was the other day when he was supposed to be taking a nap. I went in there and this is how he was sitting just spitting away.

Watching Brent mow the lawn. He seriously sat there for a good 15 minutes with his nose against the door, watching.

Playing with the cousins in the poor. He wasn't that excited about this because the water was so cold. He likes to go to the real pool when it is nice and toasty outside and the water is like bath water.

The other day I came home to find Brent grading papers on the coffee table and Owen using the bottom of the coffee table for his table. It was really funny. Brent said he sat like that and played with his toys for awhile. I think he liked it because he could look up at Brent whenever he wanted and bang his toys against something too.

A common scene these days.

"Oh, I just need to take a break, right here on this soft chair."

His climbing over the end table and then screaming because he didn't know how to get his legs out.

The other end

Arizona

Well, one of the reasons it has taken a little while for me to do this post is because I had to get about half of the pictures from our trip off of Brent's phone and it took a while to figure out how to do it. Much to my disappointment, I remembered I had left the camera at home about 15 minutes after leaving. We didn't know how traffic would be (Memorial day) and so we didn't want to go back and risk not having enough time in case there was an accident or something. So, the pictures aren't the greatest, but I guess they will suffice.

We left on Monday at 3:00 in the afternoon and arrived in Phoenix at 3:50. Sweet! It was like we only lost 50 minutes. Too bad it really wasn't that short of a flight. Arizona doesn't do daylight savings and so they are two hours behind us. Anyway, Owen did okay on the flight. Not perfect, but pretty good. He had a rough little stretch, but I finally got him to go to sleep and we were at the very back of the plane, so I could stand up for a minute and rock him when he got fussy.

Jon (Brent's Dad) picked us up at the airport and we were greeted at the house by their four very big and friendly German shepherds. Owen wasn't scared a bit, he loved every minute of all the attention those dogs gave him. In fact, I think I was more nervous than he was about the dogs.

Monday night we just relaxed and hang out with Brent's Dad and his wife, Nancy. We showed Owen the chickens and the horses. He really liked watching the chickens, but who doesn't love watching chicken! Tuesday we headed off to Lindon, to hang out at the summer "cabin." Basically, it is just a house in a much cooler part of Arizona about three hours away from Mesa. We walked around and saw the property and once again just visited, had dinner and hung out. The weather was so nice. It was probably in the 70s, which was a change from Mesa and also a change from the hot weather we have been having in Columbia.

The next morning Brent decided he needed to take a little ride on his Dad's newly purchased tractor. He wanted to take Owen for a ride too, but after seeing Brent drive it I decided I was very uncomfortable with that idea. Owen didn't like how loud it was anyway, so I had something to justify him not going. Grandpa watched Owen for a few minutes so Brent and I could go on a little hike in the national forest that borders the property. Well, when I say hike I mean, up to the top of a hill and back, which wasn't that far. Nevertheless, it was fun to explore for a few minutes and to have time alone with Brent. After lunch, we packed everything up and headed to Joseph City, which is where both of Brent's parents are from. Sadly, I forgot to take any pictures. We took a short tour (Joe City isn't that big) before going over to Jon's sisters' house. We visited with Joan and her husband (also named Jon) and also Lynn (Jon's other sister). It was fun to hear all of them tell stories and get to know them better, since I have never met them before.

The next morning we headed back to Mesa. We went swimming, read our books, and just relaxed. Owen loved the pool. It was his first time, but I think he just thought it was a big bath. He splashed around and we had fun playing with the kick board and the swim noodles. Brent went golfing with Jon and Nancy on Friday morning, which I hear was a lot of fun. Owen and I just hung out at the house with the dogs. That afternoon we went swimming and once again, just relaxed.

As you can tell, this was a pretty chill vacation. We didn't do anything too exciting, but it was nice to not have so much planned that we couldn't enjoy just hanging out and visiting. Owen did fabulous on the way home, he sleep pretty much the entire plane and car ride home. We didn't end up getting home until 2:30 in the morning. Good thing Owen woke up at 6 the next morning and thought it would be fun to not go back to sleep! Oh well, it was a good trip, but as always it is nice to be back home and to get back into a normal routine.

Looking out the window on the airplane

Surfs up, dude.

Owen loves to when you pull his shirt up over his head, not sure why.

He was ready for a nap.

Love how happy he is in this picture!

Owen and Daddy on Grandpa's tractor

In the carrier

Owen, Grandpa Jon and Grandma Nancy

Owen and the dogs

The army crawl

I was supposed to post this a week or so ago, but I kind of forgot. Here is O(this is Brent's nickname for him) army crawling across the room. The first part of the video he is in his own little world, but I promise he does eventually start crawling. Sorry it is crazy at the end, he loves to play by the fireplace, but I am always afraid he is going to pinch his fingers. Pictures of our trip to Arizona to follow soon.

Untitled from Melissa Clark on Vimeo.

7 months...a little late

Owen is now 7 months old and boy is he learning new things pretty much everyday. This past month he has experienced a few exciting new things and some not so excited things about life. He finally has learned to sit up on his own. He could pretty much do it last month if he leaned forward, but would always fall over to the side if he got off balance. He can now sit on his own and still falls over occasionally, but does pretty good at catching himself when he gets a little tipsy.

He also got sick for the first time. First he had a cold, which turned into a hacky little cough, and that led to a double ear infection. Not fun...for any of us. We all didn't get very much sleep and Owen has been pretty fussy for about 3 weeks now. He is now on antibiotics and I am hoping that we can at least go another 6.5 months before he gets sick again. Here are some other things about Owen at 7 months.

• Owen loves to jump. He will sit in his jumper for up to an hour at a time. It is awesome!
• He has finally decided he likes carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes. The jury is still out on fruit! He will eat fruit, but not like he eats the previously mentioned.
• When I took him to the doctor he weighed in at 16 lbs 9 ounces.
• He likes anything that is NOT a toy. He does play with toys, but likes to have them rotated quite often otherwise he gets bored.
• He loves his daddy! Brent went to fathers and sons the other night and when he came home in the morning, Owen got so excited to see him. He got this huge smile on his face and started kicking his legs. After Brent said hi to Owen, he left and walked out the door to unpack the truck, Owen started wailing(I wasn't holding him, but he was right by me on the floor, so it wasn't like everyone was leaving him).
• He usually only goes about 6 hours at night before he has to eat again. I am hoping that part of his waking up was because of his ear infections and not just to eat. I am also hoping that once he starts eating more solid food, he will be able to go longer.
• He loves to stare at the pictures on the wall. He especially likes the one of Brent's family that was taken quite a few years ago. He will just be sitting there and look up at that picture and start smiling real big. We always say he is smiling at Grandma Laree because he met her before he got here.
• He has decided he hates getting dressed or having his diaper changed and cries about it unless you distract him by giving him something to put in his mouth.
• The biggest news of this month is that Owen has started to army crawl. I don't have a great video of it, but I will post it anyway. I suspect that it will be no time at all before he figures out how to crawl for real. Won't that be fun!
  
  

I know...I know. I am a bad mom, I let him eat my keys.

10 Random Things

1-I haven't posted a lot lately because I am worn out! I have been watching a little girl from our ward who is a year old. This week is my last week at least during the summer. Sometimes it is like having twins. It has been good to earn a little extra money, but it will be nice to just have one baby again. I think it has helped me appreciate my alone time with Owen.

2-With some of the money I earned I bought a sewing machine. I am way excited. Too bad I haven't had anytime to enjoy it because I like I mentioned I am so tired by the time Ella leaves and don't have the energy to get it out and learn how to run it. I am looking forward to having more time to do a few more things.

3-Brent is officially done with his first year of school. We celebrated by him buying a turtle pie and watching a movie with my brother. We really like to get wild and crazy with our celebrations, don't we?

4-It was raining all last week so I couldn't really take the kids out to do anything, but this week it is supposed to be in the high 80s and 90s. Umm...can I get somewhere in between please?

5-My hair that, unbeknownst to me, fell out either while I was pregnant or after giving birth is growing back. I have all these little hairs that are about 1 inch long at the front of my hairline that are driving me crazy. Seriously, it is like I am 10 again and growing out my bangs. I don't know what to do about it and the humidity here is making it worse because they won't stay down they want to curl like the rest of my hair. AHHHH!!

6-Owen had a double ear infection this past week. Need I say more?

7-Brent is going to actually start teaching a class this summer. I think he is pretty excited about it. He described his teaching style as "a pretty approachable teacher, who is a little goofy at times." Okay...whatever that means!

8-Had my 5 year old niece over today "to help me with the babies." Actually, it was so that Kelie could help her dad put tile in their kitchen, but that is what she told Jenna so she would want to come over to my house. Anyway, she was very cute and wanted to help feed the babies and play with the babies, etc. At one point she says to me. "Aunt Missy. Do you think there is more crying when there is just Owen or when there is Ella and Owen?" (Hmmm...that's a hard one let me think about that for a minute.) Me: "Definitely more crying when there are two." Then she says Umm..I actually think there might be more crying when it is just Owen." I guess she has heard Owen cry a lot or something!

9-Elder Scott came to our stake conference last week. We went to the adult meeting on Saturday night and following the meeting got to shake Elder Scott's hand. Brent somehow got ahead of me because there were lots of people around who wanted to shake his hand. Anyway, Brent had Owen and Elder Scott shook Owen's hand and asked Brent what Owen's name was (he also shook Brent's hand in case any of you are wondering). He then commented that he looked pretty sleepy. He then said to the lady behind Brent "you have a beautiful baby." To which she replied, "Thank you." I think it was funny that she didn't even say that Owen did not belong to her. What is she trying to pull? Trying to take credit for how cute Owen is?! Just kidding, I am sure she was just confused and just said the first thing that came to her mouth. I just pretend that Elder Scott said that to me instead of her. All that matters in the long run is that Elder Scott thought Owen was beautiful. That was really all I was looking for!

10-We are headed to sunny and hot Arizona next week. I am very excited to have a little vacation and to have Owen hang out with Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Jon. It should be way fun...hot...but way fun!

Caption Contest

Okay people. I am in need of a good laugh. I will give a gold star to the person or persons who have the best captions for these two pictures. I have listed mine, but I want to know if anyone else has any brilliant insight into what Owen is thinking. The top picture will be call picture A and the bottom picture B.

Really, Mom? You are still taking pictures of me in my adorable little tie. I know I am cute, but that light that keeps flashing is starting to get really annoying.

I don't know why she insists on trying to get me to smile all the time. Can't she see I'm trying to relax.

I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts...

Okay, so not a bunch of coconuts, but I did buy a coconut a couple of weeks ago for my nieces to try. I guess it all started about 7 months ago when Brent and I babysat Jenna and Brooke for most of a day while Matt and Kelie were out of town. The girls had been running around the house and wanted us to play everything and anything with them, so because we were really tired(this was before Owen, so I don't think we really knew what tired was) Brent came up with a game that we could do while sitting down and virtually took no energy to play. The girls would stand on our little end table and pretend to be monkeys. They would throw us different kinds of fruit like pineapple, mango, and coconut. We now have to play that game pretty much every time they come over, which I am okay with because like I mentioned you can sit down and it takes no energy. Thank goodness Brent came up with this game and not some high energy game that they would want to play all the time!

Well, a few months later Jenna called us on a Sunday afternoon to inform us that she had eaten a mango and had liked it! This might not seem that grand of an event to most of you, but for those that know Jenna she doesn't really like that many fruits. Shortly after that when we were playing the monkey game Jenna asked us what a coconut tasted like and we told her we would have to buy one sometime so she could try it. Anyway, after that every time they saw Brent they would say "Brent, I still haven't tried a coconut."

So, two weeks ago Kelie went to NYC with some her friends and I watched the girls for part of the time. I thought it would be fun to buy a coconut so they could try it. Matt dropped them off at my house at 7:30 one morning and by 7:50 they had convinced Brent it was time to try the coconut. However after we opened it up, they decided they would rather not try the coconut! At first we thought it might be rotten, so I think they may have been turned off by that. It ended up being fine, but we still couldn't convince them. I can hardly blame them though, coconut is not my favorite thing. Brooke eventually tried it later when they came by in the evening, but Jenna just couldn't make herself eat it. Oh well, I suppose Jenna will have to come up with something new to say everytime she sees Brent. Although technically I guess she could still say she hadn't tried a coconut, but I figure she won't since we gave her a shot at it. Here are some pictures of them draining the coconut milk and sawing it open. If nothing else, I guess they loved the opening part!