8 Months

I fall more and more in love with this little guy everyday! He never ceases to crack me up. As I was trying to take some pictures of him, every time he'd see the camera's red light, he opened his mouth to smile. I couldn't get one picture where his mouth wasn't open...

He's continuing to show signs of being VERY independent, and there have been some incidences of him showing a stubborn little spirit lately too. He's never been a huge nurser, so when we introduced "solid" foods, he took to it very quickly. But now that he's realizing he can start feeding himself, he yells the whole time we try to feed him. Once there is food for him to feed himself, he's happy as a clam. With his continued mobility, I have started having to tell him "no, no" to some things. It's amazing that he knows exactly what that means...he'll stop, look at me, and yell very loudly to let me know he doesn't agree. Toddler hood is going to be fun!

Swinging at the Park

My friend, Lynne, took these pictures of Owen at the park yesterday. They made me smile, so I thought I would share. For some reason the swing tasted really good...

7 Months Old

It's been weird how fast the last seven months have gone. Somehow I thought with having a second child that all the milestones wouldn't be that big of a deal because there wouldn't as much time to pay attention to them... And there isn't as much time, but I think it makes them almost more exciting. With Ethan, I was anticipating new accomplishments weeks before it happened, but with Owen it seems like all of a sudden he's doing something new. Like when we were at Panera a few weeks ago and it just hit me that he could sit in a high chair! It was almost more exciting for me than it was him. Even riding in the seat of the Target cart seemed like a huge deal to me! I am also experiencing some major differences between Ethan and Owen... I never once strapped Ethan in to a high chair, his stroller or any sort of grocery cart. He just stayed put. Owen, however, has shown me just how important those straps are! Within the first two minutes in the maiden voyage of the Target cart, he almost climbed out. He never sits still.

He's officially mastered the "belly scoot". Between rolling and pushing off with his feet, he's all over the place. It's taken me off guard as I have had to start the baby proofing process sooner than I was ready to. And EVERYTHING goes in his mouth. This has been a new experience for me because Ethan was not oral at all, but Owen can manage to find the smallest toy or piece of paper in a large room to put into his mouth.

Miscellaneous other things: We also had his first tooth pop in on the bottom. We knew something had to be going on because the normally laid back Owen was very cranky. Naps are finally starting to become regular. And he LOVES eating solids...so much so, that I think he'd wean himself completely if I'd let him. I am not ready for that yet!

Mimi, Papi & a Trip to Tulsa

We made a quick trip to Tulsa last week and got to spend the afternoon with Mimi and Papi. Papi took Ethan to buy an Iron Man action figure, and Mimi played with Owen while I was at the doctor. It was a fun getting to see them so spur of the moment!

We'd been debating buying a dvd player for our car for longer trips, but we realized that you can download videos to an iPod. So Ethan watched his tv shows in the car on our way to and from Tulsa. It was a little weird seeing him in the back seat with his iPod and earphones. He's 2 going on 16. Crazy.

Emma

Our next door neighbor, Emma, had her school musical on Thursday night and we went to watch her perform. Ethan was captivated the whole time the kids were singing - it was pretty funny. He was so excited to see her after the show, he ended up tackling her and breaking the flower he brought to give her. Oh, well, she appreciated the sentiment!

"I help you?"

Ethan has started really enjoying helping out around the house, and of course he wants to do it with no help. After getting over the initial "it's easier to do it myself" thought, it's been fun to try and help him learn how to do things. And I've realized that I need to get him used to helping out now while it still seems "fun". I have a feeling that will go away very soon... He helps with laundry, unloading the dishwasher, vacuuming, and sweeping. Now if I could only get him to clean bathrooms...