Top 15 things about Owen

If you've been reading our blog lately, you probably have noticed my bi-polar fluctuations from incredible excitement about Owen's development to intense anxiety about the lack there of (which sounds way worse than what it really is). So instead of posting about where Owen is at 15 months I'm going to try to stop being the ridiculous over-protective mother that I tend to be with him, and instead revel in the top 15 things about Owen, one for every month of his adorable little life.

Number 1. Owen's Hugs. Owen gives the best hugs. Even at 15 months he gets what a hug is supposed to be. When he wants a hug he lays his adorable head on my should, puts his other tiny arm around my neck  and pulls in tightly, squeezing, carefully and gently as if with only 15 months of experience he knows that squeezing too hard ruins the hug and not squeezing enough is no hug at all. He's tailored it perfectly, and if I'm lucky he'll hang on to me for 10 or more seconds, nuzzling in, making me feel like I'm the luckiest momma in the world. In the moments after he wakes from his nap, he's so happy to see my face when I walk in that he gives hugs like its been an eternity since he last saw me. I love them.

Since Owen gives these amazing hugs it has reminded me of a brief phase of Collin's life where he would walk (maybe more like toddle around) and hold up his arms saying "hug", "hug", "hug","hug". It was so adorable because he could barely talk and still had such a baby voice and he would wander around seeking hugs. Its unfortunate that I didn't record any of that when Collin was tiny, because I remember as such an affectionate and endearing time.

Number 2. Sound Explosion. I've sort of been a negative Nancy about Owen talking. I study early language and literacy so I expect my kiddos to talk early. My(our) stats on the LENA recording device (a device a child wears that provides feedback on how many words they hear a day, how words they say (utterances) and how many times a child and adult interact verbally (conversational turns)) are high- which is no surprise since I eat and breathe the importance of talking to your kids, but regardless of how much modeling we provide for Owen he's continues to persevere and not talk. As you read this I bet you are reading : CRAZY WOMAN. I know. Its true. I can't help it. This is what happens when you know way too much about child development.

 So he wasn't making much ground in the talking department, until very recently that is. Owen's stubborn. I've learned this the hard way. But just as I was going to start to panic, he started making all kinds of sounds that sound something like words. I should mention that its not like Owen hasn't been making noises and utterances for awhile now. Probably for a few months (maybe since 12 months) he's had definite conversations about life in his own sounds and tones. But they rarely made their way to "words". So, he didn't start making sounds all of the sudden, he was a general "jabber-whocky". Instead, now, he's making sounds that actually sound like words. Which is all sorts of fun. Approximations of words. We're sucking it up and reinforcing it like crazy. We have a little party, dancing around, clapping hands, saying "yahoo!" We're not to many clear words yet, but is starting and everyday he's trying to say new things. I can't get enough of it.


Number 3. Daredevil Antics. I remember when Collin was little and I thought he was so adventurous.It seemed like every new task he tried was a bit beyond his capabilities just enough to get my heart racing. But in retrospect, Collin was sheepish compared to Owen. Owen is willing to take on the world without a second thought. Today I caught him trying to scale his bookshelf. He can't even walk, but he's was desperately trying to get his knees on the second shelf to stand up on it and climb. The other day he climbed onto his little car (that he rides around flinstone style) and was pushing it around the living room, when he decided to stop the little car, stand on the seat and try to rock it forward. I nearly had a heart attack. He'll try anything once. I'm pretty sure I'll have a heart attack before he turns two at this rate. Owen has no fear of anything tall, precarious, or relatively dangerous and I have absolute fear in watching him on or attempting to scale anything tall, precarious or relatively dangerous. This makes for a trepidous combination, but he always wins and surprises me with his many (and ever expanding talents).

Number 4. Groovin' Its no secret that no one in our family has a particular knack for dancing. We all do it. I'm probably the most adventurous, mostly because I don't care how I look. Collin's the same way, but I imagine that has something to do with being 2. So, its was a surprise to me to see how much rhythm Owen has. He loves music and anytime its on or one of us is singing, he's groovin' to the beat. Its adorable seeing his little chair-dancing moves. He appreciates music and I love seeing his musical talent and rhythm blossom. I'm already a little jealous and he's only 15 months.

Number 5. Eclectic Eater. Parents often worry about their toddler's eating habits. We hear about other parents who's children will only eat fruits, cheeses, fill in your unique food of choice here ____________. And while Collin wasn't picky, I do remember the dog and pony show we had to put on to keep him engaged in eating-- he would get so distracted and simply lose interest, leaving a whole plate of food to take notice of his boredom of eating and simultaneous excitement for everything else going on around him. So we'd pull out every trick we could think of- singing songs, playing with nesting cups, high-chair toys, etc. You name it, we tried it. But Owen doesn't seem to understand that he's supposed to be part of this world of picky eaters. He's unaware of the trouble with toddler eating and really focuses in on his favorite things: food. Its sort of amazing. At 15 months there isn't much of anything he doesn't like. Sweet, sour, spicy, savory- he likes it all and eats it quickly. Owen is the best eater and will try anything we give him which makes me a happy and grateful momma.
Now if we could just get him to quit with his "baby bulimia" (i.e. gagging himself with his fingers frequently)- but that's another story entirely.


Number 6. Movin' and Shakin' Most days I could spend the whole day squeezing Owen and cuddling with his cute little chubby face. He's so stinkin' adorable. One of my favorite things about him is how he gets so overtly excited when he sees me when I come home from work or running an errand. His little body can't contain his excitement and his limbs go rigid with happiness. Just as soon as he hears my voice a huge smile comes across his little face and he starts kicking and punching the air then going stiff, as though an imaginary punching bag arrives in front of him that he has to fight through to get to me. Its absolutely adorable to see his happiness and I have such a hard time realizing its limited- that he won't do this forever and one day his boisterous little body will turn to calm and he'll just smile and I'll shed a little tear because I won't be able to see his excitement to see me anymore. But right now, its fantastic and everyday I look forward to saying "Hi Owen!" as his little body goes berserk over momma.

Number 7. Cuddling.  Speaking of cuteness, Owen is maybe his most cute when he's cuddling with me. Right before nap he'll nestle his head onto my chest, cuddle into the crook of my arm, and let out this little sigh (I like to think of happiness) and contentedly close his sweet little eyes. I know that he can't actually sleep like this- given I'm standing with him, but he so happy and content and it makes me feel so happy and content that I often just dance around his room for a few minutes before putting him down absorbing his cuddles. Its better than Prozac, folks. No joke.

Number 8. Super Sleeper. Owen's also an amazing sleeper. It took us a long time to get here though. I remember at 12 months being so happy that he had FINALLY settled into a nap schedule. I could barely believe that we didn't have a schedule at 5 or 6 months and getting increasingly frustrated at 7 month, and then feeling exasperated and full of panic because of all the sleep issues we were having. But, there was a greater plan in store for us, because as Owen finally found his sleep stride and made our lives so easy when it came to bedtime and naptime. Bedtime came first- Owen quickly would go to sleep as a baby and we could fairly easily transition him to the crib when he was asleep, but as he got bigger we decided to sleep train him so he could fall asleep on his own at night. Although, there was no training to be had, as the first time I put him in the crib awake he rolled over and went to sleep. It was so easy. Nap time was next in line, and this time training took a week or so, there were a few tears, but soon after he got the idea and he was sleeping soundly all the time. Now we have the easiest and most lovely evenings and naps. Owen goes to sleep easily- we just place him in the crib, he lays down and puts himself to sleep. At bedtime he heads to bed at 6:30, is out by 6:45 usually and we don't hear a peep from him until 6:45 the next morning. 12 hours of fantastic uninterrupted sleep. Such an amazing blessing we have in our little guy.

Number 9. Terrifically Tearless. At 15 months Owen continues to be a content baby. He rarely cries and since his birth I've always been alarmed when he does cry because it happens so rarely that I always think it most be something horrible. His cry when he is hurt breaks my heart and I always come running in a panic. But usually, days, weeks even go by without a tear from Owen. He's happy to be in our little family and rarely sad. Sad isn't the same as stubborn though, and lately Owen has taken to yelling at us in a very frustrated voice when things don't go his way, but moments later he's back to is happy self.

Number 10. Adventures at the Playground.  Remember how I said Owen is a daredevil. Its no joke. At the local park there's a preschool sized playground with preschool sized slides, climbers, etc. Owen seems to think he's a preschooler because he's decided there isn't anything at the playground he shouldn't try. Twisty slide tunnels? No problem, he just goes down on his belly. Climbing on the steel bars- No problem as a series of toddler pull-ups. Crossing bouncy bridges, crawling comes in very handy. He's really all about exploring every level of the jungle gym. At home its the same way in our our backyard. Owen climbs the ladder to the playhouse independently, puts his feet in the footholds of the climbing wall (with a spotter since I'm so nervous) and taking on the slide fearlessly. One day I'm going to look out the kitchen window and see Owen climbing trees. I'm holding out a few more years for that one and in the meantime I'm ignoring the kitchen window.

Number 11. Patience is a Virtue. Owen's a good teacher. Really. He's made me take a step back and be patient. WAIT for it. WAIT for it. WAIT. WAIT. WAIT. Whether or not I freak out, panic, become alarmed or worried doesn't matter because Owen still goes his own pace. If I could read his little mind I bet he's saying, "whatever mom, I'll do it when I want to, when I get to it.". Owen's a one man show. Its his way or the highway when it comes to expectations. He'll roll with whatever we throw at him when it comes to environments or peers, but when it comes to milestones or individual expectations we lay out for him he yields, halts, won't budge.  He's taught me to let go a little and recognize that he's in a loving, caring, responsible home where all day long he's showered with words and engaging activities, opportunities to learn and new places to explore. All concerns put aside, Owen is going to do well, if only because he's a master at owning his own destiny. So keep on little man, by the time you are two I'll know how to take a breath and watch you arrive.

Number 12. Stubborn = Perseverance. Its no surprise that I gave birth to a miniature version of myself. It's true that I'm stubborn. Maybe even like a mule. So, here I am again, in the shape and size of a budding toddler. Owen is very passionate and even though he doesn't have many words can clearly let us know when he doesn't like something or when we take something away by yelling, grunting, shaking his head "no no no no" or throwing himself into a baby tantrum. Its fierce when he's mad. But its not all so intense. I like to think that I have a bit of perseverance built into my personality and I think, maybe, that was in some way supported by my stubbornness. This makes me smile a little bit. The glass is half full over here and even if it means encouraging things that frustrate me, I'll encourage Owen to stick to it, to keep on trying, to keep working toward it, to persevere for good or bad. I can't wait to see how all of this stubborn mule-like resistance to the norm unfolds and I look forward to the little moments of pride when Owen's stubbornness serves him well and he perseveres to success.

Number 13. Feisty = Passionate. In the same way, Owen's stubborness is complemented by being feisty. He lets us know how he's feeling, what he wants, and how fearless he is with such passion and fire. He's so emotionally charged all the time it looks exhausting. I just couldn't possibly keep up with the swings from happy content, to mad yelling, to laughing hysterically to sleepy exhaustion. Its sort of hillarious to watch the transitions. We love to see how much his spirited little temperament guides him. I love his passion. I love how he throws all of himself into everything he does or wants to do. I wish I had more of it and wasn't so jaded as an adult. I wish I could bottle it up. He's fearless and ambitious without ever thinking once about how anyone else in his life will react or percieve his reactions. I could stand to think less about what others think and more about what makes me happy. Learning from toddlers. Life is full of lots of surprises.

Number 14. New Words! So, it turns out Owen can speak. He just won't. Finally at 15 months he's starting to get a vocabulary. Some words he uses often like: Hi, Shoe, Up, Bye, moo, baa, roar, choo choo, beep, and grrr . Then there are words he seems to know, but is only willing to use them occasionally: Mommy, Dada, Cow, more, the sign for milk, thank you, more, out, and meow. Everytime I see his expressive vocabulary grow I smile. We're doing our job. He's learning new words and his expressive (and receptive) vocabulary are expanding. But, because he's so stingy every new word is so powerful to me. Its one of the best things about him, its like he presents each new word as a gift to me. -- Look Momma, here's another taste of what I can do!

Number 15. Love. Of the 15 most amazing things about Owen I've saved the best for last. Its just love. Simple, pure love. How he fills my heart with so much pride and happiness. How being in our life makes our family so much more wonderful.How for the past 15 months we've been through a lot, but I wouldn't trade a moment of every up and down because it let us arrive here in this place where we are incredibly happy. There are times each day when I stop and revel in being a momma. I notice that this is right where I belong and I'd never be able to do that without Owen. So, while you probably her more about our challenges than strengths if you read our blog, know that for every challenge there are at least four strengths we achieve or take in or experience. Its rather amazing really.

So, to thousands of more months in your special life little Owen- we can't wait to see the little boy you turn into and how it sets the stage for the man you'll become.