Family Living: Abbott Style

   Owen at 1 Year Couldn't have asked for a more mild mannered kid.  Such a lover. Eating three meals a day.  Loves cheese, fruit, and meat.  Also made it an entire year breastfeeding, meeting my goal for us!  Loves to play with sister and vice versa.  He is a pretty good sport about his typical high strung toddler of a sister.  (He takes her abuse well) He gives the best open mouth kisses. Loves to play peek-a-boo Says a handful of words. A decent sleeper. Stands unassisted for a couple seconds and has attempted a few steps.  Walking is somewhere on the horizon.  Smiles A LOT Loves playing with daddy.  They want to rough house and I am a typical mom about it. 

Owen's 11th Month Owen is now on to some finger foods, some table foods, and breast milk.  My goal was to nurse at least a year so we are closing in on that milestone.  He nurses between 3-5 times a day and is still a chunky monkey. He mimics a lot of sounds.  I find myself asking, "Did he just say _____?" a lot.  I am pretty sure he tries to say Drake and Haley.  He says hi, hello, mama, mom, dada, clearly.   He pulls himself up on everything and holds on with one hand.  He is not standing alone yet but he seems to slowly be getting closer to mastering the basics he will need for walking.  He is certainly getting more stability and control. He is SO sweet.  Gives open mouth kisses on the face.   He loves his sister and even rough houses a bit. He out grew his baby carrier and is now in a rear facing big kid car seat.  He is a decent sleeper but doesn't like sleeping anywhere other than his crib.  He...

Owen's 10th Month Owen gained another 2 lbs in 2 months and grew 2 inches.  We are still nursing and he is also eating a little bit of everything.  I need to really start working with a sippy cup. (23 lbs 4 oz) He says ma-ma and da-da He pulls himself up on everything and holds on with one hand.   He is very laid back and all smiles.  He loves the dog, his sister, and his sister's dollhouse. He is still in 18 months clothing He sleeps well. He is becoming more animated and aware of the world around him.  Doing a lot of mimicking. How the rest of us are doing I can't believe it has been 10 months already.   Haley is doing better with little brother now that she is earning stickers and rewards for being a good big sister.  It has been a hard transition. Other than that, it has been same-o really.  We are all just ready for the fall!

Owen's 8th Month We are getting close to our 1 year goal of nursing!  He still nurses 4-6  times a day and also eats purees and some finger foods.  (He really likes pancakes)  He never really took to a bottle, but I need to start working on water in a sippy cup the next few months. Still 6 teeth, no more teeth appeared this month. Still army crawling, but can now pull himself up to his knees and sometimes stands He sits unassisted He can say 'da-da' and sometimes 'maaa-ma' (I get maaa-ma when he is hungry) He is a good little sleeper but usually only takes on nap per day now. He LOVE Drake.  He thinks he is funny and tries to crawl after him all the time.  He also likes watching him out the window. He took his first LOONG care ride to North Carolina.  Road trips are over-rated.   How the rest of us are doing This has been an incredibly challenging month.  On July 24th my dad died of, what we assume, was a cardiac i...

Owen's 8th Month We are still breastfeeding!  Yay!  He eats some oatmeal, veggie and fruit purees, and yum yums as well.  He has 6 teeth.  4 on top, 2 on bottom  He is army crawling alllll over, so close to a traditional crawl He can sit up on his own for a few minutes now before face planting. He can say "da-da" now. He will grab faces and pull them in to give "kisses" He will inevitably crawl for the dog bowls, every.single.time. We survived herpangia.  Well, he is all better, but now Haley has it--and I have a suspicion that I am next.  He notices when I walk in and out of the room and I think he is noticing strangers. How the rest of us are doing Like I said above, Haley currently has Herpangia.  Poor girl.  Otherwise, she is finally adjusting better to the whole sibling thing.  She has her 'toddler' moments about it.  But 3 is shaping up to be a lot better than 2. Haley is growing more and more indep...

And on his 8th month, we found ourselves smack dab in the middle of trying to survive herpangina. So my 8 month post will be late this month.  My poor boo.

Owen's 7th Month Owen is still breastfeeding and eating oatmeal mixed with breast-milk.  He is doing fabulous with eating.  He is pretty excited about this baby food stuff but it secretly makes me sad.  Owen is sleeping through the night most nights.   He is napping 2 times a day He got another tooth (top. but not in the middle) He is rolling over, and I think he is getting close-ish to crawling.  He WANTS to crawl so bad.  Because he is working hard, I keep him out of the jumperoo and let him play on the floor for the most part. He is not sitting on his own yet, but getting close.  He is getting more vocal. Total mamas boy and I LOVE that.  He will now cry if I leave the room or if he drops a toy. He loves to grab on to my face. hair, etc. He likes to put his hand in my mouth. Owen is super easy going. How the rest of us are doing L ife is normalizing.  Not so much an adjustment.  I am getting use...

Today was the kids' wellness checkup for 3 years and 6 months.  Owen is now 20lbs 11oz and 27.25 inches long.  We got the green light to start oatmeal for him and slowly add other things into his diet.  He is right on par with his milestones and doing great.  Poor guy does have a yest infection due to the antibiotics he was on a few weeks ago.  But other than that, he is happy and healthy. Haley girl is now 36 lbs and 40.75 inches.  She recently shot up a few inches and is now in the 99th percentile for her height!!  Looks like she may end up being tall like her ma'ma.  I was secretly super excited about this.  She now LOVES Dr. J which is refreshing.  When she was younger, doctor visits were not always easy.  Thank you Doc McStuffins.

Last night I tucked in my 3-year-old.  As I shut the door, she squealed for extra hugs.  Usually a manipulations to squeeze any moment of not going to bed she can.  But when she asked me to hold her tighter....all I could remember was the first night in the hospital. A rude awakening.  Looking back, the hospital stay taught me a few things.  Nothing is going to go according to plan.  Nothing is easy.  And I knew nothing about parenting.  It took me three years to learn what I could have learned from the picture above---love first.  Frustrated in tears, hours after my daughter was born--I felt helpless. I had no idea what she needed.  I had no idea how to get her to stop crying.  Nurses came and went with a sympathetic smile.  Helpless.  Three years later, not much has changed.  I still have no idea what I am doing---but love comes first.   How can I learn so much about the world and myself from a three...

Owen's 6th Month Owen is still EBF (exclusively breast fed).  In June, we will have a checkup and discuss how the pediatrician would like us to proceed with solids.  My goal is to make it a year.  Half way there! Owen got moved into his own room! Owen wakes up once a night to eat, except last night when hes slept through the night! (not getting my hopes up because I know a growth spurt is somewhere on the horizon) He is still super laid back and smiles SO much.. He naps 2-3 times a day  He has both his bottom teeth He is in 18 month clothing He likes the jumperoo and sitting in the highchair He is rolling around like crazy.  Front to back, back to front.  I suspect he will be modify crawling soon. How the rest of us are doing Haley warms up to him more and more Behavior wise, we have seen a small improvement with Haley.  Todderlood, a strong temperament, and a new baby was a tough combination.   Haley is potty trained! As ...

Today, I broke down the bassinet--and put it into storage. It is too soon to say this is permanent.  But Owen got booted from the bedroom.  Every child is different.  So I dislike comparing.  But Haley was sleeping through the night--in her own crib by 6 weeks.  There were a lot of different circumstances surrounding that. But with Owen waking up often.  I was not in a real hurry to get him in his crib. It is a long walk to his bedroom when you are half asleep.  Also, I didn't want him waking Haley. Now, he is waking up"only" once a night--and is basically the length of the bassinet.  So it was time.  I feel okay with it.  I feel like I am starting to reclaim some of my "alone" evening time.  Perks of the schedule at hand.  So the kids are off to bed and I get my extra long shower and a glass of wine.  Maybe some Netflix.   Time is flying and we are entering a month of May madness.  Starting with May ...

  Owen's 5th Month 5 months strong with EBF!  Next month we will likely start baby food.  I'm holding out until after his 6 month checkup so I can get instructions.  So much information is out there now about how your suppose to start solids, that I prefer to just go with what our pediatrician suggests.  Owen does not sleep through the night. Waaa, waaa.  We have had a few rough nights, but mostly he is waking up around 3ish and then again 5ish. He laughs a lot and LOVES playing with Haley.  He smiles biggest for her.   His evening fussiness is decreasing. I have not imposed a parent led schedule yet.  Generally I have been following his cues (hunger and sleep) and it has worked well for us.  But as he starts solids, I will start transitioning into a more traditional schedule.   His first tooth popped through (bottom left!) We had to buy a larger swaddle sack because boy loves to be swa...

..........send wine.

                              Owen's 4th Month Another month EBF!  I really really wish breastfeeding would have worked out longer with Haley. At this point, I was exclusively pumping for her, so she was still getting breastmilk exclusively (Aside from the Kero Syrup crap...but don't get me started on that).  I don't know exactly what he weighs because his appointment isn't until Monday, but he is over 17 lbs at this point....andddd has yet to take a bottle.   Owen regressed as far as sleeping goes.  He no longer makes it through the night. I can't pinpoint why, but I have chalked it up to growth spurting mostly.  The plus side is that it has helped my supply (I noticed my supply majorly dipped when he was sleeping through the night).  It is what it is, but a perk of being a SAHM is I take the day at my pace. He is SUCH a happy boy.  Smiles a lot.  Giggles so...