This and That

Poor, Blog... You get so little attention these days. The three living, breathing man-children that I adore need me to feed them, play with them, care for them, teach them, and hold them. So, I spend more time living life with them and less time documenting life with them. One day I'll get better. Pinky promise. :)

For now, a few things...

* Clayton and I did this (http://www.housingaforest.com/ivory-soap-experiment/) experiment the other day. I found it on Pinterest, and I knew that C would love it. My hunch was correct. He thought it was super cool.

Who knew that Ivory soap did this...

after being in the microwave for 2 minutes???

The only problem is that my little scientist now wants to put everything else (shampoo, hair gel, hand soap, lotion, etc.) in the microwave just to see what would happen. Oh dear...

* I am a big fan of dressing a baby like a baby. I like bubbles and smocking and jon jons. I really do. I know that isn't everyone's taste, but I love it. You can only dress little boys in that style for a couple of years, though. After that, they spend the rest of their lives wearing khakis and polos.

But... I put Owen in a button up shirt and khakis on Sunday for church. I think it might have reformed me as a smockaholic. Not really, but he looked pretty cute in his little man clothes, I must say.

* You know what is totally awesome? Washing a full load of whites only to realize (when pulling them out of the dryer) that a certain 6 year old left an atomic fireball in the pocket of his khaki pants. What. a. mess.

I have washed some crazy things (rocks, legos, pens, pencils, etc.) being a boy mom, but an atomic fireball in a load of whites holds the current record for making the biggest mess. There were little speckles of red/pink on everything.

Lucky for me, I know the best stain remover ever made. Want me to tell you the secret? Liquid dishwashing detergent (I use the Costco version of Cascade). It works like a champ every time! I learned about it when I was trying to get all of the spit up stains out of Drew's baby clothes so that Owen could use them. I read about dishwashing liquid as a stain remover online. I discounted it as hogwash. Then, Leah's mom told me that it was legit. I tried it, and it worked!

I now know that it works on atomic fireball disasters as well. :)

* Owen is cutting his second tooth. I felt the bottom left tooth cut through the gum on May 8th, and the bottom right broke through yesterday.

So long, gummy grin. I'll miss you... :(

All of my babies have loved to teethe on water bottles. Is that normal? I've bought them all teething rings and such, but they prefer a water bottle. Whatev, Baby Blue Eyes.
* Drew is my little artistic fella. I am trying hard to encourage him to be creative. I wasn't good about that sort of thing with Clayton, and I wish that I would have been. Drew is happy to paint away for as long as I will let him. Love that boy!

* I have been serving the kids' lunches in muffin tins when we are at home. I know that isn't a new concept - I've seen it tons of places online. I just hadn't tried it until recently. They love it! I'm hoping that the novelty doesn't wear off, because I feel like they eat more this way.That's all for now, bloggy friends! Enjoy the 70 degree weather on this beautiful January day! I'm sure that we will pay for it in February. :-/

Owen is 8 Months Old!

Happy Month-day to my favorite 8 month old on the planet!!!
I couldn't pick from his 8 month old photo shoot this morning, so I posted all of my favorites. :)


Such a sweet age...
I have no earthly idea how another month has passed, but somehow I find myself writing another monthly post. It's insane how fast 31 days has gone by and how much our boy has changed in that time. I think that 6-8 months is the most rapid change in development during the first year of a baby's life. They go from doing nothing but laying and rolling, to sitting independently and semi-crawling. Such big changes in a tiny babe's life!

At 8 months...

* Owen weighs 17.5 pounds. He didn't gain a ton of weight this month, but he is definitely growing. It's crazy to think that I was so worried about his size just 2 months ago. He had fallen off of his growth curve and I was so nervous about that. He chunked up quick and I couldn't be happier! I love a roly poly baby. :)
* He's also 27.5 inches long. He seems sooooo long! He will be a tall drink of water, just like the other Carpenter men. Ha!

* We only have a handful of size 2 diapers left, and when those are gone we will move up to size 3 full time. He has been wearing size 3 at night for a couple of months now.

* Owen wears 9 month or 9-12 month clothing for the most part. If it is a one piece outfit, he has to have a 12 month for the length. He wears a size 2 or 3 shoe.

* Owen sleeps in his crib for every nap and bedtime, but he fell asleep in his swing last week and I couldn't help but snap a few pictures. :) He sleeps with his pacifier and minky dot lovey. He always falls asleep laying on his right side holding his nanny in his right hand. Creature of habit, I guess.
* Owen still nurses 4-5 times a day and eats baby food 3 times a day. He has oatmeal and a stage 2 fruit for breakfast. He has a veggie and a fruit for lunch, and 2 veggies for dinner. He LOVES to eat! He fusses as soon as he sees me getting his meal ready and then kicks his feet in excitement when he gets the first bite.

* Owen had puffs for the first time on December 27th. He is pretty good with his pincer grasp, but can't quite get them in his mouth. So, I helped him out a bit. :) He wasn't sure about them at first, but quickly became a fan.

* He chipmunks puffs in his right hand and hold them soooo tight. I went to change his diaper an hour after his lunch and he still had one in his hand! Ha!

* Owen is sleeping pretty well these days. Of course, all of that will probably change with teething this coming month... As of now, he is taking 2 really good naps (2-3 hours) and a cat nap in the evening. He is sleeping 11-12 hours at night. (Yes, I am now knocking on wood!)
* Owen is sitting up so well that I took him out of his bath seat. He was a fan of the freedom - he splashed and splashed! It was so stinkin' cute!
* This month, Owen celebrated his first Christmas. Celebrating our first Christmas as a complete family of 5 was absolutely wonderful! Owen was always meant to be our final member. What a blessing he is!
* I try hard to limit O to one orange vegetable a day, because both Clayton and Drew had orange noses at this age. That beta carotene makes my babies look like oompa loompas! Ha! Even with limiting the carrots and sweet potatoes, Owen still has an orange-ish nose. ;)
* I can see the very beginning of a bottom tooth starting to break through! I am already mourning the loss of that bare bottom gum. :( I had to get a picture of it before it is gone forever...
* Owen has some veins that are close to the surface of the skin between his eyes (more towards his left eye). I asked the pediatrician about it when he was 2 months old and she said it was nothing to worry about. It may or may not go away. Just a little something interesting about our Owen.
* I know that every mother thinks that their baby is beautiful, but holy cow, this kid cute! Seriously. He makes the Gerber baby look ugly. :)


* Boys and their eyelashes... proof that life is, indeed, unfair. ;)
* Owen is trying so hard to crawl. I'm soooo not ready for that! I already have 2 mobile children that run circles around me - I can't imagine having another child that is on the go! Last week, Wade pointed to Owen because he was up on all 4s and rocking back and forth. I may have scooped him up and put him back on his bottom. I'll never tell! ;) However, he scoots all over the place and is quite good at maneuvering himself to exactly where he wants to me. He may as well be crawling!


My Darling Baby Boy,

Oh my precious child, you are almost too much for my heart to bear. You positively could not be sweeter! I have no earthly idea why God has blessed me so...

You were such a champ during all of the Christmas celebrations! You proved yourself to be the most flexible, laid-back baby there ever was. You napped wherever and whenever there was a lull in the activity. We pushed you so hard, and I would have been a mess with guilt if you hadn't done so well. You made added a new element of joy to the Christmas season for our whole family. Thank you for making a busy time of year easier on your Mama!

This month you have become an eating machine! You LOVE your baby food. So far, you have had peas, green beans, garden vegetables, squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, pears, peaches, apples, and apples with blueberries (in that order). You love them all! You make a sour face every once in a while with the peaches and apples with blueberries - maybe because they are so sweet??? You love your veggies - just like Drew did. I hope that you will continue to be a good eater, just like your big brother.

Your first year is 2/3s over! How is that possible?!?! Thankfully, I feel like you have stayed little for a good amount of time. I have squeezed every last drop of baby goodness out of these first 8 months, and plan to continue to do the same thing for the next 4. You are a precious treasure, my darling Owen Thomas! I'm so glad that you are mine!

I love you to the moon and back!
Mommy

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2012!