My Baby O turned 5 months old today! I can hardly believe it...
Owen with his frog and elephant
This sweet little face... be still my heart. :)
* I weighed and measured Owen tonight and he was 26 inches long and weighed 14 lbs. 8 oz. It sure seems like he has grown more than 1/2 an inch and 6 oz. this month, but I double checked and got the same thing. So... I guess that he is just going to be long and lean. :)
* O is in between sizes when it comes to clothing. He can still wear some of his 0-3 mth stuff, but he wears some 3-6 mth things as well. He has a few dressy outfits that fit small that he wears a 6 mth in. He's kinda all over the map. :)
* He still wears a size 2 diaper.
* He still nurses every 3-3.5 hours during the day and sleeps for 1.5-2 hours in between feedings.
* My precious babe is as bald as a billiard ball! He has lost what little bit of dark hair that he had on top and the hair coming in looks much lighter. Could we have another blondie on our hands??? He does have a few little tufts of dark hair remaining on the back with a bald spot in the middle from where he sleeps. It makes for quite the comical hairline. ;)
* Sweet Baby has grown to love bath time. Our infant seat broke and I didn't really see the sense in replacing it. So, O has been taking sink baths 90% of the time. We have put him in the bigger bath seat a few times, and he seems to like it.
Sweet & Clean straight from the bathtub
Chillaxin' in the sink. Ha!
* Owen is sleeping great. I've learned not to jinx myself by putting an exact number, but we are very pleased with his progress. :) O still sleeps in his Miracle Blanket. He is so funny when we wrap him up. If he is fussy, he calms down immediately. It is his happy place. Ha!
One of the darling ladies in the nursery at church calls his swaddle blanket his "off switch." This particular lady is a home ec. teacher at the high school. She said that she told her students all about Owen and his swaddle when she taught a unit on calming infants. I love that she has my boy figured out so well!
I know that the Miracle Blanket will be retired very soon, and that is going to pain my heart. What will I do when I no longer have a baby to swaddle??? That is my most favorite thing about infants. Maybe I will have it bronzed or something... ;)
* He is so funny when he wakes up in his Miracle Blanket. He flops his legs like a mermaid's tale. He'll be happy as a lark in there smiling away, but he raises his legs up and then slams them down. It is so funny... I remember Drew doing the same thing at this age.
* O still loves his play gym. The lady bug is his favorite.
* He is also a big fan of his bouncy seat this month. He will sit in that thing for as long as we will let him.
* He has started doing "baby crunches" and grabbing at the bird and monkey. He is so happy when he finally catches them.
* I told Wade this month that my neck and shoulders were really hurting. I debated about seeing a chiropractor or sleeping on a different mattress. Then I realized that I hurt from holding Owen so much! I am hunched over staring at that sweet face every chance that I get. I joke that I am holding him to protect him from his wild brothers, but I just don't want to waste a minute of holding my last baby. (sniff, sniff)
* Owen chews on his fingers 24/7. People keep asking if he is cutting teeth. I sure hope not! Clayton and Drew were 8.5 months before they cut their first tooth. I'm hoping that I have a few more months with that precious gummy grin.
* Um... I have no real bullet point for these two pictures. Owen is just adorable. Period. The end.
* Clayton and Drew are completely nuts about their baby brother. Clayton loves to hold him or lay down on the couch next to him and talk to him. Drew says, "Owen is our precious love bug." I hope that they will always be the very best of friends.
* Owen visited his first pumpkin patch yesterday. His little bald head was pretty cute nestled among the pumpkins. ;)
My Dearest Owen Thomas,
Oh my word, Child, you could not be a better baby. You just couldn't. I am beyond grateful that you are so easy. You are so content and happy. You go with the flow and make life with three kids much more manageable than I ever thought that it would be. We spend so much time in the car and on the go these days. You are so sweet to just come along for the ride. I would bet cash money that you are going to be our most laid back kid. All of the theories on birth order make so much more sense to me with each child that we have had.
You are a wonderful treasure to me, Sweet Babe. I love you so much that my heart literally hurts some times. Every month with you I think, "This is my favorite age..." And then the next month comes along and I think, "No, I was wrong. This is my favorite age..." I know that it will be like that from here on out. I want to hang on to every bit of baby that I can get out of you, but I know that I will love every stage even more than the one before. You are such a tremendous blessing in my life.
My favorite thing about this month is that you really know who I am, and I feel like you love me back now. :) When our eyes meet from across the room, you smile so big and start to kick your feet like crazy with excitement. You know that I'm your Mama! I make you happy and that thrills me to no end!
You don't know all of my many faults yet. You don't know that I can't cook worth a darn. You've never complained about a single meal that I have made you.
You don't know that I'm not very funny. The slightest hint of a silly face is enough to make you shake with laughter.
You don't know that I have trouble juggling life with three kids, a house to maintain, and a husband that travels. Your needs are met and you are content.
You so precious to me, and I hope that you and your brothers will always know what overwhelming joy that you have brought to my life. I always knew that I would love being a mother, but it is even better than my very best dreams.
I adore you, my darling 5 month old!
I love you to the moon and back,
Mommy
This year, Mama Ginger was kind enough to go to the patch with us and then to host Leah, Holly, Abbey, and I and all of our kiddos for lunch. That's 4 adults and 7 kiddos! She is a saint, I tell ya! Lunch was yummy and the company was even better. :)
Kiddo Group Shot
There's somethin' about that Drew - he makes me smile.
My Punkin' in the punkin's
Apparently, the pumpkins were much more interesting than his Mama jumping up and down acting like a fool trying to get him to smile. Ha!
Drew loved the goats. I'm pretty sure that he exceeded his allotment of 1 cup of goat food at least 10 times over. :)
Clayton was a bigger fan of the chicks. He was so sweet holding this one and talking baby talk to him, "Aw, little buddy, do you miss your Mama?"
"Can we keep him, puh-leeeezzzz?"
The future Mr. & Mrs. Clayton Carpenter
Drew and his bud, Luke
It was a full day of fun! We didn't get home until 4:30 and the boys just got car naps on the road. But, we left with full bellies and happy hearts. Can't wait til next year!
