Owen is four months old!

I'm four months old!

At four months old, Owen was:

Weight: 14 pounds, 1 ounce, between the 25th and 50th percentile

Height: 25.5 inches long, 75th percentile

Head Circumference: 16.4 inches, between the 25th and 50th percentile

     
     The best thing that happened this month was that Owen laughed for the first time on July 3. His laughs are amazing, all gurgly and cute. He is super smiley now too and gives everyone big gummy grins whenever he first sees them.

Eating:

     Owen still eats about every three hours during the day, sometimes sooner. I think he was having a growth spurt this month because he was eating more too. He usually drinks around five ounces at each feeding. He is still fed expressed breastmilk primarily, but gets a formula bottle every so often just to help me keep up with his increased demand this month. Also, our freezer was left cracked open while we went on vacation this month, so I had to throw out my entire stash of frozen breastmilk. It was sad. I had hoped that would allow me to stop pumping sooner, while still being able to give Owen the good stuff. Hopefully I will be able to start restocking the freezer soon.

     This month we have let him taste some of our food occasionally just to see how he would react. The kid is nutso for ice cream. He did the typical sour face look when we let him suck on a lime and to Tim’s surprise, Owen gnawed away at a dill pickle while we were on vacation. 

Mmmm... pickles are tasty!

Sleeping:

     Owen now sleeps in his crib in his bedroom every night. It has been better for everyone I think. We don’t keep each other up with our various sleep noises and stirrings.  He goes down for an evening nap around 7 each day and then we generally wake him to feed him one last time around 9 or 10. He will then wake up once during the night, generally around 3, and then wakes up again in the morning around 6. He takes about three naps during the day, two shorter ones in the early and late morning and a longer one in the middle of the afternoon. 

I still sleep swaddled for the most part. It makes me feel safe and secure.

Other Things I Want to Remember:

Owen is wearing a lot of 3-6 month size clothes now. He can still fit into some of his larger 0-3 month size outfits, but we’ll probably begin phasing those out soon and storing them for a potential little brother in the future. He is in size 1/2 and size 2 diapers.

     His still has a good amount of hair minus the part in the back that has rubbed off. His eyes are getting darker and are now a greenish brown color.

     Owen’s favorite toys are most anything that makes noise. He likes his activity mat and will play on it for about 15 to 20 minutes at a time.

Who is that handsome fellow?

     Owen loves when we read to him. He pays attention and looks at the pages with interest. When I read “The Jesus Storybook Bible” to him, he always squeals and babbles along like he is really excited. It is so cute.

     Owen’s favorite times of the day are early in the morning when we come get him out of his crib, bathtime, and when Daddy comes home from work and plays with him. 

My Daddy is so much fun.

     We celebrated Owen's first Fourth of July this month. We grilled burgers in the backyard and made s'mores. Then we walked around the neighborhood to watch fireworks going off around Richland. Owen really enjoyed the fireworks surprisingly and would actually begin fussing whenever they stopped for a moment.

     Owen went on his first trip to the beach this month. We put his feet in the ocean on July 24. His reaction made him seem pretty unimpressed.

This froggy bathing suit is really embarrassing.

Here are some pictures from Owen's four month old photo shoot:

Rawr! I'm a monster!

Check out the color of my eyes. For now...

Menu Monday

     As most of you know, we just got back from a week-long vacation last night. I'm really excited about getting back to eating some good home-cooked meals after several days filled with fast food and other restaurant entrees.

Monday: Pizza. We got in really late last night and Owen has had a hard time getting back on our west coast schedule, so I didn't get a chance to go to the grocery store, but I did plan our meals for this week. Tonight we will have pizza so that I can work on unpacking and getting back into the swing of things without having to cook.
Tuesday: Roasted tilapia with red potatoes and lemon. This is a recipe from Real Simple magazine. The last time I made it, we still lived in Georgia. The thing I love the most about the recipe is the olives. They had a nice salty, briney flavor to the fish that really complements the lemon and potatoes. I'll serve it with sauteed spinach with garlic.

Wednesday: Cajun chicken pasta. This is one of my favorite recipes. It is from the website Pioneer Woman Cooks. The other good thing about it is that it contains a good number of vegetables that Tim doesn't really care for, but he likes them in this.

Thursday: Leftover cajun chicken pasta. Our small group meets on Thursday nights so we have to eat beforehand and it's easier to just eat leftovers.
Friday: Grilled steak with sauteed onions and peppers with baked potatoes and asparagus.
Saturday: Island pork tenderloin with sweet potato fries and sauteed spinach with garlic. This recipe is from the P90X workout diet. It is really good. It uses a spice rub on the pork that includes chile powder, cinnamon, cumin, salt and pepper, garlic, hot sauce, and brown sugar. It makes a really delicious crust on the pork and tastes ridiculously yummy.

Sunday: Seafood Paella. This is a recipe from Tyler Florence on Food Network. I had paella at a restaurant while we were at the beach and it was really good so I wanted to see if I could make it at home. I will not include the clams though because I'm not a big fan, but I will use chicken, shrimp, and sausage.

Owen laughing

Owen laughed for the first time on July 3rd.  Since then we've been trying to find new ways to laugh every day.  So far he laughs at funny noises (dad's poot noises), kissing his feet and belly (tickly), and by tearing paper.  This is our first successful attempt at catching the giggling on camera!

 

Owen's Dedication

     This is the video of Owen's dedication at Watkinsville First Baptist Church while we were visiting our families in Georgia. The ceremony went well with both of our families and many friends in attendance. I spent much of the church service prior to the dedication worrying that Owen would be upset during it, but he did wonderfully, sleeping for most of it in his daddy's arms. He did wake up during the prayer at the end, but was just his normal smiley just-woken-up self. Our former college pastor Vic Doss performed the dedication and preached a portion of Deuteronomy. Here is part of the verses he referenced:
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 - "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
     We have felt particularly challenged by the charge to raise Owen in this way. Right now he is still a small baby and it's hard to figure out how to convey these things to him. But for the time being we're striving to show him that he is loved immeasurably and that he lives in a home where he can feel safe and secure knowing his parents love one another and God.

Owen is three months old!

I'm three months old!

     

     Our little newborn baby is growing up so fast! And he is ready to be a big boy. He loves sitting up (assisted) and looking around and standing up in our laps. He is reaching new milestones almost daily. Here are some stats on his progress this last month.

At three months old, Owen was:

Weight: 12 pounds, 11 ounces, between the 25th and 50th percentile

Height: 24.5 inches, 75 percentile

Eating: Owen still eats about four ounces every three hours. Sometimes he will eat as much as five ounces, but not very often. He is still bottle fed and will remain that way. Efforts to breastfeed are still unsuccessful for the most part and it’s just easier this way because we’re used to it. He gets really fussy if we try to burp him before he’s had a few ounces. And he has started trying to hold his bottle to “help” us feed him. For the most part he just accidentally pushes the bottle away from his mouth, though. 

Sleeping: Owen is getting closer to sleeping through the night. He actually did a really good job of it when we were in Georgia, sleeping for almost eight hours straight at night. Since returning back to Washington, he has resumed his middle of the night feeding, which occurs anytime between 2:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. normally. 

I have been sleeping in my crib for many of my naps. Notice how I have managed to work my hands up out of my swaddle.

Other Things I Want to Remember:

     Owen is wearing size one and size 1/2 diapers. He wears mainly size 1-3 month clothing, but is starting to wear some of the size 3-6 month clothes, though the majority of them are still to big for him. His hair is getting longer, particularly on top of his head. Some of his hair has rubbed off on the back of his head, which is pretty funny looking. His eyes are still that newborn indistinguishable blue-ish gray color. Some days they look like they are starting to turn brown and other days they seem like they may stay blue. We’re still not sure yet.  

My, what big eyes you have.

     Owen had his first trip on a plane this month. He did really well and barely cried on the four flights we took to and from Georgia. Each time, we fed him on take-off and he would play a little and then sleep for the rest of the flight. 

The Moby wrap provided the perfect sleep environment to help me make it through the flight to Georgia.

I received my wings for flying for the first time.

     Owen also attended church nursery for the first time this month. He cried when we first got to church, but once we got him to sleep, he apparently slept in a nursery worker’s arms for the entire service.

     While home in Georgia, we had Owen dedicated at our old church. It was a really sweet service with both of our families and many friends there. Our old college pastor, Vic Doss, performed the dedication. It was really sweet standing at the front of the sanctuary with our baby in the exact spot where we got married almost two years ago. 

     Owen has been able to entertain himself for short periods of time this month. He plays for longer on his activity mat than he used to and he also enjoys playing with ring toys and with Sophie the Giraffe, which he likes to chew on. It has a squeaker inside it that generally makes him smile when we squeeze it.

     Owen likes for us to sing to him. We generally make up silly songs, including the wiggle song, which Tim sings for Owen when he is changing his diaper and “What’s Going On, Mr. Man?” which Tim sings when Owen is crying. 

Silly songs (and my feet) make diaper changing time more fun!

     We have several nicknames for Owen. Tim calls him Sweet Boy and Mister Man. I tend to call him Monkey, Buggy, and O Boy.

     Bath time is still a favorite. I’m looking forward to when he is old enough to actually play in the bath tub. 

Oh, Mommy, your bathtime song is so silly.

     Owen loves to have us read to him now. He has several favorite books, including “Peek-A-Who,” “The Belly Button Book,” and “Little Blue Truck.” He enjoys looking at the pages and touching them.

    His stuffed animal Ned was lost at the Atlanta airport, so we’ve been mourning him for the past couple weeks.

These are Owen’s accomplishments this month:

     He can lift his head up 90 degrees while lying on his stomach. Towards the end of this month, he was able to raise his chest off the ground supported by his arms a few times.

     He can bring his hands together and grasp objects in his hands. He has really discovered his hands this month and constantly has them in his mouth. He smiles spontaneously and often. He can follow objects with his eyes, particularly mommy and daddy if they walk away. He can hold his head steady when upright for the most part.  He can bear weight on his legs and enjoys “standing” up in our laps. He makes several cooing noises. 

     Here are some pictures from his three month photo shoot. There aren't a lot because he was not feeling particularly smiley for most of it. 

Owen's Nursery Reveal

     I'm finally ready to reveal Owen's nursery. I know this is a little late coming, but we had Owen's furniture delivered not too long ago and we finally hung up all the art we have for the walls just a few weeks ago. I really love how the nursery turned out. There are still a few things that I would like to add to it, including curtains and a bookcase, but it is mostly done. It is my favorite room in the house. I remember before Owen was born I would peek in there about three or four times daily just to imagine what it would be like to have a baby in there. It is such a special room and I hope that Owen enjoys playing in it for however long we live in this house.

      
     This is the view of Owen's room from the doorway. I would like to add curtains to the window to maybe bring out some more blue. Also, because the sun starts coming up here around four in the morning and sets after nine, so it's tough convincing Owen that it's time to go to sleep for the night when the sun is still out. 

This is the complete view of the right side of the room.

This is the chair that I rock Owen in to get him to sleep for most of his naps. Next to it is his basket of books for reading time. We need to get him a bookcase soon because he now has more books than will fit in the basket.

This is a complete view of the left side of the room.

Here is a close-up of his bedding.

This is an elephant embroidered on his quilt.

Just in case we forget whose room it is.

Menu Monday

     Yeah, yeah... I know it's been a while, but in case you hadn't heard, I have a baby. Not that I don't still cook dinner. It's just that I don't have as much time to blog and if I'm going to make time to blog, I'm blogging about Owen. But I find I have a little free time right now, and I've gotten ahead of my to-do list (who knew that was possible?!) and I thought I might post our menu for this week.


Monday: Grilled pork chops with brown sugar and pineapple, sweet potato fries, and sauteed spinach.
Tuesday: Country chicken fricasse with steamed broccoli and baby carrots. This is a recipe that my friend Jane made for us when we were back in Georgia. It was so yummy that I asked for the recipe.
Wednesday: Taco meatloaf with corn and black beans. Again, one of Tim's favorites.
Thursday: Chicken spaghetti casserole with green peas. This is one of the last of my freezer meals and I'm trying to use them up to make more room in the freezer for frozen breastmilk. 
Friday: Grilled chicken with rice pilaf or some other side and sauteed spinach. I'm marinading the chicken in Newman's Own Herb and Roasted Garlic marinade. So tasty!
Saturday: Beef stew with beer and paprika. This is a recipe from Pioneer Woman Cooks. I know beef stew isn't really a summer recipe, but I don't really care. It looks really tasty. I'm not sure if I will use the beer in it or just extra beef broth. I don't really care for the flavor of beer.

Sunday: Ultimate turkey burgers. Unless ground turkey costs a fortune at the grocery store this week. In that case, we'll have regular ground beef burgers. Either way, Tim wants to grill.