12 weeks - and one big announcement

First things first - if you've heard the rumors...yes, they are true. The Peterson clan is moving back to Iowa in just two short weeks. Ryan was recently offered a position at HON headquarters in Muscatine and we decided that - with Owen now in the picture - it is the right time in our lives to head back "home." The decision was a tough one to make; we certainly love Seattle, our home, our friends, and our lives here. But ultimately, we miss our families deeply - even more so now that Owen has joined us - and very much want him to grow up knowing his grandparents, aunts, cousins, etc. (And vice-versa!)

We leave for good on Friday, October 16. In the meantime, we have our house on the market and are hoping that it will sell - even in this depressed economy. (Things do seem to be picking up a bit, though, and we're hoping that the first-time homebuyer tax credit will incent some other young family to take up residence in this home we've loved so much.) Our plan is to move in with our parents in Davenport temporarily, until our house here sells and we find a new house to buy. We haven't decided exactly where we will take up residence yet, but are considering Davenport/Bettendorf, Muscatine, Iowa City, and anywhere in between...

And now, regarding our little angel (who is napping beautifully - IN HIS CRIB, mind you! - even as I type this)... Patterns are beginning to emerge (finally) and we are moving closer to having some sort of routine to our days. I honestly thought this might never happen! Life has been so random for so long, I was worried I may never be able to anticipate the events of my daily life again. I guess all these weeks of documenting O's eating and sleeping habits, like the neurotic, detail-freak that I am, have finally paid off. : ) My plan is to get him to have a nap in the morning, one in the afternoon, and an optional one in the early evening. The first two seem to be the more critical ones, though, as we've also started putting him to bed earlier than we were previously. 7:00 is a much more reasonable bedtime than 9:00, don't you think?

Napping remains somewhat elusive, however, because for some reason, when O falls asleep in his car seat (after accompanying me on one errand or another), he will stay asleep there for hours and hours on end. When he naps in his crib, however, I rarely get more than 30-45 minutes out him. I am open to suggestions on this one, friends...

And everyone always wants to know if he is sleeping through the night yet. The answer is no. Typically, he still gets up about every 4 hours or so, but about once a week, he makes it around 6 hours. So, I know he is capable of going longer, but am not sure how to get him to do that more consistently. Again, suggestions are completely welcome on this one, too.

Tiny baby in a big bed! (O napping in Mommy & Daddy's bed)

Look how high O can now lift his head during tummy time with Daddy!

"I'm such a big boy!" In this picture, I finally see why everyone thinks he looks like his Daddy.

P.S. The writing of this post was disturbed after all, when Owen woke up from his nap after about an hour. It's better than the 30 minutes he slept earlier today, but still...what the heck?

11 weeks

Another week down in the record books... This week, Owen slept for six straight hours in the night for the first time! Yay! He only did it the one night, but I am hoping that's a sign that he'll be a good sleeper and start making it through the night soon!

He continues to enjoy lying on his back and watching anything moving...his mobile, the toys dangling from his play tunnel, the ceiling fan, Mommy's hands...whatever. It gives me a nice break once in a while because he's usually content to do that for at least 15-20 minutes at a time. Cheap entertainment! Also, I've been trying to get him to mimic me when I stick my tongue out at him and he finally did it for the first time tonight. Another milestone (however minor) to celebrate!

I am now officially done nursing and pumping (I guess I have been for a couple weeks now, but forgot to mention it before), so O is on a 100% formula diet. He does just fine; I'm quite sure he never knew the difference. I, on the other hand, still wish nursing would have worked out better for me, but I've long since come to terms with that and am now grateful for being able to eliminate the stress of pumping several times a day from my life. I didn't even realize just how stressful it was until I quit doing it. I will just say that I am a much happier, and more relaxed mommy now!

O in his "cancer" shirt (his astrological sign), a gift from Amanda and Will . It says, "born romantic, loves to be thoughtful." Sweet! But the sign is a crab after all, so that must be why he's such a crab sometimes.

At Green Lake in Seattle with Daddy, Colby, and baby Chloey. She is about a month and a half older than O, but he's such a chunk, he looks so much bigger than her!

"I just love staring up at Mommy & Daddy's ceiling fan! Good times."

10 weeks

This past week we've struggled to get Owen back on some kind of schedule (not that he was ever really on one) after his surgery, but were up against an extra-fussy little attitude. He's finally starting to feel better, though, and we're fast realizing that the better he naps during the day, the better he sleeps at night. Getting him to nap during the day, however, often proves to be a challenge. The only surefire way is to take him somewhere in the car and he's sure to fall asleep...and then stay asleep for hours in his car seat! I've heard that it's not a good idea for babies to sleep strapped into their car seats for too long though, and it's not something I really wanted to get in the habit of anyway, but it does work. Now we just need to figure out how to get him to stay asleep for longer than 30 minutes in his crib during nap time. Hmmmmm.....

Daddy and Owen cheering on the Hawkeyes (despite Mommy's attempts to root for Iowa State).

How can you resist smiling at the pure glee expressed in this picture? This was taken while O was watching the mobile over his crib. I also have some video below.

Mommy trying out a new position in the Moby wrap. O did not like this one very well. We just need to practice some more.

Video of O watching (and smiling at) the mobile above his crib. Good times.

Meeting family, shots, and surgery!

It's been some kind of week! Actually, the past two weeks have been quite intense. Last week in a good (no, great!) way. O got to meet his aunties, Rachie and Jackie. (Oh, and Jeff and Todd, too.) We had so much fun while they were here and everyone was so helpful! I didn't even have to ask...Rachel and Jack just jumped right in and did it all; from feeding, diaper changes, bathing, holding, calming, etc. They were great! And they'll both make great mommies one day, I just know it! Rachel, perhaps, sooner than later...because she and Todd got engaged while they were here! (Finally!) Since it's their story, I'll let them share it, but what a fantastic surprise!!! Congratulations, you two!

This week, on the other hand, has been a whirlwind of a different sort. Owen had his 2-month check-up on Wednesday, at which time, he received his first round of vaccinations. He was a real trooper after the three needle sticks and just slept for the first few hours. But that evening, the poor little guy was inconsolable...screaming off and on for several hours. Fortunately, he was back to his happy, smiley self the very next morning.

However, during his appointment, the doctor identified a hernia (turned out to be two, actually), so we visited with a pediatric surgeon on Thursday. The only way to treat this type of hernia (bilateral inguinal hernia) is through surgery (gasp!) and the doc recommended doing it sooner than later because of a risk of serious complications. So, we ended up having the surgery scheduled for the very next morning (today). Although the doctor assured us that this was a relatively common and routine surgery, we were pretty freaked. We were mostly concerned with the risks associated with anesthesia in young babies. But, long story short - all is well that ends well. We arrived at the hospital at 6:30 this morning and were discharged by 5:00 p.m. O is recovering well and, other than being a bit fussy this evening, he is actually doing quite well.

Mommy and Daddy had a few worried moments (to say the least!), but discovered just how loved this little boy is by all the support, kind words, well wishes, and prayers of friends and family throughout the day. We are so blessed!!!

And now, the latest photos...

Thought this was a cute expression on his face.

Brothers. (Someday they'll be best buds, I'm just sure of it.)

Getting pretty good at those smiles!

If this is not the cutest darn picture you've ever seen, there must be something wrong with you! : )

The latest...

Not much new to report this week, and I didn't take very many pictures either, but here are couple...

Extreme close-up shot of O while I was wearing him in the Baby Bjorn.

A lazy Sunday morning with my two boys.

Play tunnel

Thanks Uncle Mage for the play tunnel! We love it! (And little did you know that it had a hint of Cyclone in it!) : D

Owen's song

Ok, this post is mostly for Grandma and Grandpa V, who got Owen his own personalized song of nursery rhymes, which he LOVES! He was being very fussy this evening, but then we put on this CD and danced around with him and, voila! Calm!

Thanks G'ma & G'pa V!!! (Be sure to turn your volume up so you can hear the words.)