Videos!

So, I finally figured out an easier way to upload the many, many, many videos on here (thanks to Krista's tip about creating a YouTube account...thanks, Krista!) So, here's a bunch that I've been wanting to post over the past few months, but couldn't. Enjoy.

(P.S. Just ignore the other videos that YouTube automatically posts when my video is done. Don't know how to get it not to do that.)

Mr. Mischief

Hey, I got my new shoes on...

Hiding out

The new "tummy time"

September Update

Man, it's hard to find time to update this thing. Sorry for the delay, folks. Here's what's new with Mr. Owen Peterson these days...

• He recently discovered how nicely his finger fits inside his nostril. I don't think he's "picking" (yet), but he thinks he's pretty clever for finding a new hole to stick his grubby little fingers into.

• I am having a hard time keeping him away from Kinnick's dog food. I think he just enjoys reaching into the bowl and picking up a handful of kibble, but if I don't catch him in time, he also thinks it's ok to put a piece or two in his mouth. You would think that he would have discovered that it doesn't taste that great by now and stop doing it, but alas, he must be a slow learner.

• One of the cuter things he started doing is "standing" on his head. He likes to bend over and rest his head on the floor and just stay that way for a moment or two. Not sure where the fun is in that, but he seems amused.

• The boy finally claps!!! I've been working with him on that for several months now and just when I had given up, he started doing it out of the blue. He loves to congratulate himself on all kinds of things. We're pretty proud of him, too.

• It's no mystery where he picked it up (since I only say it about 400 times a day), but he's started saying "no." It's more like, "niyo," so it's awfully cute, and I don't think he's actually communicating "no" (yet); he is just imitating the sound he hears Mommy make over, and over, and over again. Another continued favorite is "uh-oh" which he says A LOT!

• His favorite toy is is little lion - and has been for several months now, but I hadn't ever documented that anywhere and thought it was worth mentioning. I haven't figured out what he calls lion yet (I just refer to him as "lion"), but he definitely makes a specific sound when he reclaims him (after tossing him over the crib repeatedly) and gets very excited to be reunited with his little pal.

• He's pretty well down to one nap a day on most days, though I think that's because Mommy's been keeping him pretty busy with activities throughout the day. On days when we don't go to the library, MOPS, or some other place where he gets to play and keep occupied, he does still tend to take 2 naps, but those days are becoming less and less frequent (which is fun for Mommy!)

• Owen really loves books. He has a special drawer in the living room designated for all his books that is usually wide open with books strewn about the living room (similar to the Tupperware drawer in the picture below). When he wants you to read to him, he will come up to you with a book in his hand, saying "uh, uh, uh" until you stop whatever it is you are doing, put him in your lap, and read it to him. Sometimes he makes it through a whole book and then gets up to get another one. Other times, he makes it a few pages in and then abandons it for some other toy or sippy cup lying around.

Photos

How my kitchen looks on a typical day...

Mr. Mischief: "What?"

Go Hawkeyes!

Our own little Ricki Stanzi.

Getting another haircut. I had planned to let it grow out for that cute shaggy look that's in style now, but I just couldn't stand it any longer. It was driving me nuts!

Handsome boy!

Carousel attempt #2. It went a little better this time than the last time (at the Great River Days festival). This one was at the Coralville Mall. He's still pretty unimpressed with it, though.

Another new favorite thing (he's revisiting this, actually, as he used to enjoy this a few months ago) is hanging out in Kinnick's dog bed. He just climbs in there and gets comfy with a book, a ball, or - this time - a remote. Poor Kinnick has to share everything!

Here's what we've been up to this afternoon...

Lake house with Tim and Kat

Ahhh...we are just back from a relaxing weekend (despite the 3 1/2 hour drive each way) in Clear Lake, IA with our very loved and missed friends Tim and Katherine Oleson. A couple that we spent LOTS of fun times with when we lived in Seattle, I feel refreshed now that I've had a dose of the friendship that I've been missing for so long (although, it would have been nice to spend even more time together). I think we'll have to make this an annual trip. We had amazing weather and just enough time to lounge around and just BE...together. Exactly what we needed!

The beautiful view from the lake house we rented. Ryan and Tim spent the better part of the weekend out there fishing. Good times.

Being silly on our stroll through town.

Smart sign. Beautiful friend!

All of us. Too bad Owen decided to look back and see what we were all doing behind him instead of smiling for the camera.

Ready to get out of the stroller and...

SWING!!!

I think Daddy had more fun going down this slide than Owen. He's still a little timid on playground equipment, but he really seemed to enjoy himself here.

Can't wait until next year to do this again! Missin' me some Kat already!!!

Summer is flying by!

Ahhhh...how did it get to be the middle of August already? Time seems to move so much faster these days.

Owen is starting to say a few more words lately, like "uh-oh" anytime he drops something on the floor (which is often). Another favorite is "yum-yum" when he's hungry or enjoying a particularly tasty bite of something. And "bu-bye," although we can't seem to combine that with a wave just yet. He tries very hard to say banana, and definitely knows what that is, but it comes out more like "baba." He's also mastered the concept of putting a phone up to his ear (and sometimes other random objects) when someone says "hello?" My mom thinks he's trying to say "hello" when he utters "oh, oh, oh," but I'm not sure. Maybe...

Here are a few recent pics.

Mischief.

A very HOT summer day at the park.

Mmmmm...blocks.

Pony ride with Daddy!

Hello? I see you in there, clothes...

Owen's 1st Birthday

Ok, so it's been over 2 weeks since Owen turned 1, and I am just now getting around to posting pictures and an update. Oops! We had such a fun time at his party. Both sets of grandparents were there, plus Aunt Rachel, Aunt Jackie, Aunt Janan, and Uncle Brad (and their respective families), and Amanda and Will Woodruff. Owen got lots of neat gifts, had a blast playing with the other kids, and got to eat cake and ice cream for the very first time! He was all smiles all day long (which is pretty typical for him anyway.)

This picture was difficult to get (and it's certainly not the best one we've taken this year). Owen is so full of energy, it is challenging trying to get him to sit still for any length of time. He'd much rather play with Curious George than sit next to him, or climb on the chair than sit on his bottom. This will probably conclude the monthly birthday photos. Sad!

So, you saw the practice cake in my last post. Here's the final product. Not too bad, if I do say so myself!

The look on Owen's face while we were singing "Happy Birthday" was priceless. He was probably thinking, "why the heck is everyone standing around looking at and singing to me??"

Owen was not too sure about the cake, and especially the ice cream, at first.

"Oooo, ice cream is COLD!"

"Ok, I think I've got the hang of this now."

"Yum! Mom, can we have cake and ice cream every night?"


This picture just doesn't show how adorable and hilarious O looked blowing kisses on the glass patio door, but I'm sure you can imagine.

Opening presents...

Our summer is still going very well. Owen is so much fun now that he is walking well and getting into everything! He sure keeps me on my toes, but I have to remind myself that's what I'm here for now. (The roles and responsibilities of "Mom" keep changing on me!) We've visited Niabi Zoo in Milan and the Children's Museum in Coralville, have spent many an afternoon splashing in either our sand/water table or backyard baby pool, and have had some fun play dates with O's new buddies Jacob and Will.

I realized recently how much our little imitator is listening to us even when we might not realize it. For some time now, I've noticed that O likes to imitate sounds that he hears - like squealing fireworks on the 4th of July, the snores of an old man fast asleep, and Daddy burping, for example. Although he's not saying any words yet, I'm sure it won't be long, so we really need to start watching what we say around him.

The O-man is an excellent eater. He will literally eat anything I put on his tray. Just today, I gave him kidney beans (yuck!) and he ate them up right along with his grapes, bagel, and peas. I'm trying to expose him to as many healthy and nutrient-rich foods as I can now before he starts to get picky.

And just this past weekend, on an evening that Ryan and I went out (of course!), my family managed to finally teach Owen how to wave - something I've been working on with him for months! He is so cute when he does it - he waves his whole arm, and he just grins from ear to ear as if he's accomplished the most incredible feat (which, of course, we let him believe he has).

Here are a few more pictures from the last few weeks. Enjoy!

Blowing bubbles with Grandma Vera

Swimming! We love it when Grandma comes to visit, but we wish her summer wasn't over so soon.

Check out those baby blues! That is probably the single most frequent comment I receive from strangers when we're out and about - "such big, bright, blue eyes!"

Making a big mess with Will in the sand/water table he received as a birthday gift...and loving it! (I've since removed the sand and declared it simply a "water table." Maybe we'll try sand again next year, but it was just too messy for Mommy and Daddy to deal with.)

Still putting everything in his mouth (when will that end?), Owen experiments with his first puzzle.

Owen loves taking baths!

Headband and muscle tee. This boy is styling!

"Mom, why is there a giant jar of cheese balls in our living room?"

Road Trip Warrior

We're back from a wonderful trip to Kansas City for a much-overdue Betts Family Reunion. I was pretty nervous about taking Owen on his first real road trip - he's flown to Iowa from Seattle when he was 3 1/2 months old and slept the whole way, so that doesn't count. And he's driven to Des Moines at least once, but it's been a while and that's not really all that far, so that doesn't count either. For the most part, he did really well. He doesn't mind being passed around from person to person (in fact, I think he likes it since he will reach out to nearly anyone). And he slept great each night in the pack & play, even though he was in the same room with us. Naps were a little lacking (he really only ever had one a day instead of his usual two), but he has definitely caught up on his sleep since we've been home. Every day so far, he's slept until at least 9:00 a.m. and I am NOT complaining about that one bit!

The car trip was about what I expected. We rode with my parents on the way down and with Ryan on the way back. Here are some photos that show the progression of his mood:

I didn't take very many pictures while we were there (I left that up to everyone else!), but here are a few:

Being naughty with Grandpa and Uncle Bobby.

Playing ball with Harrison and Jack Betts. Those boys sure loved O (as did all the kids)!

We are getting pretty excited about Owen's first birthday (and the party) coming up this Saturday. Hopefully all of our family (or at least those that live in the state) will be here to help us celebrate. Owen is walking more and more and more every day. Sometimes I just watch him noodle around a room and marvel at how far he's come! I'll be sure to post the details of his big day (and hopefully LOTS of pictures). Until then, here are few more to enjoy from the past couple weeks...

More Photos

"Pasta: The Aftermath"

This boy can fall asleep in just about any position!

Hanging out at the zoo. Owen was less than enthused about the animals, but enjoyed the stroller ride and people watching.

O's first dip in the backyard pool.

Baby butt!

I don't let Owen hang out naked very often (I'm too afraid he'll pee all over everything!), but after his swim, he was too squirmy for me to dry off and get dressed, so I just let him hang free for a while. Obviously, you can see that he enjoyed it!

I finally did get a diaper on him.

Owen: "Mom, what am I doing here?"

Mom: "I ask myself that same question almost daily."

A practice version of the new cake I plan to make for the party on Saturday. This one isn't decorated very nicely, but I just wanted to make sure that I'd be able to cut the cake into the right shape. Not too shabby!