Thanksgiving

Owen's holidays started out rough.

St. Patty's Day he was circumcised.  Cinco de Mayo he got his first round of shots.

However, nothing but good times on Easter and 4th of July.  Even Halloween was lots of fun.  So we were not anticipating any trouble on Thanksgiving.

We spent the long weekend in Garden City and went over to Janet and Sams (Nate's aunt and uncle) for Thanksgiving day.

Everything was absolutely beautiful.  Owen even had his own place setting.  Adorable!

 He was at the kids table, and because he needed fed, I had the privilege of joining him.

Not sure how Fielding snuck his way onto the kids table...

Owen had been dabbling in table food, so I was really excited that he would get to eat his first Thanksgiving dinner.  I gave him mashed potatoes, corn, a piece of a roll, and a little bit of stuffing.  He really seemed to enjoy it.  After I finished my feast, I noticed that he looked sleepy, which was really odd because he'd taken a nap right before lunch.  But, I laid him down and he went right to sleep.

I thought it was strange, but went for round two of the feast and really didn't dwell on it much more.

He eventually woke up from his second nap, but was still lethargic and just snuggled with Grandma Karen.  This was extremely out of character.  He has been going a hundred miles an hour, into everything.  So I knew he wasn't acting himself.

 Nate and the little boys played games.

And then played more games.

(this will either be really cool or really uncool when Owen grows up and has friends over)

 Owen was still super clingy, so I brought him downstairs where we could watch the boys play.  He was sitting in my lap when I looked down and noticed a little spit up, I sent Nate for a burp cloth and quickly realized it wasn't spit up.  A second wave came and Owen threw up everywhere. 

All over himself, all over me, all over the carpet.  

Luckily, we had several people to help.  Owen was whisked away for a bath, while I was gagging and trying to wipe up vomit as best I could.  I really couldn't handle the smell of myself, so after we got Owen out of the tub, I went back to Ced and Karen's to change.  When I returned, I noticed that Owen was starting to get blotchy.  I thought it was best that Owen call it a day, so we loaded him up and brought him back to Ced and Karen's.  

The blotches got worse and turned into hives.  Big welts on his chunky little thighs...he was in rough shape.  Poor guy!  We gave him a little benadryl and he napped for a few hours.  I was afraid to put him down, so I watch day-time talk shows while he slept.  (BTW - I still can't figure out why "Dr. Oz" needs to wear scrubs for his talk-show.)  Once he woke, he was acting more like himself.  And after one of the most wretched diapers we've experienced, the hives went away and he was back to normal. 

HUGE sigh of relief.  

Although, I still feel terrible for being the cause of his misfortune.  We are blaming it on the stuffing.  He had previously had all of the other foods, so it had to be something in the stuffing.
Perhaps this momma should do more research before feeding her son?

Needless to say, we will be sticking with Gerber foods at Christmas.

On black Friday, he was raring to go.

Not shopping, but lots of playing.

Owen happens to have THE cutest cousins.

Loved watching them play.

Such a doll!

Not sure what's going on here...

Grandma Karen's tent was a BIG hit.  I wish I could understand baby jabber...

We got to see Great Grandma Reece and Uncle Les too.

Plus, Owen learned to play the piano while we were there.

Owen tried his best to keep up with Max and Tessa, they would come walking around the corner and he would be crawling right behind.  Tessa gave Owen lots of sweet hugs.

She will make the bestest big sister some day. 

:)

So despite a few hours on Thanksgiving day, we had a wonderful holiday.  

SO much to be thankful for this year!

Sorority Fun

Owen went to his first sorority party in November.

My pledge class had our very first reunion in Kansas City.  We stayed with my friend Emily, who hosted the reunion, and had such a great time catching up.

The ladies loved Owen.  He was passed around and eventually made his way back to me...post blow-out.  The poor guy does that way too much.  Definitely ready for him to use the big boy potty.  But, we have several months and I am sure several more blow-outs to go before that happens. 

Once he freshened up, he was on the go again.  And since his playmates were a little young for play, he explored on his own...getting into everything he shouldn't have been into.  

We may not be invited back to Emily's...

 

 LOVE these ladies!  

And if it weren't for all the babies, the talk about babies, and the lack of Dara's cups, I would have sworn we were right back at K-State.  Crazy how time flies!

Owen packed-n-played it up while in KC.  He sleeps well in his little pen.  

While we were there, I captured his new sleep-style.  

I think he is reverting back to when he was in utero...

I distinctly remember that little butt jutting out.

Quadruple Overtime

We went up to watch K-State play the Aggies this weekend.

We had fun carpooling with the Moores (so green) and got to see my whole fam (minus Jamie).

Randomly ran into SO many people.  I will admit, this is what I like most about going to the games.

But, the Cats did not disappoint.

Guess who forgot her camera in the car.  Again.

Luckily, Nate brought in his phone.

 Little O did well. 

But the game was LONG.

 And when the game went into overtime and the crowd went crazy,

he was fast asleep.

Happy 8 Months, Owen!

Owen,

Time is flying!  I blinked my eyes and now you are already 8 months old. 

The next time I blink, you will be turning 1, and then 16.  Sigh. 

Your food routine is pretty much the same.  Oatmeal at breakfast and a combination of fruit, veggies, and oatmeal for lunch and dinner. You are still holding on to 4 bottles a day.  We recently tried cutting up cooked veggies and you did okay.  As they write on your food log at daycare, you "refuse" green beans.  And all other green veggies for that matter.  We will eventually need to work on that.

And Cheerios.  You love them.  I never knew how they got their name until recently. 

Anytime you cry, we pop a few of those magical little O's, and you're happy again. 

I even used them to tame you while changing your diaper and guess what?

You laid there like a good little boy,

 mashing them around in your toothless little mouth and didn't fight me at all.

Like I said, magical.

You are on the move.  Not walking by yourself, but crawling like crazy.  Pulling up on everything.  Even the toilet.  I turned my head for one second and caught you playing in the water.
Gross.

And as for your newest hobbies, you like opening and closing doors, cabinets, etc.  We frequently find you pushing toys and miscellaneous objects around the room.  Basketball!  The first time you saw one you cried, which I really think kind of scared your dad.  But, you have really come around.  You push that thing all over the house and get SO excited with it rolls to you.  You pick it up and just beam with pride.  Such a big boy!  You like to run around the house with me.  Literally.  You get so excited...flapping your arms, kicking your legs, and panting like a little puppy dog.

And now for the pics.  Here's what you're looking like at 8 months.  Your friend and photog, Ali Moore, worked her magic and snapped a few shots of you.  I think you're getting used to it by now.
:)

Owen at 8 months

We love watching you grow, learn, and explore the world.

Happy 8 months little man!