Baking 101

Austin and I decided to do a little baking yesterday.  Well, I did the baking and he did the tasting.  By the looks of his face, it must have been pretty good!!

Our little adventure ended with a naked toddler in the sink and my counters and floors covered in gooey chocolately goodness...but it was well worth it!!  The pie we made turned out pretty delicious as well.

First Smiles

Owen started smiling recently and it's been so fun to watch him respond to us.  Nothing warms your heart like a little baby smile!

I've been trying to catch his smile on camera for a while now, but it's hard to get him to smile at me with a big, black, flashing device in front of my face!  I got the tail end of a few giggles after tonights bath though and just wanted to share...

Ok, so he's not smiling in this one....I just thought it was pretty stinkin' cute and wanted to include it anyway.  :-)

Off to Omaha!

The Tigers pulled it out and are headed to Omaha for the College World Series after a close loss, a total crushing, and a real nail biter of a 3rd game!

We were excited to be able to take Austin with us to Saturday night's game, even though it turned out to be our only loss in the series.  Austin loves sporting events, especially ones that involve balls and paws.  He loved pointing out all the paws in the stadium (and there were plenty!) and that boy still loves a ball.  However, he did not love the heat...and neither did I!!

I can't remember the last time I was that miserably hot and Austin's red face and wet hair were all the proof we needed to see that he was feeling about the same way.  We loaded him down with plenty of water, frozen lemonade and icee and it must have done the trick!  Once that sun went down and the little guy was re-hydrated, he had enough of that baseball watching and was ready to be on the move!!

I took Austin out to a grassy field right outside the stadium and he ran and jumped and chased and threw his baseball until I had to make him stop before he (or I) had a heat stroke!!  He got sand in his shoe at one point and wouldn't stop shaking his foot until I just had to take his shoes off completely.  He loved running through the grass in bare feet but accidentally stepped in a patch of dry dirt while chasing down his ball and stopped dead in his tracks and started whining.  He would not take a single step in that dirt!!  I had to lift him away from the dirt and into the grass before he would walk on his own again.  I just love discovering little quirks like that!

Austin and I made it back to our seats to watch the final out of the game and then Austin rode on daddy's shoulders back to the car.  We stripped off his sweat drenched clothes and put him in his car seat in nothing but a diaper, handed him a sippy cup of water and took off.  We were barely on the interstate before looking back to see that he was sacked out in the back, clenching a half empty cup of water.

Mischievous

Austin is at that age now where he's starting to learn and understand right from wrong.  He understands when we say no and enjoys getting praise for the good things he does.  However, knowing right from wrong and the word "no" doesn't always stop him!  He has recently learned to "test the waters" as they say.  Sometimes he will even do something he knows he shouldn't while saying "no, no" and shaking his head the entire time he's doing it.  It's so hard not to laugh.

As a parent who is trying to teach her child discipline, the hardest thing is trying to remain stern, to keep a straight face and not laugh out loud when I see him telling himself "no" or when watching his cute expressions right before he does something he knows he shouldn't.  He will often look back at us when he knows he's doing something wrong just to see how we react.  When I see that look on his face, those big eyes, mischievous smile and expressive eyebrows, that's when I know I need to have my running shoes ready and my stern face on because something is about to happen.

For instance, most afternoons, when Owen is napping, Austin and I go out front and draw on the driveway with chalk.  He knows not to leave the yard, he's heard me say no a hundred times and has had me chase him down and drag him back inside just as many.  However, every now and then, I look up from my chalk drawings and see this...

...and after I snap a quick picture, of course, I'm off to intercept my mischievous little man right before those little feet hit the asphalt.

Mow Baby, Mow!

Austin thought daddy needed some help in the yard yesterday evening.

He takes mowing very seriously!

Owen's 1 Month Check-up

This morning I took Owen to the pediatrician for his 1 month well visit.  He's doing fantastic and growing so fast!  

Here are his stats:

Weight:  11.8 lbs. (89th %tile)
Length:  22.5 in (75th %tile)
Head:  15.75 in (82 %tile)

Looks like he's taking after his big brother with those high percentiles!!

Owen had his first shot at this visit and did fantastic!  He cried for about a minute but was able to settle down quickly and then fell fast asleep as soon as I put him back in his car seat.  He's slept a little more than average today but that's about the only thing we've noticed.

I'm so happy to have such a sweet, happy, healthy, growing baby boy!!

Showing off his boo-boo!

At the Zoo!

Tuesday afternoon we decided to get out and take the boys to the zoo!  It's been a little while since we've been and we thought Austin might be at a better age now to really appreciate it.  Unfortunately it was H.O.T out and my little guys were about to melt.  We took several water and shade breaks and ended up being the last people out the gate at closing time!  Austin loves "amals" but liked the elephants, giraffes, goats and snakes the best.  He hissed every time we showed him a snake and said "mehhh, mehhh" when we saw the goats.  He still did not, however, enjoy the giant iguana.

I got so many great pictures but unfortunately there were many more interesting things to look at besides the camera so I got very few of Austin actually looking at me.  You can tell by the last picture on the bear how hot it was just by looking at Austin's red face.  He just doesn't know when to slow down, my adventurous little boy!  

Owen did pretty well but I think the heat made him a little cranky.  He definitely wanted to keep moving at all times and needed a little cuddling with daddy about halfway through.  It was a fun trip though and we can't wait to go back soon!!

Wordless Wednesday - Brown-eyed Boy

Vote!

I don't know how many of you out there live in South Carolina's District 3, but if you do, I urge you to go out and vote for Neal Collins for Congress at the upcoming election on Tuesday!

Neal is not only a good personal friend, but a dedicated, hard-working and responsible person who will really work hard to improve our community.

Ryan has been out the past 2 days helping with Neal's campaign along with many other great volunteers.  I am overwhelmed by his dedication and support and hope that anyone reading will take a few minutes to visit his website, learn more about his views and consider giving him your vote on Tuesday.

To learn more about Neal, visit him at www.nealcollins.com, become a friend on Facebook and/or follow him on Twitter @NealCollins2010

Thanks for listening and Go Neal!!!

Owie

I was a little concerned when, after a few days, we didn't have a nickname for Owen yet.  I so desperately wanted him to have one like his big brother, but you just can't push something like that.

For awhile, Austin would just point to Owen when we said his name or asked him to say his name, but he finally started saying Owen...or as it came out, Owie (Oh-whee).

After hearing Austin call his little brother Owie for a few days, we started saying it too and now it's just stuck!  Thus was born Owen's nickname, my little Owie (or as Ryan sometimes calls him, Owie-O)!!

And just for fun, here are some random pictures of my boys playing in the playgym.  Austin is determined to show his little brother just how everything works.  Also, I swear Austin owns clothes, plenty of them in fact, I just can't get him to keep them on for very long when we're in the house.  Since it happens to be so warm out these days I just pretty much let him go in a diaper if that's what he prefers...

Owen is 1 Month!

*Note:  I started this post yesterday and forgot to publish.  Owen was 1 month old on June 4th.
Owen is one month old today  and I can't believe how fast these past few weeks have flown by!  He's a pretty good baby and we are all blessed that he's here and healthy and growing.  Owen is sleeping great and will often make it over 4 hours at least once per night.  The other night he went over 5 hours and I ended up having to wake him to eat!!

Owen has gotten in a routine of eating and being awake for about an hour and a half during the day before falling asleep and at night he sleeps longer than any time during the day and usually goes right back to sleep after waking up only to eat.  We usually put him down around midnight, he will sleep until about 3:30-4 am, wake up to eat, go back to sleep and sleep until around 7 am.  And no, we are NOT giving him formula or using rice cereal, proof that a strictly breastfed baby can sleep fabulously without any other means of interference!

Speaking of breastfeeding, Owen is eating like a champ and growing and gaining weight just like he should.  We've had no problems with nursing and it's been an absolute blessing!  I've had no pain or discomfort and generally have no need to pump unless we plan on being out and I need to have a bottle ready just in case.  He usually nurses for about 15-20 minutes at a time every three hours and at night he almost always falls asleep while nursing.  As someone who has exclusively pumped and formula fed, I must admit that nursing is so much easier!!  I have no bottles to make, warm up or wash and I always have milk with me no matter where we go!

Owen gets a bath every couple of nights and he really seems to enjoy it.  He also likes lying on the floor and playing with mommy and big brother and playing in his playgym.  He often gazes at the TV and likes to look at bright lights.  His sweet face lights up whenever he sees his mommy's face and he perks up whenever he hears our voices.  Owen loves to be held and cuddled and to be carried around in the Moby wrap.  He likes car rides and walks in his stroller and to just be moving at all times.

Owen just advanced to his 0-3 month clothes and we've packed all the newborns up to be given away or sold.  I was surprised at how emotional I got over this and kept about 4 outfits that I just can't seem to part with.  But anyway...Owen is wearing a size 1 diaper now and according to my measurements he weighs about 11 lbs.  We go to the pediatrician next week and will get all the official stats then.  Owen seems really long to me so I'm anxious to see what his length measurement is.

That's all the Owenisms I can think of right now.  I know I'll be writing about month #2 before I know it.  These little ones just grow up so fast!

Swirl

I'm not sure where I heard this, it was a long time ago, but this picture reminded me of it.

Someone once said that the swirl on a baby's head shows where God finished when he was creating them.  

I just adore that cute little swirl!!

Staged Shot

Austin at 1 month

Owen at 1 month

I staged this shot last night with Owen and was surprised at how similar the two ended up looking!  Austin is a few days older in his picture, but I think it's obvious that as Owen is getting older he is looking a little less like his big brother.  It could also be because Owen is about a pound less than Austin was at this point.  I just love looking at comparisons of my two boys...it's so neat to see!

Makin' Lemonade

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, mix it into your favorite cocktail...and then take it on down to the pool for the afternoon!

It's been a rough week for the Harris household, we've got a lot on our minds and a lot of big decisions to make, but eventually you just have to take a break, make some lemonade and get out in the sun and water!

There's no doubt we'll be spending a lot of afternoons at the pool these next few weeks, with kids and cocktails in hand!

Hopefully next time we'll do a better job about keeping Austin all sun-screened up as he has his very first sunburn courtesy of todays pool outing.  It's not that bad, but just enough to make me feel like a bad parent for not being more careful.

Austin thought it was just as much fun to push Owen around in his stroller as it was swimming...

Can you guess what he's thinking about doing??

Did you guess right?

Not digging the swimmies...and neither were we.  

I guess the  "Ages 3+" recommendation was correct this time around.

And for those of you out there with life's lemons of your own, here's a great summer drink recipe:

Jennifer's Summer Breeze

3 oz. Lemonade

3 oz. Orange Juice

1.5 oz. Triple Sec

1 oz. Vodka

Instructions:

Mix ingredients, then pour over ice. 

(One optional addition is Peach Schnapps.)

Rainy Holiday

Well, our Memorial Day didn't go quite as planned due to the horrible weather, but we had fun nonetheless.  Ben, Tonya and Tyler came over and we grilled out and talked and let the boys run around and have fun!  Austin and Tyler are 6 months apart and Tyler is going to be a big brother, too, at the end of this month.  We can't wait to meet little miss Bailey Beth!!

The boys had a great time playing together.  They battled with Austin's golf clubs, chased each other around the house, stacked and knocked over towers of blocks and pushed each other around on Austin's toy train.  We really enjoyed just sitting back and watching the boys play together and chatting and catching up with our good friends.  We were sad that Freedom Weekend Aloft got rained out, but it ended up being a great day to spend indoors!