We went to the Pumpkin festival a few weeks ago. The Parks Dept owns a big empty property outside of town. Each year, they turn it into a big family day with food booths, kids games, face painting, pony rides, and of course, the pumpkin patch. Owen's not very into the games yet (maybe in 2-3 years!), but we feel like this is as good a time as any to start some family traditions. Plus, the view of the mountains is great out there and Owen always enjoys being outdoors.
We did think the "pumpkin patch" was a little strange... where are the vines? At least this makes it easy to find the one you want. And who can pass up pumpkins for $2.50? We probably won't get around to carving them before Wednesday, but at least our porch looks festive.
Now that we live in Oregon, we have to work a little harder to represent our purple and gold. We had Dan and Jill over with their baby, Joseph to watch the UofO game. Joseph had his Duck gear on, and Owen worked hard to show his Husky spirit. The game ended ugly for our dawgs, but we feel better knowing that UofO beat USC this weekend. Let's just hope that Jake Locker leads our team to some more wins over the next couple years - Owen needs a reason to learn the fight song...
Minus: Well, it doesn't seem that we've made much progress on correcting Owen's vomiting. The medication at least keeps him happy while he's spewing all over us and our floor. It seems that each time we try something new, it works for 2-3 days and then he returns to his old ways. I think the intensity of the vomiting has decreased, but it's hard to tell. I started taking a Vitamin B supplement at the suggestion of my friend, Phyllis. That actually produced the most promising results. THANK YOU PHYLLIS!
Plus: With all the foods I have cut out of my diet (citrus, dairy, chocolate), I'm back down to my pre-pregnancy weight. Scott thinks he'll probably shed a few pounds since we're not keeping ice cream in the fridge.
Minus: I am hungry and still craving cheese! I also think this restricted diet is making it harder to shake a cold I've contracted. I'm trying to find good substitutes and remembering my vitamins, but still... I've also had two people suggest I try cutting out eggs. I'm not sure if it's worth it, as SO MANY products contain eggs, but what if it would work??
Plus: OWEN SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT LAST NIGHT! This is legitimate. He went down around 7:30 and slept clear through until 7:00 AM. We are so thankful that he sleeps well, as it makes the other problems SO MUCH easier to work through.
I started back to work this week. It's been...interesting. My week was focused on preparing for two presentations - one on Wednesday and one on Thursday. In some ways, it was nice not to have to do any project work this week (I've put off checking in with my project managers until Monday - then the real work will begin). On the other hand, there's nothing like forcing you back into mindset like standing up in front of 60 people and trying to speak coherently about a technical report you wrote. Plus, I ended up working in the office an extra day because my laptop was getting repaired. Thankfully, both presentations went well. My mom has been here this week helping out, which is a huge blessing. She picked Owen up early from daycare each day, helped walk the dog, and stocked our fridge. She also baby-sat this morning while I presented at the workshop. I think next week will be easier because I can work my normal schedule:Monday and Wednesday will be full days in the OfficeTuesday and Thursday will be half days from HomeI have to say that being at work is no where NEAR as fun or fulfilling as spending my day watching Owen explore the world. It's a real bummer to only get to see him for 45 minutes in the morning and two hours at night. For now, we're committed to giving this work schedule a chance. We'll see how it goes...
Last week, Owen hit the three month mark. I cannot believe how fast he is changing. He seems to have grown out of the fussy baby stage that required near constant soothing into a fun baby stage. He is now smiling, laughing, and making all sorts of great noises. I love getting him out of bed in the morning because he is all smiles and so intrigued with looking around the room and out the window. He loves studying faces, watching his mobile, and looking in the mirror. Any day now, he will probably start reaching for toys and rolling over consistently. 
Owen still loves his nightly bath. After the bath, Scott wraps him up in the hooded towel and we call him, "Oh Wise Sage - O P One Ka-baby." You know, like Obe One Kenobi in Star Wars? Okay, maybe we are lame, but it cracks us up. Parenting must change your sense of humor...
At 11.5 pounds, Owen is now dwarfing the stuffed dog we use for comparison. No matter how big he gets, I think these first photos will always be some of my favorites.
Things that will put Owen to sleep:- Riding in the car (usually)- Riding in the front pack (every time)- Sitting in my sling while I vaccuum the house (worked today)- Rocking while I read a story or sing (normal nap method)- His bedtime routine: take a bath, change clothes, nurse, calm music and rocking with Dad, swaddle and... SLEEPThings that will wake Owen up:- Hunger- Wet diaper- 7 AM- Moving the carseat from the loud car to the quiet house - go figure!
Another sign you are a parent: Your time clock and method of accomplishing tasks totally changes. It seems everything I do these days is crammed into the shortest interval possible: Eat lunch standing up; Sort and start the laundry in 30 seconds; Race through the shower; hair dryer? Forget it! Flyby checks of my email throughout the day. All this comes from not knowing how long Owen will be down for his nap. My brain says, "get it done NOW!" no matter what the "it" is. I'm thankful that Owen is relatively routine in his sleep/wake cycles, but I just never know if a nap will be 45 minutes or 2 hours. For the last week, he's been napping for an hour max, but now he's been down for nearly two unexpected hours! (Hence my chance to blog!)
I have really been enjoying my time at home with Owen lately. Now that I know his cues and rhythms, the stress of caring for him is greatly reduced. When he is happy, he is SO HAPPY - squirming, smiling, and kicking his legs all around. (Of course, when he is sad, he is SO SAD, but we're focusing on the positive today!) I love seeing his smile when he wakes up in the morning and watching the wonder in his eyes as he explores the world. Plus, every night we are so thankful for "our good sleeper" who goes down before 8 and only wakes up once for a quick feeding before sleeping until 7. Ahhh... What a kid!
We went to the Pumpkin festival a few weeks ago. The Parks Dept owns a big empty property outside of town. Each year, they turn it into a big family day with food booths, kids games, face painting, pony rides, and of course, the pumpkin patch. Owen's not very into the games yet (maybe in 2-3 years!), but we feel like this is as good a time as any to start some family traditions. Plus, the view of the mountains is great out there and Owen always enjoys being outdoors.
We did think the "pumpkin patch" was a little strange... where are the vines? At least this makes it easy to find the one you want. And who can pass up pumpkins for $2.50? We probably won't get around to carving them before Wednesday, but at least our porch looks festive.
Now that we live in Oregon, we have to work a little harder to represent our purple and gold. We had Dan and Jill over with their baby, Joseph to watch the UofO game. Joseph had his Duck gear on, and Owen worked hard to show his Husky spirit. The game ended ugly for our dawgs, but we feel better knowing that UofO beat USC this weekend. Let's just hope that Jake Locker leads our team to some more wins over the next couple years - Owen needs a reason to learn the fight song...
