Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday after nap we went to a pumpkin patch at a nearby church. We went to the same one last year. It isn't the whole farm experience, but it's very nearby, the people are great and the pumpkins are reasonably priced. And the kids love it. It's enough for them. They each picked out some pumpkins and this weekend we'll do some carving.

20 months

Poor, neglected second child. Kate had frequent blog posts tracking her toddlerhood. Owen? Not so many. Today, our little boy is 20 months old. I don't know where to start. He is both the happiest and most skeptical little boy. He has a stink eye to rival his sister. He gives the best hugs in the world. At bedtime he goes around the whole room for kisses from each person.

He's not talking much, which is weird for us since once K started talking she hasn't stopped. But he's a signing machine. If you show him a sign once, he uses it from then on. Even with very few words, he is very good at letting you know what he wants. What does he want? Books. More books. Pickles. And more pickles. (seriously, the kid likes his pickles). Trucks. Playing with the Flintstone car in the front yard. Sand. Mud. Baths. Doing whatever his sister does. Making enormous messes. Getting into whatever he's not supposed to get into. Pickles.

15 months

Owen turned 15 months old last week and it's been a month of serious changes.

About a week ago he went from crawling 90% of the time to walking all the time. Once in awhile if he's in a hurry (to chase his sister, for instance), he will drop down and power crawl, but otherwise it's walking. He's quite pleased with himself. He's also started to use some sign language and it's so nice to have a few instances of clear communication. Otherwise, there is a lot of pointing and yelling which gets frustrating for everyone. He has about six spoken words and three signs (more, all done and milk). His spoken words are Baboo (the dog and by extension any other non-human animal), ball, bye, mama, dada, uh-oh). The time between 15 and 18 months were hard with Kate, and I think the same is true this time. He knows what he wants and he understands us but he has a hard time communicating. At 18 months that got so much better, so I'm hoping the same thing happens again.

Owen is super affectionate and a clown and is still in love with his sister. He can play happily on his own for 20 minutes (second child? Kate could not do this at 15 months) and his favourite toys are castanets and the play pots with wooden food.

Since Graeme has been away so much this spring, Owen has gotten really attached to him. I think Owen is starting to react to G leaving all the time. He now gets upset if Graeme leaves the room - crying for him until he comes back into view. It breaks my heart. Fortunately, there is only one more month and G will be home for 1.5 weeks of it.

Nearly every day I look at this little boy and bigger girl and I'm in awe of them. I don't know how I can love two little people so much, be challenged by them so much and be so lucky to be their mum.

First haircuts

Today both kids got haircuts. Their first official ones. Owen had had a small trim around the ears and back, but it didn't really count. Kate had never had one. Yep, 3.5 years old, never had it cut. She wasn't goign to get one today either, since she declared she wouldn't get one until she was 4. But when she found out her little brother was getting one, she declared that she was getting one too.

Before:


During:



After:

Cal-i-for-ni-eh

We went to California about two weeks ago. G is there most of the spring (mid-March until mid-June) for work. He's staying in Venice Beach one block from the most beautiful sand beach. We were there for five days and went to the beach every day. As evidenced by the photos:

Happy Birthday, sweet boy

My dearest baby boy Owen,
Today is your first birthday. It has been a fun year of watching you grow and learn. You aren't walking, but you're crawling very quickly and walking if you have something to hold onto. You have eleven teeth and love almost everything we give you to eat. Peas, fish and hummus are your favourites. You adore your sister and our dog. You love the bath and the sand box. You have a serious temper and shriek if you want something and have a fit if you don't get it. You are amazingly affectionate and sweet. You love peekaboo and reading books.

We love you so completely. You complete our little family and I'm looking forward to all the years to come.

Love mummy

First day:


One month:


Two months:


Three months:


Four months:


Five months:


Six months:


Seven months:


Eight months:


Nine months:


Ten months:


Eleven months:


One year:

Sink Bath

11 months and Six years

Yesterday, Owen turned 11 months old. I totally missed his ten month since it was right before Christmas and all the ensuing craziness. In two months, there have been massive changes, of course. He's high speed crawling, cruising the furniture, making a huge mess, eating most food. He started saying 'uh oh', signing 'all done', having stronger opinions and generally charming the pants off of everyone.

Today is the six year anniversary of my mum's death. She would have rocked grandma-hood. She met Emily, but not her four subsequent grandchildren. She would have loved them all to pieces. Recently, Kate has been asking me to tell me more about my mum. It's great to tell her stories and it makes me happy that Kate will know her through those stories.

Her third and fourth grandchildren:

Uh oh

My messmaker:

The start of the Christmas photos

Almost as good as the screaming/laughing one of two years ago.

9 months

Owen turned nine months old about two weeks ago. I'm a bit deliquent, although I'm sure no one is surprised. In the last month (and a half) Owen has turned from a baby into a little boy. He's crawling and leaving a swath of destruction behind him. He goes from room to room and just pulls everything apart. He loves his new mobility. He also wants to stand up, so he crawls to a chair or table and pulls himself up. But he hasn't quite figured out how to gracefully sit down.

He got a new tooth (number six) which caused a few bad nights of sleep. He is eating like a champ. His current favourites are smoke salmon and pureed peas. He can also now get small bits of food into his mouth, which is a lovely development since he will happily sit with a few snacks and feed himself.

He's babbling and exploring and generally making everyone smile. He's a flirt and the sweetest boy you'll ever meet.

Here is our not-baby-anymore boy and his sister having a snack:

The kids

Photos from California

Some photos of our California trip (from Oma)