Owen at 18 Months

Height: 31.25"
Weight: 26 lbs, 6 oz

Owen had his 18-month checkup today, and he is great! Can't believe he's already a year and a half, but I have to say that he is so much fun at this age. Here are some updates!


Eating
Owen continues to eat well, and we are so happy that he still eats his fruits and veggies. I attribute his healthy appetite to the efforts of my mom, who loves cooking for him; and let me mention that half her Instagram posts are of Owen's meals. (Follow her @littlepuput to get some toddler meal ideas!)

He's getting better with using utensils, but he still needs help...though he'll never admit it. He also requires a bit of assistance with using sippy cups (he doesn't tilt them because he's used to drinking with a straw), and he needs constant supervision whenever we give him those GoGo Squeez pouches.

Sleeping
Always awake no later than 7am (usually 6:30am) and always in bed no later than 9pm (usually 8:30pm). He still takes his midmorning nap, but his second nap in the afternoon seems like an option these days...I blame it on his molars coming in (ugh). Also, Pooh Bear used to be just a sleeping buddy, but now, Owen takes him EVERYWHERE.

Playing
He's still as active as ever, so we continue to take him to new places where he can explore and run around. Recently, we went to Huntington Beach, and he thoroughly enjoyed running through the surfboard statues over and over and over...and over again.

For a time, Owen typically liked to play on his own. He would just sit amongst his toys for periods of time without acknowledging me or Ralph. Nowadays, he's including us in his playtime and loves showing us his toys. His favorite ones have wheels - typical boy. He also loves playing with puzzles that have numbers and shapes, and he enjoys flipping through books.

Communicating/Learning

Owen's vocabulary grows every single day, and it's getting easier for us to communicate with each other. If he wants my attention, he'll place his hand softly on my cheek or my arm; if he wants Ralph's attention, Owen smacks him on the tummy. It's pretty hilarious.

Also, Owen knows how to count, 1 to 10, thanks to my mom! I was pleasantly surprised when we were shopping at Target (duh) the other day, and he just started counting out of the blue.

"Wuh, Two, Free, Foh, Figh, Kih, Sehseh, Eigh, Nah, Ten! Yeeeeaaaay!!"

We were shocked! And yes, he applauds himself whenever he counts to 10. He did it several times at my doctor's appointment today (yeah, I had one too), and I'm pretty sure 90% of my appointment consisted of my doctor fawning over Owen.

And that's it for Owen updates! August is quickly coming to an end, but we're super excited about what's to come the next couple of months. We'll be going to Mickey's Halloween Party in September, and then we'll be going to Disney World in October! So stoked!

Here are more photos of Owen getting his height checked last Thursday.

Until next time!

Summer Fun, 4th of July Weekend, and Updates

I took full advantage of my Disney Pass and took Owen to Disneyland/CA on both my days off before we were officially blocked out for the Summer. On my first day off, we just hung out at Disneyland, and I finally gave in and bought Owen a bubble wand.

On Dumbo!

As Owen calls them, "BUHBUH!!!"

On my second day off, we met up with Ralph's family at California Adventure to celebrate cousin Matty's 4th birthday. It was one of the hottest days of the week, but we had loads of fun, as usual. I even got to go on a "big kid" ride (Tower of Terror) while Nana watched Owen.

Cousins!

With his Nana.

With Auntie Jen and cousin Desirae.

At the water playground in Bug's Land to cool off.

"I'll have some iced milk please."

Cooling off with our spray bottle/fan that I forgot to take with us to the park (this photo was taken when we were already at our complex). Fail.

Our Disney adventures are now on hold until August. :(

The following day, we celebrated my coworker/friend/favorite Canadian Jeanni's retirement at the Hacienda on the Lake. OCUA will not be the same without her.

Owen was, as usual, "active" throughout the night. I spent a majority of the time chasing him around.

The following weekend was 4th of July weekend. On Saturday, Owen and I went to my mom and dad's for lunch.

Quite possibly the ugliest and hardest cake I've ever made...but it was still yummy!

With his "Wowo" and "Wowa".

On July 4th, we went to Riverside to celebrate with Ralph's side of the family. I didn't want to torture myself by making another flag cake, so I just stuck to one of my go-to desserts - Paula Deen's Banana Pudding (though I used strawberries and blueberries instead of bananas).

We left the party a little early to watch the fireworks at Mission Viejo Lake. It was already past Owen's bedtime, but he stayed awake throughout.

Halfway through, he motioned for his stroller, and that's where he stayed the rest of the show. I don't think he was very impressed...but at least he wasn't afraid! Right...?

It's been a couple of months since I've posted "Owen Updates", so here's what's new:

Eating

Well...

...let's just say he's not picky like his "Datton". He eats everything, but his new favorite foods are garlic fried rice, cantaloupe, and hot dogs.

Sleeping

Still consistent in his sleeping habits. Awake no later than 7am, morning nap by 10am, afternoon nap by 3-4pm, and bedtime before 9pm. And he always wakes up happy and babbling.


"Playing"
He's reaaallly pushing his boundaries now. Several blog posts back, I had a list of things that Owen does that drive me and Ralph crazy. Here are a few more things to add to that list:

• Taking down all of Ralph's books from the shelf and throwing them on our bed.
• Going to the bathroom and pushing shampoo/conditioner/body wash bottles into the bathtub.
• Climbing on top of the ottoman/coffee table and standing on them.
• Grabbing the TV/cable remotes and pushing every button as quickly as possible before we take them back from him.
• Grabbing our shoes from the cabinet and playing with them...and he seems to favor my work shoes, which makes me cringe (ya'll know I'm a urology nurse, right?).

*Sigh* Seems like the "terrible 2's" came 7 months too early.


Talking
Owen can now understand simple commands such as, "put it back", "close it", "sit/get down", "don't touch", "give to Mama", "kiss Daddy", "blow kiss", "say 'bye-bye'", etc. He knows to go to his room when we say "change diaper" or "take a nap"; he also knows to go to his highchair to eat when I say "om om".

New words he has learned to say:

• Mama (yay!)
• "wah-wah" - water
• "shuh"- shoes
• "moh" - more
• "Elmuh" - Elmo, though he thinks every single Sesame Street character is Elmo...
• "Poh" - Pooh
• "Tigguh" - Tigger
• "buh" - book

He knows some shapes (star, cross, square, triangle, circle), though he can't say the words yet; and he can show you where his head, feet, hands, belly, tongue, and kili kili (Tagalog for "armpit") are. He no longer calls Wendy "Deedee"; he calls her "Nah", and Ralph and I suspect it's because we always tell Wendy "no".

I think that's it's for "Owen Updates". As for me, I lost 3.6 pounds last month, making it a total of 21.4 pounds this year...though I think I gained back 10 during 4th of July weekend, heh. It's getting harder to run outside because of the weather, so I've been going to the gym at our complex; I think it's for the best because I need to start doing some strengthening exercises to gain some muscle anyway.

Eating healthy has been a challenge, especially when there are BBQs/parties/gatherings left and right...but I've found fun in cooking healthy meals.

More protein, veggies, and fruits.

Even though I've lost a ton of weight, my gut still remains. I honestly look like I'm 4 months pregnant, so I'm gonna do a 30-day "abs challenge", starting on the 13th and ending a day before my birthday. Let's hope we see some progress.

Until next time!

April and May Happenings 2016

Kinda weird, but this post was originally named just "April and May Happenings", but I had a suspicion that I had already named a post that...which I did last year. Heh. Guess I get lazy at blogging in the month of April. ANYWAY...

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! Last year, Owen was only a little over two months old (and I was still on maternity leave) when I celebrated my first Mother's Day. Now that he's over a year old and I'm working as a part-time nurse, I now realize (MORE THAN EVER) why Mother's Day exists. It really is the hardest job out there; however, being a mother is the best thing that could have ever happened to me.

For Mother's Day weekend, we went to Grayson's first birthday party on Saturday, had dinner with my family Saturday night, then had lunch with Ralph's family on Sunday. I'm not sure why, but I barely took any pictures this weekend. The heck was I thinking?!

Grayson (on the right) was born on STAR WARS day! You know who else was born on Star Wars day? ...

...Owen's cousin Max (little boy in the firetruck on the right)! This was taken a couple of weeks ago at Christopher's birthday party (Owen's other cousin). Christopher was born on Earth Day. :)

Christopher smashing his cake! His birthday party theme was Where the Wild Things Are.

It was also my mommy's birthday in the beginning of April. Lots of special events this past month!!!

Okay, now that this post is officially all over the place, I think now is a good time to jump to Owen's updates:

Eating

Owen continues to be a good eater, and we're very fortunate that he still likes his fruits and veggies. Sweet potatoes remain his favorite food, and they're the first thing he goes for (and finishes) before he even looks at the other stuff on his plate. Oddly enough, he likes peas and green beans, which he NEVER liked in pureed form.  And because he's not averse to veggies, I don't really have to "sneak" them in his foods anymore (like spinach in his omelette, or sweet potatoes in his pancakes)...though I do make him green smoothies every so often.

Sleeping

Owen having a sleep schedule and sticking to it is--for lack of a better term--awesome. Nap times aren't even a battle anymore. All I have to say is, "Owen, ready for a nap?", and he heads for his bedroom. It almost worries me how well he eats and sleeps...because I'll expect it from the second child, who, of course, will probably be the worst eater/sleeper ever. (No. Do not read between the lines. I am not pregnant.)

Being Bad Playing

So...Owen's idea of playing is doing things that drive his Mama and "Datton" (that's how he says "Daddy") up the wall. Here's a list:

• Taking all the small toys from his toy bin and throwing them at Wendy.
• Bringing pillows into the bathroom.
• Dipping his hands in Wendy's water bowl.
• Pulling all the tissues from the Kleenex box. 
• Attempting to dump Wendy's kibble from its container.
• Pulling his dad's socks out from our closet.
• Opening and slamming shut cabinets/drawers.
• Opening the pantry door and taking out his snacks.
• Pulling the kitchen towels from the oven handle.
• Attempting to run down Wendy with his scooter.

Poor Wendy, right? At least Wendy gets to eat all the food he drops on the floor....

When I need Owen to sit down and relax (like when I'm doing chores or just NEED a moment to not chase him around the apartment), I put on Inside Out. Oh. My. Goodness. He doesn't MOVE! Unfortunately, he only likes the first 15 to 20 minutes of the movie; after that, chaos resumes.

Bubbles are another great way to get him to stay still for more than 5 minutes.

Talking

I knew it was coming, but I was surprised that he didn't learn this word sooner - my son knows how to say "no"; and he doesn't say it just once. Oh, no. He says it several times, and it's usually after WE say "no", as if he was mocking us or something. Hmph.

Other words he has learned to say are:

• "cacker" - cracker
• cookie
• Mum-mum (crackers for toddlers)
• "chee" - tree
• "buh buh" - bubble, ball, balloon, or bye-bye (he waves his hand when he says bye-bye)
• "nana" - banana
• "appuh" - apple

He still doesn't call for me, which makes me sad. He always calls for Ralph. Even when I ask him to say "Mama", he responds with, "Daaaaaatton". Whatever.

Not an Owen update...but still...

Mama's Weight Loss

With a little help of the stomach flu towards the end of last month, I hit my monthly weight loss goal (and then some). I lost 5 pounds in April, which is a total of 14 pounds since January 1st of this year. 20 more pounds to go!

Until next time!