tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47900869586735421882024-03-14T13:25:55.115-05:00A Hope, A Wish, A Dreama journey through infertility to familyJennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.comBlogger364125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-34775093808442103982013-05-24T08:41:00.001-05:002013-05-24T08:41:39.174-05:00SurroundedI have been absent from the blog for a while. I could give a lot of reasons as to why, but really I just haven't really felt like posting. Yes things have been busy: work, grad school, being a mom and a wife, but mostly I have had a post swimming around in my head for the past several months and I just wasn't sure that I wanted to write it. Mostly, I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings by what I wanted to say so I've just delayed putting anything down on "paper". I've decided to go ahead with my post....and please remember that these are my feelings and that I don't intend to hurt anyone else with them.<br />
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I remember when I found out that we were not going to be able to give Owen a sibling that I went through a little grieving process but then moved on with my life. I knew things wouldn't be different, so why should I sit around and wallow in that fact. One of my IVF friends (who also was only going to be able to have 1 baby) told me that she herself felt the same way, but when her friends started having 2nd babies it got a little tough. That is where I am right now. Literally for the past year I have been surrounded by pregnant people...our friends, coworkers....it seemed like everyone was having a baby. While the majority were first babies, we had a few friends get pregnant with 2nd babies. This was a little harder on me than I would like to admit. Yes I was excited for them, but it hit a little closer to home that Owen would be an only child. It only made me feel worse when he would talk about playing with his "friends" or asking if they could come over to play. I know that he has to get lonely at times being there by himself and when I see him with other kids and how excited he gets, it makes me (and Tony) a little sad that he won't have anyone else around at home to play with or talk to except us. We've tried to get him involved in other activities with kids, which has helped me feel better, but I still feel like I have failed him in this aspect. Oh and my IVF friend who I mentioned earlier in the paragraph...she just had her 2nd baby! Again, I don't feel animosity towards any one of these people and I am grateful that no one has to go through what I've had to go through...but I have to admit that when others had 2nd babies, it was a little harder than I expected.<br />
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Well, there it is...hopefully I can move on and blog about other things now:)Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-31164083844673636902013-03-06T06:25:00.000-06:002013-03-06T06:25:15.871-06:00Owenisms-Take TwoAnother post with some fun sayings from our boy:<br />
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When he is upset about something:<br />
"I'm very disappointed in ______!" or<br />
"That makes me very cross!" (from Thomas the Train)<br />
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We have a home gym in our basement that we use regularly. In the gym we have an air purifying fan that we have been known to sit in front of after a hard workout to help us cool down. If Owen sees us, he comes over, turns the fan so he thinks it is blowing on us (although really it isn't!) and says:<br />
"Here mom, this will help warm you off!"<br />
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When we leave in the morning and walk into the garage he says:<br />
"Turn the garage on mom." <br />
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He had his first "fruit by the foot" treat at Valentine's Day-one of his treats from preschool. He thought it was really cool and now will ask for "Head to Toe" treats all the time :)<br />
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When talking about going to Bass Pro and seeing all the big fish one morning, he says:<br />
"Mom there is a fish there with a really long nose. His name is a scar." I'm assuming he means the gar:)<br />
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While building his first ever snowman with daddy while I was at class, he told Tony: <br />
"When mom sees this she will be SO surprised. She won't believe her eyes!" (It was a pretty good snowman!)<br />
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For Preschool he takes a sandwich in his lunch. Since we don't have bread at our house (don't eat it enough to justify buying it) my mom makes his sandwich. She has been asking him lately if he would like PBJ or Ham on his sandwich. This week he told her "Ham with salad on it" (lettuce). She told him she didn't have lettuce, but he said he still wanted the ham sandwich. For good measure, she threw a piece of cheese on it but didn't tell him that she did. On the way home, this was their conversation:<br />
Gramma: "Did you eat your ham sandwich?"<br />
Owen: "I didn't ask for cheese."<br />
G: "I know, did you eat your sandwich."<br />
O: "I didn't eat the cheese, I didn't ask for it."<br />
G: "Ok, so did you eat your ham?"<br />
O: "Yes, I asked for ham."<br />
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While in the restroom at a restaurant with Tony's aunt over the weekend (we were out of town) a co-worker saw him. After confirming that he was indeed my child she says: "I work with your mommy" and he replies "Not surprised!"<br />
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Oh....that kid! Love him though:)Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-74015752964912952902013-02-04T12:04:00.000-06:002013-02-04T12:04:57.954-06:00Family & 3-year Pictures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, I am totally late in getting these pictures up and posted! We had them taken at the end of October! It was an interesting photo session to say the least! We went to one of the local parks and had a friend of Tony take the pictures again. We wanted the whole family, so the dog came along as well. Needless to say, both Owen and the dog ran around like crazy the whole time. By the end of the session, we were all totally frustrated! We ended up getting a few good shots though:) Here are some of my favorites!</div>
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And to any family that happens to be checking the blog....we did finally order the pictures too!Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-67763382643031578512013-01-28T21:33:00.003-06:002013-01-28T21:33:33.133-06:00Nighttime Troubles UpdateI wanted to get on and let everyone know how things were going with Owen's nighttime troubles.<br />
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1. Nighttime Invasions: Unfortunately, these have not gotten any better. There are still some nights that he is in our room 2 times a night and others not at all. It is still a little bit of a shock when we wake up in the morning and haven't been awoken at all. We did have a few nights over the weekend where he would wake up wet (we had stopped taking him to the bathroom before we went to bed because we didn't think that he needed it anymore). Well needless to say, we will start doing it again in hopes that this will help keep him asleep. There was also one night over the weekend when I heard him calling out for me. I went into his room and he was just waking up in his bed. He was talking about spiders and that they were in his room. I reassured him that everything was fine. He asked me to turn on the "big light" (more on that later) and I told him no, that he was fine. He asked me to stay with him for a little bit. I knelt down by his bed and he held onto my arm for a few minutes....until he was asleep again. It broke my heart a little.....he is having nightmares:(<br />
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2. Nighttime Escapes: These have gotten better! He did earn his play doh tractor (and another since then!!) so that helped a little. Plus, Tony and I discovered that he was/is afraid of the dark. One morning last week I was talking with him on the way to Gramma's about going to bed. I asked him if he was scared. (I don't normally try to put thoughts in his head, but was curious as to what his answer would be). He talked about an "echo" in his room that was in a hole behind his bed-and it had a tongue that went in and out. Later that night Tony went in to check on him and he had his room light on but was in bed. When Tony asked him about it (being scared) he asked him to "make the monsters dead daddy." We were both then heartbroken and convinced that he was scared of the dark. We have a bedside lamp (the "big light) in his room that we used when he was little and woke up so we didn't have to use the regular light in the middle of the night. We have started leaving that on and he has been better about staying in his room....notice I didn't say bed:) It usually takes 2-3 times of us checking on him before he stays in bed and is not up with his toys, but he is definitely going to bed much quicker and easier.<br />
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I hope the scared of the dark phase passes quickly! Makes this momma very sad for her little guy:(Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-57896532570199973882013-01-20T21:38:00.000-06:002013-01-20T21:38:11.990-06:00Christmas Program (a little delayed)Every year our church has a Christmas program for the younger children. Owen is in the Toddler class (18 mos-3 years) and his teachers had been telling us he was going to be their star! He practiced with Gramma while he was at her house and we practiced on the weekends. He had a line to say "The baby Jesus small and new, came to save little me and you" and then they sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. He practiced well...although when he sang happy birthday he would always say a different name each time. The program also happened right around his birthday, so I was thinking that he would end up saying his name during the program:) The first part of the program was the preschool and kindergarten classes, then the toddler and nursery classes came out at the end. Needless to say, he was the star:) His teacher ended up giving him the microphone...and lets just say that he rolled with it:) The video here is of the second service, but it was definitely the better of the two videos since we were laughing and crying during the first service that the video is a little shaky! Tony got a better position for the second service and we were a little better prepared for what would happen.<br />
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He is definitely our little star:)Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-71779410530339268302013-01-16T11:46:00.000-06:002013-01-16T11:46:10.099-06:00NIghttime TroublesI know that I have mentioned before that Owen was a GREAT sleeper! After the initial "cry yourself to sleep" period with his naps, he always went right to sleep without much fuss.....until now.....<br />
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Unfortunately, over the past couple of months, he has been terrible about not only going to bed, but staying in his bed during the night. The nighttime bed invasions started first. It seems that when he wakes up during the night, he immediately heads towards our bedroom and attempts to crawl into bed with us. We have never allowed him to sleep with us, except for the occasional Saturday morning when we were trying to coax a few more minutes of sleep out of him, so this is definitely a new thing for him to be doing. Dutifully, at least one time a night and sometimes two, Tony or I wake up him to crawling into our bed and pick him up and carry him back to his. (although I do admit that one of us has woken up at some point and he is all snuggled in and neither of us remember him getting into bed!!) Sometimes when we are carrying him back I swear he falls back asleep for the short trip down the hall. Other times, he wants to talk to us and makes sure that we have covered him appropriately before we head back to our room. I wondered if he started waking up due to his ears bothering him (he his always itching his ears when he is trying to get comfortable). When we have asked him about it, he says that he is worried.....He has mentioned things about monsters or bugs in his room or under his bed at times. We do what every parent does at the stage and reassure him that there is nothing there.....and continue to be surprised when we wake up in the morning without a nighttime invasion.<br />
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Now to top off the nighttime invasions of our bed, he is refusing to go to stay in his bed when we lay him down. It has been so frustrating lately....I can't even tell you!! He is very sneaky now....crawling on his hands and knees down the hallway, hiding in closets or under our bed....We started with the discipline by putting him in bed and talking, which then escalated to spanking which didn't seem to be helping either. We tried taking things away when he didn't stay in bed....then I suggested that he was looking for our reaction so we needed to just calmly put him back to bed without saying anything to him. It seemed to help, but then things got worse (and daddy can only redirect so many times before he has a hard time not reacting-sorry honey! Love you!!). I have even resorted to sitting in his room while he insistently tries to get me to talk to him. That still took 45 minutes for him to calm down enough and go to sleep.....but now I think he works up to wanting me to do that, so I stopped that too. Now we are back to putting him back to bed without a reaction. I've also offered an incentive of staying in his bed for 3 nights means he gets to earn a playdoh tractor that he has been wanting......I'm not joking when I say that it is usually about an hour every night of putting him back to bed...AHHHH! We contemplated taking away his afternoon nap, but we had a day over break where he didn't get one and it wasn't pretty....Gramma has been making sure that he is down by 1 and will wake him up by 3 at the latest to try and help at night. <br />
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So....the saga continues for now.....I hope its just a phase.....this momma and daddy are frustrated and tired!Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-34461186172446976112012-12-12T18:13:00.000-06:002012-12-12T18:13:23.136-06:003 Year StatsWe just got home from Owen's 3 year check-up appointment with the pediatrician. He is growing well and there are no concerns related to his general development..which is good! I did question the pediatrician again about how he is digging/itching his ears all the time. He assured me after checking them that they were fine. Both canals looked good, though there was some ear wax in each of them. He even checked the pressure and fluid level in his ears with a tympanogram. He said that the left ear had a little bit of pressure, but that it was nothing to warrant any sort of intervention at this time...so we still have no explanation as to why he is itching his ears all the time. I'm beginning to wonder if it has become a habit of some sort....who knows though....<br />
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Anyways...here are his stats:<br />
Height: 39 inches-90%<br />
Weight: 32 pounds-50%<br />
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Definitely no concerns with those:) He is going to be a tall skinny boy! We are finally going to move him to 2% milk too. He is definitely a growing boy:)Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-83055181527077067022012-12-08T22:22:00.001-06:002012-12-08T22:22:21.771-06:003rd Birthday CelebrationsWell...finally the birthday celebrations are over. When all was said and done, Owen ended up with 4 parties! It is crazy...with big families and scheduling conflicts, it was the way things ended up this year. We thought about combining two (Tony's family and friends) but if we had it at our house it would be packed and it was just not quite enough people to justify renting a place....but we may consider it next year...I am pooped! Every party was a pirate theme, so at least we could reuse some of the decorations:) He was all about singing happy birthday, blowing out the candles, and licking the cakes!<br />
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Party 1:<br />
Was at my mom's house for that side of the family. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My aunt made him an awesome pirate ship cake! It had Jake, Captain Hook and the Tic Tock Croc:) He loved it! Action shot of him blowing out the candles!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opening presents.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgX8is2dWxoWXmrpTDdv3f77Zt71ZFyk49-Z6vpyKwvNaCkPH-iwvp_w-1sQdxyH3HsKopBF3qzBFsOi5OELcFI7TYMSusTUpBrO3nOtgsY7Y0hVskBzrkiA8bTkJcXUTUe2nsNqlNQN0/s1600/DSC03717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgX8is2dWxoWXmrpTDdv3f77Zt71ZFyk49-Z6vpyKwvNaCkPH-iwvp_w-1sQdxyH3HsKopBF3qzBFsOi5OELcFI7TYMSusTUpBrO3nOtgsY7Y0hVskBzrkiA8bTkJcXUTUe2nsNqlNQN0/s320/DSC03717.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My brother and sister-in-law got him a chainsaw. He kept walking around saying "I'm a sawing man!"</td></tr>
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Party 2:<div>
Was at our house for Tony's family.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAp81kAThr1jiwb-Cs4LMCUeD0GAyQHfJh8-gNs3zrKpnv5gSAceBkHMrRcFE02kPvJ5ZkWCkYNsgFrNfbCNA4LaS3sbkFvYhfedS-DukZHOkdnUPa-zx4hrnR3xjyLrNgLPz03N54yPo/s1600/IMG_0024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAp81kAThr1jiwb-Cs4LMCUeD0GAyQHfJh8-gNs3zrKpnv5gSAceBkHMrRcFE02kPvJ5ZkWCkYNsgFrNfbCNA4LaS3sbkFvYhfedS-DukZHOkdnUPa-zx4hrnR3xjyLrNgLPz03N54yPo/s320/IMG_0024.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I bought the cake for this party...notice the finger:)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1qK4jSM1FghLSdF_35D8wg75CrMYorB51KWXM-3pu8GV4yN-HEYNaB5d5DFIN94-AX8Do9BqpFnvdzhPedoVFos_hGl2zBYiUTVLDuZ6S2R-OLZTsCOI13RlRhNiaDePeVtGMVtReo_A/s1600/IMG_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1qK4jSM1FghLSdF_35D8wg75CrMYorB51KWXM-3pu8GV4yN-HEYNaB5d5DFIN94-AX8Do9BqpFnvdzhPedoVFos_hGl2zBYiUTVLDuZ6S2R-OLZTsCOI13RlRhNiaDePeVtGMVtReo_A/s320/IMG_0016.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dalton and Owen having a good time....notice the blue lips!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSDjc8Uq3c3Pjfbs5qLS1rwHA4bRh_rLA1e3fat5BtcnU1ShnOxsUbpx8g1VzOH9rbEJRWTDPbYlUjC-tj3rOh5qtRsfCocLMWPQp4UzQnhyphenhyphenfX_O-jAnwz0gpvc4iGfV0zolmOHaNd6M/s1600/IMG_0027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSDjc8Uq3c3Pjfbs5qLS1rwHA4bRh_rLA1e3fat5BtcnU1ShnOxsUbpx8g1VzOH9rbEJRWTDPbYlUjC-tj3rOh5qtRsfCocLMWPQp4UzQnhyphenhyphenfX_O-jAnwz0gpvc4iGfV0zolmOHaNd6M/s320/IMG_0027.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He got a scooter...so he was helping Daddy and Nick put it together.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEJJBhIL9-gzf6QuM6nbWLucE7-Q5x6iPE3FBeiTk8jFDV5PpucSwQQJSVPwMq-pyf4WvmS_T6m2sE2MB82z7bizQTWbvTBPSLCCUO6DoVVuR3b42PGo4fklnDCgPnOIooMdF4XUcc6w/s1600/IMG_0032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEJJBhIL9-gzf6QuM6nbWLucE7-Q5x6iPE3FBeiTk8jFDV5PpucSwQQJSVPwMq-pyf4WvmS_T6m2sE2MB82z7bizQTWbvTBPSLCCUO6DoVVuR3b42PGo4fklnDCgPnOIooMdF4XUcc6w/s320/IMG_0032.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Putting his new cape to good use:) He got the hang of the scooter pretty quick!</td></tr>
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<div>
<div>
Party 3:</div>
<div>
<div>
Was at my great aunts house. She does parties for all the kids and even some adults! It is a tradition:)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1lpXfxuSSBvV3b4OSbrw0i0yD-f2yULjOj9jhxXiuuMwWgJRlKBZxziPhRg6EXV8n321aha-xlDdQ4MqeO6uVxcfNoR_w1C6BZDoFCj7m8YL1RfUXWBiOz918ZWcyyKZzb_tmDvDbQYE/s1600/IMG_0054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1lpXfxuSSBvV3b4OSbrw0i0yD-f2yULjOj9jhxXiuuMwWgJRlKBZxziPhRg6EXV8n321aha-xlDdQ4MqeO6uVxcfNoR_w1C6BZDoFCj7m8YL1RfUXWBiOz918ZWcyyKZzb_tmDvDbQYE/s320/IMG_0054.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the best picture of the cake. It's a pirate:) Notice the hand trying to keep his fingers out of the cake!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_y9qwfSOv-53spv6iSeGCGcsC2QUHiPAE89WwRvsK-m7oc8N6a5YTY5qbgLAGptNESuNVIMF98z6NS9eL5X-jBZID0ExX3m9PCVzixL8P76_95NgMflSyJib5I_wSJHkoFnY2CU2Bzws/s1600/IMG_0067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_y9qwfSOv-53spv6iSeGCGcsC2QUHiPAE89WwRvsK-m7oc8N6a5YTY5qbgLAGptNESuNVIMF98z6NS9eL5X-jBZID0ExX3m9PCVzixL8P76_95NgMflSyJib5I_wSJHkoFnY2CU2Bzws/s320/IMG_0067.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He got a Jake computer! He is all about the pirates!</td></tr>
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<div>
Party 4 (the final one!!):</div>
<div>
Was at our house for friends! Just about everyone has kiddos now...or are about to have them! Seriously just about every one of our friends is pregnant or just had a baby. I tried to throw my first "theme" party...and I even made the cake:)</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0YCqfOelyLYXv122ZUddhqY5UcwdzgTCRcPOry-x1yYICHBNC6s3HaZLHhj0xWsY9kB-TI1yYVUX_c5fPNk7xGID83J2eCBGXdOZhBO744YNZDGNGIwwVWF9Qerx_Z3qlBYp65LkJ9w/s1600/IMG_0073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0YCqfOelyLYXv122ZUddhqY5UcwdzgTCRcPOry-x1yYICHBNC6s3HaZLHhj0xWsY9kB-TI1yYVUX_c5fPNk7xGID83J2eCBGXdOZhBO744YNZDGNGIwwVWF9Qerx_Z3qlBYp65LkJ9w/s320/IMG_0073.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First the kiddos made "treasure maps." Every pirate has to know where to find the treasure!<br />Notice the 3 preggos too!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgznTO1YAx9sg34_CZMQ5NxbyNw7r5t1GPfK0MQJh9V6bVHQJiCmbuTp_URG1WPnhWS0C3M4Sd4cZ5AT63hKOb4hwKa65E3GjPsYmOVrCxi5w0kjnbm1kmTjmNWhRVri6OEDIeFgwwDY/s1600/IMG_0079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgznTO1YAx9sg34_CZMQ5NxbyNw7r5t1GPfK0MQJh9V6bVHQJiCmbuTp_URG1WPnhWS0C3M4Sd4cZ5AT63hKOb4hwKa65E3GjPsYmOVrCxi5w0kjnbm1kmTjmNWhRVri6OEDIeFgwwDY/s320/IMG_0079.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then they decorated treasure chests. Every pirate needs a place to put their treasure:)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQN1oi1nHqq5TRSZO1kuZSC9Q3oFXXzLcrVXMBykE9u_yGYodJKL5edSM0Z0EV3Ndd1jhI1p1DEhqOXw7-f8JWmKpmBu3xVxu5AGvD4U2Zc5skDC98ashHglEYpcQ0hlohaMuaIqzfxpI/s320/IMG_0081.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next they got to dig for treasure:) I borrowed a rice bin from one of my occupational therapy friends to "bury" their treasure in. This is Owen and Leah looking for treasure:)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1cq7F_Z9o1Msz0c-26eVO23ShcrY0PkdP8EWPi0aohnvSEQHj1TA6ERk6Zv1TRxA2zPgyBRTxAUafDJtlODHNKu03Svv3thhsBdlGYOsk7_iODrnAxuyMxCII6jCQ6PGylwkx02rQtU/s1600/IMG_0086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1cq7F_Z9o1Msz0c-26eVO23ShcrY0PkdP8EWPi0aohnvSEQHj1TA6ERk6Zv1TRxA2zPgyBRTxAUafDJtlODHNKu03Svv3thhsBdlGYOsk7_iODrnAxuyMxCII6jCQ6PGylwkx02rQtU/s320/IMG_0086.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Owen and Jackson digging:)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQN1oi1nHqq5TRSZO1kuZSC9Q3oFXXzLcrVXMBykE9u_yGYodJKL5edSM0Z0EV3Ndd1jhI1p1DEhqOXw7-f8JWmKpmBu3xVxu5AGvD4U2Zc5skDC98ashHglEYpcQ0hlohaMuaIqzfxpI/s1600/IMG_0081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98JIKh-Ojuc9jjU3Qu7riynS6ItQIBamcmj1-x-dsEyRXzT_TmxWLC86eJgGIeJF-FBOcD3ThhWWOBpE-8o_3jK1ZHgWOQMDuQz0Eo5e-y0xNujftBoFKQQ7NSz-HlEUbQ0x4idYqNeE/s1600/IMG_0089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98JIKh-Ojuc9jjU3Qu7riynS6ItQIBamcmj1-x-dsEyRXzT_TmxWLC86eJgGIeJF-FBOcD3ThhWWOBpE-8o_3jK1ZHgWOQMDuQz0Eo5e-y0xNujftBoFKQQ7NSz-HlEUbQ0x4idYqNeE/s320/IMG_0089.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My big 3-year-old boy with his cake:) Daddy helped with the skull and crossbones and mommy did the rest. We think it turned out cute...and he knew what it was, so that was all that mattered!</td></tr>
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I again can't believe that my baby is 3! The time seriously does fly....next thing I know I'll be posting about his 4th birthday:(<br />
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Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-19774151418812874452012-12-04T22:36:00.001-06:002012-12-05T06:00:42.634-06:00A Third LetterDear Owen,<br />
I cannot believe that you will be 3 tomorrow! Where has the time gone? It seems like every year of your life has gone faster than the previous one...and I want them to slow down! You are definitely a little boy now and not so much a baby anymore. You are potty trained (although you still have an accident every now and then) and talking up a storm. It's getting harder for me to remember you as a baby and you remind me almost daily that you are "getting bigger":) You are definitely a "momma's boy" and I can't tell you how happy that makes me, but sometimes it makes daddy sad when you choose me over him. I love to hear your little voice call my name because it reminds me that you do still need me. Your daddy and I talk almost everyday about how happy we are that you are in our lives. Daddy tells me often that he is so glad I was persistent in our efforts to bring you into our lives because he can't imagine our life without you in it, and I have to agree. I can't believe how much joy you have brought us in 3 short years and I can't wait to see what is still in store for us. You are everything (and more) that I could have ever hoped, wished, or dreamed for. Thank you for completing my life.<br />
I love you so much!<br />
Love,<br />
MommyJennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-91258577257706081842012-11-27T10:53:00.003-06:002012-11-27T10:53:18.038-06:00Kidney UpdateWell, it was time for Owen to have another follow-up with the Pediatric Urologist yesterday. Tony had some vacation days to burn, so he got to join in all the festivities this time:) We started the day with an ultrasound at the hospital. This time they brought in a DVD player for him to watch while he was having the test done. They put in a SpongeBob DVD...not my first choice by far, but it worked. He was very worried about if the test going to hurt. We kept reassuring him that it wouldn't, but he was having a hard time believing us! He asked if there was going to be a shot in his arm...which I think meant he was remembering his last renal scan....I swear the kid has the memory of an elephant! He did well during the test, rolled on both of his sides when asked, but was just a little dramatic at times about if it was going to hurt:) This was our first ultrasound being fully potty trained, so when the tech took pictures of his bladder and it was pretty full, he immediately said he needed to go potty. He was able to hold it until she was done and then for her to go and get a cup for him to pee in. Daddy took him to the bathroom to get it all done. Then he was back for a few more pictures after emptying the bladder. He did really well and even got to pick a sticker and a toy, so he thought he was pretty cool:)<br />
<br />
Next it was off to the Dr.'s office. I was under the impression that at this appointment she would decide if he needed surgery or not. I was fully prepared to hear that he would need it...but I was wrong....His right kidney still looks good, but the left kidney is still "suspect" at this point. It still has fluid in it, but otherwise it is fine. It is growing and working well at this point. She said they they used to rush in to fix them, but now they just like to wait it out. So, we continue to wait....we go back in 6 months for another ultrasound and check with the doctor. I really do hope that it decides to fix itself, but only time will tell.... Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-44840357705047053192012-11-19T21:15:00.000-06:002012-11-19T21:15:05.279-06:00Fall 2012Well, I am behind in my posting....so I thought I would do one big Fall 2012 post:)<br />
<br />
We again did our annual trip to Tanner's Orchard. We didn't end up going until the weekend before Halloween because our schedules were so busy! It was kind of nice because when we went there were hardly any people there and the place was having a lot of sales....but it was also freezing cold that weekend. Owen didn't seem to care, but his friend was not too happy about it. We ended up cutting our trip a little short this year....but we still had fun!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEm9Pkb1zEWxqfLrz936EyIDH1OdYGx-IEPQOMj_GzCOdjHQWhyPb2fT14FrcckhyscDyvOGMDehFEbX5ByxnV5FEmcIBP8mPeDC6ahOjUat4-zEfTgRrZ92tqsU8QSBaIyB_IfOAvSuY/s1600/DSC03601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEm9Pkb1zEWxqfLrz936EyIDH1OdYGx-IEPQOMj_GzCOdjHQWhyPb2fT14FrcckhyscDyvOGMDehFEbX5ByxnV5FEmcIBP8mPeDC6ahOjUat4-zEfTgRrZ92tqsU8QSBaIyB_IfOAvSuY/s320/DSC03601.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annual family photo in front of the sign.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP54sHkb_Y_0ES80RewAh_Ij0oQC614MLN8kBIiw84YyRMdQU6DSAdN09L0ICL2vYSJD-y3vs51lXBQSzuZg8oJpHtf3Dac0oHLJTQY8oC1hDr9HC-aKCmapPa5SlKBZBN8ItbYuH4XZE/s1600/DSC03599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP54sHkb_Y_0ES80RewAh_Ij0oQC614MLN8kBIiw84YyRMdQU6DSAdN09L0ICL2vYSJD-y3vs51lXBQSzuZg8oJpHtf3Dac0oHLJTQY8oC1hDr9HC-aKCmapPa5SlKBZBN8ItbYuH4XZE/s320/DSC03599.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A semi-good one with the pumpkins.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4V-TnOaFSVPCRhPDXktmLgQjo6c08MEY-j3I3d-CfRSnSqV0ReIzMorCnaKJyJWGgg73mOE5COve1up2YpP-2VsXbdlPIZRG6mPSJJ0AfCyhDABuyQ9-6VkBSWEO7liSiRlGC_HGpd8E/s1600/DSC03597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4V-TnOaFSVPCRhPDXktmLgQjo6c08MEY-j3I3d-CfRSnSqV0ReIzMorCnaKJyJWGgg73mOE5COve1up2YpP-2VsXbdlPIZRG6mPSJJ0AfCyhDABuyQ9-6VkBSWEO7liSiRlGC_HGpd8E/s320/DSC03597.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Owen and Jackson.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqW2m7kpNQCja2j7qog_ezL2zOJy0DKXFz-bxK_UHJlVLmPQjoQdW1ScyEHhLmxm45rgDq2OysDZxWTUD8wushtpytlbPL8Hf00fPwIL7IBlr5ZAvtnuWM_Imw6hRAKq_ZUEYxoDx6XeU/s1600/DSC03609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqW2m7kpNQCja2j7qog_ezL2zOJy0DKXFz-bxK_UHJlVLmPQjoQdW1ScyEHhLmxm45rgDq2OysDZxWTUD8wushtpytlbPL8Hf00fPwIL7IBlr5ZAvtnuWM_Imw6hRAKq_ZUEYxoDx6XeU/s320/DSC03609.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeding the goats...he loved it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqU_lzVZOoVEuM2CPTO74VSxyedwHedvwsNjYY6PYXZz-xZKyZHZMsz0MVfXvTZha0tqhIsaSYzvU_lyg5E9X0beqPqQJJ8XKFqxU-Q0KUOIgevnScJCBKxqHGkZIvllG6Hho7WNgYUw/s1600/DSC03622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqU_lzVZOoVEuM2CPTO74VSxyedwHedvwsNjYY6PYXZz-xZKyZHZMsz0MVfXvTZha0tqhIsaSYzvU_lyg5E9X0beqPqQJJ8XKFqxU-Q0KUOIgevnScJCBKxqHGkZIvllG6Hho7WNgYUw/s320/DSC03622.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And of course we had to get a pony ride in:)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Since Halloween was right around the corner, next up was carving pumpkins. He and daddy did this while mommy was the photographer. He didn't want to touch the insides of the pumpkin at first...He said "EWWW!" over and over. He did finally decide to dig in a little at the end:)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJr7K3tGgRtG1iNwqBD3-eGf4PJygh54Ao-p-_viVqr_RHF59YhxgVzr2dB8tMqonGtQO25n0Vuu5pbICM3jIQYLEr1Cgl4gy0iOWAPyaF4Q9SF4Q9c4it_zqqVsHQNp6PItuDVGkXaxs/s1600/DSC03663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJr7K3tGgRtG1iNwqBD3-eGf4PJygh54Ao-p-_viVqr_RHF59YhxgVzr2dB8tMqonGtQO25n0Vuu5pbICM3jIQYLEr1Cgl4gy0iOWAPyaF4Q9SF4Q9c4it_zqqVsHQNp6PItuDVGkXaxs/s320/DSC03663.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure about touching....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizw-TqiRUC8sA3cXL7DoydQpKjj9JYM3w4OfCUSKORY0wIZZ7uSsOx7sBDLT-5f2GRrMZyt4cdWASQfE6VPDwx2Qni_4HVqnpO3mnIAJxtNcEWa96EdMu0mvB4z9Rv73NkpB6BeN9SpOw/s1600/DSC03665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizw-TqiRUC8sA3cXL7DoydQpKjj9JYM3w4OfCUSKORY0wIZZ7uSsOx7sBDLT-5f2GRrMZyt4cdWASQfE6VPDwx2Qni_4HVqnpO3mnIAJxtNcEWa96EdMu0mvB4z9Rv73NkpB6BeN9SpOw/s320/DSC03665.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He liked digging with the spoon:)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFNPvwzeMMjRXx4ZK6k7o-huv5ktnylxglUiT0lcbutj6Jvm3e-wd9fLZVKeMuXWN8x-YVdze_OSPi7oG6kP-ND1QvbH7Uz8JUwzbqDnTUYAVDzJxnk3_JexpbjqO6NFCceZQmQFMvDVA/s1600/DSC03669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFNPvwzeMMjRXx4ZK6k7o-huv5ktnylxglUiT0lcbutj6Jvm3e-wd9fLZVKeMuXWN8x-YVdze_OSPi7oG6kP-ND1QvbH7Uz8JUwzbqDnTUYAVDzJxnk3_JexpbjqO6NFCceZQmQFMvDVA/s320/DSC03669.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally decided to give it a try!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9l_ea02fcvqgoWPTnliuliSA58vqJOlULstw1EaeqmrOZl6vNUEEjkApkI0E_Wc_QAtpbHMzaD4S4Af9PQZlpcMnK8AxI4i_Qsvry8BEuhRx5ldKvCc9syo21jzErgb6Md76TLYP6Ajs/s1600/DSC03673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9l_ea02fcvqgoWPTnliuliSA58vqJOlULstw1EaeqmrOZl6vNUEEjkApkI0E_Wc_QAtpbHMzaD4S4Af9PQZlpcMnK8AxI4i_Qsvry8BEuhRx5ldKvCc9syo21jzErgb6Md76TLYP6Ajs/s320/DSC03673.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helping Daddy:)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqXkfOlz7rDl3xL3QmvqgKiu5Wv9oHg8-vAjuAnrDY3ikDI1-4diRCA538mtfqlrbihJbcTePhYM-g94-bPsftB_Um2cMCcWjgAwc7Amw8UyOv_DqxoZ0XvVhg1Ds6ILK8mW1HPrBOIA/s1600/DSC03674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqXkfOlz7rDl3xL3QmvqgKiu5Wv9oHg8-vAjuAnrDY3ikDI1-4diRCA538mtfqlrbihJbcTePhYM-g94-bPsftB_Um2cMCcWjgAwc7Amw8UyOv_DqxoZ0XvVhg1Ds6ILK8mW1HPrBOIA/s320/DSC03674.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished product!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I didn't end up taking many pictures on Halloween for some reason. He originally told us he wanted to be an alligator, so I searched until I found one on line. Of course when it arrived it didn't fit! He was too tall and the place didn't do returns or exchanges. So Daddy and Owen went looking for costumes one day and he picked out another one!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjefP0P5vcwtnjj8IBSm4AVpydu_PWfmEOYE1S6IYfCHbkn3fUQpci0oQ3Jlx9raPz5kKfsb4hpZy4mNLJWvUa0YRoG89VbCvFSQuLcrkbAItI6-RubRAZCs9fXho_p6PgFf1VAPnQjUyA/s1600/DSC03684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjefP0P5vcwtnjj8IBSm4AVpydu_PWfmEOYE1S6IYfCHbkn3fUQpci0oQ3Jlx9raPz5kKfsb4hpZy4mNLJWvUa0YRoG89VbCvFSQuLcrkbAItI6-RubRAZCs9fXho_p6PgFf1VAPnQjUyA/s320/DSC03684.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And he chose Jake, from the Disney Jr. show Jake and the Neverland Pirates. (He looks enthused doesn't he!!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6JxLIf_m8KlSHfkfNdjvMmH7pHo5z-DwwfpRJZ9blh7xdzMB-sxrpEfZQNgxsy1IGsACkDYXf9kOAlg5dBhM0yGFdX30Z2yJsc_ajOVJmZs_L3qwzKPEW91NaRUFfhMxJgVgHCRncp0s/s1600/DSC03686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6JxLIf_m8KlSHfkfNdjvMmH7pHo5z-DwwfpRJZ9blh7xdzMB-sxrpEfZQNgxsy1IGsACkDYXf9kOAlg5dBhM0yGFdX30Z2yJsc_ajOVJmZs_L3qwzKPEW91NaRUFfhMxJgVgHCRncp0s/s320/DSC03686.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Posing with his pumpkin before we started our rounds:)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Fall has been busy and now it is almost Thanksgiving! Which also means his birthday is just around the corner:( I can't believe how fast he is growing up!Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-26959638426085764442012-10-23T21:22:00.001-05:002012-10-23T21:22:38.476-05:00ENT Follow-UpWell, for the past couple of months, Owen has been having ear issues again...more specifically right ear issues. First it was swimmers ear, then an ear infection, then they thought he had eczema in his ear canal...which all finally lead to another appointment with the ENT. All of this was brought on because he is constantly itching at his right ear...and I don't mean a casual rub, he digs his finger in as far as it can go. When you ask, most of the time he says it itches or that there is something in there that he needs to get out. To be honest, I was getting a little frustrated with the whole thing. We went through 2 different ear drops and 1 oral antibiotic to try to help him. The Nurse Practitioner at the pediatricians office also dug ear wax out of his ear a couple of times during this whole process as well...nothing seemed to help more than a couple of weeks, then he was back to digging in his ear again.<br />
<br />
So, about a month ago we had another visit to the ENT. The PA there (don't get me started on how we haven't seen the actual doctor since he put the tubes in his ears....) looked in both ears and said things looked fine. They sent us for a tympanogram to check the pressure in his ears-that came back fine, and then they tried to check his hearing-which was an epic fail! So, he suggested that we try zyrtec and nasonex (two allergy meds) for a month to see if the itching was allergy related. Well....needless to say when we went back for our follow-up appointment today, he was digging in his ear again! They sent us back for another tympanogram-which was again fine, and didn't even try to test his hearing again.....the only thing he saw was that there was again wax in his right ear canal. He said it was dried and hard, so that is probably what has been causing him to dig so much. So....now we are going to put baby oil in his ear 2-3 times a week to help with the wax build up. We have another follow-up with that office in 6 months to see if things are still good. If they are, then we will be released again.<br />
<br />
Needless to say, I am happy that he did not have to get another set of tubes put in. Tony and I were convinced that this was the route we were headed, so it was a bit of a relief when he said that Owen didn't need them. But...I really hope this baby oil thing helps because it really bothers me to see him digging so bad in his ear!Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-44071620973764760262012-10-11T22:18:00.000-05:002012-10-11T22:18:05.799-05:00Potty Training = Complete?Well, I am almost nervous to write this post because I don't want to jinx anything....but I think that Owen may finally be fully potty trained....YEA!!! HAPPY DANCE!!!<br />
<br />
Like I had said earlier, he's had the peeing down for a long time but it was the pooping that was taking a while. Well, last week we had a breakthrough....he had been pooping for me, but not really for anyone else. And he was only going because I made him sit on the potty every night before his bath. Finally I guess he just decided that he was going to do it....so last week he announced to Gramma that he had to go poop...and he did! He finally was able to earn the basketball hoop that has been sitting at Gramma's for months! And Gramma even sweetened the pot by letting him pick out a donut when they went to the store...and he chose one with sprinkles and gummy worms! Now he just announces when he has to go and then goes and does it...so proud of him!!<br />
<br />
So, for more than a week he has had no accidents! We still wear a pull-up for naps and at bed time but otherwise he is in underwear full time. I've also started to trust him to tell us when he needs to use the restroom and not ask him every 20 minutes! In fact, he likes to go by himself.....we just have to work on pulling the pants back up when he's finished:)<br />
<br />
Overall it has been a long road! I'm so glad we have finally reached the end:)<br />
<br />
Here are the pictures Gramma sent me on the day he finally pooped at her house:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwex_7N79UsGMvQ5Tod9Aq7Sh7vQyYr6Ticvg1CXUo9ugHsYFkjb4o6pElrZLNQnfzAsAdS-nStCnUZ7VM3INj-7vO8DjEtglpAK9u1GUavhi8bCDEWLt17I-fYaVvoN0lswICTPtC-jk/s1600/ResizedImage951349449038453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwex_7N79UsGMvQ5Tod9Aq7Sh7vQyYr6Ticvg1CXUo9ugHsYFkjb4o6pElrZLNQnfzAsAdS-nStCnUZ7VM3INj-7vO8DjEtglpAK9u1GUavhi8bCDEWLt17I-fYaVvoN0lswICTPtC-jk/s320/ResizedImage951349449038453.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is the basketball hoop he finally earned!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_aVjqBTAWiCie2Vs3GnXZ8QkyTk0sHb6mf4j7UBfIwWPY7zU9OA_GKhoGyu1oj_HntMFlMbIOc8ttzctOK5oooiBR8Wv_T15n6JlcKcSAH8V_MRZ6EI9iuljjn3o9ZtKgp31MIxADWE/s1600/ResizedImage951349454310898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_aVjqBTAWiCie2Vs3GnXZ8QkyTk0sHb6mf4j7UBfIwWPY7zU9OA_GKhoGyu1oj_HntMFlMbIOc8ttzctOK5oooiBR8Wv_T15n6JlcKcSAH8V_MRZ6EI9iuljjn3o9ZtKgp31MIxADWE/s320/ResizedImage951349454310898.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With his donut:)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-65848575233603476712012-10-10T08:43:00.002-05:002012-10-10T08:43:40.590-05:00"Owenisms"I've had several friends blog about the "cute" and "funny" things their kids say and I thought I would join the trend:) I know that there have been several funny things he has said or done lately that I can't or won't remember them all.....which makes me a little sad:( I can't believe how big he is getting....less than 2 months until he is 3!! I will try to be better about writing these things down so that they will have a permanent record:)<br />
<br />
The "My's": I know I've mentioned how Owen uses "my" instead of "I" and probably my favorites is when he is saying his prayers at night...."should I die before my wake...." Although, I am sad to report that he is beginning to use "I" much more than "my" lately.....:(<br />
<br />
One day after he woke up from his nap, he was on the floor playing. My mom offered him a snack and he said, "I'm busy Gramma!" He's used this a few more times as well:)<br />
<br />
He is really into singing lately. One of the songs he has been singing a lot the last couple of days is "This Old Man" and my favorite line of the song is "knick knack paddy whack, dig a dog a bone." :)<br />
<br />
We went to the ISU homecoming parade on Saturday to watch Tony (who was a guest of the Environmental Health Department) march in it. Owen loves parades, especially the bands!! He marches around playing his trombone and singing the high school fight song (he knows most of the words...seriously!). After the parade we were in the bookstore and he grabbed two of the pom poms and started marching around the store singing the fight song. When he finished he said "thank you, thank you very much!" and then proceded to start again!<br />
<br />
He calls Frank the Combine (from Cars) Frank the Cucumber:)<br />
<br />
He is getting much more independent with his potty-training. In fact, if he goes into the bathroom and you try to follow he stops, puts up his hand and says "Stop, I can do it by myself" or "I don't need help!".....which he does do a good job, except for the part of pulling his pants and underwear back up! Usually he comes hopping out of the bathroom with them around his ankles:)<br />
<br />
Those are all for now....but I will try to be better about sharing more as they happen....or as I remember:)Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-16745016441906144272012-09-24T20:58:00.000-05:002012-09-24T20:58:02.669-05:00Not Just a CarTonight we had another big event happen at our house....we sold our beloved Pathfinder. Tony has been talking and talking about getting a new truck/SUV, but we could just never pull the trigger because we both loved the Pathfinder so much. Finally last week, we bought a new Ford F150 4x4 truck....which meant that it was time to finally say goodbye to our most favorite car. Tonight was the night that the Pathfinder left our possession...and it was bittersweet. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When I got out of the shower tonight, this was on the computer:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If I had a blog:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know people say it’s just a car but it’s more than that.
It was the first “Real” purchase that Jenny and I made. I had graduated college
and moved to the burbs and it was time to get rid of one of our economical cars
and we picked out the one we wanted and it was awesome. It was the first car
that someone has said “that’s a cool car” and I felt like they meant it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was the car that Jenny drove through crazy Chicago land
traffic. I knew no matter what she encountered she’d be safe in it. Snow, uh,
4x4. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was the car that we would load up when Jenny, Tasker and
I would come back into town to visit family. It was big enough to carry the
three of us plus the cage. Actually there wasn’t a time when it wasn’t big
enough. It was the car that Jenny would come to greet me on late Friday nights
from the airport after I’d been out of town all week on business. Again, the
car was always big enough ;)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was the car we took to Buffalo to see the Bills, Michigan
to see the Wolverines, numerous states for mountain bike camping trips, Chicago
to see the Cubs, and the UP to see that not all Labs can swim.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was the car we packed up and moved away from the suburbs
to head back to Pekin. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was the car that we would take to doctor’s appointments
where they would tell us that yet again Jenny wasn’t pregnant and it wasn’t
looking like it was ever going to happen. It was the car that I would sit in to
call and tell family to give them the bad news……and after four attempts at IVF
it was the car that I brought my perfect little boy home from the hospital in. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s much more than a car, it was “Daddy’s White Truck”. It’s
been around for 3 different houses, the majority of a dog’s life, and the car
that I handled precious cargo in. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yeah I’m a little sappy about a car, but to me it was much
more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It made me cry....and I thought I would share:)</div>
</div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-48075637151115695242012-09-09T19:11:00.002-05:002012-09-09T19:11:12.973-05:00Potty Training: The Elusive #2Well, I thought I would get on and update how potty training has been going. It seemed like we had been at a standstill for a very long time. He had been wearing pull-ups and it seemed like he would be dry all day, but when we switched to underwear he would pee! It was getting very frustrating.....and he was refusing to poop on the potty...UGH! We would have him sit at night (his preferred time of day!) and sometimes we would get a little but never a lot. He would cry and not sit down.....it was a fight! Then, without fail, once we left him in bed to go to sleep he would come out 5 minutes later and tell us that he pooped. We tried every kind of bribery for when he would poop and punishment when he would go in his pants.....nothing seems to make a difference!<br />
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So, after a few weeks of going strictly back to pull-ups, I felt like we were finally making some progress. He had started telling us when he had to go pee much more consistently. I started trusting him when he answered "NO" to my incessant asking of "Do you have to go potty?" and didn't force him to go every 40 mins. I really wanted him to tell me....and it started working! He has also started waking up dry from his naps too most days...so I thought that was good progress as well. This weekend was our town's local festival (parade, vendors in the park, etc.) and I decided that I wanted to be brave:) Yesterday, before leaving for the parade I asked him if he wanted to wear underwear...and he said yes. So, off we went....and guess what?....Dry All Day! He made it through the whole parade before I took him potty and then we walked around the park for a little bit and drove home before he went again. I'm very proud of him! However.....he still does not like to go poop on the potty....what is it with boys and poop?!?! I really hope this is resolved soon! (especially after having to clean poop out of underwear today!!! YUCK!!)<br />
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Oh.....and we were having issues with him wetting through his nighttime diapers as well. Tony suggested waking him up when we were going to bed and having him go then and seeing if that helped. Well, he was a genius! It not only helped with the wetting through, but he has been waking up dry every morning! <br />
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So, I would say that he is 95% potty trained....I just hope it doesn't take forever to get that last 5%!Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-26951968040921327752012-09-06T22:29:00.001-05:002012-09-06T22:29:11.827-05:00Preschool 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Through some of the mom's at the church playgroup, we found out about a local church that has a 1-day a week preschool program for kids as young as 18 months. I was excited to see if they might have a spot for Owen...and they did:) It is on Wed mornings from 8:30-12:30 with lunch. It started this week, so I took Wed morning off to be able to take him for his first day. They only stayed until 11:30 this first week with no lunch. I was a little nervous about him making it the whole time because when we take him to the Toddler room at church, he has gotten used to us picking him up after only one service, which is a little over an hour....or he starts to cry...and when you ask him why, he says "because I have to." So we had a long talk about how we don't cry at Preschool. He told Gramma he wasn't going to cry there (we picked her up on our way so she would know the procedures when she takes him from now on) so I was hopeful:)</div>
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He was not at all apprehensive when we got there. He spied the toys and got right to playing! I had to drag him away from a toy to get a hug goodbye! I didn't cry either:) When we went to pick him up later, he told me he only cried a little bit:) So, I think he is going to have fun....and next week he gets to take his "cars" lunchbox which he was mad that he couldn't take this week:) Hard to believe he is getting so big!</div>
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Here are a few snapshots from Wed morning before we left:) (and don't mind the horrible quality...we really need to get a new digital camera!!)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love his face:)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And one with a great smile:)</td></tr>
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Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-14025281388971532692012-08-15T22:27:00.002-05:002012-08-15T22:27:43.343-05:00ReadingI LOVE a good book! I mean who doesn't? :) In fact, I have really been enjoying my time over these last few weeks to read! Some of my favorite authors are Nicholas Sparks-good books but when I try to remember the plots from some of his books, they all seem to run together:) Jodi Picoult-I love how she takes topics that are relevant and morphs them into a very good story! Of course I loved the Harry Potter books and then there is the Twilight series...couldn't put it down and can't wait for the last movie to come out in a couple of months (GIRLS NIGHT!!!). I enjoyed the Hunger Games series as well! Most recently I've read the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. The True Blood series (on HBO I think) is based on those books. I've yet to see the series, but have been tempted to go and rent a few seasons to watch and see what I think. Most recently....I was sucked into the Fifty Shades of Grey series! Yes, there is sex...a lot of sex....but for those of you who have read them, there is a love story there....and I am a sucker for a good love story! I mean, what girl doesn't dream of some handsome, very rich bachelor falling in love with her and sweeping her off her feet....ok, so maybe it doesn't exactly happen that way, but I still enjoyed the series. In fact....I've read the whole series twice in 8 days! When I find a good book/series, I get a little Obsessive/Compulsive about finishing it....I stay up late trying to suck in as much time as I can in the books. I'm a fast reader, so I devour books quickly...then when I reach the end I'm worried that I read too fast and missed some important details...so then I start the journey again. It makes Tony furious because he can't understand why I would want to read the same books over and over (oh and maybe because I totally ignore him while I read!)...but if they are good, I love getting lost in the story all over again:) I've done this with all of the recent series that I have read (sans the Sookie Stackhouse because there were just too many of them!). With Twilight, I had to physically remove the books from my house so that I wouldn't start on them again, I put the Hunger Games away in a cabinet so that I wouldn't seen them laying out...and now I need to do the same with the Fifty Shades series!...because I'm tempted to start them again:) Although, I have read it a few other recent books on the iPad...so it is hard to "remove" them from my proximity:) But I am determined not to read them again....so I went downstairs and picked up my copy of Twilight....maybe just a quick chapter before I turn in for the night:)Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-43773399572223928542012-08-13T14:34:00.001-05:002012-08-13T14:34:56.763-05:00I'm Sure It Won't Be the Only TimeTowards the end of our summer school program, my mom brought Owen out so he could see all of the buses lined up to take the kids home. (he loves buses, so I thought he would enjoy this) While we were outside looking at all of the buses and getting kids loaded, one of the assistants (who knows me, but doesn't really KNOW me) asked when Owen would be getting a little brother or sister. I quickly responded "He's not!" and then turned to say something to him. My mom, who was standing there with us, was a little shocked by my abrupt answer and starting talking a little more to the person trying to fill the awkwardness. It felt a little liberating to say it out loud....and didn't bother me like I thought it would....and I'm sure it won't be the only time I'm asked that question in the future......Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-85828739634433968972012-08-06T14:34:00.000-05:002012-08-06T14:34:25.823-05:00Purging Complete!Well, the purging is complete at our house. We had our garage sale over the weekend. I am not a huge garage saler, so I really wasn't looking forward to it. They are a lot of work, but thankfully my mom was available <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">to come over and help me go through the several totes of baby items that I had. I was amazed at how much stuff we had accumulated over the past 2 1/2 years! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">It was a little hard to go through the stuff, but surprisingly Tony had a harder time with it than I did. We definitely saved some of his special outfits and toys as we went through things, but we still had a ton of things to put in the sale. I also had some friends come over to pre sale on Thursday night before we started on Friday. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">We had the sale on Friday and Saturday. Friday was crazy busy! We barely had time to sit down at times. Tony's aunts and my mom came to help with the sale (one aunt and my mom put stuff in the sale also) and to help with Owen. He definitely did not like his stuff being out there, and of course any time he saw a toy he liked he wanted to get it and play with it again. They were all toys he hasn't seen in more than a year!:) both days someone finally had to take him and leave the house because he just couldn't handle being there, or rather yet it was just easier for him to be gone:) As busy as Friday was, Saturday was not! We finally started packing up about an hour before we said we were because it was SO hot and no one was coming. I still had some things left, so I bagged up the baby things and sent them to a pregnancy resource center and the rest of our household things went to Goodwill. It was all gone by the afternoon and it felt pretty good.....we are continuing to move forward and this was one of the first steps.</span>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-25075992049798701882012-07-24T14:58:00.001-05:002012-07-24T15:00:40.435-05:00Potty Training Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well, sadly this is just another update post about potty training. I hope there is one soon about it all being over! So here's where we are:</div>
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Ever since we began with the potty training, we've kept Owen in pull-ups. I didn't want to go "backwards" by going back to diapers. We tried to take him potty very frequently and were always constantly asking him if he needed to go. Of course, he would always say no:) He would still always go on command when we took him. Of course, he wasn't always keen on stopping whatever he was doing and would sometimes throw a fit. We started putting him in time out for this...which usually only lasted a few seconds and he would get up and walk to the bathroom. Pooping is still the most frustrating issues of it all....because he knows when he has to go and usually hides somewhere and does it when we aren't paying attention, or does it when he is laying down for his nap. Then he walks out, says he pooped and then goes in and lays down on his floor to be changed! So, I KNOW he knows when he has to do that! I questioned sometimes how well he could "hold" his pee...so I tried to cut him a little slack in the peeing department. We offered him "treats" for both peeing and pooping....and he can tell you what he is supposed to do, but just never did it! Very frustrating at times:)</div>
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The last week or so of summer school, he was only using one pull-up a day at my mom's house. I was feeling pretty positive about that. I had already decided to really push the potty training after summer school was over, so the fact that he was doing well inspired me. Of course, it was still because my mom was taking him every so often...he wasn't telling her when he had to go.</div>
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I decided to make a chart for him to put up in the bathroom. We had tried a plain old sticker chart, but it wasn't quite motivating enough for him. I decided to give skittles, m & m's, and time on the iPad for peeing (which is what we were already basically doing). I created a "special basket" for pooping which contained juice boxes, trains (inspiration from a friend!!), cars, and candy. Finally when he had dry pants all day he got to put up a sticker to earn a ride on a city bus. Of course all these things are huge motivators for him. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is a picture of the chart. Not the best since it was taken from my cell phone.</td></tr>
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So, yesterday was day 1....and as you can tell in the picture, he earned a sticker at the end of the day! He was totally dry, told me he had to pee a few times, and went poop a couple of times! Tony and I praised him all over the place last night! Today is day 2....and it started off well. I think he pooped 2 times before 7:00AM! Unfortunately, he pooped again before nap and I did not insist that he keep trying for more. So, he chose candy and ate it....but then after laying down for a few minutes he came out and said that he had pooped:( No sticker for today and I'm trying not to be too discouraged......here's to hoping tomorrow is better!<br />
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I will update again soon......I really hope he gets this soon! or I may have to consider barricading him in the kitchen naked all day....<br />
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<br /></div>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-32349058856758301632012-07-19T14:21:00.001-05:002012-07-19T14:21:10.736-05:00St. Louis Zoo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">As promised, here are some pics from our trip to the St. Louis Zoo in early June. Owen had a GREAT time. He is so into animals right now, so it was really fun to take him to see everything. His two favorite animals are elephants and giraffes. We got to see the elephants, but unfortunately the giraffes weren't out....and if you asked him, he would definitely tell you about it! He was mad!!:) Anyways, we had a great time, and he was tuckered out by the end of the day. In fact, we didn't even make it through the whole zoo before he conked out! We were able to stop and have dinner with one of my college roomies and her family on our way home, which was fun and it allowed Owen to get out and play a little before the drive home as well:) It was a win/win for everyone!</span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding the train....this was a huge favorite of the day!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching the rhinos with daddy.<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He loved watching the hippos! We stayed at this exhibit for a long time!<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching the elephants. This was another exhibit we stayed at for a while:)<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPAW1-To_RfljY0fgzAnjJnIkqWIWna-vZAuDh9GkrdoE5W4Uelwq7Xlam7kRrF7fbtzF_B-AOipx2q2qOccrk8Ix6b0TbH1Q3w4ameRD3dW89nVuqtLOPE3thJ4HKWlJfDbMNu3lx5e0/s1600/DSC03454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPAW1-To_RfljY0fgzAnjJnIkqWIWna-vZAuDh9GkrdoE5W4Uelwq7Xlam7kRrF7fbtzF_B-AOipx2q2qOccrk8Ix6b0TbH1Q3w4ameRD3dW89nVuqtLOPE3thJ4HKWlJfDbMNu3lx5e0/s320/DSC03454.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeding the sting rays. He let daddy do the feeding (and so did I!!), but he did pet a few:)<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUiYdaqWObc0DcXwGPygOXedjjoWweE0Q73vF7PYjPq-WzwQoctzCQS90kIg-hHHGMdmluAr2hwDh3lqGo6EMU-XHn3xt8uQe30DaXwH8WHH2iSklSybGU6wHFcTvQhhKVJdhmBzfV_YQ/s1600/DSC03474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUiYdaqWObc0DcXwGPygOXedjjoWweE0Q73vF7PYjPq-WzwQoctzCQS90kIg-hHHGMdmluAr2hwDh3lqGo6EMU-XHn3xt8uQe30DaXwH8WHH2iSklSybGU6wHFcTvQhhKVJdhmBzfV_YQ/s320/DSC03474.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petting the guinea pigs in the Children's Zoo.<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIWwn6ad_cElSzqfbQPH1KVcgdSUuod2ZaMFUudH9acrYgrElsDQGau9Lo_XXBN4Zgxy5Femp4U_A841_5dSDWKuGUvuyOKaQZLZh4zC9eDHx2o8B9ZRpN8LlnbUClKwep7Z5lt0Itez8/s1600/DSC03491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIWwn6ad_cElSzqfbQPH1KVcgdSUuod2ZaMFUudH9acrYgrElsDQGau9Lo_XXBN4Zgxy5Femp4U_A841_5dSDWKuGUvuyOKaQZLZh4zC9eDHx2o8B9ZRpN8LlnbUClKwep7Z5lt0Itez8/s320/DSC03491.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding the carousel with mommy:)<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvAR0ZuZMavDdM8Cg8vvhoIJDuHARSVgF9FEPGijQjzUqL2_JLKcxlViBT9zc7f98sDHNRLdXAig8CFOMxlRapvTuMG0dbxE0Z8dJb-Ha6O6WmnuABHFgEwwR27PyVojxP8n4RysqN50/s1600/DSC03494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvAR0ZuZMavDdM8Cg8vvhoIJDuHARSVgF9FEPGijQjzUqL2_JLKcxlViBT9zc7f98sDHNRLdXAig8CFOMxlRapvTuMG0dbxE0Z8dJb-Ha6O6WmnuABHFgEwwR27PyVojxP8n4RysqN50/s320/DSC03494.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And, he's done! This is how he saw the last part of the zoo:)</td></tr>
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<br />Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-6850758848067971662012-07-09T14:34:00.000-05:002012-07-09T14:34:45.177-05:00Long Time....No Post!Wow...it has been awhile since I have been able to blog! It has been a very busy summer so far, but mostly the no blogging is because I took 2 summer grad classes! What was I thinking?!?!?! Well, needless to say, I finally have a minute to post! I finished one class up over the weekend and am only down to one with most of my last project almost complete, so I thought I would take a minute to post.<br />
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Things are going well. I'm working 4 1/2 days a week with class two nights a week (although this is the last week of those classes). My summer work will be finished up next week, leaving about 2 1/2 weeks before "real" work starts again......<br />
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Owen is growing like a weed and we are enjoying every minute of it. We took a trip to the St. Louis Zoo at the beginning of June, so when I am home one afternoon I will try to post pics of it. He LOVED it, so I want to make sure I give the trip post justice:) We have another small trip planned as a family at the end of this month, so we are looking forward to that. <br />
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We've had 2 friends announce that they are expecting, so that has been exciting. Both of them went through my maternity clothes and took a big chunk of them, one of them bought my breast pump, and both will be coming over and going through things when I have my garage sale next month. Tony and I have totally embraced that we will only have Owen and are ready to move on into the next chapter in our lives. Usually when we make a decision like that, it means we are ready to purge:) I'm so glad that we are both purgers and not savers:) Now...that doesn't mean I won't have a hard time when I go through all of his clothes and things....and I'm sure a few outfits will be saved:) I know there will probably be times when I will wonder "what if" or wish we had another baby, but it won't do me any good to dwell on things that won't happen!<br />
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So onward to new and exciting things.....and I promise to blog more:)Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-45843213799373294282012-06-08T14:39:00.000-05:002012-06-08T14:39:07.016-05:00Renal Scan & Kidney UpdateOwen had his renal scan last Friday afternoon. After our experience with his first one, I went armed with many different toys and options to keep him entertained during the procedure. Gramma stopped by the morning of and dropped off some suckers and a Dumbo DVD (she remembered that they offered a DVD player the last time we went). When we arrived they put numbing cream on both of his arms in anticipation for the IV. He wasn't too keen on it, but we kept him busy for the half hour that we had to wait before we went back for the actual procedure. They had pediatric nurses come in and put in the IV....they were nice but not so quick with the procedure. He was pretty upset but we got Dumbo started and away we went with the procedure. He did amazingly well and Tony and I didn't have to hold him down like the last time...which made it even better! We were really thankful for Gramma bringing Dumbo....it was a lifesaver! We were able to see the test as it progressed on the screen. It was very apparent that the left kidney did not clear the dye but did respond after the Lasix was pushed. We weren't sure what that meant but were hoping that it wasn't bad:) <br />
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We saw the pediatric urologist today to hear what the test results meant. She said that it was good that the kidney responded to the Lasix because it meant that it still had its functionality, although he was still presenting with some of the other symptoms of having a blockage. She said that she really didn't want to put him through surgery since it was still working correctly at this time. She wants us to see her again in 6-months and see how things are since hopefully he will be full potty-trained by then. So, good news on the surgery front but I'm afraid it's still not off the table for the future. Again, only time will tell...Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790086958673542188.post-54186902895847252802012-05-31T08:02:00.000-05:002012-05-31T08:02:02.028-05:00Final Cycle: Moving OnWell, now that I am "officially" done with all IVF treatments it is time to move on. I had a few rough moments last week when I got my results, but overall I think I felt relief. There will be no more "what ifs" when we are thinking about our future. We can plan and talk about doing things without thinking about treatments or if I would be pregnant. I'm ready to have a huge garage sale and pass on Owen's baby stuff to others....Tony said maybe I should wait a little bit in case I'm not as ready as I say I am. Anyways, it would be later in the summer because I'm taking two grad classes this summer plus working our Summer School program...so we'll see how I feel at the end of the summer....I think I'll still be ready though..... I have a friend who is pregnant, so I offered her my maternity clothes...I will be sad to see those go (Tony said he wouldn't mind those being gone!!) because I had really hoped to experience a pregnancy again, but it will be nice to pass them on to someone else who needs them. <br />
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I was talking with a friend (who also went through IVF and just recently found out that she will only be having one baby) and she said that she was doing fine until she saw someone post pictures of a 2nd baby on FB. She said she had been fine and then all of a sudden it hit her. I'm sure I will have my moments over time, but I don't want Owen to ever think that I am not happy with just having him. He is someone that at one point I wasn't sure would ever come into my life and when he did I was SO happy. He is our everything now and we can move forward with our family, which we are so ready to do! <br />
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And thank you to everyone for your kind thoughts about the negative....it was very nice to know I had so many people thinking about me.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17258556199384292587noreply@blogger.com1