Poor guy...

When Owen's bottom teeth came in, we barely even knew it...until we saw them!

The top teeth are a different story. Holy cow. I forgot what getting a full night's sleep (uninterrupted) was like. We put Owen to bed by 7 pm every night. For the past 5 nights, he has been up at least 3, sometimes 4 times during the night screaming. All he wants is for us to stay in his room with him, rub his back, or rock him. He is even refusing his paci when he wakes up. After doing some research to figure out what was going on, I read several things that it could be.

1. teething
2. night terrors
3. separation anxiety
4. ear infection

Considering one of his top teeth just broke through the gum, I'm thinking number one is the problem here.

When all else fails, and it's 4 am, we are bad about letting Owen come sleep in our bed. I know, I know, we really shouldn't do this. I just can't spend all night hanging out in the nursery waiting for Owen to fall asleep (especially when I have to be at work bright and early). Of course, the minute he hits our sheets, he is out cold! So for now, we will just enjoy some extra snuggle time!

Here are some pics to enjoy from the last week or so that I've been meaning to post:

Is it Friday yet??

The School of Education building at UNCG is currently undergoing some major renovations. The only people in the building are my classroom and the infant classroom. As expected, noise levels throughout the day have been elevated (that's putting it nicely). Today, we heard constant gushing water. Then they dropped a piece of large equipment right above our classroom...during nap time. Needless to say, half of our children woke up terrified. To top the day off, this happened:

an EARTHQUAKE!!!! Try to explain this one to a bunch of four-year-olds who (a) think we are having a bad "thunderstorm" or (b) think the walls are about to come crashing down because of "construction". Oh dios mío!

Praying for a better day tomorrow...

Meal time at school

Breakfast this am...

Crayon wreath

I saw this on a blog recently and thought it was kind of cute!

May have to make one to jazz up my classroom a little...

Wordless Wednesday- random photos edition

A note from school:

9 months old!

Happy 9 months sweet boy!

Birth:

• Weight- 7 pounds, 10 ounces (when we left the hospital he was 7 pounds, 1 ounce)
• Height- 19 3/4 inches
• Head circumference- 14 inches

Today (August 10th):

• Weight: 23 pounds, 14 ounces (95th percentile)
• Height: 28.5 inches (55th percentile)
• Head circumference: 18.5 inches (47 centimeters)
  

You are quickly approaching your one year birthday! Every time I write a birthday post I can't believe how fast you are growing! It's absolutely amazing to watch you develop and change over time. I've said this before, but everything you do now is a milestone!

In clothes you wear a size 12 months, and in disposable diapers you still wear a size 3. Your hair is a hot mess (thanks to daddy when he gets a hold of the hair dryer)!No, seriously, you have a head full of hair! Some days it wants to stand up (think mohawk) and some days it's flat against your forehead. When you were born it was dark like daddy's, but now it's lighter like mommy's. Your eyes are still bright blue and they always seem to sparkle.

You aren't crawling yet, but you do get on all fours. Then you either sit yourself back up, or face plant into the floor! Some how you manage to maneuver around and get whatever it is you want. Daddy and I think you will be fully crawling within the next week.

Here is a glimpse of your daily schedule at 9 months:
-wake up around 7:30 (if you wake up before that we let you go back to sleep in our bed)
-play until breakfast at 9:00 (bottle of formula and oatmeal/yogurt/egg yolk/pancake/waffle and fruit)
-after breakfast play until morning nap (10:00)
-sleep for 1-2 hours
-play until lunch at 1:00 (bottle of formula and veggie and/or protein)
-after lunch play until afternoon nap (2:00/3:00)
-sleep for 1-2 hours
-play until dinner at 5:00 (bottle of formula and veggie and/or protein)
-after dinner take a bath
-bedtime is between 7:00 and 8:00
-No more 10:00 pm bottle!

New foods that stand out this month include egg yolk, grits, blackberry cobbler, grapefruit, steak, tomato, lima beans, black beans, and pasta salad. You haven't eaten one thing that you don't like! I'm not big on myths, but there is one that says if a baby hasn't tried something by their first birthday then they won't like it, so we are giving you everything- except for strawberries, egg whites, honey, and shellfish, which the doc said stay away from for now.

Some of your favorite things right now include:
-playing in your playroom
-listening to books and turning the pages
-waving
-getting on all fours- ready to crawl
-your black and white ring toy
-grunting when you are mad/upset/frustrated
-sniffing/wrinkling up your nose
-other children
-petting the dogs

Today was your first day of real "school". There are 7 friends in your class, you being the oldest. Some things you will learn this year include sign language, self-help skills, socialization, and fine/gross motor development. Let's not forget- you will also learn to perfect your class clown abilities!

Owen, mommy and daddy are so proud of you! You are happy, easy-going, charming, and just plain perfect. We are in love!

Owen's 1st day of school

Today was Owen's 1st day of school! Doesn't he look like such a big kid now?

We are doing a slow transition into his classroom, so today he spent about two hours there. He played for a bit then ate lunch. Pat and I stayed for a little while to help him get acquainted, but he was so excited about the toys that he didn't pay any attention to us! Before we left him, he managed to pull all the toys off one of the shelves.

After I gave him a kiss and said good-bye, he waved to me so I knew he was fine. I peeked in the observation booth when he was eating lunch, and it was the cutest thing to see him sitting at a table just his size (his peas where everywhere)! I'll try to get a picture of him eating lunch tomorrow to share!

Thinking about sending your child to preschool?

I hope you said yes!

Click on the above link to see why preschool is the best job-training program.

Bittersweet

Today was a bittersweet day for me. It was Owen's last day at his home child care center (where he's been since I went back to work). "Nana" was fabulous. She loved Owen, and Owen loved her (so did we). I can remember calling her and asking if he could stay with her until August. It always seemed so far away...then August arrived.

Owen is 9 months old and he is getting ready to start school- his home away from home for the next 20 years. My little baby is growing up...hair and all!

Sunday evening will be spent gathering/completing all the necessary paperwork, packing lunches and book bags, and setting out clothes. All in preparation for the big FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!

I highly recommend...

tubing on the Dan River.

It was a blast. Due to the lack of rainfall, water levels were extremely low, so at times we literally got stuck on sandbars in the middle of the river! It was still a blast. We laughed until we cried, spotted a "river snake", consumed a few adult beverages, survived the rapids, turned a ray of colors (brown from the dirt and red from the sun), and snacked our way down the Dan- for 4 hours.

I prefer this any day over work!

A little bit of this, and a little bit of that

I feel like I'm behind on blogging. So much has happened in so little time! Over the weekend we finally found a bike trailer. Pat and his dad put it together and we gave it a spin.

I think Owen will definitely enjoy this!

Today is Owen's 9 month birthday! He went to the doc for a check-up this afternoon. I will write a more detailed post later, but here are the stats from today's visit:

-weight: 23 pounds, 14 ounces (95th percentile)
-height: 28.5 inches (55th percentile)
-head circumference: 18.5 inches (47 centimeters)

The big 1st birthday is quickly approaching!

If you read my last post, you noticed that it's time for kids consignment sales. Thanks to Donna, mom and I were able to shop early tonight. I hit the jackpot! After the initial overwhelmed feeling, I struck gold! This shopping trip, gold meant wooden toys...an abundance of them! As I filled four clothes baskets full of toys I convinced myself I would take some to my preschool classroom. We will see about that...

There is something about wooden toys that I love. Maybe it's the Montessori feel? Or the quality of the toys? Perhaps it's the bight primary colors that I love? Or the fact that they don't have batteries, so therefore they encourage children to THINK and PROBLEM SOLVE! Whatever the reason, I love them. Plain and simple.

Speaking of wooden toys, FAO Schwarz has some great deals on their wooden toys right now. We got a few things for Owen's birthday that are adorable!

See, I told you I was behind on blogging!

consignment sales

All you mommies out there...it's that time of year again! Time for kids consignment sales! Here are two links to sales in the Piedmont.


consignment mommies

NC kids consignment sales

Happy shopping!

A fave

This is Owen's current obsession! He is in LOVE with this toy. I'm not joking. He has carried it around for two days straight. He held on to it in the car on the way to school, during snack time, play time, and nap time. He carefully passed it from hand to hand, making sure he didn't drop it. When he woke up from his nap, he refused to suck on his fruit teether because he needed two hands to hold the handle (and one of his hands was obviously occupied). Nana was nice and gave him a snack that he could maneuver with one hand.

He even carried it to bed tonight. Pat tried to take it from him and he cried hysterically. This child never cries- unless you take his ring. Needless to say, daddy was nice and gave it back.

Hopefully $hit won't hit the fan when he realizes I carefully pried his fingers off and removed it from his crib.

The Line of Duty

What a sad day. Another officer's life was taken away while in the line of duty. On the 5:00 news this evening, Papa Riddle spoke on brotherhood and supporting one another during this tough time.

Thank you to all who protect and serve.

I don't say it enough.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
You are my hero.