Happy Birthday Owen!

Yesterday, 1/30/2012, my baby turned 2 years old!!! We actually had a birthday party for him on 1/28/2012, which he had a lot of fun at with some aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. We had a Mickey Mouse theme, as this is the one character Owen always seems to recognize and shouts out. Though he says "Mick-i" instead of Mick-e, LOL! It's cute! Owen had a great time at the party, loved the decorations, loved getting to play with all the other kids, and REALLY tore into the birthda gifts!  I guess Christmas really prepared him:)

I realized as I was writing in Owen's journal on 1/28 (Yes I am keeping a journal just for Owen, and have done so since before we physically met him), and I realized that on 1/28/2011, we had our court date and had been told YES, we would be a forever family. That night, we had gone back to the baby home and gotten to spend a little more time with our baby, playing and feeding him. we even got to put him in his 1 year b-day boy shirt. When i planned his b-day party this year, I didn't even realize the 2 dates coincided, but I told Andy while writing in the journal, it seemed fitting that we celebrated on that day this year too. It also shows us that we did get to celebrate his first b-day, and the gift we all got was our family. It brings tears to my eyes still. I had to leave him for 10 more days that night in 2011, and it was hard. This year, the 10 days following 1/28, are spent all together, and that is an amazing and awesome gift too:)

The sad thing is, Owen had gotten a cold the week before his party. He was doing better, so the party still happened. Then I ended up getting the cold and am still fighting it off. But, the doctor confirmed today that Owen now has a double ear infection, which I had suspected since he about slept 0 hours last night. So, his actual b-day day was spent at home, and not at Chuckie Cheese like we had planned due to me being ill, and then today, Owen and I still aren't feeling quite right. We are on the mend however, and I'm looking forward to celebrating our gotcha day!   Thanks to everyone that made Owen's b-day so special and for the prayers and thoughts as well as sharing our story to this point. We are a forever happy family:)!!!

 Nana made Owen a Mickey cake:)

Daddy, mommy and Owen getting ready to blow out the candles:)

Owen opening a card and gift:)

Owen opening up a Mickey toy:) I think he yelled "Mick-i."

New meaning to "my way or the highway."

Owenhad SEVERAL meltdowns today. Not sure what was wrong with him, oh wait, but I do. It's called "I want it." His melt downs consisted of "I want to leave the family room." "My phone..I want it." "I want to climb", "I want crackers." "I want juice in the family room (which is not allowed)." "I want mommy's piece of pizza." "I want the lotion."  And probably several that I missed.

Seriously. Owen thinks if he screams and cries enough he will break me. Tonight, I thought I was going to. Luckily, Andy came home a bit earlier than normal, and was able to deal a bit more with the meal time and bed time melts, but boy, I was not happy with trying to divert his attention, timeouts failing to make a dent on his attitude, and just trying to figure out what exactly was wrong most of the time.

It's nights like these that my patience really needs help on, and where I feel like a horrible mother. I felt bad too because I was VERY ready for Owen to go to sleep tonight. I still liked getting to hold him for a few mins, but I also like the break from the crankiness.  I'm sure he probably has days where he feels like that about me, but he just can't voice it yet. Knowing how smart and stubborn, and like me, that Owen is, I have no doubt that voice will come sooner than Iwant, LOL!!!  Everyone pray for my patience, as we really get into the major months of the terrible2s. 

23 Months Old!

Owen turned 23 months old today!  It is hard to believe that in 1 month he will be 2. I still get misty eyed thinking that we missed the first year of his life, but I think we have done a good job of making his 2nd year memorable:) At least he has for us anyway:)! 

He has really started putting words together really well for small sentences. In fact, tonight, he "read" a book with me. It was called "Swim duck, Swim!" The first page says "Hello Duck!" Then Owen would say it. We would turn the page. "Swim Duck Swim!" Owen would repeat it. We turned the page, "Hello Rabbit" Owen would repeat it. Turn the page, and "Hop rabbit Hop!" Owen would repeat. The final 2 animals were a dog and Monkey. I was pretty impressed that he said it so clearly and really in sentence form. He is just so smart! 

Seriously, he doesn't miss a thing. We try to "hide" things in front of him so he doesn't learn how to do them, but he watches our every move. He has been like that since Day 1 with us. If he saw us do something, he wanted to do it. If you moved and the floor creeked, he heard it and watched you to see what you were doing. I still can't believe how observant he is! 

I'm just so excited to be his mom!  We had such a wonderful Christmas. He really had fun opening his gifts, and he would play a little with each one after opening them. He also enjoyed passing out gifts to others, and of course helping mommy and daddy open their gifts. I loved watching him and seeing how excited he was:) 

I also felt very blessed holding him during Christmas Eve Mass. When we were waiting to adopt and then waiting to bring Owen home once we were matched, my biggest thing I looked forward to was having him in mass and teaching him about God. I would see the other mothers at church, or even be holding my nieces/nephews and thinking how much it would mean to me to have him in my arms there. Now I do:) Though some weeks are better than others in terms of how Owen will do, I still love having him in mass with me, celebrating God!  What better way can we show our appreciation as a family than in prayer, especially in God's house.

Now we're getting ready to start the new year and waiting to see what lies ahead for our family:)  I'm looking forward to even more memories, which include Owen's 2nd birthday!  Happy New Year everyone:)!

Meeting Santa!

So, we've been SOOOOOO excited for this holiday season, with Thanksgiving and Christmas, because this is Owen's first year home with us for the actual time period. Last year, we kept up our Christmas tree all the way to Gotcha Day and coming home with Owen. That way we were able to celebrate Christmas with him once we got him home. That happened to be in the middle of February, LOL!

This year, we've enjoyed having him home for Thanksgiving, and getting to spend the time with us and our extended family. It's been wonderful!  We had been trying to have children for about 4 years when we were matched with and given Owen as our son. Over those four years, my enthusiasm for Thanksgiving and Christmas, though still there, decreased with each year that we were wondering if we would ever be blessed with chidren. 

With Owen, celebrating these Holidays, have been extra special, and I think my enthusiasm is up more than it ever was before for this time of year!  We enjoyed seeing Christams lights with him, and singing Christmas music to him. Decorating the tree and the rest of the house with all our Christmas goodies! 

Yesterday, we took Owen to meet Santa for the first time. Now, we have been more focused on teaching Owen about Jesus and how it is Jesus' birthday on Christmas, and that he was born in a manger. We gave him a Little People's Nativity set that he can play with and learn about the story. He has told his grandparents and aunts and uncles about Jesus in the Manger, very cute;)  However, we hadn't exactly talked as much about Santa. So before we went out to meet him, I showed Owen lots of pictures of Santa, some cartoon, some real life, some with children on Santa's lap. I told him he was going to meet Santa and sit on his lap. Owen's response, "yeah!"

We got to the mall, luckily since it was during the week, it was maybe a 5 min wait. We got to see a couple other kids sit on Santa's lap, and Owen acted like he was ready. I sat him on Santa's lap, and quickly backed away. Owen just did a double take of the situation....looking back and forth from Santa to daddy and me. He almost started to cry, but I tried to make him smile, the elf taking the picture started making lots of noise,and Santa tried to tickle him. We were able to stop the crying, but no smile came. We were still proud and glad at how good he did. We got a pretty decent picture considering he didn't know the "strange man" holding him, LOL!   I'm soooooooo happy to be celebrating fully as a family and not from 2 different continents this year!!! We are super super Blessed, and I can't get over my amazement at the wonder of God's plan.   Here is Owen's pic;)

Ho, HO, Ho, Merry Christmas!!!!!!

22 months old!

Owen is 22 months old today. He weighed in at 21.1 lbs and 31" yesterday. He's a growing boy, but mostly in height. That's okay. I have a feeling one day, we'll pick him up, and we'll wonder who put bricks in his pants, LOL!  I enjoy being able to carry him and pick him up easily right now anyway...More snuggle time;)

As I've mentioned before, Owen is very routine driven. When we come home, I usually take my shoes off and put them on a matt in the foyer. Owen started sitting down and saying shoe off about 2 months ago, so he would do what I did I think. Well, today, Owen was able to get his own shoes off and put them on the matt. Then he took his socks off, which was a bit harder, but he got them, lol! 

He is talking even more now, I know I posted once before all the words he says, but now if I did that, it would be a baby dictionary!  He repeats everything we say. I say, "okay." He says okay. He's actually over the last 2 weeks, started to say "God Bless You." When I sneeze. Seriously!  I think it's because I say it every time he sneezes. He also says "stinky socks" when trying to take off his socks, because I tease him after we come home when I give him fresh socks and say "stinky socks." There are so many funny things he's said/repeated. My sister Jessica was joking around one day and said, "oh, snap." And Owen repeated that.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again. My son amazes me with how smart he is, and how much he picks up. He's even started sitting on the potty. He hasn't gone on the potty yet. Well, wait, he accidentally peed in the potty one day, but he looked just as amazed as me, and the pee didn't start out in the potty when he was sitting therer....but he is trying to be a big kid. Part of me is excited to start the new things with him, like the potty training. But, part of me just wants my baby to stay a baby. I don't want him to grow up so fast, and the sad thing is, I realize the growing is going to increase in speed, on a daily basis.  I know I'll be okay with it, and enjoy it, but part of me just wants to hang on a little longer to the baby boy we brought home just under 9 months ago.

First Thanksgiving!

Though yesterday 11/24/11 was Owen's First Thanksgiving, we have been having a bit of a celebration since the previous week. First, my cousin (Owen's 2nd cousin) Mandy, flew in from Florida to visit. Then, my family started arriving for my other cousin (again Owen's 2nd cousin) Kayla's wedding. We went to that on 11/19/11, which was also my oldest sister's birthday. Then on 11/20/11, which is my birthday, we had pictures taken of Owen with all 5 of his first cousins on my side of the family with their Nana and Pap (my parents). On that same day, we also had my family's "Thanksgiving" meal at Bob Evans (since it was too crazy to cook the day after a big wedding we had traveled for). Then, we took the 4 older kids (Owen, Lily, Elijah, and Lucy), to drive through some Christmas lights.

The next day, the fun, but chaotic, "Thankswedding" as we have come to call it, was coming to an end as all of my siblings and parents left. My cousin Mandy went back to visit where my grandparents live as well, so the house was back to just the 3 of us. Then, yesterday we went to Andy's family's Thanksgiving meal for lunch, and then over to my Aunt/Uncle's house to visit them, and see the new house they are moving into this weekend.

Today, we were kind of layed back during the morning and afternoon. Andy did some yard work, Owen took his nap, and I tried to get some "rest" as well. Then, when Owen woke up, since it was warm enough, we went to the zoo to see their Christmas Lights...it was a good time. We ended the evening with dinner at a chinese restaurant, and Owen came home to bed. I think Owen has enjoyed his first Thanksgiving. Though, he didn't eat as well during his first meal on Thursday, he ate alot of food at dinner. I think next year he'll be even more into it. Though, he did try to say both Happy Birthday and Happy Thanksgiving by the end of the last 2 weeks, so it's been fun;) 

Now this weekend I'm hoping to get some Christmas decorations up. I am hoping Owen will enjoy helping to trim the tree, well, I guess I'm just hoping Owen will not take all the trimming down and try to play or break it, LOL!  Last year, we had the tree up until the week after we brought Owen home in Febraury, so we could still celebrate Christmas with him. I'm looking forward to see how he takes in this next Holiday, and if I can get him to understand the biggest gift we all are given on this day, Baby Jesus!  He's so smart though, I think he'll get it a little, even if he doesn't get all of what we tell him. We bought him a nativity set that we will give him to put up under the tree. Luckily it's actually a toy set, so it's okay if he plays with it:)  I hope everyone reading this had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well. I'm very Thankful for my family, Owen and Andy, as well as all my extended family who supported us as we brought Owen home almost 9 months ago! 

A year ago 11/08

A year ago this past Tuesday 11/08/10, we met our son for the first time. It's unbelievable to me that a year has already passed since we first held out baby boy!  He is growing so fast, and learning so much. He seriously tries to be 10 years older than he is too. Sometimes, when I think about how he was at the baby home without us, it makes me sad. It makes me sad to know that my baby was missing my arms to hold him, and my lips to kiss him, and my hands to tickle his toes. But, now he has all those things and more. 

Everyday I pray that he realizes how much he means to Andy and I, and that we may have changed his life and increased things that he can do, but he did the same thing for us. Because, it made me sad knowing that I was here without my little bundle in my arms, not knowing what he was doing, and missing his sweet kisses. Andy and I have a great marriage, with God as our head, and life was good and wonderful, and there was so much love. Now, that love has multiplied, and the wonderful has doubled, and happiness is off the charts. It's amazing to me that life could get better after marrying the love of my life, but God is pretty amazing, so when He joined Owen into our mix, He knew it could only get better. LIfe is an amazing gift, and that is what I am so thankful for, my life, the love I'm given from my husband, son, family, friends, and God.