Big News

This March, or possibly late February, we are going to have a baby boy. We found out the news in June and Owen is so excited that he is going to have a brother. I forgot how long the first trimester seems with keeping the news a secret. Then it was the waiting game to find out the gender. Now we just need to get everything ready for the new baby. It’s kind of funny that with Owen his nursery was pretty much completed by this time.

I have been feeling pretty good for the most part. Recently I’ve started to not be able to sleep well since I’m a stomach sleeper. Hopefully my body will get used to sleeping on my side soon. I’m really looking forward to feeling the baby move and kick. Up to now (20 weeks) I’ve only felt some flutters. I think Owen will enjoy feeling the baby kick too, or he might be freaked out. We’ll just have to see. He did say that he wants to show the baby all of his “tricks”. Not sure what that means, but I think he will be a little disappointed that the baby can’t run around with him for a long time. Oh and we were talking about names the other day, and he suggested the name Owen. I think we still have some work to do in that department.

Since the age difference with Owen and the baby will be almost 5 years I think it is going to be rough at first. I think he will want to help out, but he’ll be upset when we have to spend so much time with the new baby. We did sign him up for a Big Brother class. Not sure how helpful it will be, but it can’t hurt. I’ve also heard that having him buy or make something for the baby will help too. I’m open to any tips people have.

Working from home has many perks especially when you can wear leggings and sweatpants. I thought I kept most of my maternity clothes, but it turns out I was wrong. So a few friends have been gracious enough to loan me some things, and I’ve slowly been buying a few essentials to keep the growing belly covered.

We took a cold trip to the pumpkin patch this weekend.

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Special Treat

Last week we finally ran out of pull-ups and we decided not to buy anymore. That meant that Owen needed to figure out how to make it through the night without having an accident. When we went for Owen’s 4 yr well check the doctor told us that this was normal so we didn’t really push the issue, but pull-ups are crazy expensive so we decided to give it a try.

After several failed attempts we came up with a strategy. First of all, no liquids after 7 pm. Then, after putting Owen to bed around 8, Tony would wake him up before he went to sleep usually around 10:30. Finally, after still being wet after several more nights, I told him that he would get a special treat if he could stay dry for 3 nights in a row – bribery for the win! By the 5th night Owen woke up every 30 minutes or so (and came into into our room to let us know for some reason), went to the bathroom, and then got back into bed. That morning he was dry when he woke up. Yay!

The next few nights he didn’t wake up at all so we figured he would be wet but he wasn’t. He earned his special treat, and he couldn’t have been more excited. I took him to Peace Love & Little Donuts before school, and he got to pick whichever one he wanted. I think he enjoyed it and he has been dry since then.

Summer Recap

With the last unofficial weekend of summer coming to an end (even though the temperatures have been super hot) I thought it would be a good time to finally get back to blogging. I’ve recently printed out a ton of pictures to try and catch up on Owen’s albums, and I realized that I haven’t done a post since June :/. So let’s get caught up.

This summer has been full of a few firsts for Owen as well as a few trips away. We started the summer off with a trip to Williamsburg, VA. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Owen on this trip but he actually did really well. As we explored Colonial Williamsburg he even asked a few questions. He was also very well behaved when the adults were sampling some mead and wine.

From there we went to Corolla, NC. I’m pretty sure Owen hates the car more than he used to so the drive consisted of Owen asking “how many more minutes” every couple of minutes. That got old really fast. When snacks and movies didn’t work anymore we just stopped and let him run around. Our days were filled with short walks to the beach where Owen loved playing in the water (which was a big change from last year) and sand.

Later in the summer Owen went bowling for the first time, rode a horse (not just a pony), went to a Pirate game, and enjoyed his first trip to Kennywood. Owen was disappointed to miss the Jackrabbit by a half an inch, but he’s excited to ride it next year.

 

 

Last Minute Fun

Sometimes Owen and I can really enjoy each other’s company; other times he slaps me in the face. Owen slapped me in the face today because I wanted to go out to get Owen new sheets for his big boy bed. He apparently didn’t like that idea. I walked away and let him have time to cool off then I talked with him to let him know that what he did really hurt me, and he eventually apologized. As punishment I took away TV privileges for the rest of the day.  It’s funny how a good day can take a horrible turn.

Anyway, we did have a pretty good day on Wednesday. We joined some friends and picked strawberries at Soergels (a local farm). It was a nice last minute event that wasn’t super crowded and Owen got to play with friends. After taking a tractor ride up to the strawberry field we were able to pick some strawberries. Owen was good at picking out where the good ones were, but he really wasn’t into actually picking any. After filling up our bag we loaded back on the tractor and paid for our berries. Other than Owen refusing to take pictures he did pretty good.

 

 

4 Year old Drama

I’m beginning to think that all 4-year-olds should be actors. The drama every day to get out of bed or wash his hands is crazy. The whining and crying on command is really an acting quality that comes naturally to him. Along with all the drama, there have been some fun times too.

Owen loves to pretend these days. He mostly replays his day, but he also loves to play store. I have a few bags that he likes to use, and we take turns being the shopper and the clerk. There are so many toys in the living room that it’s easy to find enough to fill up the bags. He also loves to play construction where we are the workers. Just today we built a pool with a slide and diving board right in the living room. Perfect for a 90-degree day. Too bad it was imaginary.

This past weekend Owen went to his first Pirate game. I wasn’t sure how he was going to like it, but we lucked out and were able to stay the whole game (I think spending half the game in the stadium seats and the other half in box seats helped with this).  His favorite part of the game was the Pierogi Race. If you are wondering, Jalapeño Hannah won on Saturday night.

Summer is just around the corner, but I’m thinking of fall activities already. Owen did a short 5-week running club this spring, but other than that we haven’t signed him up for anything else. I think we are still recovering from the horrible soccer days from this past fall. I am thinking of maybe signing him up for tumbling. What fun activities are appropriate for 4-year-olds?

 

We now have a 4 year old

The last 3 years we have been lucky enough to have Owen’s birthday party surrounded by friends and family. This year was no different, and we were able to have all of the fun outside (thank goodness).

This year Owen chose to have a construction themed party (or a “worker party” as he calls himself when he’s playing with his tools). So I got busy pinning ideas on Pinterest, and then giving my dad and Tony things to complete :). They did a great job making my vision come to life. We had a bounce house, 2 photo props, 3 construction truck racers, house painting, coloring, cone toss, hammering, and a wrecking ball game. The 20 or so kids had a great time doing everything.

Owen even invited some of his friends from school. It was so much fun seeing him play with all of his friends. The kids were busy playing all afternoon – fueled by sugar.

We had a cupcake cake and dirt complete with a gummy worm for dessert. Everyone went home with a Home Depot tool belt, safety glasses, and a tool shaped lollipop.

It’s crazy to think that Owen is already 4 years old. He’ll be starting pre-k soon. This is the last year before he goes to school every day. It can get stressful when I’m bouncing between playgroups and running errands in the middle of the week, but I need to step back and remember that this isn’t going to last much longer. His tantrums are just a phase (they better be), and soon he will be getting on the school bus and won’t have much time for his mommy anymore.

Good Things

We’ve had a rough few weeks in our family so for this post I’m highlighting all of the fun times Owen has had with his friends this past weekend.

We were able to go into the kitchen of a local pizza place on Friday and see how they make their pizza. Owen was very excited to see the big pizza ovens, walk into the refrigerator, and sample all of the toppings, especially cheese his favorite.

On Saturday we had back to back birthday parties, which was tiring for mom and dad, but the best day ever for Owen. Owen loved running around the gym, playing/tackling his friends, bouncing around as well as singing them happy birthday, and of course enjoying the sweet treats.