A fun weekend...

We were very lucky to have lots of company this weekend! Mike's sister Kathryn came into town on Friday. The boys picked her up at the airport and did most of the entertaining while I was (unfortunately) working. Kathryn brought nice weather with her to Chicago. With the sunshine and warmer weather on Sunday, I could have sworn it was into the 50's (though on the news Sunday night they said the high had been 40, obviously my temperature perception is a little skewed!) Sunday night, we watched the movie Ratatouille. It was great! Such a nice story. I am deathly afraid of rodents, so I did have to turn away several times, but overall, we all really enjoyed it. Owen had so much fun playing with Auntie Kathryn and Mike and I were happy to get to see her, too!

Owen's new toy

Grammy Marsha came to visit on Monday and insisted on buying this for Owen for his upcoming birthday. As you can tell, he absolutely loves it! I think he'll be walking soon!


We had lots of fun while she was here. Monday we went to the outlet mall in Aurora. Let me tell you, Owen will be well dressed again this summer. That Gymboree outlet is the best! If you like something at Gymboree, just go to the outlet next year. It will be a much better deal. Owen was a great shopping companion, too. We arrived around 10 and stayed until 2:30 and he was just great. He lunched on Cheerios and had a little milk in the J. Crew fitting room and then passed out until we put him back into his carseat.

Tuesday, we braved the snow to take Owen for his first haircut. We went to this kids salon in Wilmette. It was very fun! Owen sat in a Jeep for his haircut. The hairdresser put the Wiggles on for him, too. He usually is too busy to watch TV but since he was strapped in, he seemed to enjoy it. They cut a lot off! Hopefully he won't need a haircut for awhile. The hairdresser warned us that they usually don't do very well during the second haircut, I guess because they know what's coming (it may not be the best idea for her to tell first time parents this...)

Thanks to Grammy Marsha for coming to visit. We had a great time! As always, we ate too much, had lots of fun, and the trip went too quickly!

New Shoes...

Wednesday we went to a sing-a-long at Pottery Barn Kids with some friends. It was great! There was a guy with his keyboard. He sang some cute songs and the kids were playing instruments and having a ball. Best of all, it was free!!! We were a little early so we ran to the Nord beforehand to look for some new shoes for the big guy. I've been jamming his poor feet into his Robeez boots and puppy shoes for the last couple of weeks and decided it was time to find something a little bigger. I couldn't decide whether to get some more Robeez or walking shoes. We found these shoes that are for pre-walkers and can be worn outside, too. Perfect! Not only did Owen get a new pair of shoes, he got his first balloon. He loved it! He drug that balloon down the hall, into his room, and back into the living room. I never video anything (really, this is the first time I've gotten the video camera out!) but I had to video him playing with this balloon. Here is a picture. Hopefully Mike can upload the video this weekend.

Senor Spaghetti and Spiderman Slippers

Sunday night was a big night for Owen. He had his first spaghetti. He didn't eat any...he just played with it!!! He thought it was soooooooo funny! Daddy made him this mustache. Also, a friend passed along these slippers that her son had received as a gift and were too small. They're too big for Owen, but he had a lot of fun wearing them around the house. He was so proud of them! Lola kept barking at them and wanting to bite Spiderman's head. Next time, we'll try to get it on video.

E.C.

It stands for elimination communication. I know. It is a "different" way to go about potty training (not that we are working on potty training!) After Owen's first incident of pooping in the tub, the little stinker kept it up. A friend suggested taking him out of the tub and setting him on the toilet when he seems like he is going to go. I explained that Owen has always been "dramatic" (to say the least) about going to the bathroom. His latest habit has been crawling under the dining room table to fill his diaper. My friend thought that it might be fun to try having him go on the potty because it is so easy to tell when he is going. I am proud to report that for almost 3 weeks, Owen went on the potty at least once everyday (usually 2-3 times per day.) It was CRAZY! I'd take his diaper off, set him on the toilet (holding on very tight and keeping him secure) and he'd play with the toilet paper, grunt a few times, and take care of business. It really was pretty funny. I feel like it was a party trick or something! He won't do it anymore, though. I'm not sure what changed, but now he arches his back and won't sit down every time I try to put him on the potty. Unfortunately for me, he also keeps going once I've gotten his diaper off. Maybe we'll try again in a few weeks!

Playdate

A couple of weeks ago we were able to get together with some of the 2007 Labor and Delivery babies for a little playdate. Eleven of my work colleagues had babies last year and eight were in attendance! It was so fun to get together and see the little ones. Owen is the oldest of the babies. He was having a little bit of separation anxiety during the photoshoot! It is amazing to see the little ones and realize how far Owen has come this year. It has been so cool to watch the changes. I'm sure we're in store for many more changes and lots more fun! These are the youngest babies, all three born in December.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Make a postcard - it's easy!