Owen hit 6 months today, which seemed like an appropriate occasion to update the ol' blog (considering it's been half his life since he got any attention on here). ;)

Owen is such a happy little guy. Unless he's hungry or tired, his default expression is something like this-- an "all-in" smile which he generously gives to anyone who will lock eyes with him. 

Or this-- a mischievous tongue-out-and-up-to-no-good smile, which we expect to see often in the years to come. ;)

Can't get enough of those smiles (except maybe at 4 am)... we're still working on that.

Quite a charmer, that boy. The church nursery workers love him. His older sister on the other hand was complimented just last week on her impressive screaming endurance... ;)

Jane adores Owen and can make him belly-laugh more than anyone else. I love watching their sibling bond deepen as he grows older. I think they'll be buds. I did get my first glimpse of sibling rivalry this week, a whiny "Mom, Owen kicking me!" in the same tone of voice as all siblings in the history of the world have said to their mother. I guess I should get used to it. :)

We're so thankful for all the joy he has brought to our family these past 6 months. 

Happy Half Birthday, buddy! We love you so!

Tuesday with Jane - TWO

Jane turned two this month, and I know I'd regret it if I didn't take a moment to pause and document a bit of her blossoming personality these days! 

At two, Jane is... 

INDEPENDENT. She likes to do things by herself ("I do it self!") and has strong opinions about what she wants-- and doesn't. She follows the big kids around and desperately wants to go to school. "Du-bai!" (good-bye) she says as she walks out the door.

TENDER-HEARTED. When her big (foster) sister had the flu last week, Jane quickly went to her room and came back with her own special blankie to give to Sister. "It's okay," Jane said, patting her back. Jane also has a soft heart toward animals and babies, and she is such a sweet big sister to baby Owen.

FASCINATED BY TINY THINGS. Jane looooves anything small... tiny buttons, tiny stickers, and tiny stuffed animals (tiny pandas in particular). "Awww, so tuute (cute)!" she'll say every time, making a tiny motion with her hands.

EVER-THE-DIVA. She picks out her own clothes each morning, and of course no outfit is complete without accessories! She changes shoes multiple times a day and never leaves the house without her purse, sunglasses, and usually at least one of her little "friends."

SILLY. She has a great sense of humor and makes us all laugh with her funny expressions. Her public personality takes on a much more serious tone, but at home she is a total goofball. :) She brings us so much joy!

AMAZINGLY DETERMINED. For at least six months, Jane screamed a solid 30 minutes every single night going down to bed. We tried everything we could think of (good cop, bad cop) and were completely at our wit's end. In the midst of our frustration with this stubborn child, my dad offered a different perspective. "I wonder where God might lead her someday that will require such determination!" I am reminded that often our greatest strengths are also our greatest weaknesses, and that channeled in the right direction, this strong-willed girl might be equipped to face some great challenges with courage and strength. (*She has since stopped screaming-- miraculously all it took was leaving her bedroom door open!-- and now shows her strong will in other areas which we are still working on...)

HOSPITABLE. She shares her bed with at least nine regular friends-- Maisy and Minnie, Max and Humphrey, Big Panda, Tiny Panda, Snowman, and most importantly, Bunny and Blankie. Each friend, at Jane's own initiative, takes a turn coming out for breakfast each morning, sitting on the table next to her (adult-sized) bowl of oatmeal. 

SMART. Yet another way she takes after her father! :) I just gotta brag on this girl for a minute-- she can (kind of) count to 10, (mostly) sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," and (50%) recite the alphabet. Her exploding vocabulary amazes me, and she seems to have a great curiosity for language. She'll often stop us at the dinner table and ask, "What talking to?" (What are you talking about?) or want to know the meaning of a new word/phrase. Yesterday at the grocery store, I told someone that they could go ahead since they had only a few items, and Jane looked up at me and asked, "Go ahead means?" And she still talks about the time she heard a man speaking another language on the phone. I wonder if someday she might learn another language herself!

OBSESSED WITH MICE. Well, two mice in particular-- Maisy and Minnie. I don't think she's ever seen a real mouse, in which case her opinion might change. But she did meet Minnie earlier this month and was completely smitten.

Oh Janie Bear, we can't imagine life without you in it! We're so thankful for these past two years and for all the joy you bring to our family. Happy 2nd birthday. We love you, sweet girl!!

SWO - 3 months

Owen Daniel-- what a happy little guy! This picture captures so many things right now: the perpetual spit up all over his clothes (and chin) that mama never bothered to wipe off. The beloved green Bumbo perched up on the kitchen counter where he can watch all the action. That "all-in" smile he is quick to flash at anyone who will make eye-contact (sometimes even a photograph will do). And his diva-sister's sunglasses, proving just how easy-going and LOVED he is! :)

When he smiles really big, he sticks his tongue out the side of his mouth. My social, never-met-a-stranger, older brother, Austin, had the same trademark when he played sports... I have a feeling Owen might take after Austin in more ways than one!

Besides the green Bumbo, Owen's other "happy place" is this piano mat. He kicks the keys to make music, but I think his favorite feature is the little mirror, which is always smiling back at him. :) Occasionally he has to make room for his big sister...

But of course she always smiles back at him too. :)

It's been so much fun to see Jane and Owen interacting more. She loves "decorating" him with her toys or sunglasses, updating me on his status ("Owen happy, mom!" "Owen cry, mom!"), giving him "tiss hug," and making him smile. And every time after he wakes up, she says to him in the cutest little voice, "Good nap, Owen? Yeah!"

Happy 3 months, Owen! We love you!

SWO - 11 weeks

I know, I know, it's been a while. But after all of the holiday travels and festivities, we continued the "spirit of giving" in our home by generously circulating strep, bronchitis, pink eye, stomach virus, roseola, and ear infections. Suffice it to say, "blog post" has not risen above "survival" on my to-do list. But after some antibiotics and a few solid naps, we are back among the living and wanted to share some snapshots of our dream baby, who managed to avoid it all.

Since my last blog post (over half of Owen's life ago), Owen has been a busy little guy. He went on his first airplane ride to Indiana...

celebrated his first Christmas...

and even went to two Christmas concerts (one of which we had to take him to the back... because he was snoring too loud). ;) 

And if those last three pictures are any indication, he's still sleeping like a champ and maintaining his status as the easiest of our four. ;)

Owen Daniel, do you have any idea how much JOY you have brought us? You gave your first "laughs" to dad yesterday, your "coos" are music to my ears, and when you look up at me after nursing with that cheeky, adoring smile, I absolutely melt.

Happy 11 weeks, Owen! We love you so!

SWO - 5 weeks

...aaaand it's Monday. Oops, I knew this would happen! Time flies when you're changing diapers, wrangling a toddler, trapped inside with four kids on a rainy weekend, having fun! ;)

Owen continues to be such a champ. Highlights from this week: weighing in at over 10 lbs, sleeping a 7.5 hour stretch one night (whoop whoop!!!!!!), and giving Daddy his first real smiles yesterday. We were all around to catch the tail end of the show, and I'll admit to some wet eyes.

We love you, Owen!