These Days

                              Our Big boy at the Park with mom :)

                                                   Popping Bubbles at the Park.

Owen is Such a Big boy these days 4 going on 40 he says the most adorable things peppered with things no 4 year old should know. He is Hilarious and makes us crack up daily. His favorite show is Jake and the neverland pirates... or Oso. His favorite color is Green, favorite foods are cookies, Jelly toast, salty apples, avacado, Bananas and cheese. Oh and fish the kid loves fish salmon and steel head mostly but will eat any fish we give him. Owen is in Taekwondo and has his belt testing tomorrow :) He is an amazing boy full of piss and vinigar! just like his parents.

Wowsers it's been awhile. Raising a child is like being in the twilight zone, one day I have sweet infant who eats, sleeps, and poops and the next I have a walking talking 4 year old.  I've decided I should start blogging again to keep a diary of sorts of how our boy is growing and what we have been up to. This picture says it all :) Owen is in taekwondo. I got my license and Owen is the most adorable child ever.  

I decided..

That I need to write more on here...

Here is a list of what I do every day...

1) Wake up and Make Coffee (after opening Owens bedroom door and Kissing that sweet sleepy face good morning!) This is usually about 8am ish

2) Make Owen some Chocolate milk ( milk with a drizzle of choc. syrup) fix our coffee to our liking and take a seat...Enjoy said coffee.

3) Make breakfast (eggs, toast maybe some potatos) Enjoy with family...

4) The following 3 hours Monday, Thursday and Friday are spent playing with Owen, watching cartoons and checking the computer. On Tuesday and Wednesday however we spend that time cleaning up and getting ready for our playdate (tuesday) and story time (wednesday)

5) Lunch Time for us is usually between 12 and 1pm. I make Chicken and a veggie and a carb we eat and then its nap time for Owen. This is when I do most of my cleaning and relaxing. I do dishes, counters, floors and normal pick up and then its my time to watch what ever I want look at facebook check craigslist or just sit and stare in to space...this lasts about 2.5 to 3 hours by the time O wakes up its almost dinner time I put a show on for him and start deciding whats for dinner...

6) Dinner pretty much the same as lunch. We always sit at the table (Me and O) With water or milk and eat our dinner together. I think this is important since daddys at work we need to make sure O has normal dinners and learns his manners and such even if its just me doing the teaching.

7) After dinner its about 630 or 7 and for the rest of the night Owen and I play with his toys find a fun project to do or just have a dance party in the living room. When 9 rolls around I put O in the bath, then into some jammies. Depending on what time he woke from his nap him and I might watch a movie together and then its bed time.

8) Bed time is... I put owen in HIS bed, make sure he has his blanky and his otter and give him kisses we say our prayer and then I'm out of there! I might go back in a time or two to put him back in bed but for the most part he just goes to sleep.

9) A few hours later after some alone time and possibly some reading or internet time (i'm addicted I know) Jesse gets home we talk about our days... maybe eat a snack and then head to bed ourselves (usually 12-1am but last night it was 3am ) Snuggle in and fall fast asleep.

10) Start all over 8am.

Lately...

Wow its been awhile. We have moved out of the mold infested apartment :) Finally We moved in March I think (I know I have a terrible memory) Our new place is nice its just upstairs from the mold but we're sticking it out until our lease ends in September. In the end of February we went on 'vacation' to California to visit Jesse's mom, dad and grandma. We stayed in Santa Cruz which is Jesses home town. It was a long trip down on the train (20 hours) and not that fun with a almost 2 year old. We celebrated Owens 2nd birthday while on vacation. On the way home (Yes on the train) Owen and I stopped and stayed with my mom for over a week while Jesse came home to finalize our moving arrangements. Anywhoo now we are in our new place settled and Jesse has started a new job as a manager :) of a burger place (Blast Burger) its delicious! His first official day is in fact today. It seems like life is finally falling in to place and we can take a deep breath and enjoy.

My hair.

I fixed the mullet look :)

Mold update

So We are still dealing with mold. Right now the majority of it is "cleaned" definitely not fixed but not as easy to spot. The manager just yesterday sent both proposals from the contractors to the management company... So I am having to push pretty hard to get something done and I hope it happens soon. Today she was not in at all so far. I am having a very hard time understanding why it is taking this long. On Monday January 24 we had to bring Owen to the ER because his cough got so bad. The doc said its an upper resp. Infection and Croup. He said we can't really prove its the mold that is to blame but come on my child had been living in a room that now the entire wall needs to be repaired... I am upset that we are all sleeping in the living room trying to avoid mold, we have to sleep with the fresh air on our heads just to sleep with out coughing. I WILL get this fixed soon I'm talking this week with the managers help or without we cannot live in the living room its ridiculous!

What the MOLD

Our new apartment... We moved in 4 months ago has a horrible mold problem worse then our last. This place gets fuzzy. Our sons room has mold along the entire window wall window included and the closet has a section about 5 by 3 cut out with running water on the inside of that wall. It also has a tobacco leak on the closet doors... that's just in Owens room. Apparently the outside of our unit is rotting away allowing moisture and running water to make its way into our apartment. The first week we moved in our heat was stuck on in our bedroom sauna status... the following week or two the ceiling in our bathroom poured 4+ cups of water.... from our upstairs neighbors bathtub... which they then cut a 3 by 3 hole to fix the plumbing... after that mold came in the bathroom then on all the windows now its everywhere. Baseboards then up the wall in both bedrooms.... This is so ridiculous!!! Owen now has a horrible cough that has hung on for 3 weeks now... we had to move him out of his room last night. We are sleeping in the living room as a family. Us on the futon Owen on his mattress on the floor. I am having a hard time being patient at this point, I really hope the manager is in tomorrow so I can pin point a fix date, or see what our options are. Here are some pictures of Owens room.

New Years!

This year I am working on being more spontaneous! Well maybe not that far but I would love to put myself out there and learn more things and meet more people. I want my son to know its okay to be not the best but with out trying you never learn. I want him to be socially comfortable and smart and adventurous I want him to know I love him and that I do everything I do for him.

I started with looking outside myself and saying yes to a sing-a-long. Seems small but it was big for me, not only was I in a new friends house filled with other people I was just meeting but there was also singing involved...in front of others. I went though and I stayed and I had fun. I wouldn't have been able to say that if I didn't just go and try and live in the moment.

I have also been working out...Yes. Me I have been working out. So far I have lost 8 ish pounds.... I am feeling much better about myself and I really hope I keep it up.

I Have also just this week picked up playing the guitar :) Jesse is trying to teach me. I can play the first part to ' burn one down' and 'smoke on the water' I was proud of myself for trying and even more proud of myself for picking it up pretty quickly!

I plan on continuing to push myself to be the best me :) I like it so far it feels good.

HELP!

I need help styling this mess. I shaved my hair last summer twice :) and I loved it! but the grow out is a mess... I am not a huge fan of putting product in it. I do sometimes and it looks good but I just need a couple more Ideas!!! I take a picture of it done and put it up soon.

Todays Painting

The tree is just for fun :) and the Dino is a crayon drawing...later to be turned into a painting for Owens room.

Owen!

Owen riding his new quad down the halls of our apartment. Santa was good to us this year :)

My Paintings :) Trying to Paint more, but with a toddler running around its hard to find time.

My childrens books...

How do babies brush their teeth?

How do babies brush their teeth?
Do they do it with a wreath?
Do they do it with beef?
Do they do it with a Leaf?
No!
Babies brush their teeth with a tooth brush.
They use water and a step stool
And spit into the sink so they do not drool.
Brushing your teeth is fun
And when you’re done they sparkle white
Then you finish with a healthy bite!

How do babies go to bed?
Do they scream and throw a fit?
Do they say “is that all I get”
Do they run and play and say “no way!”
No!
Babies go to bed calm with a kiss and hug from mom
They cuddle in nice and warm
Eyes are heavy and shutting soon
They say goodnight to the moon
While closing their eyes Mommy says her goodbyes.
Bedtime for baby it’s not a maybe.

How do babies take a bath?
Do they take a bath while doing math?
Do they take a bath on a path?
Do they take a bath in their clothes?
Do they get water in their nose?
No!
Babies bathe in a tub
With soft gentle soap rub a dub dub
Mommy cleans behind your ears
Don’t worry your soap says no tears
As the water flows over your head
Mommy gets ready to tuck you in bed.
Babies clean and dry
It’s time for beddy bye.

How do babies go potty?
Do they go on a floor that’s dotty?
Do they go in their clothes?
Do they go while smelling a rose with their nose?
No!
Babies go potty on the toilet
They pull down their outfit so they don’t spoil it.
They try hard to go
However sometimes their slow
And when their all done
They say here comes the fun!
FLUSH
They step up their stool and turn on the water
And turn it just a bit hotter
They pat their hands dry
Now it’s bed time for this little guy!

Books

I have been stirring the idea in my mind of writing a book for a long time. I have gone back and forth on what ideas to write down and which ones are good enough and who I would be writing for... In the last few nights I have been been writing childrens books short little rymes that kids would enjoy. Things like 'How do babies brush their teeth?' and 'How do babies go to bed' I think they are fun and my son seems to enjoy them. I am thinking about doing a box collection of books for bedtime...brush your teeth take a bath go potty say goodnight and get in bed... all books of their own designed to read then do all in your bedtime routine. Brush you teeth after the brush your teeth book take a bath after you read about bathtime and so on. I am hoping to write them and draw the pictures for them. We'll see where it goes but for now its fun!

Bed time...

Owen is for the most part a wonderful sleeper. When its just me and him he goes down so well. We have our routine and it works... When Jesse is home Owen fights bedtime tooth and nail! Its sad it makes my heart break I hate to hear him cry. It makes me want to send Jesse out for something so I can get Owen down real quick and move past bed time. I love having Jesse home but it throws off our routine a bit.

Halloween

Owen is 20 months now and halloween this year was a blast he was a lil dino! We first visited some friends to show him off, then went out in our nieghborhood around 7 a little later then normal for a 1 ish year old but we figured there would be less crowds and he could walk freely without getting pushed out of the way by the 'big kids'. He was super confused at first... wondering why strangers were giving him candy but 2 doors in he started to love it!!! He knocked on the doors himself grabed an Owen size fist full and dumped it into his bag then said 'bye bye' and proceded to climb back in his stroller and then it was on to the next house! So adorable :) By the end of the night we were all exhausted and ready for bed. Owen ended up with a full bastket of candy most of which he couldn't safley eat... Mommy and daddy helped him out :) Halloween was a hit! I can't wait for next year.

5 things I do every day with my son.

1. I wake up with him in a good mood, no matter what time. I walk in his room give him good morning kisses and change his diaper. We grab his blanky and then turn on some morning cartoons. while he is watching his show I give him a sippy of milk and a piece of toast. I also make mommy and daddy some coffee :) Happy parents = Happy baby!

2. We always say bye bye to daddy together. I hold my son we give daddy kisses and hugs and wave as he heads off to work.

3. Clean up. My son is 20 months old and has been helping pick up his toys since he could move. We make it a fun game. I do the dishes and sing and he picks up his cars or moves his ride along toys in to his room. we have the music on and we enjoy it. When it comes time to vacuume he loves it! cleaning up is a part of our daily routine.

4. Dinner time. My son and I have dinner at the table together every night. With or without daddy :)

5. Bed time is quick at our house for the most part. 8:30-9pm rolls around and my son is changed, sucking his thumb and cuddling his blanky in his big boy bed. I tuck him in and say a prayer. When I walk out of the dark room I still always wonder if its going to be a bad night... it rarely is.

Routine is the only thing that saves us stay at home mommys! But we also have to have fun with it. Of course we could (and sometimes do) stress over everything and try to make it all perfect but I know I didn't have a baby to worry about how clean our house was or if the baby was always going to be good I did it because I wanted to be a mommy and that means taking the fits with the kisses!I dance and sing with my son and we go to story time and try new things and messy projects yes sometimes this means more work but I wouldn't change my life for anything!

Owens story

Owen Ten :) Our son was a miracle from the beginning. I was not supposed to have children due to a heart condition I was born with. At 20 years old I started trying anyway knowing it would really be my only chance. My boyfriend and I got pregnant right away unfortunately we lost the baby before 12 weeks a very hard hit. We then decided months later that we would try again, the fear of losing another baby consumed me. When I found out I was pregnant again I tried hard not tell anyone this time I didn't want to go through the pain of having to tell people "we lost the baby" not again, it was just too hard. So I kept quiet and told only my mom and sister. After the first trimester past and everything was going well I started to tell our wonderful secret to anyone who would listen! I had to see a specialist because my pregnancy was the highest of high risk... to us this just meant more appointments and tons of pictures of baby. We were in the doctors office once a week checking on baby or me it seemed never ending. At 27 weeks I went in for yet another ultrasound, Owen was itty bitty and had slowed on his growth chart. I was admitted on bed rest in the hospital, I was placed on the mother baby unit but had to bounce between cardiac unit and baby...this went on for 42 days :( I had to cancel my baby showers yes two one for friends and one for family. I spent valentines day in a hospital room and so on. Owen was still not doing well and they thought it would be better to go ahead with a c-section at 34 weeks exactly I was prepped for surgery I had to be prepped for both Open heart (just in case) and a c-section, The prep took 2.5 hours while the c-section itself took 4 minutes. I was put under and had a breathing tube so I didn't witness the birth of my own child which still to this day hurts! No one else was in the room with me either not the proud papa or grandma...just me and 25 doctors and nurses. When I woke up I was in a lot of pain gagging on the breathing tube and crying because my stomach felt like it had been torn open...which it had! Every muscle in my body hurt but All I could think about was Owen and where he was and how he was doing his weight and height I wanted the stats! My wonderful boyfriend came is as soon as he could with pictures of our little angel. Owen was in the NICU getting taken care of by some of the best nurses around. Owen weighed 3lbs 14oz and was only 16in long he was a mini :) he looked just like his daddy :) He had some breathing complications in the beginning but pulled through that quickly His heart unlike his mamas was perfect! I couldn't have been more happy and full of pride and joy. I had to wait 2 days before I was strong enough to get down to the NICU and meet my beautiful boy face to face. It was an extremely emotional moment one I will never forget. He opened his eyes and looked right at me his little cry was just as small as he was. I couldn't believe how much I could love someone I just met, He was perfect. Owen had a hard time eating and was in the NICU for 32 days gaining weight and strength enough to come home with us. I spent every day all day at the hospital with Owen holding him feeding and changing him watching my little miracle grow and change daily! The day we could finally bring him home was wonderful! We had been waiting and waiting and the time had finally come our precious boy was home! 5lbs 4oz he was still swimming in preemie cloths :) He was still struggling with eating and needed to be pushed to eat 2oz every 3 hours this was and still is our life a year later...He eats more food at once but still eats every 3 hours during the day and sleeps 9-12 hours a night (we got very lucky with a wonderful sleeper) At 1year old Owen is still only in the 25% and only weighs 18 lbs but is hitting his milestones and is just a blessing. We wouldn't change anything in the end our boy is a fighter just like his mama :)

Dinner went well

So We had Kendra, Kammi and Curtis over tonight to play and eat dinner. It was wonderful now that Kammi is getting a little bigger she can really play and its very cute. I enjoy our play dates once a week it nice to get to talk to someone other then Owen or Jesse.
I did horrible on my diet today :( I am at 2664 calories for the day :( pizza for dinner was a no no but I did it anyways. I am supposed to stay around 1200 calories for a day... I ate two days worth of food today:( I need to think smarter and remember I am doing this for Owen and for Jesse and for myself I want to be healthy and be able to run and play with my son!
On another not my niece shaved her eyebrows :( she was trying to shave the uni-brow she thought she had going and just went too far :( I feel so bad for her I know the pain and anxiety she must be feeling and it just breaks my heart. I am praying she goes to school tomorrow ( if her mom makes her) with a big smile and a silly story to go along with her new look... She needs to get to it before her classmates do. I hope my little angel gets through it okay!
I'm going now to get a quick work out in before bed.