"CHARGE!" - Eight Months

Inspiration: Linus Van Pelt jumping into a pile of leaves.

Fun Facts About Owen:

• Hates wearing bibs.
• Can feed himself Puffs.
• Babbles with "Muh muh", "Deh deh", and "Tah tah".

It's finally Fall! It's time to pull out the sweaters, drink warm Starbucks drinks, and wear boots! Uh...NOOOT!! I'm SO over the heat, and I cannot wait until the weather cools down and STAYS that way. It's going to be in the mid/high 80's all week. *Sigh*

In other news, Owen has become more vocal this past month. He can pronounce a range of consonants, and he's experimenting with how loud/soft and high/low his voice can go. He says "Mama" and "Dada", but we're not entirely sure if he KNOWS that we're "Mama" and "Dada". He has come up to me a couple of times today and said, "Mama", but it could just be a coincidence. 

Other than being vocal, he's still the same little dude with huge amounts of energy. He's more observant and is starting to learn cause and effect. He also tests me and Ralph by touching things that he shouldn't be touching (Sound Bar, remote controls, blinds, his stroller, my laptop, etc.) while looking at us with the biggest and naughtiest grin you could ever imagine.

He's also getting a lot better with his balance. He's always standing and side-stepping while holding on to the sofa/ottoman/wall/whatever. I'm expecting he'll be walking on his own in a couple of months, and Lord help me when that happens.

...and he's getting better with his hands. He's holding a bottle on his own, and he can feed himself Puffs. Eating Puffs on his own took a long time, and I'd say his success rate of getting one in his mouth is still at about 75%.

He still doesn't have any teeth, even though he's drooling nonstop (the heck?!). Ralph and I feel like we're living with a Xenomorph - EVERYTHING is covered in drool. Owen is still eating well and has tried a wide range of foods. It doesn't look like he's allergic to anything, not even peanuts. He DOES, however, have food aversions, and he starts stretching and turning his hand side to side to let me know he's had enough of whatever I'm giving him. He just hates green beans and peas.

As far as sleep, Owen is...not good at it. Hahaha. I don't know how else to put it - he's a terrible sleeper. I miss the days when he took long and frequent naps. I would say he takes two naps during the day, and each one only lasts like an hour or two. He hates sleeping, and he fights it all the time...he doesn't even sleep through the night yet. *Sigh* Soon...soon...

 All in all, he's a good baby. He's a little Tasmanian devil, but he's a good baby. :)

And, as always, we're making our frequent trips to Disneyland. Now that it's getting cooler (sort of), it's easier and more enjoyable to go. It is NOT fun taking a baby to Disney when it's hot.

I can't believe Halloween is NEXT week! I need to hurry up and finish our costumes. I was all over our costumes about a month ago, and I quickly got over it. I'm not good with the sewing machine, and I only learned how to use it through YouTube videos. Doesn't help that I have ZERO patience and high expectations.

Anyway, here is the "blooper reel" of this month's photo shoot. A huge shout out to Ralph for always helping me out when these photos are taken. It's not easy. Owen had a couple of meltdowns during this one.

Until next time!