Newest Lifegroup Members

Our life group has grown by 3 in 2012...

Owen (8 months), Heidi (2 months) and Levi (3 days) with Sam and Micah

Pre-Surgery Physical

Owen passed his pre-surgery physical with flying colors. I'm glad he's so healthy but boy-oh-boy, that just means our next step is the surgery.

I'm already anxious about it and dreading it more with each passing day. I'm really ready to have this behind us.

Must Haves -- Month 2

As you enter month 2, there's a whole new group of must haves!

Bumbo -- yes, they are recalled so use the strap that they have now but use common sense, too. Don't leave your baby unattended with it but Owen loves it! He loves the independence.

Jerry the Giraffe or something similar. Lamaze has some fun ones, too, but Owen just fell in love with Jerry... which means we bought a secret Jerry #2 in case something happens to Jerry #1.

Tag Blankie -- we have homemade ones but you could buy one from Taggies. They sell them at Target.

Paci Clip

Wubbanub -- he loved holding onto the soft toy and having it close.

Rattles -- Owen has a small soft one that looks like a giraffe. He wears it like a bracelet.

Cloth Books

Carter Onesies -- not Gerber. Trust me. Somedays it's all he wears.

Owen -- Month 2

Owen, Owen, Owen.. you are awesome. Your eyes are still blue, you're growing like a little weed. It's crazy!

You have now been all over the midwest! We've taken you to Knox, Plymouth, La Porte, Chicago, Sterling, Indianapolis, Terre Haute, Marshall, etc. The trip from Indianapolis to Terre Haute took FOREVER because we had to stop and feed you along the way, then change you (which was a blow-out), etc.... Daddy thought we'd never arrive. You got to meet a lot of family members and you got a lot of snuggles.

You sleep a lot now... from 9pm-7am with two overnight feedings at 12-1ish and 4-5ish. Woohoo! However, you do fight sleep like its your job.

You prefer to eat out of a bottle so I struggle to balance nursing with pumping, but as long as your eating mama's milk, I can't complain.

We've mastered the art of Facetiming your Gammy and Grandpa in Arizona. They miss you like crazy!!

During this month your cradle cap has come and gone (but not until you passed your thrush to me, which was REALLY not fun).

Papa (your great-grandpa) loves to call you Punkie. I love his little nickname for you (but I hope you don't grow up to be a Punk).

You smile for real now... at me! I love it!!!

You love being outside. It's been in the 70's in March so we've been taking advantage! Long walks to just rocking on the front porch! You love it all.

You're starting to like tummy time a little more as well as time on your mat. You like to kick and grab at things now.

You and I are still trying to get in a good routine but I'm just taking your lead. The housework can wait, Daddy can bring home dinner, playing and cooing with you is the most important right now.

You are starting to like your swing and your bouncey chair now but only for a few minutes at a time and only if you can see a human within your line of vision. You will also sleep in your cradle pretty good but only if you're on your side or tummy (I know, I'm breaking all the rules, but it's only for napping).

Your dedication was this month! Lots of people came to see you get dedicated. The pastor prayed for you after we read you our blessing and then Nene prayed over you as we all laid our hands on you. This was such a special day for you and a memory that I will cherish. Seeing you so surrounded by God's love and your wonderful family who loves you so much. Uncle Josh is your God-father and Aunt Heather is your God-mother. They came on stage with us while you were presented. Daddy had to read the blessing because I kept crying (surprise, surprise). Mommy, Daddy, Nene, Grand-paw, Uncle Nick, Aunt Elaine, Uncle Josh. Aunt Steph, Nikus, Aunt Heather, Uncle Jason, Aubs, Aiden, Memaw Julie, Papaw Tony, Jill and Micah all came! Amanda Behnke (a friend of Mommy's) stopped by during the gathering afterward, too.

Interruption...

I'll post Owen's 2 month update tomorrow but I saw this quote in a magazine and I think it sums up my view of motherhood pretty accurately.

My life is now comprised of many mini-adventures and I couldn't be happier. OK -- Owen's 2 month post tomorrow.

Must-haves for New Moms -- Month 1

I've decided to share some of my favorite items for each month as well. These items are in addition to the basics (diapers, wipes, stroller and carseat).

Medela Breast Pump (and extra parts so you aren't doing the dishes around the clock)

Soothies and Nipple butter or Lanolin (your tatas will thank me)

Moby Wrap (in case you want to use your hands to get anything done -- I preferred this when he was tiny)

Boon Drying Rack (for all those pumper parts...)

White Noise App (BEST $1.99 EVER. EVER. Trust me)

iPod for the white noise app

Vit E oil (for those c-section moms out there)

Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets

Puj Tub (AWESOME tub, he loved it from the start)

Boogie wipes (they smell good and get the job done)

Narsutten Pacifiers (the only ones our dude would take)

and last, but not least...

Boppy (you'll use it for everything)

Owen -- 1 Month

Have I ever loved until now??? You are the most incredible thing ever. I think God's pretty incredible to make each baby so special and unique that every parent thinks their kid is the best. I know in my heart that you are just so incredible and that God picked you to bless us!

I want to remember everything in your first month... I don't want to forget any of the small fleeting moments that seem to pass in the night. More than anything, I want you to know how loved you are. How loved you WILL ALWAYS be. You are my heart. Your dad and I keep looking at each other and saying how awesome you are and wondering why we waited so long to have kids. I tell him that if we hadn't waited, we might not have you! This was all meant to be and obviously orchestrated by God to teach me some lessons and then bless me beyond imagination.

Sometimes when I'm holding you, I look at your sweet face, feel your sweet soft hands and listen to your deep breaths and I am so overtaken by emotion that I could burst out in tears or laughter at any moment. It's like my love for you needs to just burst out of my body because it is too much for me to feel.

During the first month of your life, you had your days and nights completely mixed up. You slept during the day and partied at night. Usually that meant you and I hung out in the living room while your daddy tried to sleep. Luckily, he was able to be home with us for most of your first month. I got to catch up on a lot of crappy TV (Kardashian's, GCB, etc). Not the best but it occupied the time when you'd fallen back asleep and I was wide awake. Your Gammy and Grandpa stayed with us for the first three weeks of your life before going back to Arizona. It was a big help to have them here while we got re-adjusted and I healed. Gammy fixed me the best meals so that you could have yummy milk!

Your fur-brothers all adjusted to you really quickly. Benton had a hard time learning and accepting all of the new sounds that we brought home -- the pump, the bp cuff, the toys, etc -- but after a few weeks he mellowed out. Phinneas is indifferent to you. He was more worried about me. It was like he knew something was different/wrong with me but didn't know what. He smelled you, licked you and was over it. You were family. Oliver LOVED you. He kissed you as much as we'd let him. He liked to sleep near you (wherever you were), he's a big fan of yours!

 Figuring out how to get you to sleep -- rather how I was comfortable with and where you should sleep -- was quite the challenge. During naps you typically were held or put in the rock n play sleeper in the living room with us. At night, we wanted to co-sleep but everything we bought to co-sleep we ended up not liking so you co-slept for awhile before we found a co-sleeper we did like. I think I wasted the most money trying to figure something out. I think it was more my issue or being uncomfortable with you in certain places than you not liking them. Trial and error... live and learn!

You aren't a big fan of swings or bouncers yet. You prefer a human. :)

You LOVE being held tight and snuggled. You are SO hot but you still like being wrapped up with blankets so we had to always have two fans on you! Considering it was February in Wisconsin, it was almost comical.

When you're sleeping deeply, you snore. It is the cutest, most relaxing sound ever. I recorded it once so I'd never forget it.

You have blue eyes! I hope they stay blue.

You actually love your carseat! You usually just fall asleep right away. We drove to the Pizza Ranch an hour and a half away (each way) this month to see your Nene and Grandpaw and you did great until we got about five minutes from home and then you just fussed because you were ready to get out of the car!

You are the sweetest, most laid back little thing ever.

You are growing like a weed.

We had a LOT of doctor appointments this month between the both of us!

You smell delicious! And even without lotion. You have this incredible baby Owen smell. I love smelling your head and kissing your forehead. Even Aunt Elaine said her shirt smelled like you after she held you one afternoon!

When I give you a bottle of mama's milk, I like to touch your nose. I don't think you like it, but I do!

You HATE being cold... so much that Gammy bought you a wipe warmer for your wet wipes. You actually love it and you don't mind diaper changes anymore. Definitely a good buy. Thanks, Gammy!

When Gammy went back to Arizona, we both missed her. A lot.

You are a big eater. When we came home from the hospital, I breatfed you with a shield. You would nurse, then I would pump and then we would supplement with the pumped milk in a bottle. One time you literally nursed almost three hours at one sitting. Feeding you is quite the challenge. Trying to pump, clean, nurse, etc. We're getting the hang of it but whew, quite a bit of getting used to. We are struggling to get that "fast and efficient" thing down pat. We've been to a lactation consultant A LOT.

This month went by so quickly. Honestly, I feel like all we did was eat, sleep, poop and survive this month. Both of us healed this month from our traumatic delivery. We visited lots of doctors. All in all, we learned each other this month. Each day we fell more and more in love with you even though it didn't seem possible that our love for you could actually grow. You are my heart. You are awesome. You are mine and I love you with all that I have.

Sensory Play

Owen LOVES (and I mean LOVES) being outside! I thought it would be fun to give him a sensory activity while we played outside.

I put some toys inside jello and then let him go at it!

He was tentative at first... testing the jello and my reaction. I think he expected me to say no!

 He started digging it. Finding his toys, squishing around, etc.

But then he realized that he was dirty AND sticky and that made him unhappy!

VERY unhappy.

Poor guy.

But then he got another bath - which he loved, so all is well with the world again! 

Our Miracle, Our Owen

After 49 hours of labor including 3 hours of pushing and an emergency c-section, our miracle entered this world. Owen David Myers Brown was born on January 26, 2012 at 5:13 pm.

He was 22 inches long and 8 pounds.

Our labor was long and rough, and because of the trauma Owen couldn't breathe on his own when he was born. He was bagged and after about 20 seconds he took over breathing on his own.

Once he was stable, Jared got to go meet him and then he brought him to me. I think I was in shock in finally seeing him for the first time and realizing that he was here and he was alive and he was safe.

I can't compare our labor and delivery to anyone else's. Yes, I would've loved for it to have gone smoothly and more easily (I expected it to be like this), but it is what it is (and it was freakily similar to this). It is our story, our experience. God crafted that labor to be exactly as He needed it to be.

Starting Over -- Our 7 Month Reboot

Wow -- 7 months. A 7 month hiatus. I am so sorry about my sporadic posting. There have been a few times where I thought I'd start back up only to post a couple of times and slip back into my old forgetful ways.

I have SO much to catch you up on. I'm going to start back at the beginning, 7 months ago. I'll give you a brief overview of our labor and delivery. Then, I'll give you a monthly update on Owen which I will continue to do in real time.

Once you're caught up on Owen, I'll begin posting regularly like I was pre-Owen. I'll be blogging about some awesome new recipes, some new crafts and DIY ideas, some family updates and baby fun.

I've missed blogging and I've missed you! Before I get you some L&D specifics, you might like to hop over to Ashley Ann's page. They got their Little One today in China! Have some Kleenex handy, the post made me cry -- twice!

Holy Cow, a New Post??

I know it has been forever... who knew that I'd be busier than ever WITHOUT a job?!!? But, I am. I'm loving being home with Owen and learning more about him each day.

He recently passed the 5 month milestone!

Little dude is rolling over in both directions, he can nearly sit up and he has the neatest, most laid back personality ever. He likes to fight sleep but other than that, he's just awesome.

I just can't believe how much fun we have every day! Sorry for the delay in posting!

I'm a HOOT

Blessed.

We are blessed.

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday dear Daddy, Uncle Josh and Oliver,

Happy birthday to you.

We love you!!!

Back to Life, Back to Reality

I started back to work last week ... it has been a challenge to leave Owen, even for an hour... but I've managed.

Over the course of my maternity leave, J and I decided it would be in the best interest of our family if I took some time off to spend more time with Owen. So, I'm back to work for another few days and then I'm off into the unknown of stay-at-home-mommy-ing.

I can't imagine doing anything more worthwhile right now. This is just what's best for us and this time in our lives and I plan to cherish EACH and EVERY moment I get the luxury of being home.

It's interesting... I never thought I'd be so fulfilled staying at home, but I am. I love it. I think my scary/traumatic delivery and postpardum has aided my decision. Life is too short... he is only this tiny once and I'm blessed enough to be able to share in each moment of it!

But for now, Owen and Gammy are loving each minute that they get together! We are blessed to have such an amazing Gammy!

3 Months Old+

I missed this on his actual 3 month-iversary, so here it is a wee bit late!

Isn't he the cutest??? He is loving having Mommy and Gammy with him!!

It's all relative.

Owen looks like Daddy and like Twin. He can't deny that he's in this family!

We are family -- and a cute one at that! I love them!

By the way.. it's birthday week in the house. Oliver, Jared and Josh all turn another year older this weekend. A small, family gathering in Chicago is planned for our guys on Sunday. Should be fun!

I'd like a small fry with that...

Not what you were expecting... right? But I'd take this small fry any day!

Party Animal!

My son loves taking off his clothes. He just cracks us up.

Doesn't this picture look like something from Babies Gone Wild? Clothes half on, paci on the side of his face, trace of a smile, etc??? Hilarious.

And, again, loving the half on clothing!

He is the coolest guy ever.

Finding Balance

I think our family is finally shifting back to equilibrium. What, that only took us 9-ish weeks. I think everything has taken longer, gone differently at planned since the induction began but I wouldn't change a thing. Owen and I are healthy, alive and strong. I'm losing weight and he's putting it on.

Jared and I are trusting God and working together as we navigate this unknown territory without so much as a compass. We're getting there one day at a time.

The other day, I let Owen and J have some daddy/son time and I took B on a walk, just me and B at dusk. We needed it to reconnect. He'd been really trying my patience prior to that. It was just what we needed. We've been doing it almost daily ever since.

I really think that all of us are finally finding our way back together. It just took us awhile.

Owen's First Easter Basket

I had so much fun putting together Owen's very first Easter basket! I tried to fill it with things he will enjoy!

A bib for the occasion, several books (some religious and some seasonal), his own smart phone, some rattles, some eggs filled with change and a Jellycat bunny.

Someone already likes part of it!

And another someone always has to "help."

What's in your Easter basket? How are you celebrating this year?