Owen at 17 Months!

Poor Owen - I am SOOOO sorry this post got so late.  Luckily, I do have some good notes to help recap your last month :)  We love you so much and you are definitely becoming a mama's boy more and more every day as well as a little cuddle buddy.

Owen still loves the outside and I have a feeling this is going to be a long winter being cooped up inside.  As a tribute to late-summer, here are some fun photos of you enjoying the outside.

 

Even though Daddy had to work when the Vikings had their first game of the season, we still broke out the sweatshirt!

Owen is really starting to be a lot of fun to interact with lately and such a joy to have around.  He is catching on to so many things and becoming very aware of his surroundings.

He loves to be a helper.  He helps rub the shampoo in his hair at bath time and also tries to rinse out Megan's shampooed hair.  He's started throwing his own diapers away in the diaper pail, actually, he insists he helps throw the diapers away.  He will also take commands really well if I tell him to give something to Daddy or put something back on the shelf at Target.

Owen is becoming aware of his body parts.  If you ask him where his head, hair, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tongue, hands and feet are he will point right to them.  He also is aware if something gets on his fingers.  He likes lotion and will rub that in over and over but we have to kiss the boo boos and wipe off any messes that get on him.  He also has become aware of things on his body like the zippers in his jammies and coats.  He loves to help with them!

Owen loves books and does a really good job of sitting through them.  He's really fallen in love with some barn/farm books we have and likes to point to all of the animals one at a time.  Of course he won't move onto the next animal until we've told him what the first ones were though... Guess he's just trying to learn their names!  Our bedtime routine consists of reading "The Big Red Barn" and "Night Night Prayer".  These were Megan's favorite books at this age too and just perfect for going to bed (and perfect for me because I know them for memory and can do it in the dark :).  When we get to the prayer book he knows to fold his hands because we have to pray.

A couple other parts to the bedtime routine has become Owen running into the bathroom saying "Ba?" asking if he will get a bath.  Not every night but we do have a seat on the potty so he can "practice wiping".  Totally not trying to potty train but it makes him feel important.  Also, he went through a phase where he wouldn't go to bed unless Daddy (if he was home) came to tuck him in.

Lots of new sounds are coming out of Owen's mouth.  He has really taken to trains lately and likes the "choo choo" sound he can make.  Of course he also likes to imitate any weird sound or action his big sister is making at the moment too.  I love that he's started to say Mama consistently whenever he sees me - just melts my heart!

Oh, did I say Owen likes to be a little helper?  I can't get him out of the high chair without "letting" him wipe off the tray!