Hey Mom.... I Was Here First!

As much as Megan enjoys playing with baby brother Owen, she likes playing with his toys even more  You can see how she weaseled her way right beside Owen so she could take over his playtime.  It was like Christmas morning when I brought all the baby toys in from the garage!  She definitely enjoys these toys more now than she did when she was Owen's age - although I'm sure it helps to have someone to show them off to.  Megan talks to him when showing saying something like, "See, Owen... Huh?...Yeah!"  I hope they always play together this nice :)

Owen At Two Months

Our little Owen turned two whole months on the 8th and last Tuesday, the 10th, Megan and I took him in for another checkup.  I have his stats below.  Looks like Owen gained about 4 1/2 pounds and three inches since birth!  My back had been killing me from carrying him around the house and I had a feeling that Owen would weigh into the 13 pounds, just surprised it was at the higher end.  And I'm sure that by now he has topped 14 pounds!

Height - 24 1/4 inches - 92%

Weight - 13lbs 13oz - 70%

Head Circumference - 16 inches - 70%

Owen just finished up with a big growth spurt as is proven by his two month stats.  I always get a kick out of growth spurts because you take a look at the baby and then at the clothes hanging up in the closet and suddenly realize that he is never going to wear them again.... way too small!  There are just a few 0-3 month clothes that fit Owen still but I am quickly replacing everything with the 3-6 month clothes.  Crazy!  I also switched him up to the size 2 diapers.  I have enough diapers for probably a month but then I think I will start with size 3.  It says they start at 16 pounds and he'll be there in no time.  Plus with the blowouts he's been having lately it will probably be a smart move.  

With the big growth spurt came a lot of eating and Owen was actually downing 6 oz bottles, about 5-6 each day.  Now that it's over he is pretty consistently having a tough time finishing the 6 ounces so I will probably go back to the 5 oz.  It still seems like it will be only 5 feedings each day - primarily because Owen is sleeping so long at night and then takes an awesome afternoon nap.  Right before he turned 2 months he was sleeping about 6-7 hours at a stretch but now it is not uncommon for Owen to sleep 7-8 hours!  I can get (and am getting) used to this!  He mostly will stay up for an hour to an hour and a half between feedings before getting super cranky and needing his swaddle blanket.  My favorite part of the day is when I can get both Owen and Megan down for a nice long afternoon nap!  Usually they both will nap for 2-3 hours!

Owen is getting so strong in his arms and upper body.  We can sure tell this when putting him up to burp but also during Tummy Time.  I had him on his tummy today and he had no problems propping himself up using his arms and taking a good look around the room.  I think I'll have to give him more time on his tummy!  I also pulled out some of Megan's toys that he can lay under and listen to music and watch lights.  He is more entertained by these than Megan was at this age!  The swing is also a big hit!

Owen's smiles are just the most precious thing in the world and they light up the room.  I bet he will be a big flirt as he gets older.  He sure knows my face and voice as he always perks up when I am near.  He loves to have people close to him and look at their eyes.  Owen loves to be talked to and have "conversations" with us.  What a sweetheart!

Car rides are becoming a lot easier with him.  My chiropractor made mention to me that some car seat carriers don't have padding that goes all the way down the back and ours was one of them.  Basically, there is cushion halfway down and then just the hard plastic.  I put a towel where the padding was missing to give him a nice smooth surface for his back to rest.  He has seemed a lot happier since then!

And, of course I couldn't leave you without a few more photos - these taken within the last week and a half.  

 

Owen absolutely loves bathtime!
Megan also gets to participate by giving Owen toys to use in the bath!

Ponies & Pool

A neighboring town celebrated 125 years so they had a celebration this weekend.  Saturday was a hot and humid day but since they had pony rides we just had to go.  My mom was able to come with me, Megan and Owen and I definitely could not have done this by myself, especially with the heat.  There was a small petting zoo set up so Megan could pet goats, rabbits, sheep and more, but she really was interested in the ponies.  She started off on Misty but once we started walking Misty wasn't a good pony for Megan and kind of shook her off.  Luckily Megan wasn't afraid to 'get back on the horse' and went right onto Daisy who was very nice to ride.  

 

 

We stayed a bit longer so Megan could get a balloon animal made for her.  Guess what she chose?  An orange Keeper dog.  Megan picked out the wiener dog on her own and the orange color was a nice coincidence!  I would have loved for her to play in the bounce house too but it was just a little too hot :(

My sister was out on Sunday and since we didn't have any plans we decided to take the kids swimming at Safari Island.  We had taken Megan there while I was still pregnant but now it was Owen's turn to make his pool debut.  Plus, we had a super cute swim suit for him to try out!  He was only in the pool for maybe a half hour but he did great.  It sure wore him out, however, but helped him take a really nice afternoon nap :)

 

Kids Workshop - Penske Truck

This past Saturday John got the opportunity to bring Megan to a Kids Workshop at Home Depot!  He's been itching to bring Megan there and got the ok from a couple people at work.  Typically they request that the kids be at least 4 or 5 but why not start early, right?  Home Depot sponsors these free workshops the first Saturday of every month and hopefully it will work to continue this tradition.

As I put Megan to bed Friday I told her that we would go to Daddy's store the next day and use the hammer to build something.  She never forgets so the first thing out of her mouth on Saturday was something about a hammer and building it all by herself.  And as soon as the car door opened after we parked she could hear the kids banging away since they were having the workshop outside.  

Here John proudly puts Megan's apron on.  She can wear this apron to all future events and she will get a pin for each workshop she participates in!

Lefties at work!  After Megan surrendered to actually allow Daddy's help the process was fairly smooth.  John obviously did all the work but Megan held on tight the entire time.  About halfway through the construction process Megan discovered what they were building... Papa's Truck!

All done at the building station... Now on to paint!  The night before she told us she wanted to paint her truck pink so color selection was pretty easy.  Again, John did all the work and Megan was just along for the ride.

The finished product and a very proud Megan and Daddy!

Megan loved her truck so much and building it too.  She talked about this all day long and every time it was the same story... I hammer.... the nails... I painted... Papa's truck!  Yup, that about sums it up!

John helped her add the actual Penske stickers to the truck yesterday and now it's pretty sharp looking.  We had my family over yesterday for a short while and she loved showing her project off to them.

4th of July Celebrations

I hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July.  We kept it pretty low key here but still wanted to share what our family was up to as well as a few photos.  

John actually had to work on the 4th so he took out his big stash of fireworks and had some fun with Megan on the 3rd.  John and Megan first did some sparklers which she really enjoyed and wasn't afraid at all to hold it and wave it around.

 

But she really liked it when Daddy took out the big torch!

On the 4th we did what we do every year which is go to my aunt and uncles place for a birthday celebration for my cousin.  Even though she is now 19 we are still getting together!  The kids and I were lucky enough to hitch a ride with my parents and brother over to the party which sure helped me out a lot considering John was away at work.

Owen in his Red, White and Blue!

As good as it gets photographing these two goofs!

Since the temperature was well above 100 degrees on the 4th we were only outside (and tried to stay shaded) for a very short time.  We mostly kept Megan on the swing set and I don't think she minded one bit!

Trying to push Auntie Rachel...

Megan's buddy, Papa...

I think the highlight of Megan's 4th of July was discovering this trap set in our cousin's basement.  Since she is so into music I am not surprised that she gravitated towards this.  She actually did a good job of letting everyone take turns playing the set but really rocked out when it was her turn.  I forgot how loud these sets are because when Megan was playing in the basement I could hear her while I was up on the 2nd floor!  Auntie Rachel taught her how to play Twinkle, Twinkle (right, Rach?) so that is what she played.  Rachel took her turn at the set and led us in singing Jesus In The Morning and How Much Is That Doggy In The Window.  What fun!

My favorite part was how Megan wanted to give each drum and cymbal equal attention.  When we went downstairs after dinner to play drums again she noticed that the desk chair had been moved and the hi-hat was also moved out of the way to let the chair through.  When Megan wanted to play the set we put the chair back for her but didn't think about putting the hi-hat back.  Well, during her performance she made sure that after she played all of the drums in reach that she would climb down from the chair, walk over to the hi-hat, hit it and go back to the chair to continue playing!

 

We left Eagan around 7:30 knowing that Owen would be ready for a feeding around 8:30 so wanted to be mindful of that.  And let me tell you, about 10 minutes from home he was already sucking pretty hard on his pacifier!  John was home shortly after that too.  He had a busy day at Home Depot and even had to grill brats outside during the hottest part of the day for several hours.  Ugh...  He and Megan watched Waconia's fireworks from our bedroom window like we do every year.  Sure beats all the bugs and traffic!  Maybe if we were outside she would have liked them a little better.  She was tired and got distracted easily and kept looking over at the full moon!

June Wrap-Up

Wow, already a week into July... Summer is sure cruising by and before long I will be back to work.  Before I get too far into July details I wanted to do a quick wrap-up of the month of June.  It seemed non-stop for me with Owen's baptism then prepping for the garage sale, recovering from the garage sale, working on the potty with Megan and just trying to stay caught up on housework and of course, sleep.

Another reason I haven't blogged much is because I am now sharing my laptop with the 27 month old.  It only took her a couple weeks to get proficient with using the computer mouse.  Megan absolutely loves the freedom to play by herself, exploring and learning new things every day.  There are some really great websites out there like Fisher Price, Peep and the Big Wide World and now she discovered Sesame Street's site.  And if she accidentally X's out of the browser she is able to find the Google Chrome icon on my desktop to get back up and running!

Our Tuesday nights have been super busy this month.  We either have our church community group meetings or John would have a softball game.  A few times we've split up so John wouldn't have to miss a game as the season nears its close.  The Hoppers' record isn't the best this year, winning maybe 50% of the games and John is pretty frustrated with his fielding and batting this season.  Hopefully we can get him to a batting cage before next season starts.  Megan and I have only made it to a couple games so far and I hope we can see at least one more before the season's over.  For the summer our community group is taking turns meeting at each other's houses for dinner potlucks.  The kids come along with us and play while the adults have Bible study.  It has been working out well and has been a lot of fun.  

John said that before I returned back to work he needed to get three dates out of me.  We were able to go out on one date the beginning of June and was so nice to have a night away from the kids.  We just went to Hoppers for dinner and then to see the movie Men in Black 3.  We also just had one more, kind of impromptu, which was dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, stop for ice cream and then do a little shopping.  Definitely a lot easier to shop without the kids!

During the middle of June was the annual Lake Waconia Marching Band Festival.  We try our best to go every year and it's so much fun plus something a little different.  Basically the general parade route through Waconia and the bands follow that doing their routine as they go.  They are judged more at the beginning but have two performance areas along the route.  John's parents and my mom joined us for the parade.  Megan liked it but got a little long for her.  She got some close up looks at a lot of different instruments but I think she most enjoyed the color guards carrying and throwing the flags.  Here's a picture of John and Megan at the parade:

Speaking of bands, this year my alma mater, Mayer Lutheran High School, turned 50 years.  There was a small service in honor of it which included an alumni band.  I was able to dust off my bassoon (ok, it's only been since February) and play in it!  There weren't too many people that I went to high school with that played as most of them were more recent alumni, but it was still fun none-the-less.  Plus, my sister and a good friend of mine played in the band too so it was a win!

John had a fun work outing to go bowling a few weeks ago.  Home Depot had a little outing for employees who reached the Platinum level in the Homer award program.  John's bowling team actually won the tournament that day so he wound up with a Home Depot gift card.  He since has used that gift card to buy batteries for Owen's swing and door knob covers since Megan knows how to open them now... 

The only other things I can think of to mention here are going over to a former co-worker if John's for dinner with the kids - sure nice to see her again, meet her kids and see their house - and then me and my sister taking the kids to the beach.  I hoped to get outside more last month but with the heat and the little ones it has been almost impossible.  There have been days where I don't go out at all and just soak up the AC.  I hope next month isn't quite so warm so I can enjoy the summer before I go back to work at the end of July!

Her Baby Brother Has A First Name

Megan is finally calling Owen by his real name, for the last two or so weeks.  No more "Baby" for her... he is now Owen!  It's cute how she says it because instead of pronouncing it with the long O sound it's more of "Ow" like when you get an owie.  And she likes to say hi to him using his real name whenever possible.

It's clear that Megan adores her baby brother Owen and totally thinks that he's a hoot!  She especially likes that he is awake for longer periods of time and that he is moving his arms and legs a lot.  She also likes to point out the times when he poops during his bottles as well as saying "he's awake now?" when she sees his eyes open and being interactive.  The last few times we've had dinner at home as a family Megan has left the table early so she could go into the living room to show Owen some toys.  These actions along with the many hugs, kisses, waves, and tickles she gives him every day are a constant reminder of how blessed I am as a Mommy.

 

About the same time she started saying Owen, Megan started saying her own name too sounding something like Mekkin.  (Thanks to Kristin for working with Megan on this during our garage sale!)  She definitely enjoys using both new names when talking through the daily plans.  Megan needs to know who's going where with whom - seriously, we easily talk through details of certain events for 5+ minutes sometimes while she wraps her brain around all of the detail.  Something like, "We go shopping and ride in Daddy's car. And Daddy too? And Mommy too? And Owen too? And Megan too??  Oh boy!"

Potty Time!

Thanks to my mom for most of the early efforts of working with Megan on using the potty.  I hadn't really put her on the potty to go much but since my mom had been helping out with Megan more after I had Owen she would put her on the big toilet seat to see if she would go.  Every time I put Megan on the little potty seat she would just get up and walk around, not wanting to sit still at all so it's clear she favors the real toilet over the little ones.

It was the week of June 10th that my mom said she thought Megan was ready and the following week we started working with her a little more regularly.  Some days are easier than others just depending what our schedule is like and a lot is also training ourselves to remember to bring her to the potty about every hour.  We tried using cloth training pants with the plastic pants over but after ending up with poop in them several times we are just resorting to Pull-Ups.  Only downside is she still can't tell when their wet like regular diapers but they are a whole lot easier to take on and off!  We'll probably use up the rest of our regular diapers and then use Pull-Ups exclusively.

At first Megan was really excited to sit on the potty.  She has an Elmo's potty book (thanks Kristin!) which keeps her entertained while she sits there waiting for the pee to come.  John installed a new toilet seat with an insert specially designed for little bottoms and Megan loves it!  We're not using the little seat at all which is ok with me.  She also thought it was fun to see the pee go into the potty and then flush saying, "bye, pee!".  Wiping and flushing the toilet are also big hits.

It only took about a week, however, for the novelty of going potty to wear off.  Although she will pee almost every time we sit her on the potty seat, it's getting her to the bathroom and pants off that is the struggle.  She would much rather be watching Mickey or playing than sit on the toilet.  What she doesn't realize is that if she would just go and cooperate it would take very little time at all and we could get back to what we were doing!  Even telling her she will get a "potty M" (M&M) doesn't always do the trick because if you give her one she just wants more and more.  Either way, I think she is doing a great job.  A lot of times she will stay dry from the time we put her first diaper of the day on until she goes down for her nap.

I love her expressions while going potty.  At the beginning of the training we would have her sit on the potty looking through the Elmo book and she would say, "It's coming" when she was about to pee.  And sure enough, it came.  Recently, we figured out that Megan hadn't been emptying her bladder each time she was going.  She would give us a trickle but not everything at once so we have to encourage her to "pee more".  You could see her pushing real hard to work more pee out as she would say, "I'm trying!".

So, I'm sure it will take some time yet before she (and us) is fully trained but I think we're off to a good start. It definitely helps that we have family willing to help us in the process and that I have some time while home on maternity leave to work with her as well.

Little Fisher Girl

In the middle of June Megan got her first ever fishing experience.  My dad upgraded his boat several years ago and I don't think John got a chance to fish on it either until just now.  The fish were biting really well on Parley Lake and although it was a hot and steamy night, just knowing that there were fish to be caught was good enough reason as any to head out and battle the heat.  John and Megan went with my parents while I stayed back with Owen to price clothes for our garage sale :)

Looks like a beautiful night for fishing!  Here fishy, fishy, fishy!  

All geared up in pink!  Megan loved riding on Grandpa's fishing boat and loved going really fast!

She caught a fish!  And look at the size of Megan's fish compared to Grandpa's!  Megan, were you using your goldfish crackers as bait?  John had gone to Target looking for a little pink fishing pole for her but they must have sold out already, not surprised.  I think John just let Megan reel in the fish that bit on his line but that's just fine for her at this age.

Megan sure had a blast!  And she still remembers going fishing and riding on Papa's boat.  Now whenever she sees any boat in the lake she has to ask if that is Papa's boat and tells us she wants to go for a ride!  Hopefully there are more fishing outings yet this summer!

Our Garage Sale

Since we no longer had a need for the the 10+ diaper boxes full of baby girl clothes sitting in our garage we knew it was time for a garage sale to get rid of as much as we could.  We had a fair amount of household items as well but when both sets of our parents contributed items we sure had a Big sale!  Especially John's parents who are really making an effort to declutter their house and make some extra room in their garage.  I wish I would have gotten a picture of the whole setup before we started selling because the entire driveway and garage were full of stuff.

We had a little of something for everyone on our sale: clothes, books, movies & games, household items, tools, you name it.  And we definitely couldn't have done it without the awesome help of both sets of our parents and siblings to help organize, price, sell and watch the little ones.  The sale was held Thursday-Saturday 6/21-6/23 and then because it was so much fun and we still had a fair amount of items left, we did it again the next Thursday, 6/28.  

The first Thursday was a beautiful day out but almost overwhelming.  We had our first customers around 7:30 and we weren't even opening until 8!  We moved a lot of merchandise that first day and John's sister Kristin was such a big help for sticking with the money table the entire time while I was in and out with Owen and the girls.  Alexa came along with Kristin and actually was a good distraction for Megan who otherwise would have been playing with all the sale items the entire time.  

 

Grape snack break!

 

John picked up Papa Murphy's for lunch for Kristin and himself and also got a Mini Murph for the girls.  They put the toppings on themselves outside.  I believe this was the first pizza Megan ever ate!

 

 

So, the Thursday was a huge success but Friday was pretty slow.  It was steady and we sold stuff but nothing like Thursday.  My grandparents showed up on Friday morning to keep us company and after lunch my mom took Megan home with her so John and I could relax a bit.  Saturday started out almost the same as the day before with having very few customers even before noon.  I originally thought we would only go until noon on Saturday but as the weather warmed up the people started coming.  There was such a steady stream of people that it was 4:00 before we knew it!  Best thing was that people were even buying stuff!  At the end of the day everything fit back into the garage with ease and then we just had to wait for one last day of sales.

Both sets of our parents were able to drum up a fair amount of more items to add to the sale for that second Thursday including these great catchers masks and gloves that the girls are modeling!  Sure didn't take them long at all to figure out how they should be worn!

 

 

Kristin was working but John's dad brought Alexa out to the sale to help keep Megan company.  The girls played in the pool together for hours, ate a really good lunch and then I was even able to put them down for a nap at the same time!

 

Three generations of Lewis men!  Owen was a big trooper.  He was outside at the sale most of the time during the first weekend sleeping in his bouncy seat or being held by his family.  

At the end of the day I don't know if it was worth being open the second Thursday since we didn't get too much traffic or sales but since we were already setup we had to give it one more go.  We really didn't have too much clothes or other items remaining when it was all said and done so I think the sale as a whole was a big success.  And our garage is really looking great now!  Maybe in a few years we will try it again but we'll see.  Now to figure out how to spend all this money!