Happy Birthday, Owen!! My munchkin is officially two and this is his last monthly update. I can’t believe this day came so quickly. (Dear Owen, Please stop growing up so fast. Love, Mommy)
On his second birthday, I can honestly say that I enjoy the company of Little O more than ever. Yeah, I know there are some challenges that come with two-year-olds…finicky eating habits, stubbornness, temper tantrums, etc. But they’re nothing compared to the joy and laughter that he brings to our lives these days.
I didn’t think it was possible to love him more than I did a year ago. But I just might.
Anyhoo, I’ll stop being sappy and get back to Owen’s final monthly update. What has he been up to during his last month as a one-year-old?
Owen’s imagination is developing. This includes his imaginary friend, Amy the Ghost. I have no idea where he came up with the name Amy, since we don’t know any Amy’s. But he likes to talk about her and when we ask where she is, he always points up. She’s white and likes pizza. Pretty harmless sounding. But his references to the mysterious Amy still kind of freak me out. Perhaps I’ve seen too many horror films with creepy children. Nothing good happened when the little girl developed an imaginary “friend” in The Amityville Horror. Just sayin.
Little O’s imagination isn’t limited to Amy. He also picks up Walter’s dog leash, clips it onto my clothes, and takes me for a walk, pretending that I’m a dog. Usually this involves a lot of commanding; Owen tells me to “Go!” and insists that I bark. This activity feels as ridiculous as it sounds. Gotta love the rewards of parenting.
Owen also loves hide-and-seek. His version basically involves three steps: 1) He says “Hide and seek!” 2) He throws a blanket over your head. 3) He waits for you to whip the blanket off and scream simultaneously with him. Our neighbors are probably wondering what is happening in our house.
He also likes to randomly fall down. And, yes, it’s as bizarre as it sounds. He has discovered that it’s amusing when other people fall too. So he yells at me “Fall DOWN!” I obey and then he runs over, asks if I have a boo-boo, and gives me a kiss. Then he promptly commands me to “GET UP.” As soon as I stand up, I’m told to fall down again. You might be thinking this is a difficult activity for a pregnant lady. You are right.
Exhibiting typical behavior of little boys, Owen’s fascination with bodily functions continues to grow. You might be pleased to know that he can now distinguish between a fart and poop. If he burps up something, he loudly declares that he threw up. He also has a sudden interest in breasts. He randomly asks his aunts if he can see their boobs. On the beach, he asked if he could kiss my boobs and then proceeded to motorboat me. In addition to looking and touching, he also likes to stash things down my shirt in my cleavage. A few weeks ago, I found a pacifier sitting in between my boobs while at the doctor’s office; I didn’t notice Owen putting it there hours before. This indicates that I’m way too comfortable with Owen being near my chest and that my alertness and attention to my own body have reached new lows.
And keeping with the gender stereotyping, Owen also has a penchant for violence. He loves water guns, good rough pillow fights, and killing flies. When Richard is hunting down flies with the fly swatter, Owen likes to join in, excitedly yelling “I’ll hit it! I’ll hit it!”
Talking more than ever, Owen mostly uses full sentences now. He’s learned to say “please,” which is both good and bad. His little “pleases” sound so sad when he’s begging for something. A couple weeks ago while riding in the car, Owen kept saying “I want out of car seat. Please, Mommy. Pleeeeaaaassee.” I almost started crying listening to his pleading voice.
Owen has also learned some bad words this month. He likes to tell the dog next door to “shut up.” And he’s picked up Richard’s habit of saying “What the!” This is actually quite funny. He’ll see something unexpected or confusing and declare “What THE?!?” It makes me laugh every time.
A sign of his growing maturity, Owen has occasional moments of stillness now. Just moments (nothing longer than 5 minutes). And only when he’s tired or intimidated by a large gathering of people (a glimmer of my personality – Owen can sometimes be a bit shy). When he sits still, he usually wants to watch YouTube videos of cats interacting with vacuum cleaners on our phones. Not exactly my first choice for entertainment, but I’ll watch anything if it keeps Owen from moving for 2 minutes.
Owen started to say “I love you” unprompted this month. A couple weeks ago, Owen awakened in the middle of the night (very unusual for him). I went into his room to check on him. I held him for a minute or two and then laid him back in his crib. Half asleep, Owen gazed up at me and said “I love you, Mommy.” I will always remember that moment and his sweet face before he drifted off to sleep. The perfect ending to the perfect year with Owen.
Bring on year #3!!
Owen’s favorite thing this month was the beach and the ocean. He loves the sand. He loves seagulls. He loves watching people on the beach. He loves jumping the waves. Here’s Little O showing off his last favorite thing for Month 24!
Owen finished off his second year by checking off a couple more things from his “to do” list. He visited the Philadelphia Zoo for the first time. Not surprising considering his love of animals, Owen had a blast at the zoo. He brushed goats, fed the ducks, and watched the otters play. He even got to see some of the big cats behind the scenes with his cousin, a cat keeper at the zoo.
Owen also hit the lanes this month, bowling for the first time. Owen immediately loved it. Throwing balls and watching pins fall down…what’s not to like for a toddler??
