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"When March comes in like a lion, it goes out like a lamb"

I hope that this saying holds true with toddlers as well!  
Owen is in full force these days, luckily it has been nice out this past weekend.  Daddy was out of town for work stuff and I had to do hair for a wedding.  So at least I had a little break, thanks to Kelly  (video of Owen and Matthew on her blog).  It makes it a little hard without family near to juggle weekends with out Andy, but I am so thankful for good friends.


Here are some pictures from our week.

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Owen is 15 moths old!

Dear Owen, 

Today is your 15 month birthday.  You are growing in to such a little boy these days.  Your favorite word lately is "up".  You are more clingy to mommy than you ever have been (I secretly have always wanted this).  You hang on my leg as I am cooking, doing hair, or just about anything that doesn't provide you with my full and complete attention.

You absolutely love music.  Anytime there is music you will stop and bounce, clap, and wiggle your little booty!  Grandma S. told daddy you are either going to be a dancer like mommy or a football player.  Who says you can't be both?  You have some serious dance moves, but you do love to rough house with daddy.  Being tossed in to pillows makes you giggle so loud…I just stand back and watch with a big smile on my face.  That is your special time with your dad.

Now that the weather is nice we have been spending lots of time taking long walks.  I have to remind myself sometime that we really don't have anywhere to go…so I let you stop and say "hiiii and bye bye" to all the landscape guys and neighbors, taste some grass, and just take your sweet time.  The smallest things light up your face, like the kids running home from school or someone walking their dog.  You especially love the big dogs.  

You have become a very picky eater.  I am not sure why…but I will keep pushing it.  You would eat yogurt for every meal if we would let you.  A while back mommy had been working on sign language with you.  You would do the "more" sign and the "all done" sign every so often.  Now you do the "more" sign when ever you want food…which is about every 20 min.  I know your not hungry…I do feed you, I promise.  Just look at that belly of yours!

You are a flirt and love the ladies.  You have a particular girl that you adore.  Her name is Chloe and mommy is good friends with her mommy.  The other day you made the moves and gave her a St. Patrick's Day kiss.  It was so cute…but i am warning you, that can get you in trouble when your older.

Owen we love you so much…we cant believe how big you are getting.  

I make sure I cherish every snuggle, hug, and sloppy kiss from you.  Because I have a feeling one day you will be to "cool" for that.

I love you.

xoxo mommy

I have come to the conclusion that once Owen is sick it will be passed down to me.  We have had to sit out our usual weekly adventures...Monday reading at the local bookstore, wee workouts, and our play date with Presley.  I think we are both getting cabin fever.  But I am not the only parent in Charlottesville that is stuck inside.  I just looked outside (it is 2:30 am...joys of being sick) and we got another four inches of snow and looks like schools are canceled for the third day in a row!  They are calling for a ton of snow again this weekend...I really love snow, but I have had enough already!

Here are some pictures of our days inside.

Owen's First Fat Lip 

Helping Mom in the kitchen.

Climbing & yelling at the TV.

Snowed in sick day :(

We received another big snow storm in Charlottesville this weekend...8 inches!  Instead of romping through the snow we spent the two days climbing stairs or just about anything we could get up on, dancing around the house, cuddling on the couch, and drying runny noses.  Although Owen was a little under the weather we still had tons of fun!

It feels like yesterday.....

that Owen was a little baby and I was walking around in a daze from lack of sleep.  These days my life is so different...my days are filled with lots of laughter, hugs,  "NO owen don't hit the dogs!!", and so much love that I never thought possible.

We feel like Owen is becoming more of a big boy as days pass by.  He went from being totally dependent on mommy and daddy to a little independent "bruiser".  He is such a rambunctious little guy...but people always told me boys were like this so I don't know why I am surprised.

I have my hands full but I promise I will try to update at least once a month!  Here are some pictures from the last couple months...ENJOY!

Love,
US

and now he is a Toddler.

I know I have not put any halloween pictures up but this to precedence over them.  Owen walked to us today! 

After a long day, daddy finally got home.  Owen was super excited and mommy was ready for a break.  So I stood him up in front of me and he walked right back over to me and gave me a big hug.  He was so proud.  So we kept having him walk form mommy and daddy and he clapped for himself every time.  

It is amazing how fast he is growing up.  And to think he will be a year old in December.  Here is a little video we caught the 5th time around.

Slow down....

Owen is ten months old...can you believe it!   I can't, he is growing into a little boy as we speak.  We have had a busy month and the holidays are vastly approaching.

We had some visitors for the IU vs UVa game (Suzanne, John, Judy, Grandma Chris, Papa...yes Owen calls my dad papa, and Aunt Stephy).  Lets just say I would be embarrassed to be an IU foodball fan at that game.  Owen and I were able to ride home with Papa and visit with some family before Andy and I were off to Chicago for a wedding reception for some friends.  I think we all miss Indy.  There is never enough time.  We miss everyone and wish we could be closer to family and friends.

Halloween Pictures will be up soon!!!  

We Love the Fall!

Today we took Owen to the apple festival at Drumhellars Orchard.  He had his first hay ride and mommy let him suck on a freshly picked apple!  Andy participated in the apple sling shot while Owen watched in amazement!

The fall here in Virginia has so many fun things to do on the weekends.

Owen also climbed all the way to the top of the stairs today while following his dad.  Looks like I am in for daily stair-master workouts.

Happy Blue Monday!

We may live in Virginia but my little man is still an Indianapolis Colts fan.  Can you believe that this was Owen eight months ago!

9 months old.

Go Colts!

Nine Months Old!

Wow I cannot believe that Owen is nine months old today. He changes by the day. He is becoming more of a big boy these days. He is not my little baby that used to want to snuggle in my arms. Owen want's to be on the move most of the time. Here are some things that Owen has got himself into lately:

Almost every Saturday it is just Owen and I because daddy is usually working at the football game. I have taken him to the last 2 games. He knows how to make the Touchdown gesture with his arms up and claps with the fans. He seems to enjoy them for about 20 minutes, then it is usually time to go, but we make Andy's day by being there, so we go :)

Today Owen and I went to the apple orchard with my Junior League group. It was a lot of fun with the hot apple cider donuts (maybe next year Owen), apple picking, and Owen's little girlfriend Chloe, who could resist? It is great to have such a good friend with a little one the same age as Owen.

Tomorrow Owen and I will attend our first swim class! He loves the water so I am sure that he will enjoy it! Watch out Michael Phelps!

Owen has been crawling for sometime now and is now trying out big boy steps. Grandma Kathy bought him a little shopping cart that he chases me around with. It is so crazy to see our little boy actually walking! It gives me a little glimps of what is to come. He also walks around all the furniture from one to another.

I have noticed from being around litte girls that they are so much more talkative. I swear some things never change! Girls are totally born talkers! But Owen is saying some things these days...he mimicks a lot of things that I say. He says MAMA...yes Mama not dada! His newest "words" are dog and ball. I mean they may not be total words but pretty close. He pointed to Meeko and said dog and he chases the basketball around going "ball ball ball."

We are enjoying Owen so much. He is such a little ham! Everyday is a new adventure in the Platt household!

Come visit us soon!

No shoes.....Please!

OK, so this blog may not be directly about Owen but I thought it was good knowledge for all new mommies and guests in homes with children.

Now I was not brought up in a house where we were to take our shoes off...shame on you mother (totally kidding). But more and more was I walking into homes where you were to take your shoes off. At first I found it quite annoying to be honest. But then I totally got the hang of it and now we have chosen to jump on the bandwagon and be a no shoe wearing home. Andy still yells at me when I forget. But hello I do have "mommy brain", so i need a reminder. So I started searching the Internet for cute signs we could put by the door for not only me but as a nice reminder that we would like our guests to take their shoes off. While doing this I found tons of blogs dedicated to this "no shoes rule". It is very interesting the issues people have and also the disgusting fact of the things that get tracked thorough your home. Now that we have a little mover crawling through the home we have these things to worry about.

Here is an insert from one of the blogs I enjoy reading Mommy Goes Green.
"Years ago, I found it annoying to go to someones house and have to remove my shoes. Now, it’s the rule in my house and I almost feel weird wearing shoes in other people’s houses. If you haven’t yet crossed over to a shoe free house, you might reconsider.

Recently, the New York Daily News did a test of two pairs of flip flops worn around New York City. Pair #1 went through bars, a park, rode subway trains and a roller coaster. Pair #2 went into a public restroom in a subway station. Pair #2 had almost 14,000 more bacteria than pair #1 (and traveled far less!).

Not only does this make you rethink your public restroom visits but why would you bring all this bacteria into your home? I have found that I do FAR less sweeping of our hardwood floors since we went totally shoe free.

Dr. Philip M. Tierno Jr., director of clinical microbiology and immunology at New York University’s Langone Medical Center, said that for shoes worn for 3 months over a summer, 93% have fecal bacteria on them and 20% have E. coli. Translate that to wearing your shoes in your house, leave some ‘fecal matter’ around and having your toddler eat a dropped grape off your floor. I’m cringing.

One other thought – if you have any open cuts or blisters on your feet – stay away from flip flops! You can pick up a serious infection from all the yucky germs floating around on the ground."


So next time you enter house it is always nice to ask if you should remove your shoes.

So much to share.

First I would like to apologize for my lack of blogging but I have been quite busy chasing Owen around. Trying to keep him from getting to may bruises so people don't report me to child services, eating dog food, and keeping him from anything that can cause bodily harm. He is quite the crawler these days and wants to pull up in anything. I see walking in the near future. Dad is getting tons of enjoyment out of Owen these days. He has brought home a football from work for some early practice. They spend days wrestling on the floor, building forts out of boxes (andy does the building Owen just crawls in and out of them), and hanging upside down and flying though the air. Football season is about to start so we are looking forward to attending the games. We have lots of visitors this fall. We hope to see everyone soon!

Here is a video of Owen's eating skills.



Stay tuned for some more funy videos of Owen along with some recent picture.

Obviously way to long!

It has obviously been way too long since I have last posted. I am sure that many of you are wondering just how much our little Owen has been growing.

Well he is now over 7 months old. He weighs 21.5 pounds now and full of energy. He is sitting up on his own I no longer need to prop him up. He is also moving right along crawling and finding anything and everything he can to stick in his mouth. He is beginning to pull up on everything and loves to be on his feet. I have a strong feeling that we will have an early walker :/

We have spent much of our summer going back to Indiana and spending as much time with daddy before football season starts. Owen loves to wrestle with Andy and laugh at his crazy dance moves. Here are some updated pics from his baptism and throughout the summer.

Enjoy!

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We would also like to say welcome baby Matthew White who was born this weekend. The parents, Kelly and Ryan, have become close friend of ours in the past months and we wish them lots of happiness with their new little bundle of joy.

Summer time :)

Owen is now 6 1/2 months old. I can't believe it! These last few weeks have been full of firsts. Owen was baptized on June 21st. It was not only special because of the baptism but it also fell on father's day and his daddy's birthday. We were fortunate to be able to share this with our family in Indiana. The priest who married Andy and I baptized Owen in the church I grew up in. My parents had a cookout afterwards. It was so nice to see everyone that came. I will be posting lots of pics soon from, Meg Miller, the photographer we had there.

We stayed in Indianapolis for half of the week and then made our way down to grandma Kathy and Grandpa Kirk's lake house. It was so nice and relaxing. Owen had his firs swim and his first boat ride. We also got to spend some time with his birthday cousin Lilly. It is so crazy to see 2 little people together that were born on the same day. I look forward to seeing them grow up together.


Indiana was great and we never feel like we are there long enough. We hope to have some visitors here soon.

We hope everyone had a fabulous fourth of July. We spent out day at Keswick Winery with the Narduzzi's It was a beautiful day to have a picnic with great food, wine and family.

Here is a slide show from the past weeks.

Stay tune for pictures from the baptism and his 6 month session.

Our fun filled weekend!

This weekend Owen and I were being very preppy and attended our first polo match with some friends. It was to support breast cancer awareness so it was a must that Owen where his pink. Andy wasn't to sure about his son leaving the house in a pink shirt but he was going to Baltimore for the weekend with the guys so he didn't have much say. I am pretty sure that even though Owen was sporting his pink he still looked all boy. As you can see he is already chasing the girls :) This is his new girlfriend Chloe. She lives in the same neighborhood and is about 1 month older than Owen. They had a great time playing.

Also this past Tuesday Owen finally received his first tooth! It is crazy how one day there is no tooth then the next morning there it is.

Friday we will be making the trip to Indy for Owen's Baptism and to visit with the family. Wish us luck....we are driving!

Update.

Owen is now sitting up. He is very sturdy! I am still not confident enough to leave him alone but that will come with time. I also thought I would show you all a video on his attemps to crawl. I laugh every time he does it, I am sure you will understand why. Enjoy!

Owen is growing up so fast these days. Here is a list of some of the things he has done this month.
1. He can sit on his own for about a minute tops... But propped up with the boppy pillow he is a pro.
2. He is scooting back. He cant quite figure out what to do with his arms. But I see crawling in the near future.
3. He wants to touch, grab, pull, and pinch everything.
4. He has a new best friend...his feet. They can occupy him for at least a half an hour a day.
5. Teething (yuck)...but still no teeth.
6. He is eating 2 meals a day and mommy is still making it all :)

We also made our first trip as a family on an airplane. To be honest I was more worried about Andy than Owen. He was very concerned about the other passengers. Owen did fantastic. A little crying but nothing to bad.
It was a great visit in Indy, although it is never truly enough time to see everyone. It was so nice to be there for my dad's 60th surprise birthday party. We can't wait to go back June 21st for Owen's baptism.

Just this past weekend I had a baby shower for my good friend Kelly who is expectiong little boy in August. It was a beautiful day and she got lots of goodies. I am so excited for her!

We also took Owen to his first winery. I am lucky to know the owners daughters' from my book club so we got to see how the wine was made and also taste a lot of wine. Owen wasn't to interested; he slept most of the time.



All in all May was very busy. Things have finally started to slow down a little for Andy so Owen and I look forward to spending lots of time with him.

I am 5 months old!!!

Happy 5 month Birthday Owen! Mommy and Daddy love you!

4 Months (a little late)

I can't believe that our little guy is growing up so fast. He is so full of energy and smiles. At Owen's 4 month appointment he weighed in at 15 pounds 11 ounces and was 27 inches long. Looks like he is going to be tall and skinny like his daddy. We have started him on solids, We are hoping that this may help a little with his extreme spitting up. He is doing great with the cereal and we are now going to start introducing veggies! I am going to try to be Suzi homemaker and make all his baby food. Wish me luck. Here is a video of Owen laughing and some pictures for you to enjoy.