Owen is a year!!!!!!!!!!

Dear my sweet Owen,
Happy Birthday my little angel!! You turned 1 on Thursday, and it was day of mixed emotions for me. I find myself at a loss for what to say to you, and how to sum up what you have meant to me this past year. I remember sitting here writing your 6 month love letter, and I can't believe you've added another 6 months so quickly. I can remember the day you came home from the hospital so clearly, as if it just happened yesterday. It was a beautiful and sunny summer day. The whole week prior had been so hot and humid, but the day we brought you home was picture perfect. Even at over 8 lbs, you seemed so small and fragile. It is amazing to see the little boy you have grown into. You have been a ray of sunshine in our lives, and I am so grateful to have been blessed by you and your presence. I have loved being your mom, and experiencing all of your firsts. If I could do it over again, I would slow down and enjoy everything, and not be so eager for you to reach your next milestone. I couldn't wait for you to roll over, to sit up, to eat, to talk, and to walk, and it has all whizzed by so quickly. On your birthday, I cried throughout the day. I put away all of the clothes that no longer fit you, and I started to sob. My sadness is selfish--I am sad that you are no longer my little baby and that you don't rely on me as much as you did when you were an infant. There is no going back, no doing it over, no way to recapture all of the little precious moments over the last year. But I am also overjoyed at how far you have come. Every month, you learn something new and everything becomes more and more fun. Now that you are walking, you are becoming such an independent little guy. You never sit still and your daddy, sister, and I spend a majority of our time chasing you. You love to eat, even though you are still on the skinny side. We brought cupcakes into school to share with your little friends, and you devoured yours! The other kids ate neatly and had a few crumbs here and there, but not you. It was all over your face! Your favorite food is pasta, and you eat it like it's going out of style. You love to drink water, especially out of daddy's big cup. Every time he picks you up, you say "yeah" in hopes of getting some water. You have been drinking milk for a few days now, but you don't seem to like it so I hope it is something you just have to get used to. You think it's hysterical when we take your socks off! You give your sister hugs all the time, and it's the cutest thing. Your favorite toy these days is her Dora the Explorer toy cell phone. Hopefully, you will get some "boy" toys for your birthday, because you have been playing with her purse, her vacuum, her shopping cart, and her Barbie (although there is nothing wrong with playing with girl toys!) The relationship between you and daddy has changed and gotten stronger. You light up when you see him and you always reach up for hugs. Your relationship with Isabella is becoming stronger too, and you are recognizing that she is your "sissy" and the two of you have so much fun. I look forward to watching your bond grow stronger with each day. Our relationship is so amazing, and more than I could have ever anticipated. I love you more than I could ever express in words. I promise to continue loving you with all my heart, protecting you, nurturing you, and doing everything I can to make you happy. You have brought so much love to our family, and your daddy, sissy, and I are completely enamored with you. Thank you for an amazing year, and we all look forward to watching you grow month after month and year after year. Happy 1st birthday my sweet boy.

Me, my pump, and I

The time has come for me to turn in my pump, and it saddens me. Ever since I returned to work when Owen was 3 months old, pumping has become a vital part of my daily routine. In total, I have spent hours and hours alone with me, my pump, and I. Every day at 10 and 3, I'd grab my pump and equipment and head down to our lactation room on the 2nd floor. I feel very fortunate to have had this room in our building, as I know other people are not so lucky. I'd spend 20 minutes, two times a day in the quiet solitude of the lactation room. This was my time, when I could think or read magazines, or just "be." Between a busy job and 2 kids at home, quiet time set aside just for me is hard to come by. Giving this special time up will be difficult, and it will be weird getting used to my new pump-free routine. I decided fairly early on that I would try to pump and nurse Owen for a year. To be honest, I am very proud for making it this far. It is truly a commitment of both time and energy, and I'm so glad I have been able to do it for a full year. Now that I have reached the 1 year milestone, I have decided to continue nursing Owen in the mornings and evenings and sometimes at lunch. But the pump has to go. I have been renting a hospital grade pump since I returned to work at the cost of $60/month. I have also foregone the free parking lot at work and opted to pay $76/month to park directly cross the street from my office. I chose to do this in order to save the 10 minutes it takes to walk to and from the free parking lot, so that when I nursed Owen at lunch, I could just run across the street, hop in my car, and go right to his daycare. But I am giving up the expensive parking lot as well. I thought I would be able to stop my lunchtime visits when Owen turned 1, but the idea of not seeing his smiling face in the middle of the day is a lot harder on me emotionally than I anticipated, so I think I will still make it a priority to go and see him, at least 3 or 4 days a week. It will be nice to see my husband for lunch on the other day or two, since we used to meet every day at lunchtime and temporarily gave up our dates so that I could nurse Owen during that time. It's funny to think that in the early days, when Owen was just an infant, I wasn't quite sure how I would be able to nurse for any long period of time. Those days are just so tough, especially when your child wants to nurse all the time and won't take a bottle. It's definitely a challenge. But as time goes on, and it gets easier and easier, you start to wonder how you will stop nursing! I remember hearing Salma Hayek say something about nursing being like an addiction. And while I won't go that far, I can at least understand where she is coming from now. Breastfeeding has strengthened the bond between Owen and I, and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world. I couldn't help but take a final picture of my pump so that I would never forget this piece of equipment that was such a big part of my life. Cost of paying to rent a pump and to park close to work for 9 months--$1,224. Being able to breastfeed my son for a year--PRICELESS!!

Love

This week, we celebrated my husband’s birthday. Isabella made him 2 special pictures at school, rolled up like posters and covered with a piece of construction paper that said “Happy Birthday to my Daddy.” The next day, I picked her up from school and I found a similar object in her cubby. This one said “To my mommy, because mommy I love you.” Just because. My heart nearly exploded. There is nothing in this world that can hold a candle to the love you feel from your own children.

11 months and mastering the art of walking

We have officially begun the countdown to the big 1! Owen is quickly approaching this milestone….in fact, more quickly than I would like! This last month has been wonderful. Owey (as he is called at school and by Big Sis) is developing into such a fun little boy. Over the past 2 weeks, he has been walking like a maniac! Crawling is no longer his preferred means of transportation, and when he wants to get somewhere, he walks! It’s incredible—a few short months ago, he was just a crawler, and now he’s walking upright. I used to love visiting him at daycare—he would crawl as fast as he could to get to me. Now, he walks right into my arms and it makes me happy beyond belief. Last week, he discovered his “nether regions”, about 10 years sooner than I would be ready for! When I change him, he grabs a hold of the little guy, and starts giggling. It is too funny. Owen also started shaking his head yes, whenever he wants something. But instead of just shaking his head, it’s more of a full body movement. It’s too cute. He also said the word “do” for dog….I think the “g” is missing from the end. Another favorite of mine is when he gives me high fives. He gives hugs and kisses—for the kisses, he basically just opens his mouth and puts his face on your cheek. He has a good understanding of the word “no” but refuses to listen! With each month, Owen is playing more and more with Isabella. The other day, they were chasing each other around the room and laughing hysterically. I couldn’t get them to stop! It seems like a week in the life of a baby is equivalent to months or even years in the life of an adult. It’s amazing how much changes in just a matter of days. I have enjoyed these last 11 months tremendously, and look forward to each and every new day with my little boy.
And HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY SEBBY!!!!!!!! We love you!

10 months and first real steps!

In a mere 6 weeks, my sweet Owen will be a year old—holy cow!! With every day, he loses more and more of his “babyness” and like Pinocchio, is becoming a real boy. At 10 months old, he is so much fun and he is developing and growing by leaps and bounds. Owen is eating like crazy these days. He now has 8 TEETH!! We have pretty much phased out jar foods and are now onto table foods for all of his meals. A typical dinner will include chicken or turkey, green beans, a slice of whole wheat bread, fresh fruit, and a Yo Baby yogurt….and even then, he would probably eat more if we kept going! Other foods that he really enjoys include whole wheat pasta, potatoes, strawberries, broccoli, peas, carrots, peaches, chickpeas, watermelon, cheese, kidney beans, black beans—and he loves his bananas! It’s fun watching him eat his meals, but boy does he make a mess. In addition to his solid foods, he is still nursing in the mornings, evenings, and at lunchtime. Owen is still crawling everywhere and getting into everything. Several weeks ago, he took his first real steps (5 of them) at school. He stands on his own well and has been practicing his walking little by little, but still prefers crawling as it is the fastest way from point A to B. He loves using his walker and thinks it’s hysterical. Owen learned how to crawl up an entire set of stairs about a month and a half ago, so we have to keep an eye on him at all times! He is becoming more verbal and in addition to “mama” and “dada” which he has been saying for awhile now, he started saying “yeah” and “ma” for more. He also started using the sign-language sign for “more” this week and I was so proud! Isabella and Owen are continuing to form a strong bond, and are enjoying each other’s company. He is able to interact with her more now, and they are starting to “play” together. They both crack each other up. Life in the Coffey family with two active kids always keeps us on our toes, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. PICTURES ON THEIR WAY SOON!

Driving a minivan at the age of 29!

We finally caved and bought our first minivan—a Honda Odyssey and it ROCKS! I shouldn’t even say that we caved, because we were actually pretty excited about this purchase and not at all hesitant. I must say that for those who make fun of vans, they obviously have never driven one! Our new car rides better than any other car we have ever owned and it’s so spacious! We had a Honda Pilot previously, so we were used to having the luxury of room, but the van has even more space and it’s perfect for our family. I am very excited for the automatic doors because they will come in handy during daycare pick-ups and drop-offs. It may sound lazy, but if you have never been responsible for picking up 2 kids plus all of the stuff they accumulate in one day (lunch boxes, backpacks, extra clothes, art projects , etc, etc, etc) then you really can’t judge me! I am not the only one in love with our new van. My husband likes it so much that he said when we get rid of our other car in February we should replace it with another Odyssey. Although, I don’t think we really have a need for two vans, at least not at this stage in our lives! So I have officially hopped on the van bandwagon and as someone recently said to me "once you go van, you never go back!" I never thought I'd be driving a van before the age of 30--I'm officially a bonafide grown up! Here's a picture of our new car in the color we chose.

Mother Nature?

I don't know if it's a result of living in a very progressive town filled with a lot of free spirits and hippies, or if it's a wisdom that comes with age--but I'm starting to become much more attuned to our environment and sustaining this wonderful place in which we live. I have to think beyond my generation, and consider what life will be like for my children, and their children, and so on. Two recent examples of small steps we are taking--Number one--we are going to be joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Basically, we pay to buy a share of a local farm and we are then able to take advantage of their organically grown produce. Some items, like tomatoes and kale, are "pick your own" and you are free to take unlimited amounts. Others, like watermelon and berries, are limited in quantity because they don't harvest as many crops. We can pick-up our produce either Tuesday or Friday evenings, and can "pick our own" unlimited crops whenever we want during daylight hours. By joining a CSA, we are eating healthier and fresher produce while supporting our local farmers at the same time. A win-win situation. The timing would be especially beneficial since Owen is now eating up a storm and is experimenting with all kinds of new foods. We visited the farm this weekend and spent a good deal of time chatting with the woman who runs the farm. Isabella is really excited, and it will be great to involve her in the process. Another benefit is unlimited fresh flowers, which Isabella loves to pick! Her usual choices involve dandelions and other weeds, so just think of the opportunities with plentiful sunflowers and lilies! Number two--we are looking into switching from disposable to cloth diapers. We have a fabulous local store that offers a 21 day trial of cloth diapers for $10, so I stopped by last week and picked up my samples. So far, we have had a mixed experience and we haven't decided for sure. If we do switch, it would be to Bum Genius's all-in-one one-size cloth diapers. They are adjustable and will fit your baby until he/she is potty trained, so we'd never need to purchase new diapers. They are a bit pricy, but switching to cloth diapers would really save us mucho dinero in the long run. We aren't 100 percent sold yet, because they seem to be a bit leaky. I've talked to several other people who use cloth diapers, and I haven't really heard any complaints. So we are going to continue on with our trial period and make a decision at the end. I'd really love to make the permanent switch, for environmental and cost saving reasons. Plus they are just so darn cute! Stay tuned. So while you won't see me burning any bras or wearing patchouli oil, a part of me feels like I'm releasing a little of my inner hippie!!

I'm not ready!!

As we were driving home today, Isabella told me she wanted 4 kids one day--2 boys and 2 girls. She then proceeded to ask how babies were made. Ahhh!! I was prepared to have this conversation when she got older, but not quite yet at the age of 4. I sat there, silent, for a few moments, and then said "mommies and daddies make babies." Of course she asked how. To which I answered "they love each other so much that they make a baby." Isabella looked at me and said "they have babies by hugging??" Mommy replied "Something like that!" Thankfully, she moved on to another subject. How do you explain the birds and the bees to a 4 year old? For now, my response will have to do, and we can revisit when she's older :)

Mother's Day 2009

This year marked my 5th Mother's Day, and my 1st as a mom of 2. Each year, I'm reminded of what an honor it is to be a mom. It is something I cherish above all else. I wear many hats, but I am most comfortable in my role as mother. If, at the end of my life, I have raised happy, kind, and considerate human beings, then I will consider myself a success. I have career aspirations and goals outside of my children, but they pale in comparison to those I have for being a mom. There is nothing I love more than being a mother, and carrying the responsibility of shaping and molding my children's lives. Five years ago, I could have never imagined how much motherhood would mean to me. I'd like to think that so far, I'm doing a good job. I don't read all of the latest books, I don't follow all of the rules, I make mistakes....but my children are happy and thriving, and more than anything else--they are loved. Totally and completely. My husband tends to want to get me nice presents for Mother's Day, like jewelry, which is a beautiful and kind gesture. He is always too good to me for holidays. But he doesn't seem to believe me when I tell him I don't want presents and that I don't need anything. Because at the end of the day, I have the most wonderful presents of all--Isabella and Owen--and they are better than a lifetime of material possessions. I have been blessed a thousand times over, and I am forever grateful--on Mother's Day and EVERY day!

Bend it like Beckham!

My sweet Isabella started soccer this past weekend. She has moved on from swimming to gymnastics, gymnastics to ballet, and now ballet to soccer. Her BFF Nina's neighborhood organizes a soccer league for 3-6 year olds, and they extended the group to include "outsiders" who don't live in the neighborhood. A family runs the whole thing from their front and back yard, with white lines, cones, goals, and everything! Isabella seemed to really enjoy it, and I think she is pretty decent. The coach even said to her "hey Isabella, we need you over here--believe me, I've seen you kick!" A Mia Hamm in the making perhaps? I think Isabella will be quite athletic as she gets older, because she's a pretty fearless kid, who's not afraid to get hurt or dirty. She just goes for it! Nina was away for the first session, so let's see if the two of them will pay attention to the coach when they are together!

8 months!

Owen is 8 months, and since I am so behind, he will be 9 months in 2 days. I can't get over how quickly he has grown, and how close to 1 year he is!! Much has changed in the past couple of months. Owen is ALL over the place, crawling like a mad man. He started crawling right at 7 1/2 months and hasn't looked back since. He pulls himself up on everything and is constantly standing. He can make his way from furniture to furniture while holding on. He does NOT sit still--even when I hold him on my lap, he's standing up and looking over my shoulder. He is a hungry little fellow and has just moved on to stage 3 food. He ate a whole banana at school today! He has been experimenting with new foods, and his favorite so far is yogurt. He's not a fan of cottage cheese, but he does enjoy little pieces of bread, watermelon, and cantaloupe. He loves his Cheerios and baby puffs. His teachers tell me that he tries to steal food from other kids! He has 4 teeth, 2 on the bottom and 2 on the top, although the 2nd one on top isn't fully in yet. He has been sleeping wonderfully, which is great for the whole family. He is talking all the time, saying mama, dadda, and baba--I'm assuming for bottle. His teachers also tell me that he will let you know when he wants something by yelling. For the past few days, he wakes up in the morning, stands up in his crib, and bangs on the crib and shouts "dadda" over and over until Jamie gets out of bed. It is hysterical and heartwarming at the same time!! He has also been calling for "mama" when he is sitting with Jamie and can see me in the kitchen--there is no sweeter sound! His new favorite activity is clapping, which he does frequently for no reason at all. Owen and Isabella are becoming best friends, and I turned around in the car yesterday to find them holding hands. Those are the moments I live for. At one point this week, both kids were laying with me and I thought to myself "it doesn't get any better than this!" I just love them so much. Owen's 9 month appt is in a few weeks, so I should have some updates stats at that point.

And behind yet again!

I have now surpassed my record for longest amount of time between blogs. I vow to update my blog AT LEAST once a week from here on out. I have run out of excuses. So a lot has happened since my last entry. My friend Kristin visited us at the end of March, and we had a great time. She is due with a baby boy in August, so she had a little taste of what life is like with kiddos. She is in for a big shock! We went home to visit Grandma Jane for Easter, and Isabella colored Easter eggs. Both kids enjoyed their Easter baskets, although there wasn't a lot that Owen could eat. Owen reached his 8 monthday milestone in early April, followed by mommy's 29th birthday which we celebrated with our good friends Mag, Charlie, and Sebby. Weekends have been busy with birthday parties, playdates, and good old fashioned fun. Here are some pictures from the last month and a half.

So so behind....

I am a terrible blogger. I am so impressed by my friends who manage to keep up with their blogs weekly, or sometimes even daily (here's to you Lisa!!). I haven't written an entry in over a month and a half. I'm horrible! So I've taken some time, sat down, and added a few entries below for your reading pleasure. It's been busy--read below to find out more about Isabella's new haircut, her 4th birthday party, and updates on Mr. Owen.

Super Cuts

Everyone seems to have a story about cutting their hair as a child, or cutting someone else's hair. This week, Isabella decided that she wanted to have a story too. I picked her up from school and when I was walking behind her, I noticed that her hair looked a bit odd. Upon closer inspection, I realized that there were chunks missing throughout. When I asked her who cut her hair, she shrugged at first but then replied "me." She decided to give herself a haircut when no one was watching. I approached one of her teachers and said "so, no one seemed to notice her cutting her hair?" and she said that they were cutting yarn in the corner and must have done it then. I was really too stunned to say anything beyond that at this point. I took her home, gave her a new shorter bob-like 'do, and that was that. My mom and sister have been encouraging me for ages to give her a bob, but I refused. So this forced me to do it, and the end result is pretty cute. I ended up taking off about 4 inches, and luckily she hadn't cut any really short pieces anywhere. When I finally came to my senses, I talked to her teachers about it the next day. Now, keep in mind that I am a really laid back parent, and I don't get bothered by a lot of the things that would really make other parents mad. But this time, I wasn't too thrilled because I was concerned about their safety. Anyway, her teacher sincerely apologized, told me that he left them unsupervised for a short time, and that it wouldn't happen again. They are putting into place some new rules to prevent any other incidences. That was good enough for me--as long as no one else has the opportunity to butcher their hair while nobody is watching! If all else fails, Isabella can always have a career at Super Cuts!

Birthday fun!!

My sweet little Isabella is now 4--not so little anymore. As hard as it is to believe that Owen is already 7 months, it's almost impossible to think that Isabella is now4. It feels like just yesterday that I would rock her on the front porch to sleep, or take her for walks in her stroller around the neighborhood. But she is no longer my little baby, and with each day, she is becoming more and more independent. Sometimes, I long for the days when she relied on me for everything. And others, I treasure how far she has come, and how much she is able to do for herself. I still tell her all the time that she will be my baby girl always, no matter how old she is. To celebrate the exciting occasion of turning 4, we decided to throw a ballet-themed birthday party. Isabella and her friend Nina have been taking ballet lessons for 2 months now, so it seemed appropriate. We had the party at the place where they take lessons, and my co-worker's daughter, who is a ballerina and dance instructor, came to give a private session. 12 little girls came, and they learned ballet and tap. To start the party off, everyone received a tutu and they decorated wands and crowns. No party would be complete without snacks and a Princess cake of course. Overall, the party was a really enjoyable time, and all of the kids seemed to have fun. However, I told myself that next year, we would stick to something smaller. The parties seem to get larger and more complicated each year. Happy Birthday Isabella--we love you! (PS....Your 4 year love letter is on it's way, mommy is just really behind!).

Owen turns 7 months!

Little Owen has crossed over the halfway mark to 1 year, and is now 7 months old. Mommy, daddy, and Isabella celebrated this milestone with another delicious cake, but poor Owen was too tired and fell asleep before the festivities. He has moved on to stage 2 food, which basically just means larger jars and more variety, but very similar texture. Fruits of all sorts seem to be his favorite. The most exciting news in Owen's life is that he is now crawling!! Way to go buddy! He's been up on all fours for awhile now, but has been rocking back and forth rather than moving forward. He has also been scootching backwards. However, this week his teachers informed me that he crawled several paces at school. So the next day when I picked him up, we dangled keys in front of him to prompt him to crawl further, and it worked! He did it back and forth across the carpet, and then again at home. It is so cute to watch the determination in his face! The funniest thing is that he crawled for the first time at the exact same age as his big sister, 7 1/2 months. Almost to the day! I'm curious to see if he will reach other milestones at the same time that she did. Owen continues to be such a joy, and we love him more and more every day :)

Love letter to Owen on his 6 Monthday

Dear Owen,

I almost can’t believe that you are now my six-month old little boy. Time, if you are listening, please slow down….even if only a little. I saw a 1 month old baby at the pediatrician’s office recently, and seeing her gave me mixed emotions. It made me realize how big you are now, how fast you have grown, have much you have developed, and how amazing you are, but it also reminded me that you are not the tiny little infant I brought home from the hospital anymore. It’s like I blinked, and when I opened my eyes, you were ½ a year old! In your short six months, you have brought us so much joy. Your smile lights up our world, and when I see it, my day can go from bad to wonderful in an instant. You are such a good baby, and I find myself wondering what I did to deserve such a well-behaved little boy. You are almost always happy and almost always smiling. Of course you have your moments, when you are tired or when you are hungry. I know you are tired because you rub your ears and your eyes. Your first two teeth came in several weeks ago….and yes, you bit your mommy while nursing several times. Let’s just say it hurts! You are now an ounce shy of 17 lbs and you are 27.5 inches long, so you are growing perfectly. At your 6 month check-up, the dr. was impressed by your strength and said you were “strong like bull.” Although, that might just be lip service that he pays to all the handsome little babies. You were sick with your first real ailment—RSV—a couple weeks ago. While we were at the drs, you peed all over the changing table and the nurse said she had never seen so much pee from a baby before…way to go! I had to give you nebulizer treatments to help with the RSV, and it broke my heart every time. You were such a trooper, and even while you were sick, you were happy and in a good mood. You are now eating big boy food and you seem to have quite the appetite. You don’t like peas, but you gobble down sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, apples, pears, and bananas. You are still nursing when I am with you, and I come to visit you every day at lunch. Besides picking you and your sister up after work, it is the highlight of my day. You sit up and play, and now you can pull yourself up when you hold on to my fingers—something you couldn’t do just 3 short weeks ago. You can even scoot a little, which is a precursor to crawling. You are developing by leaps and bounds, and it’s so fun to watch all the stuff you learn to do in such a short time.

Your big sister is smitten with you. She loves you so much. I know a day will come when you two will argue and fight, but always remember how good she was to you when you were a baby, and how much she enjoyed having you in her life. She sings to you, she helps feed you, she plays with you, she tells you she misses you when she doesn’t see you, and she always wants to hold you (sitting down of course). The two of you share bath time now, and last night you discovered how to splash your feet. It was too funny—I started off dry, but ended up covered in water! You think she is hysterical. When she dances, you crack up. When she plays silly games with you, you laugh. I have enjoyed watching the relationship between the two of you grow—at first you simply co-existed, but now you know who she is and enjoy her company. I know she will be a good role model for you, and I hope that the two of you are not only brother and sister, but friends as well.

You are the apple of your daddy’s eye. He thinks you are the coolest little guy ever. He loves spending time with you, and he helps take care of you just as much as I do. He gets up with you every single morning so that I can go back to sleep for a little bit. He takes you downstairs, plays with you, gets you ready for the day, and insists that you love to watch Sports Center. He even hums the Sports Center theme song to you, and pretends that it makes you happy. I think you are a little too young to get the concept of sports, but I’m guessing there will come a day when you are an addict like your daddy. Before you were born, he couldn’t imagine loving someone as much as he loved Isabella, but since the day you arrived, his heart doubled in size and there has been plenty of love to go around. You are proof that a parent’s love is limitless. I hope someday you realize how lucky you are to have a daddy who loves you as much as he does. There isn’t a single thing he wouldn’t do for you.

As for me, I have fallen head over heels in love with you. Every time I think of you, I am overwhelmed with love. I don’t care how cheesy it sounds. I love that I need you as much as you need me. I love that you comfort me as much as I comfort you. I love that my mornings start with you and that my evenings end with you. Simply put, I love everything about you. I love our special bond, and when you smile when you see me—there’s nothing like it. You are so precious while you are sleeping, and I continue to stare at you for what seems like eternity. I kiss your face all the time, over and over, and thankfully, I see no permanent damage yet! I’m sure I will make mistakes along the way, but just know that no one could ever love you more than me and daddy love you. I never imagined that the second time around could be so sweet. I have been doubly blessed with you and Isabella, and I look forward to writing you these love notes for years to come. Even when you are big enough for them to embarrass you. We love you sweet Owen—Happy 6 Monthday.

I will be adding a new post shortly, but in the meantime, here are some photos from February.