I think we have distinctly moved past babyhood, perhaps almost past toddlerhood, and into little boyhood. Owen is really changing fast these days. He is getting oh so very smart, and mischievous along with it. He is starting to speak in more complete sentences, even though the pronoun usage and order of the words is sometimes creative...phrases like, 'Help it Daddy shoes on Owen! [Daddy help me put my shoes on!]' and 'Pick you up! [Pick me up!]' and Bug bite you! [A bug bit me!]. He recites all sorts of parental phrases to himself, particularly if he's in his crib alone and needs to comfort himself when something disagreeable has happened (the time before he falls asleep is full of all sorts of traumas like needing a tissue, wanting a new diaper, wanting a stuffed animal that's been chucked out of the crib, asking for a band-aid, scratching mosquito bites, etc.). After fussing for a while and not getting the desired arrival of Mommy (Daddy for some reason is still not as satisfying at these times), he'll finally lay down and say things like, 'I know, I know. Oh buddy, oh buddy. Bug bit you! Okay. I know. Quiet. Go sleep, uh-huh, I know.' I feel cruel not answering the bug bite call, but I have tried to help him out and I end up staying in his room forever and it doesn't help, and eventually he just has to decide/figure out to stop scratching. I really wish I could figure out how he's getting them...he seems to get them overnight, but I haven't found a mosquito in his room, and his windows are shut. Most frustrating.

One of the new behaviors that seems really grown-up and has totally surprised me--somehow I never saw this type of thing coming, since it is so different from my temperament (overall)--is dawdling. I can be lazy and procrastinate with the best of them, but when it's time to do something, it's time to do it. Once I get started on something, I don't get very distracted and I generally finish it up. In his 2 year old way, Owen is quite opposite! Within the last month or so, we've moved on to Owen's obedience and promptness in participating with the task at hand being very proportional to whether he feels like listening or giving me any attention at all. When he was catching onto talking and communicating and I would say, 'Owen, can you find your shoes?' it was oh so exciting to go and track them down and bring them to me. Now, the same request does not register as being heard, despite repetitions, incentives, rational pleas, even mild threats. He couldn't be bothered. And this continues all day about everything. Unless he finds it exciting or new or fun, in which case there is no stopping him, he is a super-speed train headed for the destination. But going up the stairs, walking from the car to the store, getting dressed, etc. etc. are met with so much resistance (well, it's more a complete lack of attention than outright resistance) that I want to gouge out my eyes. I really do not want to indulge him and let him get away with ignoring me right now. On the other hand, the timing is really bad because I am so very uncomfortably pregnant (if there's a next time I will weigh no more than 125 pounds when the pregnancy begins. Any more than that, and it's way too painful too early!) and I simply *cannot* chase him down when he ignores me and make him follow through as consistently as I would like to. So I do way too much of the empty pleading that teaches him he can continue to ignore me without consequences. I am exhausted by this! Is it a boy thing? Or just a toddler thing? I have a feeling it's going to be a long-term thing :P

Owen is so excited about baby brudder. I wonder if he really has any idea what's going on, or if he just does a good job pretending that he does. He is always kissing my tummy, telling baby brudder to Come Out!, talking about where he's going to sit and what he's going to do and what he will eat. I don't suppose it can hurt for him to have lots of positive feelings about his arrival beforehand, even if the reality isn't as fun as his visions. It is very cute.

Owen has really turned a corner with food, in general. He's so much less picky now, and will try a lot more new things. He gets so excited about mealtimes, snacktimes, special treats (which aren't as infrequent as they should be) and picnics! He will eat almost anything if it's served on the picnic blanket in the front yard. Last night he surprised me by gobbling down a whole taco. Other recent new hits are fried rice and spinach soup at Reuel's cafeteria.

Reuel and Owen have been bonding on the weekends over mowing the lawn together, learning how to cast and reel in with Owen's fishing pole, digging in the yard, playing with the hose, etc. etc. Going outside with Daddy is pretty much little boy heaven. Unfortunately, the Daddy-love does not always transfer to the normal routines of life. Owen is still so mommy-centric, wanting me around all the time, fussing when Daddy gets him out of bed instead of me, when I attempt to not be around during bathtime, when I want to take a shower, or do anything else without him. We are definitely not equivalent grown-ups in his eyes. So I am attempting to keep some daddy-activities special, and when he wants to dig in the yard or use the tools, etc. I tell Owen that those are fun things to do with daddy, not with mommy. Not sure if that's a good idea or not, but it seems smart to at least let daddy be the fun guy, if he's not the favorite for kissing boo-boos and calming tantrums.

There are so many little things that happen that I tell myself to remember to write down. Then I blank when I sit down to write and it's all general, relatively boring stuff. Ack. I should just jot down a quick note now and then rather than trying to remember them and put them together in one post. Well, here's one I just remembered. We have some friends in town, Debbie and Justin. Owen doesn't know them all that well, but Mr. Justin recently ate dinner with us and Owen was quite standoffish around him, and a little nervous. By the end of the meal, he had warmed up a bit. Now if he sees Mr. Justin in a picture (we've been reviewing pix from his birthday party recently), he'll say, 'Misser Jussin!' and then sort of hide behind my shoulder and smile. This morning when we were looking at birthday pictures, he saw one of the empty cake plate, covered with crumbs but no cake. Out of the blue he says, 'All gone cake! Misser Jussin ate it up!' Where do these thoughts come from? It was funny because it was so random.

Signing off...