Owen at 18 months

Sweet Owen Thomas. With all that's transpired in his short life, he has been the most neglected as far as blogging goes. I have made notes here and there for myself, trying so hard to not forget details of his early months, and not wanting to have that fourth child syndrome apply to him. You know, the lack of photos, baby book, birth announcements, etc. since he's the fourth? Well, I have struggled with that a lot, not for lack of desire, just time. The truth is, the more young kids you have, the more work there is, and less time to do extras. Birth announcements and baby books are extras at this point. Hopefully, Owen will know how loved he was, even if he didn't have the same attention given him in those areas. :-)

We are constantly amazed at this little boy. He is such a delight to our family. To be so young, he definitely has his own personality traits that are obvious HIS. Owen is a people person and loves to see friends, family, and strangers too. He waves and says hi and bye so happily. He came into this world a little late according to his estimated arrival, but he's done pretty much everything else early. Here are a few of those "should be in a baby book" facts:

- O had 6 teeth by 6 months and a mouthful by around a year. He eats very well, still happily nursing several times a day...and night, unfortunately for Mama, who longs for a full night's rest. I know this will pass though, and I'll miss it, so am trying hard to not complain. He's worth the fatigue and puffy eyes.

- Owen started walking at 9 months, and walked everywhere independently by 10 months. He is a go-getter, climbing more than any of the other kids. He is quick to go up and down stairs and manages ours very well. He will climb on the table too, if we let him, and that makes me crazy, so we have to watch him. He's not referred to as "hurricane owen" for nothing. He is also a huge ham. He loves to make us laugh and is great at it. 

- He started sleeping in a bed with Elijah for some naps and for large portions of the night at 16 months. Isaac was a great sleeper as a baby and toddler - in his own bed, and slept all night. Abi was in our room till age 2, then moved to her own room, but was up and down 3-4 times a night EVERY night till she was almost 5. elijah transitioned well to share a room with Isaac at 18 months, and has had some infrequent restless nights, but overall sleeps well. Owen still wakes up to nurse, but his sleeping in another room, upstairs, is BIG.

- Fun things Owen does lately are pointing to and naming various body parts, like nose, eyes, ears, and belly button, which sounds the cutest. He also does the eskimo kiss/nose rub in hilarious fashion, which we all beg him to do often. Our baby boy is so attentive to surroundings, and sympathetic to sad siblings, telling me when they're upset or he thinks they need to be in trouble. "Ize! Nono!!"

- This kid has a zillion word vocabulary. I seriously can't count the words he knows anymore, but got to at least 50 when I stopped keeping up with them. He signed some for a while, but now entertains us by calling all of our names. "Li-lije" for Elijah is our favorite. He's said the pets' names well for months- Gugar (Sugar), Merlin, and Rose - and clearly calls them, claps for them to come, and helps care for them. He knows when we talk about grandparents, and will run to get their photo and kiss Gramma and Granddaddy if we mention them. Owen is definitely a Daddy's boy and can identify an airplane when it's a faint sound in the distance and starts pointing, shouting, "copter!" We're working on helping him differentiate. :-) One of his funny expressions, heard usually when one of the dogs is being walked for a potty break, is "Gross!!" Then last night, he said sweetly as I was tucking him in for a midnight snack with me, "'nuggle!" I always say, "Snuggle down, buddy!" So sweet.

I love that God surprised us with this sweet blessing. I have said it often, and it's true. With all the heartache of the past year, I know that Owen was a much needed cuddle bug when we needed comfort and joy and unconditional love. His personality is so joyous, and James, the kids, and I love him so much, that somedays, he was the lone bright spot amidst our grieving. I cannot thank the Lord enough for entrusting us with his life, and knowing exactly when we needed him. Perfect timing, as usual. These photos were taken this month of our darling boy.