Visit local sites for free

We heard about this a few weeks ago, but it's also in the paper today...

Visit local sites for free The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper

Keep 'Em Separated

Owen's first week at school went by with no problems. Second week, not so much. You see, our little man has separation anxiety. We mistakenly thought he skipped this part of toddler-hood. Owen has never been the clingy type, just a little shy on occasion. For the most part he would go to anyone, anytime. He has gone to Sarah's since he was two months old. He goes to my parents house a few times a week. We have always taken him with us to restaurants, Publix and Target. Anywhere we go, he goes too.

So imagine my surprise when I pick him up last Tuesday and he is in a horrible state. First of all, he plays really hard at school. He is always flushed, sweaty and dirty. I may have mentioned that before. On this day he was also boo-hoo crying but was really happy to see me. His teacher explained that he had been crying off and on all morning. I thought he was just having a crappy day. We had both been sick and in fact I left work early which explains why I picked him up that day.

He sobbed half way home but had lunch and napped just fine. Thursday was more of the same, but he didn't cry the whole time. On Friday, Brig dropped him off at Sarah's house. He cried but for only a second. I took him to spend the day with my parents on Sunday. He clung to me and wouldn't say a word. He is usually so excited to see them and to play at their house. He eventually warmed up and I snuck out.

This week has been just as intense. Just when we think we're rounding the corner, we come right back. It's obviously not just school related, but that's where it's the worst. When he's at home he just wants whichever one of us leaves the room. Brig has even had to join us during bath time or we'll never get done. He's fine at bedtime, but wants to read book after book where we've just read two in the past. Bottom line...he just wants to be with us.

We know this will pass in time. I was hoping for a good report this morning but just more of the same. As soon as they entered his classroom he started whaling. Brig handed him over to one of his teachers and left. Not easy but very necessary. I'll keep you posted on his progress.

We've moved!

...to Elmo's world. That's right folks, Owen has discovered Sesame Street. I don't know what it is, but that red furry puppet does something special for kids everywhere and Owen has caught the virus. We were grateful at first, b/c it meant we didn't have to watch "Jack!" everyday. I should clarify...Owen only watches tv 30-60 minutes a day. And yes, we are aware that's a no-no for some of you. But we grew up watching it (and I believe some of the clips/content is the same from 30 yrs. ago) and we turned out okay.

First day of preschool

Today was Owen's first day of school. I went in late this morning so I could drop him off. He was the first kid in his class to arrive so I got to talk with his teachers alone for a few minutes. This made me feel better about leaving him with complete strangers. After the other kids started coming in with their parents, I snuck out into the hall. I peeked through the window in the door a few times and finally left 15 minutes later. That was not easy but I knew he would be fine. And he was. When Brig picked him up, he was really sweaty and nearly fell asleep on the short drive home. Two sure signs he played really hard.

Meet the teacher(s)

This morning we went to meet Owen's teachers. They were very nice but the best news is that there are only 8 kids in his class. We met 4 of them and Owen went right in and started playing. We don't anticipate any issues when I drop him off for his first day next Tuesday. We didn't take the camera in b/c we didn't want to encroach on any other parents or their kids. We ran by the park afterwards but Owen wasn't very interested.

We also had his 18 month old appt this afternoon. Everything is great! He weighs 31 lbs and is 34 1/4 inches tall. He had two shots today, one for the regular flu. We asked about the swine flu vaccine, but FYI fellow parents, Dr. Tillman said she didn't think it would even be available this flu season.

=====================================

18 months old

Our little man is 18 months old today, so I thought I would tell you a few things he's into:

Owen surprised us tonight by almost counting to ten. For the last week he has been saying "two" and the occasional "three" but tonight he went all the way to "ten" and only skipped "four" and "seven" a few times. And believe me, we made him do it over and over again. It's amazing to us that all this repetition does sink in eventually.

He really likes taking our hands and leading us to another room or to either the front or back door. When he doesn't get his way he pitches a fit. Apparently I did this when I was small too. Some last a second and others last longer. Sometimes we can distract him but he is really smart. He doesn't forget anything. We joke that we are already in the midst of the terrible two's, but who knows? He may just be stubborn. He gets that from his mom. :)

He also loves to run and be chased. And won't let you stop until he is done. It is hilarious to watch him go full speed around the dining room table. We have wood floors in there and I am so worried he's going to eat it or hit the corner of the table. Luckily, when he does get hurt he gets over it almost instantly.

Oh...and his vocabulary expands daily. He repeats every single thing we say. I was going to post some of his fave words/phrases, but if I did this would be a really long post.


The temp today was perfect so we played outside while Brig made dinner.

Owen's 18 month well visit is on Friday so check back for his stats!

==============================