There have been lots of changes for Owen in the past few months. He's potty trained, he sleeps in a toddler bed, he started preschool and he's developed an opinion about
everything. He went to the beach with Grammy and Grandpapa for two nights, all by himself. Wow. My first born is growing up. It continues to amaze me how quickly they change and how much loving, learning and joy comes with each new chapter of his childhood.
The transition from a crib to a toddler bed has been rough. Big changes are always hard on everyone and I know this, too, is just a phase but I am definitely ready for it to be over. We put Owen to bed at night and it generally takes about two hours before he is actually asleep. He wants water. He wants mommy to tuck him in, actually he wants daddy to tuck him in. He has to pee. Now he has to poop. It's too dark. He's hungry. He wants a glass of milk. Not in that cup! It's exhausting and leaves Ty and I with zero time to wind down ourselves. By the time Owen is finally asleep it's 10 o' clock and we're ready for bed as well. We've tried lots of books and different tactics to teach him to stay in his bed and fall asleep-- nothing has worked as magically as we've hoped for. It is starting to get better but we're not out of the woods yet. The hardest part about it is that him and Wes eventually need to share a room. We are ready to get Weston out of ours. As soon as Owen learns to put himself to sleep we're going to have to change things up again and give him a roommate. Our adorable, tiny house in the city is becoming less appealing all the time.
Owen is such a sweet guy. He always offers his little friends snacks when getting himself one and he's mindful of his brother. I find that American parenting puts a huge emphasis on little kids being smart- the toys are supposed to be educational, with numbers and letters plastered all over them, the "Baby Einstein" brand claims to teach your baby classical music and Spanish before their first birthday. Of course, I want my boys to be smart, but what's most important to me is teaching my them kindness and empathy. I know Owen will be able to learn his letters so I'm not overly focused on wether it happens at 2 1/2 or 4. As an adult I can't think of anybody who never learned to read but know quite a few who never learned how to express themselves well and put others needs above their own. Watching Owen be kind makes my mama heart super proud.
Owen is going to a little Christian preschool Wednesday and Thursday mornings. He is loving it, which is such a relief. We did MOPS last year and they provide Sunday school type child care for the kids while the moms meet. Owen hated it and I always felt horrible leaving him while he sobbed. Thus, I was nervous for preschool. Thankfully, though, it has been a great transition. The school did an open house, which really helped him prepare for the first day. We went to check out his classroom and meet his teachers together and we didn't leave him there by himself. When the first day of school came he knew what to expect and we had talked a lot about how he would stay by himself until mommy comes back. He was a little apprehensive the first few days but there were no tears. Now he runs into the classroom and sends me off with a hug and a smile.
Picking him up is the best thing ever. He's always super excited to see me and comes bounding over for a hug. The first few weeks he said "you came back!" every time I picked him up. We restarted our MOPS group this week and that went off without a hitch as well. Owen is loving his time at school and I am throughly enjoying the break it gives me. Spending the morning with just Wes is fun and easy. We go running and get things checked off the to-do list. Even though it's only a few hours a week having a morning where Owen is doing his own thing feels like a big step. It's a really good reminder that all of my children won't be attached to me 24/7 forever. This baby and toddler phase is all consuming but it is a short blip. I know it won't be long before Owen is in school five days a week. As they say, these are the longest days and the shortest years.
