Meet the Family: Owen

Beachfront along Seawall Blvd., Galveston, TX. Oct 2010

Owen was named after my grandfather Orin, because they were to share the same birthday.  However, Owen came a day later.  On Leap Day.  So technically he is 3/4 of a yr old, but around here he is three.  Owen is a precocious little bugger with chocolaty brown eyes that just melt your heart.  He never manages to stay in trouble for very long.

Owen came into this world, fast and furious, giving us barely an hour's notice of hard, drug-free labor to prepare for his arrival.  He was a high-maintenance baby - our sleepless nights went on for over a year and a half.  Then night-terrors took over.  I think we finally crossed over to a happy place when he reached the 2 and a 1/2 yr. mark.  He used to share a room with Rylan, because his frequent night-time screaming would not bother her.  When we reached the point that Colin was ready to make the move from his bassinet to his crib, Owen became roommates with Jordan instead.  That way, Jordan could calm Owen in the night, when necessary.  Owen's biggest nighttime complaint is running out of water in his sippy cup.  He will scream bloody murder when he can't find it amongst the sheets, and protest it's emptiness even louder when he does find it.  And the whole time he is in a strange sort of half-sleep that makes it impossible to reason with him.

He is currently 3 yrs and 5 mo.  And not an ounce potty trained.  He has no interest in doing so... whatsoever.  He is currently noticing all of the Cars-themed training pants and so forth, which I always make a point to walk by whenever we are at the store - but the interest is not enough to entice him into a full-blown effort.  We have had a nice, comfy Bjorn potty chair at the ready in our bathroom for over eight months now, and occasionally we plop him on there first thing in the morning if we notice that his diaper is dry.  It has only worked twice.  :(  I predict we will need to have some 'naked days' here, next month, when our schedule slows way down and we don't have to be on the run everywhere.  He may not think he's ready, but we are!!  Enough with buying diapers for two... that is a $100/mo bill we can do without!  You can look forward to some what I am sure will be (for you, anyway) entertaining posts as the battle ensues...

Owen loves to play with anything and everything.  Cars, dolls, trucks, Legos, beads, dress-up, kitchen utensils, plastic animals... you name it.  He must always have a little toy, one for each hand to hold, when he goes to bed at night.  Preferably a car and then something else.  What's a blessing is that it doesn't have to be the same toys each time - we would never be able to keep track of where they ended up during the day!  Last night it was his 'Mater tow truck and a plastic construction sign from Trio.

Owen is pretty active, but he is very particular with the activities that he does.  He has a tricycle-type wooden bike that he uses constantly inside the house.  We have a circular floor pattern on the main floor, and racing in circles is a favored activity.  Rylan rides on her (very much outgrown) tricycle (which Owen refuses to upgrade to), Owen rides his wooden bike, and Colin pushes the plastic grocery cart.  The noise can be deafening at times.  For outdoor use, we got Owen a Strider bike for his second birthday.  It took the better part of a year before he would even get on it.  Even now, he will 'walk' with it, but he will not sit down and allow the bike to carry his weight.  Owen is not old enough to partake in the karate class that Jordan and Rylan do.  He will have to wait until he is four.  Even then, I am not sure that he will want to participate.  He adamantly refused to take part in the homeschool gymnastics class that Jordan and Rylan did last fall and winter.  What kid wouldn't want to jump into a foam pit or swing on a rope?  Owen, apparently.

This stubborn behavior of Owen's has me concerned about how future lessons will go for us.  He is receptive to most stuff - when he 'wants' to be.  We are still about six months away from when I plan to begin formal lessons with him.  We will begin with the Core Knowledge Preschool Activity Book 1.  He does love to listen to stories, and I am ready to get him on the computer and begin with preschool games to get him comfortable working with the mouse.  Beyond that, I hope that this tendency of his to refuse to do stuff abates some as we progress through this year.

Owen is very loving and affectionate, and is the classic kid that needs just a kiss to make an owie feel better.  He still loves to rock and be held and cuddled as we dance to music.  Love that boy!