Daisypath Happy Birthday tickers

Daisypath Happy Birthday tickers

Monday, March 22, 2010

4 Months

It is wayyyyy past my bedtime (11:20 p.m.~haha) but if I don't sit and blog now, I may never get Owen's 4-month post written!

Life continues to keep us busy! Owen is at the center of it all, and we love every minute of it. We had a busy and fast Spring Break last week. Of course Friday was our big trip to Dallas. It was fun spending time with Uncle Lon, Aunt Kathy, Riley, and John. Wait!! Who could forget Pudge, Uncle Lon and Aunt Kathy's playful dog, and cute little Calvin, who belongs to John and Riley! We had fun eating, visiting, playing games, playing with Owen, and laughing! As I knew it would be...fun times with the Usserys!

Upon arriving home Monday evening, we figured out a few things to do around here until Friday morning when we would be heading to Odessa for a day-and-a-half visit. We did lots of laundry, had our ceramic tile cleaned, got the trees in our front yard pruned, relaxed, straightened up here and there, played Mommy and Daddy full time, and had an overall nice time at home.

This week has already gotten off to a busy start, and I am sure the busyness won't slow down between now and the end of school! Just a little over 2 months and it will be summer!!

Owen~~You are 4 months old and here is what you are up to!

Before I get to that though, Little Man, here are three pictures showing how you have changed. (Forgive me for missing the paper sign photo opportunity on your one month birthday!! I do have plenty of pictures on that day, just none posed like these three.)

You are around the 90th percentile in all areas!!

Your weight is 17lbs, 1.5oz.

Your height is 26.5 inches.

Your head circumference is 17.5 inches.

You wear a size 2 diaper and mostly 3-6 month or 6-month clothing.

As of March 21, you take 7 ounces of formula four to five times a day. On Friday, we got the go-ahead from Dr. Dalton to give you some rice cereal, so since Sunday night, you have enjoyed a more solid "treat" before bedtime.

You still LOVE bathtime.

You have become more vocal and talk alot, but especially when you are laying in your crib waiting for someone to come get you. You never cry after you have woken up...you just talk and coo until someone comes in to receive all your amazingly adorable morning (or post-nap) smiles!

You love to look around and observe things. Designs and patterns catch your attention, as do lights on toys and ceiling fans. You are also drawn to Mommy's and Daddy's voices. You enjoy all your play centers and toys and like the different sounds and colors that everything has to offer.

You like being sung to. Mommy makes up songs about EVERYTHING, and you just love watching her and listening to her sound ridiculous. We have so much fun together.

You love looking in the mirror and are amazed at what you see! We know how you feel because we are amazed every single time we look at you! You seem to be thinking "Who IS that lady that looks like my mommy and who is that tiny little person she is holding?"

You started laughing with purpose last month, but have started doing that more and more these past couple of weeks. The goofier we are, the better the chances of you giggling "like you mean it!!" It really cracks us up!

You sleep through the night (about 8-10 hours) and take 2 pretty good naps each day. One takes place in the morning, and the other is in the evening. Sometimes you take what I like to call "power naps" throughout the day, but it just depends on what is going on!

You like car rides and took a couple trips this month...one longer one to Dallas and another shorter one to Odessa. You have made the Odessa trip several times, but only the one time in the past month.

You need your second haircut, but Mommy is scared to cut it! It is so cute the way it is, but some of it is just too long! Most 4 month olds don't have to worry about haircuts, but you do! We were hoping to save money for your college education in your savings account, but it may very well be exhausted by the time you get to college in order for us to pay for all your haircuts!! Haha.

You had your first real cold this month. You had quite a cough and lots of sneezing mixed with croup. Never once did you seem disturbed by your cold, but we are glad you got over it and are 100% again!

You have quite a fan club and are adored pretty much wherever we go! "Look at all that hair" still seems to be the first thing out of peoples' mouths. Your daddy and I are your biggest fans, by far!! Your grandmas would beg to differ, but I know we love you more than anyone else possibly could! We are so proud of the little man you are and cannot wait to see your wonderful little life unfold before our eyes. You are loved and you are blessed! Happy 4-month birthday!

And....some pictures for your viewing pleasure!

You have your hands in your mouth constantly, which, of course, produces alot of drool. See the shirt?? ........................Drool!!! Pudge was very protective of and very gentle around Owen! Here is Pudge saying "Good Morning" to Austin and Owen. The Billett Family.
Owen and Aunt Riley! Cute grins all around!!!
Owen and Uncle John.
All smiles all the time!
Owen's first walk with his carseat/stroller combo! We just wish the sun wasn't in his eyes every direction we walked!
At Dr. Dalton's office about to be checked over, weighed, measured, etc. What a happy, adorable face.
Rice cereal with a touch of banana baby food. OWEN LOVES THIS!!! He looks as though he doesn't, but believe me...he gobbles it all up! Cool spoon, huh? I love it and will most likely invest in a couple more once we get to feed Owen more baby food. The orange part houses the baby food or cereal, and then by squeezing it, the food is dispensed into the spoon. What a great invention!
Just laying around on his back, content as can be!
Sweet boy just woke up from a nap.
Loving life,
:) Carianne

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Weekend Plans

The Billetts have big plans this weekend! Our little family of three is heading to Dallas tomorrow as soon as Austin gets home from work. We are so grateful that Austin's brother, Kyle, is dog/house sitting for us!! Once we get into the Big D, we will be staying with Uncle Lon and Aunt Kathy and will visit with them until lunchtime on Saturday. Once we leave there, we are heading a bit more east to Royse City to meet up with John and Riley. Riley and I have been best friends since the summer of 1994...so just a bit less than 16 years!
Here we are during our senior year. December 1996 (17 years old)
And....here we are this past summer. July 2009 (all grown up)
Our plans while in the company of this dear friend and her husband include lots of eating, visiting, playing with Owen, laughing, watching movies, playing games, etc. There is always fun to be had when the Usserys are around! We are planning on staying in Dallas until Monday morning and then will be heading back to good ol' Lubbock to enjoy the rest of Spring Break. We are still unsure which days we will be heading to Odessa, but that, too, will be a fun time.
There is really not much to report these days. Our lives are not terribly exciting, so thank you to those of you who voluntarily come to this site every eight to ten days to read about my ramblings. Your devotion means a great deal to me. :)
Ok, now back to our not-so-exciting lives...I am down to only 6 students, so I am more "stay at home mom" than I am "tutor and homeschool teacher." I really love being able to say that! Austin is working hard as a middle school band director and happy to get home in the afternoons to see his favorite little man!
Speaking of little man...Owen is growing and changing all the time. I feel like I keep saying that but without too much detail. I also feel like I am falling behind when it comes to pinpointing and documenting every new little thing. It seems like there are so many "new little things" that, simply said, add up to wonderful, happy, fun-filled days! He is cooing alot now, playing more interactively with his toys, and continuing to smile all the time.
Below are pictures of Owen and a couple of his favorite toys. Just a few days ago, he grabbed on to the one of three rings that make music on his bouncer. Of course I went on and on (and on and on) telling him how proud I was.
He really likes his colorful interactive puppy and all the things it says to him. The heart lights up, so it captures his attention every time I pull it out to play. It has been exciting introducing him to some of his toys and play centers. Our living room looks like a Toys R Us stockroom, but we are having a fun time with it all.
Owen developed croup and a cold this past week, but he is nearly over it! His cough and sneezing have not bothered him much. Well, I guess I should say that he hasn't acted like all the congestion has been bothering him!
Here are a few additional pictures of the little guy. Oh, and the last picture is Olive in the midst of a really tough day! Haha!
Happy weekend to all!
:) Carianne

Monday, March 1, 2010

Ready for March!!!

Owen says, "What?!?!?!?!?!?! It's already March???"
This weekend was Austin's 30th birthday! Thursday evening, Austin and I went out to Red Lobster with some date money we had left from Christmas. On Friday, Austin's mom took us out to Texas Roadhouse. We came back to our house afterwards for Peanut Butter Chip Cheesecake that I made earlier that day. Late Saturday afternoon, my mom and dad came to town to take Austin out for more delicious food. This time, we ended up at Carino's. After that, we went back home for homemade chocolate cream pie that I made Saturday afternoon. Finally, the calorie-fest came to an end on Sunday with Austin's grandmother hosting a pot roast/potato/carrot meal made by his mom. That was, of course, followed by a yummy dessert, too! We had THE BEST cheesecake I have ever had!!! It was ordered from a bakery in a small nearby town. (Unfortunately, I didn't have the camera for any of the celebrations.) Austin got several wonderful gifts, but this one from Owen was one of his favorites! Feel free to count, but there are 30 Diet Cokes!! So, now that the coconut shrimp, chopped sirloin, bowtie festival, and pot roast have all been digested, I am back on the healthier-eating wagon!!! It was definitely a nice weekend with food and family, but I am glad things are back to a more normal type of menu.
On Friday, I got my hair cut. It had been about 7 months since I had a haircut, so I was ready for a change! I took a picture of a hairstyle I liked with me to the salon, but ended up walking out with hair that looked VERY LITTLE like the picture. I have not had bangs in several years, so I chose to go that route again...I just had no idea I would end up with SO MANY bangs!! Oh well. I have only fixed it a couple times, but it seems easy enough. Once the bangs grow out a little, I will have other styling options. Until then, this is how I look these days:
I really like the back!
We have some fun plans coming up this month! The second weekend in March, we are loading up the car and taking the little guy to Dallas for a visit! We will be getting into the Dallas area late Friday night and staying with my Uncle Lon and Aunt Kathy. Saturday around lunchtime, we will be meeting up with my very best friend, Riley, and her husband, John. We are looking forward to time spent with family and friends.
The following weekend, we will be going to Odessa to visit my family.
The week between these two weekends is Spring Break, so we will most likely just hang out at home. Our yard is in need of some major attention, but we'll just have to wait and see how that goes!!
Owen has started laughing more purposefully in the last couple of weeks (as opposed to random squeals that showed his delight). He also began making adorable clicking noises with his tongue. Here are some recent pictures of our sweet little man!

And with that heart-melting smile, I say good bye.

Have a wondertul week.

:) Carianne