Parenthood | Amy Scott's Thoughts

3 Months! January 8, 2014

Filed under: Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 4:04 pm

It’s hard to believe it but our little guy is three months old today. That’s a quarter of his first year. It’s hard to believe how many changes we’ve seen in three months. Owen now likes to sit up with help. He loves to be held looking out and being bounced. Just recently his play mat has become fun because he can stare at himself in the mirror that is on it. He is still a super sleeper and we are grateful for the 8-11 hours of sleep he gets every night. Because he is such a good night time sleeper, Owen is more of a cat napper during the day. He usually only sleeps for about a half hour at time during the day. During these naps, I make mad dashes around the house, trying to take care of my own personal do list and chores. Now that I’m back to work, I have a daily commitments that take me out of the house 5 out of 7 days of the week. The busy pace of my life is back in full swing and Owen is along for the ride. For the most part, Owen is an easy tag-a-long, but he has his moments. This weekend was one of them when he was just fussy and hungry all the time. It made being out and about a bit hard. Thankfully most people are understanding. Owen is weighing in about 13.6lbs of last night and let me tell you, my arms can tell that he is putting on weight. All that bouncing really catches up with me! Parenting has been such a mixed bag for me. There are moments and even days where I think it’s a pretty easy gig (and with one kid I know it really is), but then there are moments and days that are harder than others. It’s difficult when Owen is in a mood where he just wants to be held and bounced and I want my arms back. However, I am trying not to race through these moments. Even if fussiness happens, he will only be this size for so long. Someday he will be too big to be in my arms, so I will enjoy this season while I am in it. Ups and downs!

Three months old!

Grandma is ready for adventures with Owen!

Around the house!

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Big Changes January 2, 2014

Filed under: Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 2:18 pm

The last week has held some big changes in the Scott household. These changes remind me that time is flying by and that nothing stays the same for long. After two and a half months, our little roommate moved out and into his own room. It was truly strange to pack up all his items from our room and move them a new location. I would love to say that Owen is sleeping his crib, but he isn’t. We decided to move his Pack’n’Play (which has been his bed since birth) into his room. Remarkably, it worked and he has been sleeping through the night just fine in his room. It’s hard to believe it but most nights Owen sleeps between 9-11 hours. I am now adapting to having my own room again. The space is truly amazing but it also feels strange. My new sleeping pattern now involves the light of the baby monitor and listening for Owen sounds through a speaker. It truly amazes me how quickly this phase of sleeping with us went. When we first brought Owen home and we were on the crazy newborn sleep schedule, I never thought I would know a night of sleep again. Things are so different now. The lack of sleep didn’t last as long as I thought it would. I’m extremely grateful! Praise the Lord for a good sleeper!

Another change in our house is the location of Owen’s bath time. Owen has gotten big enough now that he makes a big wet mess during bath time. This kid loves to kick in the tub. We might have a little swimmer in the making. Because of the waves he creates, the sink was no longer an ideal location for bath time. Owen was making big puddles all over our counters and floors. Now Owen’s tub can be found in our big tub. Again, it’s crazy that he is already so big! All these milestones make me realize how fast this time goes by. It’s a blink. I’m trying to enjoy each phase while he is in it. Nothing stays the same for long.

The biggest milestone for me is that I went back to work this morning. I’m in the office for two mornings a week. I know this really isn’t a big deal, but it sure felt like one this morning. My mom is generously giving of her time to watch Owen while I am at work. She is amazing and this is a huge blessing for us. It felt good to be back in my workspace. I enjoyed having adult conversation with Jeremy. Most (okay, all) of our together time at home is around Owen, so it was a good kind of weird to just be us again. I love working with my husband. It’s one of the biggest blessings of my life. The hardest part of being home during maternity leave was the fact that I wasn’t with Jeremy. So much of our lives have been spent together. It was strange to send him to work and for me to stay home. Now I can go to work with him a couple times a week. I’m feeling that this will be a good transition for us.

These are just a few of the changes happening in our home. I’m sure there many more to come as Owen grows and our family continues to learn this new way of life. I am amazed at how good has been to us. As time flies by, I can see the fingerprints of my Savior all over this season of my life. He has been such a source of strength has I learn and grow right alongside Owen!

Our room has space again!

Moving to the bathroom!

Back in the office! Jeremy was doing purchase reports! Fun stuff!

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Christmas Vacation December 21, 2013

Filed under: Cooking Experiments,Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 4:14 pm

Cabelas is fascinating!

Jeremy likes to save some vacation days for the end of the year. This creates a “Christmas Vacation” for us, just like we’re kids again! There is nothing better than time off this time of year. There is always lots to do including being a little lazy! So far we’ve managed to accomplish a lot this week. Tuesday was the first official day of vacation and we spent it around the house working on projects and just hanging out.

Wednesday was a very special day. Our newest nephew, Keegan, was born Wednesday morning. Since we didn’t know boy or girl until the day of his birth, this meant me needed to go shopping for gender specific gifts! We took off into the stores which weren’t too crazy with holiday shoppers. Wednesday was spent doing a mixture of errands. Some for home and some for church. Owen had his first visit to Cabelas – the hunting super store. Jeremy was happy to see Owen staring in fascination at all the animals. It was really cute to watch him making eyes at all the creatures. The joy ended when Owen had a blow out diaper in Jeremy’s arms. We made a quick exit and did an outfit change in the car. Another diaper blow out later and Owen ended up spending the last part of the day in just a shirt and a diaper since all his other clothes were dirty. Don’t worry, we had plenty of blankets so his legs weren’t cold.

Meeting Keegan

Thursday, we took off over the mountains to meet the newest Scott. It was so much fun to snuggle with Keegan. He is adorable and really cuddly! After visiting the hospital, we spent time with Keegan’s brother and sister and Nana and Papa. I am now the proud auntie of three nephews and one niece. I’m a lucky lady. I will admit that I am slightly excited that Keegan was a little boy so now the three cousins that were born in three months are all boys. I can only imagine the good times they are going to have in the future. Three little boys all born so close in age. I’m sad that the baby a month streak is over. It’s been a lot of fun welcoming a new Scott each month. Who knows, maybe the perfect storm will happen again and all three Scott ladies will be expecting at the same time. I doubt it, but I never thought it would happen in the first place!

Best Frozen Pizza Ever!

Friday we saw some snow in the morning! Nothing but a trace. It’s still exciting anytime the ground turns even slightly white. After the weather warmed up we finished the rest of our errands for church. This time the stores were crazy! Jeremy and I braved the madness as quickly as possible. When we got home we had a great treat at our door. Earlier in the week we ordered pizza from our favorite place in Chicago. We’d been talking about it for years and we finally decided to do it! It was a very tasty and I’m glad we made the splurge. If only we were actually eating it in Chicago!

The mess!

Today has been an around the house day. Jeremy usually makes cinnamon rolls when we’re on Christmas vacation and today was the day that he deemed to take over the kitchen. Jeremy and I have two very different styles of baking. I’m a clean as you go girl. I like to tidy my mess up as I make it. Jeremy on the other hand… He likes to make a mess and leave it until the very end. This made the kitchen quite the sight as he made many experiments. He made excellent cinnamon rolls as well as candied pecans and mini lemon meringue tarts (from lemons grown in his greenhouse).

As you can tell, we’ve been busy enjoying the holiday season together. I love having Jeremy home. Having him around brightens my day. I know that Owen appreciates it too! As I type this, Owen is sleeping beside his dad, all snuggled and content. Christmas vacation is always a special treat! We are so blessed to have this time together.

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Sleeping Baby December 11, 2013

Filed under: Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 2:45 pm

So small in his big crib!

Something happened the week of Thanksgiving. It just clicked with Owen that he should sleep at night time and he should sleep for long periods of time. Let me tell you, I am GRATEFUL!!! I am a much nicer person when I get sleep. I feel more human and life feels doable. I’m not as overwhelmed because I’m not overly tired. Praise the Lord! Our norm now about 8 hours of solid sleep for Owen. He has done more than 8 hours the last few nights. It’s been three nights of 9, 9.5 and 10.5 hours of sleep. I’m almost scared to write this blog because I’m scared of jinxing the magic.

This last week I did a whole lot of research on sleep and baby schedules. It seem like there are a million opinions out there and honestly, it just confused me more than anything. There doesn’t seem to be a set rule for such things. We haven’t been too scheduled with Owen. He sleeps when he is tired. He eats when he is hungry. If he is asleep we don’t wake him up unless we have to. Things are working out okay. The only standard thing we have been doing is putting him down to bed between 9-10pm each night. We do bath time every other day. As for a schedule, Owen takes naps mostly in his bouncer in the living room. He is also a great sleeper for the most part if I am out running errands. He sleeps pretty well in the mornings and then the naps seem shorter in the afternoon and evening.

Sleeping Baby

My research last week centered mainly around sleeping through the night and moving babies to their own room. I wasn’t exactly sure what the definition of sleeping through the night was. Now I am positive that Owen is sleeping through the night. However, he is still in our room at night because up until this point it’s been easier on us. I didn’t really want a bunch of back and forth between his room and our room in the middle of the night. With these all night stretches of sleep, I am feeling more confident about moving him to his own room. Jeremy has some time off from work next week, so I think we’re going to start the move next week when we’re home a bit more and can have a freer schedule.

To start the transition to sleeping in his room, I put Owen down for his morning nap in his crib for the first time today. It took a lot of coaxing to get him down and he only stayed asleep for about a half hour. A little later towards lunch time, I tired again. Once more, he made it about a half hour. My thinking is that Owen is used to sleeping the living room and he can see me when he goes in and out of sleep. I’m guessing he gets upset when he wakes up and no one is there with him. I was about to do a third attempt of nap time in the crib, but Jeremy surprised me a quick stop at home to pick up some supplies for tonight. I was just about to enter the nursery when my dog alarm went off (thanks Toby) and Owen’s eyes opened. He gave me that look like “Seriously, you’re putting me in here again.” So, I turned around and Jeremy got a few snuggles in before having to leave. Since Owen was now awake and the super sleepiness had worn off, I caved and put him back in the bouncer – where he is now napping. I’ll try my efforts again tomorrow.

I’ll keep you posted as we enter this new territory. I have no clue what I am doing. I’ve never transitioned a baby to a new room before. I am not confident and I really don’t want to scar him. I will be glad to have the Pack’n’Play out of our bedroom if this transition goes well. There is a very small space between the Pack’n’Play and my dresser. It can cause some congestion in the flow of the room. It will be great to have the space back. However, it hasn’t been too much of a hardship having Owen close at night. Our set-up has worked quite well. It will be strange to move all his stuff out to his own space. Right now we even have his clothes in our closet.

Our little roommate might be moving out soon. I’m really praying this is a smooth transition. A sleeping baby is a happy baby in my book. I want to do all I can to promote sleep. I know that he is a happy baby and a good nights sleep is an important part of that happiness – for Owen and for me!

I caved! Back to the bouncer!

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Family Game Night: The Battle for Canada! December 10, 2013

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 12:57 pm

This last Sunday, we had my sister and brother-in-law over for a game night and dinner. It had been a while since we’d hung out just the 4 of us – make that 5 of us, since Owen was there. And 6, if you count Toby Dog, who has enough personality to be a person. So anyway, it was a small gathering, as you can tell. Since Jeremy was supposed to be the most brain dead of us all (big work weekend), we figured he should pick the game that was on this current level of thinking. He chose Risk! Seriously, Risk? You’re dead tired and you chose Risk? I didn’t even know we owned Risk, but the Scott boys love it so I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. Maybe Jeremy picked it because he was the only one that knew how to play. He is also the only one of the group good at strategy games. All of this was in his favor. The game itself turned out to be quite humorous. My sister who loves corgis had Great Brittan which meant she mentioned the corgis often. She also had Japan and Madagascar. April was all about the islands. My brother-in-law, Andrew, and I got into an heated battle for Canada. I love Canada for many reasons and Andrew loves Alaska and the rugged wilderness of the north. We both had an vested interest in the same territories. When we finally called the game over – it wasn’t really over, we just quit at a certain point – Andrew and I still had joint custody of Canada. The battle was never officially won. In the end, Jeremy was the one who won the game. He was a force to be reckoned with and swept the board with us all.

The evening included homemade chili and cornbread, yummy apple cider, watching some Food Network and a game of golf. For Christmas last year we got the card game golf. It’s nice because all the cards are labeled so it’s easier than using a deck of playing cards. Plus, there are cute illustrations of a golf ball on the cards and there are French subtitles on everything, so it’s educational too! I know that 9 is neuf in French. I wouldn’t know that without this game. My last few golf games have gone well and this round was just as good. I ended up winning the game. However, at this point, Jeremy and I both picked games and then won them. Nothing like inviting family over to beat them at games. What a fun night! I think the next time we play April and Andrew need to pick the games since Jeremy and I can’t be trusted.

Life can be so crazy busy. It was nice to make time for some game playing and just hanging out. My biggest hope is that Owen will grow up being close to his aunts, uncles and cousins (both present and future). April and Andrew were even brave enough to babysit Owen last night while Jeremy and I went to a Christmas party at the church. Originally, I thought we would take Owen to the party with us, but April offered to watch him. I was impressed. She even said they would do it again after the evening was over! The logic is that if she watches my kid, I’ll watch hers in the future. Of course I will! This is one of the bonuses of having family close! Built in babysitters! Not only do we have both sets of grandparents nearby, but we also have aunts and uncles. Family is important and I’m glad to have ours close and involved in our lives.

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Not Mine December 7, 2013

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Bible,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 3:24 pm

The Christmas season has me reflecting on Mary. I was thinking about what it must have been like to be the mother of the Son of God. Yes, Jesus was her baby, but she knew that he was here for a deeper purpose than her own enjoyment. She must have known from the start that the greatness of their story would also mean hardship. She would have to keep her open hands with him – ready to give him back to God. It wasn’t about what she wanted. She had to let go of control and trust that God’s purpose was better than any earthly plans she might have this little life.

I think a lot of life is like. Only in the last few years have I learned how very little I control. This control freak has learned that I can control my own actions and reactions, but everything else is out of my hands. I can relate this now to parenting. Let’s talk about trying for a baby. That certainly didn’t happen on my timeline. Not that I had a timeline, but let’s just say it took longer than I expected. It taught me just how much God is really the author of life. Then there is the pregnancy process. A baby grows inside of you – regardless of what you… Your body just does it. I didn’t have to focus on it and will the baby to grow because the process was already set in motion. I had issues with my blood pressure and there was nothing I could about that. There was no willing my body to do something different. It just was the situation. Plain and simple. During the labor process, I realized that Owen was going to come into the world regardless of what I thought things were going to be like. I was out of control. I had to trust my doctor and make what seemed like the wisest decisions, but I didn’t look at Jeremy say “Let’s have our baby now – this time, this day.” Things just happen and you can go with the flow or you can freak out.

Now that Owen is here, I am reminded that I have no control over him as a parent. I can meet his needs and do my best to make sure he is well taken care of. But that doesn’t mean he won’t cry. It doesn’t mean he’ll always be happy. I can’t just tell him what to do and have him do it. He is already his own person. From the very beginning, I have prayed that Owen will come to know the Lord has his Savior and that he will fall madly in love with Jesus. I pray that he will be a good, kind man. I pray that he will live with integrity and love others well. But… I am not in control of him doing this. Yet again, I can do my best to raise him right, but ultimately these decisions are his. I can’t make them for him. God has given Jeremy and I the gift of raising Owen and being his parents, but really he is not mine. He is God’s first and foremost. I am only a trusted caregiver. I can do my best but the rest is up the Lord to touch his heart.

Both books that I’ve been reading recently reference Abraham and God asking him sacrifice Isaac on the alter. I find that when something comes up multiple times, God is trying to speak to me. This story flows perfectly with my pondering on Mary and parenting with open hands. Now I didn’t have to wait 100 years to be a parent, so I can only imagine how tightly Abraham wanted to hold on to Isaac. This was the long awaited, promised child. But Abraham was willing to give him up and trust God. Wow. I can’t fathom what that must have been like. Mark Batterson puts it this way in his book All In, “The truth of the matter is that you can’t really say mine about anything! Nothing belongs to you – not your house, not your car, not your clothes. Every material thing you own is a by-product of the time, talent and treasure God has given you.” While this quote references material items, I would go one step further and say the same is true about parenting. Owen is a treasure for sure. He is a God given gift. It’s up to me to daily give him back to the Lord and say not my will, but yours. I don’t want to be one of those parents who figure Owen’s life out for him. I don’t want to force my will and wishes on him. I want him to grow up to do whatever the Lord places on his heart. I want to inspire and encourage his dreams, not be an obstacle to them. I want him to be himself, the way the Lord uniquely made him. I want his personality to shine.

Just like most things in life, it’s not about me. It’s about Owen and God and this precious season I have to point a way toward the light. I want to reflect God’s love to Owen. I want to parent with open hands. I want to be willing to follow God’s voice no matter where it leads me. I want to trust that God has a better plan for Owen than I do. Just like Mary, I have to be prepared to let God do what he will. Our kiddos are entrusted to us for a short season and than they’ll be adults doing their own thing and living their own lives. My prayer is that is that I will be a mom who loves deeply and holds loosely. He is not mine. He is God’s. He is not here for my purposes, he is here for God’s. What an exciting opportunity and what a joy to be able to watch his life grow and unfold.

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Being an Adventurer! December 5, 2013

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 3:53 pm

Owen visits the mall!

I’ve never been much of an adventurer. That daring, bold spirit has never resided in me. I’m cautious and calculated. I like to know what I’m getting into and I want guarantees that things are going to work out. Since Owen has entered my life I’ve gotten in touch with my adventurous side. I honestly thought that once Jeremy went back to work I would sit at home with the baby all day long. I was scared. Doing things alone meant all eyes were on me if something wasn’t going right. It was a lot of pressure. But I’m learning that getting out and about isn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. Yes, it takes extra time, but it’s totally doable.

On Monday, Owen and I drove up to Tukwila to have to lunch with my friend, Maggie. He was a trouper for the hour and a half car ride up. He survived 3 diapers and feedings in the car. The second of those diaper changes involved a poopy diaper that went up this back and got all over his clothes and the changing pad. It was glorious. It’s always a little nerve wracking taking Owen into a restaurant, especially without Jeremy, but Owen went to sleep pretty quickly and I was grateful. After our meal, Owen, Maggie and I walked around the mall together. It was fun because this was my first time being in a mall for the holidays. I love all the decorations and the hub bub of the Christmas season. As I was getting ready to pack up, Maggie pointed out that the stroller wasn’t folding up well because the diaper bag was still in it! Oops! Gotta love having an audience for moments like those.

Back in the classroom! Gingerbread House Competition!

Last night was my first night returning to teaching my Wednesday night class. I had planned to keep Owen with me so all the girls could see him. Once they had a preview and a lot of gushing, I decided to drop Owen off at the nursery for the first time. It did a feel a little weird having someone watch him when I was so close by, but lucky for me, my class kept me pretty distracted. I was able focus in on them. I had the urge to check on Owen occasionally, but I knew he was okay. I had a pager that they would use if he really needed me, so I pushed the urge to check on him away. It was so sweet to pick him up after church. It was good to have a little time away from him and to do something that I love, but I was glad to have him back with me once it was all over. Getting out of church was a little harder because the Wednesday night crowd hadn’t seen him yet. Jeremy is a proud dad and took Owen around to show him off while I got gas in my car. First time in the nursery was something I was a little nervous about so I’m glad that it went well and that milestone is now behind us.

Today I loaded up the car and drove down to Longview to hang out with my sister-in-law and nephew. I took the stroller into Target so that way I wouldn’t have a cart and therefore wouldn’t buy anything. That idea failed me and I ended up buying raccoon pajamas for Owen. They were just too cute to pass up. I knew I shouldn’t have gone into the baby aisle. Jeremy loves raccoons and these jammies have the zipper front that Jeremy likes for diaper changes. It seemed like fate. The morning was well spent walking and talking. Time with other moms is fun because they understand where I am and I got to see my super cute nephew. It was a definite win for me!

As I was wandering around the stores and traveling this morning, I realized that I’m not as intimidated as I once was about being out with Owen. I’m starting to get my groove and mommyhood is clicking a bit more. I find the more I’m out and about the more human I feel. Yes, it can be tiring to be on the go, but I’m learning that it’s tiring to both me and Owen. The more out of the house we are, the better Owen sleeps at night. All the stimulation really gets to him. We’ve been having great nights of 5+ hours of sleep on a regular basis. Last night after the evening at church, Owen slept 7.5 hours. Going out with him has it’s pay offs that is for sure!

So, I have decided that I am an adventurer. Instead of looking at these experiences with fear and worry, I have decided to view them as adventures. An adventure is a win when I get out and do it. It doesn’t matter if Owen is fussy or if he makes noise in a store. The true success is just getting out doing stuff. I will not let fear keep me inside and away from life. Now I’m not saying that home days are bad. They are great. I love home. I’m just learning that I’m not scared to get out. I’m grateful for these opportunities. I am growing and stretching. I can see changes in myself through these opportunities and I am embracing my inner adventurer!

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O Christmas Tree! December 1, 2013

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 9:42 pm

Special Ornaments!

Today was Christmas Tree day in the Scott household. I think everything this time of year means more now that we have Owen. Picking out the tree was a little tricky because it was super rainy. I was a little concerned about Owen getting wet, so I stood under a covered awning while Jeremy looked for the best tree. I looked it over quickly, but really I just trusted Jeremy’s judgement. He did well! We got the tree home and it needed to dry out a bit. It was hard to wait, but I filled the time watching a Hallmark Christmas movie. Go figure! Once the tree was inside, we got down to business. Owen was fascinated by the Christmas lights. It was fun to watch him as he watched Jeremy put the lights on the tree. At one point, I left the room and came back to find Jeremy explaining each special ornament to Owen. There was the Snowman ornament he gave me when we first started dating, the ornament we purchased on our honeymoon, the ornament we purchased in Leavenworth before Owen was born to celebrate our family of three and Owen’s first Christmas ornament. It’s been a fun progression. Our tree tells a story. It’s not one of those theme trees. Our ornaments are a mismatch from our years together and some of them we brought to the marriage. It represents “us” in so many ways. I love it!

Today was a big day in other ways as well. Owen and I went to children’s church for the first time today. I haven’t been in the classroom since the end of September since I was put on bed rest at the beginning of October. It was good to be back, but kind of weird. It was a little hard on my brain focusing on the kids and focusing on Owen. There were questions about if they could hold Owen and I explained that since everyone couldn’t hold Owen no one was going to. The kids accepted that well. Some of them really wanted to touch him and the pacifier. I’m not too concerned about germs, but at the same time I didn’t want him coming away from church with a cold or something. Once he is a little older he’ll head to the nursery, but the nursery staff suggested we wait until he three months to put him in on a Sunday. I don’t mind having him near me this month. He did well and lasted almost 2 hours before needing his poopy diaper changed and the next meal. Once again, another big milestone has been reached and both Owen and I survived.

It was good day all around! We are so blessed and these are fun times! The love this season and the milestones!

Holiday Helper!

Daddy and Owen

The Scott Family

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Happy Thanksgiving November 30, 2013

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 11:20 am

Gobble Gobble! Our Little Turkey!

Jeremy and I were very excited for Thanksgiving this year. It was Owen’s first official holiday. Yes, there was Halloween, but I view holidays as a day where things are closed and people spend time with family and friends. Plus, we missed the opportunity for dressing him up for Halloween so this was the first holiday were he had a “special” outfit to wear. Yup, we’re that family! Jeremy had picked out a cute turkey onesie at Old Navy and I was excited to celebrate the day with our little turkey.

I’m not sure it will be like this every year, but we figured that Owen is still pretty portable these days and can sleep about anywhere. We have no routine or set schedule. We figured that it would be possible to do both families for Thanksgiving and we would just work our schedule around Owen if need be. Things worked out better than I expected. There were fussy moments at each family gathering, but for the most part Owen did great. I was very pleased. Since these were the first extended family gatherings for Owen to visit, I was prepared for him to be passed around from family member to family member. He did well with all the hand offs and he had many admirers.

One of the things I was looking forward to the most this year was the new babies on both sides of our family. At my family Thanksgiving, I got to meet Forrest. He is my cousin’s newest addition and he is 10 days younger than Owen. It was great to have both October babies together. It’s so fun that Owen will have a little friend his age to run around with the future. At Jeremy’s family gathering, I got to snuggle more with my newest nephew, Nolan. Both Owen and Nolan were hot potatoes being passed from person to person. It was great to see Jeremy’s parents with both their little grandsons. They did a wonderful job sharing their love and attention.

The Scott Family

There were two miracles that happened on Thanksgiving and flowed into the next day. Right now Owen is on a good sleep schedule. We’ve had many nights of 5-6 hour stretches of sleep. With all the simulation on Thursday, I thought for sure that Owen would have a good night’s sleep. I didn’t realize just how good he was going to sleep. Owen slept 8 hours for the first time! He got up for 20 minutes and then went back to sleep for another 3 hours! It was amazing. Truly a miracle in my book! The other miracle is the fact that his Thanksgiving onesie made it through the whole day without spit up or poop getting all over it. We had only one holiday outfit and two families to see. It wouldn’t have to been the end of the world to have him change in the middle of the day, but I wanted each group to see his little turkey outfit. It survived the whole day and he was still wearing it when we got home.

Things with Owen are going well. I’m starting to find my rhythm and things are starting to feel more natural. Motherhood is like learning a foreign language. It’s awkward at first and you know you’re not pronouncing the words quite right, but you know enough to get the job done. With time and experience, the words flow more freely and you find that you’re not thinking so much about if you’re doing it right. You’re just doing it. Because we’ve taken longer trips with Owen, I wasn’t too worried about this event being too long. My biggest concern was how Owen would respond to all the simulation and for the most part he did amazing. I’m glad that our families got to snuggle with him and have those moments. It was a great first thanksgiving as a family of three. I’m so blessed by our little family and I’m truly excited to see everyone again in less than a month for Christmas!

On a somewhat random note, everyone wanted to know how much Owen weighed at both gatherings. Because the babies are so close in age there was a lot of comparing the weights. I hadn’t weighed Owen in two weeks so yesterday I stepped onto the scale to see where our little guys was at. He is now 11 pounds even. Maybe it was because I didn’t hold him a lot on Thanksgiving, but yesterday he seemed bigger to me. It was like all of the sudden he grew up even more. I was laying him on the changing table in our room and noticed how long he is now. He almost fills it length wise now! Comparing my nephew’s face to Owen’s makes me realize that he really has lost that newborn look. He looks older. It’s a little mind blowing because the changes are so gradual to me and then all of the sudden I see the difference! Such a big boy these days. One last side note, Owen slept another 8 hours last night! Two days in a row! Pray with me that this is the new trend! I could get used to this!

Happy Baby!

8 hours of sleep!

Yay!

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34 Days! November 20, 2013

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 4:17 pm

It’s that time of year!

Once my countdown to Owen was over I knew I needed new countdowns in my phone to look forward to. Right now we are at 34 days till Christmas and I will admit that it is starting to feel like winter here in the Scott household. In true tradition, I have had way too many peppermint hot chocolates in lovely red cups. This last weekend Starbucks had a BOGO offer for holiday drinks, so we got free drinks three days in a row. Bliss! Another tradition is listening to Christmas music on the way to our children’s leadership conference. I love Christmas music and it was so much fun to sing along to my favorites on the drive up north. On Sunday, I pulled out my penguin dishes. Now these are more wintery than Christmasy so I use them from November through February. I love my skating penguins! They make me so happy! With daylight savings, the days are getting shorter and darker. The weather has turned cold. We’ve started having fires in our woodstove. I know it’s still fall for another month, but winter is creeping in and I’m happy to welcome it. Soon we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving with family and then it’s decorating the house for Christmas. Jeremy is even planning on putting up our Christmas lights this weekend since the weather will be nice. These are good days! I love the holidays! Now all I need to do is start my Christmas shopping. Those who know me well know that I am usually done with my Christmas shopping by this time, but it’s a different year for the Scott household.

In other random news, here are more Owen milestones. On Friday into Saturday night, Owen slept for 6 hours! This was a first and it’s yet to happen again, but 6 hours of sleep is amazing!!! On Sunday, I spent a good part of my afternoon in Owen’s room sorting through newborn clothes and putting them in a box. Most of his newborn clothes are too short on him because he is such a long baby. I pulled out this three month clothes and got them ready for him to wear. Some of the three month stuff is still too big, but he is slowly growing into it. He is no longer wearing newborn diapers and newborn clothes… It made me realize that he is no longer a newborn! It’s hard to believe that he is 6 weeks old already. The days are really flying by. Another first would be the fact that I got two hours to myself on Sunday! Jeremy suggested I pump a bottle so he could take Owen over his parent’s house. Jeremy and his dad were both watching the Seahawks game so Jeremy figured they could do that together. What did I do with my free time? Well, in true Amy fashion, I cleaned the house. I also wrote thank you cards, pulled out the penguin dishes and loaded them in the dishwasher, baked pumpkin bread, ordered address labels, showered, and did Jeremy’s laundry. It’s amazing what I can get done in two hours when I’m not constantly checking in on a baby. This was my first time baking since Owen was born and it felt great to get back into the kitchen. Owen has been doing great taking a bottle from Jeremy once a day and the freedom that I means for me is very exciting!

Here are few pictures from around the house. Just a glimpse into our world right now.