We've moved the blog!!!

Now that Owen is here...we no longer need to have a blog called "Baby McReynolds"!! So...we've moved the blog. Here is the new link:
New McReynolds family blog
Bookmark it and check it often!
Love to all!

Owen's new sounds

Owen has some new sounds! Here is a video of Owen "talking" on Halloween. Or...maybe he was singing along to the music in the background. Regardless...he is one happy and adorable baby!!!

Catch up post with lots of pics!!

This is somewhat of a catch-up post to upload a bunch of recent pics we've taken of Owen. Enjoy!

Daddy has discovered a new favorite position for Owen to hang out in...Owen lays on his belly on Daddy's legs that are propped up on the ottoman. Owen can see everything that is going on in the room and it also helps him get some more burps out!!
For a few weeks now, we've been getting Owen ready for Halloween. He has a few outfits, thanks to Aunt Heather! Last Saturday, Owen got dressed in his orange and white outfit and hung out in his bouncy seat while we cleaned the house a bit. Owen was as happy as can be!
Jeff Baker and his 'lady friend' Allison came to visit us last Sunday on their way home from Tuscaloosa. It was so nice to see Jeff and meet Allison! We got a great pic of Owen and Jeff.
It was a tough day at daycare on Thursday. Owen fell asleep in the car on the way home and didn't even wake up when we came inside. He was racked out like this until it was time to eat again!
Owen loves to lay in his crib after a diaper change and watch the elephants go around and around on his mobile. It keeps him occupied long enough to clean his diap up!
Yesterday was Halloween. After our 1 o'clock feed, we did our normal routine (eat, burp, spit up, sit upright, burp and spit up some more, play, spit up some more) before getting Owen dressed up for Halloween. Owen was Darth Vader. Unfortunately, after all the activity, it was time for Owen to nap...so once he was dressed, he was not happy. Here is an unhappy Darth Vader!

We went to the Peerless Grill to meet some friends in the afternoon. Here are a few pics:


We made it home in time to get another quick nap in, a bath and a feed prior to all the trick-or-treaters! Owen hung out with Daddy for a bit on the couch, played on his mat some, and answered the door to greet all the cute costumed kiddos!

Songs!

The Parents.com email arrived today ... and it had some valuable informaiton about solid food feeding schedules, as well as a link to the lirics of many popular children's songs!! Owen LOVES to be talked to and we often try to sing to him. Although, many times we get stuck not knowing the words. This link will help any parent in the same siutation!

Songs!

Ready for school and Hallowe'en!!!

Owen got all dressed up in his Hallowe'en onesie today to go to school. Thanks to Aunt Heather for lending us some Hallowe'en 'gear'!!! Here are a couple of pics...

A video of Owen

Yippee!!!! Finally got this to work.....
Might be boring to some...but cute nonetheless...
AND....there is a surprise at the end for all! It is typical event for Owen....
:)

A day in the life...

We have already had a busy Saturday. Owen had Mommy up at 3:15am, and again at 3:30am, then again at 4am, and finally at 4:40am. This has become somewhat of a pattern that is not desirable...but we think we know what is going on. We believe Owen is going through a growth spurt (the books say he is anyway). Therefore, everything is growing...including his insides. And when that happens, he produces more gas. This wakes him up in the early morning hours. Poor little man. But all we can do is try to make him comfortable and love on him. He is so lovable!!!!

Owen ate at 4:40am at fell asleep in mommy's arms until 6am. At which point, he stayed asleep while mommy transferred him to his swing. Mommy didn't even turn the swing on. Owen just slept in the cradle part of the swing until 8:15am. This allowed for everyone to get more sleep. Daddy was sweet enough to put more blankets on both Mom and Owen when he awoke around 7am.

Since then, we've had numerous outfit changes (diaper operator error) and plenty of opportunity to take pictures and videos of the little man. Here are some pics:

A happy boy!!

Some tummy time....Owen is getting so strong!

Owen has definitely found his hands. He likes to try to get both of them in his mouth at one time:


We bundled up and went for a walk on this beautiful fall day!

Full belly and racked out

Owen is still on a great schedule. He is back to eating every three hours, since he has more awake time at daycare and misses a feed in the middle of the night (which Mommy is somewhat grateful for!!). Daddy continues to give Owen his last feed of the day around 9pm. Owen eats all 6oz of his bottle, but is very very sleepy. So sleepy that during burping, he often falls asleep. Here's proof:

The heat is on!!!

Our house got down to 66F this evening. In years past, we might have just bundled up for a few more days/weeks and enjoyed the conditioned-less and heat-less house (and bills!!!). But...with a three month old in the house...things are different. We turned the heat on. Shortly after that, Mom bundled up Owen topping him off with the green hat that Erin made, leashed up Nash and headed out for a walk. Unfortunately, we didn't make it that far, as we were approached by a large (bigger than Nash), growling Husky. We made it safely back home and enlisted Dad's help to scare away the dog. Now we're back inside, sadly afraid to venture out on our own for awhile.

A quarter of a year!!!

WOW - Owen is three months (or a quarter of a year) old!!!! Here is his monthly picture with his ball.


Mom took a really cute movie of Owen...but we can't yet figure out how to 1) make the file smaller so it can be uploaded and 2) change the file format from .mov to one of the formats that Blogger accepts. Does anyone have any ideas?

Sleep

I (Mom) read an interesting article today on how many hours babies/kids need to sleep. I am placing the chart here for future reference :)


Source: http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-much-sleep-does-your-child-need_7645.bc?scid=mbtw_post3m:533&pe=2UwDuHg

First plane ride!!!

Owen went on his first plane trip this weekend. We flew to Texas for Brandee Haight and Ken Herold's wedding. Owen did so well on the plane. On the way there, he did not like sitting at the gate in Birmingham (no movement, we guess) and he did not like the long taxi in Dallas-Fort Worth (but who does?!?!?). During the actual flight, he was more-or-less perfect! He actually stayed awake the whole way there and just laughed, smiled and stared at Mommy the whole time. The plane trip home was a little more eventful, as we had an aborted take-off!!! Of all the flights that Mommy and Daddy have taken in their lifetime...that was a first...and it was with a three month old! But...Owen was actually pretty good, given the circumstances (read: one hour delay). He screamed for a little bit (wouldn't we have all liked to do that!), but calmed down with a bottle in his mouth and his Daddy holding him. Again, he laughed and smiled for awhile after eating, and then fell asleep in Daddy's arms. He did not wake up (even when he was transferred to Mom's arms) until we put him in the Bjorn to walk off the plane.

Fellow passengers on both flights made comments to us about how great Owen did. We appreciated them all. We are certain most of them were either fretting the flight when they saw us board with little Owen and/or they had been there before with their own children.

It was a bit stressful for us to fly with him that young, so we were relieved that he did so well.

It was a great weekend though. We had a wonderful visit with Aunt Heather, Uncle Vic and all the Myers cousins (Jacalyn, Jaydon, Jonathan and Jakob). Below is a pic of us with Jacalyn and Jaydon.



We spent Friday evening with Nonnie and Pop, and enjoyed a visit from Wendy.



Saturday was the wedding. It was a beautiful day outside. The wedding was held in the same church where we were members and were married. It was nice to get back there. The reception was wonderful and was held at the Gaylord Texan Resort. Afterwards, we went back to Nonnie and Pop's to pick up Owen and drove down to Colleyville for a visit with Michael, Elizabeth and Sarah Gallian. Sarah was a busy little girl, showing us all her toys, while wearing a tutu. :)
Mandy and Randy Lucke stopped by the Gallian's to meet Owen. It was so great to visit with all of them!

After dinner with Nonnie and Pop on Saturday night, our quick visit came to an end. Weekends always go by so fast, but this one went by very quickly.

Day 2 of daycare and....

...Owen slept through the night again last night! He slept for a total of 1 hour and 55 minutes during his stay at daycare....so we are really not surprised that he was tired last night. Poor guy. But...he was happy last night after both feeds at home and he was very content this morning after waking up to eat.

We'll see what today brings. Daycare is going to feed him three times, instead of twice. We figure he might be hungry since he is sleeping through the middle of the night feed and he has more awake time at daycare. Hopefully that makes him a little less fussy during the day and more tolerable for Ms Candy and Ms Laura.

Good Trade off???

Well...the big news from the McReynolds' house is that Owen slept through the night last night. It might have been a fluke or may be due to the fact that he missed so much sleep yesterday...but we'll take it! He did not fuss until 3:48am, at which point his soother fixed the problem until his 5am feeding time! He ate great and was a happy baby the whole morning. If you know me...this won't be a surprise to you...I did the math and figured out that Owen was home for 14.5 hours between day one and two of daycare. He slept for all but three hours of that!!! He was SO tired from his first big day of daycare!

It is day 2 of daycare...let's hope he gets some more rest there today!

Day one of daycare...complete!

All went well at Owen's first day of daycare. We planned out our morning routine yesterday which helped things run smoothly. Also we packed our lunches and Owen's bags (his diapers were in a bag, his milk was in a soft cooler, his change of clothes were in a ziploc, etc.) yesterday, so all that had to be done this morning was to put the bags and Owen in the car.

This morning, I fed and burped Owen at 5am, while Dad got ready for work and took Nash for a walk. While I was getting ready for work, Dad changed and dressed Owen, moved the FJ out onto the driveway, and made tea and coffee. What an awesome Daddy! :)

At 6:10am, Owen and I pulled out of the driveway and headed up to daycare. The drop off this morning was benign. Owen didn't cry he just sat in his car seat while I showed Ms. Candy everything in Owen's bag and we talked about his schedule. She wanted to be shown her how we wrap him, so before leaving, I swaddled Owen in his blue blanket. Once swaddled, I placed Owen in his crib and he started cooing and talking to the mobile that Ms Candy had attached to his crib (it was four animals, one of which was an elephant...that made me happy!). When I walked out of the room, Owen was laying in his crib, wide-eyed and awake looking right at me. It broke my heart. I made it to the car before I lost it. Just a few tears....since I needed to drive safely to work.

My morning went fast at work, thank goodness. My first and only mistake of the day was calling the nursery around 11:15am to check on Owen. I found out he had only slept for 35 minutes during a time when he normally sleeps 2.5 hours. The good news was that Owen ate all his breakfast...no surprise there...the little man is a great eater! I picked Owen up after work and learned that he had slept a total of 1 hour and 40 minutes. Yikes. In a usual day (between the hours of 6:30am and 4pm) he normally sleeps 6.5 hours.

Owen was pretty miffed when we got home from daycare. I wrapped him and held him close for all of one minute and he was asleep in my arms. He was finally calm and it felt so good to be close to him. After five minutes or so, I placed Owen in his swing and started to get things cleaned up from the day and things ready for tomorrow. Right on schedule, Owen woke at 5pm to eat. He played on his mat with me and let me read him a book. Again, right on time, Owen needed to be wrapped at 6:15pm and fell asleep shortly thereafter. I am so glad he still has his schedule here at home! He is still zonked out right now (8:15pm) and we are anxious to see if he awakes for his 9pm feed. He had a busy day!!!

Tomorrow will be better...and easier. That's what everyone says anyway....

Last day before daycare

Well....today is the day...the day before Owen goes to daycare. Melissa starts back in the office full-time tomorrow. Thankfully it is a short work week for both Mom and Dad, as we are all heading to Texas on Friday for the wedding of our friends - Ken Herold and Brandee Haight.

Owen's bags for daycare are all packed and the morning routine is planned out. Mommy will have a tough day tomorrow...it is inevitable. But...everything will be just fine.

We have been spoiled. For the past two weeks we have had the help of our parents. They have kept this house running like a well oiled machine. We have been on our own since Friday and have done our best to keep up with the laundry, the clean house and meals. Even though we manage....we certainly appreciated all the help our families have given us over the past 12 weeks. We have loved having them here...not just for all that they do for us...but also so they can see how great a baby Owen is, how fast he is growing and enjoy this special time with him.

Keep us in your prayers tomorrow, as we hand Owen off to Ms. Candy at daycare.

Owen Lost his Title

Owen lost the title of “Newest US Citizen in the house” this past Tuesday. After a long process including many forms and fees, Melissa was sworn in as a US citizen in Atlanta. Now everyone in our house is a US Citizen….even Nash!





Other updates…

Owen is now on a four-hour feeding schedule. Once again, he adapted well to the new schedule. Owen has always been a content baby, but this new schedule makes him even more happy as he gets to sleep longer between feeds. He is still waking up in the night to feed once, but goes right back to sleep afterwards.

It sounds like we have some exciting times coming up. During Melissa’s parent’s visit, we pulled out Melissa’s baby book and found out that Melissa got her first teeth when she was four months old. That is about six weeks away for Owen! YIKES!
Owen’s spit-ups have reduced tremendously. Most likely it is due to the two types of medicine we give him before almost every feeding (four feeds a day). Fortunately, the meds won’t be forever…we just need all of his systems stronger!

Owen is cooing, laughing and smiling lots each day. He loves to have cream rubbed on his chin and around his lips. Bath time is generally quiet and he laughs when the folds in his fat (in his elbows, knees and neck) are cleaned. This past week Gram and Pappy introduced him to his elephant mobile in his crib. Owen loves to watch the elephants go around and around. In addition, he is starting to really check himself out in the mirror. It is too cute.

Cloth diapers - Day 2!

Well...we did it...we are now using cloth diapers! It is day two and things are going well. We have learned from some mistakes...which resulted in Pappy getting pee'd on and Owen wetting his gown and blanket in the night. The mistakes are not due to the diaper construction at all...they were due to operator error! We are figuring out the best and proper way to put the diapers on.

The diapers look great on Owen. We will have to take some pictures and post them soon.

We've also transitioned to the schedule we need to be on when Mom goes back to work in the office full-time on October 5th. His first feed of the day is now 5am (instead of 6am). And after extensive brainstorming on how we could all get more sleep during the night, we moved Owen's long sleep time to 11pm to 5am (used to be 9pm to 3am). Night one of that (last night) went well...so we will see how the next few go before raving about it!! Thank goodness Owen is flexible and adaptive to what we throw at him! We figure he doesn't care, as long as he is fed every three hours seven times a day, burped, dry, warm, cuddled some, played with and left alone to sleep enough!!!

Other than that...Owen is becoming much more expressive. He has cute little frowns and large open-mouthed smiles. He can see himself in the mirror of his Boppy Play Mat (see previous post) and adores looking/smiling in it for up to 30 minutes at a time! Owen has found his fist, which goes in his mouth when he can get it there. Owen still spits up a lot, but we are managing it better now with some medicine, wearing bibs and always carrying a cloth wipe around!

Owen's Baptism!

Owen was baptized yesterday (September 20, 2009) at Anniston First United Methodist Church. It was a great day!! We had so many supporters...it was fantastic! Thank you to all who attended and witnessed Owen's baptism!!!
Here are some pictures from the special day:



Pastor Hal Noble Baptizing Owen


Carmen & Sue Lloyd, Melissa, Clint & Owen McReynolds, Paula and Jay McReynolds

(We know someone must have a better copy of the picture above on their camera....please send it and we'll replace this picture!)

Owen is Two Months Old!!

WOW - today is the 14th...therefore...Owen is another month older. CRAZY!!
The Kidds (correct me if I am wrong) gave us an idea to take a picture of Owen next to a ball every month in order to give some comparison on his size. So...here is his second month picture with the ball from Jay Worrall!

Obviously, I will not be able to keep the onesie the same in every picture...but the ball will always be there! :)

I took some other photos today when Owen was playing on his play mat. He is one happy boy!!!



We enjoyed a visit from Michael and Elizabeth Gallian this past weekend. They were Owen's first non-family, overnight guests. Michael and Elizabeth have a two and half year old...so they know what having a two month old in the house is all about!! We had great food, great conversation and great times! We kicked ourselves after we left, as we did not get any pictures of our friends with our family. We will be in Texas the weekend of October 10th and hope to see them again. We will have to remember to document the visit a bit better!