Owen: A welcome distraction
39w1d.
My BHs are organizing like surly steelworkers. They’ve been about every hour all day. Progress or wishful thinking? Will there be contract negotiations tomorrow? Only time will tell.
***
To keep our minds off my gigantic uncomfortableness, let me tell you how awesome my firstborn is.
For the last two weeks, he’s been bursting into my room about 6:15 a.m., with a wave and a smile. He clambers up into bed next to me, with his new favorite green blanket, and curls up and pretends to sleep. And pats my head, and squirms around, and pulls some books off the shelf-headboard, and watches the clock until he sees a 7.
“Sebin clock, Mom! Time to get up! Time for coffee and Pop-Tarts!”
So we go to the kitchen and I plop him on the counter and he pulls out Pop-Tarts for the two of us and dumps the scoop of ground coffee into the maker and pushes the button. Then he tells me it’s time to watch Wallace and Grommit — the part with the rabbits flying. “So funny,” he laughs, and shakes his head.
So I have my coffee and we eat and watch Wallace (“AND Grommit, Mom”) and Owen makes a mess of crumbs and goes to get the broom and the dust pan and tries to sweep them up. And then gives up.
“Help me, Mom? I sit here. YOU sweep dem up. Use dustpan. Here.”
Ha.
And then I get ready for work and then I get him ready for school and he stops me — “all done your coffee, Mom?” — and then we go to our respective daily employment and then I come home after work to his big smiling mug. And sometimes, when I’m really lucky, I plop myself down in the recliner and he runs up to me and says, “How’s work, Mom? How’s day?” And I plotz a little, because my kid is asking me about my day. And one day he’ll stand still long enough for me to answer, I just know it.
And then we hang out doing some activity or another for an hour — this week, it’s dumping wooden beads from one bin to another — while Iain cooks dinner and then Owen informs me that “DINNER’S READY! Come on, Mom.” And we eat. And after dinner he tries to clear his plate but he’s a short little thing so just as he’s about to tip it into the sink it spills all over him and the floor and we do the broom/dustpan routine again.
And then it’s time for a bath, and then afterward I wrap him up like a mummy and he toddles out to find his dad in the easy chair, waiting with his PJ’s and a diaper because we have the same routine (down to the script) every time. And then we all pile onto our bed to read bedtime stories and Owen feeds me my medicine.
“You need your medicine, Mom?” And he takes the berry-flavored Tums down off the shelf, opens them up, and shakes out two. “Just two, Mom. No more. Only two. … Not for me. MOMMY’s medicine. … You need some, Dad?” And depending on the day shakes out two more.
And we read our stories and we have our family cuddles and I put him to bed, again following our script, which only this week changed slightly. I always ask him, before I leave his room, if he’d like to count to 20 with me. And he always nods yes but lets me do the counting, cheering “Yay!” at the end. But this week he let me get as far as 3 before he cheered like we were done, even though he knew we were no where close. We both cracked up. The irony! Thinking 3 was the same as 20! So funny. And he cheered again after 5. GOD it’s hilarious! As if 5 was anything CLOSE to 20? And then at 7 8 9 and all the way to the end. Maybe you just had to be there but his sense of humor cracks me up. So now we cheer on each number and I rub his back and leave the room.
And you know what? He is absolutely the reason we decided to have another one. His terrible twos are quite tolerable (meaning the terror will come with the threes) and overall, I just … really enjoy having him around. It’s giving me hope that I can get through the first two years of Flipper’s life to find a light at the end of the tunnel for that one, too. (Me and babyhood, we don’t get along so well.)
My buddy. He really has helped me not want to kill myself this last trimester.
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16 Responses to “Owen: A welcome distraction”
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I cannot tell you how much I adore Owen. Seriously.
OH, wait! the organization of contractions?!! I am so excited about this!
What a darling post. Me and wee babyhood, also not so good. Let’s DO stuff. That’s my life credo. 6 week olds, not so good at doing stuff nor letting me do stuff.
I’ve heard that about the twos…that if they aren’t bad, then watch out for the threes. Part of our longer childhoods as a society, I wonder.
Good luck, I know the waiting is insane. Start a big project or something…Also, I have a pink labor inducing tank top I can Fed Ex you. It signals to the baby that you have no pride left and would they just get out here already!
Owen is the best. I love reading this. It reminds me of my time before Toby. Life was so sweet.
I am living, wistfully, through you.
What an AWESOME kid…
Delurking to say I check every day, waiting for the contract negotations to begin. This post is my favorite of many blogs, over many recent months. He will love to read it when he’s like, 25. I would love to hang out with Owen, what a charm city character. Know that the second will be so different, esp. because of big brother. I have to think it’s easier than the first, otherwise why would people have 3 and 4? That’s what I’m telling myself, anyway (still clamboring towards the light at the end of the second year). Congrats on both your boys- and we can’t wait to meet Flipper.
What a cutie pie. That made my day.
Aww man, I am in love.
Rooting for the union side, as always. Hope those rabble rousers get you some action soon.
First of all, Owen is an example of why I want kids someday. I just ignore the obnoxious kids that make me have no interest in having them!
Secondly, I noticed an ebay bid over on the right there…For a baby DRESS?? Does that mean something?? I realized I don’t know what you are having, girl or boy… :o)
So exciting! I keep checking twitter waiting to see what pops up!
So so cute!!
so i’m sitting here, after putting sage and zander to bed, and i decide to peruse some of heather’s friend’s blogs, (wow a lot of ‘s) and i have successfully just read your entire year and basically am deciding if i should go back another year. awesome!! oh…. if you ever ever want a babysitter for your adorable son.. who has such a great wrap from your posts… let me know!!
I love this post and I love Owen.
Just checking in. That was seriously the cutest thing I have read on the Web since… since… well, probably since HamsterDance. Congratulations on raising a great kid and congratulations on Number 2!
Oh man, now *I* want an Owen. And I have someone that size already. He is going to make such a rockin’ big brother if he takes care of you so well.
Best wishes on the organizing and the negotiations. Flipper’s already in charge.
Thanks, you guys. And thanks, you delurkers and new folk. And you other folk. And ever’body.
I have been incredibly lucky to have such a great kid. I am fully expecting payback in the form of a little Gemini baby who won’t sleep. (At least he’ll be cute, though, if his brother is any indication.)
oh, mary beth.
just. oh my gosh. your little one is the best ever. everything is just the sweetest thing and he’s taking care of you and is so cute and seriously. you + iain are such wonderful parents.
oh that little one.
also this might help him count to 12.
♥