What Owen's up to these days... 26 months

Hair: Still super light blond. We have to get Owen a real haircut more regularly now. Ideally, we'd get it cut every 4 weeks or so, but we went almost two months between haircuts this last time and it was a little embarrassing. The day we got it cut, he woke up with it sticking straight up all over his head and it was hilarious. I hate that we didn't get a picture of the before, but here's his latest "after."


Clothes: 2T GAP and Old Navy, 18-24 month Janie and Jack

Diapers: Pampers Size 6. Every once in a while, Owen asks to sit on the potty. I don't think he's ever done anything while sitting there, but we did buy a potty seat and a stool to help him up. I am in NO HURRY to potty train so we aren't doing anything to push it, but I do help him sit when he asks.

Favorite entertainment: Owen loves to play his guitar and he loves to dance to all kinds of music. Dancing needs a full post of its own. Basketball in the street has been a huge hit. Some neighbors installed a full-size basketball goal on the street and he prefers it and a full-size ball to his Little Tykes goal. We carry the toddler hoop down to the street and take a few balls in case Lily and May join us to play. When we don't go outside, he carries the big "bakekball" around the house. Hockey sticks are still a favorite and he likes building "houses" with his big Legos and playing with his trains, which he calls "choo choos." Owen still loves to swing.

Favorite books: Owen's reading list rotates as I check things out from the library. Right now, he wants to read a couple of Jez Alborough books about Bobo the monkey. I prefer some of Jez Alborough's other books like "Fix it Duck" and "It's the Bear." We recently enjoyed "A Sick Day for Amos McGee" and "Bear Snores On," but those have gone back to the library. Owen likes books we own too. Right now he's asking for "The Way I Feel" and his National Geographic Kids magazine.

Favorite songs: Owen sings songs now, which is a lot of fun. "Happy Birthday" is number one in Owen's book. He also sings "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" with the motions. We got him a toddler mp3 player and he likes "Farmer in the Dell" from that playlist.

Favorite TV show: "Word World" once or twice a week.

Guaranteed laugh: Same as 18 months - Tom tossing Owen onto the couch from above. Me moving his teddy bear's head as if it's talking to him.

Mobility: Owen runs and jumps. He climbs up on the couch and chairs. He's not at all aggressive about climbing. Owen is now confident walking up and down our steep driveway and front yard.

Sleep: Same routine as 18 months for naps and bedtime: Owen drinks milk from a straw cup while we read stories in his room. Then we brush his teeth. Then we hold him and sing "Sweet Child of Mine." Now when I leave his room at night he says, "Night night, mama. Night night, mama." Owen sleeps 11-12 hours at night (8pm bedtime, but he often talks to himself in his crib for a while before falling asleep) and takes one nap. At school, he naps for about an hour. At home on the weekends, he naps for 2.5 hours in the afternoon.

Eating: Owen is a great eater. For the most part, he eats what we eat and meal times aren't stressful at our house except that Owen eats SO SLOWLY. He is content to sit at the table for over an hour if we let him. He might go five minutes or more between bites, but when we try to end the meal he screams that he still needs to eat. "Owen, are you all done?" "No, I need to eat!"

Car rides: We still have Owen rear facing in his car seat and it still doesn't seem to bother him. In my car, he has been climbing in and out of his car seat by himself (I still buckle and unbuckle), which is great for me except that he gets distracted and takes his sweet time to do it.

Teeth: Owen had all of his teeth by his two year checkup. We never even notice when they come in because it doesn't seem to affect him at all. Brushing teeth is a chore. He wiggles and clamps his teeth down. Teeth brushing is probably the only part of our routine with Owen that I really dread. And we only brush once a day even though I know we should be brushing twice.

Speech: Owen talks a LOT and has tons of words and says new things all the time. I'm not sure when I stopped keeping track, but he's very verbal now and has been talking in long sentences for a while.

For the most part, Owen is still a really easy going kid. He eats well, he sleeps well, he listens, he's happy most of the time, and he likes to put things away. If there's any balance in the world, we're in trouble when Baby Harp 2.0 arrives.