Owen at 2 months.

Time is flying by faster than ever & now Owen is 2 months old!!!

As you can see, Owen is growing super fast & is such a big boy!

Here's what you're up to lately:

• You're so "busy" these days...your hands are exploring everything & you are kicking those strong legs & feet around like a crazy man!
• In addition to discovering your hands, you've discovered your voice. You make all sorts of cute sounds...mostly "maaaa" & "yaaaa". Sometimes when you 1st wake up in the morning or after a nap, you don't cry you just start "talking". It's super cute!
• You started smiling about about 6 weeks & you haven't stopped since!!! You tend to smile the most when you are lying on your changing table, so we spend a lot of time playing there. Unfortunately, you don't really like to cooperate in smiling at the camera & it's hard to capture many smiley pictures. I'm going to keep on trying though!
• You love to sit up with our help & have gotten super good with your head control.
• You also love to be carried around facing outwards so you can check out everything going on around you.
• You love, love, love to stare at overhead lights & the ceiling fans. I think you could stare at them for hours.
• At about 6 weeks old you started sleeping longer stretches between feedings at night...hooray!!! So far, you average about 5 & 1/2 or 6 hours from the time I lay you down (about 9 p.m.) until your next feeding. One night you even slept 7 hours!
• However, you love to start your day nice & early around 6:00-6:30 a.m. regardless of how recently you ate.
• From about 5 weeks-8 weeks the hair on the front 1/3 of your head fell out (sad :-(). I knew that was normal, but didn't want it to fall out. It's now coming back as the cutest and softest little sandy blonde fuzz. Your hair is definitely getting more of a redish-tint on the sides & in the back...love it
• You love things that make noise. When we get you ready for bed at night, I play the rain song on our sound machine & you love it. Your newest favorite sound is the hairdryer. You can be unhappy & if I turn on the hairdryer, you settled immediately...it's a handy trick!
• You got your 1st shots just before you turned 8 weeks old. It was super sad to watch you scream while you got a total of 3 shots in your tiny little thighs (1 in 1 thigh & 2 in the other). You also got the oral rotovirus vaccine which unfortunately gave you diarrhea for a few days...not fun. You were quite sleepy & a little more cranky than usual for about 48 hours, but all in all you handled the shots quite well.
• In addition to all of the family you met when you made your 1st road trip to Conyers, your Uncle Dave & Aunt Courtney came from D.C. to visit a few weekends ago. They had a great time playing with you & mommy & daddy enjoyed their visit too!
• 2 of mommy's sweet friends from Belmont babysat for you on 2 different occassions. Mrs. Sharon watched you while mommy had lunch at the Puffy Muffin with Catherine H. & Ms. Sara watched you while mommy got a much-needed haircut! We have a lengthy list of people who are dying to babysit you...what a blessing!

At your last doctor's appointment (you were 7 weeks), you weighed 10 lbs. & 12 oz. (45th%), measured 22 inches (45th%) & your head circumference was also in the 45th%...a perfectly proportioned little man!
You are wearing exclusively 3 months clothes & when you wear a disposable diaper (if we're out for a long time or someone else is babysitting for you) you wear a size '2'.

hands

I love touching people's hands, holding the hands of those I love, and just looking at peoples' hands.

The only reading we had at our wedding was a poem entitled "The Hands of the Bride & Groom".

I definitely think you can learn a lot about someone by looking at their hands.

It's suffice to say that I'm very intrigued by hands...and now, especially intrigued by little, tiny hands!

In the last few weeks, Owen has discovered his hands & has learned that he can do things with them.

It has been one of the most fun aspects of watching him grow in the past several weeks.

He started by reaching for our faces with his hands when he was on his changing table.

Quickly he learned that he could grab my hair as well (ouch!).

It wasn't long & he discovered my necklaces (no more jewelry for me for a while).

Now, he's grabbing at everything...

his shirt, our shirts, burp cloths, his bibs, his taggie blanket (his favorite thing right now), his toys hanging from the play mat and the bouncy seat...

He also likes to think that he's "helping" us with his hands. He likes to put a hand, sometimes two, on his bottle. He loves to "help" by wiping spit-up off of his face. He also has been known to put his hands down into his diaper = much less helpful.

Just this week, he's gone beyond just grabbing everything to rubbing things too.

We're reading him a few of his books that have textured objects, and I think he likes that!

I can't wait to continue to watch our little man learn new things with his hands...he's sooo fun!

Owen's 1st road trip!

Owen took his 1st road trip to Conyers a few weeks ago!

Grammy came up on Wednesday night and she, I, & Owen left for Conyers on Thursday morning. Chris joined us for the weekend.

Owen did great in the car on the way down! We even had to sit in traffic for an extra hour, and although he was a bit fussy then he was still not too unhappy.

He did great on the trip back to our house too.

1st road trip=success!

We enjoyed getting to introduce Owen to some Atlanta-area family & friends.

Here are some pictures from our adventures.

Smiling for Grammy!

Meeting Aunt Sissy

Hanging out with Grammy

Meeting Aunt Diann & Uncle Leon

Auntie Cheri introducing Owen to Uncle Jesse for the 1st time

Meeting Aunt Lisa, Aunt Kit Kat, & Uncle Sam for the 1st time

Looking forward to our next road trip!!!

you might be a new mom if...

• it's noon & you're still drinking your morning coffee!
• you realize at some point in the day that you have baby spit-up on your shirt & you have no idea how long it's been there.
• it's 2 p.m. & you can't remember if you brushed your teeth this morning :-(
• you think your boobs might spend more time uncovered more than covered!
• you're not entirely sure what day of the week it is.
• you consider going to the grocery store a 'retreat'.
• you haven't blogged in a month!!!

Yes, all of these things have happened to me in the last month.
Please do not think that I am complaining...I'm definitely not.
I wouldn't trade not one second of my time with Owen despite any of these things.

Being a mom to a 2 month old is an adventure & I love it!!!

(Hopefully more blog posts with pictures to come soon!)

Owen at 1 month

It's hard to believe that you were 1 month old on Saturday.

Our little boy is growing so fast!

This 1st month has brought so many exciting changes & so much fun:

• You had a few more visitors last week-Grammy & Grampy (who know wishes to be known as "The Big G") came back to see you, you met mommy & daddy's friend Hollie, & Auntie Cheri came back to see you as well.
• We took you back for a 1 month weigh-in since we had issues with your weight gain. You weighed 8 lbs. & 6 oz....what a big boy! We're still feeding you every 3 hours during the day, but every 4-5 hours at night now...whew!
• You're about to outgrow the majority of your newborn onesies. There are a few little newborn outfits you can probably wear for another week or two.
• Mommy started the cloth diapering adventure last week. We're using Pampers only at night now or if we're going on a long errand around town.
• When it hasn't been rainy (not often) we've gone on a few adventures around town-lunch with Auntie Cheri at the Puffy Muffin (you slept through it!), a trip to Costco, & several walks around the neighborhood.
• We started carrying you in the Baby Bjorn. We carry you in it for walks & Daddy carried you around Costco in it on Saturday. We love it & you seem to too!
• You have really discovered that you can do things with your hands. You love to sit in your infant-toddler rocking chair & swing your arms to try & reach the toy bar. You love to swing at the yellow lion on your entertainer mat too.
• You love to focus on our faces. It's so fun to think that you know we're your mommy & daddy!
• You also love to stare at your face in the mirror. Sometimes you'll reach out & try to touch the mirror too...so cute!
• You love music. I'm pretty sure your favorite song is "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" because you usually will stop fussing when I start singing it.

Here a few of the most recent pictures:

Watch me grow...

In addition to the hundreds of pictures we've been taking of our Owen, each week on his "week birthday" we take a picture of him in the same chair with his little chalkboard birthday sign.

Owen was 4 weeks old last Wednesday (wow!), so here are the pictures from the 1st four weeks of his life...

1 Week

2 Weeks

3 Weeks

4 Weeks

I promise I won't be taking weekly pictures forever...I imagine they'll fade to monthly pictures very soon!

Thanks Dolly!

Owen is one of the newest members of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

I had never heard of the Imagination Library until we moved into our house in September & started receiving books in the mail each month addressed to the little boy who lived here just prior to us. I tried sending the books back, but kept getting them back & decided to keep them for Owen.

One day I thought to go online & find out about the Imagination Library...
Basically Dolly Parton established a program almost 15 years ago that allows any child in a participating community to receive a book in the mail each month until the child is 5 years old. The best part is that the books are gender & age appropriate!

After Owen was born, we signed him up as a member of the Imagination Library.
So, thanks to Dolly Parton, Owen will have another 60 books in his library by the time he turns 5!!!

You can find out if you & your child live in a participating community by going here: http://imaginationlibrary.com/.

Thanks so much Dolly!

Owen at 3 weeks

Owen was 3 weeks old on February 8th...time is just flying by!

In your 3rd week of life:

• You had your 3 week check-up & everything looked great except you weren't gaining any weight :-(. We started giving you formula supplements temporarily & you gained 8 oz. in 3 days. Dr. Rauth said you were a rockstar!
• You had more visitors-Mommy & Daddy's friends Claire, Laura, & Meghan, and your Auntie Abbey returned for a fun weekend visit!
• You & mom made your 1st solo trip out to Harris Teeter & Whole Foods...success!
• You have found your feet. One afternoon you were in your swing & I looked over just as you ripped your socks off your feet & then laid them across your belly. You definitely do not appreciate socks!
• You have fallen in love with your bath time. We sit you in the sling inside of the infant tub until you get a bit bigger, but you often figure out a way to throw one of your legs over the side of the sling to get it down in the water.
• You love to stare at bright lights. Your eyes will always find the overhead lights in any room.
• You've come to love your 'binky' & have learned how to grab it with your hands. Unfortunately, all you do when you grab it is yank it out of your mouth. We're going to have to work on teaching you how to put it back in!

A few pictures from your 3rd week of life:

One happy little family!

Playing with my feet

Hanging out with Auntie Abbey

Chilling out in the bath

Owen at 2 weeks

Owen was 2 weeks old on February 1st.

Highlights from his 2nd week of life:

• Grammy stayed with us until you were was 9 days old. Having her here was simply amazing & to say that she was helpful would be an understatement.
  
• Katie Mosley came to shoot newborn photos on day 9...so can't wait to see how the pictures turned out. We had such a blast with her!
  
• You had had lots of visitors-grandma & grandpa, Boo Boo, Big Nana, Aunt Erin, great grandpa & Marion and mommy & daddy's friends Kim and Kyle & Scott & Sarah.
  
• You had your 1st tub bath on day 11. You didn't love it at 1st, but by the end you were pretty content.
• We know you can't see much, but that doesn't stop us from showing you everything we can. You've definitely started focusing on our faces a little more this week. You reached up & touched Daddy's beard one night!

A few pictures from Owen's 2nd week of life:

Still love your swing!

We've started laying you in your crib to play & for a few naps here & there...sometimes you love it & sometimes you hate it.

If we leave you in your crib for more than about 3 minutes, you turn your upper body over onto your right side...clearly you didn't get the memo about "Back to Sleep"!

You can definitely focus on things a bit better, but focusing usually makes you go cross-eyed. You love your fun, yellow giraffe!

We love you so much Owen!!

i just can't get enough...

Owen-

I just can't

get enough

of your...

little full & pouty lips,

round little cheeks,

super cute tiny nose,

soft, soft hair,

baby soft skin,

most precious fingers & toes,

sweet baby smell,

& every single little detail of who you are!

Owen's First Week

Owen,

The 1st week of your little life just flew by!

I wish we could stop time & keep you this little forever.

But, time keeps moving so I want to try to document things we learn about you as you grow.

In your first week of life...

• You got the hiccups at least once a day...luckily, they don't seem to bother you!
  
• Everyone comments on your perfect skin complexion...you definitely do have beautiful skin!
  
• You love to keep your hands near your face. We weren't too surprised by this as you had your hands over your face for the majority of the 3 of the ultrasounds we had.
  Keeping your nails filed is the challenge so you don't claw your little face to pieces
  
• We're working on getting you to take a Soothie pacifier (your "binky") because if not, I'm convinced you'll be sucking your thumb or fingers for years to come. So far, you take it ok, but when you want to suck your hand, you won't even entertain the binky. Time will tell...
  
• You eat about every 3-4 hours
  
• Nearly everyone comments about how much you look like your Grampy...your hair, your coloring, many of your facial expressions-it's quite wild!
  
• You got a bit jaundiced (a little yellow in your eyes & around your nose & chin) starting about day 4...Dr. Rauth wasn't worried
  
• In the 1st week of your life you met your grandma, grandpa, Grammy, Grampy, Auntie Cheri, Auntie Abbey, great-grandpa, Pastor Jon, Pastor Todd, & Mrs. Shannon Simon.
  
• You went for your 1st week check-up at Dr. Rauth's on 1/26...you weighed 6 lbs. & 15 oz. (the same you weighed on Friday when we brought you home) & she said you looked perfect!
  
• You don't love tummy time, but you don't absolutely hate it either
  
• You absolutely love your swing. It doesn't matter if it's on & swinging, if the music is just playing, or if you're just sitting in it...so happy tou like it!
  
• You are a noisy, noisy little sleeper...who knew babies could make so many noises. You coo, gurgle, squeak, whimper, whine, and sometimes it seems you are almost laughing.
  
• We love to watch your facial expressions when you sleep...sometimes it looks like you are smiling, sometimes you just peek out of one eye ("the pirate look"), & you have a very serious look too when you furrow your little brow!
  
• You absolutely love, love, love to have your hair washed but don't so much love our little sponge baths.
  
• You've already earned yourself 2 nicknames-
  
  1) "Scooter"- You are such a wiggler...you don't like to have your arms or legs too contained & during tummy time you are already digging your feet into the play mat to get your butt up in the air. We imagine you'll be semi-rolling over in no time!
  
  2) "Shooter"-On your 1 week birthday, you entertained Grammy & I by peeing all over everything during a diaper change. You peed on the wall, the closet door, the floor, the picture hanging above your changing table. It required some major clean-up, but was hilarious & priceless (as long as you don't make a habit of it!)!
  

We have absolutely loved everything about the 1st week of your life & can't wait to see what next week holds!

Coming home...

Owen & I were realeased from the hospital on Friday around 1 p.m.

We couldn't wait to get home!

We got the little man all dressed & snuggled in his car seat & we were off...

Owen seemed to love the ride home & never made a peep from his car seat.

We arrived home to Auntie Cheri & Auntie Abbey anxiously awaiting to meet little Owen.

They had blue balloons tied to our mailbox & a sweet "Welcome Baby" banner & balloons decorating our carport to announce Owen's arrival...it was so cute!

You can't imagine all of the "ooohhhing" & "ahhhing" that started as soon as Chris pulled our car under the carport.

It was a super cute moment when Owen's aunts saw him for the first time.

We finally made it into the house & within minutes Owen was meeting Auntie Cheri & Auntie Abbey more up close & personal.

I think it's fair to say that everyone was sooo happy & instantly in love.

Thanks to my sisters for making our return home so special!

Owen's birth story

Background
Tuesday, 1/17 started like any normal day. Well, normal when you're 9 months pregnant & feel like a whale.

I had a doctor's appointment at 2:20 p.m., so I spent the morning straightening up the house (which I now realized was last minute nesting!) & getting myself ready.

I headed to the doctor & realized on the way that I was definitely having contraction, although they were definitely not regular or very strong.

At the appointment, Dr. Driver said I was 4cm dilated & had "a look" (must mean big & tired-looking) about me that made her think it wouldn't be long before Owen made his arrival.
We reviewed how to assess contractions & when to plan to head to the hospital.
At this point, I was still thinking we had several days or more to wait.

After getting back home I realized that I should probably sit down & really time out my contractions. At about 5 p.m. they were becoming more regular & were about 10-12 minutes apart.

I called Chris & we decided to start making some phone calls to keep our parents in the loop.
I continued straightening up the house, getting dinner ready, etc.

About 7 p.m., I was timing contractions about every 8 minutes.
I snacked on a little food while Chris ate dinner. We chatted while Chris finished packing his bag & started loading up the car. I think prior to this point I was in complete denial that this was really "it". I decided to try to take an hour nap around 9 p.m. & when Chris woke me up at 10 p.m., my contractions were about every 6 minutes apart. Chris was definitely getting anxious. My parents had already decided to head to Nashville & were in route.

Just after 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday 1/18, my contractions were every 4-5 minutes & it was time to hit the road!
My parents arrived just in time & they followed us to the hospital.

The Hospital
Chris & I were placed in a triage room about 1:30 a.m. where Shana my nurse assessed me & determined that my contractions were definitely coming regularly about every 4 minutes but I was still 4 cm dilated.

Just after 2:30 a.m., another assessment revealed that I was still 4cm dilated but my water had broken. That was the ticket to be admitted & move into the labor & delivery suite.

Dr. Driver was called & by 3:30 a.m. Becca took over as my nurse. In no time Jane had placed an IV in my right hand & had IV fluids running.

We managed to get a little off & on rest until 7:30 a.m. when Dr. Driver stopped by to assess me. I was only 5 cm & because my water had broken she wanted to start Pitocin to move things along. My day shift nurse

Well, Pitocin is not my friend...we started "slow" with the Pitocin @ 2/hr about 8:00 a.m. Within 20 minutes, I was considerably more uncomfortable. At this point I was able to deep breath through the more intense contractions & could still rest a bit between.

Every 30 minutes-1 hour, the Pitocin was turned up by 2/hr. By 10 a.m., my contractions were lasting 60-90 seconds & were about every 2.5-3 minutes apart.
My breathing strategies weren't working & I couldn't get any rest between contractions.
Chris was so supportive, but reassured my that getting an epidural was not the end of the world.
An epidural was not really in my plan, but neither was Owen arriving 2 weeks early!

I began to entertain thoughts of an epidural, talked to my nurse about it, and requested to meet with the anesthesia team.
At this point I had only progressed to 6 cm. So about 11 a.m. after 16 hours of labor, I consented to the epidural. I was so nervous about the placement and potential side effects, but was so ready for a little relief & some rest.
My mom & my nurse were an amazing team of supporters during the epidural placement.
The 1st attempt was unsuccessful, but luckily the 2nd attempt was successful & within 20 minutes I felt sooo much better.
Now I know why so many people opt for epidurals!!!

Chris' parents arrived just prior to the placement of the epidural, so they came back in & visited for a few minutes before I began to get quite sleepy.
I slept off & on for several hours (as did Chris & our parents) quite comfortably with the only side effect of the epidural being chills.

At last...
I progressed from 6-9cm from 12 p.m.-4 p.m. I was beyond ready to meet our son!
Just before 5 p.m., I made it to 10cm & Dr. Driver was called. She was off-call & her partner Dr. Yu was delivering another baby at another hospital.
By 5:10 p.m. I was feeling so much pressure to push that I could hardly stand it.
My nurse called the in-house on-call OB & Dr. Newsome came in & prepped.

Dr. Newsome was amazing. He talked me through what was going to happen & told me that I was in charge. He was probably in his 60s & had given up his private practice several years ago to be the on-call OB at Baptist. I knew he had delivered tons of babies & that made me feel so good!

I started pushing at 5:20 p.m. After 1 push, Dr. Yu arrived & took over. I could not have asked for a more supportive team to aid me during the pushing process.
Dr. Yu talked me through everything & my nurses were amazing cheerleaders.
Chris sat at the head of my bed, rubbing my head & stroking my hair. He was a-m-a-z-i-n-g!!!
My mom was present for the delivery & although she stayed back out of the way, it was wonderful to have her there & to know that she was encouraging me too!

Just as an epidural was not in my birth plan, using the birthing mirror wasn't either.
But, plans change & the mirror was awesome!
Being able to see Owen's hair & realize just how close we were to meeting him made everything seem so do-able.

After about 45 minutes of pushing, Owen Palmer Tarr entered the world @ 1804 p.m.
He was such a trooper during the delivery as the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck not once, but twice. He never showed any signs of distress & was born wide-eyed & squealing!!!

I will never, ever, ever forget the feeling when Dr. Yu held our son up for us to see. Within second he was on my chest & we were staring our Owen in the face.
My mom cut the umbilical cord which was a special moment for us & her.
I was able to hold him for a minute before they took him over to the warmer in our suite to clean him off & suction him out a bit.
Chris watched with pride as they checked our little man out.

Owen's Apgar scores were an impressive 9 & 9.
His skin color was so perfect.
His blue eyes were wide open.
His lips were so full & beautiful.
And his hair......dark blonde & gorgeous!!!

My dad & Chris' parents came back in after just a few minutes to meet their 1st grandson. The looks on their faces as they met Owen were priceless.

Changed...
Although 23 hours is a long time, the reward at the end was more than worth it.
I would not change a thing about Owen's arrival into the world.
I had the support of my wonderful husband, family, & the amazing staff at Baptist Hospital.

And now, I sit watching our little Owen sleep peacefully in his swing...I can't believe that I am his mother.
I feel so blessed & I can't imagine being any happier!!!

Welcome to the world Owen Palmer!

Owen Palmer Tarr

Announcing Owen Palmer Tarr...

Arrived 1/18/12 @ 1804
7 lbs., 5 oz., 2o inches

So loved by his proud parents-Chris & Sarah

Dear Owen

Owen,

I cannot tell you just how excited Mommy & Daddy are about your nearing arrival.

Although we don't yet know all of the details of your arrival, we are so ready to welcome you to our home and our family.

Knowing that you could be here any day now makes me think of finding out about you.

I can still remember the shock and fear that quickly turned to excitement when I told your daddy about you for the first time.

I remember the sweet moment at 8 weeks & 6 days when we saw you on the ultrasound screen & could even see your tiny little heart beating...how amazing!

We kept your existence a secret until 12 weeks, although we were bursting at the seams to share our exciting news.

We had so much fun sharing our news & since the excitement has just been building.

I often lie awake in the middle of the night and wonder what you look like.

Will you have daddy's nose or mommy's nose?

What does your cute little baby chin look like?

Do you have long legs like daddy or short legs like mommy?

And of course, the biggest mystery to me is your hair-how much hair do you have & what color is it????

I think about the moment in which they will lay you on my chest.

It makes me teary even now.

I cannot wait to feel the warmth of your tiny little body, the softness of your skin, and I most certainly can't wait to feel your tiny fingers curl around mine.

I can't wait to see your daddy holding you for the very first time.

I think about the first few moments we will have together as a family of 3.

I imagine I will feel as if time is standing still because the only thing that will matter at that moment is our little family.

We are looking forward to settling on your middle name during those few minutes together so we can share it with everyone.

We will be so anxious to introduce you to the rest of our family.

Owen, you have 2 grandmothers, 2 grandfathers, 2 great-grandmothers, 1 great-grandfather, 4 aunts, & 2 uncles who already love you so much!

We have so many other friends & family who can't wait to meet you and watch you grow up.

I wonder about the moment we will bring you through the door of our home.

It will be so precious to finally be able to lay you in your crib, rock you in our rocking chair, and make use of everything we have been preparing since we knew about you.

I can't wait to learn all about you...

What your various cries will sound like,

When & how much you will like to eat,

Where you will most like to sleep,

What your favorite toys will be,

What your favorite bedtime story will be,

What songs will put you to sleep & which will make you want to dance.

Simply put, we can't wait to meet you Owen!

You are our most precious gift from God.

We already love you so much & know that our love for you will only grow stronger & deeper in the days, months, and years to come.

Love,

Mommy