Last of October/turning 4 months old!

 What a fun Fall we've been having! Lately I've been wanting to spend every waking moment with Owen. Now that he's 4 months, his awake times have dramatically increased. He used to only be able to handle 1-hour wake times before he started getting irritable and demand a nap, now he can last almost 2 hours. When he's asleep I think about blogging, but I also think about crocheting, showering, cleaning, making dinner... So here I am, doing what I can to update you on the last few weeks.

We made a trip up to Apple Hill on October 20th with Grandpa Dave. Owen did really well being content during the drive, considering the hour and 15 minute car ride. He nursed a little bit while we were there, but there was just too much excitement going on for him to focus. I've learned to let go of trying to get him to nurse how I want and have come to the conclusion that he's not starving, and he will most likely make up for it when we get home. We of course had our favorites: apple doughnuts, apple cider, and we even picked a box of our own apples to take home. Here are some photos of the day. 

Just chillin' with Grandpa.

Massive tractor

First time driving ;)

Picking apples can be a little dangerous/hilarious

Our box of yummy deliciousness!

Halloween was pretty low-key. We stayed in and hoped for trick-or-treaters, which didn't happen. Owen wore a cute little onesie from his Grandpa and then quickly went to bed. We thought about dressing him up and taking him out but honestly we would be eating all that candy. (Not good.) We listened to some monster tunes and Owen jumped in his jumper and had some snuggle time with me. Mark was able to come home early for work since a lot of his students were wanting to get started on their Halloween festivities.

While Fall has been a lot of fun, it's also been full of more self-discipline than I've ever been used to. Thanks to a study from some dear friends of ours, Mark and I have been sticking to a tighter budget than we ever have before. All this money talk and careful planning has made me examine other areas in my life where I've gotten pretty careless. I have been addicted to sugar for quite some time. I could eat so many chocolate covered almonds and/or cookies in one sitting like nobody's business. I was very reluctant to change, but after doing some research and evaluating the long-term effects of a sugar diet I decided to cut out the sugary treats. This is hard, especially when I know my husband can make delicious treats from scratch. The first couple days I was especially grumpy but now I feel much more energized and content.

O has been doing all kinds of new things. He loves his bouncer, which we got for free! (I love Davis.) He also likes chatting up a storm with the baby in the mirror and reaching for his toes while laying on his play mat or during diaper changes. His aim has really improved and he can put all of his favorite toys into his mouth. It is so wonderful to watch him learn new things. It's hard to believe that he used to be this little, (well, little to me) 9-pound baby and now he's almost 16 pounds! He had his 4-month shots on Tuesday and of course, it was a little rough. There isn't anything pleasant about seeing a needle poke into a little vulnerable baby's chubby legs. I held him this time and it was pretty sad, but I kept saying to O, "this is going to keep you from getting a nasty illness." I've included his 4-month shots below.

my big 4-month-old!