Tortuga @ 6.5 weeks

Our boy is FIVE!

Happy Happy 5th birthday to our baby!

Owen was born on a Monday, the day after Father's Day. I had a doctor's appointment that day, and I was 41 weeks, 1 day pregnant. I'd gone 9 days overdue with Lauren and I was at the end of my rope being 8 days overdue with Owen. My mom and Lauren had come to the appointment with me. While waiting in the waiting room I realized I was having contractions. They hooked me up to a machine to time the contractions. So, of course, they stopped. My doctor told me to go home, but I'd been through it before and I ignored his advice and crossed the parking lot to the hospital. Women's intuition! I called Adam and told him to hit the road and join me. My mom waited for him to get there, then she headed home with Lauren.

The nurses told me to walk the halls for an hour so they could process the paperwork. I lasted 45 minutes, and by the time the nurse checked me, it was go time. The took us to a room and as I laid down in the bed my water broke. Instead of trying to clean it up, we just moved to an empty room across the hall.

My local family was all at the hospital by this time: Adam (of course!), Lauren, my mom and dad, my brother and Talia, my aunts and an uncle. We knew it was a boy, and labor was obviously moving fast, so everyone was excited to meet the little guy. Adam and my parents were in the room with me, and my mom was pacing around, nervous. The anesthesiologist rushed in, literally, to do the epidural and my mom went out to the waiting room, not wanting to watch. Adam said that anesthesiologist was working fast, ripping packages open and that things were flying everywhere.

A few minutes later, after he was done, my dad went out to the waiting room to get my mom. He announced to my family, "She had it." He meant the epidural. The nervous Noni exclaimed, "She had it?? The baby? Already?" My dad said, "The epidural." My mother, in disbelief, says, "It's a GIRL?!?!" And they say hearing loss isn't hereditary! That story never gets old.

Once Owen was born, everyone joined us in my room. We were all talking, you know Italians. I was just staring at him, memorizing his face. He was wide awake, and he had the biggest eyes. He reminded of Squirt on Finding Nemo.

I told everyone, "I hate to say this about my baby, but he looks just like a turtle." My brother said, "I was thinking the exact same thing, but I didn't want to say it!" We called him Tortuga, spanish for turtle, for quite a while after that!

Duck, Duct, Goose

Owen found a roll of duct tape in the house that Adam had just brought in from the garage. "Mama, what are we going to use this goose tape for?"

Once again, playing catch up

It's a good way for me to spend a rainy June day! Make sure you scroll down to see all the new posts. Some even jump below a few of the older posts, so don't miss any.

Rainy June Saturday

We've spent our day coloring,

playing dress up,

(a hippie Hawaiian cowgirl witch with Mario hands)

and learning about rainbows and prisms.

Owen-ism

"Mama, my foot just fell asleep and it's tinkeling."

After party

After the graduation celebration we were invited to a BBQ at Owen's best buddy Michael's house. It was overcast and too cold for the adults to swim, but some of the kids got in the hot tub. They thought they were pretty cool!

My child is so pale!

Graduation video

This video was too big to go with the other preschool graduation post, so it's getting one of it's own (after Adam had to resize it for me!). Ms. Lily does a great job of telling the crowd about each of her students as she presents them with a binder of their artwork and writing from the year. We're so proud of our smart little guy!

Pomp and circumstance

Our baby graduated from preschool! Where has the time gone? We are going to miss Ms. Lily tremendously. We're so grateful she's had both of our kids, and that she just gets them. I've been on the parent board for three of the last four years and I'm really going to miss it. If you're looking for a parent participation preschool, I can't recommend it enough!

Buddy Aidan

Buddy Colin

Buddy Michael

Our graduate

Papa and Noni with Owen

With Jada - these two will be together for the next 9 years as well!

Enjoying his ice cream with Mama.

Daddy was also there, but behind the camera the whole time.

Showing Ms. Lily the quilt made by a few families

who have been with her since her first year, in 2007.

(All credit to Michele!)