14 Months!

On Christmas Day Owen turned 14 months old! I am not sure how time has gone by this fast. Some days literally seem to drag on and on but then weeks and months go by fast as lightning. It really makes no sense. Last Christmas I had a tiny little newborn who was starting to sleep long stretches at night and really never made a peep. This year I have a toddler who is into everything. He is really working on all of his gross motor skills. He has walking down pat and seems to be trying to run or at least speed walk already. He loves to climb on everything, he loves to bounce and jump.

Owen is working hard on developing his language but he quickly becomes frustrated by the fact that he isn't able to communicate exactly what he wants. My baby who never ever cried now screams a lot. I think it is mainly due to the fact that he is frustrated about communicating his wants though. His patience is short. He has a few words and he has his own "words" or sounds for other things.

Owen loves to eat. He can out eat Ryan and probably me at most meals too. When the food runs out and he's still hungry he gets MAD!!!! Luckily he eats very nutritious foods and will eat pretty much anything that I give him. Despite the fact that he is an eating machine, I actually think he is thinning out. Probably due to the fact that he is always on the go.

Owen is still a cuddler. He loves his special cuddle time and loves to give hugs and big, wet, slobbery kisses. He is happy as a clam almost all of the time and really just goes with the flow. He has been cutting teeth non-stop lately. He is now up to 5 teeth. He loves to read books, loves to rock in the rocking chair and loves to feed himself with a fork and spoon (he is surprisingly skilled at it too).

Owen is curious about everything. He loves to do whatever Ryan is doing and really could care less about the "baby toys" and baby things we have. He wants to be a big boy just like Ryan. He is still taking two naps a day but sometimes the morning nap is very, very short. I am somewhat dreading him giving up the morning nap. :( He is wearing 18 month clothes and 2T pajamas (he's huge) and a size 6W shoe!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I found this basic recipe on Allrecipes.com and tweaked it a bit to add more flavor and reduce some fat. It was absolutely delicious and is now on our usual winter rotation.

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded

1 pkg long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet

1/2 tsp salt (I omitted this as it was plenty salty with the seasoning packet)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/3 cup flour

5 tbsp butter

2 cups milk (I used low-fat, but skim would work well too)

2 cloves garlic - chopped

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

1 onion chopped

Olive oil

1. In a large pot over medium heat add a swirl of olive oil to pan. Add garlic, onion, carrot and celery and sautee until tender (5 minutes). Then add chicken broth, water and rice. Cook for 15-20 minutes (per directions on rice).

2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter. Reduce heat to low and add in flour, salt and pepper slowly to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes.

3. Stir cream mixture into broth and rice and cook over medium or low heat until heated through (10-15 minutes).

4. ENJOY!

Snow Day

Today we had our first real snow of the season. We took Ryan to school this morning and then ran into Target. When Owen and I went in the store there were a few flurries in the air but when we came out of the store the ground was totally covered in snow. By the time we picked up Ryan there was probably about an inch or so on the ground! The boys were too excited about the snow to take their normal naps so we headed out to play. Ryan would have stayed outside for a very long time, but as soon as Owen actually touched the snow he was done. He definitely takes after me. LOL!

First off -- this snowsuit has gotten plenty of use! It is a bit big on Mr. O but he didn't seem to mind. LOL at all of our snow gear in the chair behind him. It takes a lot to get two kids ready to play in the snow.

Really happy before

A few minutes later -- not happy about the snow -- not one bit!

But this little boy loved it. He wanted to stay and play but since it was just me with a screaming 13 month-old, we had to go back inside!

Stomach Bug and Snowflakes

I think most of you know that the Abbott house was hit with the stomach flu of 2010. From what I have been told from friends and family it is going around everywhere right now! YUCK! Owen was the first to come down with the bug and it was pitiful. He recovered very quickly, thankfully. Day 2 was my turn. It seems that we were able to quarantine ourselves enough to not spread our ick to the rest of the family though. Ryan was super-sweet when I felt bad. He would sneak into our room and give me hugs and Jeff taught him to say "feel better Mommy". He even came to take a nap with me. He is such a sweet little boy!

The same day we had our first round of snow. Luckily it was nothing like our first round of snow last year! We had a very, very light dusting that only lasted for a couple of hours. I do not like snow or winter for that matter so I am hoping for lots more snow-free days!!!

Catching Up..

We had a really busy weekend here in the Abbott house. Jeff's parents came to visit which was WONDERFUL!!! I will upload a few pictures from the visit later today, as well as a recap of the visit.

The boys went and had their picture with Santa on Monday. The choices were limited because we could not get both kiddos smiling at the same time, but I love the little look on Ryan's face here.

Everything is going great and we are busy with Christmas preparations, crafts and treats! I hope to get lots of photos in the next few weeks and lots of blogging done. :)

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