Owen & Anson at 11 months

Say what? These handsome little fellas are only ONE month away from celebrating their first birthday! Since I skipped the 10 month post in January, there is much to be documented about two busy boys as they are growing & changing every single day. Their smiles melt our hearts & all the new tricks are keeping us on our toes now more than ever!

Anson & Owen posing for their Valentine picture...

OWEN 

The biggest change with Mighty O is that he is now officially mobile! We kept thinking he would crawl before we left the Lone Star State but he proved us wrong, waited till he turned ten months old then took off, never looking back! He is even more happy now that he can get to where he wants to go & is pretty quick at disappearing.  Sometimes we find him sitting on the floor in the bathroom with the lights out or under the kitchen table but mostly he is just moving from place to place collecting pieces of paper/snacks off the ground. Every now & then I find him with a coin or a piece of dog food....as long as it is not a battery or a magnet I think he will survive ; ) Here he is on the move...

and playing at his new fave location....

What Mr. Owee pants has been up to lately...

• crawls all over speedily especially if someone heads out the front door....it's a mad dash for him to get there before it shuts
• enjoys petting Bella
• says- mama, dada, baba & gaga
• loves to clap or bang on his high chair tray
• knows where his head is
• points often & if you point at him, he will move his pointer finger to touch the tip of yours
• pulls up to standing position in his crib, on a toy or basket
• face plants in the bath tub all the time & never cries
• has major separation anxiety when dropped off in the nursery or when someone approaches us at the grocery store like he thinks that whoever talks to him is going to take him away : (
• is happy that he can attempt to crawl away from a sibling who may be bothersome...I won't name any names but she is fast to trap him again ; ) 
• sucks his middle finger to fall asleep
• when he cries it sounds like he is of Spanish descent with a constant "R" rolling which is better than most Spanish speaking friends we have ; ) 
• prefers to have a friend at all times & screams bloody murder if left in the crib alone to play 
• has his two bottom teeth with no more in sight
• is filling out a bit more but still feels like a little muscle man when you pick him up

This new found mobility has increased the excitement in this boy's life! The school bus is fun to explore...

and climb on...

He is still a little snuggle bug when he gets sleepy or upon waking but for the rest of the day, he is on the move! I take what I can get in the snuggle department from this busy boy & smile as I see him trying to get into everything in the house.  I love this part where they are first mobile & cannot obey....it is adorable to see their little smile when you begin to use the word "no." I do remember the part where it gets really frustrating but we aren't there yet ; ) 

ANSON

Handsome Anson so badly wants to be on the move but isn't quite there yet which is fine by me since just one crawling is enough to keep up with ; ) But, for his sake, I want him to crawl soon so he won't be so angry all the time ha! I do want to give him credit for the one gear he does have which is reverse. He can get around pretty decently until he backs himself up under a couch or dresser & gets stuck.  He cracks us up though as he assumes crawling position then lunges forward crashing onto that big round belly. He then looks like a little frog swimming through a pond with his arms & legs going rapidly yet he remains in the same place. He screams then gets back to a crawling position & starts over. He has been known to do some baby yoga in the midst of frustration...

What Gus Gus has been up to lately...

• staying chubby....we call him Gus Gus because he reminds us of the mouse on Cinderella named "Gus" whose belly always hangs out of his shirt. It also reminds me of myself once I hit about 32 weeks in a pregnancy ; )
• outweighs the "yittle guy" by two pounds but it feels like a whole lot more since this guy is super smushy
• loves to clap & quickly joins in when anyone else is clapping
• loves when mommy sings & "sings" back to me
• just figured out how to get from lying down to sitting up two days ago & is on repeat
• sucks his thumb to fall asleep & looks like baby Charlotte
• can pull himself to a standing position in the bath tub
• laughs really hard at Char & Elo
• is fairly content with some toys while alone in his crib
• got his first hair trimmin' by mama about a month ago since it was hanging over his ears. It was not photographed due to the danger factor of too many kids, not enough adults & a pair of scissors....just use your imagination
• growls a lot but it is always playful
• has two bottom teeth & two top teeth just cut through this week
• frequently attacks Owen & pulls him to the ground while he smiles & laughs
• steals food off of Owen's tray....this started back in the womb ; ) 
•  knows where his ears are sometimes
• always knows where his head is & is happy to rub food all over it requiring a trip to the beauty shop (bathroom sink) for some after meal hair washing.

Only being half mobile still has it's benefits. Anson is happy to be able to scoot a little bit as it helps to increase the fun factor while playing with the school bus....

Super A is a mama's boy all the time & I am always offered plenty of cuddles from him especially since he has to hitch a ride from room to room.  I know he will be on the move very soon so for now we will keep on with the snuggles! 

The baby boas LOVE their sisters SO much & vice versa.....

Eating has really taken off for these growing boys! Once we returned from Texas in January O & A started eating mostly chunks of food & left the pureed stuff in the dust. We still spoon feed them yogurt & oatmeal but other than that, they are on their own ; ) It makes a world of a difference for me & Rob to be able to fill & refill their tray while we either eat, cook, clean etc.  The little buckaroos are hungrier than ever it seems & are much like their sisters where we believe if you continued to fill their trays all day long, they would continue to eat! Their daily feasts are as follows: 

7:45- nurse 

8:15- Breakfast

11:30- 7-8oz bottle of formula

12:00- Lunch 

1:45- 2-3oz bottle of formula which I could probably drop but when they have it, they nap longer : ) 

4:15- 7-8oz bottle of formula

5:00- Dinner

6:15ish-nurse

The list of new foods is endless which has been really fun. A tray often looks like this....

Some current favorites are watermelon, broccoli, green beans, peaches, chicken, pancakes, oranges, Daddy's smoked pork, cheese, turkey, crackers, grapes, peas, goldfish, cheerios, pretzels & pasta. They have also succeeded in taking in an entire meal from Chick-Fil-A which is a fabulous accomplishment considering we are headed back on the road to Texas soon. Owen is generally a bit pickier than Anson (lovingly referred to as the garbage disopsal) but is still a fabulous eater.

Here is his cute little face during lunch yesterday....

Sleeping: We have had some incredible sleepers in this family over the course of our parenting. Sometimes it is short lived & sadly, it rarely coincides. Right now the girls are the night time troubled sleepers while these lazy boys are crashed out for at least 12 hours straight & sometimes up to 14 hours! They go to bed without a whimper most nights around 6:30 or earlier if they are super tired. We occasionally hear a little fussing around 6:30 am but if left alone for a few minutes they fall back asleep & wake around 7:45. Last night they went to bed at 6:00 & I went in at 8:00vam to check on them. I turned lights on, opened the curtain & they didn't budge. I got my camera & took some sleepy pictures for 10 minutes, they didn't budge, I woke Anson, changed a diaper while he cried, fed him & STILL had to wake Owen up! Praise the Lord they are sleeping at night now. I do feel like the process of getting them to be consistently good sleepers was more challenging than the girls & definitely took longer. So after all that night time sleep they still sleep great for naps usually falling from 9:45-11:15 & 2-4. They are sooooo adorable when we go in to get them because they are normally awake but laying down sucking a finger/thumb with their eyes open but when they notice you are there they get into a sitting position as fast as possible, smile & bounce until you pick them up. Then they snuggle on your shoulder. Ahhh, we love it. 

With all that sleeping & eating there is not much time left for playing ; ) Not really, they love being out & about in the stroller...

Anson & Owen

They love their sissies mini mama toy although the phrase "too many cooks in the kitchen" holds true most afternoons with the Fab Four.....

Owen & Anson

and they are practicing their driving skills on the big yellow bus....

Anson & Owen

What a fun couple months it has been seeing these boys grow! Crawling to walking will come soon enough but for now we are loving these "yittle" babies!