Toddlers and Turtles

The other week when I was running, I stopped and counted 18 turtles hanging out under the bridge near our house. My brilliant conclusion: "Wow! That is a lot of turtles!!!".

This morning when I was running, I was pushing Owen over that very bridge thinking about how today he is 18 months old. "Wow! That is a lot of months!!!"

And he weighs a lot of pounds.

And he is learning a lot of things.

And he has a lot of energy.

And we have A LOT of love for him.

This 4-pound itty bitty little buddy with the wrinkly legs and stretched out arms just couldn't wait to enter the world.

Now he can't wait to flail his arms up in excitement has explores the world he so eagerly entered into.

How big is Owen? SO stinkin' big. It is hard for me to really comprehend those are pictures of the same child. When Owen was in my belly and I would run across the bridge, I would daydream about the time when I could stop and count the turtles with him. Now that we are at the turtle-counting toddler stage, I can't believe how we got here so quickly, but I will say that we are continually amazed and amused by our incredible O! 

Weight Off My Shoulders

I had something amazing happen to me last week. For the first time in FIFTEEN years, I felt relief in my shoulders.

Let me back up for a second...
If you know me, you know I have suffered from chronic jaw/head/neck/shoulder aches and pains since I was in elementary school. I have gone through surgeries and orthodontic work and unfortunate mouth appliances and physical therapy and chiropractors and Pilates and massages and weird injections in my shoulders and pain pills and ice packs and heating pads. The attempts have helped anywhere from 0-50%. (0% being the jaw surgery I had sophomore year in high school, 50% being my 4 years of traveling back and forth to Tennessee for dentist appointments for orthodontics work). The trips to Nashville to my TMJD (Temporal Mandibular Joint Disorder) specialist have been significant and worth it. I have 50% less pain in my jaw on most days, and I have far less frequent and severe headaches than I used to. It has been life changing. However, each morning I still wake up in severe pain. Essentially, I have arthritis in my jaw and the pain travels all the way up through my head and back to my neck and shoulders. It gets better throughout the day but is super sensitive to weather, stress, sleeping funny, eating weird things, etc. I have constant muscle spasms and knots in the tops of my shoulders that I am just "used to".

For years, I have channeled a lot of energy into finding ways to keep the headaches at bay. Last week, I decided to try something new to help manage my pain. After contemplating it for years, I finally gave acupuncture a try.

The results? Instant. Relief. I am not kidding you. After ONE twenty minute session of needles in my head, my shoulders released 100% of the knots and pain. And 6 days later, my shoulders still feel amazing. So, my first experience with acupuncture was really positive (minus the part when the room when it was over and I was leaving the room and I noticed a needle still sticking out the wrist by my palm...which I did proceed to remove by myself and dispose of in the creepy needle bin so I wouldn't make the lady feel bad for missing one.)

Anyway, I am not skeptical anymore. I am encouraged an hopeful...praying for some more mandibular miracles.

Apparently I am not really used to the weight being lifted off of my shoulders, as I decided to weigh them down again at Joe & Leah's tacky engagement party last night with this stellar bridesmaid's dress worn by my mother in a wedding back in the day:

There is not much left to say about this except if anyone is looking for some new curtains for their guest room, let me know : )

Amusing Owen {Part 1}

I spend a lot of my day being amused by my son. Here are some of his latest quirky things...

1) Blanky Bliss

I was in the habit of leaving Owen's little lovie in the crib all the time. Well...the kid is smart. After every meal and snack, Owen gets down from his highchair and marches right into his room. He stares in his crib until I grab his blanky and throw it onto his head. It always ends in a blanky snuggle/thumb sucking fest. 

 

So now, whenever he finds his blanky lying somewhere around the house, he does a nuzzling face plant into it as he sprawls out on the floor to take a quick rest.

 

2) Funny Faces

Owen is on a cloud when he is at the park swinging. To express his delight, he closes his eyes as tightly as possible and smiles big to make what I call his "swing face":

 He does this every single time we swing.

And apparently someone was getting a little bored of our game of peek-a-boo the other day. This is the "smooshmyfaceagainsttheglass face"

I really don't know where he gets his goofy grins from...

3) Owen Dancing

Some things are just in his genes. I admit it...his thumb sucking/blanky obsession comes from me.

His animated faces come from John.

But where, oh where, do his dance moves come from??? I believe they are an Owen Trapp specialty...truly one of a kind.

 Dance Video # 1 

(yes...in appropriate fashion, Owen finished off his dance by eating a Cheerio off of the floor.)

Remember this video? Well, Owen still LOVES that song (which is unfortunate because I do not), but he has acquired a few more special moves since then...

Dance Video # 2

I know Owen has some more entertaining tricks up his sleeve, so stay tuned : ).

Reedo and Sarah's Big Trip

Last Thursday I received this picture text...

      A few things to note: 1) I love my nephew and sister-in-law 2) I love Starbucks 3) I loved getting these pictures because it meant that sister, Sarah, & nephew, Reed, were on their way to Houston!!!!

We had a grand ol' time this weekend with our sweet 8-year-old nephew and Owen & Reed's dear Aunt Sarah. Of course the weekend wouldn't have been complete without a little disc golf with Uncle John...

And remember this post? Well, Owen has grown a wee bit since then and we were able to enjoy some Blue Bell Factory fun this year, too! 

Owen wasn't sure what he thought about the ice cream. When he had croup a couple weeks ago, I was told to crush up his medicine and put it in ice cream...he refused the ice cream and we had to force feed him Blue Bell. For real. I wanted to note that in my blog so that I can show him that he used to not enjoy ice cream some day when he is 8 like Reed and doesn't believe me that he would rather eat broccoli than a bowl of ice cream. (Also needed to note that my son likes broccoli!!)

Grammy met us at the creamery and helped snap some great shots of the day!

And for those of you who have been wondering where Carolina has been since she got her braces off, she was there, too, posing with her favorite flavor, "Carolina Cobbler".

 I had to miss out on the Dave & Busters trip the next day so Owen could squeeze in a nap, but I managed to dominate some Raptor Captor a few weeks ago on a date night with John...

  

Word on the street is that Reedo and Uncle John hit it big playing Wheel of Fortune.

So looks my Raptor Captor skillz got put to shame. Reed has a remote control car to prove it!!!

Did I mention that I won $2 off of a Bingo scratch-off lottery ticket?! Pretty cool...until you hear that Sarah Trapp won $100 off of her Bingo scratch-off lottery ticket. Amazing!!!

We had a few park trips thrown in the mix. 3 Trapp boys doing some serious swinging...

Some other fun activities of the weekend?

 

 Sweet cousins!!!

Good thing we will see Aunt Sarah and Reed again this month because we are missing them already!

 And a quick shout out to my adorable nieces who have birthdays this month!!! 

        Grace will be 3 tomorrow.

Annie will be 6 on the 26th. 

We can't wait until they are 8 and get their turn at a special weekend with the Houston Trapps!

A Trip with a Toddler

There was this one time when I saw this poor mom who was in a security line at an airport with her toddler and his tantrum and she couldn't do anything to make him stop as he was thrashing his whole body back and forth in her arms. The security line was long and not moving, and her flight was boarding. She had a stroller and 2 bags and a crazy boy with his shoes flying and arms flailing. The boy was coughing and snotty and sweaty and screaming. Everyone was watching her and I just felt so sorry for her. And then this woman in line asked if she could do something to help. The poor mom must have been so flustered at the thought of needing some assistance that she just started crying, too. So then everyone watched as this crying mother and screaming toddler were escorted through security. Rumor has it that the toddler was still screaming as they boarded the airplane and then didn't sleep a wink the whole 2.5 hour flight.

Bless her heart. That must have been her first time to travel alone with her son. I bet she had everything organized and prepared before she left. She probably got caught in that traffic on the way to the airport from that accident I heard about. I bet she hates being embarrassed and not doing things perfectly. I bet she even feels like she has to blog about it even though she doesn't really want to...

Wanna know another thing about that boy? He is a MAJOR cutie pie...

 

Now does that chilled out kid look like a boy who would cause some crying commotion in the airport security line? Hard to believe...

He was actually really good on the airplane considering he didn't sleep at all either flight.  And considering he had croup the day before we left. The trip home on Sunday was much smoother. Aunt Gretchen and Grammy went through security with Owen and me (Thank you!!).
 He also may or may not have peed through his outfit during take-off, but what can ya do. Really...what can you do!?! Since we were sitting at the window seat and the flight was really bumpy, I managed to stick an extra diaper around the one he was wearing and change his outfit (with the person's seat in front of us reclined, our tray table down, and a portable dvd player in our face). Diapers weren't the only thing we doubled up on: shows, snacks, surprises...whatever it took. It definitely took some planning. I had not, however, planned to have to use the plane restroom myself, but I suppose that is what happens when you wake up at 4:45 with your child and 10 hours later need Starbucks before you board your flight to make it all the way home. I nearly cried again when the man in the Hawaiian shirt sitting in our row (who looked like Santa Clause on vacation) told me that Owen was wonderful and that I was doing a great job! And this was just after I had woken him up to get up with Owen to go to the bathroom with Owen.

Whew. I did it.

All for a great time in Charlotte. My mom and I threw my cousin, Lindsey, a baby shower. It was lamb themed, so I had a blast getting to make treats to celebrate Lindsey and baby girl, Hartley...

I even tapped into my artsy side and made lamb cut-outs to string on the tables and lamb notecards for everyone to write notes on.

What is a baby shower without some baby bingo, anyway??

                       Owen made it to the shower, too! We had such a fun time with Aunt Gretchen, and I love watching her with Owen: )

                                       Lindsey's lambie luncheon was a success, and my cousin looked beautiful!

                                   


I heard that John's cousin, Liza, looked beautiful as well this weekend. I was super sad to miss her wedding in Nashville, but John was able to go and be with the Trapps while I was in N.C. So glad we could travel to some sweet celebrations with family...and now we can all just forget about that time that I called John from the security line crying telling him to come pick Owen and me up because I couldn't do it by myself...a low mommy moment and a blogable blunder, indeed!

Stuff Worth Trying

This just in: Fiber One Honey Squares taste worse than cardboard, Katie Perry's Last Friday Night song lyrics make me feel sick to my stomach, I reluctantly did the conga in my Pilates class this morning, and Owen is getting his 1 year molars in. All of which is summed up by this picture...


Hopefully you have been spared of maddening molar pain and breakfast that tastes worse than the box it comes in this week, but in case you are in need of some new ideas, you should give these a whirl!:

1) Sweet Potato Chips (Pinterest find)

Before the oven:

After the oven:

We three Trapps devoured both pans of these within minutes of...and we have made them over and over again since! Serious yum. (They took longer to cook than the recipe said, fyi)


2) Raffi Pandora Station

Every day while we eat lunch, Owen and I listen to the Raffi Pandora channel. It is delightful and has a great variety of classics and current-both songs that I would listen to and some kiddy cute ones, too! I also get the occasional opportunity to serenade my son with a favorite Disney tune...let's just say that after my rendition of Part Of Your World, Owen will think someday realize that mommy put Ariel to shame.

3) Cinnamon Roll Cake (yet another Pinterest find)

Before the oven:

After the oven:

Oh. my. sweet tooth. I made this for dessert for our Easter brunch-it is a ridiculously good recipe! We ate it right out of the oven when it was hot and gooey. John also said it was good cold for breakfast. I on the other hand, had to give half of it away and then proceeded to have a staring contest with the rest of it kitchen the next day until I shoved it in the freezer before I could think twice about it. But I would be lying if I said I haven't thought about it at least twice since then!

4. Viggle.

Guess what made my day today??? And no, it was not that Owen decided to boycott both of his naps... although those were some special times, too. To help me cope with the molar sleep deprivation we have been experiencing this week, I have been frequenting Starbucks. So what better to feed one addiction than by unleashing another on? That's right, my friends. I just downloaded the Viggle App and earned a $5 gift card to Starbucks for free just by turning on my TV and checking into shows. (I don't even have to watch the show, just check into it to get points...here is how: Viggle info). I do realize that this is a slightly pathetic hobby I have recently acquired, but don't knock it until you try it!

So that's the word. I will just be over here "viggling" stuff on TV as I contemplate what my friend, Allison, just said to me regarding baby molars, "WHYYYYYY can't they just be born with them?!"

My thoughts exactly. Alas, at the end of the day, he may not have been born with those gnarly mean molars, but I am continuously in awe of how my baby was born with the most adorable dimples I have ever seen.

Boring Blog Face.

Yes, I deserve it. I deserve one, big, boring blog face:

(picture taken by Katie)

Instead of facilitating a work break blog read or a daily dose of that Owen buddy, I think I have been the source of some serious web-surfing snoozes. Alas, in case you have hung in there and have been wondering what we have been up to, Owen would probably tell you (in his best babble), that we have been playing a game called "I chase 'dodee' (doggy) and mommy chases me"...

Or that we have been at the park with Auntie Lauren...

If you haven't guessed what that all means, it means that we have recently been in Austin at Grammy & Grampy's...always with dodee Fanny, of course.

A trip to Austin means that Grammy the librarian gave me a new book to read that I was not been able to put down for 4 days until last night when I finished it...

Getting an amazing new book means that I had to pack it and take it home to Houston...good thing I also acquired CUTEST book bag on the planet during my Austin travels...made by my dear friend, Katie! (Thank you!!)

A bag from Katie means that while I was in Austin at Grammy & Grampy's (chasing around Owen who was chasing around Fanny), California Katie came to town!!! Owen was thrilled about it, too!
Katie in town means that we were so busy catching up and catching Owen (who was still trying to catch Fanny) that we failed to take any pictures of the two of us together.
However, I hadn't gotten to see her since I was pregnant with Owen, so she hadn't gotten to meet Owen yet...and Owen hadn't gotten a chance to do Springy things like stand in the bluebonnets and ride the Zilker train, as every Texas toddler should do!


Lots of love for Austin in the Spring!!!

*Thank you, Katie & Grampy, for helping my blog be less of a yawn with your wonderful photographs!