Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Happy One-Month Birthday, Owen!

It's hard to believe one month has passed since our little man was born. It's amazing to watch him develop, to learn what upsets him and what soothes him. 

Owen is sleeping for about two hours at a time (so Mommy & Daddy are pretty tired), and when he's awake, he is very alert and seems to be happiest when he is upright and can look around the room. He's beginning to use his hands - grabbing my hair and holding on to his bottle. He loves bath time (maybe we have another little fish!) and is usually very content to just hang out with the family.



Ainsley is a terrific big sister. She's very excited about Owen -- when talking to Papa on the phone, she told him, "It's awesome to have a baby brother in the house!" And when we picked up Grandma at the airport, she announced, "I'm not the only one in the backseat anymore!"  She helps us by giving Owen a pacifier or singing to him when he gets fussy. She'll even hold him to keep him calm if I need to grab something in another room.

She loves to hold him and often gives him sweet hugs and kisses. It's so heartwarming to watch her with him - she has such a big & loving heart.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Meeting the Family

We've had lots of visitors since Owen was born, as everyone is excited to meet the newest addition to our family. Here's Owen, meeting the family:

Aunt Liz Molnar
Grandma Molnar
Great Grandma Shellhammer
Auntie Meg & Uncle Nate
Nana Wills & Auntie Meg
Auntie Meg with Ainsley
...and Ainsley, just being silly!



Monday, November 17, 2014

Happy Halloween!

October is a favorite time of year at our house, and we enjoyed many seasonal festivities.

Goblins in the Garden
Our annual outing to Holden Arboretum didn't disappoint. They do a fabulous job with the activities and decorations.
Instead of a sandbox, they had a corn
kernel box. Much cleaner!
Let the wild rumpus start!
Got the front seat on the wagon ride
Petting the "doggie"

Pumpkin Picking
At Ainsley's request, we picked out pumpkins from Patterson's Fruit Farm this year. Her Pre-K class went to Patterson's on a field trip, and Ainsley was delighted to show us around the place! 

We usually get our pumpkins at Mulberry Corners, where the "engagement ring" pumpkin was procured some 11 years ago. But with a growing family comes new traditions, which we are happy to embrace!

In a sea of mums



So many pumpkins
These look good, plus a little one for baby brother,
who was still 6 days from being born

Beautiful view
Relaxing

Boo at the Zoo
The weather was perfect this year, and Ainsley & Daddy had a great time at the zoo. They watched several cool performances.

The blushing bride

Cellists in the wolf den

Beachwood Place
Ainsley went trick-or-treating at Beachwood mall, where many stores handed out treats. This is a fun way for the kids to wear costumes without concern for the weather. 

Halloween Parade
This was Ainsley's last year for the parade at The Kiddie Company. All the classes in her daycare/preschool parade around the building to receive treats at various stations. It's so much fun to see how excited all the kids get.


Pre-K 1 after the parade
Happy Halloween!
And the big day finally arrived! There was a slight drizzle during trick-or-treat, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the fun on the spookiest night of the year!
Getting ready (I felt like I was getting a glimpse of the
 future, as I helped my daughter into her wedding gown)

A bride and a pea pod - our two kiddos,
ready for Halloween
Afterward, with all her candy
Baby's first Halloween!

One pumpkin for each of us - Ainsley's is the bat!
Happy Halloween!


Friday, November 14, 2014

Oh, Boy!

Welcome to the world, Owen James Wills! We celebrated the birth of our little boy on Saturday, October 11, 2014. He was born at 7:25 a.m., weighing 8 lb 2 oz and 20.5 inches long.

Happy birthday, Little Prince!
Our sweet miracle baby

Daddy and his boy
First bath
Cozy in the recovery room
Meeting his big sister, Ainsley
Ainsley brought a present for her new baby brother
Mommy & her two special loves
Owen holding a toy from Ainsley
The new family of four
Daddy does the first diaper change
Owen had a gift for Ainsley, too!
A proud big sister
Meeting Nana Wills
Meeting Grandad, with Nana and Ainsley
Flowers from Nana and Grandad
Baby toes!

We had a three-day side trip to the NICU due to elevated creatinine levels. Owen's kidneys "took a hit" during his birth because he was in a bit of distress prior to delivery. Everything evened out on its own after several days, and all is well now.
Room 6, NICU
Getting ready to come home!
Leaving the NICU, after 6 total days in the hospital
Flowers from Daddy
Finally home, swaddled for a nap, ready for life to begin!