Owen is 15 weeks old - lots of "firsts" and a visit from grandparents

It's been a big few weeks since my last "Owen update".  Our little guy is now 15.5 weeks old - I can't believe it!

Travis's parents came up for a long visit a few weeks ago.  It was so much fun to see them - Owen especially enjoyed it!  We spent a lot of time playing with the little one, and Travis and I even got to go on a date!  Thaaaaaank you, Grandparents, for the night off!

Owen is becoming a very active little guy!  A few weeks ago, he rolled over from his belly to his back.  Well...now he's able to flip from his back to his belly too!  He'll just roll and roll if we let him - he's so proud of himself!

He's enjoying sitting up in our laps, and he "found" his feet this weekend.  He's spending a lot of time curled up tugging at his toes.  Owen's also getting pretty good at grabbing toys with both hands.  He moves slowly and carefully until he's close to the toy, and then BAM...he's got it!

We've also had a fun few weeks of "firsts":

First time in his Bumbo Chair!  He did great!  We're just doing short stints for now, but he loves it.

First time sitting in an exersaucer - we made another trip to Children's Orchard on Friday and decided to see what Owen would think about one of these fun contraptions.  I think the picture says it all - it blew. his. mind.  He loved it.  I'm so excited for him to be sturdy enough to play in one!

Owen also had his first visit to our church here in Boston, Park Street Church.  He loved meeting all our friends, and he did SO well during the service.  We sat on a pew against the back wall in case things got loud, but thankfully he didn't need to be whisked away!  He loved the music, and the choir's anthem put him to sleep.  Since he was snoozing, I laid a blanked on the floor and he slept at my feet for most of the sermon (hahaha...).  Eventually he woke up and played with his friend Hannah (10 months old) and his lion toy.  I'm so relieved things went smoothly!

While Trav's parents were in town, we let Owen have his first "splash bath".  Until now, we'd been using the little hammock that came with his bath tub.  He has officially graduated to a tub of water...and thought it was SO much fun!  This little baby loves the water.  He splashed, and splashed, and laughed, and splashed...and sent water all over our dining room.  It was awesome.  He especially liked watching water drip on his belly from a washcloth above.

I just can't get enough of this baby!

I discovered Children's Orchard

This afternoon I made an amazing discovery...Children's Orchard!  I was in Burlington at the mall, walking around, and remembered a friend had mentioned a really great children's second-hand store in Billerica.  After a little googling, I decided she must have been talking about Children's Orchard, and I was on my way.

The store wasn't huge, but was packed to the brim with clothes, toys, strollers, and baby accessories.  Thankfully the sections were nicely marked, so I knew exactly where to go to start my search.

I must admit, second-hand stores (and even places like an untidy Marshall's or sales racks that are just thrown together) often times drive me crazy.  If things are a big mess, I can't deal.  I love a good bargain, but can't stand sifting thru a mess for an hour to maybe end up with one piece.  Thankfully, Children's Orchard wasn't like this.  In my opinion, if the racks are more organized, you're going to sell more (at least you will to me!) because someone will look longer!  ...that's exactly what happened here.

I (and Owen) racked up!

He got 2 summer hats and 8 outfits for $40...all in great shape (no stretched necks or spots), and some with the original tags still on them!  I actually picked out about twice as much as I went home with, but put most back so I could still face husband when I got home.  Hehe...

Now a look at the loot!

Left - Genuine Major League Merchandise Red Sox romper ($4.99)
Middle - Adidas  Red Sox onesie ($2.99)
Right - Carter's shirt and puppy overalls ($4.99)

Left - Ralph Lauren Polo Romper *with the tag still on* ($5.99)
Middle Top - Plaid The Children's Place hat (normally $10-12, purchased for $2.99)
Lower Top - Faded Glory collared onesie ($2.99)
Right - Carter's romper ($3.99)

Top - Gymboree hat ($2.99)
Two Carter's sleveless rompers ($3.99 each)

I passed on a Bumbo chair that I'm now regretting - it was $18!  Maybe I'll convince myself to go back later and see if it's still there.

If you're in the Boston area, it's worth it to make a trip to Children's Orchard!

Even better, they have franchise locations (can't speak about the other stores, but I assume they're good, too!) in Alaska, California, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin!

Get to shoppin', mamas!