Gittin' Around

If there's anything to describe Owen this past week, it's movement. Movement of any kind - any body part, any direction, on any surface...movement around town, around the Southeast, around the house, around his crib. We are definitely movin'!

We went to Chris's parent's this past weekend to celebrate both of his sisters' birthdays. Here's Owen wishing them a Happy B-day.

Note the clean, white shirts...they didn't stay so clean. We went to a little Italian Pizzeria place. Owen is now sitting in a highchair and eating everything in sight...and even some things not visible to the naked eye. Here he is enjoying the party...

...and then enjoying the chance to hunt for his new favorite teething toy - the remote control. Seriously, all he wants to do is crawl and put his discoveries in his mouth. It's not like he isn't getting a round of applause with every inch he covers - no wonder he loves to show off !?

Of course, if he wasn't being cheered on in his floor routines he was getting some lovin' from his granny great. He's her "lump of sugar" and he knows it.

Finally, a few words about the crib. Thanks to Dr. Ferber, we are spending more time in there. It's been a tough week with little sleep some nights (some nights less than when he was a newborn!), but we have made great headway. He now is put in his bed awake with no paci! We decided if we were going to endure this now to break one habit, we might as well just have to do it once. So we said farewell to the paci. Get a close look - you want see a shot like this again!

Why, oh why?

Before Owen is old enough to start with all of the "why?" questions, I wanted to make sure and have some for him to reflect on when he is older. Since there hasn't been a posting this week, I decided to let these questions & pictures speak for themselves.


Dear Owen,

You are so fun these days, and we can't wait to see how much more playful you become over the next 6 months. These last few weeks you are really turning into a busy baby. You teased us yesterday with just a few seconds of real crawling, and continue to amaze us by what you seem to figure out and understand. Once you are able to talk, maybe you can help us understand some things...things such as...

• Why are the toys we buy for you not nearly as fun as random leather or dirt on the floor? Why is your cell phone which plays really good music not as cool as ours which calls China each time you play with it?


• Why is a push-up easier than resting on all fours?

• Why will you give Eskimo kisses on demand to your Gigi and not to us?

• Why is it so much funnier when your great grandmother tells you about the little piggies going to market than when you mother does?

• Why do you think that other people's (ie, your Aunt Amanda's) bed is so much more fun than your own?




• And why, oh, why, are you once AGAIN waking up in the middle of the night???

We love you so much, and can't wait to hear these answers.

Love,

Mom & Dad

Penny Pinching Pictures

Owen went for his 6 month pictures this week. Although I don't have the proofs back yet, I could tell from the way he was cheezin' it up for the camera that they are going to be great! That's good & bad - good that my son makes great pictures; bad that I will have to cash in my retirement if I want to purchase them all.

So Owen and I decided that we would make some of our own pictures in an effort to not need to buy any (read "many) - I'll let you know if it works. We had some fun, got really hot outside and learned that you really need an extra set of hands if you attempt to do this at home. Here are some of my favorites from our afternoon shoot.

We started our "shoot" outdoors, so that I could try some new camera settings. It was too hot, and that didn't last very long. Plus, I was too worried he would topple over onto the concrete.

So, we gave up & came back for our standard backdrop which has served us so well - the couch. Then we tried some different angles on the blanket...

And then went back outside on the porch once we cooled off. You can tell it had been a long afternoon, though - Owen's hair wasn't the only one looking so disheveled.

And that pretty much finished us up. I must tell you, though, that the funny thing about this picture is that he totally did his hands that way on his own. We were done, as is this post. Thanks for checking on us.

Sweet Summer Days

One of our favorite things this summer has been time at the pool. Owen has loved & been soothed by water from the time he was born, so really this comes as no surprise that he enjoys it so much. But it is amazing to see how much more he seems to enjoy it each time we go compared to the last. Tonight, we went armed with a camera. Hope you enjoy these pictures as much as we did making them.

"Somebody hold me back...I'm ready to hop in!"

Splashing is even more fun when your daddy isn't ready for it!

Who knew catching bubbles in the water could be so difficult?

It's so nice to have a lift when you have worn yourself out...

Here's to many more sweet summer sunsets with the ones you love!

What a Week!

I had every intention of posting each morning this past week, and it just hasn't happened. No need to lie - it was not an easy week. But it certainly was full of highlights, and there is much to tell...so better late than never, right?

Owen had his 6 month check-up on Tuesday and passed with flying colors. Weighing in at 16# -10 oz, we decided that he is plenty ok to sleep thru the night sans the 2am snacks he's lately decided to indulge in. He'd been sleeping thru the night for months, and the past 4-5 weeks has gotten in the habit of waking up to eat around 3 am. So time for the tough love! Dr. John gave us the pep talk to only go in, reassure him and be "brief & boring", and so not only did we commit to let him cry himself back to sleep, but we took away the swaddle blanket. Did I say it hasn't been an easy week? But how can you get too frustrated when you peek in to see this?

The crying only lasts about 20 minutes now, down from a solid hour the first night. So baby steps...but it's some seriously hard work, and it can wear a little fellow out. The first night was super tough, and we were all worn out the next evening rather early. By 7 pm, Owen fell asleep watching TV with Chris. Not in a sweet cuddle with him, but more of an "I just can't do this any longer" face-plant.

Owen is all about trying new moves these days. He's not crawling as Webster or other technical definitions might see it, but he can certainly get from point A to point B..and rather quickly I might add. Here's my favorite series of moves from the other night:

Life was good on the blanket, but time to move...

...too bad he doesn't know any other direction than reverse!

Too proud of himself...

...until he got stuck!

And lastly, he is sitting up so much better. Yesterday, we actually made it over 5 minutes with no help. The blocks and toys certainly make it more entertaining and worth the effort.

Note the bandaids on the thighs...even the shots couldn't keep this punkin' from his blocks!

Our 6 month old

It's hard to believe that Owen turned 6 months old this week. We have been so busy this summer; there's been little time to keep this blog up to date. But there's so much new stuff going on around here. Cliche as it may sound, literally every day Owen is discovering and doing something different. It's wonderful. He is growing so quickly - the laughs, the messes, the area in which he moves, the smiles and even the thighs...they just keep getting bigger. He is sitting up unassisted for short times now, very mobile in reverse only, has some amazing grip strength and great grasp. We've shattered at least one glass at a restaurant lately - he's so stinking fast. He's also now holding his hands out for us and gets so excited when Chris comes home from work. Yesterday he was about to jump out of my arms wanting Chris to hold him, so this is what happened.

I think the boys may have a new game...

I picked him up today from Mothers' Day Out today and we were laughing because this child will not nap unless he is in his swaddle blanket. I know, he's 6 months old - but hey, it works. That's just not his thing. But Ms. Melanie was quick to point out that veggies and milk - actually any food - IS most definitely his thing. She said he even gets excited when she gets out the other kids' food thinking it's for him...poor kid. Makes it sound like he's starved. Here's the proof of his veggie affair the past few weeks:

Perhaps the term "Messy Marvin" may soon be replaced. Note the food in the picture below is also on the feet, the eyebrow, the chair...

As you can see, the hand is quick and Owen puts the death grip on the spoon. I finally started giving in and let him have it about 1/2 way thru and then at the end. Why fight it, right? He's learning motor skills for sure - that's what I tell myself as I clean up these messes.




Last weekend we decided on a low key evening with some friends, and ended up on a picnic. We had a blast. Owen was thoroughly entertained by our friends sweet boys and by all of the people, music, bugs, etc.



So needless to say, we are enjoying ourselves. Hope that all of you are finding time to enjoy some lazy summer days. If you need advice on how to do so, Owen has you covered.

Mi Casa, Su Casa

Amidst all the travels, we have had plenty of friends and family over to our house the past couple of weeks. Here's some of our favorites pictures with some of our favorite people.

Nanna and Granny Great have stopped by twice - on the way here from and back to Ohio. Since they don't get to see him as often as anyone would like, Owen gets plenty of kisses and attention when they are around. Can you even ask for a better picture with everyone smiling and looking at the camera?

Then our friend Emmy came over to hang out with us while her mommy went to run an errand. She and Owen had such a good time - I think she enjoyed having someone who was so mesmerized by all of her singing, dancing and other silly antics.

Owen enjoyed himself enough to share some kisses. Emmy's response: "EEEWWWW...it's a wet one!"

Could this be his first crush??? Maybe he'll be like his daddy and go for the older ladies! :)

Next was Mommaw and Amanda. Although Owen is completely smitten with Amanda, she and I went shopping for the greater part of the day so there aren't pictures of the two of them. Mommaw, however, got lots of time in with the little man. They must have done "this little piggy..." at least 274 times - maybe more.

Can we say "fat & happy"? Maybe it was the mention of the market...or perhaps the roast beef?

And then yesterday our friend Sloan came over to play. That gave Pam and I a chance to catch up in person - a rare treat these days. Since Sloan is now a really good reader, she made sure to read Owen some books. She even came up with some original poems to share too! :) You can tell Owen thought her stories were totally cool.

We are truly blessed to be surrounded by so many friends and family who love us. I have no doubt that it will be all of you who help us not only survive, but enjoy, these next couple of years. And as they say, "Mi Casa, Su Casa". Come anytime...