Perfect 10

Boo! We're back...sort of. I'm posting from Texas since Owen is ten months old today. We came out to celebrate Owen's Great Granddad's and Coach's birthdays. I'll try to post more on that later - just sneaking this one in before we head off to the airport to fly home.

I dropped the ball on the Olympics thing when we got "Fay"ed. We haven't had internet at home in nearly 3 weeks. Sorry to be a tease.

Give Peas a Chance

Taking a break from Olympic action to bring you some everyday Owen.  

He does a terrible impression of a choking victim doesn't he?  It's not believable.  At all.  Which of course makes it absolutely endearing.  He even tries to use it in situations where he couldn't possibly be choking but just wants to get our attention.

We've got one or two more ideas for Name that Olympian, so stay tuned!

Name that Olympian II

He was Michael Phelps three days ago.  Now who is he?

Scott says Owen needs a wedgie in order to complete the look, but I figured cross-dressing him was pushing things far enough.  If thirty years from now O is on stage in Vegas wearing two pieces of black ribbon for a costume and singing "I Got You Babe" it will be entirely my responsibility.

Name that Olympian

Hello again.  We've been on hiatus from blogging in order to devote all of our time to watching the Olympics.  And since I've got Beijing brain, I thought it would be a fabulous idea to torture-slash-humiliate my child by making him impersonate various Olympians and let you guess who he is.

This first one is easy.  

And for those of you who wish I would stop trying to be clever and just get on with it, here are the latest Owen stats (as of his 9-month check-up Wednesday):

• 17 lbs 13.5 oz (10th percentile)
• 28.5 in (50th percentile)
• May have a minor wheat allergy (Cheerio to the Cheerios)
• Getting his front teeth  
• Can balance on his feet by himself
• Tries to say "bye bye" while waving
• Used "da da" to refer to Scott for the first time yesterday

HaHaHaHaHa

...delivering Aunt Becky's order for some Owen laughter.

And trivia from Owen's 9th month:

• Cut two teeth (and judging from the quantity of snot he's producing, the arrival of his top teeth seems imminent)
• Has mastered crawling
• Pulls up (and cruises a little)
• Prefers the tags on his toys to the actual toys themselves
• Current Favorite food:  Summer Vegetables 
• Most Loathsome food:  Bananas (fresh or from the jar...go figure)
• When excited about a toy, he takes a knee, holds the object up in the air and flaps his arms wildly like he's performing some sort of Native American bird dance
• Enjoys combining bullet items 1 & 3 by sneaking up behind me, pulling up on my leg and biting into my calf

ps Scott's comment in the video about getting hair all over Owen?  

    He'd just had a haircut.

We aim to please!

This one goes out to Aunt Jenny.  Anyone else have a request?  Owen is full of tricks lately...

Notice anything different about the house?  We decided to flip-flop the living and dining room furniture.  This way we have lots more space, and I can now keep Owen in my line of sight from the kitchen.  But my favorite part?  There's no cable connection in the former dining room, so we've been surviving on very small doses of the idiot box this week.  Scott and I have been spending our evenings listening to jazz,  playing cards, and (gasp) talking.  The audio-visual guys are coming at the end of next week to move the cable line and install some home-theater-type stuff, and a huge part of me will be tempted not to answer when I hear them knocking on our door.  

For dedicated Owen fans only...

My apologies to any of you who watched these videos expecting something funny or terribly momentous to happen; these clips are more in the vein of the exit footage for CBS Sunday Morning.  I can predict, though, that there are at least half a dozen people out there who will still think this is the most excellent subject matter ever recorded.

We replaced the 32 MB memory card in our camera with a 512 MB capacity card, and I have been out of control ever since. These two clips were so long that Photobucket rejected me, and I was forced to enter the world of YouTube.  I don't know why I have such a hang-up about it, but trying to navigate around that site made me feel about as old and out of place as I would be if I tried to shop for skirts at Abercrombie & Fitch.  

So anyways...the top video was made at GG's this past weekend.  We visited her on Friday & Saturday, and we spent our time eating, antique shopping, eating, playing with Owen on the floor, eating, and eating.  GG is an incredible down home Southern cook.  I once told Scott I was going to get her recipe for biscuits, and he looked at me as if I'd announced I was going to attempt to build my own atom bomb.  Few people compare to Scott's grandmother in or outside the kitchen.  She is an amazing woman.

The second video is from Scott's firm's annual lake party.  Owen cried initially when I put him in the water, but once he got used to the temperature he loved it.  (So much in fact that we now own the inflatable pool featured in the video.)  Our entire lot sits at about a 15-degree angle, has more moss and dirt than grass, and is home to so many mosquitoes that you'd think we were intentionally breeding them, but surely we'll still be able to recreate those happy, sunny memories from our day on the lake. 

  

You can't handle the tooth!

If truth in journalism were important to me, I would have titled this entry "Owen can handle the teeth."  But what fun would that have been?

I've been anxious for months now about when teething would start and how bad it would hit us, but overall Owen is handling it pretty well.  There have been some fussy days and several nights of interrupted sleep.  Yet I can safely say we are on the upside of it now, and the only casualties were my nose and one entire bottle of Baby Motrin.

I thought I was going to get a great shot of his two new pearlies in that top photo, but then he made like he was Brad Pitt and I was paparazzi.  You can still sort of see them if you click on the picture and enlarge it.

Dog Days

Whew is it hot!  Owen and I just got back from meeting friends for lunch at Sam's Deli down the street.  If I were on death row, my final meal request would be a Sam's cheeseburger with extra pickles.  And - to continue this disturbing stream of thought -  if my punishment were death by electrocution, I don't think it could feel much hotter than it felt sitting out on Sam's patio at high noon.

I stripped O down to his diaper, fanned him and fed him ice chips to keep him cool.  But eventually we had to just end our outing and seek the shelter (and the blissfully cool floor registers) of home.  

  

And all I got was this lousy t-shirt

We're back from Jamaica!  Jennifer, Rebecca, Scott and I went down to celebrate Jenn's birthday, sans Owen.  It was the first time I'd been away from him for more than a couple of hours, and I was terrified that I would ruin everyone's trip by crying the whole time.  But I only cried once - on the night we left.  And even though I did miss him a lot, it was nice to be able to lay around, enjoy uninterrupted meals, and reclaim a little of the spontaneity that life with an infant doesn't really allow.

Besides, I knew he was in very capable hands.  DD and Coach came to stay with him, and they arrived several days early so they could learn his schedule.  Owen was confused and cried a lot the first night we were gone, and DD said he kept looking over her shoulder at the door hoping one of us would walk in, but otherwise he basked in their attention.  And just to make sure we would regret leaving him, Owen chose the 4 days we were gone to begin pulling up and to start waving and clapping on cue.  Curse you DD and Coach for being such inspirational teachers!    

On the Move!

Plug all the outlets and hide the breakables, Owen is crawling!  He'd been tucking his legs and getting into position even before we went to Texas, but I credit cousin Gabe for spurring Owen on to reach this latest milestone.  The opportunity to commune with fellow mini-humans was exciting enough for Owen, but I could tell it completely blew his mind when Gabe started crawling circles around him.  And wouldn't you know, Owen gave the above demonstration five days after we got home.  Thanks for the technical advice Gabe!

CONFESSION:  It's almost too shameful to admit.  I've joined the ranks of Dina Lohan, Kit Culkin and Jeff Archuleta.  I entered Owen into a cute baby contest.   

DEFENSE:  The local TV station and sponsor of the contest kept running these commercials.  Do you have a lovable baby?  They badgered me.  They hounded me.  They haunted me.  I started to think that not entering Owen would be a latent admission that I find him unlovable.  And they made it so darned easy to enter.  Just a few clicks of the mouse and I'd turned my baby into a cyber contestant.  Now he's plastered on the internet alongside babies with nauseatingly pretentious and over-original names, and I'm left wondering if I have more in common than I would like to think with people capable of naming their children Par, Zen, Chantz and Anakin (which only works as a name if you're actually from the planet Tatooine).  

PLEA:  Now that I've gotten him into this mess, we may as well vote for him!   Or, if you desire to spare Owen a life of excess and exploitation, end his career now and vote for some other (albeit less lovable) kid.

A few more Texas shots...

I had some trouble making the remix for the last post and consequently had 

to leave some photos out.  Couldn't you just feel something missing?  

Anyway, here's the rest of the story in pictures.  

Notice a theme?  Cool J's got nothin' on our guy.  Ladies Love Owen.

Texas Trip

We've been back for five days, but all three of us are still feeling a little jet lagged from our great Texas adventure.  (Would I have to have actually left the Central Time Zone to legitimately claim jet lag?)  Better question:  What was I thinking when I booked a flight that didn't get us back to B'ham until 11 PM Sunday night? Well for one, I was being cheap.  And for two,  since we took off several hours past his usual bedtime, Owen should have been unconscious for the entire flight.  Bah!  The little stinker was wired.  The airport and all of its strange inhabitants proved too exciting, and so he was left feeling simultaneously exhausted and over-stimulated.  By takeoff, he had the wild-eyed look of a strung-out junkie, and he didn't surrender to sleep until the lights of Birmingham were coming into view below us.  Thank goodness Scott was with me, or I might have passed my wriggling, whining bundle of joy to the lady across the aisle.

Never-the-less, we all found being in Texas far more enjoyable than leaving Texas.  Not to get too philosophical, but both Owen and my hometown are so much a part of me that it was strange for me to think that he was seeing it all and meeting everyone for the first time.  We loved introducing him to his extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins.  Owen wants to send a special "Get Well" message to his Uncle Paw-Paw, who - despite being in severe pain and just days away from major back surgery - was there bright and early to meet Owen on his first morning in town.

Some of Owen's favorite parts of the trip:

• Touring the Toyota Center with Aunt Jenny
  
• Chewing on the awesome paper, but not paper, place mat Amy gave him at Lupe Tortilla's
• Playing with (and unintentionally mauling) cousins Audrey, Travis, Abby & Gabe
• Having not one, but two photo sittings with the wildly talented Viviana.  Want to see?
• Meeting Pico, the neighborhood peacock (Our neighborhood is popular with local farm animals seeking asylum.  We've also previously hosted a few longhorn steer & a chicken.)
• Being the guest of honor at a Texas BBQ hosted by Coach and DD.  The food came from a place called Straight Off the Road BBQ  - a name I hope refers more to location than to how they find their meat.  
• Being with family and friends and knowing how much he is loved.  He must have been held by nearly three dozen people over the course of a few days.  Which reminds me...who gave him the cold?  Fess up!

Rocket Man

We're back from the Lone Star State!  So much to tell, but I'm still waiting 

for a few pics from DD before I write the Texas-sized chronicle of our visit.

Here's just a tidbit:

On our first full day there, we went into Houston to visit Owen's Aunt 

Jenny at work at the Toyota Center.  It was great to see how excited 

Jenn was to introduce her nephew to her co-workers, and I was surprised

to learn that many of them follow the happenings of Owen via this blog.

(Hi guys!)  Owen was born on the night of the Rockets' opening home 

game this past fall, which was terrible timing for Jenn, who had planned 

to be here in Birmingham for his birth.  She said her co-workers spent 

much of that day trying to console her, but she just kept crying! 

No worries Jenn.  I think Owen will forgive you for missing his debut, 

especially since your job is also the reason he will now be able to tell 

people he once used an NBA court as his private playground.     

Hey Owen! Who's the greatest guy in the world?

Happy Father's Day Scott!

I had a great little video to post as a surprise for Scott, but Photobucket is acting more like Kickthebucket today. I'll try again tomorrow. Hmph!

Wedding Weekend

Well I'm finally posting the pics from Mark & Michelle's wedding last weekend.  A migraine slammed me in the head Sunday night and then hung on for 5 days or so, but I think I'm now on my way back to the land of the clear-headed!  

Side note for my Texas family who will now be concerned that I'm dying:  I have already received doctor confirmation that I am NOT suffering from an aneurysm, brain cancer or even meningitis.  Said doctor did cruelly prescribe Vicodin, which I cannot take unless I want Owen getting high with me.

Be glad the wedding pictures aren't scratch 'n sniff.  It was an outdoor ceremony in 95-degree heat.  The damp ring around Owen's neck is from all the ice we gave him, and it looks like he's going to have my flushed cheeks (Yay! A genetic resemblance).

We still had a wonderful time celebrating with Scott's family- and DD too.  She flew in for the occasion to be Owen's date, and it didn't take long for them to hit the dance floor together.  (Since I couldn't find any music I liked for the remix, just play "Unchained Melody" in the background while you watch it and you can recreate the moment.)

Congrats Mark and Michelle!

   

Guess what today is...

grOWEN & gOWEN

I've put up a lot of corny blog titles, but this one is by far the worst.  I just 

can't resist a pun.  And if you've spent much time in the company of my 

mother, you know where the blame lies!

I feel unoriginal for bringing this up, but Owen is growing and changing

so much.  Of course, that's what all babies do.  But he's completely 

reinvented himself in the past two weeks.  He's moving all over the place, 

staying awake longer, making new sounds and new facial expressions,

and (I'm going to risk a jinx by writing this) sleeping much better.  At this

point Owen seems destined to become either a mechanic or the Wicked 

Witch of the East, as I keep finding the lower half of him protruding

from various pieces of furniture around the house.  

Parakeet Shriek

Sorry I couldn't get the photo to post any larger.  I wanted to share it because I believe it is scientific proof that males are innately attracted to the remote control.  In the short minute I looked away from Owen to watch a Today Show segment (bad, bad Mommy!), Owen's instinct to hold the little magic box inspired him to make his first escape from the bouncy seat.  Sigh...now I will be 3rd in line for command of the television.

Auntie Jenn, Auntie Jenn!

Owen's Aunt Jennifer spent Memorial Weekend with us, and he really

showed off for her.   He held his own bottle for the first time and he

finally rolled from his back to his front.  He's also started performing 

some Shakespearean-length soliloquies, and of course we sit 

and listen like an adoring audience.

While she was here, Jennifer set us up for our first i-chat with Owen's 

DD and Coach, and that was lots of fun.  If you've got a web cam and 

would like a private conference with Mr. Owen, just make an appointment!

 

Owen's Current Stats

So here's the latest on Owen:

• 15 lbs 3 oz (12th percentile)
• 25 in long (10th percentile)
• Wearing 6-9 month clothes
• Now eating baby jar sweet potatoes, peas, pears, bananas & apples
• Starting to figure out the sippy cup
• Hair has grown to about 3/4 inch
• No teeth
• Still waking about 3 times a night (argh...), but is becoming a decent napper
• Can sit on his own for a few seconds, then face-plants 
• Says "ba", "ma", "da", and when flustered barks "nein, nein, nein!" like an angry German
• Shrieks like a parakeet when he's excited
• Loves people!  Charms his way around with his smile & killer blue eyes
• Got to swing for the first time this week at his friend Solomon's

Beach Baby

Acting on orders from my sisters, here are photos from the beach trip we 

took with Scott's parents, Owen's "GG", and Drew a few weeks ago.  Owen 

handled the five-hour drive to Florida like a champ, and he slept like a... 

well, you know... in the Pack 'n Play that we set up in a closet for him.  

He knocked out several "firsts" while we were there too: eating jar baby 

food (sweet potatoes), digging his toes in the sand at the beach, and taking 

a dip in the pool.  The little guy does come from a long line of very pale 

people, so I should note that Owen's first trips to the beach and pool 

were also his only trips to the beach and pool.  Our favorite activity 

turned out to be shopping at the outlet mall in Destin, and the entire 

family used very little restraint when it came to buying things for Owen 

(admit photo #11 below into evidence).     

Mother's Day

I had a great first Mother's Day, although I have to admit it still surprises me sometimes to think of myself as a mother.  Owen and Scott treated me to breakfast in bed this morning - fresh fruit and an omelet...yum!  

My friend Greer made these pictures of Owen and me a few months ago, 

and I figured today was the perfect occasion to share them.