jolly jumping o

Owen loves jumping!

...though i've moved from minnesota, apparently i haven't been able to shake the accent!

fun in the sun

ah, glorious sunshine how the days are better when you shine.
Owen was given a sweet summer outfit that he'll outgrow before the snow melts so I decided he would wear it in the golden rays of our living room. Putting a few winter layers beneath and he's decked out, ready for the sun.

There was a time, early in his smiling days, when I didn't know if he would be a smiley baby, simply because he rarely smiled. And when he did, much to my dismay, it would be at some spot on the wall, or at something unidentifiable. However, he rarely wipes his beautiful grin off his face.

Our friend Jaana, and her baby Eden (a month older than Owen) came over yesterday. We had a lovely afternoon visit. Owen and Eden seem to like each other okay, though they certainly don't find each other very interesting. They'll look at each other in wide-eyed wonderment, but then soon look elsewhere at a face more interactive or at something that seems more fun. Eden, being a girl and a month older, it is intriguing to see where they differ. She has much better fine motor skills while he has more head control and strength in his body.

Well, I have been tired all day so I think I'll call it a night.

Taid teaching Owen to walk

narration

owen woke up yesterday exercising his vocal chords; he's been talking with sing-song 'de' (soft e sound), 'le', and 'uh'. his little voice is so sweet, and he certainly has good volume! he woke yesterday talking and he every moment he's awake since then, he's letting us know what he's thinking about. it is so fun! if he keeps this up, he'll either be a talker or he'll live life, musical-style.

and the days run together . . .

Today i tried distinguishing between different days and weeks and i was completely muddled. I didn't know if the day i was thinking of was last week or two weeks ago. Things here are pretty simple and similar; Ry has been working hard at his studies and I've been playing with Owen, baking and cooking, cleaning, etc, and reading. I am enjoying my daily business, especially Owen and cooking, but things don't differ too much day to day. Thursday and Sunday the days of distinction, in that Thursday evening Ry has Greek class and I go to BA Cafe when he gets home. Sunday is church. We had Chris and Heather over for supper this past week and that was fantastic, so much fun. It seems we need to make more plans, for the cold bitter wind is making people hibernate and not venture into the frigid out-of-doors.
Mary Ellen is lending us a great little 'outfit': it's a baby bag. It has no arms, it only has two legs and long top that has a hood-type cincher string. It keeps Owen so warm, and while he doesn't like the initial bundling, he quiets up as soon as he's tucked in the sling.
Owen has been really sucking on his hands, it has becoming his way of falling asleep and comforting himself. I think this is all part of the discovery that he can move his hands where he wants them, and pick up items, and do things. He's become antsy just sitting on our knee because he wants to 'do' things. If he had balance down - he'd been walking!

skipping down the streets

the winter air has been crisp, the snow has gone from fluffy to glazed with ice but the sun has been shining for days. I feel like we're developing a daily rhythm, and it feels so good. Owen has been sleeping through the nights; he's been going down between 8:30 and 9:30, sleeping somewhere until 6 and 8. I'm still pumping and feeding Owen my milk by bottle. That's formed into a routine as well and I've grown accustomed to how that works, as has Owen. It's comfortable and quick, and pleases the both of us.
Matt Frise turned 33 this past week, and we went to his party. Owen feel asleep on the walk there, and he slept the whole time we were at the party, and didn't wake up when we put him into bed. It was amazing and it felt so freeing. I went out earlier in the week as well while Ry stayed home with Owen. It was nice to get out; I skipped down the street, acknowledging the fact that i didn't have a cute babe attached to me. I love little Owen, but it's felt great to get out of the house, alone.

Owen loves when we sing to him! He gets the biggest smile on his face, and he watches us, enthralled. He also really enjoys being lifted into the air. We've put him in his jolly jumper a couple times too, and he enjoys having control and moving his strong legs. It's really cute. Just like all his other independent activities (like his chairs or toy rugs) he can only stand being by himself for so long. He's been doing better lately, though.

sweet sweet boy

ry and joel have a show tonight. i've thought about going but i'm going to stay at home with owen. Owen has been going to bed some time around 9 lately, so i don't want to throw that off, as we're really enjoying having him on a bit of a schedule. His incoming teeth are still bothering him, and i think that wakes him up in the first few hours he's asleep. he'll become roused, but not fully awake. As soon as you pick him up, he's immediately asleep. So sweet. He's been really snuggly lately, which i love.



These photos are from around New Years. We haven't taken any new ones lately.