Friday, December 3, 2010

9 months

Owen is 9 months old today!!

As you see, he's learning to use the technology...


He's an aspiring chef....


and a foodie....


definitely a music aficionado...


and a seasoned traveler...


He's bigger than most turkeys...


And a world-class clapper.


and definitely the apple of his mom's eye.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

another musician in the family?

This one is for Grams. Making use of those Kinde.rmusik instruments!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Starting to Scoot

Owen is not crawling yet, but I wanted to share this pre-crawling video. He is picking his front end up and just starting to push himself backwards. You can tell it won't be long!

The second video is me trying to capture Owen babbling back and forth with me. It wasn't very successful, but still cute.



Friday, August 27, 2010

August pictures


Owen's 5 month portrait (Aug. 3). He turns 6 months next week!!

Starting back to work has obviously meant that I have less time to post...but I'm finally getting around to processing my pictures from August. Owen is doing so well. He seems to be perfectly content to go to his daycare. He loves the bigger (i.e. 12 month old) kids. He's rolling over. He sits up, but not without my help. He's a really big boy (wearing 9 and 12 months sizes at 5/6 months). He's just as babble-y as ever, waaaaay more aware of his surroundings, and grabbing for things (like people's faces) left and right. He is so happy. He hardly ever cries or fusses. I just don't know how I got so lucky, but believe me, I thank heaven every day! Oh, and did I mention he is sleeping through the night?

Concentrating hard in his fancy bouncer (a loaner from a colleague)!

Peach fuzz. Definitely getting more hair, and it's dark.

I am working at home on Fridays, which is awesome. Here Owen is helping me work by doing a little reading on the French artist, Jacques Callot.


Reading the New Yorker. Yes, he's a reader. And someone may as well read it.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Grapes are Funny

Finally caught Owen laughing...enjoy.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Solid Foods, Back to Work, Jumping, and Bubbles

Well, Owen has grown leaps and bounds since my last post. We started solid foods (so far he has sampled rice cereal and bananas). He has taken to it very quickly. I like it because he seems to sleep better at night! He is getting really sturdy. He was 16 lbs 9 oz at his 4 month checkup. He's 83 percentile for length, and 79th for weight. Big boy.

His mom, that's me, started back to work last week 3 days a week. The first week was really hard. It felt, well, wrong. The strangest thing was going out for lunch, without him obviously. I felt guilty for having a nice time without him. But we are both getting acclimated and doing well. While I am part time he is staying with my next door neighbor, a home daycare provider. When I return full time in mid August I am taking him to a bigger daycare center. I want him to be around other babies his age and make friends.

Here are some videos of his recent developments. I still haven't caught the real belly laugh on film, mostly because I am usually picking him up over my head, or tickling him when it occurs (I would need 3 arms to take video, too). You get just a little bit here though...




He loves his jumper. Absolutely transfixed by the lights and noises...the jumping seems to come just by impulse...




And he is forever blowing bubbles these days. So cute.


Thursday, June 24, 2010

In western New York

We are in NY state visiting family for about 3 weeks! It's great sharing my little boy with my family. Can't wait for the cousins, aunts and uncles to arrive next week. Here he is on his first boat ride, with Grams.


And with his grandpa ("Pops"), who is trying to come up with "the" nickname for Owen. So far he calls him the Little Monster, and RumpleChubbskin most often.

And charming the socks off his Great Aunt Gwen (not pictured).


He has changed so much in just the last two weeks. He's started to try to pull himself up! He is totally unsuccessful at this point, but we give him lots of help. He loves it...all of a sudden he wants to be upright as much as possible. He doesn't show any interest in rolling over, though. Here's a little montage of Grams helping him sit up. He really braces for it and tenses all his arm and core muscles...very good for him!



Other recent changes:

he has a full-on BELLY laugh, which is so adorable it's hard to even describe. It is still very selectively deployed.

he has more hair

he has really become aware of his surroundings. He follows voices and people as they come and go. he has also noticed the t.v., which isn't such a great thing.

he is sleeping GREAT. Usually from about 8 at night until between 5 and 6 in the a.m. (Now his mom has to go to bed earlier to get more sleep). He is also taking 2 and sometimes 2-1/2 hour morning naps and long afternoon naps as well.

he is getting better at finding his mouth with toys, hands, whatever

he has a new sound. I call it the mmm mmm sound (well, that's what it is...). He exercises it often!

he has started to notice FOOD. I have a feeling he will be wanting to eat solids sooner than 6 months.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

He's laughing!


I'm still figuring the ins and outs of my new camera (this photo is too blurry). But I think you can see Owen's pure joy---this is a laugh! He mostly laughs at his mom nowadays, who will do almost any silly and bizarre facial expression to provoke him. I guess we're all born with a penchant for slapstick humor.

We went to the doctor today and Owen weighed in at 14 lbs 11 oz! That's a gain of 2 lbs in just 4 weeks! Owen's tummy is doing much better since his mom stopped drinking caffeine and the doctor is very pleased with his progress. He's perfect and healthy! He also got another shot today (HiB).
Here we are---mom (sans caffeine) looking a bit haggard. I have successfully gotten Owen to sleep through the night, not without some labor on my part. He goes to bed now at about 8 and semi-wakes at 3 or 4. Instead of feeding him I just soothe him, and he goes back to sleep (some nights more easily than others). Then he wakes up for good between 6 and 7 and gets his breakfast. He's doing really well! Pretty soon, maybe mom will get to sleep through the night, too (fingers crossed).

Friday, May 28, 2010

Uncle Visit


Uncle CJ paid us a visit this week and it was great! We had a cookout, and sampled one of RI's great clam shacks. Uncle Ceej exhibited amazing nerve by offering to babysit while I went to an appointment. Owen slept the entire time I was gone, of course! Here are some pictures from his visit, courtesy of the AWESOME new camera that CJ donated to me. I hope I prove myself worthy of its power!


Monday, May 24, 2010

Hand to Mouth

What fun! Owen is figuring out how to grasp his toys and bring them (sorta/toward) his mouth. These shots show a moment when he was particularly lucky with his aim. By the way, just look at those hands! And I think he just may be a lefty, like his mommy!

Here he is during his "tummy time" (looking pretty adorable, no?). He needs to spend more time on his tummy to work on strengthening his middle in prep for the all-important turning-of-himself-over that's supposed to happen sometime soon.


{Mommy, why are you doing this to me? I don't really like this position?!]

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Owen Grabs a Toy

Owen grabbed (and caught) a toy today for the first time (and you can hear in the video how excited I am about this development). He's been working very hard at this all day now.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Baby Friends

Today was the last day of my new mom's group and we took a photo of the babes together. All boys and one girl---can you tell which one?


My friend Siobhan was in the group. Her son Liam was born 11 days after Owen. We put them on the floor together and it was adorable.

Here Liam is rolling on his side while Owen smiles and laughs, looking right at him.


They seemed to sense one another more by touch than by sight. They kept crossing arms and one time they inadvertently grabbed one another's hand!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Baby's First Airplane

Here he is, the world traveler, looking all dapper just before we left to catch the plane to Chicago. Mission: see the exhibition mommy organized at its second venue, but more importantly, see Grams and meet for the first time big cousins Finn, Tasman, Auntie Karen, and Uncle Andy. Owen was in prime 2-1/2 month cuteness mode: babbling, cooing, and squealing with delight.

Finn was a doting older cousin and promised to teach Owen lots of things when he's old enough to learn them. He did a good job holding Owen, too.

Uncle Andy remembered fondly the early years. :)


Grams was an awesome roommate, even during Owen's 4 a.m. feeds and changes. She kept Finn and Tasman busy while the rest of us viewed the exhibition, and she looked after Owen while his mommy went out for the evening with colleagues. Thanks Grams!


Look at those toddlers out-weighing skinny Uncle Andy!


Mission: Accomplished. Owen arrived home in Providence without incident. Here he is at baggage claim, where I have claimed him under "special packages." Seriously, he slept through almost both of the plane trips and didn't appear to blink an eye about the pressure changes. He loved that underpass at O'Hare with all the neon lights.



Sunday, May 9, 2010

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Baby's First Firepit

Last night we ventured out in the evening to join some friends for dinner and drinks. Maya and Mark have a great firepit, and it was a nice, warm evening. Owen enjoyed the fire quite a bit...bright lights, you know. He also enjoyed the adoration of a couple of new devotees, Dan and Gina.


Owen is so cute when he's in a social setting. He gets very excited and starts hurling his arms and legs in various directions. He's started to converse, too. No, really. You can have a conversation with him...he'll look at you and make various extremely expressive gurgles and noises and expressions in response to your voice. As Maya described it, it's magical.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

12 lbs 10 oz!



Ain't he sweet? Owen had his 8 week physical today and he has gained over THREE pounds since his 4 week visit! He has skyrocketed into the 89th percentile for weight. He's now 24 inches, which is a 3 inch gain...in the 80th percentile in that category.

Just to show that he isn't ALWAYS smiling (not that you really had any doubts there), I took this shot while trying to pose him for this post...oh dear...

So, he tolerated his first shot really well...so far so good. He has very rosy cheeks today, but no temperature, and no irregular fussiness. Hurrah! (He got the DTap combo shot, which also contains the Polio and Hep A vaccine. Plus the Rotavirus oral vaccine.) Of course he didn't like the shot itself, but he is really such a wonderfully zen little guy...he calmed down within about 4 minutes. I am choosing to do an "alternative" schedule, which means I go back in one month, and he'll receive two more shots (Pc, HiB). So he'll get a couple shots pretty much every month. The reason I chose the alternative schedule is complicated, but suffice to say I feel more comfortable with it, and he WILL be getting all the vaccinations, just not according to the most common schedule by which they are administered.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Expression of pleasure...not quite a laugh

Owen LOVES the mobile in his crib ($4 at a garage sale! good buy, mom)! Yesterday he gazed at it for a good half hour, joyfully cooing and kicking and "flying" with his arms. It's pretty cute...here's a snippet. Enjoy.



On Thursday Owen has his 8 week checkup with the doctor. He continues to spit up often (he's a spit-up machine, or, the spit-meister, take your pick), so I intend to ask about that. Do they have bibs for adults? Because honestly this would probably be the more effective solution than those tiny little baby bibs that do not take into account the forward, backward, and upward lurching bodies of young babies. Perhaps I should invest in plastic coverings for my couch, bed, and oh, yeah, those silk pillows on my couch, to say nothing of my clothing. Nowhere is safe from the spit-up machine.

Also, this doctor's visit is when he gets his first round of immunizations. I have been pretty nervous about this for about a week. It's known to be a pretty unpleasant experience all 'round. Eek!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

New Video!


My friend Maya took the above shot when Owen was 6 weeks old. He's already bigger (8 weeks this Wednesday).

I've been trying to catch Owen's smile and his developing laugh (which is more like an extended eeeeee! sound) on video...so far, I've only captured the smile. Here is a little montage.







You will notice he is starting to drool quite a bit! Maybe that doesn't seem very interesting to my readers! Around here such developments are exciting. :) On the subject of bodily fluids, he is also starting to have tears. Since he's not that much of a cryer, I thankfully don't see them very much.

We have been getting out more socially. I took him to the Museum last Thursday and then again on Saturday for a street sale. Owen LOVES it! He stares wide-eyed at his many admirers, and he's so happy and calm, too. I can tell already he's such a sweet boy. But of course I'm biased.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

At seven weeks

My colleague, Judith, came over and took some pictures with her i-phone.




I'm sure someday I'll marvel that Owen could fit in the kitchen sink....

Owen is starting to look more--I dunno--Owenish...distinctive, I guess. It's easiest to see what I mean when he's sitting up, like here (with the help of lots of pillows).


Yes, that sweater is too big for him.

He's also holding his head up quite well, starting to grab on to me when I hold him (very cute) and to nestle his head into my neck. Needless to say, I like that.

More pictures: another smile, and what Grams calls his "pleasant look."