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.

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!

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.

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."

Smiles!

Owen is smiling...as you can see, such gifts are only bestowed after serious consideration (I think the first picture is just darling). The last picture is the victim of an unwanted flash. Too bad.

Today is a good day. We have two sets of visitors coming to the house. It's a beautiful Spring day and we're going for a walk a bit later, too.

Meditations on an Ear

Isn't this the most amazing ear? Doesn't it seem like the head has some catching up to do to match the size of the ear? Big ears do run in the family...


Here is Owen cheering, "yay!" And why? Because he finally pooed. Yes, we had a trying day of no poos and a very unhappy Owen. But low and behold, all is well now. I'll save you the, er, juicy details. His mom is finding that Owen's unhappiness and hers are one and the same thing-completely inseparable. Welcome to parenthood I guess!

Owen looks huge in these pictures. But here is a picture to show just how small he really is. To me, he seems really big. But whenever I see someone else holding him, I can't believe what a little tiny peanut he is! That's not someone else in the picture, it's me...but you see what I mean.

He was actually wide awake here, but he still refuses to open his eyes in sunlight. I can understand! By the way, he's wearing a new purchase from the newly-opened Carter's store...His mom will be a frequent shopper, that's for sure (and for those of you who care...they now have an online store)!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Easter Bunny

A few cute pictures from the past couple of days. The Easter Bunny outfit is a bit indulgent. Someone gave it to me. I think he looks like a ballet dancer, perhaps Mikhail Barishnikov. Anyway, he soiled the outfit about 10 minutes later, so it won't be making an appearance on Easter, anyway.

We are doing better in the last two days. I am managing Owen's spit-up problems with marathon burping sessions after eating, which seems to have done the trick. I wish doctors wouldn't say things like "surgery" unless it's really called for, don't you?

I am going to take Owen to church for Easter. I haven't been to church in...I don't even know how long. There's a pretty Congregational church down the street and my neighbor invited me. I figure I'll show Owen off a bit and hear some nice music. Later we are going to Easter dinner at the home of a new acquaintance who just had a baby, too.

Enjoy the pictures!

In the Kitchen

Well, it's almost 2pm and I'm just getting dressed. We had an interesting morning (see video). This was followed by a distressing nursing session after which Owen threw up his entire meal. Mommy does not like that. Not at all. So now mommy is spending her time observing him while he sleeps to make sure the subsequent meal stays down. So far, so good. Sigh. Of all the stresses so far having him spit up his meals in such quantity is by far the most stressful. The doctor says we need to keep a good eye on that, as persistent occurrence could mean the muscle at the bottom of his stomach is too tight, a problem that requires surgery (!). GULP. So you can see why mommy doesn't like it when that happens.

In other news I seem to have dropped between 5 and 8 lbs in the past few days. Was it grams's cooking, or just the fact that I was eating more complete meals when grams was here, or is it the nursing, or was it that pesky bloating finally going away? Whatever it was, I'm getting closer to my ppw (pre-preg weight) but still not able to fit into the ppp (pre-preg pants).