I spy a...tooth!

Well, our boy is growing and he has something new that popped up - his first tooth! It is one of the bottom ones and it showed up on Friday of last week. He'd been gumming everything like crazy for about the last six to eight weeks (not to mention that he's a "mouthy" kind of baby to begin with) so I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. He plays peekaboo, sort of, he pulls the towel off of his face when I say, "where's Owen?" and then he laughs when I say, "there he is!" He's waving "bye bye" and babbles a lot - oohs, aahs, gaas, and goos, along with lots of syllables and volume play. He LOVES to blow raspberries and tap his hands on things - his highchair tray, your arm, you name it... He's sitting up with little to no assistance and will catch himself if he leans on one side or the other about half of the time.

So far his menu has consisted of rice cereal, bananas, apples, and just today, pears! Along with breastmilk, of course. He seems to be a great eater (he comes from a long line of food fans) and I am loving the food mill that I use to grind up the fruit for him to eat - thanks Ash! It's not much trouble, cheaper than jar food, and smells better!

The three of us went to Owen's first Bach lunch last Friday and he seemed to really enjoy it. After the band ended, we took a walk downtown to a little shop and luckily (or unluckily, depending on how you look at it), they were having a GREAT sale! I stocked up on some pants and shirts for next fall/winter at 75% off! (I even got something for Owen's baby girl cousin who'll be here soon)

Well, here are a few pictures of the little guy...

I'm ready for a day out in the sun!

Sweet boy

I'm such a cool dude!

Keepin' the chair warm for dad

Owen is 6 months old!

Today we went for Owen's 6-month check-up and the doctor reported that he was the biggest 6-month old she'd seen today! He weighed in at 20 pounds 13 ounces and 27 inches long. He continues to be in the 90th-95th percentile for height/weight and right at "normal" for head circumference. After we got home we fed him rice cereal for the first time - I'm not sure if it was a hit or a miss since he got a little irritated after a few minutes. We'll try again later or tomorrow.

His new skills include imitating "bye-bye" waving, sitting for about 30 seconds to a minute and sometimes catching himself by propping on one hand while sitting, rolling from back to side (the boy just can't get those big thighs to roll with him all the way over!), and grabbing EVERYTHING! We cannot believe that he is 6 months old - it feels like we just brought him home.

He is definitely a happy kid who loves his walks in the sling or the stroller and snuggles with mom and dad. Here are new pictures for everyone...

reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear (a favorite) with Ashlie

hanging out on the hammock with mom

enjoying the warm breeze

I'm so happy

What's up?

silly face

First Solid Food

Ok, I'll try it but I'm not saying I'm gonna like it...

Wait a minute, where's the milk? This isn't lunch!

This is ridiculous. Waiter!!!

You people are nuts if you think this is good eatin'!

New pictures

Well, I've been neglecting this blog so I'm back with new pics of our little man. I've been taking lots of pictures and I just recently uploaded over 275 pictures to be developed and realized that I have another 100 or so to be printed as well (but I thought I'd save those for another time). Owen is growing like crazy and he's doing lots of new things. He's reaching for our faces, our cups, and his toys. He likes to have me kiss his hands - it makes him giggle. He scoots backward while on his back by pushing with his feet and we're still waiting for his first roll by himself. Okay, for the good stuff...

4 months

Owen is 4 months old! We went for his check-up on Friday and he weighs 18 pounds, 5 ounces and is 27 inches long! He is over the 100th percentile and the doctor was very pleased with his weight since he is so long. She also commented that his gross motor skills - bearing weight on his feet and leading with is head when pulled to sitting are those of a 6 month old and Owen's Poppa says it's because his mommy makes him "exercise" everyday. He is quickly outgrowing his infant car seat and we will be ordering and installing his "big boy" convertible car seat in the next few weeks (I doubt that we will get another 4 weeks out of the infant seat). I've got lots of pictures to post that I've taken over the last couple of weeks as well as a video or two but I have to do these posts in sessions as I'm not able to spend lots of time sitting in one place since Owen likes to change activities at a more rapid pace. We've had a couple of trips out of town lately - we went to Houston to visit with Chris, Ann, and the kids (with my cousin Amber's help) and then Owen and I went to New Orleans this past Sunday for a baby shower - I don't know that I'm looking forward to any car trips longer than 30 minutes by myself with Owen anytime soon. The New Orleans trip was okay but I kept having to go back for something that I had forgotten and managed to leave almost 30 minutes later than I wanted to and then Owen cried for the last 30 minutes of the ride back! Anyway, that's all for now.

Happy New Year!

Well, we've been very busy over the holidays. We had Owen's christening, Christmas, and of course New Year's Eve - Owen partied until almost 10:15!

Our boy is growing (and growing and growing) and he's learned a few new things. He reaches for and grasps toys and tries to bring them to his mouth - sometimes succeeding. He rolls from his side to his back and is very close to rolling from his tummy to his back. He's very chatty and has started to chuckle or belly laugh at silly things like mommy sneezing. He's sleeping in his own bed for naps during the day and at night. He sleeps about 3 or 4 hours between feedings at night but will occasionally wake every 2 hours. He's even taken a bottle (of breastmilk) a few times and he had no problems trying it out! We're going to his pediatrician on Wednesday for his 4-month checkup and weigh-in. He's outgrowing his clothes so very fast and I can't wait to find out how much he weighs. I've been putting away lots of 3-6 months clothes and moving into the 6-9 month sizes...wow! Will update after doctor's appointment as soon as I can.

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks.

Santa's little helper.

This is Keith's family's christening gown - Keith and Laurie wore it for their christening as well as their cousins and their children.

Owen's Christmas pajamas from BeBe.

Owen and Mommy with Benjamin after the christening.

Owen, Mommy, Daddy, Nanny Laurie, and Parrain Alex.

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Happy snow day...

Keith woke up this morning at 5:45 and then got me up to see SNOW!!! It was coming down in buckets. We both went out to take pictures and video and then when Owen woke, we bundled him up and took him outside too. We made a (tiny) snowman. The snow turned to rain about 8:00 but it was really cool while it lasted. Keith had never seen falling snow before and I had only seen falling snow like this one other time. It was absolutely amazing. Here are some pictures and a video (proof that I'm not exaggerating). Pardon the lack of video camera skills - we're still learning and so it makes the video a little "jumpy". Enjoy!

3 months!

Here are a few pictures of a happy three-month old boy! Owen is growing and changing everyday. He now weighs over 16 pounds! We celebrated his 3 month "birthday" with a photo session and we should have some pictures for everyone in about a week or so. He loves to talk to everyone and must be included in the conversation. He's started to chuckle and is experimenting with his voice by cooing softly and loudly. He's on the verge of rolling over from his tummy to his back - it won't be long! He holds himself very well when in a supported sitting position and loves to be eye-to-eye with anyone talking to him. I'm going to post a video or two soon but he just woke from a nap so it won't be now...