6 - 7 Weeks

Making it perfectly obvious that the only reason he is so content is that he just finished eating.

Mom & Owen in a totally "non-posed" picture

"Haven't you taken enough photos of me already?"

Chilling out after witnessing Owen's 1st OSU game & OSU victory

(On a side note: Is it just the camera angle or is my hand really that huge?)

Come Here!! Look At This!!

As the end of my high school years came to an end, a running joke that my class had was to proclaim that something we were doing was the last time we were ever going to do that activity.  Some of the ones I remember were:

• This is the last time we have a home basketball game
• This is the last time we will ever all go to Taco Bell together
• This is the last time we will ever throw a Mr. Partee Appreciation Day (don't ask).

Those proclamations would typically get a sad reaction from the girls....and then the guys would laugh at them.  Pretty standard stuff, really.

Having your 1st child....is the exact opposite....but still similar.

At least once a day, Emily will yell my name and loudly exclaim to "Come Here Quickly!!!"  Before I have a chance to processs the information, I typically have thrown my laptop onto the ottoman....and hopefully don't pull a muscle in my aging body as I fling myself as quickly as I can to wherever they may be.  Thinking I may enter the room finding limbs missing and an ambulance on the way.....or maybe a wolf has made its way into our house and cornered my wife and child......I typically just see Emily staring at Owen proudly.....look back at me.....and exclaim......."Owen just sucked his thumb for the 1st time."

We've had a lot of "1sts" recently.  I'll share with you a few highlights:

Grabbed my shirt for the 1st time (that one was a while ago)

Found (and utilized) his thumb (Sidenote:  Emily discovered that Owen was sucking his thumb by 5 weeks, and "the book said that 3 month olds typically have found their thumb.....so by comparison....Owen is "advanced".)

Found a different digit to suck on besides his thumb

Discovered his WHOLE hand to suck on

We may have a genius on our hands.

The Dude is Mobile

He isn't close to crawling yet.  He can't even roll over, but the dude has found a way to get around.

While laying on his back, he pulls his legs up to his butt and then he straightens them.  As he straightens his legs along the ground he actually pushes himself backwards. 

We've found him in odd positions after we place him on his play mat.  After a couple minutes, he will be half off the mat, or like below, decide he'd like a snack.  (He started out in the center of the mat.)

Emily found Owen chewing away on his play mat.

The New Windex

If you haven't seen "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" I'm not sure what to say to you.  It was pretty popular. 
In that movie, the father of the bride was obsessed with Windex as a cure-all.  He used Windex as a zit remover, wart remover, and everything in between psoriasis to poison ivy.  If there was an ailment.....Windex was the cure. 

Emily has her own "Windex" and it's called Aquaphor.  She uses it for everything "Owen related"....and more.  If Owen has dry skin....Aquaphor.  If he has the makings of what might become a rash down the road....maybe.....Aquaphor.  Dry lips....aquaphor.  Hair messed up.....Aquaphor.  Clothes on too tight.....Aquaphor.  (OK, I made that one up.)  But I have even been asked to grease all of the door hinges in the house with .....Aquaphor. 

Someone is seriously way too obsessed.

I will step in before Emily does to Owen what happened to this person:

It's gotten bad, but not quite that bad.......yet.

Favorite Things

If you think this post is going to be about whiskers on kittens or raindrops on roses, then you have watched too many musicals in your life....like me  (thanks, mom). 

Yesterday, I got to thinking about the different stages of my life and how my favorite things have evolved over time.

I don't remember too many of my favorite things when I was really young, but I do remember some things:

• 8 years old (1984) - The summer olympics was in Los Angeles and my mom and sisters were obsessed with watching them (especially the gymnastics -- Mary Lou Retton & Mitch Gaylord among others).  I loved going outside and recreating events as best as possible.  We borrowed my dad's sawhorses (there were only 2) and tried to set up a hurdle event.  We got a large stick and pole vaulted over my mom's flower gardens.  I loved it, and I remember being outside until we got called in when it got dark.
• 9-15 years old - Chad and I grew up loving sports.  The first sport that we really got into (probably because of Little League) was baseball.  Much to the chagrin of our 2 next door neighbors, we constantly were hitting the ball outside of our yard (for a homerun).  I loved mimicing batting stances and swings of professional baseball players and trying to even master switch hitting. 
• 11-18 years old - I was obsessed with basketball.  If you were looking for me during those years, I was probably either at school or outside playing basketball (or some other sport).  If I was in a good mood I played basketball.  If I just had to get away, I played basketball.  I worked on trying to dunk...until I could dunk, then I worked on dunking better.  It never stopped.  Even in the winter, I would play basketball in the snow and would only come inside enought for my fingers to thaw out....then I would go right back out. 
• Post college - One of my favorite things to do with Emily is to go to different restaurants and try new food.  We have tried many different restaurants and different ethnic cuisines.  (I hope I never get sick of doing that.)
• But yesterday, I found my new favorite thing to do..... I love sitting in a chair with my son on my chest sleeping.  It is just so relaxing.  I love just looking at him and try to envision the future with him.  You can't help but feel very "big" in that situation.  But not only big, I think the main feeling I get is a sense of responsibility for a life.  (The only downside to it that I have determined is that I think I'm a little too comfortable for Owen.  If I was ripped like an olympic swimmer or gymnast, Owen probably wouldn't be able to fall asleep quite as fast as he does with my physique.  But that's ok.  I'll take it.)

1 Month Pics (and 2 others)

Normally, when I post pics I won't post more than 1 of the "same" pic.  But this was a little different.  I must've opened these 3 pics on my computer 100 times each.  I just love the different expressions that Owen makes in each one.  I just couldn't decide which one to post, so I am posting all 3.  (Believe me....this won't become a habit.  I will get better in my editing.)

What's not to like about this pic.  Happy boy.

Emily is off camera getting his attention.

I love when he pulls his lips back like this.

Hanging out on his playmat

Emily says often that Owen looks just like me, however at least he shares with his mom a similar facial expression.

Dad & Owen

A few people have commented that I don't put many pictures of myself up on the website. 

To that, I say, "That is correct."

I do that on purpose because the only pictures that I like of me are the ones that were taken when I was 3 years old or younger. 

I'm breaking that tradition right now (for this one blog post only) to show that I do hold Owen on occasion and he doesn't always scream & cry when I do. 

I already hear your complaints.  I'll photoshop my mug out of all future photos.  I promise.