Today was the day! Owen's first day away...at daycare with Miss Shelly. He was a happy little boy when I dropped him off, so I hope the morning went okay. I will be picking him up early because I do not technically have to be at work until Tuesday. We feel good about the situation and hope the best for our little one. We've decided that since he is so social, he will do alright. He seems to love being around people...as soon as we are home for a few hours, he gets bored...or seems to because he cries for stimulation. His happiness is what I will remember though. When he is happy, he smiles, giggles, coos & cahs, and tries to imitate sounds (unsuccessfully though! :-)) . We are in love...that's for sure!

What a day! The day started out great...We went over to Auntie Kate's house and Owen got to play with his twin cousins, Emmi and Cali, while "mom" went shopping for some work clothes that she can wear next week. Everyone had a great time and we were even able to catch a smile on all their faces for a photo! Once again my blessings are greater than my ability to express. Kate has a beautiful heart and the tremendous gift of hospitality and service. She gives so easily of her time and resources that God has blessed her with. I was so excited to be a part of these girls' lives and look forward to the next addition of a "growing life" inside her. God's timing is not always our own, but it is always perfect! God is so good.

Our afternoon and evening were not as much fun, and I feel the aches in my back and head. But...God is always good. He does not allow more than I can handle and He always supplies the right amount of grace...for the moment.

Tribute to gramma's once again...Gramma Mama spent this past weekend carrying, rocking, changing, loving, cuddling, and walking little Owen. She even let me watch a movie while she charged up and down the road with him while he was crabbily (is that a word?) resisting sleep. She is a beautiful lady with a beautiful heart for her beautiful grandson! She says she desperately misses him now...I know Owen feels the same...He was up at 4 A.M. looking for her today! At home it is gramma mama who wakes up early to spend those precious moments with Owen while the rest of us get a bit more shut-eye. Thank you so much for that gift!

Oooo! We look like a big boy now! Gramma Mama got Owen a cute little boy outfit that we had to put on...his smirk tells it all: in a nutshell we have conclulded that Owen is "intense." He cries with intensity, he laughs and giggles with intensity; he sleeps with intensity and plays with intensity; he even poops with intensity! What a boy...just like his papa? I have this little feeling that Owen will be a handful and tough to keep up with...I can hardly wait!...

"Pool Time!"...it wasn't warm enough until sunday to take Owen for a dip. He basked in the sun with all of us and took a nap on Gramma Mama too! He doesn't seem to mind the water and he does alright when water gets in his face as well. He could be a swimmer yet...one day maybe!

"Tummy Time!"...what else is there to say?
:-)

As a family we ventured to Gramma mama's and Grampa phil's house...it took us an extra hour or so, but we made it safely there and back. The break was nice to spend time with each other and relax. It was nice to get away before Roger had to start his new job with Dex Media and before Rachel had to get back to school things. W relaxed, ate, swam, went to a movie, rented a movie, biked, walked, slept, and talked. Family is one of God's greatest creations!

Babies and dogs are two other great creations and blessings in life!

I was a lucky girl to have my gramma mimi to visit and get to know. We loved that she always had gum on hand and marshmallow peeps in the drawer of the hutch in her dining room (she still does!) She took us camping and on road trips and taught us all the capital cities in the U.S....okay, so I don't remember them all now, but she tried! She let us go skinny dipping and play dress up in her old clothes. She taught us how to pinch a penny...and she still can pinch them harder than anyone I know! She's generous with her time and loves having company, even though she'll spend half their visit cooking them meals in her sweltering kitchen! She's been excited and willing to look after Owen the few times I asked, and I am glad that she is close to me now because my little boy is going to know why I love her so much!

Roger, too, was a lucky boy--both sets of his grandparents lived very close and showered him with love as well. Grandparents are a gift from God...a blessing to us all who have the joy of being spoiled by them!

Owen's smiles are so worth any trip! I can't wait for him to smile at gramma mama and grampa phil the way he does with me every day and the way he did tonight. He'll never be short on love, that's for sure!

We are back on the road tomorrow to Camp Larsen to see gramma and grampa down there. So...tonight we were invited over to say good-bye to granny nanny and grampa steve. It's always a fun and exciting time over there! We sang and talked and had some good times while granny nanny played her harmonica. I am so blessed...we are so blessed to have such good people in our lives. I pray Owen knows, loves, and appreciates each one of his grand parents for who they are and how they love him.

Today our friends came over to play. Colin was due two days after Owen, but because Owen was a week early and Colin was a day late, they are nine days apart. But so far they are best buddies...okay, so this is Owen's only "buddy" so far. :-) They did smile and giggle together for awhile, but it was tough getting them to smile at the same time! I really have no idea if these two will be friends--what kind of friend will Owen be? What kind of friends will he have one day? Oh! The anticipation!!!

Owen's look here may be in response to him watching me pulling out the "onsies" that he has outgrown. This one went on the pile...but I had to squeeze it on for one last wear. I was told that it is a sad day when you realize that your baby is outgrowing his first clothes. Hmmm, it sure was. Yesterday I reorganized the closet and drawers so I could find things that will fit him and that fit him now. Last night I spent time going through this whole blog watching Owen grow as I flipped through the "pages." Days and joys that will always be...in memory.

"Hey! Look at me!" We found out today that Owen has offiicially doubled in size. Okay, maybe not height but he's filled in all that skin! He is 13.7 pounds and is 23 inches tall! "Tall and slender" sure runs in our little family! :-) It's amazing to think he was so tiny. I hold him now and wonder what kind of man he will be. He may never really know how I loved to hold him and talk to him and tell him how much I love him. Yes, it seems he knows when I'm around--either the recognition of my voice or the "feeling" that it's time to eat. Therefore, I get either his smiles or his cries, but I know there will be a time when he won't let me near him...so, even if it is his cries, I love to hold him and snuggle next to his soft little cheeks and hold his tiny hands that grip so hard. My mom gave me a little book and I've just recently set it on the table beside my glider. Today I read about contentment. With the peace of God, frustration and discontentment are smoothed. God gives us strength for this moment-one moment at a time. Each new moment is another precious opportunity to go to Him for that divine peace. Why oh why do I put off my meetings with Him?

"To celebrate my two month birthday this weekend, Mom and Dad hit the town! Friday they went to the Twins game--true to form they got there late and left early. It's baseball and the twins were not too hot this weekend! I dressed for the occasion and cheered until Great Gramma made me go to bed. She was a great babysitter-we sang and rocked and got to bed on time!
Saturday during the day I went with Mom to a Pony Club camp to teach a bit about Tetrathlon. After a nap or two then, Mom and Dad headed out to a wedding...without me! Granny Nanny and I played and sang all night long! Or at least until they came and got me around 11:00pm! Granny nanny sure is fun!"

More Precious moments...I turned my back for a moment and Taz decided to see if Owen would "play" with him. Believe it or not...Taz was so gentle and cute with Owen. It seemed like they were smiling and laughing together. Taz just rolled around like he was playing with a little puppy. I had to catch it on camera. (Need not worry: I know you're not supposed to leave these two unattended. I will always be in the same room!)

Father-Son moments...Roger was trying to see if Owen would "recognize" himself in the mirror. Owen didn't seem to look at himself, but looked at us and then in the mirror...oh-so much to learn and realize about this huge world!

One of my favorite times with Owen is the hour after he eats. He's well-rested, full, and may even expell some pent-up gas, so he is usually very happy and lively. He smiles and giggles, and it seems he realizes that he has not a care in the world! Today he was hanging out in his room on his bee blanket that Harriet (the neighbor) made for him-happy as a clam. I decided he needed to learn the art of self-inflicted pictures. Here we are...just hangin' out; baby and me! I thought I'd try something new today to get him to sleep after this fun time we had together (after that hour...he's all fuss cuz he gets so tired!). I lay him in his crib, and of course he didn't like it, but then...I vacuumed his room. He loved it and was out in 2 minutes. So, we are finding...the louder and the bumpier the better! The next trick we tried was a drive to SA so "mom" could get some gummy bears. He was out by the time we made the two mile drive. Another mile is the library so I crept in and checked out a book about sleep...I'm learning tons already!
Right now Owen and I are hanging out at the computer. This afternoon it set in that these fun times are coming to a near end when I go back to work in three weeks. Yes, we'll still have our moments, but time will go too fast to have too many like this. I guess just staring at him as he wonders at the world about him is how I should spend some of these precious moments. gotta go!

Strapped in? What strap? As soon as the s trap goes on him, he cries! someone not like to be "tied down"? heehee During this peaceful moment I reassembled our entertainment unit to hide all the wires and clean up the area. I went through my masters articles/handouts/homework/etc... We get stuff done...next time I need to nap myself! We'll see if he lets me. Roger has been good about staying home with Owen while I go to the gym or run to MB's to just chill. Whew! Who knew there was such joy in the midst of seeming chaos!?!?!?

" Hey look! I'm almost fitting my carseat! I love my carseat...all you have to do is pick me up and I just may fall asleep. When all else fails? Take me for a car ride or a stroller ride. My favorite is when we go "off-roading" in my stroller. The bumpier, the better!
Today we took a trip to the store and then to see Great Gramma Mimi. She just got back from New Hampshire and she had to see how big I'd grown! We had some fun...

Today I had my first "official" meeting for school (even though it was only lunch), and Granny Nanny came over to watch Owen...Okay, I mean, came over to play and sing and rock with Owen. She said they played patti-cake, sang songs, listened to his songs on his crib toy, sat in the bouncer...no wonder he is all worn out! She propped him up and tucked him in and he's been napping for an hour now. Can you find anything sweeter? I am not too nervous about leaving for work...but it sure will be hard to miss anything he does. I hear they grow up sooooo fast...

This morning we spent some time with daddy before he left for work. He has to go to his work's presentation/speaker tonight, so we had to get our time in! Owen smiled and giggled a little; seeming to enjoy this timme with daddy. I think Owen is feeling better today...an adjustment does the body good...not to mention the fact that mom is taking out certain things from her diet! Ugh! On the up side? "Mom" lost 3 more pounds in the last two weeks and only went to the gym twice! I guess everyone is feeling better!

We miss you Gramma Mama and Grampa Phil! The transition back home is sure a tough one...Somebody liked being held by gramma or grampa all the time. :-) But, we are still as cute as can be and look GREAT in blue...just like daddy. We've had our fussy spells, but we are sleeping better and better at night. Sleeping and eating must be doing his body good because he sure if growing fast! We love his round little belly and pudgy arms and legs. We stopped by to see Auntie Emmy this morning, and she almost didn't go back to work because she loves to hold him and squeeze him! heehee! Although, he didn't throw up on her this time. Owen is excited (I'm sure of it) to see his other Aunts again soon!