Time marches on...

As promised, here's a look at the beautiful prayer rug and colorful camel toy that Nate brought back from his travels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. And here's a link to the photos he took while he was over there: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=163706&id=558772202&ref=mf

We had our friends Andy, Lynn, and baby Abby over on Saturday for lunch - our first grilling opportunity of the year! The four of us met in our childbirth classes over the summer, and Abby was born about 3 weeks after Owen. Lynn and I get together with the babies once a week for lunch, and we're all going to start baby swim lessons at the YMCA next month. When they came over on Saturday, Abby was kind enough to share her new texture balls with Owen . He seems a little embarrassed that she can already sit up on her own, while he still needs some support from Dad (he, he, he)....


I made a pizza on Friday night - caramelized onions for about an hour, and added vine-ripened tomatoes, arugula, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Here's a shot of my creation:

This past week, Owen figured out what his Jumperoo is all about - now he bounces around like a wild-man, arms akimbo as if he's riding a buckin' bronco, and he delights in the air he catches mid-bounce. Here's a video of one of his first true "jumping" sessions:

Happy Birthday Nate!

Nate has been re-adjusting to the Central Time Zone since his return on Sunday. And he returned with gifts: for Owen, a colorful camel toy; and for me, a beautiful prayer rug. (I'll take photos and we'll return to Nate's trip for the subject of a future blog post soon).

Yesterday was Nate's 35th birthday. We feasted on shrimp, tomato and arugula bruscetta and a spinach salad for dinner and, per Nate's request, carrot cake for dessert (recipe care of our dear friend Emma) . Here's the birthday boy with his slice.Here's a video showcasing Owen's current sitting abilities, or lack thereof (yet).


Parting shot: a cute photo of grandfather and grandson

Travels near and far

(yummmmm, prunes)

Nate left for Saudi Arabia on Saturday - he was invited over there again this year to help out on some fish telemetry research in the Red Sea, in cooperation with researchers at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology, in Jeddah, SA. His trip almost didn't happen when the first leg of his numerous flights (Green Bay to Chicago) was canceled due to weather. But luckily, Nate had enough time before his Chicago-London departure that he was able to jump in his car and drive to Chicago to begin his travels.

Owen and I hung around home for the first few days, as he had his 6 mo. checkup on Monday. As predicted, our baby boy continues to chart his own growth curve - about the 95% in all categories (32" long and 24#6oz in weight). The doctor had to admit that, while Owen's size is proportional and makes sense considering the height of his parents, he will hope to see the rate of growth leveling out by his 9 and 12 month check-ups. We'll see...For the time being, I'm trying to make the most of the few hand-me-downs that still fit him, and I'm scouring the 18-month section of the used-clothing stores.On Tuesday afternoon, Owen and I hit the road for the 5 hour drive to the Soo, to spend the remainder of the week with Nate's parents. Along with all the obligatory baby-stuff, I brought along some craft projects to work on - a quilt and a cute bird mobile I'm making for above Owen's crib. Here are some photos of my works-in-progress:

We've been enjoying unseasonably warm temperatures here in the UP and getting out for daily walks. Yesterday, Pam and I both found some good finds at the local used-baby-stuff store. Owen is his usual happy and mellow self - steady as a rock, and putting everything within reach promptly into his mouth. Last night, while Owen ate a slurry of banana, rice cereal and pears, we meat-eaters feasted on some melt-in-your-mouth pork ribs that Bill smoked in his new gas-smoker. Compared to single-parent duty, this 'staying with the grandparents' gig feels like a vacation!

When Nate returns State-side and gets over his jet-lag, I'm sure he'll be eager to post about his adventures in the Kingdom....

Parting action of our athlete in training. His sport of choice - the bouncy-chair:

6 months old!

Nate and I celebrated Owen's 1/2 year birthday with some homemade sushi and store-bought carrot cake last night. It's hard for us to believe that 6 months have already passed since he was born. Owen is becoming more and more interactive. He loves to put his face close to ours and give slobbery kisses, and whenever he gets the chance, he grabs the skin of my neck - or my hair - and hangs on with his surprisingly strong grip.

Nate departs for Saudi Arabia on Saturday night - he was invited back there again to continue the work that he helped out with last year (fish research in the Red Sea). Owen and I will hang around Green Bay until Tuesday, and then we'll head up to the Soo to spend the rest of the week with Nate's parents. Owen wants to know how to say "we'll miss you, Daddy!" in Arabic....

Rolling action:





Parting shot:
Blue-eyed baby, green-eyed mommy

Rollin', rollin', rollin...

On Saturday night, Owen figured out how to roll from his back to his stomach! For a couple of weeks now, he's been close, but his left arm and shoulder always proved to stymie his efforts, getting stuck under his body 3/4ths of the way around . Last night, he got enough momentum going with his legs to roll his body up over his arm and drag it out from under him. I wasn't there for the first official roll - I was in the kitchen, making a lemon souffle (Cooks Illustrated, Sept/Oct 09). But Nate and his parents were witness to the milestone. We ate our celebratory lemon souffle - which, I might add, was delicious - and while they were all in the kitchen cleaning up, I convinced Owen he should try to roll over again for momma, and he obliged me. He's rolled over another two or three times today, so this is no fluke.

The weather was cool but sunny all weekend, so we got out for some nice walks both in the neighborhood, and on the UW-GB campus. Here's a shot of Owen in the jogging stroller, modeling a cozy hat and sweater set that Grandma Pam knit for him.

All three of us have been battling tenacious colds for over a week now. Owen seems to be handling it better than Nate and me, despite a runny nose and persistent wet cough. The poor guy has had to withstand numerous nose-syringe/saline solution assaults on his nostrils.

I fed Owen another first vegetable the other day - carrots. As soon as he realized something new was in his mouth, his face contorted into a look of mixed disgust and disbelief. He shook his head and sat with the soft mass of pureed carrot sitting on his extended tongue like it was poison. It was hilarious. I managed to get him to consume the remaining carrot (I had prepared a very small amount, as I wasn't sure what his reaction would be) by mixing it into some applesauce, which Owen readily devours. And today I got him to return to his other nemesis - butternut squash - by mixing it with some banana. For now, he's clearly a big fan of fruits, but could do without vegetables. Surely his palate will expand with time...

Here's carrot attempt #2:

Florida

Owen and I embarked on our first air travel together last week, and I can happily report that he's a pretty good little travel buddy. That is, until we arrived at the condo in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, at which time he started crying and didn't stop for nearly 3 hours (his longest crying stint EVER). I was more upset by this than anyone else seemed to be - "he never cries like this!" But all my relatives took it in stride and we theorized that it was likely a combination of the long day, interrupted naps, and travel weariness. By the next day, our little man was back to his happy self, charming all of the geriatric snowbirds around the pool.

My first order of business was to get Owen a proper sun hat, which I found easily at one of the many tacky beach-wear shops within walking distance of the condo. Otherwise, we mostly lounged by the pool under the shade of the umbrella, took a few short swims (which were met with mixed reviews by Owen), enjoyed our daily trips to the ice cream shop with Aunt Steffy, and ate a lot of great food. Owen was merrily passed from relative to relative the whole week long.


My good friend Emma make the trek over from Sarasota to visit us for the last few days of our visit. It was so great to see her in person and introduce her to our newest family addition. Emma showed great skill in entertaining Owen and he was quite a fan! (I think my family also enjoyed having a marine mammal expert on hand when news of the Sea World trainer tragedy broke.)

Many, many thanks to my family for all the assistance with baby-care and for the week of free food and lodging. It certainly did Owen and I good!