(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:
