Trip to the Soo

Our summer visit to the Soo (aka, Sault Ste Marie, MI - Nate's hometown) was a blast! Owen got to hang with his new baby cousin Kate (he seemed to view her mostly as a teething toy at this point) and had plenty of attention from Aunt Molly, Uncle Dan, Doggy Lucia, Grandma Pam and Papa Dusty. He also tried his first rhubarb, took his first rowboat ride and accompanied us for some tasty fried whitefish. Nate got in a few short fishing forays for smallmouth bass and Atlantic salmon.







Parting shot: You pick the title - either "skinny legs, chubby legs" or "saluting the captain"

Cousin Kate

We're eagerly anticipating the arrival of Uncle Dan, Aunt Molly, and Baby Cousin Kate this afternoon! Tomorrow morning, we'll all caravan up to Sault Ste. Marie for a visit with the Bachelers. Owen has his PFD ready for his first rowboat ride and fishing trip with his dad.

Over the weekend, we tested out our new Kelty kids backpack during our first visit to the farmers market this season. Owen enjoyed the views and also got his fill of playing with Dad's hair.

Bed sitting is a favorite activity as of late, and good practice for our still-wobbly sitter. Here's a video:

9 months old

Tomorrow Owen will be 9 months old. Our love for our baby boy grows with each passing day, as if that seemed possible....

Owen continues to chart his own growth curve (though he's slowing down in his growth rate, as expected) and now is the size of an average 2 year old (just under 28 lbs, and just over 34" long). Savings plan for specialty tall-boy clothing needed? Any research out there on how your size at 9 months predicts your eventual height?

All sorts of things make him laugh (or grow upset) these days. He finds it quite entertaining to kick his mommy (VanderMitchells, you'll see similarities to your recent swingset video!), and he's also fascinated with his daddy's hair.







Parting shot: we encourage daily reading, but at this point, books are more of a chew-toy

Abby and Lynn

Owen's closest friend is Abby, the daughter of our friends Lynn and Andy. Nate and I met them in our childbirth class and since the babies were born, Lynn and I try to get together for weekly lunch dates. It's been fun to watch the babies grow and change, and really nice to have someone to compare notes with about all matters of motherhood.

In nearly every way, Owen and Abby are yin and yang:

• Owen is giant, Abby is petite
• Owen is quiet, Abby is vocal
• Owen is mellow, Abby is energetic
• Owen is still rather sedentary, Abby can spin herself in circles
• Owen would rather stay dry, Abby loves the pool

Lately, Abby is really taking off with her vocabulary, hand coordination, and locomotion. Here she tries to show Owen how to clap his hands. Don't mind her lack of pants - lunchtime food mishap, the first of many, I'm sure...

If You're Happy and You Know It...

...Clap your Feet! Though we practice hand-clapping daily, with untold number of "paddy-cake" games, Owen has decided to forgo clapping his hands and move directly on to his feet.


We recently ordered ourselves a Kelty backpack carrier, so now we're ready to tackle trails and plan our first family camping trip. The next purchase should probably be a family-sized tent, but for now, we'll save our limited income and just pitch two tents (one for Owen and I, and one for Nate).

Parting shot: the most recent family self-portrait.

Sickos

Since our return from RI, our family has been battling a tenacious bout of springtime colds....snot and drool poured from Owen - and onto his mom and dad- for days. Just when Owen started rebounding, Nate and I got a nasty dose of sore throats, hacking coughs, and serious head congestion. We would have thought twice about inviting Grandma Pam and Papa Dusty down for the Memorial Day weekend into our germ-fest, but Nate and I didn't start feeling bad until they were here. (And now we're crossing our fingers that we didn't infect them as well).

Despite the illness, we had a nice weekend. We headed up to explore around more of the Door Peninsula on Saturday: took in the great views at Peninsula State Park,
had lunch in Fish Creek, glimpsed the sod-covered/goat-grazing roof of famous Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant in Sister Bay,

and and revisited Cave Point County Park. On Sunday morning, Nate and his dad went fishing for smallmouth bass on the Peshtigo River (about an hours drive north of Green Bay).
We cooked a lot of good meals and Owen delighted the grandparents with his adorable antics.

Parting shot: Owen has become a very adept couch sitter