Yoga baby

In his daily practice to get up and walk, Owen has come to enjoy the Down Dog yoga position quite a bit. Here are a few examples:

(see our good friend Kelly in the video, in town for a few weeks from Portland OR)

Slow and steady

Just finished up a fun and busy week with the Bacheler clan visiting from Michigan (Nate's Mom, Dad, Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill). Thankfully, they brought with them a few rain showers - much needed in these parts. Activities included kayaking, fishing (both inshore and offshore), eating, forays to the Big Rock Blue Marlin tournament, playing with Owen, a visit to the Maritime Museum and the Aquarium, some beach time, house projects and yard work, a free concert by the Unknown Tongues, and lots of fun and relaxation. I'm sure photos will follow soon on Facebook or via email....

A big week!

Lots of fun and accomplishments to report on in the past seven days:

Last Saturday morning, we enjoyed some beach time at a nice little park we found right on Bogue Sound. Owen is still a bit unnerved by the sound of ocean surf, so sound-side swimming and sand playing are more his style....


On Sunday, our good friends Jacqui and Brian and Porter Degan came over so that Porter could show Owen his new chest scars - the result of very successful open-heart surgery he had only two and a half weeks prior, to repair congenital heart defects. It's nothing short of amazing to see this rosy-cheeked, happy, chill little dude acting so completely normal after what he's been through. And now that Porter's heart is working at full capacity, his parents report that his cries have definitely increased in volume!


While we were all sitting around the living room, Owen was standing (balancing on his own) next to me, but clearly wanted to be closer to his Dad, so all of a sudden he took a couple of unassisted, lurching steps forward - what a baby-book moment, and nice to have so many witnesses around to see it!!! Since then, Owen's confidence and abilities have slowly but steadily improved. Here's some video proof of his ambulation....


Most who follow this blog probably already know that we're expecting Baby #2 in October. Here's a picture of my growing baby-bump. Owen doesn't have any idea how much his life will change in a few short months, but we're hoping he's adaptable.


Final preparations are underway for house guests who'll be arriving tomorrow night - Grandma Pam, Papa Dusty, and Great Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill will drive down from Michigan for a week-long vacation. We're looking forward to having a full house and entertaining them at the coast for a week.

Already June!

Wow, hard for me to believe it's already June. May was a busy month in our household - Nate departed on a work-related research cruise on the 16th and returned home on the 29th. Owen and I went to visit Nannie and Grandpa Daley in RI for a week while Nate was gone. We had a great time, despite the cold and rainy weather that seemed to hang around almost our entire visit. Owen's Aunt Steffy, Uncle Joe and Aunt Lena also made the trip up from NYC to visit their favorite nephew. Owen was keen to play games and interact with relatives on his terms, but if someone moved in to pick him up or even looked at him wrong, watch out! We're looking forward to the days when he's more outgoing with people other than his parents... (photos are posted to Facebook).

Upon our return to NC, a lingering cold Owen had been battling for days seemed to get even worse and a trip to the doctors explained why - double ear infections. Poor guy. But we're nearing the end of a round of Amoxicillin and Owen is clearly loving having his beloved Daddy back home again....

Lately, we've been eating quite a bit from our garden: carrots, onions, lettuce, peas, beans, and we have a few broccoli heads just about ready for harvest. Within a week, our first red cherry tomatoes will also be ready. Owen has enjoyed some of the veggies - here he is with his first garden-fresh green bean.


In the 90 degree weather we've been having lately, we've spent a lot of outdoor time in the kiddie pool and Owen loves it. Now we need to get him ready for the ocean water again...


Parting video - walking practice continues, and Owen seems to be much more interested in his 'push-walker' as of late, which we take as a good sign!