Milestones

Owen Plays his Xylophone while Floppy the Penguin Looks On

Owen has become a lot more mobile since Thanksgiving. He's rolling all over the place, spinning like a top, balancing next to furniture, reaching for Mom and Dad, trying to crawl, pushing up from a sitting to a standing position from my lap... and some teeth have decided to come in. So far he has two that have pushed through his gums, and I've had the shocking experience of being nipped by them while nursing. Wow that hurts.

Child development experts say that walking and talking usually go together. For Owen, it's mobility and mimicry. The other day I said, "Hi, Arlo" in a singsong voice, and Owen looked at the cat and said, "Aye Oh" in the same singsong voice. I almost fell over. Being a parent is just so awesome.

Kind of Like the Zoo

Are we REALLY going to the zoo?

We decided to take Owen to the zoo last weekend. We set aside a whole afternoon... and then it poured cold rain from the sky. No good. What to do on a rainy Sunday when you promised the zoo?

You go to the pet store, of course. The SPCA was present with crates of kittens, the parakeets were awake and flapping all over the place, the guinea pig drank some water from his bottle, and a woman pulled her brand-new puppy around by his leash because he refused to walk any farther. Two hound dogs got into a howling match at the counter, and a squawking parrot chewed on toys. Four turtles munched on lettuce. It was kind of like the zoo. Owen didn't know any different.

Homemade Toys are the Best

Further proof that homemade toys are the best. Since I created this toy last week, Owen has reached for it time and time again over other toys, and it still makes him laugh.

I made the following out of an aluminum tea canister, dried beans, and duct tape. I think one thing Owen especially likes about this toy is that the canister is shiny and a bit reflective, and it is cool to the tongue. And that you can bang it with your hand like a drum. And tilt it like a rain stick.

Happy Halloween!

Yesterday morning I dropped Owen off at daycare and passed the center's director wearing a mouse costume. Then I walked into Owen's class and saw every single person dressed in costume. Every person except Owen. Babies had become chickens, devils, penguins, firemen... and both of Owen's teachers were also dressed up. Somehow we hadn't gotten the memo that everyone dresses for Halloween at daycare, and poor Owen looked like such an outcast. Later in the morning, they had a class picture taken of everyone (minus Owen) in costume - Owen wore some deely-bobbers shaped like pumpkins that they had on hand. Ergh. Owen is definitely going to nominate Dave and I for bad-parent-of-the-year awards.

Halloween kind of snuck up on us this year. We didn't even carve pumpkins. Luckily we had a giant bag of Tootsie Rolls ready for trick-or-treaters. And Owen dressed up as a pile of leaves, which he didn't mind at all.

Owen and Myah's Play Date

We are lucky enough to have friends who can take Owen on a random Sunday morning while Dave taught Sunday School and I had a bar review session. It helps that their daughter is only four weeks older, and she teaches Owen all kinds of big-kid things, like how to crawl. Myah just started, and I'm sure Owen will not be far behind, because once she started sitting up, Owen just couldn't stand to watch her and not do it himself.

We have come to accept that Owen likes going over to Myah's house because Myah has better toys. In fact, last week I saw a Fisher-Price commercial with a really fun toy, just perfect for Owen's age, and I excitedly described it to Dave and said, "I hope Myah gets one!" I use the excuse that our apartment is too small and Jim and Dina have room for all these fun toys, but really, it's because I'm a toy snob who has a child who loves all toys that make noise and flash lights. So it's really to Owen's benefit to play with Myah, because he has a great time. And his mom is a snob who really needs to get over herself and buy him that noisy crazy toy that he will love. But only once Myah tries it out herself and approves.

Disclaimer: Please do not send us noisy, crazy toys as a result of this post. Please don't. No, really. Please.

Growing, growing... but still no rolling

Owen is growing, growing, growing. At his 6 mos appointment, he weighed a little over 18 pounds (55th percentile) but he is now 27 inches long and in the 67th percentile for his height. His 6 mos clothes are getting a little tight - last night he wore his brand new dinosaur pjs that are size 12 mos. Gulp.

We know Owen can roll over, because we've seen him do it - both rolling front to back and back to front. He just chooses not to. So when the pediatrician asked us about it, we fibbed by saying, yes, he rolls, as though he rolls all the time. He doesn't. Only a few times each way. But he's doing lots of other things - like standing up on his own two feet for a couple of seconds, as you can see in the picture above. So despite his no-rolling rule, he's sitting up like a champ and reaching for objects and using his fingers to hold apple slices. We've also stopped swaddling him at night because he seemed like he didn't need it as much anymore and because - no surprise here - he's outgrown the swaddle blanket.

Owen's Half Birthday

Owen on October 1, 2008

You hear this all the time: I can't remember what my life was like before the baby. But it's true. I have a fleeting memory of my gym membership, attending movies, nights out past 10pm. Bah. All of this is nothing compared to sharing giggles in the bed with Owen and Dave in the mornings, learning how to wash a sippy cup without a dishwasher, and staring in wonder at clouds and trees and dogs.

Here we have a list of six things we've learned since Owen arrived, one for every month he's been here:
1. If Owen is pooping while nursing, and I am also eating a granola bar, then we are multi-tasking.

2. Baby cereal tastes like cardboard, but sometimes Owen likes cardboard.

3. Never underestimate that your pet can act as a diversion while you wash dishes/ fold laundry/ start dinner.

4. Owen likes toys that great-grandmothers give best.

5. White baby clothing is a horrible idea. Orange baby clothing is a wonderful idea.

6. Nothing else, especially not law school, is as important as the family.

Look What I Can Do!

Owen goes to day care a baby and comes home a multi-talented, super-duper cool kid. Look at him sitting up, all on his own! We are impressed. He is also learning to lift his butt off the ground, and is primed for crawling. And he spins 90 degrees. And eats. And earnestly watches the cats. And and and... I get the feeling that if he hung out at home all the time, he wouldn't be advancing so quickly. But with seven other little friends to watch all day, Owen is learning how to be independent. Hooray!

Illness

Are you that surprised that the next entry after "Owen Starts Daycare" is about the illness now infecting our house? Yeah, we're not that surprised, either.

Despite having troubles eating due to his stuffed nose, Owen has been a champ through his cold. If Owen was cranky and whiny and crying constantly, this would be harder than it is. He stayed home from daycare for two days, but he's back again and they haven't called us to say, "Please come pick him up now."

I have not been as lucky, staying home from school for three days and having a generally hard time studying the intricacies of Article 1 courts with my head full of snot. The hardest part of having a sick baby is that sick babies are up all night... and being sick myself, I'm not getting enough sleep to fight this cold. So there you have it.

And luckily for Owen and I, Dave is not sick. Unlucky for him is that he has to take care of us.

Day Care

Owen started part-time day care last Wednesday - and so far, he's enjoying it. He attends just in the mornings. 7 other babies, from newborn to 12 months, are in the Wee Bears room, and he has two teachers: Tara and Lindsay. His friend Myah is also in the class. Every day the teachers send home a progress report - how much he ate, at what time he took a nap, etc. They even include some more interesting information, such as, "Owen enjoyed sitting in the shade of the trees and being outside today." We've decided to keep the reports so that Owen can see them when he's older and track his own development. Because truthfully, these reports are more thorough than we can ever be with his baby book.

When we began looking for daycare, we were surprised to find that many daycare programs in this area only accepted new kids at the beginning of the school year. As a result, we enrolled Owen in part-time care even though Dave is home full-time until January 2009. But this way, Owen will be socialized with other kids, and he'll be eased into part-time care so that when he has to attend full-time in January, it won't be such a shock.

Owen's First Meal

Last Sunday Dave whipped up some rice cereal, and I have posted the short video taken during Owen's first meal. (Ingredients: rice and milk. Then pulverize to reduce the kernels.) As you can see, Owen took to the meal immediately, and then afterward I fed him regular milk to wash it down. Those rice pieces can get stuck in the throat.

Yesterday we moved from rice cereal to bananas. (Ingredients: bananas. Smush with a fork and feed.) Owen seems to prefer the bananas to the rice, but we don't have any photos of that yet. And yesterday and today I also shared my yogurt with Owen, who is quite pleased to be included in all this food sharing. We thought he was ready to start solids, but we weren't expecting him to be so participatory just yet. Today we attended a friend's birthday party (Happy 1st Birthday, Jacob!) and Owen eyed the sandwiches with great interest. Too bad he has a ways to go before we share those - some teeth would probably be helpful.

Back to School/Work

Today was my first day back at school/work. I did pretty well - I only cried twice. It was definitely the longest time I'd been away from Owen, and even though he was with Dave all day, I worried and fretted and felt a bit lost wandering the halls of the SU Law School.

The Office of Student Life has provided me with a private room where I can pump milk during the day, so Owen will continue to be breast fed from afar.

When I came home this afternoon, everyone was exhausted from our first day apart, so the whole family took a group nap on the bed. It felt great.

Those People

Owen Prepares for Travel

During our recent airplane travels, we dreaded becoming "those people" - the people with the screaming baby. On our way out west, Owen slept through the whole event, and we were relieved. Two rows in front of us, some other travelers with two small kids were "those people," and their children screamed for hours aboard our 5 hour flight. We scoffed at them, clicking our tongues.

As they say, payback is hell. Our flight from Portland to Charlotte, NC went smoothly, and Owen made lots of friends along the way. He smiled sweetly at the twenty-something fellow sitting next to us, and batted his eyelashes at the flight attendants. But then he decided to cry for the first thirty minutes of the flight from Charlotte to Syracuse. We knew exactly what Owen wanted - someone to stand up and rock him to sleep. But we weren't allowed to stand up because the "Fasten Seatbelt" sign was lit, and no matter what else we did, he cried and sobbed and giant tears rolled down his face. We apologized to our seat mate and the flight attendants, and eventually the sign was turned off and Dave rocked Owen to sleep in the small area around the lavatories. It was stressful. But I also learned that at some point, you stop worrying about being "those people" and just worry about making the baby as comfortable as possible.

Owen Enjoys a Cucumber

We are introducing fruits and vegetables to Owen - including cucumbers, as you can see in the above photo. Owen doesn't actually eat anything, just tastes it. But next week we begin some solid foods, which I'm sure will present a number of great photo opportunities for us.

We are in Oregon for the week, and Owen is relishing all the attention from our West Coast family. Except maybe from Dudley the dog, who thinks Owen's feet are just delicious.

He Flips!

Owen Prepares to Flip Over

Today it happened! Owen flipped over from his stomach to his back - and both Dave and I were watching! Then we clapped, cheered, smothered him with kisses. Owen looked at us like, "What's the big deal?"

Four Months of Owen!

Friday was Owen's Four Month Birthday and his four month checkup at the pediatrician's office. He's now 24 inches long and 16 lbs 12 oz, and the doctor says he is well-proportioned (not too much weight in any one place). This means he's almost tripled his birth weight! Dave and I are developing bodacious upper body strength, and we'll let you feel our arm muscles for a small fee that we'll put in Owen's college fund. (this is a joke - you can feel my muscles for free)

One result of this growth is that sometimes Owen doesn't really look like a baby to us - he looks more like a little boy. At first I thought it was because of his full head of hair, but I'm coming to realize it's because of his size and stature. He's also begun playing with his vocal chords, and although it's baby talk right now, you can already imagine his little voice saying, "Stop bragging about me, Mom."

Festival Baby

Listening to the Music

Taking a Nap with Mom

Dave and I made our annual pilgrimage to the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival this past Saturday with Owen in tow. We weren't sure how Owen would do for 12 hours in the sun & rain, or amid the thousands of festival-goers crowded around us. Owen was a trooper - he took his regular naps, tickled his feet in the grass, waited out a downpour under our purple umbrella, obliged our constant reapplication of sunscreen, and listened to the Nields and Dar Williams with rapt attention. He's a festival baby!

We're never really sure how he'll do in new situations, but he continues to surprise us with how content he is. And beside trucking in four different bags of stuff plus a diaper bag and a cooler, our experience this year wasn't that different from our experience last year, and just as fun! Yay, Owen! Welcome to the world of music festivals, baby!

Friends, Friends, Friends

Yesterday Owen had two play dates: one with Myah (one month older) and one with Silas (two months older). And for the first time, Owen actually responded to them! In the past, he's either slept through the encounter or looked over their heads at the light fixtures.

During his play date with Myah, they laughed and played patty-cake (with help from Myah's mom, Dina) and pretty much got a kick out of each other. When Dave arrived to pick Owen up, Owen cried, just like when you were a kid and Mom said it was time to go home, and you'd reply, "But I just got here!" That's pretty much how Owen felt about leaving.

Then, when Silas and dad Jason came over for dinner later that night, the two kids went wild when they spotted each other! Owen, who was straddling my leg, started jumping up and down, laughing and smiling at Silas. Silas, who at 5 1/2 months is tall and lean and sturdy, reached out for Owen and planted a big old kiss on his forehead/nose/eye. Then they bumped heads, as I imagine they will do many times in the future. It was amazing to watch them interact! Then we put them down on the carpet to play, and Owen kept a keen eye on Silas, documenting his every move. Hopefully he'll learn a thing or two, like rolling over and scooting around on his belly.

We've just enrolled Owen in part-time day care for the Fall, and we've been wondering how he'll respond to a room full of babies. Based on my impression from the interactions yesterday, the answer is: fine. As I've been told many times before, it's harder on the parents than the kids. (A perfect example of this happened two hours ago, when I sat Owen up and loosely supported him by pulling him forward with his arms. Then with a powerful jerk, he fell back and hit his head on the carpeted floor. It startled him more than anything and he started crying, so I started crying, and Owen stopped crying, but I kept crying because I felt so bad. Sigh...)

"Sleep Like a Baby" vs. "Cat Nap"

The term, "sleep like a baby" doesn't make much sense to us. We use it to mean we slept really, really well. Conked out. Zzzz. But every baby we know sleeps through loud things like car alarms and construction vehicles, while starting awake when someone walks past his or her room. Shouldn't we use the term to mean we slept through an earthquake but woke up when someone sneezed?

We've encountered a very curious phenomenon in our house. Owen cat naps and our cats sleep like babies. Owen takes short 30 minutes naps throughout the day, and Purna sleeps under the bed for 5, 6, 7 hours at a time. Hmm.

Sock Fight

I discovered while folding laundry that Owen loves having sock fights. Unfortunately they're a bit one-sided right now, but I imagine our future holds many, many sock fights. It's the only way to make laundry fun.

We have encountered a problem, though, and you can see it in the video; Owen has discovered that the camera is something to look at and study. Uh-oh. I don't know if I'll be able to continue recording videos and photos without him posing/staring/stopping what he was doing to watch me.

100 Days in Office

Owen Enjoys a Laugh at His Critics' Expense

Owen celebrates his 100th day in office today - you may know that the 100 day mark is a political milestone in the US, and politicians have agendas and goals and demands on them to make the first 100 days in office meaningful. You have to silence the critics, show that you are instituting the goals of the people, impress your colleagues and staff with your genuinely good ideas and leadership skills, and bring lots of different movers and shakers together to get it done.

Well. Owen has definitely used his first 100 days to their utmost potential. He's brought lots of people together in celebration, allowed a few non-parents to explore the possibility of becoming parents in the near future, convinced some family members that aging ain't so bad if it means you get a grandchild, and instructed a handful of people how to properly hold a baby.

He's also taught his parents: baby poop is not beholden to the laws of physics, your heart really can melt from a smile, and sometimes all we need in life is someone to hold our hand while we ride in the car.

A Snoozer

Whenever we meet up for play dates with Owen's friend, Myah, he is asleep. He has slept through almost every play date in three months, including the time Myah cried and fussed from a fever. Owen fell asleep to Myah wailing. The last time we saw Myah, her mother leaned over to pat Owen's head and remarked, "Nice to see you sleeping again, Owen." Because of course, there he was, passed out on my chest.

He has quite the reputation. I felt a little defense, like responding, "He doesn't sleep ALL the time." However, he has slept through a baby-naming ceremony, and dinner parties, and sports bars, and a Tom Petty concert...

And today, he slept through our trip to the pool. Ok, actually, he was awake at the beginning of the outing. It was after he'd been in the pool for 20 minutes that he fell fast asleep, mouth open, in my arms, half-submerged in chlorinated pool water. Owen had no problem sleeping through 50 summer camp kids splashing and screaming and doing cannonballs into the pool. This story makes it sound like Owen sleeps all the time, but let me be clear: he doesn't sleep all the time. Just during the important parts.

Dave and I had a next-door neighbor/friend in Colorado who claimed she had never seen a movie all the way through. Yeah, right, we thought, until we watched every movie for a year at her house because we didn't have a TV. She hardly got through the credits, and it didn't matter what kind of movie it was: action, comedy, silent, art... she slept through them all. I wonder if Owen will be the same kind of person, except sleeping through swim lessons?

A Ghost in the House?

We were in the living room, enjoying the day, when Dave heard heavy breathing. In and out, in and out. Then it stopped. And started again. It was deep, almost a growl. What the??? Dave noticed that the baby monitor receiver was in the room, and had been left on accidentally. The breathing was coming from the baby monitor. But Owen was in the room with us! And generally the receiver doesn't pick up Owen's breathing anyway. We had a ghost in the house, and our ghost was breathing HEAVY.

Dave went to investigate in Owen's room, searching for the ghost. And there was Purna the Cat, sleeping next to the monitor, breathing into it.

Taste Tests

Owen Cools Off By Tasting Some Watermelon

We're introducing flavors to Owen in preparation for one of our favorite activities: eating! Owen still has a ways to go before he eats solid food (no teeth, can't hold his head up, can't sit up, etc) but we see no harm in letting him taste fruits. So far Owen's taste-tested cherries, watermelon, strawberries, and cantaloupe. When Dave gave him the watermelon today, Owen stopped licking it to smile at Dave. Tasty!

What an Infant Gives His Dad for His Birthday

Now aren't you glad this isn't a picture of projectile vomit?

Friday was Dave's birthday, so I thought I'd let Dave sleep late and keep Owen out of our bedroom during the morning hours. But Owen had other plans, including wanting to give Dave his present early in the morning. So as Owen and I walked from the bedroom into the kitchen, Owen projectile vomited all over me, himself, the floor, and the cat food dishes. Dave wound up getting out of bed and cleaning the floor and food dishes while Owen and I stripped down and cleaned up. It was the first time Owen has ever projectile vomited (and of course, he only eats milk, so it's not that gross), but we are convinced that Owen saved it up just for Dave's birthday. Happy Birthday, Dave!

Owen Takes a Swim

Yesterday was sunny and hot, perfect for a dip in the community pool. The baby pool was closed because another kid pooped in it right before we got there, so we took him in the deeper water for about 45 minutes. This video is taken moments before we got out, when Owen had already decided he was knackered and ready for a nap. Pay attention to his little feet moving in the water. Please ignore how dorky Dave and I are. Parenthood definitely does that to you.

Owen Parties With a Rock Star

Saturday night we took Owen to a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center near Buffalo. We've been excited for this concert since we bought the tickets back in February as a Valentine's Day present to ourselves. But as the days drew closer, we got nervous about bringing a not-yet 3 month old to a rock concert. Were we insane? Who does that? We asked our friend Dina, an audiologist, for her advice about Owen's still-developing hearing, and she said as long as we were on the lawn and brought some ear plugs, we should be fine.

And we were. Owen was a champ through the whole experience. Dave wore the sling into the venue, with Owen's little head peeking out, and as we walked through the crowd of 22,000 people, you could hear a collective sigh and the word, "Babbbbbyyyyyyyy..." following in our wake. Owen was the center of attention (sorry, Tom!). We also discovered that Owen loves feeling grass with his feet; he giggled and rubbed those little toes in the grass, and our neighbors stared and cooed and probably thought, "I can't believe those people brought a baby to a concert." They're just jealous that we're cooler parents than they are.

Things we suddenly care about at concerts: Darien Lake had a "family" lawn section, which was an area located front and center, roped off, where no alcohol or smoking was permitted. That rocked. Especially since they didn't relegate us to some corner in the back. However, during the sound check after the opening act, we realized that it was going to get a lot louder very soon, and our neurosis convinced us to fight through the crowd to the very back of the venue, where we could sit on the top of a hill and watch the concert from above. Owen kept his ear plugs in, but they weren't necessary anymore. We felt a little better.

And then the massive thunderstorm rolled in, lightening jumping from cloud to cloud. Owen conveniently decided to sleep through most of this, but the lightening was making us nervous. Then the concert lost power not once, but twice (right in the middle of "Last Dance with Mary Jane," which Petty & co. kept playing when the power booted back on as if someone had simply pressed PAUSE on the CD). After the second time, (probably 1.5 hours in to the concert) the torrential rain came, and Owen decided that eating would be a good thing to do right then. So there I sat on the grass, Owen feeding under my sweatshirt, a towel draped around us, and soaking, soaking rain falling. It was time to skeedaddle. So off we ran to the car, through massive mud puddles. But we couldn't find the car and walked around in the dark for ten minutes, totally soaked through. Owen must have sensed that now was not a time to scream that my nipple had been torn away from him, because he stayed completely silent the whole time.

We located the car by pushing the unlock button and seeing the brake lights flash, changed Owen into dry clothes, and drove back to Syracuse soaking wet. Because even though we have an amazingly well-stocked diaper bag, it does not have an adult change of clothes or shoes or underwear inside.

Giggles

Giggles are our new favorite milestone. Owen has the most amazing laugh! Enjoy!

Happy Father's Day!

The Modern American Dad

So yesterday we attended the Jewish Music and Culture Festival in downtown Syracuse. Upon arriving, a woman handed Dave a button to wear that said, "Shalom! I'm a Dad!" which made Dave all mushy inside because (1) he is a dad and now gets to wear a button proclaiming so, and (2) the woman didn't have to ask him if he was a dad or not because she took one look at him pushing the stroller and knew. And that made Dave proud.

Another good part of the day, according to Dave, was running into a number of people we knew and being greeted with, "Happy Father's Day!" He said it's one thing when your family sends greetings for Father's Day, but a totally different thing when it's people in your community. Especially when two fathers greet each other. Suddenly this bond is created and an identity shared, even with people you don't know that well. It's like when you find someone who shares your birthday or an anniversary - you think, "Wow! We both have the exact same feelings every year at this time." And that's what Dave felt yesterday.

Owen's Million Dollar Smile

We can't resist posting this photo of Owen and his amazing smile. It took a number of tries to capture it on film, but we finally got it!!! Hooray!

Owen's First Long Car Trip

This past weekend we took our first long car trip with Owen. Generally Owen falls asleep in the car, although lately he has decided to stay awake until the moment we arrive at our destination and then fall into a deep, impenetrable sleep. We weren't sure how he'd respond to a four hour trip, but on the way to our destination he slept until we were forty-five minutes away, and then he woke up crying and hungry. We stopped at a McDonald's and changed his diaper in the restrooms (much cleaner than a gas station bathroom) and then I fed him in the backseat of the car. He was reluctant to get back in the car seat, but as soon as the car was running and the lights were out, he fell fast asleep. Whew!

On the way back, though, Owen decided that he had already been in his car seat for too long and was ready to get out. We had an hour left on the New York Thruway, Dave driving, when Owen began screaming bloody murder. We pulled over at a rest area and I jumped into the backseat with Owen. He calmed down once he didn't have to be by himself, although he was still fussy. So Owen and I held hands all the way back to Syracuse.

Two Month Check-Up

Owen had his two month check-up yesterday with the pediatrician. In two months, he's grown to 10 pounds, 8 ounces (25th %) and 23 inches long (50th %). Wow! Tall and lanky, like his dad.

He also received FOUR immunization shots, which was definitely the most traumatic thing that's happened since the bris. Everyone cried: Owen, me, Dave, Paula. Even the nurse said it was the worst part of her job. Luckily Dave was there to calm Owen down in an instant. Unfortunately, there was no one there to calm down the adults, so we left the office and headed straight for Dunkin Donuts for coffee. Then we bought Owen some books (and some other stuff he needed), and we all felt a little better.

Regardless of the shots, it's comforting to live with a healthy little person who's growing AND winning the hearts of the doctor's staff. Of course we think Owen is great, but I can't help but feel proud when strangers think he's amazing, too.

Owen and His Schnuly

We call Owen's pacifier his "schnuly" (we aren't certain how to spell it), which is the German word for pacifier. A number of people have compared Owen's schnuly sucking to that of Maggie Simpson. I can certainly see the resemblance.

In this video you can see how much Owen really loves it: he begins to cry for no real reason, notices his fantastic schnuly, and forgets about crying. Aah, true love.

Sleeping Through the Night

A big event last night - Owen slept through the night in his own crib! Ta-da! Like magic! Dave and I celebrated this evening by putting Owen to bed in the exact same way as last night, in the hope that we can repeat the magic. (This, of course, presumes that the baby ever does something the same twice)

Even with Owen's long night of sleep, Dave was so tired that he and Owen went to bed at the same time tonight. I'm left alone to watch TV and fold laundry. Parenthood presents a glamorous life, doesn't it?

Another Gratuitous Baby Photo - Owen at 2 Months

Owen the Angel (TOP) and Owen the Pirate (BOTTOM)

Happy First Anniversary!

Dave and Owen in Oswego, NY

Last year, on the Sunday of Memorial Day, Dave and I got married in Oswego, NY. For our first anniversary, we decided to return to Oswego and spend the day- we revisited the wedding site (where another couple was preparing to tie the knot, so we walked over to the water and tried not to stare at the men in their cumberbunds smoking behind the building), walked over to Breitbeck Park where our BBQ was held, and had dinner at the same restaurant as our rehearsal dinner. Of course, we did all of this with Owen in tow, which meant that rather than joining in the frisbee game in Breitbeck Park, I sat on a bench and nursed. A very elderly couple approached, cooing, wanting to see the baby, and we had to explain that my nipple was in Owen's mouth, and perhaps now wasn't the best time to visit.

Although the traditional gift for the first anniversary is Paper, Dave and I gave each other the gift of sleep. I didn't wake him up in the night and tended to Owen all by myself, and then in the morning Dave took happy, playful Owen from the bedroom and let me sleep in solitude for three more hours. Aah... how exciting! What a great anniversary!!!

Whoever Said...

Whoever said there's no use crying over spilled milk obviously never had to pump it from their body with a breast pump. Every little drop is like liquid gold, and when I accidentally spilled it, I did weep a little as my hard work seeped into my jeans.

To Pee or Not to Pee

We're learning a great many new tricks in the Reckess household.

Dave has learned to pee and hold the baby at the same time. Amazing!

I have learned that I cannot pee and hold the baby at the same time, despite my many tries. I thought it would be easier for me than Dave, since I create a lap when I go pee. Instead, I make a mess and wind up placing Owen on the bathroom mat. I think we'll keep trying, but so far, not so good.

Owen has learned to pee on his own head, while bypassing his clothing completely. I tell you, he is the most gifted baby I have ever met.

A Smile That Means Something

We had a pretty big milestone here yesterday and today - Owen smiled in recognition of his parents! Hooray! And that smile is worth a million dollars. Yesterday morning, Dave took Owen out to the living room when Owen woke up and let me sleep for a couple of hours. Then when I walked out to the couch where my two men we're hanging out, Owen broke into a huge smile when he saw me. Dave and I laughed, and continued to laugh as Owen kept smiling for over two minutes. Then I cried.

This morning after Dave got out of the shower, Owen stopped nursing when Dave walked into the room and stared at Dave. Then he recognized Dave, and smiled big. Awwww.

To paraphrase Dave, we're toast. I don't know how I'm going to say NO to this kid now that I've seen that smile. Of course, he's only done it once to each of us. So now we're just patiently waiting for him to do it again, so we can laugh and cry all over again.

Owen and Purna (the Cat)

A Present for Owen, a Present (Box) for Purna

As a pregnant person, and now as a mother, I often am asked about the interactions between cats and babies. There are a lot of old wives tales out there - about cats "sucking the breath" out of babies, for example, and smothering them, and licking the milk out of their mouths. And a lot of people believe these tales to be true, so much so, that I spend a surprising amount of time defending my cats and insisting that I am not going to give them away.

Arlo, admittedly, has been a tad jealous of the baby, but Arlo is scared of Owen, too. There is no need to fear Arlo sucking Owen's breath away.

Purna is in love with Owen. As I write, Owen is lying on his floor mat, taking a nap. Purna is sitting two feet away from Owen, watching him sleep. She brought her toy mouse over and placed it with Owen's toys.

When Owen sleeps in the cosleeper next to our bed, Purna stretches out on the bed, preventing anyone from climbing or reaching into the cosleeper with Owen.

When Owen cries, and it takes us a little too long to get to him (or we can't calm him down), Purna comes and finds us. One time it was taking me too long for her liking, and she stood up on her hind legs and pushed on my thigh. Usually, though, she cries, too.

When Owen gets his diaper changed, Purna watches to make sure everything goes well.

It's very satisfying to have your animal become so protective of your child. So no, I am not giving my cats away in order to keep them separate from Owen. Instead I will let Purna's catnip mouse toy mingle with Owen's stuffed mushroom toy. Owen and Purna are becoming friends, and I'm glad for it.

A Fashionista Moves in to the Reckess House

Owen models a sweater from his Fall Fashion Line

Earlier last month the NY Times profiled Donatella Versace's bubblegum pink luggage, and in the profile the reporter revealed that Donatella changes her outfit at least twice a day: one outfit for the day, one outfit for night.

While that seems a bit extravagant to me, and I tend to ridicule couture culture, Owen is a big fan. He wears up to 6 outfits per day - a whole week's worth of clothing in a twenty-four hour period. Who wants to wear one set of pajamas, when you can wear four? He decides that he is done with one outfit, proceeds to poop or pee through it, and ta-da! A new outfit is forthcoming!

Dave and I have tried to cut back on Owen's fashionista habits by tightening his diaper, trying a new size, rotating him like a hotdog on a skewer, etc., all to no effect. Owen's poo and pee defies gravity (how do you wet the upper half of your body but leave the diaper completely unwet? We'll have to ask Bill Nye, the Science Guy, for his advice!). Until then, we're receiving a great workout walking the two flights of stairs to the basement washer and dryer... and most beneficial - Owen is able to wear a lot of his clothes before he grows out of them. Money well spent!

The Post-Partum Body

Today in the local newspaper, there was an article about exercise during pregnancy. I was right on board, reading along and agreeing that yes, pregnant women should get more exercise during pregnancy, and yes, recovery time after labor is probably shorter if you exercise regularly. But then one pregnant woman remarked, "I was able to start regularly exercising two weeks after delivering. My body just bounced right back."

I found this comment remarkable, seeing as how my ob/gyn practice forbids their patients from driving a car until the two week mark. I was told very explicitly that I could go on short walks at two weeks, but that's it. I wasn't even supposed to pick up anything heavier than Owen (this included my cats!) until four weeks. I can't return to anything "regular" until after I get the go-ahead - at my six week postpartum checkup. So the notion that this woman was exercising regularly at two weeks about blew my mind, and made me wonder what her ob thought.

And it's not just being given the medical go-ahead that puzzled me. It's that even if my doctor never said anything one way or the other, my body doesn't want me to be back to my regular cardio workout - and I know this because of how my body reacts to the simple act of walking up and down the stairs to our apartment. I suddenly became dizzy last week, lost my footing, and grabbed onto the handrail to keep from falling backwards. And I wasn't even carrying the baby.

I guess women should do what feels right - and if you feel that two weeks is enough recovery time, maybe it is. But I worry that people stretch their limits, showing how fast they can recover from an event that puts anything else I've ever done with my body to shame. I know that I often feel the urge to show how quickly I'm recovering, how much of my pregnancy weight I've lost, how much better I feel. But I also know that I have to listen to myself - like today, for example (which incidentally is week 5 postpartum): I went to have my teeth cleaned, and then Owen and I celebrated with a three hour nap on the couch.

A Video of Owen Doing Absolutely Nothing

It's amazing how mesmerizing babies are - for example, here we have a video of Owen doing absolutely nothing, but I've already viewed it 5 times and decided it was worthy of the blog. The reality is that babies don't have to do anything - they just have to be. And watching how Owen holds the gaze of the camera is pretty mesmerizing.

Introducing the Bottle

Owen takes a bottle

Currently Owen and I are attached at the breast - generally, if he sleeps for 5-6 hour stretches at night, it means that the following day will be devoted exclusively to feeding Owen every 45 minutes to an hour. But I also have a breast pump to help us store milk for the fall semester when I return to school and Owen stays home with Dave, and I've begun to use it.

Dave and I decided to introduce a bottle around one month of age to free me from my feeding duties, to give Dave some of the feeding responsibility, and to allow babysitters to one day come into our lives (we are definitely not ready for that yet - but that's another post). We had 1.5 ounces of milk to work with, which is approximately a serving and a half for a baby. It's not a lot.

The evening we introduced the bottle, we had Dave hold it so as not to confuse Owen (Mom has a breast and a bottle? Who is this magical lady?) We had been warned: Don't be surprised if he refuses the bottle. Ha! Owen took the bottle without even a raised eyebrow (ok, Owen doesn't know how to raise his eyebrows yet, but if he did...)

Owen has proved once again that (1) he will do whatever he pleases, other newborn habits be damned, (2) he is awesome at accepting change, and (3) when he is hungry, it doesn't matter what form the milk arrives in, he will eat it.

Welcome to "Little Dude" - a Parenthood & Babyhood Chronicle

Owen eats an Organic Carrot - April 30

Little Dude.

Since Owen's birth one month ago today, we've come up with a plethora of nicknames for him: Swimmy. Monkey. Squirmy. But the nickname that best embodies Owen was coined by Jared, a 2 1/2 year old who referred to him as "Little Dude."

Somehow that name perfectly epitomizes this tiny little guy who has completely turned our world upside down and made us wonder how we could have been anything but parents. Lawyer? Teacher? Good Public Citizen? None of it is as wonderful as Parent.

Still, we have a lot to learn, a lot to figure out. And this blog will be our chronicle of all our missteps, our confusion, our excitement over becoming parents to Little Dude.