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.