Owen Conquers the Slide. Almost.

Ok, so we've been neglecting our posting duties lately - but for good reason. It's summer and we're outside until late, so I've posted a video so you can see what we've been up to...

Owen and James Brown

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Giggles

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

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.

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.