Owen & Special C

Owen had a busy weekend, hosting a get together of GSB friends on Friday night followed by a fun visit with Special C and her parents on Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday, Owen had fun checking out the Chicago Children's Museum.

Although he slept through half of the museum visit, when he woke up, he was happy to be there.

Caitlin (a.k.a. Special C) also had a good time at the museum, taking every opportunity to run around, climb on things, and simply find fun around every corner. Here she is posing for a funny picture with Brecken.

We had a great time playing with Special C this weekend. She entertained us with several rousing renditions of "The Elmo Song," and she even invented a little dance to go along with eating olives. Having not seen Special C for over 9 months, it was a lot of fun to see the emerging little Miss Personality. We were flattered by the fact that she didn't want to leave on Sunday!

The combination of kids was also cause for a little entertainment. Special C's long curly hair was a source of great temptation for little Owen, and on Sunday morning, he gave in to his curiosity. While sitting on the floor with Special C playing next to him, Owen grabbed on. Caitlin was not very appreciative. However, this did give us our first opportunity to teach Owen about saying sorry. Here the two kids are shaking hands and becoming friends again.

From that point on, their focus returned to pacifiers, Elmo, and friendship. Although, Owen does seem to have a bit of a mischievous look of guilt on his face in this picture.

Safe travels to Special C and her parents. Until we meet again...

Mr Body

Over the past week, Owen has been working hard to gear up for crawling, his first a major athletic endeavor. Owen generally starts out the day with a few push-ups...

...followed by a strict weight-lifting regimen.

As Brecken has suggested, at least one Cutler man should have washboard abs. (You should not be laughing at this point!) After hating time on his tummy for nearly 4 months, Owen can't get enough of it at this point. Earlier this week, he actually went almost two straight hours playing on his tummy. Crazy!

Well, maybe Owen doesn't really wake up with an itch for working out, but he sure seems to enjoy his new found strength and mobility. He is now lifting his hips and torso off the ground, especially when there is a particularly interesting toy or electronic device just out of his reach. (Like his father, Owen will apparently be ripe for bribes of electronic gadgets.) Unfortunately, when he does this, he generally pushes himself backward rather than forward, leaving him further away from the desired toy. Is it wrong that this humors us?

Because his mom believes in having the right shoes for every occassion, Owen even has some fancy new crawling socks that double as cross-trainers.

Like his distant friend Erock, Owen likes to relax in a private bath house after his workout. He thoroughly enjoys a good steam, followed by a lively conversation with his froggy or rubber ducky.

As soon as he figures out how to push off with his toes, we'll have a little crawler in the house! In the interim, this pampered prince really leads a rough life.

A Weekend of Firsts

On his very first Easter, Owen decided to show off with an unprecedented demonstration of his skills. You know, like numchuck skills, bowhunting skills, computer hacking skills... Okay, so we may have to wait awhile for those particular ladykiller skills to develop, but this weekend Owen did show his newly found aptitudes for the following "firsts":

On Friday night, Owen joined the family dinner table for the first time in his fancy high chair. Papa assisted by picking up Owen's toys, which were unceremoniously tossed to the ground every minute or so. We hope that Papa is able to eat again, now that he is back home in MI. After all, he was so starving during his visit that we kept finding him munching on fistfulls of licorice allsorts, chocolate eggs, and other goodies he found lying around when Owen wasn't watching. Papa, Owen thanks you for participating in his little mind games.

On Saturday, Owen didn't have any "firsts". Maybe he was too enamored by the family outing to Millenium Park. The bean and the fountains are pretty captivating. Owen can really druel with the best of em, but it is hard to compete with 3 story tall spitting sculptures. He did wake up three times in the middle of the night. We think he was just wearing us down so that his Easter feats of strength would really wow us.

On Sunday, Owen celebrated his first Easter, received his first Easter basket, participated in his first egg hunt (well, sort of...) and once again captained his high chair.

You would think that all of the attention from Gramma and Papa C and Bekah would have worn him out...but NO... Owen chose Saturday afternoon to sit up unassisted for the very first time.

Later on, Owen ate his very first solid food. The rice cereal apparently wasn't particularly tasty, so Owen decided to take advantage of its hydrating qualities as a facial mask rather than actually eating it.

Finally, Owen went to sleep at 7:30pm - which is definately a first...and we were hoping that he'd take this opportunity to sleep through the night. But, apparently he had other tricks in mind. So, last night, for the first time, Owen rolled over in his sleep. Whew...what a big day for a little guy.

Brecken enters the blogging mix today with her first entry. Welcome!

Take me out to the ballgame...

Owen is already looking forward to his first game at Wrigley Field, but the big question is when will that be. It was far too cold for Owen to go to opening day, and the next opportunity is potentially Memorial Day weekend. However, there is part of me that thinks the most fitting first game would be on Father's Day in mid June. Not only would it be exciting to celebrate my first father's day by going to the ballpark with Owen, but it would also be a very fitting opponent, as the Cubs will be playing the Tigers that day.

The match-up of the organization I grew up with and the organization I have followed more closely for the past eight years. Owen is already geared up for the game, sporting his Cubs cap and his Tigers outfit.



Regardless of where he finds his allegiance, Owen will be spoiled by getting to see his first major league game at the best ballpark in the game.

A Weekend Getaway

More than a year ago, while attending a charity auction for the Beverly Arts Center, Brecken and I successfully bid on a three night, off-season, getaway to a three bedroom cottage in Union Pier, MI. At the time, it sounded like the perfect way to gather a few friends and head out of town for a fall Octoberfest.

Enter Owen.
With Brecken 8 months pregnant in October, the friends getaway took a bit of backseat on our priority list and we put off the trip until this weekend. Instead of friends, we had a great time visiting with Grandma and Grandpa L and Great-Grandma H. In fact, absent the need for Owen's meals and someone to wake up with him at night, Brecken and I probably could have snuck out without anyone else noticing. Owen stole the weekend attention.

We had a lot of fun at several of our usual New Buffalo area spots, and I know that everyone had fun playing with Owen. Good times and safe travels for everyone.

Opening Day!

It's opening day at Wrigley Field, and Owen is rooting for the Cubs to take care of the red birds.

Look for me behind home plate!

20 Weeks

Owen is pretty excited about the next two weekends. This weekend he gets to spend some time with Grandma & Grandpa L and Great Grandma H and next weekend Papa and Grandma C are coming to visit with cousin Bekah.

This is the longest period of time that the grandparents have gone without seeing Owen, and I know that he is looking forward to showing off his new tricks. Granted, at 20 weeks, "new tricks" are all pretty simplistic....baby steps...

For example, Owen loves to show off by sitting up. Whether in his stroller, on the floor, or in a chair, he can't get enough of it. Here is his 20 weeks growth-chart picture.

Owen is also fascinated with the television remote control. Past posts have highlighted the importance of little Owen learning the nuances of the channel changer, particularly in the context of man's best friend. At this point, I am proud to update that he is progressing ahead of schedule on adopting a possessive tendency. In this picture, Owen can be seen working on his elementary finger drills.

At some point in the near future, we will begin working on these drills blindfolded or in the dark. He has a real future on the couch. Happy 20 weeks. Go Cubs.

Button that up.

I'm not really sure what to type with this picture, as every sarcastic comment that comes to mind seems relatively inappropriate for a conversation centered around my son.

Owen seems far too happy standing around with a few extra buttons undone on his shirt. For a while, I wasn't quite sure who might have influenced him in such a way that he would find this look to be in good taste, but then it occured to me.

Owen's transplanted southern uncle "Drew" has been known to present himself in what some may refer to as suggestive ways. What do you expect from a Duke-come-lately fan.

PUT A SHIRT ON! BOTH OF YOU!