A New Year's Wish

For 2007, one of the things Owen is hoping for is a nice visit from his aunt Maureen. Despite countless visits to the Chicago area and stops a few blocks away at cousin Jaime's place, she has never come to see him.

Ever since she admitted to driving by but not stopping, Owen has insisted on standing at the window to watch for her.

Day after day he hasn't seen her.

How are we supposed to answer all the questions he asks about her lack of visits? How do we teach him to hold back the tears? At this point, we've resorted to simply saying that he should appreciate the shirt she gave him and to stop holding his breath.Maybe next year Owen...maybe next year.

So Sad....So Scary

Owen awoke from his nap yesterday to discover that the Christmas tree was no longer there. In the very spot that he has stood for the past month to touch the tree and point at ornaments, we found him standing and pointing. He was in disbelief.

To get over the disappointment, Brecken brought out his new bath "costume." The scary little guy forgot all about the tree and was ready to wreak havoc throughout the house.

A Christmas Tour

Christmas for Owen, Brecken, and I is a whirlwind adventure of family, food, and the open road. Over the past several days, we have enjoyed celebrating the holiday in Chicago, Ohio, and Michigan.

Chicago

For the second time, Owen was part of our annual tradition of opening gifts the night before hitting the road. Owen enjoyed digging through his stocking and perfecting the art of unwrapping presents. He also enjoyed getting his hands into the snacks whenever possible.

Ohio

The weather was unseasonably warm this year, which made it easy for Owen to get outside and enjoy a little stroll around the yard. We had hoped for snow and the chance to use his new sled, but it didn't happen. There was more golf being played around town than there was skiing or sledding.

Owen enjoyed playing around with grandma and grandpa as well as aunts, uncles, and cousins...all of whom were more than willing to spoil him with new toys and books.

One evening, Owen even tossed on the ol' Santa cap in an effort to get a laugh out of his cousin Olivia. Here they are enjoying a few pretzels.

Michigan

The final stop on the tour de Christmas saw a drop in temperatures but still no snow. Owen had a lot of fun exploring the farm and acquainting himself with the sounds of the chickens, ducks, cats, and dogs.

Cousin Bekah took a lot of pictures of Owen, and Papa and Gramma C bought a special tree this year that was roughly the same height as Owen. The plan is to plant the tree in the spring as a reference point for years to come.

We hope you had a Merry Christmas with family and friends and are ready to ring in 2007!

Right down Santa Claus Lane...

For Owen, Santa Claus Lane is somewhere between the North Pole and the mall in Sylvania, OH. Owen woke up this morning ready to see Santa.
As a gift, Santa gave Owen a little reindeer hat. However, while trying to fit it on Owen's head, Santa exclaimed, "Oh my, you have a big head Owen. I guess that means you have a big brain." That's right Santa! He adjusted the hat and sent us on our way.

Owen waved and blew kisses to Santa as we strolled away.

Maternal Instincts

For just about every guy out there, there are things that you can count on from your mother. In addition to boasting about your every accomplishment or simply being your biggest supporter, your mother is also undoubtedly predictable when it comes to holiday gift giving. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, Owen came to this realization during our family Christmas gift exchange this evening.

The moment, caught on video, clarifies the gift giving tradition that I'm referring to.

The reaction politely conveys "Gee...thanks...I can't wait 'til next year." Jokes aside, the remainder of the gift giving was far from predictable.

May your stocking be filled with stockings this Christmas. Thanks mom. No, seriously...thanks mom!

Garbage Boogie

I've mentioned before how much Owen enjoys getting his groove on. Whenever there is music, Owen begins to bounce. It is very evident that Brecken is his favorite dance partner, but every Thursday morning, he and Joey look to someone else for fleet-footed inspiration. Gathered together in their high-chairs with a front row seat for action in the alley, he and Joey anxiously await the weekly arrival of the dancing garbage man.That's right, in an alley notorious for crazy urban antics, these two have found an unlikely pal. In addition to being fascinated by the really big truck that the garbage man drives, the boys especially enjoy the dancing that he does. Standing outside the window, Mr. Garbage waves and bounces around for the reward of laughs and waves. Owen and Joey go absolutely crazy.

Though opting to remain out of the public eye, the "garbage man" is definitely a weekly highlight. Here is a quick look at the boys from an alley vantage point.

Hope your mornings are full of dancing and easy laughs. Cheers!

The Annual Family Gathering

The C family got together this weekend for our annual holiday celebration. This year, Papa (and Grandma C) welcomed everyone, including his two grandkids (Owen & Bekah) over to the house.

Although we missed Jaime and Ryan, it was great to see everyone else and to let Owen show off his latest antics. It was especially fun watching Owen interact with his cousins Mack and Pierson. Picking up right where they left off this summer, they enjoyed playing with their new toys and simply entertaining one another with simple tricks. Here is a quick comparison of last year to this year for Pierson (left) and Owen.

We look forward to seeing them again in two weeks. On the way home, Owen was less than thrilled by the idea of sleeping his way back to Chicago.

Lucky us! Finally, we also took advantage of our visit to MI to catch up with Mike, Cristin, and the cute little Kate. What a great addition to her family and to our family of friends.

Cheers!

Baby Boom

With all due respect to the lady friends in his life, Owen is celebrating the Monday arrival of two new girlfriends.
Isabella Mia C (8lb 6oz - 19") joined Jeff & Christina's family at 3:44 AM, and at 5:15 PM, Katherine Ida H (6lb 2 oz - 19") made Mike and Cristin parents for the first time.

We wish them all the best and lots of sleep!

Little Boy Blue

Beyond the sign language and slowly developing vocabulary, Owen still knows that his biggest asset in getting what he wants is those big blue eyes. Add a smile and Brecken melts to the point of saying that she hopes he always stays one year old.

Toss in his new interest in giving hugs and there's nothing this kid can't get.

What a smart...conniving...little guy we have. Cheers!

Questions for Owen - 12/8/2006

School is done for another quarter! Last final in the books and ready for a few study-free weeks.

Now that I'm done being asked questions about financial restructuring and cost allocation incentives, I'll turn it over to Owen. A year ago I featured a few of the common questions that Owen had been receiving. A year later, there are still a lot of questions being asked...

Question 1: Hey little guy...how many teeth do you have?

At this point, I have six teeth. Four on top, and two on the bottom. I have gone several months without any new teeth, which is perfectly fine with me. My mom enjoys brushing my teeth, which I must admit is rather entertaining, especially when I sneak in a good chomp of the fingers.

Question 2: Mr. Messy Face, what do you like to eat these days?

Gosh, what don't I like to eat?! First, leave your baby food at the door. That stuff is so six months. I eat a lot of vegetables and have an affection for the peas and the lima beans. You know what they say about green M&Ms right? Whoops...I'm only 1 year old. Sorry. Anyway, I don't particularly like corn, but I put up with it. For reference, this week I dined on salmon, chicken tostadas, squash risotto, fish sticks, yogurt, applesauce, bananas, cheerios, waffles, and omelettes. I'm not always the cleanest table mate, but I'm effective in my efforts. As far as libations are concerned, I'm pretty particular. I don't like the sippy cups, but I love the bottle and anything in a regular cup. Still like that formula more than the whole milk. Is that so wrong?

Question 3: You always have so much energy, do you sleep much?

I'm actually a really good sleeper, and I'll sleep through almost anything if I'm in the mood. These days I take two naps during the day for an hour or two each. At night, I'm usually all washed up and ready to go by about 8:00 PM. Rise and shine is around 7:00 AM. That being said, I don't always sleep in customary ways. I prefer to have my head buried into the pillows or my legs kicked out through the slats of my bed.

Question 4: Do you think you look more like your mom or your dad?

I don't know. Why do people ask that so much? I look like me. Ok...sorry...I guess I probably do have a little bit of both. I have my mom's ears and my dad's big head (95+ percentile). Maybe my dad's cheeks and my mom's hair. My hair is still pretty light, even a bit reddish blonde, and my eyes continue to be blue. Beyond that, I guess it varies from day to day. The best time to find out will be over the holidays, as the rest of the family seems to have the strongest opinions. Can I get back to you on that?

Question 5: Your parents talk about your love for dancing. Any new moves?

I try to keep my research and my training to myself, as I live for the impromptu stage, but after watching my new Sesame Street video, I've started to publicly work on a rendition of Bert's "Doin' the Pigeon." I'm trying to achieve a fine balance of hand movement and footwork. However, when I concentrate, I tend to make strange faces. That is throwing off the delivery. I'll get it down, but this type of thing takes time.

Question 6: What do you think of Christmas and the holidays so far?

I could really do without the cold temperatures and having to wear my hat and jacket all the time, but other than that, it seems like a lot of fun. I love having the Christmas tree and checking out the ornaments and lights. I'm a bit annoyed that my stocking doesn't have anything in it yet, and I don't like the fact that my parents have been keeping cousin Mack and cousin Pierson's presents out where I can see them. Talk about teasing. That being said, I'm having fun with mom and dad, and I can't wait for the big day.

As always, if you have any other questions for Owen, just send him an e-mail at babycandthegsb@gmail.com.

Faces of Owen III

We have been down this path before. This is the fun little exercise of looking back over the past four months, and rather than focus on the adventures and new skills, we check out Owen's expressions.

In between the smiles, the autumn season appears to be marked by three new habits: Food to the Face, Finger to the Mouth, and Puckered Lips.

Stay tuned for future editions, including a "Faces of Owen's Friends and Family."

Finals Week!

For the first time in several months, we missed posting for an entire week. Thankfully this does not violate any of our parenting contracts with Owen. My energy has been focused on wrapping up the fall quarter at school. One final down and one to go.

...back to the posts!