Brief update and a video

Ok, it's been ages since I've updated, but really -- keeping up with a toddler is hard!!

Owen is growing up so fast. He knows *so* many words and names these days, and is getting better at using them: One coping mechanism I've been encouraging is when we have to leave (e.g., to go to daycare) I have him say 'bye-bye' to whatever he was playing with (e.g., 'bye-bye 'uzzles' or 'bye-bye book'). It seems to work very well at helping him deal with the transition, and he's even started saying bye-bye to random things out of nowhere when he gets a little upset (car rides are often full of pitiful 'bye-bye, dada's, which is a little sad, but better to listen to than screaming/crying!)

I'll try over the next few weeks to get more videos of him talking. It's darn hard, though; he seems to clam up immediately when the camera is on! But toddle-ease is pretty much the cutest thing ever, and I want to share it with those of you who aren't local :)

Here's a video from the other day (taken with my phone). He was across the table playing with his train when he remembered the picture of pop-pop (my dad) sitting on the other side. He also thinks it's Nik sitting in the picture with my dad, when actually it's Daniel (my cousin). Pretty darn cute, I'd say!

First haircut

After Owen's first birthday I was willing to admit that his hair was rather shaggy:So it was time for his first haircut! We went to the local 'Cool cuts for kids', where they have a little firetruck-seat to entertain the kiddos.

They also put on Barney, but Owen wasn't very interested. Anyways, the haircut went without a hitch, although at times he got a little irritated that he had to sit still.

Here's a picture of my little guy with his new haircut: What a big boy!

First Birthday! (mmmm cake)

We celebrated Owen's first birthday (which was on Oct. 29) on Halloween this year, with family and friends. Kids were encouraged to come in their Halloween costumes (why not?!) and Owen was a furry blue monster:




He got lots of wonderful presents! But he was definitely more interested in his stacking rings than in opening them:




And he had his first, very own cupcake. He licked at it a bit, but didn't really figure it out until I cut it into quarters:




Yes, that was a quarter of a full-sized cupcake. What can I say, the boy loves his food:



After that piece, though, he was finished. The aftermath (the rest of the cupcake was thrown vigorously to the floor):



Happy Birthday, Owen!

Almost walking!

It's been a while since I posted anything, and that's because we've been pretty busy!

Owen started daycare a few weeks ago. Aside from him already being out sick twice (once with an ear infection and once with croup -- both his first :( ) he's doing pretty well there. I need to snap a picture of him playing with (alongside?) the other kids because it's super cute.

One of his favorite games currently is chase the ball :) He crawls around and hits the ball forward and chases it. It's a fun game for mommy and daddy because he pretty much does it all on his own and they just need to make sure he doesn't get distracted by the pretty outlets or go headfirst down the stairs in the living room (although he actually has done that last one once: they're only 2 and carpeted, so he was ok. now he waits for mommy's help when he gets to the stairs, though!) Here's a video from a few weeks ago playing the game. He generally moves a little faster than this, but you get the idea:



As the title of the post says, Owen is getting pretty close to walking. He's been standing for 5-10 seconds on his own, and he loves to walk around with someone holding his hands, or with a push-walker. Here's a video of him doing the push walker at home; there's an even better one at daycare that looks like a little shopping cart and is easier for him to change direction with. He loves it!



And finally, he's still our little water-baby. Here's a sequence of shots showing our little monster-butt crawling from the office into, his favorite, the bathroom, where daddy was getting the bath ready. We don't even have to tell him which direction to go!

Quick update and a sink-bath video

It's been a while since I've updated, and there's lots to share (I definitely have some videos and photos to post at some point), but for now I'll just write about the past few weeks as I can remember it and post a video I took with my phone the other day.

Owen is getting big, fast, and is now full-on crawling, and even trying to cruise a bit. It seems like he's been teething for the past 6 months, and has gotten the two teeth on either side of his two front teeth (and he's had the bottom ones for a while). The top tooth on the upper right is visible beneath the skin, so it'll be through any day now. His poor little mouth hurts him a lot these days, but now when he bites us to relieve the pressure he draws blood!

He is still mostly just jabbering away; I can rarely tell what his words are although I do think there are a few things he says that have meaning to him. He definitely knows the words 'cat' and 'dog', though, which in his version are 'at' and 'dah' -- when I ask him if he can see the cat/dog he looks around (and stops whenever there is a one within eyesight, which is often at my house). I'm also fairly sure he knows the word 'eat', which comes as no surprise to anyone who's had a meal with him.

He is such a happy, easy going little guy. I have no idea what I did to deserve this, but I feel very blessed most days :)

And here's the video. It's sideways and very short; taken on my phone at my mom's house. He loves baths, and once we started running the water for this one he basically couldn't be kept out of the kitchen. He very much enjoys getting water everywhere, and cries when they're over. Very fun :)

First word?

Owen's been jabbering lots these days, and we're expecting his first word any day now.

Sunday morning when we woke up, Owen turned to Brad and said 'Dada'! I was excited because I thought it was his first word (and a little bummed that it wasn't 'Mama', but what are you going to do).

Then he turned to the closet and said 'Dada'... So I guess we haven't heard his first word yet :D

Quick video of him talking

Owen has always been pretty verbal, but he's started putting syllables together. Today he started really saying 'dadadadada'; here's a video. He also likes to make lots of zerbet sounds and roll his tongue -- I'm going to have to teach him Spanish (and learn it myself) so he'll have a place to use the tongue roll :)

Sorry for the lousy and sideways video -- I was using my phone. And Owen would really love to grab/eat it!

new photos and videos

Owen finally got to meet Grandma and Grandpa Hughes this past weekend. He had a good time, despite his face during the group shot (we had been messing with the camera for quite some time by the time this photo was taken:





His favorite things right now are 1) anything that can go into his mouth (and pretty much everything can, it turns out), 2) naked time! (see pic), 3) standing (with hands for balance -- he often tries to stand when I'd rather he sit -- see video).





Just for good measure, here's another video of him giggling at daddy; listen to the belly laugh! And finally, I couldn't resist the pic of him sleeping with butt in the air on daddy this evening.

Complaining, giggling, and sophie

Owen has taken to complaining when he starts to get bored or tired. He just talks and talks and talks, but in a very whiny tone... Nik is convinced that his babytalk is another language like French or German, and that if we just spoke it we'd know what he's saying (A-Goo must mean something, right?) Here's a video from this evening; his complaining is on the verge of becoming crying.


He also has really started laughing hard, especially at daddy and pop-pop.

Finally, everything is going into the mouth right now, in record time. He especially likes Sophie the Giraffe that honorary-Aunt Rachel got him -- takes him about 2 seconds flat (which I think is hilarious)! He also tries to put things that don't really fit into his mouth ... (second is a pic of him with a ball a different honorary-Aunt Rachel got him)...




And finally, a pic of his in a cute little fleece soaker that I had made for him by a work at home mom. He is filling up the pack-n-play!

Grabbing the mushroom and new pics

Owen has recently started grabbing/batting at toys, and yesterday while I was taking my shower he realized he could turn on the music on his chair by pulling the mushroom. He has to concentrate very hard to achieve this, though, as indicated by his 'concentrating face':



I wish it didn't play midi 'If you're happy and you know it' ...




And here are two recent pics of him in a few super cute outfits that relatives got for him. First is a little hoodie pantset from Aunt Amanda; second is an adorable little soft fleecy outfit from his Great Grandma Hughes. Both are 3-6 month size, and both are getting dangerously small!

Merry Christmas 2009

Christmas at our house this year. Trying out our new digital camcorder.

Newer pics and a video of cute babyness

Some cute candy cane longies I got for him on diaperswappers!



















Here's Owen in an outfit all decked out for Christmas. The 3 month size pants are getting tight on my chunker with the cloth diaper butt!


















And here's a video of him playing in his bouncy chair. He's making cute noises and just loves the monkey in the upper left. I'm a lousy cameraman, but you get the idea :P This video looks better on facebook, for those of you that have access to that.

a smile and a funny face...

Owen was very smiley this morning. He's been smiling off and on from about week 1, but they were mostly fleeting little smiles that were probably just passing gas. But this morning he was all smiles at me and even gave me a big smile when I 'got his nose' -- so much fun!

Also, he crosses his eyes a lot. And it's very funny:

More photos and first bath

Here's a pic showing a diaper cover I knitted for him. He doesn't like to have his diaper changed!











We swaddle him before we put him to sleep, and sometimes he actually will sleep in the cosleeper that way! But he often manages to break his arms free...








Which is good because that way he can hold onto his binky.




















Owen's umbilical cord fell of in about 4 days, so we gave him his first non-sponge bath when he was about a week old. He didn't like it very much, though. Generally he screams bloody murder whenever his clothes and/or diaper are changed. Guess he just doesn't appreciate being out in his birthday suit yet :)


































Our friends Nikki and Brian got him a cute sleeper that fits him pretty well now: Here's a pic of him looking cute :)









And finally, a pic of Nik and Owen together. They're going to be a handful together in a few years! Oh, and I knitted those little pants he's wearing!

October 31, 2009 - Photo Time! part ii

More pics. . .

October 31, 2009 - Photo Time! part i

We had pictures taken at the hospital. Only a day 1/2 old.

Baby Owen Arrives

October 29, 2009 11:48 PM Owen was born. At 7 lbs 11 oz and 21 inches (check out the size of those feet!), he was healthy and handsome. We were at the hospital since 11 AM and ready to have our whole family together. Special thanks to Kristi, our Douala and Heidi (sister). They were a huge support in addition to Brad. That was the end of our sleep as we know it.

Belly pic, 40 weeks

Taken last night, which was my due date. Still no baby (sigh) but it'll be soon now, one way or another!

The nursery has been done for a while, but we haven't gotten around to posting pics yet. We'll try to soon!

belly pic, 36 weeks

Here is another requisite belly pic. I am feeling rather huge.

I've gotten as many dipes as I can fit into my small set of drawers, so I guess I have to stop buying them :) They're all washed and prepped and ready to go, and sorted by type to help out daddy and Heidi know which kinds are which. I'm sure we won't stay this organized for long, though!

nesting, part 1

Okay, so apparently my 'nesting' response has been to want to make things for baby (ok, that and the crazy diaper obsession...). I'll post some pics on here eventually of the things I've made/am making, but for now check out my ravelry site (which has 1 pic as well as links to what I'm making if they turn out perfectly): http://www.ravelry.com/projects/mrosehughes