you've got mail

my first published attempt at social networking:

 ., Qt            `m`   ` ,     aaa m<       `,```,

translation: "hi zoe. are you there? let's skype."

cutest kid contest photos

here are a few other pictures that were taken during my photo shoot for the cutest kid contest last month. although i didn't win, mommy and daddy still think i'm pretty darn cute. thanks to precious poses photography for the nice pictures.

having fun with blocks

my first fever

yesterday i spit up all my food onto daddy...in public. it was such a messy scene. later in the evening, mommy and daddy discovered that i had a fever, which caused the whole thing. i was in good spirits during it all, but mommy and daddy were a little concerned...being first time parents. i'm starting to feel better today, but i love that they are still pampering me.

do i look like a boy with a fever?

time with mommy can cure anything

feeling better now

one of mommy's favorites

mommy and daddy bought me a nice hooded sweater for my 8-month birthday. pair it with some nice cords and i'm ready for church.

happy 8 month birthday!

just a little side note: this month's picture-taking was quite eventful! it not only included me trying to devour the sign again (see, it's all crumpled!) - hence mommy and daddy giving me the book - but also involved me taking a dive off the front of the chair and falling between the rocker and ottoman. bad mommy and daddy! at least i wasn't hurt!

A Word from Mommy...

Just wanted to share some highlights from my special day. James surprised me with special t-shirts for the whole family - "Birthday Girl" for me, "Happy Birthday Mommy!" for Owen, and "Worlds Best Husband" for him. It was a fun way to celebrate together, even though I'm not much for bringing attention to the fact that I'm getting as old as I am!

My birthday celebration included scrumptious cupcakes from Happy Cakes (Mexican Chocolate for me and Apple Crisp for James), coffee at Common Grounds, and a little shopping (for Owen, of course!) at Real Baby in one of my favorite neighborhoods, the Highlands. We then spent our evening grilling hamburgers and veggies (although overcast, it was still a beautiful day!), and then enjoyed bathtime and bedtime with the little man. The day was completed with a friendly game of Qwirkle, which I appropriately won! All-in-all, the perfect birthday.

I may only wear it once a year, but it's still cute!
Too bad Owen will never be able to wear his again...
it will be far too small next year!

Trying to capture that perfectly posed picture...will it ever happen again?

Watching the world go by, the dogs play, and daddy grill...
all while figuring out what the screen is in front of him.

Some of the most delicious and decadent cupcakes!!

Thanks to my boys for such a great day!

happy birthday mommy!

happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, 

happy birthday my mommy, 

happy birthday to you!

  

i love you mommy!

special times with mommy

mommy and i enjoy lots of special times together and daddy is so good about capturing them in pictures. here are two of daddy's favorite pics. 

early mornings with mommy

thinking of mommy

life at the top...of the stairs

now that i'm mobile, mommy and daddy decided to put a gate at the top of the stairs. although mommy is not into baby-proofing the house since she prefers to teach me what to avoid, babies will be babies. we tend to have a mind of our own.

A Word from Mommy

So we are nearing the 8-month mark and I thought it was time for some updates...you know, the ones that are a bit mundane and every day...those that don't make the blog posts on a regular basis. I can't believe we are already at this point. It's like having a totally different baby - I just can't believe 8 short months ago, Owen was a tiny, 7-pound newborn who took long naps on my chest and loved being swaddled. Now, he's eating real food, sitting in a booster seat, moving all around the house, sleeping less (yes, that's right, less!), and growing big.

Owen is a true boy...he loves to eat and isn't picky (at least not yet!). So far, he's eating avocado, banana, sweet potato, carrots, peas, green beans, tofu, millet, brown rice, mango, apple, pear, and, oh yeah, frozen yogurt - any flavor!! Although I often offer things to him as finger foods, he is proving to not like having messy hands. So his pincer grasp still has something to be desired! Even still, he loves to eat and groans at us if we don't feed him fast enough. He is quite demanding, but we're working on that. I am beginning to teach him a few signs, like "more", "food", "all done", and "milk".

Little man's crawling abilities have definitely improved, although it is still army-style. He gets up on his hands and knees alot, but drops flat to actually go anywhere. He's gotten so good that he is moving all around our living room and kitchen...making it difficult to actually get any work done.

A few weeks ago, Owen began talking a lot more and saying his consonants. It is especially cute (& unfortunately really funny!) when he is constantly going "bluh bluh bluh" throughout a fit of crying. It is so very difficult to soothe a crying baby when all you hear is *cry* bluh bluh bluh *cry*.

Sleep in our house has become a precious commodity over the last month or so. Whether he's waking up 3-4 times a night, or only taking 30-45 minute naps, Owen is definitely not sleeping as well as he used to. Sometimes, we can console him at night in 10 minutes, and sometimes I rock with him for an hour. We keep waiting to see another tooth pop through - thinking that would explain something - but he still has only the same two from December. Luckily, he is still a generally happy baby...except when he's groaning at me for being too slow with the food!

My final update is short, but definitely not sweet - pooping. It's real, it's sort-of-solid, and it makes him go red in the face!

Now, for something even more fun and way cuter...here's shots of our latest purchase for Owen!

Can you believe they make Pumas for infants?!!

I swore I'd never be one of those moms who buys things like this for her
baby...so unnecessary, so frivolous. But I couldn't resist the utter cuteness!

moving has its advantages

i'm discovering lots of things around the house. a few weeks back i began army crawling and now i've become more efficient at it so mommy and daddy can't hold me back anymore. i may not crawl on my knees yet, but i get around just fine with my army crawl...and i'm fast!

something new to play with

it moves!

is this a big boy chair?

a little yoga to stay in shape

bella and simon aren't excited about my new skill

diapers, diapers, everywhere!

sometimes mommy lets me play with my clean diapers and wipes as she's folding them. 

my future's so bright...

playground fun

since the weather was so nice today, mommy and daddy decided to take me to the playground and let me try out my very first swing. it was so much fun. i even got to go down a slide with daddy. i love it when we have good weather, it means i get to go outside and play.