Trick Or Treat

Halloween is upon us and we can finally show our ghoulish child to the world. Be prepared to be so scared you wet yourself. We're warning you, these pictures are not for the meek of heart.





And perhaps the most frightening of all...

That's Gotta Hurt

Owen during teething


Owen after teething

We haven't posted in a couple of days and well... we may not post for a couple more. To be honest, we're kind of tired. Baby Owen has been grumpy for the past few days. He doesn't like to sleep. Or eat. Or play with his toys. He just likes to whine and arch that adorable little back of his. We have no pictures of this event. They probably wouldn't be pretty anyways. (Though it may help cure those with "empty nest syndrome.")

We sympathize with him. We really do. Teething cannot be fun. So we do everything we can to make his life as comfortable as possible. Then when he finally falls asleep, we drink wine and toast to the joys of parenthood.

Hey grandparents. It's 85 degrees and sunny. We have a pool. Who wants to come down and babysit??

Hiking Lost Dog Wash

We are doing our best to take full advantage of the wonderful weather down here. We continue to do our nightly walks but have added weekend hiking trips to the routine. Owen seems most content when he is out of the house so we are gladly indulging him. I think the Arizona summer got to him too.


Owen was born in Arizona. He must have his picture taken by a cactus. It is a law down here.


Yes. Owen is wearing a pirate costume... in the desert... with a floppy hat. We didn't really think things through. The idea seemed cute at the time.

Side note: We think we spy two little teeth in his mouth. This could account for the increased fussiness the past few days. Poor little guy.

Rolling Like A Pro

Owen reached a milestone a couple weeks ago - he started rolling over. He's actually turning into a rolling machine so we really have to keep our eye on him now. He likes to go back to tummy. Then he gets stuck and his little butt starts wiggling in the air as he tries to figure out what to do next. We are oh so proud so here is a little snippet for your entertainment.

Six-Month Check-Up

Owen was barraged with his six-month shots today. He handled it well. It was a little sad to see the nurse take all these needles and start jabbing them into him in rapid succession. She would jab him and then pound the needle into the vinyl a la the knife into the table-top at the local dive bar. Well, she's the pro and I think she got the fourth into him before he decided it would be a prudent decision to scream like hell.

Anyway, he got a clean bill of health. The doctor is very happy with his development. He's a little over 17 lbs. and he's about 31 inches long (exactly half as tall as Carrie for those of you keeping score at home). So it sounds like we just need to start feeding this guy more people food. The doctor said sweet potatoes or ambrosia at Thanksgiving would be good. As long as we have the green light to feed this guy Thanksgiving food, I'm thinking he would enjoy a leftover turkey sandwich, I know I do.

The Big 0.5

Hey Owen, you're six months old, what are you gonna do?


I think I'll go hiking with dad.

In celebration of both Owen's six month mark and a temperate morning we decided to put on the old hiking boots (and booties) and climb Squaw Peak, a bit of a hill nearby. As luck would have it, we met a couple of guys from Jersey who were more than happy to snap a picture of Owen and me about half way up. It was very nice to be outside and getting exercise. Owen and I have been feeling a little cabin fever as of late, but I think that hikes in the morning and walks in the evening are a nice cure for the crazies.

This Guy's Changing

The subtle changes that this guy has gone through have a knack for catching me off guard every once in a while. He’s getting heavier; my arms tell me that when we’re walking around. He’s getting longer; the pile of pajamas he doesn’t fit into anymore tells me that. He’s getting more active; the fact that he can’t be on the ground for longer than 30 seconds without flipping himself onto his face and getting all worked up tells me that. But these are developmental measurements. I can process these basically in real time.

The thing that gets me is when I can see glimpses into what this guy is going to be like in the future. I’m not talking about when he’s an adult, that kind of a timeframe, but what the next little while has in store. He’s got a pretty good personality. He happily returns a smile. He’s agreeable to most situations. He’s friendly to everyone we’ve put in his line of sight. All of my indicators point to him being a pretty good guy. I know it’s a little early to tell, and the baby made of pure evil is a rare baby indeed, but I think I’m going to like who this kid turns out to be.


He's losing the newborn look.


He's got a crooked smile in his arsenal. His old man has a crooked smile that's served him well.


He hasn't said his first word yet, not in the intentional communication sense. But if you count the first utterance that fits the shape of a word in the English language, he said "okay" the other day. I think that's an appropriate start for someone who's a mixture of Carrie and myself.

Peek-A-Boo!

Owen has gotten to the point where he likes to play. One of his favorites is the classic game of peek-a-boo. His favorite way of playing it is by putting a blanket over his face, pulling it off, and yelling "boo".

"Hey Owen... peek-a-...."

"Boo!"

"Owen..peek-a-...."

"Boo!"

"Peek-a-...."

"Boo!"

Gets him everytime.

A Day In The Gardens

We went to the gardens to have a nice relaxing day and it turned out quite well. It was good to just take a step back and appreciate what Arizona has to offer. Owen seemed to enjoy himself as much as we enjoyed ourselves.


I just want to make tequila out of these guys. I'm no botanist, I can only appreciate these plants on a limited number of levels, aesthetics and alcohol pretty much round out the list.


Owen having a good time with his mom about to enter the butterfly exhibit.


He's got his eye on something he likes.

Just Lounging In A Chair, Looking Cute

I couldn't decide which photo I liked better so I am going to post both. First photo he is looking at dad. Second photo he is looking up at mom. I love how little he looks. And that smile. It makes my heart melt every time I see it.

Bundled Up And Lookin' Good

This morning at 9:30 it was 60 degrees out. It actually felt - dare I say it - chilly. To fully appreciate this phenomenon we went (where else) to the park. But we bundled the little man up before we left and decided to take photos of him in his awesome little Adidas outfit. This is probably one of a handful of times he's ever going to wear this, but it's so totally worth it.


Owen in all his sporting glory.


Have we mentioned how squeezable his cheeks are?

Sometimes Fun Means Cute And Innocent...

... and sometimes you're with dad.

It's been O-dog and myself for a couple of days and I have to say, we're having a heck of a guys weekend. There is no mom around to act all sweet around so we're pretty much just drinking bourbon and lighting our farts down here. This guy can get pretty belligerent, so I'm not going to show photos of what he did to the cat, but the following are some of the less incriminating photos we've taken. Enjoy.

Peas Go Over Moderately Well

We started Owen on peas last night. It took him a second to warm up to them, but in the end he seemed to be in good spirits.


First couple of bites, not so hot.


He shows a resounding willingness to keep an open mind (and mouth).


By the end we're having a good time. In fact, we decided to play a little game after we were done.

Hey Owen, do an impression of your favorite Baldwin brother.

Stephen Baldwin, really Owen? I guess there's no accounting for taste.

A Walk In The Park

Yesterday was a very pleasant day around these parts. With a high of 87 and a morning temp in the 60's, these are the days that you anticipate in order to keep sane during the summer and savor until they're regular in the autumn. Carrie and I decided to take Owen to the park to show him what it looks like in the daytime. I'm not sure if I've voiced this before, but it's kind of creepy to have the kids flock to the park once the sun goes down. It's like a community full of little vampires or something. Anyway, there were many folks out enjoying the moderate temps and you could count us among them. We took a break in the shade of a tree and snapped a couple pictures.


Owen's getting a nice view of the well lit park.


A glowing Carrie (we really don't get out during the day that often).


Owen doing his drooly turtle.


Hangin' with dad.

Blue Baby In A Red State

THEN: October 2007

Can you smell what Barack is cookin'? Oh wait. I mean what Carrie is cookin'. Above photo is a pregnant Carrie at an Obama rally at ASU.

NOW: October 2008

I guess learning through osmosis does work.

We said we wouldn't get preachy about politics. We never said Owen wouldn't get preachy about politics.

Laying Around with Dad

I woke up one morning to these two on the ground playing. I couldn't resist grabbing the camera to capture the moment. This little boy is getting pretty attached to his dad.

Do It For This Guy

Carrie and I don't like to get too preachy about politics, but since we do feel strongly that voting is an important process, we have decided to put this video on our blog.



Caution: Not for those with sensitive ears (sorry).