Our 4th Anniversary

Our life has changed on every level since our 3rd anniversary. This is our family (not pictured: the cat), getting ready in the morning. We're starting to get the feeling that we can do this.


Here's to another year and many more to come.

Birthday Week Revisited - Part 1

It was so wonderful to have everyone out and so weird to have them gone already. Everyone pretty much left on Sunday. Ed and I are always a little sad the day after family leaves. We get caught up in our daily routine and we get used to it being just the three of us. Then family comes around and you realize how much you miss having them close. Thanks again to everyone who came down. It meant a lot to have you here to celebrate with us.


With us living in Arizona, my parents in Washington and my grandparents living in Montana, it is rare we are all in the same house together. We had to capture the moment.


I had wanted to get picture of Owen with his dad, grandfather and great-grandfather when we were in Montana but I forgot to during the Christmas chaos. Fortunately, I had another chance and am so happy I did.



Last time Owen was with his great grandma and grandpa Cooper, all three were really sick. This time all were healthy and had a great time together.

Happy Birthday Owen!

Well, it's been a year since our life changed pretty dramatically. Looking back makes me laugh at how unprepared for the new life we were. It took a year, but I think we've found our stride as a family. What we do every day is what we consider normal now, as opposed to pretty crazy because we have a baby. It's been an adventure, trying at times, but I wouldn't change a bit of it.


This one we've been saving for this very purpose. It's one of our favorite photos of Owen, taken when he was very new to the world. Needless to say, Carrie and I were both surprised that she had given birth to a miniature sumo wrestler.


And that miniature sumo wrestler grew up to become the pretty darned happy and handsome young man we all know as Owen Andrew Wilhelme.

Happy birthday, Owen.
We love you,
Mom & Dad

Birthday Week Begins

My grandparents (from Montana) and my folks arrived into town on Sunday. Robyn, Jack and Arlene got here late Sunday night. Rumor has it Ida is around but she is being held captive by Ellie so we have yet to see her. We've been looking forward to having everyone out for a while now. I can't believe the week is here, but am so happy it is. It's great having family around. Owen is getting spoiled rotten and he loves it. I think his little baby head is going to explode when he realizes two more grandparents will be here shortly. (The Grandparent Detox that Owen will have to go through after everyone leaves is going to be rough.)


I love this photo of the all the boys sound asleep. I also love the fact my grandpa has Owen's favorite book "What Floats?" balanced on his belly along with his beer. Classic Cooper.


Having multiple generations together is always a special moment. Here we have four generations.


Owen thinks Jack is hilarious. They have the same sense of humor and both love cheese.

Gotta Start Doing Big Boy Stuff

Now that Owen has all eight of his front teeth, combined with the fact he's turning one in a couple of days, has us thinking about getting Owen used to brushing his teeth. He loves to watch us brush our teeth in the morning. In fact, it's a sure two or three minutes of focused (read: not crying) baby. When I got a new toothbrush I decided to give my old one to Owen. He loves hanging out with the toothbrush in general and we've been practicing how to brush our teeth.


Big boys brush their teeth like this, buddy.


Growing up is weird.

Huggy Bear

We've been busy getting ready for the gang to arrive into town for Owen's birthday. While we're been busy cleaning, Owen and Huggy Bear hang out in their fort on the couch. They chat, hug and watch the cat. I think a pretty solid friendship is forming.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! We are having a low key day which so far has consisted of a walk to the store for coffee and breakfast goods. Owen had his first bacon, eggs and chocolate breakfast. We figured since he is almost one, he can start having a taste of the good stuff. Besides that we are going to enjoy the nice weather and get ready for the troops to start arriving in Arizona for Owen's birthday. (It poured rain yesterday so everything smells nice and clean. You appreciate those days when you only see them every couple months.)


Peeps + drool + baby = unplanned bath


Owen loves bubbles, as does the cat, so for a brief moment a truce was made between the two.


Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Cooper for the basket. Owen and the cat loved it.

El-Mo-Fu

Owen has been practicing the deadly art of El-mo-fu. It all started this morning when Carrie saw this deadly device and decided it would be a good idea to put it in the hands of a baby. All was pretty innocent at first, that is until Owen got a taste of the awesome power wielding such a device affords.


I could really do some damage with this thing.


Few could withstand my will.


Drunk with power.


Yield before your baby overlord!

I have to admit, it was a little concerning to see how quickly he went from a baby with a balloon to a tyrannical maniac. We're going to pencil in some more time with the hug bear this week.

Owen's A Cupboard Opening Fool

If there's one thing this kid loves these days, it's opening and closing the cupboards. He'll open them and look at the contents with wonder and then close them and laugh when they thud closed. This entertains him for about 15 minutes at a time. Do I take advantage of this distraction? You bet I do.

What's in here?


Ohh.


Ahh.

Huggin' It Out

Well, Owen has started biting. That guy has some chompers too, so Carrie and I decided something needed to be done about the situation quickly. We read that when kids start biting, it's a good thing to model loving behavior. That's where the hugs come in. He seems to be picking it up pretty well and he's really sweet about it, but he's still biting when he's frustrated. I think we need to keep up with this because we read that the worst thing you can do with a biter is reciprocate so we're stuck saying "no, buddy, biting hurts." I'm hoping it only feels like banging your head against a wall and that somewhere deep in Owen's baby brain the concept is setting in. Here's how the hugging training went.

Hey Owen, you should hug this bear. To hug you just wrap your arms around it and press yourself against it.


Like this?

Well, yes and no. You don't lay on top of it, you shoud both be upright.


Like this?

Better, but not just its head and maybe squeeze a little less aggressively. Here like this.


Oh, okay, I think I get it. Like this?


Yup, that's just about right.

Smile

This is a picture of Tejas taking Owen's picture and telling him to smile. I love this picture because it's funny on no fewer than two levels.


1: Smile is the only clear word Tejas is saying, and Owen is in no way smiling.

2: It wouldn't matter if he was smiling because Tejas is taking a picture of the back of his head.

Exploring With Grandma

While Owen and I were at Ron and Debby's, Seattle had a fairly nice day. Debby took the opportunity to lead an expedition to the Back Yard. I just stood back and popped off a few photos while she made good use of the age of discovery.


Owen likes to touch things that are new and interesting to him. He'll run his fingers over them to get a rough estimate of their texture.


He really likes to splash water; the fact that it was 42 degrees didn't seem to bother him one bit.


He also found out feathers tickle. And, more importantly, that grandmas are not above tickling for their own amusement.

Bonding With The Family

I went up to Seattle with Owen for about a week to celebrate my Grandma Wilhelme's 80th birthday, which just so happened to coincide with my niece Suneela's 11th birthday.


For those of you from FedEx: Yes, my Dad has a mother and she's very sweet.


Uncle Dave introduces Owen to the little-known art of synchronized waving.


It would appear that, although accurate, Uncle Austin's explanation of the female anatomy was just a little too early for Owen.


Even Owen has caught on that pearls of wisdom from Uncle Bob are to be examined thoroughly before being put into practice.