The Apple Of Our Eye

Yesterday Owen busted out "apple" with unexpected clarity. Since then that's about all he says. I think it might have something to do with the clapping which follows each well annunciated attempt. This morning was more of the same, so we thought we'd share his newfound word with the world (followed by antics I'm sure you all will find amusing).



The other day he said dolphin really well, so I figured it wouldn't be that big of a stretch from there to Dolph Lundgren, which Carrie found significantly less amusing than I did.

Roots and Shoots *

Ed, Owen and I took a field trip to see the Scottsdale Community College community garden. I'm hoping to start a community garden program in Scottsdale and have been researching and meeting with folks who are interested in it also. The community college has had this community garden going since the 1970's. We talked with a couple older gentleman who have been growing vegetables there for 30 years.


Ed, Owen and my community garden partner-in-crime Joanie. Joanie and I are trying to come up with a name for our community garden group and are running out of ideas. (We run it by the husbands first to see if they like it and so far, none have sticked.) For example, we liked Small Wonders but Ed had to point out a creepy little kid robot already had that name. Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated!


Owen was paying close attention on how to grow peanuts. Ed was not.


The SCC community garden - not a bad little garden considering it's in the middle of the summer in the desert.

*Super cute name already taken by a kid's garden group.

16 Month Check-Up

Owen had his 16 month check-up today and was given a couple of shots. I think he is starting to remember past doctor visits because he was a scared and sad little boy at today's appointment. When he realized where he was, he wouldn't let go of me. When he saw the doctor, he started crying. Poor guy.

He is now 22 pounds (10th percentile) and 34 inches long (97th percentile). Tall and skinny, lucky kid. We talked about his muscle tone and his physical therapy. She was happy with his progress. Overall, he is a happy and healthy little boy.

I must mention that Owen pulled himself up for the first time this past weekend. We were so proud. Ed and I were in the kitchen and Ed started whispering "Carrie, Carrie... look at Owen!" I look over and sure enough, he had pulled himself up and was standing at the coffee table.

I had a rough week at work and to get me through it, I would picture Owen at the coffee table, his little legs shaking as he tried to hold himself up. It really helped to center me and to remember what mattered in life.


Friendly lookin' kid, wouldn't you say?

How could you not want to hang out with this guy?

Owen's Sanctuary

We all need a place to hang our hat and Owen's is slowly, but steadily coming along. We still have a couple things we want to do (I'm looking in your direction, molding), but we're finally happy with the overall shape. Here are a couple of photos showing Owen enjoying his new digs.


We decided a Starbucks café approach would be a good use of the Ikea table & chairs we just picked up. Owen's going to be a little disappointed when he finds out it doesn't have wi-fi, but he's a baby; he'll get over it.


This is the view you get walking into his room. We're of the mindset that it looks pretty kid-friendly. Which, coincidentally, is the look we we were going for (it was a toss-up between kid-friendly and cat-fancy; I stand by our choice).

Owning a home (more specifically, a fixer- upper) is fun because it lets you be creative, and it provides an excuse for picking up new tools and new furniture, but it all adds up. We're getting to the point where we're happy with the place and it's livable. That's a really nice place to be because it lets you pace the insanity a little.

Mom's Picks

Ed picks the photos of Owen looking like a lush to post (see below). It's my turn to post so I pick the ones where he looks sweet and innocent. Sorry for the lack of variety in our photos/posts. The camera is in the shop so we are using the old one. It just isn't the same.

We Should Probably Just Keep Alcohol Out Of Owen's Diet Alltogether

So I took Owen to the local pub and I have to say, you get a little booze in that guy and he's pretty quick to go one of two ways. This is especially true since we taught him that tapping your chest means I love you. He's always pretty happy when we walk in, but pretty soon it's either "what are you lookin' at" or "I... I love you, man", or, as was the case this time, both.

First Drink:

I love scotchy, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly.

Third Drink:

Hey, buddy! You put another Chicago song on and you'll be singin' "Saturday, in the Park, I Think I had a Baby Foot in My Ass!"

Fifth Drink:

Have I ever told you how much I love you, man? I mean, it's cool, but you're like the best.

No Mono-A-No Mano (Best Pun I've Ever Come Up With... Intended)

Hi all, I just wanted to give a quick heads up that Owen does not, in fact, have mono. That makes us very happy and very frustrated at the same time. More happy though. And since all existence must remain in equilibrium, we're pretty sure Owen sprained his wrist last night. I suppose you could say that I sprained his wrist, but since it was unintentional, I'm going to score it as his injury with an assist from Dad.

I was swinging him back and forth by his hands and he was having a fun time until I set him down and he started crying. I thought it was because we stopped, but he grabbed his wrist and didn't use his hand for the rest of the night. This was right before bedtime, so we put him down thinking time would tell how serious this is. Well, he woke up favoring the wrist again and only using his hand in a limited capacity, so we're shlupping him to the doctor again this morning. Let's hope he doesn't come home with a diagnosis of tennis elbow.


Not an actual photo of Owen with his hurt wrist, but he looks like this.

Monkey See Monkey Do

Owen's new thing is to imitate us. It's pretty fascinating seeing what he picks up on. It's stuff you wouldn't expect a baby to notice. Like when he's done playing with my cell phone he will try to put it back into my pocket. He also is pretty fond of wearing our hats. He's beginning to tolerate seeing us in hats, but as a thrill, then once he's taken all he can handle he freaks out a little till we take it off. And repeat.

He really loves to get his hands on one of our flip flops and scoot around the house. We got a clip of him in action. (It was either this or him scooting around with Carrie's purse strapped around his shoulder - we figured we'd spare him this time)

Fresh Air

The weather this weekend was wonderful (for summertime in Arizona). We woke up at 7:00 am and it was 82 degrees. It's still hot during the day but having it dip below 100 at some point makes it bearable. We've been cooped up in the house for the past week with Owen sick and sick babies and heat don't go well together. With the drop in temperature, we headed outside to get some fresh air and enjoy the cool breeze.


He can't stand on his own but that doesn't stop him from wanting to try.


What's the point in having your own pool if you can't swim naked?

As for an update on little O. He seems to be feeling much better. He hasn't had a temperature all weekend, is starting to eat again (mustard included) and is scooting all over the house. We took him in Saturday morning to get blood work done to test for mono. The doctor felt fairly confident he had mono so she didn't think he needed an actual test. We decided we wanted to be sure. The blood work wasn't fun - they drew it out of his arm - but at least we will know for sure come Tuesday. Keep your fingers crossed it turns out negative!

Changing Gears (Unfortunately, Bad Pun Intended)

Hi everyone, we have been having fun down here with a sick baby. In and of itself, this has slowed the frequency of our posts a little. Well, now our camera has broken. We still have another one, but it's more difficult to get photos we love with it. In order to get something fun up here, I've had to scavenge for content. I found a gem, but it really is only interesting to people who are into cars. If you aren't into cars, you'll just have to believe me that this is a fantastic explanation of how a rear differential works. If you're interested, give it a spin. I think you'll find it interesting and educational.

How Did He Get That?

That is probably the first question we get when we tell people that Owen has mono. Yes. Our 15 month old baby has mono. Didn't know babies could get it, right? Sadly they can and we have no idea how or where he got it from. We do know it makes for a very, very sad baby. He had been running a fever for a couple days but was also showing all the classic teething signs, including a large molar popping up through his gums, so we were not terribly worried.

At Dawn's suggestion we ended up taking him to the doctor and were mighty shocked when the doctor said he either had strep throat or mono along with teething. It is looking like mono. Now we are juggling work and baby which is an interesting moral dilemma that brings on feelings of guilt. Guilt for taking off work and guilt for thinking of work while taking care of a very sick child, which really should be the priority over work. Plus the guilt you feel not being able to help him more. Ed took the first part of the week off and I took off the second half and am instead working nights and this weekend. Next week Ed will work mornings and I will work evenings. Ahhh parenthood.

We're hoping this only lasts for two weeks but are mentally preparing for three. The unfortunate thing about mono is there is nothing to give Owen for it. Just rest, fluids and Tylenol. Yesterday was probably his worst day so far. He cried, refused to eat, drink or sleep and... this is how we knew it was bad....didn't want mustard. Today has been much better for him. He is still clearly sick but he doesn't have a fever and is smiling more and wanting to play. I guess the positive spin on this situation is once you get mono, you usually do not get it again. So he can kiss all the girls he wants and not have to worry about getting mono. Good for him.


Picture from a few days ago during happier (e.g. non-mono) times. Pobre Owen.

Public Display of Nudity

Nothing cuter than a baby bum. (It's because of that, you can get away being naked in public.)