New Englandy

It's feeling very New Englandy these days. Could be the crisp fall weather, the changing leaves or the fact that we live in a cute city that just happens to be in New England. Who can say.

We haven't been having enough fun lately so last weekend we three Linkers headed to Newport, a quintessential New England town, for some chowdah.  Here are a few photos...

Lobster traps. New Englandy, right?

Owen slept during our walk through Newport Harbor but here we are at brunch.

I know it's normal baby behavior but he literally puts everything in his mouth. Everything. Things made a little more sense later in the day when we noticed that Owen cut his second tooth. Wicked Pissah (aka, really awesome)!

Heeeyyyyy

Owen's a talker. That's not too surprising. Steve and I are his parents. He's been pretty vocal from the get-go and at six months or so he started saying, "Dada." He says "Mama" too, about one for every 100 Dada's. Not that I'm counting. The newest words in his repertoire are "Hi" and "Hey." It's hilarious, he really does sound like the Fonz. You'll have to take my word for it, we haven't been able to capture Owen Fonzarelli on video. Yet.

Unfortunately, we haven't had a chance to check out the famed fall colors of New England, but we did go to a local apple orchard and farm to enjoy the season. Here's Owen down on the farm. Not the photo-op I was hoping for but momentous, nonetheless. This was the first time that Owen had ever taken an entire bottle on his own.

Come to think of it, we've had a lot of firsts these past few weeks. First time sitting in a shopping cart. As you can see, Owen is taking this very seriously.

First introduction to Cookie Monster. It was love at first sight.

First time eating Cheerios and sitting in a high chair at a restaurant.

But with the good comes the bad. We are also suffering through Owen's first cold and his first tooth. This combo makes for a snotty, drooly and somewhat miserable baby.

Juanny Strikes Again

Here's Johnny relaxing in the backyard this summer. What a good dog. For those of who haven't followed the Johnny saga, things haven't always been easy. Johnny came into our lives in May, 2010 and it seems like we've known him for a lifetime, not just two short years.

We adopted Johnny on a whim from a shelter in Chicago.  All we were told about him was that he was a Shepherd/Chow mix and roughly a year old. What the shelter failed to mention was that Johnny was neutered late resulting in canine Napoleon complex, he wasn't socialized with other dogs and he had a bum knee. But after knee surgery and stint at doggy bootcamp, Johnny was good as new.

For better or worse, Johnny is our dog and we love him but we were a little nervous about how he'd act around Owen. Needless to say we're relieved that Johnny seems to have taken a liking to our little man. Sometimes they even nap together, Owen in his crib and Johnny under the bed.

The Three Amigos  

Johnny knows how to be a good dog but sometimes his Mr. Hyde alter-ego, Juanny, still rears its ugly head. Unfortunately Juanny struck while Steve was in Hong Kong. Blame the police officer blocking our street, the drunk college kids tailgating before the Brown football game (we live down the block from Brown's stadium) or that annoying Psy song playing on repeat, but here's the aftermath of Juanny's wrath.

Yes, Johnny scratched Owen's face. My poor baby! Thankfully, it was a surface scratch, it didn't scar and Owen was honestly upset for about a minute. I, on the other hand, was upset for days and the incident was a reminder not to let Johnny share the backseat of the car with Owen. We all survived Steve's first business trip and the scratch was nearly healed by the time he returned to Providence. Welcome home Daddy!

In other news, Steve's dream of Owen being a baby model has been realized. Check it out!

From the Archives

Owen turned 7 months old on September 9th. I think he's as shocked as we are, the look on his face says it all. To commemorate the occasion, here are some pictures from the archives (I use the term loosely). 

This is Owen and I last September in East Tawas, Michigan. I was about 20 weeks pregnant and had just started showing. Fast forward to February. A new job and a cross country move later, here we are at the hospital the day after Owen was born. Very tired. Very happy.

 Owen Instagram'ed, a new adjective.

Grandpa Stan, Steve and Owen. Three generations of Linker's together. So sweet.

And here are a couple of cute hat pictures thrown in for good measure. This is before Owen figured out how to take them off. Now it's a struggle to keep hats on his head.

Punk rock Owen. Doesn't he look hardcore? 

 

This photo is more recent. A happy Owen sitting-up in his crib after his morning nap.

Stop. You're Under Arrest.

Owen had his first run in with the law, it's true. Much like his Uncles (not his Mom) it was with the feared Park Ridge Police Department. Thankfully his only crime was being cute. Owen's badge reads, "Junior Police Officer," but he looks a little unsure of his assignment. I don't blame you kid.

One thing that our little guy is sure of is having fun. These days fun comes in the form of a walker, an exersaucer and a jumper-roo. Here's Owen out for a "stroll." Unfortunately our house doesn't offer much space to roam but Owen doesn't seem to mind.

A boy and his dog 

An exersaucer came on the scene during our visit to Chicago. This thing kept Owen entertained for 20-30 minutes, maybe more. Amazing. So much so that a new rain forest jumper-roo was waiting when we returned to Rhode Island. Having a toy designer for a Dad means that Owen will never, ever, be in want for toys.

 

Not to worry. Owen's been having plenty of fun outside of the house too and so far has been able to steer clear of the Providence PD. Phew.

The Half-time Report

The last six months have been a blur but we've come a long way since February 9th. It's hard to believe this is the same baby. Melts my heart.

Here's a serious Owen on his six month birthday. As hard as I tried, he had no interest in flashing his adorable toothless grin. But who has time for smiles when you have yet to figure out the key to forward propulsion?

Over the weekend a proud Owen found his smile as he mastered the art of sitting upright. We know that crawling will soon follow and are both excited and terrified for the transition. By the numbers, Owen weighs 18.3 pounds and is nearly 28 inches long. And despite his initial apprehension to solids, it turns out that he's a hearty eater, after all.

In the midst of all this developmental excitement, Owen has been a perfect host and tour guide of his home state. We were lucky enough to have visits from Bubbe, Grandpa Bleeden, Noel and Owen's new buddy Ben. Here are some pictures from our recent adventures.

Enjoying a dramatic reading of the classic, "Are you my Mother?"

Showing New York pride at brunch with Grandpa and Bubbe in Newport 

Visiting our new summer get away, the Breakers

Ben, Owen and Ben's Mom, Elizabeth, geared up for day trip to Cape Cod
 

A couple of beach bums

We'll be ending our first summer together with a trip to Chicago then it's back to the bump and grind. I start school in Boston after Labor Day. While I'm looking forward to Mom's day in the big city it's bound to be a change for us all.

5k is the New Marathon

Here's my little couch (I mean Bumbo) potato watching the Olympics. Not even six months old, Owen is already consumed by the glowing orb, be it the TV, iPad or phone. I didn't think this would happen so quickly. I've already given up watching The Tudors, my new guilty pleasure, in Owen's presence but this latest maneuver was a wake up call to get moving.

Inspired by Team USA, more accurately some stubborn post-baby pounds, I bought a jogging stroller and downloaded a 5k training program. Today is day four, 1.5 miles. In the old days, this would have been a breeze.

Here's Steve cheering me on at mile nine of the 2008 Chicago Marathon. We look so young and... well-rested. Something to aspire to as I struggle through 5k training, my new marathon.

Thankfully, Owen makes an amicable running companion, ever willing to pound the pavement in search of that fabled runner's high. We're both exhausted after our runs but as the saying goes, a journey of 3.1 miles begins with a single step.