He Walks!

Owen's strange ailment went away almost as suddenly as it appeared. Thankfully he started walking again during our vacation and had a great time playing with his cousins and spending time with family. I can say with confidence that we all made great memories and while no one will admit it, I'm pretty sure all were happy to bid adieu to the hysterics of a curious and willful 18 month old and a naughty, itchy dog. 

Steve and I had never been to Maine before and were just blown away by the beauty of Acadia National Park. Needless to say, vacation takes on a different meaning with child but we had fun hiking, biking and just taking in the sites. Here are a few of our best shots.

We took Owen all the way to Maine to go for a bike ride. The excitement of wearing a new "hat" and the soothing hum of nature lulled him into a deep and peaceful sleep. He was dreaming of lobstah, no doubt!

While you can't beat a week in the woods, mosquito bites and all, being with family is irreplaceable. Especially now, living so far away. Owen's cousins are much older than him but they played together like three peas in a pod. He's in love...what can I say?

And here's Grandma in her element, shooting beautiful photography.

As much as I give her a hard time for not taking pictures of people, she was able to capture the Maine crew before we all headed home. Great times!

Transient Syno-what?

It's been a weird week. It all started Monday morning when we noticed that Owen wouldn't bear any weight on his right leg. Three doctor visits and two rounds of x-rays later, the doctor's think he has Transient Synovitis. Basically, a viral inflammation of the hip joints that should clear up on its own. Considering that Owen hasn't been able to enjoy the freedom he so recently discovered, he's in pretty good spirits. 

In other news, our theory that Johnny is a good guard dog has been debunked. Why, you ask? Well, our car was broken into right in our driveway and Johnny (who barks at everything) didn't make a sound. The door was left unlocked (my fault) so no windows were broken and nothing was taken. It's the best outcome possible but still, the whole situation is creepy.

Needless to say, we're all looking forward to a little R&R with the Bleeden's in Bar Harbor, Maine. We leave this weekend for an entire week - Yeah! Pictures to follow but in the meantime here's our "ailing" boy and his very patient dog.

Owen Two-speed

Owen was a late walker. Everyone told us that life would change forever once he was on the hoof. Still, as first time parents we were excited for those first steps, walks to the park, etc. We've been having lots of fun but I think I'm more tired now than when Owen was a newborn. These days Owen pretty much has two-speeds...on and off. If he's not sleeping, he's on the move. 

Here is a rare glimpse of Owen sitting still long enough for me to take his picture. I think he was just in shock that his parents were naive enough to take a 17 month old camping. Not to worry, we all survived our trip to Cape Cod and even braved a night in the rain. Apparently, camping with toddlers isn't the best idea. Hmm, we missed that memo. 

Back in civilization, Owen has been having the most fun discovering new and exciting things. Forget toys, not even his beloved buses can be used as distraction, Owen is more interested in the garbage can, playing with the dog's food, and learning where we keep our food and pots and pans. Just today, Owen brought me a bag of brown sugar from the pantry. He's into everything. What fun...for Owen.

Our adventures continue outside. The other day Mr. two-speed played in some stagnant water. He splashed, jumped and crawled around in nasty grimy water. He was having so much fun, his hair even got wet. I didn't have the heart to stop his good time and only pulled him away when he tried to drink the sludge. Gross. Boys will be boys, I guess!

BUS

I think it's safe to say that we're officially in the throws of Owen's first phase. Buses. Or "buthss" in Owen-speak. The word bus is said with enthusiasm at least 100 times a day. We, of course, are nurturing, err indulging, this new found love with equal enthusiasm. Thanks to Grandma, Owen now has two dope buses to play with.

Owen has been walking (yes walking!) around the house carrying his buses saying "buthss" in a demonic yet very cute voice. Have you ever heard of bus races? Well these, and other manly feats of strength like bus lifting and bus tossing, happen daily here at chez Linker.

All this fun sure is exhausting. After a long day of play its nice just to take a load off and relax.

First Haircut

It was more of a trim but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Even the pacifier, a last vestige from infancy, didn't help soothe poor Owen. This sad boy is home resting after enduring such a traumatic ordeal. Thankfully he will live to see another day.

Chasing Rainbows & Kissing Frogs

 

You know the saying, you have to kiss a few frogs before you learn to walk? Well that's certainly the case for our little love bug. Instead of walking, Owen has been focusing all of his energy on learning to communicate with the world. And communicate he does, with panache! As it turns out, the kid has flair. Case in point. Who knew that cantaloupe could be so disgusting?

Owen's vocabulary is exploding. I nearly fell off my chair recently when out of the blue he said, "BUS," and correctly pointed at a bus driving down the street. In fact he is so smitten with buses that he blows them (and trucks and random dogs and strangers) double kisses. Last week he said, "bye, bus." His first sentence. Or shall I say, "sentence."

Some other new words are birds, bubbles, snack, banana (or 'nana which is also the name of his beloved cousin who came to visit), Dada (much to Steve's delight Owen no longer calls him Mama) and Bubbe, the very interesting lady who talks to him on FaceTime. Being a newcomer to child rearing, watching Owen develop is just so amazing that I can almost forget about the times that I'm annoyed, frustrated and exhausted. 

Here are a few more cute pictures of Owen at the park. Yeah Summer!

Pick a Winner

Owen discovered his nostrils this morning at breakfast. As you can see, he was quite entertained. I wonder, is it too early to start teaching him manners?