Time Flies

The thing that has surprised me most since our L'il Linker has come onto the scene is how quickly the day goes by. Don't get me wrong, I'm usually counting down the seconds until Steve gets home from work but on most days it's mid-afternoon before I know it. Last week I realized that it was already 4 pm and I hadn't even brushed my teeth (sorry Owen). I was warned about this baby time warp but didn't get it until now. It's a good day if I can do a little laundry, tidy up the house and go for a walk. I tip my toothbrush to Mom's with more than one kid, these little ones are time consuming!

March 9th marked the one month anniversary of Owen's earthly debut. Unfortunately it's taken me an additional two weeks to write this post. Blame baby time warp.


I would describe the last six weeks as overwhelmingly joyous with punctuations of tremendous frustration. I spend a lot of time just staring at Owen and am amazed that grown adults can get so excited by bodily functions considered rude in polite circles. In recent weeks Owen has met his Bubbe Linker, Great Aunts Naomi and Carole, Great Uncles Lew and Alan, cousin Gregg and Aunt Tracey. He's also reached some exciting milestones: outgrowing his newborn clothes and tolerating bath time. If only that calm would translate to diaper and clothing changes. Soon enough, I suppose.

Bubbe's got the magic touch

Those of you who know Steve or are familiar with the web site, stuff on my cat, will appreciate this shot.

Ugly Baby

Ugly baby? Hardly.

This picture of Owen with his first Uglydoll gives perspective of his size. His weight gain has been slow going (wish I had that problem) but nearly a month old, Owen has finally exceeded his birth weight. Good boy!

In case you've been wondering, the Linker household has been occupied with typical baby things...eating, sleeping and pooping. Owen's favorite pastimes include, catching a catnap after eating;


crying hysterically during and immediately following bath time and/or a diaper or clothing change;


and staring blankly, I mean affectionately, at those who feed, torment and soothe him.


Mom, Dad and the pets are coping with the sleep deprivation as well as can be expected. I, for one, haven't appreciated caffeine this much since my college days. But Johnny has really taken the advice to "sleep when the baby sleeps" to heart.


Working within the short window between Owen's feedings, we've been trying to get out of the house as much as possible. Last weekend we tempted fate and bravely made a trip to Newport with Aunt Linnea, who was visiting from New York. It was the fastest nice meal I've ever eaten in my life. Amazingly we made out with nary a squeak from Owen. Here's our first family picture taken at dinner. If you look closely you can see Owen's forehead.


Bubbe Linker arrives from California tomorrow. Here's hoping our ugly baby is on his best behavior!

Many Faces of Owen

The Resemblance is Uncanny

We've been having great time getting to know little Owen during the past few weeks. There have also been a lot of firsts: Owen meeting Grandpa Linker; Owen meeting Grandma Bleeden and promptly peeing on her; my first time eating sushi, deli meat and lox in over 9 months; and the first time uttering the words, "Honey can you please pass the burp cloth and the nipple cream." Yes, it's a whole new world!

Owen has also revealed his signature move. In fact, he's sleeping like this while I type.

We've also been learning a lot about Owen's personality. He likes riding in the car and going on walks.

He often eats himself into a food coma.

And he's generally happy. Except for when he's not...

Baby O's First Days

Owen Matthew Linker made his debut on February 9th at 5:15 pm, weighing in at 8 lbs, 15 oz and 21 inches. After waiting 41 long weeks, Steve and I finally welcomed little Owen into the world. Here are some pictures of our beautiful baby boy.

All bundled up and ready to head home.

As you can see, Owen has spent most of his time sleeping and just being adorable. Everyone in the Linker household is doing well and getting settled into our new life together. More to come...time for another feeding.

The Illusive Owen

My February 2nd due date has come and gone which has given me an opportunity to nest and get hooked on trashy TV (err, Gossip Girl). This weekend we also put the finishing touches on Owen's nursery. More accurately, Steve was patient enough to affix sailboat decals on the wall while I sat on an exercise ball. Apparently this is supposed to naturally induce labor. We also thought a Giants Superbowl win would coax him out. No such luck.

Here's the finished nursery. Come on Owen, we're ready for you!






And here's Johnny, just because he's so cute!

Waiting

I heard on the radio this morning that January 31st is the birthday of Philip Glass and Justin Timberlake. Before leaving for work Steve gave my stomach a pep talk but, alas, I don't think that little Owen will share his birthday with these American musical icons. So I've spent my day...waiting. Now, don't get me wrong, it's been nice not having to work. It's also been really weird.

I ordered a new clock for our sparsely decorated mantle that will replace the Lego replica of the John Hancock building. In hindsight, it's kind of an ironic purchase, right?


I also spent some time waddling around Providence Place mall and took myself to an afternoon showing of The Iron Lady. Meryl Streep was amazing, of course, but overall I thought the movie was just okay. Check out the view from the mall overlooking downtown Providence. Not too shabby!


Steve and I have been trying to eat out as much as possible these days. Partly to sample the culinary delights of Providence (and have good places to eat when we have visitors - hint, hint) but mostly because we know that going out to dinner will soon be a luxury. In fact, we ate dinner in last night only because we vowed to go out tonight.

Before dinner, I was hoping that we could also check out Brown University's Ladd Observatory. The observatory has a 12 foot telescope (good for making a close-up wish upon a star) and is open to the public on Tuesday evenings. It also happens to be down the street from our house. Unfortunately it's closed tonight due to weather forecast.

Fingers crossed that our days of waiting are numbered.

Four Legged Kids

Before the main attraction arrives I wanted update everyone on how Johnny and Sydney are adjusting to life in Rhode Island.

I’m happy to report that Johnny passed his temperament test with flying colors and has been accepted as a member of the esteemed Ocean Dog Club (aka, doggie daycare). He is known affectionately at the Pawtucket dog park by his gangster name, Johnny from Chicago. The other dogs know not to mess with him.

He also enjoyed playing in this year’s first snowfall and has taken his role as guardian of Savoy Street very seriously. It's tough being a dog, all these changes are exhausting.

Sydney is happy as can be and spends her days looking out the window at squirrels and birds. Being a city cat, she has never lived so close to the ground. Another of her favorite pastimes is napping on my growing belly. It seems that Syd and Owen have taken quite a liking to each other.

All in all, Johnny and Syd's love-hate relationship continues. We're hoping that having a common enemy will bring them closer together. Here I am at 39 weeks pregnant. I wonder if our four legged kids know they're about to be trumped?