We've been busy around here, travelling to Comox and Courtenay, Roberts Creek and Gibsons.

Owen is now crawling and getting into everything that he shouldn't and touching everything that we don't want him to. How do babies know how to do that, huh?

He is sleeping really well, logging in 12+ hours a night, plus some naps during the day.

Owen has fallen in love with himself (in the mirror), and continues to squack happily at the sight of dogs or other children.

He loves bananas ("na nas") & his "dada" and "mama."

Scrunchie

Owen has started making this funny, scrunched-up face when the camera appears. I think he's showing off his four teeth.

Garden Lunch

A few weeks ago, we visited old friends of mine at their cozy home and huge garden. We all worked together ages ago (1997!) at a bookstore, lost touch, reconnected, and now have children of our own. Laura was kind enough to invite us for a delicious garden lunch and kiddo playtime. We had a wonderful time and can't wait to do it again!

Enjoying the Moment

Owen turned nine months old last week, and I've started to think more and more about returning to work, finding care for our baby, and how we're going to find a balance between work/family. Over the past few months, Owen has become more and more of a joy to spend time with. Playing with him, watching him discover and explore the world, communicating the best we can with him, it's all so exciting.

So this morning, as I sat in the hallway and watched our baby boy scoot, slither, and hop his way into the bathroom to explore this BRAND! NEW! UNDISCOVERED! PLACE!, I thought about how this little boy is going to grow into a man. He's going to experience all the ups and downs that go along with life, and we can't always protect him. I wish that he may be lucky enough to find a partner with whom he may be blessed enough to one day have a little one of his own. And he may find himself on the floor, covered in drool, watching his own baby uncover all the crooks and crannies of it all.

Our Sunday Went Swimmingly

We swam, sunned, and snacked at New Brighton Pool late this morning.

Our Triumphant Return

We survived a two-day road trip with an almost-nine-month-old to Calgary and back. Owen was a gem and happily slept, played, babbled, or looked out the window while we admired the Rockies. He got to spend quality time with nana and grandpa, met his Auntie Jen and Uncle Paul for the first time, played a lot with his cousins, and attended his very first Calgary Stampede! We met Bobs and Lolo, had BBQs, visited Heritage Park, got a tan (despite our best efforts to keep him SPFed and shaded), and tried the pool again (he loved it!).

Eating: The Middle Frontier

As Owen nears 9 months, he has decided that he wants to assert some independence. He is persistent. This morning, he tried to feed himself his oatmeal/banana/yogurt/cinnamon breakfast. I just sat back and tried not to freak out about the mess. The mess is inevitable and will only get worse. It's just the begininning, so I'm trying to not think about the floors and the laundry, the highchair, his face...