3 Months

We can hardly believe our baby is 3 months old! And to celebrate - it has been quite an eventful week! First....Seattle "enjoyed" record heat, with an all-time-record-high of 102 degrees! We worked hard to keep Owen cool and comfortable, and are grateful for a portable air conditioner and plenty of fans! Also....drum roll....Owen took a bottle! After 6+weeks of trying every bottle/nipple combo - even special ordering bottles which are supposed to be the very best - we found success in the most unlikely of places. We were at the grocery store on Monday and Linnea saw a cheap bottle with the baby supplies. "Why not", we thought. And guess what....he took it, and has been taking it all week! Of all the expensive bottles we've tried, who knew it would be the $1.65 bottle from the grocery store which would bring us success! Praise God!

3 Month Photos:

Owen (with little friend "Mr. Monkey") in his swing on Seattle's hottest day

The winning bottle! The best $1.65 investment we've ever made!

It's a beautiful sight!

Smiles

Owen had a milestone! No - unfortunately still no bottle (for those who read our last post)...and we are definitely appreciating recommendations and prayers on that subject! :) However Owen did have a big night last night - he went to bed at 8pm, and got up at 8am! Totally through the night! Of course he likely woke many times, but never cried out, and therefore gave his parents their first full night sleep in almost 3 months! Owen is actually a great nighttime sleeper. His pattern lately has included a good 6-8 hour stretch: going down around 7 or 8, often getting up just once around 3 or 4, and sleeping until 7ish. But last night was a first, and although it may not become a pattern yet, it is exciting to know he is capable of sleeping that long on his own. And...after a great night sleep, he was full of smiles this morning! We were lucky enough to catch some of his cute expressions on camera. What a sweetie!

Mama tickling my toes

(are they ticklish yet? either way, it sure made him smile!)

What a grin :)

Happy as can be, sitting in his seat as we enjoyed breakfast at the Pancake House

(Pancakes look yummy, uncle Blake! Can't wait until I can have some!)

4th of July

July has started out to be a big month! In the days leading to the 4th of July weekend, we took a little "family getaway" to Lake Chelan. Owen's first vacation - and we had a great time! We got back just in time to celebrate 4th of July, and couldn't help but look forward to future years when Owen will enjoy fireworks and the entire celebration. The Monday after 4th of July, Linnea headed back to work. It's been a big transition, but we are grateful that her work is letting her bounce between working at the office and from home. Also - the greatest blessing is that both of our moms have been taking turns coming up to help take care for Owen during this transition. Owen has been loving all his grandma time, and we are so grateful for their help and support! Unfortunately, Owen is resisting the bottle which makes going back to work an extra challenge for Linnea. We've tried every version of a bottle we can find, but no luck yet. I think perhaps we have a strong willed child on our hands! :) Owen is now 11 weeks old - and changing all the time! He is such a joy. He is becoming more-and-more interactive and he smiles often, although it's still hard to catch those grins on camera.

Loving the swing!

2 Months Old and growing so big!



View from our hotel room at Lake Chelan




Out on a walk - enjoying our vacation!

Happy 4th of July!

Back from a walk with Grandma Julie.

Owen is exhausted from all the exercise!

Original Pancake House

Congratulations Blake & Angie on the opening of your new restaruant - the Original Pancake House! Along with business partners (and friends) Ryan & Elizabeth Medford, Blake & Angie celebrated the opening with a Friends & Family day this past Saturday, and the official "opening" on the following Monday. The food is fantastic, service is excellent, and owners are wonderful! :) We are so proud of them and look forward to many yummy "pancake breakfasts" in the weeks and years to come!

Proud new restaurant owners - Blake & Angie!

Owen enjoying the food and crowds at the Friends & Family event

Proud sister & mom

Yum! The Apple Pancake!



What a party!




6:00am - Opening Morning!



Congratulations Blake & Ryan! The best is yet to come!

Fathers Day

Happy 1st Fathers Day, Brian!

Our baby is already 7 Weeks Old!

Alki Beach for a Father's Day Dinner at one of our favorite restaurants - Cactus!

(for those not from Seattle, Alki Beach has a fantastic view of the city.

See the Space Needle in the background!)

Owen giving his first Fathers Day card to his daddy


A little tummy time with dad

Looking and cooing at the toys in the "rainforest" gym!

Hello Bird! Want to be my friend?

Road Trip to Oregon

Last weekend Owen took his first road trip...or overnight trip of any kind, for that matter! We headed to Oregon to introduce Owen to additional family members and to many of our Oregon friends. Our parents joined together and hosted an Open House on Sunday at Linnea's parent's house, and we were privileged with over 100 people who came by to say hello and meet Owen! We feel truly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family who join us in celebrating Owen's arrival, and for all the love and support they give so generously to our family.

Loading the car for the trip.

Owen was given his own little travel bag, with his name embroidered! Too cute!

Owen slept the whole way (whew!)

Once we arrived, he enjoyed some snuggle time with Grandpa Clark.

This weekend was also Grandpa Clark's birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad!

Linnea's parent's house (where Linnea grew up) looking beautiful for the Open House

The flowers and yard look wonderful, mom!




Lounging on the couch and watching all the action

Hanging with Uncle Brent

Owen can't take his eyes off him! So cute!

Owen's 3 Grandpas

aka: Owen's future Soccer... Basketball... and Baseball coach - respectively!

Owen's 3 Great-Grandmas!

Family Photo :)

Owen did so well being passed around and meeting all the new people!

Here he's comfortably snuggling in the arms of Mary Gene Atwood

Thank you to all of our friends and family who were able to come meet Owen!
This is just a small sampling of those who stopped by.

You can click on the image to make it larger.

Owen after the party - sleeping soundly on Uncle Brent's lap

Quick stop for a feeding on the car ride home.

What a great weekend!

Week 6 - Smile!

Owen is 6 weeks old, and what a fun week! Owen is certainly becoming his own little person - quickly looking less like a newborn and more like a baby. He's smiling more and more (which we love!) and is very alert - focusing on faces and some toys (his favorite is a little red bird on his mobile by his changing table). We also took his first road trip this past weekend to introduce Owen to family and friends in Oregon! We'll share photos from the weekend in our next posting.

Big Smile!

Hi little red bird! I love to look, smile and talk to you!