Week 7: Bouncing baby Owen

 In week 7, Owen got to meet his other grandfather, Pops!  And honorary grandma Helen!  They arrived on Monday and stayed through the week.

While they were here, they got to see Owen do some new things.  He is not just staring at one thing anymore, but looking all around the room with interest and curiosity.  He turns his head and follows moving people with his eyes--especially me!  He also started doing this really cute thing where if I am holding him facing out to see the world, and I start speaking, he turns to look up at me like "Wow!  Mom is up there, amazing!"

Pops and Helen also got to witness first-hand the new favorite activity: bouncing.  Owen loves to bounce in his bouncing chair.  A lot of times he likes it much better than being held.  He waves his arms and legs around, looks around the room, looks out the window, looks at the people, and occasionally he nods off for a nap, all while bouncing.  We have our friend Jackie to thank for giving us the fancy chair we have--I don't think a flimsier model could stand up to the ongoing perpetual bounce machine that is Owen.  He doesn't bounce himself yet, but it's easy to put one foot on the chair and keep it moving for him.  If the bouncing stops, the fussing begins.

I like to sing him a little song when he's fussing and squirming, to the tune of David Bowie's "Let's Dance":
Let's bounce!
Put on your bounce pants and bounce the bounce
Let's bounce to the bounce in the bouncing chair!
etc.

He also occasionally likes to be in the Moby carrier which is elastic so it has a fair amount of bounce, especially if Mom dances to Michael Jackson songs.  This works well when he's overtired and can't get to sleep on his own. 

Speaking of fussing, there has been plenty of fussing but very little inconsolable and unexplainable crying.  He still cries, especially when he gets overtired in the afternoon, but the colicky period seems to have come to a close already.  We are thankful for every day that goes by without that nonsense.  We're trying hard to get him to bed before he turns into a gremlin at 8:00 pm, and sometimes he goes to bed as early as 6.  This means he has some really early mornings (this morning he was ready to roll for the day at about 4 am), but we prefer the schedule disruption to another two or three hours of crying at night.  Plus it makes it easier to fix dinner and eat if he's already asleep.    

Owen has been in a little bit of a feeding frenzy lately, eating a more frequently and waking up more at night.  On Friday afternoon Owen weighed TWELVE POUNDS!  Holy moly gauacamole!  I know they are supposed to grow up fast but this is ridiculous!  His cheeks are wider than the rest of his head, and his formerly muscular thighs are now sporting a double roll at mid-quadriceps.  Everyone who sees him comments on his cheeks.  They are very pinchable. 

Last but certainly not least, Owen is smiling a lot more.  He is happiest right after he wakes up for the day, but he can be a real charmer at any time of the day.  He particularly likes to give a big adorable grin to a person who is looking right at him and talking to him.  It's pretty awesome.  It just makes you want to squeeze him. Yesterday we attended the wedding of a close friend from UCLA, and shortly after we arrived a group of my colleagues from school were crowded around to meet him.  He smiled and you could have heard them all squeal from the next block.

 

Keep it up, Owen!