Kind of like the cheesy book they published while Bill and I were working at Random House - Tuesdays with Morrie - except MUCH better, Megan brought Monty over for some playtime with Owen, both vertical and horizontal:
Owen in his raccoon pajamas. In a skintight final appearance, I knew it was time for these beloved pjs (6-12m) to be retired. Weighing in at 20 lbs. 9 1/2 oz. on April 9, Owen is now wearing 12-18m or 18-24m clothes. This is Owen's new trick to stand up while holding on with one hand:
Daniel and Anne came over for a romp. Daniel, who is almost 5 months older than Owen, has lots of tricks to teach him. (Amazing that Owen looks bigger than Daniel in this photo. I think they weigh the same.)
In mid-March, Owen got to meet his Uncle Phil for the first time. Phil, with his snazzy camera and mad photo skillz, did a Hunt Russell photo shoot starring Owen.
The first weekend in March, Owen crossed state lines for the first time on our trip to Charleston to accept Bill's job offer and to begin our house hunt. Below, pictured at South of the Border: There were several firsts on this trip. Looking for an easy landmark to meet up with Aunt Jean and seeing the "Hot Now" sign, one of them was Owen's first visit to Krispy Kreme: Owen most certainly would have eaten a doughnut had he been offered one (he's eyeing mine here):
On Feb. 20 at 4 1/2 months old, Owen had his first taste of rice cereal. A disgusted face greeted each bite, but he kept coming back for more. Kind of like the Woody Allen bit in Annie Hall: "There's an old joke - um... two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, 'Boy, the food at this place is really terrible.' The other one says, 'Yeah, I know; and such small portions.'"
These photos were taken on Saturday, February 7. It was an absolutely splendid day in Chapel Hill that felt like mid-May. We took Owen out on the deck, stripped him down, and let him bask in the sunshine (which up until then had only touched his face and hands). He found this experience extremely relaxing and enjoyable (see 2nd photo below) -- so much so that he had his first laugh, very fittingly inspired by his Dad (see 4th photo below). A perfect day.
Some may find the below photo indecent, and Owen may express displeasure years from now at having a naked picture of him put online, but c'mon people: I captured the urine mid-stream.
Last weekend, we took Owen on this first road trip to Emerald Isle for some face time with the Atlantic Ocean. I think it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.