The Mezgers: We're back and bigger than ever!

Hey all you Owen-update-junkies (you know who you are)--we're back! I apologize for the delay in posting. As you can imagine, getting settled back in after our two-week trip has taken longer than expected! First, a run down of our wonderful trip to TX, then an update on the little guy.

CHRISTMAS

Owen's first Christmas was wonderful! Owen and I went to Austin a week before Kyle (who worked like a hospital troll while we were gone--boy did we miss him!). We spent time w/ my family and celebrated Owen's first first Christmas. As expected, Bee (my mom) couldn't get enough of her "grandboy" and this gave me a much needed break. But with almost comedic timing, Owen had a fit every time Bee took care of him while I showered or Sido came near. (It was nothing personal against them, but it did confirm Kyle's observation that Owen definitely knows who Momma is and he doesn't like other people pretending!) As long as I wasn't in the shower, he was great and tolerated lots of Christmas errands with Bee. (She got really good at imitating my "high mommy voice".

Grandstan (my dad) also got to babysit quite a bit. He perfected the front-facing hold/swing which we all had to learn, and managed to never change a diaper. And Uncle Alex (my brother), nervous at first, liked checking in on his little pal. He even showed some of his friends how to hold "the baby". We all had a great time laughing at some of Owen's new tricks (more on that in a minute).

Then Kyle got into town (not without first getting stranded in DC for a night) and we spent time in Meridian with Nana (his mom) and Luke (his brother), Melissa (Luke's wife) and Bailey (Owen's cousin--3.5 weeks older) for Owen's second first Christmas. This was the first time for the cousins to meet or us to meet Bailey, them to meet Owen. It was so special. Nana cried the first time she held both of them. And at first Owen couldn't stop staring at Luke (looks like Kyle but with much more hair)! It was so fun to have both of the babies together (in their matching Christmas jammies). They couldn't be more night and day. Beyond the obvious difference of being a girl, Bailey is seemingly always content. It's as if she's saying, "hey guys, I'm cool, don't worry about me!". She's the most chilled out baby I've ever met...a far cry from Owen. We hope they grow up to be great friends (and Owen one day sleeps as good as Bailey)!

Another really special thing was that Owen got to meet both of his living great-grandmothers (my dad's mom and Kyle's mom's mom). We got four-generation photos with both of them. He also met one of my aunts, two of his second cousins some dear friends: Stephanie (and her fiancee--congratulations!), Taylor and the Fosheas (welcome baby Emmy!).

We also got to spend a day at Camp Buckner (where Kyle, Luke and I were campers and on staff which is how Kyle and I met) for a counselor reunion and 20-year celebration. Last summer was the last year they'll be doing summer camp. We had fun reliving camp memories (so many to choose from) but it was sad to think that Owen and Bailey won't get to go there. Most of the former staff/campers are disappointed with the decision (and the reasoning behind it), but Kyle was good to remind me that God and his work are bigger than that place, no matter how special. So, Ooooooooweeeee and go go Comanches!

I can't write about Owen's first Christmas without mentioning a few favorite Christmas presents (in no particular order):

A very colorful Lamaz Moose that Owen loves
Lots of great books, but we have two favorites: "Owen and Mzee"...it's the true story of a 110 year old tortoise (Mzee) that adopted an orphaned baby hippo named Owen. Precious. And "First Bible Stories".
Two backpacks for Owen--one he fits in so we can take him hiking, and one he'll use (someday) that has farm animals and his name on it. Also precious.
All of our 9 "baby's first Christmas" ornaments. All special.
His first Christmas pjs (a Bee Christmas Eve tradition).
A really soft brown jacket with a hood and ears, yes, ears. Owen looks like a little ewok. More precious!

OWEN AT THREE MONTHS OLD (yesterday)

Owen seemed to turn a couple of corners while we were in TX. My dad said it was because he finally felt "at home". Perhaps nearing the three-month mark also contributed to it. I'm not going to argue about the why...

He is consistently sleeping during the night (meaning, no waking up and thinking its day and wanting to play). He even has a somewhat regular bedtime (although later than we would like) and waking-up time. (Now we're working on sleeping through the night (down with the 2 am feeding)! His naps are getting easier too. He still cries before sleep every time--I guess its his way of expending some energy. But in general he's a much happier baby. We used to have way more fussy time than happy time and its now completely the opposite, which is such a blessing! He's even liking, yes, liking his baths! He still looks at us with his most serious face, and he's not exactly splashing about or playing with his rubber ducky, but it does seem to calm him and we don't have to work to keep him from crying. Oh, he's also decided on a new favorite position...it used to be all cuddly all your shoulder, sort of hanging off your arm, but now he must face forward (what a particular little booger!).

He's so much more interactive now too...with us, and with his world (it's amazing how much he changes in just two weeks!). He continues to be enthralled with faces, particularly faces making noises. Sometimes it seems like he's actually trying to mimic the noises. And if you catch him in just the right mood, you can stick your tongue out and move it around and after a minute of watching he'll do the same! It's hysterical!

Until Christmas, I hadn't bothered with any real baby toys because he didn't seem to notice/care about them so we didn't travel with any. Then one night my mom hung a Christmas tree ornament (plush green clown) from his car seat bar and he went WILD. Eyes wide wide open. Arms and legs flailing. The car seat started rocking back and forth. It was a magical moment for little Owen. (Thank goodness we caught it on film.) He was swatting at that little clown and he knew that his movements were making it move (even if he wasn't sure if it was his arms or legs)! Then, the green clown got replaced by Moosey and we haven't looked back! (His intense look while he plays with Moosey does make it look they're fighting each other...like Owen thinks Moosey is trying to attack him from his suspended position!)

Our other fun new game is when I gently blow in his face (it sounds mean but he loves it). It takes his breath away (he does a little baby gasp) and then grins from ear to ear. This can be repeated every few seconds for minutes at a time. Blow, gasp, smile, repeat! (Also caught on camera.)

The other development to mention is physical. Owen went to TX with PJs that fit and returned with no PJs that fit. He's wearing some 6 and some 9 month clothes already! My mom gave him a onsie that says "well rounded" on it...how fitting! Oh, and did I mention the thumb sucking? Yes, we've moved from hands/knuckles to actually finding the thumb (and since he won't take a pacifier, I think this is great)!

Okay, I'll wrap this super-long post up with some favorite pictures from Christmas in TX. I'll probably post more later once we get the photos from other family members cameras. Combined, we probably took several hundred...can you blame us?

CHRISTMAS PHOTOS

Kyle, Owen, BB and Nana Franny