Halloween 2012: Our Family is INCREDIBLE!

Jeremy bought this Mr. Incredible costume in 2008 when he rotated at Children's Hospital as a medical student. He later found a toddler costume on clearance and we've held onto it until we had a kiddo that would fit in it. This was the year and while Owen has never seen a movie, let alone the Incredibles, we told him we were all "superheros" and he was thrilled. I used my highly untrained sewing skills to make a costume for Gillen and one for myself - they weren't perfect but I think we looked pretty cute. We all had several layers of sweatpants on so we kept warm.

Someone commented that they can't wait to see what we are next year. I think I set the bar too high for family costumes. I wish we all wore trash bags, that way there would be lots of room for improvement.

Happy Halloween!

Grandma's little menschela

We made the special trip to SanFrancisco with Owen so that he could meet his Great Grandma Florence. She is his paternal great grandmother and is 93 years young. I cannot tell you how joyous this visit with her was. She was so happy to meet Owen and show him off to all the folks in her retirement home. Owen was quite the celebrity and we've come to the conclusion that babies = grandma porn. These ladies were just oozing with excitement when little O flashed his shy smile at anyone who peeked in on him in his carrier (and there were LOTS of them).

The first thing Grandma Florence did was thoroughly check out Owen. Head to toe!

And once he passed inspection (with flying colors, mind you) she smooched on him... A LOT! And when we asked her to smile for the camera, this was her reply:

"Why would I want to look at a camera when I have this time to look at him?"

But finally, between hugs and kisses, we got them both to cooperate.

This was a very special visit for the four of us - one that will be remembered and talked about for a lifetime.

ele haneched sheli (this is my grandson)

The brit of a son should be a heartfelt and joyous experience; a simchah. First and foremost, circumcision is a common thread throughout the fabric of Jewish community. It ties one to both their ancestry and community.

Before entering Canaan, Joshua circumcised the Israelites according to God's command. The Israelites buried their foreskins and blood of the circumcision in earth. Thus, once excised, the orlah is placed in a vessel. Following the bris, the orlah and blood of the covenant are packed for burial. The orlah may be buried anywhere. Though no blessing is recited, it is a good time for mother and father to reflect on the significance of their son's bris and his future place in the Jewish community.

On Friday, March 5, 2010, Owen was circumcised and given his Hebrew name in our home in Dayton surrounded by our family and friends. Because we were moving, we didn't want to leave this small piece of our son behind. We contemplated the perfect place of permanence for our treasure. Jeremy and I came to the conclusion that our first born son's foreskin would be buried in Oregon at the grave of his paternal grandmother - a place where we will always visit and is most sacred to us. This last part of Jewish tradition was incomplete until a few weeks ago, when Owen's Grampie Dick made the trip here, to carry out our wishes.

When he arrived in Portland it was a beautiful day. He went straight to the cemetery to do some maintenance on her grave. He bought fresh flowers, and planted them. At this time, Owen's foreskin, which had been carefully kept frozen and carried across the country, was buried at the top, center of the grave - in the place closest to her heart. The foreskin was placed in a small, black box and enclosed was a tiny document which read:

“This box contains the foreskin of baby Owen David, son of Jeremy and Tamara. He was born on February 24, 2010, and he was circumcised in March of 2010. By Jewish custom, the foreskin is to be buried. So here it will be, close by to the earthly remains of Owen’s paternal grandmother, Caren Reese Krepel. Buried in this grave by Owen’s grandfather, Richard Krepel, on May 31, 2010.”

We were told this was a beautiful moment, on a beautiful day and we are most thankful to Grampie for making the trip and uniting Owen with his Jewish ancestry, and beloved grandmother. In blessed memory.

First Father's Day

Yesterday was a beautiful day and we had a very low-key Father's day. Jeremy had lots of training materials to skim through for work so Owen and I hung out and played most of the day. Daddy chose Red Robin for lunch, so we ventured out after O's nap. Eating out with Owen is always an experience, we're never sure what we'll get. This time, less than ten minutes into being seated O started to fuss. I scooped him out of the carrier and he felt soaking wet. POO CENTRAL. This boy has an uncanny ability to elicit pooh explosions at the most inopportune times. He soaked through both his onesie and his outfit and we were disappointed that the bathrooms (even the FAMILY RESTROOM) were without a changing table. Daddy did a quick change on the marble counter in between the sinks in the bathroom. Yup, Happy Father's Day! Love, Owen!

After waiting over 25 minutes and still no food we had to ask a manager where our order was. Ten minutes later, our food arrived - hot and delicious - but with an increasingly irritable baby. The manager apologized for the mix up and took care of our lunch. Owen was sound asleep before we even left the parking lot and slept through cards and presents. I bought Jeremy some Duke National Championship T-shirts to commemorate the victory in the year of his son's birth. I also bought shirts for Owen for each stage of life. This boy will forever be sporting a 2010 Duke National Championship shirt.

Pooh explosion, free lunch and some Blue Devils apparel. Happy Father's Day Daddy!

(Jeremy and a very sleepy baby Owen)

Mamma's got a brand new do!

After weeks of prying massive amounts of my hair out of Owens tiny, sweaty hands and the fast and furious arrival of summer in our new apartment SANS CENTRAL AIR (thermostat currently reads 81 degrees and the window unit is cursing us), I broke down and cut off my hair. Well, I didn't do it myself (although I've contemplated it over the past few weeks) - the girl who registered us at the Jewish Community Center had a SUPER cute hairstyle so I when she said, "Is there anything else I can help you with?" I asked who cuts her hair. She referred me to an adorable little salon with five chairs less than 3 miles from our house.

I didn't bring a single picture of a random celebrity.

I didn't cry in the car on the way there.

I didn't micromanage while she snipped an enormous pile of my beloved red locks.

I simply said, "I had a baby 4 months ago and my apartment doesn't have A/C. I need something cute and easy... and I don't want to look like frumpy soccer mom."

I didn't even spend the entire car ride home looking at my hair in the rear view mirror and crying. AND I didn't rush home to wash and style it myself.

And when I walked in the door feeling like I left half of my sole to be swept up to tossed away, my sweet husband's face beamed with an enormous SMILE and he said,

I love it - it makes you look young and hip. I just love it.

Owen agreed.

16 weeks

Owen tells a story

I finally figured out how to edit video, which was great because Owen was being adorable this morning during tummy time. I put the camera right next to his cow mirror, he just loves to look at himself and babble away. Check out this boy! (make sure you have the sound turned on for some EXTRA cute baby talk)

Owen's feminine side

Since we're highlighting Owen's feminine side today, I thought I'd show you this ADORABLENESS! Owen received a baby doll from his Grandpa Hal before he was born and right now it is one of his FAVORITE things to play with. He can easily grasp the little doll's hands and shove the soft squishy girl into his mouth. Added bonus - she's a rattle!

Thankfully we don't have a picture of Owen playing with this doll IN THE PINK SWING. That might be a little *TOO* girly - even for a metrosexual guy like O. That kind of picture would surely end up in a high school graduation highlight reel... right after THIS ONE.

Owen says, "So what if I have a baby doll - all the cool kids are doing it!"

More with the cousins

We had a swing shipped to SF as our boy likes to nap ONLY in his swing at home. This cub without a nap = VERY UNHAPPY BOY so we figured a travel swing could meet us there. When we arrived I took one look at the swing and realized why we don't let a color blind Daddy order things online without supervision...

Owen noticed the problem immediately...


But got used to it pretty quickly


and spent the rest of the afternoon giggling as he watched his Daddy play with his cousins.

Owen and Shayna

Owen was reunited with his cousin Shayna this weekend. Shayna carried him into the room during his Brit Milah ceremony - a very special honor.

She was thrilled to see him again and smothered him in kisses.

She spent the weekend reading to Owen, one of his favorite things.
He listened intently to each story and cooed with delight.

It was so nice to see them together.

I think he misses her already! (and so do we!)

Pittsburgh to San Francisco

Five minutes after boarding the flight
Owen and Daddy ready for take off!
(Owen sound asleep after fussing a little on the jetway)

I nursed a little on the way up to make sure my ears didn't pop. As soon as I was done, I fell back to sleep and rested on the middle seat for over two and a half hours!

and then I had a snack (note the lamb feet sticking out)

and then my mommy snuggled me

Before I knew it the 5 hour flight was over and we had landed in California!

Ten little toesies

This past week O found his feet and spends a large portion of his awake time admiring them. In his car seat he stares intently at them and one night - apparently they looked down right hilarious!




In the middle of full out smiles, Owen sticks out his little tongue and turns his head shyly to the side as if to flirt with us. Our sweet bundle is truly a joy!

We're just cheap, that's all

The three of us traveled to SF for five days and four nights WITH ONE BAG. Jeremy insisted with the new "pay for your checked baggage" policy that we only carry one. As we fretted over the 50 lb weight limit and attempted to stuff five days worth of diapers in - I wanted to strangle my husband for his miserly ways. As we were leaving the house with one expertly packed bag, I said to him, "Just so you know, people don't pull off this kind of packing. This is unreal on every level." This comment was not made in a congratulatory tone, but I must admit it was nice to only have one bag to worry about as we strapped ourselves with baby and gear.

We gate checked the stroller/car seat and carried on the travel crib, breast pump and diaper bag. No personal bags for us, no purse for me. Nothing more. When we arrived at the baggage claim we couldn't find our bag, so we asked an agent.

Agent:"How many bags to you have?"

Us: "Just the one."

another agent chimes in: "For the three of you? ONE bag? And you're traveling with a baby?"

Jeremy (proudly): "Yes, a medium sized green bag. It actually weighed in at 49 lbs."

Astonished Agents: "You two should be on some kind of show or something. You are amazing."

As we walked away, bag and baby in hand

Me: "I'm not even going to say it...."

Jeremy: "Good, then don't. I don't want to be on a show, except if it earned us free plane tickets."

Today someone commented that we should be on a show to teach other parents how to do something. We're actually doing something right. That felt nice.

We've landed!

I am happy to report that Owen WAS.AN.ANGEL on the 5 hour plane trip to SF. We had a rough morning as Mr. O decided to wake up at 2:30am and not go back to sleep - we left the house at 5 for the airport. This made for one tired baby (and one EXHAUSTED Mama). By the time we rolled up at the gate at 730am we had a very fussy Owen and we could see the sheer HORROR on the faces of our fellow passengers.

Our boy fussed for a total of five minutes THE ENTIRE FLIGHT. As soon as we were seated, we zipped him into his Woombie he promptly fell asleep while the rest of the passengers boarded (note: United employees SUCK, we were boarding with O during the early boarding group and the gate agent says to us, "You are group two and shouldn't be boarding yet" Jeremy explained that it was our first time traveling with our 3 month old and we could use the extra time to get settled - AND SHE ROLLED HER EYES and said, "next time board with the proper group") We woke a sleeping Owen to nurse during take off, luckily it was just about meal time anyway, and after taking off with ease, he fell asleep. We laid him on the middle seat in between us and he napped for 2.5 hours (and so did Mama!) He woke up to eat, play and read a book with Daddy and then fell asleep again, nursed for decent and was sound asleep when I carried him off the plane. As other passengers passed by our seats they said, "What a sweet baby, good job Mom and Dad" The very same people who scorned at our boy as we boarded, were congratulating us on the way out.

In my opinion, even if he did cry - he's been alive FOR THREE MONTHS - sorry in advance if he didn't have his flight etiquette quite down yet. Over the past few weeks everywhere we go Owen makes someones day with his adorable smiles and coos. If he is fed and rested he could charm the pants off anyone. So many people have commented, "Wow, it must be wonderful to have such a pleasant baby!" and until now our response has been, "He's just fooling you."

I am going to go out on a limb and say... it is blissfully wonderful to have this new Owen. Happy, fed, growing, cooing, smiling little Owen. Our days are spent enjoying him - and even though today was hard and the three hour time change is giving us both a run for our money - I enjoyed my baby all day long.

We've definitely landed.

(took lots of pictures of Owen's first plane ride, will post when we get home!!)

Leaving on a Jet Plane!

Today we are taking Owen to San Francisco to meet his great grandma Florence - he'll also be meeting up with his cousins Ben and Shayna. We are also very lucky to have some wonderful friends in SF who are dying to meet our little one.

Jeremy and I are very anxious about taking O across the country - we booked a direct flight and hope he sleeps on the plane. It will be a rough transition for this little Mr. - the four day trip will give us just enough time to get our internal clocks switched over before we have to turn around and come back. My little cub was a trooper while in utero - we traveled A TON!

... lets hope he likes it just as much as an outside baby!!

Owen David
3 months 1 week and 3 days

There are no words