Bloggogriff

I hope everyone had a blessed and blissful Thanksgiving. This was the first time in about seven years that we didn't cook the dinner; instead, we went over to our friends Andrew and Jeanne's place for a large gathering of about 15 people. There were four different cranberry sauces, so you know it was good. Owen was amazingly well-behaved in the challenging environment (loud unfamiliar place + a bunch of strangers + up way past his bedtime). He tried bits of mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and candied sweet potatoes, but the thing he really liked was the Martinelli's sparkling apple juice. Somehow, he managed to dribble far less of it down his chin than he ever does with water. It's a little early, but I just might get the Christmas tree out of its box tonight.

Owen is developing a sense of humor - by which I mean he is now laughing at things we say, not just at tickles. His favorite joke goes like this: "Peas, please!" For some reason, he thinks that is the funniest phrase in the world. He is also quite amused by "Peas boo boo!" and "Barack Obama!" - or, once he gets wound up, practically anything. But "Peas, please" cracks him up almost any time. It's a good thing he enjoys jokes now, because between trying desperately and unsuccessfully to crawl and feeling two more teeth coming in, he hasn't been in such a great mood the last few days.

Owen can sit up on his own now. His front bottom teeth are coming in. And best of all... Barack Obama is his new president. (Our happiness last night was only marred by this morning's news that the heinous Prop 8 had passed. Nothing is perfect in this world of woe.)

Guess who Owen was for Halloween! (More pictures available on Flickr.)

It won't be Owen's half-birthday until Wednesday, but close enough. Here's what he's been up to lately: Eating: We started solids this month! He now eats rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and carrots (the latter two lovingly prepared by chef Eric, who did his part to stimulate the economy by buying a real food processor, the better to make baby food with, my dear). Owen loves to hold the spoon himself and pull it to his mouth. He also likes drinking cold water from a cup, although at least half of it runs down his front. Motor skills: In the last few days he has started to sit up unassisted for two or three seconds at a time. With support, he sits very well. He is adept at rolling over and has figured out that rolling repeatedly in the same direction provides a degree of (gasp) independent mobility. He has gotten as far as three feet from his starting point. Time to start the babyproofing. Socializing: He loves seeing the "big kids" and his caregivers at Sacred Hea...

There were a couple of things I wanted to do this weekend: hit REI for some shopping, watch the Soapbox Derby in Dolores Park, visit our friends Cathy and Russell and their daughter Josie in San Mateo. We didn't do any of those things. Instead, we got to check out Long Hospital's pediatric ward. Thursday evening, Owen came down with a case of croup. I only knew what it was because one of his day care classmates just had it. The only thing I knew about croup before now was that it figured in Anne of Green Gables (although I don't precisely remember how). It is a scary little viral infection that mostly targets kids under six. The soft tissues in the throat get inflamed and swollen, causing a cough that sounds like a seal barking and, sometimes, difficulty breathing as the airway gets narrower and narrower. The basic home treatment is Tylenol for the fever and steam from the bathroom shower for the breathing. Around 8 p.m. Friday night, Owen had a major coughing fit with ver...

Yesterday we took Owen to the De Young museum to see the visiting exhibit of Dale Chihuly glass. He liked all the pretty colors! The pictures are not great (phone camera, low light, no flash allowed) but you get the idea. If this show comes to your area, it's well worth it. In other news... it's not easy to find time for blogging lately. Eric and I are both working like mad and mostly collapsing at the end of the day. Owen has had a cold for about a week now, which he gave to both of us, and we think he's teething - lots of fussiness and chewing. On a more positive note, he has mastered rolling back-to-front and can occasionally manage front-to-back. We need to go buy a high chair next so we can start him on solid food.