Our home away from home

Wow. I haven't blogged in several months! Sorry about that faithful readers...it seems I have been filling my extra time when O is napping with my newly rekindled love for knitting (read obsession). I have been a stitchin' fiend lately! Hopefully I can get caught up to present tense with a few blog entries over the next few days. :)

In November, Roby and I traveled to southern CA with Owie. Originally the trip was for Roby's Breast Cancer walk event, but we combined it with a small business trip for him, as well as a time to stay with our friends the Kellys and visit our old pals and haunts. We had a wonderful stay, filled with many firsts for our little guy.

The day after we arrived, we went to Disneyland with Dannielle, her parents Ron and Judi and her kids Aidan and Emma. Owen didn't know what to think as he took all the sights and sounds in. We enjoyed a day spent strolling through the most magical place on earth, introducing Owen to the characters (he seemed a bit timid around the life-size bugs and Pluto) and accompanying the kids on rides. Aidan and Emma even had their picture taken with Jasmine (Emma's favorite princess of the moment) and Aladdin. The day wore Owen out and he slept through the Nightmare Before Christmas and Pirates of the Carribean rides. We bought Mickey Ears for him and he actually kept them on for over an hour...he MUST have been tired to leave a hat on that long! In the evening we watched the parade and Owen pointed, with eyes lit up and grin spreading, at Mickey-his favorite Disney character.

Owen loved to hang out with the big kids, and it was so cute to see them all lined up in their carseats in the backseat when we drove anywhere. Aidan celebrated his fifth birthday when we were there, complete with a knights and princesses birthday party! We were happy to be there for the event because we have missed out on so many since we moved. It seemed just like old times hanging with the Kelly family, enjoying meals together, a night out while Judi and Ron watched the kids, a trip to San Diego to visit one of Dannielle's friends, and lunch at a killer taco joint and a trip to the beach. Owen, hesitant at first, stepped onto the sand with his bare feet and seemed to like it. We took him down by the water, which he was fascinated with...that is until a small wave knocked him down, scaring him. He got right back up though and just kept his distance from the water. I love the pics we took of him looking out on the horizon, waves lapping near his feet, his itty bitty footprints leading up to the water's edge = precious. Aidan and Emma got a little more wet than we all had anticipated so it was funny to have to strip them all down for the drive home with sand lodged in every conceivable place.

During our stay, we were able to grab Pedro's burritos (their bean and cheese with potatoes are thee best!) with Jo and Steinar and head over to a park overlooking the ocean not far from where i used to work with them at The Jesus Film Project. (I tend to forget how beautifully scenic our surroundings were when we lived in Cali....I guess we took them for granted, but I sure miss them now!) We enjoyed catching up and introducing Owen to them. Next we headed over to the Project with them and had a little bit of time to visit with former co-worker friends (although our time was entirely too short.) Our friends Vicky, Casey and their son Asher joined us for dinner at the Kelly house, and I was able to visit Vicky and Asher again during one of the days. We also caught up with Angela and Anil over an Italian lunch in LA.

During our visit, our friend Julie (who I've known since I was four and through whom Roby and I met) drove down from Santa Cruz with her two kids, Kaia and Micah. We had not seen our goddaughter Kaia in awhile, and had yet to meet Micah and introduce Owen to them. We had a wonderful time of reconnecting and were crazy enough to take the kids to Chucky Cheese for Kaia's fourth birthday on a day that school was out...the kids had a great time running around like miniature crazy people, eating, dancing, etc. We couldn't resist dressing Micah and Owen in matching "Chick Magnet" shirts, and, being only a month apart age-wise, people kept asking us if they were twins! Later that day we revisited an old coffee shop haunt (Alta) in Newport Beach, before meeting up with some friends from the first church we went to in CA for dinner. At the restaurant, Julie surprised me when Kenny, a friend from high school who we haven't seen in years, showed up, as well as an old friend Mark from back in our 'zine writing days! Wow, reconnecting everywhere! Gotta love it! We also were able to meet up with Julie and the kids the following morning for a birthday breakfast for Kaia at Ruby's before they left for up North. We were so thankful that during this trip we were able to meet Micah and spend quality time with Julie and the kids...it had been way too long! (Back in PA we saw each other every day...and now we are lucky if we see each other once a year. Maybe some day we will end up in the same location, who knows!)

Our friends from here, Hank and Amanda, got married in Monterey, CA, on a cliff overlooking the Pacific the weekend before we arrived. Congrats guys! Roby participated in the Breast Cancer Walk with them in San Diego (this was Amanda's third year and Hank's second). Although Roby had not trained nearly enough, he was able to come out of the experience only sore for a few days, but with a new understanding of how important the fight against this horrible disease is. He enjoyed hearing people's story of survival and was happy to be a part of something so important. Thank you to all of you who financially sponsered Roby for the walk, we can't think of a more worthwhile cause for money to go toward. Thank you so much for sharing this with him! (When I find the picture of him on the walk, I will post it.)

Dannielle invited me to her monthly Bingo night with several of the neighbors from her street. This group has been getting together for years for a fun evening filled with great food, wine, cool prizes and, of course, Bingo...but this isn't your grandmother's bingo! I had such a wonderful time that i quickly thought to myself, I MUST start something similar with my girlfriends (since the neighbors here don't really talk to us that much :) in TN. Sooooo, last Saturday, we met at my house for our first Bingo night. It is always great to see how my various friends (my new mommy friends, a friend from church, and Roby's co-workers or spouses of his co-workers) get along so well. We enjoyed a Mexican feast, complete with wine, frozen pina coladas and strawberry daiquiries...played Bingo and exchanged awesome prizes...and Alyson won the grand prize $45. Woohoo! We all were enjoying the chance to unwind/chillax and share in some girl conversation without having to worry about our children (who were all with their pappas). Thanks, Dannielle, for the inspiration behind our successful get-together...we all look forward to continuing it through the upcoming months!

Words to describe our fall trip to California? Wonderful. Much needed. Appreciated. Magical. We were thrilled to see Owen so happy as he took everything in at Disneyland and Chuckie Cheese, ran around at the park, saw the ocean for the first time, experienced the sand and waves, and played with his little friends. We have some really great friends on the Left Coast who we miss dearly, and we are so thankful we were able to reconnect again. We hope we can make the trip once a year, but we know it won't always work out. Thank you Andrew and Dannielle for letting us stay with you for a week and for being patient with little leggo stealer Owen! We had a blast and missed you guys the minute we left. Looking forward to the time we will see you all again!

Owie Update

This first year of Owen's life really has flown by. I guess the cliche floating around-"they grow up so fast"-really is true. Roby is a touch sad that our little baby isn't a baby anymore, but I am truly loving the phase he is in right now. Owen has been completely mobile for a few months (although running after him to save him from peril and catching him on the stairs 5,000 times a day tends to wear me out) and is able to communicate more with us. He still only signs "all done," but we think he uses the same sign with only one hand for both "more" and "milk." Even if we don't quite get what he is telling us, it is so awesome to see him actively trying to communicate with us. He has done a swell job of mimicking many words we say and has said "all done," "yes," "book," "ball," and a few others. He says "mo" for "more," which I think is so cute, and my favorite thing he utters about 10,000 times a day is "Uh-Oh!" He loves that word and isn't afraid to use it, in context, out of context, you name it.

If you ask Owen what a lion says, he growls this adorable little growl (the same he uses when chasing the kitties.) Anytime he picks up an animal toy or sees one on tv or in a book, he growls, even if it is a goose :) Every time he holds a stuffed animal he kisses it, and he spends every morning taking nearly every book he owns off his shelf and bringing them to me or whoever he wants to share his treasures with...hmmm...could this mean we have a future lover of literature, and possibly writer, on our hands? I squeel in delight at the thought!

I never really noticed how observant O was before. Every day he does something that amazes me. He is forever trying to put Roby's shoes on and brings me his little socks he finds (by the end of the day he may be wearing 3 socks on one foot!) If you mention a phone to him, he will put a toy or his hand up to his ear and say hello and have a pretend conversation in his little baby babble. If you ask him to brush his hair, he will get a tiny brush and run it through his curls before coming to you and brushing your hair. And finally, yes people it has finally happened, Owen has actually expressed interest in eating table food! hooray! For a moment in time there I thought he would be eating pureed food in college! He loves eating meat, so I'm thankful that I am no longer a semi-vegetarian. And his favorite things in life right now are cheerios...a cheerio for our cheery o! :) They have helped me distract him through plane rides and restaurant visits, among other things...thank you inventor of the small round o of wheat goodness, you are a genius and deserve to be commended!
So that is what is up with our little man. I will try to keep you updated with his latest pics (since I am no longer sending out monthly picture of the day updates) and antics! Hopefully soon I will be able to find the time to blog about our recent trip to so cal and our friends' visit to tn for thanksgiving!

(p.s. most of you already know from an e-mail i sent out and a myspace bulletin, but just in case you haven't heard, owen has made his magazine debut in this issue (Dec.) of Parents magazine. His smiley little face is on page 22 in the Cutest Kid in the Universe section! Hope you can check it out.)

Off to Houston again!

We, as well as Binoy and his girlfriend Ryn, traveled to Houston to visit Tobi and Joyce and go to our first Eagles game! This was an exciting first for both of us and for Roby, taking his son to his first game made it that much sweeter. We braved the crowds of Houston Texans fans proudly wearing our green jerseys...and, man, some fans were mean to Joyce and me as we walked along with Owie. (Granted, Eagles fans are known for their rudeness, but we aren't like that...and, come on, the Texans? hmmm. I didn't think they were in any position to talk smack...he he he.) We left early to tailgate, and every once in awhile you could hear a chorus of E-A-G-L-E-S....EAGLES!!! wafting through the tailgating area. The guys enjoyed standing next to the field and seeing McNab practice beforehand. Owen fell asleep through part of the game. (He seems to love snoozing through loud events :) We all had a good time and it was nice to leave victorious, despite the heckling!

We visited our other cousins Tiji and Nancy and their daughter Ashley and met their newborn son Austin. Later we met up with Kate and Eric for some delish steaks and topped off the evening with gelatos...yummo! Roby had to leave for Canada, and later New York, for business, so O and I stayed behind to spend more time with everyone and get to know Ryn a little better. Joyce and I really clicked with her. Ryn is a sweet girl and we all heartily give our seal of approval :) Binoy is such a wonderful guy and an awesome cousin, so it is refreshing to see he found someone so sweet! Yay!

We spent our nights playing the addictive dice game we learned from the Felicianos during our labor day trip called SCOOTCH! fun stuff. After B and Ryn left, Owen and I had Tob and Joycie all to ourselves...we always have such a good/relaxing time with them. This trip, Joyce and I took Owen to his first movie, Invincible, at a theater that allows babies on a certain day of the week. We had the entire theater to ourselves and were able to order lunch and eat while watching the movie...how cool is that? Of course, Owen slept through the majority of the film (the whole loud event thing I mentioned :), which is too bad because it was a really good flick!

As usual, there was a lot of grubbing going on, which is probably why I feel like I gain so much weight every time we visit! Tobi challenged me to eat 3 wings-the hottest they come-at a restaurant. No problem. Listen y'all, I may be a whitey, but I can handle the heat! ha ha ha. Yet another reason why I can hang with my Indian peeps...and I love that Joyce considers me an honorary Indian-evidenced by the way she starts speaking to me in Malayalam as if I know her language. I get a kick out of saying, "Um, Joyce? I have NO idea what you just said."

We had a wonderful stay, as always, and look forward to our next Houston adventure. A bit of trivia for you-in Owen's first year of life, he has been on 5 airplane trips (3 to Houston and 2 to Philly) and 2 road trips (1 to Tampa & Orlando and 1 to Virginia). He seems to like traveling just as much as we do, and we are happy he has had the chance to see family and friends so much this year!

Our Labor Day Trip to VA

During Labor Day weekend, Roby, Owen & I met up with our friends Mo & Alisa half-way between our homes in historic Abingdon, VA.

http://www.abingdon.com/our_rich_history.html

The Felicianos are friends from California who we had not seen since we all moved Eastward. Not only were we excited for the chance to visit with them, but we couldn't wait to meet their two-year-old Isaac too! It was so cute watching the boys interact with each other, and adorable to hear Isaac's echo of "Owie! Owie! Owie!" through the house.

We stayed at a charming cottage right by the 34-mile Virginia Creeper Trail, a former railroad bed meandering though Southwest Virginia. On Saturday we rented bikes and a baby trailer, which Mo hauled behind him. The boys loved the ride, and Owen even fell asleep! Isaac would tell his Daddy to go faster, while Owen snuggled up to Isaac. After riding a couple of miles, we ate a picnic lunch along the trail.

Nights were spent cooking yummy food and catching up around the kitchen table as the boys slept. We also played a dice game called Scootch, which is thoroughly fun and addictive! On Monday after checking out, we made our way to White's Mill, a 150-year-old flour and grist mill powered by water. One of Virginia's historic landmarks, the mill is currently being restored. The boys had fun exploring the mill, and Owen loved the wagon wheel upstairs. We took some pictures on the grounds, which I think turned out lovely. After filling up our bellies at the local Cracker Barrel, we said our goodbyes and headed home.

We had a wonderful time reconnecting with Alisa and Mo, and finally meeting Isaac. We look forward to next Labor Day, when we hopefully will meet up in Ashville, North Carolina to start a little tradition!

One of the 1,000 we took in the quest for the perfect pic of us

Eric & Kate, our new Houston friends!

Jimmy & Julia drove up to visit us all amidst busy wedding planning

Owen getting tips on how to pick up the ladies from Binoy Uncle

Owie's first baseball game
Tiji, Nancy & Ashley (and baby Austin weeks before being born)

The Stutlers saying, "See ya next year in Reno!"

Owen's Ninth Month

I thought it was time for an Owen update since he is growing up so quickly and learning something new every day. He is now 9 1/2 months old, weighing in at 18.9 pounds and measuring 28 inches long. Two weeks ago he took his first step while Roby, Hank, Amanda and I cheered him on! He still cruises around the furniture and is able to stand and squat without holding onto anything, but is a bit hesitant. He will be walking in no time!

O is a prolific stair climber (with supervision of course!), loves to pull the toilet paper off the roll, looks out the windows and plays in the curtains, bounces up and down any time music is on, chases his superman ball all over the house, and enjoys playing in a large Pampers box (who knew he could be so easily amused!). He has been babbling a lot and says dada and mama often, although he doesn't realize he is talking about us yet :) One of my favorite quirks of his is how he leans in and rubs his forehead against our foreheads or cheeks while closing his eyes with a big grin...it seems to be his way of showing affection! He also likes to suck on my chin, which is, uh, interesting, but still cute. He rolls his tongue like crazy and crosses the fingers on his right hand, perhaps for good luck? And we are excited that Owen won a monthly contest and will be spotlighted as The Cutest Kid in the Universe in the December issue of Parents magazine! We can't wait to see our little star's face in print! We will remind everyone to check out the issue when it is closer to the date.

We are taking a roadtrip with our cousin Bindu tomorrow to Tampa for a friend's wedding and will visit Judy (I worked with her in CA at The JESUS Film Project) in Orlando before heading back home. It will be a whirlwind trip, and an adventure for sure...I just hope Owen can handle the 7-hour drive!

I still need to post pictures from our Houston trip, our friends' visit last weekend, our landscaping progress and our Tampa visit! Stay tuned!

Taking O to the City of Brotherly Love

Roby, Owen and I recently returned from our first family trip to Philadelphia! Roby had not been home in so long that this was the first time he met our nearly two-year-old niece Anngelina. Thankfully, we had a long visit and were able to pack in much needed quality time with Roby's family, my Mom, brother Jason and Melinda. We were thrilled to finally be able to introduce Owen to family members and friends who had yet to meet him.

The night we arrived, our cousin Binoy threw a housewarming party, where he showed off his snazzy, newly decorated condo and fed us gourmet appetizers! It turned into quite the memorable party, especially when, for a dare during a game, my brother danced to Hindi music...he busted out "the lawnmower," although I don't suppose you'll ever find that move in a Bollywood film :) Roby was happy to see all his friends in the same spot, a luxury rarely afforded since he left Philly for CA six years ago.

The following day we spent the morning celebrating Mother's Day with my Mom, Jason and Mel at their place and then visited with Roby's Mom and his side of the family. One evening we got together with friends for dinner and drinks at the Continental in Mid-town...we had a great time with everyone and our kooky waitress made the night all the more fun and interesting! We also attended Jason's graduation from Temple Law School and a surprise get-together for him at a local joint. We're proud of you Jase! Congratulations!

The low point of our trip was me catching a nasty viral infection and ending up in the hospital on an IV drip...fun fun. I just love needles! We were so thankful that our nephew Alex got over the virus and that Owen never caught it. While I was knocked out for the day, Roby, Abbey and Dooney introduced Owen to his first Philly cheesesteak at Pat's! He seemed to be more interested in the birds flying around the area at the time, but, oh trust us, he WILL learn the joys of real cheesesteaks in the future! (I personally was bent on eating a real hoagie...ok, so i ended up having 5 by the end of the trip, but i can't help it...nothing here comes close!)

It was lovely getting to spend so much time with family, including Roby's brother Rony and sister-in-law Rani, who brought their girls over several times, and his sister Renu and brother-in-law Alex who live in Philly also. Our niece Isabel and nephew Alex are so big now we can hardly believe it! It was fun seeing all the cousins together, and, of course, it was a challenge trying to get a picture of all of them together. We decided on the one I posted, blew it up, framed it and presented it to Pappa at his little birthday celebration. Pappa and Mummy adore their grandchildren for sure!

It was also wonderful for my Mom to have a lot of Owen time, since it has been several months since she has seen him. We hung out at Jason's place and also visited a local park, where Owen was fascinated with the ducks and geese! (Lately we have been into bird watching here at the house since our backyard is teeming with brightly colored, interesting kinds. We even have a red-headed woodpecker that keeps pecking at our roof and a lightpost. It appears that Owen has also taken an interest in our feathered friends!) We meandered along the pathways and were able to take some awesome outdoor shots of Owen with his Nana and aunt and uncle!

We were sad to leave, but so thankful for the memorable times we shared with our friends and family in Illadelph!