Owen has been in especially cute form lately. Quite compliant, quite a bit less tantrum-prone, and quite affectionate. (It may be because with the traveling for the holidays, the house a mess with presents and wrapping, and a little less order to the week with activities on hold for the holidays I tend to just sit and play with the little guy more and give him undivided attention, rather than pushing him toward a little more independence so I can actually, say, cook something--imagine that!--or wash a dish. The technical term for this is 'spoiling' I believe.)

Some cutie-pie moments from our recent days...

Instead of just saying 'no! no, no, no! no, no' as he's been prone to do in the past, Owen has now taking to saying 'Nowaaay! Nowaaay!' Yes, I do say 'no way' to him quite a bit and now it seems to have been sponged.

When we come downstairs in the morning, if the Christmas tree lights aren't plugged in, they must be immediately lit. As happens frequently during the day when Owen wants something he can't accomplish on his own, he grabs my hand and leads me over toward the plug and precisely places my hand on the plug. Then, he lets go, steps back and awaits my completion of the task! My hand is also frequently guided to the computer (to watch home movies), the refrigerator or pantry (self-explanatory) and to the basement door (the home of the tools). Refusing to comply is generally grounds for a hefty amount of frustration.

Owen has really started to enjoy listening/talking on the phone more. He recognizes quite a few relatives by name, and is very eager to listen if he knows whose voice is on the other end!

LOOOVES chocolate ('tak-uh')
LOOOVES candy canes ('nah-nay')
Way more tolerant of tooth brushing than in the past (good thing!).

We've observed that Owen seems to be an extrovert. He is rarely grumpy in a large, boisterous group and gets more bold, more energetic and more happy the more people are around! Whose child is this? He loves coffee hour after church services, running around between all the legs!

Airplanes are fast-gaining favorite status. Owen loves spying an airplane in the sky when he hears the roar overhead. When we're inside, he often takes a toy or piece of food and 'flies' it around his head and makes a motor noise and says 'ah-may' (airplane). Then he giggles. This is apparently the source of most of the jam I find in his hair after Reuel finishes breakfast with Owen and drops him off with me before he leaves for work :)

LOOOVES medicine. Owen has got to be the best medicine taker ever. Of course it does taste like bubble gum. I don't suppose Nyquil would go over as well.

Well, it's a long story, but Reuel and I got 4 hours of sleep last night. But we did enjoy thoroughly the holiday Pops concert at Symphony Hall. There was an especially delightful rendition of the 12 days of Christmas and Sleigh Ride was great as always. Then we went out to The Brasserie for pommes frites and mustard, ham and onion alsace pizza, crepes, profiteroles, mousse and creme brulee afterward. YUM. Definitely worth the sleep loss. (Although we could have done without the standing as still as a statue for an hour when we tried to enter the room we were sharing with Owen once we turned in for the night because he awoke and nearly figured out we were there...recipe for disaster...like I said, long story). Going to bed!