What I Like About You

The Top 12 Things that make Owen unique (don't judge us; getting it down to 12 was hard enough):

12. Whenever Owen sees one of his favorite animals (dog, cat, or bird), he points and shrieks with delight.

11. He feels there is no need for socks, and will take them off every
chance he gets. He will often suck on them till they are soaking wet,
mostly to ensure his moms cannot put them back on his feet.

10. Owen sometimes loses his chin. When this happens, a mom has to go in and find it. This game is absolutely irrestible to him, and he will repeatedly throw his neck against your lips giggling all the while.

9. He finds decorative couch pillows irresistible, and loves to pull
them down and tackle them onto the floor, giggling the entire time.

8. When he's in the car and has decided he has had enough traveling
for the day, he will attempt to escape his car seat, usually by
leaning over it as far as possible in some melodramatic fashion.  This
is often accompanied by a test of his vocal cords.

7. When he is ready for bed and you scoop him up in your arms, he will
put his head down on your shoulder and tuck in his arms on his chest,
nestling in with the apparent hope that you'll let him take his entire
nap this way.

6. His favorite household task is sweeping, and he looks envious if he
sees you using the broom without him.

5. He will only consent to grape Tylenol.  Berry, Cherry, or Bubble
Gum flavors simply will not do.  Even if his moms try to reason with
him and tell him that he has a fever and Target and CVS were out of
Grape-flavored Tylenol, he will not bend.

4. He is very good at sharing, and has transferred this skill into
sharing his food with the dog, despite his moms' request that he keep
his popsicle to himself.

3. If you open one of his dresser drawers in his presence, he will
insist on re-arranging its contents.  To do this, he believes it is
best that all the articles of clothing be removed and placed on the
floor.  He will then decide which ones qualify to be returned to the
drawer.

2. When shopping with his moms at Target, he prefers to drive the cart
by standing in the open part of the basket.  He sees no need to sit in
the seat intended for young children.

1. If you ask him to play you a song on his toy piano, he will gladly
do so.  It will also be accompanied by a little dance and the most
loving, joyous smile you have ever seen.

It's been a rought winter for us, and poor Bub has been slammed with one virus after the next. Through it all, though, he's remained our boy: joyful, loving, inquisitive, and on the move! Hopefully the next few weeks will bring renewed health, energy, and restfullness for us all!

Our House is a Very Very Fine House!

It's official! We are homeowners!

With the help of family and friends, we moved into our new home on December 23, after one of the most stressful weeks either of us has ever had. The mortgage was held up a week due to an unresolved identity theft issue. That same week, Bub contracted roseola, and was about as sick as we'd ever seen him. This co-occurred with his pediatrician's annual holiday vacation. To say the least, we were stressed (despite the smiles we're donning in the photos, Jen had actually just been vomited on, and I was holding a baby with 103 degree fever).

Thankfully, we were surrounded by good people who helped us through. Aunt Beast was actually visiting from China, and happened to be staying with us that specific week. Having another set of hands on deck was priceless. It was also wonderful quality time, as we were pretty much housebound.

Christmas and Hannukah came and went with little notice. We did "trim our tree" (which, as a Jew, I'll have you know means "decorate our tree", not prune it), host Christmas dinner, and display the menorrah. Other than that, and a little eggnog in our coffee, the family traditions will have to begin next year. We both are chockfull of fun ideas we can't wait to implement, but we figured we should a) have more than 2 days to prepare for said ideas and b) have a child who can participate. By next year, I'm sure Bub will be far more aware of the holiday season!

Speaking of far more aware, our little man's receptive language has really taken off! He understands most directives, and, if he's feeling amenable, will even respond to requests like "Owen, can I have a kiss?" (big, wet, sloppy, open-mouthed baby kisses!!!) or "Owen, can you point to Ashby dog?" or "Put your head down, please". He's also begun signing. He will sign "more", "all done", and "milk". It's so nice to be able to communicate with him in this new way! He's beginning to look and act more and more like a little boy. He isn't walking yet, but it's not too far off. While I sometimes get sad at how quickly he's growing up, it's amazing that each stage truly is more exciting than the last.

Oh, and we have a new addition! Cowboy joined our family on Christmas Eve. He's a lover of a cat, and is only too happy to take up residence on your lap if ever you have a free moment. He's definitely not too comfortable with Ashby or Owen yet, but if you're over the age of 10 and have 2 legs, he's all over you.

With a new home, a (now) healthy and happy baby boy (don't you dare call him a toddler), the best dog in the world, a sweet kitty, and the love of my life, I'm pretty sure 2012 is going to be full of wonderment and joy! The Hopping-Winn clan wishes all of our friends and family a VERY happy New Year, and wishes only the best for you! Oh, and if you happen to be in the area, we'd love to show you around the new house! :)

Thank You!

 I apologize for the long delay in blog posts! Things have been pretty crazy here. We are in the process of buying our first house (we close Dec 15), and have recently returned from Owen's first trip to the East Coast to visit his NJ family/friends. I'm pretty sure Jen was more impressed by the Fall foliage than Owen. It really was amazing to see the rapid development that's been happening with Owen, almost overnight. While we were in NJ, it was like someone flipped a switch in his little brain. All of a sudden, he is clapping, pointing, giving high-fives (thanks Weipz boys!!), saying "bye bye" while waving, and responding to brief directives like "Can you close the lid?" or "Can you put the blocks in the box?". It's amazing!! He isn't walking yet, but he stands unassisted (when he's not paying attention to the fact that he's standing unassisted), and cruises all around town holding onto whatever's even remotely stable.

While we were in NJ, we celebrated quite a few wonderful events. Even though we were a week early, we had an East Coast first birthday party for bub. He was less than thrilled with the Happy Birthday song, and even less enthused about the cake. He did, however, love the 4-wheeler that Uncle Brett and Aunt Pam got him.

Cousins!!

Later that week, we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Monetti/Weipz clan, just like when I was  younger! In fact, I hadn't had Thanksgiving with my whole family since I was 8. Once Brett went off to college, he was rarely around for the holiday, so this year was EXTRA special. It was easily my favorite Thanksgiving (although last year's was a close second. Who doesn't love going into labor on Thanksgiving??).  Owen participated in his first Thanksgiving football game, and even scored a touchdown (or, rather, was used as a pawn so I could score MY only touchdown).

Just another Weipz boy ;)

Uncle Brett, Aunt Pam, and cousins Bella and Darby were in town for a joint baby naming ceremony for Owen and Darby. In the Jewish faith, a baby naming is somewhat like a baptism or christening. It's the child's official welcome into the Jewish faith community. It's also where the baby receives his or her hebrew name. Owen's hebrew name is Kaleb Hershel after a good friend, Kyle Sattin, and my great Uncle Harold. Since Owen didn't do so well with all of the birthday party attention, we were a little nervous about how he'd do standing in front of 100 people at the naming. He was a ham, though!! At one point, he looked out into the crowd and started waving at people. It was hysterical! He also opted to take his shoes off and attempt to eat them, as well as kick off cousin Bella's yamulke.

Stay tuned, as I'm sure we'll have much to fill you in on over the next month!

Save me, San Francisco!

Jen and I commonly chat about what we think/fear Bub may do when he's older that will really unnerve us. Jen, for example, decided to go to Europe after college with her younger sister without a plan or much money to speak of. I'm sure Brenda was thrilled about that one. I went more of the piercing/tattoo route, and gave my parents more than their fair share of ajeda. Suffice it to say, we feel well prepared to handle these specific issues. We also won't mind if he plays his music loudly, dyes his hair, or joins a band. In fact, we'll most likely encourage it. So the list of things Owen may one day do to drive us crazy is largely unknown to us at this time. We are both positive that he will be creative, and come up with new and innovative ways to send us over the deep end, but for now, we can really only think of two: joining the military and/or becoming a right-wing conservative.

With those fears in mind, we are doing everything possible to raise him in a truly liberal household. Some may choose to refer to this kind of parenting as "Berkeley parenting".

We are insistent that he not be defined by society's definition of gender, and, instead be able to look/dress/act/play with anything that feels right to him. He has an African-American doll dressed in pink that he picked out at Macy's. He also happens to be growing his hair out at this point.

He is also sporting an amber necklace when he isn't sleeping. Apparently the natural oils found in amber can seep into the skin and help with chronic inflammation associated with (among other things) teething.  

Nudity is highly valued, as in all good hippie homes.

We read books such as "The Skin You Live In", "I'm Not Too Young to Help the Earth", and "Whoever You Are" that focus on the importance of self-worth, and the interconnectedness of all things. We even went to visit a daycare down the street that offers baby yoga daily. The fact that he's being raised by two women with strong liberal tendencies in the Bay Area is an obvious bonus, as well. We realize though, that even with all of our precautions, we don't know (nor can we REALLY control) which choices he will make later in life. All we can really do is offer him a strong foundation of good feminist/liberal/humanistic tendencies and offer him a safe place to discuss ideas, feelings, and experiences, while being ensured that he will be loved "no matter what he does or who he is" (from our book "I'll Still Love You")... as long as he always registers to vote as a democrat. ;)

We are Fam-i-ly! I've Got All My Cousins with Me!

We have had such a crazy August, it's been almost a month since our last post! We've had visits from Cousin Bebe and Steve and Kara and Ricky, as well as a whirlwind trip to LA, Bakersfield, and then LA again! In the past month, it's been amazing to see how much Owen has been growing and changing.

 He now sits up entirely by himself, and appears interested in books. His favorite book is currently DOG (a fun book from our friends Phil and Gail).

He can pull himself into standing position, and does so whenever the opportunity arises (although he's still not too sure about how to sit down gracefully from this position).

Owen has been more and more interested in "people food" (you know, as opposed to the dog food we typically feed him). He now gets angry if you eat in front of him and don't plan on sharing. He has also mastered the two finger grab, and only uses his entire fist to pick things up occasionally. Our current teeth count is 5 (his 5th poked through just last week)!!

On our recent trip to LA and Bakersfield (and then back again), Owen had a chance to spend some quality pool time with all four of his cousins! At this point, he's the only boy in the mix!

Owen had a great time with Brooke and Sophie in Bakersfield.

 Whenever we were out by the pool in LA, Owen had to be in the water. Sometimes this meant that there simply wasn't enough time to grab a bathing suit.

Bella absolutely adores Owen! It's so sweet!

After a nice day in the pool, there's nothing like relaxing on the couch with your favorite balloon and watching some good old fashioned Sesame Street. 

Baby Darby wasn't too sure about Owen. 

While we were in LA, we went to Bella's 5th birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese! I don't know if Owen or Jen had more fun. 

Uncle Brett is pretty sure he can turn Owen into a motorcycle junkie. Little does he know, this is the last time Owen will ever be on a bike. ;)



We got home last night, and are kicking off a week with Grammy and Papa. Once we've had some sleep and return to a somewhat normal routine, we'll write a more witty post. For now, this will have to suffice!