Adventures of a 4-month old

Believe it or not, that's a real owl staring Ben in the face ... yikes!

And yes, that's a hawk giving Owen the stare-down ... a little too close for comfort if you ask me! We had a fun day at the Outdoor Discovery Center and can't wait to take him back when he gets older.

It was cool to see a hawk so close! We even watched it eat ... kinda gross, but cool.

One of his new favorite toys - he loves his jumpy seat.

Mimi bought matching monkey shirts for Owen and cousin Ava, so we had to take some pics. He loves watching Ava bounce around the house - it will be fun when he can chase her around:)

Happy Thanksgiving! Daddy made Owen some turkey feathers ... it might just become a Thanksgiving tradition. It was so fun to have him join the festivities since last year we announced his arrival at Thanksgiving and everyone was excited.

New Laugh

When he starts to laugh he just can't stop!

Learning to talk

He likes to talk now... today is laid in bed for 2 hours talking and yelling at the animals in the mobile above his crib (5am was too early to wake up).

Here he is in his jumpy... he can touch the ground on his tiptoes but enough to enjoy the feeling of walking around.

Halloween Costumes

Cute hat!

Ava came to show us her costume. Owen liked her puppy outfit.

The pea costume was a little small but he could still wiggle... his legs were too long

Turns out we do have monkeys in michigan

Mommy enjoyed her first dress-up day. I have a feeling this will be a trend for her. I don't think we should be concerned until she is wearing a monkey costume too:)

He Rolled Over!!!

Yesterday he became mobile. "Tummy time" is shorter because he knows how to get out of it. This video is his second time rolling over. YEAH OWEN!

Visiting Great-Grandparents

Owen went to visit great-grandma & grandpa Stark. Great-grandpa feels very special that he and Owen share the same middle name, Marcel. It's always a special time when they're together.

Why babies smile

So we tried to get him to talk again and just when we think he's smiling because of us, he reminds of one of his favorite past-times (listen for it at the last couple seconds). I think it surprised him too.

He's talking!!

Enjoy... we think it's pretty funny

Owen's Adventures

4 Generations of Wickstra's! Great-Grandpa, Poppy, Uncle Matt, Daddy and Owen

Owen and great-grandma Wickstra talked for quite awhile. He really enjoys telling her stories.

We've had a lot of fun these past few weeks. We went to Crane's Orchard and found apples as big as Owen's head (almost). It was lots of fun, he enjoyed the bumpy stroller ride.

Ava's Birthday!!!!!

This is a special song Owen wanted to sing to Ava, his favorite cousin!!

Happy Baby

This is one of my favorite pics - Owen started smiling around 2 weeks and he laughs in his sleep - it's so cute!

Family Reunion '09

Owen's first family reunion with Cara's side. It was fun ... Ben drove the train so he was excited. Yes, that's actually a real train in my cousin's backyard. Miles of track over bridges, near water and through tunnels - pretty sweet!

Baylor?

Someone wants him to be a Texan... I'm okay with that but seems his head is too big for Baylor:) (Taylor Maybe)

Post-bath nap... he likes being cozy and warm (and cuddling with mom)

Not shy in the tub. Hopefully we'll be doing some swimming lessons in just 5 months!!

We finally caved... after 4 weeks of holding to our guns. He discovered his fist and made a funny whistling noise. This was my best attempt to capture the moment.

Just another day

He's a good sleeper... for 45 minutes intervals.

Poppi likes holding his little buddy... especially when he has an "I love grandpa" shirt on.

Owen gets lots of visitors. Tracy and Ashley came to see him all the way from Maryland. We decided that if Ashley is my cousin, then she is Owen's second cousin? and my Aunt Tracy is now his great Aunt Tracy. We could be off a little.

A few good photos

Grandpa and Grandma visit a lot. We keep telling them just to sleep here... although I would go home every night too if a hide-a-bed was the other option.

Look what I found in the laundry... I think he likes the smell of softener.

Here's our Holland Christian advertisement. We'll have to try when he is a little more photogenic.

Newborn Photos

Pictures of Owen done by professionals are ready to see. Click the link below and go to "Newborn Slideshow".

http://clients.walcottimaging.com/wickstrafamily

All photos are available to order through their website I believe. Enjoy.

More Visitors!

Yesterday Great Uncle Wade and Aunt Marge stopped by from Jackson. There's a whole group of people he still has to meet on that side of the state.

We did our first road trip today... Muskegon! He slept well in the car both ways but he wasn't so sure about the time in between. We hope small steps like this are getting him ready for campouts and vacations next summer.

Jason isn't big on holding the baby but at least we got a picture of him:)

And this video I affectionately call "the breakdown". This is how we know he is hungry, the slow transition from happy to sad in 25 seconds.

Hospital photo

Here's Owen's hospital photo ... he's so little!

(Let me know if you'd like a copy of this pic and I'll send you the link)

Cuddle Bug

Here I am cuddling with my little buddy. It's the best part of my day.

Our little man is already growing up. As of Thurs. he weighs 8 lbs 6 oz - that's about 3 oz a day, so basically he's going to be bigger than me by age 5.

We seem to have our nights and days mixed up a bit, but we're hoping it all balances out soon. Last night Ben took the early a.m. shift and I got a full 3 hours of sleep all in one shot - I was so excited!

Just another day

He is at 8lbs!! He gained 15 oz in 5 days - three times the normal rate. Seems he likes to eat as much as me.

I think he's starting to learn he's in charge. He likes to make "monkey" noises which brings us into the room and we hold him until he sleeps again.

He also likes to use bodily functions as weapons. Cara seems to be the target of #1 although that tends to back fire on him and he hits the shades or the changing table. Grandma Stark gets #2. Today he got the crip, the floor and her pants - NICE SHOT!

Enjoy these nice pictures of our little sleeper.

A visit from Great Grandparents

Great Grandpa and Grandma wanted a turn too. He stayed awake the whole time and never cried.

Today he was re-weighed and has gained 15oz in 5 days bringing him to a grand total of 8 lbs. No issues of a small baby here.

He gets is first photo shoot on Thursday - those will be some great pictures!

Cara is getting more and more mobile every day. We've had a lot of help from Cara's mom who has helped keep the dishes to a minimum and the laundry from piling up. The meals fr0m our small group are amazing - I didn't know what I was missing!

Mima & Poppi

Mima and Poppi came to visit too. Poppi made a special crib for Owen, he likes it a lot.

Wickstra Family Visitors

Lots of family have visited us. He's pretty popular. He likes having everyone around.

Grandpa & Grandma Visit

Grandpa and Grandma came today. He even woke up for them.

Yesterday he decided to sleep all day and eat at a regular time interval but then night came and he decided to be a third shift worker and stay up for a while. He finally calmed down around 4:00.

Even though he likes to keep us on our toes, we wouldn't trade it for anything. Kind of fun when he calms down when he hears our voices.