Road Trip Warrior

We're back from a wonderful trip to Kansas City for a much-overdue Betts Family Reunion. I was pretty nervous about taking Owen on his first real road trip - he's flown to Iowa from Seattle when he was 3 1/2 months old and slept the whole way, so that doesn't count. And he's driven to Des Moines at least once, but it's been a while and that's not really all that far, so that doesn't count either. For the most part, he did really well. He doesn't mind being passed around from person to person (in fact, I think he likes it since he will reach out to nearly anyone). And he slept great each night in the pack & play, even though he was in the same room with us. Naps were a little lacking (he really only ever had one a day instead of his usual two), but he has definitely caught up on his sleep since we've been home. Every day so far, he's slept until at least 9:00 a.m. and I am NOT complaining about that one bit!

The car trip was about what I expected. We rode with my parents on the way down and with Ryan on the way back. Here are some photos that show the progression of his mood:

I didn't take very many pictures while we were there (I left that up to everyone else!), but here are a few:

Being naughty with Grandpa and Uncle Bobby.

Playing ball with Harrison and Jack Betts. Those boys sure loved O (as did all the kids)!

We are getting pretty excited about Owen's first birthday (and the party) coming up this Saturday. Hopefully all of our family (or at least those that live in the state) will be here to help us celebrate. Owen is walking more and more and more every day. Sometimes I just watch him noodle around a room and marvel at how far he's come! I'll be sure to post the details of his big day (and hopefully LOTS of pictures). Until then, here are few more to enjoy from the past couple weeks...

More Photos

"Pasta: The Aftermath"

This boy can fall asleep in just about any position!

Hanging out at the zoo. Owen was less than enthused about the animals, but enjoyed the stroller ride and people watching.

O's first dip in the backyard pool.

Baby butt!

I don't let Owen hang out naked very often (I'm too afraid he'll pee all over everything!), but after his swim, he was too squirmy for me to dry off and get dressed, so I just let him hang free for a while. Obviously, you can see that he enjoyed it!

I finally did get a diaper on him.

Owen: "Mom, what am I doing here?"

Mom: "I ask myself that same question almost daily."

A practice version of the new cake I plan to make for the party on Saturday. This one isn't decorated very nicely, but I just wanted to make sure that I'd be able to cut the cake into the right shape. Not too shabby!