Owen's first bath

Obviously Owen, being almost 7 weeks old (how did that happen so quickly??) has had multiple baths in his lifetime but tonight was the first time that we remembered to bring a camera into the bathroom with us. Mommy's feeling slightly guilty for not having taken some bath photos any sooner but oh well...

Miscellaneous holiday moments

There have been lots of happenings around the Maguire household over the last couple of weeks so here is a quick recap of what we've been doing during our holiday break.

Cousin Sandy and her hubby Klay meet Owen

Owen and Grandma get to know each other

Joey did not have school over the holidays so we took him to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time - Daddy met us there for lunch.

Daddy and his boys lounging on Christmas morning

Mommy and Owen catch some downtime at Mima's house after all the gifts have been opened

Brian and his high school buddies Mike and Kyle with all the kids - the last time these three were together was at Kyle's wedding a few years ago and there was not a kid in sight. What a difference a few years makes...

My high school friends Jennifer and Wendy plus Jen's kids and Wendy's hubby at our annual gathering at Z Tejas

Tschoepe Family Christmas

It's hard to believe that another Christmas has already come and gone! This year, as with every year, we gathered with the Tschoepe family (Brian's mother's side of the family) at Oma's house on Christmas day to celebrate. It's always a fun time catching up with everyone and we always have fun with the annual traditions: generation gift exchanges, family photos, soup and tamales. Joey was in top form showing off all his party tricks - our little politician worked the room shaking hands with everyone and he also showed off his surprise face, his sad face and his sleepy face. And sweet little Owen was introduced to the family, especially all of his great aunts who took turns holding him all day. We're already looking forward to next Christmas!

Joey introducing himself to one of Oma's beloved cats.

Joey digging through Oma's toy closet - the toys in there are the same ones that daddy used to play with!

Joey learning to drive his new car - a gift from Oma, Mima and Da.

Daddy and Joey in matching outfits - a special treat for mommy.

Oma with all of her great-grandchildren

The entire Maguire clan

Playhouse Disney Live

Let me begin this post by saying that Joey was barely interested in any television shows until about two months ago when mommy was in her last month of pregnancy and never felt like doing anything - especially in the morning. As a result, the television at our house stayed on more everyday and Joey slowly became immersed in the world of Playhouse Disney. It's now become part of the routine for him to watch one or two (okay, maybe three) Playhouse Disney shows every morning after breakfast. So when we found out that Playhouse Disney Live was coming to town, we just had to go!

We decided to make it special alone time for Joey to spend with mommy and daddy so while Aunt Janet stayed with Owen at home, the three of us ventured to the show. The week leading up to the show, we talked everyday about who he was going to see - Mickey and the gang, Tigger & Pooh, Handy Manny and Little Einsteins - so much so that by the time we got in the car Joey was giddy. Since Joey had never been to anything like this before, we didn't quite know what to expect, but with help from a bucket of popcorn, he made it through the entire performance without any fussing and was actually pretty amused by the show. Next year we may try the circus!

Joey catching his first glimpse of Mickey Mouse onstage

Keeping his eyes on the action onstage but definitely going in for some popcorn

Oh look...it's Tigger & Pooh!

That's exciting and all, but I need some more popcorn...

Intensely watching as Donald and the gang perform the Hot Dog Dance

And then, of course, stuffing the last bits of popcorn into his mouth

Somewhere along the way got tired of sitting with mommy and daddy and decided to sit on the steps instead

Joey cheering on his Disney friends during the grand finale

The whole gang taking a bow as they say goodbye

Sleeping cutie

This video is probably one that only a parent can really enjoy (others watching may be bored to tears). But honestly there are very few things in life sweeter than a calm and peaceful sleeping baby...

Okay, well maybe the only thing sweeter than a sleeping baby is a daddy passed out in his undershirt and boxers holding a sleeping baby...

Big baby boy

Today was the first day that mommy was home alone (grandma doesn't count) with the two boys and we all survived! Big bro Joey was at Mother's Day Out this morning so Owen and mommy had some special quiet time together for the first time since coming home from the hospital. I took this time to capture some photos of baby O - I can't believe how much he has grown in the last week! Not only is he getting bigger, he's also starting to straighten out his arms and legs too so now he actually fills out his clothes. And he's been feeding more often today (every 2 hours instead of the usual 3-4) so he'll probably look even bigger by the next time we post new pics.

Holiday photos

We dressed up the boys in their festive red gear this morning and sat them down for a few minutes to take some holiday photos. Here's a sampling...

Owen's 2 week well-check

Owen had his 2-week well check appointment earlier this week and here are his first set of stats:

Weight: 8 lbs., 6 oz.
Length: 20 1/2"
Head Circumference: 36.7 cm

Mmm Mmm BBQ!

We've been lucky to have several mommies from our playgroup taking turns bringing us dinner since Owen's arrival. Last night we had bbq ribs and twice baked potato salad on the menu. Although this definitely was not Joey's first time eating bbq, it was the first time he wanted to gnaw on the ribs himself. From the looks of it, we've got a real down home Texan on our hands!

Thanksgiving weekend visitors

Although we did not join in any big Thanksgiving family gatherings this year, we were fortunate to have the family come visit us at home over the long weekend.

Aunt Katie (in Austin for Aggie midnight yell) and Joey playing with puzzles.

Owen with Grandpa Charlie and Susan


Maggie, Aunt Julie and Owen

Beth, Aunt Julie and Owen

Mima and Owen

Owen and Da enjoying some snuggle time

Not to be outdone, Joey snuck in some snuggle time with Da too!

Christmas decorating

We are skimping a bit on our Christmas decorations this year and using the "we have a newborn and a crazy toddler running around the house" as the likely excuse. We did decide to put up our artificial pre-lit Christmas tree and at first were not going to add any ornaments at all so as to avoid the inevitable removal of the ornaments by the aforementioned toddler. But once it was up, it looked so barren and sad that we added some cheerful red bows just for a little color. We promise to have our house back in full holiday swing next year!

Good job with the bows, Joey!

Joey helping daddy put the star on top

Joey inspecting his work...looks good to me!

Owen is 2 weeks old!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! As always, our family has so much to be thankful for. This year, we are especially thankful for Owen, our little Thanksgiving turkeyball and of course thankful for his adoring big brother Joey. It's hard to believe that Owen is already two weeks old! He is still sleeping a lot although he is starting to open his eyes more often. He is also eating very well and you can tell in the pictures that he's starting to get a little chubbier in the cheeks.

Here is Joey pointing out Owen's umbilical cord stump just moments before he gives it a big tug...not coincidentally, the stump fell out the next day.


And I couldn't resist a couple of photos of Joey sneaking to the dinner table to gobble down a huge spoonful of sweet potatoes while no one was looking...