3 months old!

It is hard to imagine that August is quickly coming to a close. The summer has been incredibly busy, and Owen is certainly growing quickly. He turned 3 months two weeks ago weighing in at 13 lbs 8 ounces. During the past month he discovered how to make some new sounds and enjoys babbling away at his toys and us. He now sits (while assisted by us, pillows, or his bumbo) and plays with his stuffed animals. This mostly consists of him holding them close while he chews on their faces. On our plane ride out to Minnesota earlier this summer he discovered his hands. He now chews on them whenever he can even if it means he has to chew them through his blanket. At first it seemed that he strongly preferred his left hand, but as of last week, his right hand has made a come-back. His giggling has continued, and on his 3 month birthday he giggled for his Grandma and Grandpa Maissen twice! Of course that was during the time that Luke and I were out a run so we missed out. But since then, Luke has been able to get Owen to giggle for him on regular occasions. I always get huge smiles out of him, but seem to still lack the giggling touch.
The past month has also been filled with lots of traveling. During the last two weeks of July, we took a trip out to Minnesota and South Dakota to see some friends from college and introduce Owen to his extended family. We thoroughly enjoyed our time visiting, eating delicious food, and relaxing. It was wonderful introducing Owen to the farm even if he didn't quite realize what was happening. We look forward to taking him back as he gets older when he can really appreciate the wide open space and farm equipment.
Following our trip to the Midwest, we spent 48 hours at home, where we welcomed back Aunt Bekah from Uganda with a quick trip to Coldstone. We then quickly washed all the laundry and repacked for a trip down to Seaside. We spent the rest of that week in a house right on the beach with four little ones under four and 12 adults! Throughout the three week adventure, Owen was quite the trooper traveling well by both car and plane which certainly made the trip easier.
Now that summer is coming to an end the reality that I will not be going back to teach this year is starting to settle in. It is strange to think that this is the week I would have started back! I realize now how thankful I am to have this time with Owen. As one of my coworkers told me, he only has one mommy and I only get one childhood with him. I hope to make the most of it! Here are some pics of our growing boy. You can check my facebook for pics from our trip.