He's Such a Sweetie!

Owen has had some changes in his life lately.

He isn't the baby in the family anymore.

His curiosity about Lynnlee has transformed into love for her.  Often he will come to her, look at her with love in his eyes, and smile his little toothy grin.   She responds by cooing and laughing and bouncing in her seat or kicking her legs while she is lying on the mat and waving her arms around.  He likes to reach out and touch her hand, then look at me and smile.  I am sure as she grows and begins to move around more freely, they will become buddies.

Owen has always been quiet, and I foresee his being a thoughtful man, just like his Grandpa Norm.  He will take it all in, listen closely, and think before he speaks.  Then what he says will have more meaning.  Grandpa Norm said there was nothing worse than listening to someone talk who said nothing (uhh....maybe from listening to exactly that day after day?), and that when HE said something, he wanted it to be meaningful.  No filling the air with meaningless chatter for him!  Owen will be like that. 

Because he already is.  He may be watching the television or sitting at the dining room table or watching Landon and Tessa and Cooper interacting, totally quiet. We may be asking him questions or trying to encourage him to respond to us and he just looks at us and smiles.  But then, when he wants to say something, out the words come!

Case in point...the other day Owen and Cooper were in the living room at Hilary's house.  We had been in and out and I had been talking to the kids and talking to her, the general interactions we usually have.  As I left the living room to go to the hallway, I heard a little voice say, "MAMAW!  MAMAW!"  I stopped.  I didn't recognize the voice at first.  At the same time Cooper yelled at me "MAMAW!  OWEN WANTS YOU!" I realized that it was HIS voice I had heard.

And he said Mamaw.  Clearly.  Now that wasn't the first time I had heard him say that, but it was music to my ears.  It melted my heart.  I smiled. I had tears in my eyes.

Yesterday when we were loading furniture and boxes for Amanda's move to her apartment, Owen was running around.  He played with Cooper some, but Shelby was in charge of watching him.  At times he came running to me, wanting me to pick him up.  When I was outside, he came running down the ramp to me, then once he knew I saw him, off he ran across the yard, to the machine shed, and wherever his little legs could take him.  He always looked over his shoulder to see where I was.  I finally had to enlist Cooper to chase him, tackle him, and keep a hold on him for me. Of course, Owen thought it was all great fun to be running from me and to be chased by his cousin.

I look at him and think about how lucky he is.  His life could have been so much different than the one he has now.  His birth mother was a drug addict.  His birth father is irresponsible.  His father didn't even show up for the final visits when termination of parental rights happened.  There were bedbugs carried from their home.  His birth mother brought raggy clothes for him to wear and tried to steal the clothes and shoes he was wearing.  Both of them were dirty and at times homeless.  What kind of life would Owen have had with them?

But then I look at the real blessings.  WE are the blessed ones.  We are so fortunate to have this special little guy as our grandson.  We can watch him grow and learn. We can enjoy taking him to the zoo, watching him play with his siblings and his cousins, seeing him shine as he learns more and more.

But right now, he melts my heart.  With his toothy little grin, his sidelong look to check on my location, and his little legs that takes him running away so he can be chased...he just melts my heart.

But when he says "MAMAW!" is the very best.  I love you, Owen!