Our 2-month-old baby smiles, interacts

Owen

I’m really excited to see my parents soon, though I know I’m no longer the star attraction in my family. Yes, my parents obviously will be even more excited to see their grandchildren.

I can’t wait for my mom’s reaction when she sees how big Owen has become. He’s a beast, clocking in at almost 14 pounds already. That’s about twice the size he was at when my mom last saw him. Plus, he’s really interactive now, smiling and cooing. Very cute. Below is a video that gives a taste of what my parents are in store for. Enjoy.

When worlds collide: The boys visit the office

Family, oliver, Owen, Work

Tomorrow will be my last official day working at the Standing Partnership , and I have a lot of great memories. Though most of my memories involve learning opportunities and client work, I’ve also had a lot of fun. This includes

  • Countless “Fridays at 4” happy hours that went a bit too long (though I never got “grounded” by my wife, despite joking about it);
  • Riding our receptionist’s scooter around the hallways; 
  • A surprise baby shower in which my wife showed up at the end of a loooong retreat as “one more guest” (hopefully nobody saw me roll my eyes before I realized the guest was Sarah!);
  • An awesome visit to our former Portland office;
  • Getting an Alyssa Milano autograph despite not getting to meet her in person (12-year-old Justin would have DIED to know that I almost had this opportunity);
  • Touring an underground mine;
  • Talking hockey with the boss;
  • Seeing the other boss’s husband’s band rock some ’80s hair metal;
  • Tuning in a Cardinals’ playoff game on the television and my co-worker’s resulting excitement; and
  • all the fun I’ve had with the great group of people I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside.

During my nearly four years at this company, I also welcomed my two boys into the Lopinot clan. Last week, my worlds collided when Sarah brought Oliver and Owen to the office to eat lunch and mingle with my co-workers. Below are a few pictures. Enjoy.

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The next chapter in my life: A new job

Work

Transitions are exciting, and my life has been full of major events and changes over the past several years.  And now I’m proud to announce my next big move: I have taken a new job.

I’ve learned so much and made so many wonderful friends during my four years at the Standing Partnership, and now I’m embarking on a new life chapter. I’ll be working at Savvis Inc. , serving as public relations manager. Next Tuesday will be my last at Standing, and I start at Savvis on May 10. Wish me luck!

Oliver wants some cake at Grandpa Gil’s birthday party

Family, oliver

Local and Dallas-based family were in town this past weekend for the 92nd birthday party for Sarah’s Grandpa Gil. We had a lot of fun. Oliver was mesmerized by the song “Happy Birthday,” and he’s been singing “Happy biiiirth-daaaay tooooo grandddd-pa” over and over ever since.

As always, Oliver got a lot of attention. He even helped Grandpa blow out the candle on his cake. After the flame was extinguished, he immediately commented, “I want cake,” much to the delight of everybody present. Good times. I got a video of it, but it’s a little difficult to hear his big line. Enjoy!

A rare, rare thing … peace and quiet

oliver, Owen

Sarah took the boys to her parents’ house today, and they’re not home yet. The house is quiet. Yes, quiet. It’s such a rare, rare thing. I’m watching television and the dog is sleeping next to my feet. It’s wonderful. On a typical day, the only time the house is quiet is when both of the boys are sleeping (also a rarity). And now, back to my enjoyment …

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Happy belated Easter slideshow

Family, oliver, Owen

I’m at little slow on the blog updates lately, due to about a million things going on in my life right now and a huge dearth of free time. That’s my lame excuse for why this Easter post is six days late. Anyway, we had a great Easter. We spent the morning here at the house. Oliver and Owen got Easter baskets and posed for a few pictures before Oliver darted over to play with his new trains.

Then we headed over to Sarah’s parents house, where we let Oliver and our sister-in-law (it was her first time, since she’s Indian) hunt for eggs. Afterward, we had a great meal. Everybody was tired when we got home.

Below is a slideshow from our day. Enjoy.

Our visit with Jennifer and trip to the zoo

Family, oliver, Owen

My sister Jennifer flew down for a few days to meet Owen and hang out with our family. We had a blast, and we already miss her.

Oliver really took a liking to his aunt. They were buds every day, wrestling, playing trains, throwing sticks and going for walks. Jennifer seemed to bond with Owen, too. Well, as best a person can bond with a newborn. She did change at least one diaper, so that counts for something, right?

Anyway, it was fun. For her last day here, we all headed down to the St. Louis Zoo. It was about 80 degrees, and I read somewhere that 30,000 people were there. It was packed. Oliver really liked the carousel, train and elephants. Below are a few photos from our day. Enjoy.

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‘Oh no, baby Owen!!!’

oliver, Owen

A lot of people have asked me, “How does Oliver like his little brother?” Well, there’s really not a simple answer. If I had to choose one word, I’d say “indifferent.” For the most part, he doesn’t seem too interested in Owen. However, Oliver does get interested when Owen’s crying or, really, makes about any noise.

After hearing Owen, Oliver yells out one of two things:


  • “Oh no, baby Owen!” (sounds more like, “Oh no, bay-bowen!”)

  • “He’s crying!” (sounds like a scary “heee’s cry-eee!”)
It was funny and cute at first, but imagine hearing the same couple lines over and over again. Here’s a short clip – put in on repeat about 100 times and that’s our day! Enjoy:



Enjoying all the moments – big and small – of Owen’s first three weeks

Owen

Owen has acid reflux and is on medication, so it’s been a rough go of it for the ENTIRE family when it comes to sleeping. But he’s such a sweet kid so far. I hate that my paternity leave ends a week from today. I’ve really been blessed to have the opportunity to share in all the moments – big and small – over the past three weeks.

He’s such a cute kid, too, always looking around with his eyes darting from object to object. And he’s so small. I guess that I never realized how big Oliver had gotten – until holding Owen. Need proof? Here’s a photo of little Owen in my hand, taken earlier this week. Enjoy!

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Oliver at age 2

oliver

Since we never really got into working on Oliver’s baby book, this blog has served as the on-the-record account of his life. As most of you know, he turned 2 a couple weeks ago. That being said, Sarah and I been talking a lot about documenting Oliver’s interests and related facts. In random order, Oliver at age 2:



  • Weighs 30.5 pounds
  • Stands 35 inches tall
  • Loves “Thomas & Friends,” both the show and his train toys (he pushes his trains around the track for up to an hour at a time)

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  • Also loves watching “Sesame Street” and “Dora the Explorer”
  • Has favorite stuffed animals such as the kitty he sleeps with and his “Super Grover”
  • Knows how to say his ABCs
  • Can name about 20 letters if I draw them on his dry-erase board
  • Can count to 15
  • Can, allegedly according to my mother-in-law, count to 10 in Spanish (I’ve yet to hear it)
  • Loves books, especially being read to
  • Has favorite books like “Hop on Pop,” “Cat and the Hat,” “Clifford,” “Ready, Set, Go” and “Guess How Much I Love You”

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  • Likes to eat foods like yogurt, cheese, applesauce and diced peaches
  • Enjoys using a fork to dip his meatballs and chicken nuggets in ketchup
  • Grabs your legs during breakfast and begs for a sip of your orange juice
  • Loves to play outside, especially picking up sticks in the yard and then throwing them into the ditch behind our house

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  • Has a vocabulary that amazes more and more each day (how does he learn so many words?)
  • Enjoys turning the stereo on and “dancing” (mostly spinning in circles) then yelling out, “Change the channel” when he doesn’t like a song or when commercials come on the air
  • Never fusses when it’s time to go to bed or take a nap – he often asks us to put him to sleep
  • Loves his footie dinosaur pajamas, sometimes getting upset when they’re not clean
  • Still listens to the same Elizabeth Mitchell CD before he goes to sleep, whether for the night or a nap – if you change the CD, he gets upset
  • He can sing, word for word, many of the songs on that CD such as “You Are My Sunshine”
  • Also likes looking at his light projector when falling to sleep (usually, it’s stars and the moon moving across the ceiling)
  • Runs over to the dog’s bed and yells for me to come over and tickle him – he evens pulls his shirt up so I can dig into his ribs, and has the best, sweetest laugh
  • Has deep blue eyes that will surely pierce girls’ hearts some day
  • Loves his little brother, though he still isn’t sure what to do with him (sometimes Oliver will just touch his hair)
  • Enjoys giving “family hugs,” in which he puts his arm around me and Sarah and squishes his face between ours
  • Also enjoys giving family hugs with me and the dog
  • Still calls the dog “Nah-dee” even though he can now pronounce “Molly”
  • Stands at the door while I walk Molly around the yard so she can go to the bathroom (Oliver often helps by yelling out, “Go poop!”)
  • Has just started getting into our Skype calls with my parents and sisters, interacting with them and talking to them over the laptop
  • Enjoys helping around the house, whether cleaning up his toys or putting clothes into the washer and dryer

Finally, Oliver at age 2 could not be loved more by his parents. He’s changed our lives completely, bringing in new feelings of love and happiness that could never be replicated. We love him so much. Oliver, at age 2, makes us happy and proud. We can’t wait to take part in the rest of his life.