Owen is officially "4"...an age when I am informed that he is "bigger than ever!" Given that he asks me 37 times per day to feel his muscles and bones so that I can be astounded by their awesomeness, it shouldn't come as a surprise that he wants to "be a Super Hero when I gwow up." He would also inform you that he is "such a good awtist" and recently that he won't be eating candy anymore because "vegebells" are better for you and that mommy should stop putting sugar in her coffee ( and what? Stir in the string beans?)
He is delightful and funny and he almost never stops to breathe while talking.... "mama, mama, ya know mama, ya know I can wide my bike REAAWWWWYYYY fast and ya know mama, I wike Supaman and Spidaman and, and, and Ultwaman, alot, lot, REAAAWWWWYYYY alot..."
He learned to swim the first day of swimming lessons and he has this terrifying habit of disappearing under the water and trying to hold his breath for as long as possible so that I'm always jumping up to make sure he hasn't drowned...
He is obsessed with "Hot Wheels." But he will still dress up and pretend to be a princess if his sister asks him to.
Owen is pretty happy in India but every once in a while, he will get very crabby and say, "I want to go back to Minnesota, Mama!"
He has our maid, Vimala, wrapped around his finger and frequently orders her to bring him chocolate (it's appalling and it drives me crazy but she just laughs.)
We had a low-key birthday...He went to art camp, rode his new bike, went swimming, played Hot Wheels, ate lasagna and chocolate cake... We lit four candles in honor of the past 3 years and the year to come and toasted Owen and what we liked best about him with a fine vintage apple juice.
It's hard for me to believe that my baby is four. He stopped nursing last month (the Spiderman Web Blaster that was up on a shelf for his "nummie" present was finally more appealing than the "nummies" themselves! Yes, nursing and weaning a preschooler takes some negotiation) For the longest time he was going to quit "on Thursday" and then when Thursday rolled around he'd shake his head wisely and say, "I didn't mean this Thursday!"
Owen's birthday just happens to coincide with Cesarean Awareness Month. Many of you know that I am a passionate birth advocate, a midwifery student and former chapter leader of ICAN of the Twin Cities. Please take a look at http://www.ican-online.org/ and http://childbirthconnection.org/ and take a moment to remember the mothers, babies and families who have been affected by the cesarean epidemic. While a cesarean can be a necessary and life saving surgery, unnecessary and preventable cesareans put babies and mothers at risk. 1 in 3 babies in the U.S. are born by cesarean. The World Health Organization recommends a cesarean rate of 10-15% maximum and overall U.S. rate is 30% and growing. Despite all this intervention, the U.S. has one of the worst fetal mortality rates in the developed world. Take a few minutes and educate yourself about this issue or pass the above links on.
For a recent article on the cesarean epidemic, here in India: http://www.livemint.com/2008/04/07193627/AN-OPEN-ANDSHUT-CASE.html?atype=tp
Happy Birthday, to my beautiful, wonderful boy: Owen Patrick Fischer!
The Fischers
in India
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