Owen William turns 6!

Six years ago on August 16th, a beautiful little boy came into our lives. He may have been big (9 pounds, 15 ounces and 22 1/4 inches) and it may have taken him a while to decide to brave the outer world (he was 9 days late), but when he finally decided to come out and meet us, he did it fast and furious (6 hours of active labor). He was born with the sun, at 5:38am.

Even during labor, we were still trying to decide between the names Wyatt and Owen. I was pushing for Wyatt, after the Renaissance poet (not the cowboy). During labor, our doula kept talking about our little cowboy and I was getting more and more irritated because her reaction summed it up: who on earth other than a handful of literature buffs would hear "Wyatt" and think "poet"? 

But none of that even mattered because when we saw our baby's sweet face for the first time, we both knew right away that his name was not Wyatt. His name was Owen. 

Owen means "well born, of noble birth." His middle name is William, after Uli's father Wilhelm. 

Owen is kind, affectionate, highly imaginative, and artistic. He is a gentle giant. At his check-up last week, he was once again in the 95th percentile for height; the doctor said he's on par with the average 8 year old. He has a strong sense of justice and of right and wrong, and he has no issue informing people when he thinks they're off track. He has a stubborn streak, but my hope is that he will continue to develop that trait into resilience and diligence. 

Owen has a sensitivity to the other people, to nature, to animals and especially to God that I find remarkable. He surprises me daily with his observations. For example, on the way home from Maryland, the sun was setting outside the airplane window. He gasped so loudly that people turned around. He proclaimed, "That is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. It's like a golden trophy for the whole world."

May he never lose that sweet receptivity to the beauty and goodness of God all around us. 

We love our Owen with all our hearts. Happy Birthday, precious boy!