My son, the ham

Owen has been a popular guy since the day he was born. The NICU nurses loved him because he was so calm and didn't demand a whole lot of extra attention. We loved him because he was so tiny and sweet, and because he was our long-awaited son! His sisters loved him because he was like a real-life baby doll to play with. And everyone else loved him because he was so cute and such a novelty in our not-very-culturally-diverse midwestern town!

Well, let me tell you that the boy is a novelty and more in this area of south Texas where "Anglos" such as myself are a minority and where I have so far seen only one other person with his shade of skin color (with the exception of two international families on campus at RGBI.) At Wal-Mart, we turn heads and Owen has people reach out and touch him - especially the hair! - on most of our visits.

He eats it up!

During our orientation meeting at language school, Owen took it upon himself to charm an entire row of older women seated behind us. He would walk over, flash his dimples, and shake one lady's hand while the others said, "Oh, will you shake my hand next?" But then he would walk away, and after awhile would leisurely return to bestoy his goodwill on the next starstruck female ... until he had cast his spell upon every woman in the row! Tonight, as we were leaving church, he decided to make it his business to shake the hand of every person there before we exited the building. I must say, the child has class! And he has a fan club from Michigan to Texas and everywhere in between.

I love my son, the ham!