Owen is closing in on his first birthday, and we’re excited to help him celebrate. But first, we need to get reacquainted, since we last saw him in person at Thanksgiving, when he was just four months old.

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Now he’s REALLY dialed in to his surroundings – the places, the people, and literally every little thing that’s happening every waking moment of every single day. Great timing for us (“Nana” and “Grandpa”) to show up and try out our grandparenting skills, right? Full disclosure – we’re a little nervous, although I think playing with him will be pretty easy.

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The challenge is all other baby-raising stuff we haven’t done for the last 35 years – feeding, dressing, comforting, changing diapers, putting him down for a nap, and surely the most challenging task of all – keeping up as he strives to understand and master his environment. He’s a busy boy! In fact, most of my attempted photos are just a blur, because my camera can’t keep up with him.

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Owen has parents, of course, and they’re doing a great job. Philip and Kim are attentive, loving, encouraging, and playful – the type of responsible parents you hope your kids turn out to be.

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Like all working parents of young children, Philip and Kim are super busy. And then we show up for nine days, hoping at the very least not to complicate their lives further. Best case, maybe we can make their world a tiny bit easier for a short while. Not sure how well we’re doing on that front.

The days quickly zoom by, and our visit comes to an end . . . for now. We are headed to Minnesota for 10 days, then back to Missoula for another week with Philip, Kim and Owen, including Owen’s first birthday celebration. So stay tuned for a progress report from these grandparents-in-training!