Santa!

We went and visited the big guy this past Tuesday.  I know it wasn't even December yet, but Oliver just got his haircut and there was NO LINE to see him.  Since there wasn't a wait, Santa and his helper were more patient with making sure we had a good photo before we left.  Oliver didn't want to get down.  Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas.  Oliver said, "Um... presents!" 

This years photo.  He smiled (yeay!) but I didn't notice that his socks didn't match until afterwards!  Oh well. 

And to compare, last years, and the year before that:

Can't believe this is Oliver's third Christmas!  Where has the time gone?

Hiatus update

January has slipped by so quickly - only 3 blog posts?!  What?!  I think between illnesses, the snow, and work being crazy busy, I am sad to see my poor performance in blogging.  Alas, it's February now.  New month.  Let's move on, peeps.

Recapping January, Oliver had his first bit with snow.  Not surprised that he was a fan of looking at this new and fascinating thing, but he was NOT a fan of how cold and wet it was.  Also not a fan of being pulled on a sled!  Not sure what that's about... I'm thinking next year may be a different story.  We shall see.

We love our fireplace.  We haven't had many fires since Oliver has come into the picture.  Now Oliver understands "hot" and "no touch" so it's a bit more feasible to have a fire while Oliver is awake.  Here he is supervising Tim making a fire.

Here's a couple other photos that happened last month.

Why we are pro-bumper in this house:



Oliver has figured out he can chomp a sandwich like a dinosaur now - no more bite size pieces!

My grandpa with Chelsea and Oliver. Oliver has been drooling like a mad man lately (more molars?).

                      

That's all the news that's fit to print... maybe you'd like a flashback of BABY Oliver?  How about this one...



Santa!

Oliver had picked up a little cold this weekend, but we still decided to go see Santa.  It was a pretty long wait (1 hour) but Tim and I took turns walking with Oliver around the village and getting a treat at Starbucks.  It was a beautiful day on Sunday, so it was perfect weather for going to see Santa at U Village.

We were a bit nervous, as everyone we talked to said at this age, most will have the crying photo.  In fact, there was a girl who was 19 months old just ahead of us, and you could hear her screaming and crying inside Santa's cabin!

Oliver did the similar no cry/no smile thing he did last year...

And here is last year's photo for comparison... so much smaller!!



What a cutie patootie!  And can we all agree that this years' Santa is not as good as last year?  I never thought to check out the Santa beforehand - my only requirement is that they must have a natural beard (no fake beards).  Tim thinks that is a silly rule, but hey, I'm pretty silly myself!

Oliver was very sharing with his cold and I woke up with a sore throat this morning, so I will try and lay low, and pray for it to be slow at work.  Have a wonderful week!

Small reflections

Today I turn 30 and I am thinking back to Oliver's birthday which was 4 1/2 months ago (seriously... where did the time go already?!). The love that exuded from me and Tim onto this little man was the most intense love ever - and the saying is true - you will never know the love you have for your child until it is there. Sorry, kitties.

A few things that I have learned during the last 4 1/2 months as a mom:
- Take the birthing classes, sure - but when it comes down to getting through a contraction, you just want everyone to not touch you and to SHUT UP!
- Breastfeeding is the absolute hardest thing I've ever done. I give mad props to those that can make it a full year.
- He has made me appreciate my friends and family more (especially with baby niece on the way later this year, and future unknown gender baby next year).
- Keeping ahead of the laundry is important. Cleaning the rest of the condo apparently, is not.
- The most useful item has become the Boppy pillow. It's gotten so much use it's now almost flat. Luckily there is a spare in the car which I think I might bring in soon.
- The best part of my day is going into his room when he first wakes up in the morning. He gives me the biggest smile as if to say, "You're here... again!"
- The second best part is watching Tim and Oliver play together. Tim has no problem making silly faces and acting the fool to get a giggle out of the little man.

He continues to amaze us everyday with new and wonderful things, whether it's splashing in the tub, or attempting to sit up, or grabbing his foot during a diaper change.

No new photos or videos, so here is one of me and the little man from August 1st. Hard to believe that was over 2 months ago!

Here is one of Tim and Oliver around the same time. I notice that he has less hair and also less eyelashes. You can't see it here but his eyes are also more blue.

A mucus among us

This weekend was not as productive as I thought it was going to be due to my cold, and then giving it to Tim. Aren't I thoughtful? I still need to get my driver's license renewed at the DMV... maybe next weekend. We are trying very hard to not get Oliver sick, but it's harder to NOT give him kisses!

Saturday, Oliver spent some time with Jana (my Dad was at a high school reunion) while Tim and I went to Lottie's in Columbia City for a few drinks for Allison's birthday. She had LOTS of fun with him. I'm sure she wished we stayed out longer, but Tim was not feeling well.

Sunday, we stayed home to watch football. One big thing he did was we were doing tummy time, and little man flipped to his back while trying to watch one of his toys on the activity mat! I woke Tim up and tried to get Oliver to do a repeat performance - but alas, he made me out to be a liar. But I swear, he did roll over from his stomach to back. My mom came over for a bit and gave little man a bath.

These hooded towels are really the cutest thing. We then left sicky Tim at home, and we (Mom, Oliver, and I) went to Senor Moose Cafe for dinner. I had only been there once a long time ago, and had forgotten how delicious everything was! My mom is a big fan of Mexican so I knew she'd enjoy it, too. Oliver was well-behaved throughout the entire dinner. We both forgot our cameras, but trust me, he was super cute!

Tim is actually off all this week - he forgot he requested this week off months ago - so he will be getting lots of quality O time.

A few photos

I am sick with a cold currently, so I don't have anything new to share... however I hear some people are needing a new Oliver fix.

I don't take the best photos, but the natural light was nice and Tim was playing with him all super cute-like, so I was able to take a few without the flash.

The little bit on the bottom is Spike's tail. Poor kitties - almost to all photos are now Oliver related, and Spike was just trying to get a piece!

Good gravy, it's hot out!

Today is supposed to be another record setting day, with Seattle forecasting at 96 degrees. It reminds me of a few weeks ago when we had more record setting heat (hello, global warming) and we posed Oliver while channeling Anne Geddes:



He may have to get in the buff again to cool off!

Oliver got more doggie kisses yesterday when visiting Violet (see previous post). I still have forgotten to bring my camera to capture this cuteness... next time, I swear!

In other Oliver related news, he has taken to two new things that he loves. First, his new Bumbo! We got the Bumbo as a gift from Alison Trimm and he LOVES it. He enjoys watching everything going on without having someones hands in his armpits to hold him up. Second, he loves doing Super Baby! You may also know this as the airplane game. He absolutely loves it.



Below is a new video showcasing him in the Bumbo, and then a little clip of him snoring in his car seat.

Family outing

Yesterday, Tim, Oliver, and I decided to go to Alki for lunch as the weather was perfect! Not a cloud in the sky, light breeze, about 70 degrees out. After lunch, we took just a short stroll along the water (Oliver wasn't a fan of the sun peeking through the sides of the stroller).

We had to put up both sides due to the wind and the sun.



We then headed up near Northgate to Bark! Espresso where my friend Heather Trimm has her photos on display there starting today. Here is the blurb about her I took, and the picture listed is our friends' dog Violet! She does fantastic work... if you are in the area, be sure to stop by and see. It will be up for 12 weeks.



Below is a quick video of the night before when we put him down for bed and he wasn't having it. Luckily he is so cute, we couldn't be mad at him!