Memorial Day fun!

We went to Raleigh to visit Nanny and Pappy and ride in their new boat. It was shiny and yellow! We had a lot of fun, we even got to ride in the tube. Oliver didn't like the tube very much so we were only in there for a few minutes. We had a picnic on the boat and, as usual, poor Mommy got sick! Here are a few pictures of us having a grand time.
Oliver looked really cool in his swimming shorts. Don't worry he was completely covered with suntan lotion. No burns for this boy!
Bob and I rode in the front of the boat for a bit and here's a picture that someone took from behind us. Awwwww!

poor sleepy little fella'

He's so cute when he's asleep. Sleepy baby smoosh face is one of my favorite things

I'm back, less 4 teeth...

I got those pesky teeth pulled on Friday. They didn't put me to sleep, just some injections in my gums and lots of pulling and tugging. They only pulled 4 of the 5 that needed to come out because one of my wisdom teeth is completely sideways and they are going to have to cut it out. That'll be fun! Anyway, yesterday when I got home I took some of the pain meds they gave me and changed my (disgustingly bloody) gauze. Well taking pain meds on an empty stomach is no good, so I was nauseus for a few hours. Bob had to go to work so luckily Oliver slept for two of the hours he was gone and I slept for 1 and a half. The rest of the time was ok, I popped in the Baby Einstein video and put Oliver in his saucer while I dozed on the sofa. That's not something I usually do, but I really really needed him to be entertained for a while until I felt better or Bob got home. When Bob came home he went to the store and picked up some tomato soup and some pudding (butterscotch!) for me to eat since I couldn't eat anything hard and hadn't eaten all day. I took more medicine and ate some soup. After I ate I started feeling sick again so I layed down on the sofa to nap while Bob took Oliver for a walk. They were barely out the door before I felt REALLY sick. I ended up throwing up the tomato soup all over the living room floor. Poor Bob - he had to clean it up and then watch Oliver for the rest of the night while I dozed and tried not to throw up again. We went to bed pretty early but none of us slept well. My gums are still bleeding! Only a little bit on one side where two teeth (next to each other) were taken out. Even still, soggy bloody spit gauze doesn't taste very good. Needless to say I'm not going to work today. I feel bad because it's a holiday weekend but I'm miserable and wouldn't be much help to them anyway.

It's finally here!!!

Top left tooth has pushed through the gums and is now showing. Top right tooth has decided to take a bit longer, but I think a little corner of it is showing. The only BAD thing about having his top tooth (because now that they are actually through the gums I'm hoping he'll sleep better again) is that he scrapes them together with his bottom teeth. To me this noise is worse than fingernails on a chalkboard! It gives me goosebumps and sends shivers up my spine. HOW how how can I make him stop?!?!?! Hopefully it's something he'll get bored with quickly.

In other news, he's been getting up on his hands and knees in the last few days. He's been getting on his knees and elbows/face/shoulders and inchworming his way around, but these last few times he was on his hands with his arms straight. Crawling is really right around the corner now!

I get my teeth pulled out tomorrow. 5 of them. I'm very nervous. I'm not really sure what to expect at all. People keep telling me about their horrible experience getting their wisdom teeth out and none of them are pleasant. Then again I've heard a few people say that they went on their lunch break and went back to work when they were finished. Hopefully that will be the way this goes. All of them are through my gums and straight except one.

We got this instead...

Instead of a table we got this thing. It's really cool. There are 3 settings - standing/walking, sitting, and laying. The yellow part with all the buttons and stuff comes off and reattatches into sitting mode, and then you can use it all by itself if you want. He likes playing with it. It has lots of stuff to move and press and plays lots of music. The buttons count, say colors, play music, and have animals and their sounds.
The only bad thing about it is that even though it has a brake it still rolls a little bit when he pulls or pushes on it. This means that pulling up on this toy is not going to work very well. In fact, he couldn't do it at all. Every time he tried he ended up under it! We're going to keep it because he really likes it and because it will be good when he starts walking. We'll have to figure out something else for pulling up.

We also got this. Oliver seemed to like it pretty well although he lost interest a few times. Mostly during the actual signing. He liked all the puppet shows. We got a CD of silly songs, too. We only listened to a few songs but it made Oliver (and Mommy) want to dance!

When will I learn?

Last night Oliver had this toy in his mouth (the blue bulbous part) and was just holding it there and swatting the little bead parts so they would make noise. Of course the camera was nowhere nearby and by the time I got it he had stopped. It was too cute!

In the pool again

It was really warm so out we went into the pool. Oliver had a better time this time. Probably partly because it was warmer and partly because he gets the concept now.

He loves the sploosha sploosha!



This is his new toy. I took the cushion off the sofa and put it up there. Oliver pulled up and stood there playing with it for a long time. He especially likes that rolly bug body.
This picture is here because...well...I just couldn't resist the cuteness!

I slept in today

It was only until 10:30, but after being up with Oliver half the night, and last night being up for MOST of the night I soooo deserved it.

We finished painting the dining room last night. It looks super! Pictures later, I haven't taken any yet. There was an ugly spider-cricket in there too. Icky! I don't know what they are called but they look like a cricket/grasshopper with a few extra legs. They are ugly and gross! I made Bob come and smoosh it. He also killed a spider in the bedroom last night. It's getting warm so I guess all the buggies want to come into our nice cool house.

I hung Oliver's diapers out on the clothesline the day before yesterday. So then of course the neighbor's lawn care guy decided that was the best time to blow all the gunk off her roof with a leaf blower. Right into our yard! We were out there playing with Jasper so it got in our eyes and all over us. Thanks, jerk! That's when we went into the front yard - see the pictures a few posts below.

It's nice out today so hopefully we can get the pool out - interestingly enough just as I wrote this Bob came in and told me he got the pool ready and when Oliver wakes up he can go in it. Fun! It's warmer out today than it was the last time we went in it so we can probably stay in longer.

Bob went to Wal Mart yesterday (suprisingly, because he hates it there) and got Oliver a new toy. It's a mirror with all kinds of fun little things around it...a sun that clicks and spins, a bug with a rattley spinny ball for a body, a bird that rattles and crinkles. Anyway, he loves it. I have pictures of him playing with it last night but the camera is in the other room. I moved the cushion off the sofa and put it up there so he could pull up and play while he was standing. At the moment we don't have anything he can pull up on, but as soon as I can get to the store I'm going to get him one of these.

The magical boat to sleepy land...

Lately Oliver and I have been rocking in this chair. Previously it was filled with clothes that no longer fit and various other junk. I cleaned it out and now (in Oliver's very clean room) I rock him off to sleepy land. It takes only a few minutes to get him calm. In a few more he's out, his little head snuggled up to my neck. Sometimes I sit and rock him for a long time after he's asleep. He doesn't want to snuggle much anymore - he's too busy exploring and learning and practicing his new skills. This is the one place in the house that I know he'll be my baby - not the big boy that he's so quickly becoming.

real quick before I leave for work...

Yesterday we spent some time outside in the sun. It was so warm and pretty! Later, after I went to work, Bob and Oliver had a picnic for dinner. Awwwww!

Odd weird stuff...

Here are some (rather strange) facts about me.

1. Every night when I go to bed, after I say my prayers, I put my house in a "God box". I imagine that invisible walls starting at the middle of the house and moving out push all the evil and negative energy out of the house and then form a barrier to prevent anything bad from getting in. It makes me feel safe so I can sleep.

2. At work everything has a place. Every file, every stapler, everything. Even the 6 pack of highlighters - i turned the label over and made a mark for each color so they always stay in the same order. This only happens at work...my house is a mess.

3. Sometimes when I can't sleep I pretend I'm in a coma. I have to lay really still. Then I imagine people coming to visit and what they would say.

4. I don't like the dark. I hate having to turn the lights off at night. I will walk through the house and turn on all the lights so I can go back and turn them off and not have to walk in the dark. I also don't like dark gaping openings. All closets and such have to be closed at night. Not the main door to the room though, I have to have an "escape route". I sleep with the bathroom light on and a nightlight.

5. I don't like anything on my feet. They get really hot and I feel restricted. As soon as I come in the door I take my shoes off and I always walk around barefoot in the house. If it's cold then I wear socks, but it has to be really cold.

6. I crack my knuckles but I can't just crack one. If I do then I can't stop thinking about it until I crack them all. As a matter of fact, I crack my fingers, wrists, elbows, neck, back, hips, knees, ankles, and toes. Gross? Yeah, now that I think about it.

7. I never drink out of the same place on a glass twice. If there is a lip print then I turn the glass to a clean spot before drinking.

8. Sometimes I have to go back through a post and make sure I didn't overuse exclamation points! I get so excited that I want to put them after every sentence! This is true for the comments I leave, too! Craaaazy!!

Are these really that odd? Well, some of them yes...but I bet there are odd things about you, too! Let me know in comments.

Timing... **updated

Yesterday I was offered a management position at the RTG Kids. I wanted to take it. I wanted to move up and get a raise and be in charge. I actually told them that depending on the offer ($) I would be glad to do it. They said I would start on Saturday..as in tomorrow...as in no time to find day care. I still said I'd do it as long as the money was right. They would just have to work with me on scheduling until I worked something else out. He said he'd call his boss and call me back. I felt sick and I felt sad. They called me back and offered waaaaaaaaaay less than I was expecting with a "potential" raise in 90 days. I told them no way. It wasn't worth it for what I'd be giving up. What they offered would not cover day care. It wouldn't be a raise...I'd be working 40 (or more) hours a week and (after day care costs) bringing home less than I do now working 25 hours. So I said no way! Besides, I'm not sure Oliver and I are ready to part ways.

**Thank you all for your support! I feel so much better knowing that I'll be here for my little guy. The person who took the position really deserves it and I know she'll do a great job!

pulling up in action...

This video is very dark, but you can see him pull up and then the look of pride and amazement on his little face. It's so cute!

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from banana...

Bananas are yummy but they make an icky sticky mess!!
It's hard to grab something that is squishy and slippery!
I love this pose!!
<---icky sticky mess, see?

to bath...

My shirts...

These are the two shirts I made for myself to match two of the ones I made for Oliver. I think they turned out pretty well.

Straight From China...

Uncle Dave got this very cool outfit for Oliver when he was in China. It's made from 100% silk. How does he know this? The Lady who sold it to him said that if you hold silk up to a flame it will not burn! Very interesting! I absolutely love this outfit, I can't wait until he's big enough to wear it.
Here is a close up of the detailing on the shirt. It's a SCARY DRAGON!

he did it!!!

Oliver has just become motivated to explore his surroundings from a new perspective! He was playing in his crib while I got dressed and ready for the day when he grabbed the railing and PULLED HIMSELF UP!!!!!!! My little man is so big!

**added later - Jenn - yeah, he was giggling and looking very proud! Of course I was all "you did it hooooorraaaaay! what a big man you are!" and clapping my hands like a crazy person. This of course made him even more excited than he already was. Also, I only threw up twice the whole time I was pregnant. I just couldn't eat anything except VERY soggy chex for a month and a half. I lost 19 pounds between Feb and March

Mommy survey

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Nope, but not a complete suprise

.2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? It took a while for it to sink in, but then we were excited

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Hell No!

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 25

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? I was sick sick sick for a few days

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? I told my husband! (no brainer!)

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? No, but Bob convinced me to

9. DUE DATE? October 8, 2006

.10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? For all of February and half of March

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? I don't think I craved anything

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? incompetant salespeople at work

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Male

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? No way! I wanted a boy

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? I think it was only about 9 or 10 pounds, can't remember exactly

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes, I had three. One here, one in Asheville and one in Lewisburg.

!17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew all of them

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Unless you count giving birth at 34.5 weeks then no it was a healthy pregnancy

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? High Point Regional

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? That I knew about: 6 - although a lot of people think I went into labor on Monday, Oliver was born on Wednesday.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Bob, and he drove like a maniac!

.22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Bob

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Nope, completely medication free!

25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 5lbs 8oz

26. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? September 6, 2006

27. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Oliver Lucian

28. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? He is 8 months, 11 days!

Happy birthday to me!!

Today was my birthday! I'm now 27 years old. Bob and I went out for dinner after we dropped Oliver off at Kyle and Cindy's house. I had the best steak ever...it was cooked perfectly! After that we took a long walk around the UNCG campus, then we picked up some goodies and headed back home to veg out a bit before we picked Oliver back up. It was a great day! Here's a picture of the happy little man.

no ear infection...

My motherly paranoia took over today and I called the Dr's office because Oliver keeps grabbing his left ear. I know I know - this is something they do when they're teething - but he was doing it a lot and crying. Anyway we went down and they checked him out and he's fine! Just teething!

Speaking of teething, I can't chew! I think I bit my gums between my right wisdom teeth and it's all swollen and hurts like the dickens. I can't close my jaw all the way so I have to eat all soft food so I can mush it up with my tongue instead of my teeth. This sucks! Only 1.5 weeks until those stinkers get pulled, though.

I had so much dye left over from Olivers shirts that I went out today and got some white t-shirts for me. I'm going to dye them tomorrow and hopefully I'll be able to take pictures afterward.

Ta daaaaaa!

Here is the finished product frtom the "bucket project" For some reason I thought it would be fun to tie dye some onsies for Oliver. It turns out though that the only fun part is taking the rubber basnds off when you're done. Go figure. The rest of it was 30 minutes to mix the dye, 30 minutes to put the rubber bands on, 30 minutes of continuously stirring the shirts in the dye, 30 minutes of rinsing and re-rubber banding, 30 more minutes of continuously stirring the shirts in the dye, and then about 20 minutes or so of taking all the rubber bands off. Although I think they turned out really cool this is not a project I'll be doing again any time soon! I like how they all turned out completely different colors! I only had the three dyes, scarlet, teal and sunshine orange. Interesting tidbit, if you dye it orange and then teal it turns the color of this first one. I thought the teal would still be teal even over orange. I think I must have flunked art class!

How I spent my first official Mother's Day...

Part of the day was spent painting the first coat in the dining room. Great color, don't you think?!?! It makes a huge difference in how the room looks. I can't remember if this happened before or after we went shopping. We went to Garden Ridge to find some stuff that I need/want - although I was given a little bit of money to spend I only ended up spending $10. I got some flowers, some tomato seeds, and a cute little turtle garden ornament. We went to Home Depot, too, to get the buckets in the last picture. After we went shopping we went to Mi Pueblo - my absolutely FAVORITE restaurant. Oliver wasn't terribly well behaved while we were there so we didn't stay long. All the waiters loved him, as usual! After we got home we hung out for a while and then I started on my other project. The one that involves the buckets in the last picture here. I won't tell you what I did, but I'm very excited to see the finished product!!

Happy Schmappy Mother's Day!!!

To all the mother's - I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing, stress free day!

To my mom - you are the most wonderful mom that anyone could ever hope for. I'm sorry I can't be with you today. :-(