a mess and a masterpiece

Oliver's first (nonfamily) playdate

As you can see they didn't really play together they just played in the same room at the same time. This is Isabell, the daughter of Joe and Elizabeth. She's so adorable! She was born on her (and Oliver's) due date, October 8th, so she's a month younger than he is. Aren't they cute together?!

the post bath mohawk

new jammies and toy

This is one of the pairs of jammies we got at KMart on clearance. They are so cute!
Oliver always likes playing with the camera. Anytime we have it out he goes straight for it so we gave him his own! This is an old camera of mine that doesn't work anymore. Just one thing...

can someone tell him he can't get a good shot with his eyes closed?!

11 months old...

that's only 1 month away from a year!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!?!?!

What he's doing now:

Cruise (he was doing this before)
Use gestures to get needs met (like pointing, arms up to get picked up)
Clap hands
Wave
drink from a (sippy) cup by himself (this took LOTS of practice)
Pincher grasp
Stand alone (for a few seconds at a time)
say Mim and Dada and know what it means/who it is
Uses gibberish (more than just babbling)
responds to commands (like "leave it alone" or "give it to me" or "come to me")

The only things he isn't doing that the book says he might be able to are walking and saying more words. Both of which are listed as being something that doesn't usually happen this early.

He's still got a little bit of stranger anxiety and separation anxiety, but not too badly. He'll wave at just about anyone (unless you ask him to) and he's all smiles and talking to people when we go shopping (especially the ladies!)

He's very playful and laughs all the time. He's started to take an interest in stuffed animals, something he never cared much for. He's even got a favorite (it's the stuffed giraffe that Delilah gave him). He's more interested in how things work than just throwing them or banging them - he's almost figured out that tower of rings...he's always taken them off but now he's trying to put them back on, too.

He's a sweet sweet boy! I'm excited (and sad) that he'll be a year old soon.

Krispy Kreme!

I tried a Krispy Kreme doughnut sundae today. YUM! You can choose any donut, and topping, and they have chocolate, vanilla or swirl ice cream. I got a chocolate cake donut with chocolate ice cream with fudge drizzle and oreo crumbles. it was gooooooooooooooooooooood!

More food...

I've been working on more baby food. I made carrots, Broccoli and cauliflower with cheddar, and a mixed veggie (lima beans, carrots, corn, spinach, green beans) So far all he's tried is the mixed veggies but he seemed to like it. I also made black beans and rice. Yum!

Oliver is asleep...

He was cranky cranky cranky all day long. I bounced him on the exersize ball, i rocked him in the chair, i rocked him in my arms...he would NOT fall asleep. Since he was crying anyway, and so tired, this seemed to have worked pretty well for Katherine and Claire so I decided to try it. Every time he got up I laid him back down. He did NOT like it...AT ALL! He cried and cried and cried, but I just kept talking to him and rubbing his back and patting his tummy until finally (seemed like so long, but was actually only about 7 minutes) he fell asleep. Hopefully this will be the last time I have to do this because I hated every minute of it. Maybe now he will be able to sooth himself back to sleep in the middle of the night, though...and that means more sleep for him and for me.

Another giveaway...

over at Adventures in Babywearing! You can enter to win a $75 gift certificate to Chittypulga. They have some super cute clothes and very unique toys.
I like this and this and look at these cute little pants! Check them out, they are having sale right now, too!

Fun food facts:

Mangoes are antiviral. Mango juice poured into a test tube with live viruses actually deactivates them!

Do you cry when you cut an onion? It's because of a gas released when you break the cell walls. To avoid it refridgerate them before cutting. The cold air slows the gas.

Does baby have trouble picking up sliced banana or other slippery foods? Grind up some granola, oatmeal, or even cheerios in your food processor or blender. Coat the slippery food in the powder to make it easier to grab. This will also help prevent choking since slippery foods can slip down baby's throat before he can chew it up well enough.

We all know fish is a source of omega-3 fatty acids, but did you know the BEST source is flaxseed? About 1/4 tablespoon has 2372 mg of omega-3. The only fish that comes close to that amount are sardines (5000mg per 3.5 oz serving, but who wants to eat sardines? ew!) and sockeye salmon or atlantic mackerel (2500-3000mg per 3.5 oz serving). The only problem with eating fish is that it can be tainted by heavy metals, lead and mercury from water pollution.

There are no FDA limits on levels of pesticides and organic chemicals in bottled water. There are no federal standards on bottled water if they are bottled and sold in the same state. Some bottled waters are just processed local tap water. Avoid water with labels that say "spring fresh", "Spring type" or "spring pure" Some bottled waters contain added sodium and may have more bacteria then the water from your tap!It's actually better to drink filtered water (Brita or Pur) than bottled waters.

Thank you Super Baby Food for all this valuable information!!

it was on sale...

We were walking around K Mart yesterday looking for something that was totally NOT baby clothes, but I had to stop and look when I saw signs for 40% off clearance prices! We ended up getting 2 pairs of shorts and two outfits (like this one) for about $5. There were about 6 or 7 racks FULL of clothes that were marked down (some more than once) and then had another 40% off. We didn't have much time to browse but they had some really cute stuff. Great deal!

going for a ride!

mmmmm, egg!!

The Great Eight

The rules:

1. Let others know who tagged you. (Thank you Louann)

2. Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.

3. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts.

4. Players should tag 8 other people and notify them they have been tagged.

Ok here goes:

1. When I get sick I still like to snuggle my teddy bear. His name is David and I got him from my grandmother when I was a baby. He makes me feel better.

2. I like to wear Hawaiian shirts. I don't really wear much color except those.

3. I only wear patterned socks. I have 2 pairs of plain socks for emergencies - one black and one tan.

4. I would rather email or text than talk on the phone, that way I have time to revise what I said before I send it.

5. I hate looking at the ugly patched wall behind the computer when I sit here but I'm too lazy to move everything to paint over it.

6. I hate putting gas in the car. I let it get all the way down to where the light comes on before I'll do it. Even then sometimes I'll ask Bob to run to the store for something and while he's out will he put gas in my car?

7. I like root bear, but only out of a glass bottle. If it's in a plastic bottle or a cup it doesn't taste as good.

8. I never throw anything away. I have bunches of stuff that I know is trash but I just can't bring myself to get rid of it.

Ok there are my 8 random facts. I'm not tagging anyone, but if you want to do it then leave a comment and I'll come read it.

It's so much fun!

Never in my life did I ever think that doing housework would be fun...or something that I'd go out of my way to do. My house isn't a total disaster, just a little messy and cluttered. NOT ANYMORE! Thanks to Chore Wars there is a fierce competition for who will do the most housework. You get points for each chore you do and it keeps score for you. You can level up your character when you get enough points and you collect funny items along the way. Of course this is all set up by someone in the group as far as which chores you get points for and how many points you get but it makes me WANT to clean! WOW!

I went to sleep, but when I woke up...

Oliver and Daddy...

Just after a bath

Adventures in the Living Room...

Oh no! He's escaping from the playroom!!

The little rat turns around to make sure I know he escaped...what a stinker!

Always use a coaster on the new coffee table...

my first attempt...

This is Lima Beans. Yum!
This is super porridge made from brown rice. Looks like gruel to me!

A pig for the boy...

Bob kept teasing me about how I made a piggy bank for myself but not one for Oliver. I went to the local paint your own pottery studio the other day and made this. It looks black, but it's actually midnight blue.

ok I admit it!!

I cleaned up all that stuff because it was on my to do list, but getting the points was a bonus! What a motivator! Much thanks to Rachael for thinking it up/signing us up. I just remembered I have to take out the trash!

I got back my latest craft project but I left the camera in the car and since Oliver is asleep in the living room I am not going to go open the LOUD door to get it. It turned out so cool though, I can't wait to post pictures.

Now that Oliver is feeling better and Bob is almost better it is, of course, my turn to get sick. I can feel it in the back of my nose...stinking cold! I read last night (in Super Baby Food) that mangoes are antiviral! I had Bob pick one up last night so I can see if it will get rid of this cold before I get really sick. I hope it works!

I'm making Lima beans for Oliver today, and then later I'll make some Super Porridge from brown rice. I hope he likes it! I'm sure he will, the boy eats everything!

working so hard

I worked really hard today getting the house cleaned up a bit. I did two loads of laundry, swept the kitchen, swept and mopped one of the bathrooms, one load of dishes, vacuumed the living room, hallway and playroom, and cleaned up the bedroom from vacation.

Meanwhile, Oliver is sick. Bob got a cold somehow the other day and he passed it on to Oliver. Needless to say he is not his usual happy self. He's cranky - he's got a runny nose - he has a little temperature. He's still eating like crazy though! In fact, he tried egg yolk for the first time tonight. He seemed to like it, he ate it all up. Yum yum!

I went out and got Super Baby Food today and started reading it. I'm really excited about making my own baby food now that Oliver can eat more solids. It's really informative about what to feed him and how to prepare it. I have been just steaming everything so far but there are lots of recipes in there. It also says approximately how much and how often to feed him - something that we've really been in the dark about so far. I'll keep posting about how it goes.

Farewell!!!

Oliver has decided that it's fun to wave things about...especially things like washcloths and baby wipes. It really reminds me of all those scenes in movies where the boat leaves the dock and people wave their handkerchiefs. He'll get ahold of something and wave it around and I'll say "Farewell! Farewell!" and he'll laugh. Sometimes he'll hand it to me and I'll dab my eyes with it and tell him how sad I am that he's leaving. Oliver thinks it's hilarious.

a new toy...

Bob got these cute little Oliver-sized water bottles the other day. They are labeled "Aquapods" and are made by Deer Park. Anyway, Oliver really likes playing with them. He gets two at a time and knocks them together or waves them around. They are just the right size for the little guy. He can even drink from them!
As you can see they don't escape the usual treatment. All toys (and everything else, too) goes into his mouth to find out "meal or no meal". They make a pretty loud crinkly noise when he chews on those feet. He laughs when I make it "launch" like a rocket. These are really fun!

look at the cute new jammies!

These are Oliver's new jammies. He grew out of all his old ones so we went out shoppin'. These were at Target and are actually a 9 month size! They are still a bit baggy but that just means they'll fit longer.

Here's the back view, I love the little spots! They are really soft and seem to be pretty cozy. The only thing I worry about is that he'll get too hot but he doesn't use a blanket so I guess it's not that bad. He's been sleeping through the night better lately, too! He usually only wakes up once, if at all.

mmmmmm!

Oliver feeds himself with a spoon...it must be good because all the pictures of him I got are with his eyes closed. Notice how he's using his left hand? I think he's going to be a lefty!!

Oliver before naptime...

I'm so tired! I'm tired! I want to sleep but I want to play! Waaaaaah! I want you to cuddle me, no wait, I changed my mind. I want to play! I'm so tired! Waaaaaaah!