modeling a new outfit.

How do you like it Gramma and Grampa?

my latest project

I've been planning on painting jungle scenes on Oliver's bedroom walls since we moved in. The walls are bright yellow with dark green trim. I actually started on it a few days ago with a butterfly a caterpillar and a couple of fern-like plants. Yesterday I finished the first (very small) tree. I think they turned out ok. The next step will be to put in the pond/lagoon with the crocodile in it. maybe some dragonflies and some cattails...I haven't decided. This is going to go on the wall beneath the bookshelves. There will eventually be an elephant and a couple of giraffes, probably a monkey, maybe a toucan or two. Of course there's no telling how long this is going to take. I barely have time to do anything. I worked on what I've done already for a little while every day before going to work. Mabye if I keep doing that it can be done before August. I hope so!

Oliver loves playing ball!

Action shot! Oliver loves getting out all the balls and throwing them around. He has a whole bucket of them (see in the background) that are all different sizes. His favorite are the tennis balls, though. They are small enough for him to carry two at a time, which he often does. He'll say "ball" and then throw it. His aim isn't that good yet so sometimes he hits us. Luckily he can't throw very hard so it doesn't hurt. Anyway, it's super cute!

other preggies...

Since I've been pregnant I have found out that several of the bloggers that I read regularly are also pregnant. Here they are:

Robyn 21 weeks, baby #2
Katherine and Claire's mommy, 6 weeks, baby #3 (K&C are twins)
Adventure's in Babywearing, 9 weeks (ish), baby #4

Also, Laura, who I know from Myspace is due March 6th (?) for baby #1. (although my guess is Feb 23 at 6:22pm) I'd link, but her profile is private so it wouldn't do any good.

So hurray for all of us and our little "buns"!!!

baby!

How big is your baby? Well compare it to food! This is kinda cute, there's a food for the baby's size every week. I have the link to 14 weeks which is what the dr said ours is.

We get to have our ultrasound (3D!!) on March 3rd. I'm so excited that I can hardly stand it!!!!!! Hopefully everything will be where it's supposed to be and growing properly. We will be finding out if it's a boy or girl if s/he isn't shy, too. (Not that it matters, but it'll be easier to pick out a name)

We got to hear the heartbeat again yesterday. Cute little heartbeat. It made both of us cry but Oliver just looked confused. Oh well, he'll get it eventually.

Today is our 41st monthaversary!

Happy Smoochaversary, Sweetie!

I love you!!!!

a few new words...

Oliver now says:

squirell
bear
please
peas (he actually says pea babies)


In other news, I think I ate a bug. I was eating my cereal and there was something bitter so I wiped it on my hand. I didn't see a bug but there was blood on my hand ...GROSSSSSSSS!

Why does Oliver always take his shoes off in the car? EVERY time we go out I end up putting his shoes back on him when we get where we're going. It's not like he has nothing else to do. He has tons of toys in the seat with him! WHYYYYYYYYYY!?

nappytime

awww, sweet sleepy face boy.

We took a nap together yesterday (for two hours!) and Bob took pictures.

Oliver wearing my socks...

I stepped in water in the kitchen so I got a fresh pair of sock to put on. As I took the old ones off Oliver grabbed them up and tried to put them on. I put them on him and he wore them around for quite a while. He's so darn cute!

Oliver, where's your belly?

preggy update...

This pregnancy has not been nearly as rough as Oliver was. I've been nauseous but not as badly, pretty managable actually. I've been able to eat bland foods like cereal and plain baked potatoes. Anything acidic gives me heartburn so bad though. Lately I've been feeling better and have more energy. I actually ate Sesame Chicken and vegetable fried rice yesterday and didn't immediately want to throw it all back up. Hopefully soon I'll be able to get back to normal eating. I can't wait! Oh yeah, popsicles help with the heartburn, especially in the evening. I loooooove popsicles!

potty update and some new words

Since that first victory Oliver has been very stubborn about NOT going on the potty. However, Saturday he POOPED on the potty! It was just a tiny little poop but he did it! Then today he peed in the potty again...a LOT of pee. I've been really trying to get him on the potty every 30-45 minutes but it's very hard. I need to buy a potty timer, that'd make things easier. I lose track of time so easily. Anyway, the point is that we are making progress!

Oliver now says "pretty" and "pants" and he signs "book", "phone" and i can't remember the other one. I was so impressed by book that it flew out of my brain. I'll post it later when I remember.

The cutest baby dishes!

Check out these adorable baby dishes! ...and these! Aren't they adorable!? I want some really bad. I can't wait until they are in stock...I have to have them! Of course that's not all there is at this store but I'm kind of stuck on cute baby things lately. The name of the store is Kolorful Kitchen and it's located in Hendersonville, NC. They started out carrying only kitchen stuff but now they've expanded and have some unique purses and wallets too! They even have Polish Pottery. There's so much stuff there that I want I can never decide. Anyway, go check them out!

Potty time!

Oliver peed on the potty for the first time yesterday! It was right after his nap - he woke up with a dry diaper so we sat on the potty for a while to see what would happen. He sat there and played for about 20 minutes before he let loose and PEED ON THE POTTY! Most of it went outside the potty but I was proud anyway because he was sitting on the potty when he did it. He started to cry immediately after he peed but I gave him a hug and sang the "Oliver peed on the potty" song and he started laughing. HOOOOOOOOORAAAAAAAAAAAY!!

Hey look! It's about time!!

I got my hair cut! It's been since February '06 that I got it cut and it's been growing like crazy since then. We went to get Oliver a trim because his hair was hanging in his eyes again and while we were there Bob convinced me to get a "trim". Of course, once I sat down in the chair I decided to just hack some of it off. This is the result after blow drying and straightening and curling the ends. It's really cute! Everyone has said that it really suits me. I think the only person who *doesn't* like it is Oliver. He likes to play with my hair when he's going to sleep but now it's really hard to reach.

sleep training, potty training...

The other night when I got home from work I heard Oliver crying...really hard! Of course my first instinct is to run and snatch up my baby and comfort him but Bob was trying to get him to go to sleep without being held/rocked/sung to etc. I absolutely HATE the CIO method of sleep training so after a few more minutes Bob gave up and let me take the boy. I actually got him to sleep without being held or rocked. I gave him a little cup of milk and laid him on the futon. I sat next to the futon where I could still pet his head and rub his back and he could still see me. Within minutes he was asleep. I've been doing this with naptimes since then and he's really getting good at going to sleep by himself. I guess the next step is to get him to do it in his bed.

The potty training is...well...a whole other story. Oliver likes to sit on his potty but he hasn't peed or pooped in it yet. He'll sit there and talk to me or read a book or play with a toy. I sit him there about every 30 - 45 minutes. Of course this has only been for a day so I'm not worried about it at this point. It's just a little frustrating because I'm so excited about the potty!

picture time

Oliver likes sitting on his drum for some reason.

Here he's playing with all the legos that grampa got him for christmas. he and daddy sure did have fun!!!

a potty chair for Oliver!

I ordered this potty chair from Amazon 2 days ago (I think) and it shipped yesterday! It's supposed to arrive tomorrow and I am sooo excited. He peed on the floor again last night after his bath, but it was before we got the new diaper on him so it's not like he meant to this time...not exactly anyway...he peed in the same place as the last 2 times. Anyway, any potty training advice would be GREATLY appreciated!

In other news, I hate my vitamin! It tastes icky and I am not supposed to eat within 4 hours of taking it (2 before and 2 after). I'm also supposed to drink a glass of water with it, but I hate drinking water. It's so plain!

I'm almost over the queasy stage. I can actually eat more than just cereal and plain baked potatoes! Woohoo! Although Taco Bell, pizza and anything with tomato sauce is totally out...heartburn city! That doesn't leave much as far as my regular diet is concerned. I mostly eat pasta with sauce or pizza or things like that. Oh well, I'll figure something out just like I did last time.

Oliver's words...update

I haven't really posted about Oliver's vocabulary since November so I thought it was about time I did that. He says 32 words and does 32 signs, some are the same but some are only said or only signed. He's such a smart boy! Here goes:

he says:

bird
banana
thank you!
duck
quack
juice
smooch
more
clock
block
tickle
eye
belly
uh-oh!
wow!
ooooooooh!
good job!
piggy (for his piggy bank)
cookie
ready?

he signs:

mim
milk
bird
banana
drink
snuggle
baby
dog
fish
cat
sock
ball
light
bath
naked
hat
sleepy
hot
all gone/done
monkey

He also understands phrases:

throw it
kick it
be gentle
come here
get down
go to the (playroom, futon, living room)
get out of the kitchen
put it in
bring it to (mim or daddy)
put it back
catch it

he also roars like a lion, makes a fire truck siren, barks like a dog, peeps like a bird, and makes vroooom noises for all cars and trucks.

If we aren't paying enough attention and he wants to give us something he'll grab our hand and put it out so he can put whatever it is in the hand.

he's got another tooth! the one on the top left between his front teeth and his molar is just barely poking out.

so that's the latest update on the big man. I'm off to snuggle the hubby for the rest of his nap. :-)
Of course this list doesn't include the ones I listed before.

Oliver's tool belt...

Bob put an old belt around Oliver and stuck all his tools in it. Doesn't he look cute?!

Is this the wrench you needed?
He looks like a plumber or something with his little hand stuck into his belt like that.

Send Your Smoochy Wife Flowers Day...

According to Bob last Friday (the 11th) was Send Your Smoochy Wife Flowers Day. When I got to work this beautiful arrangement was waiting for me with a very sweet note! They are so pretty and they smell so nice. It really made my day!!

I love you, hubby bubby cuppy cake!

the funniest thing happened yesterday...

I was at work so I didn't witness this firsthand. There was a pile of dirty clothes in one corner of the playroom. Bob (for some reason) was letting Oliver run around in just a shirt and diaper. Oliver apparently went over to the pile of clothes, pulled down the front of his diaper and peed all over the clothes! I have no idea what possessed him to do this, but when i found out i laughed and laughed and laughed. Oliver has seen Bob using the bathroom a few times and I guess he just figured that's how it's done. It must be time to get a POTTY!

some cute B&W Oliver pictures

a trip to the park in the WARM WARM weather

It was so nice out yesterday that we couldn't resist stopping at this park. It's just a little park in the middle of a neighborhood but it was almost deserted. Oliver really loved that tunnel, he spent most of the time in it. He liked the swings pretty well, too and we got some super nice swinging pictures. We went down a big curvy slide together and Daddy played hide and seek and tunnel peek. The family shot is a pretty good one, but we couldn't get Oliver to look at the camera - he was too excited!

i'm so slack with updates!

Well, it's been a while since the last post. A lot has been going on. First, Oliver updates: He has picked up a couple new words and signs. His new words are eye, good job!, and wow. I can't remember the new signs and I'm sure there are more words than that but my brain is not working well. He's also started doing karate...well...as much as a 1 year old can. Apparently Bob was watching some cartoon with him and the people were in a fight. Oliver started waving his hands around immitating them. It was VERY cute! Bob also got Oliver some tools. He has 2 hammers, 2 wrenches, 2 screwdrivers, a workbench/stool and a work table. He also has an electric drill, which he makes his own sound effects for. He's figured out how to get the nut off the bolt and he's very good at hammering...everything. Knocking is a new favorite. He likes to go to the front door and knock on it, or knock on the wall to see if anyone will knock back from the other side. Luckily the playroom shares a wall with one of the bathrooms so one of us can go in there and knock back and forth. He will do this for a looooooooong time. I have new pictures but I'm so slack that I haven't even gotten them on the computer yet.

In other news, Oliver is getting ready for his new brother or sister - due 8-8-08!! We just got confirmation from the doctor on the 3rd that we are definately having another baby this year. They didn't do anything except get a medical history at this visit but it seems like everything is fine. I've been doing ok with the morning sickness, it's not nearly as bad as when I was pregnant with Oliver. Mostly I'm HUNGRY...although I do get nauseous sometimes. Life Savers seem to help so I always have some on hand. As of today the baby is 9 weeks, 2 days old. I guess I should add another ticker to the top of the blog!

more Christmas pictures...

Here is Oliver with Aunt Rachael on Sunday morning. We stayed at Gramma and Grampa D's house. Gramma made a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns and biscuits. Of course, there was also the DELICIOUS Christmas sweet bread. YUM!

Here's Oliver giving Gramma D some snuggles. He was very generous with the snuggles this weekend - much to everyone's delight.

Here is Gramma D and Oliver playing "YOU!". It mainly consists of Gramma running around a corner and when Oliver comes around where he can see she yells "YOU!" and points. After a while Oliver started to point, too. They both had a lot of fun playing.

What a cute present! I hope it's for me!!!

Christmas in Asheville

We headed up to Asheville late Saturday morning to hang out with the Harriman crowd for the big holiday bash they have there every year. We started out later than expected so we didn't get there until about 2 but we had lots of fun once we got there. Oliver ran around and played with Delilah (his only cousin on my side) and my cousins (Matthew, Jessica, Heather) and my aunts, uncles, granparents and dad.

Here's Oliver opening a present with Aunt Sarah (her face actually was cut off in the picture and I didn't take it!). This is the only good picture we got of him opening a present even though he got A LOT of presents (despite me telling everyone to not buy him anything!!)

Here he is getting a big hug from cousin Delilah.

Here he is playing with his new dump truck with Grampa Steve.

Here he is snuggling Grampa Steve.

I have lots more to post but Oliver just woke up so I'll get them on later!

a little tiny update...

despite my crazy picture taking spree with my new camera, I'm not posting any pictures right now. (I know, I know...try to hold back your disappointment!)

Oliver can now recognize eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hair, belly and foot.

Oliver can reach doorknobs, although he hasn't figured out how to open a door yet.

He's gotten really attatched to a little stuffed bear in a Carolina sweater. When he gets ready for a nap he'll bring it up on the futon and snuggle it while he goes to sleep. He also gives it smooches.

Oliver is very generous with hugs and smooches.

When Daddy comes home from work Oliver will stop whatever he's doing to go greet him. If he doesn't get picked up immediately he gets VERY upset! He loves his daddy.

Oliver has been very patient with me in the last few days while we've gone shopping. He is very calm and well behaved in the stores. He waves and talks to people a LOT, unless they talk to him first. He loves grabbing things and after a while doesn't like being in the stroller but he is pretty good about staying close to me if I let him walk around...most of the time.

He's gotten very FAST.

He likes putting things in the hamper. I did some laundry and left the hamper in the living room for a few days. Now it's full of toys and papers and socks and anything else he could get ahold of. He likes to lift up the lid and put it in and he ALWAYS puts the lid back down. EVERY TIME.

So that's Oliver lately. He's still not a good sleeper but he's doing better. He stays in his bed for hours at a time at night. he sleeps from about 8 to 7:30 usually, althought lately it's been 9 or 10 until 8.

Anyway, Merry Christmas!!

singing into drumsticks...

uh oh! he can reach doorknobs!