new lights...

We got a new light for the kitchen because the old one was hideous and not very bright. I decided on this, at least for now. It's very bright!

Of course we got the environmentally friendly lightbulbs for it...


Here is the light we got for the playroom. The overhead light is way too bright and Oliver stares at it all the time. I don't want him to burn his little eyeballs so we got this. It has three settings, the blue and green one come on if you turn the switch once, another turn and the blue and green go off and the red, yellow and white come on. One more turn and they all come on. It's very pretty and goes with the floor in the playroom really well!

it was a bloody masacre!

Oliver had cheese tortellini with tomato sauce for dinner...

it was very messy but he seemed to enjoy it...

In fact, he looks quite pleased with himself!

(of course he went straight to the bathtub after this)

Oliver's birthday list...

For anyone wanting to get Oliver a birthday present, here's what he wants:

Diapers!!!
Clothes in size 12M or 18M (preferably warm/winter)
Peek a Blocks or Roll Arounds
stackable cups/bowls
shape sorter
Little People (doesn't have to be a set)
Books: Harold and the Purple Crayon, Dr. Seuss beginning beginner books, Spot, Mr. Men - board books with bright pictures or cloth books (email me to see which ones he already has)
Toy cars/trucks
smock like bibs (not Sesame Street, but this is the style)
a drum/bongo (or other musical instrument like tamborine, xylophone, maracas)

What he doesn't want:
Stuffed animals - he doesn't care for them and he has tons!
anything musical/loud - he gets bored with it too quickly

I'll be adding to the list as I think of more stuff so check back for more ideas.

I can't believe it!

Check out this post...It's so sad!

enV me!

Since I was out on a shopping spree yesterday I also got this! It's the Verizon enV.

It flips open and has a full keyboard inside. The screens are both big and bright, and it has all the features I wanted. It's also ORANGE!

Also at World Market...

I picked up this picnic basket. I've been looking for a basket like this for a LONG time. It even has a nifty hole for a bottle of (insert name of your favorite bottled beverage here). I like that the side flip up, shown in the second picture.

I got this mortar and pestle, too, to grind up Oliver's flaxseed. It's small and I only do about 1/4 tsp at a time so it didn't work out very well in the food processor. I tried it for his breakfast today and it worked well.

new guest towels...

Since we decided to paint the bathroom blue and tan instead of orange and (the lightest) gray we ended up with these towels from World Market. They were on sale so I got one full set instead of just hand towels. They're so perty!

what i want for christmas...

small food saver canisters - i need about 6 or 7, this size
or this set

Oliver's new big boy seat

This is Oliver's new car seat. It's for big boys! It can be rear facing or front facing. I adjusted the straps and he's already at the second highest one! I'll take pictures of him in it one of these days. First I have to get Bob to install it

look, Ma, no hands!!

this is how Oliver naps

What's up with that?

Oliver holds everything in his mouth these days. Sometimes he shakes it like a dog does. Strange little boy!

a new seat!

We went out yesterday and came home with a new car seat for Oliver. It's bigger, and can face back or forward. He's getting so big that the straps on the other one are getting really snug. Once we turn it forward we can hook the cup holder and little "secret compartment" onto it. It's pretty fancy, and looks really cozy. I took it out of the box last night and put it all together. BOb put him in it today and he seemed to like it pretty well.

I forgot some things yesterday

Oliver is crazy about waving. He waves at everyone unless, of course, I ask him to. He waves at people in stores, parking lots, he'll even wave at himself in the mirror! I think he gets the concept that the baby in the mirror is him but who knows. He does realize that it's my reflection there because when I do something he will look from the reflection to me and back again.

He still hates getting his face washed. I've got a new tactic now for washing though. I take him to the sink in (my) bathroom and let him look in the mirror while I run his hands under the faucet, then I lower him down and sploosh water on his face and rub it around to clean him off. It makes for a very wet baby, but it's better than screaming baby.

He's slept for 6 hours in a row, without waking up, in his own bed for the past two nights. Bob puts him to bed at around 8:30 or 9 and then he might wake up around 10 or so (when I get home from work) to eat then goes back down until 5 or 6. I feel so rested! I hope this trend continues. He's doing better with naps, too. He gets a snack and then some juice before firstnap, then just some juice before secondnap, but he goes down so easy. I think he's realized that naps are a good thing and since we've established a routine (not a schedule) he knows what to expect.

oh so many things...

Oliver is a "good sharer". In the last few days he has started to hold out whatever he's eating/playing with so that I can have some. I usually just go "yumyumyumyum!" and pretend to eat it (even if it's a toy, weird huh?) and after I do that he chuckles and goes about his business. He did this with just about EVERY bite at breakfast. What a long meal that was!

He stands on his own for seconds at a time now (I counted six earlier, I haven't counted before or since). He usually does it when he's not really paying attention. He'll be holding a particularly interesting toy (or remote or phone) and just let go of whatever large stable object he's on to use both hands to explore it.

Speaking of phones - don't try to call my cell phone! It may or may not work, I'm not sure. Oliver chewed on my phone for a while earlier and now it doesn't ring and some of the buttons don't work. This is NOT an ideal situation since we don't get our "new every 2" credit until January.

Oliver's new favorite game is Chase. I clear off the whole playroom floor and then he sits in one corner and I sit in the other. When he starts crawling toward me I crawl toward him really fast and he starts laughing like crazy, turns the other way and takes off. Sometimes I let him get away, but when I catch him I either roll him over and lift him up into the air or I tickle him like crazy. Either way we both have a good time!

The car seat is getting to be way to small for Oliver. We're going to have to get a big boy car seat soon. I'm going to try to wait until the end of the month so I don't have to worry about turning it around after his birthday, I can just install it the right way to begin with.

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.