Monday, September 26, 2011

O-man!

8 months old, can you believe it?!  I'll try and write and much info as i can think of as far as what's going on with him lately.

-Bananas are his breakfast staple.  Every morning, 1 banana.  I get a little nervous when i see the banana bunch getting low, i do not want to have to tell the shrieking monkey that we have no bananas today.  That could get ugly.

-Not a big fan of eggs yet, surprisingly.  No pureed peas, beans, or anything green for that matter.  I'd like my veggies cooked whole please.

-Not in love with cheerios, warming up to cheese, absolutely ADORES toast with jam.  Black beans are his fave as i've already mentioned.  So funny cause Ian wouldn't touch the things, i remember cause at the same time my cutest nephew in the world loved them!

-Doesn't really like taking sips of water, like, at all.  I still nurse him all the time so he's obviously getting enough to drink, but i'm wondering, when do they absolutely have to have water?

-Oh, so one big thing that happened a while ago!  Poor oliver had a runny nose constantly for almost two months.  And i'm not talking about it kinda comes and goes runny nose, it was using the booger sucker at least twice a day runny nose.  EVERY DAY.  Finally my brain kicks in and i realize he's had it ever since starting him on baby oatmeal.  So i go to rice cereal, nothing changes.  So i stop feeding him either one, start nursing him more often, give him some quinoa in place of the oatmeal, and ta da!  His nose is completely cleared up in less than 2 days.  I know i should try giving him some again just to see if he's really allergic to it, but i just don't wanna.

-He can finally sit up on his own perfectly well.  He just doesn't want to.  Why sit when you can crawl or stand?  He is soooo fast!  We have to keep the bathroom door shut because he's drawn to the bathtub like a magnet.  Blink an eye and he'll be standing at the tub banging his hands trying to climb in, or sticking his hand in the toilet.

-He stops people wherever we go, everyone wants to have a conversation with him, tickle his toes, touch his hair.  A nice couple in New Seasons who asked his name saw us again in the parking lot and the man waved and yelled, "Goodbye Oliver, have a good day!"

- I am torn throughout the day on whether i want him to hurry and grow up or whether i want him to stay this same way and never get older, depends on the minute.  When i'm trying to do something and he's heavy in my arms and reaching for this and that and my body feels worn out i feel like shouting "Walk already would you!"  When i look in at his sleeping body, little bum in the air, my heart throbs and i wish i could have him like this forever.

-Sleeping schedule is about the same.  To bed around 7:30, wakes up about 5:00, feed him, put him back to bed to sleep until whenever the boys wake him up.

-Hasn't said ma ma or da da, but knows what a kiss is, and will lean in and open his mouth wide over and over as i get as many kisses as i can from him.  Having a five year who rarely gives kisses anymore makes them so much more precious.

- I wish i could smell baby's breath every day for the rest of my life.  It's heavenly.




Protected


So Ian had been having some random episodes of waking up in the wee hours of the morning sounding as though he couldn't breath, like he was trying to draw in breath but looked as if he was almost choking.  Joe would usually go in, Ian would want a drink of water, get tucked back in and fall asleep.  But last Wednesday night was a little different.  The boys had gone to their first AWANA's night, an international program that involves games, stories, scripture memorization for kids of all ages.  Good night for everyone, got to bed, everything's great.  We were awoken at exactly 3:00AM to the sound of Ian trying to get his breath, then terrified crying.  Joe and i both got out of bed, i checked on oliver while joe took ian to get a drink of water.  I came out to the kitchen took ian in my arms as he clung onto me for dear life.  He asked me to rock him in the chair.  I asked him if he had a bad dream, and i thought he told me there was a big big bear in his room and i assured him it was gone.  His wide eyes looked so intently at me as he whispered, "But it's gonna come back."  I told him whenever he is afraid that all he has to do is say the name of Jesus and ask Him to come and be in his bed, and the bear will have to leave.  Then i continued on to pray for him and sing to him and after he fell asleep i put him back to bed.  The next day i asked him about it some more because usually if one of the kids has a bad dream they forget all about it by morning.  But then i realized i had misheard him the night before, he was saying there was a pillow in his room, a big big white pillow.  I asked joe later and he said, "Oh yeah, he told me it was a pillow last night."  Anyway, so i asked ian what the pillow did and he again answered in his serious soft voice, "It came.  And it came, and it landed on my belly.  Like this."  And he slowly moved his hand to his belly.  Ohhh, i said.  And then where did it go?  "Back to his hooome," he answered.  And where's his home, i asked, expecting him to say the window or the closet or something.  Then his voice gets even quieter as he points down and says, "Under the ground.  He went to his home."  Then i knew for sure what i had known the night before as i prayed over my little one.  Satan does not like it one bit that God's Word is being planted in Ian's little growing heart, because he knows that my boys will become great men of God.  And fear is one of his most used tactics to keep people (big and small) from trusting in Jesus.
But he lost this round because Ian knows that the big white pillow is never allowed to return, and in the name of Jesus, the fear is gone.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Randoms

There are some things i've realized that i would like to start writing down whether they have anything to do with anything or not.  Whatever that means.


So here are a few things-


Packing away maternity clothes for good was a piece of cake.  Packing away newborn baby clothes, not so much.


I have lived 31 years without ever noticing that on every train crossing signal, there is a ladder that goes all the way up the side, and a deck to walk to the end, i'm assuming in case the lights need maintenance.  Thanks Joey, you open up my world every day.


Oliver is a black bean addict.  He's full right now, but he's still shoveling them in one by one.
More on Oliver to come.


Saturday, September 17, 2011

Goodbye naked summer baby...

As i grieve the passing of hot weather, i will be posting pics of our summer happenings in remembrance.



Da Boss

Alright, who around here needs a spankin'?



Thursday, September 15, 2011

Old School

So what softie came along and invented "time outs" where the kid gets to just relax and sit on his bum in a designated somewhere, and why have i been doing it for so many years?


Well, that era ended about a month ago.  This mom has brought back "standing in the corner."  


Change is hard.



Say it ain't so


So you mean to tell me that this teeny tiny precious little itty bitty squishy yummy hand is going to grow bigger and stronger than mine?  That's not actually going to happen................right?

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Ewer Beach 2011

Ahhhhhh Pacific City.  One of my favorite places to be.  I'll let the pictures explain the why.  (I think you can clink on them to see them bigger.)


Mandatory stop at Tillamook Cheese Factory, YUM!


What we see as we enter the house.  And i get instantly giddy.



Cousins at work



Cousins at play




Getting some Aunt Rhianan snuggles


What crossed my path on my solitary bike ride, so cool!













Jon's sand angel :-)


This picture's awesome for two reasons. 1) Jon's a goofball, and 2)  Those cliffs in the background overlooking the ocean   are where joe asked me to marry him 8 1/2 years ago.













Not sure how many times he climbed back up the hill to re-fly the kite, but it was a lot.



Didn't get a chance to sit much in these chairs, but it sure looks like a nice view!



Cowboys gettin' some sun










Aunt Corah's so fun!






Real men bead.





Where's Joey?








This was a rare sighting of Papa this weekend.  He slept during most of every day we were at the beach.  Had been sick for two weeks, was on day 5 of his antibiotics with no improvement, found out later he had had pneumonia.  Sorry Gary, we had a great time!



There's poor Papa, trying to be a trooper, wishing this photo shoot would end already.

Love you guys.  It felt like i blinked and it was over and done with.  Can't wait for next year!


Didn't see Ian a lot this trip mostly because my sis-in-law Rhianan was always keeping him occupied, washing his hands, getting him up to the table, etc.  I had to restrain myself to not beg and plead for her to come home with me.  What a difference it makes to just have an extra set of hands!  But seriously Rhianan, next year when school's out, maybe you could spend the night for maybe like, the whole summer?