Enough Sock Monkeyin' Around.

While Oliver was watching the Super Bowl this past Sunday evening with his Mama...maybe some of you saw Sock Monkey out galavanting around...bowling, jet skiing, gettin tattoos, in Vegas, New York clubbin, cruisin' around in his Kia & what not...

Little Oliver was happy to have him back home, safe & sound ;)

Oliver has been taking frequent daily visits to the rainforest! Thanks to Granny Hanny for the new exciting sensory stimulation =)

Chasing elephants & birds & frogs & monkeys has been really fun!

So, while Oliver can keep monkeyin' around...Mama cannot!!! I have declared this week Operation Colorado Movement because we have less than 2 weeks before we officially move everything out there & I feel like I have nothing & everything to do still! Does that even make sense?! So this is my official announcement of my blogworld hiatus starting after next Sunday. And when we return...we will have a lot to share with you...including the roadtrip, the move-in, the new home, etc! With Mike's flight booked, the moving truck reserved, the boxes piling up...I am trying to take every "free" second I can while Oliver sleeps to get packing & organizing done. Somewhat difficult at times...as he refused to take a nap yesterday in the afternoon...therefore...bringing on a very fussy baby, A VERY FUSSY BABY, let me stress!!! After he finally went down, I was so ready for sleep myself I called it quits for the night. By starting earlier than I usually would with packing...I'm sure we'll be ready & set to go come next Thursday!

I do plan to make a couple more posts before we take off, but I HAVE to keep them short as I love to ramble & it obviously takes time out of my packing/organizing time! I'm sure Mike would be impressed with my excuse of blogging if the boxes aren't ready for loading yet! Haha.

Motorboating & Moving Plans.

Oliver continues to "talk" all the time, but the other day, I caught him motorboating, twice. He tends to have a steady stream of drool going, so of course, it was accompanied by bubbles. So funny! His Daddy was pretty proud of his motorboating son when I shared his new skill with him.

In exactly 2 weeks from today, Michael will be flying into Des Moines to begin the trek back with Oliver & I. I am so excited yet a little overwhelmed with everything I still need to organize & pack & a little nervous about how little O is going to handle the trip. Our planned itinerary looks like this:

Thursday Feb 18th...Michael flies to DM & I will pick him up. Drive to Ames. Pick up moving truck. Load our leftover belongings from Ames & drive to Holstein.

Friday Feb 19th...Load everything (& this is the bulk of our stuff) & drive to Sioux Falls.

Saturday Feb 20th...Load everything else still in Sioux Falls. Em & Cory's Wedding Reception Saturday night.

Sunday Feb 21st...Depart for Basalt. Note Oliver & I will be following Mike in the moving truck.

Monday Feb 22nd...Arrive in Basalt.

Unpack...unpack...unpack!!!

Fortunately for us, my parents will be joining us on our trip out to Colorado. This way, Michael & I can take care of the business of packing/unpacking/unloading/putting essentials away & or together all while not neglecting little Oliver. We are so grateful & glad they are coming out with us, it will also give Oliver a little extra bonding time as he transitions from an Iowa to a Colorado resident. I know it's going to be hard on us all to leave, but we're so glad & excited about our new adventure. I don't think everything is going to sink in until I'm actually out there & my parents leave. They plan on roadtripping back to Iowa...fun! =) I'm sure by the time they get back, the next trip out will be planned! Thank goodness for the blog & modern technology, we will be able to send a lot of photos & Skype when they need a talking Oliver fix.

Oliver & I have been able to Skype with Daddy while he's been out in Colorado. Oliver stares at the screen where he sees Mike. And usually Michael is dancing around & singing to him so he stays fully intrigued. He's usually drooling all over the keyboard (Oliver not Mike) but it's well worth the bonding time! Our other latest news with Oliver is that he was weighed the other day again...any wagers...14 lbs 9 oz! The kid is putting on the lbs! He also continues to be a pretty good sleeper at night. We will have a couple of random nights where he feels the need to wake up at 4:30 aM ready to go for the day...& then this is where we have problems because Mama is NOT! He's not hungry, he doesn't have a poopy diaper, he doesn't have to burp, he's just ready to get up, make his morning coffee, flip on GMA & get his day started. Well Oliver...here's the deal, for one..Mom has gotten pretty used to not having to work the graveyard shift...and two...GMA doesn't come on until 7aM or something. So, let's just go back to sleep for a couple hours or four & then we'll talk. Sometimes this works & sometimes it doesn't. Gotta love the guessing game of babies sometimes huh?! Other than that, & it doesn't happen often...he loves the sound of birds, milk, The Blackeyed Peas & long walks on the beach.

Oliver & Mama!

I've had these photos for a couple weeks now, from when the icestorm hit us.

And if you're in the midwest, these images are all too familiar, but I wanted to share with those of you who are missing out on our less than stellar winter this year.

I'm ready for new scenery!

I LOVE jeans on babies! Haha, so cute!!!

Happy Bday Daddy!!!

Oliver & his sock monkey celebrating your birthday!

We wish we could be in Colorado to celebrate with you. . ...

but we will see you in 3 weeks...

or 21 days...

or 504 hours...

but who's counting ;) Can't wait!

Love you! Happy Birthday Michael.

Monkey must've been getting a little fresh =)



He thought the party hat was pretty neat!

Love you Daddy & Happy Birthday!

Lil Green Man.

The weather is preventing us from doing anything outside of the house, so here are some photos to brighten up the neverending dreary, wind gusting, white out, snow-piled days.

Mesmerized by the camera =)

It's becoming difficult to snap good shots of Oliver as he has discovered that I constantly have the camera in front of his face & is super curious about it...b/c seconds before this shot he was laughing & smiling. I have to be super sneaky if I want to snap him being cheerful!

I have more to share, but for some reason the photo uploader keeps switching back the orientation so they are all sideways...it's driving me nuts, so if I can get them to position the correct way, I'll post. That is all for now.

A Great Space.

Thursday evening, I ventured out into the cold icy tundra, for a friend's grand opening of her new photography studio in Holstein. The inside of the building was restored to original features & it has a very Chicago lofty touch to it. A warm ambiance & feel to it. The historic building, for you Holsteinian readers, is located on the corner of Main & 2nd Street, across the street south of the Heritage Bank. I left Mr. Oliver at home with Grandma & Grandpa, so this allowed me some interaction with other young adults. I was able to enjoy a glass of wine with friends & escape conversations that revolved around pooping, tooting & burping. It was nice to sneak in a couple of bittersweet moments outside of parenting, but I was soon happy to be back home, checking out my little man fast asleep.

The photos I uploaded were taken on my phone.

A

Congratulations Christina!

http://christinakjarphotography.com/

Hair Club for Little Men.

Oliver & I are getting very excited for our move out to Colorado. Here are some random shots of us hanging out during the day. As you may have noticed in recent photos...Baby O has lost some of his darling auburn hair. A little cradle cap has set in. We have been working on some tummy time to possibly eliminate further hair loss & the need to enroll our young one in Hair Club for Men (haha, jk). But, on the other hand, the stuff that hasn't fallen out is growing longer, but does make me question if we have a mullet situation on our hands in the future...we'll keep an eye on it. You'll get it back lil buddy!

"Uhh, hey, yeah you see that bottle over there on the table...could you, uh, check to see if I got all the milk out of it? If not, could you pass it over here...thanks!"

"Hi to Daddy."

clip/tuck.

My blogosphere nip/tuck fans, I hope you enjoyed my title reference, but it's not just a clever title, there's an appropriate story to follow... I do not have the steady hands of a surgeon. I was never good at the childhood game Operation. And I will never have a career in pinstriping. That said, I think you may have a clue where this is going...

Du-dundt...du-dundt...(think Jaws theme music).

So the clipping of the nails has to be another one of the most dreaded things (note we just got done with shots 4 days ago) to do to your infant. I had kind of been putting this one off for a while...at first they just seemed to flake off themselves, so I let it go. Then I would lightly take the file, but now the little razor sharp daggers at the end of my son's fingertips just had to be dealt with. The last scratch on his face left me with no other option. Deal with it & just clip them! I went in with pure confidence...& it went down like this...

*clip* ahhhh...first one done...& it was the pinky...if I could get the pinky with no problems, then I would have no problem with the rest of them...the pinky is the tiniest one! My confidence built up.

*clip* Oh yes! Another successful clipping...keep going...

*clip* Oh wait! Oh no! I had done it. I had nipped the skin & he was not about to let it slide! Then insued the wailing and wailing and wailing and sniffling and red-face and sniffling and crying and screaming and sniffling and crying and tears and wailing and screaming and tears and 10 minutes later...we were calmed down & I had lost all my confidence in tackling the clipping of the nails. Done. Dang it!

Once again, after a lot of lovin & cuddling from Mama...

the smiles & good times returned.

Oliver would rather kick his legs instead of holding still for the shot,

so he slides right down before I can get a good one.


Lovin the chunky cheeks.

Mr. Big Stuff.

Oliver had his 2 month Dr appointment this last Friday. He's weighing in at 12 lbs 5 1/2ozs & measures 23 1/2 inches long...this means he's doubled his weight since we brought him home & has grown 3 1/2 inches! Wow. The kid has a clean bill of health, so we are so grateful for that! I am sharing some photos from the day. I don't want to bring up the great debate of immunizations (gasp, boo, hiss)...but, we are allowing immunizations, so he had his first shots at this appointment too. There is a reason why they say it hurts the parents more than it hurts the baby! Oh so sad! Of course I was dreading this part of the visit, & after receiving the instructions for how this was gonna go down...I braced myself for what was surely the hardest I have ever heard my son cry! They stuck him, he looked at me with huge wide eyes, I was sure I heard him shout at me 'Mom! You son of a * * * * *! Why'd you let them do that to me?!' & then his face turned the color of the outfit he was wearing!!! It took everything in me to not cry as his Dr & nurse, who just vanished out of the room...closing the door behind them. Uhhhhhhh...Leaving me there alone with my wailing little baby boy. Ugh. That was quite the new parent experience! He did very well the rest of the day, despite being a little sleepier than norm. With Mike in Colorado, although I know he would've loved to be there with us, dodged being the "mean parent"...so...his turn next time. =(

After it went down.

Note I'm getting "The Look" & his fist is clenched.

Yikes, I was in trouble!

Later in the day...all is good!

The smiles returned & I was let out of the doghouse.

Weekend Visits, Negative Temperatures & Colorado Update.

This past weekend proved to be another freezing cold one! I honestly think that there was a 60 degree difference between Daddy's home & our home right now. We're -30 with windchill & Michael is experiencing 30 degrees above zero...above zero!? This week has been a bit nicer with sunshine & degrees getting up into the 20s. Something to brag about, I know. The sunshine is still rather deceiving, given when you step outside you still mumble numerous unmentionable profanities, shake your fist at the 20 inches of snow still lurking around & silently remind yourself to not leave the house again for 8 more days. Oh...what...is that just me?! =) Let's just be honest here...I hate winter...snow...& bitter coldness. I keep hearing that Colorado offers up better weather so I have that going for me. Moving on...

This past weekend, we finally got to meet baby Stella Louise Doxtad. My cousin, Emily & her hubby (this isn't a word I use frequently, my grandma uses it a lot so I thought that I'd try it out) James, had their lil girlie on Christmas Eve. She is great! And she is so tiny...awww...this illustrated to me how quickly the little ones change! Emily couldn't believe, looking at Oliver, that that's what Stella would be like in 2 months. She's already saying she doesn't want her to grow up =) It was great to share stories & admire what a beautiful Mama Miss Emily is. We love you guys & you'll have to come see us in Colorado =) Get that Stella on some skis...or she can join me in the cozy lodge & snuggle =) But we do look forward to watching her grow...EMILY NEEDS TO START A BLOG!!! And by the way, I love the photo (although a bit blurry I think) of Em, Stella, Oliver & I...I love...Oliver's look of admiration at Stella is cute!

My good buddy Matthew Nobles came over to visit Mr. Oliver this last weekend also. And I have to give him props for taking such a good photo. Let me preface...Nobles gets extremely nervous around little babies...especially babies who can't hold their heads up, gets him all sweaty-palmed & anxious...haha! So, I explained to him that Oliver has a strong neck & he can be held like so (in photo) & tossed (ok not tossed) him into his arms. He held him for a long time too! =) Him & his fiance, Amanda, are getting married this summer & babies are right around the corner, so this experience is much needed Nobles, get used to it!

I also wanted to update everyone on the Colorado Movement. Michael called on Saturday with some exciting news...he found us a place to live! He signed & moved in that day too! I'm sure he's relieved to have that task done...I personally know that house hunting is no fun...it's not as bad as car shopping =) but can be pretty stressful & time consuming...luckily Daddy was on the mission because he rarely stresses (unlike Mama) & he got the job done! He was our new home hero! And, although it took some readjustment on my behalf because it requires a longer waiting period...we've come up with a good moving plan. We've established that the weekend of February 20th will be more appropriate. We have a very important wedding reception to attend that weekend, so instead of moving at the end of January & then turning around & tacking on another 26 hour trip (with Oliver mind you)...we will do everything in one weekend! Ahhh...it's a bit scary for me to think about...but with my great abilities to organize, multitask & prepare...I think I'll be able to handle it =) So...what have I done so far to get us prepared...I've prepared for preparing. Does that count? Most of our belongings are already packed, but I know there is probably a lot to take care of before we leave...so, I should probably start getting after it!

Two.Mo.

Oliver Grows.

Recognizes voices & faces.

Loves to snuggle.

Enjoys bathtime.

Interactive smiling & laughing.

Playful with noisy toys.

Sleeps eight hours straight.

Coos & giggles are more pronounced & integrated with play.

No longer cries during diaper changes & kicks around & laughs when naked (uh oh! I knew this one would backfire).

Shows excitement with kicking & facial expressions.

Holds head up for longer periods of time.

Up & alert for longer periods during the day...curious about lights & fans & faces.

Pushes upper body up when on tummy.

Doubled weight since birth & has a pronounced tummy & double chin.

Little Baby O has grown so much this past month! He is starting to develop a little personality already & we're so happy to have a cheerful smily baby on our hands...most of the time ;) I'm not gonna brag & say that my kid is perfect all the time...he does have a nice set of lungs that he'll use (which is good) but it usually ends up tearing my heart up when I hear him! He surprised us with sleeping like a big boy this last week and will continue to give us so much more to anticipate. Love you baby boy!