He rolls!

A couple of weeks ago (April 4 to be exact!) Oliver rolled over for the first time! The only reason I haven't posted sooner is that it has been crazy since going back to work but more on that later. Here is the rolling over story.

Oliver had been rolling onto his side for a couple of months but hadn't quite made it over to his tummy. He would just roll to his side and smile and then roll back to his back again. It finally happened on a Saturday-he was so kind to wait until a weekend to show his mommy. Oliver was actually pretty tired and I was about to lay him down for his late afternoon nap. He rolled over to his side and started moving his knee under him and trying to push himself over. At this point, I start cheering him and had to resist the temptation to roll him over myself. After several tries rocking on his side, he flipped himself over. I clapped and laughed like he was the only baby to ever roll over. I grabbed the camera and got these shots. I know they aren't great but I was trying to capture the moment.

Isn't this cool, Mommy? I can roll over now!

I did it! I really did it all by myself!

Still pretty cool isn't it?
Not as cool anymore...What do I do now?


At this point, he started getting frustrated at being on his tummy and I put down the camera to flip him back over. He rolled right back over! I couldn't believe it. He fussed again and it started to become obvious that this major milestone had worn him out and it really was time for a nap.

It was at this point that I realized the downside to my son's accomplishment-we couldn't swaddle him anymore in the crib. If he flipped over, he wouldn't be able to flip himself back over and judging from his reaction, he wasn't going to sleep on his tummy yet. I dug out the sleep positioner that we had never used and placed it in his crib. I still used the Kiddopotumus (I am sure I spelled that wrong) but wrapped it under his armpits leaving his arms free. You have no idea how worried I was to put him down for his nap without the swaddle. Oliver has had some nap/sleep issues in the past and the swaddling had worked wonders. Well, he did great. We have such an above average kid! His sleeping habits really didn't change and the sleep positioner is wonderful at keeping him on his back while in his crib. Don't worry, Oliver gets plenty of practice rolling over during the day. Doug and I just didn't want to play "Flip the baby" at 2:00 am.

So, I guess crawling and sitting up are next. I can't believe our little boy is almost mobile now. Babyproofing here we come!

Spring break

Oliver and I have had a great spring break. Although the weather, in true Arkansas fashion, hasn't been very springy, we have had fun indoors. I have tried to savor every moment with him. It has been great being able to get him out of his crib in the morning and get him ready for the day. I miss even the little things like washing his face and changing his clothes in the morning.

Only nine more weeks till summer.

No major updates-Oliver is still enjoying grasping toys, kicking and wiggling around, and working on rolling over. He is doing better with tummy time but still only tolerates it for short periods of time. He is "doing the work" though and getting stronger all them time. Now, if we can just start sleeping through the night....

Here are some pictures from spring break: Here a few shots from last week just because I liked them. That is all for now.

Oliver's latest tricks

On Monday, my mom and cousin Molly came to visit Oliver and I had to show off Oliver's latest "tricks". I decided that I needed to record them (as well as some others) before I forget.

• When Oliver is lying on his changing pad, he raises his right arm out-straight over his head. If you try to put it down, it pops right right back up. You can do this 5 or 6 times-it's like a little game with him. It is so funny-it's always his right arm.
• He has discovered grabbing objects. It started with my shirt when he was laying flat and I was next to him. I realize I am projecting but it was like "Hey, Mommy...what's going on?" Now Oliver can bat at objects over his head and will grab onto something when you are holding him and hand it to him.
  
• Along with grabbing objects, here is another fun game. He has a fish that plays 2 songs when you hit the button that dangles from his playmat that is removable. He has always loved this and we are always pushing the button and playing the songs for him but he isn't able to push the button when it is hanging from the arch on his playmat. I took it off the other day when he was playing on a blanket and held it out for him just to bat at. I was resting it against the palm of my hand when Oliver hit the button and started the song. I don't know who was more surprised, him or me! So then the new game was to watch him hit this button. I know one day he will have some toy that drives me crazy with all the music and noise but for now I love it!
• We are working on rolling over. We play the game where I put him at one end of a blanket and I try to get him to roll over to me. No luck yet but I will roll him over for tummy time (which he is not crazy about) and then roll him to me. Not as successful as the fish batting but we are working on it.
• Today he wasn't feeling well and hadn't taken a good nap so I was walking around with him. We did the "Who is that handsome baby in the mirror" game-and today Oliver smiled at his own reflection! He just smiled and laughed at himself in the mirror. Before he just sort of looked like"Who is that kid?" but now he seemed to really enjoy looking at that handsome boy in the mirror.

So many people have sent well wishes to me as I have returned to work. Thank you so much. It has been a difficult transition for me but I am making it one day at a time. We are so lucky to have Granna come everyday to take care of Oliver. He has done great with her and she is wonderful with him. We appreciate it so much. I am on spring break next week and will try to enjoy every moment with him. Oliver is doing great-I just miss him so much.

I will post new pictures soon. I just wanted to get a new post up before any more time passed. Thanks for reading!

Going back to work

Well, it's finally over. My maternity leave ends this week and I go back to school on Thursday. It is one of the hardest things I have ever done. Everyone was right. It went by like a blink of an eye. It is harder than I ever imagined. Today it really hit me when I set my alarm and got up at 5:15 am for a "dry run" on getting ready for school. Typically, I feed Oliver at about 6:00am and then he goes back down for another couple of hours. This is great in the sense that it will be easy to get ready in the morning but I realized that I wasn't going to have any "fun" time with him before I leave for school at 7:15. By the time I get home, we will have a little play time and then it will be time to go to bed. I know that we are very fortunate to have Granna (Doug's mom) watching him during the day and I will be home around 3:30 after school. This is truly a blessing because I don't know if I could go back any other way. Any positive thoughts during this time are appreciated!

On a happier note! I took these pictures yesterday when we were not taking a nap (more on that in another post) so hence the sleepy eyes. Oliver is smiling even though he was exhausted
from not napping all day. Thanks again Aunt Bonnie for the blanket-we love it! We are working on rolling over and grabbing at objects and this blanket is great for that.Here is another picture of Oliver where he rolled over on his side for the first time a few weeks ago. It's not the best picture, I know. I just had to grab the camera to capture this first side roll. He will never do it "on command" only when it is time in his mind so who knows when he will decide to roll all the way over.

More later on Oliver's latest adventures!

2 month doctor appointment

Oliver's two month doctor appointment was last Wednesday and I am just now getting around to posting an update. It has been a very busy week here but I will do my best to update the latest Oliver adventures! This picture, by the way, was taken by Doug when Oliver was in his swing one night. I just love his expression. As you can tell he is holding his head up well. I will have to post again soon about all of his latest accomplishments but for now the doctor's appointment...

First of all, the pediatrician said he is doing great. It was good to talk to the pediatrician and have some new mom questions answered. The big news is his weight and length-I couldn't believe it. Oliver now weighs.....

15 pounds!

Oliver's length is....

25 1/2 inches!

He is in the 97th percentile for weight and was literally off the chart for length. I guess we don't have to worry about him getting enough to eat! I am now looking for a new carseat because he will outgrow the current one at 22 pounds or 29 inches-whichever comes first. The doctor also said he got his height from me. This is special for me since as you can tell from the pictures, all of his other genes are from Doug.

I am so sad to pack away his 0-3 (and now many of his 3-6) month clothes. Some of them Oliver didn't even get to wear or only wore once. I am trying to take pictures in as many outfits as I can but we often do an outfit change because I can't stand for his little legs to be bent.

Here are 2 of my favorites that are now packed away.

In the end, though, I am just happy that my not-so-little boy is healthy and happy. Although, it looks like we will definitely be shopping for some new clothes soon.

Lovable Oliver

This is Oliver at about 2 weeks old. I actually took about 20 pictures during this "shoot" but I am sparing you the other 19. I wanted to post about some of the different things about Oliver that I just fell in love with during the first few weeks. They may seem insignificant to anyone other than his mom but I want to remember as much as can.

• He never wakes up crying at night (knock on wood) unless Doug and I are slow to get to him. He just grunts and coos. Very pleasant at 3:00 a.m
• He has hair growing behind his ear-very cute!
• Oliver has Doug's disposition-very easy going and laid back-thank goodness!
• When he was three days old, I panicked when I noticed his lips were a clear whitish color, thinking it was some horrible disease-turns out his lips were just chapped. (blush)
• He always sneezes two times in row.
• I love his hands, feet, and tummy and kiss them a thousand times a day.

Here's one more...This isn't the best picture but it is the only picture I have of him at 2 or 3 weeks in his Kiddopotamus. He sleeps in this every night (and naps on chilly days). I had never heard of it till my friend Kimberly loaned us her son's. It is a modified blanket designed for easy swaddling. We now have two we love them so much. In the beginning we swaddled him in it and now we wrap his torso in it but leave his arms free. At the risk of sounding like an advertisement, it makes a great shower gift for winter babies.

Speaking of winter babies, I was not prepared for winter baby quarantine. When we went to the pediatrician for his one week check up, we were warned about RSV and advised to keep him in and away from germs when possible till his two month check up. We have followed this to the letter but it has been hard. Our excursions have been limited to family and stores we know will be empty. To say I am looking forward to warmer weather and the end of cold and flu season is an understatement. Of course, the idea of him getting sick enough to be in the hospital (which is what the doctor warned us against) is so terrible it is worth every minute.

Since I have deviated from my post topic, I will end now!

The Elusive Smile

I have been trying to get a picture of Oliver smiling for weeks and every time I would bring the camera to my face, he would give me such a serious expression. Today Daddy captured this smile while tickling his tummy.


Here is my best attempt as he turned away.Oliver's smile can make me smile even when I am exhausted at 3:00 a.m. Oliver will coo and talk to you and just smile away. Daddy and I have joked that we want his cooing noises as our ringtone on our phones.

He is truly a joy to have around.