"Mom, I think this storm door needs a shot of Windex!"
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Watermelon with Friends
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Fire-Breathing Baby, Frankenbaby, Babyzilla
...These are just a few of the nicknames that Ollie has acquired lately, given his newest fetish:
GROWLING.
Sometimes, when he's really worked up, he'll growl AND shake his head side to side (picture a rabid dog with a limp rabbit between its jaws and you get the idea).
OH MY!
GROWLING.
Sometimes, when he's really worked up, he'll growl AND shake his head side to side (picture a rabid dog with a limp rabbit between its jaws and you get the idea).
OH MY!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
A Friend-Filled Day!
Today, Merrit's best friend Sammy spent the day with us. Then, from 9:00 to 11:00, our friends Ashley and Wilson came over while their mom went to an appointment. Both Ollie and Merrit had a great time with our friends. Here are some of the highlights:
Ollie watches while the older kids race Hot Wheels cars.
Hot Wheels are really only supposed to be for ages 3 and up, but I'm watching closely!
We dove into the box of dress-up clothes...Let the wild rumpus start!
Sammy and Merrit.
Ollie digging around in the box of costumes.
Sammy of the Seven Seas. "Arrrghh!"
Where's the baby?
Hula girl.
Crime-fighting superhero.
Who IS that masked man?
Punk rockin' knight.
Mmmm, watermelon!
Ollie's first taste of watermelon.
Mmmm!
After our friends all went home, we were invited to dinner at the Jenkins home. Merrit played with Judah...
...While Ms. Angela read books to Rebekah and Ollie.
Ollie also had fun playing with Rebekah's tea set.
...The little charmer!...
Ollie watches while the older kids race Hot Wheels cars.
Hot Wheels are really only supposed to be for ages 3 and up, but I'm watching closely!
We dove into the box of dress-up clothes...Let the wild rumpus start!
Sammy and Merrit.
Ollie digging around in the box of costumes.
Sammy of the Seven Seas. "Arrrghh!"
Where's the baby?
Hula girl.
Crime-fighting superhero.
Who IS that masked man?
Punk rockin' knight.
Mmmm, watermelon!
Ollie's first taste of watermelon.
Mmmm!
After our friends all went home, we were invited to dinner at the Jenkins home. Merrit played with Judah...
...While Ms. Angela read books to Rebekah and Ollie.
Ollie also had fun playing with Rebekah's tea set.
...The little charmer!...
Monday, August 25, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Date Night! (Page and Andrew Babysit)
Mike and I went out for my birthday today. We caught a matinee showing of The Dark Knight and then we went out for sushi at a good restaurant called Kaze. It was a glorious five hours out of the house and alone together. Bliss!
Whose generosity made all this possible? Why Cousin Page and Cousin Andrew! They were kind enough to take care of the kids, play with them, feed them dinner, and put them (well, Merrit) to bed. They even walked them up to the park!
Andrew pushes Ollie in the stroller while Merrit tags along on his trike.
As the evening drew to a close, Ollie pretty much crashed. Page, Andrew, and Merrit ate pizza while Ollie snoozed in the swing.
With everything that happened to Merrit last week (the trip to the E.R.), I wouldn't have left them with just anybody. But Andrew is very level-headed and Page worked as a nanny throughout college. (She nannied twins, no less...she could probably teach me a thing or two!)
Thanks, Andrew and Page, for the GIFT of babysitting. We love you both! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Whose generosity made all this possible? Why Cousin Page and Cousin Andrew! They were kind enough to take care of the kids, play with them, feed them dinner, and put them (well, Merrit) to bed. They even walked them up to the park!
Andrew pushes Ollie in the stroller while Merrit tags along on his trike.
As the evening drew to a close, Ollie pretty much crashed. Page, Andrew, and Merrit ate pizza while Ollie snoozed in the swing.
With everything that happened to Merrit last week (the trip to the E.R.), I wouldn't have left them with just anybody. But Andrew is very level-headed and Page worked as a nanny throughout college. (She nannied twins, no less...she could probably teach me a thing or two!)
Thanks, Andrew and Page, for the GIFT of babysitting. We love you both! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
"My 'Pickle Country' Travelogue"
My Mommy tells a story about how, when she first met her college roommate Amy, Amy said that she was from Faison, NC. "You know, where they make Cates Pickles." Well, at the time there was a TV commercial for Cates Pickles that went something like this:
[old man in overalls]: "Why do we take so much pride in making the best-tasting, crunchiest, and most delicious pickles in the whole U S of A?" [pause] "We ain't got nothin' else better to do."
I've never met Ms. Amy and since Mommy says she ate a lot of pickles, banana peppers, and green olives when she was pregnant with me, it seemed fitting that we head down to Faison to visit with friends and pay homage to Pickle Country, USA.
They take pickle making pretty seriously, I hear. Downtown Faison even has intersecting roads Cucumber St. and Vine St. (a play on the more famous intersection of "Hollywood and Vine" in L.A.). So, we headed down East to visit with Ms. Amy, her husband Mr. Curt, and their three kids: Mason, Evan, and Ashton.
Big Bro and I haven't spent much time in the country, so we had fun naming crops in the fields as we drove past--mostly tobacco, soybeans, and corn.
As we pulled into the driveway of Ms. Amy's house, Big Bro noticed the thick pine trees on both sides of the driveway and said in a tone of wonderment, "They live in a forest!"
Here I am, getting to know Ms. Amy. She and Mommy roomed together one year at UNC-G and one year at NCSU. Now she's a labor & delivery nurse.
Are you gonna make me eat pickles?
This is Mason, Ms. Amy and Mr. Curt's oldest.
This is Evan. He's 7. He's very sweet...he even volunteered to ride this too-small trike so that Merrit could use his "big boy bike."
This is Ashton. She's 5. She's quite the photographer. She takes pictures all the time, staging photo shoots with her stuffed animals, cats, and dog (in costume of course), and even makes her own photo albums.
Ms. Amy had lots of cool toys for me to play with.
Peek-a-boo...I see you...
I'm getting really good at crawling...and, boy, am I QUICK!
Even surrounded by so many fun toys, it's the simple things that capture my attention...like this empty water bottle.
While I socialized, Big Bro played video games with Evan. Hey dude, you need to get out more! C'mon, let's go outside and play...there's lots to see and do, I bet!
Whoa, like this cool spider. And look at that web! Charlotte, is that you?
And this totally sweet motorcycle! Vroom vroom.
Ashton and Merrit tooled around in her purple and pink Disney Princess convertible. Wow, Big Bro sure is a stud.
Ashton and Big Bro are almost exactly the same age. Here, they look like two peas in a pod.
I'm going to be so bummed when I grow out of my sling. There's nothing I love more than kicking around town or hanging around the house in it.
Is this a Norman Rockwell moment, or what? Evan and Big Bro search the pond for catfish as Jack Russell Terrier, Ella, looks on.
The kids threw catfood into the pond to lure the catfish to the surface. (Hmmm...catfood, catfish...coincidence?)
After lunch and a little more playtime, it was back in the car for our drive back to the city. We bid a fond farewell to the fields of soybeans, the catfish pond, the hog houses and, of course, the pickle factory.
Y'all take care,
Oliver William
[old man in overalls]: "Why do we take so much pride in making the best-tasting, crunchiest, and most delicious pickles in the whole U S of A?" [pause] "We ain't got nothin' else better to do."
I've never met Ms. Amy and since Mommy says she ate a lot of pickles, banana peppers, and green olives when she was pregnant with me, it seemed fitting that we head down to Faison to visit with friends and pay homage to Pickle Country, USA.
They take pickle making pretty seriously, I hear. Downtown Faison even has intersecting roads Cucumber St. and Vine St. (a play on the more famous intersection of "Hollywood and Vine" in L.A.). So, we headed down East to visit with Ms. Amy, her husband Mr. Curt, and their three kids: Mason, Evan, and Ashton.
Big Bro and I haven't spent much time in the country, so we had fun naming crops in the fields as we drove past--mostly tobacco, soybeans, and corn.
As we pulled into the driveway of Ms. Amy's house, Big Bro noticed the thick pine trees on both sides of the driveway and said in a tone of wonderment, "They live in a forest!"
Here I am, getting to know Ms. Amy. She and Mommy roomed together one year at UNC-G and one year at NCSU. Now she's a labor & delivery nurse.
Are you gonna make me eat pickles?
This is Mason, Ms. Amy and Mr. Curt's oldest.
This is Evan. He's 7. He's very sweet...he even volunteered to ride this too-small trike so that Merrit could use his "big boy bike."
This is Ashton. She's 5. She's quite the photographer. She takes pictures all the time, staging photo shoots with her stuffed animals, cats, and dog (in costume of course), and even makes her own photo albums.
Ms. Amy had lots of cool toys for me to play with.
Peek-a-boo...I see you...
I'm getting really good at crawling...and, boy, am I QUICK!
Even surrounded by so many fun toys, it's the simple things that capture my attention...like this empty water bottle.
While I socialized, Big Bro played video games with Evan. Hey dude, you need to get out more! C'mon, let's go outside and play...there's lots to see and do, I bet!
Whoa, like this cool spider. And look at that web! Charlotte, is that you?
And this totally sweet motorcycle! Vroom vroom.
Ashton and Merrit tooled around in her purple and pink Disney Princess convertible. Wow, Big Bro sure is a stud.
Ashton and Big Bro are almost exactly the same age. Here, they look like two peas in a pod.
I'm going to be so bummed when I grow out of my sling. There's nothing I love more than kicking around town or hanging around the house in it.
Is this a Norman Rockwell moment, or what? Evan and Big Bro search the pond for catfish as Jack Russell Terrier, Ella, looks on.
The kids threw catfood into the pond to lure the catfish to the surface. (Hmmm...catfood, catfish...coincidence?)
After lunch and a little more playtime, it was back in the car for our drive back to the city. We bid a fond farewell to the fields of soybeans, the catfish pond, the hog houses and, of course, the pickle factory.
Y'all take care,
Oliver William
Friday, August 22, 2008
Mommy Turns 35
Today is my birthday.
The highlights of my day were a phone call from (and great conversation with) my dad & stepmother and this awesome email from my mom:
I remember August 22 35 years ago like it was yesterday. The little futon I made waiting for you, the single dresser drawer that held everything we had for you (a couple dozen cloth diapers, some t-shirts and a couple of flannel kimonas I made with gender-neutral yellow ribbons at the neck for tying), the hours Dad spent writing down the times between contractions, the drive to the hospital with me sprawled out in the back seat, screaming, the wheel chair ride, holding my breath when they put the mask on (I didn't want to be put to sleep), waking up and a nurse telling me I had a daughter, and finally, seeing you for the first time, being surprised you had hair. I guess I thought all babies were born bald. We left the hospital before 24 hours were up. What a day. You were finally here, and I could gaze at you. You were beautiful then and you are now. Love, Mom
I think, now that I've been through labor myself, my mom's recollection of my own birth story is so much more poignant. What we go through to deliver children into this world is truly an act of bravery, love, anticipation, and surrender.
Thanks, Mom, for the beautiful email. I just had to share it here....and, I love you, too.
The highlights of my day were a phone call from (and great conversation with) my dad & stepmother and this awesome email from my mom:
I remember August 22 35 years ago like it was yesterday. The little futon I made waiting for you, the single dresser drawer that held everything we had for you (a couple dozen cloth diapers, some t-shirts and a couple of flannel kimonas I made with gender-neutral yellow ribbons at the neck for tying), the hours Dad spent writing down the times between contractions, the drive to the hospital with me sprawled out in the back seat, screaming, the wheel chair ride, holding my breath when they put the mask on (I didn't want to be put to sleep), waking up and a nurse telling me I had a daughter, and finally, seeing you for the first time, being surprised you had hair. I guess I thought all babies were born bald. We left the hospital before 24 hours were up. What a day. You were finally here, and I could gaze at you. You were beautiful then and you are now. Love, Mom
I think, now that I've been through labor myself, my mom's recollection of my own birth story is so much more poignant. What we go through to deliver children into this world is truly an act of bravery, love, anticipation, and surrender.
Thanks, Mom, for the beautiful email. I just had to share it here....and, I love you, too.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Crying It Out; Pictures from Our Lazy Day at Home
The last three nights, we've decided to let Ollie "cry it out" at bedtime. Ugh, this is a hard thing but we felt that it was time for Ollie to fall asleep on his own.
All this time--these last nine months--he's nursed himself to sleep. (And I have enjoyed every minute of it!) But it has been getting harder and harder to gently and ever-so-carefully move him from my lap in the rocking chair to his crib without waking him up. And, if the floorboards should creak on the way out of the room or the doorknob catch and make a too-loud click..."Waaaaaaah, Waaaaaah," we're right back at square one.
Mike has been saying for about a month or two now that "it's time," but I just didn't think so. I knew with Merrit when it "was time" and I trusted that my instincts would tell me again when Ollie had crossed the line between needful crying and willful crying.
So, yeah, this week I just knew. We agreed to do it and, the first night, he cried for 23 minutes. Ugggghhhh, it was awful to listen to him and not walk in there! But we hung in there and he finally fell asleep. The next night, he cried for 11 minutes. Tonight, he only cried (and I hesitate to even use the word "cried"...it's actually more like "fussed") for six minutes.
We are getting there. He's doing well and this is an important stage to "love him through."
On another note, we had a pretty lazy day here at home today. In the late morning, Merrit, Ollie, and I went for a walk in the neighborhood. After lunch, our friend Dani came to play for a bit while her mom went to an appointment.
Putting the blue block in the coffee can and dumping it back out again is GREAT FUN. (And Roo looks darn cute playing this game!)
On our mid-morning walk, Merrit shows off a little orange wind-up caterpillar that he received as a gift from friends Andrew, Aaron, and Eve as Ollie looks on.
"Follow me, Ollie!"
Ollie watches the pavement blur by below.
Playing in the play area. What a concept.
Ollie and Dani.
Making friends...
Playing Hot Wheels together.
All this time--these last nine months--he's nursed himself to sleep. (And I have enjoyed every minute of it!) But it has been getting harder and harder to gently and ever-so-carefully move him from my lap in the rocking chair to his crib without waking him up. And, if the floorboards should creak on the way out of the room or the doorknob catch and make a too-loud click..."Waaaaaaah, Waaaaaah," we're right back at square one.
Mike has been saying for about a month or two now that "it's time," but I just didn't think so. I knew with Merrit when it "was time" and I trusted that my instincts would tell me again when Ollie had crossed the line between needful crying and willful crying.
So, yeah, this week I just knew. We agreed to do it and, the first night, he cried for 23 minutes. Ugggghhhh, it was awful to listen to him and not walk in there! But we hung in there and he finally fell asleep. The next night, he cried for 11 minutes. Tonight, he only cried (and I hesitate to even use the word "cried"...it's actually more like "fussed") for six minutes.
We are getting there. He's doing well and this is an important stage to "love him through."
On another note, we had a pretty lazy day here at home today. In the late morning, Merrit, Ollie, and I went for a walk in the neighborhood. After lunch, our friend Dani came to play for a bit while her mom went to an appointment.
Putting the blue block in the coffee can and dumping it back out again is GREAT FUN. (And Roo looks darn cute playing this game!)
On our mid-morning walk, Merrit shows off a little orange wind-up caterpillar that he received as a gift from friends Andrew, Aaron, and Eve as Ollie looks on.
"Follow me, Ollie!"
Ollie watches the pavement blur by below.
Playing in the play area. What a concept.
Ollie and Dani.
Making friends...
Playing Hot Wheels together.
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