one month check up at 6 weeks old

                                                           7 pounds 15 ounces
                                                               21 inches long

Oliver's first haircut

In honor of Mima's birthday today, we would thought it would be perfect timing for Oliver's first haircut.  He did great, and somehow I didn't cry, even when watching those little curls fall to the ground. :( My little baby is getting so big!!!

baby mullett was ready to go.  before the cut...

You're doing great, Oliver!!

he's such a big boy now...

for the baby book...

it was fun to discover a picture of Henry's first haircut on the bulletin board at the barber...

18 months

17 months

loves his toothbrush and toothpaste.  would carry them both around all day brushing his teeth if i would let him.  would also sleep with them if I let him.  He's also always on the lookout for the open bathroom door, so he can run in and steal his brothers' toothbrushes as well. 

loves balls...bastketballs, footballs, soccer balls.  Hudson is so excited that he just may have a brother who loves sports as much as he does!  He's really hoping it happens.  Right now he's really outnumbered with the number of boys who love bugs over balls.

loves to be outside.  he is definitely happiest when outside running around, chasing and throwing balls, playing with the pooper scooper, climbing the fort, and trying to get hit by brothers on swings.   I am always constantly checking to make sure the front and back doors are locked because there have been occasions when the front door was not locked that he let himself out and was climbing down the front steps of the porch before I found him.  Good grief!

always. on. the. go.  Before I can finish cleaning up one mess that he has made, he is on to the making of the next disaster. :)

expert climber.  has mastered the bunk beds.  So now I have to remember to move Hudson's ladder in the mornings, otherwise he climbs up on his bed like it's no big deal.  He would also climb the fort if I would let him.  he loves to climb up on the kitchen table, as well as the kids table, and he is always bringing over stools to the kitchen sink to "help" with the dishes.  He also tries to climb up onto the stove.  S.C.A.R.Y!!!!!!

LOVES to dance.  He reminds me of Hudson in every way right down to the same dance moves.  He loves listening to "dance" music in the boys' room and is always pointing to the cd player and saying a jumble of words that sounds like "I want to listen to the next song!" to me and his brothers. 

16 months and one day

My fearless little man.  always on the go.  Mr. Independent.  climbing everything in sight.  don't ever leave him alone for a second...there's no telling what he may do. :) 

My precious baby boy who is growing up way too fast.  His momma is trying to soak up every second with him.  His cuteness is just too much for me to handle.  I'm melting away...

So at 16 months at his 15 month check up, here are his stats...

weight: 22-3 lbs. (15%)
height: 32 3/4 in. (85%)
head circum: 18 1/4 (20%)

poor little guy had to endure his MMR and chicken pox vaccinations, too. :(

this little guy

this little guy amazes me.  We came to texas with just a couple of words, and we'll be leaving with a whole new vocabulary!!  So this now 15 month old (his birthday was this past sunday - same as Grandma's) can now add these words to his growing list...

"ba" for bath
"buh buh" for bubbles
"diaper"
"oliver"
"nigh nigh" for night night
"ne ne" for Henry
"ma ma" for Grandma (sounds the same as mama for me but when he's trying to get Grandma's attention and saying it, you know that's what he's meaning to say)
"peez" for please and does the sign for it as well
"da du" for thank you

It sure has been fun being here this week, and there is never a dull moment with Oliver...meaning don't let him out of your sight for a second or you may be in for some trouble. :) Grandma and Grandpa's house is just too much fun to explore!  Just tonight I left him to his own devices for a minute while I was throwing away his diaper, and he was able to run (I mean that...run...not walk) into Grandma and Grandpa's room, go through Grandma's purse and pull out her billfold (in exchange for some crayons he left in return), and then I find him beside one of the back doors that leads to the backyard, playing with the doggy door (opening and closing it) with billfold in hand.  In less than a minute, it could have been out the door, and we would have had a very hard time finding it later. :)  Or he could have been out the doggy door roaming around the backyard!

we've got a walker!!

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1 year check up

here are the little guy's stats:

weight: 20 lbs. 8 oz. (10%)
height: 31 1/4 in.
head circumference: 18 1/4 (40%)

He also had to have the HIB and PCV vaccinations.  not too fun.  The other 3 boys that were with me felt so badly for their baby brother.  Poor Henry couldn't even watch...he was so concerned for Oliver.

Other than that, we have a healthy little boy!

for the baby book...

tooth #5 came in a few weeks ago.
tooth #6 just poked through today (both on the top).
finished the last of the formula today so decided to go ahead and start whole milk. he seems very pleased...

at 11 months...

favorite toy: the diaper/wipes bag.
he will literally scream if you take it away from him. :)

favorite pastime: swinging in the backyard

favorite spot: by the back door

look who's talking!

So Oliver woke up today and decided he was ready to talk. and wave.

His official first word is "Hi!" (not counting his normal "mama" and "dada"). too cute.

See for yourself...

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he's a big boy now!

So his 2nd week into being a 9 month old, Oliver decided he was done with nursing. He was ready to sneak swigs of his big brothers' sippy cups of real milk instead; ready to move on.

So he went from nursing 3 times a day (with an occasional bottle or 2 of formula during the day) to flat out refusing to be nursed...with a few bites and laughs in there, too. He completely lost interest overnight. One day I was confident he would last until he was a year because of his strong desire to be nursed and even refusing a bottle to the very next day completely rejecting it. Crazy.

It's bittersweet. Last baby. Last time. Last bit of infancy, comfort, dependency, and sweetness that comes along with it. Last peaceful moments of nursing him to sleep are over.

It does make me sad. However, I can be happy about a few things...leaving for dates (or anything!) before he goes to sleep; more help from Brian; not being confined to his schedule; more available to help at church or school; making life a lot easier with the other 4 boys; and even losing that last bit of baby weight that I can never shed until nursing is over.

Wow. I can't believe how fast Oliver's first year is going. Too fast. And he's so ready to be a big boy like his brothers.I'm not ready for that.