Two months later...

Finally settled in two+ months later, we have been enjoying our new house.  More pictures to come a bit later, but our two monkeys are growing and changing like crazy.

Zoë is still testing out her independence daily.  She has become way more adventurous at the playground and climbs everything (except for the slide...still won't go down the slide).  She is enjoying gymnastics so much and loves her teachers.  She definitely misses her two BFFs Avery and Jossi and being further away from them is hard.  I'm so excited for her to start preschool in the fall because I think she'll do so well being around kids her own age every day and away from me, honestly.  We butt heads more than anybody and getting her to do anything for me is like pulling teeth.

She is so hot and cold with Oliver.  One moment loving on him, offering hugs and kisses and "are you OK"s and then the next clotheslining him with her arm as they both spin in circles in the family room.  She is quick to yell when he yanks toys away from her but insists that she's justified in do the same to him.

















We have been going through a tough period of sleep with her, but I think we're on the tail end of the bad part.  She would refuse to go to bed in her room and would sneak into our bed while we were downstairs watching TV at night.  We'd go up when we were ready for bed to find her surrounded by books and toys she'd dragged in there and sound asleep.  We did a couple of nights of "sleep training" her where she SCREAMED and SCREAMED and SCREAMED (and, yes, woke Oliver up several times) at bedtime.  It resulted in one night of me camping out in our bed and putting her back into her room time after time and her finally falling asleep in the doorway of her room curled up in a pitiful ball.  But, now she's going to bed easier and only waking up one or two times per night.  :)  And, she's up super early too, but...not as early as:




Oliver.  Who is now waking up between 5-6am.  Seriously.  AND, a few weeks ago 4:30 was the norm for a few days.  It's out of control.  Yes, he has his entire window blocked off from sunlight.  Yes, he's napping regularly during the day.  Yes, he goes to bed (and is wrecked) by bedtime easily and without fuss.  I think he just gets enough sleep?  MAYBE?!  The blessing is that I'll pull him into our bed and he'll snuggle for a few minutes, then get down and play with any number of things he can find upstairs in the playroom and our room and let us keep sleeping.

But!  He's running like a crazy person, takes the stairs like a big kid, stepping down the ones in the living room and falling and giggling and doing it over and over again.  He has figured out how to put the shapes in his shape sorter toy, delights in dumping the gigantic bucket of balls over and over again, and screams when we don't get his food prepared fast enough.  He communicates in grunts and yells and a few words (ball! being the first, followed by balloon, bubbles, dog, and go).  He also learned how to open doors like a champ last week.  Thankfully, only the lever-type doorknobs we don't have in our own house, but he is FAST at opening them.  His big sister took FOREVER to learn only because she was too short to reach them.  ;)

Oliver and I went to Albuquerque for cousin Mason's 1st birthday party and had fun!  Oliver did TERRIBLY on the plane ride down there.  He wanted to run in the aisles the entire time and screamed for about an hour in the middle of the flight because he had to sit down.  He was NOT a happy camper no matter how many snacks I offered him.  The ride home was MUCH better as he had his own seat since the plane was not full (thank heaven!).  It was great to see the two boys playing together and I can't wait to see them as they get older wrestling and chasing after each other.  They're going to be the best of friends!  I sure wish my sister lived closer, but I'm glad we get to see each other a lot (mostly thanks to her and Jed's traveling schedule).

Happy First Birthday Oliver Finn!

 How, oh how, can you be one today, Oliver?!  You were never tiny, but you still fit into the crook of my arm.  You came out a large lump, a mass of boy that surprised us with your heft and charm from the very beginning.  You charmed your sister, your parents, your grandparents, your aunt and uncles.

You smiled early.  Crawled early.  Walked early.  Ate mightily from the start and laughed easily and early like we were all simply jesters in your majesty's royal court.  You are my serious little boy.  Your smile has to be earned, much like your dad's, but it creeps across your face and into the most charming little boy grin.  Usually followed by a sound that can only be described as sounding like a seal.

And you slept.  Oh, how you have slept.  Thank you.

You are mischievous.  You pull cords and carbon monoxide detectors and night lights out of the wall sockets with a grin and a look of glee.  You throw food.  And peer over the side of the tray on your high chair to watch as Fiona gobbles it up before one of your tired parents can stop her.

You dance.  A bobbing and bending at the knees that cannot be given justice by description but simply enjoyed whenever a beat comes on the radio or when Zoë and I sing a song in the car or in the living room.  Your whole body shimmies as you pivot on your left foot (the only one you will pivot on thus far).







You insist upon feeding yourself.  Hands, spoon, fork, it doesn't matter.  You want to do it yourself.  Even when you squeeze the veggie pouch too much because you're excited and it squirts up and into your hair, you do it yourself.  You've mastered a quick stab of food with a fork and feeding yourself yogurt with a spoon.

You play with anything Zoë is playing with.  You just want to be near her, doing with her.  And even when she's had it up to here with you following her around, you persist.  I love watching you watch her across the dinner table, or peer across the vast space between your carseats when she's trying to keep you awake on the ride home.  The way your whole body shakes with excitement as you clap and laugh and shake your head at something she does or says.

You laugh and run towards the door when Dad walks in after work.  You stand on tip-toe and watch him leave the house or work in the yard.  You body slam him, all 26+ pounds of you falling on his abdomen (or elsewhere...) with a giggle and then you stand up to do it again.

And, you love me.  You run to me, you whine for me, you insist on Mama holding you over everyone else.  You are becoming so independent, I see it more and more everyday.  But you still come back to check in with me; get a quick hug and then you're off running again.  I love that you back up to me to sit on my lap.  For the first six months of this past year, I responded to "aren't you so glad you have a boy?" with "I'm glad I have an Oliver".  Which, was my way of saying that I didn't know if I was too keen on this boy stuff yet.  Well, I've changed my mind.  You are my boy, my little man, my monkey, my baby.  My backwards-hat-wearing, crawl-around-in-the-dirt, food-shoveling little boy that has stolen my heart.

I'm devastated to technically no longer have a baby in my house.  Nor will I ever again until there are grandchildren playing with the few toys we've already packed away to keep for them.  I hope you know how much I've cherished this year of your baby-hood and how much it changes my own identity to know you are no longer a baby but instead a toddler.  I'm not sure how I'm going to remember how you smelled, slept, or snuggled but I hope these pictures and words can remind me even when you're taller than me and writing words of your own.

I love you sweet boy, my Oliver Finn.

Bunnies, Baskets, and Brunch

Mark this as the third year in a row with a screaming child on the bunny's lap.  Poor guy.

Easter highlights:

Egg Hunt at the Marina...Oliver was not a fan of the bunny but Zoë was finally ok with sitting with him for a pic.  Zoë slipped and fell in the mud in her dress ending her good time at the hunt.  Oliver had a super hard time walking in the squishy grass, so that wasn't his favorite, either.  :)

    

                     

My two favorite handsome guys.

Running, running, running

After the spill

Honey Bunnies

Lots of fun pictures of baskets and an egg hunt in our house followed by brunch with the grandparents.  We had a great time and we're exhausted!

Only my baby for two more weeks!

Handsome fellow.

Less than two weeks before we move into our new house, so packing has been put into a high speed endeavor.  It's a little tougher this time around trying to pack but keep things out for two little people to keep them clothed, fed, and busy for the next two weeks.  But, we're VERY excited to move and be settled for the next 20 years.  :)