Twenty-two Months (Oliver's Monthly Photo)

Oh my gosh the end is near.  I can taste it.  This was my 22nd monthly photo of Oliver.  He actually really likes these pictures.  When I put the blue striped outfit on him, he runs to the photo studio and sits right down and tosses his "Oliphant" to me so I can throw it to him right before I snap the pictures.



Everyday, Oliver surprises us with how communicative he is... still with no words.  We're adding signs daily.  Many of them we just make up.  He seems happy to have them, though.  He excitedly showed Daniel the sign for "butterfly" after our walk the other day.  It looks similar to the sign we made up for "bulldozer," but a little different.  In the above picture, he's signing "noisy."

His most frequent word is mama.  He likes to say it in a shrill sort of shriek, over and over and over.  Like mama-MAMA-MAMA-MAMA!!!-MAMA!!!!  He does this until I acknowledge the thing he's pointing to or get him the (correct) drink (water mixed with orange juice) in the (correct) bottle he loves.  Or sometimes he just says it when he's bored or has a boo-boo or wants Daniel.  No clear Da-da yet, although today when Lucy and Elliot called out, "Dad?" he followed right behind them and questioned, "Da?"



He's pretty capable on the potty these days.  I guess he'll just decide when he's done with diapers, because he can clearly hold his pee, sign potty, and then go successfully within a few seconds of sitting down.  But he's not all that interested in going completely diaper-free right now.



He's officially mastered the scooter!!  I have been waiting for this day since he got his orange scooter at Christmas.  He is so cute riding it.  His little legs.

He keeps skinning his knees.  Gosh I feel bad for him.  They bleed every time.  I wonder if I should give him some knee pads just for walking around outside.  But it seems like he'll learn to be careful faster if he has real consequences from falling down.  I could be wrong about that.

He likes asking for product.  He likes having shoes on.  He likes picking his particular shoes.  He says, "ch" for Charlie and shoes.  He loves to sign milk and sleeping and bulldozer, though he has many, many other signs now, too.



My friend described his eyes as "deep, soulful" the other day.  I would agree.  He loves giving hugs and kisses at the end of play dates.  He loves waving hi to people.  He doesn't like it when se sing.  He covers his ears (rude).  He is full of life.  The highs are high and the lows are low.  We love him and are glad to have him.

28 Weeks Self Portrait

Yesterday there were a few precious moments while the kids were occupied, when the inspiration hit to get a self portrait.  I sneaked into the studio, set up the tripod, and after about 4 attempts got this self portrait. 

28 weeks means we are headed into the third trimester with baby Charlie.  After an emotional second trimester, I am finally beginning to feel more positive and more excited to meet our third baby boy!  This photo is, in the words of a friend, a celebration of beautiful me (and Charlie). 

Guest Photographers and Models in the Studio

I had a guest photographer in the studio this morning. 



I overheard them in there, Lucy saying things like, "Now look at me -- yeah, just like that. Good.  Oh, yeah, that's a good one."



Me: Would you like me to turn on the studio light for you?
 

"Yeah, Mom--actually, that would help a lot.  Thanks, Mom."



"Now I'm going to sit with Lambie, and you take the picture."
 

"What do you think, Mom?  Is it a good one?"

In the Studio

I'm not sure if it's just her age or if it has to do with all the sleeping newborns she sees me taking pictures of, but Lucy (and therefore Elliot) has become mildly obsessed with taking "sleeping" pictures in the studio.



It is, actually, the only type of picture she has any interest in taking in the studio. It's kind of annoying, because when I go to the trouble (I mean... it's not that much trouble) of getting her and the boys dressed for studio pictures, I sort of want smiling-open-eyed-sitting-up pictures.  But those are difficult to come by, these days.  Instead, she positions herself in the most difficult-to-view spot (usually with feet closest to me), lies down, and proceeds to pretend-snore in a really adorable, musical way I can only guess she's picked up from some cartoon. 



"Ooooooh"



"Weeeee"



"Ooooh"



"Weeeee"


And if she can get some of her animals, pillows, and/or stethoscope(s) in the pictures, so much the better.
 

As I said, Elliot has adopted the same mild obsession--thanks to Lucy.  He loves to imitate her.  And actually, she loves to imitate him, too.



Oliver is usually just happy to be included.  He loves feeling like one of the "big kids".



Can't believe he turns 1 this week.  I'm glad he's still little and cuddly, though.  He is too cute.



The birthday party for him will be joined with Lucy's -- a pool party.  Poor Elliot at first kept checking that he got to come. 



Stinks being the odd one out... the only one whose party it isn't.  But he and baby #4 will have their opportunities of joint birthday parties before long.



Elliot has become so articulate lately.  And also so... two.  Volatile doesn't quite do it justice.  He is just thoroughly two.  One of the cutest tantrummy sayings of his is, "I get to do NOFFING."



Lucy keeps hearing that she is such a big girl--because she is about to turn FOUR.  This has become problematic, since her logical conclusion is that Elliot is not a big boy (being only 2) and won't even be a big boy when he turns three.  Let me tell you, it requires some calm, quick thinking to navigate out of that little conflict... while driving down the highway... attempting to speak louder than the vocal devastation of a two-year-old's shattered dreams of big-boy-ness. 



She had her first ballet lesson yesterday.  The mommies were asked not to stand at the window and watch.  Umm... are you kidding me? 



Not cool.  She may be getting older by the day, gaining independence and increasingly mature thought patterns, but for the next 3 weeks...



...She's still my little three-year-old.

Happy (belated) Valentines Day!

I can't tell you how many mornings I've thought, "I need to update the blog today."  A lot of mornings. 



How is it that time goes so slowly while the kids are awake and then speeds up SO MUCH when they're asleep? 


My to-do list is ever longer, and I am in a constant state of denial about how much is reasonable for me to accomplish in a given day.  This is hard.




I intended to publish these photos on Valentines Day!  And I did get them on Facebook that day.  But anyways, here they are.  I hosted two mom-tographer Valentine play-dates just before we went to Beaumont. 



The moms got to photograph their kids in 2 of my studio set-ups.  It was fun. 


Sort of stressful, since some of the kids were really rambunctious.  But fun. 


I hope you had a nice Valentines Day.  We did.  We had a nice, quiet Saturday.  We did little gifts at lunch time and talked about what it means to love others; we read 1 Cor. 13:4 and talked about it.  Then we had a "fancy" candle-lit dinner of salmon and green beans, followed by my favorite strawberry ice cream with chocolate sauce.  The kids really enjoyed it.  Daniel and I bought each other a Nespresso machine for Valentines day, and it is AMAZING.  I will have to post about that some time. 

Happy Valentines day, belated :).

Six Months Old (Oliver's Monthly Photo)

Oliver is HALF A YEAR old!!



I am changing it up!  This month I photographed Oliver in (one of) his Christmas onesies in the studio.
 

I love these pictures.  They are so HIM.



New things about Oliver this month:

Oliver is getting his first TOOTH!!!  This is significant not only because it's his first... and not only because it's the earliest of any of the kids... but because it is the FIRST TOOTH that I noticed before my mom!  Mimi is the best new-tooth-detector around.  But this one, I discovered!



We went for his 6 month check up the other day.  He is perfect.  95th percentile for height (28 inches!), 75th percentile for weight (18 lbs), and 80th percentile for head circumference.  He's a growing boy.
 

He is so close to crawling.  I can't believe that in the last month, he's gone from a strong tummy-timer to a full fledged sitter-upper and rock-back-and-forth-on-all-fours-er.  Amazing.  He's not just sitting, he's solidly sitting!  Every once in a while, Elliot goes over to him and pushes his index finger on the center of Oliver's forehead.  It's so sad.  He goes straight backwards.


But mostly, he sits very solidly, and the kids are excited about his little milestones.  He now joins us at the table for meals, and he seems to really enjoy that.  He'll start solids (acorn squash) tomorrow.



He is so ticklish. It is hilarious.  He loves to be tickled almost as much (or maybe more?) as Lucy.  They get that from Daniel.  I've never really enjoyed being tickled... and I don't think Elliot does, either.  But Daniel, Lucy, and Oliver love it.  Oliver particularly adores when you bury your nose in his tummy.  That is the best.



Lucy loves getting Oliver to laugh by going, "ah--ah--AH--AHHHH--CHOOOO!!"  He thinks it's hilarious.  And so does she.


Elliot has recently taken to loving holding Oliver.  He stands there with his arms outstretched in front of him, and I hold Oliver up right in front of him, and he wraps his arms around his back and holds on for dear life.  I don't really let go of Oliver (though I do with Lucy), but Elliot believes he's fully holding him, and he loves it.  He seems like such a big brother!



He is still the smiley-est baby I've ever seen.  He is pleased so much of the time.  Just carrying from room to room, if you hold him up high, he is all smiles.  His grin is contagious.

Oliver, we love you and adore your sweet smiles and laughs.  You are so precious to all of us.  We are excited to know you more in the months (and years) to come!!


 Daddy and I are so grateful for you.

And... because I am a semi-perfectionist who cannot stand NOT to continue the pattern of blue-and-white striped photos, and because he is SO stinkin' cute, here are the ones from this month, 6 months old.