Expressions

It is so fun to be able to interact more and more with Oliver each day. He smiles freely now and just recently started laughing out loud. Of course, he also communicates with us when he is tired, frustrated, overwhelmed, uncomfortable, etc; but he is generally a baby in a good mood. I caught some of Oli's funny expressions on camera while we were playing the other day:










He's such a lovable little guy!

Concert in the Park

Our friends Eric and Niki stayed with us last weekend, and while they were here we all enjoyed a saxophone jazz concert at Rose City Park.

A crowd was already there when we arrived.


The stage.


Oliver and Xander "play" during the concert.


Xander cheats in wrestling with a knee-biting move.


The boys are still friends afterward.


A good time is had by all.

Time Off

Please pardon my brief time away from blogging, but I have a legitimate excuse! No, I did not get a note from my doctor, but I have really been ill recently. David and I both got steamrolled by a mysterious sickness or food poisoning and it took a couple of days for us to recover. Boy was that miserable! It doesn't seem that Oliver has been affected at all and we are so thankful that he has remained healthy. Thank you Lord!

On Tuesday we took my siblings and some local teens out to Lincoln City for the TNT (Tuesday Night Teens) youth rally being held there. David's symptoms started that morning (read: he woke up by expelling all the food matter from his body) but he thought he might be getting over it so we decided to go. As we were leaving, I thought that my stomach might be getting upset too and then I thought that I was just feeling carsick, but as the day went on, we both felt worse and worse. We let the kids do some souvenir shopping in the town and took them for dinner at DQ while David and I took turns laying down in the van. We alternated holding Oliver and taking trips to the bathroom during the youth rally and then I skipped the bonfire and s'mores altogether and opted to sleep on one of the van's back seats while Oli napped too. I have no pictures of the trip because I felt too darn sick to even pull out my camera!

In more upbeat news, Oliver has graduated to sleeping in his big boy crib in his very own room. Our baby handled the transition like a champ, but his mommy had a little trouble adjusting. That first night was so strange not having him right there beside our bed and I have to admit that I cried a bit over the fact that he's growing up so quickly. Everyone warned me it would happen, but of course you never really know until you're experiencing it yourself! 3 months have never passed so fast!

Here are some recent pics of our rapidly changing little man:









He always gets so serious when I pull out the camera!

New Friend

The Arnettes are up from California visiting us this weekend and Oliver got to meet their son Alexander for the first time. Xander is almost 6 months old and is much more expressive than Oli, but they were both able to get acquainted with one another.



We think they'll grow to be great friends!

Heat Wave!

Okay, so it hasn't been totally unbearable, in fact, it isn't event that bad, but Portland has been experiencing some legitimate summer weather this past week. Yesterday it got up to 95 degrees! Our house has been staying relatively cool which is very nice. The highest it has been indoors was 79 degrees and that is without air conditioning - not bad! It's nice that the evenings are still cool so we can open all the windows at night and let in the fresh, cool breeze. Oliver has been doing just fine in the heat and we are having fun dressing him in his warm weather clothes (more chance to see his pudgy little legs!)

Blazers Fan!

It's funny how clothing sizes for babies vary so much by brand and type. Oliver has outgrown newborn size, 0-3 months, and much of his 3M stuff too. Some of his 3/6M clothing fits him perfectly but a lot of the 6 month things are still too big for him. I kept meaning to sort through his dresser to pull out his too-small items and I finally got around to it yesterday during my super productive streak. One of the outfits he was almost too big for is a little Trailblazers set that some friends from church gave us. It was too big for him during the team's active season but now his little belly tries to peek out from under the shirt and the pants are becoming more like high-waters.





I still think it's pretty cute on him!

Grabby Hands

Slowly but surely, Oliver is learning how to better control his arms and hands. Right now he is able to get both arms up and bat around at a particular toy. The challenge for him is to open his hands so he can actually grab onto an object. He likes to keep his little fingers curled up in fists most of the time. Lately, however, he has been able to relax his hands, and it is fun to watch his surprise as he gets a grip on a toy and moves it around.




Playing can sure be hard work!

Day at the Coast

David was working with a youth group from Texas all last week on a Bible/soccer camp and other service projects, and while they were still here on Friday, we drove out for a day at the coast.

David and Oliver at the Astor Column.



The ocean is behind us.



Beautiful Astoria!



In Seaside it is Oli's first time on the beach!



In the Carousel Mall with my saltwater taffy.



Oli and I waiting in the back of the rental van.



The Cheese Factory in Tillamook!



It was a fun day at the coast and the weather was mostly cooperative - it only started raining while we were having dinner in Tillamook. Oliver did really great with all the driving and we hope this means we have a good road trip kid!

Chatter Boy

Oliver was supposed to be eating, but I guess he was in a talkative mood because he just kept chatting with me!

12 Weeks!

I can't believe little Oliver is 12 weeks already! It seems like he is growing and changing everyday and I want to capture every little moment and milestone because they are passing so quickly. Oli gives out smiles freely now unless he is busy "concentrating" on something - he likes to spend time in serious study of his world at times and it can be tough to break through his intensity. He had his first official laugh for his dad last night after bath time. What a happy squealing little sound it was! We hope to hear a lot more of his giggles! Oliver is also gaining better hand-eye coordination and likes to bat at his toys in his bouncy seat or on his floor gym. We also try to read books every day and he doesn't seem to be completely bored by them. =)

Some recent-ish pics of our little man...

4th of July

Oliver sports a festive holiday outfit.



At our friend Michelle's house - view of Blue Lake Park.



We're ready for the show!



Okay, none of the firework pics turned out well...but it was spectacular in real life!




Happy Independence Day!

Camp Conclusion

Some final pics from our week at Camp Yamhill...

Oliver and I wait for lunch in the Big Lodge.



David prepares for a campfire skit.



David tricks Jeremiah into sitting on a big wet sponge!



Oli keeps cool in the very warm weather.




All in all, we had a very enjoyable but tiring week out at camp. Oh, and so much for my excuses about needing to stay on the ground with my baby... I ended up going on the big zip line and it was a blast!