Mmmmmmm!

Oliver had his first solid food this week: rice cereal! We figured he wouldn't like it at first, but we were wrong. He gobbled up the whole tablespoon that we made for him. And he cried every time we took the spoon away to get more and opened wide once we came back with a full spoon. And occasionally he even tried to grab the spoon or our hands to feed himself. It was so cute!

What ... it's been a MONTH?!

Time flies. I can't believe it's been a month since I've blogged. Oh, so much has happened.

Oliver had his first Thanksgiving, his first flight (he did great!), he rolls over to his tummy like a pro (even when he's sleeping, which I know, back to sleep and all, but he does it, and he sleeps longer!), he cranes his head to investigate noises, he laughs (and squeals), he is still in the high percentiles for height and weight and most heart-warmingly, he just SEES us and pays attention to us and it melts us. 

Oh, and sleep? Don't ask.

Happy Halloween!

Oliver's first Halloween! We went to a Halloween party at our neighbors house and he helped Daddy pass out candy for a few minutes. He wasn't a huge fan of his costume, but he kept it on for a little while. It was actually too short for him even though it was a 0-9 months, so his legs were all bunched up in the bottom! 

He's really started to be aware of his surroundings lately. He has started grabbing at things (like my dinner while I'm eating with him on my lap) and he holds onto a little rag doll. So cute. He also figured out how to roll over from his tummy to his side, so if he really doesn't want to do tummy time, now he doesn't have to!

We're trying to get him to sleep in his crib like a big boy. He wakes up a lot though. We'll report back when we've had some success.

Laughing, tummy time and first cold

Oliver laughed out loud for the first time last week! We were at baby yoga and I was bench-pressing him. It was so cute. He hasn't yet had another good belly laugh like that one, but he does giggle once in a while. He's also getting a lot stronger during tummy time, as illustrated here...

He is stuffed up with his first cold right now :( But he's getting better. I've been steaming him in the bathroom every night before bed. Hey, I can't complain, I've had 4 facials this week!

Drooling and Standing

Our little guy smiles so much! It's great to see him so happy. His latest trick ... drooling! The front of his shirt is pretty much perpetually drenched in drool. He also loves sticking his arm or hand in his mouth, and will just as happily take a knuckle from mom or dad. Although he still loathes pacifiers. I've been trying to tell him that he'll like a sucky just as much or perhaps better than my knuckle, but he's not buying it. 

He's getting so strong. Since he discovered that he can stand up with our help, that's all he wants to do. Standing on my hand looking over my shoulder or facing me on my lap. Standing up is sooooo fun. 

Here he is showing off his new sweater from Grandma Amy. He turned 3 months this week! 

Apple Picking

Oliver had his first apple-picking excursion on Saturday at Minnetonka Orchards. We went with our friends Amy and Jonathan and their 2-year-old daughter Ayla. Plus we brought Wagner and their 2 dachsunds. We were kind of a traveling circus. Needless to say we didn't actually pick our own apples. But we did do a hayride, enjoy some brats and hot apple doughnuts and buy some yummy Honeycrisps that some other nice person picked for us. 

Oliver is getting so big! He is in the 96th% for height and 84th% for weight. He can hold his head up like a champ, and has started to grab at toys and faces. It's so exciting to see him grow up!

Yoga, playing and holding toys

Oliver and I have been hitting the mommy and me circuit. Tuesdays and Thursdays are BYOB (Bring Your Own Baby) Yoga. Even though I "yoga" him, he gets pretty sleepy and naps well (sometimes in his bassinet without me holding him!) So that's a fun day. And Wednesdays are ECFE (Early childhood family ed). Basically 14 mommies chat about mommyhood while the babies hang out, eat, cry, do baby stuff.

Speaking of development, Oliver can hold his own toys now!

He also loves his playmat (so does Wagner).

And this pic's just cute!

Trees are great entertainment!

We had a great Labor Day as a family. Sunday we spent with friends and Monday just the three of us (4, right, Wagner too!). I have a book called "Trees Make the Best Mobiles" and it's true! Oliver spent about an hour in the backyard lying a blanket looking up at the canopy of maples. He was so happy being out there. Definitely a nature lover!

Baptism ... and a few other things

What has Oliver been up to besides enjoying being Oliver?

In backwards chronological order:

This Sunday Oliver was baptized in the Minnehaha Creek behind St. Stephens, our church. The day was gorgeous and sunny and the baptism was really special. In fact, we had been hoping to have our child baptized at the August creek baptism service since we became members of the church a couple years ago. So Oliver was born at the perfect time of year! Jade and Chris are the godparents.

And in earlier news...

He's getting to be such a big boy! On August 17th he started smiling at us. It's so amazing to be able to make the little guy beam like that. He's a pretty happy baby. His favorite place? The changing table in his room. He loves it. He could lay there for hours!

Oh, and the week before he got his first bath in the tub! He absolutely hated his sponge baths, so the big boy baths are a little better. He tolerates them, although I'm pretty sure he'd prefer never getting a bath. Typical boy, I guess :)

The Great Name Change of '08

For all of you who thought we were ... let's say "quirky" ... for naming our little boy after our street -- this news will verify our "quirkiness." We changed his name to Oliver! I couldn't help but shake his Oliverness since we've been home from the hospital. Call it a mother's intuition, or maybe post-partum "quirkiness," but this guy has been an Oliver to me since the day that I finally got enough to sleep to comprehend his amazing arrival into our lives. Fortunately they give new parents 45 days to make any changes to the birth certificate. So we went to the county birth records desk and made it official. (The lady said that this happens a lot.)

Happy 1 month birthday: Oliver Truman Olson. It's so perfect -- just like him :)

For fun, here are some things that he won't have to hear when he grows up (that mommy and daddy have actually heard, btw):

*Drexel? Sounds like an antihistamine/sleeping pill.

*You have the same name as your street, oh for Pete's sake!

*What's your name? What?

*Oh, like the University?

*Where did your parents get that name from?

*I'm going to call you Avenue.

*At least it's not as weird as Apple.

Drex is settling into his new home

Drex has been spending this past week getting to know his mommy and daddy (and Grandma Amy and Grandpa Randy who are here for 2 weeks helping out). He's a great eater, a good sleeper and a fantastic pooper. Drex is also a first class cuddler. He's had lots of visitors and has met lots of members of his new family (Grandma Rita, Grandpa Bill, Grandma Deb, Great Grandma Norma, Uncle Billy, Aunt Rachel, Aunt Angie, Uncle Barry, Cousin Abram, Aunt Amy, Uncle Chris, Cousin Aubrey, Cousin Maddy, Cousin Mackenzie, Aunt Janice and Uncle Kent) and everyone thinks he's extremely handsome ... (he is).

I love showing him off!

Even Wagner is in love with him. He's really protective. It's sweet -- And a relief, since we weren't sure how he would feel about his demotion in the dog pack.

Drexel is here!

Drexel Truman Olson
Born: July 7, 2008
Weight: 8 lbs 12 oz
Length: 21 inches

Well that contest wasn't very suspenseful!

Just a quick update to let everyone know that 1 day after I posted the guessing blog I went into labor and 2 days later Drexel Truman was born! So, sorry to everyone who hadn't checked their emails yet :) Looks like Aunt Lori got closest to the date (hmmm, insider info?) before the actual delivery (sorry Rachel). And grandma Amy was almost exactly right on weight/length (he was 8 lbs 12 oz and 21 inches).

We was born on July 7th (7-07) at 7:07 (says Daddy) or 7:09 (says the hospital). He's the 7th grandchild to grandpa Bill and the 7th great grandchild to grandma Norma. And we were discharged from the hospital yesterday at 7. He's bound to clean up in Vegas once he turns 21 -- lucky number 7!

Photos to come...

When Will Baby Olson Arrive?

Baby Olson is officially due July 17. When do you think he'll make his appearance? Give it your best guess. Day and time -- oh, and throw in how much you think he'll weigh! What do you win? Hmmm... the glory, plus maybe we'll tell him you're his favorite.