Oden Adventures

Snapshots from Week 6...

Our manly boy hanging out on the hammock

 This pose cracks me up...:-D

 Posing for Mama

 My little heart-melter

 Sweet sleeper

 Post-bath happy guy

 The mark of a Big Sister Check-Up

 Rocking with Grandpa

 Six weeks old - getting chunkier (and more Winston Churchill-esque) by the day!

More time bonding with Aunt Jenny before she left on Saturday...

 We had dinner at the Losies and he got to meet cousin Michelle, who was in town from Missouri.

 Aunt Jenny's mad parenting skills: holding a sleeping Oliver while blowing bubbles for Vianne :-)

 Five weeks old!

 Starting to smile more :-)

First there was Peppa & George.  Then there was Doc & Donny.  Now there's Vianne & Oliver. :-)

A month into this sibling thing and Vianne's taken on the Big Sister role with (like everything) her own personal flair and a large dose of enthusiasm.  She still daily asks to hold him, she loves to give him kisses and hugs and hold his little hands and tickle his tiny feet.  

She also is a great helper for Mama, especially with diaper changes; without question, she grabs me a diaper and wipe for baby brother (and gets upset if I do it myself first!), and then will run the dirty diaper into her room and put it in the diaper genie for me!  She also will grab other things I need (like burp cloths) and if he's ever crying and I can't get to him immediately, she will always give him a stuffed animal or two and turn the music on the swing or pack n' play or sing to him herself to try to stop his crying.

She also loves to talk about when she met him at the hospital and re-tells the details over and over; it's amazing how much she remembers from that day!

We know that there are sibling rivalries and issues to come, but we are cherishing this sweet time before that all starts up (and praying that Oliver survives all her affection...).

 (Vianne is trying so hard to get him to stop crying by singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"...Mama just keeps taking pictures...)

We really can't believe this adorable little mini-man has already been in our midst for an entire month.  There have definitely been some very looonnnngggg moments (especially nights) over the last month, but it still seems to have happened in the blink of an eye.  We haven't quite nailed this whole parenting-two-kids thing yet but Oliver certainly has upped the cuteness factor around our chaotic home.  Even in the most stressful moments, I'm still in awe that this handsome, tiny wonder has been entrusted to us.

I don't think an easier baby has ever been born; Oliver is the sweetest little guy and really all he does is eat & sleep & look cute.  He rarely cries, usually only to tell us he's hungry or he's not so fond of this diaper changing thing, and he's incredibly laid back, especially about his sister's (sometimes a bit smothering) affection.

He was 8lbs 3oz at his two-week check-up, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if he's already surpassed 10lbs by now.  We can tell he's filling out; he's feeling much more solid and his cheeks are getting chubbier by the day!  He is just now venturing into the world of size 1 diapers and 0-3 months sized clothes as the NB size of both are fitting more snugly.

We are just now starting to get the occasional awake smile, usually inspired by Vianne :-).  He's also making great strides in holding up his head and seems to have mostly figured out that nighttime is not for playing, but for sleeping, and sometimes gives Mama a 3 or 4 hour stretch of sleep at a time.

In his fourth week of life, Oliver spent a lot more time looking around to see this new home of his, with thoughtful expressions...

 ...more bonding with his sister, one of his biggest fans...

 ...and meeting lots of new (to him) friends!  We visited Rachelle & the boys since Joel & Jesse hadn't met him yet.  They haven't been around babies, but they acted like they see & hold them all the time - very cute!

 Like Father, Like Son, as they say...

 "We are not amused."

 Patrick's parents took Vianne out for a few hours, which gave me some quiet snuggle time with my boy!

 Saturday visit with Granma

 Oliver went to church for the first time!  All dressed up in his Sunday Best...

 Daddy picked out this outfit after the ultrasound confirming that we were having a boy :-)

 Slept through most of it :-)

 Our friends the Burns family came to visit & meet our little guy

 Aunt Jenny came to meet her newest nephew & help his Mama out

 Slept through his first trip to the park :-)

 4 weeks old!

 Napping on Aunt Jenny