Oden Adventures

Our end-of-the-month Sweet Oliver's three-monthiversary coincided with Halloween, but I only did one "photo shoot".  Hence the sailor outfit.

Still smiling, still teething, still not sleeping great past that one 4-5 hour stretch at the beginning of the night (yawn!).  We can't believe how the weeks of his life are flying by, and how cute he gets with each passing one :-).

He's well into 3 months sized clothes now, and is actually too long already for the sleepers in this size, though onesies still seem to fit okay.  For example, this adorable one from Patrick's aunt & uncle...

 Always trying to get one where they're both smiling or at least looking normal...oh, well...maybe next time...

 His head's now above the top of the baby bathtub!  He still loves baths and discovered if he kicks, it makes a big splash, which he finds very amusing!

 This was a beautiful moment where he was chattering on & on to Daddy...

 Trying out a new outfit, from Grandma

 This one ranks high in the "Cutest Photos of Oliver" file...

 Two smiles, one pair of opened eyes...three out of four ain't bad...

 13 weeks old!

Patrick has turned 40 on us! He is bravely forging the way into a new decade of life.  And for such a big turn of events, as it were, we had to celebrate in a big (for us) way!  Even though we're at a bit of an awkward time of life with two little unpredictable kids and not a lot of disposable income, sometimes we just have to celebrate the big things anyway, in whatever way we can, lest we regret it later on (or so I'm learning....)!  And so in spite of any hindrances to celebration, we love Patrick dearly and wanted him to feel that in a tangible way.

I had an epiphany as I was planning Patrick's party: my love language is details. (So, sorry, Gary Chapman, but you're going to have to rewrite your book; there are actually six.)  You can tell how much love I'm putting into something by the amount of time & attention I give to the details of it.  And, let me tell you, I had fun with these details!

I proclaimed the party theme to be Firefly, Patrick's favorite - albeit ill-fated - television show.  This was partially self-serving since it went with the special you're-turning-40-and-that's-a-big-deal gift we got him.  We gave it to him the night before his birthday...

(first, the cards)

I made this one (to look like the Firefly logo...clever, right?? :-P)

And then for the gift...

 

A Captain Mal coat (long coveted by Patrick)!

I'm posting all five of these shots because they are all so darn cute...

On Saturday, the date of his birth, we had the Firefly-themed shindig with family and friends at our place.  And here's where the fun of details really came into play for me, yet with a space/western that takes place in a Chinese/American-run universe, the details really plan themselves.

For those who will appreciate the references, the table decorations...

I loved these lanterns...

 

Because of the Western aspect, and, let's be honest, Patrick's love of meat, we got food catered 

by The Corner Butcher Shop in La Verne.

Tri-tip, ribs, macaroni & cheese, & caesar salad - and all SO good!  We highly recommend this place!  (And we had so much food, we ate leftovers for a week...and still have meat in the freezer...but we're not complaining!)

For dessert, Patrick made two kinds of ice cream, both delicious, Blueberry and Orange Sherbet (tasted like creamsicles).  I made pound cake (which Patrick loves)...

...and (mostly to amuse myself & Patrick) we had fortune cookies.

Patrick wore one of his Firefly shirts, while I tried to evoke Kaylee (sorry, not going to be a "registered companion" even if Patrick does dress like Mal), though I mostly evoked Tired Mama (especially since this was taken after the party).

Vianne obliged me by wearing this (thrift store find! $3!) Chinese dress and her cowboy hat.

She's cute but you don't want to cross her. :-D

And because I overdo it on the details and inevitably forget some, like ordering the Browncoat onesie from Etsy in time for the party, Oliver went with this ensemble instead.  

Understated, but still applicable.

Party guests enjoying the you-can't-get-better-than-this-for-an-outdoor-party weather...

Oliver (who spent the first 30 minutes of the party screaming his lungs out...:::sigh:::) made the rounds...

And then we celebrated with the Odens into the evening, with presents...

...and finished off the fête with Patrick's traditional Baskin & Robbins' ice cream cake.

Oliver's become quite the chatterbox, expanding his coos to other sounds and multisyllabic utterances. And yet, every time I turn the video camera on, he clams up, so I have yet to capture some really good footage of it.  His eye contact and smiles of recognition and glee continue to melt our hearts and he's becoming a chunk of a little guy, with a round face & belly & big squeezable thighs, which makes him a very cuddly thing for his affectionate Mama who can't get enough of snuggling him.  His legs are very strong and he's starting to push off the ground with his feet when on the playmat (on his back or tummy) and scoot himself a bit (mobile already??!).

He seems to have begun teething, we're guessing, because he has these outbursts of inconsolability, is often chewing on his fingers, has been rather congested, and calms down if you rub his gums.  He may actually have a tooth at "normal time" unlike his sister who waited to bust out her first until 14 months old.  We'll see!

 He LOVES to be swaddled!  A good swaddle and a standing rock from Mama gets him to sleep in 3-5 minutes every time!

 This was after a particularly rough night.  My frustration melted away with this look... <3

 Tummy time with help from Vianne