October 2nd, 2011
Okay just a really quick wrap-up.
1. The half kitchen is almost done. seriously almost. Just need the plumber to come and Mr. Project just needs to finish painting the dishwasher panels. Here is the most updated photo I have:
More is done than this, but I haven’t taken a photo yet… so this is what you get. Once it’s all done, I’ll do a big giant post with lots of photos. I still need to sew the shades – this probably wont get done for awhile.
2. Ollie is pretty much crawling. Though luckily he is mostly content to hang out and play with his toys. But if he gets bored… watch out because he’ll be across the room before you know it. He also loves his binky with a passion (that’s what the B is for):
He’s more creeping than anything else, but he is really good at it. Sometimes he’ll just do the “zombie crawl” as we like to call it where he drags his limp body behind him with his arms doing all the work. It’s pretty adorable, like everything else he does. He is also doing really really well at happily playing by himself. This I love.
3. I want to go to disneyland for Christmas
4. LDS Conference weekend was great… but I didn’t get anything done. But we did get to spend time with friends, which I loved.
5. My brain has stopped working so I can’t think of anything else! But since October is here, I thought I would mention my Free Advertising November because I’ve only gotten a few entries and really want to hear from you!
September 25th, 2011
Yay the house is finished being painted! It looks about a million times better than when we bought it. I do wish that the color looked a little more warm gray – it did on the swatch – but I still love it!
So now that the house looks all crisp and shiny, it makes the yard look that much more terrible (who knew the yard could look worse??). And we don’t really want to rip out the yard because we’re planning on ripping out all the concrete and re-designing the drive-way to wrap across the property. Until we do that, we’re not really doing anything else with the front other than trying to keep the brambles tamed. But eventually the driveway will wrap the width of the yard thus making it less steep of a drive. And we’ll get rid of the pine tree and all the rosemary and hedge-y bushes and put a lot of modern landscaping instead. So it will look really nice once it’s done.
The cherry countertops are not yet installed in the kitchen. I’m trying not to think about it too much, but it should happen this week, they are really close to being finished. The kitchen is one of those things that just feel like it will never be done and you just give-up hope until it’s actually finished.
In Ollie news…. Ollie can now move front, back, side to side, he’s completely mobile folks! He now has the core strength to go from sitting to laying without falling, which is great news! He has been teething and his little mouth is hurting him. So we had a slightly whiney Ollie this week paired with a low fever. poor guy. I can tell that there is something awakened in him… a need to explore EVERYTHING. Whereas before he was content to sit and play, now he wants to move and touch and taste and be everywhere. He sees everything and wants to experience it too. Its so much fun to see him really see the world, but at the same time, it’s a lot more work! I really need to get this product line finished so that I can go back to only working at night. Pretty soon he’s not going to be containable at all!!
I did much better at taking photos this week. I was even able to get a few on Monday morning before my parents left… so at least I got those few photos of their trip.
This week…
Ollie spent a lot of time with his grandma
and his Grandpa.
And they all had a lot of fun.
And I was so happy they all got to spend time together.
He started doing this cute thing where he gnaws on his lower lip.
I tried to get a few pics of him doing it because it was just too cute!
And we played with possible hairstyles 
But settled on his regular mo-poof.
And Ollie fell asleep snuggling his new favorite stuffed animal – Rodney the Rhino.
And speaking of photos, be sure to join the October photo challenge. I’m going to try and get a linky thing going. You can also have your blog linked via Our Wired Lives.
September 18th, 2011
**Okay not quite pioneer style since this is typed and on the internet… but there are NO photos because NO photos were taken this week even though they should have been taken because 1. Ollie will never be as little as he is now, and 2. His grandparents were in town and there is no visual record. I’m super sad, but trying not to beat myself up too much. **
It’s been quite the week! So all week – like every waking moment – I’ve been working on my new line for MME. By Wednesday I felt burnt out, by Thursday I was ready to kill someone! So I took the day off, and boy was it a glorious day. But then I had to get back to it in the evening. The hardest thing about working so hard on one specific project is that everything else on my to-do list completely goes by the wayside and after a few days, I just feel like I’m getting nothing else done but the one task. I just hate that feeling. So I am hoping to be finished very soon so that I can get moving on my other obligations. I also miss my baby! I’ve still gotten to spend some quality time with him. But not like my normal schedule, I just miss being with him all the time.
The world has been twirling and swirling around my stationary body. My parent’s visit has been so much fun. They have loved to spend time with Ollie and see him grow and play. I have tried to steal a few minutes here and there to just sit and chat, and I actually cooked this week! I swear it’s been almost 2 years since I’ve actually cooked a real non-holiday meal. I guess it’s those types of experiences that busy steals from you, busy and pregnant and sometimes lazy. I do feel after this week of cooking, that we should be making an effort to plan and make dinners.
Ollie has been growing by leaps and bounds. He has finally taken to rolling over on his stomach, and he especially loves to do so when I’m changing his diaper or getting him dressed. He so badly wants to crawl and he’s figured out how to scoot backwards and inch his way in any direction to get where he wants to go. Luckily we are much much faster than he is… for now. I swear I didn’t get any photos this week 
Which is especially sad because my folks were here. I’m mad at myself, but I was working so much I just never had a great opportunity to make it happen. Ollie also learned how to wave this week, and is now enjoying squeeling, grunting, growling and yelling as much as he can at the least opportune times. The rest of the time, he’s super mellow. I guess he just likes to break the silence. He started to cry a few times when I left the room this week. A little separation anxiety perhaps, but most likely him having a hard time not being with his mommy all the time. He is sleeping like a champ, and goes to sleep at night really well. His daytime naps are another story. He fights naptime about half the time, but lately I’ve just been putting him in his crib when he gets this way, and he manages to get himself to sleep and with less fussing then if I were trying to sooth him. Works for me! I think his teeth are coming in. You can feel some roughness when you rub his gums. He also had a little bit of a cold on Friday, but I think it was just related to teething since it was over so quickly. He’s also been running a little bit of a fever or “elevated temperature” as my doctor likes to call any temp below 99.0. It was hard to see him so sad, but I’m glad that he’s feeling a little bit better now.
Spencer and I gave talks in church this week. It was not the best week to speak in church because of all the busy, but somehow we managed to find time somewhere to prepare, and I think we did a pretty good job. We spoke on missionary work and I really felt inspired to be better at sharing with people our beliefs. It was also nice to have my parents there to hear us speak and to wrangle Ollie for us.
The house had some BIG changes this week. The whole exterior was painted!!! Or rather it’s still being painted, but we’re really close. It’s looking so nice, but now it looks too nice and it makes the landscaping look even worse!! We’re going to have to scrape together some money and re-do the driveway and front yard in the not-to-distant future. The painting should be done Monday or Tuesday, so I’ll get a before/after photo when it’s all done.
This week we went and got wood for the wood countertops. We purchased cherry, but I’m freaking out a bit because I want it to be dark – but dark like cherry and not dark like walnut. But Mr. Project is a purist and won’t stain it. We have gotten some advice to leave it out in the sun to darken it naturally, so hopefully that will be a good compromise. I found backslash tile this week, and need to get it ordered. Mr. Project said something about having the countertop installed before Thursday… so we’ll see what happens. But I would be estatic if it were installed because that would mean that we could have the sink, garbage disposal, and dishwasher all installed as well. YIPPEE!!!! I will try to be a much much better blogger this week and get progress photos.
I also managed to choose my new Creative Contributor team! I received so many great entries and it was really hard to choose. I will be announcing the contributors tomorrow morning, so check back tomorrow.
So that was our week. I feel like my brain is only half working, but I wanted to get all of this down before I forgot since I don’t have photos to jog my memory.
September 11th, 2011
The most notable thing that happened this week was that the sink-side of the kitchen cabinets got installed and painted and looks amazing! The rest of the week was spent working on my new scrapbooking line and getting the guest room ready for my parent’s visit. Here it is right now:
It’s pretty much complete except the curtains need to go up AND I will make a quilt for the foot of the bed, once I get my new fabric. The other side of the room is not quite so pretty… its floor to ceiling storage bins. We still don’t have any closet organizers or doors, so it is what it is for now! I did find a cute chair at Pier one though that does fit nicely in the space next to the storage bins, and will be nice for my parents to use so they have more of a “retreat” area instead of just a bed in a room.
Our friend Kristy started helping us out this week with Ollie. She comes 2-3 days a week to take care of the baby and help with little things around the house. It was great to have her this week because I’m super under the gun with a deadline, and all of the prep for my folks to come out was a bit intense. And its just fun to have her around, she is hilarious and such a sweetheart, and Ollie does prefer blondes, so he’s happy too!
Speaking of our cute boy…
I left him sitting on this chair for just a moment while I was getting him a bottle, and when I peeked back into the room to check on him, he was sitting there cuddling his zebra, it was so cute, I had to grab my camera and snap a few shots. He had just woken up from his nap, so he was super mellow and so tired that he wouldn’t even smile for me. This week in baby news… he is definitely starting to get the idea of crawling. He keeps trying to put his legs underneath his body when he’s laying on his stomach. He is babbling and smiling a lot, and is just generally happy. I love that when I go into his room after he wakes up or takes a nap, that he is so so happy to see me. He loves being on his play mat, a blanket on the floor, or his bouncy, but he also loves to be cuddled. He loves any toys that he can shove in his mouth and chew on, and he also has really started loving stuffed animals. He wants to touch everything he sees, and is constantly looking around and exploring his environment. He also loves bath time, and playing with his toys in the bath. I still can’t believe he’s 6 months old!!
Spencer went to Wisconsin this weekend to teach a workshop, I can’t wait to see him tomorrow morning. I am so bad at staying on task or sleeping when he’s not here. Its like I’m unbalanced and can’t quite function in a normal way. I also miss going on trips with him. But we are going to try and go to Savannah in the fall together and possibly without the baby, though it will be really really hard to be away from the baby for a few days.
Word of the week: Excited. I’ve just been so excited for my parents to get here. Partly because I love spending time with them, partly because I am excited for them to spend a lot of time getting to know Ollie, and partly because I wanted them to see the house. My dad loves it and is super impressed with how great all the work on it looks.
September 9th, 2011
And boy do I need some cake! This growing up thing is depressing. I don’t want him to stop growing, but I just wish I could have a day of him being a newborn again! I can’t believe he is already 6 months old. These last 2 months have flown by way too fast, and he is just growing so fast. Pajamas that fit him fine 3 weeks ago, are now dwarfed by the size of his new jammies. Time is cruel! On the positive side, these are the best times. He is so much fun to have around and we completely adore him! Okay now that we’re all depressed, here are some fun stats:
At six months Ollie:
- Sleeps through the night – 7:30PM-5/6AM – If he does wake up in the middle of the night, he can self-soothe back to sleep.
- LOVES to eat solids – I think he is growing weary of having to drink liquids for meals
- Can say “mama” even on command – if he’s in the mood
- Loves books, the ipad, and his new rhinoceros stuffed animal
- Smiles when he sees the camera
- prefers sitting to laying, and can sit without any support
- Sits up for his bath time and plays with toys
- Does NOT crawl yet (yay!) but if you put him on the floor, he will somehow move from one side of the room to the other without rolling.
- Finds anything that is left on the floor – and then puts it in his mouth
- Makes lots of funny noises with his mouth
- Flirts with every girl he meets
- Gets so so so excited to see his daddy
- Somehow he always ends up sideways in his crib
- Laughs when going down stairs
- Loves being tossed (gently) in the air
- Not too impressed with his toes, but loves to stick his fingers and thumbs in his mouth
- Can find and pick up a binky or bottle and put it in his mouth with ease – basically he’s self sufficient
- When he sees something he thinks is his food, he will be patient and wait for you to feed him. But if you leave the room with it, he’ll cry until you come back with it.
- No longer cries in the morning and Is so happy to see us when he wakes up
- Doesn’t mind hanging out on his belly, but will readily roll onto his back – however, he refuses to roll onto his belly from his back, though I’m sure he possesses the ability.
- Responds to his name
- Has no problem going to strangers or being in big crowds of people who are talking to him
- Reaches for toys and food, and sometimes mommy & daddy
- Doesn’t mind playing by himself on the floor or being left alone in a room for short periods of time
- Has crazy hair. It’s straight on the sides, curly on the top, and then has a teeny afro-poof on the back.
- And best of all he loves to cuddle his mama
