Oscar's Odyssey

Hey, Happy 4th!

2009-07-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

I hope all of you are having a happy 4th of July and getting to spend time with your families! We wish we were down in Texas today - Tim's momma throws a great big shindig every year. This picture is for her! We miss you mom & pops!

Oscar even learned how to wave a flag today! (The annoying squeaky toy in the background is Uncle Andy. He got a little carried away when I asked him to help get Oz's attention for this photo shoot. He is such a good uncle. Sometimes I think he has a little too much fun with Oscar's toys, though...)

Two Front Teeth

2009-07-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

I know I'm long overdue for a post here, but I did want to post a current picture of Oscar's two little teeth. These are brand new, the pair of them are less than two weeks old. I'm quite proud of those little suckers. We BOTH worked hard on those! And whoo buddy are they sharp little things. It would seem now that he is now working on another tooth, up top on the left side. The fun never stops.

Little Bit of Rock & Roll

2009-05-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

Right. So I'm INCREDIBLY behind in posting pictures of this crazy cute kiddo. (Bad mama.) But I snapped this one tonight and couldn't resist sharing it. I just wanna squeeze those sweet little cheeks! And sorry ya'll for the photo delays - we changed computers to a mac and it's just so different that it's taking me forever to figure stuff out. But I definitely have some strong motivation to get on it. Don't you think? (And are you noticing that he is balancing ALL BY HIMSELF?!? Wow. He is really growing up!) Coming soon: crawling videos. He has the funniest crawl right now because he has just recently figured it out. It's kind of a cross between an obese cat walk and a duck waddle. It's hilarious.

Silly Boys

2009-05-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

Here is a taste of Uncle Andy time... Now you know why Oz loves his uncle!

Reading

2009-05-16T21:00:00.001-07:00

Reading
Originally uploaded by peachicken

I get a "monthly time capsule" from flickr - well, monthly - and this was in the mix for this month. Do you see what book I'm reading? It's "The Joy of Pregnancy." You can't see it, but behind that book is a gigantic bun in my oven... Wow. I look at this picture and I see all the excitement I was feeling then. I couldn't wait until Oscar finally made his appearance. It's wild to know my little boy now and to think back on that time when I didn't know him quite yet and all the joy in the anticipation of him. I didn't think then that I could ever be as happy as I was at that moment in time. But now I look at where I am in motherhood and wonder what I ever did before Oscar. Isn't it odd how your life changes in just a matter of a year?

Happy Cinco!

2009-05-05T18:19:00.001-07:00

Yes, for real.

This hat and the serape once belonged to Oscar's daddy! But what's even funnier is that my boy has definitely inherited my biggie-sized Bennetch head. This sombrero fit Tim when he was FIVE. It is snug on Oscar's seven month old head. All I gotta say is that I'm glad Oz was a c-section baby now. Holy mackerel. Anyway, happy cinco de mayo!

Six Month Photo Highlights

2009-04-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

Can you even believe that yesterday Oscar turned 7 months?!? Well I cannot. And I am SO behind on posting pictures, it's ridiculous. (This mosaic is a preview of pictures to come... I promise.)

Bunny Boy

2009-04-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone!

Oscar in Oklahoma

2009-04-09T09:09:00.001-07:00

Here is a little video of some of the pictures we took while in Oklahoma, down on Grandpa's farm (or GREAT grandpa, for Oscar). I think Oscar would have really liked Grandpa Frank.

Six Months and Counting

2009-04-07T15:47:00.000-07:00

Wow - sorry about the blogging dry spell there. Life doesn't stop, does it? Sheesh! Anyway, since I'm way far behind in posting, how about a catch up?

Oscar is now SIX MONTHS OLD!!! How insane is that? Where did all that time go? My baby is not a baby anymore! Oz sits up by himself now, nice and straight backed, and is super strong. He loves jumping in the Jolly Jumper - I'll have to post a video of it soon - and he is a big time chatterbug. He eats solids three times a day. So far, he's had apples, bananas, green beans, sweet peas, sweet potatoes, rice, oatmeal, pears, and prunes. Of those, apples and bananas are his favorites, with green beans a close second. (Gross, hey? Whatever.) Doc wants him to start on meats soon and I'm still not sure how I feel about that. (Comment away, mommy readers! I'd love to hear your opinions.)

As far as stuff we've been up to lately, March was a trip month. We went to the Philadelphia Flower Show early in the month (I posted an animoto video of that here) which was incredible and a couple weeks later, we took Oscar west to see his Texas and Oklahoma family. He did great on the airplane. I was so proud. And yes, he got his wings! (Did you know that people don't ask for them any more? The stewardess was so happy to give them to us and was very pleased that we asked. She even gave us extras.) Anyway, the trip down to TX was a rough one, not because of Oz, but because we literally had to run through the Houston airport to catch our connecting flight. NEVER AGAIN. I vow to never run through an airport with a baby and a butt-load of luggage. That was beyond uncool. We are cheapskates, so we were trying to get around not paying the extra $15 bucks per check-in bag (per flight) and we took the cheaper flight with the layover, but I am telling you now (husband - if you are reading this, I am way serious) that we will pay the extra money.

Seeing all of our Texas and Oklahoma family was wonderful though. That first day, we logged in 15 hours of travel time (plane ride + car ride up to OK). Oscar was pretty zonked. But he woke up fresh to meet his amazing great grandma that we all completely adore. He flirted and cooed with everyone that came over and even gave out some Oscar kisses (open mouthed and very juicy) to his grandma and cousin Kelly. We drove back to TX on Sunday to meet up with all the rest of the aunties and uncles and cousins. Oscar really liked being the center of attention. He usually had an entourage of four gals - cousin Morgan, cousin Cheyanne, and cousins Shawnee and Cherokee. Little fella didn't know what hit him!

Two weeks after we got home, we all got sick. Tim got the cold first and then Oscar and now I have a touch of it. Awesome. And can I tell you how fun it is to try to suction snot out of Oscar's nose?!? Like I said before, this kid is S.T.R.O.N.G. He can smack the nose spray out of my hands and send it flying before I even know what is going on. It's crazy. He's smart too. I gotta figure out a way to trick him so I can vaccum out his sinuses.

I have tons of pictures. I haven't posted them onto Flickr yet because I'm busy sucking snot out of my child's airways. Be patient with me. I'll get to them soon.

Other items of note, there is a way funny story relating to the extreme constipation Oscar had while in Oklahoma. It's Tim's story, so I'll let him write it. I witnessed the event and nearly peed my pants laughing. Leave him a comment to demand this story. It's worth it. Also, can I just brag about how smart my kid is for a minute?!? We've been looking at pictures of family and Oscar can point to "Mommy" and "Daddy" now. And I'm pretty sure he recognizes other words (other than his name), such as "kitty," "meow," "peekaboo," and "monkey." (I call him my little monkey...) He is making the "da" sound and he's already made the "ma" sound. We'll see who gets called by name first. Any wagers on "mama?"

Cover Boy

2009-03-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, you read that right... Oscar was the COVER WINNER! I entered a picture of Oz a couple of weeks ago in this local mag and he totally won. Holy man. How did I end up with the cutest kid in the world?!? What a lucky momma I am! (Click on the picture to read the article.)

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm sure my readers were expecting this... He makes an awfully cute leprechaun.

"Unhand me lucky charms!"

Oscar's First Pears

2009-02-21T21:01:00.000-08:00

Oscar had his first taste of pears yesterday. See his reaction...

Where Has The Time Gone?

2009-02-20T12:30:00.000-08:00

Guess what today is? Oscar's FIVE MONTH birthday! Crazy. I can't believe my little man is already 5 months old. Tim and I have a special mini party planned for him tonight, complete with Cookie Monster cupcakes and Sesame Street visitors (I found an Oscar the Grouch stuffed animal finally... and Elmo is NOT invited). It's funny, lately Oz has really been a fan of Cookie Monster - not that he watches Sesame Street or anything. I use Pampers diapers and always show him the S.S. character on the front. Whenever it is a Cookie Monster diaper, I guess I'd been making this funky voice to tell Oz who it was. It cracks him up. So now, all I have to do is say "Cookie" in that voice and he starts giggling. Oscar is so funny. Anyway, I am addicted to his giggles, so I have been saturating us in Cookie Monster. Tim even got Oscar a Cookie Monster towel. What can I say?!? We're crazy about our kid.

I was looking through some old pictures and I found out how crazy my momma was about me, too. (Well, I knew that all along, but go with me here...) It seems that I also was a big Cookie Monster fan in my childhood. And who isn't? But my wonderful momma made me a cool Cookie Monster cake for one of my birthdays, too. Doesn't that look delicious? I love the crazy eyes, especially. And mom, do you still have that incredible tablecloth?!? I love it!

Well, since Oscar is now a big 5 month old, let me tell you what's new with him. We started solids a little while ago and he is really getting the hang of it. Today I gave him his first taste of pears. (I'll post some hilarious pictures of THAT event soon. Wow.) Oscar is starting to push himself up on straight arms now and can stay in a sitting up position for a few minutes. (Most babies can't do that until 6 months.) He is a strong little fella! Oscar's favorite thing is jumping in his jolly jumper. He LOVES it. I have to be careful when I put him in it that I don't let him completely wear himself out. (He'll keep jumping with his head buried in his arms.) And Oscar is a chatterbug. He loves to just chit-chat with me in his weird Oz talk. (Tim tries to chime in, but he doesn't quite know the language. We end up giving him funny looks for his attempts.) And lately, Oscar has been into making a humming sound. He started that on Monday. It's entertaining.

Oscar definitely has his likes and dislikes, too. It's crazy how his personality is already there and is showing through. He's already a little person. He loves people and is very social. As long as nobody sneezes or cries, he is happy as a lark. (The sneeze thing is strange - it really sets him off.) But he is a flirt, for sure. When I take him places, he eats up the attention the ladies give him. I think he is gonna be trouble. His favorite toys are complicated things, usually. He looks at the other toys like "Really?" Among his favorite toys are this crazy "pipes" thing that came from cousin Emma, a funny little ribbiting frog (also from Emma), Sophie the giraffe, his really soft "Lamby" from Grandma Bomgardner, and a raspberry soother.

I could write about my little monkey for hours, but nap time is almost over. I better get myself moving again...

My Funny Valentine

2009-02-16T19:06:00.000-08:00

Here are the rest of the pictures for your entertainment, set to a lovely tune. (We took 150 of them and whittled them down to about 50... Shew!)

My Little Cupid

2009-02-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

Holy crap he is cute. I know I'm biased, but really. He is adorable. (The last one is my fave.)

Happy V-Day

2009-02-14T07:03:00.001-08:00

Here is a valentine from Oscar.

Firsts

2009-02-10T12:56:00.000-08:00

We've been busy lately! Actually, I just got home from taking Oz to story time at a local library. Last week was his very first library story time. I was really fortunate that it was on a day that Tim could take off too, so we even got pictures! I think Oscar is really liking it. (I know it looks like I'm the one having the most fun, but he giggled quite a bit.) He loves looking at all the other little babies and his favorite song is "Tick Tock." He is the youngest in the group (but also the cutest...).

Speaking of firsts, Oscar had his first play with bubbles the other day! He was a bit sleepy by the time we got his bubble machine going, but he liked the first few minutes of it. Then he decided it was nap time. At least I got it photographed.

And another BIG first - Oscar has started solids now! It has been an exercise in frustration for him, but yesterday we had a breakthrough. We started last week and have been giving him a couple of days break in between, since it pissed him off so much.

SIDE NOTE: I've received a whole lot of "advice" on this subject and I think what we've done has been the best option for him. I won't be putting rice cereal in his bottle. It may have worked for others, but I've read some really negative things about doing that. Besides, he needs to learn how to use his tongue with the spoon and at this point, there is no need to rush him into eating solids. He has time to learn how and to enjoy it. Some moms don't even start solids until 6 months.

But I did want to post the hilarious pic of his first taste of rice cereal. He did not enjoy the experience at all. But yesterday he ate a whole tablespoon worth! I'm so proud.

I just can't even believe how big he is getting. I think he is starting to really look more and more like his daddy. It cracks me up when I see Oscar making the same faces his dad makes. Which leads me into another first...

Oscar made his first piece of artwork for dad's office. We were playing with finger paint, making some valentines for his grandmas and grandpas, so he also did something for his daddy. (I wrote his name...) Oscar loved squishing the paint in his fingers. It was a challenge to keep the paint out of his mouth, though!

And tomorrow will be his first Valentine's Day. I wish we could have made more valentines to send out to everyone, but the patience is not there yet - if you know what I mean. And stay tuned for Cupid pictures!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-04T10:30:00.000-08:00

Time Capsule

2009-02-02T14:48:00.000-08:00

So, this is a project I've been working on (off and on) for a while and I'm nearly finished. I've been putting together a sort of Time Capsule for Oscar for when he gets older and wants to know what was happening in the world the year he was born. I've got a lot of good stuff in this box. (I'm hoping he'll appreciate this someday!) I even got an incredible Martha Stewart acid free brown linen box to put everything in. The box was maybe even the most expensive thing!

I've included:

his first week birthday hat
all the "new baby" congratulations cards
a trace of his hand
a ribbon length measurement of Oz (wrapped around a popsicle stick with the date taken)
the New York Times of Obama's victory, the day after the election
Time: Year in Review issue
two special Newsweek issues of the Inauguration
the 2008 mint coins proof set
the little blue crane my friend Teresa made for me the day I found out Oscar was going to be a boy
his first little stocking cap (that he wore in the hospital)

I intend to get a couple of other things to pop in there, such as the 2008 Commemorative Stamp Album (I used to be an avid stamp collector and maybe Oscar will be into that someday too) and I'd love to get the Spiderman comic that has Obama in it! The box is pretty full, but I'd certainly be open to any other suggestions of things that I should put in there. I got so into doing this today that I almost wrapped up Oscar to put in the box too! He just thought that was hilarious.

Superbowl Sunday

2009-02-01T17:53:00.000-08:00

Not really a football fan or anything, but his Poppa (my dad) got him this outfit ages ago and you know me. I cannot pass up a photo opportunity. Plus, I got him this way cool felt football on our trip to Maine right after we found out Oscar was a "he" and I was thinking about boy stuff... He is cheering for the Cardinals by the way, just because that is his momma's favorite bird.

Chinese New Year

2009-01-26T13:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year!

This is Oscar's first one and instead of dressing him up like an Ox (I know you readers are tired of my dress up pictures... and no, I don't want to be Anne Geddes, and besides, Oscar is way too cute for those freaky pictures anyway...) I decided to snapshot one of his new favorite toys instead. Since Oscar was born between Feb. 7, 2008 and Jan. 25, 2009, that makes him a rat! I didn't remember that when I bought this at IKEA last month, though. I just thought it was hilarious and sort of cute in an "I live in NY and there are lots of rats here" kind of way. I wanted him to be able to recognize the local fauna.

Oscar loves his rat. We call him Scabbers, which is not all that creative, considering. But hey, when you have a whole toybox full of toys that need little names, you go with what you can remember on a daily basis. Anyway, Oscar loves it when Scabbers tickles his face with his whiskers. Don't judge me for giving my child a rat toy.

Speaking of the year of the rat though, there are all kinds of other famous rats. It's the first sign of the Zodiac, so it's full of leaders, pioneers and conquerers. Nice, eh? Maybe Oscar will grow up to be a conquerer. That would be cool. A rat's positive traits are these: meticulous, intelligent, shrewd, charismatic, charming, ambitious, practical, industrious, eloquent, and artistic. Among some of the more famous rats are: George Washington, Alexander the Great, Galileo, Marlon Brando, Mozart, Plato, Nixon, Shakespeare, Winston Churchill, and even Samuel Jackson. Impressive!

Poopy Face

2009-01-25T15:48:00.001-08:00

(Oscar, when you grow up, you'll probably be so mad about this post...)

I've been meaning to post this sequence of photos for quite a while now. They aren't the best quality or anything; there wasn't time to set my camera right. Please excuse some of the blur. I was laughing pretty hard and it was difficult to hold the camera steady. This is Oz doing some business in his drawers. Enjoy.

Happy 4 Months, Oz

2009-01-21T12:41:00.000-08:00

We love you, little cowboy! I can't believe how big you already are. Here is a birthday video of how we celebrated last night. We had strawberry cupcakes (in your honor - you don't even have teeth yet).

A new day, a new year

2009-01-20T18:24:00.000-08:00

Well, little man, today you turn four months old. Today is also a big day because Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the good ol' USA. There is so much hope and expectation in the air right now, you can't help but feel it. This is also a difficult time for a lot of families because the economy is rough and many have lost their jobs. It is so strange to be stuck in the middle - to know that times are bad, but to feel good about the future - to expect things to get better. I think part of the reason people are so excited is that they really feel like they are participating and have a say in the way things will turn out.

That's how I feel right now about you. I have this tremendous responsibility to care for you and provide for you, but I also get to experience the joy of participating in life with you. It is so exciting to see what new thing you will do each day and take joy in the fact that I am able to be a part of it. I look forward to what you will be and what you will be able to do by the end of the year, but more importantly, I look forward to the journey your mom and I will take with you to get there.

Love,
Dad