Our First Christmas Tradition...

I have felt a lot of pressure about this being Oliver's first Christmas. I have felt like if we are going to have any Christmas traditions, we have to start THIS YEAR. The teeny part of my brain that is more rational assures me that one can start traditions whenever one wants...but I don't listen to that part too often.

While I am sure we will come up with many traditions (or at least one more)---i did come up with one that I am really excited about. It is our Christmas Fire.

Every Christmas Day, we will have a fire. If we do not have a fire place, like we do in our current home, we will go out in nature somewhere to create one. In the fire we will add frankincense and myrrh.

You can see a small peice of charcoal in our fire here with the small pieces of frankincense and myrrh on the charcoal.

The last part of our new tradition is that we will take a scoop of the ashes from this years fire and keep it in this small urn/jar that we found. Next year, we will put those ashes in our Christmas Fire that carry all of our memories from the past year and begin a new fire.

We love the idea of having a traditional fire to sit around and reminisce about the past year. The ashes are a symbolic way to us of carrying our past with us from year to year.

Tradition No. 1----Done.

We did not give any gifts to each other this year. We'll have to figure out the Oliver-gift-giving/receiving thing next year. I'd like to get away with giving him cardboard and/or tupperware for as long as possible.

Merry Christmas from Oliver

Merry Christmas from the Milnes.

We thought you'd all enjoy these pictures of our "little" (not-so-little-for-his-age) boy.

We've been a walking...

I haven't posted in a while because we've just had life-as-ususal. However, we have used our winter-friendly stroller A TON and have been walking a lot.

Check out our boy. Dispite his face here---he loves our walks.

This is just a fun post-bath picture. Very cute.

Two Big announcements...

So, it has happened. Right under our noses (or Oliver's nose, anyway)---Oliver has gone and grown his FIRST TOOTH. I know, what you are thinking---he's not old enough yet! Well that's what I told him. No more of this thinking he is older than he is business. It has got to stop. He has GOT to slow down. I am not ready---nor do I think I can handle this trend if it continues into his teenage years.

So his favorite thing in the world to do is feel it with his fingers. It is like he is so proud of it. I am sure that his finger sooth it as well. He has not been particularly more fussy than normal. Though he has had a few of his first inconsolable melt downs. Fun. So glad he figured out how to do that.

We will try to get a shot of the tooth. Right now it is IMPOSIBLE. Just looking at it includes us sticking our fingers in his mouth and making him mad. We tried to get a shot of it above and he refused to open up. Still---very cute, though.

This is just another shot of our happy morning baby. So sweet.

Okay---on to the GDiapers. I know everyone is dying to know how they are working out. Well, they came yesterday---so our experience is short, but here are some of our impressions:

1. They are easy to use. I was worried that the stop of adding the liners in with each change would be a pain, but it isn't.

2. They have leaked. Only once. We have concluded that you cannot go as long with a wet diaper as you could with "normal" diapers. They do not hold AS MUCH fluid. No worries. We'll just change him more often. It keeps everything else in just fine, we just went too long.

3. The fit is just "okay". They only come in small, medium and large. Oliver is a Medium, but they fit kind of big on him---in the sense that they are BULKY. His pants look kind of funny on him because of the bulge created by the g-diaper and all of its parts. The G-diaper alone is quite cute on him, as you can see.

4. They are really fulshable. The liners are easy to flush, even in our old home with old plumbing and a poor toilet---they go down just fine.

So, at this point, we are going to stick with them. We will not use them exclusively. We are still going to use "normal" diapers from time to time (particularly at night). Even with our partial use, we feel like it is making a difference and we feel good about that. It really does bother us, when you get to thinking about it, that diapers are so horrible for the environment.

We are giving it a try....

We are doing something very daring, for us. We are going to start using bio-degradable diapers. Our dear friends Art and Jasmine are committed to using CLOTH diapers with their baby and on their website, someone mentioned these things called "G-Diapers".

We looked them up and we were sold.

We were stunned by the video which informed us that we (americans) throw away

50 million "disposable" diapers a day

AND

20 billion "disposable" a year

And that those diapers do not decompose for 500 years!!!!!

We were so stunned and disgusted. G-Diapers, on the other hand, decompose completely in 60 days. They are really easy to use and you can actually flush the liners. The fit looks really snug, much like "normal" diapers

So, we ordered a "starter kit"---wish us luck. We will let you know how it goes!!!!

We're ruining him....

So, Oliver likes to watch TV. It is so sad and it is all our fault. What can I say, it is winter, we stay in and we watch the tube.

NOW---if the TV is on Oliver finds it and stares. Check him out:

It is so sad. We are making every effort to have the television OFF now, when he is awake. We are probably being too parinoid about this.

Here are some shots of Oliver all bundled up and ready to go on one of his walks with Bryce.

His baby gloves are so funny, but they do the trick. They do not have any finger slots, they are just socks for the hands. He likes to chew on them as well.

My morning baby...

It is not a secret that I am not a morning person. Let me repeat....I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON. However, I married a morning man. This has challenged our marriage on more than one occasion. :)

Well--it tunrs out that morning-person-ness is genetic and Oliver HAS IT.

these are some morning pictures. Oliver wakes up happy like this every morning. It is so sweet.

If my baby keeps greeting me this way in the morning---I may just turn into a morning person myself.

but probably not. :)

Fun at home with Dad...

These are just some great shots of Oliver that we took during a one of his happy-fests. Sometimes he just cannot control himself. It is so funny. His smiles will cover his whole body and he just WIGGLES. Can we talk about his thighs???? They are AWESOME.

Hand-eater....and proud of it.

Cute Bryce and Oliver.

Finding the feet...

So, Oliver is working on finding his feet. Bryce put him under this mobile-play-thing today and it was so funny. I am sure he will have bruised heels.

He kept raising his fat little legs and slamming them down on the table to pin the mobile down.

I love his face here. He's like "yeah, I did it. I totally showed that mobile who is boss round these parts".

You heard it here first, folks....

We had a visit from one of our nurses today and Oliver was weighed.

He is 17.5 POUNDS of cute litte baby.

26 inches tall.

Perfect.

Check him out.

I have asked a few favors of Bryce in order to get thruough my work week. I miss my sweet boys so much---so Bryce must compensate a bit.

Rule #1: Bryce must come with Oliver to join me for a lunch date at work once a week.

Rule #2: Bryce must send me sweet pictures of my baby (like the above shots), AT LEAST once a week.

So far he has been keeping both of my rules.

The latest....

So, a little about what we've been up to.

Here's the boy. We've been working on our rolling-over-ability. He's not so ready yet. Every time we put him down to try---HE EATS HIS HANDS. Litterally. It is haliarious. I am so gald tha the does not have teeth, or there'd be nothing left.

The hand-eating is the only way that we know he is awake at night, by the way. Instead of waking up and crying like most babies in the world. He just wakes up and EATS HIS HANDS. Eventually the hand eating is loud enough that we hear him and we give him food.

Come on. He really is too cute. It's not fair.

I think that this is his 16-year-old face. We will get it all the time when he is that age and he is simply practicing now. This face says so much....

"Yeah, I'm listening (NOT)..."

"You guys are soooooo dumb...."

AND

"If you ever put that blanket over my head again and make me act like a ghost, I'm gonna call child protective services...."

(if you do not know what this means, see my post from October 24th, "Fun at Grandma's house in the mountains")

Miss Me????

So, perhaps you have noticed that my postings have slowed a bit. Well, I started back AT WORK!!!! Yep. And I turned THIRTY. Yep. I don't know which was more traumatic. :)

Seriously, I did start back work and turn 30 on the same bless-ed day: November 12. I had no problem with the turning 30 thing---but the work starting. ...that's a different story. It's just a bit stress-full adn a bit less enjoy-full. However, I am confident that the two will settle down and I will both stree less and enjoy more as I adjust.

I got back from my first day of work to find my baby fed and healthy and happier than ever. Bryce is a better "Mom" than I could ever be. In the past week Oliver has:

-had more tummy time than I ever gave him....

-practiced more eye coordination than I ever did with him (with the black and white shapes)...--

-listened to more classical music...

-went on more walks...

-etc. etc. etc.....

Oliver is a lucky little man. :) Check him out....

So---work will calm, baby will grow and we will be fine. It was just an event-full week.

I promise to be a better blogger in the future (when Oliver is 16....)

xoxo

Seven Years Don't Itch...

So, today is our SEVEN YEAR wedding anniversary. Last night, Bryce snuck out of bed twice to feed sweet Oliver and did not let me wake up. He let me have a FULL night's rest. As if that were not enough.....I awoke to this note on our dry-erase board:

The 1 o'clock appointment was for a spa day arranged secretly by Bryce. I showed up for a facial, massage and pedicure.

When I got home, my sweet mother and father in-law took Oliver for the night while Bryce and I went to dinner at Sundance.

I just want to say, for the record, that I love this man. I have married a GOOD man. All of his sexiness, charm and grump aside----he has an amazing heart.

We spent our dinner together reminising about the past seven years and how we have changed. One of the things that I am most thankful for is that he is still my dearest friend. If I have a free afternoon---there is no one on this planet that I would rather share it with but Bryce. I truly ENJOY him. I am happier now than I have ever been (and I've said that every year).

Can you ask for anything more?

OId Family Photos...

Dad has always been a shutterbug. I am surprised that we are not all blind from the flash bulbs that have been in our eyes since birth. We always hated it. HOWEVER---now---we are so greatfull for these priceless pictures.

He just bought a scanner that will scan in slides (remember those???).

Here are SOME of the picutres we discovered.

Here I am at about the same age as Oliver. This just reaffirms my belief that Oliver is a mini-Bryce.

This is my Dad and Amy and me (I am the little lump)

You are seeing what you think you are seeing. This is my brother Arthur adding to the volume of the pond on our property. Priceless.

I love this picture of my Mom. She would've been about the same age as I am now in this picture. It is amazing how similar we look.

Here I am---a little older. You can feel that I have sucessfully found some attitude by now.

This is me and Amy.

Mom and me. Guess I was a thumbsucker.

Our Serious Boy...

Amy has taught Oliver to talk. It is hilarious. We recorded him talking this morning. It was one of his more angry conversations. Enjoy.

B. F. F.'s

I went looking for Bryce last night and found he and Daniel up watching old family videos in Daniel's bed. It was so sweet.

NC Fun....

Here are just a few pictures of what all we've been up to....

This is Oliver with a few of his cousins (Savannah, Jacob and Kobe).

Oliver got to meet Crit's beautiful Mom (Patty) today.

Truth comes out....

Oliver is not happy ALL of the time. Here is one his grumpier moments. He was not happy about having his picture taken.

Daniel helped me give Oliver a bath. He is so sweet and careful.