Gobble Gobble

Last night was what I hope will become an annual event -- an early celebration with friends. We gathered at the Doyle's and had an amazing meal. And even more amazing than the meal -- all seven kids, ranging from four weeks to 28 months, and twelve adults sat down to dinner (and at the same time!).


Tonight we are off to begin our trip to the Bahamas where we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. We look forward to sharing our pictures and tales of the trip (and tales of Anna's stay with Amy) when we return.

Happy (early) Thanksgiving!

Bucket of laughs

Oliver's stuffed animals found a new home recently, and this weekend Oliver decided to give them a visit. He thought sitting amongst his animals was very funny and, to be honest, Davis and I did as well.

Baby cage

When I was pregnant with Oliver Davis and I decided to meet after he got out of work to look at cribs. Our first stop - Babies R Us. The closest Babies R Us to us is on route 114 in Peabody. To get to 114 from our house is very simple, you take route 95 south to the exit that says "to 114" and then you follow the signs. That being said I have only once made it there without getting lost. So on the day Davis and I were meeting to look at cribs I detoured through Middleton, Danvers, and Beverly, and therefore was pretty late. I called Davis when I got to the parking lot and asked where he was (if you've ever been in a Babies R Us you know it is pretty important to establish the whereabouts of the person you are meeting before you enter because you can get both lost and distracted (a dangerous combination) pretty easily). Davis replied that he was looking at "baby cages." So I went to the crib section and there was Davis - and a salesperson lurking close behind. He pointed out a couple baby cages he liked, and the lurking salesperson followed behind looking terrified. Davis then asked, jokingly, where the top to the cage was. The salesperson nearly fainted. Luckily we didn't find a crib we liked there, if we had I'm not sure they would have sold it to us -- no sense of humor.

We found Oliver's crib at a great little store in New Hampshire several months before he was born. For some reason I was intent on having the crib set up, mattress installed, bedding in place - all before Oliver arrived. The reality is that the crib (mattress and bedding) have served as a storage place for all his toys and animals. The other day I decided that it might be time to get Oliver used to his crib, so I put him down in it for his nap. He seemed to sleep well, but when I went in to get him when he woke up this is how I found him-


Looks like it's off to Babies R Us again - this time for a breathable bumper so he doesn't get trapped between the rungs. Wonder what detour I'll manage this time.

"You can stop giving him fertilizer"

Oliver had his 4 month check up this morning. He impressed Dr. Alice by rolling all over the exam table, shredding the paper on the exam table, trying to shove the torn paper in his mouth, smiling, and chomping on her with his two teeth (that's right, a second tooth poked through this past weekend). Dr. Alice was also very impressed with how big he has gotten and joked that we should stop giving him fertilizer. Oliver weighed 16 pounds today and was 26 and 1/2 inches long -- he has grown 5 inches in the past 4 months and has gained 8 pounds!

Unfortunately Oliver's visit with Dr. Alice ended with several vaccinations which he was very upset about. The poor little guy is now taking a nap and hoping that his afternoon will be less painful than his morning.

Little Lamb

Oliver received the finger puppet book "Little Lamb" from Melissa, John and Molly when he was born. On the back cover of the book is a quote from Parenting magazine, "Give your baby his (or her) first taste of story time magic with this finger puppet board book." I'm not sure if this is what Parenting had in mind -

Oliver is certainly enjoying his first taste of story time magic - although I have to admit, it is difficult to read the story while Oliver is trying to eat the little lamb.

Break through!

Oliver's first tooth poked through today! I realize that we've had plenty of warning - weeks of slime, gnawing on everything (including a good chomp on the dining room table last night), and the pediatrician telling us that Oliver has been teething. Despite these obvious indicators I was shocked when I felt, and then saw his little tooth this morning. I guess I really am going to have to say good bye to his gummy smile.

I tried to take a picture, but he seems to not want to show it off yet.

Never turn your back

This morning Oliver was playing on the dining room floor while I made coffee. Sophie was on the blanket as well as a couple other toys. Oliver was happily playing and I saw no potential disasters so I turned my back for one second so I could get milk out of the fridge. When I turned around, literally a second later, I discovered that Oliver had stopped playing with Sophie and his toys and instead was drooling all over the new issue of Parachutist. I thought I had at least a few years before this happened. Well, I've learned my lesson - I need to always keep both eyes on Oliver - you never know what happen.

Halloween Part II

We came downstairs this morning and this is what we found...


Looks like Anna wanted to be a dragon, and not a domestic diva -- we should have known.