Rides

The last time we went to visit Liz, Ben, Ethan and Adam, Ethan only had eyes for Davis - literally, when we were leaving last time Liz and I commented on how Ethan ignored me and Oliver our whole visit, and showered Davis with attention. This visit Ethan was just as excited to see Davis (and just as unexcited to see Oliver and me). But, after a bit, Ethan realized that Oliver is getting to be a bit more interesting.

Ethan gave Oliver a ride around the playroom.

Ethan then let Oliver give him a ride.

Liz was even able to get in on the fun.

And then they discovered the pole - perhaps we have a couple future firemen on our hands?



We had a wonderful visit. Pretty soon Adam will be joining in the fun.

Date night

This past weekend Davis and I went on a date night. While we were enjoying some time just the two of us, Oliver was home enjoying some time with his Aunt Elizabeth. He was so excited to have his aunt to himself again that he decided to show off - and discover the stairs.


Once he grew tired of climbing he decided to go through Anna's toy box and pulled out her duck - gross.

Just plain fun

Here are some pictures we've taken over the past week or so. As you can see, we've been having lots of fun.

Oliver's been riding around in his wagon,


Been a bar fly with his friend Carragh (these two are going to be trouble),


And he's been playing with his toys.

I still have not figured out how to flip a video so you are going to have to, once again, either turn your computer on its side, or turn your head to watch this. As you can see, my video-taking skills have also not improved.

Out with a bang

Five months ago my maternity leave came to an end and Oliver was to head off to daycare on the days I work. Not keen on her nephew heading to daycare Oliver's Aunt Elizabeth offered to be his nanny. Oliver and Elizabeth have had many adventures together - and many photo shoots. On the days Elizabeth spent with Oliver, Davis and I would often get picture mail or text messages updating us on what they were doing. Or we would get home and Elizabeth would upload (literally) 215 photos of their day together.

At 13 weeks old, the age Oliver was when Elizabeth started spending time with him, he was adorable, but to be honest didn't do much. Over the past several months Oliver has grown - At eight and a half months old he now crawls, almost walks, gets into everything (the more dangerous the better), and has developed a wonderful personality. Both Davis and I know that Elizabeth has been instrumental to Oliver's growth and happiness. Oliver knows this too. As soon as he sees Elizabeth he breaks out into a huge smile - and he often cries when she leaves (mind you he never cries when Davis or I leave).

While Elizabeth has an amazing ability to connect with children, she is also incredible in the kitchen. Her talent in the kitchen was noticed and a few weeks ago Elizabeth was offered a job at Good Tastes http://www.good-tastes.com/. Although we broke out the champagne to celebrate, Davis, Oliver and I also broke out the tissues because her new job meant that Elizabeth would no longer be able to play with Oliver on the days I work. The silver lining is that Elizabeth will be moving into an apartment just under a half mile from us - and the apartment has no laundry. We know that Elizabeth will be over to play with Oliver (do laundry) quite a bit.

This week when I was at work I got two text messages - "Oliver is a fish!," and "We are going out with a bang." When I got home Elizabeth filled me in on their day - it included going to the Y and going swimming, walking up and down the driveway, a bath, a dance party, a couple walks, a go on the swings...I know I am forgetting something - Oliver gave me a huge smile when I got home, and then turned to snuggle with Elizabeth.

Here are a couple pictures:

Walker Park

This past weekend we headed to Maine to meet Carver and congratulate, in person, Sarah, Thor and Finn on the new addition to their family. Unfortunately the plague that has crippled many houses and has canceled oh so many play dates this winter, descended upon their house about the same time we crossed the border into Maine. Thor placed the house under quarantine and banned us from visiting. Faced with no plans on a rare sunny, and relatively warm day we decided to introduce Oliver to Walker Park.

We went to the park with my parents and grandmother - and while we were pushing Oliver on the swings we reminisced about the many hours they had spent at Walker Park pushing Elizabeth, Jon and me on the swings, exploring the tide pools with us, and watching us roll down the park's hills. Oliver seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself - we are all looking forward to the hot days of summer (ok, we are talking coastal Maine, so maybe just comparatively warm and sunny) when we can head back to Walker Park for more exploring, adventures and fun.