1 Year - Dr. Appnt

And he passed with flying colors! Unfortunately, he didn't sleep like he is in the picture through the vaccines.

His rapid weight gain has slowed down; he now weight 22 1/2 lbs and is in the 50-60% percentile for height and weight. That big brain of his is still measuring in within the 90%! We wear it proud!!!!

Dino-Mite Celebration

We spent this past weekend celebrating our little man's, big first birthday! While it's likely a day that Oliver will not remember, I wanted to celebrate him and our family and how lucky we all are to have each other. People say that the first birthday is more for the parents....And, I think it kind of was. But, celebrating the joy this little man has brought to our lives is about the greatest excuse to have a party that I can think of! 

So.....we set out to have a big dinosaur bash! Grandpa and Grandma Monroe and Auntie Abby came all the way from Chicago to help us celebrate. Our friends and family joined in on the fun and made it a great day.

Here's a little summary:

One year ago today....

Exactly one year ago at this exact time, I could hardly see my toes. And, I was convinced I was going into labor any minute. Needless to say, I had about 10 more days to wait until I met my love. Time is a crazy thing....

Looks Whose Talking!

Oliver is a sponge these days...His vocab is growing by the day. His current words:

1. Mom -- 'Mum"
2. Dad -- "Daaaa"
3. Dog --"Dooo"
4. Ball --"Baaa"
5. Shoe --"Shh"
6. No -- "Naa"

Friday Night Fiesta

We were invited to Fidels this past Friday night for margaritas, tacos, and a little mariachi to celebrate our friend Brooke's Birthday!

Oliver kind of stole the thunder for the evening when the mariachi band came out. He proceeded to bob his head and wave his hands to the music. Needless to say, the entire room of people eating were watching my little music lover with the biggest smiles on their faces.

This mama got to stay out and enjoy some more margaritas while Dave took our little musician home to sleep.

Happy Birthday to Brooke!!! We <3 you!

Life is Tough...

Life sure is tough for these 2 amigos. This is how much energy Wyatt and Oliver have after they back from a visit at the park with their nanny, Paty:

Reminiscing...

It's so hard for me to believe that my little love bug will soon, no longer be considered a baby in the eyes of my pediatrician and clothing makers...He is almost on the verge of being a toddler ; (  I'm starting to think about his first birthday celebration and am preparing a book of his first year...full of the 100's of pictures taken along the way. I came across these pictures and couldn't help but spend the last hour reminiscing about this amazing day.

The very first photograph ever taken of Mr. Oliver Lee Hosfield...this was just seconds after he was.

This photo of Dave and Oliver (with our doula Sara tending to me in the background) is far and away my most favorite photo from this day!

Proud papa and Nurse Martha checking out the goods!

Grandma Lolli, who witnessed it all...Holding her first Grandson for the first time! Pretty magical stuff!

The start of something really, really cool!

Oliver's Amigos

10 Months Old

Mr. Oliver is officially in the double digit months....10 months old! What does that mean...well:

1. Oliver no longer wants to sit down. While he isn't walking on his own, all he wants to do is walk holding onto his mama and papa's hands....ALL day long.

2. Oliver saw his first and the last Atlantis space shuttle launch!

3. Oliver officially knows how to throw a tantrum. And no, it's not pretty. As I stated earlier, this kid doesn't want to sit down. That includes in his car seat. Oliver will lock his little knees and refuse to sit down when his mama's attempt to load him in the car.

4. Oliver has decided he hates wearing clothes and he hates having his diaper changed. Oh, and he'll tell you.

5. Oliver has learned to point. Ironically, his cousin Josee was pointing at everything on our last visit to Wisconsin. Sure enough, we got home and Oliver has been pointing non-stop.

6. Oliver is now aware of the train that passes by our house approx every 30 minutes. It doesn't matter what he is doing, when that train passes he will stop and say, 'Cha-Cha....Cha-Cha." I tend to agree with Oliver's nanny when she's tells me, "Oliver es mucho intelligente!"

7. Oliver has started giving away kisses. Yes, they are open-mouthed, and they are sweet as heck.

A Lovely, Low-Key 4th of July

After our trip to Wisconsin, this family need a low-key, relaxing day of doing nothing. And it just so happened to fall on the 4th of July. We packed up our bags and headed for the beach.

It was a very packed day at the beach. We found our small opening among all the other families, unfolded our towels, spread out the baby sand toys and took in the sun.  It really was the 1st time that Oliver really 'got it!' He pointed at the ocean waves and dug his baby toes into the sand.

I'm pretty sure he ate about 2 full cups of sand....I tried stopping him about 204 times, but he really seemed to be enjoying it!

I sat back and watched Dave walking hand-in-hand with Oliver down the beach and took a moment to realize how quickly our little boy is growing up. When I was a big bellied pregnant lady at this time last year, I sat on the beach dreaming about these exact days with Oliver at this exact age.

The day ended up being low-key and perfect. Oliver was pooped...this photo says it all:

Happy 1st Fourth of July, little man!

A Trip to Remember

Oliver and I set out on our adventure back to Illinois /Wisconsin last week to visit friends, family and celebrate the upcoming wedding of Kristin and Jeffrey! Oliver was a total joy on the trip....making the traveling part very easy on this mama and making new friends everywhere we went.

 Oliver got to spend the first couple of days with his Grandma & Grandpa Monroe, Aunt Abby...Oh, and the 4 lovely pooches: Buddy, Sadie, Thorp, and Penelope. From the look of all the pictures, he had an absolute blast.

He got to meet a live turtle for the first time.....

He laughed with Grandpa....Hey, do you see any resemblances here?

Love on the very lovable Mr. Thorp

Play constantly with Auntie Abby...Who, by the way is Oliver's new BFF!

And love on Grandpa some more....Hey, where are the pictures of Grandma?

I'm positive he had a wonderful time. I met him on Sunday morning for the 'exchange' and he questioned leaving the arms of Aunt Abby, if that tells you anything.

Next we ventured off to visit to Lolli and Pop in Wisconsin. Their is never a dull moment in this household for a little boy! First adventure = cooking class with Pop Mark:

He even had the pleasure of spending an entire afternoon with his Grandpa Bob and Grandma Dorrie would made the trip all the way from Winnipeg, Canada. Wow, talk about a lucky little boy! After going for a nice walk, and making a trip to A&W, all 3 sets of Grandparents set out for Oliver's first Lobster Boil!!!

The final few days Mr. O spent time with some Great-Grandparents, exploring the pool and playground. Oh, a few other firsts took place - The first golf-cart ride and the first gambling experience!

A summer trip to Wisconsin is officially being added to our list of family traditions!

Family Traditions

When I look back and think about my childhood and growing-up, the things that remain in my memory are/were the family traditions that my mom tried her darndest to keep going as the years passed and we grew older. Even at 18 years old, home from college, my mother still hid my Easter basket!

It's my hope to raise a family with strong family traditions. Events that bring us all together, make our family unique, and create little moments in time that I'll hold close to my heart forever.

Hosfield/Monroe Family Tradition #1: Sunday night spaghetti dinner

Since Oliver has been born, Sunday evenings are reserved for homemade spaghetti sauce, a big plate of pasta and a relaxing evening before starting the busy week. I know it's small....but I love it!

My next goal is to make Saturday mornings for long walks along the beach. We live soooo close to the Pacific (you can smell it coming through our windows) that I want Oliver growing up loving and appreciating the ocean. These types of walks (with the fresh ocean breeze hitting your face combined with the sound of the waves crashing into each other) make you appreciate what you have and can help you get through anything life dishes over...

The next Van Gogh?

I had this 'brilliant' idea for Oliver and I to paint a cement turtle we have in our front courtyard area as a project last weekend. Since 98% of the thoughts that cross Oliver's mind every day are, "I wonder how that tastes" the paint brush instantly went in his  mouth. I knew right away, this brilliant idea may not have been so brilliant...

I had intended to use Oliver's hand print has a decoration on the turtles back....Well, that didn't exactly turn out.

As for now, the turtle looks even more ridiculous than he did to start. I guess we'll wait until Oliver is a little older to experiment with acrylics!

Summertime...and the livin' is easy!

Especially when you're a 9 months old handsome and happy little boy.

If this doesn't bring a smile to your face....

I don't know what does!