Sunday, June 12, 2011

Olls Wel That Ends Well...

The Long Pause
Hello, blog world! I apologize for the month-long absence of postings! Life has been outright crazy lately, and it is all I can do to make it through the day most of the time. I value sleep more than blogging, and something had to be put on the backburner, so blah blah blah, here we are in June.
What all has been happening in the last month? Hmm, where to start? Oliver is outright walking and basically, running circles around us all. He is into absolutely everything, and is the most observant little bugger I've ever met! He knows exactly the minute a cabinet door has been left "unbaby-proofed" and thinks the dog's water bowl was created solely for his personal splashing enjoyment.
Also speaking of Preston, Oliver now finds him to be ideal for climbing up, on, and over, as well as for grabbing, pinching, and general pulling-on. Poor Preston! He has been a good sport about it all, but I do not want to find out where the line is in terms of pushing his patience to the limit!

To Tube Or Not To Tube?
As you all are probably aware, my son has not been the healthiest of babies this year. We have had so many ear infections, I think the doctor even has a hard time keeping up with them. So, Matt and I made the decision for Oliver to get tubes. This hasn't happened yet (June 23rd), but just arriving at the decision involved alot of back and forth discussion and general angst. We have only heard good things from other parents who have done it, so we are going for it and crossing our fingers that it will help prevent at least a few ear infections that seem destined to seek out our little guy.
O has actually been ear-infection free for the last several weeks. Although, we did have a nice run in with pink eye last week.

1st Year of Life: Done and Done!
So, now the part you have all been waiting for....Oliver turned 1 year old yesterday! Oliver Welman Coles, born June 11, 2010 at 2:19pm. I can't even remember what happened last week, much less what life was like before he came along. All I can say for certain is that my life is better with him in it, and he has taught me invaluable lessons on love, patience, and the necessity of a comfortable rocking chair. We love him so much and are in constant disbelief at his new achievements that are coming along at an alarmingly fast rate!
We started Oliver's birthday celebrating a couple of weeks ago over Memorial Weekend by driving down to Oklahoma to visit Nana and Pa-Pa, and Aunt Jennifer as well. It was a great time exploring their brand-new, beautiful home! (No downsizing for retirement with those two). ;) We have continued the Oliver-festing through to this weekend, when we had his birthday party with friends in Lawrence. There was lots of fun had at the South Park Wading Pool, where Oliver and his friends splashed around the kiddie pool that was just their size. He got to eat his first cupcake, and go on his first swing! The day was a great success and we feel so blessed to have had so many wonderful friends and family around to help celebrate our little big man.
Here are some pics from Oklahoma and Oliver's birthday. Enjoy!
(Oh, one more note on the blog:  I've made it through Oliver's first year attempting to preserve some memories and share our experiences with all of you. I'm not sure how much longer my not-very- disciplined self will be able to blog with any sort of regularity. I will try to keep up with keeping you updated, but please understand if the blog becomes more of a monthly publication from here on out. Thanks for reading!!!) :)