a year.

That was then...

.

.

.

& this is now.

It is amazing the memories & joys we have 

experienced during the past twelve months.

Exactly one year ago today, 

this little curly-haired, angel-faced boy 

stole our hearts and changed our world forever.

Our baby is 1.

Mommyhood..

Oliver enjoyed his first Easter this weekend & also turned 11 months old.

Oliver watched Nicholas & I color eggs with his cousin Hailey. He also got to hunt for brightly colored eggs filled with teddy grahams & cheese-its at Nana and Grandpa's house. 

These days, Oliver spends his time playing with his stuffed animals Rufus & Steggie. He loves watching his dog from the dining room windows. He points at everything and loves electronics. He allows loves books. I think he likes how they taste just as much as he likes to show me the pictures inside their pages. Oliver got new shoes with velcro straps this month. These shoes actually stay on his feet and he does not mind them too much. Mostly because when he wears his shoes, he is allowed to play outside. The other day, he actually carried his shoes to me and patiently waited for me to put them on his feet. He is such a good little boy when he chooses to be. But whether he is driving me crazy or being sweet & lovable matters not because I am his mommy and he is my baby and we our completely obsessed with each other. :)

There is a single month remaining until my little Munchkin turns 1 year old. 

I can hardly believe it. 

♥ Bethany

Oliver is 10.

Look out, world

I am 10 months old.

& I strongly dislike to wear shoes.

 My little shadow, full of wonder,

toddling unsteadily behind me, the mother.

One chubby hand clings to my stable knee

The other outstretched toward danger, joy, 

unknown objects waiting to be discovered.

He gazes up at my faces, little back arched and head tilted back

to look upon my towering frame.

He cries, "ba-ba, da-da, ma-ma-ma!"

Loudly he shouts these sounds, simple linguistics

True language he has not yet learned

But he understands when we say, "No."

His little personality bursts from behind 

his laugh, his copper curls, 

his twinkling eyes the color of the seas.

He wreaks havoc, yet longs for attention, affection, approval,

a simple smile from "ma-ma" and "da-da"

And his tears, laughter and curiosity

his gleeful squeals as he kicks his little legs

his frustrated tears and exhausted wails

All these emotions and characteristics

 are wrapped in a tiny little individual

wobbling on two chubby legs,

arms reaching for my love.

He is my sun.

I am simple a moon in his orbit

reflecting his joy.

~Bethany

Baby+1 More Month=9

Facts:

1. Oliver walks now.

2. Oliver likes dogs.

3. Oliver currently has 3 teeth.

4. Oliver's hair is beginning to resemble a mullet when wet.

5. Oliver's middle name, Aiden, means "little fire." 

6. Oliver is fascinated by electronic devices.

7. Oliver-bites can make an adult scream. 

8. Oliver says "Mama" when he wants to be picked up. But he refuses to say it on command.

9. Oliver is 9 months old.

These Mommy Days…

I haven’t blogged in a while…

Lately Oliver & I have spent a lot more time playing, and less time being productive. So far, neither of us mind a bit that we get very little done on the days we spend together. I am preserving memories of him, these days.

Oliver is now eight months old, but I think he believes that he is much older. I am terrified that any day he will let go of the couch and walk without holding on to anything. Sometimes our house gets very quiet and when I find Oliver, he is standing on tip-toe against the television stand or the fireplace or the couch reaching for something dangerous or off-limits to him. When I say to him, “Oliver, what do you think you are doing??” He shoots me a silly grin, displaying his two teeth or waves at me.

Hand-waving is a recent discovery. Oliver recently learned how to wave and now he waves constantly: when he is happy, when he is trying to get my attention, when he is looking at his own reflection, when he is trying to get daddy’s attention, but of course not when he ask him to wave. When he does wave, though, it is heart-melting.

Oliver reminds me of my own carefree childhood. We play together and I sing songs to him, and sometimes we dance. And Oliver laughs.

These days, a two-and-a-half-foot little boy with chestnut curls and blue-green eyes fills our world with life and so much love.

~Beth

seven months later..

Look who turned 7 months old, today:

Oliver Aiden.

Each new day, Oliver grows a little more

and learns something new.

He learned to crawl this past month.

Almost immediately after that, he figured out how to stand up 

by holding on to stationary objects 

such as the couch, mommy or daddy's legs, chairs, tables, etc. 

Look out, world, little elf is on the move.

"Please be content with crawling for a little longer, " 

I silently beg my rapidly growing baby.

The muscles in my arms have strengthened from carrying him.

Even so, I still need a rest from time to time,

reminding me that the infant we brought home seven months ago

is fast approaching toddlerhood. 

I love every minute I spend watching this amazing little miracle of human life.

We play games now, 

Oliver & I.

As he sits in his highchair watching me wash the dishes or cook dinner.

He stares at me until I notice him and smile.

Instantly a huge smiles spreads across his face

and he gives me one of his fantastic baby laughs.

I dance for him, he giggles and waves his arms.

I try to feed him applesauce on a spoon.

Sometimes he loves it, 

more times he dramatically makes gagging sounds 

and spits it out. 

He shakes his head back and forth 

and repeats baby sounds over and over again.

I say them back to him and he laughs gleefully. 

And he drives me absolutely insane.

This is a thing he L-O-V-E, loves to do.

He crawls to the brick fireplace and stands against it, 

wobbling dangerously on his little toes.

I rush over and pull him away, bribing him with toys, books,

blocking his way with pillows.

Oliver scales the pillows and is back at the fireplace the minute I turn my back, 

all the while smiling his sweet little prankster smile.

And all the emotions Oliver brings me are insignificant compared to this 

overwhelming love that I feel for him, 

my baby boy.

I pray that God gives you many more days and months and years of life,

so I can watch you grow and learn and become who God created you to be.

For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.

Psalm 71:5 ESV

What's in a name?

I chose to name my son Oliver because I loved the name.

I also chose it because the bump told me that the meaning of Oliver is "elf army." 

Nicholas was thrilled when I told him this because he plays World of Warcraft, a computer game that features many mythical creatures including elves. 

I feel that the name perfectly fits. Besides the fact that my child just looks like he should be name Oliver, he alone could be an elf army. He has the appetite of an elf army. It sometimes seems like he is all over the place at once. He is a mischievous little boy. He looks like a miniature little man. I guess that would be more of a dwarf but in the story of the shoemaker and the elves, those elves were tiny. The words "dwarf" and "elf" are used interchangeably in some version of that story, though.

Oliver is a baby elf, plain and simple. 

Except...

..upon doing further research I learned that the Latin meaning is actually "Olive Tree." 

hmm. 

The Olive tree, specifically an olive tree branch, is a symbol of peace. 

Again, hmm. 

Not very descriptive of my child. 

Oliver is also the name of one of Charlemagne's knights in the 11th century poem "Chanson de Roland." I guess this could help my case a little, although I doubt Charlemagne's Knight was an elf.

However, further research found that Oliver very well could be a form of the old German name "Alfihar" which is defined as "host of elves."

Yes! 

I am going with "elf army" as the definition of Oliver. 

A bonus is that my great grandfather sailed to Ellis Island from Germany. 

It's fate.

And on that note, today is Oliver-Alfihar-Elf Army's half birthday. 

This crazy little elf is almost crawling and I'm equal parts terrified & thrilled. 

But ready-or-not, my baby elf is growing fast and I'm am excited to someday teach him about his amazing & historic name.

Happy Half Birthday, Oliver Aiden!

You are very L O V E D.

life

one. two. three. four. five.

*

five photos.

five fingers brush his face as he sleeps.

five little toes on each foot.

5

Oliver is five months old now.

this month has been full of energy, baby babble & giggles..

lots of Oliver learning how to roll around and grab his toes.

each day he grows a little more.

each day he grasps something new.

little things that may seem simple, 

but i see him changing, growing, learning

& it is a beautiful thing...

watching Oliver's life.

my growing boy

My precious little boy turned 4 months yesterday.

I say this every month, but it is always true. I can't believe how quickly he is growing and changing and becoming his own little person. He screams and wails and laughs and babbles to me, his toys, his daddy, anyone and anything that will listen to him. He has an obsession with ceiling fans and light fixtures. He is constantly distracted by them when I am trying to feed him. He sometimes drives me crazy when he cries for no real reason at all except that he wants my undivided attention, usually when I am trying to do housework. But when I stop what I am doing pull him into my arms, he rewards me with one of his radiant joyful smiles, one hand in his mouth and the other clutching tightly to my shirt or arm or hair. Oliver helps me remember that joy can be found in little things: rocking a sleeping baby in my arms; singing and dancing around the kitchen looking completely foolish just to hear Oliver's laughter; watching Oliver play with his cousins on the floor at Grammy's house. 

My heart swells with gratitude for this precious little boy I have been blessed with.

3

Dear Oliver Aiden,

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

I love watching my little boy grow. He has a bottomless appetite, and a laugh that melts my heart. He screamed a lot tonight so I wrapped him in a blanket and laid him on the couch with his pacifier. He is calmly watching me now, his bright blue eyes peaking out from beneath thick dark lashes. I can hardly believe that he is three months old today. 

~Bethany

Oliver Aiden

I am small.
I am needy.
I am silly.
I make faces.
I cry when I need you.
I smile when I feel safe.

I look like an angel when I am asleep.

Sometimes I am a little monster when I am awake.
I LOVE to eat.
I have perfect little fingers and toes.
My tummy gets round when I am full.

I view the world around me with wonder.

To me, everything seems new and exciting.

Sometimes I just want to be held close and sang to.

Other times I would rather play.

I am very loved.

I am my family's whole world.

I am a mixture of my father and mother.

But, I am also simply me.

I am a b a b y.

And, I am two months old today.

one year (and a few weeks) ago...

On March 27, Nicholas & I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. (I know this is a bit overdue but better late than never, right?) It was a beautiful spring afternoon in downtown Fresno, the day we said our vows. Surrounded by a few of our closest family and friends, we pledged the rest of our lives to each other; our hands clasped tightly together taking in the solemnity of our actions. Our joy overflowed that day and I will never forget it.

A year later, we spent our anniversary weekend reminiscing over our first year together as husband & wife. A year may not seem very long; a mere three hundred and sixty five days. Yet, I feel like we've grown so much this first year, both emotionally and spiritually. We've learned much about each other, yet I know we still have so much more to learn. We look forward to all that God has in store for us in the next days and months and years of our lives. 

One year ago, I married my best friend....

And now, I can't imagine life without him. 

"Grow old with me,

the best is yet to be."

-Robert Browning