A Week in Pictures

Smiles and Giggles

It's amazing to me how taking care of an infant can be so hard and stressful and depressing sometimes, and then they give you a gurgly little grin and it makes everything worth it.

Every morning this little one smiles and coos at me like crazy. He's just the cutest little thing and no matter how hard my night has been with him I just adore this sweet face. It makes every sacrifice worth it.

Then tonight I got quite a pleasant surprise. I was holding a little stuffed monkey in front of Oliver and out of nowhere he started laughing at it! It was the most precious thing ever! A while later I did it again and Sean was able to hear his little belly laugh too.

I love being able to experience all these sweet firsts all over again. I adore my little Ollie!

It's official.

I'm now a baby-wearing hippy mama.

I got my Moby Wrap in the mail yesterday and I LOVE it! It arrived last night just when Ollie was hitting his fussy time of night, but the second I put him in the sling he zonked right out. Today I put him in it and was able to straighten the living room, get Taylor's lunch, and even vacuum! I've actually got it on right now and he's sleeping peacefully, all warm and snug.


I know some people may think that this is ridiculous and does nothing but spoil the little one, but there are so many benefits of baby-wearing. Oliver feels safe and secure and Mommy can actually get some things done around the house. It's a win-win to me!

Three facts about Taylor

1. He's a daredevil.

This kid is regularly jumping from one piece of furniture to another like a little monkey. He leaps off his bed, our bed, and the arm of the sofa on a daily basis and scares his poor mom half to death.

2. He has the best bed-head around.

Especially when he wears his lion blanket on his head all night long. I tried to fix his hair but he insisted that he loves it like this. Oh boy...

3. He's SO smart.

I'm amazed on a daily basis how much this kid knows. He's always using long words (usually in the wrong context) and says the most hilarious things sometimes. Here are a few Taylorisms he's said lately:

"Daddy, one day when I grow up I can be an astronaut but I will not have to go to Mars with the giant metal lizards. And you could be an astronaut already because you are already a grown up and then we can go to space in a space ship and land on planet Europe."

"Mommy, I'm great when it comes to doing something professional."

Taylor has also recently started writing letters and today he wrote his first word - Oliver! I'm so proud of my smarty pants.

Three-year-old Dinner

Tonight for dinner we were having something that Taylor doesn't like - a typical occurrence at the Nichols household. We asked him what he did want for dinner and he told us he wanted his favorite vegetable - broccoli. Sean started steaming some veggies and from the living room Tay called, "Ooh, I want a waffle with my broccoli!" Normally this would be a big surprise to us, but Taylor is pretty much the expert on strange food combinations. Last month he had oranges and bologna for breakfast, and last summer he asked for orange juice and pickles for lunch. Yuck!

Here he is munching down his waffle and broccoli and not wanting his picture taken. He's so stinkin' cute, even when he's grouchy.

One Month Old

Oliver is officially one month old today! I can't believe it's already been a month since he was born. Guess time flies when you're sleep deprived!

I guess Ollie must have known that today was a special day because he gave Mommy and Daddy a present this morning - he smiled at us for the first time! He has smiled before, but we weren't sure if it was just gas. This morning was different though; he grinned from ear to ear every time I smiled and talked to him. It was so precious! We attempted to get a picture of it but as soon as we whipped out the camera he refused to perform. I did sneak this one though. Isn't he adorable?


Some more little tidbits about our Itty Bitty:
- His neck is really strong and loves to hold his head up and look around.
- Between about 8pm and 11pm is his cranky time. He cries and complains and is pretty much inconsolable during that time. Good times.
- He wakes up about every two hours at night, and Mommy can't wait until he's sleeping for longer periods of time.
- He sneezes and hiccups constantly. I think his little baby body is having a hard time adjusting to life outside of Mommy's tummy.
- We put him on his tummy at least once a day and he usually really likes it. Sometimes he brings his legs up under him and pushes off like he's trying to scoot forward. We both think that he'll reach his physical milestones (rolling over, sitting up, crawling, etc.) well before Taylor did.
- He hardly ever spits up, giving us a lot less laundry to have to wash (though I'm still washing at least one load a day. Ugh.).
- He is still doing great with nursing and has really plumped up since he was born. He's got chubby little thighs and a little barrel chest now. It's so cute!
- He's also grown length-wise and is now in 0-3 and 3-6 month clothes. I'm happy he's getting bigger, but I've now got a bin of clothes that are too small for him that he never even wore once. Good thing I've got some friends that will be having babies soon!

Now that I've got nursing well-established with him, I'm able to pump occasionally so that someone else can feed him. Sean and I celebrated this momentous occasion last night by going on our first date since the wee one was born. I can't even begin to describe how bad we needed some time to ourselves, and last night was just what the doctor ordered. We went to Red Lobster for dinner, then went shopping at Kohl's and ended the night at Starbucks for some hot chocolate. My mom watched the kiddos (thanks Grandma!) and Oliver took the bottle just fine after a few minutes of trying to figure out what on earth Grandma was trying to give him. Sean and I came home with our batteries recharged and feeling refreshed.



Being a mom of two is so hard and stressful sometimes, but I wouldn't give it up for the world. I love my two boys so much and I'm so happy that I get to be home with them all day and watch them learn and grow.

Happy 2011!

We want to wish all our friends and family a very happy and prosperous new year!
We love you all!