Eight Months

Oliver is eight months old today, and oh what a month it has been!

It seems the theme for this month was MOBILITY. Oliver is now sorta crawling; and by that I mean the majority of the time it's more like an inchworm locomotion rather than up on his hands and knees. He's getting the hang of it though, and we've definitely got to invest in some baby gates soon to keep him contained.


Ollie can also get from hands and knees back to a sitting position, which is WONDERFUL because sometimes he'll wiggle over to a toy he wants, but can't play with it unless he's sitting up. He's just getting so big!


Oliver has also started finger foods this month. He loves Cheerios, goldfish crackers, and Gerber cereal puffs. He's still trying to figure out the whole pincer-grab thing with his thumb and forefinger, so it's pretty amusing sometimes to watch him grab a fist full of cereal and then try to figure out how to get it in his mouth.


Taylor has been able to slowly start interacting with his baby brother more, and Oliver loves when Tay plays with him. I'm so glad that they love each other so much!


Oliver has had a hard time getting used to the big bathtub (it's pretty intimidating and scares him), so to get him used to it I've been putting him in the bath with Taylor. It makes him a lot more comfortable and he has fun splashing and playing with the bubbles.


The only really difficult issue we're having with Ollie right now is sleep, or lack thereof. He's typically awake every 1-2 hours all night long, and sometimes will be awake and restless for 2-3 hours straight in the middle of the night. It's incredibly frustrating, especially because we went through this with Taylor for almost two years before he was regularly sleeping through the night. I think once we get back from our vacation in a couple of weeks we'll start trying to figure out a sleep-training routine. Mommy desperately needs some sleep.


Oliver just keeps getting bigger by the day, and it's so exciting to watch him grow. I'm having a hard time believing that four months from now I'll be planning his first birthday party. Time flies when you're having fun (and sleep deprived)!

Physical Therapy.

As many of you know, my knees have been giving me trouble on and off for several years now. Because of my knee pain I've had to give up running altogether and switch to the elliptical machine. That worked for a while, but gradually even working on the elliptical machine absolutely killed. The pain gradually got worse and worse, and my knee would bother me after simple activities like walking up the stairs or pushing a cart around the grocery store.

Well I finally decided I'd had enough and went to see an orthopedic surgeon. He took some x-rays, did a few tests, and asked me about a million questions about when, where, and how badly the pain is in my knee. He diagnosed me with IT Band Syndrome (commonly referred to as "Runner's Knee") and prescribed six weeks of physical therapy. I wasn't particularly happy about this, but hey it's better than surgery, right?



I started therapy at Timpanogos Hospital this past Wednesday and it's going pretty well. I really like my therapist and although my knee is pretty sore after my therapy sessions, it does seem to be working. I feel like the muscles around my knee are getting stronger every day, and I'm really hoping that I come out of this stronger and better able to handle daily cardio workouts without pain.

My little screamer

Oliver has recently found his voice, and although he occasionally coos and babbles his main form of communication is screams and screeches. Sometimes it's cute, and sometimes it's not so cute.

Here's a (cute) video of Ollie screaming at Taylor in the tub:

Oliver screaming at Tay from Anne Nichols on Vimeo.

Impromptu Robot Costume

I cut up a car window shade to fit in the moon roof of our Element, and Taylor and I decided we'd make him a robot costume from the scrap pieces. He was so excited about dressing up like a robot! Not bad for a $3 shade and some electrical tape, eh?

Long-Sleeved Tee Makeover

I absolutely love Target's Mossimo Tissue Tees and wear them almost daily in the fall and winter. I had a grey long-sleeve tissue tee that was still in decent condition, but the tips of the sleeves had holes in them from the last two years of wear. Rather than toss it out I thought I'd give it a little summer makeover.


I started by cutting the sleeves short and refinishing the hem. Because I didn't have grey thread on hand I went with a pretty teal. I then opened the neckline a bit, again finishing the hem in teal. Then I got a bit crafty and cut strips from the parts of the leftover sleeve that were still in good condition, as well as some teal faux suede fabric I've had for several years now. I basted the edges of the teal fabric and the center of the grey fabric, then pulled tight to form ruffles. I then positioned the ruffles down the front of the shirt, pinned, and zigzag stitched them into place permanently.


What do you think? I really love the way it came out, and it's now got me on a sewing frenzy. I'm sure I'll post some more projects soon!

My funny little cowboy

Last week Taylor decided to don his cowboy hat and rain boots to ride the range on his stick horse.


Is this not the most adorable little cowboy you've ever seen? Now if he'd just wear some clothes...

My birthday gift to me

I really, really, really wanted a pair of Doc Marten boots for my birthday this year, so I bought them for myself!

I love them so much I think I may wear them to bed.