We've Got a Climber

My dear friend, Samantha, came over to visit today. She and Oscar hung out while I took a lil' catnap, and I came out to find Oscar fully sprawled on Samantha's preggo belly.



I think that here, Sam's little girl Tavie (due to come out in early October) must be telling Oscar a funny joke. I can't WAIT for that smile to be directed at one of MY funny jokes. But, hey, maybe I just haven't figured out Oscar's sense of humor yet. That...or my jokes just aren't funny.

(Thank you, Sam, for capturing this sweet photo!)

Thoughtful

As Oscar and I hang out more during the day, I can't help but notice that he often has a very pensive look on his face...I wonder what he's thinking about?


"Hmmm....I can see up mommy's nose right now..."
or
"I wonder why the dairy bar never serves chocolate milk like I request..."
or
"What's a nice way of telling her she's got some bad morning breath going on..."
or
"I wonder if anyone can tell I just peed my pants..."

3 Weeks Old!

Oscar is THREE WEEKS OLD today, can you believe it?!?! He is already so mature that he's going through puberty and getting acne...he's so advanced... :)

Like Father Like Son

Since everyone agrees that Oscar looks an awful lot like Dave, I thought I'd drive that point home with this photo. :)

Flying Solo

Well, today was the first day that it was just Oscar and I hanging out all day. It proceded a pretty awful night of awake-ness/fussiness...but the daytime rolled around and we settled in for a good day of snuggling.

PLUS I tried to capture his fuzzy-headed-ness, which just cracks me up.

Oscar, Meet Grandpa Schlomer!

Sarah's dad, Duane, came to Minneapolis from Milwaukee via the Megabus on Friday. Oscar was SO EXCITED to meet his Grandpa--and I have a hunch that the feeling was mutual.


These "experienced" grandparents swear that grandchild #8 is just as special as the first. After a much-too-quick weekend, Sarah's folks went back home on Sunday. Therefore, her mom was relinquished of her post as nurse-maid. This is just a note of thanks to my mom: words cannot express HOW MUCH I have appreciated having you here and how BLESSED I feel to have you as my mother!

A Momentous Day!

Sarah had a breakthrough this morning...she and Oscar and Grandma took a walk all the way to Starbucks and back! Yeehaw! Celebration was had with iced vanilla/hazelnut lattes. Who knows...maybe Oscar's first word will be "espresso". (I'm sure he'll call it "eh" for short.)

2 Weeks Old

Oscar is two weeks old today. I'd like to say it has flown (and in a way, it has), but it also feels like Oscar has been a part of our lives now for a long time! He's starting to pork out a bit...we have his 2-week doc's appointment tomorrow, so we're taking bets as to how much he'll weigh.

Oscar feels SO old and mature that he joined a softball league already! (However, they frown upon his frequent naps, loud outbursts, and inability to hold a bat as of yet.)

To celebrate this milestone (not only in Oscar's life but in Sarah's healing process, too), Sarah and Grandma took Oscar out for a walk in her Moby wrap. Love that thing! So did Oscar.

Grandmas Night Out!

Dave and I had a "date night" while Grandma Schlomer and Grammy Melander went out on the town to see the movie "Mamma Mia". Grandmas need nights off, too! :)

Hanging Out

We've been enjoying a lot of "play time" with Oscar--when he is fed and awake and ready to play. He fakes being a good listener very well--he even makes eye contact! And his latest games have been the "Arm & Leg Flailing" game...I don't quite know the rules, but apparently hitting yourself in the face is one way to get points.

More Firsts...

First Walk in the Stroller
Of course, our first walk just HAD to be to this charming lil' pastry place two blocks from our house: Bellaria Bakery. Oscar did very well (was a bit T-Oscared at first to be in his carseat, but after he got a whif of mommy's chocolate croissant, he was a happy man).




First Trip to Church
Sarah was a bit hesitant to bring him to church with him being so little and her being so new at the whole Mommy job, but we decided to give it a go, and we survived. He screamed during the sermon, had a poopy diaper, and needed to be fed (all the major "Oh Boy" moments) but, we survived. :)

Cousins!

Sarah's cousin Alyssa came down from Blaine today for a visit and introduced her new little boy, Devin (4 weeks old), to his newest second cousin, Oscar. Devin was born 9 lbs, 12 oz...so I have a feeling I know who to bet on in future cousin wrestling matches. :)

Grandma's Here!!!!!

My mom, Barb, drove over from Milwaukee, WI, to help me out this past Wednesday. I can't even tell you how MUCH I have appreciated having her here...plus, she has the "hard" task of snuggling with Oscar whenever my arms need a break! :)

Preggo-ness Revisited

Well, I think I realized my career as a professional preggo model too late. Ha. I just received photos from a project I had helped out with. Our dear friend, Maribeth Romslo (owner of Red Ribbon Studios--professional wedding photography along with fantastic family and children photos--www.redribbonstudio.com) asked if she and some colleagues could do some test shots of me during my preggo-ness so they could test out new apertures/photo techniques. Of course, that sounded like fun to me! I had a blast and thought the photos were great fun. Here are some of my favorites:

Oscar--One Week Old!

Oscar is ONE WEEK OLD today!!! So, here is his "marker" picture of him and a peice of paper to show his weekly (then, monthly) progress. I can't take credit for this idea at all--I stole it from my dear friend Sarah Beth Phillip's blog where she updates on her cute lil' Isaac. So, thank you Sarah Beth for the inspiration! :)


One week old means going to the one-week doctor's appointment...and our first foray out of the house. Oscar actually did really, really well, contrary to what I was dreading. Although, he was NOT very happy about being strapped into his carseat. He had a look that we call not the T-O'ed look, but the T-Oscared look (as pictured below) of extreme annoyance at his certain situation.



After the appointment and feeding and changing and...well, all things baby-ish, Oscar got some good cuddle time with both mommy and daddy.

Lots of Firsts

Oscar has a very momentous day

...first bath (was quite tramatized by it ...but he sure smells nice now)

...first time sucking his thumb (see video below)

...first umbilical cord falling off (we're thinking this is a one-time event...hopefully). Gross, but managable.

...first grill-out with the Melander clan later tonight. (Oscar prefers his brats WITHOUT sauerkraut, so he will be abstaining and eating a delicious vintage of Sarah '08 for his meal.)

Coming Home from the Hospital

After 5 days in the hospital (and Dave sleeping on the "comfy" pull-out bed), we headed home!!!
Today we introduced Oscar to his house. He christened it with a diaper change straight off the bat.