14 Months

Oliver turned 14 months today. I realize it's a little silly to count in months at this point, but it's an excuse to say hello. Oliver just continues to grow like crazy. He looks like a just finally became a toddler. But not quite yet walking. He's standing for maybe 7 seconds by himself, so he's close! He cruises up and down the stairs with ease. And he's also been signing more and more - it's pretty cool that he can communicate so clearly at this point. He will sign; More, Eat, Book, Swim, Bath, Monkey, Bye, Please, Thank You...

He's sleeping pretty solidly from 7 pm to 6:30 am, then goes back to bed until 8:00 am. Daylight Savings has been painful, but that will work itself out. Regardless, every time he wakes up, he throws everything out of his crib and onto the floor. Everything but his Octopus stuffed animal, which I think is just too big. We spend a lot of time every day looking for his two pacifiers. Because he needs both of them, and they have the ability to bounce in surprising directions. 

I felt really guilty, but I did let Oliver watch TV recently on a mom/dad sick day. Started with Sesame Street (which he obviously loved) and then switched to some old school Baby Songs, which I felt better about, since they sing the whole time, and have videos of real animals and people. Using it sparingly, but dang, 45 minutes every now and then is pretty nice.

We also have our first molar coming through! He was super crabby, I didn't notice the tooth until the outside was sticking out.  He still has half the tooth to go! And every other molar...

Mostly, Oliver's a happy guy. We're still doing swimming twice per week, music class on Wednesdays, and Stroller Strides a few times per week. We've been swinging at the park most days on our walks with Reggie and Louie. Too crappy out to slide and we're waiting to walk so we can have more fun! Can't wait for Thanksgiving with the family in Sunriver!

Growin' it for a Cause

This month is Movember - a borrowed holiday to support Men's Health Awareness. In honor, Mitchell and Jacob, among other friends, began November 1st cleanly shaven, and will spend the next month growing out a mustache. Not a beard or a goatee, my friend. A mustache.

Seeing as Mitchell has sported a goatee since before we were married, it's a big deal!

I've always said that if I were a man, I would grow out a beard or mustache at least once, to see if I could do it. It's on my bucket list, but I am actually glad, given the circumstances, that I cannot grow one.

In exchange for their efforts, they are hoping to have a little fun, raise awareness and raise some funds. So please, take a moment and check out our pages. Consider a hefty donation (our group goal is $2,000). And consider joining our group - Don't Fear the Stache. 

My "Mo Sista" Page
Mitchell's Page
Jacob's Page 

Happy Movember!

The End of a (Breastfeeding) Era

This is without a doubt way too much information for Facebook. But this is my blog, so save it. 

I officially stopped breastfeeding last week. So today I cleaned out 13 containers of breast milk from the freezer. Excited to gain back the space from our little side-by-side freezer, but I did have a little moment of mourning. It was especially sad, as I never once actually fed Oliver any of the frozen stuff. Having made a concerted effort to store it over several months, I did figure out a few things, which I will share now with the chance that it is useful to someone. A form of an eulogy. 

Fresh milk lasts about a week, and thawed milk only 24ish hours, so way easier to use fresh than frozen. But, in case you get sick or will need to leave for extended periods of time, or of course are going back to work, it's a good idea to have some frozen.  

Save the jars and containers for the fridge. Instead, poor the pumped milk into a storage bag. Label it with the date before you have milk in it. Lay it flat to freeze. It takes up way less space and thaws faster. If you collect a lot, my friend Anne suggested cutting a slit in the bottom and top of a kleenex box and standing it up on end, so that you put the new milk in the top and use the oldest milk first from the bottom. 

At first when you're pumping, you'll get a LOT and it seems like this never-ending supply. Take advantage! Sure enough, it will dwindle. A bit like youth, I suppose. But, instead of freezing 6oz in one bag, I would break it down into smaller 2 or 3oz portions. Once it's thawed, it doesn't last all that long, so you may not use it all, and you can always thaw more than one bag at a time. Then you'll have a supply that lasts much longer. And don't worry, you will know if it's gone too long. Stinky. 

Ok. And now I'm over it. Who's ready for a weekend away from baby??

12 Month Update

Our 12-Month Well Baby visit last week went well. Oliver weighed in at 25 lbs 8 oz - 82 percentile, and measured 33 inches - 99 percentile. 

I got my official permission to stop breastfeeding. Bitter-sweet for sure. But we went a year, and were down to barely once per day. And no one really seems to miss it too much. So, I'm free! And Oliver likes his whole cow's milk just fine. Now we have a little extra time at night, so we've started being better at reading several bedtime stories. 

Other than that, Oliver is crawling like a champ. He's begun to "cruise" along the furniture. And we practice over and over again crawling in and out of the back door to the patio. He did the same thing with Grandpa in Sunriver. Cute, but exhausting. I think all of this activity has made him more tired, because we're sleeping a long night (7pm-8am most nights) and then taking two good naps. He can't really function for more than 3 hours in a row. We'll take the breaks! 

He loves his pacis in bed, and will have one in his mouth and one in his hand. Working on keeping those only in bed and hoping that can stick. He's also gotten pickier with food textures, but he gets to try most everything and is still a great eater.  

Still loves beating things to make music, but he has also been enjoying reading to himself, and will sit through most pop-up books. We're now members of the zoo and have been a few times. It's fun now that he sees and acknowledges the animals. He's still more interested in the fish than say a hippo or giraffe, but it's fun. 

We're still swimming. He's really come into his own in the past few weeks. He FINALLY started holding onto the ledge of the pool, which all of the other kids have been doing pretty much since the start. He started putting his whole face into the water in the bathtub and "blowing bubbles" and now he'll do it at the pool. He's pretty solid with the flip over and float. So now they've just started taking him to the bottom of the shallow end of the pool to try to grab a ring. The next step in survival, since apparently most kids actually fall into the water head first and then need to get up to the surface of the water. The only real negative is that he's discovered the relaxing feeling (I can only assume) of going poo in the pool. And generally waits until about halfway through class before filling his *reusable* swim diaper. Nothing gets in the pool, but it's a disgusting mess to deal with once you've gotten the diaper off of him and I dread it. I've taken to bringing two, so we can at least finish the class. Need to work out of that little habit. 

More fun that that, we started music class. Just once a week at a community center, but they get to play with all sorts of sticks and shakers and things. And of course meet new kids and hear new songs. Pretty cute. We just started last week, so hopefully we'll have lots of fun with that. 

Looking forward to Halloween soon, and possibly our first night away for our wedding anniversary?? Ah, the possibilities!  

One Year Ago

 Well, I am 15 lbs from my weight goal and Oliver's first year photo album is not complete (or started) but there was no stopping Oliver's First Birthday. One year ago, at 7:57 am, Oliver came into the world. It was a blazing hot day, and the beginning of the end of sleep as we knew it. But Oliver has been a happy boy, so much fun, and the perfect addition to our little family. 

We celebrated the big day with friends and family. Festivities began with breakfast in the park. Kerry, Jacob and I were up a little later that we wanted to be the night before, making muffins and crustless quiches and cutting up fruit for yogurt parfaits. But in the end, we got 'er done. The bubble machine was a hit, and the grownups drank nearly all of the 6 bottles of Prosecco for the mimosas. Oliver met up with most of his baby friends. And the weather was perfect - what I wouldn't have given for the slightly cooler weather a year ago when the AC went out in the hospital. 

The party moved on to the house with a ball pit made from a kiddie pool, cupcakes, football on TV, and a keg. Mitchell's pulled pork was delightful (although maybe we didn't need the Costco size pork shoulder, requiring the use of two crock pots) and we now have a sea of awesome new toys in the playroom. Oliver is certainly becoming a "boy" - delighting in planes, cars, balls and anything that makes noise. Thanks to everyone who came, and the gifts were really nice. My mind is still blown by the iPod holder for babies so they don't break your phone or accidentally call people. The most surprising/cool gift was the record player with stack of 45s. And probably the most appropriate were all of the musical instruments and Duck apparel. 

Hands too full to pick up his food. Obviously.

Overall, it feels like Oliver is growing and developing like crazy. He is crawling like a pro and pulling himself up. Probably just a count down to walking. He's started sleeping on his stomach with his butt up in the air. Pretty cute. He throws balls and feeds himself. He has started putting his face in the water during bath time "blowing bubbles." He's talking a lot. Teeth 5 & 6 are poking through his gums. We've upgraded him to his larger carseat and now have to decide whether we follow the old rule of turning him to face forward at one, or wait until two, the new guideline. I also just realized that he fits in all of his "big" shoes, which are of course, only really appropriate for walking. He's in size 5 diapers and 18-24 month clothes. We go to the doctor in a couple of weeks, so we'll get the rest of his stats then. 

It's been a fun ride so far, and it's always so cool to watch the next new thing! 

Goodbye Gus

Today we had to say goodbye to Gus. He came into our lives just a short 5 1/2 years ago.

First came Reggie, who Mitchell and I got as a puppy after dating for less than 4 months. My neighbors next door to my townhouse got a Boston Terrier puppy named "Bruiser" (still my favorite Boston name) and I always made Mitchell look at it out the window when they took it out to go to the bathroom. They quickly became my favorite breed of dog.

It took awhile to convince myself that I was indeed ready for the commitment of a dog, not to mention a puppy. But with some convincing from Mitchell, and promise to help with the vet bills, we picked up Reggie from a breeder. And then we were a family of three.

Once we moved in together and lived in a house, we decided it would be a good idea to get Reggie a buddy. Terrier puppies have a LOT of energy and they a bit exhausting. Our previous breeder had a litter of roly-poly butterball puppies, and we picked out Gus from the batch one year after getting Reggie. His name was inspired by the chubby mouse from Cinderella, with the t-shirt that was always a bit too small. Gus became "Mitchell's." Or shall I say, they were both "your dog" when they were misbehaving. :)

Gus fit into our family perfectly. Reggie was still in charge, despite the fact that Gus could eventually kick Reg' butt. When lucky enough to get into bed with us, Gus slept at our feet, while Reggie stuck his legs out and hogged the top of the bed. Gus loved to cuddle, but often underestimated the value of "personal space" and smothering your face. While Reggie was content acting like a cat, Gus was a real dog. He swam in the water the one chance he got. He would fetch a ball. He loved to follow commands once he learned them.

He had a very cute snaggletooth that would stick out of his lip sometimes. He had a crooked tail nub, which he would wag when happy. He loved to have his head resting on things - I held his chin the entire ride home from picking him up from the breeder, which kept him content. He loved to nest into a blanket, sunbathe in sunspots and sleep with his head on the pillow like his dad.

He did have one unfortunate habit of biting fingers of strangers and those that made him nervous. It made him (obviously) a bit untrustworthy, but also misunderstood. He was very much the lover when he wasn't too anxious to sit in one spot for awhile. Once you were in his circle, you were good, and loved.

We were a bit nervous about bringing Oliver home to the dogs. But "the boys" did great. Gus would sit on the sheepskin in Oliver's room when I would rock him to sleep at night. And he would just hop away when Oliver would get too grabby around skin and ears.

He also loved riding in the car. Our last trip was down to Eugene to visit Grandma (loved it there) and then out to Sunriver (which meant extra walks). We arrived Monday, and then on Wednesday morning, we came back from an outing and he was acting strange. We assumed he had peed somewhere in the house, because he always busted himself with that guilty head and ears down look. But when Mitchell went to put his collar on later, he yelped. We thought it was weird, but thought maybe he was just stung by a bee or something. Over the next couple of days he got more and more sluggish, and soon couldn't get onto the couch by himself. So, Friday we took him into the vet. She did an xray and sent him home with painkillers, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. He showed signs of a degenerative issue with his neck and he had 104 temperature, so we were to follow up with our usual vet and get an MRI when we got home.

Monday, we called our vet and made an appointment for 3:00 the next day and they got the info from the vet in Sunriver. By Monday evening, Gus couldn't even lay down, he was in so much pain, and it seemed like his leg was now causing him pain. We went in early the next day to the vet, got him some stronger painkillers, and they referred us to a specialize in Clackamas, OR, at VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists. We got an MRI done, but they were assuming that it was a ruptured disc in his neck and needed surgery. But the MRI showed that it wasn't that. The next guess was Meningitis or cancer. We biopsied things. His lymph nodes were swollen. They had to give him a temporary tracheotomy to help him breathe in order to come out of sedation. They even removed his tonsils and took a biopsy.

After being in the hospital since Tuesday and not improving and having exhausted all reasonable tests and guesses as to what was wrong, we decided that was enough for Gus. He wasn't eating and did not have a good quality of life. So I went and said goodbye one last time for the family, and he went night-night one last time.

He is loved and missed. Bye-Bye Gus-Gus

Room for Kids

First room in the cabin I feel like could be complete for awhile - the Kids' room. Of course, the room that's the least used at this point - but I'll take it!

It originally came with two twin beds and trundles. Great in theory, but there wasn't even enough room to pull the trundles out, and no grown adult really wanted to crash on those beds, no matter how drunk they were.

So, first thing was to order a bunk bed. We decided on a double bed on the bottom so a grownup could comfortably sleep on it. And then we found this sweet bunk bed with stairs to climb up instead of a ladder. The stairs have drawers in them - even better. Although I don't want to imagine the candy wrappers and bugs (if I'm lucky) will be stashed in those some day. There is also a trundle bed - which will be great to pack the kids in. But the mattress is basically a sheet of plywood with foam and covered in fabric. So no full-grown anyone on the trundle. 

We installed ceiling fans in all of the bedrooms, including this one. To keep things bearable in the few really warm weeks of the summer. Of course, everything I've put in the room, I imagine being abused and utilized for something physical and dangerous some day - the stairs to jump from, the double bed catching jumpers from the top bunk. Is this because I have a son? I'm imagining what might be thrown from the top bunk into the spinning blades of the fan.

I found the perfect place for the auttoman I bought for the living room that left no room to walk around. It now makes up a cozy reading nook with the pillows from all the former twin beds. 

We hooked up the DVD/VCR to the TV, so now we can finally use all of the Disney VHS tapes that my mom saved. Now if we can just keep Oliver's fingers and toys out of the VCR slot...

We also kept one of the big pictures and a desk that were left with the cabin. And we put up a few cute Baby Oliver photos, as well as the now infamous Costco Moose. 

It's actually one of the most comfortable rooms in the cabin now. Bring on the kids! 

11 Months of Trouble

Oliver turned 11 months old last week. It feels like he aged a lot in just a few weeks!

He's now officially crawling. And getting in to anything he can get his hands on. He started crawling backwards, which was highly inefficient, and he was always getting stuck places. Then one day I was ignoring him while he lay on his belly in hopes that he would fall asleep. When I looked back, he was sitting up! So he finally learned how to push himself from his stomach back to sitting. Then he figured out how to move himself forward. Strangely enough, it was after all of this that he mastered rolling from his back to his front. Over the past week, he has gone from crawling just a bit to crawling out of the room quickly. It's on!

He does wake himself up in the night rolling onto his tummy or sitting up. It was a bit unnerving going into his room at night and have him sitting there. But now those wake-ups are already less frequent. And he's pulling himself up onto furniture. I'm sure cruising and walking is not too far behind. While I already miss the ability to leave him in one content spot, I know that eventually they must learn to move. I am just counting my lucky stars that he wasn't crawling at 6 months or already walking or something - I have had it easy!

The other thing he's accomplished a lot of recently is talking. He can say Owl, Hoot-Hoot, Mom, Daddy, Doggie, Up, and a variety only somewhat intelligible words. Lots of babbling going on here.

He is having fun playing with his toys and makeshift toys. He likes to put things in and on and take things out of boxes and bags. He's also learning to throw a ball - and any other sharp, pointy, dangerous object. Books are also fun, which include his favorite Dog pop-up book and the small Sesame Street books I snagged for $1 each. He pushes his little cars around and he continues to be musical - shaking things, beating his tambourine and dancing to music.

He continues to amaze when it comes to eating. He eats nearly anything, and usually in adult quantities. And don't you dare eat in front of him without bringing him his own snack, or sharing. He has been known to yell at the farmers' market berry stand or the deli display case.

A bonus has been Oliver getting to spend more time with his Dad, who is currently taking some time off after quitting his long-term job. This break has been fun and relaxing for us all. And Oliver especially enjoys his early morning dance parties with Dad. Oliver is also getting some last quality time with his Aunt Kerry before she moves off to Washington, DC, in September!

Nearly a year old. I can't believe it. And I suppose I have a little party to plan...

Cash on the Side

I had a really fun chat with the guy today who was selling this super sweet Coca-Cola sign at the antique mall in our neighborhood. It's 48" of patina wonder. We started talking about how he got into the business back in the 80's by selling signs to Leo Burnett and his huge prop department. Made more money picking than with job as a photographer for the AP. And of course he was college buddies with Mike Wolfe from American Pickers. If he hadn't seemed so authentic, I would assume he was making up all of his stories. 


Anyway, he was pretty encouraging about the picking business as a way to make some good extra cash (unprompted by me - perhaps he could just sense that I've recently put myself on a budget!) as long as you have a "good eye." Which, obviously, I do. Hah. And he had some good tips, as well. 


I had already planned to be the first on the scene for at least one garage sale this Friday. What's the good of having Fridays off during the summer, if not to get the best stuff from garage and estate sales?? But now I'll be checking them out with more fervor. 


As my initial venture into this whole retail situation, I have listed my very first eBay item for sale today. It's a nice maternity dress I never wore. We'll see how it goes! It makes me want to list all the items I have ever considered selling, but I feel like I may learn a few things from this first round. So I will hold my breath and wait. 


Wish me luck! Flash in the pan thought for the afternoon, or new business direction? Only time will tell. 

Moofins

My latest culinary success has been mini-muffins. With Organics to You deliveries and buying fresh fruit/vegetables for Oliver, it seems that everything gets ripe and ready at once!

So I made some banana bread muffins with a bunch of very ripe bananas - and Oliver LOVED them. Next I tried zucchini bread muffins. Success. And half zucchini, half carrot bread muffins. I can't miss! Helps having a baby that will eat anything, but I hardly doubt there are many babies that would pass on the carb-filled wonders. But I also make sure they're tasty and edible for grown-ups, too. I added a few chocolate chips in place of nuts (no nuts for babies!) to the zucchini/carrot muffins and it was the best batch of all!

The healthy options I've gone with - using whole wheat flour, replacing half of the oil or butter with applesauce, using a smaller amount of brown sugar and using a Silpat mini muffin tray so there is no need to grease up the pan. I leave out any nuts and honey from the recipes to make them safe for babies. And I've learned the more spices, the better! My friend made some with a little strudel topping, which sounds delish!

Happy Eating.

10.5 Months

Oliver turned 10 months old on the 8th.

His top two front teeth finally popped through last week. He looks like a hippo! But we had a few rough nights of sleep and finally pulled out the infant Advil. It was worth it.

One of his new things is falling asleep on his belly while playing.

His latest talent has been waving goodbye. He's been putting smaller toys into boxes and larger toys. He's started feeding himself more. And he's getting tall. We're upgrading to his big kid carseat as soon as we get around to installing them! And he's been making good new friends at Stroller Strides and Swimbabes. Lots of fun - and lots of 1 year birthdays coming up soon!

Long and Lean

Oliver weighed in 2 weeks ago at 23 lbs, 4 oz. That's 86 percentile. He's 31" long, 99 percentile. And a 47 cm head. He's getting more long and lean!

The doc gave us permission for dairy and eggs. So we're expanding our horizons! Today, Kerry and I made zucchini bread muffins, and they were delicious. Oliver approved. And he's had for yo and popsicles. Lots of fun!

He also began to crawl last week. But for now, he only crawls backwards.

And the entire family got pink eye! Poor baby. His eyes were glued shut. But medicine has fixed him up fast.

9 Months In, 9 Months Out

Oliver turns 9 months old today. He's growing up so fast! 


He's got two adorable teeth on the bottom front, and is working on some more. 

No crawling yet - but he sits up and rocks on to his belly now, so it's only a matter of time. We've dropped the crib all the way to the bottom (a long ways down when he won't stand to help you) and we've slowly started to baby proof. But he hasn't given us the big push, and I'm in no hurry! I can still set him down and know he'll still be there when I get back. 


He's an eating champ. He may not eat every bite, but he will literally eat any type of food we give him. Oranges, prunes, applesauce, green beans, spinach, broccoli...and an accidental piece of jalapeno during a bad parenting moment. We combine them to make it more complicated, which is always a fun experiment, but he doesn't seem to care one way or another. We've also started feeding him chicken and salmon. When we go out or travel, the baby food pouches (the new baby food jar) are super convenient, but we still make the rest of his food. He has started feeding himself finger foods, like oranges and strawberries cut up. Which he likes and insists on doing, but it takes a lot longer to feed him, and he still lets us feed him with a spoon, or he'd never get enough to eat! We've tried giving him the spoon, but the contents usually ends up only on the floor. 


He's in 12-18 month clothes and we've ordered him his larger carseat But we'll have to wait for our doctor's appointment next week to get the weigh in. 


He was just doing this fun tongue clicking for awhile, but he's introduced babbling noises now. He's practicing clapping and not sure whether he is musical or just likes to shake it, but he loves his rattles and maraca and tambourine. Let's just call it musical. He also pulls his pull toys to him by the string and can find the smallest spec on the ground to put in his mouth. 


We're still swimming and going to Stroller Strides. We go to Book Babies at the library when we can and sing songs with other babies. Oliver takes a nightly bath with dad, listens to the Raffi channel on Pandora and hangs out with his Aunt Kerry and neighbors a lot. He's now gone on a swing, sits in the seat in the grocery cart and high chair, and was babysat by a non-family member. 


To think that 9 months ago we hadn't even met! Love you, little guy. 

9 1/2

Some of you reading this will think: "Who the hell cares?" while others of you will think that I am bragging. But I just needed to share that my feet, since being pregnant, SHRANK! I have, as long as I can remember, been a size 10 1/2 (a whole other conversation, as to why most shoe companies SKIP size 10 1/2 on their way up to 11??) Sometimes I would have to upsize, but usually I could get away with a 10. I have always had narrow feet, just really long. But today, I can proudly say that I am a 9 1/2 narrow.

I needed new shoes for the JDRF Gala, so I stopped by Nordstrom after Stroller Strides. So convenient sometimes, working out in a mall. Anyway, I had Oliver with me, so the gal asked me if I had had my feet measured since I had him. I begrudgingly said no, since I knew it was the thing to do. Likely the old feetsies had spread a touch.

I had heard horror stories of people gaining a size with each kid they had. To the average sized foot, that might not be the worst thing ever, but to someone nearing the top of the women's size chart, that is something to fear. And avoid like the plague. I had ALSO heard that a woman's arch can drop while pregnant. What?! I would take a size 12 over a fallen arch any day. So many things to worry about.

So I got myself a pair of sandals with arch support, and strapped my tennis shoes on tight any time I went for a walk. And tried to avoid gaining too much weight.

And today? As displayed with the official metal foot measurer at Nordstrom, it has paid off with my new, petite feet. And my new, 9 1/2 Corso Como heels! :)

Vegas Vacation Part IV: Vegas

We did in fact travel to Las Vegas for a vacation, and had some good times.

First, our friends Paul and Montana were there, staying at the Luxor, so we were able to spend some quality time with them. We hadn't seen them since their wedding in eastern Oregon last summer. And Montana had never been before, so she was living it up!

Let's see, in summary... We ordered room service. We strolled down the strip in the sunshine. We had a few meals out. We went to the Shark Reef Aquarium in Mandalay Bay. Oliver's first trip to the aquarium!

We also did some gambling. I stuck to the slots, and did quite well. Spending maybe $60 - 80, I came out about $600 ahead! If only Mitchell and Kerry weren't also gambling and losing...

Sunday we reserved a cabana in the middle of Mandalay Bay's lazy river. It was perfect. First, it was the only way to enjoy the pool. It was near 100 degrees outside, and people were seriously getting there when it opened to reserve a space, and none of it was in the shade. I did have to get there early to claim our cabana, but then they held it for us the rest of the day. At this time of year, 9 am and 4 pm seemed to be the most pleasant at the pool (note to self). But one part or another of our group hung out all day in the cabana. Our host brought Oliver a pack 'n play, thank goodness. Not sure what we would have done without it, and he actually slept a majority of the day. Heat and plenty of background noise will do it, I guess. We floated the lazy river and ordered food and drinks. It was quite nice and definitely worth the splurge.

Sunday night, Kerry and I went to dinner. The concierge at Mandalay Bay was pretty unhelpful and quite frankly, rude. They gave us a coupon book for the eateries in their mall as one of their suggestions for dinner... So we hopped in a cab and headed for the Bellagio, in search of a classier dining experience. Their concierge recommended Fix, and we're glad he did! (He was tipped appropriately.) Fix was delicious. Good drinks (including Kerry's $25 margarita), good food (fried mac & cheese, filet mignon and a seafood tower!) Kerry even saw Carlos Santana leaving the bathroom while we were there. I was in the women's, and she was waiting for me. She didn't actually know it was him until his entourage (brother-in-law) confirmed it. We saw him eating at Fix as we headed out. It was him. He was wearing the hat. All-in-all, a decent way to wrap up a mature weekend in Las Vegas.

Vegas Vacation Part III: Hairspray

If you ever visit Las Vegas, I would highly recommend staying in the Wynn hotel. We stayed there when we went to see my bucket list performer, Garth Brooks. It's one of the newer hotels, and can be quite a luxurious experience. One of the perks is the exclusive line of bath products called Desert Bambu. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, shaving lotion, etc...the works. My favorite was the hairspray. Flexible hold, lots of body. Everything you could want. So I stashed our room's two travel sized bottles in my luggage and never looked back. Figured I would look up the brand when I got back and pick up some more.

I used them over about a year on the occasions when I actually did my hair (pregnant, then with a baby, so don't judge how little I used product), and then finally used it up. Mitchell and Jacob have been back to the hotel, but I didn't think about it. Then I finally looked up the brand. Turns out it's exclusive for the guests of the Wynn. Provided complimentary in the rooms, and for sale in the Salon/Spa. Not available online for order. Drat! Andrea was going back in November - perhaps she could pick me up some. She cancelled her trip. Then FINALLY, a year later, I get to Vegas.

On the last day of our trip, Kerry and I hop in a cab before heading to the airport. We take it to the Wynn at the opposite end of the strip. We navigate our way to the spa and find the shelves of product. The sales associate ambles over to us and I ask her if this is all of the products, so I can stock up on a variety - I don't want to miss anything! She says yes, and that the only thing they've stopped making is the hairspray. Excuse me, what? The whole reason I am here and the thing that has been in the back of my mind for a year and a half has since been discontinued? You've got to be kidding me. Alas, she was not kidding me.

Sadly, I purchase a bottle of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Figure it's got to be good. But I leave the salon/spa a bit defeated. I spend the rest of the $40 it takes me to take a cab to the Wynn and back and say goodbye to a future of flexible, yet unmanageably thick hair.

Vegas Vacation Part II: Maladies

The trip was fun, as all vacations are. But we did have our fair share of bumps along the road. We arrived and they had us booked on a smoking floor. So they moved us, but didn't move the crib. We were hours past Oliver's bedtime. The lack of dinner that night and day of stress and travel were getting to me, and a low blood sugar resulted in an excessive room service order, but I was feeling very crappy.  Things were getting rough. Oliver's crib finally arrived, and room service topped us off, since Kerry had already been sent for emergency provisions downstairs. Eventually we all made it into bed.

Only to discover that we were sleeping with the world's worst pillows. They were fluffy and awful and all the same. We will be flying with our own pillows from now on. Dorky, but we'll be sleeping next time!

Come Sunday, everything seemed to be falling apart. Mitchell finally caught our cold, probably due to a lack of sleep on the crappy pillows. I was sent on a hot morning trek to get Sudafed. Kerry had hives all over her body, likely due to hotel soaps or detergent or something. And my ankle began to swell in the heat, only to spread to my foot and make it virtually impossible to walk without searing pain. People were staring as I hobbled my way through the casino. Mitchell didn't even make it out to Mother's Day dinner and Kerry and I cut our evening short as a result. Kind of a mess. Oliver was the most reasonable one among us.

The thing I was most nervous about, the flights and ride to the hotel, ended up being the most flawless part of the trip!

Vegas Vacation Part I: Flying Baby

We took Oliver for his first flight last weekend. Nonstop, 1 hour 45 minutes. Figured it was the easiest that it could get. Of course, the Tuesday before we leave he and I catch a cold. And the worst thing about flying with babies is when their little ears hurt from the change in pressure - and a stuffy nose can make that much worse... So the nurse suggested giving him a dose of Benadryl an hour before the flight. We had to do a test run in advance, since it's supposed to dry some babies out and make them sleepy - or it can have the opposite effect and make them manic. So you could have a crazy baby on a plane and can do nothing about it! Fortunately, it worked for Oliver. We also practically brought along a whole medical kit just in case, including Tylenol, nose sucker, tooth numbing gel, milk and bottle, etc. Basically the answer was that Oliver will survive - he just may scream the whole descent, or breeze right through it. Great. 

We were as prepared as possible. We arranged with the airline to have the three of us (Kerry, Mitchell and me, and Oliver on my lap) in the same row. They checked our carseat for free, wrapping it in a thick plastic bag (tip: you don't have to use the base) and we were able to gate-check the stroller for free. Brought his birth certificate along, but didn't need it. They make it as easy as possible to travel with a baby. Much to the chagrin of most travelers. :) 

Friday, we boarded the first flight, and just let Oliver suck on his pacifier as much as he wanted to. He ipassed out by the time we take off. He actually spit out his pacifier and I had to wrestle it into his locked-jaw to help with the assent. He slept for the first hour or so, and then was a bit restless. But he only cried once or twice when I slowed up on feeding because I was scared of expanding air bubbles. He just sucked his pacifier the whole descent and didn't seem to even notice the change in pressure. Our first flight was a success! 

The flight home on Monday was even better, if that was possible. They let us go through our own line with the strollers and wheelchairs, so we didn't have to wait as long at security. Then, the flight attendant was in LOVE with Oliver. She asked to hold him before we took off and then paraded him around the back half of the plane. She took him with her when she went in the back to make an announcement. He hammed it up. Then he was returned to me and he passed out just before we took off, as expected. He woke up with a half-hour left, and continued to be cute. The whole group of attendants came and held him. Once we landed and were waiting for the front half to deplane, the flight attendant called out his name on the speaker. We got several compliments, including Mitchell overhearing someone say that they've never seen a baby be so quiet on a plane. He didn't cry once. For sure a success! 

This was the biggest challenge of the trip and we essentially breezed through it. Wish I could have known that so I didn't loose sleep worrying about it ahead of time! More traveling in our future! 

Cabin Bathrooms

 When we purchased the Cabin in Sunriver, it came equipped with some classy early 90's decor, especially in the bathrooms. Linoleum, pinkish tiles, wood TP holders, brass finishes, and bathtubs I avoided showering in, and didn't want to imaging bathing a baby in! So we enlisted PGC Building to redo all three bathrooms.  They're all relatively small, so we kept the same layouts, but gave them a nice update.


This is one of the master bathrooms. All three of the bathrooms have the same custom cabinets with the sinks. They all have unique tiles and mirrors and lighting. We converted the bathtub to a shower.

This is the other master bedroom. Both masters have river rock tile shower floors. We opted for the sawed tiles so they're flat when you step on them, but still look really nice. The sink is a custom concrete sink made by a company in Bend. Several of the restaurants around Bend have similar sinks in different colors, and they have been making sinks for restaurants across the country. Pretty cool. Oh yeah, and heated floors in this bathroom!

This is the Guest/Kids bathroom. We kept a tub in this one, but replaced it with a nicer tub rather than an insert - and got rid of the horrid sliding glass door. The sink faucet is very unique. But only problem is that in order to turn off the faucet, you drop water all over the top after washing your hands. If that's the biggest issue, I suppose we'll be alright. :)

All in all, very happy with how these have turned out. And they're very pleasant to use!