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! 

Mom of the Month?

Proof that I've actually been going to Stroller Strides - our family was featured in the local April Newsletter. My favorite part is that when I received the email request to answer some questions, the subject line was "Mom of the Month?" and I had hours before accidentally locked Oliver and the dogs in the car for 40 minutes. I was sure I was about to be harassed, but fortunately, no.

The features are no more than a way for the moms to get to know each other, but still fun!

Food TIme

Oliver has been eating solid food for over a month now. We've been having a good time coming up with new fruits and veggies to prepare for him. He's eating lunch and dinner now and we are just buying fresh or frozen organic fruits and vegetables, steaming or baking them, and then pureeing or mashing them up. We save a little fresh and then portion the rest out in ice cube trays to freeze for later. We have baggies full of colorful little food pucks throughout the freezer. I've signed up for Organics to You to bring us fruits and veggies weekly. Next week will be the first delivery, which I'm looking forward to. But I'm also a little intimidated by the potential for new things I've never eaten or prepared before. A healthy challenge, I suppose!

We also finally received Oliver's new Stokke high chair. He was sitting on our laps before, but I've gotten too many of my pants dirty, and he's getting big! These high chairs are cool, because they pull up to the "family table" without a tray. They look good, and will adjust throughout childhood and eventually work as a stool for a grownup. An investment and a piece of furniture. This is the one we picked out for the house.

I left him in it to grab my camera for a second and Oliver managed to grab his food and began feeding himself. Shortly before he almost dropped the entire bowl on the floor. :)

Happy Easter

One perk to working out at the mall in the morning? First in line for Honeybaked Ham and photos with the Easter Bunny. Happy Easter to me.

The holiday weekend started out with Mitchell and I meeting up with our good friends Andrea and Chris. It was the longest time I've been away from Oliver - 7 or so hours. Kerry watched him and we enjoyed life like we were young again. We had the most amazing burger concept - Peanut Butter burgers! Peanut butter on the bun as a condiment, along with bacon. Delish. Though, wasn't as enjoyable feeling sick at 1 am, and not fun at 7 am when Oliver was ready to be up. Can't party like we used to!

Easter has been eventful. Oliver turned 7 months today. We celebrated with friends, and I brought along my successful lemon bars. I've eaten enough chocolate to make my teeth ache. I missed my friend, Chocolate. And the Easter Bunny even brought Oliver a little bunny and book. All in all, a Happy Easter!

6 months

Oliver took his 6-month photos today - so cute! But that means I'm out of excuses for postponing this entry!

Oliver turned 6-months-old on March 8. He weighed in last week at the doctor's at 20lbs, 15 oz. 92nd Percentile. and they measured him at 28.5". 95th Percentile. Generally the equivalent of an average 10-month-old. The nurse measured him at 29", but the doctor remeasured him and deducted a half an inch. I was suprised by the weight because I was guessing 22lbs - his buddy, Wesley is only two weeks older and is weighing in around 24lbs! But they're still both healthy, big boys.

One of the reasons that this post is a little late is that Oliver had his first real cold. A nasty cough and a plugged then running nose. They don't recommend any medicine at this age, so all we could do is elevate the mattress, run the humidifier and drop saline solution into his nose and then suck it out with the dreaded nose bulb sucker. He HATES getting his nose touched or wiped. But, we survived and he's finally feeling much better.

Other firsts include eating solid food. We've been steaming organic veggies and pureeing them. Started with carrots (orange vegetables are supposed to be sweeter and unlikely to be an allergen). Now he's tried sweet potatoes, baked potatoes with parsnips, peas, spinach, broccoli, bananas, avocados and iron-fortified brown rice cereal. He's liked everything that we've introduced, except for avocados. Trying to up the number of meals, so someday breast milk will just be supplemental. Crazy. We're also supplementing vitamin D and will introduce fluoride, since we don't have it in the water here in Oregon. All these things to worry about!

Oliver is now sitting up on his own, (with someone there to catch him when he pitches forward or back randomly) but has no interest in rolling over. His hair is growing longer and looking quite cute. No signs of teeth yet, but he has gotten his toes into his mouth and he has been spitting his tongue out a lot. He's interested in other babies now and will play with their feet if sat next to them. He loves to jump in his jumper, and can now move himself around in his walker. His current favorite toy is his Monkey stuffed animal, but after discovering a little music box inside, rendering it un-washable, I'm busy trying to find a new favorite.

We've been taking a weekly swim lesson, along with his friend Wesley, and his mom, Alyson. It's a survival swimming class (or at least will be) and we've already gone for 3-second underwater swims! It's a lot of fun for the boys (Oliver just passes out in the car afterwards) and fun for us, and will be a great skill for them! We've already signed up for 2-day a week classes coming up for the next 3 months. This is where we're taking them. Mitchell has been getting into the bath with him every night in order to practice his back float and "bubbles" where we dump water on his head to teach him to hold his breath.

I've also been going to Stroller Strides most weekday mornings. I take Oliver along in his stroller and we work out bootcamp style with other mothers and kids. It's actually a really good workout, and nice to hang out with other moms. It's at the Clackamas Town Center Mall and Mt Scott Community Center on alternating days, at 9 or 9:30 am. So I have to get out of bed earlier than I was. But the routine is good for both Oliver and I!

We went to a workshop on sign language and are excited to teach Oliver. Hopefully it will reduce some frustration on both of our parts before he is able to talk.

All-in-all, this is a great age, with lots of smiles and fun new things, but he hasn't gotten mobile and out of control yet. Definitely enjoying it!