Oliver's 1st Trip to Georgia

So, I finally have time to blog about Oliver's first vacation to Georgia back in August! Oliver and I got to stay for 2 weeks, and Brian joined us the 2nd week once his internship ended. I was so excited to get out of Wyoming and introduce Ollie to my home, but oh, I was SO nervous to take him on a plane by myself. Turns out, I was nervous for nothing. We were lucky enough to get a window seat and an empty middle seat, Oliver did great the whole flight with minimal crying just before landing. Here are some pictures Brian took when he dropped us off at the airport. 

Nana and Papa were so excited to have Oliver come and visit! They made sure he had everything he ever needed and more. Ollie is one lucky grandson! And even though we totally missed Daddy, we are grateful for he let us come out an extra week, and we had fun chatting with him on Facetime.

I know I already blogged about Oliver's first time in the pool, but over the course of two weeks, we took a lot more pool pictures. Oliver was great in the pool. He happily bobbed around for hours and even let Mommy, Daddy, and Papa get his face wet a few times without tears.

Chillin' Poolside

I also got to hang out with the best friends a girl could ask for while in Georgia. It's seriously great that we can have those moments when we are all together at the same time. I also took Oliver to his first Braves game with friends and family. We won.

Peace Up, A-Town Down

                            

Towards the end of our trip, we took Oliver to the Varsity and Centennial Olympic Park. We did so much more, too, that I don't have pictures for. Golf cart rides, game nights, trips to Publix, Zaxby's, Chick-fil-a, more swimming, shopping, etc. 

Just blogging about our trip makes me really want to on vacation again. It was so great being with my family and having the extra help with Oliver all the time. He seriously barely got any tummy time the whole trip because he was always being held and cuddled and loved. And I got to take a few naps and change a whole lot less diapers! I love my family! Special shout out to my mom and dad for hosting us! Love y'all and can't wait for Christmas!

3 months

Aghhhh...I am so, so, so behind blogging! Basically this last month has been the busiest of our lives. We moved from Wyoming, visited Georgia, moved back to Utah, moved into University apartments, battled maintenance distasters, watched Oliver hit new milestones, started school, welcomed two new babies into our friends/family circle, and so much more! I wasn't quite sure where to start, as so many of these topics deserve their own posts, but since Oliver will be 4 MONTHS OLD TOMORROW, I better get the 3 month stats down first.

Fun Facts About 3 month old Oliver:

1. At 3 months, Oliver has lived in 3 different houses. (Mommy might call this a "not so" fun fact...)

2. Rolls over from tummy to back (but never for the camera.)

3. Loves to giggle and smile

4. Best Night: broke a personal record for sleeping 12 straight hours. Woohoo! 

5. Worst Night: broke a personal record for waking up every 2 hours SCREAMING (He never screams. Night terrors? Gas? We have no idea. Luckily it was a one night thing so far.) 

6. Transitioned from swing to pack n' play to crib. 

7. Did great on his first airplane ride.

8. Loves to stand and bounce, bounce, bounce.

9. Babbles to himself and anyone who will listen.

10. Tries to scoot but mostly just ends up turning in circles.

11. Still loves bath and shower time and is getting better about towel time too.

12. Can sit up propped up with pillows or in the bumbo.

13. Drools all the time and likes to chew. (Early teething? I hope not!)

14. Has discovered his thumb but would rather chew on it than suck.

15. Will put himself to sleep MOST OF THE TIME with a pacifier.

16. Has become Mr. Grabby. He especially loves grabbing my hair, shirt, and really anything near his face.

 17. Tries to put his pacifier in himself and gets frustrated if he can't without help.

18. Survived his first cold.

19. Is starting to lose his hair, especially on the sides.

20. Has a very sweet, flirty, and happy temperament. We are lucky to have him on our family!

Water Baby :)

We made it! Oliver and I are in Georgia, and today Oliver got to go swimming for the first time! We can't wait for Daddy to get here so that he can splash with us too! We definitely have a water baby here. Time for bed...it's been a long travel day.

Oliver's 2 month Update

It's been 10 weeks today since Oliver decided to make his grand entrance into our lives and a little over one week since his two month birthday and check up.  Somehow we both survived his two month shots and a five hour car ride back to Rawlins. 

This pretty much sums up how it went....

Thankfully, the next morning Oliver was already feeling significantly better!

So here are the 2 month stats and fun facts about Oliver:

Weight: 10.74 lbs (26th percentile)

Height: 22.44 in (30th percentile)

Head Circumference: 15.2 in (17th percentile)

*He has such strong legs! When vertical, he loves to practice standing up and pushing off with his legs. If you have him horizontal, he could do bicycle kicks all day long. 

*He can lift his head, neck, and chest off the ground now during tummy time but still hasn't shown any interest in rolling. During tummy time, he mostly kicks himself over the boppy or kicks/scoots himself in circles.

*He laughed! A real, legit laugh, followed by a huge smile. Brian and I both heard it this time. I wonder what he was thinking?!?

*He was sleeping through the night (8hr stretches) before his shots but now he is all over the place. The last 2 nights he has woken up 3 times each. This is definitely our least favorite side effect!

*He is interacting more and more and tries to have conversations with us by making the funniest noises.

*He still enjoys baths and showers and has even been getting better about towel time. We have been practicing quite a bit getting his head and face wet, so he will be ready for the pool in a couple of weeks when we go to Georgia!

Blessing Our Baby

This past Sunday, on his 2 month birthday, Oliver Thomas Moote was given a name and a blessing in Grandpa and Nana Moote's ward. It was such an exciting day for our little family, and we were so grateful to have had parents, siblings, and friends there to share in Oliver's special day! 

I feel so blessed to have these two guys in my life!

While Brian was walking up with Oliver to bless him, I heard a little squeal and got nervous, but Oliver did great and quietly "listened" to daddy's voice through the whole thing. While I sat and listened, I had an overwhelming feeling of love and gratitude wash over me for Brian and the way he reveres and honors the priesthood he holds. Together with his earthly and Heavenly Father, Oliver was given a beautiful blessing. Some parts that stood out included:

*A memorable childhood with experiences to help you make good decisions later in life

*Ability and desire to make good decisions

*Willing to act on hope and receive testimony through good choices

*Courage to share testimony when the situation needs it

*Meet good friends who will lift you up and support you in choosing the right

*Find a wife who parallels your values to serve the Lord

*Feel parents love when you have made a bad decision

*Courage to turn to the Atonement

*Be a good example to siblings and family

Here are some photos from Sunday after the blessing. His outfit was a gift from his Nana Moote and Nana Jones. 

We Love Oliver

counting down the minutes

<-This is how excited we are to go to Utah this weekend! 

We can't wait for Oliver to meet his Aunt Lyndsey and godmother Amy for the first time! AND we get to see lots of other friends and family too! AND we get to go to Costco and Cafe Rio and Chick-fil-a and about a thousand other places that don't exist in Rawlins, WY. AND most importantly, we are blessing Oliver this Sunday on his 2 month birthday. We have been counting down to this weekend for a long time, and 3:45pm (our departure time) tomorrow could not come soon enough!

P.S The last 2 nights, Oliver has slept 7-8 hours! Pure bliss. :)

Oliver Update in Photos

Instagram has been great for quick ways to share cute pics of Oliver with friends and family, but sometimes it's nice to bust out the good (not so) ole' camera. Here are some pics of Oliver at 6/7 weeks.

At 6/7 weeks, 3 month clothes are mostly still too big (as pictured above.) Oliver mostly wears his larger NB clothes mixed with smaller 0-3 month stuff. He is a tall/skinny boy with long feet though, so we had to move him up to 3 month footy/sleeper pj's so his toes wouldn't be squished. :) We are on our last pack of newborn diapers and then we will move up to size 1. 

At 6/7 weeks, Oliver is starting to smile more and more! He responds to the faces that we make of him and is mesmerized by the mirror. He still sleeps at night in the swing in one 4-6 hour stretch followed by a feeding and then another 2-3 hour stretch. He is usually up and ready to go by 7:30am.

At 6/7 weeks, Oliver also naps in the pack n play bassinet. He has started to spit up more and more recently, so sometimes it's easier to just skip the onsie. He's still our "little dude," but we have also added "slobber monster," "buddy" and "stinker" to the mix. Of course, there is also "Ollie" and just plain Oliver in there too.

And here are some cute pics I took during tummy time yesterday. He can't reach out and grab yet, but he'll hold out tight to anything you put in his hands. It's so fun to see his personality come out more. He is also starting to find his voice and squawks when he is happy or excited. He still cries like a newborn with tiny "whaaaa" sounds and makes this cute little frowny face with a little trembling chin to let you know he is about to start.

4th of July and Martin's Cove

Our 4th of July this year was pretty low key. We had fun in the park, had an Indiana Jones marathon, went out for all american burgers and fries at Bucks, and watched the fireworks from our kitchen window.

Nothing will ever beat 4th of July in Peachtree City with the parade, swimming, bbq, homemade icecream and rootbeer, and firework show (I feel bad that most of it was rained out this year but kinda glad I didn't miss out...I know I'm a terrible person,) but I'm glad we got to have Brian home on a week day. And I'm grateful for our freedom and independence. Yep, I'm proud to be an American! :)

Then last weekend, we decided to get out of Rawlins and go up to Casper, stopping at Martin's Cove on the way. I guess I should have researched the church history site a little more because we definitely did NOT come prepared! (personal fail = I did not wear the right shoes for the occasion, parenting fail = I forgot to bring the moby or the ergo carrier) Even with the setbacks though, we had a tiring, rewarding day.

I love those big, blue eyes! Oliver is such a great baby in the car...most of the time. :)

Arriving at the visitor's center for Martin's Cove with Devil's Gate in the background.

There were deer and other wildlife all along the trail.

Oliver slept most of the way while Brian carried him on the trail.

The visitor's center is NOT right at the cove. To get to the cove requires a 5.3 mile round trip hike on a dirt trail!  Wearing 4 inch wedge sandals = so, so dumb. I couldn't wrap my head around the idea of driving all the way there and not going all the way, so hiked the whole thing with me in these shoes and no baby carrier. I figured if the pioneers could do it the snow without shoes, we could suck it up and do it too. We were slow, and I have blisters on top of blisters, but we made it. I have such a deep appreciation for the pioneer's sacrifice, but man, oh man am I grateful to have been born now and not then! 

Wide open spaces! It's such a different world out here.

So here is the actual cove. We made it all the way around. Going to the site gave me a new appreciation for the saints.  Martin's cove is not close to SLC. I can't even imagine the dispare of getting stuck in the Wyoming cold and most especially the intense wind they have here with little/no supplies and knowing how much further they still had to go (It's at least 6 hours by car.) So grateful for their faith and for the rescuers who came to help them. So many miracles took place here.

Devil's Gate. By the time we got back from Martin's Cove, my feet were DONE! We didn't hike all the way to Devil's Gate, so this picture will have to do.

Half way between Martin's Cove and Casper is Independence Rock. I'm not going to lie, I was  expecting more for some reason. Somewhat underwhelming...

Casper seemed like paradise after almost a month in Rawlins. There were actually trees, and they have a Walmart! Because Martin's Cove had taken so much longer than we were expecting and because my feet were broken, we almost just went home instead of making it all the way. I'm glad we decided to go anyway. Not only did we get to see a double rainbow that became a full rainbow, but we got to eat some of the best ribs of my entire life at Golden Corral. I know...not where you would expect to find great ribs...but seriously this was maybe the best Golden Corral I've ever been to. They also had a chocolate fountain, great soft serve and regular ice cream, delicious rolls, and great mashed potatoes. Not a bad way to end a crazy, long, adventurous Saturday!