Some fun

Yesterday was one of Berto's days off. We went to Tempe (we were hoping to meet up with an old patient of his who's in town for Spring Training but we didn't end up seeing them :() Anyway, we found this really cool park along what we think is the Salt River but we're not really sure... anyway, it's called Tempe Beach Park. It was really cool. Next time we're going to rent a petal boat and petal around the water! Oliver especially loved chasing the birds and it's very close to the airport so every minute or two there is a plane flying above you and Oliver LOVES planes... so he was in heaven!

Also, Berto's Aunt Alicia has been visiting for several weeks from Guadalajara, Mexico. She left today to go visit some other family in Cali but before she left we snapped a photo of her and Oliver! She's such a sweet lady... and she really likes my cooking! She wanted my recipes! She's too cute!

Texture Aversion Or Just a Picky Eater???

So just after Oliver got his 12 month shots he got pretty sick. While he was sick he wanted to mostly nurse and NOT EAT... well since then we have had quite a lot of problems getting him to eat much of anything. He is still not weened (I'm working on that) and just had his "preferences." I've been noticing that a lot of things that bother him could be a texture issue. And things he used to LOVE (which used to be pretty much anything I put in front of him) he won't eat. For instance raisins, eggs, ground beef, rice noodles (he has a gluten sensitivity so nothing with wheat for him). He'll usually just refuse it and at the suggestion of his pediatrician I usually don't make it a fight at mealtime/snack time. Sometimes I'll just shove something into his mouth to get him to at least try it. If it's most of the things I mentioned above (plus many, many more) he'll just spit them out. Usually he'll keep cereal, chicken, yogurt, applesauce and a few other things in.... it is getting to be quite frustrating for me. I worry that he's not getting the proper nutrition. And he used to eat any fruit or veggie I put in front of him.... now he won't eat most fruits or veggies. Every once in a while he'll eat some but not to often. I don't want to go back to spoon feeding him baby food purees because I don't want to get him back on those types of foods but I'm at a loss. Any suggestions??? I got a food journal so I can keep track of what he'll eat and what he won't and all of that fun stuff so I can take it to his doctor and see if it's an actual problem or if he's just a picky little eater? We're also going to start juicing some fruits and veggies and making popcicles so that he'll at least be getting some of the nutrients from the fruits and veggies in some form... what a stressful time for this mommy!

Anyway, any advice would be welcomed!

The Phoenix Zoo

So yesterday since Oliver is feeling better and the weather has been really nice we took a trip to the zoo! We had so much fun and so did Oliver! He loved every minute of it. He just stared at everything and kept saying "wow" at all the animals! It was so stinking cute! He was such a good boy! We are so glad we went! I'm pretty sure Oliver's favorite part was the sting rays. My brave little 15 month old even stuck his hand in the water and touched one (I missed it with the camera darn it). It was so funny though. They kept swimming up and he all of a sudden just stuck his hand in as one was coming. He loved it! I'm sure if he could have he would have just jumped right in the water with them! Anyway, my mom went with us and it was just a really great day!

SIck Again

So about two weeks ago now (I've been too busy to update) our little neighbor boy brought over a cold bug! It was a nasty one and got Oliver really good. Four visits to the doctor later he's on the mend! After a couple of days with the cold I took him in for another croup sounding cough. He was given a steroid in the doctors office and sent home. It was definitely croup.... by the following Monday (that was Friday) he was wheezing so I took him back in and it had become bronchiolitis. Apparently that is something that only kids under two can get... well that day we had a nubulizer delivered to us and we have been giving Oliver breathing treatments with albuteral ever since. The next Friday we went back in because he was acting like his ears were bothering him and sure enough it had become an ear infection! It's been a fun winter.. lol! Anyway, Oliver has been really good with is breathing treatments. I plug it in right in front of the T.V. and let him watch a movie while he has his treatment. He just sits there and is such a good boy! I'm so glad he's FINALLY feeling better!

The Big Race

Running to the Finish Line!

The Last Stretch of The Race!

The Bailey Twins! This Was For Them!

Waiting

Waiting

Before The Race

Just Arriving to the Big Event!

There I am!

Me and Allison Waiting for the Race to Start!

And Again!

And Again!

This is Me After the Race with My Baby Boy!

Okay, so the pictures are totally out of order but oh well! Today was our big little race! It was for the Bailey Twins. They are conjoined twins that are here in Queen Creek. They are conjoined at the heart and the liver and have already out lived their life expectancy! They are so cute. There is a picture above! Anyway, Allison and I were totally nervous because even though it was just a short 3k race it was a first for both of us. But we had a blast and have already committed to start working towards a 5k and we're going to get our hubbies to tag along next time too! It was a great experience and I loved every minute of it! I was so proud of myself for achieving this goal! It was a great feeling to make it to the finish line and know that I accomplished something I set out to do! What a great day!

Our Valentines Day

This morning I went downstairs to see my beautiful flowers, candy and card from my hubby! He works nights and was able to sneak them in on his way home so I was surprised! I gave him a card and his favorite reeses peanut butter cups. I also made him some heart shaped cookies and I spelled out I-heart-U-4-e-v-e-r! They turned out kinda cute! We had a busy day with my race (which will be in the next post) and Berto had to work. So I made us some yummy egg sandwiches and we just took it easy for a couple of hours together before we headed out to the race.

Thanks honey for the flowers! I loved them! You are so sweet!!

My love, My life...

In honor of Valentines Day I thought I'd take a minute to publicly express my love for my dear, sweet husband. What a lucky girl I am to have married my best friend and the love of my life. He is everything to me. (Well him and Oliver). In our two years of marriage we have seen some trying times with regards to our extended family and he has been at my side through all of it. I am truly grateful for his sweet heart, funny personality and desire to work so hard for us. He works so hard on homework, staying up late and waking up early, all while trying to make time for Oliver and me as well! And sometimes I can be quite demanding of time... he's so patient!

Thank you Roberto for all you do for us. You are such a wonderful man, I love you with all of my heart and my love for you grows stronger and stronger with each passing day!! Happy Valentines Day!

Where oh where have I been??

I haven't blogged in FOREVER! I guess there hasn't been much going on with us lately. Oliver is of course keeping us busy, busy, busy!! We are adjusting to Berto's hours and intensive school work and miss him a lot!

These are just some fun pictures. Oliver LOVES to eat cereal for breakfast and his favorite part is drinking the milk out of the bowl! With Oliver's gluten allergies we've had some trouble finding cereal that he can actually eat. We did however recently find some Organic Gluten free puffs that he absolutely loves... I actually do too! =) So we have a couple cute pictures of Oliver eating cereal for breakfast!

The other pictures are from this past Tuesday. It was Berto's day off and we decided to go to a different park. We have one right across the street from us that we go to almost everyday but we decided to take him to a different one. We had fun playing and running around for a while with daddy!

That's pretty much all that's been going on with us lately. I'm running in a little race with my friend Allison on Saturday. Nothing big. Neither of us have ever run a race before and wanted to start out slow. I know myself and if I would have done more than a 3k to start I would have burned myself out and probably wouldn't have actually made it. It should be fun. It's for a good cause too which always makes you feel good!

15 Month Stats

So Oliver had his 15 month check up. I can't believe he's already 15 months old. Where does the time go? It was a good check up! He's maintaining his big size and has been consistently in the 90-95th percentiles for height and the 95-100th for weight! We had a good visit with his AMAZING pediatrician yesterday. Our ped in CA used to drive me crazy because she would try to tell me I over feed Oliver because he's so big. Well that is NOT the case, in fact I am constantly concerned that he isn't eating quite enough... but he continues to gain weight so I guess I shouldn't worry. Anyway, Dr. Garcia agrees with me that Oliver is not really fat he's just a very solid kid. It was just nice to have the reassurance from the doctor you know?! Anyway, during the visit Oliver amazed her. For about a month now he's been very interested in coloring and using pens and "drawing." Well, when she came into the exam room she set her pen down on the table and he started reaching for it. The pen was next to Oliver's sippy cup and she assumed that's what he was reaching for and handed it to him. He continued to motion for the pen and so I told her he was probably actually reaching for her pen. She was astounded that he even knew what it was. So she proceeded to hand him the pen and turn over his chart so he could draw on the back. Well, she told me she things Oliver is the most advanced 15 month old she's ever seen. And she's not a new doctor. I thought that was pretty cool. I have always thought Oliver was a little advanced and have often thought I'm in trouble when he's older. But I thought that was quite a statement coming from the doctor. All in all we had an excellent visit yesterday!

Here are his stats: (you are going to be shocked and amazed.. lol)

Height 2' 9" (or 33 inches) between the 90th and the 95th percentiles
Weight: 36 lbs between the 95th and the 100th percentiles
Head Circum. 47 cm between the 25th and the 50th percentiles... I guess Oliver has a freakishly small head! Just Kidding! =) To me it looks big but I guess not!

Thanks for letting me brag once again about my baby boy!

Bragging Rights

So first of all I have to thank Katrina Parker for helping me learn how to make this little layout! I still have some learning to do but it was fun to play around and create this little page!

Okay, now for the bragging! So Oliver is getting so smart! Everyday he learns or does or says something new but in the last week he's done to things that have totally amazed me! First, my sister in law Terry had given him a little book that teaches where your eyes, ears, mouth, nose and chin are. I hadn't taken that particular book out for a couple of weeks but a few days ago decided to hand Oliver that book when we were doing out story time that evening. When I handed him the book he happened to open it up to the ears page, when he did he looked at it and while pointing at the little picture of the kid pointing at his ears he pulled on his other ear. I thought that was so amazing and cute!

The other thing I wanted to brag about is this. I have always sang to him the Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree song and done the hand motions. Ever since he was a young baby. For a couple of months now he does some of the motions with me which is so dang cute. Well, yesterday morning he was on his changing table while I was changing his diaper. He started sayong "PopPo" which sounds a little bit like the way he says puppy so without looking at him I said "What are you saying puppy?" Then I looked at him as he repeated it. What I saw was Oliver doing the hand motions while he said "pop po" which is apparently popcorn! What a proud moment!!

Sunday Best

Oliver was so cute today! I found this ADORABLE shirt and tie set and have been waiting for him to be able to wear it! He looked so cute! I was so proud of him... he didn't even try to take the tie off. In fact he never even touched it once!

Also, Oliver was such a good boy at church today! We only had to take him out once! That is such an improvement! It was so nice to be able to sit through church. We're teaching primary the 5-6 year old's (that is Sunday School for the 5-6 year old age kids). Since Oliver isn't old enough to go to the nursery he goes to class with us. The first week it was a challenge, but this week he was happy sitting and playing (even coloring) in the back of the class with is daddy. It was an all around good church day for us! YAY!!!

Oliver Dancing for your viewing pleasure!

Oliver loves to dance... this is such a cute video of him dancing.... please take note that at only 14 months of age he's already much better a dancer than his dad! =) Love you Babe!!

I just made the yummiest dinner

I just made the most delicious dinner! We had pan seared Tilapia with chile lime butter and coconut rice. It was SO GOOD! Here are the recipes... you should try them!!!

Tilapia Recipe- By the way, I didn't feel like chopping up a chile so I just shook in some crushed red pepper flakes to the heat that I liked and that turned out well and was easy!
Coconut Rice Recipe

Seriously both of these recipes are keepers!! YUM!!

My Hardest Day Yet

So Oliver has croup. Last night my father in law and I packed Oliver in the car (Berto was at work) and took him to Urgent Care. (Side note for those of you that live in Queen Creek there is this amazing Pediatrics Urgent care in Gilbert called Good Night Pediatrics, they are open from 5 pm to 5 am 365 days a year. I highly recommend them). Anyway, the poor little guy wasn't really showing any signs of being sick just a slight fever yesterday morning. I thought it was teething. Well, by about 6:30 pm Oliver had this very nasty cough and a rattle in his chest. It seemed to come out of nowhere. I watched it for a while and then decided to call our insurances nurse hotline and talk to a nurse. She didn't really think I needed to go in but something told me I should anyway. So I asked Berto's dad to drive us so I could sit in the back with Oliver.

The hard part was having to hold my poor screaming baby while he recieved interveinus antibiotics and while he received a breathing treatment through a nebulizer. It was so hard. I was proud of myself for being strong and not crying myself. ( I really wanted to at some points) But I knew it was what he needed. I'm so glad I decided to listen to my instincts and take him in. It would have been a lot worse today if I had waited. Oliver is taking a little nap. A much needed nap... I hope my little baby gets better quick!

Happy Birthday Honey

Today is my Berto's birthday! Yes he is a new years baby! We don't have too much planned today. Last night we had our new friends Allison and Jason and their kids over for dinner and some yummy (if I do say so myself) bread pudding! It was fun getting to know them a little better!

I'm so grateful for Roberto and the hard work and sacrifices he makes for Oliver and me each day. He's such a goof ball and that is just ONE of the many things I admire in him. I appreciate his ability to bring the goofball out in me... something that is not always easily done! But as you can see in this lovely picture he does make that happen! I hope you have a wonderful 32nd Birthday babe! I love Roberto you are so special to me! Thank you for being such a wonderful husband and father!

Merry Christmas

We wanted to take this opportunity to wish all of our loved ones a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!! We hope that you were able to see your loved ones and remember the true meaning of Christmas! We had a good year. The biggest change was our move to Arizona. We're really starting to like it here, thanks to some new friends!!

At church this past month we've been hearing a lot about seeing the Christ in Christmas and it has really helped us keep our perspective of what Christmas is really all about. We pray that the Lord is with all of you during this holiday season and always.

All our love,

Roberto, Elizabeth and Oliver

Fun Videos of Oliver

Oliver is so fun! Here are some fun videos of Oliver! Enjoy!

Just some random stuff

Last week our neighborhood was supposed to have a Christmas party for the little kids. Well, it was canceled at the last minute. ( we found out by a note on the door of the house it was supposed to be at) Anyway, I tried so hard to get a good picture of Oliver with his little santa hat on... I did not have any luck... here are two of the best shots!

Also a couple of cute pics of Oliver at the library! We love going to the library... and the one we go to has a lot of fun things for the little kids to do!!

And lastly just a cute little video of Oliver playing with a snowman!

Twins

Our little neighbor and Oliver have matching shirts. Mauricio came in his today so I decided to put Oliver in his and take a couple of pictures!

Oliver's Spot

Oliver has decided that he has his own special spot. For some reason he loves to sit under the island in between two stools. It's so funny but he loves it!!

Church Update

Oliver is getting a little better at church. I took my friend Heather's advice and when we take him out into the hall we don't let him down. Then when we're in the Chapel he will happily sit and read books or eat snacks. It's a process but we're getting better and this past Sunday I didn't want to run out of church crying by the end! YAY!!!

So smart

Oliver is so smart! He still does new things everyday and I love being able to see him grow and learn. Yesterday, he was drinking some milk and was done. I said "okay Oliver you're all done now" and he said raised his hands up as if he were going to ask a question, cocked his head to the side and said " All Gone?" It was so cute! I wish I would have had my camera so you could all see how adorable his expression was! It was just the cutest thing ever! I love this little boy!

Little Theif

Today Oliver was following Berto's aunt around the kitchen begging for bites of a tostada! It was so funny... but the funniest part was when she chipped off a little piece of tostada and went to hand it to Oliver and he snatched the bigger part of the tostada and started chowing down! It was so funny! All I got was this picture of his prize but I was laughing so hard at my little begger boy!

Cookie Monster

My mom informed me today that I'm not blogging enough for her! I'm tired and don't have a lot of time today but here is a cute video of our little cookie monster in the making! :)

My sweet boy

I realized today that my previous post about Oliver's tantrums during church was based on my complete exhaustion after three hours of trying to keep him quiet! I failed to mention that he does have a few shining moments during church. Whenever we sing a hymn he stops whatever he's doing and "sings" with us. It's the cutest thing and I wish I could get it on video!! Anyway, just a little after thought!