OUR BABY ODEE J.

another blog change

2010-09-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention that the new blogspot is not so easy to remember.

I have decided to change the boys blog to: odenandramsey.blogspot.com

I hope this is easier for everyone to remember so that you can continue to see the boys with ease :)

Hogan Boys Takeover

2010-06-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

I think I have mentioned this before but, I will soon be solely posting on a new blog dedicated to both boys. From now on please go to:

www.hoganboystakeover.blogspot.com

I do plan on posting a video montage of Oden over the last 2 1/2 years sometime soon. Who really knows what 'sometime soon' means anymore though. It could be a week, or maybe a year. It will get done though, and that will be the Oden baby blog's last post.

I just posted Ramsey's birth story and a really cute video on the new blog so check it out!

A Ring Bearer Story

2010-05-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

Oden was privileged to be in a wedding two weekends ago, May 15 2010. For those of you that recall, he was part of a proposal a while back for Jess's cousin Jen and, her now husband, Ian. Shortly after the acceptance of the proposal, they asked if Oden would be their ring bearer. We gladly accepted. After accepting, I pretty much had anxiety about it up until it was over. Sure a 2 1/2 year old would be adorable in a tux walking down the aisle, but getting a 2 1/2 year old to do anything YOU want them to do is basically impossible. As the day grew nearer, all of the details made us more excited and more scared at the same time. We thought about cutting off is mohawk for the occasion, but just couldn't actually do it. However, we did take him for his first professional haircut the weekend before the wedding. We wanted to make sure it looked flawless. Twenty dollars later we realized, it wasn't a better haircut than I could've given him myself. We took him to one of those specialized kids haircutting places. He sat in Lightening McQueen, and got to watch TV during his cut. Needless to say, with those distractions he did really good. Attempting to try on his tux was a multiple day process. He is not a fan of getting dressed. So, one day I tried on the top half and the next I tried on the bottom. Everything fit perfectly. To complete his wedding ensemble, Jen bought him a pair of black Nike gym shoes. They matched everything perfectly, and they were exactly Oden's style. The Friday before the wedding was the rehearsal and dinner. He was very crabby because he had taken a late nap and we had to wake him up to go. As soon as we arrived at the church, his attitude took a complete turn. He was great! Everyone was teaching him to run up and down the aisle (to make him more comfortable with the church). When it was time to practice, he did his job. We were lucky that Papa Joe was a groomsman because we just told him to go find Papa. We just had to cross our fingers that things would go as smoothly for the actual ceremony. Jess and I derived a plan to keep Oden behaved and on track for the big day. We bought a train with two pieces. When it was time to put on his tux and get ready to go we told him about his new train and that if he was a good boy he could have it. About half way through getting him dressed we let him hold the train in the package. Then we kept telling him to be a good boy and Papa would open it later. When we got to the church and saw Papa, he immediately asked to open it. So we gave him one piece and had Papa hold the other piece at the end of the aisle. Sure enough, when it was time to walk down the aisle he held onto his train and went to retrieve the other half. He walked like an angel!! He didn't even run! We did forget to give him the ring bearer pillow to carry, but at least he walked down well behaved. Then, he came and sat by me and Gramma Dee Dee. About 5 minutes into the ceremony he climbed on Gramma Dee Dee and fell asleep, for the remainder of the service!! It was unbelievably perfect! It was a perfect wedding for a perfect couple. Jen and Ian looked amazing, and the ceremony was beautiful. For the rest of the day, Oden was awesome. We came back to our house for a while and he did not want to even take the jacket of his tux off! I think he felt fancy :) Then we went to Uncle Mike and Aunt Linda's to hang out before the reception. He just played foosball, and trains until it was time to go to the reception. Oden stayed for about a half hour at the reception, and just basically danced and ran around the whole time. Then Gramma Dee Dee came and picked him up so we could relax and enjoy the rest of the night. Overall, I would say that the day couldn't have gone any better for Oden and us. All that anxiety and worry was for nothing. I guess Oden is just a good boy! The reception was equally as awesome as the rest of the day. Everything was beautiful, and tons of fun! Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Jones!! You guys make an amazing couple. And thank you for wanting Oden to be a part of it. We created some of my favorite memories of all time.

Our family picture, at the reception just before Oden left.

Papa Joe talking to Oden about this whole walking down the aisle thing....

My new favorite picture of all time. He's a little stud.
Papa Joe, Oden, and Jess. Three Hogan generations.
The Bride, The Groom, The Ring Bearer, and the pillow!! LOL!

Mr. and Mrs. Ian Jones, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

C'est la Vie!!!

2010-05-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

April 2010 is going to go down in our family history as one of the longest, and most trying months EVER! For those of you who are unaware of the story, I am going to tell it in the 'nut shell' version.

Jess has had digestive issues since birth. Prior to this incident, he had already undergone 2 surgeries throughout his lifetime for bowel obstructions. He is always in pain after eating, and unable to hold a healthy weight because of his health problems. The Saturday before Easter he started to complain of a very intense pain in his stomach, and decided it was time to go to the ER. They admitted him to the hospital that night. For a week after he was admitted he went through a bunch of tests and then our specialist final decided it was time for surgery. He went in for his first surgery on Sunday April 11th. He had a very rare condition called intestinal vernacular hypoplasia (sp?), which was corrected when the surgeon removed the affected area in this surgery. The doctor also cleaned up his scar tissue and assured us that everything looked great. He was released from the hospital the following Friday. Then Sunday he was having severe pain again, so he was taken back to the ER. During testing in the ER they noticed a bowel obstruction and Jess had to undergo emergency surgery. After this second surgery and another 5 days recovery in the hospital he was released on the following Friday. Two days later on the following Monday, he was having horrible pain again and was admitted directly into the hospital, bypassing the ER this time. At this point he was not reacting to his medicine well, and was on the verge of dehydration. He stayed in for a couple of days this trip, and I am happy to say that his last day in the hospital was Tuesday, April 27th. He is recovering and we hope there are no more trips for him to the hospital, EVER (or at least any time soon). Jess basically spent a whole month in the hospital.

Oden did OK throughout all of this. At times it was hard for him to adjust to bouncing around from place to place. But overall, I think he did great. He is very happy to have his Daddy home! Every time Oden would talk to Jess on the phone he would say, "Come home Daddy!"

We are all happy to have Jess back home.

In the meantime we have been preparing for baby Ramsey. I think Oden is starting to kind of understand what's going on. He has been very nice to me lately, and has eased up on the wrestling and kicking. He also kisses my tummy and calls it baby Ram! It will be interesting to see how he reacts to a new little one in the house :)

Here are a few new pictures. Things have been so crazy lately that it's easy to forget to pull out the camera. I want to remember to take more so I have record of his cuteness!

I keep telling everyone that this will be the summer of injuries. See the huge bruise on his head? He has had many just like that already since the weather has warmed up!

Playing baseball. He's pretty good at throwing, catching is another story....

This was one of our final days hanging out with Maddie :( bittersweet.

My friend, Sonji, threw me a 'Baby Sprinkle' on May 1st. This is Oden fake crying because he didn't want to share with the other kids while opening presents. Sharing is definitely a challenge!

Oden and I after the Sprinkle, I'm 8 months pregnant and I feel like I've

been pregnant for 8 years!

P.S. Congrats to the Hair Family on Baby Jocelyn, and to the Buffington Family on Baby Kimball!

We're alive!

2010-04-22T18:30:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone! I just wanted to assure you that we are all still alive and kicking. I know it has been a while since my last blog, but I promise an awesome update very soon!

Big Boy Bed and a little bubbles

2010-03-29T07:23:00.000-07:00

Over the last 2 years, we have had a very hard time getting Oden to sleep in his own bed. It's safe to say that he pretty much always has slept in our bed. Occasionally we would let him fall asleep in our bed, then transfer him to his bed/crib with hopes he would sleep through the night. After uncountable failed attempts with that method, and numerous attempts at implementing other routines, there was a point about 2 months ago where we just gave up. He was in our bed, and neither Jess nor I had the energy to try and change it. Then we realized, soon there would be 4 of us in one queen sized bed if we continued down this road. Bravely, Jess decided about two weeks ago to start transitioning Oden into his room. Jess made accommodations for himself by bringing in the TV/DVD player (he can't sleep without the background noice/light). I swore that I would not bring a TV into my kids rooms until...... well never! I really don't see the need for it. In this situation, when Jess was going to be completely uncomfortable during this new process, how could I say no? We pulled out the futon in Oden's room and that is where Jess and Oden have been sleeping up until 3 nights ago. This is the most uncomfortable futon you will ever come into contact with. It was very inexpensive, and we definitely got what we paid for. I would compare it to sleeping on a wooden board padded with paper towels. I think sleeping on the floor might have been more comfortable for them both. I do commend Jess for sleeping there so so long, I know I would not have been able to handle it. One day Oden's auntie Olivia was over and I was telling her the story when she mentioned that there were two twin beds in the basement at The Hogan house, and we could probably have one. Sweet! So Jess made arrangements with Papa Joe and Grandma Honey, and the bed was delivered with love this past Friday. It is perfect, and it looks great in the room! So this was the first weekend that Oden and Jess slept in a 'big boy bed'! I had planned on picking up some cheap sheets and a blanket for the bed over the weekend, as the sheets they were using we borrowed. While Jess and I were working on Saturday I received a call from Papa Joe and Grandma Honey (who were watching Oden). They asked what my plans were for blankets and stuff because they were on a field trip at Target and spotted some Thomas bedding. I told Grandma Honey (Laura) I had planned on getting something over the weekend but they were more than welcome to give me a head start, if they wanted to. When we all arrived home a few hours later, I was completely surprised when Jess started unloading the car and the entire Thomas bed set. Oden was attached to it immediately! He wouldn't lay down for his nap until we took it ALL out of the packages and piled it on top of him! From there, it was quite a task getting everything washed. Oden freaked out anytime and piece of the set was out of sight! After a few wash loads, it was time to put everything on the new bed. I have one word for the event....priceless. I don't think I've ever seen him so excited. It started with the pillowcase on the pillow. I didn't witness this part, but Jess says he was shaking with excitement. Then with the sheets and the blankets, he went into periods of OOOH's and AAAHHH's, followed by hysterical laughter. It was so fun to watch. Hopefully this new bed with Thomas and Friends will encourage Oden to stay in it. We are now working on phasing Jess out of there, but I think we are headed in the right direction! I just wanted to thank Joe and Laura for all of their help with the bed, and the bedding. And generally for their kindness and generosity. We all appreciate it!! Enjoy the pictures and videos of this momentous occasion :)

That's one happy boy!

Just leave me alone already, I'm ready for bed!!

I love the end when he;s jumping and saying, "Tommy Bed!" at the same time

We made a pit stop on Sunday and Papa and Odee got to play with some bubbles.

This video is just so dang cute!

Starting the spring out right

2010-03-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

The spring air persuaded us to take a trip to the zoo today. What a wonderful day it was! We decided to invest in a family pass for the Brookfield Zoo, which will last until June 2011. We are very excited to take Oden and the new baby to the Zoo as much as possible, as it is one of Jess and my favorite places. Oden was very excited about everything, except the monkeys. For some reason he was actually afraid of them! Interesting..... His favorite animals were probably the lions and tigers. It was awesome to watch him recognize the animals and just watch them. We also went into the family zoo part. It was free today, so it was very crowded but what an amazing place. Oden learned how to 'mist' plants with a spray water bottle, which he LOVED. He also loved running around in the tunnels that were in there. On our way out, Oden was given a plastic piggy bank and has been attached to it all day. For the last hour or so he has been putting coins into it and taking them out, transferring coins into cups, back into the piggy bank, and randomly attempting to put coins in other items as well. He is so cute. I think this is going to be a great year for the zoo!

It was a great time, from the beginning....

Learning to spray the plants, this little boy decided that Oden looked green I guess.

"I'm having so much fun!"

Checking out those big cats.

An exhausting day at the zoo warrants a big bowl of sherbert :)

Terrible, Horrible, Unbareable Two's

2010-02-15T05:51:00.000-08:00

I just noticed that it has been over one month since my last post. OOPS! I blame these babies completely. Oden is definitely is his terrible two's (times 10). He has been the craziest, most horribly behaved boy ever! I just don't even know what to do anymore! I'm hoping that he's just going crazy from being in the house all the time. Hopefully, the weather will warm up soon so we can go outside to get rid of his energy. Right now, everything is a fight. From changing diapers, to sharing toys, or even sitting down to eat. He fights me at every turn!! I have not found an effective punishment method yet. He will not sit still for time-outs, I don't spank, I don't like to yell, I've tried putting him in our laundry room alone, I've also tried his bedroom for time-outs. All with no avail. I've had quite a few people tell me that he just knows how to push my buttons. I recite the serenity prayer to myself multiple times daily. I can't imagine that throwing an infant into the mix is going to make things better. I have a feeling that this is going to be 'the crazy house' for a while! On a side note, Oden's speech has been developing at a rapid pace. Majority of his language only Mom and Dad can understand. He is very vocal about everything now. It is fun to just sit and watch him play. He's constantly babbling and you can almost see the gears turning and his imagination working! He also has very good manners. We have been very persistent with him, saying please and thank you, and it is paying off. For example, yesterday Papa Joe and Grandma Honey (Laura) came over to give Odee a Valentine's Day gift. He was given two new books. He said thank you to both right away. Then, when he was playing with them later in the night he all of a sudden said, "Dane You Papa Grama!" It as very cute. It makes us very happy to be raising a polite boy. Hopefully the craziness with fade in time. The baby in my tummy has been moving around a lot lately too. Jess finally got to feel it the other day. That was very exciting. I tried getting Oden to hold still and put his hand on my tummy, but he just can't seem to stay still for that long. Perhaps having a sibling will calm Oden down and make him the world best big brother?! I know it's doubtable, but I can dream can't I?!

Valentine's Day family picture

Oden coloring in his new WonderPets pajamas!

I love the cape! He can be the forth WonderPet member!

Dad and Odee getting ready for a car ride.

Oden is wearing Jess's hat. Yes, Oden has a huge head!

Snap Shots from my phone

2010-01-11T07:12:00.000-08:00

Here are some random pictures that I have been taking on my phone over the last couple of months. A lot of times it is easier to just grab my phone, then to pull out the camera.

This picture was a day or two after Christmas. Oden received a Black and Decker tool set from his Aunt Maggie. After several attempts and demonstrations by Dad, Oden finally decided that he was ready to become Oden the Tool Man! It was very cute. I kept telling him that he looked like one of his favorite Disney characters, Handy Manny.

This picture was taken the the day after Christmas. It is clear that Oden has a mild case of OCD, just like his Dad. He likes to line up all of his trains and just admire at them. Also notice the amazing Thomas train table in the background. Yes, Thomas has taken over our house!!

I found these pajamas for Oden on the clearance rack at Kohl's. They are an imitation of super hero uniforms, and on the left chest they read "Dad's Lil Sidekick"! They have become an absolute favorite! This night he took Dads alarm clock cover and put it over his eyes like super hero glasses. He is our little super man!!

Oden really loves our cat. On this particular day he really loved the cat's bed. He was in and out of it all day, and of course covered in white hair. I think he was imitating the cat.

For those of you that haven't seen this picture yet, it's from the infamous baby powder incident. One day while Oden was watching his morning Thomas, I ran upstairs to get ready for Maddie to come over. I figured he would be OK by himself for 10 minutes while he hung out with Thomas. After getting ready I was heading down the stairs when I noticed the faint smell of baby powder. I had just used it on Oden before heading upstairs, so I thought my pregnant bionic nose was just kicking in. Then after rounding the stairs I saw Oden shaking baby powder all over the ground! And not just the ground, a lot of his trains and train tracks. I gasped for a second, then I looked at him and he smiled at me, and I just started laughing. I quickly snapped this picture before the clean up process began. Baby powder is not the easiest thing to clean up. Let's just say we were cleaning up the fine dust for weeks after. It was a priceless moment though. How can you be mad at that face?! I must not have closed the powder after using it because he has tried to shake the baby powder container since then but can't figure out how to open it (thank goodness). I will never forget this moment though. Priceless.

Oden's 2nd Birthday

2010-01-03T06:33:00.000-08:00

Oden's birthday festivities started on his actual birthday, which was this past Wednesday. He has pretty much been spoiled rotten since the weekend before Christmas! On his birthday we went to Chuck E. Cheese, compliments of Gramma and Grampa Dee Dee. It was really fun! He was running around the entire time. I barely got him to stop long enough to eat a few bites of pizza. That's the story of his life though, always running!! Then, midway through the Chuck E. Cheese excursion he received a present of 3 bath tub Thomas toys, which he carried around with him the rest of our time there. Keep in mind that he is not a mutant baby and he only has two hands. So you can just imagine him, and us, juggling Thomas toys all night! It was his day so we let him do whatever he wanted to do!! Yesterday we had his big party at Bouncin Bonkers. This place is really neat. It's brand new and it's basically a brightly colored, slightly upgraded, sectioned warehouse with a cushioned floor and those outdoor blow up apparatus' inside! There were 8 kids total there, but a lot of big kids too! Everyone was able to take advantage of the fun, if they chose to do so. It is the perfect place for Oden, because he can just run! That's exactly what he did too! He was running back and forth between the playroom and the room with his huge Thomas cake in it. It was a perfect birthday celebration! Something tells me that this year is going to be a very busy one. I almost wish that someone bought us a heavy dumbbell so that we could tie it around him to keep him still for a moment! I am not currently a fan of his constant movement but overall I would have to say we have an awesome, happy boy. We look forward to many, many, many more birthdays!!

Birthday party and cake #1! He blows out his own candle!

He loves this merry-go-round

Having fun with Dad at party #2

Wild Thing!

Just like I said, always running.....

We forgot candles so he blew out 2 lighters...LOL!

Surrounded by a mountain of gifts!!!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T09:27:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from Christmas this year, which was amazing! It's great to see Oden become so interactive with EVERYTHING that is Christmas. From baking cookies, to opening presents, to talking about Santa, he understood it all this year. We really had a lot of fun. Oden, was of course, spoiled rotten. I really think that he appreciated all of his gifts. He has played with everything he received! His favorite toy is his new Thomas the train table. He plays with it for hours everyday. As if we didn't need a bigger house already, now we really need some extra space (just for all of his toys)! We really had a great time with all of our family this year too. All of the Christmas parties were great, and the new traditions that we started will hopefully be lasting :) Thank you to everyone in each of our families for making this Holiday Season one to cherish forever!!

Oden in the coolest hat ever!!

Opening presents, by the end of them all he was a professional!

Riding his new tractor!!

The Thomas the train table!!!

Oden and Santa 2009

2009-12-15T05:48:00.000-08:00

Oden went to visit Santa this past Sunday with Grandma DeeDee. Thank goodness she wanted to take him, otherwise he was just not going this year. Starting a couple of weeks ago, I had been trying to prepare him for any Santa encounters we might have this year. I bought him a Santa book and started reading it, and talking to him about Santa. He has a new obsession with sale flyers. He will find any flyer with a toy section, lay it out on the couch, point at what he wants (mainly trains or Handy Manny), put his hands together and say, "Please?" I started to tell him that he had to ask Santa please for the toys he wanted. Then he started pulling over our little rug with Santa on it, placing it next to the flyers, and saying please. It was so funny! I had to tell him not that Santa, the REAL Santa. Thankfully Oden is fully bribeable, for the most part. If you have candy, or tell him he can have something in exchange for good behavior, he will normally comply with your request. I told Grandma DeeDee about this, and suggested she used the bribery tactics. So she told him if he sat on Santa's lap they would go and get a Thomas train. She said he did good in the line, probably distracted by the kids and Christmas things. He held a sales flyer the whole time, to show to Santa. Then I guess the story goes, as soon as he got on Santa's lap he started balling! Poor Oden, he's just got ready for that scary, red guy yet! Then, Grandma DeeDee tried to go to the KayBeeToys in the mall and it was closed! She spotted a stand in the mall with a train in it, but it was for some stupid store that you have to order it and it comes in the mail. I guess Oden freaked out because he couldn't have it. She said it was a complete meltdown. They then headed for the toy section in Sears but found another stand where you could actually buy the Thomas toy presented and get it the same day. Overall, I think it was a fun experience for all involved. I think Oden even believes it was worth it, he has been attached to his new toy for the last 3 days. :) Maybe if I start preparing him now, by next year we might actually get a picture of him (and his sibling) smiling!

Christmas Monkey

2009-12-11T07:09:00.000-08:00

As brutal as winter has been already, it has also brought some great Oden moments. This is the first year where we can actually talk to Oden about what's going on and he understands. From Christmas decorations, to the snow outside, he gets very excited about all of these seemingly new things. A couple of weeks ago when it first snowed at night, Oden and I were out visiting friends. We happened to walk outside as it started to snow pretty good and Odee shouted out with glee, "OOOOHHHH!!" To which I replied, "Yeah, pretty snow!" It was such a cute moment. Then I let him touch the powdery snow on our car. He looked and me bright eyed and said, "COLD!" It was such a cute moment. I will never forget it. He is also doing surprisingly well with the Christmas decorations. His only real interest is the Shrek candy canes on the tree. He is pretty much obsessed with Shrek, so when we saw these candy canes at the store I knew he would freak if I even attempted to put them back. I think he appreciated that purchase and my understanding, he held the box all day before we put them on the tree. This Christmas season has already been so exciting and memorable, I cannot wait to see what new memories the coming weeks will bring. I'm not sure if we will be taking him to see Santa this year. Two hours in a line at the mall for a $20 picture of Oden screaming his head off hardly seems worth the effort, or the trauma!! But we will see....

Here are some pictures of Oden in my favorite Christmas jammies ever! My baby monkey in baby Christmas monkey pajamas!!

Oden kissing his Christmas moose.....
.....Oden deciding the moose looks tasty.

Turkey Day 2009

2009-11-27T08:12:00.000-08:00

I know I can speak for all of us when I say, we were very thankful to have such a wonderful Thanksgiving this year!

Our schedule of jumping from house to house this year worked out perfectly. I felt like we had a chance to spend quality time with all of our families. On Monday we went for a little Thanksgiving at my Mom's house. That was nice, and convenient for us because it meant one less place we had to rush to on actual Thanksgiving Day. So then on Thanksgiving, we started at Grammy Mary and Grandpa Scott's house. Grammy made an absolutely delicious breakfast for us! It was a breakfast of champions! Then we all gathered around the TV and watched the parade in New York. No one was in a rush, which was a really nice change. After that we went to Uncle Mike and Aunt Linda's house to hang out with the family and Grandpapa Joe and Grandmama Laura. They laid out a feast for kings! The food was so good, Jess was a little upset when it was time to leave. From there we headed to our final destination, Grampa and Gramma Dee Dee's! It was nice to see a bunch of my family that we don't get a chance to see often enough. And of course it was nice to get some of the Furr Family's famous Giblet gravy! YUMMY! By the end of a couple of hours there we were all exhausted!! But, It was overall a fabulous day!

We are so so thankful to have such wonderful people in our lives. We love our families so much, it's hard to put it into words. Each one of you brings such a special light into our lives, we would be lost without you. Thank you, for just being you. And thank you for loving us so unconditionally. WE ARE SO LUCKY!!!

Oden in his folding table fort.....

Trying to get some new profile pictures for Grammy.....

Save me Grandmama!!

Our second annual family pic at the beautiful Hogan house.

It was worth the wait, I hope!

2009-10-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

I am very sorry that I haven't updated the blog in a while. We have been very busy, and I think you will understand if you can make it through this blog!

For those of you who have not yet heard, we discovered about 3 weeks ago that Oden will have a sibling mid-June 2010. We are very excited! I remember my pregnancy with Oden being mildly difficult. In comparison to how I'm feeling so far in this pregnancy, it's not really comparable at all. I'm miserable. My exhaustion has hit record levels. I try to save all my energy for Oden everyday. Everything else gets put on the back burner. This blog has been saved as a draft 3 times already!

Oden is doing great! Although, We did have a scare with him a little over a week ago. It was Tuesday the 20th. Oden woke up and was just not himself. He pretty much layed around all day (this NEVER happens). From the morning on, I noticed he had a fever. It was around 101-102 on our thermometer. I was in contact with the doctors office several times throughout the day, and they basically said to monitor it, give him aspirin, and if the fever reached 103 to take him to the ER. We decided to try to run some errands after his first dose of Tylenol. After about 15 minutes in the car, he puked everywhere!!! It was so horrible. So when we got home after that, I did not feel like the medicine was helping his fever subside. He took a nap, that was longer than normal and then took his temp again. This time I compared Oden's temperature to Jess's temperature, Jess's temp was 95.6, and Oden's was 101.7. We thought that his breathing had gotten somewhat shallow so at that point, we decided it was time to go to the Emergency Room. When we arrived, we were given a mask to put over his little face and about a minute after that the nurse came over to check his breathing and ask about his symptoms. They took him straight back to admittance where his temp was 102.9 (I had given him Tylenol 1 hour before), he continued by freaking out and puking everywhere. All over his clothes, but thankfully into a garbage can also. They got all of us into a private room where they gave him a suppository, a steroid shot, a breathing treatment, followed by a series of tests. He was swabbed through the nose a couple of times, and then he had chest x-rays. By this time, Grandpa Joe, Grandma Laura, and Auntie Maggie had arrived with new clothes for Odee and some emotional support for all of us. After about 3 hours of being there, Oden started to perk up. He was running around the room, causing chaos as usual so we decided it was time to go. They prescribed us a bunch of medicine as well as a nebulizer. By the next afternoon, he was 100% better! Thank goodness! It wasn't the swine flu! He has had no symptoms since :)

Halloween this year was amazing! Oden went dressed as a monkey. I decided this because I call him my crazy monkey all the time! He was so cute. We were able to visit almost everyone (Sorry Grammy and Grandpa Scott!), and Oden was loving it. He didn't mind his costume at all, which really surprised me. We ended up taking him trick or treating at Grandpa Joe and Grandma Laura's house. It was very cold, but we were able to go to a few houses. He can't say trick or treat yet but he said, "PLEASE?" for almost every house. After the first house he sat on the ground beside his wagon in awe of the candy in his little bucket. Then, at the 5th house he got a Blow Pop sucker. This was his favorite treat!! We just started letting him have dum dum suckers every once in a while, so to him, this was the king of suckers!! He was thrilled!! He was pretty much done after he got that one, he chewed on the stick all the way back to the house. He also got to meet his newest cousin! Little Taylor Rose (only 6 weeks old) came to visit in her little pumpkin costume. Whenever she was out of sight, Oden would run around saying, "BayBee!" It was the most memorable Halloween yet!

Also, Jess and I got engaged on Halloween! He came home after work on Saturday and told Oden to bring me something. Oden was being slightly bratty so Jess had to continue his proposal without Oden's help. After a very touching speech and a few tears, I accepted whole heartedly. We will be setting a date very soon! So you see, we have been busy bees!! I will try my hardest to keep up on the blog from now on.

Here are some pictures from this Halloween season:

Oden did so good holding his little basket!

Trick or treating with Dad

Enjoying a Halloween treat.....Cheetos!!

Helping sort the candy for Grandma

He still remembers his baby toys

Working out with Grampa DeeDee!

My baby monkey!

Fun at the pumpkin patch

Of course he would fins the only train sign! LOL! We went on a train ride too!

Hi, Dora!

GO!! Having fun with Gramma DeeDee!

He's always on the move!

He was no help finding pumpkins, he just wanted to run.

KITTY!

A moment to catch my breath......

2009-09-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

We have been keeping very busy the last couple of weeks! Here are some brand new pictures of some of the fun things we have been doing. All I have to say is, I am one tired Mom!!

My friend Kelly and I, took our boys to this Bouncin' Bonkers place. It's a place just filled with those bouncy things you usually find rented in backyards. It was fun, but I think Oden is still a little too young to fully enjoy it. It was more like a crazy exercise for me!

Rylan and Oden tearing it up in the tunnels!

Get off that dirty floor you crazy kid! Well.....wait until I take your picture!

A beautiful day at the park with Gramma Dee Dee.....

.......and Maddie! Swingin Buddies

A day at the park with Uncle Mikey.

He helps sooooo much!

Oden in my favorite shirt of his, ever!

Yogurt is Yummy!

2009-08-31T12:22:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share with everyone Oden feeding himself yogurt for lunch. This is not a typical lunch, but he didn't drink much milk this morning so I was trying to up his protein for the day. He does not have much experience feeding himself with utensils. I blame myself completely for his inexperience. I would rather take the time to feed him myself than clean up the mess, that would inevitably be EVERYWHERE! That being said, I am putting in much more of an effort to let him have some independence with feeding. With the added hope that if he is feeding himself with new exciting tools, he might try (and like) more things! This video is really cute though :) and I am so thankful that he likes yogurt!

Stuff from my phone

2009-08-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some random cuteness that I remembered I have on my phone. A couple of them are from the beginning of the summer and the others are more recent. The quality is poor, but I know you will appreciate them anyways :)

He has been doing this all summer.....he stands in front of this baby pool at my moms, yells "GO!", and jumps in head first. It's hilarious!

This was a very random day this summer. We went for a walk with Heather and he had to have his stethoscope around his neck, and he actually kept his Sponge Bob sunglasses on!

This picture is part of his morning routine. He comes down first thing, runs over to his toys, grabs his Thomas box, and plays with/lines up all of his trains. Have I mention obsessed?!

I just took this one a couple of days ago. This is the little girl I am now watching two days a week, Maddie. I had a couple of new candles out and they were taking turns smelling them.

It was adorable!

This video is from when Jess got a new cell phone. Oden is always all up in our electronics, so as soon as he saw Dad's new phone he had to see ALL of it. Look for his little squatting dance!

A Day Out With Thomas

2009-08-14T18:44:00.001-07:00

Today was our day out with Thomas. This is something Tiff and I had been looking forward to taking Odee to for a long time. As the event neared closer I became increasingly more excited for it to finally be here. I was anxious for the look on his face as he witnessed his hero in the flesh. To provide some sort of a backdrop, if any of you are unaware of our little man, then you will have to know of his obsession with our friend Rev. W Awdry and what he has created out of narration and cleverly designed model trains. His name is Thomas and he is what Odee dreams of. From toys to clothes, cups to lunchboxes, he is everywhere our guy is. If there ever was a smug look upon Odee's face just find some sort of Thomas oriented trinket and his frown will immediately turn upside down. Thomas and Friends is to little boys what the spring training football, baseball in October, and the NHL/NBA playoffs push, is to grown men, what shopping, Jon & Kate Plus 8, and cherries covered in chocolate are to grown women. This is the mecca of little boys everywhere. So, on the day of I wanted to wake up with our baby hawk and start his day off right. This is a Friday, and my excitement for his excitement, prompted me to take a personal day from work. He's in a great mood and looking forward to his toast and fruit to energize his tiny body. After a quick munch session, a dose of Sid the Science Kid and Sesame Street, a good morning from his beautiful mother, and he is ready to get going. We all head up to straighten ourselves out and pack up for the trek ahead, next stop Union, Illinois. The jeep is gased and were buckled in, heading up north. Again mom chooses to use yahoo directions and we are immediately guessing which way to go. You see, yahoo likes to name streets the names they feel they should have, this makes following them very tricky. However, moms keen sense of direction quickly guides us towards our destination. The trip to Union was very pleasant, it was a very scenic route that took us through areas we had never been, this breathe of new places always seems invigorating to the imagination and put us all in the right mood for the day. We arrived forty five minutes before departure and took our time making it to the train. As we neared closer to dreams come true, I could feel the pleasure inside our baby. Then as we came walking down the path, there he was, right before his eyes, it was him... Thomas. The sheer enjoyment that poured from his soul was enough to see what dreams our made from. He was happy, genuine and sincere, just plain and simple happy. I wanted to be detailed to remind everyone and myself when I read this when I'm old, that the small things in life, that we cherish with the ones we love, those memories will be with us forever, so make them. The rest of our day was filled with memories that all three of us will have for the rest of our lives. We rode on Thomas, Odee got his first tattoo (removable, moms), had a wonderful picnic in the grass, and saw lots and lots of trains. It was at an interesting venue, the Illinois Railway Museum, and this was a fascinating place for a family to visit, especially on day out with Thomas. By the time we were ready to leave we had seen it all, Sir Toppam Hatt, the trains, trolleys, the whole kit and caboodle. He was sleeping within five minutes of our trip home, but I knew... he was dreaming of Thomas.

Above story by Jess. All I can say is....I wish Jess would write on here more often. What a great way to sum up our wonderful day :) Now I will add some not so cleverly worded captions on the pictures.

A life-size Thomas! That's something you don't see everyday!

Our first view of Thomas!

Yay for nice people also patiently waiting for their ride.

Odee's 1st train ride!!

Odee getting his first tattoo!

So amazed that Thomas was on his arm!!

It was a little hot, but well worth the slight discomfort.

Dad and Odee in a train graveyard, not really. The back of the Museum.

Exhausted from his adventure with Thomas, Dad, and Mom.

ODEEEEE =)

2009-07-21T05:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. I have been so busy with wedding events for my friends from Canada. Here are a few new pictures I have been able to take during all of the wedding craziness. The wedding was this past weekend, so everything should be back to normal now. Meaning = I should be taking tons of Oden focused pictures again! LOL!

Swimming at my MomsHanging out with that shy Laney

POSER!

Yep.....this looks about right!
Jamie, Laney, Oden, and me :) (A wedding party BBQ at our house)

Missouri 2009

2009-07-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

Missouri was amazing this year. It's pretty awesome every year, but for many reasons this year was my most memorable. Go figure because the boat was broke, the fireworks were confiscated, it rained more than usual, and Oden was a complete wild child. Perhaps I am beginning to appreciate all the elements of Missouri more and more. Every year just seems to get better. This was Oden's first year swimming in the bay, and he liked it. I was too scared of the water to try it last year. We brought some friends with us this time around, it's nice to be able to bring a piece of home with you! Everyone was so helpful with Oden this year considering he sped around like a bullet. He was up and down and wanted to run EVERYWHERE the whole trip. Thank goodness everyone did their best to help keep us sane and help with the chasing. He was definitely a hand full and a half, but I know every year will get easier. Special thanks to the 3 Grandma's up there who took such great care of everyone. As always, we would fall apart without you. I will be thinking about this year's memories until next year when we can all make some more. (P.S. I am already reserving a s'more for next year since I missed them this year!)

Oh those breathtaking Missouri views......

The number one reason we love Missouri.....GRANDMA MARY!!!

This year we brought our friends Paul, Kerri, and Laney. This is Laney :)

They are best buddies!Oden looks like a true Missouri native!

If you have a freeze pop, you are Oden's best friend!Can I just borrow those glasses for a second cousin Matt??
Baby cousins on the Forth of July! So sweet!

This picture describes their personalities so well. Oden looks sneaky like he's planning a break for it, and Chaela is happy as an elf! Chaela rubbing Oden's head for good luck!

I miss you Laney, WAKE UP!!! LOL!

Our family out on the dock

This is the yard and the dock at the house that is rented. Amazing.

Oden learned how to pick flowers and loved giving them to everyone!

Baby Hawk is back!!

2009-06-28T11:15:00.000-07:00

That's right! We re-hawked Oden's hair yesterday and.....it looks amazing! Just in time for Missouri. Here are some new pictures for ya! He hasn't been doing anything new and exciting lately. We are trying so hard to get him to start talking. When he first started sounding things out about 3 months ago I was so certain he would be talking shortly thereafter. Now here we are, patiently waiting. He will be exactly 18 months on Tuesday and he can say Mama, Dada, Uh-oh, Kittie (kind of), cheese, and he can sound out hot and cold. He has started shaking his head no, which is not fun at all. He's able to differentiate when he wants to say yes by nodding his head or say no but shaking his head. Since he isn't able to communicate with us through words, he is still doing a lot of whining. Like I said, we are patiently waiting with hope he will break through this communication barrier sooner than later!! Other than that, we are leaving for Missouri on Wednesday morning. We are very excited and we will have tons of cute pictures to post when we get back!

First picture after the haircut, you can't really see it that good.

These next three pictures were from when my family was in town a couple of weeks ago. My cousin Daphne took these, she is a dang good photographer!

Typical Oden, running with no destination.

Blowing kisses!!

New family pic!! Thanks Daphne!!

This is just Oden hanging out with his friend Rileigh. Yay for play dates!!

Laughing Baby Dude

2009-06-08T14:38:00.000-07:00

I just took this video today. It was so cute that I had to upload it right away!

I love laughing babies.

A little of this.....a little of that.

2009-06-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

This is my attempt to catch-up on sharing pictures of all the fun we've been having lately. He is crazy and keeps us going non-stop, but he is the cutest boy ever! ENJOY!

Feeling sleepy.....

This is his 'cheeeese' face. He will pretty much do it whenever

you ask him, when there's a camera around.

Playing with his girlfriend, Laney.

I might have posted this one already, but it's cute so....no harm done :)

Check out the graphics on this t-shirt! So cute!

We get comments on it all the time. Thanks Grammy!

Papa Joe and Grandma Laura came over with a new toy!! He loves it!!

Now we just have to work on getting the weather to cooperate.

YAY for new toys!! THANK YOU!!

Memorial Day.....jumping with Auntie Heather

No photo is complete without his drooled on clothes!!

GOOFY BABY!

Laney pushing Odee on her swing, this lasted for about .02 seconds.

BBQing!

Again with this cheese face, and the drool.

FREE PRESENTS TO THE FIRST FIVE!!

2009-05-26T07:39:00.000-07:00

I stole this from Mrs. Hair.......

Here's the deal. The first 5 people to leave a comment here will get a homemade gift from me. It doesn't matter if I don't know you. If you're just randomly blog stalking (c'mon, we all do it) and you come across this post and want to be one of the first 5 to leave a comment, go for it! The only catch is that you have to pay the gift forward by reposting this on your blog/Facebook/Myspace. I will check to make sure you've done so. I don't know what the gift will be, but it will be homemade. I'll get it to you sometime this year (but probably sooner than later so I don't have it looming over my head). I don't promise you'll love it, but I'm not going to make you something I think you'll hate, either, because that would be like an un-gift and defeat the entire purpose.

I'm going to adjust it slightly and say it will be a gift made by ODEN AND I!! It will be cute, I promise.

Besides that, I have a lot of really cute pictures to post. It's just finding the time to do so that it going to be the hard part. I will try to do them later this week.

BABY BUDDY

2009-05-13T06:29:00.000-07:00

This baby dude is growing up so fast! He is not talking yet. His expressions and actions speak so loud right now, he is practically yelling at me all the time! Sometimes I forget that he is a baby, most of the time I treat him like my little friend. He is just so much fun to be around. Oden continues to monkey around daily. I think he might be a professional climber of some sort when he grows up. He is constantly climbing on tables and couches, my heart has skipped quite a few beats because of these antics. He has completely mastered the stairs, which surprises a lot of people. I would say he could go both directions when he was about a year old. We just continued to use gates a barriers to limit his freedom and the chance of an accident. We leave the gate down now and he is awesome by himself. He still loves them, and will go up them all day long if I let him. He also likes to climb around and play IN our cars. We are outside a lot and when he gets bored with his toys he will go to one of the car doors (usually Jess's because he can reach the handle) and make us open the door so he can play inside. Jess will sometimes recline the seats for him, which makes for a baby jungle gym! We have been exploring a lot of the local parks lately, and have found some really neat ones. Being outside is awesome. Here are some new pics from a BBQ we had with Grammy Mary and Grandpa Scott. Oden loved playing with Scott's old, metal Tonka trucks. It was so cute (see the captions below).

He had no interest in playing in the beautiful yard....

Oden was obsessed with these trucks!
He would place them on the deck, knock them into the rocks.....
step down into the rocks to retrieve them, place them in a line on the deck.....then knock them down again. He repeated this game for a long time!

Bright, sunshiny days :)

2009-05-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

It has been an absolutely beautiful weekend here!! Here are just a few pics I was able to take while we were out playing.

This is a new favorite of mine :)This is not the most sanitary thing he could be doing. But....Boys will be boys!

Action shot!! He loves running in the grass bare-footed.

We're hiding out in the Missouri tent from last year.

So innocent in the morning.......

Laney's 2nd birthday and Oden's 16 month check up!

2009-04-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had another birthday party. This one was for Oden's girlfriend Alayna, who turned 2 (He likes older women). It was a lot of fun and it is getting so awesome to watch the little one interact. Oden was pretty much obsessed with Laney's kitchen playsets. It was cute.

Yesterday Oden had his 15/16 month check up! He is 34 inches long and 25 pounds. He is in the 85 percentile for height and 50 percentile for weight. He's nearly half as long as I am already!! It must be funny watching me carry him. My doctor told me yesterday that I look more like a teenager than a mom! He has passed all of his developmental tests. He is pretty much perfect. Except for the fact that he has been the pickiest eater lately. It's driving me nuts. This kid could live off of fruit if I let him! Fruit and pickles of course! LOL! I have to find a creative way of getting him his protein. Any ideas anybody?

He does like to eat his socks!!

This is Oden's new couch. He LOVES it. It was a great buy!
Playing with Dad's hat!

Here's the b-day girl, LANEY!!
The now traditional screaming baby picture. Sorry this was taken with my old camera while the other one was in the shop.

HAPPY EASTER!!! and Happy Birthday Reign!

2009-04-13T08:00:00.001-07:00

We hope that everyone had a very Happy Easter!! Our was excellent =) I felt like we were able to visit everyone, and spend quality time, without feeling rushed. It was perfect. Unfortunately, I do not have very many pictures because my camera is on the fritz. It keeps vibrating when it is turned on, which creates blurry pictures. Enjoy the few pictures I was able to take before it got completely ridiculous.

Here's Odee on Easter morning with his present from Jess and I, a Little Tikes barn.Matching Daddy and Oden! So handsome!

Oden and Grandpa Scott.....this was one of my last pictures.
The day before Easter was our friend Reign's 1st birthday party. Here's Reign trying to touch Oden, he wanted no part of that. He just wanted to play with all of her pink toys!!
The babies and me!

Oden lounging in Reign's pink chair. Jess would've died......

I am going to work on sending my camera in for repair this week, so there will be more pictures soon!!

NAKEY BOY

2009-04-08T18:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of one of the cutest things that Oden does now. When it is bathtime, he runs into the bathroom. He definately knows the routine. Then, I take his clothes off and as soon as I take off his onesie this is what he does......

......with such joy, he runs his hands up and down his tummy while I say, "NAKEY, NAKEY, NAKEY!!" It's so precious!! This definately makes me smile everytime :)

Nothing too exciting, but some cuteness

2009-03-30T06:31:00.000-07:00

Here's some new pictures for all of you Oden fans out there. There really hasn't been too much going on around here lately. We've just been enjoying the warm weather, when we can, and snuggling on those crazy Illinois cold days! I wish the weather would just decide already on which season it is!! One day it feels like summer, and the next day we're in the Arctic Tundra!! Jess and I are getting ready to go on vacation, which is exciting to us! We leave for Las Vegas this Friday and return on Monday. Oden will be staying with Grandpa and Grandma Dee Dee. I already know we will miss him horribly, but he will be in good hands. It's only a couple of days anyways! Other than that, I swear he is on the verge of talking. If we could stop giving him his binky, I bet he would be doing better. It's just such a comfort, for Jess and I!! Soon enough he will be talking. I suppose there's really no need to rush it.

Oden and Grandpa Dee Dee holding hands at the park.

All up in Grandma Dee Dee's grill! haha!

Helping Oden fly his first kite. So cute!

White Sox baby!

White Sox baby eating Thomas White Sox baby retrieving the Thomas he hid under the couch. This is one of his new antics. He puts toys under the couch and then does a search and rescue!
Oh, so sleepy!
He so cuddly, cozy in the mornings!

Yay for wedding proposals!

2009-03-16T17:04:00.000-07:00

Oden had a small part in a wedding proposal over the weekend. On Friday our friend Ian came over and we attempted to take some pictures of Oden holding a sign proposing to our cousin, Jen Hogan. It took quite a while to get a decent picture, but in the end Ian took one that he liked and wanted to use for their special moment. We were flattered to be part of such a special event. So the story goes..... Ian posted the picture on Jen's computer background so when she looked at her computer she took a double take and by the time she looked at Ian he was one one knee with an absolutely gorgeous ring!! She said, "YES!", of course. Ian and Jen are a couple of our favorite people and we wish them all the best. Congrats Jen and Ian!!!

We were trying so hard to get a good pose.

This is the one Ian chose. I'm sooo glad he got one he liked!!

On a less exciting note, we are just loving the warmer weather lately! Finally, a chance to get out of the house and let Oden stretch his legs!! He LOVES being outside. Here are some pictures of a few of our recent days outside.

This day it was still a little cold out, but it didn't phase him at all!

Playing bubbles with Kerri and LaneyDad chasing Oden to the end of the drive, he runs here often."Let me in your car Dad!"Loving the swings at Renwick Park You can't go down that way, silly!

"I am the King of this playground!!"

Just hanging out in the firetruck with Auntie Olivia.

Baby Baldy

2009-03-04T06:11:00.000-08:00

So yesterday, Oden went to my mom's house (Grandma KiKi). When I returned to her house she had given him a haircut. Not just a trim, she cut off the baby hawk!! She chopped off the back half of it and cut about an inch off the top. Apparently, she didn't like the way it looked. AHHHH!! Jess and I had talked about Oden having a mohawk before he was even born! Needless to say, we were upset. All has been discussed with my mother, and I feel confident that nothing like this will happen in the future. Luckily, it is hair and it will grow back. Plus, his hair grows like wild fire! He's already had about half a dozen haircuts.

Ironically, I had a little photo shoot with him just before we left the house. His hair looked sooo cool that day. So here are some pics pre and post hawk removal :( so sad.

BEFORE:

Healthy, punk rock baby boy

AFTER:
Our poor cancer-looking baby

Newbies

2009-02-25T09:38:00.000-08:00

I know this is what everyone craves ...... new pics!!! I'm going to try to post as many as possible the next week or two because I accepted a position at an insurance company, and am going to assume I will not have much time to post. So enjoy them while you can :)

Still loving this little 4-wheeler!

Trying to eat his baby blankie

More pooping! I just think it's funny how he hides now!

Wrestling with his monkey balloon! Silly monkeys!

Chuck E. Cheesetrip with dad!! So much fun!!

Smarty Pants

2009-02-19T10:05:00.000-08:00

Here is the video that I promised. For about a week or so, Oden was obsessed with this toy lawnmower. There was one time when I was vacuuming and he ran and grabbed it so he could push it along side of me. He thought he was vacuuming too! It was SOOO cute. This isn't a video of that particular event, but it is equally as cute. You can really see how smart he is getting.

new pictures

2009-02-15T17:47:00.002-08:00

Hello everyone! I just wanted to let you know that Oden is doing great! He is getting so big and so smart. So here are some new pictures of him for you :) I have a great video that I PROMISE to post later in the week.

"Baby Hawk"

Up close and personal....
I love these monster jammies with matching slippers!

Grandma DeeDee and Odee at the Superbowl party

Odee finding a secret spot to poop!

Walking outside for the first time!! He loves it!!

Valentine's Day with Grandpa DeeDee....AWWW!

Sorry I've been slacking.....

2009-01-23T06:14:00.000-08:00

WOW! It's been almost 2 weeks since my last post. I'm sorry. I have no excuses, just pure laziness (or at least as lazy as you can possibly be with this kid running around!!). I also forgot to post his updates after his last doctors appointment (which was January 6th). So as of then, he was 30 inches tall, and he weighed 22 lb. 10 oz. So, he is doing great. He is starting to talk a tiny, tiny bit. He will say (only when he wants to) things that sound like "Hi Kitty", "Up", and "All Done". He is getting so smart. It's awesome to watch him grow.

Here's a video of Oden playing with Uncle Mikey:

Random picture of Oden sleeping, yes he was actually sleeping like this!! LOL!

Just thought I would mention that I love all of your comments. We haven't been getting many lately so..... maybe if you comment I would be more motivated to post more often?!?! =)

MORE ODEE <3

2009-01-10T14:35:00.000-08:00

Hello! I posted a bunch of new pictures today on my facebook. There's this cool option that I just noticed where you can share your albums with others, even if they don't have a facebook account. It is way easier to upload pics on facebook than the blog, so here are the links to lots more of our favorite baby dude:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=14961&l=e620b&id=1167392071

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=14948&l=84310&id=1167392071

I hope this works!!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY ODEE!

2009-01-04T18:29:00.001-08:00

I still can hardly believe it. My baby boy is a year old. Funny how time flies when you're having fun :)

On Oden's actual birthday, we had a small get together at our house with all of him Grandma's, Grandpa's, Aunt's, and Uncle's. And by small I mean 17 people (He is such a lucky boy). It was awesome watching everyone interact. Our families get along like peas and carrots, and that makes us very happy. So, we hung out, ate pizza, opened a couple huge presents (a basketball hoop, a baby car, and a 4-wheeler), and then ate cake. This was the only time we let him have the opportunity to dig into a cake. I think he liked it, but was full from pizza. It was very cute, and not horrible to clean up. Which I was thankful for. He was the cutest baby birthday boy ever (I am not bias at all).

Then this past Saturday we had a huge party for him at Brunswick Zone in Romeoville. Everyone was able to bowl or play games, and have a great time. Oden was such a good boy all day. I planned the party for the perfect time of the day, which was after nap time. I only saw him here and there, he really let everyone hang out with him. It was awesome. Thank you for everyone who came out for Oden's big day(s). He is so loved, and we are so blessed to have all of you in our lives. Sorry that I didn't post more pictures. But as you can probably imagine, I had quite a few to choose from. Please let me know if you have any good ones from the parties, you can never have too many memories :)
ENJOY!

Birthday morning, still in jammies. Did you notice his mohawk is back?!

Playing on his zebraLoving his WonderPets ball pit! Thanks Mags!
Eating PaPa John's!! YUMMY!

Birthday boy, and Birthday Grammy. So sweet.

He didn't know how to blow it out, but he had some help.
I don't know about this....

He loves this little car! I can't wait to play with it outside!

Brunswick party.....getting ready for cake
I love this baby dude!He liked riding this motorcycle

Our Christmas Story

2008-12-29T10:02:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was amazing, and it flew by way to quickly. I believe that we did a good job spending time with everyone we love. We were able to see everyone, at least once, but in most cases multiple times. We have been so many places this last couple of weeks. I am going to attempt and summarize, so please bare with me. Saturday, December 13th, we went to a Christmas party at The Hogan household. I briefly mentioned this party in a previous blog. The party was a lot of fun. Minus when Laura's Mother, Eileen, fell in front of the house and had to be taken to the hospital. That part was horrible, but the party as a whole was very nice. Our next Christmas party was the following Saturday (December 20) . This one was held in Darien at Deb's Uncle Stanley's house. I remember it being bitterly cold that day. It was a nice cozy party with a few family members. The meal was excellent thanks to Uncle Mark and Aunt Carol. Oden really enjoyed the stairs in the house (how unusual). Next comes Christmas Eve. Jess started the day by taking Oden out of the house for a couple of hours. They had come father and son time, while I had some time to myself. Then they returned with gifts for me! YAY! It was sooooo sweet! After lunch we headed to my Mom's house. It was very low-key, and a little bit of calm before the storm :) From my Mom's, we went straight to The Bush household in Morris. With the crazy weather the couple of days prior, all of the roads and driveways were sheets of ice. It is not so much fun carrying a 30 pound kid on ice, just FYI. When we arrived Oden was very crabby. It took him a while to warm up to everyone, and just have fun. It was a very pleasant evening. The only thing that would've made it better would've been Grandma Mary and Grandpa Frank being there. They were there in our hearts though. And we were very happy to see the McFarland's. We were able to meet Kristin's husband, Jacob. We were also able to see baby Chaela. She is just the cutest thing!! It was wonderful seeing EVERYONE :) After that party we came home to wait for Santa. Oden slept til about 7am Christmas morning, which was a treat. We opened our stockings and presents, then got ready and started making the rounds. We started and Grandpa Scott and Grammy Mary's house. Then we went to Grandma and Grandpa DeeDee's, then Grandma Laura and PaPa Joe's, and finally Grandma KiKi's. It was quite a full morning! Oden was is a good mood and was being very cute. I think he knew it was a special day. And of course he got spoiled rotten. We have more toys than we know what to do with, and we still have his birthday tomorrow, and party on Saturday!! We are going to be swimming in toys. Thank you everyone for being so generous to our baby dude. We love that you love him so much. We are so lucky to have you in our lives. I'm sorry if I left out any important stories in out Christmas activities. I just really wanted to make a general log of our events. I'm also sorry that I left out so many pictures. There are too many good ones to choose. These are just a few of my favorites. Thanks again everyone, for making Oden's First Christmas so memorable. I can't wait to tell him all about it.

Getting tired on Christmas Eve

Chaela thinks Oden's binky looks delicious!

Cousins....plus babies....plus significant others <3

Our baby Elf on Christmas morning

Breakfast at Grammy's

Here PaPa you take this bow!

I love my Daddy

Oden and Aunt Linda, checking out the mesmerizing Christmas village

Our house on Christmas morning......

Oh, the weather outside is frightful....

2008-12-22T10:45:00.000-08:00

Last week, before these blizzard like conditions, Oden had lots of fun!! Now we are stuck in the house to avoid bringing our baby dude out into the Arctic tundra (With -30 degree wind chills, that's how it feels!!). Oden sat in his first sled at the beginning of the week. It was just in front of Grandma KiKi's house, but he loved it. Then, after story time at the library on Thursday, we went to Chuck E. Cheese's!! We have been there one other time before but Oden was too young to enjoy it. This time, he had a blast!! I think he most enjoyed the Barney ride, he was sitting next to Barney, looking up at him like they were old friends. It was the cutest thing! We went there with our friends Kelly and Rylan, we all had lots of fun. Then Friday, Grandma and Grandpa DeeDee came over to try to play with Oden in the snow for the first time. Let's just say at that point, it wasn't snow anymore, it was ice. That was fun for about 5 minutes, then we went inside for Christmas music and hot chocolate. Yay for Christmas time!! Next week at this time I will be posting about a billion Christmas pictures so be ready!! As for now, I am going to get ready for the Bear's game. That's right, Jess and I are going to venture out in this freezing weather to support our boys! Wish us luck!!!

So cute....if only that sled was blue!! LOL!

Playing in a monster truck with Ry!Trying to climb up the baby slide, slippery sucker!
Hey! BUDDY!

Carousels are so much fun!

Ok guys.....I'm about done here!

Scary Santa

2008-12-15T11:31:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, we attempted to introduce Oden to 'The Man in the Red Suit', twice. We went to the mall for the first attempt. He was completely unfazed while he was in our arms. But as soon as we sat him on Santa's lap he squealed. I wouldn't even describe it as a scream. It was one of those high pitched, can't breathe kind of sounds. It was terrible. After the first shot the photographer asked, "Would you like another try?" To which Jess quickly replied, "No, it's perfect!" And I agree it is. This picture has Oden written all over it. We find it quite humorous, and hope you do too. Oden's second Santa encounter was later on that evening, at Grandma and Grandpa Hogan's Christmas party. We were near the front door when Santa arrived, and Oden was instantly terrified. He let out that now trademark scary Santa squeal, and hugged me tighter than he had ever hugged me before. When Santa called his name to come up for his gift, Jess tried to walk towards Santa while holding Oden and let's just say it wasn't going to happen. To Jess and I, these memories were priceless. Hopefully, Oden will forgive us and not be forever scarred.

Spreading some Holiday Cheer!

2008-12-10T06:01:00.000-08:00

Here is a little something to get you in the Holiday mood! The first three are from his Christmas card photo shoot. I probably took 100 pictures that day, and I only had a few that I loved. So here are some that didn't make it on the card. The bottom two pictures are of him in my favorite hat. He looks like a baby elf :)

We are still trying everyday to get him walking. He continues to improve his balance, but sometimes refuses to walk. I know he'll walk fully when he's ready, but I'm ready now!!

Only 15 Days til Oden's First Christmas!!

Classic Oden drooling shot

Santa is Oden's homeboy!

Can you see the cat under that bench in the background? CREEPY!

Power A Smile

2008-12-06T07:45:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone! Yesterday Papa Joe and Grandma Laura put Oden's picture on a really neat website. It's called Duracell Power a Smile, and here's the 'low-down":

There’s nothing better than seeing a smile on a child’s face as they power up a gift for the first time. Except, perhaps, giving that child the chance to share their joy with kids where they need it most: children’s hospitals. And that’s just what the Duracell® Power A Smile campaign was all about.
Last holiday season, Duracell invited parents and kids to power smiles around the country. When parents uploaded a photo of their child, Duracell donated a dollar to the Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA and other children's hospitals across the country to power another child's smile. Every photo donation went toward the children's critical needs as well as batteries for their toys.

The season was one of the brightest thanks to those who care so much about kids. And after all, that’s what the holidays are all about. Of all the things a battery can power, nothing is better than powering a smile.
To share this site with family and friends, copy and paste this link!

http://www.powerasmile.com/

So go to the website and try to find him! They uploaded the picture today, so use todays date (12-5) when searching (P.S. He's wearing a Santa hat) And while your at it, upload one of your favorite pictures and help raise some money for the kids!!

Thanksgiving AND 11 month pics

2008-12-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving came and went in a flash! It was a wonderful day, and it was great to see so many people that we love. Oden loved all the food. His favorite was mashed potatoes, just like mom. It was a very long day (we left the house at 9:30am and didn't get home until 8pm) with all things considered, Oden was an angel.

It's only one more month until Oden's 1st Birthday! I am sooooo excited. I have started planning the party, and hopefully I can get the invitations in the mail by the end of the week. Can you believe that it has already been a year since he was born? THAT'S CRAZY!!

Christmas cards are in the mail, so look for yours!!!

Our newest family pic.....you will see it again very soon....

Oden's 1st Thanksgiving, so handsome :)

Just had to include a picture of the turkey bib!

Our 11 month baby boy, just playing.

I swear, I can fit the whole thing in my mouth!!!

Did I ever mention .....

2008-11-26T13:54:00.000-08:00

We heart Jen Hogan!!!

112508

2008-11-25T18:14:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post a few cute, new pictures before Thanksgiving. I will probably have a gazillion to put up after the Holiday, and I didn't want these to go un-posted.

Lately Oden has been getting very close to walking. He took 5, pretty sturdy, steps yesterday. He is standing like a pro, when he feels like it. Of course, whenever there is an audience he gets stage fright. I hope that he will be walking by Christmas. I will probably regret saying that, seeing how everyone says everything is going to be crazy once he starts walking. I will tell you one thing, this kid is too big to be carrying around all the time!!

Happy Thanksgiving, from our Family to Yours.

A taste of things to come (the planned post-Christmas mohawk)Having a blast in the tub!

Oh, was that my Cheerio? You are too kind....

Doesn't he look so much like Jess in this one?Attempting a cute picture with crabby pants.

Oden's new trick

2008-11-18T11:48:00.000-08:00

Here are some new pictures for all of you Oden lovers! The last two pictures are of him standing. He can stand by himself for about 30 seconds at a time, or until he gets bored. We are practicing everyday. Hopefully he will be walking soon. He has taken a few steps here and there, but nothing consistent. We will let you know when he starts wrecking everything!

MOM! GET ME OUT OF HERE! PEEK-A-BOO KITTY!

Hey! That's my Bumbo!

Chub-a-chubs standing tall.He gets so excited, he starts clapping while he's standing.
P.S. A monster ate his socks :)

P.S.S. WE LOVE JEN HOGAN!!!!

Oden cuteness

2008-11-10T18:28:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Here are some new pictures from the last week or so. I have an adorable video I want to post but I don't know how to rotate it. I would give everyone sore necks if I posted it as is. Does anyone know how to rotate videos?! If you do please let me know. For now, enjoy the pics =)

Oden helping change the time on the giant clock. Luckily we had Ian to help us too!He loves to shut himself in the laundry room. We're not sure why, but it keeps him entertained for at least 10 minutes everyday.Oden playing with his new favorite toy from Stacy and Brian. Thanks guys!
Poe likes the new toy too! Our own baby bartender!

Oden's 1st Halloween 2008

2008-11-03T07:50:00.000-08:00

Halloween this year was awesome. It was a day filled with visits, smiles, and candy of course. We started our day visiting Grammy Mary at work, then we went to Grandma Kitty's house, then straight to Grandma and Grandpa Dee Dee's, and we ended at Papa Joe and Grandma Laura's. We had to make sure that everyone saw his cuteness! So here are some of the pictures.

Oden's new Buddies

2008-10-30T08:41:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we added two new members to our family. KITTENS! We adopted a baby girl who is grey and white striped. We named her Poe.Then the next day I decided I wanted another to keep her company. So, Jess let me get a boy persian mix. He said it's part of my early bday present :) He is all white and has blue eyes. We named him Sox. Oden and the cats are getting along famously, though Oden can be rough with them at times. Here is a video where you can see them, and you can see Oden playing peek-a-boo.

Here are the kitties! Poe and Sox.

Jess scaring the crap out of them.

My new favorite picture. HI!

PUMPKINS!Happy Halloweenie!

October pics, pumpkin patches, and such

2008-10-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

The last week has been awesome. In addition to Oden's daily awesomeness, my friend Jamie was in from Canada! Everyday was either an activity, or catching up on housework and such. She just left this morning :( so I just sat for an hour and organized all of the pictures I've been taking. That was quite a task! So here are some new pictures. I will try to explain them as I post them .... there are quite a few so be patient!

My sister Sarah, Oden's Aunt Sawa, has been getting creative with her photography taking and editing skills. Here are my three favorite that she sent me. I will post more of them later.

Here's Oden brushing his teeth

Sometimes he is just too quick!

Watching Dad fix the closet....and playing with a drum stick.

Here's the start of the Halloween pictures. Grandma Laura bought Oden these cute Halloween shirts. This one is my favorite, for obvious reasons :)

He loves to play with anything and everything that is not supposed to be a toy.

Getting ready for our first Pumpkin Patch.

Johansen Farms - Bolingbrook, IL

Oden and his girlfriends - Reign and Alayna

It wasn't very busy so the awesome guy said we could all go in! So fun. From left to right, I'm holding Reign, Jamie is entertaining Laney, and Kerri is loving Odee.

Oden playing in the hay barn. This is before he was trying to eat that dirty, nasty hay.

Here's Oden in the baby bouncer. He was scared and I took this just before he started to cry. I have very few pictures of him with his mouth closed!

It was a perfect day to be outside.....but a little chilly in the shade.

Babies and hayrides! Love it!

Dollinger Family Farm - Minooka, IL

He was more interested in all the kids running around!

MOOO!

He had his face painted. A pumpkin on one side and a spider on the other. It was soooo cute!

Auntie Stephanie, Odee, Grandma Dee Dee, and me, getting ready for the hay ride!

Oden loving the horses!

9 month check-up and pictures

2008-10-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable. He's 9 months old already. All I can say is, everyday is a new adventure with this kid, and I love it! He had his 9 month check-up on Friday and he weighs 21.14 lbs. and is 29 inches long. So, he has slowed down, and is no longer is the high percentiles for his growth. The doctor said he is perfectly healthy. She also commented that we must be doing something right because he is such a happy baby. :) yay! Then he got 1/2 of a flu shot (we have to go back for the other half on Halloween). The strange thing is, he woke up the next morning sick! He is so sick right now, and so miserable. He has a cold, I think. He is very congested, and has a runny rose. Our poor little guy can hardly breathe, or so it seems. I feel so bad for him. Hopefully it will clear up soon so he can get back to his normal self. So, being 9 months old has brought on a new trick......grinding his teeth! AHHHH! The sound gives me the goosebumps every time! He started doing it consistently this weekend, and it's driving us crazy! We hope it's just a phase. His other trick is the stairs. If we let him, he would just climb up them all day long. As soon as you turn your back he is headed for them, which is rather scary. We have had to start using the gate more consistently. Oden doesn't need anymore bumps on his noodle. He already has two pretty good ones! I am still working on baptism announcements, but I plan on getting them out this week. Also, we are planning a trip to the pumpkin patch very soon so keep checking back for those pictures.

Can you see his poor bruised temple? :(

HAHAHA! You're trapped!

Trying to stay warm at the football game.

Hanging out with Auntie Sawa (Sarah).
AWWW...
Playing in the closet, wearing daddy's hat.
What a crazy face!

Baptism

2008-09-29T17:36:00.001-07:00

Oden was baptised this past Sunday. The ceremony was held at New Life Lutheran Church in Bolingbrook. It was such an awesome experience. Oden was good for the most part. He was so excited about everyone being around, he had a hard time sitting still. While we were at the alter, I was releived when Pastor Carlson grabbed him. A break for me! I was sweating like crazy trying to keep that monkey still. The best part was when our Pastor walked Oden down the aisle and the congregation sang "Jesus loves the little children". It was just one of those moments you never forget. After church we had a luncheon at a Tommy Nevin's in Naperville. But not before the photo shoot outside. I sat Oden next to a tree in his adorable white outfit, stepped back to take a picture as he dived into the dirt! AHHH! Oh well, boys will be boys. The lunch was also nice. It was neat to have all our parents in the same room at one time. Overall, it was a great, unforgettable day. Thank you to all of our parents and grandparents who came to support us. For those of you that weren't there, I will be sending out announcements soon (so you can see him in his white cuteness). I didn't get many pictures throughout the day so .... if anyone has pictures from the ceremony/lunch I would love to have them. Let me know or you can just e-mail them, if you have a chance. THANKS!

Oden's Godfather Uncle Alex

Oden's Godmother Auntie Heather

Wrestling with Oden for a good picture!

Pre-nosedive

Who's trying to feed me lemons for lunch?!?!

Exhausted from the days events.....

Playing in the backyard at home

Yes....assisted walking is still his favorite.

New Cuteness

2008-09-24T18:39:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I don't have much time before bed, but I just wanted to share some new pics. This week has been crazy so far, and it's only half way over! Preparing for Oden's baptism and party are more consuming then I originally thought it would be. It's only a few days away! Yay! It's very exciting!

Can I please go in there?

If you turn your back for a second......
.......he's getting into some kind of trouble
Oden's first football game. He's busy beating up Uncle Mikey.
Walking with Grandma, so cute.

It's not sunshine all the time ....

2008-09-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of one of Oden's now famous temper tantrums. This would be the scene if you decided you were done walking him around, before he decided he was done. If you get through the first 25 seconds you can see him fake cough, and yell. It cracks me up. Sometimes I have to let him get through it by himself. I don't want him to be too spoiled! All it took was 1 minute and 46 seconds for me to cave. I'm getting better.

Quick blog before cleaning time!

2008-09-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

This last week has been crazy! He is crawling, no scooting or flopping, CRAWLING! It's been quite an adjustment. We have to be very careful of what we leave within his reach. Even things I think he could never get to, he finds a way. His mood has definitely improved with his increased mobility. If he wants something, he can just go get it! Now I just can't wait until teething is over. He has cut his two front upper teeth, and I believe he is working on molars. Jess thinks that his two front upper teeth look big. He fears big teeth will make Oden look funny. He's funny. If this kid was missing a nose, he'd still be the cutest boy ever! He has mastered his sippy cup! His loves the juice/water cocktails I make for him. He has been resistant to eat 'real food' at dinner time. It's going to be fun trying to break him of that sweet tooth. Well, I have to go clean house now. Anyone want to come help me?......my door is always open :)

It's the Piano Man!
Here's the bottom ones.
Up close and personal. Sorry I couldn't get a good pic of the top ones.
Two of his favorites = walking and drooling!
Feeding fishes at Dee Dee's. Awesome picture by my cousin Daphne.
Dinner with my wonderful family :)

What's New

2008-09-05T02:23:00.000-07:00

Well, he's a little over eight months old now and my how he's grown. It seems like only yesterday I could leave him on the couch, run to taco bell, the bank, and maybe do some grocery shopping, come back and he would be in the same spot. Totally kidding, but to me, the biggest change that I've seen in the little fella is his mobility. It seems like all he wants to do is get up and go. Whether it's rolling around, crawling, or his ultimate favorite, holding on to someones hands and walking, he can't or won't sit still. It's so funny how he cries the minute the old guy behind him gets tired and wants to stop walking. His futile efforts to continually move are squandered quickly by dads back. We work it out though, a little cookie here, some freeze pops when moms not looking, and we're back to smiles. He's so awesome, the way he looks at everything, new tastes, new smells, new touches, it still amazes me the surprise that newness brings to his tiny face. Soon that sense of surprise will give way to the toddler times, but for now, I'll take it. He's getting so big too. He's like a baby elephant. I mean the kid's huge, wearing 9-12 month clothes and growing out of them, the subtle but prevalent requests for more real food, and my arm, oh oh my arm how it hurts from lugging that sack of potatoes around for the last eight months. Papa needs a bow flex. No, I joke, but he's my guy, and I love him so much. I just hope that when I look back, I won't feel as if I missed something. They grow so fast and as Aerosmith says, "I don't wanna miss a thing." I just quoted Aerosmith, it's getting late, I hate that band. Well, in conclusion, time is flying within his development and he is getting more and more like a little person than a baby. I am trying to cherish the times I have with him in his fragile state and generate the most happiness I can for our small but loving family. I am blessed with alot of things, but nothing has prepared me for the joy that Tiff and Odee bring to me. None of this would be possible to enjoy without the love and support of my dolly. She is definitely the backbone of our home and she does a fabulous job of it, keep up the good work. I love you momma..... oh, and that little kid too.

8 months and I am obsessed with this boy

2008-09-02T20:17:00.001-07:00

So here are a bunch of new Oden pictures. I am definitely obsessed with taking pictures of him. He is just so dang cute. I want to make sure I don't miss anything! Some of these pictures are from his 8 month photo shoot, others are just random. He really is getting so big. One of his front teeth is starting to cut through. I hope that explains his recent crabbiness. His new obsession is assisted walking. He will feel around until he finds your fingers and then grab them and expect you to walk him around all day. This was fun for about 5 minutes. Needless to say, anyone who has seen Oden within the last week has had a backache. We did get him a walker yesterday. Hopefully his new bumper car will detour some achy backs.

In other news, we finally planned Oden's baptism. It is going to be the last Sunday in September. His God-parents are going to be Heather and Alex. We are very excited about starting his spiritual future. We are also very fortunate to have so many great people to influence him and teach him about religion. It is going to be a very happy day. Don't worry, I will take plenty of pictures and get them on here ASAP!

Keep your sunny side up!

His first sippy cup! He doesn't quite get it yet.

Smiling in his sleep. priceless.
Trying to roll off the couch. He's crazy!
8 months old. This is one of my favorites.

His first pair of mittens! I had to get them, they were too cute!
Oden and Grandpa Dee Dee. This is a great pic.Handsome boy!

Fun in the Sun

2008-08-26T18:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend we took our first family trip to the city. We went Saturday, and it turned out to be a great day for an adventure. It started out slightly hotter than I would've liked, but then the clouds rolled in and we were blessed with a slight breeze. We started our day at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Jess was a little disappointed in the selection of animals on display. I am willing to compromise the weak animal show for the scenic background. I love our Chicago! Oden didn't really pay attention to any of the animals. He was just happy to be outside moving around. After a mini picnic and a while walking around, we decided to walk to the beach. It is the same route my dad and deb used to take me and my sisters on when we were little. After our hike over Lake Shore Dr., we finally hit the sand. I was not at all prepared for the beach. I had envisioned Oden just dipping his feet in the sand and being done. But, we decided to go down to the water and let him play. HOLY MESS! You don't realize that sand gets everywhere! The mess was worth Oden's pure enjoyment in this new place. He loved the sand and the water. We held his hands and let him trounce through the wet sand and water. Then, we set out the picnic blanket and let him play in the sand. It was adorable how he tried so hard to keep the sand in his little hand. He would look at him hand as if to say, "Hey! Where did it go?" He repeated this for a long time. Then Jess rinsed him off in the lake. I did my best to clean the sand out of Oden and our stuff. That was awesome since I didn't bring one towel. After that we hiked back to the car, exhausted from hauling strollers and a baby all day, and drove Home Sweet Home. It was a great day with my boys. :)

Looking for some animals

"Super baby! He's the superest baby!" - Jess always says that.

Our mini picnic in the flower garden.

I'm thirsty, can I just have one sip?!

Loving the water

Cutest beach baby ever!

Showing him how to play with sand.

Family sandy toes!

Camping at Woodhaven

2008-08-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

Oden took his first camping trip this weekend. My mom owns land in a camping community called Woodhaven. It's more like cheater camping because she has an awesome trailer. The amenities include a microwave, stove, beds, TV, etc. The water was broken though so we did have to walk to the public restrooms when needed. We went up on Thursday night with Sarah, Michael, and Marshall. My mom came there Friday night after work. Oden was definitely out of his element at first. He seemed a little "stir crazy", but then we went for lots of walks, and played at lots of parks. He loves baby swings. It was nice to get away, even if it was only for a couple days.

This is Oden all bundled up on our first morning walk to the bathrooms.

It was like 45 degrees! Freezing! Loving the swing :)
Checking out the swaying trees.

DUCKIES and HORSES

2008-08-16T15:06:00.001-07:00

Here are some super cute pictures of Oden with all of his bath duckies. Some are from baby showers, and/or just random gifts, but most are from Grandpa Joe. He was recently staying at a hotel where they would give him a new one everyday. I guess I don't really have to tell you that he stayed there for quite a few days. Probably not fun for him, but it turned out great for Oden!!

It's a duck eat duck world!

No peep shows for you!!

I'm very serious about these ducks!

These last two pictures are of Oden on a very old rocking horse. My mom and dad made it for my cousin Joey when he was a baby. Which makes it about 26 years old. You can't see it but it says "Joey" on the back. My plan is to repaint it (not to change it, just to freshen it up), and add Oden's name somewhere. This way one day he could give it to someone in his family. I wanted to let him play on it now though, because I was told he couldn't fit on it much longer. He didn't love it. I think he's a little scared of the rocking motion by himself. I will just have to give it another go soon!

7 month pictures and random news

2008-08-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

We have teeth people! Oden cut his two bottom teeth this past week. There are two little slits where and one little tooth is barely popping through the top of one. We're so excited! You can see him hurt himself sometimes when he is chewing on his hands. He pulls his hand out of his mouth with a quickness and makes the hurty face.

Oden also started clapping on Sunday. All we have to do is show him how, and he puts his hands together like he's known how to clap forever. It's so cute. He loves to show off too! His first performance was in front of an audience. Perhaps he's a natural born performer? Only time will tell....

Other then that, he has started eating weird baby foods. Yesterday he had Macaroni and cheese dinner, and the day before was Chicken and Broccoli. WOW, that stuff smells gross! He absolutely loves it! At this point, I think he'll eat just about anything.

Tonight Oden and I attended our first Chuck E. Cheese party. He was an angel of course, and was so amazed by all of the new sights. He still loves to watch everything so attentively.

Here are some of his 7 months pictures. He is getting so strong. Everyone says he should be crawling anytime now. I hope so!

Baby Hercules!

Mommy's cutie
Baby Monkey
Waking up from a nap
MOM! Can't I get a second to wake up!

Here's what's new

2008-07-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

As I type, Oden is blabbing like a chatter-box. He has successfully mastered the mama and dada indiscriminate jibberish. I can also get him to mock me when I fake laugh. It's hilarious! Other then verbal achievements, he has maintained his mobile skills. He still only inches backwards. Although, he is getting very strong and can stay on his hands and knees for a while before he drops down. It's only a matter of time before he puts it all together. He still needs supervision while sitting up, but that might also be us being overprotective. All I know is, he's bumped his dome pretty good twice now and I'd rather be overprotective than hear that cry.

I am sad to report that the matching mohawks are gone. I know it's only temporary. I just really wanted him to have some pictures of being young with a normal haircut. This way he can't complain about it when he's older. Jess was not too thrilled with the change. After the very first cut down the middle of Oden's hawk he said, "OH NO!" Then was upset about it for a while. He does kind of look like a cancer baby. But, it's only hair and it will grow back! I think after the Holidays we should see the return of the baby hawk.

Still no teeth! He continues to drool like crazy but no sign of those little chompers, He had his first teething biscuit on saturday. All I have to say is HOLY MESS! That stuff is like paste! He enjoyed it though and that's what matters.

Odie will be 7 months old on Wednesday. It's the same day as our 3 year anniversary! Hooray!

Swimming with dad...it was like pulling teeth getting Jess in there!

Playing with 2 Aunties!
Swimmin with mom!
<3
Bye Bye Baby Hawk!

Finally SWIMMING!!

2008-07-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

That's right......Odie went swimming and actually liked it. Grandma and Grandpa Dee Dee took this pictures when they went swimming with him on Friday. They had to go into the water very slowly. They started on the pool steps, and then slowly worked their way into the pool. He had a great time, and I guess he was splashing himself lots. These pictures don't really do the event any justice. There is also a video, which shows all of the swimming greatness. I will try to get it on here. All I have to say is, "HOORAY!"

Missouri 2008

2008-07-07T18:51:00.000-07:00

I would just like to say, Missouri was awesome. It was great to see everyone and just relax for a few days. Oden Meeting Great Grandma for the first time was everything we thought it would be. They got along like peas and carrots. He developed some sort of screaming disorder while we were there. He can scream for a half hour straight without skipping a beat. It's my favorite.

Here are some pictures from the trip. These are some of my favorites since I cannot post them all. I have a lot more posted on Facebook. The uploading program there is way better. So if you have access, check them out.

Can't wait until next year!

Oden meeting Great Grandma. Awesome.Chillin in the baby pool.
Celebrating America's b-day with Chaela!
4 generations of greatness!
Loving the start of vacation

6 month birthday and doctor visit

2008-07-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

Oden went to the doctor today. He weighs 20 lbs., and is 26 inches long. Then of course we had his 6 months shots. EEEKKK!! Actually, he was a very good boy. He was so tough and he only cried a little. Does anyone else have to spend like half a day in the doctors office? It's so annoying to just sit there, especially to let the anticipation of shots build up. Do I sound slightly irritated?!

Oden is 6 months old as of yesterday. So here are some pictures that Jess and I took throughout the day. He is getting more and more handsome by the minute!

We are all headed to Missouri tomorrow night. I am a little afraid of traveling so far with a little baby, but it will be worth it no matter what. To see the look on Great-grandma's face when she sees him for the first time will be priceless.

Odie in his bumbo playing.Laughing at Dad
One of the cutest faces ever! Dr. Shih said he looks like a Gerber baby.
Wearing daddy's new MO hat.
Mr. Grumpy (not really, that shirt is just adorable)

Getting so BIG!

2008-06-21T16:46:00.000-07:00

This video is from this afternoon. I really wanted to get it on here ASAP so everyone could see how fast he is growing up. We were playing with his bottle and he was starting to feed himself. Before I recorded this video, we played by ourselves for at least 10 minutes. So you're seeing the lazy/less interested half of this game. But then he rolls over, and burps. Too cute! Sorry about the poor quality, the video is from my phone.

Priceless moments

2008-06-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

These pictures are brand spankin' new. They are some of my most favorite recent memories.

Yesterday was Jess' first Father's Day. I think he had a pretty good day. How could you not when you have Oden by your side? We bought him a new gas grill. I missed McDonald's breakfast. Hopefully, one day he will forgive me. j/k.

I am happy to report that as of today Oden is rolling over unassisted. When he's on his back he goes to his side, then to his tummy. He did it for me 3 times this evening, and Jess said he did it a few times during the day. YAY!

Daddy Cuddles

Olivia & Ethan's graduation party. Doesn't Oden look huge next to Aunt Melissa? Well, he is huge anyway. He was actually in a good mood the whole day!
The last of the clean drool bibs.....it definately wasn't Tuesday. Hello back there Mary!
What a stud! I love that baby speedo!

Matching Mohawks by Mom.

Oden's 5 month B-day and other misc. events

2008-06-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody!

Sorry it has been longer than usual since I posted last.

We had a great Memorial Day! Jess had the day off so after I worked we went to Grandma and Grandpa Dee Dee's for a little BBQ. We attempted to introduce Oden to a heated pool, since it was pretty hot that day. He was having no part of that! He was very upset, even after a couple of tries. We will just have to keep trying. He'd better learn to like pools! He has two sets of grandparents that have them in their backyards!

Also, Oden had his 5 month birthday! Of course I had a mini photo shoot for him (in his bedroom). He took some really great pictures.

Other than that, I have been trying to keep him busy outside. I want to enjoy it while it's bearable. We have been going on lots of walks and mini picnics. Soon enough it will be hot enough to fry eggs on the sidewalk!

Oden and Daddy. Oden hates the pool, but LOVES the grass!

Mommy kisses!

He's cute as a teddy bear! (5 month photo shoot)

Standing all by himself! (5 month photo shoot)

Our first picnic. He loves being outside. BTW....do you see that dot on his ear? He has them in the exact same spot on both ears and we just found out yesterday that my Grandma Sophie has the same little dots on her ears. WEIRD!

Baby Hawk

2008-05-21T08:42:00.000-07:00

This past week we gave Oden his second haircut. Yes, we finally did it, A MOHAWK!! It's not too extreme. His hair is so light that you can hardly tell it's there. He is the cutest baby mohawk boy of all time!

This past weekend we went to a Confirmation party for my cousin Nich. There is a park just down the street from My Aunt and Uncle's house. Grandma Dee Dee and I took Oden there, his first trip to a park! We were accompanied by a couple of my cousins, and a couple of my cousins cousins. It was a lot of fun. He wasn't really interested in his swing. He was paying more attention to all the little kids running around. Soon enough he will be the one running around. EEKK!

Can you see it?

Don't mess with kids that have mohawks!

Oden's first swing ride!!

Cutest jacket ever! "Little Dude"

Oden's first slide!

Recently........

2008-05-16T05:17:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to inform everyone that Oden did not win WLIT's most huggable baby contest. Thank you for voting for him. We probably would have had a better chance of winning, had I entered him in the earlier weeks. I urge you to vote for the baby semi-finalists. The baby boy Bailey is too cute!!

Oden is now eating food regularly. Everyday, for the last 4 days, around dinner time he eats about 2/3 a jar of baby food. We are sticking with the green stuff, like peas and green beans, because the orange veggies hurt his tummy. He is doing great with it! Tonight I have to work and I am going to ask Grandma Dee Dee to do this nights feeding. Hopefully he's nice for her too!

Olivia, Jess's sister/Oden's aunt, has had quite a few exciting events recently. She had prom a few thursdays ago, and just graduated from JCA last night. We have some cute pictures from those events.

YOU ROCK LIV!

Grandpa Joe, Auntie Maggie, Wrigley, and Oden

Please don't drool on that gorgeous dress!

Oden flirting!

Grammy and Sweepie!

VOTE FOR ODEN

2008-05-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

You should go to http://www.wlit.com/ and vote for Oden to be Chicagoland's most huggable baby.

He could win $1000 if he is the winner!

You only need a valid e-mail address to vote.

Here's a more direct link:
http://www.wlit.com/cc-common/gallery/display.html?album_id=110967
That's to the "O" section of the babies.

Tell all of your friends! He deserves to WIN!!

Here's the picture we posted

First Trip to the Zoo

2008-04-30T05:39:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday we took our first family trip to the Brookfield Zoo. We woke up in the morning and it looked like it was going to rain on our parade, but it ended up being a perfect day. It was even too hot at times carrying around a 15 pound monkey :) Oden is so interested in everything going on around him. When there is a lot to see, he is a very quiet little boy. While changing a diaper in the grass, we were nearly attacked by a goose! Jess had to chase him off with the stroller! It was quite a sight! Overall, it was a very fun day.

Two Sundays ago, Oden attended his first birthday party. Our friends, Kerri and Paul, had a party to celebrate their daughter, Alayna's first birthday. It was so cute. There were three babies one year old or younger at the party. He was very well behaved and of course, everyone commented on how big he is.

Oden is currently fighting some kind of virus. We took him to the doctor on Monday, she said it just has to run it's course. I feel so bad for him. He is very congested, and you can tell he has a sore throat at times. We are doing everything we can for him, so hopefully he gets better soon! BTW....he is 15 pounds now!

Daddy and Oden is their White Sox hatsFamily photo
Yay! Giraffes!
Oden was on Jess's head laughing hysterically!
Oden and I.....GRRRR...

video of Oden's new toy

2008-04-16T12:27:00.000-07:00

First food

2008-04-09T12:48:00.000-07:00

BEFOREDURING
AFTER....all messy!
DROOLING ACTION SHOT!
My smiley boys :)

Jess and I attempted to feed Oden his first baby food this past Monday. It was quite an experience. The best word to describe it is.....MESSY! We fed him squash. He seemed to like it, but he had a bad tummy ache later in the night. Oden also received his first haircut this week. I couldn't stand his long pieces anymore. I used our hair trimmers with the #2 attachment. His hair is more even now, that makes me happy. I did save some of the clippings, in case any grandma's would like to see them. I am going to try and post a few of our pictures from the Picture People on here later in the week.

More of our baby dude

2008-04-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

Doesn't he look so sweet?Exactly 3 months old in this one!
Check out the shirt...."Daddy's Little Tough Guy"
Playing with Mickey.....Olivia brought him from Disney
I call this one 'fat head'. This hat is sized for a 3 month old baby, and it clearly doesn't even come close to fitting his head!
Hello again! Oden is now 3 months old. I swear he is getting bigger by the day! Only a little while longer and he will be sitting by himself, amoung other things. I can't wait for those days. I also can't wait for the day that he sleeps through the night! I'm dying over here!! I don't have anything else to say....hopefully I can go take a nap :)

Easter weekend

2008-03-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter weekend! Jess, Oden, and I had two days off together and it was wonderful! Saturday we went to Grammy Mary and Grandpa Scott's house. It was very exciting to introduce Oden to more family. We were also able to meet sweetest baby Chaela!! It was so funny to compare their sizes. Oden is much bigger compared to Chaela, who is about 2 months older than him. She is a little doll, and she was so happy the whole day! Oden was the opposite, grumpy all day! It was still so nice to see everyone. Then Sunday, we went to see all of Oden's other grandparents. It was a very full day, to say the least. We were glad that he snapped out of his bad mood by then. He was smiling and being the little sweetheart most of us know and love. I suppose everybody is allowed a bad day every once and a while. For everyone we were able to visit with, it was great to see you all and we hope to do it again soon! For everyone we missed, you were in our hearts and there in spirit! Enjoy the pictures! Oden's first Easter t-shirt
He was fighting with this duck at the table with Uncle Alex. It was adorable!
I love this picture!!
Chaela and Oden.....can you see the difference?!
Me and my favorite baby dude <3>

Report from the doctor

2008-03-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

Oden had a doctors appointment this past Friday. He is doing great! He weighs a little over 12lbs., and is 24 inches long! The doctor said that he is in the 75 percentile for height, and 50 percentile for weight. He also has a pretty big head! He gets that from the Furr side of the family, we have extraordinarily large domes. She checked his little body and said we must be doing something right because he looks great. The little blister inside of his mouth is normal. It's probably from sucking back those bottles that are making him plump. She picked him up for a brief moment and cuddled him, which resulted in hives on the side of his head! Jess thinks the hives were from the paper on the bed, but I think they came from her sweater! They were gone quickly there after so no need to worry. Then came the worst part, his first set of shots. Prior to the event, I didn't think I'd be able to stomach seeing Oden in pain. I had asked Jess to let me step out of the room if I needed to. When the time came, I couldn't do anything except be right by his side. Jess and I were on each side of him, comforting him the best we knew how. He did OK for the first one, but he knew what the second and third were bringing....PAIN! He really wailed for them. I couldn't wait to scoop him up off the table when it was all done. He did alright for the remainder of the morning and early afternoon, he slept for most of it. Then I had to drop him off at Grandpa Tom and Grandma Dee Dee's house so I could work. They reported that he was a little crabby throughout the day. I felt so sad for little Oden. I just made sure to cuddle him more than normal (if that's possible) when we got home, and into the next day. By Saturday, he was still a little moody here are there, but he got through it. Overall, it wasn't the most pleasant experience of my life but I know that it had to be done. I'm glad that it's over for now, and we know what to expect for next time. His next appointment is in 2 months.

Oden's video debut

2008-03-11T12:56:00.000-07:00

After several failed attempts, I finally got a video to load! It's not super exciting, I just wanted everyone to see him moving around and smiling :) Sorry that I sound ridiculous in the background. I hope that everyone's baby talk is as funny as mine.

Hope you like it!

Baby sweetness

2008-03-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

Jess took this picture, it's my new favorite!This outfit looks so cute on himMore tummy time pictures.....they're everyones favorite!

Oden had his 10 week birthday yesterday. It's hard to believe how old he is. He is getting so big and smart. We have started to put him in the crib at night. He sleeps pretty good for about 5 hours, then he's up. When he gets up he will not go back in the crib, I think he doesn't deep sleep after that. So he comes into our bed and in my arms. I am still waiting for the night that he sleeps longer then 5 hours. That will be a great day. I've heard between 3 and 6 months they start sleeping longer. So hopefully soon!!! Other then that, we are getting very excited for his first Easter! We already bought him a cute bunny and I'm ordering him a Bumbo on-line tonight. Two words for you.......spoiled rotten. He's so sweet though, how could he not melt your heart?

Blog 2

2008-03-03T15:58:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! This is my second entry to our wonderful blog we've created for our little fella. I can't believe he is nine weeks old. It seems like only yesterday that we were trekking our way through the clustered maze of cars on our rush to the hospital. And it's now only a meer memory, Tiff and her tum, feeling for kicks, or eating till we had to loosen our belts. He's here now, Oden's home. Maybe its me, but I already miss those times of "newborn-babyism." He's so big, so strong, and so smart. It baffles my mind how advanced a baby becomes in nine short weeks. He blossomed from a quiet, fragile, still baby boy into a loud, energetic, smart little boy. I can remember how intriguing I found it when he was able to smile somewhat on cue. Now I am able to get him to smile at any time with a couple of his favorite phrases. He can hold his head up by himself. He's rolled over twice and he's eating small amounts of solid food! Nine weeks! The time seems almost like an illusion when you look at it from the stand point of his development. It's as if it doesn't exist, nine weeks feels like nine minutes. I just know I'm gonna be one of those disheveled parents when it comes time to take him to school the first time, or when I see him off to prom, when I move him into his dorm room. I never want these times to end, I know they must, I just find it amazing how blank his canvas is. Everyday seeing something new or partaking in an event that he has never done or bore witness to. His brand new eyes are viewing everything for the very first time. It makes me think of my childhood and how wonderful it must have been. The gentleness and fragility of new sights, sounds, smells, and touches that every new day brings. Everything he comes in contact with makes him light up with wonder and excitement. That's amazing. At this stage in his life everything is special and new, that must be an incredible feeling to have everyday. I too am getting excited at each new step he advances through. Soon he will be walking and talking, and I can't wait. All in all I have to say that he is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me, and I think Tiff would echo those setiments as well. We love him so much and our so proud that we were able to create something so precious and wonderful.

Things are going great on the homefront as well. We're both busy at work, which makes us busy at home, but were both adjusting well. The only thing we find tough is our work schedules; Tiff works days and I work nights. We'll just say we welcome our weekends with open arms. The family's good, work is good, and the house is good. Really not much more you can ask for. Thanks again to all of you who have and will continue to give all of thier love and support. It makes us strong. Well, until next time, today was great but tomorrow will be even better!

cute pictures

2008-02-27T14:23:00.000-08:00

Hopefully this will be good luck for next Bear's season.

Playing with mom on my tummy :)
Hanging out with my pal Sabrina in my cute robot onesie
Hammin' it up for dad
My buddy Rylan, do you like our matching outfits?

FOR MARY BUSH

2008-02-21T17:42:00.000-08:00

This blog is especially for our cousin Mary Bush. She got this outfit for Oden by herself. It was really special to us so we wanted to share it with everyone. It fits him perfectly right now so we are trying to let him wear it as much as possible before he grows out of it. This is the first collared shirt he's ever worn! So cute! THANK YOU MARY! We heart you!

OUR CUTIE PIE, 7 weeks old :)

2008-02-17T09:17:00.000-08:00

Here's some more pictures for all of you Oden addicts. Hopefully this will satisfy your fix. j/k He's 7 weeks old today!!! The picture on top shows him in the Pumas that Kevin bought for him. They fit him perfectly right now so we're trying to let him wear them as much as possible. He is growing out of everything so fast. The second and third pics are of him and the onesie that Heather made. In case you can't see, the front reads "Hello my name is Oden Joseph" and on the back there's caution tape across the butt. It's so cute! Can you see him lifting his head too? He's getting so strong. The last pic is of my favorite onesie so far, STUD MUFFIN! I think I added about 100 pictures to my library this past week. He has become so photogenic.

Other then pictures, there is not much to share. He did have 2 diaper messes this past week. You know, the ones that get all over you and his clothes! Those were fun! I think we were using cheap diapers (Pampers). We switched to Huggies and they seem to fit his bottom better. I added prune baby food to a couple of his bottles this week because he was having trouble pooping. It definately helps and he loves it! He tends to get mad at me if I pull those bottles away to burp him.

I hope that everyone had a Happy Valentine's Day. :)

From the weekend

2008-02-11T14:09:00.000-08:00

Busy, busy, and busy! That's the best way to describe our schedule lately. It's crazy, but in a good way most of the time. We were able to fit in lots of family visits this weekend. The top picture is from bathtime. As you can tell the #1 diapers are still a bit large on him. We had to go up a size because the newborn diapers were getting snug. Friday night I worked in the morning so I had the night off. My mom and brothers came over for a visit. Marshall ended up spending the night and he had lots of fun posing and playing with Oden. He even fed him a whole bottle by himself! This was a first! It was very cute (that's the last picture). Then Saturday was busy. We took our first shopping trip as a family. We went to Kohl's to exchange a couple of outfits for bigger sizes. It was very stressful! He satrted fussing the minute we got in the baby section. Needless to say it was a very short trip. From there were went to Grandpa Joe and Grandma Lauras house. Jess and I took some great pictures of the family with Oden. The 3rd and 4th pictures are the best ones we have of Olivia and Alex to date. We took a lot more, but I can only post so many on the blogspot :) It was nice visiting and dinner was delicious. Then we went to Grandma Kitty and Grandpa Mike's house. It was card night. My family gets together ocassionally to play 31. This time we played another game called "LRC" I think that's what it's called. Anyways, that was a lot of fun. The picture of Heather and Oden (#2) is another one of my favorites. We also took lots of pictures that night. It was a fun day overall. We got home kind of late, but it was worth it. Sunday we kind of layed low. I worked all night so we didn't do much then either. Jess and Oden got some quality daddy/son time though! He's starting to fuss so for now...BYE!

New pictures

2008-02-07T13:54:00.000-08:00

Howdy Everybody! I don't have much new news for you. He has been VERY crabby these last two days and we're not sure why. Mommy is the only one who can make him feel better. Today I had to come home from work early because Jess said he cried for 3 hours straight. Other then that, he is growing so much! He is so long and his little cheeks are getting chubby! His next doctor appointment is early March so I can't wait to see exactly how much he's grown. Grandma Dee Dee and Nicole came over to babysit this weekend. I love the picture above of Nicole and Oden. Aren't they so sweet? Enjoy the pics!

Just want to say I love our parents!!

2008-01-30T13:46:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody! I just wanted to take a few minutes to show my appreciation to all of Oden's grandparents. Without whom, Jess and I would not have ever gotten to this point in our lives. Thank you all for being there for us. Through thick and thin you have stood by us, together and individually. From changing our diapers, to dealing with our teenage years, and our 'rocky' stages, we weren't always the easiest to deal with. Yet through it all you were able to raise two people who feel confident enough to raise a little person of their own. I know that based on our experiences watching all of you, we will do a great job. In addition to the fact that he has great role models. He will look up to you one day and admire all of you like I do. Thank you so much for everything you've done and everything you continue to do. Your love and support means the world!

My First Blog

2008-01-28T15:52:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! This is my first blog to the web page (Finally!), Tiff will be so proud of me. I just want to take a little bit of space to thank everyone for their help the last 10 or so months. Its been a crazy year but crazy in a good way. I would like to start by extending our deepest gratitude's to both of our families for all the amazing contributions each and everyone made getting the house ready for our new arrival. With out the help of people like Tom, Tiff's dad, who was the first one there with crowbar in hand ready and willing to help me rip out that stubborn tile and his generous know-how with our bathroom endeavors. Also Joe, my dad, with his anything you need attitude, who spent many hours tackling blinds, towel bars, toilet seats, you name it. Tiff's sisters Heather, with her Van Gough like work painting Oden's bedroom, Nicole, Stephanie, and Sara for their strong arms and healthy legs getting us moved in. My Step mom Laura for her organizational skills and her great taste. Tiff's Step mom deb for her special attention cleaning our many messes. My brother Alex for taking time to come home from Western for a weekend to get down with a paintbrush. Tiff's Stepfather Mike, for the handy work on the doorknobs, doors, and over-the-range. My mom, for dealing with her "OCD-like" son while he and his lovely lady moved into their house. Tiff's mom for her open-mindedness with the whole situation and her help with the move. My Step dad Scott, for his help getting the laundry room floor in before the washer and dryer came and his carpenter skills with the quarter round. Tiff's brothers Michael and Marshall for their tetris like skills packing and unpacking the vehicles during move in day. My sisters Maggie and Olivia for organizing and opening things up in Oden's room. To my Uncle Dave and his tireless efforts and countless hours he spent putting our beautiful laminate floor in. And to my buddy Jake for spending a whole Saturday busting his tail to help me paint. And to everyone else that I may have forgotten your support and love is so wonderful. Okay, whew! I would also like to give everyone who was with us for the birth of our amazing son Oden Joseph a big high five and a pound it. All the visitors we had in the hospital and our house the following weeks really shows that we are cared for and loved. Thank you to everyone that was there for us in this amazing last year.

With that being said, I want to also take some time to thank my amazing mate Tiff for being the woman she is. A beautiful, supportive, loving, caring, amazing girl. A great mom to her son, who spends hours and hours just watching him and tending to his needs. While always remembering that I'm a big baby too and takes care of making me feel special. Your a great person Tiff and I am lucky to be with someone as brilliant as you. Thanks for being you.

In conclusion, for my first post, this was something I had been dying to do and could find no better forum than our public blog to display my gratefulness for every ones constant support of our new family. So thank you everyone for your time and generosity.

By the way-- I love being a father to our new boy. He's the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me. With the help of Tiffany I think he will have a wonderful, loving home to grow up in. I can't wait to teach him all the wonderful things of life (cough, cough, sports). Everyday gets better and better, so until next time, today was great but tomorrow will be even better!

A Quick Hello!

2008-01-24T12:44:00.000-08:00

Hi! Just wanted to post a few nice, new pics before the weekend. The one on top is my new favorite! His eyes are so bright when they're open. The last pic is from the visit to Grammy's house on Sunday. A day filled with chili, football, and family. It doesn't get much better then that!

We had an exciting week!

2008-01-18T11:48:00.000-08:00

We had quite an eventful week! Monday we had a doctor appointment. Oden is now 8 lbs and 21.5 inches long! He is growing so fast. The doctor said to keep doing what we're doing now because he looks perfect. Then, Tuesday morning his cord finally came off! Thank goodness! That took forever and it looked all dried up and yucky. Jess was at work when it happened so I put the cord in his drawer to surprise him when he got home. It was so funny! Wednesday Oden had his first babysitter. It was only for an hour or so. I ran to Target and Babies'r'us and my mom came over to watch him. It went good, he just slept the whole time. I don't remember what night it was but, Jess and I had our first glass of wine this week. That was nice to sit and relax with each other and our little one. I love family moments! Then today I gave him his first big boy bath in his tub! Up to this point I was just sponge bathing him. He seemed to like it, and it was a lot quicker for me! So overall, we had a pretty good week. He has his crabby moments and will get fussy with us but I think we're handling everything pretty well.

2008-01-12T17:10:00.000-08:00

Time is really flying by! Oden will be 2 weeks old tomorrow! I can't believe how fast it's gone by already! He's doing so good. He is a sleepy little guy. He probably sleeps for about 19 hours a day, so we get to see his beautiful eyes sparingly. He is such a happy baby too. He is smiling all the time. Jess went back to work last week. It was tough, but we got through it. One day we'll win the lottery and never work again! Yeah right, maybe in my dream-land. I go back to work in 2 weeks. That is going to be a hard adjustment, but we'll deal with it when it comes. I hope your enjoying the pictures. I will be posting lots. I have about 300 pictures I could put on here. It's hard not to take pictures of him all the time.

We're home!!

2008-01-04T16:14:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's finally over! Over and beginning at the same time. The arrival of little Oden Joesph was amazing, and continues to be amazing everyday. Jess and I are both overwhelmed with a sense pure happiness. He arrived Sunday night at 11:37pm after about 8 total hours of labor. We arrived at Hinsdale Hospital around 6pm and I was 4 cm dialated, then we waited for my IV to hydrate me and I received my epidural around 8:30pm and I was 8 cm dialated at that point. After the epidural (which was as wonderful as everyone said) I started pushing around 11pm and he entered this world screaming only a short time later. We had a little scare with me after birth, but the doctors got everything figured out and I am fine. Jess is a very concerned father. He was so worried about me after delivery that I think he couldn't truly enjoy holding his son for the first time until he knew I was alright. The hospital stay was nice and comfortable. I don't know if that was due to the hospital staff or all of our families around loving us. Probably a little of both. Everyone was so excited to see him for the first time. We had lots of visitors and lots of love. The whole experience was amazing. The worst part was waiting to leave the hospital the last day, that and the car seat!! GRRR!! I hate car seats. The ride home was scary. The roads were bad from the snow and drifts. I was so worried that he was going to scream the whole ride home, but he slept peacefully like a little angel. The last few days have been crazy. The days are great. We have had lots of visitors, lots of smiles, and even more love. We are having a hard time adjusting to the sleepless nights. Right when you think you have a system or a handle on things, he changes it all. Not one night is the same, and it's a lot to handle when your already functioning with a limited amount of sleep. We'll figure it out. So far everything is going great. Jess is working on setting up the new computer, so I will post more pictures when I can load them from my camera. He is the cutest thing I have ever seen.

its almost time

2007-12-27T11:57:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. I have decided to start a general blog page as per Grammy Mary's request. This way all of our family can access pictures and any news we might have easily. Right now there is not too much to report. We are as ready as we can possibly be for him. I am sick :( and it's horrible. Being this uncomfortable is bad, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Only 2 weeks until his due date (January 7th). I just hope that since he's such a 'big baby' he might come sooner. Keep your fingers crossed and pray for us lots!