Baptism

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

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 ....

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!

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

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

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!