He's walking!!!

Today I left this morning for Dubuque for CPR instructor training so that I can teach CPR and I came home to a little boy who walks!!! Oliver had been standing in one place for the last few days and had been taking falling steps but today he's mastered it. Well I shouldn't say mastered because there are a lot of balance checks, and he'll only walk if you let go of him instead of him taking off when he gets himself up say on the coffee table, but I think he's doing wonderfully. His physical therapist will be so excited to see this when she comes on Tuesday!! Makes me also glad that we did postpone our Dr's appointments in Iowa City til next Friday so he can show the neonatal follow up Nurse Practioners that he's doing well, it only took him a bit longer which seems as though is the norm for him. So proud of him!!




And because 1 video isn't enough, here's another one. Sorry, I don't have a video camera so I shot it on my camera so it isn't the best quality.

Snow day

Well we were supposed to go to Iowa City today to meet with Oliver's hematologist and the neonatal follow-up group but because of the weather we had to cancel. We rescheduled for next Friday, but today meant a snow day for us. At the time I'm writing this at 2:30 in the afternoon I'd say that we probably have 6-8 inches of new snow on the ground. It looks like it would be fun to play in but with the temperature maybe around 10 degrees and that is pushing it, I decided that at least Oliver and I would stay indoors. The picture above is looking out our front door, the snow is almost as high as the seat on the picnic table.

So,we opened the blocks my sister gave Oliver for Christmas. I chose not to yet because he's in the stage where he throws everything but usually throws it behind him. He already broke an ornament on the tree throwing some other blocks around Christmas time.


We built towers of the blocks but usually never got it too high before Oliver would knock it down. He started getting the hang of building towers and tried his hand at it but usually only managed to set one block on it before he knocked it over.



Oliver's early Ed teacher brought over an ice cream bucket one day and now that is he's favorite toy so we used it as his "hoop" for the blocks and he'd try and throw them in it.
Too bad that most of the time he'd throw them behind him. Thanks Aunt Colleen and Uncle Darrin!


We picked the blocks up just in time because Shawn came home early from work around 1:30 and he decided that he wanted to play outside. Guess his idea of "playing outside" is fixing the Oliver tractor so that he could plow snow. Pretty sure he wants to get the snow moved now so that he can go snowmobiling tonight. Sorry the picture is blurry, I took it through the screened window - it's too cold to go outside!

Sledding

Last week we actually got some snow that I think will stay put this time so we took advantage of it and Oliver's new sled from Grandpa and Grandma Peteramn to try sledding. He loved being outside and loved being pulled around in his sled.

It had actually snowed on Thursday but since it was accompanied by so much wind Oliver and I just snuggled up and played indoors. Oilver loves his train set he got for Christmas from Santa but he loves more to play with the animals and train conductor and the buildings than the actual train and track.


He usually even sits on the track to play with it.


Friday was warmer and less windy so we went outside in the snow then. With all the wind, the snow was scarce in some parts and drifted in others so it was hard to find a hill but Grandpa and Grandma Doerscher had some great hills. Too bad that the snow was so fluffy that Oliver just sank right into it.


Saturday Grandpa and Grandma Peterman came over and we went sledding as well. Sledding was better today even though it was a bit colder. Our neighbor's sidewalk was the perfect spot for sledding because the snow wasn't deep so he couldn't sink into it.




We even got adventurous and went off the sidewalk onto a small hill. Oliver would say "weeee" or "woahhh" each time he'd be pushed down the hill, only to come to an abrupt stop at the bottom where someone had to stop him before he'd go into the street.

Christmas 2011

Christmas started for us Thursday night with Shawn's parents coming over to open gifts. Oliver received his first sled just his size, OLIVER letters, cheese balls, a savings bond and a recordable story book from Grandpa Chuck and Grandma Shirley. Shawn and I received a new ceiling fan for our bedroom and a 2-wheel cart.

The next Christmas was Saturday morning at our house with Shawn, Oliver and I. We had asked Santa if he could come to our house Christmas Eve morning instead of Christmas because we wouldn't be home on Christmas and he did! Here is our weekend in pictures.

All these present for me!!!

Getting the hang of unwrapping

A Caterpillar train set with a bulldozer, excavator, and wheel-loader along with the train cars.

A firetruck with lights and a siren

Playing with the wrapping paper after opening all the gifts was the most fun part for Oliver and Shawn I think.

Playing peek-a-boo with the wrapping paper. Where's Daddy?

I think he must have been a good boy. Gifts included 2 train set, a ball, a firetruck, a mini CAT dumptruck, a CAT truck, and books to name a few. Shawn got me a Kindle Fire and he got many odds and end stuff mostly for the garage.

After opening present we all loaded into my parents van to go down to Davenport. We celebrated with my Grandpa and Grandma Doerscher at their house that afternoon with my aunts, uncles, and cousins along with my parents and grandparents. My sister and her family made it down later that afternoon.

Oliver loved the singing cow who's horns twitch and vibrate. Oliver would get excited and would dance. Good thing they got him something that sang because that is what stopped him from crying on the way home multiple times on Sunday. He also received a Cars car in the gift exchange and Shawn and I received 40 pounds of sugar to make another batch of wine and an empty wine bottle...hint hint from my Grandparents. So cute!

I think Oliver's favorite part though was going up and down my Grandparent's 2 stairs separating the living and dinning room. He did this numerous times throughout the day by himself and would fuss if we'd carry him off somewhere else.

Then that evening we opened present with my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew and niece. We brought everything down to Davenport with us since we couldn't seem to find a better time to all get together and open our families gifts.

Some blocks for Oliver from his cousins Ian and Annaliese along with a Curious George book and a Leap Frog refrigerator magnet letters.

He and his cousins played with the Firetruck racing track around the firehouse from my parents. This was one of the only toys that came out of the box and that we put together though because it didn't have too many pieces to it.

Then Christmas morning we went to my Grandma Warnecke's house in Walcott. I think Oliver was a little overwhelmed as any new person would be at "Great Billie's" house with the amount of people, food, and gifts that are packed into her house. I think that and the lack of naps the last few days had caught up to him and he wasn't too excited about another Christmas. He had been sick earlier in the week and still didn't have too much of an appetite either. But he was a trooper and experienced his first Warnecke Christmas.

With his cousin Annaliese sharing an apple slice.

He's a pro at unwrapping gifts. We had stacked them all around us and I wasn't paying attention to what he was doing because I was watching Santa hand out the presents and he started tearing into them.

Part of a whole Thomas the train collection from Great Billie

Meeting Santa Claus for the first time. Oliver was fussing before we had even set him up there. Santa said though that it's a good thing we had the pacifier in so that we couldn't see that he was crying.

He didn't mind sitting there so much once Dillon started ringing Santa's jingle bells from his sleigh.

Look at all the stockings behind Santa on the fireplace; All Great Billie's Grandkids, their spouses, and her Great-grandkids.

We were home Sunday evening a little after 7:00 just in time to unload the van and go to bed. We had a great time and thank everyone for the company and gifts.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

First snow of 2011

We woke up to our first real snow of 2011 and just in time to make it feel a little more like Christmas, although, I think it will melt away before Sunday. Oliver was sick yesterday so I didn't know how he would like going out in the snow, but he was much better today so we tried it. At first he hated it but then he liked it.

He didn't like sitting in it and wouldn't even touch it. I would throw some snow on his snow pants and he'd cry harder. I then tried to stand him by the picnic table to see if he' play in it and then he loved it. This is the same way he is with grass, he won't sit on it but he'll stand on it.

We made a snowman just Oliver's size on the picnic table but I think he thought it was blocks and tried knocking it over all the time. He even laughed and loved it when I would lightly throw a snow ball at his chest.

Needless to say, I think it took us longer for me to get him and myself all dressed up for the snow than we actually stayed out there, but he had fun. Can't wait to see his reaction when we get more than 2 inches of snow. Although really, I'm okay with just 2 inches being that we're spoiled and all with the lack of snow and it's almost January.

Merry Christmas to all. I finally have a Holiday off so we're headed down to the Quad Cities for Christmas's this year. I will post pictures of that next week.

Hanging with Dad in the garage

Last weekend Shawn wanted to get "stuff" done in the garage. Now I think he gets "stuff" done every weekend in the garage but we joined him this time. I think Oliver shares Shawn's love for being in the garage because he laughs and squeals with excitement when we get all dressed up to go out there. Our garage is heated so it's comfortable in there temperature wise and has almost everything in there that I think if I'd let him, Shawn would live out there. Oliver's favorite thing out there is still his wagon. But instead of riding in it now he likes to push it around. We have to do the steering for him but he goes around and around numerous times before just sitting indicating he's tired. See his excitement.


It was also this past weekend in the garage, that Oliver stood on his own without anything to hold on to and took a couple steps. Now these steps probably don't count in most people's book since they were more so falling steps he took trying to get to Shawn to hold him up but we'll count them.

Had to take a break to drink some water. All decked out in camouflage even the cup koosie.

Uhh Oh

So it's been almost a month since my last post, sorry it's been crazy busy so here's a little update. Oliver is doing great, he learned to crawl up the stairs now and does well with some assistance coming down them. He's still walking holding on to things but now at least he'll walk only holding onto one of your fingers in one of his hands. He's been good about staying out of the Christmas tree but loves helping to wrap presents. He's my official tape holder. He was playing with one of the toys we had gotten him and then I wrapped it and so he thought he'd poke his finger through the wrapping paper to get at it. I think he'll do great with unwrapping gifts this year needless to say. Shawn and Oliver went to one Christmas party already for the Kainz side at Grandma Shirley's sister's house. I had to work that weekend so it was just the boys. They missed out on Santa in St. Olaf that morning because Oliver wasn't feeling the best but we can't wait to see Santa at Great Billie's on Christmas day.


This is what I walked into the other day. I hadn't heard him for a while so I thought I would go investigate what he was doing. The only cupboard we don't have a safety lock on and he gets into it and starts pulling everything off the shelves. Oh well, I guess it needed to be reorganized anyway.