What a month

Oliver is not so happy about getting old. Just like the Toys-R-Us song he does not want to grow up.... Ok maybe that's just me who feels that way. My baby is already one month old:(

He is such an angel when he sleeps

Our baby is now a month old. How fast this month has gone still amazes me and I feel like I understand what every parent says when they say “They grow up so fast.” I swear Oli is probably almost 23 inches and over 8 pounds, he has developed a double chin even. Chanel has the cutest name for Oliver, she calls him Olaher…..

Things that Oliver has taught me about parenthood, along with some of Oli’s quirks
· Sleep is a luxury
· Babies can squirt their poop in any direction aimed
· Oliver can SCREAM like nobodies business
· When we first brought Oli home his cries sounded like a squeaky door, very high and shrill
· Oli has some serious gas issues, he farts all of the time and now that he has hit one month he has some pretty rancid diapers
· If you aren’t careful boys can simultaneously projectile vomit, get the hiccups and pee on their face!

· I once got peed on 6, yes I said 6 times in one day
· Crocodile tears are the saddest thing on a baby
· Patience and lots of it!
· It takes 3x as long to get out of the house
· Lunch turns into Breakfast, dinner turns to lunch and a midnight snack turns into dinner
· Oliver attracts a big crowd, everyone’s initial reaction is “Look at all of that hair!” then the next question “A girl, right?” WRONG!!
· We keep making bets on Oli’s eye color, I am dying for them to be blue but everyone is convinced they will be brown… They are probably going to be right
· Oliver gets so very impatient with me when he is hungry; he starts to pant through his nose. It actually is the cutest thing
· I think it is so adorable when babies root around
· Oliver gets the hiccups all of the time!! At first Curtis was worried and didn’t like it but now we have gotten used to it.

Adventures of Little O: Oliver has done a lot in his first month on this world
· Firework show at Rory’s cul-de-sac of Fire on the 4th of July
· Boating on Pioneer Day weekend also going to Herriman Beach and then a BBQ with the Royce family
· Took a tour of Oquirrh Mountain Temple
· Went to a movie (My Sisters Keeper) which he couldn’t help but shed some tears right at the end
· Been shopping with mom
· Played with his cousins, from Little Lottie to the locals and even his newest little cous
· Had his first photo shot with grandpa
· Birthday party for great grandpa Tanner
· Played a whole night at grandma and grandpa Brinkerhoffs (without parental supervision!)

I couldn't resist posting this picture....

This is Charlotte aka Little Lottie

When she heard the news that she would be getting a couple of new playmates back in the states she couldn't resist traveling over the big blue to visit. She comes to us from Milan, Italy and was accompanied by her momma/ my sister Rachael and soon will be joined by her pops, Giovanni. We are so excited to have them here and are having so much fun with them.

Tubby Time!

Oliver got his first bath about a week ago and HATED IT! He just screamed and screamed. First, while Curtis was preparing the tub I took his diaper off a little too early which then led to Curtis getting peed on (hey I got peed on 6 times in on in one day!) we also should have turned the AC off so the bathroom could warm up a little too. I didn't think about the washcloth trick until it was too late either :( So all of that equates to Oliver not having such a good experience in the water. So I had to warm him up pretty quickly... He has these cute little bear pj's that were perfect. Its just when I put him in them he reminded me of Ralphie in the bunny suit from the Christmas Story!

My cousin Crystal made this very cute hooded towel... Its a shark and Oliver is getting eaten ALIVE!

Finally all warm and toasty and ready for bed!!!

Ok, Bath time round #2

And it was a SUCCESS! He loved it and made it a much more pleasant experience for both baby and me.

(Thanks Aunt Kristi for this adorable onesie! She took one of Curtis' old motorcycle t-shirts and turned it into this masterpiece of a sleep sack, for other clothing items by Kristi click here http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16531384&ref=em)

Oliver is now 3 weeks old and is just GROWING, GROWING GROWING! At his two week apt the Doc said that he predicts our child will just be really tall and thin just like his daddy. He weighed in at 7 pounds 9 ounces and 21.6 inches tall! So he has gained almost a whole pound and a whole inch from birth! I feel pretty fortunate that he has been a pretty good eater. He is on a pretty good feeding schedule, I just think sometimes he struggles with latching on correctly which in turn HURTS!!! Does anyone have advice besides using lanolin cream to prevent the dreaded cracking and bleeding? Oliver has also developed a double chin, it is the most adorable double chin you will ever see! He is starting to 'coo' and 'ahhh' more and more. He also has some pretty strong neck muscles he will lift and hold his head for a surprisingly long amount of time. The most rewarding thing to me at this age is that he now recognizes mine and Curt's voices I love when he hears me and tries to search the room for me. Curtis and I thoroughly enjoy parenthood, every day brings a new adventure and education!!!!

Baby Ava Lyn

Congratulations to my brother Rory and his wife Jennine on the birth of their sweet new baby girl! She is simply adorable. Ava was born about 5 and a half weeks early and has had to spend some time in the NICU. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with you guys and hope that everything will continue to improve. Oliver can't wait to meet his new playmate and we look forward to you coming home Ava!

THIS JUST IN AVA IS COMING HOME TODAY!!!

(I stole these photos from my folks blog!)

Oliver Mitchell Brinkerhoff

Little Oli joined the Brinkerhoff ranks Sunday, June 28th at 3:03 p.m. Weighing in at a whopping 6 pounds 15 ounces and almost 21 inches long. The delivery was absolutely nothing that I had anticipated or prepared for. It was the most exhilarating moment of my life that it will be hard to put into words and express to you just how amazing it is to have a child. After a crazy Saturday trying to organize and pin things down in preparation for our Sunday's child, we headed to JVH planning for a LONG night. They started my induction by giving me a pill to thin my cervix. The plan was that they would be administering this pill every 4 hours and then start me on patossin Sunday morning to get the party started. They also gave me an ambian to help me sleep and get my rest (I am so grateful for that!) When it came time for my second dose the nurse told me my contractions had gotten pretty steady put my body wasn't progressing like they had wanted it to. So around 3 a.m. they started my patossin.

When the nurse came to check me around 5:30 I was at a 2 and 75%. She told me I could get the epidural anytime I wanted but I needed to let her know if I wanted it now because shift change was at 6 and she wasn't exactly sure what time I could get it after that. I opted for the epidural at that time and then my nerves started to come upon me. I had heard a lot of different stories preparing me for what the epidural would be like. Being the pessimist that I am at times I was expecting the worst. Anesthesiologist Ron, my new best friend, quickly helped me realize the epidural was nothing to be scared of. He was AMAZING! It was quick and practically painless. I just felt a tiny pinch and an odd sensation in my leg. I shortly became numb and my legs would flop around like a dead fish. Curtis and I continued to sleep and relax, watch episodes of the Office and Ratatouille we had just started August Rush when my nurse gave me some great news... I was at a 9 and 95% She told me she would be pushing with me for maybe an hour or two and then my doc would be joining us. I could tell Curt was getting hungry and I figured we had about 20 min before we would start pushing so I sent him down to the cafeteria with my mom. My nurse came back in, birth cart in tow, and said "uh... they left you?" I hurried and called Curtis and told him to turn his butt around because it was time! After one round of pushes the nurse said she was going to go Page my doc right then because he was coming and coming fast. It didn't even take 5 min for doc to get to the room. During my break after our second round of pushes just couldn't believe how different this was than how I imagined it, I couldn't help but laugh. Because I just kept laughing Oli just kept coming... It took one more set of pushes and he was here! Oli was laughed into this world! I was looking right into my baby's eyes and overcome by joy. Just the sheer shock of the whole experience left Curtis and I in disbelief that our little baby boy had finally arrived. Now that we have had a week together I must say motherhood is bliss. It has for sure been quite the adjustment and learning curve but I am loving it! Curtis is such an amazing father. I couldn't do this with anyone else. I love seeing the love that Curtis has for his son. He loves just holding him and does everything he can to help me through recovery. I am so grateful for my family, the Lord has truly blessed me.

On our way to the Hospital, Our last picture just the two of us!

I had to be put on oxygen :( My mom says this picture reminds her of those dog photos with the huge eyes

All about Oliver!!!!

My sweet family

Jack loves his new little buddy. He gets somewhat protective and will sit and lay by his new best friend. Sometimes when Oli cries Jack will try to mimic the cries, or maybe he is trying to tell us "what have you two done?" or "Please make it stop!"

Finally, here is Oliver's room! I love how it turned out, it is exactly how I imagined it!

I love this outfit!!

Oli was a little jaundice when we came home and is starting to not be so yellow