Sweet Cheeks

Today I had my 36 week check-up and an ultra sound of the baby.  The ultra sound was a growth check because at 34 weeks my belly had a dramatic growth spurt and I was measuring 37 weeks.  Yikes!  The good news is my belly is not all baby since they found I have a good amount of fluid for him to swim in.  With that, he is also measuring big.  As the doctor said when she walked into the room, I'm not having a little peanut.  They think that he is 7.5 lbs now and if he continues at a regular growth rate he will be 9.5 lbs at birth.  That said, that the ultra sound can be off by a pound.  Keep in mind, Oliver measured to be a 9 pound baby at birth in the ultra sound and he was one pound lower at 7 pounds 15 ounces in real life.  I'm not too worried since this is like deja vu from Oliver.  I do get excited that a big belly means I get the ultra sounds and a sneak peak at our little guy. 

As always, you kind of have to use your imagination with ultra sounds.

Here he is puckering up for his profile shot.  I think he's practicing giving his Mommy big smooches.

This is a direct face shot.  I think he already looks like he may be getting chubby cheeks.

For the first time ever, we got a 3D look.  He insisted on having his hands in front of his face so it was tough to get a good picture.  Oliver was the same way at this stage.  I still think it is a better picture than the regular ultra sounds.

We showed this to Oliver tonight and he said "the baby is in a cave."  Hmm... hope that is OK with his big brother.  He'll be warm and cozy in there for a few more weeks.

Of course, there is no telling when this little guy will come out to meet all of us.  As of this Sunday, I will be 37 weeks and full term.  According to the ultra sound monitor, Keith snuck a peak and the estimated due date was August 14 based on his measurements.  If he follows suit with his big brother he will arrive one day early on August 28.  If he follows in his mothers foot steps he will be one week late. (I'm hoping he's not like his Mom in that respect)  Only time will tell and in that time, we are anxious to meet him and give him lots of hugs and kisses.

Bubbles

One of Oliver's favorite past times in the tub, blowing bubbles!

Buffalo Bill Day

On Saturday, we woke up to cloudy skies and a forecast of rain.  We had planned a pool day with the Stack family but with the forecast we decided to go to the Buffalo Bill Days in Golden.  By the time we got there it was a beautiful day and a perfect day to enjoy the festivities.  I had never been in the nine years I've worked in Golden.  It was great!  Saturday was kicked off with a parade and then we promptly made our way to the carnival in the park afterwards.

Of course, Coors was proudly represented in the parade with both a classic delivery truck and a modern delivery truck.

These two crack me up.  Don't you think they would make a good team for the FBI with that serious look and the dark shades?

The parade even had a mariachi band.  YAY!

I think this was suppose to be the high school football team but they looked awful small and young.  Is that a sign that we're getting old?  Right in front of us they dropped to do some push-ups.

It is so fun now that Oliver is old enough to participate in more activities, including the carnival.  They had one game for little guys and it was the ducks.  I used to love the ducks when I was a kid.  He was so quick that this is the only picture I got.

Every kid wins.  For $3 he got to pick one duck and won this stuffed thing.  I thought it was an alligator but Oliver thinks it's a whale.  Regardless, he loves it!  Yes, that would be $3 worth spending.

Parker was impressed by the prize and even more impressed by the duck game.  I don't think Parker's parents had to spring for the $3. Parker is still young enough that he's ok looking and splashing occasionally.  No duck pick or prize needed.

They also had a jumpy castle for the little guys too, which Oliver is a huge fan of.  He stopped for me to take this quick photo and then he was off and running again.

Action Shot: Oliver jumping in the castle.

What would a carnival be like without indulging in the food.  We took full advantage of the situation and had lunch under a shade tree.  On the menu: corn dog, hot dog, gyro's, funnel cake and fresh lemonade. 

Calorie content: An entire month worth of calories consumed in one meal. 

Was it worth it?  YES! 

Oliver even had his first funnel cake.  MMMmmmmm!!!!

So I know it's not attractive to see a kid eating and attempting to say Cheese at the same time but I couldn't resist posting this picture.  Check out those eye brows.  Does that remind anyone of his Grandpa Garner?

This is some drift wood that was lodged against a rock in Clear Creek.  I thought it was quite impressive.

What a great day.  We will definitely keep Buffalo Bill Days in mind for next year.

Grandma and Grandpa Garner Visit

This past weekend Grandma and Grandpa came to visit from Washington.  It was great to have them here.  We had a very mellow weekend compared to some of their visits but we still had a great time.  It was 100 degrees outside and with me being 8 months pregnant, a mellow weekend was perfect.  Some of these photos Grandma sent my way.  Thanks Grandma (Mom)!  It's fun to have pictures from a different perspective and to actually have a few with me in them since I'm usually the picture taker.

One night after work, I went to change into some comfy evening clothes. (not to be confused with our pre-kids evening clothes which usually was for going out on the town.  Oh how things have changed :)  I had just flown in that afternoon from a business trip to LA and Oliver hadn't seen me in a few days.  He was stuck to me like white on rice, all of the way upstairs.  Grandma got this super cute photo of us having an evening snuggle and chat.

On Friday at work, some of the ladies had a surprise baby shower for me.  Unfortunately, I was unable to attend due to some high priority work issues.  I was completely bummed.  They were kind enough to include something for the new big brother in the house, this marker and coloring book set.  He LOVED it!

On Saturday Mom and I headed to the annual Nordstrom's Anniversary sale.  This is a MUST Attend Sale every year.   While we were there, Keith, Oliver and Grandpa spend some time in the backyard at the beach.  Grandpa took a few photos in our absence.

When we got home Oliver was excited to tell me that "Grandpa let me waste water".  Hmm....  I"m thinking this is just one more thing we would been in trouble for as kids.  Grandpa snickered as Oliver exclaimed this and made some comment about our water bill.  Ya ya ya.... paybacks.  At least with the heat the grass probably loved it.  It wasn't necessarily wasted water, right?

Ahhh... nothing like putting your swollen cankles (calf muscles that go straight into your ankles with no definition, thanks to swelling) into a nice cool pool.  Oliver thought it was a splendid idea as well since he could join in the fun.

Keith giving the baby bump some love in the kitchen.

When Keith found out he had an audience with a camera he turned on the humor and pretended to put the meat thermometer in my belly.  Almost done!

After all of that backyard playing and splashing in cold water, Oliver had to come inside to warm up and take a rest.  We found him and Grandpa on the couch watching Little Einstein.

On Sunday, Grandma and Grandpa treated Oliver to an early 3-year birthday present.  Grandma was quite impressed with Oliver's cart pushing skills.Too bad he can't see where he's going and occasionally tried to take someone or something out with the cart.

What did he get?

A new tricycle!!

After seeing him test drive a tricycle in the store that was not very sturdy, I decided he needed a helmet too.

Oliver sportin' his new helmet, complete with a pop-up Grandma.  Ok, not really, but it makes me laugh.

Oliver checking out his tricycle, complete with a helmet, horn and bell.

The pedals are a little too far away (nicer than saying his legs are a little too short) so Keith fixed him up with some blocks on the pedals.  Looks closely in the photos and you can see them.  It was the perfect fix!

Oliver giving a honk on his new horn to let people know he was coming.

We took his new trike to the park for a test drive and some evening exercise.  The park is always a huge hit!

Hello Down Below!

Oliver thought that is was great to hear Grandpa's voice coming through this pipe.

Strolling to another playground in the same park near our house.  Since Oliver was just learning to pedal his way around and the grass was thick, Keith had a big stick to help out.

Headed Home

Grandma and Grandpa also got Oliver this sticker book full of dinosaur's.  He could sit for hours putting stickers on the right pages and reading about the different dinosaurs.

The next morning, Keith took Grandma and Grandpa to the airport before Oliver got up.  First thing in the morning, Oliver asked to see them.  When I told him they were gone he said "I want to give them a kiss".  Ahhhh, such a sweet boy.

Thanks for coming to visit Grandma and Grandpa (Mom and Dad).  We hope to see you again soon!

Painting the Baby Room

Our weekends have been full of visitors, work and fun.  One weekend we spent working on the babies room.  Keith painted, Oliver and I observed and kept out of the way.

We have made more progress on the room since these photos were taken, but you'll have to wait until I take new photos to see those.  Until then, watch Keith work on painting the baby room on one of the hottest days this summer.

Oliver taking time to sit with Madalyn

Hey Mister, are you laying down on the job?

Oliver doing some art of his own just outside of the boys' rooms.

Thanks for all of the hard work painting on a hot summer day, Keith.   The room looks fabulous!

Chick-Fil-A

Time is sure flying this summer.  We have so much to catch the blog up on.

Several weeks ago Chick-Fil-A was having a promotion and Oliver's school participated.  If the kids dressed up like their mascot, the cow, they got to eat for free.  The idea was that we would take the kids for dinner.  Sorry Chick-filet (and Aunt Lindsey and Uncle Jeff),  Keith and I aren't fans of their food so we didn't go.  Oliver did have a great time dressing up like a cow.  He loved is so much he insisted on wearing his cow shirt again the next day.  He was so cute in his outfit that I had to take pictures of him when we got home.

Oliver taking a moment to show me his cow outfit that he made at school. 

What cow outfit would be complete without a tail?  He loved the tail too.

Oliver giving me a big "MOO". 

What a ham.