Otis had a lovely time celebrating his first Christmas in Ohio then California. For 400+ photos of the fun, go to tootlefam.shutterfly.com!
More updates soon.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Four Months and a Milestone (sort of)
There are new Otis photos at tootlefam.shutterfly.com.
Otis turned four months old on Thursday. Our healthy boy weighs 17 pounds already, and I'm starting to forget what it was like to hold him when he was only seven or eight pounds.
Otis used to hate "tummy time" with a passion. As soon as we would set him down on his tum he would cry, and as soon as we rolled him over he'd stop. When we asked the pediatrician about it, he said not to worry but to keep trying and one day he'd stop hating it. Well, it happened! Yeah! I had him on my lap on the floor last Sunday and he kept leaning forward, so I put him on his tummy and he happily hung out there for a few minutes.
Then he rolled over all by himself.
My heart SWELLED with pride. MY BABY, who I grew in my uterus, can now roll over independently. Our illustrious son did it three more times that day, and each time he seemed to really enjoy this new sense of mobility and control over his situation. Then he put this newly-learned skill in his back pocket for more than a week, refusing to do it again for us (and our video camera.) He rolled again this morning, though, so I think it's safe to record this as a milestone. Right?
I have succumbed to the mom haircut. It's only day three but I'm finding it so much easier to manage! My stylist says it's not a mom haircut, but a sexy mama haircut. I'm going to go ahead and agree with her, whether it's true or not. (Yes, I'm fishing for compliments here.)
I am counting down the days until our Christmas vacation to Ohio. While I'm a little nervous about Otis's first plane ride, I just can't wait for my parents, brother, grandparents, and the rest of my extended family to have time with Otis. Can't wait!
Otis turned four months old on Thursday. Our healthy boy weighs 17 pounds already, and I'm starting to forget what it was like to hold him when he was only seven or eight pounds.
Otis used to hate "tummy time" with a passion. As soon as we would set him down on his tum he would cry, and as soon as we rolled him over he'd stop. When we asked the pediatrician about it, he said not to worry but to keep trying and one day he'd stop hating it. Well, it happened! Yeah! I had him on my lap on the floor last Sunday and he kept leaning forward, so I put him on his tummy and he happily hung out there for a few minutes.
Then he rolled over all by himself.
My heart SWELLED with pride. MY BABY, who I grew in my uterus, can now roll over independently. Our illustrious son did it three more times that day, and each time he seemed to really enjoy this new sense of mobility and control over his situation. Then he put this newly-learned skill in his back pocket for more than a week, refusing to do it again for us (and our video camera.) He rolled again this morning, though, so I think it's safe to record this as a milestone. Right?
I have succumbed to the mom haircut. It's only day three but I'm finding it so much easier to manage! My stylist says it's not a mom haircut, but a sexy mama haircut. I'm going to go ahead and agree with her, whether it's true or not. (Yes, I'm fishing for compliments here.)
I am counting down the days until our Christmas vacation to Ohio. While I'm a little nervous about Otis's first plane ride, I just can't wait for my parents, brother, grandparents, and the rest of my extended family to have time with Otis. Can't wait!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Do you see a resemblance?
The photo on the left is my dad as a baby, and the one on the right is Steve's four-month portrait. I think little Otis looks a lot like both of them!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
First Trip to the Park and Other Fun Things
Last Thursday my new friend Jackie invited Otis and me, and several other moms and their kids, for a morning at the park. (It's weird--once you have a baby you are automatically welcomed into this whole new social network of other moms!) I went mostly to socialize since Otis can't really play at the park yet, but I decided to put him in the baby swing just to test it out. He really liked it, and hung out there for a few minutes, happy for his mama to stay close and swing him about three inches back and forth. Jackie was sweet to photograph this small milestone since I forgot my camera.
I emailed it to my parents, who of course shared it with their friends. One of my dad's Lutterbein Lumber colleagues said Otis is starting to look like a Lutterbein! Now I can see it too. He definitely looks like Steve, but now I think he might have Lutterbein eyes. (Yay, some of my genes got in there, too!) These are eyes I don't have, but my dad and his Uncle Dick and Uncle Ed have them. They're good looking eyes, deep-set.
Otis is growing SO fast. We are already starting to forget how it felt to hold him when he was a "bitty-tiny" newborn. At his last doctor visit, he was in the 80th percentile for height and 85th for weight. I'm happy to report that he's been getting 100% of his calories from breast milk for the past several weeks now--after some trouble with weight gain early on and the doc's recommendation to supplement with formula. The one good thing that came from that is that now Otis takes a bottle like a champ, and dad gives him one bottle of expressed breast milk while I'm away at work in the afternoons.
Steve is the cutest dad ever. He might not want me to share this information, but I will anyway: he sings the funniest song ever while he's changing Otis's diaper. The words are "Poopity doopity poopity doo, poopity doopity Robert Goulet...Poopity doopity poopity doo, poop, poop Robert Goulet," of course sung in Robert Goulet's voice. Otis loves it!
Otis is doing lots of cooing and laughing these days. His favorite sounds are "nnn-guh" and "ow-ooh." And his favorite joke is fart sounds. It makes him laugh really hard. We have this on video and will post it soon.
Just in the past couple of days, Otis has started tolerating us reading books to him. I asked Steve's sister Ruthie for advice on how to encourage Otis to fall into a regular nap schedule, and she recommended reading the same books before each naptime and before bedtime. It's fun to read to him. When we read "Pat the Bunny" he pats the bunny and likes the peek-a-boo page. We also have this sweet book called "Mommy Hugs" and it talks about ways other animals hug their babies. It's an opportunity for lots of cuddling, which I probably enjoy as much as, or more than, Otis.
We have stopped watching a lot of TV because whenever it's on, Otis becomes a zombie and stares at the screen. Scary!
I have been devouring a book on infant brain development. It's fascinating. Just learning about the biology of how the brain forms (Probably something I should've learned in high school biology at some point but didn't--way to go EHS.) is amazing and it reminds me how much of a miracle it is that Otis was even conceived and grew inside me and so forth.
That's all I can think of for this long-overdue update. This is so fun. We love him so much, and sometimes we just can't believe he's ours!
I emailed it to my parents, who of course shared it with their friends. One of my dad's Lutterbein Lumber colleagues said Otis is starting to look like a Lutterbein! Now I can see it too. He definitely looks like Steve, but now I think he might have Lutterbein eyes. (Yay, some of my genes got in there, too!) These are eyes I don't have, but my dad and his Uncle Dick and Uncle Ed have them. They're good looking eyes, deep-set.
Otis is growing SO fast. We are already starting to forget how it felt to hold him when he was a "bitty-tiny" newborn. At his last doctor visit, he was in the 80th percentile for height and 85th for weight. I'm happy to report that he's been getting 100% of his calories from breast milk for the past several weeks now--after some trouble with weight gain early on and the doc's recommendation to supplement with formula. The one good thing that came from that is that now Otis takes a bottle like a champ, and dad gives him one bottle of expressed breast milk while I'm away at work in the afternoons.
Steve is the cutest dad ever. He might not want me to share this information, but I will anyway: he sings the funniest song ever while he's changing Otis's diaper. The words are "Poopity doopity poopity doo, poopity doopity Robert Goulet...Poopity doopity poopity doo, poop, poop Robert Goulet," of course sung in Robert Goulet's voice. Otis loves it!
Otis is doing lots of cooing and laughing these days. His favorite sounds are "nnn-guh" and "ow-ooh." And his favorite joke is fart sounds. It makes him laugh really hard. We have this on video and will post it soon.
Just in the past couple of days, Otis has started tolerating us reading books to him. I asked Steve's sister Ruthie for advice on how to encourage Otis to fall into a regular nap schedule, and she recommended reading the same books before each naptime and before bedtime. It's fun to read to him. When we read "Pat the Bunny" he pats the bunny and likes the peek-a-boo page. We also have this sweet book called "Mommy Hugs" and it talks about ways other animals hug their babies. It's an opportunity for lots of cuddling, which I probably enjoy as much as, or more than, Otis.
We have stopped watching a lot of TV because whenever it's on, Otis becomes a zombie and stares at the screen. Scary!
I have been devouring a book on infant brain development. It's fascinating. Just learning about the biology of how the brain forms (Probably something I should've learned in high school biology at some point but didn't--way to go EHS.) is amazing and it reminds me how much of a miracle it is that Otis was even conceived and grew inside me and so forth.
That's all I can think of for this long-overdue update. This is so fun. We love him so much, and sometimes we just can't believe he's ours!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Happy Halloween!
Otis was not a big fan of Halloween. But that didn't stop us from parading him around the cul de sac! He looked really cute in his frog costume.
Our sad little froggy letting us know how he feels about this holiday. (Thanks, Granny, for giving Otis the cute costume!)
Pre-trick-or-treating on the porch with mom.
With dad and his candy. No, he didn't eat it, but mom did.
In his Halloween t-shirt from Grandma Bein.
Our sad little froggy letting us know how he feels about this holiday. (Thanks, Granny, for giving Otis the cute costume!)
Pre-trick-or-treating on the porch with mom.
With dad and his candy. No, he didn't eat it, but mom did.
In his Halloween t-shirt from Grandma Bein.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Make a Difference Day 2009
Brian Kempf (Steve's friend and Executive Director of the Urban Tree Foundation) has a tradition that he plants a tree for each of his kids. Today was Make a Difference Day in Visalia, and Brian had hundreds of volunteers planting trees and native plants at West Main Park. He was kind enough to invite us to plant a Valley Oak tree just for Otis. So world, I give you the Otis Tootle Oak Tree:
Monday, October 19, 2009
Otis at 3 Months
He is a big smiling baby now. He pretty much smiles at you any time you smile at him. It is pretty fun.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
More photos
Last week we uploaded photos from Otis's second month at http://tootlefam.shutterfly.com.
Otis's First Trip
On Sunday we decided to get out of Dodge for the day and visit the central coast. Steve and I make this day trip (2.5 hours each way) several times a year to cool off, see the pretty ocean, eat clam chowder, and visit some of Steve's favorite college hangouts in San Luis Obispo. With Otis along, our day wasn't nearly as carefree as it was in our former pre-baby lives, but we still had fun.
Our journey took a little longer than we'd planned due to a projectile baby poop blowout while we'd stopped at the Jack Ranch Cafe parking lot to nurse. The most impressive blowout to date (in both force and volume), it set us back a good hour. I was nursing him in the back seat of the car when it happened: the poo landed in my lap but quickly ran down my hip into a pool that I was then sitting in. I called for reinforcements, and Steve sprung into action. He picked up Otis, who had poo running down both of his little legs and onto his cute socks, and I got the diaper changing supplies ready. While Steve deftly cleaned up our boy and changed his clothes, I focused on the car seat (thank God for leather seats!) and then turned my attention to my poo-covered pants. I had no choice but to walk into the Jack Ranch Cafe to try to wash out my jeans. I'm sure people who aren't familiar with the distinct color of baby poo thought I'd pooped my pants. Because there was poop all over my pants. To make an already-long story a little shorter, our first stop in SLO was Old Navy for a new pair of jeans.
When we got back in the car, we had a good laugh and continued our journey. We were all safe and healthy, and this was just a small kink in our fun-filled day. And the rest of the day was pretty fun. Otis got to visit some of our favorite spots, but he didn't see them because he slept through most of it in his sling. Lots of tourists smiled and pointed at us. Here are some photos:
Here is Otis sleeping through our delicious clam chowder at Splash Cafe:
Here is Otis not getting his first glimpse of the ocean at foggy Pismo Beach (maybe next time):
Otis snoozing while I enjoy some new tunes at Boo Boo Records:
Finally, here's Otis looking dapper (if not slightly overwhelmed) in his car seat on the way home:
Our journey took a little longer than we'd planned due to a projectile baby poop blowout while we'd stopped at the Jack Ranch Cafe parking lot to nurse. The most impressive blowout to date (in both force and volume), it set us back a good hour. I was nursing him in the back seat of the car when it happened: the poo landed in my lap but quickly ran down my hip into a pool that I was then sitting in. I called for reinforcements, and Steve sprung into action. He picked up Otis, who had poo running down both of his little legs and onto his cute socks, and I got the diaper changing supplies ready. While Steve deftly cleaned up our boy and changed his clothes, I focused on the car seat (thank God for leather seats!) and then turned my attention to my poo-covered pants. I had no choice but to walk into the Jack Ranch Cafe to try to wash out my jeans. I'm sure people who aren't familiar with the distinct color of baby poo thought I'd pooped my pants. Because there was poop all over my pants. To make an already-long story a little shorter, our first stop in SLO was Old Navy for a new pair of jeans.
When we got back in the car, we had a good laugh and continued our journey. We were all safe and healthy, and this was just a small kink in our fun-filled day. And the rest of the day was pretty fun. Otis got to visit some of our favorite spots, but he didn't see them because he slept through most of it in his sling. Lots of tourists smiled and pointed at us. Here are some photos:
Here is Otis sleeping through our delicious clam chowder at Splash Cafe:
Here is Otis not getting his first glimpse of the ocean at foggy Pismo Beach (maybe next time):
Otis snoozing while I enjoy some new tunes at Boo Boo Records:
Finally, here's Otis looking dapper (if not slightly overwhelmed) in his car seat on the way home:
Smiler
Otis is a regular smiler, but it's been hard to capture his cute grins on camera. He loves to smile after diaper changes, right after nursing, and generally whenever we would not be likely to have a camera in hand. But here are our two closest smile photos, to give you an idea!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Six Weeks
Now that little Otis is six weeks old, he's definitely looking and acting more "baby" and less "newborn." He is more alert, interacts more, and (after lots of hard work from his mama) has finally started putting on some chub.
While he doesn't bust out huge grins yet, Otis has started giving us little smiles now and then. He likes to be kissed on the lips and cheeks, and will sometimes smile at mom or dad after a few kisses. I also got a smile after gently bouncing him on my knees last night, chanting "bounce, bounce, bounce...bounce, bounce, bounce." We haven't captured any of these fleeting grins on camera yet, but we're doing EVERYTHING we can think of to get more of them, so we'll surely get a photo soon.
Otis can also mimic some of our faces. If I stick my tongue out several times, Otis will stick his out. He can also do raised eyebrows/open mouth and pursed lips.
Another sign of Otis's big boy status is that he no longer screams his head off during bathtime. Actually, Steve and I think we didn't have the water hot enough. Oops--I guess I might want to cry if someone plopped me into a lukewarm bath, too!
Otis loves his play mat, sweetly handed down from his cousins Harper and Jack. He enjoys looking at the toys dangling from the top and batting at them with his hands. He also reaches for toys placed to his side. We're so proud! Clearly, this is a sign that he is brilliant, in addition to being the most handsomest ever in the world. :)
Finally, Otis is becoming a daddy's boy. Look how I caught them napping just a few minutes ago!
While he doesn't bust out huge grins yet, Otis has started giving us little smiles now and then. He likes to be kissed on the lips and cheeks, and will sometimes smile at mom or dad after a few kisses. I also got a smile after gently bouncing him on my knees last night, chanting "bounce, bounce, bounce...bounce, bounce, bounce." We haven't captured any of these fleeting grins on camera yet, but we're doing EVERYTHING we can think of to get more of them, so we'll surely get a photo soon.
Otis can also mimic some of our faces. If I stick my tongue out several times, Otis will stick his out. He can also do raised eyebrows/open mouth and pursed lips.
Another sign of Otis's big boy status is that he no longer screams his head off during bathtime. Actually, Steve and I think we didn't have the water hot enough. Oops--I guess I might want to cry if someone plopped me into a lukewarm bath, too!
Otis loves his play mat, sweetly handed down from his cousins Harper and Jack. He enjoys looking at the toys dangling from the top and batting at them with his hands. He also reaches for toys placed to his side. We're so proud! Clearly, this is a sign that he is brilliant, in addition to being the most handsomest ever in the world. :)
Finally, Otis is becoming a daddy's boy. Look how I caught them napping just a few minutes ago!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Otis Photo Site
If you want to see 400 photos of Otis's first month, visit his new photo site at http://tootlefam.shutterfly.com!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Some favorite photos
Otis loves the blanket Grandma Lutterbein lovingly knitted.
Otis was mesmerized by his "Ugly Doll" for a few minutes. Thanks, Uncle Wade!
Otis looking handsome in his crib.
Now he's a little bit sad.
Sleeping on dad. We love the little peach fuzz hair on his back!
Naptime for everyone but mama.
First family photo.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
4 weeks
It has already been a month since little Otis was born. He is such a blessing. Everything about him-- from the little sleep sounds he makes right down to the smell of his poos-- is precious. But being a new mama has had its challenges, too. It's a good thing Otis is cute and I'm genetically wired to love him no matter what!
While we've only had four weeks to get acquainted with Otis, here are some observations:
Otis likes:
-eating
-being held
-sleeping on us, chest-to-chest
-kisses from dad
-music (In particular, listening to"Let it be Me" by the Everly Brothers calms him right down.)
Otis does not like:
-bathtime (This is his #1 dislike. He cries so hard his face turns purple.)
-diaper changes
-clothes changes
Our friends and family have been so sweet to us. Ever since the day we brought him home, someone has brought us dinner every other evening. We just got our last dinner on Sunday. Four weeks of no cooking! Thanks to all of our amazing friends and family members, and to Niki for organizing it!
The Lutterbeins came to visit us a couple of weeks ago. Otis loved Grandma and Grandpa Bein and Uncle Wade and we were all sad to see them go.
Now, I know what you really want: not boring old text, but photos! We have been taking them, but our schmancy new camera and external hard drive are giving us technical difficulties. Currently our 1,000+ photos are inaccessible. But Stephen assures me they are not lost. So, we will update with new Otis photos soon.
To give you your Otis fix, below is a photo I took with the computer just now. Otis loves being held in this wrap. And I love it because I can get a few things done (like update the blog) but he's still snuggled close to me. I enjoy the snuggling as much as Otis does.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Otis's First Full Day
We took these pictures on July 20. They let us leave the hospital early but we still had to stick around for most of the day.
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