Growing Up Novoa

It's a Magical World Indeed

2011-11-22T21:07:00.001-05:00

I know it's been an excruciatingly long time since our last post but as you know life has a way of running away with time. So, here's another update which will span yet another 5 months.

Oliver has really been growing and learning by leaps and bounds. It amazes us how much a true person he really is and now that he can really express himself it's like we're talking to a "real" person.We love it!

One major thing Oliver got into during these past 5 months is playing dress up. It all started with Iron Man. We let him watch some of the first movie and after that he was hooked. All he wanted was to be Tony Stark in his red suit. Well, we indulged him, of course, but little did we know we were starting a true snowball effect. After we celebrated his birthday in full Iron Man garb his passions quickly turned to the more traditional super heroes like Spiderman, Superman and Bathman. We couldn't resist getting him the Toy Story characters too so his closet is full of costumes.

We also celebrated Oliver's 3rd birthday during these past 5 months. This year we decided to spread the wealth and have two birthday parties so family and friends from NY, CT and MA could participate. The fun began in Connecticut at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Oliver got a special treat when his Grandma Teri and Aunt Samarah came to visit all the way from Michigan for his party. The weather was nice but a little cool for a pool party so we made the best of the situation and had an Iron Man/Captain Hook/Peter Pan themed party. As many of you know, one of Oliver's long standing obsessions has been with Captain Hook (not so much Peter Pan). He has a strange affinity for certain villains and Captain Hook is his all time favorite.

After all the Connecticut birthday festivities were over we took to the streets of NYC for a little site seeing with Grandma Teri and Aunt Samarah. It was so much fun showing Oliver my home town and showing him some of the biggest and most amazing buildings in the world. It was an exhausting day but so much fun!

Literally passed out from exhaustion.

As if all this excitement wasn't enough to commemorate Oliver turning 3, we just had to continue the fun in Boston. We decided to go low key and have a quiet afternoon at Chuck-E-Cheese. Can I just say that we had a really fun time and it was a great way to include all of Oliver's friends...big and small.

Zoe

Carey

Nate and Jamie

Jenna and Riley

So many fun things to celebrate in the month of September...including Oliver's 3 year pediatrician's appointment. I must say that we are very proud that our son did not have one sick visit to the doctor during his entire 2nd year of life. Quite an accomplishment for his immune system. I guess getting salmanela poisoning while your pregnant isn't so bad after all. Result...great antibodies!

Oliver waits patiently for the Dr. to come in.

Another wonderful event that occurred in September was the meeting of Oliver's little cousin's Milo and Gus. They were born on August 4th and were finally plump enough for a little Oliver time.

This year also marked the year we introduced Oliver to the magical world of Disney World. Thanks to some amazing friends, Jenna and Tim Connors, we were able to stay at the Animal Kingdom which enhanced our experience at Disney ten-fold.

The view from our room.

Upon entering the Magic Kingdom for the very first time in his entire life Oliver was sadly asleep. Yep, asleep. Very anticlimactic for the Moms but as soon as he woke up the adventures began. We started our day with a greeting from Peter Pan and thus began the hunt for more characters. We were able to catch the awesome show in front of the castle where Oliver got a taste of the grand scale that defines Disney. He was transfixed for the entire performance...especially when the evil witch from Snow White came out (remember, he's very into villains).

We then commemorated our trip to the Magic Kingdom with his first ride on the obligatory "It's a Small World" ride. No lines, no waiting makes for happy Moms and happy child.

Ok, not sure if he's happy or scared.

Of course we were hoping to meet the infamous Captain Hook but we knew there would be a slim to no chance of that happening at the park so we booked a very special pirate adventure where we had a sneaking suspicion there would be one Captain James Hook to greet our little man. Needless to say, the smiles were bountiful!

And as if going to Disney World was not magical enough on it's own, we were joined by Auntie Stacey, Auntie Caroline, Auntie Q, and Auntie (Uncle) Ari. We all got to go to the Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom and explore these awesome parks...even if it did get a little wet in the process.

Should I be afraid of Oliver's expression???

Dancing with his half-sib, Mya.

On one of our last nights at Disney we partook in Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween where Oliver got to dress up and trick or treat in the park. It was so much fun and the excitement didn't stop until about 11 pm. What a day!

To our surprise, and everyone else's, while we were enjoying the nice Florida weather everyone back home was experiencing the first snow storm of the season. Fortunately for us, we missed the entire event and when we got home the weather became much more mild and has remained that way for a while. It was nice to have some commonly cold months be true "vest" wearing months instead.

We were lucky enough to catch the traveling production of Peter Pan 360 in Boston this fall. It was a show that we knew we had to see no matter the expense. We got great seats and Oliver was mesmerized the entire time. He particularly loved it when the "Croc" came rushing toward him. It was a wonderful experience and I'm so glad we took him. He's turned into quite the theater buff which is just fine with us.

Oliver with his Tinker Bell/Butterfly wings.

About to take flight.

A little ice cream to cap off the evening.

And here's one last shot of Oliver at one of his favorite places on earth...The Rainforest Cafe. Now, if you think he likes it there because the food is so good, or the simulated thunderstorm is really cool, or the animatronic elephants are awesome....well, you would be incorrect. He asks to go there solely to see the Crocodile. He likes to look at it, talk to it and throw coins at it. That's all. So, if you are ever looking for us and we are not home...try the Rainforest Cafe at the Burlington Mall because there's a good chance we'll be there.

5 Months Past Due

2011-08-08T19:21:00.017-04:00

I know, I know. It's been way too long since our last post. Sadly, I really don't have many excuses except that between summer activities, regular life and all the other stuff we tend to sprinkle into all the "free" time, Jennifer and I have simply been remiss. We apologize, especially to Oliver. Sooo, here are the highlights from the summer and some more recent fun activities we've been up to.

Oliver had another great time celebrating Passover at his friend Zoe's house. We broke a few Passover rules to allow the kids to eat some yummy Easter cupcakes. They were just too delicious to resist.

We continued the Easter fun by dying eggs for the first time with Oliver. He loved every second of the creative process and Marina actually broke more eggs than Oliver. He's quite skilled to say the least.

Oliver also spent a lot of the summer and spring walking the dogs with us. Most of the time though, he chose to walk something else while Jennifer and I walked the pugs.

In May, Oliver celebrated the 4th birthday of his good friend Zoe at Chuck-e-cheese. He had such a fun time playing with all the arcade games.

Oliver, Auntie Q and I participated in a really fun event this spring...the Boston Pops! While Jennifer was home recovering from her tonsillectomy, Auntie Q and I took Oliver to experience some truly amazing live music. He stayed riveted for almost 2 hours straight. He was so inspired when we got home that he couldn't resist trying to recreate the experience.

We all got to have some fun this summer marching in the Town Day parade representing his school. Ollie had a great time marching and handing out candy to all the kids watching.

As usual, this summer was filled with softball and as usual Oliver accompanied us to almost every game and to any and all the after game festivities we had. (there is only juice in his Bud Light cup)

The summer just wouldn't be the same without Oliver getting his summer hair cut. Pretty handsome if you ask me.

We also had so many fun times in CT this summer. Oliver is getting more and more brave in the water and demonstrates little fear when jumping in.

Oliver had so much fun playing with his Auntie Stacey in CT also. She really knows how to get his creative juices flowing.

Every time June roles around that means it's time to celebrate Gay Pride in Boston. This year, we took the train in and braved the rainy weather to celebrate. Oliver was a perfect companion and really made the day easy on us.

Like most summers, this one was filled with a trip to the Bronx Zoo to celebrate Mother's Day. Every year it becomes more and more fun to do this trip with Oliver because he is more aware of all the animals and can really start to enjoy the whole experience. Oh, and the butterflies really seemed to like him.

Oliver has become quite the helper and took it upon himself to assist us with our landscaping work. It's nice to finally have a man around the house. Now if only he could carry the air conditioners up from the basement.

Of course the summer wasn't only filled with work. We had our fare share of play too. Oliver loves the water so we had to indulge him with a little pool for the backyard. That is one happy boy!

Just recently, Grandma and Grandpa Novoa went with us on an awesome whale watching trip. We must have seen 15-20 whales! Quite a first time outing for our little guy. He did very well on the long boat trip and really loved seeing the Humpbacks do their thing.

What better way to close out the summer of softball than with a rainbow hat and a piggy back ride on Auntie Q?! Seriously, could this kid be any luckier?!

This past weekend we had a hell of a good time celebrating our good friend's 40th birthday in a spectacular house down in Norwell MA. Oliver got to play with not only his buddy Zoe but also Aliza as well as all of his Aunties! It was awesome to say the least.

So, I hope you enjoyed this much anticipated and long awaited post. We will do our best to be more diligent about posting more often and keeping you well informed on the many adventures of our little man.

Out With Winter and In With Spring

2011-03-21T18:39:00.009-04:00

As we bring in the new season on the first day of spring (even though it snowed today) we reflect on the past few weeks and all that Oliver has experienced and accomplished. He never ceases to amaze us with his growing vocabulary and ability to express himself. He's truly a little boy now with the ability to play pretend with his toys and express true wants and desires. We love it!

The few things that haven't changed much from our last post is Oliver's increasing love for all the Toy Story characters. As if watching the three movies multiple times wasn't enough reinforcement, Jennifer and I took him to see Toy Story 3 on Ice. This opened a whole new world for Oliver...one where he now "ice skates" around the house and consistently tells us he dreams about it at night. As you will notice, many of the photos in this post will have various different characters from the Toy Story series. It's a love that seemingly has no end.
Do you think the boy has enough toys?????
Oliver also got to spend some quality time with his Grandpa and Grandma this past late winter. I think there is a new sheriff in town.

Oliver was a good sport tagging along with his crazy parents to a running event in Hyannis, MA even though he was a little sick.
Oliver hit a big milestone these past few weeks. He transitioned into a big boy bed. Fortunately, we were able to remove the sliding rail of his crib and transform the bed in a way that he can get in and out of it himself. As with most transitions, Oliver is tackling this one like a expert. We have not had any issues with him staying in bed and going to sleep, although a few times we did catch him sneaking out but it only took a little bit of prompting to get him back into his bed and off to dream land (presumably to dream about ice skating). He continues to amaze us with his ability to adapt and we count our lucky stars each and every night.
Even though Toy Story is at the top of Oliver's list he also has affection for some other very famous Disney characters like Nemo and all the other characters of the movie Finding Nemo. When we were invited to celebrate Auntie Q's birthday at the New England Aquarium we just couldn't pass up the opportunity for Oliver to see some of the Finding Nemo characters come alive.

Most recently, Oliver had the pleasure of a visit from Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Erik and Aunt Anna. The cold winter/spring weather didn't stop us from going to the playground and having a really fun time. Grandpa also tells some really compelling stories that involve all kinds of animals.

A New Year of Oliver Goodness

2011-02-05T19:24:00.008-05:00

Oliver rung in New Year's Eve with a quiet night at home with his Moms but let it all hang out on New Year's Day at Katie and Angie's house. He enjoyed the Yankee Swap very much and especially liked getting his hair done by Aunt Stacey.

The fun didn't stop there, oh no. What would a new year's celebration be without his best buddy, Carey (a.k.a. Ya Ya). We're not sure why Oliver calls Carey "YaYa" but we think it has to do with the fact that Oliver's way of saying I love you sounds a lot like "I Ya Ya." So when he named his best friend Ya Ya it only seemed like a natural assumption that Carey's nickname is basically Love.

As if playing with his BFF Carey wasn't enough, Oliver got to hang out with his best "girl" friend, Zoe. Oliver loves visiting Zoe because she has the most bodacious toys ever and they get to play dress up.
Ollie's also been experimenting with all different kinds of instruments. He is not only a fan of the brass section but he has an affinity for the string section as well (not that I'm biased or anything).

Oliver also had a haircut recently. As usual, he sat like a little prince and watched every move the hairdresser made with observant eyes and a cheeky smile.

Oliver's newest infatuation is with the Toy Story movie series. Of course his Mothers just had to run out and buy him a bunch of Toy Story characters. Oliver was overwhelmed with delight and for the first time participated in some pretend play. It was awesome to watch his development right before our eyes.

Holiday Traditions

2010-12-12T11:04:00.012-05:00

I know it's been an almost unforgivable amount of time in-between posts but it's been a very busy few months.

So we'll start this post from where we left off...Halloween.

This year Ollie went as his very favorite bug...a spider. He caught on really quickly to the trick or treating tradition. He was a very good boy when asked to only take two candies.

Oliver loved his spider costume so much that he slept in it for a few nights. (Don't worry, we took off his hat so he didn't suffocate in the middle of the night).We also celebrated Grandpa's birthday at the end of October in CT. Oliver enjoyed the festivities especially when we Skyped with family in Mexico. He also got his first taste of Mole Poblano...there truly is a little Mexican inside of him.
Oliver practiced his present opening skills when he helped his Grandpa open some of his birthday gifts.

In preparation for one of Jennifer's last Football games of the season Oliver got himself prepared with a good blow drying.

This year, the Boston Novoa's hosted Thanksgiving. We had a great time and uncle Erik practiced his parenting skills while playing with Oliver.

Oliver really enjoyed having his family in town for the holiday. He was all smiles. We visited the playground during Thanksgiving and Oliver practiced his rock climbing technique. He's my little daredevil.

Oliver also really enjoyed play soccer with his Grandpa. It was the highlight of the afternoon.

Oliver also tried his hand at my profession...construction. Safety is number one so no one goes on a job site without a hard hat, especially my son.

A holiday tradition amongst our friends is the annual Lodka and Vodka party. We partook in the consuming of lots of Lodka but no Vodka for these Novoas. Oliver also really enjoyed reading books with his Auntie Q.

Along with the colder weather comes the purchasing of a new winter hat. Of course what could be better than a spider hat?

What could be more precious than the first time your child picks out his very own Christmas tree? (ok so we really didn't buy the tree he selected; it was a little too small).

Oliver did a really excellent job trimming the tree. He was very careful as usual and did a really great job.
One of Oliver's Christmas wishes was to have his two puppies in his bed with him. His wish was granted with pleasure.

This year we celebrated Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa in CT. Oliver got all dressed up and prepared for the fun that is Christmas Eve.
Oliver tore into his presents like there was no tomorrow. I think the present opening practice he got at Grandpa's birthday really helped.
One of Oliver's favorite gifts was a toy trumpet. He's been playing non-stop since the day he opened the gift.

Ollie also got his very favorite book that he likes to read at school. But his very favorite gift of all was from his Grandpa and Grandma....his very own remote control spider.

Jennifer's been tolerating the spider but this was almost pushing her over the edge.
The next morning Oliver still had some gifts to open. This time he was pleasantly surprised with his very own scooter. Not quite a good winter gift but he will get to play with it a lot during the warmer months.

Later that Christmas Day we drove into NYC and went to the Big Apple Circus. Oliver actually enjoyed himself although it took him about 1 hour to warm up to the action.

After all our Christmas fun it was time to head back to Boston...where a big storm was awaiting our arrival. We made it home just in time and today got to enjoy all the white and fluffy snow. Ok, so Oliver got to enjoy it and we got to shovel it.

Terrific Twos!

2010-09-27T18:53:00.006-04:00

We know it's been an ungodly long time since we posted, so to reward all of you who have been patiently waiting, we have provided many pictures of what Oliver's been up to the last few months. Not only has Oliver explored lots of new activities but he also hit another milestone....turning the big 2! We like to think of the next year as his terrific twos instead of the more common saying because Oliver is just terrific...well, at least we think he is. Enjoy!

Ollie had lots of practice swimming this summer. Every time he got in the water he became more brave and explored new techniques. While at Grandma and Grandpa's house he tried out their mini boogie board. I think he liked it!
Oliver also has had the privilege of receiving swimming lessons for his birthday from Grandma and Grandpa. He's really doing well and refining his swimming skills. He even goes under water now!
In August, Oliver started at a new school. It's a lot closer to home and the environment is great. He really loves pointing out all the different things he sees as he walks down the hallways of the school when I pick him up. He seems to be blossoming with knowledge every week and it's pure joy to watch him learn and grow.
Oliver has also really developed a love for spiders....big and small. Here is a funny picture of him the day he made me purchase a Halloween spider for him to cuddle with. Mind you, this was not a soft and cuddly spider but he insisted on sleeping with it nonetheless. This is what our little Entomologist looks like through the lens of his baby monitor.

To celebrate Oliver's 2nd birthday we went with an outdoor party at our house. Just a small gathering of friends and family and a little pizza and cake. Really, what more could a two year old ask for? We can't believe two years have passed by but we are trying to savor every single moment that passes because we know that before we can blink our eyes he will be all grown up.
The end of summer/beginning of fall just wouldn't be complete without football! Oliver really loves attending his Mommy's football games and on this day he even got to play with Aliza a little. What a cute little pair they make!
Oliver also tried his hand at some sushi (really a California roll) and chopsticks. Her definitely does not lack dexterity.
Next on the list of new experiences to check off was a travel adventure. This October we all ventured to Chicago so I could indulge in the craziness that is marathon running. Oliver was an excellent traveler. He enjoyed the plane rides and got better and better each time (we took a total of 4 planes on this trip).
Once in Chicago, Oliver really loved exploring this new and beautiful city. We rode a bus, a boat and a train. I'm pretty confident his favorite was the bus ride since every time a bus drove by he yelled out "bus!" and demanded that go on it.
We took Oliver to see several of Chicago's famous sightseeing points including the Sears Tower, the Grant Park Fountain and The Bean at Millennium park.
I'm pretty sure Oliver enjoyed this lollipop more than the view from the Sears Tower.
After I finally completed the marathon, Oliver showed me the proper way to stretch. Very good technique if you ask me.
After a few days in Chicago, we headed further north to visit Jennifer's Grandmother in Houghton Lake, MI. There, Oliver got his first taste of playing in fall leaves.
Oliver loved meeting his only Great Grandma and found that she was really a lot of fun.
While in Michigan, we drove even further north to visit the Mackinac Bridge. It's the 11th longest suspension bridge in the world! We drove over it and into the U.P. (upper peninsula) thus becoming an official Yooper. We also had to stop at a playground and christen the area with Oliver's awesomeness.
And this brings us to fall...yes, fall is officially in full swing when you go pumpkin picking. This was Oliver's first time and he really loved selecting his very own pumpkins.
You know pumpkin picking has been a success when your two year old asks to take his pacifierless (that's right, the pacifier is officially gone!) nap with the very pumpkins he picked, along with his football and gold slippers of course.

Circles in the sand

2010-08-10T21:28:00.009-04:00

Playing with Oliver has been such a treat this summer. Way better than last summer. Don't get me wrong, last summer was fun but Oliver is so much more interactive now and his personality is really starting to show. We love exploring new things with him and seeing life through the eyes of a child. Even the most routine things all of a sudden seem very interesting and fun. For instance, just sitting watching TV is way more fun especially because I have my son's head to rest on.

Going to the beach is way more fun because we get to see our son explore real ocean waves and play with ocean rocks.
Oliver was so in love with the water that even though he was cold enough to be shivering on a hot summer day he still refused to come out of the water. We literally had to pull him away.Oliver is also getting more adept at operating the computer. A task that he will master by age 3 I'm sure. He really enjoyed looking at himself in the web cam and making funny faces. Yet another somewhat routine thing made more fun by the Olliemiester.
And yes, that is a snow shovel in his hand. I guess he's getting prepared kind of early this year for a New England winter.

In between all this activity Oliver still had time to make a very important phone call while riding Aunt Tamar's childhood rocking horse. I hope he was opening an e-trade account to start saving for his college education.

Leave it to Oliver to make one of the most routine of activities exciting and simply adorable. Maybe he'll even have his very own bathroom library one day just like his Papa.
So I wouldn't consider going to the zoo a routine activity but watching my son learn about different animals and experience the joy of seeing wildlife up close and personal, as I did when I was a kid, brings back such wonderful memories. I can only hope Oliver is developing similar fond memories of his experiences as I have.
I know you can't tell from this picture but Oliver had the time of his life on the little train. He was literally laughing is ass off! Unfortunately, during the ride he was positioned with his back to us so I couldn't really capture the utter joy on camera. You will just have to take my word for it on this one...there actually was a smile on my sons face.

Footnote:
I almost forgot to include these cute pictures of Oliver playing in a sprinkler with his friend Carey.

All kinds of back yard fun

2010-07-22T21:35:00.005-04:00

The summer has brought a many opportunities for Oliver to play outside. Throughout the past few months Oliver's acquired many fun outside toys including a blow up pool, a basketball hoop and a baseball tee. You've already seen his swimming abilities and now it's time to show off his other special talents.
Oliver taught himself how to hit off a tee. Really, he did. He's been accompanying Jennifer and me to our softball games and observing very astutely the ways of the softball player. I think he's a natural.

Oliver has also taken a liking to our chap-stick and if his observation skills hold true then that means one of us actually holds our chap-stick this way. Now that's a little frightening.

Not only has Oliver had fun in his very own backyard but he has also spent time in the back yard of Davis' Farmland. Yes that's right, it's that time of the year again. It's time for our annual visit with our friends Jeff, Shawn and Zoe. Oliver was able to partake in the fun a lot more this year than last year and although we weren't able to capture any rare smiles on camera, he was truly having a great time.
Oliver loved feeding all the animals and was not afraid at all. It was so cute to watch him be so kind and gentle to all the different animals.

Oliver was so excited to see a live chicken and really became very animated but was able to maintain his composure enough to be the gentle little boy he always is.

Our Pride of Winchester

2010-07-12T18:28:00.012-04:00

Since our last posting Oliver has enjoyed many fun activities for the Month of June. Early in June we celebrated Gay Pride in Boston with our friends. It was a very rainy and muggy day but that didn't stop the Novoa family from partaking in all things gay and happy. Since it was pouring rain during the parade we don't have any pictures of the parade but after it was over we hung out at government center and played with some whistles (provided by Auntie Stacey) and ate some yummy lollipops.

Oliver's daycare celebrated the beginning of summer activities with a fun after school picnic. Ollie got his first taste of a snow cone and really enjoyed playing basketball in the "big playground."

Other fun activities for Oliver in the month of June included meeting one of his half-brothers! We were lucky enough to make contact with a really lovely couple who have a simply scrumptious little boy and with whom Oliver shares half his jean pool. It was really exciting to see the two boys play together and see their similarities and their unique differences.

Oliver has also really taken a liking to eating his food with a big fork and big spoon...although this size spoon is a little bigger than we had in mind.

As many of you know exercising is a big part of our family. Well it appears that Oliver is starting his exercising habits very early. After every run I always do a cool down stretch routine. Oliver usually gets to see me do my routine but on this occasion he felt compelled to join me (and yes the rope is only used for stretching).

Ollie is also becoming quite the helper in the kitchen. While dinners may not be a Novoa specialty...breakfast certainly is. I know very few people who will stand to cook scrambled eggs for their toddler at 7:30 am so he will have something yummy to eat for breakfast when he gets to daycare (thanks Mommy Jennifer).

And yes, it was that time of the year again...haircut time! Ollie is a consummate client and always sits very still. As an added bonus we got a really big smile at the end.

Since it's been so hot recently we broke down and got Oliver a blow up pool for the back yard. Needless to say, this is perhaps one of the best things we have purchased for him thus far.

Oliver also enjoyed laying in the hammock with us. It's on days like that (and basically every other day of my life thus far) that I really thank the earth for blessing me with such awesomeness.

After some swim time we headed over to the playground where Ollie stretched his legs and honed in on his climbing skills.

Makin' Beautiful Music...and Other Stuff Too

2010-06-13T20:23:00.009-04:00

Oliver has had a great time experiencing all different kinds of music over the past two weeks. It all started off with a trip back to NYC for a reunion of sorts at my high school to say goodbye to my high school orchestra conductor who is retiring. Oliver even joined the family at the orchestra concert on Monday night. It was late in the evening for my little man but he did superbly...like a regular concert goer. He even shouted out "Bravo!" at the very end of the performance...as well as "Mama!" in the middle of the performance.

Ever since Oliver was born he has always been interested in music so it only seemed natural that he would pick up various instruments and try to play them. While at his Grandma and Grandpa's house he commandeered my childhood recorder and went to town! Oh and notice the homemade cardboard horn Grandpa constructed for Ollie.

After some hard core recorder practicing, Oliver took a dip in the pool. He hasn't changed much from last year...basically he is a pure water baby. This year he has started to even kick his feet while swimming.

Oliver took some time out from his many activities to read a little too. I'm not sure if the book he's reading says anything about his future endeavors...who knows.

Ollie also raided my childhood stuffed animal collection while back in CT. It looks like he has a special affection for the wonderful orange dog just like I did when I was a kid.

In between rain storms Grandma and Grandpa took all of us to the Westport beach/playground. Oliver got deliciously dirty and loved playing in the chilly Atlantic ocean.

An lastly, this wouldn't be a proper posting if I didn't exploit Oliver's eating habits. While we were in NYC for the orchestra concert we went out to dinner and Grandpa taught Oliver the fine art of drinking vanilla ice cream out of a wine glass.

On our way back home we stopped at a rest stop and Oliver discovered that while eating pizza with one fork is great, eating pizza with two forks is even better!

2010-06-01T20:07:00.010-04:00

Oliver's parents need to be punished and put in the boo boo box for their poor blog posting habits. In order to make up for our lack of responsibility we are posting a myriad of pictures which tell the story of the past two months.

Back in April Grandma and Grandpa came up to visit and celebrate my birthday. Oliver was so happy to see them and extremely happy to sit on Grandpa's (Papa's) lap to read a story.

Oliver commandeered Papa's captains hat and refused to give it back. Fortunately, Papa has lots of captain's hats and was able to leave this one in the safe keeping of El Gran Capitan.

Ollie got to spend some time at Auntie Q's house and indulge in some homemade cupcakes. Let's just say...he loved them!

Oliver thought his shades really enhanced his dining experience while we were out for one fine spring afternoon. As far as we are concerned sunglasses make everything better.

Thank goodness for warmer weather because now Ollie can play with his bike outside instead of our 30' hallway.

Oliver drove his bike all the way to the park where he explored every nook and cranny.

Apparently I tend to stand with my legs wider apart than normal...who knew...well, Oliver knew that's who. Here he is imitating my stance (a bit exaggerated if you ask me).

Another really fun activity that has become an annual tradition is our trip to the Bronx Zoo for Mother's Day. Here Ollie got to pretend to be a Prairie Dog. This brought back lots of memories for me because this exhibit has been around since I was a little kid. Thank you Bronx Zoo!

Oliver was listening to the sounds as heard through the ears of a fox. Of course Oliver loved feeding the animals in the petting area of the zoo. I'm pretty sure we could have spent the whole day in this section.

This picture just brings joyful tears to my eyes. Oliver has really gotten good at imitating everything we do...including the various stretching and strange exercises I do. Here he is using the foam roller to work out his SI joint. Good habits start young.

I just thought this picture was really cute and just had to be included in this post.
The following pictures depict some of Oliver's best eating moments.

Here Ollie demonstrates how one should always eat hummus...with a spatula.

Oliver just loves some simple pasta and vodka sauce. It's one of his favorite things to eat.
While visiting with our friends, Bonny and Paul, Ollie got schooled in the proper way to consume whip cream...a tool that will no doubt come in handy throughout his life.
Oliver enjoyed some man time with Paul.
Most recently, Oliver and Jennifer were the best supporters during my 1/2 marathon run this past memorial day weekend.

While I was sweating it out on the 13.1 mile course, Oliver got to have a good time at the World Trade Center expo center playing with a hula hoop and goofing around in the moon walk.

And lastly, we end this blog posting with a sunset at the beach. This was Oliver's first time in sand and let's just say it won't be his last.

2010-04-27T22:11:00.008-04:00

Over the past month Oliver's been very busy growing and learning more and more. He's really developing a wonderful personality and it's a pure pleasure to watch him change and grow. Here are just a few things Oliver has enjoyed doing since our last post.

1. He loves trying on our shoes....everything from flip flops and clogs to cowboy boots and pumps.

2. He's become quite a fan of eating out at restaurants. We had a recent wonderful dinner at Anthony's Pier 4. I don't think I've ever seen a more well behaved child at a restaurant. He sat for about 2 hours through appetizers, main courses and desserts...all without throwing any kind of fit and hardly throwing any food on the floor.
3. Oliver has also discovered the awesome power of trucks. Here's a picture of him ooogling at a truck in a parking lot.
4. Oliver survived the rain storms and floods all with a smile. I think the sunglasses and cool vest helped too.
5. And of course Oliver's love for his doggies just keeps growing and growing. We're just waiting for the day he wants them to sleep in his bed with him.

Lovin' Stella

Lovin' Gizmo

18 Months....oh how time flies!

2010-03-23T21:36:00.007-04:00

Oliver is going to be 18 months on Wednesday 3/24 and even though it seems like he was born just yesterday we can also see how much he has grown and changed. He is exploring more and more each day and testing his boundaries. He seems to be a very focused individual who likes to do things his way while still listening and taking direction very well. He still treasures his sleep and bottle above all things and loves to be read to and sung to. Here are some highlights from the past month.

Oliver had a fun play date with his friend Kaden from Kindercare. Kaden has left Kindercare but when he was there he and Oliver were best buds. It was cute to see the two of them duke it out as budding toddlers do.

This past month was also Oliver's discovery of Sesame Street. He absolutely fell in love with one episode in particular...the one about opera! Here he is watching very intently as Marylin Horn sings "C is for Cookie" in her best soprano voice.

Oliver seems to have developed an infatuation with shoes...like someone else I know...eh hem...me! Here he is trying on one of my slip on sneakers. I think if I wore high heels this would be a very different picture.

This past month we also got to celebrate Aliza's 1st brithday. I think Oliver really enjoyed playing with Aliza's birthday gifts more than Aliza.

Here is the very adorable Aliza on her big day!

I think Oliver wanted to show Aliza exactly how a 1st birthday cake is supposed to be consumed. It's almost as if he's willing her to stuff it in her face.

Oliver also got some well needed trombone lessons from his Auntie Q. If this kid doesn't play some kind of instrument when he grows up I don't know what I will do.

Ollie really enjoyed playing dress up with his friend Zoe. She has enough necklaces to put the most prolific Mardi Gras party-goer to shame.

Oliver also got to spend some well needed quality time with his grandma and grandpa. Like the good grandparents they are, they took Ollie to the mall and spoiled him with two new pairs of shoes and lots of adorable cloths. Thanks grandma and grandpa!

Jennifer and I are so proud that our little baby is turning into such a sweet and thoughtful little man. We love him with every ounce of our beings and can't wait to see what the next few months will bring.

Growing and Learning is so much fun!

2010-02-22T21:36:00.009-05:00

Since our last post was a while ago, we feel it only right that we include lots of pictures in this post of what Oliver's been up to these past few weeks.

At the beginning of February we celebrated Jennifer's 35th birthday! Aliza and Carey came over to celebrate. I think Oliver had a pretty awesome time playing with his friends.

Here's Oliver being a good big brother and sharing his toy with Aliza.

Like brother like sister.

Carey and Oliver comparing belly size. Carey is quickly catching up. He's almost 8 months old and already crawling and working his way to standing/walking on his own. Pretty impressive if you ask me.

Here is Oliver having some fun in his home-made tunnel.

Ollie's been doing really well with learning new words. Right now he's getting the hang of naming all different kinds of animals. So far his very favorite animal is the elephant.

Oliver took yet another trip to the Children's Museum but this time he went with his buddy Zoe. Here he is posing for his first Hood milk commercial. Sometimes I think all he thinks about is milk...when will he get it next, how much will he get and where can he spill it.

Ollie's also taken up the newest Novoa sport...running! Here he is getting ready for a run with his sweat wicking hat and his wind resistant running gloves.

This past weekend we ventured down to a foreign land...Providence RI. Why would we travel so far you ask...our dear friends, Kris and Tamar, just bought a beautiful house and we couldn't miss their house warming party! Here's Kris and Oliver enjoying some snuggle time together.

Oliver just loves his Auntie Q. For some crazy reason she always seems to make him laugh except in this picture where we captured one of their rare serious moments together.

Here is Oliver showing some good restraint when faced with an entire plate of scrumptious chocolate chip cookies.

Oliver really loves pulling all the tissues out of the box, so much so that he forgot to put his pants on.

New Steps

2010-02-02T19:40:00.002-05:00

Oliver has been growing and learning at a very fast rate these days. He's exceeding all our expectations and creating new ways to explore and learn. He has recently started really brushing his teeth. Fortunately at this point he still really likes it...hopefully he will continue to keep up this good habit.

Oliver has also started to really develop his silly side. He relies less and less on us to provide him with entertainment...instead he is turning towards his own imagination through the use of several inanimate objects, like a bucket.

This past week Oliver gave us a glimpse into the strength of the Y chromosome. All he needed was a beer instead of his bottle. Here he's watching an episode of Barney and Friends...later on in life it will be football or something else that the Y chromosome dictates.

At heart, Ollie is still just a little boy even though sometimes he seems like such a mature man. We ventured to the Children's Museum in Boston this weekend to pass some time away and Oliver really enjoyed himself. He's still a little small but quickly catching up to all the other kids.

Some areas of the museum were still just a little advanced for him but he stared at them longingly...soon son, soon you will be big and strong and able to climb the rock wall and shoot baskets with the other kids.
Oliver was able to find an activity that is age defying. I think we can consider this his first date. What do you think?
Before we left the museum we stopped at the gift shop to rescue a very lonely Itsy Bitsy spider. Oliver has been wanting his little friend to join him for a while. He even allowed Itsy Bitsy to join in one of his favorite activities...bottle drinking.
He also figured out that Itsy Bitsy was great at tickling pugs.

Even Jennifer became enamored with the little fellow.

On the Mend Again

2010-01-18T20:32:00.007-05:00

Last week Oliver had his first encounter with the dreaded EAR INFECTION! He actually fared quite well and thankfully his sleep was hardly disturbed. I can't say so much for his usually pleasant demeanor. But who can blame him, he was feeling quite badly for a few days but before we knew it our adorable and happy little man was back.

Before Oliver fell ill, he did get one last play date in with his good friend Zoe.

Thank heavens for Play-Doh!!!
During his time at home last week we played lots of games in order to help him feel better.

Oliver found an old pair of headphones and took the opportunity to put on his DJ persona and rock the house even with his incredibly runny nose.
Ollie also played a little dress up with one of Jennifer's Christmas gifts. I think it might fit him better than Jennifer. What do you think?
Oliver continues to explore his love for books and reading. His favorite book is called Barnyard Babies and helps him learn counting and all the different sounds that animals make. He brings it to us to read him multiple times a day.
Oliver has also really gotten into exploring and climbing. He's climbing on everything around the house...including into the storage drawer of the stove. I think we are going to have our hands full...wait, I know we are going to have our hands full with this one!
Now that Oliver is over his sickness he has returned to his happy self. Woo hoo! There was a rough patch there for a few days but we all made it through!

BONUS
Oliver actually had his 15 month doctors appointment last week while he was sick so we have some updated stats to share.

Height: 33 inches (90%)
Weight: 24 lbs (25%)
Head: Still really big

So basically he's still our tall skinny dude and we love him to bits!

First Day of Toddlers

2010-01-04T20:33:00.005-05:00

Today was a big day in the Novoa household. Today was Oliver's first day of toddlers at daycare! This is a big step for Oliver because it means he no longer takes a bottle during the day, he eats all his meals sitting on a little chair at a table, and he gets to learn a lot more from kids who are a little older than him. This means that we will be seeing a lot more developmental advancement from him, not that we haven't already. I mean, he throws out his own food in the garbage, helps puts his toys away, and is getting better and better each day at feeding himself with a fork.
He's also turning into quite the artist.

One other fun thing about going to toddlers is that he gets to bring a cool backpack to school.

Don't mess with a toddler and his Elmo backpack and skull and cross bones hat.
At heart Oliver is still a softy and he just couldn't leave for his first day of toddlers without kissing his doggie Stella goodbye.

Goodbye '09 Hello'10!!

2010-01-03T11:13:00.008-05:00

Oliver and his Moms rang in the new year with a week full of fun and laughs. The week began with a trip to the doctors office for a case of pink eye yet again. Oliver was a perfect patient but he definitely played up the "sick" role for the doctor.
We followed-up the doctors visit with a trip to the hair salon. Oliver, again, was the perfect client. He sat still and was very patient while the hair stylist perfected his new hair-do.

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

After his haircut, Oliver and his Moms headed home (nearly avoiding a bad car accident in the snow storm) and prepared to go to Auntie Q and A's house for some New Year's Eve festivities. Oliver got some awesome Winnie the Pooh toys from Auntie Q and A which I'm sure he will play with for a very long time.
His Aunties also taught him how to play Euchre. Oliver became quite a pro and even helped Q with a hand or two.
Unfortunately, the Novoa's didn't make it 'till 12 am to ring in the New Year but we were all there in dream spirit. The next day, we all woke up and headed to Lowell for the Lowell 1st Run 5K road race. Oliver and Jennifer cheered me on while I ventured on to the wet and muddy road to run my little booty off. It was great to come around the final corner and see my beautiful family there.
We capped off the New Year's weekend with a "little" snow storm which provided lots of fluffy snow for Oliver to play in. He got all bundled up and ventured out to help his Moms shovel.
It's nice to finally have a man around the house to help us with all the chores. He's becoming so self-sufficient.

Merry, Merry, Happy, Happy!!!

2009-12-27T14:09:00.006-05:00

It's been a very exciting past few weeks. The holidays zoomed right on by but not without some fun partying and family time celebrations. We kicked off the festivities with the annual Novoa holiday party in Connecticut. Mother nature tried to stop us by throwing us a winter blizzard but that didn't stop everyone from coming. It was a smaller party than usual but uniquely intimate.

Oliver got lots of practice walking up and down grandma and grandpa's stairs.

Oliver also got to see his very favorite little man, Jordan. We couldn't keep Oliver away from him. He kept wanting to give Jordan hugs and kisses. It was simply precious.

Oliver joined in the traditional carol singing. He learned a lot while studying the score with his grandpa.
After learning the music with grandpa, Oliver felt brave enough to get up in front of everyone and sing with his grandpa.
A few days later we returned to CT to celebrate the Christmas holiday. We started our evening by taking our annual holiday pictures in front of the tree.

Oliver got lots of presents including a rocking horse and his very own fold out couch.
The greatest gift Oliver got was to spend lots of time with his grandma and grandpa. He really loves them!

Poor Gizmo only got this box of raisins for Christmas. Better luck next year pug!

First Snow

2009-12-07T20:19:00.005-05:00

This past weekend we had our first real snow fall of the season. Technically our very first snow fall was in the beginning of October but that was just a passing shower. This, on the other hand, dropped legitimate snow that stuck to the trees and the ground. All this was just in time for Oliver to try out his brand new snow suit that his Grandma and Grandpa got for him. I'm not sure what was harder for him to navigate; walking in the snow or walking in the snow suit.

That same day Oliver's new snow suit was put to the real test when Oliver and Jennifer went to the banks of the Charles River to support me in yet another 5K road race. Were we crazy?...ummm yes! It was about 10-15 degrees colder by the water with something like 20 mile per hour winds. All this made for ideal weather for running and even greater weather for spectating...Not! Oliver's cozy surroundings were the envy of all the racers. Fortunately, running 3.1 miles made me pretty warm but I can't say as much for my poor wife.

Coming down the final stretch. Trust me when I say I tried to beat this kid but damn his 12 year old legs! That's right, 12 years old!

Giving Thanks

2009-11-29T09:51:00.004-05:00

Our Thanksgiving holiday was great! Grandma and Grandpa came up from Connecticut as did Uncle Erik and Aunt Anna. We had a really yummy dinner and I think Oliver enjoyed it the most. He was so entranced by all the food (especially the pumpkin cheese cake) that he felt it necessary to double fist his food. One spoon was just not enough!

After dinner, Oliver and Grandpa hit the back yard for some fall weather fun.

By evening time everyone was pretty pooped out. Ollie cozied up on his Grandpa's lap and enjoyed a little snuggle time.

We have lots to be thankful for this year. We have a happy and healthy son, a warm home, and a beautiful family. In the face of all the uncertainty in the world right now we can at least hang on to the fact that we have a wonderful family to love and we are thankfully loved by a wonderful family. Thanks everyone!

In our little family of three we view support as a three way street. Marina and Oliver support Jennifer at her football game.

Jennifer and Oliver support Marina running her first 5k road race.

And Marina and Jennifer will support Oliver in whatever activity he chooses to partake in. One day we may see him take his first swing with a baseball bat, or his first football game, or his first piano recital, or his first debate match, or his first dance recital. Who knows what's in store for us but whatever it is we are sure going to enjoy every second of it.

He's a Big Boy Now

2009-11-20T09:53:00.002-05:00

The Novoa house has been teeming with lots of developmental growth lately. Oliver is getting to be such a big boy and he's decided that eating with ones hands is for babies. Check out these two videos of Oliver taking his first "stab" at self feeding with a fork and a spoon.

Oliver has also recently showed us his very special talent....whistling! That's right, our baby whistles. Ok, well he doesn't quite have the entire technique down so I have to help him a little but tell me how many 13.5 months old babies whistle.

Oliver has also really taken to helping with the house chores. I mean, it's about time he started pulling his own weight around here. Fortunately, he seems to like it.

I couldn't leave this entry without mentioning the irony that is our lives. Oliver's first song that he has actually learned to recognize is the Itsy Bitsy Spider. He also makes the hand gesture of the spider climbing up the water spout. It's really cute! Enjoy (sorry for my bad singing)!

What Ollie Learned While Being Sick

2009-11-16T19:18:00.005-05:00

After suffering with the flu for about a week......Oliver is finally getting over his sickness and is ready to attack, I mean re-enter, the healthy world again. Even though he was down and out for about a week his sickness didn't keep him from learning and exploring new things. Here's a recap of what Ollie has accomplished in the last week.

He learned to take his nebulizer treatment like a good boy.

He learned how to give his baby doll a bottle.

He tried to give Gizmo a bottle.

Ollie learned how to commune with Stella a little more.

Oliver learned how to share his prized binky with Gizmo.

Oliver also continued his progress with reading.

Whoodles Galore

2009-11-11T08:43:00.008-05:00

Oliver took a little trip to Rhode Island this past weekend. We visited with his Aunt Tamar and Uncle Kris at their new home in Providence.
While he was there playing in their awesome back yard, he got to also play with their awesome Woodle, Ugali. I think Ugali really took to him because of his bear hat which made him a little more animalistic and easier for Ugali to relate to.

Oliver also loved all the beautiful fall leaves in Kris and Tamar's new back yard. I think this local is going to be site of many fun years with babies and dogs...oh and friends too!

Oliver has also been recently subjected to the likes of my new iPhone. So here are some of the most recent shots of my little boy.

Here's Oliver playing with his new toy...yes that's right it's a box. But it's an awesome box!

Oliver has also been subjected to sickness. This illness came on kind of quick and has filled Oliver's lungs with all sorts of junk. Along with a low grade fever, Oliver is milking the cold thing for all its worth. We are back with the good ole' nebulizer...yeah! It's a lot harder to make a mobile Ollie sit quietly for this treatment than it was the last time we had to give it to him.
Mr. Sick at his most convincing.
Oh and Stella has also be subject to my iPhone photo frenzy.

Trick or Treat Oliver Style

2009-11-01T17:27:00.007-05:00

We were so excited for Halloween to come around this year because Oliver could finally dress up in something other than a t-shirt (he was only 1 month old last Halloween). This year, Oliver brought out his alter personality; Oliverasaurous Rex! I think we meant him a few months early.

We joined Oliver's daycare for a Halloween parade on Friday. Ollie got to see all his friends in their very cute outfits.

This is Oliver and his best friend Kaden the Skeleton.
The Oliverasourus Rex going after his pray.
After all this fun at daycare Oliver was pooped!
We also went down to Connecticut to celebrate Grandpa's birthday. As a gift, Oliver gave his Grandpa a trip to the Stepping Stones Museum in Norwalk, CT. Ollie loved his time there with his Grandpa and can't wait for all the trips to the many museums.

Here are a few other Oliver updates.

Recently, Oliver asked for a baby doll with which to share his affection. Who were we to deny him his request.

Oliver also has been honing his Dunkin Donuts skills by putting away a turkey sausage egg white breakfast sandwich on Saturdays.
Ollie has also learned how to express his love through kisses. Here he is giving Jennifer a well deserved smooch.

Oliver has also been practicing his piano skills. He asks to play first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Just look at that finger form! I think Sara Keene, my childhood piano teacher, would be as proud as we are.

Novoa Picture Web Site Goes Live

2009-10-12T11:28:00.004-04:00

We realize that for some people the amount of pictures we post on our blog may not be enough to satisfy their Oliver fix. So, we started a photo web site where you can supplement your photo needs. At this web site you will be able to see lots more Oliver photos as well as general family pictures.

Enjoy!!

http://thenovoafamily.shutterfly.com/

A Night to Remember

2009-10-06T09:14:00.006-04:00

Two pictures taken from Oliver's babysitter who helped us out during the wedding weekend.

Here is a link to some more pictures from the wedding and a few of Oliver in his adorably cute tuxedo.

http://picasaweb.google.com/adam.n.bender/20091004EricAndAnnaWedding?feat=content_notification#

This past weekend Oliver and his Moms headed down to Stamford CT to celebrate the marriage of Erik and Anna! It was a truly magical and beautiful affair. The bride and groom looked so happy and so in love...just the way they should be.Oliver was a super champ through the entire wedding. He even was nice enough to sleep through 90% of the ceremony so there were no random baby interruptions. Oliver got all dressed up for the occasion (he looked so formal someone might have mistook him for the groom) in his three piece tuxedo. Strangely enough, I don't think he even minded being so dressed up even if his patent leather shoes kept falling off.

Here's a picture of Oliver with his grandpa at the wedding reception. Sometimes I can't believe how much my little boy has grown up in only one year! We will post more pictures from the wedding weekend as we get them.

Ollie is the big ONE!

2009-09-27T19:04:00.000-04:00

I do appologize for the delayed posting. We've been having some technical difficulties lately but they have been resolved now.

We have lots of exciting things to cover but we will start off with the fact that Oliver has just turned 1 year old ! We celebrated his actual birthday (Sept. 24th) with a little breakfast birthday cake.
On Saturday we threw Oliver his first birthday party. The weather was perfect and lots of Oliver's friends joined in the celebration.

Ollie ate his birthday cake with such fervor but we expected nothing less from our little man. The cake was made especially for Oliver by his grandma. Yummy!

Even Winnie the Pooh made an appearance although I think Oliver was a little surprised to see Winnie the Pooh so animated.
Aliza had no qualms about sitting on Winnie the Pooh's lap. As if his birthday party wasn't fun enough, Oliver got to do lots of other fun things in the past few weeks.

We visited the Children's Museum where Oliver learned how to blow big bubbles with his friend Zoe.
Baby Carey didn't think the bubbles were all that exciting. Perhaps in a few months he will think differently.
Ollie also helped us pick a paint color for the back hallway. I must say, this boy has taste!

Happy Days Are Here Again!

2009-08-31T21:39:00.006-04:00

Oliver has many happy moments these days. Teething seems to have paused for the time being and his sleeping habits have returned to normal. He's gaining more independence through crawling and furniture cruising and is truly interacting with us. He mimics our expressions and sounds and understands cause and effect. He's getting braver by the second and consistently challenges himself to start walking.

It's an utter joy to watch him grow and learn and become a "real" kid. Sometimes Jennifer and I look at each other and just can't believe that he is our son...this beautiful, happy, sweet boy is our son...how can that be? How did we get so lucky!?

Here's a video of our little man getting tickled by his Mommy and loving every second of it!

Here's a video of Oliver's tummy as well as his is language skills.

Look Ma, New Tricks!

2009-08-21T15:54:00.008-04:00

Oliver has honed his detective skills to precision and has finally discovered Stella's hiding place...the place where she finds solitude and peace...the place where she can hide from the world...her crate. It was only a matter of time before he found Stella's hideaway. Now no one, not even Stella, is safe from the loving pats and the tender kisses from Oliver. Thank goodness for that!

Another trick Ollie learned recently is how to clap hands. He particularly likes doing it when one of his Moms enters the room! He's also is waving hello and goodbye now which only means we can start teaching how to blow kisses...a fundamental skill every boy/future man should know.

Another very important skill for every young man to learn is to put his laundry away. So we've started a new rule in the Novoa house..."if you dirtied it enough to go in the washing machine then you put it away when it's clean."

Ollie has also learned how to be kind and gentle to all other creatures besides pugs. Up until this point I'm pretty sure he thought the only other animals out there were his curly tailed friends. Ollie made good friends with this baby bird when we took a trip with his friend Zoe to Davis' Farmland. Soon he will be feeding all the animals just like his buddy did.

Oliver has also learned the fine art of eating corn on the cob (ok, not really but he came very close). He was simply obsessed with having the corn on the cob like all the adults that we caved in and let him have the greased up yellow beast even though he had just had a bath and was all clean.

While at dinner at Aunt Danielle and Aunt Patri's house, Oliver learned how to play acoustical guitar. He's a quick study. He really enjoyed banging, I mean, strumming the strings.
Lastly, Oliver took some notes while watching Miley Cyrus on the Teen Choice awards and has taken up the new and totally age appropriate art of pole dancing. Hey, if college doesn't work out then at least he will have something to fall back on.

The sleep saga

2009-08-13T09:12:00.004-04:00

We have been blessed to have a son who loves his sleep and his food. For the past 10 months we have hardly had to complain about his sleeping habits...until recently. For some reason Oliver went from sleeping from 7:30 pm - 6:00 am to waking up a 4:45 am! Not good for the Moms. The normal thought would be "keep the kid up a little later and maybe he'll sleep later." Well, that was easier said than done at first. You see, Oliver gets very cranky when he doesn't get to go to sleep on time, and when he comes home from daycare very tired it's nearly impossible to keep him up later than 7:00 pm. Well, the past two days Oliver has gotten some good naps at daycare so when he arrived home he wasn't so tired so we could actually keep him up later and this morning we finally struck gold!!! He slept until 6:30 am!!! Woo hoo! I know it seems like a small difference, 4:45 am vs 6:30 am, but that little bit of extra sleep really does make a difference.

Part of helping us keep Oliver entertained while he stays up later was a trip to Bertucci's last night with Carey and Karen. Oliver was the consummate patron. He sat politely in his high chair and ate his chopped up food while we ate our entrees. It was awesome!
Recently, Oliver also enjoyed some time on the playground swing. He was very sleep (it was right before bed time) so he doesn't look so enthused, but believe us he enjoyed it.

Crawling leads to standing which leads to lots more baby proofing

2009-08-09T20:48:00.006-04:00

Oliver is getting better and better each day with his motor skills. He is now consistently crawling and is finally pulling himself up to a standing position on almost everything, and when I say everything I mean everything. He is also mastering furniture surfing and pulling conspicuous objects off my bedside table. We are definitely going to have to step up our baby proofing.
Oliver also had lots of fun in the past two weekends. He got to spend some quality time with Jeff, Shawn and Zoe. Shawn thought it would be cute to let Oliver try one of Zoe's hair barrettes. Oliver didn't think it was that funny. (I have a feeling Oliver is going to kill me for posting this one day but perhaps he will understand the humor in it).
He also sat through an entire lunch at the Rainforest Cafe and fed himself some of my chicken & bread and some of Jennifer's peppers without choking! Truly one of the best restaurants for kids.

Oliver also learned how to give Stella her bone. Stella's really happy about this new skill and hopes Oliver will be giving more of his things (i.e. his food) to her in the near future.

As most of you know already, Oliver really enjoys his bath time. Take one excited little boy add bath bubbles and you get some serious bath time smiles.
Oliver also got to spend some time in Boston this weekend. It was such a beautiful Saturday that we had to take advantage and go into the city to take in the sites. We walked up and down Newbury St and zig zagged our way through all the people. Can I just say that one of the things I really miss about New York are the wide sidewalks. What's with the midget sized streets in Boston? Anyway, we made our way back to the the gardens where we laid our blanket out and had a little lunch. Oliver got very thirsty but really didn't care for his sippy cup so instead he took matters into his own hands...for real.

Oliver is 10 months!!!

2009-07-30T20:42:00.011-04:00

10 months ago our lives changed in the most dramatically miraculous way. Our little boy has certainly grown in to a big boy over these past few months. He weighs in at 21 lbs 10.5 oz and 29" tall. Our muscles are getting a good workout but we are loving every moment of watching our son grow.

Ollie was his usual happy self at his well visit at the pediatrician's office. Thank God for the paper sheet on the exam table and all the fun medical wires.

Oliver was such a good patient. He sat very well while Dr. Rosenthal did his 25 point health inspection.
He also enjoyed spending some time with Gabriel last week and seeing all the fun things he will get to do when he is 2.5 years old.
Oliver also enjoyed some time with Grandma and Grandpa in Connecticut for Grandma's birthday. One would have thought it was Oliver's birthday with all the fun new toys that were waiting for him when we arrived. I think the Choo Choo Train was his favorite.
Ollie also got to practice his crawling skills while in Connecticut. He's really doing well with it now and is already working on pulling himself up and walking. In the mean time, he's enjoying taking things off my bedside table, turning over the garbage pale in our bedroom, and being a overall good little destroyer. Here's a quick video of him burning rubber on my parent's kitchen floor.

Oliver is also doing really well with feeding himself. He started working on the pureed food which really made a good ole' mess.

He also enjoyed eating mini bagels in his new walker (what a good little 1/4 Jew).
Oliver in his new walker with his best friend Stella always near by.

Recaping the past two weeks

2009-07-21T19:05:00.008-04:00

I know we've been bad and have not posted recently but it's been a busy July so far. We've included lots of photos for this post to try and make up for lost time. Now, let's recap.

A few weeks ago we went blueberry picking with our friends Jeff, Shawn, Zoe, Angie, Katie, Aliza and Auntie Q (a.k.a. Suzanne).

Oliver found his super dexterity to come in handy while picking some plump and juicy berries.

Ok, so he wasn't actually picking any blueberries but he was doing so in his dreams...we promise.
By the end of the afternoon Zoe was an expert blueberry picker. I'm sure she and her Mom cooked up a yummy blueberry pie later that day.
Aliza was all cozy in her carrier while her Moms selected some juicy blueberries.
Ollie enjoying a little awake time after all the blueberry picking. This kid really knows how to avoid doing any of the work yet reaping all the benefits. Ummm. I think we are going to have our hands full with this one!
Oliver and Aliza (and Jennifer and Angie) getting ready to depart the blueberry farm.
Oliver also discovered a new toy at Zoe's house...a school bus. Observing how much he seemed to enjoy riding it and being rolled around we ran out and purchased his very own (although his is a fire truck). I think Oliver likes it. What do you think?

Oliver also discovered his newest food love...pickles! That's right, pickles. I guess he does take after both his pickle loving Moms after all.
The biggest thing to happen in the past two weeks was that Oliver finally learned to crawl!!! Just shy of being 9-1/2 months old, on Saturday July 11th, Oliver took his first real crawling strides on his knees!!! We were so excited to be able to capture it on film (or digital file for all you semantic sticklers). Oliver has been teasing us for a while with crawling attempts and frustrated angst but he finally bit the bullet and got off his belly and took his first strides towards being a super evolved homo sapien. Check out the movie below!

Thanks to Zoe for supplying the awesome homemade toy that Oliver coveted enough to motivate him to take his first crawling steps.

BONUS PHOTOS

My two people watchers.

My three little beggers. Really, they were all begging for the cheese I was eating.

A Happy 4th from Westport

2009-07-05T18:02:00.005-04:00

We spent a beautiful weekend in Westport, CT to celebrate the 4th of July. This year, though, Grandma and Grandpa were not present since they are traveling around eastern Europe right now so instead, Oliver and his Moms joined their friends Shawn, Jeff & Zoe and Katie, Angie & Aliza for a fun time in Connecticut.

This holiday marks the first time Oliver has ever gone in a pool and he was not disappointed. Oliver loved splashing around from his whale float as well as attempting to do a freestyle stroke. He also went under water and while he was a little stunned he didn't cry and really didn't seem horribly phased by it.

Aliza also made her debut in the pool but took a slightly more cautious approach. Who can blame her, she is only 4 months old, but a brave 4 months old.
Zoe dove right in to all the fun and really seemed to have a good time as well.

Oliver had a little man-to-man time with Jeff, the only other male there this weekend. I'm pretty sure Jeff shared some crawling secrets with Oliver and perhaps threw in a few other pointers as well.

We also took several walks this weekend with the whole gang including a trip to the Wesport Dog Park.

Shawn even got friendly with Bowie, one of Katie and Angie's dogs. This was a sight we thought we would never see.

Oliver also took this opportunity to spend a little quality time with his half-sib Aliza. She is growing up so fast and before we know it they are going to be playing stick ball on the streets...ok maybe not stick ball but perhaps Nintendo Wii.

BONUS OLIVER PHOTOS!

Has it been 9 months already?!

2009-06-27T11:01:00.003-04:00

A whole 9 months has passed since Oliver was born but sometime it seems like just yesterday that we were bringing home our 5 lb 3 oz baby from the hospital. We don't have the official 9 month stats for him from the doctor yet so we'll post that when we have it but trust us...he's huge! Well, at least we think so but there have been some independent assessments that corroborate with us.

The truly amazing thing about having kids is watching them absorb everything around them, and the other amazing thing is seeing what excites them and captures their attention. For all the wonderful toys out there we have found that a simple paper towel role or tub kneeler or Mama's glasses or Mama's watch or Mama's ring can keep a baby amused just as well or even better. Of course with these types of toys Moms have to keep a very watchful eye on the baby and can't just go to the bathroom like she can when he's in a jumper but they are good for those moments when you just don't know whatelse to do.

Here are just a few milestones Oliver has hit in his 9 months of life:

Holding himself up in a standing position on the coffee table. (this sometimes results in a death defying fall backwards which most often will culminate in an egg on his head, but who am I to deny such joy to my child?)

Oliver has also learned to use a highlighter and calculator. Perhaps he has some accounting profession in his future. I'm sure Angie will have lots to show him.
Oliver is also on his way to mastering crawling with the help of the pugs.
What better way to celebrate being 9 months than to celebrate the birth of another future friend. Our good friends Karen and Trish gave birth to a healthy, beautiful boy on Friday June 26th. Oliver welcomes Carey Patrick Voorhees to the world!
The happy and proud Moms.
A smile already...looks like they are going to have their hands full with a happy baby...we should all be so lucky!

While we were visiting Carey at Beth Israel hospital we thought it would be nice to see some of the NICU nurses that took such good care of son when he was born.

This is Grace. She was always so clam and really helped us through some emotionally difficult times in the NICU.
This is Beth. She kept our spirits up and made us feel like everything was going to be OK.
On Saturday night we went to the epicenter of fun...Auntie Q's house! Auntie Stacey was also there and had a little face-to-face time with Oliver.
The happy boy in his carrier.
Oliver the rock star! Notice the faux-hawk hair.
The woman at the source of all this fun...Auntie Q.

Who says we can't celebrate Father's day?

2009-06-22T17:54:00.005-04:00

Even though Oliver doesn't technically have a Dad he's got lots of men in his life who are Dads and one of them is his Grandpa. So, this weekend we headed down to Connecticut to celebrate Father's day with Daddy Novoa (a.k.a. Oliver's biggest fan). Even though the weather was less than desirable it was still a very fun weekend.

Oliver attempted to wrap his Grandpa's Father's Day gift...amazingly he didn't cut himself with the scissors or get tape in his hair or eat the wrapping paper. We consider that a success in the Novoa house.

While we were in Connecticut, Oliver got to practice his piano technique on a grand piano. I think he might have a future with the ivories.

Oliver also got to play with a few "antique" toys which used to be his Mom's toys. 31 years and they are still ticking...although I'm not sure Oliver will even know what a rotary phone is when he grows up. All the toys were still functioning which goes to show...they just don't make them like they used to (am I speaking like an old person....I think I am...ahhhh!)

On Sunday we had a Father's Day brunch where Oliver presented his well wrapped gift to Grandpa....a self-portrait. Do you think it's a little self-indulgent to give a picture of oneself to someone? I say, not until you are at least 18 (isn't that cut off for most things?)
Here are a few more pictures from the weekend.

The happy family! (You will have to take our word for it that Oliver was actually happy and smiling a second before I took this picture)
A good shot of Burt and Ernie and one of his new friends, Grover.
Oliver LOVES his bath time!

Oliver's Big Day at Gay Pride 2009

2009-06-17T18:25:00.005-04:00

This past Saturday was Oliver's first Gay Pride Boston! We had so much fun. Thinking that we had the departure plan from our house down pat, we confidently left for the train station. When we arrived at the station we realized how novice we still are at this whole process because forgot the baby carrier. So, we were faced with holding our 22 lb baby for most of the parade (and by we I mean Jennifer). We sucked it up and proceeded on. Oliver got to see his first choo choo train and boy did it make a loud impression. We arrived to Government Center around 12:00 pm and waited patiently for the parade to make its way to us. Oliver had a great view of the parade atop Marina's shoulders, although I'm sure the view would have been better on someone a bit taller but he'll have to make due with his short Mom.

We got to see all sorts of people dressed in costumes and wonderful outfits (some more scantily clad than others).

After the parade we had lunch with our friends and Oliver got to try is very first taste of french fries. He really liked it and I fear that getting him to stop will be a challenge.

We returned home with one sleepy baby and two exhausted Moms. It was a fun day of celebrating the love and pride we have for our family and community.

Winchester Town Day

2009-06-08T18:05:00.006-04:00

This Saturday was Town Day in Winchester so Oliver took his two Moms to have fun in the sun on the Winchester streets.

There was a baby animal petting zoo, pony rides (Jennifer really, really wanted to participate), face painting, a mini Olympics for kids and all sorts of fair food, music and booths.

We also got to see our good friends from our birthing class. They had a little baby girl, Zeynep Lale, back on October 29th. Oddly enough she and Oliver shared the same due date but ended up being exactly 5 weeks apart.

During the course of the day Oliver got in a little bit of trouble and the Winchester Police had to intervene. Fortunately, his Mom's were able to talk to the police and get Oliver exonerated from his wrongdoings.

BONUS OLIVER PICTURES!!

Rooting for the home team

2009-06-01T08:35:00.003-04:00

Oliver ventured out in the sunshine (and eventual rain) on Sunday afternoon to root for his two Moms at their softball game. It was an exciting and close game with his Mommy (Jennifer) going 4 for 4 with an in-the-park home run! His Mama (Marina) played a half game and went 2 for 2. Oliver has such great friends who all wanted to take care of him while his Moms played. Thanks to Karen and Trish for entertaining him and to Tamar for making sure he was comfortable during the game. Also, thank you to T for getting Oliver his very own Wild jersey!

Walking with the pugs...or not

2009-05-28T10:37:00.004-04:00

We all know how much Oliver loves his pugs but now the pugs have good reason to love Oliver. As if the food falling on the floor wasn't enough, now Oliver gives his pugs a ride in his stroller when we go for our long walks and the pugs get tired. The pugs were very thankful for the ride even though Oliver spent a lot of the time kicking them. Stella was a little more tolerant of the kicking but the break for the two of them seemed to be worth the abuse.

Oliver and Stella

Oliver and Gizmo

Some friends for Burt and Ernie

2009-05-23T19:11:00.007-04:00

Last week Oliver started to get his second round of teeth and he wasn't that happy about it. Burt and Ernie (his bottom two teeth) give a warm welcome to: Big Bird, Snuffleupagus, The Grouch and Cookie Monster (these account for his top front two teeth and the two teeth on either side.) Right now we don't have any pictures of them since Oliver is very tight lipped about his new friends but we hope to get some shots of them soon. Perhaps we will employee the paparazzi to take some photos.

Anyway, here some things Oliver's been up two in the last few weeks.

He and Stella have taken their relationship to a new level.

Last weekend we went to the baby shower of our good friends Karen and Trish (they are having a little boy in only a matter of weeks!) There, Oliver met a lovely young girl and in the process of being mesmerized by her beauty he accidentally cut his finger on the inside of a soda can. Being the tough little trouper that he is, he hardly made a peep and was totally unphased by the incident. We did discover that he's a bleeder...meaning that the cut didn't actually completely stop bleeding for a few days (to Oliver's defense it was one of those small but deep little cuts, kind of like a really bad paper cut on a very tricky part of your finger).

We closed out the week by attending Danielle's collage graduation (congrats to Auntie D!!!). Oliver did really well even though it was over 90 degrees out. He was well protected from the sun with his super hat that Grandma and Grandpa got for him.

Oliver also discovered his rocker side this week. Give one baby a pair of sunglasses and one bass guitar and presto...you have your very own Ollie Van Halen.

Play this video

Bonus photo: Oliver and his rock band at school. (Shawn, Kayden & Oliver)

A happy baby makes for happy Moms on Mother's Day

2009-05-12T20:17:00.007-04:00

This year Mother's Day was even more meaningful since it was our very first Mother's Day as Moms! Woo Hoo! We headed down to CT to be with one of the grandest mothers of them all and started the weekend with a trip to the Bronx Zoo. It was a cool but slightly muggy day but the animals were out and about, playing and loving the company (or so we would like to believe).

Our first stop was at the Gorilla exhibit which is always awe inspiring and a real reality check into evolution. We could truly see that humans are really not all that different than our mammalian relatives. Oliver loved being in Grandpa's arms and felt safe while watching all these majestic animals.

At one point we even thought we were looking at a version of Oliver breastfeeding.
Apparently this baby gorilla gets distracted from the task at hand as easily as Oliver. I guess all babies are the same in certain ways.
Oliver also got to visit one of the Zoo's newest members...a baby lion. The little lion played around with his Mom and gave us a glimpse into our future fun romps with Oliver.

We also got to see lots of cool fish and Oliver seemed mesmerized by all the different colors and shapes.

After lots of walking and animal viewing we took a break for lunch and had a little down time.
One of our last stops for the day included a really cool gander at an alligator. Hopefully this is the only circumstance where Oliver will have a run in with this pre-historic beast.

On Sunday (actually Mother's Day) we prepared to have a scrumptious brunch including bagels from H&H Bagels and lox and other goodies from Zabars. (All you New Yorkers will know what I'm talking about when I say that brunch just isn't brunch without H&H and Zabars.)

Oliver serenaded us with his musical toy during brunch and gave us some beautiful greeting cards. We feel so lucky to have him in our lives and we can't thank our little man enough for making us Moms. He made our dreams come true!

A truly fun packed weekend

2009-05-03T18:52:00.006-04:00

This weekend was jam packed with fun activities for Oliver. We started Saturday off with some playtime in his super hot dog onsie. Oliver really loves playing with is his toys in our bed while we get ready for the day.

We then moved the party into the living room where Oliver got his first taste of the movie Fantasia. We were inspired to watch the movie when we heard Beethoven's symphony #6 playing on the radio. Oliver was simply mesmerized by the beautiful colors and sounds emanating from his TV.

Stella also got a little Ollie time. She decided it was time Oliver learn how to hold the bone for her. As many of you know, when you come to visit us Stella will often times show her affection for you by choosing you to be the sole "holder" of her bone so she can properly chew on it. It's a great honor really.

After his time with Stella, Oliver was ready to play with some real toys. He moved on to his newest toy...the musical table. Oliver can't really stand on his own yet so for now the musical table will be more like a musical mat.

Then we headed off to Zoe Straub's 2nd birthday party at Gymboree. Oliver was really thankful there was another baby his age who he could talk to and play with. Her name is Kylie Lum and she lives in Florida.

Once the party at Gymboree was over we headed over to Zoe's house for some more fun but this time with Zoe's private collection of toys. Oliver quickly commandeered her rocking horse and once again tried out his bull riding technique but this time on a bucking bronco. I think we are going to have to get him one of these.

Birthday girl Zoe making some birthday pancakes.

All this fun and it was only Saturday. Sunday was reserved for softball. We had our first softball game of the season but unfortunately, Oliver's moms were not responsible enough to take pictures. Considering there are many games this spring/summer we're sure Oliver's moms will remember at some point to take some photos. For now you will just have to imagine Oliver rooting for the home team.

BONUS PICTURES
This past week Boston was struck with it's first heat wave. It reached about 90 degrees and even though most of Oliver's cloths are still only spring appropriate we were able to find one of his more summerie outfits for him to stay cool for school.

Exploring his artistic side

2009-04-26T22:19:00.006-04:00

Now that Oliver is 7 months old we thought it would be prudent to start exposing him to several new artistic avenues. After all, he's got a lot of work to do if he's going to be the first hall of fame Grammy award winning painter dancer.

We started Oliver's training on the grandest of all instruments...the piano. He was enthralled by the black and white keys and loved the sounds that came out of this wonderful instrument. I think we may have another Vladimir Horowitz on our hands.

After Oliver grew tired of the piano we moved on to some modern/abstract art painting. He started off in water colors but we think he will soon be using other mediums like acrylic and oil very soon.

His love for painting began at daycare where he experimented with some white paint on blue paper and then got a little more risky with purple and yellow paint on white paper. After recognizing a potential artistic gift we did what every supportive parent would do...we rushed out and got him his very own painting set. Oliver quickly took control of the situation and showed us what true genius is made of. Apparently masterful artwork can be created by directly applying the actual painting to ones mouth. I think Oliver may have found a new niche for the art world.

As if Oliver wasn't busy enough, he thought he would finish off the day by giving a shot at the bongos. The rhythm of the night was calling him and he answered...loudly. Baba Looooo!!!!

One would think that all this activity would be enough to keep this little boy happy....but no. He just had to try his hand at one more thing...modeling. Now, Jennifer and I don't believe in pushing ones kid into such a pressured and superficial industry but when your kid asks to try something you say yes!

Needless to say, after all these activities Oliver was a little pooped out. Honestly, there is nothing better than taking a nap with your little boy in the afternoon.

A Very Busy Two Weeks

2009-04-10T11:30:00.008-04:00

Oliver has had a very adventurous two weeks. It all started with the celebration of Marina's birthday on April 3rd. He got all dressed up in his special cashmere outfit and surprised his Mama with a very special greeting.
After celebrating Marina's birthday we went to Jeff, Shawn and Zoe's house for an early Passover dinner on Sunday. Oliver learned a lot about his Jewish heritage and even partook in some of the Seder by donning a traditional yarmulka.

The next exciting thing Oliver did was sit in his highchair for the very first time to have his cereal. He loved being able to be at eye level and the Moms loved not having to stress their backs while feeding him.
Oliver, as many people know, has had a few minor baby illnesses since he's been born...acid reflux and chest congestion. Well, now we can add conjunctivitis...and...bronchitis to the list. It all started last Sunday when we noticed that Oliver's left eye had an unusual amount of yellow "gunk" in it, not to mention the whites of his eye were turning a funny pink color. This immediately caught our attention and we took him to the pediatrician the very next day. It was confirmed that he indeed had conjunctivitis a.k.a. pink eye. So, we proceeded to give him a topical eye treatment of Erythromycin for the next 5 days (he's almost done, yeah!). Not a big deal.

We thought we were in the clear with illnesses for a little while but to our surprise Oliver had a little more in store for us. All day Thursday he had been running a low grade fever and by Thursday night his temp skyrocketed to 103.7. So we took him straight to the Winchester Hospital ER just as a precaution....you don't want to mess with a high fever.

We spent about 3 hours there (pretty fast service for an ER if you ask me) and it was determined after a chest x-ray and some other tests that Oliver had bronchitis...nothing too severe but certainly in need of some antibiotics. We also learned that Oliver is truly the best patient ever. He didn't even really cry once (except when the x-ray tech picked him up with her ice cold hands) and even laughed a little during his x-ray. By 1:30 am we got the all clear and left the hospital with a bottle of Amoxicillin to administer 3 times a day. Woo Hoo!! But we shouldn't complain...it could have been a lot worse.

6 Month Stat Update

2009-04-01T13:02:00.003-04:00

Oliver had is 6 month appointment today with the pediatrician and as usual he was a consummate patient. He sat quite happily while the doctor performed his exam and only cried when his shots were administered but quieted down quickly after they were over. We maintain that he may very well be the best baby we've ever had.

The official stats:
Height: 27 3/4" - 90th percentile (he's almost half Marina's height!)
Weight: 17 lbs 8 oz - 50th percentile
Head Circumference: 45.5cm - 90th percentile

Look Ma...I'm 6 Months Old!

2009-03-24T21:31:00.003-04:00

Today is Oliver's 6 month birthday! Woo Hoo! We made it! Honestly, it's been the most glorious six months of our lives. Oliver has simply been a dream baby and we thank our lucky stars every single day for him.

We would like to update you on his 6 month stats but that's going to have to wait until next week when he has his pediatrician visit, so instead, we will update you on some other milestones. Although we can say that we think he weighs about 18lbs (at least that's what our home scale said).

Oliver had the pleasure of trying a teething cookie for the first time...and I we can't emphasize how much he loved it!!!! We had a hard time taking it away from him. He got deliciously messy and we reveled in every moment.

After Oliver tackled his teething cookie he got really sleepy, so he took a nap. I mean, it's hard work chewing on that stuff.

Oliver has also gotten a lot better at sitting. He hasn't quite mastered it yet but we are hoping that with the help of the pugs he will be movtivated to have some more floor time very soon.

Burt and Ernie Update

2009-03-21T09:16:00.003-04:00

Oliver let me take a really good picture of his two friends Burt and Ernie. He has been making really good use of these two new friends...biting his Mommy's fingers...chewing on his toys...and making a tremendous amount of drool.

We also discovered that Oliver has another alternate personality besides Super O...Oliverosaurus Rex made an appearance yesterday. His interests include: eating the town villagers, roaring big and loud, and causing massive destruction to everything he touches.

We were pleased, however, to find that while Oliverosaurus Rex is a tough and frightening creature, the truly sweet and loving Ollie is still underneath this scary facade.

Fun at Aliza's House

2009-03-19T20:34:00.003-04:00

Last night Oliver took us to Aliza's house for a little dinner and fun with the Aunties. Aliza is growing up so fast that she is in cloths at a week old that Oliver wasn't wearing until he was 1 month old. I'm pretty sure Oliver has caught up by now considering he's wearing some 9 month old cloths already.

Oliver had a great time with Auntie Q - swinging on her legs was about the most fun he's had all week.

Now that's one sweet Aliza with one hot mama!

A fun weekend with Grandma and Grandpa

2009-03-15T19:08:00.004-04:00

After Oliver's adoption proceedings on Friday we high tailed it to Connecticut for a fun weekend with Grandpa and Grandma. When we arrived, Oliver was surprised to find a new toy for him to break in.

We also had some time to go to the Westport dog park were Stella, Gizmo and Oliver had lots of fun looking at all the other dogs. Stella wore herself out so much she had to seek refuge under Oliver's stoller.

After the park, Oliver had some good quality time with Grandma and Grandpa.

Oliver also got to learn the next step in his dream of becoming a bull rider.

He was also initiated into the tradition of reading the Sunday edition of the New York Times. Oliver also hit another milestone and was finally able to hold his own bottle. While he's already been sort of doing this on and off for a while now, he finally was able to hold a full bottle without letting it fall.

Oliver's Adoption

2009-03-13T12:31:00.004-04:00

Today was another very special day in the Novoa family. Today we officially adopted Oliver. You may be asking why do we have to adopt our own son...well, since Massachusetts is one of the only states where our marriage is recognized (Connecticut is the only other state) Oliver is only recognized as a child of our marriage in these two states. Meaning that in Massachusetts and Connecticut both Jennifer and I would be recognized as Oliver's parents. So, in order to protect our rights in the rest of the country as parents we both had to adopt him so there would be no question who are his "real" parents. The crazy thing is that even if we went to the sunshine state of Florida to let say, visit Disney World, and the question of parenthood ever game up we still wouldn't have a leg to stand on since gay adoption isn't even recognized there (and in several other states).

Either way, today was a very happy and special day for us because it legally protected us as much as we could possibly be. Oliver was in a really good mood this morning and why shouldn't he have been, after all he was surrounded by wonderful friends and two Moms who adore his every move.

This is the judge making the adoption official!

The Moms and Oliver celebrating the adoption.

The judge was super nice and made us feel very welcome.

Happy and proud parents.
Our awesome friends who joined us for the occasion.

The woman who made it all happen...our lawyer, Joyce Kauffman.

The Newest Arrival!!!

2009-03-11T18:06:00.015-04:00

We have some great news to report. The newest addition to our Boston family has finally arrived (nearly two weeks late!). We welcome Aliza Frances Wolf!!! She was born to Katie Wolf and Angie Hockman at Mass General Hospital on March 11, 2009 at 7:59 pm and weighed in at 8lbs 6.4oz 20in long.

This little girl is very special to the Novoa family because believe it or not she is the half-sister to Oliver. That's right, Oliver's half-sister. It all started last August when Katie and Angie told us they were 3 months pregnant. It was quite a surprise to us since we didn't even know they were trying. In the course of discussing their process we pleasantly found out that they had used the exact same donor that we had used to create Oliver. Now mind you, this was totally by coincidence. They had no idea what our donor number was so it was quite a surprise when we found out this news. We all immediately celebrated and rejoiced in this amazing news.

Well, it has been a long wait for everyone and we can now celebrate the arrival of this beautiful and oh so special little girl. Oliver is so excited to meet her and to teach her all the millions of things he has learned in the 5.5 months he's been around.

The proud Moms: Katie and Angie.

Angie with her daughter.

Jennifer and I feel right at home with this little baby in our arms.

Bonus pictures: Aliza and Oliver at the same age.

All I Want for Spring Are My Two Front Teeth

2009-03-04T18:05:00.004-05:00

That's right ladies and gentlemen....Oliver is officially teething! His two bottom front teeth are coming in. We can see the top of teeth just about to peek out. We have affectionately named the teeth Burt and Ernie. They keep Oliver company during the day and while he sleeps. We tried getting a picture of Burt and Ernie but they are proving to be very illusive since the only times we can see them are when he's crying (as seen in this picture) or yawning (which is nearly impossible to capture). Here's a blurry picture of his mouth but if you look hard you can find the two little white lines on his bottom gum which are his two first teeth!Note: We are going to try and get a clearer picture of Burt and Ernie as they develop so keep checking the blog.

Ever since Oliver started growing teeth we can't stop him from eating food. I mean really, sausages, broccoli...all sorts of things. And by the way, don't ever try and take Oliver's food away from him or he'll give you one of his deadly stares.

Before
After

Oliver has also figured out that he has feet with toes. He's still not totally enamored by them but just look at how proud he was when he discovered them!

On a more animalistic note...everyone knows we have two pugs, Gizmo and Stella (please refer to exhibit A)

EXHIBIT A

Well, one of these pugs (Stella to be exact...the one with her head up Gizmo's butt) has taken it upon herself to become Oliver's best friend. I'm sure one night we will find her snuggled up in his bed but for now we will have to settle for her snuggling up to him in our bed.
Note: The animal in this picture was not posed in anyway, shape or form. She acted out of her own volition.

We also recently found out that Oliver's love for dogs is not limited to pugs...apparently he likes all the pushed-in face breeds. Here Oliver is getting up close and personal with Daphne, a Boston Terrier loved by all and raised by Jenna and Tim Connors of Haverhill, MA. Oliver just adored Daphne and all her kisses! In fact, he loved her so much that he was reaching for her as if she was one of his play toys. I can only imagine what will become of the pug tails once Oliver becomes more aware of them. Yikes!

He Laughs!

2009-02-26T08:07:00.003-05:00

About 2 weeks ago Oliver discovered his true laugh and now we can't stop him. As many people know, we couldn't wait for him to really laugh so now that he does we take every opportunity to make him laugh and capture it on film. So, here's a snippet of our little man yucking it up.

The Treatment

2009-02-23T09:11:00.004-05:00

This past Friday Oliver took us for a visit with the pediatrician due to a cough he's been having all week. He was exhibiting signs of being sick last weekend but like most baby illnesses we decided to give it a few days to see what happens before we run to the doctor. Well by Thursday night he started to sound like an old man with emphysema (ok, perhaps not that bad but in a little 15 lb baby it sounds pretty horrible). So we made the trip to the doctor on Friday afternoon. He was quickly diagnosed with a case of Bronchiolitis which is a common illness caused by the infection of the tiny airways leading to the lungs. The airways become inflamed and then fill with mucus making breathing difficult. The good news is that besides the nagging cough, Oliver has been in a good mood and doesn't seem too bothered by all the symptoms.

The other good news is that because of Oliver's illness we got to purchase a Nebulizer! Woohoo!!! He really doesn't seem to mind getting his treatments (that's what the doctors call a session with the nebulizer). In fact, I think he actually likes it.
One trip to the pediatrician...$15.00
One candy bar from Harvard Vanguard's vending machine...$1.50
Two Moms relieved that all they have to do for their sick baby is dress him up like an elephant to take his medicine...Priceless!

Yummy Yummy in My Tummy

2009-02-12T19:32:00.009-05:00

Oliver has always been a good eater since he was a newborn and he continues to impress us by beginning to eat some baby cereal at 4-1/2 months. This all began with a suggestion by Oliver's pediatrician to begin"practice" eating from a spoon. So we prepared a small amount of cereal and crossed our fingers. To our amazement, it took him all of 3 bites to really get a taste for the stuff...and then we couldn't keep him away from it. Looks like Jennifer and I are in for a big eater in the family...something we're not entirely used to yet.
We also discovered, to our dismay, that Oliver is already practicing to be a bull rider. As some of you may know, bull riding is one of the most dangerous sports and we had planned to keep Oliver away from such activities for as long as possible. But it looks like the riding bug bit him young. He got the taste for it after we put him in his bouncy horse.
After he mastered that he felt ready for a more animated riding subject. So, he decided to test his skills on Stella. This is only temporary until we can afford a real bull for him to ride. *No animals were harmed during the taking of these photos, although we cannot say if they were emotionally scared from the experience.

Another thing we discovered is that Oliver has a secret love affair with the remote control and the TV. Just see how he covets his precious.

A little Ollie Fun Time

2009-01-31T10:16:00.002-05:00

Oliver has been growing faster than we can keep up and today we could see truly how far he has come. Just a week ago he could hardly keep his balance enough to sit in the excersaucer and now....he's grabbing at toys and pushing buttons.

We were also very impressed when a went from a lackadaisical interest to holding his up on his tummy to actually enjoying and discovering the freedom of being able to do it. This just tells us that we are really in for a lot of fun surprises and lots of wonderful changes in the very near future.