The Big Birthday Bash

Aaaccckk!!! Who set my cake on fire!

Oliver and his friends Julian (l) and Gigi (r) eat birthday cake.
Julian admires Oliver in his birthday crown.

Oliver turned 13 months old today. How is this happening? I'm just getting over the fact that he is one year old. I know what's going to happen -- one minute he is laughing his head off because he figured out he can suck on my nose and make me laugh and the next minute he'll be old enough to be horrified that he ever sucked on my nose at all. Ah, well... I want nothing more than for Oliver to grow up and find someone who's nose he can be excited to suck on.

Anyway, all this growing up business also means that it was one month ago that we held Oliver's birthday party on Baker Beach, right next to the Pacific Ocean for those of you that don't know the area. Given that we feel like we are just barely treading water most of the time we were fortunate that our friends Sarah and Sabrina stepped up and organized the party for us. Thanks again you two!!! It's likely that had they not done so we would not have had a party at all.

Well, in case you don't know this... one of the things that I love about George (and there are many things, mind you) is his natural ability to feel and express enthusiasm. This enthusiasm often often leads to excess. Not that that is a bad thing... it's just it usually takes me by surprise. So, the nice little party of 10 to 20 or so people I thought might show up turned in to about 60 or more! Oliver is one lucky little dude to have so many fans.

With so many people it was tough to chat with everyone the way we would have liked but it was fabulous to see everyone there. Folks brought their families, their dogs and their high spirits. George did a great job with the decorations; blue and yellow helium balloons, lots of rubber duckies to give away and a pinata. The weather turned out to be a bit foggy but it was pleasantly cool and not too windy. Perfect.

Somehow we managed not to take any photos. If there is anyone reading this who has pictures from the party please send them to us! We'd love to have them. Even though we don't have any still photos from the party, we do have some video. I haven't figured out how to attach video to the blog yet but I included the links to seeing what Oliver did that morning of his birthday at Sarah's here and the video of us singing happy birthday to him at the beach.

Thanks to everyone who came to the party and made it so much fun. And to those who couldn't make it -- we missed you!

Mom Mom Visits The Vole

Once again, I need to engage in a bit of retroactive catch up. I'll try my best to get up to date over the next couple of days. This is my first installment.

I'll start with the beginning of summer. The last week of June and the first couple weeks of July, my mom came to visit for a little over two weeks. Well... she and Oliver had the time of their lives. Mom did me the tremendous favor of taking Oliver in the mornings when he woke up so I could catch up on some sleep. By the time I got up he was in a new diaper and clothes, fed and watered, and playing with Mom Mom. Wow! Thanks mom.

Oliver has not been known (until very recently) to have a very long attention span, but somehow, my mom captured his attention like no one else. She would sing, dance, and teach him new "tricks" with a relentless ferocity that only a Mom Mom could do. And all the while Oliver would look up at her with rapt attention. Take the following pictures, for example:

Rapt I tell you. I could stand on my head and sing the star spangled banner and I couldn't get his attention like that.

And look how happy they are!


Again, eating breakfast out, Mom Mom is teaching Oliver some important life lesson. He is all ears.

Some of the highlights of mom's visit include my refrigerator dying over the weekend (that was a four day stinky mess), trips to Oliver's daily appointments, a visit to the zoo, 4th of July fireworks in the park, and a special getaway to Napa. While in Napa we went to Indian Springs Spa. Oliver wore mom out while George and I enjoyed a mud bath and then the pool. Eventually Oliver wore himself out, giving Mom Mom a break.


Thanks again mom for all the help! George, Oliver and I all had a great time while you were here and we are so glad that you are coming to visit again in September.

Seriously people, you need to know that mom taught Oliver how to do more things in two weeks then all his physical and occupational therapists over the past several months. Call it good timing if you must... but I just call it the power of Mom Mom.

Here, mom and I gaze into my (then new) camera phone while out to dinner at the Beach Chalet.