More Christmases!

We had Christmas with Grandpa Dennis and Grandma Andy on the 21st...Here is Austin helping Oliver open his present:

Then we had our family's Christmas on Christmas Eve morning - Oliver liked his stocking, which was full of rattles, teethers, onesies, socks, and pacis!

We then went to Grandma Laurie and Grandpa John's house, and then to Granna's! (Long day!) Here's Oli hanging with Granna:

And wearing the hat Granna made for him!

December 27th was exactly four months after we brought Oliver home from the hospital. See how much he has grown!

Christmases!

First, Oliver turned four months on Friday! Here is his 'Four Month Photo':

We had our Tice Christmas Saturday night - Oliver had great naps during the day and was a VERY good baby all night long - even way past his bedtime! He was all smiles for everyone. Here is Cousin Emily holding him:

Sunday morning, Oli and I were up bright and early, but Ian wasn't quite ready - so Oliver attempted to wake him up:


Sunday we had the King Christmas, and got our SECOND five-generation photo! Here is Oliver, Ian, Grandpa Tony, Great-Grandma Tice, and Great-Great Grandpa King:

And here are all the Tice men! Oliver, Cousin Mason, Cousin Grant, Ian, Great-Uncle Mike, Grandpa Tony, and Great-Grandpa Tice:

I uploaded a bunch of new photos, so just click on the links to the left!! We have FIVE more Christmases to go to, so there will be lots more photos!

4 Month Check Up

Oliver had his 4 month check up (already!) today. He weighs 14 pounds 6 ounces, is 25 3/4 inches long, and Dr. Schutte felt two bottom teeth! That doesn't necessarily mean they will be in soon, but they could be! Dr. Schutte said he'll probably be tall and skinny as he grows. He had two vaccinations today (just one shot).

Giggle Pants!

Just a short video of Ian and Oli playing before bedtime! Too cute!

Yummy Toes!

Finally, got a video to upload! Oli looooves to suck on his feet now! I tried to catch him in the act, I think he's a little camera-shy.

The Power of Naps

I will no longer underestimate the power of a morning nap. We had our first of eight (yes, eight) Christmases today, and it was a big fat failure.

Oli was a happy guy when he woke up, and we went to church at 10. He usually sleeps through mass, but not this morning. Afterwards we went straight to Aunt Heidi's for the McKnabb Christmas...and hell broke loose. I fed Oliver when we got there and attempted to put him down for a nap, since he had been awake waaaay too long and was cranky already. For the next two hours, Ian and I took turns trying to get him to sleep. He was just NOT having it. He would fall asleep in our arms for a few minutes then wake up screaming. I think the whole family now thinks he's a cranky baby - he's really not!! He's usually so happy and giggly and flirty! He just refused to sleep.

So we had to leave early, and no one got to play with Oli. He slept on the way home (we took the long way so it was close to a 30-minute nap), he ate when he got home and slept with me for an hour, ate, and THEN was pretty much back to normal. At 4:30pm. What a rough day! He went back down for another nap right away and slept two more hours, was up for an hour, then went down for the night. He was SUCH a tired boy!

We have seven more Xmases, and I will definitely be making sure he gets a nap in before all of them! Poor guy.

I've been trying to upload more videos of him, but they haven't been working...I'll keep trying!

Definitely Rolling!

Oli has now mastered rolling from his tummy to his back while awake. And it's already driving me nuts! Now when I lay him down for a nap, he rolls and smiles up at me. And he wakes himself at night by rolling over (he won't sleep on his back. Ever.). Stinker.
Oh well...it's still fun!!

Family Update!

It's been awhile since I've written a 'real' update on our family. So, here goes! I quit my job, and just recently accepted a part-time position. I will be an in-home counselor, working with children and families who are involved with DHS. I think it'll be really great - I am staying in the human services field, I will get to set my own schedule, and besides the in-home visits, I will work from home!
I also decided to become a Discovery Toys, Inc. consultant. I had my 'Grand Opening' this morning and actually got to play with a lot of the toys I'll be selling - they're pretty fun! You can check out my website here: http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/tifftice.
Ian started his new job just before Thanksgiving, and we are really loving it. It's so nice that he can be home every night now! He is going to start MMA (mixed martial arts) training again, and may get back in the cage. Who knows!
As for little Oli...well he's getting bigger and bigger! After cancelling our diaper service and doing cloth diapers part-time, we have decided to go full-time with them. I was tired of spending money on what becomes trash too soon, tired of the leaks, and tired of the icky smells from disposables (yes it's worse than with cloth). So we invested in a cloth diapering trial from www.jilliansdrawers.com. They sent us seven different types of cloth diapers to try for 21 days. Anything we didn't like we could send back for a full refund. I quickly found my favorite diaper (and ordered more), but will be keeping the others anyway. They are all pretty great. No pins, no swishing in the toilet.
These are the kind we decided on:
The brand is Fuzzi Bunz, and they are a 'pocket' diaper. So, the diaper comes with an insert that you put in the 'pocket.' You then put the diaper on just like a disposable. (Actually, these diapers snap instead of velcro.) I can put in an extra insert for overnight so no leaks! And aren't they so cute?
We also tried gDiapers - they come with flushable inserts. They aren't bad, but they are actually more expensive than disposables so we won't be buying anymore. They are pretty cute, too:

Oliver recently had his first visit to the Water's Edge! Here's Aunt Danielle holding him...and it's tissue paper from a gift behind him, not a bow on his head!

Oliver is getting better at grabbing things - and immediately pulling them to his mouth! He has also found his feet. Gotta love toys that never get lost!