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Ollie is cruising around with more cinfidence everyday. I think that he'll wait to walk until his Dad comes home, which will hopefully be sometime before Ollie's first birthday. Ollie man babbles and "talks" most of the day. I haven't been able to get it on camera, but he's begun to stick out his tongue in the cutest way possible. His hobbies include climbing the stairs, patting his dog, saying the word "dog," and getting into everything possible.

Home Again, Home Again

Ollie playing with Sam Laney

Ollie and I have had a great time visiting both sets of grandparents in the states. We spent the first week with Grandma and Grandpa Spaulding, who spoiled us both rotten : ) Ollie and I both enjoyed time with Aunt Debi and his Great Grandmother. It was fun to take Ollie from cold England (its not REALLY July if you want to wear a jacket), to hotter than heck Texas.

After spending a wonderful week in Texas, we surprised My folks in Alabama. My sister and I were able to keep the secret for about four months!! Thanks to those of you who knew and didn't say anything. We've had a blast here with the cousins, Aunts and Uncles and the Grandparents.

Ollie is right on track developmentally. He'll "talk" to you like you understand what he's saying...his voice is full of personality and inflection. He sounds like he's said "dog" a couple of times. He sure loves my sister's border collie Dixie. He makes very happy "oohhhs!" when she walks into the room. Ollie has also picked up speed as a crawler. He's into everything and he loves to open and close doors. Can't wait to put the child locks on the kitchen cabinets!! The most exciting development has been in the last two days...Ollie has begun to clap and wave. He's REALLY cute.

Hope everyone is doing well. Here's hoping that I post sooner than a month from now! Cheers,
Dori

Four Countries and a Principality

Sunflowers in Provence
Originally uploaded by spauldingtj

Our young son is well on his way to becoming a world traveller. The list now includes: the UK, the US, Spain, France, and Monaco. He was a superstar throughout the entire trip.

We spent the last week in Provence with some good friends, and we had a fabulous time. We shopped at some markets, ate French cheese, and drank a large amount of French wine. C'est Si Bon!

We rented a house in the village of Fuveau, just outside of Aix-en-Provence. We almost missed the market in Pallissene, but were able to catch the lady selling tablecloths and baskets (don't worry, Tim is thrilled to have more tablecloths). On Monday, we drove about 90 minutes to Nice to visit an antique market. Much more fun to look than to buy. In the afternoon, we visited Monaco, which was about 20 minutes down the road.

On Wednesday we visited Avignon, which interestingly was the home of the popes from 1309 to 1377. What was most interesting is the village of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. We spent an afternoon visiting the village and touring the winery at Chateau la Nerthe. Tim and I are going to return for an anniversary one of these days when the little one is visiting the grandparents! There were fields upon fields of grapes that will one day turn into wine.

So, where are all of the pictures from this beautiful vacation? It turns out that carting a baby and all of his junk was about all that I could handle. I hope to nick my friends photos and post some of them. Until then, I recommend checking out

http://www.flickr.com/photos/akryger/

or

http://www.annamorrisphoto.com/

Annie is a VERY talented photographer who we were lucky enough to have on our vacation. She's got some great shots from the trip.

Alright...its time to hit the hay. Hope everyone is doing well!

Cheers,
Dori

The End of the World As We Know It

As We Know It
Originally uploaded by spauldingtj

So...I've been just a little bit busy lately and blogging went to the very bottom of the to do list. The events of this morning inspired me to provide a very overdo update to our friends and family. I walked into the man's room to find the picture you see. My baby was STANDING!! As Tim said, its a little spooky to see your child do this for the first time Needless to say, the mattress is now at the very bottom setting.

In other news, Ollie can sit up now. He's not crawling exactly...he seems to have perfected the low man crawl. Ollie discovered Risby's water dish, and I am perfecting my "No" as well as my disapproving Mother look. That shiny bowl full of water is a little too tempting sometimes : )

Ollie's top two teeth are in. I'll provide a picture when I get a good one. The next two top teeth are working their way through the gums as well...its amazing how much teeth change his look! Ollie is also proving to have a very nice temperment. Like all of us, he's a little cranky when he's tired or hungry, but he's usually cheered up with a funny face or a tickle. The man also loves people...not much of a surprise to anyone who's ever met his father!!

Ollie's most favorite thing is his dog...he's learning to "gently" touch the Riz. Thank goodness that Risby has such a nice temperment!! Ollie also loves books, anything that makes noise, and motorcycles passing by. He's such a little boy.

Alright...I'll do my best to post more entries and add more video soon. Hope everyone is doing well!

Much love,
The Spauldings

Eight Months And Counting

The Man
Originally uploaded by spauldingtj

Life's been busy here at the Spaulding Casa. Ollie spends most of his time belly crawling and cutting teeth. He can make it onto his knees, where he sways back and forth before falling to his tummy. He's an expert at the commando crawl...pulling himself along with his arms. It so funny to see the progression. And, his top left tooth has cut through. It will be a while before we have anything picture worthy, but the top teeth are on their way! I'll do my best to get some footage of Ollie moving and making more noise.

In other news, I completed my first post-pregnancy triathlon at Blenheim Palace outside of Oxford. A HUGE thanks to Jen for keeping Ollie for me during the race. While the race was not my best ever, it felt great to get back into the swing of things. The water was the coldest I've ever been in in my life at a frigid 18 degrees Celcius (about 64 degrees F). I felt like I was slipping into a huge glass of ice water! Thank heavens for wetsuits. After the swim, I had a lovely time biking through the sheep fields and running around the lake.


I'd like to plug my friend Tara's Photography business...she took this shot of the man for us, as well as several others.
www.tlohsephotography.com

Hungry and Tired

Ollie is quite demanding if he is both hungry and tired. Fortunately, this is not my son's normal temperment! We keep videoing him, but there aren't any good shots of him scooting around yet. He gets better by the day, so stay posted!
Love,
The Spauldings

Ollie Noises

Swaying

Video from this afternoon

Ollie Eating Kix

Here's a slightly better video. The trouble with You Tube is that the videos have to be short.
Enjoy!

Testing YouTube

Thanks Kim for doing this first! I give you all of the credit. Hope everyone is doing well and please enjoy the video clip of Ollie man!
Love,
Tim, Dori, and Ollie

Rasberries for all my friends!

Grrr
Originally uploaded by spauldingtj.

Ollie gave me a rasberry for the first time today. All those sleepless nights were worth it! He also pulled up for the first time on Thursday while he was in the bathtub. It happens so quickly! Ollie thinks about crawling, but he's not always super motivated. I'll keep you posted!

Monkey Music

Ollie and I joined Monkey Music today with our good friends Kim and Adam. I wasn't sure if he would like the class, but he was very vocal and there was a huge grin on his face for much of the class. Here's hoping that he learns to shake the maraca insted of eat it!

A Day in London

Hey Kids...
Originally uploaded by spauldingtj.

We hit the London Aquarium after a tasty lunch at Eat. Ollie man had a great time riding the tube, people watching, and catching his first glimpse of a shark. I am very pleased to say that he wasn't scared in the least. He tried his best to touch the rays in the touching pool, but his arms just weren't long enough. Mom enjoyed petting the spongy fish that behaved oddly like dogs. Who knew that fish enjoyed petting?!? Seriously, they swam towards you and stuck their noses out of the water hoping for a friendly stroke.

As usual, Ollie was a superstar sleeping in the car, in his stroller (until a street vender played one of those bird whistles), and in the car again. We're so blessed to have such a cute kid!

Seven Months

New Face
Originally uploaded by spauldingtj.

Ollie man is doing very well these days. He sits up like a champ and the crawl is on its way. In the mean time, his preferred means of transportation is scooting on his back along the floor. You can see the problem when he hits a door, sofa, or anything else that he can't see.

Solids are going well...everything but strawberries. He pukes after eating gerber's strawberry apple mix, so we're holding off on those for the time being.

Hope everyone is doing well! Keep the e-mails coming...we love to hear your updates!

Cheers,
Dori

babysitter

babysitter
Originally uploaded by spauldingtj.

Speaking of Risby--

What Dori doesn't know is that while she was in France this weekend, I let Risby watch Ollie while I went out and played poker with the boys!

just kidding
tim

A Dog and Her Boy

A Dog and Her Boy
Originally uploaded by spauldingtj.

Entertaining a six month old and an 18 month old lab is easier than you might think. Both moved their heads back and forth as I rolled a ball from side to side...where's the video camera when I need it!

Ollie vocalized his love for the Riz on a walk last Sunday in Nowton Park. After rolling in fox poop (apparently dogs love it), Risby went for a swim in the pond. She had some trouble scaling the bank, and just as she fell back, Ollie let out a scream. Who knew our six month old was paying that much attention!

Risby has been a superstar with Ollie man, allowing him to pull on her fur and ears. I spent some quality time keeping Ollie from "tasting" Risby's paw, ear, or any other peice of dog that he could get into his mouth, while I kept Risby from licking Ollie's face, hands, and clothes. Its going to be a beautiful relationship!

Spaulding Update III

famiy portrait busted
Originally uploaded by spauldingtj.

The third installment of our DVD update series has just been released. We didn't get any Oscar nods but the Academy has a hard time seeing fresh talent, in my opinion.

Anyway, if you don't have a copy, and you want one, drop us a line and we'll pitch one in the mail for you!

tim

On a Roll

IMG_9263.JPG
Originally uploaded by spauldingtj.

Ollie man has officially rolled over from his back to his belly. His curiosity has finally motivated him to leave the comfort of his back. He'll be crawling before we know it!

Sitting Fool

Sitting Fool
Originally uploaded by spauldingtj.

Its been a busy time here at the Spauldings. Spring has finally arrived, so I've been out in the garden. It should be a good one this year since the sun rises around 5 am and doesn't set until 8 pm.
Ollie man's six month check up went well. He's sitting all alone and loving some solid food. I'm happy to report that he likes bananas, unlike his mother. Much to Risby's delight, the Kix mostly hit the floor before making it into his mouth. He manages to get a couple in there and the faces he makes are priceless. A sippy cup is still a big challenge...more playing than drinking, but there's plenty of time still.

You reap what you sow

furrows
Originally uploaded by spauldingtj.

Suffolk is big time argricultural territory - carrots, parsnips, onions, rapeseed, and sugar beets to name a few. I don't know what they were planting here, but I got a picture before the did becuase I am always blown away by how much soil there is here.

Maybe my perception is skewed by seeing farms in eastern Montana and Colorado, where the soil is thin and dusty. The furrows in this field where no kidding 2 or 3 feet deep.

This guy is lucky though, becuase a lot of the fields are covered in flint stones -- tihs soil looks pretty smooth. At any rate, this is the one of the last fields to get planted around Bury - a lot of the rapeseed crop is already up and flowering.