Sunday, June 28, 2009

Milestones

A summary of new Oliver milestones:
1. Talking: he says three "words". Na na is the most common, which means I'm hungry but also specifically banana (his favorite food). I think for Oliver the food pyramid is more of a food wheel with banana at the core. Mama and Dada are the other words and they now clearly refer to us. We are starting to hear Ba when he's playing with balls, but can't officially confirm that yet.
2. Taking steps: yesterday was a world record with five steps in a row before plopdown. I don't think he realized what he was doing.
3. Object manipulation: Oliver spends all his time manipulating objects these days. He takes things out of containers, puts them into containers, whacks one object with another. Instead of playing with one object and putting it in his mouth, a project will be to take all the blocks out of a wagon and toss them on the floor. When the house looks like its been attacked by wolves, he's ready for a nap.
4. Bedtime tantrums: It is now pretty common for Oliver to have a longish meltdown at nap and bedtimes. He will stand in his crib and throw out all the toys and blankets that are in there with him to show how annoyed he is.
5. Snuggling: Oliver has a new love for stufffed animals; the bigger the better. He played with a large tiger at Dad and Connie's house and just wrestled and wrestled with it. At home we got him a large soft dog that he jumps on and hugs on the floor.
6. Challenges: We have been doing sign language with him for months but he isn't interested in it. He is also due to start transitioning from bottle to sippy cup but he hates sippy cub. He's always very annoyed when we bring it out.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Showers, Weddings & Springtime

Waiting for the ferry to Orcas Island

Amanda hosted a baby party for her good friend Molly a few weekends ago. Husbands and babies descended upon the house as well, and Oliver had his first big party in his room. Tracy & Will brought Stella, Joanne & Russ brought Alexander, and Kristen & Martin brought Liam. Caryn handled three of the four babies in her own corner for a good 10 minutes. They all had fun with the toys and mirrors and parents playing around.

Oliver & Stella

At the Stanford/OSU ballgame

Oliver likes pushing things. His cart now contains tamales and we play "Tamale Lady" whenever he comes around with it, in honor of our Zeitgeist matriarch. He's begun pushing his highchair and the chairs around our dining room as well. Doors and cabinets are more exciting these days. He's more emotional as well - he crawls into our arms when he gets hurt and reaches for Mommy all the time. He's babbling constantly.

At Amber's wedding

We're took the long journey to Orcas Island for a wedding this past weekend. Oliver had his first experience on a boat and we enjoyed getting away from the bay area for awhile. Amanda's childhood friend Amber got married amidst sheer beauty - out in a field overlooking the sound. Oli made some friends, but when the speeches started, he wanted to give a speech of his own from upstairs, where he was "sleeping." We had to leave early, but them's the breaks when you've got a boy testing the limits of his vocal volume.

Hope you're all well. Enjoy! More photos