Oliver and Estelle: January 2009

January 25, 2009

January 20, 2009

Tonight Oliver said his first word - "Daddy"! He was pushing his rocking horse from his bedroom to the living where Anth was lying on the couch. When Oliver saw Anth he waved and said DADDY. We've waited a long time and have sorted through lots and lots of chatter to get to this point. Now I'm wondering if word #2 will be MOMMY or OBAMA.

I think he's kind of adorable.

January 19, 2009

Oliver and Tobin

Oliver and his friend Tobin (6 months) just happen to have the same frog pjs. I think they'll be friends for a long, long time.

People magazine poll: Who wore it better?
51% of readers say Tobin
49% of readers say Oliver

January 11, 2009

Hungry

This is Oliver feeding himself applesauce. Forget the spoon and manners, let's just get right down to it. There is applesauce to be eaten and he's hungry.

Big and Strong

January 8, 2009

Tidbits

I usually don't take the time to write about what Oliver is up to these days, I only post pictures and videos. That is really what people want though, right? The fun stuff. But today I thought I would share all the things that Oliver does with his time. One of the big things that we keep waiting for is for him to take his first steps. It hasn't happened yet. He's almost 15 months and still not a step. The experts say that this is normal. Especially for a baby who could grow up to be a professional athlete. Look it up. Most great athletes were late walkers. Anyway, Oliver gets where he wants to go on all fours and he seems satisfied with that. The other milestone that we're expecting any day is his first word. So far we get A LOT of gibberish and pointing. He definitely understands us and the words milk, no, and bedtime. Important things in life when you're one. With the winter we've had his first word will probably be 'snow' or 'ice'.

Oliver makes us laugh many times a day. He is hilarious and he is starting to use it to his advantage. He plays cute when's done something bad. He makes the best facial expressions and has the best laugh I have ever heard. One of his favorite games to play with me is to get me on the floor and then push me down. Then he crawls all over me and eventually sits on my face. He has fun with it, I do not. And if you haven't seen the "ghost crawler" video on this blog, you need to. Because another favorite game is to cover his head with his blanket and crawl around the house. He runs into furniture, which does not deter him. He backs up and keeps going. We're not sure what the blind crawling is all about - we will probably never know. Maybe he's doing empathy exercises for the visually impaired.

Right now we are trying to teach Oliver to feed himself with a spoon. He does ok if we hand him a spoon full of food. But if he tries to put the food on the spoon himself it's a complete mess. Typcial I know. But I cringe everytime the oatmeal lands on the floor or in his ear. Again, he has fun with it, I do not. But I am working on my patience. Anth says I have a long way to go.

Other fun facts about Oliver:

he has almost 8 teeth
he's a regular pooper (its important information that we talk about daily)
he LOVES books about animals
he makes a great lion growl
he loves bath time
he still likes to eat paper
his first clap came during the Republican National Convention last fall - but he seems ok with Obama, phew
he doesn't like veggies but loves all fruits
he dances alot and laughs when I dance with him
he loves his dad
he has beautiful blue eyes - like his dad
he brushes his own teeth
sneezes make him smile, especially if you say 'achoo' afterward
his feet sweat - my DNA at work
he still sleeps with his blanket over his head
he eats constantly - again, my DNA at work
he loves to be outside even when it's 10 degrees

That's about it for now. I'll try to do this more often.

January 4, 2009

All I can say is SNOW

Spokane has gotten over 60 inches of snow in the month of December. We are doing our best to stay positive and enjoy the white stuff. It's been a crazy winter so far. What is in store for us next?

Side mirror

A little nighttime shoveling

Anth dug out this parking area by hand. Yet another reason I married this man.

Rose bush outside Oliver's bedroom window

Oliver peering out his bedroom window

Sledding

January 3, 2009

4 wheelin'

Thank you McTaggart family!

The ghost crawler

Oliver does this ALL on his own. It is hilarious and just a little bit odd.

January 2, 2009

Christmas in Illinois

We went to Illinois to visit my family this year for the holidays. It was supposed to be a surprise to my family, but after it took 2 days to get out of the Washington snowstorm we kind of had to tell them we were coming. Oliver traveled like a champ. This was his 5th plane trip afterall. The boy needs a mileage plan. We had a GREAT time being with family and sharing our little man with his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who all live so far away. It was a fantastic trip for all of us and worth every flight delay! A special thank you goes out to Grandpa Fred, who made it all happen. The best christmas present ever.

Oliver with dad, Aunt Beth and Maggie