A few things about Oliver

I had a post back in December titled “A few of O’s favorite things.”  Over the past eight months he has changed so much.  Here are a few milestones we have reached as he gets ready to turn 1-year old on August 8^th as well as a few of his current favorite things.

He is walking and talking.  Oliver has been “cruising” and taking a couple steps at a time since mid-July, but really got independent with his walking this weekend (July 19-20). 

  

I posted about his first couple words, but since then he has been expanding his vocabulary (mama, dada, hot, cat, no-no, water (wa-wa), ball (bawh), se-se (see), bottle (ba-ba), nigh-nigh, among others).  He also tries to repeat words daily. He found his pointer finger in mid-July and since then he has been communicating so much, lots of se-se.  What has really blown me away is his understanding of the world around him.  When we read books and I ask him to identify one thing in a complex photo, he surprises me at how many things he can find (e.g., the sun in the sky, a ladybug in the grass, a fish in the water, a car, a flower, or a bird in the sky).  He can identify most of my facial features when asked and knows his familiar people both in person and in photographs. 

It seems like for months I’d try to get him to do something, and now he will suddenly do it as if he has always had the skill.  For example, he surprised me by putting shapes in the shape sorter the other day.  He likes to brush his own teeth before bed and will try to brush my teeth, feed me, and comb my hair.

A few of O's favorite things:

People.  He loves to meet new people.  While he will “people watch”, he prefers to be interacting with people.  Wherever we go (park, plane, work, grocery store, church, etc.) he is smiling and trying to make friends with anyone within his visual range.  He seems to have his dad’s easy natured personality, which I love.  I hope as he gets older, he continues to be friendly and charming.

Anything with wheels.  Toy cars, his walker, desk chairs, strollers, our laundry hamper, you name it.  If it has wheels he will turn it and twist it in every possible way as he investigates its movement; I am amazed that he has not run over fingers or toes in the process.

Yellow Bus.  I have mentioned the bus in a previous post.  This is still his absolute favorite toy. He likes to push it, lift it up on things, put things in it, carry it with him, spin the wheels on it, etc.  Now that he is walking, he will even carry his bus with him as he takes steps on his own.  He takes his bus with him everywhere.

To Dance.  If you say, “Oliver, do you want to dance?”  He will start bouncing right way.  If he is playing or reading books in the middle of he room by himself and you turn on the music, he will start to bounce to the beat while he continues to do whatever it was he was doing.  As Sheryl says, “he has rhythm for a white boy.”  He enjoys dancing around with me or bouncing on his own.  Either way, the kid loves music and to dance.

Getting the back of his neck and head rubbed.  If he is at all sleepy, this trick will put him in a total snuggle coma.  He loves to sit and read books while I rub the back of his head/neck.  He will gradually lean in and eventually lay his head on my lap or leg while we read--so sweet.

Books.  He loves to read them on his own and to be read to.  O likes to start his day at the bookshelf in his room, pulling out books and reading them one-by-one.  He is still reading mostly board books on his own, but he can be trusted with and enjoys reading story books with paper pages.  It is just that they are usually pretty big and he will often cut his own face when turning the pages by himself because he does not have enough arm-span.  Depending on his mood he will sit through a favorite full story (like Pout, Pout Fish or Lama, Lama), or other times he will flip through and stop only at his favorite pages to look at the pictures and point at things while sometimes copying sounds and/or have you read the page to him.  For his favorite characters, he will give the book page a kiss.

Backpack.  Daddy uses his backpack much more than the stroller, and Oliver prefers it too.  I think because he is eye level with everyone and feels more engaged.  When Oliver is tired and Joe cannot get him to nap, he puts O in the backpack and does housework—Oliver will fall asleep fully upright in the pack.

Cats.  Oliver still enjoys watching them, but now chases them as well.  To Milo’s credit, he has been slapped in the face, had fists of his fur grabbed, and his tail pulled, but exercises great patience and restraint.  That being said, he has started to learn to keep a more cautious distance.  Oliver has also gotten caught in Milo’s path and sustained a couple minor scratches—so I would say they are even.  Jax has always kept a much larger distance and continues to avoid direct contact with Oliver.  As a result, Oliver LOVES Jax and wants to pet him even more than Milo.  Another of O's favorite games is to wave the feather cat toy and get the cats to play with him (this is a highly supervised game).

My Necklaces.  I usually wear a necklace and often a long chain of some kind to work.  In the morning before I leave for work, O likes to sit in my lap and play with my necklace for a few minutes. He pulls and manipulates them, but he is usually pretty gentile and just likes to feel the shapes and textures. 

Mama’s Milk.  He still enjoys nursing.  At about 8-9 months my milk started significantly decreasing.  However, I have continued to supplement his daytime bottle by pumping at work and Oliver nurses in the morning when he wakes up and before bed at night.  On the weekends he also usually nurses before his mid-morning nap.  He still prefers me to the bottle when given the choice (even though I know he is not getting much milk from me) and when he is sick or really tired he will pull at my shirt seeking the comfort.  We have started decreasing the amount of bottle he gets since his appetite for solid food has really picked up and he is using his sippy-cup some during the day.  I am sure he would easily transition to just the bottle feedings if I stopped offering him the breast.  But, we both seem to still enjoy the time together and I know it will end soon.  So for now, we will continue our nursing ritual a little longer.

Food.  O is a good eater.  He likes a variety of foods.  His only real dislikes are fruits that are tart and he is not a big fan of ground turkey.  Some of his favorites are squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli and bananas.  He has nine teeth fully in, and has been working on at least one more the past week, so he does great with his chewing and eating a variety of textures.

Family.  Oliver loves his visits with family.  He recognizes Nana, Grandma, Grandpa, Sheila, Kate and Claire on FaceTime and so when they come to visit, it is such a thrill for him.  He has had wonderful visits full of giggles and fun the past few months.  It is a joy to see him enjoy his family so much.