That family that yogas together...

Happy Thanksgiving

Oliver had a great day, even though it started a bit early (4:00 AM Wisconsin time).  We watched his first sunrise together.  If you ask him what color the sky was when the sun came out this morning, he will tell you, “pink!”  Oliver has been loving all the attention from family.  We had a fun day up North for our Thanksgiving celebration at the cabin.  All the new places and people does have his “mama neediness” at maximum level.  But, he has been very happy and inquisitive, just so long as mama is within reach.  Oliver especially enjoyed playing in the leaves and digging holes in the dirt.  Grandpa gave him his first taste of pumpkin pie (with whip cream).  We were even there after dark, so he got to take the moon for a walk.

We have so much to be thankful for.  

Good Morning!

I love my hat, it is so soft.

Walking!

Leaves.

Dirt.

Pumpkin Pie.

Vote for Love

Oliver braved the cold to participate in the democratic process tonight.  He liked the free sticker and the sound of saying the word “vote” (with an emphasis on the “t”).

Yesterday, Oliver started saying a word that melts my heart just as much as hearing him say “Oliver’s”.  Now when I say, “I love you.”  Oliver responds with “love.”  And if he is feeling particularly fond of me at the moment, I get “love” along with a cheek-to-cheek hug.  I adore my little boy more than I can express.  Love.  Love.  Love.

"Oliver's"

Happy Halloween (Part II)

As expected, our second Halloween celebration was less successful than our first this year.  I was hopeful that I could at least get done with my billable hours for the year in time to take Oliver out for his first trick-or-treat experience (just a couple houses).  But, I was not able to pull it off.  So it was good that I had the foresight to dress him in his costume for the day and take a few pictures in the morning (hence, the sleepy eyes). 

Joe’s mom made the lab/doctor coat, and I recently got him the doctor kit to get him in the spirit of his costume.  Due to all the teething, he is familiar with “medicine” from a syringe, so he likes to give his bear (or other animals) medicine and check his ears (but, sometimes gets these devices mixed up).  He is still not into the stethoscope being in his ears, so I don’t think he even knows that he can hear a thump, thump sound if he pushes the button.  But, he does say thump, thump when it is on his heart since we tell him that is what happens.  Also to get him in the spirit, he got a couple of kids doctor books.  The B. Bears what not much of a hit.  But, the Biscuit goes to the veterinarian book has become a huge hit.  So much so that I had to get a couple more Biscuit the puppy books.  Reading them is fun because of Oliver's contribution, when you say, "where is Biscuit?",  he points to the puppy and then says "oofff, oofff."

I hope to do a blog post soon to catch up on many of the new things that Oliver is doing.  But, I can’t help mentioning a few things here, e.g., how his vocabulary has taken off.  He is such a little communicator.  He repeats and LOVES new words.  But, he now remembers so much on his own.  I am shocked at how many words he hears just once and then incorporates them instantly into his vocabulary.  One such phrase, he picked up from me a few weeks ago while we were talking about Wisconsin.  I said “Oh, Geeze” a couple of times.  It is now a frequent and hilariously timed phrase used in his vocabulary.   

He is not “counting” yet, but knows when he has “two” of something and will tell you, “two”.  He can identify the letters, “O”, “S”, “X”, “R”, and sometimes, “I”, “V”, “B”, and “Z”.  We are still working on colors.  He seems to get them some days, but mostly he is not into color sorting or identifying yet. 

His sleep has been a bit off and more challenging for the last week.  He also just starting wanting to fall asleep with his bus.  Which, as you can imagine, is not like a blanket or stuffed animal, which can be left in the crib after he falls asleep.  So when he wakes up in the morning, after a couple calls for mama and daddy, he starts requesting his bus.  He plays with it occasionally during the day, but does not need it with him all the time.  But, at night and in the morning he now gets pretty needy for the bus.

A few weeks ago, we were in the bathroom one morning while I got ready for work when I said something to Oliver and referred to him as “you”.  I watched his little mind make the connection as he stopped what he was doing, looked at me, and pointed at himself and said “you?”

But, one of my favorite things is that in the last week he started using his own name.  The first time was with his cup.  He will point to Joe’s or my cup and we say “daddy’s cup” or “mama’s cup” and he will repeat, then we ask “whose cup is this?”  It used to be no response.  But, one night he just looked at us and said “Oliver’s” and then went on with his business.  The next morning he saw “daddy’s “ hat so I got his hat and asked whose it was, “Oliver’s.”  OMG, he says it in the absolute cutest possible way.  My heart just melts to hear him say his name!

Happy Halloween (Part I)

Our neighborhood had the 2nd Annual "Goblin Parade" this afternoon.  At least 200 families living near Logan Circle gathered at a nearby park and "marched" about 3 full blocks to Logan Circle in costume.  Once at the circle, the kids ran and played.  There was music, lots of fallen leaves, and beautiful weather.  Our friends from graduate school (who live in Virginia with their daughter who is one year older than Oliver) drove into DC and spent the afternoon with us.  The kids had a great time.  Only a couple of "sharing reminders."  Otherwise, Oliver and Celia carried on like old friends. 

This is Oliver's first costume of the season, which we picked because there are bats flying at night in one of our moon books so he has taken an interest in bats.  He has a second costume for Happy Halloween (Part II).

First Stop:  Stead Park

Let's go walking--Oliver alternated between pushing the stroller and being carried by Mom or Dad.

Logan Circle

A Little Bat and A Little Shark Playing at Logan Circle

Celia the Shark

Playing trucks in the dirt--one of his favorite past-times.

Our Bat and Shark escorting the strollers home.

Happy Halloween 2012

My Little Artist

Oliver has been drawing for a couple months with crayons, but I introduced him to painting for the first time this month.  I am pleased to report that it was a hit!  Now when I ask if he wants to draw he says “paint, paint?” 

The first time he painted he really enjoyed it, but he was still figuring it all out.  The second time, I was surprised by how much he remembered.  He knew which way to hold the brushes and how to dip them in the paint (the containers we are using have a fairly small hole to put the brush into to reduce spills).  He also gets pretty excited when I ask him, “Oliver, are you an Artist?”  Response, “Artist!  Artist!” with a huge smile.

Oliver's First Painting:  

Oliver has not decided if he is right or left handed.  Moreover, he gets a bit possessive of his writing devices so he often draws or writes with a paintbrush or crayon in each hand. 

We also tried painting pumpkins this weekend while G & G were in town.  He did it, but was more interested in painting on the paper.  However, he was pretty excited about his pumpkin.  He carried it around saying “pumpkin!” for awhile, but made me nervous when he started saying “pumpkin, ball?”

 I should also note that the lack of blog posts this month is not a reflection how much cool new stuff Oliver is doing or how totally adorable he is right now.  Instead, it is a consequence of the end of the billable year.  As always, this month is a bit taxing on everyone involved, but it was great to have G & G in town to help give Joe a break and for Oliver to have some extra love this month. 

We are all looking forward to November.  In the meantime, I am trying to soak up every second I can get with my little boy.  Tonight, I left work earlier than usual so that I could spend a some time with him before bath/bed (which is usually my goal time for getting home).   It was still light when I got home so we walked to Logan’s Circle and had a picnic dinner together.  Afterward, we played in the grass, and we pushed his stroller and bus around.  But, the real treat of the evening was that the moon was out and not obstructed by any buildings where we were at.  Oliver’s favorite bedtime stories are “I took the moon for a walk” and “goodnight moon.”  In the evenings and early mornings, he will go to the back window, point outside and say “dark….moon, moon, moon….door….walk (and then guide me to the door)”  He will sometimes insist that we go for a walk to see the moon. A few times I have taken him out and to look for the moon, but usually with the tall buildings, it is too hard to see the moon.  Tonight, it was clear and beautiful so we took the moon for a walk.