so long 2008

Hi! It's been some time since we posted anything on the blog. Anyone still look here? Anyway, Oliver has been doing lots of new and exciting things. He has a big vocabulary -- almost certainly over 200 words and adding new ones all the time -- and says three word sentences. He knows all his colors, recognizes almost all letters, can count (but routinely omits #5 ), can jump and gallop, and can "fly like a bird," which is hilarious. He's had his first haircut and his first snowy walk. He enjoys going to the zoo and aquarium as often as possible. He also loves reading books and coloring with crayons or markers. He likes the childcare center he goes to. His teachers think he's talented and he loves them. He's got tons of energy (much more than we do!) and he's a very good eater. It's been a great year!

To see a fun video of Oliver's first gingerbread house, click here. (I couldn't figure out how to post the video here for some reason, and when I just clicked on that, there was no sound. Too bad. At the end he says "circles!" about the lifesaver wreaths.)

in case you haven't heard ...

Oliver is walking! And talking! As of today, he has close to 30 words, and more every day. He still prefers berries over any other food, but is a fairly adventurous eater who refuses only eggs. He has started in the young toddler room at childcare and really enjoys all the new activities and time outside. He loves climbing and going down slides, reading books, and playing chase. He's so much fun I can't believe it!

Standing by himself!

Hello! Yesterday Oliver started standing up on his own, and now he can't stop! This video was taken after he'd already spent about 10 minutes standing up, giggling, plopping down, and then standing again. He's so excited!

FINALLY!!!

One day shy of 13 months, Oliver finally decided to crawl!

Oliver Stands Up!

Hello there. Here's a video of Oliver pulling up to stand at his crib for the first time! He was very pleased. I grabbed the video camera about 3 minutes into the event, but he was still laughing about it -- even when he bonked his head and almost fell down. He hasn't shown much interest in crawling, so perhaps he'll go straight to walking. He can scoot backwards across the hardwood floor on his belly, so he does get around, but he seems rather confused and irritated about it.

finally, a new post

Hello,
It's been a long time since our last posting. The biggest news is that we bought and moved into our first house! We're quite pleased with the place, though we're not totally unpacked yet and can barely think about decorating. Oliver is still more or less immobile (not crawling or walking yet), but he's working on it. He has three teeth on the bottom and one (almost two) on the top. We've survived our first bout with projectile vomit. Oliver is beginning to get the hang of stacking, and still mostly enjoys eating things that are orange and/or sweet.

Here's a clip of Bibi and Oliver playing back in February (Bibi is about 17 months here, and Oliver is about 9 months).

Remembering Opa

Oliver's Opa, my dad, passed away on February 28 after a short and sudden battle with cancer. This video is from Opa's visit in August. I'm still shocked and stunned by the loss, but immensely grateful to have captured a moment on video. I would say Dad was not really a baby person, but here he is giving Oliver a pacifier and gently rocking him. If you have the sound on, you can hear where Oliver gets his low voice and tendency to growl ...

Mr. Giggles

Watching the jellyfish - 7 months

Be nice to kitty - 7 months

Giggling before bedtime - 7 months