jenn & perry are having ANOTHER baby

Hi there. Some folks have been asking about the blog and I just hate the thought of you checking for news and finding nothing new since Oliver started to walk and we stopped posting. If you're one of the people asking about the blog, then you already know the news -- we're having another baby. Baby Boy 2 will arrive in late February or mid-March depending on whether a pesky placenta previa problem resolves in time. No, we don't have a named picked out, and no, I'm not just saying that because I want to keep it a secret. Oliver is aware of this development, but I would not say he feels strongly one way or another. We just moved him to his new room, which he loves. So if he associates that with a new baby coming along and moving into his old room, we should be in good shape. But since new baby isn't coming for a while and will probably crash in our room for a few months, I doubt he'll make the connection. I'm posting pictures of the new room and one of Ollie getting awfully excited about a saw.

almost two ...

Hello! Oliver is 21 months old and is quite a wonderful little person. He has a huge vocabulary and speaks in complete sentences, like "Don't step on it!" (a worm) and "I like warm milk" and "That's Daddy's potty." He's even saying please and thank you, albeit not always in exactly the right contexts. He loves playing outside and is not at all deterred by foul weather. Which is good, because that's all we've been having. Snow in March, indeed!

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.