Olympic Strides

As we watch the epic achievements of the athletes during the Olympic Winter Games, we can’t help but note the Olympian strides of our own little champion. Oliver gets a 10 in technical marks for his increasing hand-eye coordination and immense strength.

Brow furrowed in concentration, he reaches for and continually makes contact with his targets - the animals hanging from his activity matt, the bears on his Baby Bjorn Bouncer, his books, and our faces. Demonstrating strength that comes from weeks of intense training, Olie closes in on the world record for standing for great lengths of time. Tummy time is also no longer a challenge, as Olie pushes up and up, achieving an easy 90-degree angle.

Oliver also gets a gold in performance as he holds his head up with the best of them and even sits up on his own (oh are those my toes!?). Grabbing rattles and bring objects to his mouth with his hands is also a cinch. Not to be restricted to winter games, Oliver is training for summer equestrian events; straddling Mom’s tummy, he pushes up with his legs while pulling against Mom's hands: “ride em cowboy” is a new favorite game. Yes, the Olympics certainly are exciting, but they’re nothing compared to the nail-biting action at home.

In other sports news, Oliver keeps up with Updyke tradition, attending his first bowling game yesterday. Maybe someday he’ll join Great Grandma Updyke in the bowling hall of fame.

AND Oliver’s greatest achievement to date…. Sleeping a full 8 hours from 7pm to 3am last night and then not waking again til 7:45am. Rahhhhhh!

Truly exciting sports action at the Updyke household these days. Tune in next week Sports Fans for more exciting action as Oliver attempts, dun, dun….rolling over.