Sprinkling More OIie Pixie Dust

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...

Uncle Chris During His 2nd Visit

Let's Hear It for the Boy!

You Talkin' To Me?

Hat Tricks

As you can see in the attached excerpts from my Olie journal, being an active baby boy requires wearing many different hats. (And sometimes putting on dancing shoes....)

As Oliver dons his thinking cap, new skills are learned, activities accomplished. Others are dropped as they become, well, old hat. You'll see that Oliver gets a bee in his bonnet more often than he used to. But I'll eat my hat if he's not still the cutest babe around. If you don't think so, you can just keep it under yours.

With so much to do, it's a good thing Gramma Updyke made him all those hats!

Hmmm. Which should I wear next.

3/7/06
Came home from work tonight, to find Chad already home with Oliver in his Baby Bjorn bouncer. Chad had gotten out the Fozzy Bear puppet that C&M had given O for Xmas, and had O held captive with his “Fozzy voice.” Chad/Fozzy was teaching Olie addition: “1+1 is 2. 2+2 is 4. 4+4 is 8.” and so on. Chad didn’t miss a beat continuing to add until he was way up into the millions. Oliver looked so impressed. I was in hysterics. A great family moment.

3/08/06
Oliver hugs you back now when you hold him. Sooo sweet.

3/10/06
Came in to get Olie this morning and he was upside-down! Completely turned himself 180 degrees in his crib, so his head was where his feet had been the night before. I don’t know if children are just mirroring their parents’ delighted at any new thing, but it seems that even before you can react, they know they’ve made quite an accomplishment. Oliver was grinning away with his proud, upside-down smile as if to say, “this makes the journal, right Ma!”

First dance class with Olie today. Well, technically it was “Creative Movement.” With about 20 other mothers and their “pre-mobile” babies, Oliver and I danced in a circle experiencing different rhythms, a multitude of movements, and varied beats. We had the babies on the floor, on their backs, on tummies, held high (much to my chagrin) and low, bouncing on balls, playing instruments, and even dancing with other babes. It was such a meaningful bonding experience, that I nearly cried. Apparently unaware that this was somehow an extra special “special moment” between us, Oliver fell asleep. He was still snoozing away as all the Moms sang a “see you later alligator” farewell to him.

"Divine Child" cap

3/11/06
Last night, I told Chad all about dance class and how we needed to give Olie more time on the floor with no toys so that he learns to “experience his body.” Inspired by talk of floor and exercise, Chad got down, put Olie on his chest and started doing sit-ups, counting in a strained voice, “Onnne, Twoooo, Ththththreeee.” Oliver completely bust a gut! Started laughing and laughing.

Oliver’s laughs are really something. Not a polite “hee,hee,hee”; they’re more like random squeals of delight: “Ahhh!..heHah!...Ackah!”

AND
Oliver did his first “rasp” last night! Short for “raspberry,” it’s the spitting sounds created when he sticks his tongue out between closed lips and blows. Michele and Cory had come over to baby-sit so we could go to a party. Michele and I were changing O when suddenly, “Puuthhthththththt.” “Whoa!” I exclaimed. “His first rasp!” (I had read to expect this milestone in my many baby books.) “Whoa!” confirmed Michele. And with that reaction, Oliver just kept right at it, “pputhththththth, pputhththth, ppputhththtth….” Like riding a bike, I guess.

AND
The other new development came in the form of full, blown out hollering just before we left. (So much for my entry of 3/6/06 about his never crying. What’s the expression “Yehweh Rules.” Well so do babies!) I think he was over tired with all the day’s firsts!

First swing in the bonnet that Marnie knit

3/13/06
Sabina called at work today to announce that Olie did another 180 in his crib.

3/14/06
Chad finally got to see the 180 when he went in the get Olie this morning. That’s good cause I think he felt he was missing out.

3/22/06
It’s funny how babies go thru phases and change so rapidly. If you don’t pay close attention, it might seem like they don’t do much. But for those of us who do pay VERY close attention, the changes happen daily. For instance, that cute little “Oouuu” sound is (unfortunately) no more. It’s been totally replaced by the “rasp.” We keep trying to get it out of him, but get, “Ppputhththtthth!” instead. And the 180 in the crib? Did it for 5 days and hasn’t since. Oliver’s new favorite thing – for about the past week – is to study your hands. Like he’s discovered they’re another window into the soul, perhaps less obvious than the face.

Little Norwegian Baby in the hat that Felicia gave him

Oliver's Girlfriend

Just out today: picts of Olie with his "girlfriend," Bella. (See Chad's "O is for Oliver" post.)

Isn't she cute!

We always knew he was a heartbreaker.

The Drool Rule

Was doing situps with Olie on my chest counting them out loud after discovering that this absolutlely busts him up. He was deep belly laughing as I called out my 47th situp when a strikingly fast drool stream bolted from his mouth directly into mine. No time to close my mouth, but plenty of time to ponder the horror afterwards.

New Rule: Keep one's mouth closed tight whenever the boy has the vertical advantage...

O is for Oliver

Add laughing, standing, and speaking in tongues to the ever expanding list of Oliver’s talents. I gotta say that Olie really seems to get a kick out being alive. He giggles when you bounce him on your knee, he chuckles when you make faces and sing to him, and he absolutely erupts when you quack like a duck. One of his favorite exercises combines all three: a game of ride ‘em cowboy plus a Donald Duck rendition of “Oh When the Saints Come Marching In” equals laugh-out-loud, head-tossing laughter from the boy. And who could resist such unabashed glee? Certainly not me…so I keep right on quacking out that number.

He’s also taken to chanting the letter O in his best fake English accent. When at his happiest – which happens to be on the changing table – he tucks his lower lip up under the upper and begins to growl out one O, after another, after another in his deepest, drop-down, silky voice. “As long as we’re here and you’re stuck with diaper detail,” he seems to be saying, “why don’t we have a chat about my favorite letter O?” And out come those O’s…you don’t want him to stop, so you start mimicking the sound back to him. Soon the whole room is chanting O, O, O, O. Tune in next week when we’ll tackle the letter E!

On other fronts, easy going and a natural charmer, Oliver already has a girlfriend. She’s 2 weeks younger than him and, believe it or not, her name is Bella (short for Isabella). Who could have guessed that his first baby friend would have the same name as his great canine ally? Even more, her family has a French Bulldog named, get this, Olivia. Definitely Twilight Zone material.

Olie’s charm and good looks have also drawn in many visitors in the last month or so. Three weekend visits: one each from Grandma Birds, Uncle Chris, and Grandpa Hand & Grandma Lisa (who also came again mid-week on their travels and travails up and down the east coast). Uncle Cory and Michele also continue to visit frequently and will be babysitting again this Friday, so no shortage of family contact despite the many disparate branches.

Lastly, Olie had his latest checkup. He’s in good health and is now 27 inches tall, bursting the seams of nearly every baby outfit he owns. 27 inches at 4 months (March 7th) puts him in the 100th percentile for height. He also made 90th percentile for weight. He seems to be in a rush to get to toddler clothes…I suspect he’s heard a rumor that those in the know wear toddler sizes and so he’s falling all over himself to upsize. M is for more milk, Mama.