Gnawing at the Bone

After making peace with his peas, Olie went on to hold a lively discussion with his mother sharing his unfavorable perspective of his early bedtime. He continued to hold court with his army of stuffed animals after his mother’s departure, which eventually summoned back his mother’s attentions. And it was then that he delivered his news this fine Sunday eve, which was to bring forth his first tooth, bottom row, center stage.

Turns out, all that drool over the last few weeks wasn’t for naught. And once again, Oliver has risen above all expectations, growing his first tooth with hardly any fuss at all. Riding the wings of fortunate timing, grandpa hand and grandma lisa were present to witness the grand event.

Peas Please!

Oliver started "solids" last weekend in the form of very watered down (or milked down) rice cereal. They went down with nary a grimmace. Indeed each time it withdrew, the spoon was pursued by the mouth until restrained by the high chair.


After a successful week of cereal, we decided it was time for peas. (Hoping that by starting early, The Boy will look more favorably on these legumes than do his parents.) While, as you can see (above), they were not met with the same enthusiasm as the cereal, they were nonetheless eaten to the last drop. They are food, after all.

Rollin' Along

12:13 PM: Sabina just called with an APB - Oliver just rolled over, twice!

Cat Scratch Fever

Olie has an odd nervous habit. Has for a while, but lately it has been escalating. He scratches his head whenever he gets nervous or uncomfortable, and in spite of the fact that he can barely even reach the top of his head. Early on we learned to keep his nails short, but still he scratches and scratches, sometimes until he starts to bleed. He's now got all kinds of scars from this bad habit. I've spoken to him about it explaining that masochism really is not allowed in our household, but my discouragement appears to be falling on deaf ears. Apparently, this nervous twitch of his isn't all that uncommon since baby stores sell infant mittens to resolve this very issue. But, as with most of Olie's other parts, he just doesn't have infant hands. Anybody have an extra pair of lightweight toddler mittens leftover from last fall?

Beach Days

Olie experienced his first few days of fun in the sun, on our recent trip to Florida with Randal and Erik.

Special thanks to Aunt Peggy, Oliver's unofficial outdoor gear outfitter, for Olie's first swim suit and sun hat.

O got an A+ for plane behavior. Slept most of the way, each way. And when he was up, he was busy charming the other passagengers with broad smiles. Everyone commented (I couldn't help but notice with a note of extreme relief in their voices): "Your baby was sooooo good!"

Yes, we did learn a lot about traveling with kids during our plane ride. (Like when you have 2 kids and 2 parents, reserve 2 window seats on separate rows, otherwise the one without the window will scream about how unfair it is - even if they are promised the window on the way back. Or if you have a 6-year-old, they know everything and have a steal-trap memory for all the infractions you've made against them. So never eat their fries even if there is no way they are going to finish them all, and never offer the last blanket to the couple in the seat in front of you with the newborn baby, or you will hear about it the whole flight.) But none of what we learned was from Olie.

So back to the beach. Olie proved himself to be his water-loving parent's child. Took to it like a fish. Even took a 2-hour nap on the beach, so we could stay all day. Ahhhh.



(Oh and the head scratching mentioned below: not a nervous habit - cradle cap. Some Cortizone and antibiotic cream later, and he's completely healed.)

Seeing Things In A New Light

It was a long week at work. Weighted down by heavy work flows, I didn’t get to see the Olieman at all several days this week. That’s unusual since I typically get to see him for an hour in the mornings, then another hour or so in the evenings before he drops off into slumberland. Two hours a day is not much, but I’ll take what I can get during the workweek. But this week he woke late (daylight savings) and was in bed before I got home several different nights and thus I was severely short-changed my share of smiles, gurgles and drool (though I didn't miss the drool all that much).

It borders on cliché, but I’ll say it anyway. One of the many great things about being a new parent is that you get to spend time seeing the world through a child’s eyes again. Unlike many babies, Oliver appears to have no issues focusing. He often locks his gaze onto some object and studies it for minutes at a time. Or he’ll look a complete stranger directly in the eyes, showing no signs of timidity or discomfort. When he does this, you can’t help but wonder what is going through his brain. Is he simply taking in the view? Is he memorizing every intricate detail, cataloguing it all for future reference? Or perhaps the person or object before him has triggered some prehistoric or primordial “memories” for him, memories long blocked to me by my 37 years of cognitive sedimentary layering? He won’t say, at least not yet or not that I can tell.

Certainly, Oliver does communicate his delight or dissatisfaction through kicks, giggles, squeals, and sometimes tears, but for the most part I am left to my own speculations and ponderings as to what he really perceives. However, I admit that these speculations, this newfound way of seeing things, feels at times like a rebirth of sorts for me. I’m not talking about (nor seeking) immortality achieved through my offspring. I don’t have that kind of ego. Instead, I’m simply reveling in the momentary glimpses I get of a new being’s discovery of forms. For example, what does Olie experience when happening upon his first bunch of flowering spring Krokuses, or as he takes in the afternoon sunlight kissing the waters of the Hudson River for the first time? In pondering what’s going through his head, I find myself taking in these old hat experiences with a newfound kind of freshness. I’ve been there, done that before, but my proximity to his discoveries seems to clear away temporarily all that heavy muck and recharge the experience with new vivacity.

Being a new parent has brought me many new firsts of my own, but perhaps an even greater gift is this fresh vitality that Olie brings to all those old hat things I’ve seen and done before. And another gift…after a weekend filled with both new and old “firsts,” already that long, long week has faded from the screen.

Noggin and the Freedom Statue

I’ve taken to calling my boy Noggin, while Justine now calls him Cheeks. I feel a little guilty slandering the helpless chap, but it’s just that these particular features of his are rather difficult to miss at the moment. His head has developed a presence unto itself and those cheeks really do get up and greet you at the door. At least for now, he doesn’t really seem to mind the nicknames anyway.

Spring came to New York last weekend and New Yorkers came out in hordes to embrace the newly arrived warmth and sunshine. We decided to follow suit by taking Olie on a picnic with his aunt & uncle. Instead of the more natural choices of Riverside Park or Central Park, we instead took the subway down to Battery Park and found a shady overlook to the harbor and the Statue of Liberty. We planted Olie on a blanket and circled round as he frolicked away the day until he eventually opted for a nap in his SUV Mountain Buggy stroller. It was a lovely afternoon, one for the record books.

And then three days later a full-on blizzard came to town. So much for Spring. Guess that Easter Florida trip was a good call after all.