Birthdays and Turkeydays

Olie had a great second first birthday with the Cape contingent on Sat. Nov. 18. Auntie Steph, hosted a gathering of Gram Bird, Great Gramma Sylvia, Mom, Dad, Pat, Marnie and R&E. A big hit of the day was the plastic piano from Auntie Steph. Olie quickly accertained how to play it and danced to the music much to the entertainment of his guests. As he did with his first b-day party, Olie spurned his delicious b-day cake, made by Great Gram. Guess he's trying to keep his positive weight/height ratio. Can't say the same for the rest of us, who enjoyed cream of tomato soup, BLTs and Olie's Dom Econ cake.

After we got back on Sunday, Olie rushed right to the window to look for his beloved sirens. Now whenever he hears one, he drops everything and puts his arms in the air so you can pick him up and rush to the window. He understands that ambulances have sirens, too. Now when he sees a picture of one he makes his siren noise (which is very close to the elephant noise.)

Olie also had a nice Thanksgiving at Randal and Erik's. Uncle Chris joined us from New York for the weekend, and Grampa Fish (Charlie) also came for a visit. But turkey, good friends and family aside, what really got Olie's attention was Hope's cat (Hope is Randal's sister). O kept following him around and was surprisingly gentle, given how he treats Bella. By the end of the weekend O had added cat sounds to his repertoire. Not exactly a meow, it's more a shortened version of the siren/elephant sound repeated a few times: "Rrrr, rrr, rrr." Olie also got a big treat when we walked by the Jamaica Plain fire station. Seeing us peering into the windows, the firemen rolled up the doors and invited us inside. Olie got to walk around the huge fire engines, and the firemen even put the lights on for him.

(Ok I'm getting a little tired of always writing prose, so for the rest of this post, I will simply be listing cool new things that Olie does.)

- Puts his arms over his head and inhales audibly whenever excited. Olie started doing this the Friday before Thanksgiving when I took him to the Chldrens' Museum. He was thrilled with the ball pool.

- Has started bringing us the books he wants us to read. His favorite is about a boy who loves fire trucks so much that he becomes one.

- Just before Thanksgiving he started putting one block on top of another to make "buildings." As an adult it's difficult to fathom how hard this is. But when you watch a baby, you can see that it takes enormous control and understanding of how surfaces fit together. For example, Olie often slams the blocks down too hard or tries to put the corner down. So far his buildings get to be 2 to 3 "stories" tall before they tumble to the ground.

- Makes engine noises when playing with cars, tractors and anything with wheels.

- Plays by himself with cars, trucks!

- Can unscrew the top of a water bottle.

Family Walk - Photos from the weekend of 11/11

Olie and Dad at the hippo park.

(Olie spent the whole time by the big kids gym, watching a 4-year-old, in awe of all the things he could do.)

Fall Baby

Dad, Bella, come on! I think there's a bull dozer over here.

But we should always stop to enjoy the flowers...

Bright Lights

Olie had is one year checkup on Wednesday. He came in at 25.5 pounds and 31 inches – that’s 70% for weight and 90% for height. The doctor was very impressed with his walking skills. (O even goes backwards now.)

Olie at NYC Marathon

Olie continues his obsession with sirens. On Tues. night we were home and Olie started going, “Rrrrrr, rrrrrr.” I listened and, indeed, there was a siren. We rushed to the window and, score! - a big, flashing, fire engine was coming down our street. Even better, it stopped at the corner. Sweeping Oliver up, the two of us ran down stairs, (Ok we took the elevator, but we ran to it.) And there on the corner were two big, red, fire engines. Olie was entranced. We stayed for a good while investigating the flashing lights and all the shiny levers and knobs – we were that close. Olie kept leaping up and down in my arms with excitement.

When we returned home, Olie insisted we read every book with a fire truck in it. Then for the rest of the night he kept going around the apartment saying, “rrrrrr, rrrrrr.” He was reliving the excitement and sharing his experience with Dad. (No really, I’m not projecting here. Our books say children will engage you in this kind of communication.)

Chad and I are also learning that we have to be careful what we do, because Oliver now immitates us. Last night Chad kept putting a block on his head and Olie did the same. Giving a much more positive spin to the term "block head." Today as Olie was playing silently by himself, I noticed him trying to place a block on his head again.

Olie is also really progressing with his signs. He consistantly signs "more" and "milk" and, pointing to other favorite objects, will move his hand as if he's trying to sign. I'm pretty sure he's doing "light."

Not a block head at all, he's really a bright lad.

Birthday Photos:

Hugs and kisses

Oliver now gives hugs. This is the moment I've been waiting for as a mother. He also blew a kiss to me this morning as I left.

Happy Birthday

Hey Oliver !!

It's Gram pa Updyke. Have your Mom or Dad read this to you so you can hear what a great time your Grandma and I had sharing your very first Birthday with you.

Getting to spend time with you, your Mom, and Dad is the highlight of what we do. It being the week of your Birthday is a wonderful bonus.

If there is an advantage to not seeing you as often as we would like ( there isn't one ) it's noticing at a glance just how far and fast you've traveled since the last time we were together. You are wiggling, giggling, waddling, crawling, walking and even sometimes running toward your future at a rate that is truly astonishing! As a Grandparent I'm in awe of both the intensity and the enthusiasm with which you approach life. ( By the way you might try to tame that down a little around Bella ) Your parents have and are providing you with a safe, secure, stimulating and happy environment in which you are so obviously completely at ease that it's hard to imagine you not just continuing to grow and expand to horizons that I'm not sure I can even imagine. You seem to me to be very comfortable with who you are and where you are in your life. Try and continue to stimulate your parents as much as you have so far, because they're up to whatever you throw at them, and who knows who'll learn the most from the adventure you're now a much more active part of.

As a last and late Birthday wish for you, here's hoping that your next year is as happy and as good to you as the first year of your life has been.

Happy Birthday, Grandma and Gram pa Updyke

Oliphant Blows His Trumpet

Given Olie’s early nickname (Oliphant), perhaps it is no surprise that his first animal sound turns out to be the trumpeting “braalooo” of an elephant. Whenever he’s shown a picture of an elephant or asked what sound an elephant makes, he howls out a high-pitched whoooo! He also makes more or less the same sound every time he hears a siren outside, which is not an uncommon occurrence in New York. Oliver will suddenly start howling and it always takes a few seconds to realize what has triggered him since for me, by now, these emergent screeching siren signals have mostly merged into the sea of background noise. While I suppress the sound of sirens, I am much more tuned in to Olie’s howls as they are audible evidence of just how much he’s soaking up these days.

Incredibly, Oliver also hears the engine roar of planes and helicopters overhead and points to the sky when he sees or hears one. Believe it or not, he’s done this ever since we flew to Maine about a month ago. He seems to have understood what planes are and that they fly in the sky. That really does amaze me as I would think flying in a plane would be pretty abstract for a 1-year old. In an attempt to seal his status as 100% baby boy, he also loves big trucks and dogs of all types, too. Again, with an abundance of busses, delivery trucks, garbage trucks, fire engines as well as pooches of all varieties in the city, there are ample opportunities for Olie to holler out “tuc” and “dat” and “dot” and, of course, “whoooo.”

Speaking of blowing trumpets, Oliver turned 1 this week. Despite his obvious conscious and physical leaps of late, it is still hard to believe a year has already passed. While a long year in many ways, it also went by very, very fast. This is a common complaint for parents, and we’re no exception. I’ve gained new insight into how shocked my parents were when I suddenly grew up and went off to college. How could they ever have been prepared for me to charge out into the world, even if they well understood that was what I was meant to do? We had a lovely week-long visit with my mother and father who came out to celebrate Olie’s 1st b-day and brought him a shiny, red Radio Flyer walker/wagon (just like his mom & dad had when they were kids). Uncle Chris also joined in on the festivities, providing Oliver with his first wooden mallet. No doubt much damage will be delivered by that cute cudgel. Unfortunately, Oliver really didn’t take to the birthday angel food cake his mother baked just for him. Perhaps next year we’ll entice him with a little frosting…

A Birthday Note from Mom

Dear Oliver,

About a year ago, when you were one week old, I wrote you a letter on Olieland expressing my joy and hopes at being your Mom.

Today you are one year old! And still I hold you, and the experience of being your Mom, in awe. So much has happened and yet, it seems like yesterday since you first arrived; since your Dad and I were trying to figure out how to change your diaper, since your first bath, since we struggled with our own inexperience and insecurity about caring for a child. This year, our growing family has faced many new experiences and mounted many steep learning curves. There have been a few trying moments and certainly many triumphs. Now it seems in many ways we're old pros - in all the ways that are behind us. Each new day brings a new joy and challenge. You are now getting around quite well and are so curious about the world around you. You are already starting to come into your own, to make your own demands, to express your own unique feelings, and to be your own person. Sometimes we still struggle to keep up; often we are your guides. Whichever, we are all on a great adventure together. All growing in so many ways. You are our first child and will always blaze a path ahead of you. We cherish you.

Love,

Mom

Little Lobster

My boss didn't think it was a good idea to dress Oliver up as a lobster for Halloween because it's Bella's favorite toy. But we seemed to have survived the evening. And just look how cute he is.



We spent Olie's first All Hallow's Eve in the company of Bella (the girl) and her family plus, 3 other babies. They little ones were too young for candy, but Oliver did share my penne alla vodka and an apple.



Last Friday, Olie and I visited Harry's Shoes, an Upper West Side institution, to procure O's first pair of walking shoes. We picked out a very cute pair of brown Oxfords, but Olie's feet were too beefy, so we had to go for some boots. They're not as cute, but still look adorable on Olie. While at Harry's we met another Oliver, 18 months old, who could say his name. He kept saying, "Oleeeveh." His mother proudly informed me that they spell "Olie" as "Oli" - no "e". And I thought I was being hip with just one "l"!


Olie in his new shoes

How Big is Oliver?! This big!

On Saturday, Uncle Cory and Uncle Chris visited and played many a game of soccer with Baby O. Then on Sunday, Chad and I took Oliver to the Children's Museum - three floors of activities to stimulate baby body and mind. It's the ultimate playground. Chad and I were amazed when Olie figured out how to put a ball through a plexiglass hole, in order to watch it cascade down the maze inside. So Advanced!

O's vocabulary contiues to grow, but he seems uninterested in talking just yet. Even with sign language, when I ask him if he wants more, he lurches out of his high chair, arms in the air, and grunts. If I ask him if he can make mommy say "more," he carefully takes my hands and moves them together to make the "more" sign. Funny how their little minds work.