Oliver's first Christmas present

He was so happy to get the present, you'd almost have thought that he had some idea that there was something in it... He was also pretty happy with ripping paper, once his mommy showed him how.
He had to work pretty hard to get the whole thing unwrapped...
And once he did, he was just delighted...
Because that box tasted delicious!

He was not terribly interested, to be real honest, in the DVD player itself...

How big is Oliver?

Sooooo big! (Especially while sitting on his grandpa's head...)

A really good day

Baby in a candy store

The most interesting thing in the whole shop, other than the people (Oliver loves to watch people), and the table (very good for banging on), was, as far as Oliver was concerned, the water. Ice cream? No thank you -- just water. (I am totally serious and not just saying this because his mother will see it.)

Santa's little helper does a mean up-dog

Life in a retail shop at this time of year can be pretty hectic; when things slow down for a moment, Oliver likes to relax behind the counters with a little yoga.

(You know that's a fabrication, right?)

Same same only different

So, yeah, Oliver is breastfed. Lately, however, he has been experimenting with food of various sorts. Popcorn, in particular, was pretty enthusiastically received.


And it seems that no one told him that babies are not supposed to eat peanuts:

So, you know, we're going to have a talk about the importance of eating... well, food, as opposed to packing material.

Tis the season

 

An Oliver-Related Mystery?

Today I went outside to look at leaves that I don't feel like raking and I found this framed poster on my front porch. No note, no wrapping, just the poster. Isn't that fun? Anybody have any idea where it might have come from?

Oliver's daddy, as I may have mentioned before, is from Thailand, so Oliver is half Thai (also at least one eighth Irish, one eighth Polish, one eighth German, with some English and Welsh).

We are the dinosaurs...

Oliver really likes music. Sometimes when he's crying he will stop if you sing him a song. Fortunately, he's not picky about the quality of the singing. One of his favorite songs is "We Are the Dinosaurs." I am glad he likes it because it seems to be permanently lodged in my brain*.

His grandma went out of town for a few days, and when she saw this hat (and the rest of the clothes), of course she thought of Oliver.

*We are the dinosaurs, marching marching.
We are the dinosaurs, whaddaya think of that?
We are the dinosaurs, marching marching.
We are the dinosaurs, we make the earth flat...

Let us all give thanks for Oliver

Oliver himself was quite thankful (or at least pleased) to suck gravy off of his mommy's finger for his first Thanksgiving dinner yesterday afternoon. Here is a picture his Papa took of Oliver in his post-gravy contentment.

Later, at his second Thanksgiving dinner (which was my third of the day), he enjoyed mashed potato and cranberry sauce (yes, all mixed together) in the same manner.

Monkey Takes a Bath

This is my monkey, Encephalitis. Oliver was kissing him rather enthusiastically yesterday, which, while adorable, was also messy (Oliver had just been eating carrots). To add insult to injury, the part of a bottle that Oliver didn't want (most of it) was absorbed by Encephalitis later. He was one soggy monkey, I'm telling you. This required a bath and a tumble in the dryer with Tim's corduroy pants --which Encephalitis did not mind at all.

No one, I know, comes to this blog to look at pictures of a stuffed animal soaking in a mixing bowl, but I don't have a lot of pictures of Oliver lately. Unlike a stuffed animal, Oliver is quite wiggly and interactive; he likes it when adults sing and dance and talk to him and play with him and cheer him on while he learns to crawl (oh, so close...). He's not so much interested in having his picture taken. Every once in while, I get one right at the end, like this:

Duty calls

I have been working on another website, and I sent a link to Oliver's grandfather (my father) to show him. His response was: "...really nice, but please don’t let that interfere with the O-blog." So, without further ado:
Oliver's walker is finally more than just a docking station -- as of this week, he can scoot like crazy anywhere he wants to go. He likes to practice walking outside the walker, too -- his balance isn't too hot, but he's got the this-foot-that-foot-this-foot-that-foot thing down pretty well.

The thing that makes Oliver the very happiest, though, is his mommy. He likes us (we can tell), and he's a fun dinner guest (he hates winter squash -- green beans and rice went over really well), but he was very excited when Jen came to pick him up.

Oliver is learning to say 'Ma-ma-ma-ma'

Oliver is learning to say the letter M (on purpose). He watches very intently while an adult shows him how, then practices a few times silently, and then says 'Mamamamamama.' It makes him very happy.

Happy Halloween, Oliver

Oliver was a very fine bumble-bee, although he was the first growling insect I've ever met. (He growls, and then it is the job of whatever adult is handy to growl back at him. His mommy taught him that, and it's ridiculously cute.)

The human trampoline

In addition to being smart, talented, and handsome, Oliver is also a catalyst for deep philosophical thoughts about self and identity. As an example, Tim would never have described himself as -- or even known that he aspired to be --a human trampoline; and yet, in the context of Oliver, one is simply happy to be whatever makes Oliver happy (along with healthy and safe, of course). If Oliver wishes to jump on Tim's tummy, well... perhaps it is time for Tim to re-evaluate his aspirations.

In this picture, Oliver was just standing on Tim's tummy while enjoying his mother's re-enactment of something they saw on Dancing with the Stars...

Oliver buys a new computer

 

Most babies wouldn't contribute much on a trip to buy a new computer, but everything's better with Oliver.

Oliver is fun at a party

 

We took Oliver and a box of toys over to Tim's parents' house for a little pizza party yesterday. He was a little shy at first, but soon he was doing all his tricks -- growling, blowing raspberries, shaking his head no-no-no, and, of course, jumping. We are so amazed at how fast he is learning new things -- as we were walking to our car after we dropped him off, Tim said, "At this rate, next month he's going to be showing us algebra."

It was so much fun that I didn't get any pictures until after we took him back to his mommy...

How much is that baby in the window? And does he bite?

Oliver did not much like it when I went outside to take his picture. In fact, it made him cry. Although I do not like it when Oliver is unhappy, not one little bit, and I ran back inside to apologize as soon as I noticed, his expression of dismay does show his teeth, which is pretty cool. If you click on the picture, you should be able to see them. (Some of you may need to find your spectacles...)

Here is Oliver with his daddy. Doesn't he look like he wants to bite you?

And here is Tim's finger -- slightly slobbery and with Oliver's little toothmarks on it -- he was so honored to be bitten by Oliver that he wanted to get a picture.

If you think these sour apples are so great...

...you eat them!

Oliver would rather eat a rubber ducky...

...or his hand...

...or the table...

...but not apples. Or. Well. Maybe, after giving it some thought, they are not so bad.

Reports from the Field

From Oliver's grandpa last night:

Today I was with Oliver. I leaned my head to the side, and Oliver leaned his head to the side. I did this about 15 more times to show Jen and Thiva, and to make sure he knew what he was doing.

He certainly did.

He likes my singing, too.

So. Oliver has many talents. Also, he's got Who Dey:

And he's got a few little tufts of the hair he was born with, which is now quite long. One might not count that as a talent or an asset, but it's adorable:

Oliver is 5 Months Old

Oliver is 5 months old, and he just keeps getting better and better.

He's had carrots a few times and sweet potatoes once, but he's otherwise entirely made of milk.

He can sit all by himself (mostly -- sometimes he reaches for something too far away and tips over), and when his mommy sings his favorite dog song* and growls at the end, Oliver growls back at her. In my completely unbiased opinion, it's really very cute.

*I'm a dog (woof, woof)
I like to run around and play
I'll give you a lick and chase a stick
And wag my tail all day
'Cause I'm a dog (woof, woof)

Oliver's mommy is very very funny...

Oliver and his mommy make each other laugh. It's a very happy thing to watch.

Oliver and his cousins

8/13/2007
Here's Oliver on vacation with his cousins: Mickey, Kira, and Emmet.

Oliver and Emmet

8/24/2007

Here's Oliver on vacation with his wonderful cousin Emmet, who is two. As Emmet described it, "Obber kiss" everything he can get his hands on. Sometimes the results of all this kissing (wet toys) were not terribly pleasing to Emmet.

Oliver overexposed

The title is only intended to describe the picture, not the whole blog. :)

My favorite tools include a spoon...

Milk and carrots: a perfectly balanced diet.

Where the heck has Oliver been?

The weather where Oliver lives has been no good at all -- over 100 degrees and just icky. He is a lucky boy -- his mommy took him on vacation for two weeks where it was cool and wonderful. In those two weeks, Oliver saw all of his aunts and uncles (except Tim, who had to stay home to work), his cousins, his grandpa, his grandma, and Kevin.

Many, many pictures were taken... more to come...

Oliver is very busy

There are many many brightly-colored objects in the world to be grabbed and stuck in one's mouth.