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.)