Videos - 9 months, 1 week

Here are a few videos from this past week.

Oliver has progressed from the army crawl to the classic crawl on hands and knees in the past week or so.

Oliver Crawls 9 months, 1 week old from Chris Bock on Vimeo.

He's also started eating solid food. It's cute and messy!
Eating Yoghurt from Chris Bock on Vimeo.

9 months

Oliver turned 9 months on June 20, the first day of summer this year. We had a doctor's visit the next day and he weighed in at 21 lbs 3 oz (in the 73%) and is about 27" (in the 14%). It's hard to believe he was once in the 7th percentile for weight given that he's so chubby now! 

Oliver is crawling a lot now and a little past his 9 month birthday started pulling up to stand. He's still very wobbly at standing, but working on it.

on the go!

He got his top two teeth this month!

Also in the last few days he has started showing more interest and actually begun eating solid food. We've been giving him small pieces of the things that we eat and he tries almost everything. He had cereal and applesauce this morning and tempeh and apples for lunch. He still likes breastfeeding best, but it's been fun (and a big mess) to watch him eat.

sampling a strawberry

Around 9 months he became much more independent with his play. He can sit and play by himself for short periods of time now. He likes to make sure we are nearby and will look over at us or crawl over to us if he hasn't seen us in awhile. His favorite toys are stacking cups, books, balls, cars, bowls and colanders in the kitchen, and anything that he can chew on!

exploring the kitchen

still loves bath time

9 months also marked a milestone for me - I've finally returned to my pre-pregnancy weight!

We are enjoying this age a lot! It's fun to watch him explore his environment more. He was pretty frustrated about wanting to crawl and not being able to, so he seems happier now that he can get where he wants to go (most of the time). He's generally a happy and social guy which made all the traveling we did this month relatively easy. We're enjoying a little more time at home this summer before we leave for Europe in early July!

Iowa City in June Part 2

We spent much of the rest of our time in Iowa City relaxing and enjoying good company. We did some thrift shopping and got Oli some "new" toys and clothes. 

Oliver also met another baby, Vivian, who is about 6 weeks older than him. He wasn't so sure about her, but enjoyed playing with her toys.

Vivian checking out Oli

During our visit, Bruce and Jenny were nice enough to let Oli "borrow" some household items as toys. He especially liked a wooden spoon, a large plastic bowl, and various balls. Thanks for putting up with us for so long Bruce and Jenny! We really enjoyed our visit!

father and son

sleeping in the car again

We spent a night at Jess & Eleanor's house eating Thai food, strawberry shortcake, and playing the keyboard. Oliver loved it, though he was mostly interested in pushing the buttons that changed the sound. Maybe some piano lessons are in the future for Oli and his Aunt Eleanor?

Oli plays the keyboard with his Aunt Eleanor

We attended our friends Ian & Melissa's wedding on Saturday. It was held at a beautiful barn just outside of Iowa City. Oliver was a hit at the wedding and we all had a really fun time. There was clearly a lot of love and joy at the wedding. Congrats Ian & Melissa - your wedding was lovely!

photobooth

Our last morning in town, which was also Father's Day, Oliver spent some time hanging out with his Grandpa Bruce and Grandma Jenny. We didn't get any photos of Jenny and Oliver (sorry Jenny!), but here are a few of Oli and Grandpa Bruce.

obligatory Fathers Day photo

Iowa City in June Part 1

After we left Red Rock Lake, we drove to Iowa City. Oliver slept the whole way here! With all of the driving we've been doing, he's getting to be a pro at sleeping in the car. He's been adjusting to another new place well. He's working more on his crawling and has perfected the crawl to sit. He's been enjoying watching Grandma Jenny do yoga in the mornings and even tries to join in.

napping in the car

We are here in Iowa City for two big events. The first was Bruce's 60th birthday party. It was really nice to catch up with family and friends we hadn't seen in awhile. Oliver got to meet Chris' aunt Cyndi and uncle Bill for the first time, as well as many other friends. There were probably close to 80 people who came out to celebrate Bruce's birthday. It was held in their yard under some huge old trees. There was perfect weather, a live band, a bonfire, lots of good food, and great company! Happy birthday Bruce! Great party!

father and son at Grandpa's birthday bash

Oli meets Noah, both September babies

Willy at the party

clover chain

We are staying in Iowa City for the rest of the week to attend another wedding this weekend. We've been enjoying the quiet country living. Bruce and Jenny live near many Amish and it is very cool to see the horse and buggies going by their house. We checked out an Amish bakery and market this week too. The shops are dim because they are only lit with sunlight and the women working there wear traditional clothing even in the hot summer (long dresses, bonnets). I don't really know much about the Amish, but being here has peaked my interest in knowing more about them and their way of life. 

horse and buggy at the Amish market

We've been taking some walks in the beautiful summer weather and enjoying the quiet Iowa countryside. Perfect for napping!

beautiful Iowa countryside

napping on a walk in the country

one of Bruce and Jenny's barns

Iowa corn field

Camping with family at Red Rock Lake

We spent the first week in June at a cabin on Red Rock Lake near Pella, IA. We met Chris' brothers Jesse and James and their families there and much fun ensued. Some of the highlights were watching the babies meet each other, playing foosball, cooking smores over the fire pit in the backyard, taking a pontoon boat out on the lake, and walking to the top of the Cordova Water Tower. Mostly it was just nice to catch up with everyone and play games together (Twister was Molly's favorite). After the weekend ended, everyone else left and Chris, Oliver, and I stayed for a few more days. We had a chance to explore Pella and relax a little bit. While in town, I opted for doing some work at Smokey Row Coffee House, while Chris and Oliver went to the park. We had a great time and are already talking about doing it again next summer!

lakeside at Red Rock Lake

the babies meet

Oli with his cousins Matilda and Molly and his uncle James

 Oli in the yard

cousins in hats

Oli wants to play

loving the monkey book

cousins

Oli's uncle Jesse, cousin Molly, and aunt Eleanor
hanging out at the cabin and playing the ukulele

full of smiles

exploring the great outdoors

Oli's first boat ride

baby excitement

crawling practice

Oli loves sticks

teething!

sunset from the top of Cordova Tower

at the top of the tower

tower and sky

napping in the park

Oliver Laughs, Pillow Fight from Melanie Ayres on Vimeo.