Spring

Spring has finally arrived in Minnesota! (Well, if I ignore the forecast which says a rain/snow mix is headed our way later this week.) The weather has been mostly sunny and in the 70's and so we've spent as much time as possible outside. In the last 4 days we visited 7 different parks, went to the Como Zoo & Conservatory, ate many of our meals outside, and enjoyed the sun and fresh air. We are all so glad to be able to spend time outside again after such a long winter. Hooray for spring!

19 months

In some ways Oliver is not much different than last month and yet when I was re-reading last month's post, I realized how much he has learned this month. Last month he counted to 2 and now he can count to 10. He said 1 and counted to 2 last month and this month he counted to 3, 5, and then 10! He recognizes 1-10 and can say them all (although 6 and 7 trip him up a little). We are now starting to teach him letters. Right now he can repeat most of the letters, but he calls every letter "B". When he's repeating the alphabet and I get to "W", instead of repeating it he just says "X" (can't blame him as "W" is senselessly long compared to the other letters).

Unfortunately he was still sick much of this month with an ear infection but (finally!) seems to be feeling better. We've had an unusually long winter season (snow in late April!?) and we're all hoping that spring is around the corner!

After using his cousin's chalkboard, we decided to get Oli his own easel with chalkboard. He has been loving it and often brings us chalk so that we'll come draw with him.

He has a ton of new words, too many to keep track of. He likes to name everything on his plate during meals and is starting to name a lot of things in books too. My current favorite is his word for quesadilla. He just shortens it to "dilla". He also says "Toby" and "Oscar" now and can tell them apart. He has been saying "nice" and "alright" for awhile but this month added "cool" and "I did it".

frozen blueberries are a new favorite

enjoying one of the sunny days before we got more snow

first candy, a dum dum at a Korean restaurant in town 

blocks are fun to play with...

... and eat.

music making with dad

already a pro with technology 

goofy face

reading 

exploring the neighborhood 

baby legs 

joy 

serious at the chalkboard

a coffee to celebrate turning 19 months

And last, a few videos from this month.

One year ago, at 7 months. I know I'm biased but I think he was such a cute baby!

18 months

Oliver, the 18-month old, is pretty great and also challenging. This month he has continued to hone his verbal skills. He can now count to 2 and recognizes numbers. He knows a lot of shapes and can say triangle, circle, oval and square.  He's started saying "alright" in response to being asked if he wants something, which is cute. He has shown a renewed love of books in the past couple of months and still loves playing balls and coloring. This age has also brought some tantrums, perhaps the result of him having ear infections again or maybe just the result of him being a toddler. I experienced my first public tantrum with him, which was humbling. He's also an increasingly picky eater. He'd be pretty content to eat crackers and raisins for every meal. Overall this age has been both exhausting and really fun. He's sweet and gives hugs and kisses, sometimes unprompted, and we just love him so. Happy half birthday Oli!

working on combing his own hair

post-bath goofiness

pretending

loves music

texting his friends

cute toddler pout

on his way to the racquetball courts

showing his cow some love

toddler smiles

first time with playdough

reading a good book to celebrate his 18th month of life

And one year ago, our 6-month old!

17 months

17-month old Oliver continues to move into toddlerhood, looking more like a little boy and less like a baby every day. I have been really lucky that my workplace has allowed me to have a flexible schedule since Oliver was born. This semester is a little less flexible so that's been an adjustment for all of us. I miss Oli but I know that he is in very capable hands with Chris. Chris sends me photos and videos throughout the day which I love. 

waving bye to me from the front window
as I leave for work

befriending Oscar

This month he also got his first haircut, thanks to Chris.

We've had a long cold, snowy winter this year (hurry up spring!). Oliver says "snow" now and loves playing in it and helping shovel.

This age has been pretty fun, watching him learn new things and become more independent He has been feeding himself with a spoon a little which is messy but cute. He is talking a lot (at least 50 words now!), can stack blocks and do simple puzzles, and has been having fun dancing and playing music with his blocks, xylophones, guitar, and keyboard. 

eating his first macaron

 

celebrating my birthday with some french pastries

excited about eating a pickle

getting good at stacking blocks

he gives kisses now,
which is pretty much the best

And a look back at one year ago, when he was just 5 months old.